Chapter 38: 38. Feigning Sleep Is Dangerous Business…

Zeff's vision went blurry and he could hear his heart beating loud in his ears. "W-what just hap—" he tried to say, but his tongue was stuck to the top of his mouth and all that came out was a raspy crow's caw. No matter what he did, he could not remember anything after the time Sylvan had thrown him into Pluto's Gate. As far as he could tell, he was falling and then, boom, he was here... Wherever 'here' was.

"So?" Came the gruff and muffled voice of a middle aged man, interrupting Zeff's thoughts.

Directly to his right the voice of a young lady spoke in response. "Traveler number… 237. Zephaniah Corad. And the older, unconscious, gentleman is—" the sound of papers turning, scraping against laminated plastic, reverberated through the air as if bouncing off stone or tile. "—236. 'Dr.' Sylvan White. It's all a bit wet… and in a folder, of all things. But everything's here. IDs. Papers with known sicknesses. Their Overworld origins and their previous Houses. Both are listed as 'House of None'."

The two sounded strange. It was almost as if they were talking through gas masks.

The gruff voice suddenly whispered low, "And their classes?"

"Lower your voice…" responded the woman cryptically. "You know we're not supposed to even ask… If someone—"

"Who? Who's gonna find out? These guys just experienced their first gate jump. They'll hardly be able to remember their names for the next twelve hours, let alone remember anything we say. Just tell me already…"

The woman sighed then said, her voice so low that she was hardly even speaking at all, "236 is a three star C class." At that, Zeff could here the man exhale sharply in annoyance but he said nothing. "And the boy is a one star C class. And no aura for either of them…"

"Sh*t." Cursed the man. "Just like the other Cast-Aways: Leper trash, the whole lot of them! And who's taxes do you think are paying to feed and house them?! Ours!"

"Geneo… If Rillian hears you say that…"

"What? You know you were thinking something similar. I bet I can guess who sent these scrum-munchers, too… Nobody but Fynn, right?" There was silence as the woman shuffled uncomfortably in place. "See! I knew it. That b*stard gets a kick outta—"

Zeff still couldn't get his eyes to focus (or any part of his body to move more than an inch at a time), but he heard in the next moment the clanking and sliding of heavy metal followed by sudden rapid footsteps.

"Geneo. Fera." huffed a man's high voice. "I told you two to alert me the moment anyone came through the gate!"

"We did, Lord Rillian, sir." replied Geneo, his voice taking on a completely different air from just moments ago.

"Don't lie to me, Geneo." growled the man. "The boy there is half awake! Have you ever seen *anyone*, overworlder or underworlder, wake up within even 5 hours of their first jump?" Before Geneo could get a single word out, the man answered his own question. "No. You haven't. Because it's not possible!"

"Sir, I swear it, they just got here less than a few minutes ago." Asserted Geneo. "And before we even looked at their faces we—"

"Fera? Is this true?" asked Rillian, his voice noticeably louder as he drew closer.

"It is, sir." insisted the woman nervously. Then, likely in an attempt to redirect the conversation, she added, "Their names are Sylvan and Zephaniah, a future student of—"

"Just give me their documents and get out." commanded Rillian coldly.

"Er—But, Lord Rillian, we have to clea—"

"I just want to read their documents in peace! I will fetch you shortly. Now, leave me!"

And with that, the footsteps of the two could be heard retreating with utmost haste and then shutting a massive metal door behind them with a loud *Kuh-shonk*.

'D*mmit.' thought Zeff bitterly. 'I wish I could've at least seen their faces.' After what Geneo had said, Zeff thought it would be too soon if he never saw the man again. The way he had talked about Cast-Aways really hadn't sat well with Zeff.

(Especially since he apparently was one now…)

Just to his right the man, who had to be 'Lord Rillian', sounded as if he was fumbling through his clothes for something which he seemed to eventually find.

"Hey. You're okay." The man assured as he knelt down at Zeff's side. His voice low and soft, like he was talking to a dear friend. Suddenly Zeff felt a hand on his neck, gently lifting his head up off of the floor. "Here."

