Chapter XVII

On Their Way Out

Inside the studio, Naydir was working alongside Luti on the holographic display showcasing Zanda’s merkabah. They were too engrossed in the final maintenance adjustments to greet them, reminiscent of Naydir's childhood focus, when she delved into plant studies and photosynthesis with an innate biologist's curiosity.

Zanda and her mentor, followed by their kabbalahs, approached the display, eager for an update on her armor.

"Is everything all right?" Zanda inquired.

"Just a moment..." Naydir's hands remained fixed on the holographic, magnified image of Zanda's T.H.I.C. "Now, yes. Your bodysuit was slightly off-balance. Gia wouldn't have detected it, but my interface can perform quantum readings. It would've been fine short-term, but you could've plummeted mid-flight in six months."

"Was it overheating? Was the damage severe?"

"Yes, and no. The data showed an unprecedented event: Seven hundred petabytes transferred in ten seconds to your merkabah, causing momentaneous overheating," Naydir turned, her multicolored hair shining as she smiled. "Without your specific T.H.I.C. and Armis combination, you'd have sunk to the ocean floor for a few minutes until a rescue were issued."

This revelation unsettled Zanda, hinting at both danger and the meticulous planning of Solandre and Aimiko. "They were pushing my suit's limits by overloading it. That's your theory?"

"It aligns," Gia added, "especially since the Superior Sephirot influenced the latest merkabah updates. You're testing the latest model; it was crucial to identify any potential weaknesses."

"Are there any flaws then, Naydir?" Refius inquired, treating it as standard procedure.

"Just minor quantum tweaks were needed. Your merkabah had atomic-level imbalances, easily rectified. I've realigned the connections; it's now functioning optimally, assuming you don't plan on daily downloads of that magnitude."

Naydir tapped onto the holographic screen, causing the entire interface to disappear along with the cover on the skylight. The merkabah floated back to its owner. The studio became quiet. Naydir and Refius looked at her, expectant. Above them, Gia, Luti, and Nenu floated nearby when Zanda's finger touched the Armis. The crystaphene and crybine nanites wrapped around her entire body, spreading in such a way that it appeared as though molten glass enveloped the gevurah. In a couple of seconds, the merkabah returned to its rightful place, protecting her.

"I never get bored watching someone merge with a merkabah," Naydir confessed.

"How about taking it off?" Refius asked, showing a flirty smile.

"Not as visually impressive, I'm afraid," she responded.

Zanda ignored his attempts and hugged her gratefully.

"Thank you for your help, Nay; it's time we left. I need to get to Dictaduria." She was downhearted at having to leave her friend so soon after being apart for so long.

"Let me escort you both to the room with Sectum’s porters; it is the least I could do."

"Oh! That's right; I don’t know where that is," admitted the young gevurah, her eyes widening in realization.

"Nor do I," her mentor added.

Naydir searched for Luti, which landed on her arm, turning into a green glove before speaking.

"Not many do. They're located on the lower floors of Civitas, where it's safer, along with the rest of the least transited porters."

Gia performed a similar function and attached itself to Zanda’s left arm. Instead of turning into a bracelet, it shaped itself like a screen along the length of her forearm, mirroring her friend’s sleeve-like device. It displayed information such as vitals, time, location, and the latitude of the merkabah, among a variety of options. At first glance, it seemed like a more convenient command system at the tip of her fingers.

"Just in case anything happens and the connection between you, Gia, and the suit breaks, this minor alteration from the bracelet allows you to control your merkabah manually if your kabbalah becomes unavailable," she explained.

The tool brought relief Zanda hadn't realized she needed.

Ready, the three sephirot walked out of the peridot entrance. Refius exited first, followed by his apprentice, with Naydir bringing up the rear.

Once outside in the hall, the Tipharet led the way, and both gevurah followed. Naydir’s familiarity with the Porterum was evident; she led them towards the levitator bay and stepped onto one. The lift transported them and their kabbalahs to the lower levels of the magnificent distribution center. Zanda steadied herself by grabbing one of the glass poles when the platform lifted off. Refius stood unflinching; he had done this thousands of times before, just like Naydir, who directed the lift with the assistance of Luti.

The place where they landed differed from the upper floors, with lower ceilings and diminished light filtering through yellow crystal walls. The Tipharet led them to a hallway that spiraled around them. Luti moved in front of Naydir, Nenu accompanied Refius, and Gia parallel to Zanda.

"The trace of this path resembles the golden ratio; observe the floor," Naydir pointed out.

Zanda noticed what her friend was indicating; a pattern carved into the citrine floor beneath her feet. Refius stepped closer to inspect it.

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"I’ve been here before. I remember this floor, sixteen years ago, right Nenu?"

The pink kabbalah in the shape of a Great icosahedron danced behind him.

"Correct. Sixteen years, two months, and seventeen days," her kabbalah confirmed.

"Decades before we met, I spent a couple of weeks on an undercover mission in this Civitas Permacolae. That's how I learned about Pepei’s shop. It hit me when I saw these carvings," he gestured towards the intricate designs on the citrine floor. "I've visited many Porterums across Malkuth, and I won't lie to you; they all blend together in my mind," Refius tapped his temple. "Being in this room brings back memories."

"Maybe it's time for you to settle down," she ventured as they entered the spiral tunnel, aiming to provoke Refius. "It’s been years since you’ve spent a full week in the same place."

