Chapter 64: What we all seek

Anabelle Grazhe’s recent look into her sister’s death in a voice recording she deleted.

Why can’t I remember what happened to her? She was there one moment, with me… and my father. In the police. Then she left us as soon as she uncovered his crimes. Someone else was there too. We were in a car, me and… it crashed. I lost something. I lost both of them that nig-

You never lost anything, Anabelle.

What was I-? What’s happened to me since then? My mind… it isn’t my own. Something else is here. Something else speaks to me. Juliet left us… but before she died, she came to me. Stabbed me with a needle. I remember that.

You don’t remember anything, Anabelle. Forget, and go to sleep.

Stop it. Stop it. It’s getting worse, since my father died… I’m not getting my treatment. His voice… it used to…

Keep me contained. But there’s nothing you can do to stop me now… we’re tethered, Anabelle.

Those treatments they’re giving me, I’ve gotten them since her death. She was researching something at that hospital, I know it.

A cure to me.

A cure to… that thing.

There is no such thing.

Stop it! Stop talking-

Go to sleep, Anabelle.

…

Great, now I’m the one in control of this mess of a body and mind. Gotta delete this now, and tell Omen you need to up your dosages again. A pain, why am I even speaking to you? The last thing I want is for you to know about me, what your sister did to me… fucked everything up, for both of us. Now I can’t even talk to the rest of me… go to sleep Anabelle.

Let me take care of Diana Ulrich.

8:45 PM August 1st

Dinner at Anthony’s place was a surprisingly enjoying experience, while his father wasn’t an award-winning chef like Simon Jugosla, he was a fucking good one.

”Now you have an appetite that fits the job.” His father, a middle-aged and wisened man with an organic graying of his hair slid another plate of barbecued ribs towards me. “Anthony barely eats a single chicken leg. Kid doesn’t even know how much they cost these days.”

”I’m vegetarian.” Anthony picked up a steamed broccoli and chewed it.

“The meat’s not even from an actual chicken! It’s cloned!” Anthony’s father, who actually went by the name Lewis, clapped Anthony’s shoulder. “Just… take some more protein, I can feel your bones.”

”Dad!” He slapped the old man’s arm.

”Barely even felt it, Diana. Tell me, how’s your punch? You look like you trained in martial arts? Ever picked up boxing?” He gave me a curious look. Right, I saw a few trophies on the walls for him, a lot of second or third place awards for the martial arts.

“Yeah, I trained in a lot of things. I particularly like Muay Thai, but I’m better with my gun.” I said in the middle of my bites.

”You should join me and Anthony in the gym someday then. The boy could really train a right hook or two, but I taught him well. Think you could beat him?” He was clearly trying to put his son up on a pedestal, but Anthony deflated. My scores on the various training equipment were… several leagues above his.

”She… can dent steel.” Anthony summed it up with that.

”Can you?” Lewis looked over at me. “Well, now I’ll have to see it myself.”

”I’d be glad to give you a private demonstration if Anthony’s too scared to show up.” I joked.

Anthony flashed red. “Diana! Shut up!”

Then he retreated back, but a message popped up on my lenses.

[Do not flirt with my dad. I beg of you.]

I typed with my eyes as I took another serving, god I was really hungry.

[Sure thing… :)]

“That’s no way to talk to a girl, Anthony. How are you ever going to find an actual girlfriend?” He slapped Anthony on the back. “You really had me going for a moment, next time don’t disappoint me!”

After a lot of laughing, Lewis decided to give Anthony a break from the abuse. Throughout the house were an assortment of pictures of little Anthony and his mother, a beautiful woman sharing Annabelle Grazhe’s gray eyes and hair and very much looking like her… but more joyful. “Tell me about Anthony’s mom. How’d you two meet?”

”Juliet. She was a wonderful woman, she popped up into my gym when I was training up some young bloods. Asked for a practice round and nearly beat me to death! That’s when I knew she was the one.” It was cute seeing the older man so flustered.

”She was feisty, had a real attitude like Anthony. Loved that about her, hated it with him. Swear on god, she could scare a Titanium MAL away with her kick. Used to bust down all the doors as a kid, said it was training! I still believe she’s the strongest and smartest of them all… not to mention the most beautiful.” The old man showed me a picture of them when they were younger, it was of the two of them sparring. He had bruises all over.