The next thing Zeff knew, his nostrils were on fire. It was like someone had shoved a burning hot marble up his nose and all the way to his brain. "Argh!" he yelled as his senses went from dull to sharp in a matter of milliseconds.

Zeff imagined that this must be how a banana felt after being peeled. Sitting in a dark, unclear world, hardly aware of what's going on beyond your peel. Then, Boom! You're being eaten alive, crushed by a strangers teeth!

"Relax. It's just smelling salts…" Said Rillian, an obvious smile in his voice.

"Smelling Salts?" coughed Zeff, his nose still burning. "I thought I just jumped into a giant hole, not a time machine."

"Oh. This one has a sense of humor." Said the man with a chuckle.

Zeff was wide awake now and his sight was clear. He still found it a bit hard to move but he could move well enough to look at the man who was holding him.

He was dressed in an all white hazmat suit (or something similar) that covered his whole body from head to two with a massive, round helmet with cyclops goggles that made him look like an old-timey scuba diver from the 1930's.

Zeff was taken aback by the sight and gasped audibly.

"C'mon… It's just protocol. I'm a human, I swear." promised Rillian reassuringly. "Look. I'll show you." He said as he reached up cautiously with the hand that wasn't holding the folder full of documents and removed his helmet.

He was a very thin but handsome man with soft features and pale skin, very much unlike Dacrien who had looked like he had spent every second of his life in the sun. He had bright, gray eyes with a pointed nose and a golden mane of hair that was somehow both wild and tidy at the same time. Square on his chin sat a goatee that almost connected to long, thick sideburns.

"Where am I?" asked Zeff looking around. Next to him, a few paces away, laid the unconscious Sylvan. "Where are *we*?" he corrected

They were in a completely white room with an incredibly, almost ridiculously, high ceiling. The shiny, smooth walls were curved so that there were no corners making Zeff feel like he was in a giant, white fish bowl. In the middle of the room, exactly where Zeff currently found himself, was an elevated platform that seemed to be made of the same strange material as Pluto's Gate.

Just over his head, floating, practically orbiting, in slow circles above the platform, were four large metallic-looking structures. Zeff didn't at first comprehend what it was that he was looking at. But after a few seconds he could see that, not only were the structures orbiting methodically about the platforms center, they were also 'transitioning' as they went through different and complex geometrical shapes. And doing so all in unison.

It was mathematical and very beautiful somehow.

At one moment they looked like some kind of 3D printed Picasso painting. The next they shifted, bending and turning in on themselves until they looked like floating prisms. Then again they lost all form so that they appeared to be four orbs of liquid metal, like molten lead, floating through the air.

"Hey." said Rillian, snapping his gloved fingers just in front of Zeff's face to get his attention and causing him to flinch. "Focus. There are some things we need to discuss before those two return."

"Like: Where is here…? And—" he thought for a second, remembering again how Geneo had spoken about 'Cast-Aways', "—who were those jerks, anyway?"

"You are obviously in Obsidia. In the Overworld Embassy. C.A.R.A.'s very own base of operations. As to who those 'jerks' were… Let's call them volunteers… How much can you recall? What has Fynn already told you?"

"Nothing…"

"Ah." winced Rillian. "It's still too soon after the jump, huh."

"No… Fynn didn't tell us anything. I remember clear enough. We were pressed for time and—"

"He didn't tell you *ANYTHING*?!" asked the man, both of his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"The name of this place?"

"Nope."

"The University you'll be attending?!"

"Nuh-Uh…"

"The dangers of being here without—"

"Let me stop you there. No."

"Flying Finnius!" the man cursed as he stood to his feet. "What was that scrum even thinking?! He—"

"Hey. What does that mean?" Zeff inquired, still sitting on the floor.

"Oh… 'Scrum'? It's that thing holding a man's b—"

"No! Not that!" Zeff interrupted, waving a dismissive hand as if to banish the words Rillian had just spoken. "Why did you say 'Flying Finnius'? What does that mean?"

