“We’ll find her…” was all Gus could hear, the rest lost in murmurs.
Yuki motioned to BoJack and they headed into medical and started working on one of the consoles there. Gus saw them searching the medical records, but by their expressions the news wasn’t good.
BoJack glanced at Tempest and pursed his lips as he began, “She was here, and not too long ago. They had her on high concentrations of sedatives and she was in a pod, similar to those used in game hospices. They could have been controlling what she viewed as reality for who knows how long.”
“For fourteen years, six months, and two days most likely,” was the deadpan reply. Tempest stared ahead, and Gus noticed the weariness there. How long had his father had hopes of this being the end of his separation only to find it a dead-end?
“If you did not hear, exactly fourteen years—” Nick began, intruding on Gus’ thoughts.
Enough! Obviously, I know that. I just never thought my mother’s absence affected him as it did me. Nick remained silent but Gus could sense the AI was miffed at his reply.
Gus looked closer at his father, always a bastion of strength and impassivity. He was always so unflappable and in control, but he looked on the verge of breaking. It was such a shock and out of character that it was hard for him to process. As far as Gus could remember, he never showed weakness of any sort. But now, for the first time, Gus could see how old his father had become.
“Do you have everything?” Tempest asked solemnly and Yuki nodded. Without a word he turned and began to leave. “We’re done here then. Let’s go.”
A beefy hand clapped Gus on the back, startling him.
“Good on ya, lad. The Crew and I had some concerns about how you would do in a real situation, but you made me proud. We could have been in a spot when that beastie got free.” Darik smiled broadly at Gus.
A smile stole across his face at the compliment as he watched Darik walk away, rubbing his spiky faux-hawk hair while he congratulated other team members. As everyone made their way back to the ship, many of the Crew congratulated him or gave him a thumbs up. The distance they had maintained had definitely relaxed a bit.
The ride back home was uneventful. Yuki had apparently turned off base defenses or got the system to recognize their ship because no missiles harried their departure. Occasionally Gus looked back at where Yuki and Tempest were working through the files. It must not have been good, because his father kept running his fingers through his hair then sat clutching his chin as he searched through the files they downloaded.
As they neared the manor, Tempest stood and addressed the team.
“I have some bad news. The attack on the facility was unexpected and I can find no links to who may be responsible. The only thing we did find out was that they were experimenting on individuals and a lot of that research seemed to be focused on inducing regs to become supers and developing ways to teach a skill from one super to another. They had very few successes, one being the individual we fought as a Revenant. No information exists on where these volunteers came from, or if they were even there willingly. But apparently over two hundred people were part of the research and trials. That’s just what we know about the patients at the facility. Who knows how much support staff was there in addition to that? I’m afraid that’s all we have.” Tempest slapped the headrest of the chair he was holding and turned to sit down.
A female super, one of the two Gus had never spoken to, began speaking to Tempest. Wreckognize revealed her name to be Seneschal, and Gus mentally kicked himself for not using the ability earlier to learn everyone’s names.
While Gus could not hear everything, he was close enough to pick up some of the arguments. While he had never learned to read lips, he saw that True Sight had activated and he could interpret the whispered words.
“Absolutely not! Who knows what she will ask for!” Tempest hissed.
“You said that we have no leads, what else are we to do?” Seneschal pleaded.
“She’s too unpredictable. On top of that, I don’t trust her. I would have gone a long time ago, but the demands she gave the last liaison that Purple Faction sent to her were laughably unreasonable. I wouldn’t doubt if she’s gone insane.”
“You don’t know that. She could be our only lead.”
Tempest glared at her, face torn with emotion. “I’ll consider it, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Who knows if she’s even still around? The last I heard of her was five years ago,” he said dismissively.
“Leave it to me. I realize this situation is difficult, but don’t get mad at the team. We’re all here to help you, so you need to rein it in.”
Tempest nodded in assent, and his expression became stern again as he made his decision. He stood again and did his curt whistle.
“Listen up! Against my better judgment, Erika—” Tempest cleared his throat at her angry glance. “—excuse me, Seneschal, has convinced me we need to go see the Oracle.” Groans and gasps sprang up from many of the Crew and Tempest raised his hands to quell the unrest. “I know, I know. Believe me, this is not something I am looking forward to doing, but I don’t see any other options. If you want to stay on the ship, I understand. This is my fight and I don’t want any of you beholden to her demands.”
Tempest went on to discuss his intentions. Gus cocked his head and looked at his father, wondering if he really was the same man that he had known growing up. He remembered him being more authoritarian, ‘my way or the highway.’ Had he always been this way and his teenage angst had skewed things negatively or had his father softened in the years without Mom? Internally he wanted to keep avoiding his father but doubts crept up in Gus’ mind if he was being overly harsh. A shout disrupted his thinking.
“Well, you can count on me, brother!” Darik shouted, waving a fist in solidarity. The rest of the Crew was less enthusiastic, but from the muffled conversations that began to spring up, most were planning on going with him regardless.
Dreading the answer before he even asked, he questioned Nick.