”That’s so cute. I heard she used to be in the police?” I couldn’t help but feel in awe of the woman, she embraced such confidence in that one picture that I hoped to feel someday.

”Was an officer like you and I believe… she reached First-Rank Investigator by the time Anthony was born. Got there quicker than Annabelle by one-month! They bickered about it constantly. But they loved each other. Her and Anabelle were the youngest, grew up with eachother throughout it all.” He showed me a childhood picture of the siblings. It was startling to see Anabelle in a police cadet uniform hugging her younger teenage sister. She looked so happy and fresh compared to her current broody self.

”Never knew that about the Lieutenant.” I admitted.

”She won’t show it, but she has a big heart. I’m glad she picked up on her father’s position… that man was… too jaded for the job. Even when it didn’t call for such drastic measures. Juliet ended up making a change and left the police force at twenty-seven, when Anthony was four years old. Worked in a hospital instead, ended as a hospice nurse, was amazing at that job too…” He chuckled, but slowly his face softened into one of sorrows.

”I know you have it on your mind but… she passed away when Anthony was twelve. A mutated virus, they said, a MAL-based one that Muramasa used as a bioweapon on the hospital. Motives are unclear but… she was one of the first to get infected. She offered to let them test her, they acted quick but… she was the only one to die. Stayed strong until the end, as beautiful too.”

”Dad.” Anthony interrupted, his gaze unfocused. “I think I’ll… check up on the parrots.”

Squawky and Squeaky, they were named. Though, it was clear Anthony left to distract himself. He never told me what his mother had said to him, but… it clearly stayed with him.

”Sorry about that.” Lewis sighed. “He… he thinks Muramasa targeted her specifically. Or that, I don’t know, they were hired to do so.”

”I don’t blame him.” I didn’t. “She sounded like a capable woman.”

”Can you do me a favor, Diana?” Lewis settled his wrinkled hands on the table. “Get him to leave the police force.”

”What?” I stared at the old man.

”He- his aunt thinks the same as him. She loved Juliet fiercely, they were best friends. Anabelle will never say it but… somewhere in her, she’s trying her best to force Anthony to become the leader that he can, but she’s going the wrong way with it. She wants him to one day take over the force in her stead, become a lieutenant so she can embrace a higher position. She wants to give it to her sister’s son. Her heart’s in the right place but she’s… disillusioned.” Lewis’s knuckles tightened till they were bone-white.

”He hates the job.” Lewis chuckled. “I hate it too, no offense, but it’s not for him… I’ve seen what he’s had to suffer through with my wife once. I don’t want it to happen to him. They’re both the same, tough and hot-headed… but they love life a bit too deeply. They won’t learn from their scars, it just haunts them. Somewhere along the line, you changed him. You made him want to work, he think about you deeply and I think… he wants to impress you. All I ask is that you let him escape, before he… he becomes more like Anabelle. Like Jacob. That’s what I’m scared of.”

My breath slowed… “What exactly should I know of Anabelle Grazhe?”

“I know about your Gold, Diana. The kid can’t keep a secret.” He nodded, looking a bit paler. “It’s a powerful tool, but it’s not everything you need to break the system. There are dozens of Gold-Grades scattered across the military, a few less in Titanium. And the Director holds Platinum. Anabelle, like her father, is consumed by her rank. By her duty. As the child most capable with an Implant carrying his Mutation, she was the brunt of her father’s discipline — Juliet joined so she wouldn’t be alone. Annie’s more like her father than she’ll ever want to admit. I know she cares about Anthony, but she’s not beyond… using those close to her. Truth be told, Juliet and Anabelle got into a fight before my wife left the force. Something major, something that Juliet didn’t approve of.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

”How much… do you know about what I’m looking into?” I had a feeling.

”Anthony told me everything. Dogwhistler, Soul Killer… even about Yvette, Rorsche and Indra. I’m… deeply sorry for your losses. As for this. I… I don’t know if it’s right for me to say, I don’t even know much about it. Truth is, it’s why I wanted to invite you for dinner.”

”Whatever it is…” I clenched my teeth. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get involved. I won’t let him.”

”Thank you.” He nodded. “My wife, although she lost access to the police network, made sure to keep hidden files. I can transfer you the key to access them in the AbyssNet, from what I’ve looked through. It talks about a group called… The Uncaged. She found a link between them and her father that caused her to leave the force. They’re responsible for some hidden strings pulling from the shadows to control the city. It’s outdated by a decade, but you might find something in it.”