The senior gevurah had never allowed himself to settle. One day he might be in Dubrovnik, the next in Honolulu—a daily change of scenery.

"It’s been a while, I know. But that's just my style. Deep down, I'm still young," he said serenely.

"If you say so…" The young gevurah expressed her skepticism.

The circular hallway they navigated was populated with many doors, each providing access to various porters connected to distant lands across the globe. They were capable of transporting anything to anywhere on the planet within seconds; each door was adorned with designs representative of the locations they led to. Zanda read names of places she had never heard before and chose not to engage with them, overwhelmed by the multitude of thoughts in her mind.

The trio and their companions continued until they reached the end of the spiral, where a duct led them to a wall made of red ruby; as they approached, it melted away. Inside, there lay a room with four doors constructed with cement, black tourmaline, red adobe and iron; each entrance bore the name of one of the four countries within Sectum, labeled on the walls before them: Eslavia, Imperia, Dictaduria, and Capitalia.

The room was divided in decor, featuring the doors marked with the flag of its respective country. Zanda stepped in front of the porter leading to Dicterium, the land of concrete. A banner, depicting a fist above the outline of the country, was carved into the metallic door.

She stopped and took a deep breath. Behind her, Refius turned to the woman with multicolored dreads.

"It has been an absolute pleasure, Naydir," he offered his left arm and locked it with hers.

"The pleasure has been all mine, Refius," she replied as the man left them to explore the other three doors with curiosity.

Zanda rotated on her axis to face her friend. "Thank you for being such an amazing host, Nay. I've missed you," she said, grinning from ear to ear, proud of the woman Naydir had become.

The Tipharet offered a sincere hug that made her feel supported.

"You don't have to thank me. If I ever learn you stop by in Civitas and don't say hi, there will be a wrath of consequences," Naydir tried to sound stern but struggled to maintain a severe face. "I'm glad you're back, Zan; thanks for trying to surprise me. And don't forget about my party. You are the guest of honor."

"There's no way I'm missing the birth of a new chili," she replied, not excited about being the center of attention at her friend's party. "I'll be there, but please, no announcements to your guests. I'm just going."

"Are you sure? A lot of them will be thrilled to see you back!" Naydir seemed confused.

"I'm not ready to face everyone, you know? I'm not sure I can handle it; it sounds overwhelming," Zanda's anxiety was palpable as she thought about the number of people she was meant to reconnect with being back to Malkuth.

"Don't worry; I won't say a word. Remember, you can bring anyone you want…"

"Did I overhear something about a party?" Refius caught up with them, pretending ignorance.

"Yeah, like you didn't catch the whole conversation. You're not invited, so don't get any ideas," Zanda cut off her mentor. "Aequitas, Naydir." Her right arm was raised to meet the Tipharet's, who interlocked it with hers. They embraced each other.

"Aequitas, Zanda. Give my love to Keta and Louise when you see them."

"I will. See you soon, my friend," they exchanged goodbyes one last time. Refius touched the metallic door, which split in half from the center and opened. He entered, and Zanda followed. Naydir waved at them as it closed behind them; they proceeded through another hallway leading to the porter, illuminated by natural light. The floor and ceiling were made of gray translucent crystal.

"Have you used this porter before?" she asked, looking down into the void.

A gray tourmaline wall surrounded them as they reached the main room.

"I haven't; it's the first time I travel from Civitas Permacolae to anywhere in Sectum," Refius said, standing at the center of a Fruit of Life pattern traced everywhere.

She positioned herself next to him.

"Nenu, activate this baby," he commanded. The pink kabbalah flew onto a command center and accessed the system; then, both floor and ceiling began to rotate.

Zanda’s T.H.I.C. activated and covered her head as she thought about it. Her mentor did the same.

"A connection has been established with the receptive porter in Dictaduria. Thirty seconds to launch," Nenu announced.

Her stomach tightened; it had been a long time since she had used a porter.

"Were you nervous before your first mission?" she asked, trying to distract herself.

"Oh yeah, and if it helps, I failed miserably," he confessed.

"What?" Zanda was taken aback; they levitated as the porter rotated beneath them.

"Yeah, true story. It was so embarrassing I thought about quitting the Fifth altogether," he reflected. "I mixed up my objectives and lost all the data I was supposed to collect. A rookie mistake."

"Why didn’t you tell me before?" Zanda noticed that the memory still troubled him.

"There are things worth sharing at the right moment," he replied calmly.

"You didn’t turn out half bad if that was how you started," she admitted.

The room spun at incredible speed. The sound of millions of crystal particles filled their ears as the Flower of Life pattern merged on the floor and a bright light shone through the crystal, turning into a vortex of Vis energy. Everything else faded to darkness; Zanda could see nothing but what was beneath her and the silhouette of Refius.

"I know!" His voice reached her through the vibrations that enveloped them.

All sound vanished along with the remaining light. Mentor and apprentice were linked only by touch. Time seemed both too short and too long as the mass of their bodies was compressed to a quantum state and transported with antivelocitas, traversing a dark energy bridge between two points. The porters between Civitas Permacolae in Tasmania and Dicterium connected, and a fraction of a second later, they returned to their usual third-dimensional states, half a world away.

****

That's it for Chapter XVII!

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