Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Moonlight shimmered over the edge of the cavern entrance, an etherial barrier to the world beyond. Elvira thought it an especially haunting backdrop for the whirl of the helicopter blades. Gordon set them down between the piles of stone that littered the clearing in front of the Eternal Archive.

The rest of the team hopped out of the aircraft with nervous energy, but the red haired Ranger was doing his best to pour himself from the side door. He was the only member of the rescue party who hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight, on accounts of being the only pilot.

“Gordon,” Bridget said. “You got us here in one piece. I guess you aren’t so—“she cut herself off with a cough. “I mean, good work. I’m n— You really came through for us.” She offered a hand to help him down. He looked at it with sleepy misgiving, but slowly took it and dropped to the ground.

“You really were a lifesaver,” Elvira said. “But are you sure you don’t want to get some sleep.”

“Could go all night,” Gordon said. His dreamy tone suggested otherwise. “Besides, gotta punch dumb ghost to save meathead.”

Elvira smiled. “I’m surprised you know how to fly a helicopter.”

“S’a good Ranger elective.” He shuffled away, doing a few stretches and simple exercises.

Elvira turned to Reaper, who remained by the vehicle door. He was staring intently at the strange white structure nearby. Elvira was about to say something, when he braced himself and took a deep breath. He reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing a green eyed woman.

Elvira managed only an incoherent cry of confusion, more than a little too loud to be polite. Her eyes darted across the olive skin of Reaper’s face, taking in the long and angular features as well as the short brown hair tied carefully into tight curls. A Duroterran, if an uncommonly dark one.

The party turned to see the source of the commotion, greeting the sight with a smattering of shocked chatter, although Newton and Bridget seemed more curious than perplexed.

“I knew it!” Elvira said, finally. “But why?” She motioned more towards the surroundings than to Reaper herself.

“It’s better to confront your mistakes openly,” Reaper said. She walked by, towards the nearby entrance. The others followed, arriving as she finished testing the glowing pad by the door.

“Any clue how to get in?” Elvira said.

Reaper shook her head. “It seems to be locked.” She took a few steps back. “Let’s not waste time, stand clear.” She aimed her right hand towards the door, then her whole body flared with light. A radiant beam shot from her palm into the door.

Elvira recoiled from the sudden action, blinded by a terrible flash. When she opened her eyes she saw the door… was still there, without so much as a scorch mark.

“Uh, what gives?” Elvira said.

Reaper looked even more bewildered than she was. She shook her head. “It’s like it didn’t even touch it….”

“Maybe there’s a way to open it from the inside?” Protius said. He walked up and put a hand on the door, then disappeared in a plume of black smoke. He came back a few minutes later bemused, and with a little pout. “Well… I managed to turn the lights off.”

Bridget tapped the door a few times. “Maybe we can push it up?” She planted both hands and slid them up, then shook her head.

“What’s the problem?” Elvira asked.

Bridget hummed, then shrugged. “I couldn’t get any grip. It felt… supernaturally smooth, I think is how I’d describe it.”

“Maybe with an arte?” Protius offered. He touched the door again, a wave of light traveling to his fingers. A puzzled look grew on his face over the seconds as the air around him darkened. He huffed and stepped back, shaking his head. “That was enough force to flip a tank and it didn’t even budge.”

He looked at the others. “I’ll go in and scout the place out, find where Eve is keeping Hitori. If I think of a way to get you though I’ll head back immediately.” The Arteficer vanished into smoke.

Newton meandered to the keypad and tapped a few glowing symbols. “It is in Common,” she mused, “but doesn’t seem like Southern technology at all. I wonder what this place is? Master Étienne was not very forthcoming.”

“Can you bypass the lock?” Bridget asked.

Newton pursed her lips, squatting to eye level with the panel. She rocked back and forth on her toes as she poked and prodded at it. She even pulled a small tool from her belt, holding it close and scrutinizing every beep and boop, then bounced to her feet, cheerfully saying, “Nope, completely impossible.”

“What! Why not!” Elvira asked.

“Ah well,” Newton gestured vaguely. “There isn’t any kind of control system inside the panel. It just sends a signal somewhere further in. If I could get to whatever is on that end I might be able to do something, but from here it’s little more than a bunch of wires.”

“It is still electrical though, right?” Chandra said. She walked past Newton and Elvira, then ran her hand on the wall next to the door.

“Sure is,” Newton replied. “Though it didn’t seem like any wires I’ve ever heard of.”

“I think I can open it.”

“Really!” Elvira said.