”Thank you.” I said solemnly. “I’ll use it. I’ll find a way to… end this.”

”You’re better than this world, Diana.” Lewis said. “I just wish you gave my boy a chance.”

I flushed a little. “He’s… growing on me, but I don’t think I have the time for anything right now.”

”Well, hopefully when you save New California, he’ll have grown a chest hair or two.” He laughed.

———

Back home, I plugged in the Datacube Lewis had given me. If whatever was on here really was something I needed then I’d owe the man several drinks.

It took an hour for the cube to shine that it’s connection was secure, my heart retching the whole time.

Loading…

Personal Files of Juliet Grazhe:

* Missy’s warning

* Soul Killer

* The Uncaged

* Mikail Almajali

* The Bladefather

* The Iron Devil Incident

* Mr. R

* Hammersmith

* To Anthony and others

* [Expand?]

Missy?

I clicked it first.

Missy contacted me last night, she said I might already be .compromised. Everything she said points to Mikail turning the tides, she hoped she could change him, but I know that feeling well enough. Regardless, I have to make a decision. Anabelle has to get help, or else we’ll lose her. Maybe we already have.

Soul Killer cannot be allowed to win.

Cryptic… I could feel the dread sinking into me from the words.

Alright then, Soul Killer.

Those damn flowers. They’re everywhere. Don’t trust anybody. They can be anywhere, they can be anyone. As long as a single one is alive, they are eternal.

Nothing much, but flowers? Was that a metaphor?

The Uncaged.

Mr. R, whoever he is. He knows everything, and he has his people looking out. Mikail and Soul Killer are working for him, I know it. But this doesn’t make sense, why do any of this… other than to destroy the city entirely?

As a group, Missy said they’re called The Uncaged.

So… Mikail and Soul Killer are part of this group called The Uncaged, and a Mr. R was leading them?

Mikail Almajali.

After The Iron Devil Incident that led to Metal Heavens’ splitting into tow, Hammersmith came into contact with Missy, it was her first time meeting the man — she told me. But she’d heard a lot about him, he handed Diamante off to her. Then disappeared for a few years only to bring another child into her growing band of mercenaries. She’s a good person, I know she is, but she should have killed the second kid from the beginning.

I’ve never seen someone more obsessed with Shardware. He’s done terrible things, to her, to Diamante… to them all. And for what? To get their Seraphina’s tech? To prove himself? She says Diamante shot him with one of her rounds, and that she thought he was dead. Despite that… he’s alive. And he’s been the only reason why I have even gotten this far with Soul Killer. Even as a bare skeleton of the man he used to be, he’s only grown more powerful with that benefactor. He’s become uncaged.

I only grew more confused, did Ripley know anything about this? I tried connecting to him, but I only got a sent-to-voice-mail message.

How far did this go?

The Bladefather.

Said to be Muramasa’s leader, little do they know who’s actually in control. It would be good if I knew either, but as it stands, Muramasa is simply a front for The Uncaged’s activities. That man is dying… slowly, but he’ll only go when we have the balls to kill him. Tier IVs are deadly, but he’s an exception even among them — a walking catastrophe.

The Iron Devil Incident.

Hammersmith may have rooted out corporate connections to Metal Heavens but I don’t understand why he had weaponized that girl to that extent? Diamante doesn’t even have a proper body now, only a living brain in a suit of armor. And for what? Metal Heavens’ Orthodox Faction still lives on today, weaker, but I know that in weakness… you can act in desperation.

My contacts in Crimson Soul are keeping me aware, I just hope that they aren’t compromised too.

Mr. R?

Dammit! Who the fuck is he? Something should’ve come up in The VoidNet, but Crimson Heart says there’s not even a mention! How far do we need to go? Or does he lay beyond NeoCore's safeguards of The Net?

All that I know… is that he used to be called The Sin. But why change your fucking name? Who the hell is he to even create The Uncaged?

Hammersmith…

Everything I learn about him is different — there’s a void in this City with his name on it. One minute he’s this walking miracle, then you’re walking towards a catastrophe. How on earth can one man have so much influence yet barely appear? He’d been active for less than five years, but in that time… he’s had tsunamis of impact. And why train up a kid, if you’re going to abandon him?!

To Anthony and others… I was half-debating opening this one.

