For something of a secret research facility, Seth was surprised at how sprawling and open it was. Built into the join of two cliff-sides, it bore two obvious sections that could be seen from outdoors. The first, was a three-level upper deck, with floor-to-ceiling windows across the walls from one side to the other. Below that – connected by a few pillars and elevator-chutes near the rock – was a single-level outdoor space that extended quite a distance out into the open air. In its center was a glass-covered walkway, covering a whirlpool where it emptied out into a waterfall. Seth realized quickly that the protruding outdoor lip was actually a landing platform…for far smaller vessels, at any rate.

The Aegis was simply too enormous to fit anywhere near the facility, and from high-up, the canyon looked more like a crevasse, splitting apart at the apex of a river. The only thing that could get between the edges of the surrounding plateaus were much smaller, 2-3 person skiffs.

“Is that really all there is to it…?” Seth wondered, seeing the zoomed-in view from the Aegis’ bridge, “It’s…so small.”

“That’s just the arrivals bay.” Rylen answered, and leaned back slightly, taking note of the subtle bruising on either side of the back of the teen’s head, “Most of it is built into the rock, deep down and farther back. If you’re online, you can access more than just the front doors.”

“Y-yessir!” The teen answered excitedly, “Ready to go!”

“Excellent. You’ll find that the doors you have clearance to enter will open automatically on approach. You won’t have access to everything for some time, but, you’ll have plenty to get started with.” The First commented, turning to exit to bridge with his apprentice in tow.

Furion watched them go, but stayed where he was. He turned to the main screen, “Commander Parker and Sir Jense Dmitry, head out. First shift begins now.”

“Yessir.” They both answered, and a few moments later, the notification went out that the both of them had left the Aegis’ shield-perimeter.

Beneath the visible exterior, and behind several layers of rock-wall, a secure holding-room had been made ready for the dangerous cargo brought north from the southern hemisphere. Within, no measures were left to chance, and even those presumably-dead and maimed entities were bound, secluded, and equipped with S.D. helmets. Even the third Magi – who had never roused to begin with – was given the same treatment.

Within the facility, the need for anonymity was irrelevant, and the normally-concealed members of the Inquisition corps were able to move freely and unmasked. For every four of them though, only one was a Myrmidon – and at least one was stationed nearby to each of the Magi at all times. There was an air of nervousness about them though…because it wasn’t just the Magi that were being secured there.

It wouldn’t do for the Fafnir to execute every problem-child the Limitless touched. The further back the facility went, the more it looked like a high-security prison, with a number of cells that looked to be capable of suspending and maintaining a cadre of afflicted subjects. They had special ‘guests’ there now, however; no such typical rabble would be taking up time and space when they had the Magi there.

And their victims.

Muttering and fearful, in three different rooms - which had been outfitted with what comforts could be afforded in such a place – were the unfortunate souls who had been present at the opening of the Warp Core. One stayed huddled on his bed, stripped to just his underclothes, eyes darkened and red from days of weeping, rocking back and forth uncontrollably. His neighbor fared less hospitably, lying on his side but stuck with an S.D. helmet on; his hands clutched at it, as though worried something or someone might take it off. The third was simply catatonic, standing in a far end of his cell, staring into a corner; he had bandages wrapped around his head, and his hands were now restrained about his waist.

One of the Myrmidon guards who patrolled by couldn’t help but stop, pity written on his face as she spied within each room.

“Don’t linger too long.” Someone warned; she looked back over her shoulder at the standard Sixth Winger soldier posted at the door to the cell-bloc, “They start screaming if they think someone’s watching them.”

“Oh…” She answered, and moved along again, “Have they said anything?”

“Only about the whispers. The one on your right,” He nudged his head in that direction, “…tore his own eyes out, thinking the whispers were coming from them. He’s been quiet since, but…”

“I see… And they’ve been like this since coming back from the south?” The Myrmidon wondered, and made her way back towards the soldier’s post.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“But no one else?”

“I’m afraid those details are bit above my pay-grade,” The soldier explained, “But one nugget that’s come out is that the Fourth’s newest Eidolon was there with them at the time…and now he’s on a diplomatic mission to Kitez. Take from that what you will.”

.

The throne room felt empty as the last doors closed, and Duke Mardu let out a closely-held shiver. Gabriel found it unusual, but waited for the man to make the first move. Still, he gave a bit of a snide glance over at Latheroux past Mardu’s shoulder, and quietly wondered to himself why such a figure would ever be allowed to attend a meeting like the one they were having.

“First things’s first…” Mardu finally began, “…It’s…Lord Gabriel now.”

