We waited.

We waited long enough for Zephyr to be healed fully, to stand and walk on her re-formed bone. It did seem to have healed properly.

We waited through lunch.

We waited through the afternoon, although several of us took breaks to do patrols of the area and earn more Points. I got enough for my fifth ability and took the Rapid Regeneration augment.

We waited through dinner.

When night fell, we were still waiting. We set up an extra rotation of sentries, so two people were awake and watching at all times, and we let John and Bolero take the bunks in the cab so they’d be close at hand if they were needed.

I was awoken in the morning by an incredulous yell from Bolero. “He’s still not back?! What the hell, man? What’s taking you so long?”

I heard Davi respond. “He can’t be dead. If he died, they’d send the body back. They’d have to. Right?”

“Who knows?” Byron said, his voice bitter. “They’re aliens. Maybe they think it’s bad luck to see dead bodies. Maybe they don’t have friends or families who care if they die. Maybe they eat their dead. Who the hell knows?”

“They wouldn’t eat Twinkles!” That was Zephyr, much louder than normal. She sounded close to tears. “How can you say that?”

I dragged myself out of the trailer to join the argument outside.

“I’m not saying they did, I’m just saying it’s a mistake to try to put human values on them. We don’t know shit about them.” Byron had his arms crossed defensively.

“We know they thought all of this was a good idea,” I said, gesturing to the world around us. “That tells us a little bit. They’re not the ‘kumbayah’ and ‘universal peace’ kind of aliens.”

Byron snorted. “There’s an understatement. Still… that’s not a lot to go on. We don’t even know if they have legs or eyes or whatever.”

“They might not even be three-dimensional,” I said. That got everyone’s attention for a moment, and I had to pause to explain what I’d noticed when the aliens had taken me to and from the race.

When I finished, Byron groaned. “So we really know nothing about them.”

“Pretty much,” I said.

Twinkles was probably dead.

I didn’t say it.

None of us said it.

I didn’t want to say it, not about the nice guy who’d been at our side for the past couple weeks, his attitude always positive. We’d all been worried when he’d taken the gut wound escaping the ValuCo, and we’d been relieved when he pulled through. I didn’t want to believe he’d just died out of sight, where none of us could do anything to help him. I struggled to think of an explanation for his absence, and when my mind latched onto an idea I suggested it immediately. “It might be worth going to the city nearby. Walsenburg, I think it’s called? There have to be other people who went. If we find out that someone’s corpse was returned, we’ll know Twinkles is still out there fighting.”

“We can’t all go,” Bolero said. “What if he comes back while we’re gone?”

After some discussion, it was decided that Davi and I would head into the town. Zephyr was tougher than Davi, but neither Zephyr nor I were good against the flyers. Plus, both Davi and I had the regeneration biological augment. Davi’s wasn’t hugely useful, but I’d run a little test on mine, and was cautiously pleased. A shallow cut would heal in a half hour or so, where it took Davi closer to six hours to heal a similar wound, so my synergy - over 300% already - was clearly giving a multiplicative or exponential benefit.

I’d wanted to do more testing on more serious wounds, but it was surprisingly hard to injure myself on purpose. I just… really didn’t want to stab myself. When I asked my allies for help, most had refused outright. Byron had been tempted by the opportunity for more and better data, and had initially agreed to help. By the time I’d handed him a cleaver and started rolling up my sleeve, he started to look uncomfortable. When I’d used a permanent marker to indicate where I thought he should cut and laid flat against the ground to make sure he could put some real force into the blow, he’d chickened out.

“This is fucked up, man. Settle down. You’ll get hurt eventually. I don’t gotta do it for you.”

Still, with the healers remaining behind, Davi and I had the best self-healing capability, however lackluster it might have been in comparison to Healing Touch, and I had a plan to help the two of us move quickly. Without the truck, we hoped we wouldn’t look noteworthy: not worth attacking or robbing. We were carrying our weapons and a few days worth of water in a small backpack, and that was all.