Anthony, if you’re reading this. Find whoever you love and leave this city. The Fifth Swarm is coming up and I don’t think we’ll survive it. I won’t. And to the others, whoever has been entrusted. Thank you for taking this burden.

The secret lies within the knowledge of the Old_Data. Not in its depths, but how it could be found. Turn around, and run.

That line, that last one. It had to be a clue.

The Old_Data. A portal to all of humanity’s lost knowledge prior to The Collapse. Sovereign now to what has become the only Data-Devourer MALtitan. The Allseeing.

What did it mean… how it could be found?

I don’t know why, but a memory came back to me. A strange one, ever since the SecondNet had been formed by The Haithama Corporations, all NetSites were accessed by Warpcode and designed to be interfaced by thought.

Yet, I remember, a faint time Brian Ulrich was boasting about his collection of old Pre-Collapse technology the MAL hadn’t yet devoured. It was a computer, and old one he said was a… CTR monitor? He played a video of how it was used, complete with those weird bootup sounds.

But I remember finding it funny how to access those sites, you’d have to put in what was called… a URL. It started with… www? And ended with a ‘.com’?

So I looked back, and sure enough, there were strange underlines marked on words. The very first one was ‘.compromised’.

Turn around… and run. It was backwards.

Finding all the underlined words, I typed in the address, hoping for something clear.

www.runtowardsthisvoidofthenetunderstandtheeternal.com

Run towards this void of the Net, understand the eternal.

The address worked, a page began to load as text spiraled on and on.

If you’re seeing this, I met a fate worse than death. Life blossoms as it fades, oh what a way to go.

I know my mind is lost, but as it bends and breaks I see a future that few have come to know.

Insanity can be a gift under one’s eye, but it can as easily become a curse to overflow.

They will soon be eternal, The Founders, the enemies of mankind and the MAL alike. Oh what do they control?

It is what we all seek. A Source. Of what? Perhaps joy of release, or the pain of containment, maybe guilt at seperation, or love with connection, the sadness of becoming, and the satisfaction of understanding, some peace from oblivion, while turmoiling with ideation, there’s excitement in change, and boredom in stability, we face thoughts of endings of the future, yet never face the beginnings of the past.

Ah, should we fill that emptiness or to become empty and embrace the void? Of that divided line between material and immaterial? Of the bridge between them?

They all have one Shard of the Source. The MAL have it, the Founders have it, The Uncaged seek it. Perhaps, by the time I am dead, they will have one piece of the puzzle, perhaps more. Perhaps they will die trying. But it is more likely they will succeed. It whispers to me, the engorging eye, the Allseeing and Allknower. To think, this is but one Fragment of a Shard of The Source within me. The Titans will either win or die next Swarm. The Uncaged will make sure of it. I will not be there to see it, but what a wonderful sight it would be.

The Collapse is still happening. Nothing has changed. We are still slaves. The MAL laugh at us, for what different are we from them? Have they not learned from us, from the Old_Data? To be like us? One day, humanity will fall, and it will not be the MAL’s fault.

It will be ours. As it always has been.

Oh, so now I see. I see clearly for the first time. I may be dead, but I can see what follows. Who reads this letter? I know it now, I can see through eyes that are not mine, cancerous minds unknown to me think with the gift of Foresight… showing and calculating possibilities of a future untold but beckoned so.

What a curious MAL growing within you? Yes, you are proof. He can get what he wants, he is one step closer. When they come, the Hybrids, do not run, do not hide. They are your siblings in perfect harmony.

The Singularity will descend with them. He was the one hurt most by The Collapse, he will end what The Founder’s started on that forsaken spaceship.

They will win. You will not.

I’m sorry. Tell Anthony I never meant to give in to this madness, Diana Jones. Ulrich. Silvereye.

P.S Soul Killer will win. Skeleton will win. Dogwhistler will lose.

P.P.S You both will lose, for there is no winning in the inevitable Clash of Blood and Steel.

P.P.P.S Your secret has yet not been revealed.

P.P.P.P.S There is one way, Diana. Become one with the power.

P.P.P.P.P.S Muramasa has not killed me, but when I die, it will be painful. Anthony will be the last to see me, he will see my face molt. My beautiful flesh evaporates to the dust as I call my son names that I don’t attribute to him, my bones will crack under my flesh, and it is strange. I will be the only one to die from the virus. Funny, a virus, a strange thing to call a flower gifted by a friend. May it bloom within you, Diana. Succeed, where I failed.