Chapter 7: Gathering

The following day, I rolled out of bed, still somewhat in a daze over what had happened the day before. There had been a lot to think about, particularly the implication that this place was somehow related to Earth.

But is it really that strange? I mean, if I hadn’t seen the mirror man, then I probably would have just assumed that I was in some sort of government facility as a part of a sick experiment. Is time travel really so unbelievable when I had already accepted inter-dimensional travel?

The short answer was yes, yes, it was. Time travel had way more significant implications than world travel. Just thinking about some of the more popular paradoxes was enough to make most people’s heads spin. But, of course, the best way to figure out if it was really the case was to get my hands on a history book. Hell, even hearing the year might provide a clue. But those questions would all be awkward to ask without giving anything away…

“Shower.”

-Shwing!-

A section of my wall receded, and the weird metal ring popped out. Bracing myself, I went through the process of “showering.” Following that, I headed for the closet and dressed. Notably, the articles of clothing that had been passed over were missing, leaving me with just one outfit.

Another form of control, even if I’m not being pressed into the mold of one of the regular cultists, I’m still not being allowed to express myself.

Well, that much was to be expected. The main question on my mind now was what to do with myself. Other than having been given the vague promise that I would be taught how to fight ‘in a few days,’ there was nothing else on my immediate agenda. Then my stomach rumbled, accompanied by a sharp pain though the latter was seemingly quickly suppressed.

“Ah, well I suppose I haven’t eaten anything since waking up….”

Actually, what the hell was that just now? I felt hungry for a second, but now I feel more or less fine again…?

Mysteries aside, eating would give me something to do, and I purportedly more or less had the highest position on this level of the cult. In short, it should be possible to go where I wanted to.

Eat now, then look around in detail instead of just catching glimpses… Need to be careful still; I can’t afford to look suspicious.

“Food?”

I waited a few moments, but it seemed that this task was something my magic room walls didn’t do. Or the command had been incorrect. Instead of standing around saying random words I made the executive decision to leave my room and try to find something like a mess hall. Having all the members eat together sounded like something a cult would do; it would make them more dependent on their masters and deprive them of privacy.

After some hesitation, I grabbed the lightsaber Michael had given me and clipped it onto my belt. Purportedly being allowed to carry one was some kind of honor, so it would be a good idea to keep it visible. The door to my room opened at my approach, revealing the white hallway and Meera, “…Hello?”

“Ah, you’re awake!”

She was leaning against the wall opposite my door, implying that she had been waiting for some time. It was, in all honesty, a bit creepy.

“…You could have rung the doorbell, like yesterday?”

She shook her head, “Ah, well, I wasn’t waiting here for that long… May I ask where you are going?”

Right… So she’s to keep an eye on me then.

“I was going to look for you, actually,” After pausing for a moment, I added, “…It’s not like I know anybody else after all.”

She smiled, only after what I had been shown yesterday it couldn’t help but appear fake, “Well, you found me. Where did you want to go?”

“Well, I haven’t eaten anything since my awakening… Since being chosen, I was hoping you could show me where to get something to eat?”

Her head cocked to the side, and she brought out that tablet thing. Then, after reading something off it, she frowned almost imperceptibly, “I can take you to the commissary, but we will first need to get your accounts set up, is now a good time?”

Do I have a choice? Also, what was that frown a moment ago?

It was so extremely slight, more of a twitch, really. Almost to the point that I would have thought it was a figment of my imagination, but something was nagging me, telling me it was not an illusion.

I said something wrong, but what? All I said was that I felt hungry… Is that it? Was it the fact that I knew to identify the feeling as hunger?

That was a distinct possibility, but it didn’t explain why she had checked her tablet. Regardless, it sounded like following along with this would net me more information, “Well, I don’t have anything else to do, lead the way.”

Meera performed an odd hand gesture similar to the sign language for “yes,” only with the fist pointing in the opposite direction, “Then, this way, please.”

She began walking down the hallway opposite the way to the elevator. I fell into step just a couple of feet behind her, “So, do all of the me- the brothers and sisters live here?”

That was close; I nearly called them members. It’s best to use the same language they do.

“Yes, this is the housing wing; all of the followers from this sanctuary reside here. Up ahead is the working wing.” She answered readily enough, either missing my gaffe or choosing to ignore it.

“There are other sanctuaries?” She had used language that indicated there was more than one of these places, and that question was immediately pertinent to my task of destroying this cult.

“Yes, there is one in almost every major population center, though this is probably one of the largest.”

“I see. How many followers call this sanctuary home?”

“Nearly eight thousand… This is the place.” She stopped and tapped a nearby door panel.