Not that we expected to be gone for more than a few hours. We’d picked up a little dolly for moving heavy objects around when we were in the snowplow warehouse, and Davi was standing on it, arms wrapped through the tall handles, as I pushed it forward at top speed. I’d started running a minute before and had already covered most of the distance to the city. The spacedogs and rams would charge when I got close, but at my top speed, I was faster. We knew from driving the truck that both would give up the chase before following us long.

“Holy shiiiiiiiiit!” Davi screamed. “Vince, you just splattered a fly on my goggles! Oh my gosh, I’m glad I have a scarf. I don’t want to eat bugs! Ahhh! Be careful!”

That last order had come as I’d swerved around a pavemimic and nearly thrown Davi clear of the dolly. I slowed down a little, moving at a more normal speed as we entered the outskirts of the town.

I’d called it medium-sized, but that had just been a guess, based on the atlas. Closer up, I could see it was tiny, with only three Points Siphons visible. I wasn’t sure how many Siphons there had been in Pueblo. Hills had probably blocked many of them from sight, and I’d stopped counting after thirty.

People came out to greet us on the streets, with cries of “Hello, stranger!” that surprised me. I’d never lived in a small town, but the people here all knew each other by sight, well enough to know that Davi and I weren’t from the area even with our helmets on.

When one of them asked us how we were doing on food, we were hesitant to answer. He’d caught our wariness and raised his hands placatingly. “Well, if you need anything, you head downtown. We’re putting strangers up at the hotel right next to the grocery store. I’m sure people would be delighted to share a meal in exchange for whatever news you have.”

Davi and I exchanged a look. “You’re not… hurting for food?”

He shrugged. “Some of us are, but we’re sharing it around. A lot of us keep gardens, and most of us lay in supplies for the winter early. We get about seven feet of snow here each winter - more, some years - and we’ve got a lot of retirees. You just never know when it’s going to be a bad week to leave the house. My wife has a whole pantry of canned goods in our basement. She could probably hold a dinner party every day for a month, just on canned veggies.”

I shook my head, surprised. “We’re doing okay on food, too. Thanks, though. We were hoping to get information. Were you invited to the Blueprint opportunity?”

“The what? Oh. That alien thing yesterday. No. Not me. Got 11 of their Money, and that was it.”

“Do you know anyone who went?”

His brow furrowed. “Not as I’ve heard. You’ll want to ask at the hotel. That’s your best bet. I’d lead you over, but I’m on duty to clear the rams from south Iowa Avenue when they appear soon. Just head down the road and swing a right on 6th Street. You can’t miss it.”

We followed his directions.

“Nice guy,” Davi said as we pulled away.

“Nice place,” I said. “Pueblo… I didn’t want to think of Madison being like that. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s more like this.”

“I hope so,” Davi said.

We reached the hotel without incident and made our way into the lobby, which also seemed to double as some kind of cafe or restaurant. An older woman sat in an armchair in the light of the building’s intact and unbarricaded windows. She had clearly been in the middle of repairing a damaged leather jacket, but she looked up as we entered, pushing herself partly out of her chair to shout toward the kitchen in a thick Minnesota accent. “Two new faces! Miles, heat the kettle!” She settled herself back down, beaming at us over her sewing. “You must have come quite a way. Roads near town are clear of people, last I heard. Not to worry: there are plenty of rooms left. Hotel was pretty empty when the beasties appeared, just me and Miles staying, and Sarah on the front desk, of course. Filled up a bit since then, but we’ve still got three open. Will you be rooming together or separately?”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The verbal onslaught caught us both off-guard. Davi was the first to recover. “We’re not staying. We just need information.”

That surprised her. The woman set down her sewing and looked from Davi to me. “Not staying? Not much choice but to stay, doncha know.”

I shrugged, the lie practiced by now. “Points Siphons make it pretty easy to make one person really strong. We’ve got someone who can drive parked outside of town. Davi and I came in alone since we weren’t sure what to expect. We went through a bigger city a few days ago and it was kind of a nightmare.”

“Are you… headed north?” the woman asked, her voice hopeful.

