by JC Dameron
"Sorry, Vel, my comment was out of line," Lucas admitted.
I was surprised by his apology. Lucas had grown up as a privileged child, and even more so as a man. I knew many of the more affluent families in Leordia City, as I was raised around their children. Many of them were cold or indifferent to the well-being of common people, or those without privilege. My father had always warned me to be different, and I had strongly heeded his warnings.
"I do hope Aaron gets well soon, and when he does, I'll resume with some new entertaining titles for him," Lucas said with a smirk.
"As long as it's to his face, I guess I'm okay with that," I said with a laugh. "Now, about those devices, have you found anything that might help us locate Astiel's base of operations?" I asked, pointing to the devices.
Felix stepped forward, pushing his glasses to his face before speaking. "I disassembled one of the devices, as you can see. Professor Wright has a brilliant mind. To be able to create a telepad this small is an incredible feat," he said with pride. "Concerning the mechanics of the device, it appears to work exactly the same as a large scale telepad. That means that the pathing memory inside of the device can be accessed, and it can also be sent on a reverse path."
Lucas stood up abruptly, interrupting Felix. "The only problem, Vel, is that if their location is secured similarly to a government building, the device will never reach it's intended destination, and we'll lose the ability to track where it was heading."
Felix, not to be outdone, jumped in. "However, if we are able to program the device to recognize such a barrier, we may be able to have it stop short of said barrier, and land somewhere outside of the building. That should greatly narrow down the search area," Felix said, as he and Lucas smiled at each other.
"Sounds great guys, how long do you think that will take?" I was excited to finally get some good news.
Lucas moved to the console where I had left him during the lockdown, taking a seat in the rolling chair. "Writing the code should be relatively easy with the information I have from the UTF's database, but the issue will be in implementing the code in such a way that the teleporter will land somewhere safe. When I used one of these before, I simply put the GPS coordinates in and pressed the button. However, since we don't know where it will go, there is no way to program a specific set of coordinates into the device, and it could end up returning right back to us with no data," Lucas explained.
Felix walked over and stood beside Lucas, watching him type closely. "One of the default protections that Professor Wright and I placed into the telepads when we created them, was a returning mechanic. There are any number of things that could happen, which would prevent a person from successfully transporting, and we didn't want to have people re-materializing into walls or objects placed on a telepad. To prevent this, we installed a feature in all telepads that would recognize potential objects obscuring proper re-materialization and resend the person's dematerialized genetic data back to its original source," he explained.
Lucas stopped typing and looked up at me. "My father seems to have included the same safety feature in this device, and I will have to recode the entire pathing software to exclude that feature."
"So..." I started, not really understanding most of what they had explained.
Lucas chuckled a bit before speaking. "So basically what we are saying is that there is quite a bit of work left to do. If I had to estimate how long this will take, then I would say that we should probably have the devices reprogrammed and up and running within the next six months." He realized by my expression that I was really looking for a bottom line guess on the time frame involved for the project.
"Yes, six months is a reasonable amount of time for what we are hoping to accomplish," Felix agreed. "With young Lucas here, it's possible. When Professor Wright and I first wrote the code, it took just over a year including trial and error, but between the two of us, we should be able to rewrite the basic pathing code in six months."
"Okay, that's great news," I said, trying to sound impressed.
"Vel, would it be okay with you if I stayed here tonight?" Lucas asked.
I felt embarrassed for him, having to ask my permission in front of Felix. "I have spoken to Leaha, and she assured me that you will be given free reign, very soon," I said, hoping to not sound like his captor.
"That's great!" Lucas seemed relieved to hear it. "I wasn't sure how I was going to show them that I'm one of the good guys, I really appreciate you working that out for me," he said, thankful for his newfound freedom.