We didn’t make any turns, meaning we are still on the same side of the building as my accommodations… And there isn’t enough room for that many people on this floor. Assuming my room is the standard size, you could fit four people, six if you packed them like sardines. So it’s safe to think that the cult owns the whole building, or at least from here to the penthouse Michael lives in.

Just how many people was I expected to kill? The mirror man had given me the task as though he expected it to be easy. Hell, up to this point, I had been proceeding under the assumption that it would be easy. Get strong enough to deal with Michael, then deal with the rest. Assuming I fulfilled the first circumstances, the rest should be simple… But what even was that train of thought?

I had never been overly concerned with human life; before I died, news of tragedy hardly phased me. I had even seen dead bodies before through work and barely felt anything. But I had never personally killed anyone.

And here I am telling myself that I could kill eight thousand people? Then, even more, when I account for the other sanctuaries? No way.

Luis “La Bestia”  Garavito, active from 1992 to 1999, confirmed kills, 193. Unsolved murders that have a higher than fifty percent likelihood of being his doing? Over three hundred. He was the most prolific serial killer I was aware of, and he didn’t even kill a tenth of the people I was considering personally ending.

It was… “Eira? Are you coming?”

Meera’s question jogged me back to the present, and I shook my head to clear it, then stepped through the doorway, “Yes, my apologies.”

The room on the other side was bigger than I had expected. It had an open floor plan, numerous displays, and a counter behind which stood a man wearing a grey jumpsuit. Beyond that, there was another door on the other side.

“Please have a seat over there, and I’ll set things up for you.”

Following where Meera indicated, there were a series of bench-style seats along the wall. Resting in front of them was a low table holding a selection of magazines placed in a manner where all of the titles were easily visible. Meera made her way towards the man, who hurriedly shut his mouth and straightened his back.

Yea, that reaction makes sense considering ‘god’s emissary’ just walked through the door. Psh. Give me a break… I wonder if he had any heads-up at all? Probably, since this visit was most likely planned in advance. In that case, I can assume that will be the standard reaction whenever someone sees me up close for the first time… ugh.

Instead of taking a seat, I walked to one of the displays to look. If Meera asked me why my story would be that I hadn’t heard her. Upon closer inspection, the display rack revealed itself to be covered in electronic devices of all sizes ranging from full-scale tablets to things resembling smartphones, to watches, and even tiny convex circles labeled “AR Lens.”

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This is an electronics shop or something similar for the members. Efficient, having it in the same place they live and work. Wait, am I here to get a tablet thing?

That would be really handy, especially if it had an internet connection though it was doubtful they would let me have that. Still, every person I’d seen so far had a tablet with them.

Then again, why would the phones or the lenses be on offer if everyone just uses tablets?

Setting aside the question, I began to look at the various devices with more of a buyer’s eye. Not that the listed specifications made much sense to me.

“Mrs. Eira?” At the nervous sound of the grey suit’s voice, I smiled and turned around.

“Yes?”

Apparently, that was too much for him, “Eep!”

He squeaked, he actually squeaked.

“Ahem! My apologies, Mrs. Eira. Sister Meera has informed me that you want to set up your accounts?”

Well, at least he recovered quickly. And what’s with that? I’m not ‘Sister’ anymore? It’s Miss now?

I affected as consoling a tone as I could and nodded, “Yes, though I must admit that I am not entirely sure what that would entail… It’s only been a few days since I was chosen, you see.”

“But of course, I would be happy to walk you through the process.” Then, seeming to have gained some confidence from my calming demeanor, the man proceeded to prattle on about the various devices on offer. 

Truth be told, after a while, I began to zone out. Obviously, paying more attention would have been beneficial; information is information. But did I really need to know how the model eight point whatever was technically superior to the model sixteen-hundred from a different company when the difference in power was measured in a tenth of a tenth of a percent? No. No, I did not.

I sighed, “Enough, please. I can tell you mean well, but I don't know what you are talking about. Please, just pick the one you think will most benefit me.”

The man stumbled over himself but quickly recovered. Truly, a testament to a superior mental fortitude, “R-right. M-my apologies… Uhm, well, you will probably need to move around a lot, so you’ll need something smaller. That rules out the Personal Portals.”

So not a tablet, then. That makes sense; I imagine I will be doing a bit of fighting and wouldn’t have a convenient place to store it. So, then, one of the watches? An AR-Lens?

“Then, the AR-Lens won’t have enough processing power for one of the chosen. You’d need something with at least a type four quantum processor… A Wrist-Portal? No, two small for a McGuffin Generator, the power source will be an issue... Here!” He presented me with a strange piece that I had actually skipped over.

