“Talking about how you can't change who you are, what about you two? You've been together, what, nine years now but you still seem to be the same couple I met at basic,” Sebastian said.
“We had our tenth anniversary a few months ago. Time flies when you're in love,” Pat said.
“That it does,” Chelsea replied.
“But I must ask you something, Crusader. Did you really find Ra? And Merlin? And the things I read about you online...you can use magic. Is that legit?” Bobby asked.
Sebastian took a deep breath.
“It is. It's all true but how did you hear about it?” Sebastian asked.
“You're kidding, right? You're big news. Since the Cataclysm, a few newsgroups got wind of you and run stories all the time. McKenzie's stories are all the rage,” Bobby said.
“McKenzie? Todd McKenzie?” asked Sebastian.
“Yea. He's a reporter for the Global News Consortium. You know him? He runs stories on you two all the time,” Bobby replied. “You're celebrities.”
“How did they even find out and why hasn't anyone told me?” Sebastian asked.
“I'm guessing they looked. We're not exactly able to hide things like the discovery of an ancient castle and Ra is anything but low profile. Not to mention how many hunts we've been on. I'm sure there are numerous witnesses,” Chelsea replied.
“You're okay with this?” Sebastian asked Chelsea.
“Why wouldn't I be? People have a right to know what's going on in the world and as rapidly as it's changing they should be kept informed,” Chelsea told him.
“I guess you're right. I'm just not sure I want to be the face of that change,” he replied.
“Well, get over it. You're the spearhead of that change. It's not every day King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are reborn. Why do you think many of us look to you for leadership? When I first saw that statue of you at Camelot, when I first realized it was true, I felt like I finally knew where I was meant to be in this world and that's fighting by your side,” Trish said.
“She's right, mate. I would follow you into anything if you gave the order. We're not knights, and this isn't the middle ages but we're your roundtable, for better or for worse. And I can tell you, Bruce and Anna and everyone else back at HQ feel the same way,” Xavier said.
“You mean you believe the rumors about them being King Arthur and Queen Guinevere?” Bobby asked.
“Fight by his side. Spend a few minutes on the battlefield with Sebastian. Walk into the courtyard at Camelot and see the statues. We've all been learning magic since the Seal broke but these two? They command the arcane with the same ease I fire a pistol,” Trish told Bobby.
“I have fought by his side, probably more than the rest of you but magic? Actual, real magic. I mean I've read the stories and heard the eyewitness accounts, and everyone knows about the fey but I've never seen it personally. It's so hard to believe,” Bobby said.
Trish picked up a glass of water from the table and stared at it. The water started to heat up and steam. After a few more seconds, it was boiling.
“That's incredible,” Pat said.
“You want incredible, let me tell you about when we discovered Camelot,” Xavier said.
The group continued to laugh and talk for several hours until the restaurant closed, and they were politely asked to leave.
#
They were sitting in Bobby's office at the GloCom relief station.
“Human? All of it?” Sebastian asked Bobby.
“Yep. They recovered five samples from the corner of that crate and all five were human. Two were identified as victims and ruled out immediately. Another was taken off the list because it was a shuttle pilot who was only here during one of the murders and a fourth, his girlfriend, was also removed from the list,” Bobby replied.
“Why was she taken off?” asked Chelsea
“She's stationed here but was absent for one of the killings. She was offshore one night with her boyfriend and we have hotel logs placing her in Hong Kong with her boyfriend the night of the fourth murder,” Bobby told them.
“That could have been faked,” Xavier said.
“It could have been, but we don't think so. We have video logs of the hallway showing those two in it in and the likely source for their DNA to be on the crate. They used it for intimate purposes,” Bobby said.
“You mean they did intimate things with the crate? That's just weird,” Trish said sounding confused.
“Not with the crate. On top of it,” Bobby clarified.
“Oh. That makes more sense than what I was thinking,” Trish said with a giggle.
