Sol: The True Self

by Joshua Chou

  She watched him dig his fingernails deep into his palm. Ethan kept a straight face all the while.

  “I guess not,” he replied.

  ***

  Night came before Ethan realized it.

  Maybe it as the way Iris phrased it, but Ethan’s mind went into a haze for the next few hours. He stayed in the command room for a few hours after their meeting.

  A few assignments piled up in the time since yesterday and now, so he got those done on the coffee table. It was a report for economics and a few research papers for another class, Antiquity through the Renaissance.

  Ethan looked over his shoulder. Gabriel wasn’t here. He half expected the ice spirit to show up. But he didn’t this time. Who knew what Gabriel was thinking? Ethan hoped he wouldn’t succumb to setting himself up for failure again.

  He then looked out the window. A tall glass plane peered outside. Though the only view as one where he could only look across the concrete street, it was getting very dark. A few streetlamps were on already.

  It was time for bed. So Ethan packed up his things in a bag and vacated the command room.

  Shortly after he left, Nora took over. She took over the command console, the place where she could fiddle with the cameras and got to work.

  Monitors shifted about one by one in rapid succession. They went through every camera from outside, and then displayed all the live feeds for footage inside. Nora could see everyone in West dorm now.

  She checked in Ethan’s room first. By now Ethan changed into a tank top and was washing his face in the sink. He would be going to bed very shortly.

  The doors opened once more. Iris entered the room.

  “Anything new tonight?” she asked.

  “No, ma’am,” Nora replied. “As usual.”

  Iris looked over the monitors once more. Her gaze was not fixed on finding Ethan, but everyone else. Students were either sleeping or staying up to cram. They all knew they were being watched.

  So nothing out of the ordinary here. Nora waited for Iris to finish scanning across the screen in front of them.

  “How do you think we should deal with Ethan further?” asked Iris.

  “I think he’s had enough,” Nora replied.

  “Not the answer I was looking for.”

  Nora folded her arms. “Then I can’t say, ma’am.”

  Iris scoffed to herself. She finally focused on Ethan’s room. By now he turned off the lights and went straight for bed. The camera still picked up movement in near darkness, and Iris watched Ethan pull the sheets over his body.

  “I brought Hector’s body to someone before we officially reported his passing,” said Iris. “The results are very unsettling.”

  Nora turned in her seat. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll tell everyone tomorrow at the meeting,” Iris continued. She began to head for the door. “Because we’re more alert during the day. And I hate repeating myself.”

  Chapter 8 – Need to Talk

  Everyone assembled as the first light appeared over the horizon.

  Ethan sat at his normal spot on the couch. Nora sat across from him, and Liam beside her. Iris took her usual seat. She had a folder of photographs and papers inside.

  “Thank you for coming,” said Iris.

  Liam yawned. Iris gave an annoyed glance to him before turning to the rest of the team.

  Iris opened the folder in front of her. “Do you all remember Dr. Ikutsuki?” she asked aloud.

  “The Japanese guy, right?” asked Liam.

  “Our forensic analyst,” said Ethan. “The guy at AXEL we ask to look at dead bodies for us.”

  Iris cleared her throat. All eyes turned back to her.

  “He reported his findings yesterday,” she continued. “While there was little we could do after Hector became possessed, he had an unusually low potential to be targeted by a Wraith.”

  Nora raised her hand. “Unusually low?” she asked. “What are you talking about? We all saw it come out.”

  “We know that people who are possessed have some common traits,” said Iris. “These kinds of people can be identified even before stage one of Wraith possession happens. They lived in Wraith hotspots, or are easily vulnerable to psychological suggestion.”

  Their leader began to fan out the photographs inside the folder.

  “But Hector didn’t qualify for either of those things,” she concluded.

  These photographs made their way around the other three AXEL members. Nora handed her photo to Ethan. He took them and looked at the Polaroid picture.

