“There was one thing the shells detected,” offered a Framer I’d never seen before. The grid told me his name was Dracian-786, which hung above his head like a placard. He was a Regal of Halon I. They seldom ventured out this far, usually too busy with old-system politics. He had chosen the body of an adolescent, barely past puberty, draped in an aquamarine coat and matching glitter-paint that ran down his eyes like tears. “The portal leading to Sim-3 was still hot. Apaeria Minor, the locals call it.”
I nodded.
“We should gather a crew to go after them,” urged Adon.
“Not until we find out everything we can,” I said. “We won’t repeat Lelain’s mistake. His submersion is retrievable from the grid if we can get an Extractor to decrypt the stasis relay. We’ll study the feed and optimize our defense systems. I want to know how Leid shattered their cages.”
As the meeting concluded, Dracian-786 lingered when all the other Halon I representatives departed. Since Genzophi hosted the meeting, I was not willing to stay in his aperture and give him the chance to query me about my death.
As I chose coordinates to return to my own vector, Dracian intercepted me. “Regalis, I need to speak to you privately.”
“Concerning?” I asked, reading nothing from his jubilant expression. I realized then that there was a reason for choosing such a young carapace.
His cerulean-sparked eyes flicked to Genzophi, who was starting to make his way toward us. “I’ll explain once we are alone. Your aperture or mine?”
*
You could tell a lot about someone by their apertures. As soon as I transferred into Dracian’s, it was clear he was… unique, even by our standards. The young carapace had hinted toward that, but this solidified it.
Vines of red and gold leaves snaked along the walls. Crystal pillars marked each corner of the room, holding light fixtures that switched between color spectrums every minute or so. The ground appeared marble, but liquid below the surface—lava, almost—which formed bubbles and rose around us to the ceiling in reverse gravity. There was a grid-console next to a pillar in the left corner, a stasis-tonic dispenser and recharge station in the right.
I spent more time than I should have taking in his design selections. Mainly because I couldn’t find any familiarity in the scenery. Then again, I was not familiar with Halon I. If this was a representation of the system, it was a strange place indeed.
“I read over the NCE ephemeris you submitted to Authority,” began Dracian. “The Rhazekan hybrids were living on Exo’daius this entire time, yet you never specified how they evaded the obelisks’ detection.”
“I didn’t realize Regals from Halon I would take interest in Breach matters,” I said, more a question than a refusal to relay exclusive information.
Dracian paid me a youthful smile. “Your quandary has gotten the attention of the Reticulum. I’ve been sent from Telaram to inspect the IQD.” He must have seen the look of shock on my face because he laughed and added, “You’re not in any trouble.”
Yet, he meant. I’m not in any trouble yet.
I understood that this was a big deal. Framers had been without a threat for eons. The fact that two of them had succumbed to permanent stasis by an error we’d thought nearly remediated up until now should have gotten the attention of Inspectors. He just… didn’t seem like one at all.
More importantly, Inspectors were tasked by the Codemaker himself. That meant I had gained attention at Reticulum. I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing. “I am happy to assist you with whatever you may need, Inspector Dracian-328.”
“You can call me Drace,” he said, smile never waning. Had I still worn my old carapace, he’d have had to look up very far to match my gaze. I’d been given a generic, unadorned replacement that was only slightly taller than him. Default settings.
I internalized a sigh. “Drace, of course.”
“Well then,” said Drace, gesturing to the grid console. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”
TITLES IN THE HYMN OF THE MULTIVERSE:
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(THE ANTITHESIS)
1 – INCEPTION
2 – HONOR
3 – FALLEN
4 – WAR
5 – VENGEANCE
(DYSPHORIA)
1 – RISE
2 – PERMANENCE (4/2019)
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Dysphoria- Rise Page 20