“It is.” He answered, “Odd as that sounds.”

“I…should like to speak with you alone.”

“Xanarken is aware of everything that I am. You can speak freely.”

“…It’s not that.” Mardu said; all of his prior courage had apparently been used-up just in the act of interrupting his wife, and he was as timid as he ever was. Latheroux stepped up to him and whispered something into the Duke’s ear – Gabriel did not like that – but the Duke nodded anyway, “It’s important that what I say be spoken only to the person with whom I’m entrusting the words. If you are, in fact, the presiding Eidolon of the Fourth here…then I must ask your predecessor to leave.”

Gabriel didn’t even have a chance to look back as his mentor before Xanarken dipped. The mantle fell to dust and vanished entirely. Gabriel just stared – confused but mostly stunned – and eventually returned his attention to Mardu, “…Well, that solves that.”

“Apologies, Lord Gabriel…I just cannot bring myself to speak to a man who would threaten to choke the life from my wife with nanotech if she didn’t obey him.” Mardu managed.

“…He couldn’t have. Xanarken wouldn’t.”

“It appears there is much about your Eidolon that you don’t know. Please…walk with me… I don’t like the circle.”

Gabriel had no reason to disagree, and stepped up alongside the Duke as he began to follow the winding channels of water embedded within the floor. Mardu kept his eyes low, his hands held loosely behind his back, and the Vice Eidolon watched carefully.

“My wife, the Duchess…” He finally started; they’d nearly made it to one corner of the room by then, “She very much wanted to make that same point directly to Lord Xanarken, but…his refusal to engage with her – beyond saying she had to engage with you – really took the wind out of her sails.”

“It didn’t seem like it… Uh, Your Grace.” Gabriel remembered, “But it’s good to know that you were listening-in even if you weren’t with us at the time.”

“I have never had an aptitude for politicking. That’s…part of why she chose me. And…it’s why I’m asking to speak to you now.” Mardu explained, and paused directly on the corner, “My friend tells me you received my plea, and it is my sincere hope that you have been able to discuss it with my elder cousin in Sargon.”

Gabriel had every answer to give, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak the words so long as that dissident shadow was following them. He gestured at Latheroux, “This man has no business listening to this conversation. I’m afraid I must insist he leave.”

Mardu shook his head, “He has been my confidant for more than 20 years. He stays.”

“You do know who he is though, yes?”

“He’s a man who shares a deep and abiding belief that the Council is best kept at arm’s length.”

Gabriel just felt impatient about it, “He’s also a man whose rhetoric contributed directly to the death of the late Empress.”

“An unfortunate mistake, to be certain.” Mardu dismissed, and took a step aside to gesture at Latheroux, giving him the chance to explain in his own words.

“I wasn’t the only one who had a strong reaction to the Council’s actions in the Exclusion Zone back then.” Latheroux began, though Gabriel couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little, “There were protests in both nations. We wanted to send a clear message that we would not welcome the Council’s influence. I…did not anticipate that the crowd which had gathered at the Imperial palace was the sort to actually attack it.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Two times, Latheroux had made Gabriel feel embarrassed, and this third time would not be allowed. He took a step past the Duke and stuck a finger down into Latheroux’s chest, “You don’t get to make claims about being mistaken when you’re meddling with the destinies of nations. In fact, you’re the last person who ought to be giving advice to the Duke about the trajectory Kitez should take.”

Mardu tried to stick an arm between the two, “There’s no need for that… He’s been nothing but helpful.”

“He’s a liar.” Gabriel insisted…and did the only thing he could think of to prove the point. He pulled his finger back, and sent his fist forward, punching right through the front of that hollow visage. Nanotech crackled around his wrist as it bounced off his glove, gently trying to restore its shape, but was repelled by the physical being of the limb.

The Duke took a step back, and Latheroux did as well, making it possible for the hole to fill-in again, “…Very well.”

“You’re…an Eidolon, too?” Mardu said, aghast.

Latheroux shook his head, “I’m the same man you’ve always known me to be.”

“But…how are you…?”

Gabriel flexed his fingers, “I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt that – maybe, just maybe – you were actually who you claimed to be, and were here, with the Duke, in the flesh…somehow using a mantle from the palace.” He began, and grabbed a length of his Eidolonic cloak, “But I’ve worn nanotech garments long enough to know what it feels like when there’s flesh or air beneath the surface. And you’re just a shell… We don’t know who you are. For all we know, you’re just some opportunist using the man’s visage to gain clout…and it pisses me off that you would dare move about in the world like the Eidolon when even I don’t.” He turned again to Mardu, “Please, Your Grace…this thing calling itself Latheroux cannot be trusted.”