Felix smiled at me the way old men do when their wisdom and experience indicate something the younger crowd doesn't understand as well as them. "That will help us greatly in making the six-month mark, thank you, young lady." Felix ruffled Lucas’s hair, in the way a favorite uncle might. "Tonight, however, I have to go home to my wife, and I always lock up! You understand, right, Lucas my boy?"
Lucas looked at Felix and sighed. "Yea, I can understand that. Vel, can I stay with you tonight, or do I have to go to the cell?" He asked, turning his attention to me.
I stood for a moment, considering my options. I wanted to check on Aaron, but I didn't want Lucas to have to stay in the cell overnight again either. "I already talked to Leaha about it, and that's fine," I said, deciding I would check in on Aaron in the morning.
"Thanks, Vel, for believing in me I mean," Lucas said, as he and Felix shut down the required consoles and started locking up the lab.
"Goodnight you two." Felix again gave a quick scruff to Lucas’s hair before heading towards the elevator.
As we walked down the hall, Lucas recounted all of the things that he and Felix had done, sounding very much like a kid who had met up with an old friend that he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Vel," I heard Ethan call from the intercom. "Vesta has woken up, and she is asking for you. Leaha and I will be having dinner brought here, so please come up when you are ready." I could hear Leaha scolding him in the background. "Ahem, and bring Mr. Wright too," he said, his voice full of disdain at the thought.
"He really doesn't like me," Lucas said from behind me with a chuckle.
"It's less that he doesn't like you, and more that he isn't sure he can trust you yet." I corrected him. "Besides, checking out his pregnant wife didn't help your cause."
Lucas stared at me blankly, as if he didn't know what to say.
"I'll take that as a first!" I laughed, and I walked past him, heading toward the service elevator. Lucas and I arrived at the elevator, riding it to the third floor, and ultimately the clinic. As we walked, Lucas remained silent, and once we arrived, he walked in and took a seat by the door.
"Vel!" Leaha exclaimed, as she generally did when I walked into a room.
I looked to find she was inside one of the smaller rooms of the clinic. Ethan walked in behind me, alongside Grimaldi and Seles. He and Grimaldi carried a medium sized table, which they placed in the clearing of the main room.
"Majesty," Grimaldi said to me as he passed, clearly fighting the urge to bow.
"He's never gonna be able to do it, Vel, call you by your name that is," Seles said, poking fun at Grimaldi, who simply ignored her bantering and assisted Ethan in placing chairs at the table before walking out of the room.
I looked at Lucas and motioned for him to help, but was quickly shut down by Seles.
"Mr. Wright, you can bring your own chair to the table I assume," Ethan said, giving Lucas a stern look.
I looked to Seles.
"It would have been far worse if he had offered to help at your request, trust me," she whispered, taking a seat at the table.
I looked for a seat with an open space for Lucas to place his chair, near me. Ethan had spaced the chairs in such a way that there was no clear space for Lucas to bring a chair and just enough room for six.
"Ethan." Leaha's voice turned cold, as she walked out, and noticed how he had set the table. "You and Lucas both come with me, right now," she said angrily, as she walked into o
ne of the rooms and slammed the door behind them.
I looked to Seles, and I noticed that she was smiling a smile that only someone who had been on the receiving end of that anger could produce. Although I couldn't hear the exact words she spoke, Leaha's tone and volume made it clear that they were not having an enjoyable conversation.
"Ethan may be the face of the UTF, but as you can see, Leaha runs the show," Seles said with a giggle.
Moments later, Ethan and Lucas walked out of the room, making room for Lucas's chair beside mine, and sat in their seats. Seles couldn't contain herself and burst into laughter after seeing the looks on their faces.
"Seles!" Leaha's voice rang out, as she walked from the room she had taken Ethan and Lucas, and into Vesta's room.
Seles immediately ceased laughing, and she followed Leaha into Vesta's room. Moment's later, Leaha and Seles walked out with Vesta. Her leg was wrapped where she had been injured, and she was using two sticks, which had a pad at the top and fit perfectly under her arms, to walk.