I shook my head. “South and east.”

“Oh. Suppose it was too much to hope for.” She looks down, blinking, a clear break in her ebullient cheer. A moment later, her smile is back in place like armor. “Whatcha need to know?”

“One of our friends was taken to the ‘opportunity’ the aliens mentioned. He hasn’t come back. We’re wondering… We’re hoping…” Davi trailed off.

I jumped in. “We want more information about what happens to people who agreed to go, and what happens to them when they succeed and fail.”

The woman frowned, rising from her chair. “Hang tight. I know just who you need to talk to.”

She scurried up the stairs with far more agility and speed than I’d have expected from a woman her age. A man emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming tea kettle and four mugs on a tray. “How do you take your tea? No milk, I’m afraid, but we’ve got sugar and non-dairy creamer.”

Neither Davi nor I answered immediately, and the man set down the tray. “Not tea people? Sorry, coffee maker’s not working.”

Davi laughed, glancing back over her shoulder at the street outside. “Tea’s fine! Tea’s great. I just feel like I’m in a time machine or something. This is so normal that it feels ridiculously weird.”

The man rolled his eyes, gesturing to the darkened lights in the ceiling above us. “Not that normal.”

“It is compared to what we’ve seen,” I said. “We went through Pueblo a few days ago, and barely made it out with our lives. People were fighting each other in the streets and threatening us every forty feet. Our group sent us in to talk to you guys because they thought we’d have the best chance at making it back safely. I was hoping things would be better here than in Pueblo, but I sure as hell didn’t expect to be offered tea.”

“I suspect Walsenburg’s food stockpiles are better than most places. We also have several streams and creeks in the area, and many homes have wood-burning fireplaces and an adequate supply of firewood, so water is of no concern. Strong community ties have encouraged people to share with those around them, and we have a great deal of open countryside from which to forage. In addition, I believe my warnings have spurred many to take a more active role. Food will be an issue here eventually, but no one is going hungry at the moment.”

The lengthy speech was given in a voice that was strangely bombastic, almost cartoonish. More like a parody than anyone’s natural speaking voice. Who had spoken? A family, two parents and a son who looked just like them, was coming down the stairs. The boy was young. I’d guess maybe four or five? He looked older than my daughter Cassie, but younger than Gavin, my middle son. The entire family had their mouths closed. For a moment, I thought the speaker was still upstairs, but only the sewing lady was following them down.

It was only then that I noticed the plush nestled in the boy’s arms. It was a small, tan dog wearing a superhero mask and cape, and it was moving.

“What the f-”

I cut myself off just in time, staring at the boy and his burden.

The little plush dog nodded at me with great dignity. “Allow me to introduce myself, citizen! I am known as Captain Beember, and it is my job - no, my calling - to guide young Kenan and his loved ones to success. I am told you have questions?”

“About three times as many now as a minute ago,” muttered Davi. She shook herself. “Uh, forget that, though. We came to find out how many people here hit the Novelty cap and went for the challenge opportunity the aliens offered?”

Beember barked. “Arf! I do not yet have information on what the Novelty cap is. Can you supply me that data?”

“Uh… 144, we think,” I said.

“Thank you, citizen! If that is the case, I suspect no one in Walsenburg reached the cap.”

I shared a glance with Davi. “No one? Are you sure? That’s hard to believe. Everyone in our group hit it.”

“I am 99.87% certain! Young Kenan and I have met approximately two-thirds of the community members, and 856 agreed to share Interface access with me. The highest Novelty total I was aware of before the recent reset was 59, which was acquired by a trucker who made his way into town from a mile away. If your group traveled a long way and reached max Novelty, perhaps travel raises it, or perhaps the hazards you encountered did so. We have been successful in making Walsenburg quite safe!”

“Shared their Interface with you? How…? No, okay, I need to know. What are you?” Davi asked. “No offense.”

“None taken, citizen! I am an Information Assistant, animated by an ability chosen by young Kenan here. My role is to gather and communicate information to help facilitate his survival. When citizens agree to share their interfaces with me, I will be updated on any changes if they are within a certain radius of my location.”