Who in the heck is the Oracle?
Chapter Nine
Eye in the Sky
“The Oracle is a super whose talents lie in predicting the future and accessing hidden information,” Nick replied. Gus almost awaited some annoying addition but none was forthcoming.
“So some kind of fortune teller. Why the resistance from everyone?”
“The Oracle has a reputation for exacting onerous tasks and impossible challenges for the information she offers. Often it appears calculated to be at direct odds with one’s morality, or related to close personal tragedy. Most refuse, and the Oracle never allows another petition if one is left undone. Once given, she will never renege.”
“Woof.” Gus tried to imagine what types of Herculean feats had been asked of people in the past. If supers balked at them, there were sure to be some doozies. Gus had a lot of possible things he felt he could ask, but wondered if given the chance to look at his future, what question would he want answered? How would that change everything having that knowledge? From past regrets, he knew a lot of things he wished he could go back into the past and change. Erasing missteps and lost opportunities. But what if those decisions led to even bigger problems?
Tempest spoke up again after conferring with Seneschal, interrupting Gus’ thoughts. “I plan on heading straight to the Oracle now, unless anyone has any reservations. Anyone? Anyone?”
Gus had to repress the urge to shout out, “Bueller? Bueller?” or, “Voodoo Economics,” knowing probably only his father would get the joke. Afraid they would be the only two, and not wanting to make things awkward now that some of the others were warming up to him, he sat there in silence.
No one had any objections, so Tempest turned and told the pilot to set in the coordinates. The transport banked sharply and began to climb.
As the Crew settled in for the trip, it grew quiet as some slept and others played with their displays. It reminded Gus to check his own notices.
&
nbsp; You have contributed to the defeat of Level 12 [Revenant (Electrical Fulminant)]! 1000 XP gained!
Quest objective complete: Clear the Facility.
Quest Rewards based on participation: 500XP, 300FP.
Next quest objective: Gain information on The Alchemist’s location from the Oracle.
XP dependent on participation.
5,160 XP to level 21.
Crap. It’s going to take me forever to get to level 30 with the XP all divided out among the group.
“Considering your contribution, it seems more than fair,” Nick replied.
Gus pressed his eyes together and tried to go to his happy place. When that failed, he sought refuge in the Quorian cube. He grabbed it and examined a different surface. This one had a peach tint to it and he once again activated Electronic Mind.
A familiar sensation of falling forward occurred and he found himself within a totally different environment. The sky was burnt orange with the sunset reflecting on the clouds. Gus was in the midst of a dense jungle, but unlike the island, large planes of what looked like water shimmered like doors looking in on the jungle. The orange hues made the greens of the grass appear extra vibrant for some reason.
Gus walked forward and noticed afterimages of his hands moving. As he paid more attention, he saw that there was no breeze or movement of the plants. He touched a nearby broad leaf hanging low from one of the trees and it cut through it like an electric knife through Thanksgiving turkey. He pulled the finger close to his face, but could detect no vibration, just the ghost-like trail that took a while to catch up with his movement if he stayed still.
What the hell is going on with this cube?
Before he could explore more, he felt pulled up and out of the scene. Snapping back to reality, Aurora was shaking him.
“Sorry to interrupt your meditation or whatever you’re doing, but we’re here.”
Checking his display, Gus saw that he still had 75% of his MP bar full but that over four hours had passed! At most, it felt like he was in the jungle for ten minutes. The ship was already descending into a clearing surrounded by forests, with the green treetops extending as far as he could see.
“As I said before, anyone who wants to stay aboard can do so—no questions asked. The Oracle is unpredictable, and I don’t want anyone to get obligated to a group task they are unwilling to complete. Just being present makes you fair game for her demands, so be aware if you decide to come,” Tempest warned.
Only Harmony and Yuki stayed aboard. Harmony folded her arms petulantly, muttering how there were too many psychic disturbances and it was already giving her a headache. Yuki was plucking away at her keyboard, engrossed in some project and she waved away the interruption as she typed.
Gus rolled his head, trying to loosen his stiff neck. He wondered if he was frozen in the same position when he did a cube-dive. The transport door opened and a deep earthy scent wafted into the ship.
Glad I don’t have allergies, Gus mused as he breathed in the air redolent with pollen. Undertones of fungi also permeated the air. A small, barely noticeable trail left the clearing into the forest, and a light fog hung in the air. Not enough to obscure things close, but past fifty feet or so, the trees disappeared into the mist.
“Mmm, I love the smell of petrichor in the morning,” BoJack said while inhaling deeply, a content look spreading across his face.
It did smell nice. Fresh and clean, full of possibilities. Tempest left the ship with his brow furrowed and a sour look on his face as he resolutely marched down the path. Everyone filed after him, conversations quiet. The ferns and plants that lined the path dampened everyone’s legs as they proceeded along the path.
After a ten-minute hike, they began ascending a small hill, aspen trees lining the sides of the path. Their white bark blended with the fog and gave an ethereal look to the place. The branches that extended over the path reminded Gus of a sword arch he had seen at a wedding once, as he walked under the unique configuration of trees.