"She's still getting used to the crutches," Leaha explained, standing on one side while Seles stood on the other.
Vesta walked to a chair on the other side of me and was seated beside me. "Good evening, Queen Velareedra," she said, reverently.
"Good evening, Vesta. Could you do me a favor and just call me Vel from now on?" I asked her.
Her face lit up like she had just found a gold piece. "Okay, Vel," she said, sweetly holding out her hand.
There was much we didn't know about Vesta, and even more that we wouldn't know until she opened up about herself, but now wasn't the time. I shook Vesta's hand and smiled.
"Before my mom passed into the Leylines, she told me that you would be the one to care for me since you're my Aunt,"Vesta said to me abruptly, looking into my eyes.
I was taken aback by her statement, and unsure how to respond.
"Oh, sweetie," Leaha said, coming to my rescue. "You must have heard me talking to Vel in your sleep. I assumed that since you were special like Vel that you may be related." She was clearly unsure of how to navigate the conversation.
"No, my mom told me that Aunt Vel would care for me," Vesta said with a smile, still looking at me. "She told me that her mom was your mom too, but she was a bad lady, and that she left when my mom was very young. She is the one who dropped her off with that man who hurt her,” she proclaimed with certainty.
The table was silent. Vesta couldn't have been more than ten years old and had just fallen victim to the most traumatizing experience a child could have, the loss of her mother.
"Well, I don't mind if you consider me as your Aunt." I truly did feel protective of her, plus we both shared in a tragic lack of family. Of course, I was also quickly learning that sometimes, a family has little to do with biology.
"Thanks, Aunt Vel." The girl was positively beaming.
I looked to Leaha who was staring at me, confused as well. As we sat in silence, trying not to act awkward for Vesta's sake, Grimaldi walked back into the room. He was wearing a shirt that had a picture of Regali, quite angry, on it.
"What in the world is that?" I asked, bursting into laughter.
Leaha and Seles turned to see what I was talking about, and they followed suit.
"I figured that things were gonna be intense when I got back, so I brought this." He shrugged and laughed.
I hadn't seen Grimaldi, my jester captain, laugh in days. It was a relief to see that some things were starting to return to normal.
"A few years ago, when I first arrived, I found a device called a camera which captures images like this one. Regali of course hated the idea of having his picture taken, so I had to snap photos every chance I got," Grimaldi explained, barely able to catch his breath each time he looked down at the shirt.
"I helped him get the picture blown up and put on a shirt," Leaha said.
Seles was laughing so hard, tears had formed in her eyes. "Whenever we had a rough day, Grimaldi would put this shirt on, and the expression you see on the shirt is how Regali's face would appear every time he saw it.” The tears of laughter started flowing down her face.
It was nice to be able to remember Regali like this, where the only tears in the room were joyous ones. Grimaldi took his seat, and a few minutes later, the agents brought us a wonderful dinner, which Leaha explained was called a Philly Cheesesteak Roll. I didn't understand why it was called that, but it was delicious, and that was enough for me. After dinner, Leaha instructed Lucas and Ethan to clear the table, and they both complied quite readily. Upon returning, both Lucas and Ethan were conversing cordially, which was a surprise. They took their seats once again, and Lucas was the first to speak.
"So, with the device, you were able to obtain, we should be able to locate Astiel's base within six months." He informed the other's what he had already explained to me.
"That's great news!" Seles chimed in.
"You bet it is, sweet cheeks," Lucas said, trying to charm Seles to team Lucas.
I felt Ether begin to flow into me, as Seles began to speak.
"Lucas, I've heard all about you from Leaha and Vel," she replied with a false sweetness. "I've heard that you like to give the lady's something to remember you by, well good news because so do I."
The Ether continued to build in me, as Seles silently chanted an invocation. Lucas screamed as he fell to the floor.
"What was that?" He yelped, picking himself up.
"That was Seles's gift," I chuckled, watching Lucas pick himself up after the quick electric shock Seles had directed to him.