The little boy pushed the dog up against his face. “Captain Beember always knows what to do. I asked him to help us when our car stopped and he told Mommy and Daddy what abilities to take, and that we should come to the city.”

I sucked in a breath. His parents had to make the journey here, through monsters, with their kindergartener? Holy shit. They’d made it, obviously, but the horror of their situation hit me hard even in retrospect.

Something else had caught Davi’s attention. “You told them what abilities to take? You know which ones will work well together?”

“My initial suggestions were based on footage from a previous Maffiyir, but I have been compiling a database. It’s a work in progress, but I could likely offer some advice. Would you be willing to share your interface as well?”

Davi looked hesitant. “I’m not sure about that, but I’d definitely be willing to show you my notebook. It has ability lists and synergy percentages for everyone we met before we got here. It’s back in the truck, though.”

“How many people would you say it lists, approximately?”

“Gosh. I haven’t been counting. A few hundred, for sure.”

“Great scottie! And it’s within walking distance of town?”

Davi nodded hesitantly, and the little dog plush reared up to put its front paws on Kenan’s shoulders. “Requesting formation of a patrol group, Deputy Mom! Such information will be invaluable to our community’s future success.”

Kenan’s parents exchanged hesitant looks.

“We were planning to go out today, honey,” the father said.

“We were,” the mom agreed. She sighed. “Alright. Alright. Can you two give us thirty minutes or so to rustle up a crew?”

“Yeah,” I said. The request honestly came as a relief. There was clearly a lot to learn here - I definitely had questions about this “footage of a previous Maffiyir” - but we weren’t going to find out the thing we came here to learn, and I knew everyone would be waiting for us to return. This would let us find out more without keeping us from our friends too long.

The mom went back upstairs and the father went to a pile of helmets, coats, and shinguards near the front door. Davi sat down next to Kenan and Captain Beember and began quizzing the stuffed toy. One of the first things she asked was if they’d had challenges like I’d undergone in previous Maffiyirs, and what happened to contestants who died there. Captain Beember confirmed that there had been similar challenges, but couldn’t say what happened to contestants who died. “Their stream cuts out at the moment of their death, so I do not know what happens afterward.”

“You didn’t see anyone else’s stream with a dead body reappearing?”

“I did not. That may mean they were not returned, or it may mean that such events were not frequently broadcasted. However, I must ask you to cease your questions on this topic at this time. They are distressing to young Kenan.”

Davi shot a guilty look at the little boy, who was clutching Beember so tightly that the dog’s body was nearly flat. “Sorry! Sorry. Uh… Abilities! I don’t have my notebook, but I can give you a rough picture of what I’ve seen, and maybe you could answer a few questions for me…?”

She continued talking in a bright, cheerful tone of voice. Kenan still looked a little nervous, but he had relaxed his deathgrip on his stuffie. I didn’t follow their discussion too closely, still thinking about Twinkles. The poor kid was dead. None of us had said it out loud yet, but I think we all knew it, somewhere. Part of me was still hoping it wasn’t true, that Twinkles had just been ridiculously delayed, but he’d been gone for almost a full day. I had to face facts.

Had Avalanche been right? Would Twinkles have said no if I hadn’t been there? He might not have been offered the opportunity if TAF hadn’t tagged along with us. Despite our small group’s experience, it looked like getting maximum Novelty was actually pretty rare. I hadn’t paid much attention to the number, but it was clearly more important - and harder to raise - than I’d assumed.

“Come on Kenan. Time to get your gear on!”

Kenan’s father was standing near the door, a bike helmet in one hand. His other hand held a rug with a ragged hole cut out of the middle. Bent in half, the rug was about the same height as the little boy Davi was talking with.

“Wait,” I said. “You’re bringing the five-year-old with us out there?”

The man met my eyes and shrugged, his face tight with worry. “We need him to be ready. If they do to us what they did to the last set of poor fools they pulled this on, we’ve only got a couple weeks before everyone is forced to fight.”