Tempest paused as they reached a plateau, as if gathering his strength, and then stepped forward. Reaching the same spot, Gus stepped onto something hard and looked at a fifty-foot circle. It looked like it was the remains of an enormous tree, but his mind rejected that there could ever have been a tree this size in existence. Its diameter dwarfed the redwoods he had seen on another family trip along the California coastline.
At the far end of the circle, a large emerald throne sat, with a skeletal female figure sat upon it, wearing a gauzy gray gown that looked eerily like spiderwebs.
As the group approached, Gus saw that the chair looked to be carved out of an enormous oak. Thick spongy moss covered the inner surface of the tree throne, the vibrant life in contrast with the bony arms draped on the armrests.
Gus wondered if she was dead as the gaunt figure sat reclined in the chair, unmoving. A couple of the Crew shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at each other. Tempest stood there calmly, waiting for the crone to acknowledge him. Biting his lip, Gus resolved to keep quiet.
A small vibration permeated the area, incredibly subtle. Once he became aware of it, it became impossible to ignore. All of a sudden it was gone, but Gus could still feel the residual resonance. Tempest stepped forward and kneeled on one knee. As he began to speak, the woman came to life and stared at him with sunken eyes that seemed to smolder like an ash-covered coal.
“Ask your question,” she intoned in a voice stronger than the frail body would indicate.
“I am searching for my wife, The Alchemist. We have no leads where she could have been taken and need your guidance.” The words came out stilted as Tempest struggled to get them out.
“Dean, son of Alan, what you seek is in Hinansho, and it will lead you to your wife. Is that all? Then begone, tempestarii.” She slumped back into her throne as before and the silence hung in the air.
After thirty seconds of quiet, Tempest finally deigned to stand again. Where was this task that everyone was concerned about? Tempest stared at the woman for another tense moment, but when nothing else was forthcoming, he turned to leave.
“But you…” A withered hand pointed at the crowd. Tempest looked over his shoulder, but she was not talking to him. Supers along the path of her finger pointed to themselves and stepped back as she shook her head. Gus stood there awkwardly as the old woman singled him out, cocking her head left and right as if seeing an oddity and trying to ascertain its function.
“Born of water, cleansed by flame, polished by air—and you yet have to embrace the earth and be born anew.” She sang the words, slightly off-key.
Before he knew it, the woman had crossed the distance and Gus felt unsettled as cold fingers caressed his cheek. He tried his best not to pull away or show any signs of revulsion that would offend the woman. He stared at her eyes, which he had mistaken to be milky white and blind when he first saw her, but up close, they appeared to shimmer with iridescence like pearls. Though he could see no pupils, this woman obviously was observing him closely. The scent of balsam accompanied her movements and the strong scent cleared Gus sinuses. The scent hit Gus like a wave from the compressed air of her sudden approach.
“And an oneiromancer too.” Her hand cupped to hold Gus’ jaw, turning his head slightly to view him from all angles. With the additional contact, her dry, rough hands felt even colder, and Gus became transfixed as he stared at her eyes, frozen like a deer in the headlights as she assessed him. She gave his cheek a playful pat. “But you have closed yourself off from even dreams. You have a knack for making things difficult for yourself, boy,” she chuckled wryly.
How does she know? Gus’ instincts told him to get away and flee, but the Oracle was not done with him. His stomach soured and tightened. He was already having difficulty fitting in with the other supers in the Crew; what revelations would this crone give out to further ostracize him from the others?
“You. You interest me.” She wagged a finger at him as she turned and walked back to her seat. “And tha
t is not easy to do. It is hard not to grow cynical and jaded when you know the end from the beginning. But with you, there are possibilities and delightful uncertainties.”
She spun and had a finger poking under Gus’ chin, moving faster than anyone her age should have had the ability to do. She pivoted his head with a slight twist of her wrist, as he looked on in startled silence.
“I can tell you the answers to your questions. The ones you hold inside, even from yourself. But not without cost. Are you strong enough for the truth? Can you withstand its edge? I warn you, that by revealing this to you, you will not have rest for quite some time. There will be no neutral ground; you will have left it forever. Win or lose, you will have to fight ‘til the end.”
Her face got closer, invading his personal space, filling his nostrils with the mixture of balsam and now cloves as her breath mixed with the strong scent wafting around her.
Leaning uncomfortably close, she asked, “What say you?”
Chapter Ten
Something to Believe In
“I can handle it,” Gus boldly replied. His eyes focused on the woman, and he noticed the colors play across her pearlescent eyes, much more captivating when viewed this close.
“Gus, no!” Tempest shouted, trying to move to intercept but Seneschal held him back.
“So be it.” The Oracle leaned in close and whispered a name into Gus’ ear, so softly that even he barely heard it. She put a finger on his lips. “Do not repeat it; he knows when he is revealed. It will be bad enough for you now. That is the start of your journey, keep pulling at that thread and all will become clear.”
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