"Just call me Seles, that will work fine from now on, okay Sparky?" Seles said as Lucas sat back in his chair, clearly embarrassed.
"Affirmative, Seles," Lucas said meekly, as everyone at the table burst into laughter.
After dinner, I said goodnight to Vesta, who was quite happy with the idea of staying the night with Leaha, and to all of my friends as well. Lucas followed me, and I couldn’t help but notice how he gave Seles a wide berth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Roommates
Once we arrived at the sixth floor, I turned to Lucas.
"Do you need a change of clothes and a shower?" I asked.
"That would be great!" He replied with a smile.
His smile was intoxicating. He didn't possess Aaron's sense of duty, or innocent charm, but he was still quite charming in his own way.
"Vel?" He was holding the elevator door, as I drifted in my own thoughts, having been brought back to that day at the hospital.
I walked out of the elevator without saying a word, smiling to myself, as I drifted back into those thoughts. Upon arriving at my room, I opened the door, and I let Lucas enter first.
"I'll go and find you some new clothes," I said, as Lucas walked into the room.
"Thanks again, for believing in me, Vel.Your confidence in me means a lot," he replied, walking to the bathroom.
I stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him as my thoughts continued to revolve around the day I first met Lucas Wright. As I watched, he removed his shirt, revealing a well-sculpted back with broader than expected shoulders, and I could feel myself go flush. I quickly closed the door and began to walk through the halls, reading the doors as I passed, in search of clothes to bring to Lucas. As I twisted and turned through the halls, I came to the room where Leaha and Ethan trained, using the prototype armor which could absorb Ether. I stopped for a moment, looking into the room, but the armor was nowhere to be found.
"We store it inside a special room that only Leaha and I have access to." I heard Ethan say from behind me, causing me to jump. "Sorry, Vel, I didn't mean to startle you."
"You're okay, I was looking for some clothes to give to Lucas, but haven't had any luck," I said, explaining my presence here.
"You're almost there, I'm impressed you came this close. Seems like you will be able to navigate on your own in no time," Ethan said, walking by me to the next room. Ethan opened the door, and he returned
to me with male clothing in a few different sizes. "Thank you for making me give Lucas a chance."
To say that I was shocked by his words would be an understatement. But I was happy to see that the camaraderie they seemed to be working on at dinner was genuine.
"I know, it’s surprising to hear." He laughed, seeing the shock on my face. "We talked while we were taking the dinner dishes to the kitchen to be washed, and I do believe that you're right, and he truly wants to help us," he said, handing me the clothes. "I didn't really give him a chance to explain why he was with Astiel, but if there's anything I can understand, it's doing what you can to help someone you love, even if it looks bad to everyone else."
I placed the clothes over my arm and looked back to Ethan. "I'm glad that the two of you had a chance to talk. He seems trapped by the image of who people believe he is or should be. I think he's a good guy deep down, and I have no doubt that he will be a great help in taking Astiel down."
Ethan smiled, nodding in agreement, and pointed behind him to the other end of the hall. "I still have something that I have to do tonight, so I'll see you later." he turned and started walking down the hall. "Sleep well, Vel," he said, waving his hand over his head, as he disappeared around a corner.
I walked with the clothes Ethan had given me to my room, and I knocked on the door to ensure Lucas was decent, but there was no answer. I cracked the door open, and I saw that Lucas had fallen asleep on my bed, wearing only a towel. I burst through the door, furiously.
"What are you doing Lucas, get off of my bed, you charlatan!" I yelled, waking Lucas into a panic.
"I'm so sorry, Vel," he said, as he jumped to his feet.
"Get dressed, and remember that your place is on the couch!" I demanded, turning around.
Lucas was silent while he dressed, and after some time, he spoke. "I'm all covered now," he said sheepishly.
"I need to shower too, so you'll need to wait outside," I commanded, turning around.