The Duke’s eyes wavered, but he swallowed a knot in his throat and stepped between the two men, “No… He has been my only friend since my wife and I ascended. He has never sought to manipulate me, only help me realize the deeper nature of my own thoughts and beliefs. He risked his life to get to you-“

“He didn’t risk anything. He can’t even be hurt while using a mantle.” Gabriel argued bitterly, though he did have to recover from the mental stumble of that now-known untrue fact. He took another few steps back, closer to the pergola, “If you won’t dismiss him, then there’s nothing further to discuss.”

Mardu hesitated, but lacking the will to continue fighting against a more dominant personality, he acquiesced, and nodded for Latheroux to leave, “…I’ll be fine.”

The masked figure gave a small bow forward, “Your Grace.” He turned on a heel to step out, only to find more insults hurled his way.

“Just dissolve and get on with it!” The Vice barked, “You’re just embarrassing yourself now by walking around, as if you had to.”

“Please, Lord Gabriel…”

He twisted in annoyance, that long cloak wavering behind him. Once the fake had finally gone though – leaving through the nearby side-door; the same he and the Duke had come through – Gabriel finally let himself take a break, “…My apologies for the outburst, Your Grace.”

“I understand your misgivings…but even if he isn’t who he claims to be, he has been true to me all this time. I trust his intent, even if I can no longer trust his face.” Mardu explained, “Were you able to speak to Iresha…?”

“…Yes.” He answered, and turned back to face the Duke, “He’ll take you, but there are conditions.”

Mardu’s eyes lit-up, only for his whole body to sag immediately after, “…Conditions?”

“The Emperor does not want to appear as though he’s taking a side in this conflict that the Duchess has with the Council. As such, he will not send a ship to come collect you, and he will not make a spectacle out of receiving you.”

“I see…”

“The Council can’t transport you either.”

“…Wh-what?” Mardu looked even more deflated, “But I could go with you today; right now. You have a ship docked already…”

“It’s simply out of the question.” Gabriel waved his hands in front of himself in a denying gesture, “You’ll have to-“

“But Lord Xanarken plucked you out of Kitez the day you first met.”

Bicolored eyes narrowed slightly, Is this guy really that naïve…? He shook his head, “Your Grace, this simply isn’t the same kind of situation. If you want sanctuary in Sargon, you’ll have to find a way to get there yourself, and a time and date that we decide. It’s the only way we can be sure to get you in safely, and then keep you safe until it’s appropriate for you to return to the public eye.”

“…When will that be…? I don’t know how much longer I can stay in the Duchess’ good graces.”

.

The R&D facility at Stoneface Bluffs was still lightly smoking by the time Regulus arrived on-site, and he could hardly believe the look of it. Built into the rock of a lowland mountain, and surrounded by old-growth forest, the destruction made it look like less a building and more a kicked-over ant-hill. Large debris-haulers descended from on high to grab bigger pieces of wreckage and move it safely away from the area. Regulus had arrived just in time to see one such enormous slab of ruined concrete be pulled out of the river, and watched the whole deluge of its release rush downstream.

Now-former employees of the site gathered in droves at the drop-off area of the road, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was going on, hoping for answers they’d thus-far been denied.

“Does anyone know what happened?” Regulus asked, frustrated by the entire thing, “Where did the explosion come from?”

One of the rescue foremen nervously answered, “It could take some days to understand the cause…”

The Magistrate – normally rather calm and collected – threw the FlexiGlas panel with the disaster report on it into the growing pit, “This place was high-security! It had cameras! What did the cameras show!?”

“We believe the security system was tampered with. The footage we pulled from off-site is still showing a loop from after everyone left for the night. The night-alarm was never set, either…”

“Tampered with!?” He echoed angrily. The whole operation was going too slow, and the answers he was getting – after so many hours to find them – were appallingly unsatisfactory. There were only two things he truly wanted to know, however…and there was nothing giving him the authority to blurt out loud what those were. Not to the local rescue effort, anyway. He turned where he stood and stepped down from some of the slanted slabs of broken flooring, “Everyone who’s in the hole needs to get out.”

“But, the survivors we’re trying to find…”

“There are no survivors you are permitted to find. I will not give the order twice, and I will not be kind to anyone who remains. You have three minutes.”

Panic set in, and the foreman started to wave at the pit-crew, “Evacuate! Evacuate now! Everyone get out of the way!”