Plucking it from his hand and turning it over, it was almost impossible to tell what it was supposed to be. It looked like a small nautilus shell, with a tiny stick extending out of where the hole would be, “And this is?”

He smiled proudly, “A Stem Ocular Array Projector. Soap for short. You use this bit to hook it over your ear, and the stem will project the screen directly onto your eye. It’s a bit analog and gimmicky, but I think it will best serve you.”

Analog, because it needs to be mounted onto the head but has a more significant CPU than that contact lens. Gimmicky because a screen would work just as well. Still, I can see why he recommends it. There are probably implants or something that would work even better, but this cult doesn’t allow stuff like that, so this is the best he can offer.

It only took a minute to affix, and once the soap… once the earpiece was mounted correctly, it was time to find a mirror. Meera seemed to realize what I was looking for and stepped forward with her tablet turned to face me. Assuming this was the future, selfie cams were still a thing. However, if this was an alternate reality, they would have made some of the same mistakes my original one had.

Or so I thought, but it turned out it was pretty helpful. My hair helped hide the bulk of the device, the part that looked like the shell of a sea creature. All that was visible was the stick extending into the front, to the left of my left eye. It was undoubtedly… a look. Not really bad, but also not really all that good either. It was just… there.

The man produced his own tablet and inputted a string of letters and numbers. It wasn’t that I was looking over his shoulder, just that I had a clear view from the angle he was standing at. A moment later, there was a beep in my ear; the one wearing the earpiece, “Well, I’ve activated the device on my end. All that’s left is for you to pair it to your biometrics, then set up your account. The soap uses LEMR control, so you should be able to control it just by thinking.”

Is that so? ‘Link, Start!’

A moment later, the stem lit up in the corner of my eye, and half my vision was overcome with static. That soon resolved itself into words. First a string of seeming gibberish, before it eventually stabilized.

“Stem Ocular Array Projector Software Version 12.2.8.11a, Boot Sequence Successful.”

“New User Identified, Pairing….Success!”

“Activate User Account?”

The whole thing felt like having a dos window in my left eye. It was transparent enough that it wouldn’t interfere with my vision, but it was still quite distracting. No sooner had the thought occurred then the window faded by about half.

Ok, that will take some getting used to, ‘Activate Account.’

I had been expecting to do a bunch of stuff with logins and passwords, maybe even a captcha, but apparently not. Instead, when the earpiece got my consent, it beeped once, then displayed the line, “Welcome, Eira.”

That faded, and there was nothing left to indicate that I was even wearing anything, save for the weight on my head. 

“Thank you.” After pausing a moment to consider if it was worth the risk, I bent my knees slightly and tilted my head in his direction. It was half of the gesture Meera had performed towards me the day before, one that seemingly conveyed gratitude.

If I messed up, I’ll just say I was copying her.

The man’s eyes widened briefly, and he shook his head several times, “No, thank you! It was my pleasure!”

He then performed the same gesture, except with hands crossed and wrists resting on his shoulders. It was apparent that I’d done something I shouldn’t have, but all there was for it now: grin and make my exit. Meera turned to face me as soon as we got outside.

“You honored him more than you intended.” By her tone, it didn’t sound like she was that angry so I opted to roll with it for now.

“I saw you do that to me yesterday. I only meant to express my genuine gratitude for his assistance.”

“I understand, but he didn’t know that; I imagine he’s going to cherish that memory for the rest of his life. A chosen, performing a half-conste to a gray… I never thought I would see something like that.” Before I had the chance to ask, she continued, “A Conste is a sign of great respect. Normally, I would not have even shown it to you. I only did so because you were ascending to Michael at the time; half of the respect was his.”

Ok… So that bow was a much bigger deal than I thought it was. Noted.

“Do you think he will tell anyone?”

Meera shook her head, “No, nobody would believe him. You’re lucky that we three were the only ones present.”

Lucky indeed… Hmm, maybe I can use this?

I faced Meera, bowed my head, then bent my knees, a “half-conste,” as it were. Then, after hesitating for a moment to give the impression of uncertainty, I raised my arms and rested my wrists on the opposite shoulders, “Thank you, Meera, for helping me. Please continue to do so.”

She stared at me wide-eyed, “D-d-did you not hear anything I just said!?” Her head spun around as her eyes darted up and down the hallway; it was, fortunately, empty, “Stop that before someone sees! I might be above a gray, but still!”

I nodded, “Yea, but that doesn’t mean I’m not infinitely grateful for all your help.” That said, I stopped my antics before she was genuinely pissed off.

I’ll need your help for a while yet, so do bear with me, Meera. Even if it won’t be a happy ending, given what I’m going to do.