“Ah, yeah,” Chandra blushed. “I… don’t want to over promise, but this is supposed to be my specialty.”

“Get to it then!” Bridget said.

Chandra colored deeper, but nevertheless turned to the entrance and got to work. She took a small set of tools from a satchel on her back, running one of them over the doorjamb. After a moment, she said, “This… material is….”

“Super weird, right?” Newton said. She was standing over Chandra’s shoulder, or under it as needed, watching her work.

Chandra nodded, continuing to work as she replied, “Yeah, the malhahonic probe says it’s almost paper thin, but the electronic one thinks there’s more rock than it can penetrate. I have no idea what it could be made out of. Still…”

She placed two glowing pads on opposite ends of the entry, above the top line of the door.

“If it’s electrical”—she pushed a symbol on the pad in her hand and the door slid up with a soft whoosh—“you only have to flip the charge in the motor and it changes direction.”

Elvira clapped. “That was amazing!” Chandra beamed. “I wonder what’s inside.”

Chandra blocked her from leaning through the entrance. “I wouldn’t linger there,” she said. “Whatever motor holds the door shut is tremendously powerful. If it dropped suddenly I don’t think it would even slow down as it passed though whatever piece of you was in the way.”

“Ah, yes, thank you,” Elvira smiled awkwardly. “I like my pieces where they are.”

Protius materialized on the tentative edge of the diffused moonlight from outside. “I, uh, I think….” He held up a hand to stop a comment from Bridget. “I found something… worth checking out.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Bridget said. “Let’s get in there already.”

 

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Mihari smiled gleefully atop her perch. The entertainment had arrived. She saw their approach through the Oracle Stone, and set herself up in a large room near the Unity Crystal. It was an unfinished exhibit, with ten empty pads arranged on either side of five ascending platforms.

Little Seishin’s team walked in first, one at a time through a narrow arch, each immediately turning a hostile gaze towards her. They were followed by a dark skinned woman with colorful hair who glanced about with lively interest.

Ah, Newton. That explains how they got here so quickly. I thought I recognized the symbols. The Southerners must know something about this place.

He was right, of course. She overlooked that possibility. Not that it mattered. Still, she didn’t like the anxious feeling from her nephew.

Alvina followed shortly after. She had removed her mask and hood, examining each item in the room as she entered. Just behind her was the seventh, and apparently final, guest.

I knew she would come.

“Ah, were you hoping she would?” She tried to project playful indifference, but as soon as Bridget appeared the Little Seishin became terribly depressed. It was unnerving.

No, I was hoping she wouldn’t, but I’m not surprised. Literally every part of my first mission has been an unmitigated disaster, I see no reason for it not to end that way.

“If you’re trying to trick me into releasing your body, it’s not going to work.”

There’s no trick, and I know you won’t give up.

She huffed as best she could internally. “Well, if you know, then stop trying to distract me. I have work to do.”

Wait… She felt a spike of anxiety from him. Can we… talk?

“Like right now?”

Why not? We could spend months in the time it will take them to finish walking in.

“Oh, fine. What’s on your mind, kid? Girlfriend troubles?”

She felt a sad smile from him. In a sense, yes, except the girl in question is about to murder me.

He seemed genuinely terrified. She didn’t see why, that Mairtalan girl wasn’t anything special. She was freakishly tough, sure, and hit like a tank, but compared to herself, Bridget was a lot of sound and fury. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to reassure the poor kid.

You’re underestimating her, but it’s not Bridget I want to talk about. Actually, I just want to, like, hang out, with you.

“Just… hang out?”

Yeah, we’re going to spend the next ten minutes or so going back and forth between you and them. They’re going to ask you a bunch of questions, you’re going to give a bunch of vague answers, then Bridget’s going to say something like, “Alright, I figured it out,” and then punch a hole in our chest. So before that happens, I want to live as much as I can, even if it’s sitting in my own head chatting with my crazy aunt.

She… wasn’t sure. Part of her felt he had to be trying some trick, but his feelings seemed perfectly genuine. He really did believe he was about to die.

Please… don’t make me spend the last three years of my life alone.

There was a pang in her heart. He reminded her of… when he was little. After her sister died. He felt dreadfully lonely back then. She hadn’t been able to comfort him then, and, well, not like she super cared, but still, she could do it now.

“Alright kid, we’ll hang out, you and your auntie Mihari as long as you want. And when this is all over I’ll show you Bridget is nothing to worry about.”