  The photo wasn’t as gross as he expected. Ethan realized he was looking at a stainless steel slab with a dissolved piece of plastic on top of it. From the looks of the shape of the plastic, it used to be a pill.

  “So why did Hector get possessed in the first place?” Ethan asked.

  “We’re not sure,” Iris replied as she collected the photos back. “But the doctor did find something in the autopsy. Biodegradable plastic in his small intestine. We don’t have a direct connection, but—”

  Ethan piped up. “You think he took something that made him vulnerable to possession?”

  “It’s a frightening thought,” said Iris, “but that may be the case. We’ll need to investigate this further.”

  Nora shot a brief glance at Ethan. It was one of disgust. The feeling was mutual.

  “So, um, is this a drug or a cough pill?” asked Nora. “I can’t tell.”

  Liam grit his teeth. Despite his typically laid-back demeanor, that was enough to get even him to look worried.

  “Well shoot,” said Liam. “It better not be something sold over the counter.”

  Iris checked her phone for the time. It would be another hour before the8:00 AM classes started. Iris had one, and she knew Nora had another around then. The meeting was over.

  She rose from her seat. “In any case, keep an eye out for anything that could tell us more. Dismissed.”

  Ethan and his team took their leave. Iris never liked having long meetings. Even if she had to be the one to arrange them, she would make them short and to the point. She did have to make time for her other paperwork during the day.

  Ethan went out the doors with his friends. The image of those gray pills was still burned fresh in his mind. How he would find them, even he didn’t know. But if Hector had them, chances were that someone close to him would gain access as well.

  That’s how drugs get passed around these days, Ethan thought to himself. I hope Hector wasn’t a junkie while the whole basketball team wasn’t looking.

  ***

  Ethan walked quickly to Elysium University. This was another day, and he had to concentrate on the rest of his day.

  He slung his bag over his shoulder. The other students weren’t showing any weakness after the news about Hector. Most of them didn’t know him personally.

  Ethan spotted a few faces who definitely knew Hector, but they were moving on with their lives too. They had their time to mourn during the service. Now they had to go back to work as usual.

  “Back to normal,” Ethan muttered. The bag on his back felt heavier now. “Everything’s back to normal again.”

  Then someone bumped into him. Ethan realized that too late when someone a head taller than him brushed shoulders against his. It was almost like hitting a car, if that vehicle was padded with pillows and going at 20 miles per hour.

  “Careful, man,” said the other guy.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  So he left. Ethan went his separate way as well. It wasn’t ten seconds before Ethan realized that something was placed into his pocket.

  “What the—?”

  He turned around. The stranger he bumped into was lost in a crowd of other EU students walking around campus. Ethan couldn’t see him anymore.

  Ethan reached inside. Something soft like loose leaf paper crumpled against his hand. He pulled it out.

  It was a piece of loose paper. One sentence was written on it.

 
; We need to talk about Hector Wright.

  ***

  Time flew quicker than Ethan thought. It was practice time now. Ethan dribbled the basketball in hand. He needed to think fast.

  It was another day of practice. Coach had to resume his sessions, even after everything that happened with Hector. Objectively the team needed to practice every day. If they lost their most charismatic player, the rest of the team would still need to make up for it with better coordination.

  The team split into two parts: Evens and Odds. Nobody needed jerseys to remember their number on the basketball team. Every player with a designated jersey that had an odd number was on one side, the rest formed another. Ethan happened to be on the odd team today.

  Ethan let the ball bounce between his fingers and the polished wood floor. He had to get past the halfway point on the court. Right now there were at least four guys who could steal the ball if he ran for the three-pointer line.

  I can make it, Ethan thought. Or at least pass it to someone else.

  He saw another Even player on the other side. Ethan prepared to throw the ball. As he raised his hand, he unknowingly telegraphed the play. The player standing one meter away saw his chance and stole the ball.