"Listen, Zeff, we don't have time to chat about such things. Those two might be checking up on me at any moment." At saying that, he looked cautiously over his shoulder and added, "And before then, there are a few things you need to know."

By the way the man's eyes suddenly began to squint and his voice lowered in tone, Zeff knew that what was about to come out of his mouth was serious.

"I… 'work' with Fynn." Zeff almost instantly understood what he meant by that. Rillian was also a member of the Rings, no doubt. And that meant that he was a member of the group that had taken Zeff's father captive… Zeff had no idea if there were men and women among the Rings who were worth trusting yet. But he did know that Sylvan trusted Fynn, at the very least. And that was okay.

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One person from the Rings who just happened to be Sylvan's brother was no problem. But this stranger and any other who might just happen to pop up? That was a different matter… There was no reason for Zeff to trust them at all.

He must have let his thoughts show on his face, because the man quickly added, "I'm one of the good ones, though, trust me. But to get you safely into the Underworld, Fynn and I had to do some things that aren't exactly…" Rillian paused for a long second.

"Legal?" Zeff finished, making sure to lower his voice.

"Exactly… So what's most important now is that you lay low. Fynn was able to fill me in on the dracoRex and most of the minor details. But—"

"How? I thought the gate opened up only once every two months? And two months ago I didn't even have—"

"*Travel* between the Overworld plane and this plane is only possible in that time frame. But there are at least ways to communicate."

Zeff could only stare blankly at the man, purposely letting his confusion (and frustration) show.

Rillian rolled his eyes. "Fynn, that man… You have no idea what I mean by 'plane', do you…? "

Zeff could only shake his head, 'No'.

"By the four realms!" cursed Rillian again. "I will tell you as soon as we have time. But now? Now, you need to focus on not being questioned. Geneo and Fera are going to be coming back in at any moment. You *have* to feign sleep. I don't care what they say or do. You're sleeping until I'm by your side again, got it?"

"W-why?"

"Just trust me. If you can do that, I'll be able to answer all your questions tomorrow, okay?"

Zeff nodded. 'But how hard would it be to act like I'm sleeping…?' he thought.

"Oh! And if Sylvan wakes up—" Rillian began, but he was unable to finish because at that exact moment *Earruuuhn* squeaked the heavy metal door as it slid open.

Zeff, as quick as lightning, threw his head back down to the floor as though asleep while Rillian tossed his helmet back on and fastened it in place.

"Er—uh, Lord Rillian? We really are running behind schedule…"

"Yes, of course. I've just finished reading their papers. Everything checks out. Put their things somewhere safe while they are being cleaned and disinfected."

'Cleaned?!' thought Zeff, half curious, half mortified. 'Disinfected how?!'

"And the briefcase?"

As far as Zeff could tell, Rillian hadn't mentioned or even seen the briefcase Fynn had left with them. And in the heat of moment Zeff had completely forgotten about it, too…

"Uh, did they come out of the gate with it, Geneo…?"

"Yes, Lord Rillian…" answered Geneo apprehensively.

"Then wouldn't it fall under the category of 'their things'?"

"O-of course, Lord Rillian." Answered Fera, her voice low. "And is the boy still awake?"

"Ah, yes, that." Rillian muttered. "It appears that I was… mistaken. He was not awake. Had a simple case of the 'Jump Twitches'…" Zeff couldn't be sure if that was a real thing or if Rillian had made it up on the spot, but he sounded believable enough. "So? What are you two standing around gawking for? Get to it!"

'What is with this Rillian guy, anyway?' thought Zeff as the sounds of many shuffling feet and voices filled the air. 'He seemed so nice when he was talking to me. But now he's acting like a total *ss… And everyone's just taking it…'

Before he could compose himself, suddenly a group of maybe four or five people grabbed him by his arms and legs with their gloved hands and lifted him up onto a stretcher.

The next thirty minutes was a humiliating blur of sounds and smells and… touches… as he was disrobed, sprayed down, bathed, showered, and scrubbed (and every inch of him, at that…) then sprayed down again. And, by some of the small sounds and nonverbal queues he was hearing, all of that by both men and women.