“What were you thinking?” Chelsea asked.
“Well, I was just thinking that if they...” Trish started to reply but Sebastian cut her off.
“Never mind. We don't really need to know,” Sebastian said.
“You're no fun,” Chelsea said.
“So, that leaves one. What do you have for us, Bobby?” Xavier asked.
“Sgt. William George is the only one we can't rule out. He was on base and unaccounted for each night of the murders. He's a shuttle pilot and will be back from a cargo run in a few hours,” Bobby told them.
“Thank you. Bobby, I'm sorry to ask you to do this but we need you to step away from this now and let the Wardens take over,” Sebastian told him.
“Are you sure, Crusader? I know this base better than anyone. I could help you out,” Bobby told his old friend.
“We may need your expertise and we'll call on you if we do. For now, Brother Stone, sit this one out,” Sebastian told him.
“Brother Crusader, I'm combat trained and you know that. I've fought by your side and we've always had each other's backs. It's my duty as a Monk to have yours now,” Bobby told him.
Sebastian took a deep breath and sighed. “Give me a moment, Bobby. Can you wait outside?”
Bobby looked at Sebastian and paused a moment. “Ok, Brother. I'll be right outside.”
Bobby left the room and closed the door behind him.
“No,” Xavier said.
“I haven't even said anything yet,” Sebastian replied.
“He is not a Warden and is not joining us on a hunt,” Xavier said.
“He's right, love,” civilians can't join us Chelsea said agreeing with Xavier.
“He's not a civilian. He's GloCom. He's a Monk, former Elite Corp and I've called him brother for longer than I've known all of you combined. He can be trusted. Besides, we're on a GloCom base and we don't know the layout. Having a friendly face who can help us navigate the bureaucracy will come in handy. Our potential target is a GloCom soldier, not a fey or at least not as far as we know. We're going to be walking a razor blade on this one. A joint operation with a GloCom officer might dull that blade some,” Sebastian said.
“You're not wrong,” Trish agreed.
The group was silent a moment.
“Let's compromise,” Chelsea said. “Having an official escort is a good idea. Let's put the question to Mason and if he agrees, then Bobby can join us but only as a liaison and must not in any way be involved in any potential fey combat.”
“I'm okay with that,” Xavier said.
“Me too,” Trish agreed.
“Okay. I'll ask Brother Mason,” Sebastian said.
“I like how you call him Brother Mason and not Major General Willis,” Chelsea told her boyfriend.
They informed Bobby of their intentions.
“Crusader, Sgt. George's medical files indicate he's seeing a doctor on a regular basis. I think we should check it out,” Bobby said.
“Good call,” Sebastian replied.
“So, you're what...a wizard now?” Bobby asked as they walked. “How?”
Sebastian laughed. “Something like that. The Cataclysm was caused by the breaking of a barrier, we called it the Seal of Solomon. It was a sort of barrier that held back the magic. The natural state of the world has a flow of magic like any other force, gravity for example. Just like we can m
anipulate the force of gravity to create propulsion for our ships, some people can tap into that magical field to utilize it for damn near anything and each person's abilities seem slightly varied. When that barrier fell, it opened up that access again. Some people, like myself, Chelsea, Trish and Xavier have the natural ability to tap that field.”
“They say you can do some incredible things,” Bobby replied.
“That's a matter of opinion. According to Merlin, I have a high natural talent for it, as does Chelsea and several other Wardens, like our friends here. I don't really know what that means, though. Honestly, I feel like I'm flying blind most of the time. This is uncharted, Brother, but it has to be done,” Sebastian told him.
“What has to be done and why do you have to do it?” Bobby asked him.
“Between us? One Monk to another? Well, Brother, I'm going to find who broke that Seal and stop them. Why me? Because I'm one of the few who can. Whoever broke that Seal, whatever bashed down that barrier, it's powerful. It's more powerful than anything we've ever seen. They're the magical equivalent of a nuclear-armed dreadnaught,” Sebastian told him.