  Ethan cursed under his breath. He tried to chase the ball, but it landed in his side’s hoop. Though it was just for practice, the game was over for his team.

  “Can’t telegraph what you’re doing, Ethan!” Coach called out. “You either keep your guy guessing or commit to a play! Try again!”

  Ethan shook his head. Coach was right. He had to try again anyway.

  So practice resumed as normal. Ethan tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Try as he may to not worry about what Iris said earlier that day, Ethan found himself thinking about Hector’s possession.

  A drug got him, Ethan reminded himself. And that means someone deliberately poisoned Hector.

  The doors to the gym opened. Ethan glanced over. It was the stranger again. He took a seat on the bleachers and folded his hands together.

  He looks familiar, Ethan thought. Really familiar. Where have I seen him before?

  A whistle blew. It was Coach. The last player with the ball stopped and caught it in his hands. Ethan and the rest of the basketball team grouped around Coach.

  “That’s all for today,” he said. “Hit the showers. We still gotta stay in shape for the game next week.”

  Ethan looked aside once more. The stranger was still there waiting.

  “Ethan?”

  He turned back. Coach was looking at Ethan.

  “Earth to Ethan,” his teacher said. “You with us?”

  “Yeah, Coach.”

  The older man held his hand out. Everyone else did the same. Ethan pressed his hand atop the others outstretched, and a few other palms laid over his.

  An Odd player called out, “One, two three!”

  “Break!” said everyone else.

  Elysium University’s basketball team split off. Most of the other players went for the locker room to clean off before leaving this place. Ethan instead followed the stranger.

  He rose and led Ethan outside. They exited through the doors. They now stood in the back of the gym, and a setting sun was there to flood the space with the day’s last glimmer of sunlight.

  Ethan pulled out the paper note from his pocket. “What’s this about?” asked Ethan.

  “Gonna ask a few questions,” said the stranger. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

  “What for?”

  He stepped up to Ethan. The stranger kept a comfortable distance, but he was pushing it by stepping forward.

  “I got a text the night Hector died,” he said. “He sounded desperate. I asked around to figure out what happened. You and your blonde friend were the last people to see him alive.”

  Ethan realized he was probably talking about Nora. If that was the case, chances were that this stranger only heard secondhand details of the whole incident. Of course he would, but that lack of information was a problem for someone trying to find out the truth.

  That wouldn’t be so bad if he were a real cop and not a civvie. The truth of Hector’s death wasn’t something to share openly.

  As far as Ethan was concerned, the less this stranger knew, the better off everyone else would be.

  “He got possessed by a Wraith,” Ethan replied. “I figured you knew that already.”

  The stranger frowned. “But the cops were keeping it all under wraps. Come on. Hector always said you had his back on the team. You have to know more than that.”

  Ethan raised an eyebrow. “So we’ve met before?”

  “Not officially,” said the stranger. He stood up taller, and he easily had more confidence than Ethan did in this conversation. “My name is Winston.”

  Ethan looked to Winston. “Look, Winston,” he replied. “I can’t say anything else either. But just know that I’m sorry for what happened to your friend.”

  A pause ensued. Winston coldly laughed.

  “Hector wasn’t my friend,” he said. “He was my brother.”

  Ethan froze. He suddenly recalled seeing Winston around before. It made sense: Hector spoke highly of his family. They probably felt the same way about him, and that was why Winston went out of his way to go sleuthing to find out the truth from Ethan.

  Winston was always there when Hector won a game. He was there the day Hector got possessed. And Winston was here asking for something Ethan could not give.

  Iris won’t let us spill the details, Ethan thought. He’s not ready to know where Wraiths come from either.

  Ethan shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But you know how it is with police investigations, right?”

  Winston sighed. “It was worth a shot,” he replied. “Thanks for your time.”

  He turned about and began to walk away.

  “Sorry I couldn’t do more,” said Ethan.

  “Whatever, man.”