As far as Zeff knew, no one had ever seen him naked since he had become an adult and it was a terrible feeling knowing that there were dozens of people who were looking at his naked body.

In fact, even his 'scrum' had been scrubbed so thoroughly and enthusiastically that it almost hurt.

The only solace he had was that no one had said a word. As far as he knew, and as far as he would imagine for the rest of his days, they were all blind.

"Alright!" called Geneo's voice suddenly. "That should do it ladies and gentlemen!"

'What? At least put my clothes back on!' thought Zeff in a panic as he imagined being left, butt-naked, on full display for the world to see.

"Cleaners. We're all free to go. The Nurses will take over from here."

'Gumdrops and gremlins!' Zeff cursed to himself as he realized why nurses would be needed. 'Oh, God! Save me, please! Just don't let it be a shot. Anything but a shot!'

The sounds of dozens of booted feet walking away and out of earshot reverberated through the air until there was practically silence.

Practically.

Apparently, if Zeff's ears could be trusted, three or four people had stayed behind.

"By the four…" mused a female's high voice like she was getting ready to enjoy a juicy steak dinner.. "What are they feeding these men up there in the Overworld…?"

"Look at these abs, Fera." Said another woman. "Have you ever seen all six of'em so perfectly defined? Even the old guy—"

"Demra… Please…" begged Fera, the same woman who had spoken with Geneo earlier.

A shiver galloped down Zeff's spine. It was not the 'Demra, Please!' that you might expect if this Demra lady were just joking. Or even the 'Demra. Please.' encouraging her to shut her mouth and focus on the task at hand… It was like a, 'Not again, Demra…'

Suddenly Zeff felt a pair of cold hands laid on his stomach. It took everything in him not to jump or flinch at the woman's touch. She ran her hands slowly, and sensually up and down his abs and chest. Then he felt a pair of two very soft— were they water balloons?—rest on his arm.

'Oh, dear.' Zeff thought as he realized that they weren't water balloons at all…

Needless to say, Zeff had never been touch liked this before and he was beyond uncomfortable with the whole situation. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest like it was trying to escape. However, in spite of all that, Zeff had to accept that he was still a red-blooded man at the end of the day, because it was taking everything, every ounce of self control he could muster, not to let himself get… excited… and blow his cover.

"C'mon Fera. Sybia. You guys used to always—"

"Yeah. But we're behind schedule already and what if he wakes up?" said Sybia, the one who had spoke first, with concern. "And I heard he has the Jump Twitches."

"J-jump Tw—W-what is wrong with you two all of a sudden?! Sybia, you're practically drooling already! Let's just take turns while someone keeps watch, like we normally do!"

"Like *you two* normally do." Corrected Fera.

"Whatever." Retorted Demra. "He won't wake up and even if he did he's just a Cast-Away, anyways! Who's gonna take a leper's side over ours?"

"Don't." Commanded Fera suddenly, her voice low and angry.

'Fera!' Zeff screamed to himself in a panic. 'I always knew you were an angel! Please get this horn-dog away from me!'

"Don't use that word again…" Fera grumbled. The air suddenly began to buzz with a energy that made Zeff's head swim and his stomach ache.

"Hey! Calm down!" chuckled Sybia nervously. "You know Demra was only joking! RIGHT, Demra?"

"O-oh, yeah... Sorry Fera." Stuttered Demra. "You know I don't think of you like that… You're only half—"

"Enough." interjected Fera sharply, "Let's just give them their shots and get outta here."

There was some huffing and puffing, but after that the ladies hardly made another peep. Needless to say, Zeff had never been so glad to get a shot in his whole life. He took all six of them, and he would've smiled about it and taken another six, too, if he could have. It would be hours before the outrage at this whole situation would set in. And several more hours before he would realize that the shots he had just received had penetrated his armored hide with no trouble.

"Alright…" Said Fera after she had given Zeff and Sylvan their last shots. "Let's report to Geneo that all the vaccines have been administered."

The three women left the room with hardly a sound, cutting the lights as they went, leaving Zeff there in the dark thanking God that he would never know what these women might have done to him.

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