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And so, they talked. As her nephew said, there was a great deal of conversation from the rescue party. Elvira opened up with some questions. The Little Seishin and she talked about his plans for the novice mercenary. He meant for Elvira to take the second in command role from Protius, who never liked it anyway.

Protius made insightful guesses about what was going on. Her nephew complained the Arteficer was far too comfortable coasting on talent. One day he was going to be undone by a problem without an easy solution.

Gordon gave dry comments about the situation, playing it off like this was a chore. Hitori felt his troublesome friend worked too hard trying to look cool, and not hard enough living his best.

Chandra kept to herself, asking only about her captain’s well being. Hitori worried she was drowning in undeserved guilt about what happened between her and Kalindi, and joked that the next time they met he hoped Chandra would punch the jackass once for his sake.

Newton was silly and playful, apparently oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. The two of them made wild speculations about her life and Southern culture, concluding in spite of the evidence she must be a princess in exile.

Alvina brooded off to the side, lost in private thought. They both agreed she was up to no good, and spent weeks coming up with increasingly elaborate and implausible schemes for her to be caught up in.

They talked about all those things, and more. About Maia, the troubled life she lead. About Virgil, apparently the center of some fascinating global intrigue. They even talked, eventually, about Hitori Taira, the boy Maia secretly had a crush on as a girl, and the tragic end of their relationship.

They talked, and all the while, Bridget watched. She stood, roughly front and center, staring intently at Mihari. She didn’t comment, didn’t ask questions, just watched. Her eyes contained neither malice nor fear, only unbridled observation. Mihari felt increasingly naked under her gaze, like she might even see into her time with Hitori.

She watched. And then she was done.

“Alright,” Bridget said. “I figured it out. I’ve gotta punch that crystal out of your chest.”

“About time,” Mihari said, making sure it actually came out loud. She pulled apart her sword and stood up as Bridget took a few steps towards her. “I was w—“

Bridget snapped up to her mid step, almost too fast for Mihari to catch. As it was, the woman now floated within striking distance, a punch halfway towards her chest.

“Well, she doesn’t waste any time now does she?” In spite of the playful quip, Mihari couldn’t shake her boy’s looming sense of dread.

 

---

 

Elvira pressed tight against the wall, too overwhelmed by the fight to even think of escaping out the narrow entrance nearby. It was all she could do to keep her head pointed in the general direction of the action.

Not that she could see any. By the time she looked after one bang, crash, or flash of steel, another came from a different side of the room. She had no idea who was wining, only the occasional reassurance this was a battle of mortals from half caught glimpses of a combatant.

The battle raged. And then, it didn’t. Not so much built into a climactic finale as abruptly halted with an earth shaking roar.

Elvira was literally knocked into the wall by the attendant shockwaves. She recovered her senses in time to see Bridget pull her arm from her opponent’s chest, then pitch a translucent crystal into the far wall like a bullet. It bounced chaotically through the room and out of sight.

Bridget looked down at the small Seitojin she’d been fighting and said. “You ain’t dead, Hitori.”

It was hard to believe, but that was the body of her team captain now slumped on the floor. The strange entity that called herself Taira Hitori-Gensui somehow transformed it into a small, rather feminine appearance.

Bridget turned to the rescue party and barked, “Paladin! You have work.”

Chandra shook from her trance and rushed to Hitori’s side. Elvira followed behind, taking a spot kneeling across from her. The others positioned themselves a short distance from his feet.

Elvira took Hitori’s hand, and tried to give him a reassuring look. He was not in great shape. The hole in his chest was no longer punched clean through, but it was deep enough to see the unsteady beat of his heart. A great deal of blood had poured around his mouth and down his neck.

“I— I can’t find his Vital Net,” Chandra said.

“It’s there.” Bridget was standing nearby. She seemed to be surveying the room. Chandra continued to run a glowing hand up and down Hitori’s body.

Hitori himself was struggling to breath, but he had a serene look in his eyes. Elvira didn’t like it one bit. Hitori glanced to her, and said, weakly, “Is… is she alright… I… tried to tell… leave… behind.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Elvira said.

“My aunt… nice… troubled.” He smiled. “I think she decided… to stay.” He looked at Protius, Gordon, and Newton. Even the indomitably chipper woman had a solemn expression. “Wish… could of had more time… with you guys… too.”

“What did I tell you, Hitori,” Bridget said. She glared at him furiously. “You ain’t dead, so stop acting like it.”

“Bridget… sorry I never… gave you that rematch.” He sighed contentedly. “You were brilliant… would have been… fun training with you.”