  Chapter 9 – Lurking in the Dark

  Something about the chilly air felt comforting.

  Ethan sucked in a deep breath to inhale as much fresh air as he could. A different kind of wintry feeling overtook his body, at least enough to calm his nerves. It was also cheaper than smoking.

  His mind was still riddled with thoughts of his encounter with Hector’s brother. Granted, they didn’t talk much. But Ethan had a feeling that they would reach a point where a heavily heated confrontation was due.

  “So what’s on your mind?” asked Nora.

  Ethan pulled himself back to earth. He was standing on a rooftop on a vantage point where Wraiths on the ground wouldn’t see him. His role was the same as last time: catch stragglers that Iris might forget to snag when pursuing them.

  Nora came along this time. A revolver and a few talismans were tucked at her side. She sat by with both legs crossed and leaning over the roof. The girl kept her fingers on her knees, but would draw her weapon soon enough.

  “Nothing,” Ethan replied.

  Nora tilted her head with curiosity. “You sure? Seem rather quiet for a patrol like this.”

  “Maybe I’m just enjoying the view?”

  She scoffed. “Right. Whatever.”

  He looked out to the streets below him. As frantic as hunting a Wraith could be, most nights were very quiet. They usually involved waiting for the right time to strike or orders from Iris.

  Ethan expected to hear his field leader bark orders through his earpiece any minute now. If his hunch was right, they would be chasing Wraiths right about now.

  Almost on cue, a shotgun blast echoed in the distance. If Iris was sticking to the usual patrol route, she was driving along 1st Ave in the bus lane, and continuing to chase a Wraith or two.

  More shotgun blasts. Each thundered like a beat of a war drum. Perhaps there were more monsters tonight.

  Ethan wrapped all fingers around the hilt of his weapon. Soon a straggler would come their way.

  He hoped that when the time came, he would find another way to av
oid it.

  Anything on your end? Iris asked.

  Ethan checked the earpiece in his ear. It was definitely Iris talking, but she wasn’t using the radio to speak. He looked to Nora, who shrugged back.

  My earpiece ran out of battery, Iris continued. Using my Sol will have to do.

  “Noted,” said Ethan. He picked up the sword by its sheath to draw it in anticipation. “No stragglers yet. Wanna send them our way?”

  “Might as well,” said Liam. His voice came through the earpiece, which was a bit jarring after hearing Iris speak directly into Ethan’s mind. “Let’s go!”

  Rubber screeched against asphalt. Iris’ car hit a higher gear as it chased after the Wraiths. Nora peered further to see if she could spot the monsters before they arrived.

  Ethan checked. He couldn’t see them, but they would most likely come their way. This was all part of the plan.

  Not his plan. It wasn’t Iris’ scheming either. A.X.E.L. figured out a science to hunting down Wraiths in an urban environment. They had at least 200 years to perfect a hunting route with specific points to set other traps for Wraiths.

  Over the years since its inception, A.X.E.L. devised new ways to chase Wraiths down. Some members even influenced the design of streets for New Amsterdam in the early years as well.

  “This should be easy,” Nora muttered.

  Ethan and Nora were ready to spring that trap. Ethan was sure he could handle it, but Nora was really here to provide support. Maybe it was upon Iris’ request, given the fiasco with Hector.

  It was still on his mind. Maybe Ethan could get a quick question in before the skirmish. They had at least 40 seconds.

  “Hey,” Ethan said finally. One eye peeked to the street below. “You ever hear of a guy named Winston?”

  Nora nodded without pause. “What about him?”

  Ethan drew his sword. “I’ll talk about it later,” he said. “Keep watch for me.”

  He looked over the edge again. Below were two Wraiths. One was a mutt with gnarled legs for appendages, and the contorted form of a man in a fetal position for its torso. The other was a fox Wraith with even skinnier legs and the host’s body twisted to be the skinniest and flattest flab of meat possible.

  Ethan smirked. This would be easy.