“Definitely a crusader,” Xavier said with a laugh.
“I don't know. Maybe more a warrior monk doing some kind of chi thing,” Trish said and made some exaggerated martial arts moves.
Bobby shook his head. “I don't envy you, Brother. Don't get me wrong, a little magic every now and then might be cool but I wouldn't want the weight of the world on my shoulders.”
They walked in the medical bay and a located the nurse in charge.
“We need to speak with someone about Sgt. George,” Sebastian said.
“Sgt. William George?” the nurse asked.
“That's the guy,” Bobby replied.
“If you see him, can you tell him his doctor needs to see him,” she said.
“For what?” Bobby asked.
“Doctor-patient privilege,” the nurse replied.
Sebastian undid his cufflinks and pulled up his sleeves. He held up his arms showing the golden knots. “I'm Sir Sebastian with Warden Facility 14 on assignment. Sgt. George is the subject of a Warden investigation. As I'm sure you know, the authority granted by UniGov supersedes that privilege when it involves an active investigation. Why does Sergeant George need to see a doctor?”
The nurse looked annoyed. “I never did like that rule.”
Sebastian just stared at her and raised his arms again.
She grabbed a scanner and verified he was a Warden.
“Fine. He's suffering from a genetic problem and it's causing chronic dehydration. Frankly, the doctors have no idea what's causing it. He needs medical treatment every few days or he'll start suffering muscular collapse. It was kept under control for a long time but has gotten worse in recent months. He stopped coming for treatments almost a month ago and told the doctors he was fine now, but they need to verify that. His condition is life-threatening if not treated,” she said.
“You knew he suffered from dehydration and that people were being drained and he stopped seeing his doctor about the time the deaths started and didn't report it?” Xavier asked.
“It's a busy facility. We're understaffed and overworked. Even if we had made that connection, we couldn't say anything. We're not Wardens. We can't break the rules,” the nurse replied then gasped as she realized the implications of what Xavier said. “Is he one of those monsters...”
“Thank you for your time. Please keep this conversation confidential pursuant to the Warden medical exemption statues,” Sebastian told her.
“It's also classified per GloCom security policy,” Bobby said.
“Can you at least tell me if he's one of those monster things the Wardens go after?” she asked.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Let me take this one,” Chelsea said, smiling. “All inquiries can be addressed to the Warden's website or public relations office.”
“Smart ass,” the nurse said as the group left.
#
“We just got his request for clearance to land. It's been granted, and he'll touch down in about four minutes. As requested, we have overrides in place in case he tries to bolt. We can take control of the shuttle and bring it down whether he wants to land or not and if he tries to open fire, there are two EMP turrets already charged,” Lt. Mavis said.
“Thank you. Clear the field. Once he's on the ground and exits the shuttle, only Wardens anywhere near it,” Sir Sebastian ordered.
The shuttle touched down and as the hatch opened, the troops dispersed. Chelsea and Xavier came around the rear of the shuttle while Sebastian and Trish came from the front.
“Under Warden authority, hands on your head. Drop to your knees. Don't make any other motions,” Sebastian told him.
“It's not my fault. I can't stop it,” the man said.
“I can't control it. Help me. Please,” he said as he followed their orders.
“Don't move,” ordered Sebastian as the four surrounded him.
“Please...help me...I can't control...” said the man. He grabbed his head and stood up.
“I said stay down!” Sebastian yelled.
The man turned to face him. His eyes were glowing brightly. “I can't...I can't control it...help me...” he said as he lunged at Sebastian. An energy beam came from the man and hit Sebastian. Sebastian managed to create a barrier that blocked the beam after a second.
“The beam, it felt like it was dehydrating me. Don't let him hit you with it,” Sebastian ordered.