The terrifying arrival of the Sovereign Shadow over the pit was enough to make people scramble even faster than they already had been, and Regulus hovered down with haste. Small and large arms worked in tandem to push rubble away and dig deeper. He didn’t stop until he got to the skeleton of the blasting-chamber.

The empty blasting-chamber.

Regulus’ heart felt like it stopped for a moment, Where the Hell did it go? Did it escape?

He dug a bit further, clearing out as much of the box as he needed to know that the beast it contained had indeed vanished from within it. He took a moment to look at the way the metal at its edges bent, however, and realized that it had twisted outward, as if the explosion had somehow come from within it.

All that time, it sat around in here, speaking cryptically and reshaping its shell…was it just biding its time? What could’ve possibly indicated it was ready to leave, though? …Where did it suddenly manifest so much power?

That’s when he heard a pitiable groan. He turned his mech around, the ‘head’ of it turning further in seeking of the source of the sound. Eventually, that flat, elongated face looked down, and Regulus realized the noise was coming from under a metal beam. One final push with the strength of all four arms, and Regulus beheld the visage of a man he both hadn’t expected – and hoped not – to see.

But…it was wrong.

Where burns had once come a long way towards healing, now writhed the disgusting wormy tendrils of a sickly purple-red ichor. Every inch of that body that had once been burned with Limitless flame was now twisted and wrong, protruding and twitching like a cluster of fingers. Prince Aamin simply looked like he’d been half-melted, and the intact half of him was in shock, gasping for breath that wouldn’t go into him. Black veins of corruption threaded under the surface of his skin, creeping across his face, and wherever those veins touched his brow, the hair that sprouted above it had begun to turn white. The truly heinous part of the whole image was the part where the once-empty eye-socket had grown a single, long, fungus-like extension that wriggled independently of the rest.

“…What in the ever-loving fuck happened to him?” Regulus asked himself quietly, “And why is he here on this floor?”

Rubble tumbled behind him; Regulus looked up, but was relieved no one had made the mistake of coming back to gawk. What he did see, however, was telling; the dented second nanotech containment-pod. It came to a stop just within arm’s reach, and Regulus clasped it within the claws of his mech’s small right arm, …She brought it back. But when? …Before closing-time, surely… He shook his head, and made sure to keep his mech perched overtop of the Prince’s mangled frame, but then sent out an urgent call to his Duchess.

It beeped instead of cutting off; maybe the meeting was already over.

And it beeped again; he waited.

He started to wonder if she’d answer at all, but then the beeping paused, and her face suddenly appeared – irate as it was – on his curved surround-screen, “Your Grace, I-”

“I certainly hope you have some better news for me than I have or myself right now.” She said grimly, and rubbed her painted temples, “…This meeting was an utter waste.”

“I found the Prince, Your Grace, but-“

“Aamin? He lived?”

“…There are ways of interpreting the use of that word that may apply to him currently.”

She just stared ahead in confusion, but then shook the haze away, “I want him brought here to Oceanside.”

“With all due respect, I don’t think that’s a good idea at this time.”

“Are you disobeying an order, Magistrate?”

He didn’t answer that with words; he just turned his mech around and tilted the flat face of its head down, showing the grizzly sight beneath it.

Far’nah was visibly disgusted, “What is that?”

“The Prince, I’m afraid. He somehow got into the basement-level of the facility.”

The Duchess grimaced, “…There’s a new player on the board who doesn’t appear to have the same concerns and weaknesses as I planned to levy against Xanarken.” She explained simply, “Is there any way you can get him to Oceanside?”

The look of revulsion on his face told more in that instant than any words he could’ve given, “Your Grace.”

She held up a hand, “You’re right, I wouldn’t want to touch him in that state either. …Then I’ll come to you. Conceal him until I can get there. Do whatever you can to secure a transport container.” She commanded, and disconnected the call.

Regulus could say nothing to counter her before her image disappeared, and he looked again at the grotesquery lying in the rubble. With a sigh, he lifted up and out of the crater, and hovered forward to find the foreman he’d spoken to earlier. He found the man all the way back with the employee-crowd at the drop-off circle, and made his intent known to the whole group.

“I want interviews done with everyone who closed-up shop last night, and a head-count of every person who worked here. Moreover, this entire location is now off-limits to further search and recovery efforts. This is now a government matter.” He ordered, and looked around the area. There was a break-tent near the tree-line that had been set-up for the effort, and Regulus turned his mech towards it. He yanked the thick plastic tarp right off the top of it, before shoving-off to vanish beneath the lip of the crater once more.