“I’m getting that fight, and you—“

“I found it!” Chandra yelled. A white glow filled the space beneath her palms. She looked up. “He needs a Tonic.”

“There’s one in the helicopter,” Bridget said. She looked at Protius and motioned for him to move. He vanished in a plume of mist. She took a quick look around the room, then back to the group. “Have any of you seen that Reaper woman?”

Before anyone could answer a wave of light washed over them. Elvira heard a few gasps and sharp breaths. Newton yelped, as if struck by a sudden pain. Elvira herself got a strange report from her Vital Net, something from Vinni about invalid administrator credentials being used.

By the time the weird glow faded there was a strange warmth in the room, radiating from the air itself. Everyone looked shocked and alarmed, though Elvira herself felt only puzzled until she saw their faces.

“What happened?” she said.

“M-my… how,” Bridget mumbled a few more useless things. She had a dazed look.

“It’s gone!” Chandra yelled. “It was there, and it’s gone!” She was running her hands up and down Hitori’s body, frantically searching. Hitori himself passed out.

“Chandra! Chandra!” Elvira said, grabbing one of the Paladin’s hands. “Calm down. Tell me what’s going on.”

“H-his Vital Net. It… it disappeared.” Chandra shook her head. “It was pulling in material from the rest of the body. Tearing things apart to find what it needed, and… and….” She motioned down. Blood puddled out under his back.

“God….” Elvira looked at Hitori’s face. The peaceful expression was marred by his pallid skin. “We have to do something!”

Chandra didn’t answer, her hands rested feebly on his chest.

Elvira stood up, turning to face Bridget. “Isn’t there something!”

Bridget looked back, eyes robbed of all confidence. “I don’t….”

Elvira turned to Gordon and Newton. The red haired Mairtalan slouched in a hazy torpor. Newton gestured vaguely and said, “He needs a surgeon, I think. And blood.”

Elvira didn’t understand what she meant. She turned and yelled, “Can someone tell me what’s going on!”

Newton looked at her quizzically. “His Vital Net is gone.”

“Yeah! But why’d it just happen to him!”

“It happened to everyone,” someone said behind her. She snapped over to see Protius standing there. He looked paler than usual, but otherwise in good condition. He turned to Hitori, then took a quick breath as if to brace himself.

“E-Everyone?” She realized why the team was so disoriented.

“I think it didn’t affect Paladins,” Protius said. “But the whole world’s been struck.”

“You mean… every Vital Net… in the whole world… is gone?”

“No, not gone,” a voice said. “Replaced.”

Elvira turned to see Reaper walking down a narrow flight of stairs.

“Replaced! What do you mean ‘replaced’?”

“The core restructor has been updated to a new version,” Reaper said. “It needed to be done, and Morgan went and made the perfect tool for it.”

Elvira was bewildered, but shook her head. It was enough to know this woman caused it. She marched forward, a perilous gleam in her eyes. “It couldn’t have waited ten fucking minutes!”

“Why would that matter?” Reaper said. The scowl on Elvira’s face got her to quickly scan the room. She spotted Hitori in the pool of his blood. “O-oh….” She looked at her hands. “How many deaths is that now….”

“He’s not dead!” Elvira growled. “And he’s not going to be because you’re going to fix him!”

“I-it will be days….” She shook her head.

“It was not a request.” Elvira drew her sword. She made it to the bottom of the stairs and took a few steps up.

“Settle down,” Reaper took the spear from her back. “Without a Vital Net you’ll only get killed.”

Elvira braced the sword against her chest, holding it with both arms and aiming her body at Reaper. She dipped and rolled on her feet until they were roughly inline with the slope. Then fired her Dash Tech.

A split second later Reaper was pinned against the wall, a sword run clean through her chest and up out the back. She gasped for air as her eyes bulged in shock.

“H-how?” Reaper sputtered. She locked eyes with Elvira’s murderous glare. Her own flashed silver, but all she got was a furious growl.

“Vinni says ‘sorry, wrong password,’” Elvira plucked a point near her throat, a spark of scarlet light jumped to her fingers and unfolded into a shimmering red pattern on her hand. “And I said, ‘You’re going to fix him.’” A little bolt of glowing crimson swirled into place at the tip of her outstretched digit, which she thrust dangerously close to Reaper’s head. “Do I make myself clear.”

Reaper looked helplessly at Elvira, glancing to Hitori on the distant floor, then back. Her own eyes were sad, heavy with guilt. There was no hope for redemption in them, but still, she let her spear clatter to the floor. “I… I’ll do my best.”

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