The man was fast. Very fast. He moved like liquid. His body no longer seemed to be solid. His body moved and flowed in curves and angles no human should be capable of doing. The four Wardens fought the man for some time. His agility and flexibility made it nearly impossible to hit him.
“It's like trying to catch water with a sieve,” Trish said as she stabbed again and where she should have met flesh, a hole opened around the blade then closed immediately again as she pulled it back. An appendage of liquid flesh lashed out at Trish, catching her in the shoulder and knocking her off her feet. Blood trailed from the impact point. The appendage had narrowed to a point as it hit her and pierced her armor. Though the bioweave still absorbed much of the impact. She rolled away as another hit the ground where her head had been.
Xavier fired a pulse of electricity at him. It hit him and dissipated over Sgt. George's body. The man screamed but continued to fight. Xavier hit him with another pulse and for a moment the man seemed to lose his fluid nature. The other three started doing the same thing and activated the electrical charges on their blades slicing through the liquid body and leaving no visible marks but he slowed more with each hit. After a few more hits, the man collapsed to the ground. He lay still, bordering on the edge of unconsciousness. His body seemed to no longer have the fluidity it had but his joints still seemed to be oddly positioned and he had bends in his arms and legs where none should be, and his back curved at an odd angle.
“So... thirsty...so...thirsty...” said Sgt. George as he passed out.
#
The group stood in the medical ward. Trish had removed her armor from the waist up and a doctor was treating her shoulder where she was hit. Xavier was standing next to her and the doctor.
“The wound is clean. Your clavicle was broken, and the top rib cracked. We'll get you prepped for surgery to knit them. In the meantime, I've stopped the bleeding and put a bandage over the wound. There's no sense in closing it until the surgery is done. No major arteries were hit. You were lucky, young lady. A little lower and it would have punctured a lung. If you didn't have that armor on, there's no telling how much damage would have been done,” the doctor told her.
“Thank you, doctor,” she said.
“Take care of her, doc. She means a lot to us,” Xavier said to the doctor.
Trish smiled at him. “I would hug you, but I don't think I should move my arm,” she said.
“That's affirmative. Let's get you over to pre-op,” the doctor said.
; Trish hopped off the table. “Point the way.”
“Let's get you a chair. You should take it easy. Any movement is going to cause pain,” the doctor told her.
“I'm fine. I can walk,” she replied.
“Are all Wardens this stubborn?” the doctor asked her.
“Most are worse,” Xavier said with a laugh. “She's one of the nice ones.”
The doctor led her into another room. Xavier tried to go but the doctor told him he wasn't allowed in the operating areas.
Another doctor was talking to Sebastian and Chelsea.
“He's dying,” said the doctor as they looked through the reinforced glass tank. “I wish there was something I could do.”
“What happened, doctor?” asked Sir Sebastian.
“I'm not entirely sure. Based on what you've told me, it appears he has somehow gained the ability to become liquid, sort of. Whatever happened while you were subduing him seems like it made him return to a solid form too fast and his bones hardened in positions they shouldn't have. He doesn't have any breaks but they're all out of position. Straight lines are bent. Round bones are flat. Flat bones are folded. His musculature is equally out of position. They told us he was amorphous so at the Major's insistence, we had a tank placed here that was used for containment of dangerous aquatic species while he was being transported but I don't think it was necessary. This base used to be an oceanographic research lab before the cataclysm, so we had the tank on hand on hand, fortunately. We moved the researchers out in a hurry when we set up the rescue operation and they left a lot of their equipment behind,” the doctor replied.
“Can he be fixed?” asked Sebastian.
“He killed numerous people and you want to fix him? Curious. I wouldn't have expected that response from the military, but I guess you're not military. But the answer is no. Given time, the physical damage could be repaired somewhat though he'll probably never walk again. He's dying though and not from that. His body is rapidly dehydrating. His body is losing moisture at a cellular level. I can't explain it,” the doctor said.
“Is he able to talk? We need to ask him some questions,” Major General Willis said as he walked in.
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