Yup, it was going to take a long time and a lot of effort to actually map out everything in this tower. The thought made me wish I had Miranda’s ability to duplicate myself to speed up the process. But at least I had my ghosts. I could send them out to scout things out and learn a lot through them. Actually, in a way, that was probably even better than making duplicates. Even if they couldn’t pass through the walls or anything, I could still send out a lot more ghosts than Miranda could make more of herself. And doing that would get much more varied thoughts on what they were looking at. Especially for ghosts like Doctor Manakel, or even Seth. They had both seen a lot and could probably tell me more than I could tell myself.

Then again, I had a lot of different Flicks sitting around inside my head whom I could talk to about this through a little meditation. And who knew what kind of experiences they’d had that could tell me more about this. That… that was going to take an awful lot of sorting through. I still can’t even comprehend most of it. Every time I started thinking about it, it got overwhelming and I turned my attention to something else. I had a bunch of different versions of myself sitting in my head and I could just… talk to them.

Fortunately, I had an awful lot to distract me right now. Actually, if things carried on as they had, I’d have time to really dig into what all that meant sometime around my four hundred and eighty-seventh birthday.

But either way, the real point was that it was going to take time to understand everything that was in this place. For now, we just made our way to the end of that enormous corridor and found a lift of sorts. Apparently it wasn’t actually meant for people, but was more of a cargo elevator. It would work for our purposes though, and at least that meant we didn’t have to try to climb a bunch of stairs that were meant for people fifteen feet tall. This particular lift was accessible through a sliding wall that Bastet found and used telekinesis to push open. Actually, according to her, it was less of a cargo lift and more like a dumbwaiter. The old Reapers had passed tools or other small supplies throughout the ship with this thing when they didn’t simply teleport them around. It basically looked like a solid red energy beam about ten feet in diameter that was literally shooting straight up in the slightly wider shaft between the walls. It hummed dangerously, and I could even feel the heat coming off it.

“Um, just out of curiosity,” I started slowly while turning a bit to look at the half-Reaper woman, “this isn’t a secret long-term plan to trick us into committing suicide by jumping into an active laser, is it? Cuz while clever, that would be very rude.”

“Couldn’t be that long-term, as far as I’m concerned, we just met,” she replied evenly with a toothy smile. Then she strode forward and made a point of dramatically hopping into the beam. There was a pause, before she poked her head back out into view. “See? It’s fine, just a little warm. You’ll live. Now get in here already so we can get to the bridge. Trust me, you’ll find exploring this place a hell of a lot easier then. And tell your four-legged friends to wait a moment before they follow, one at a time.”

Okay, to be fair, just because that beam didn’t kill her didn’t exactly mean it was completely safe for us. It could technically still be a trick in one way or another. But no, I didn’t actually think it was, of course. I might not know a lot about Bastet, but I knew her daughter. And besides, the truth was I actually did know her. I knew her emotions and feelings quite well thanks to that connection the Reapers had forged, even if most of her history was still a blank. I knew she didn’t want us dead. Maybe I was just stalling because jumping in what looked like a big laser was still a little freaky. But, I pushed that aside and went to follow her. Laein, however, beat me to it. She jumped in with a loud war cry, before poking her head back out immediately. “Well? Get a move on already! She said we’re going to the bridge. I want to know what sort of bridge it is!”

Yeah, I kind of did too. First however, Percy and I both followed Bastet’s instructions to tell our respective pets to follow one at a time in a few seconds. Eurso was clearly nervous about being left behind, but put on a brave face and stood tall next to Cerberus. I saw Percy whisper in one of the three-headed robot dog’s ears to let Eurso follow us first so he wouldn’t be left completely alone. Then Percy and I both hopped into the laser together, where we were immediately disintegrated into monomolecular dust while Bastet and Laein cackled uproariously and congratulated each other on carrying out such a successful doublecross.

Yeah, okay, that didn’t actually happen. We were just sort of floating in midair within the beam. It wasn’t completely opaque from within, as I could see the walls around us as well as Eurso and Cerberus’s anxious faces. My hair was floating upwards in wild directions and I felt a sort of static charge all over me. Everywhere I looked was tinted red, of course. Bastet, her own hair floating wildly, gave me a nod, and then spoke a word I didn’t understand. Immediately, we started shooting upwards very rapidly. Everything was passing by in a blur. A red-tinted blur at that, so I had absolutely no idea how far along we were.

Fortunately, Bastet did know. She spoke another word after a couple seconds, and we stopped suddenly. Another, identical-looking bit of wall slid open at a gesture from her, and we hopped out. Now we were standing in–okay well it looked almost identical to the hallway we had just been in. If it wasn’t for the absence of Eurso and Cerberus, I almost would’ve believed we didn’t go anywhere at all.

And speaking of those two, Bastet used another command that brought them directly to us one at a time after they’d jumped into the beam. Eurso was first, and he came scrambling off the beam with a noise of discomfort and anxiety, almost falling on his two raptor legs in his rush to escape the beam and get back to solid ground. I guided him away from the opening and murmured reassuring noises while touching my head to his snout (avoiding the horn) and stroking his neck. I told him he was brave and strong and that he was going to get all sorts of treats very soon, once we were through this. Of course, I also told Cerberus the same thing when he joined us.

While those two were calming down from the lift, I looked to Bastet. “Did the Reapers tell you how to use that thing and where it was? And if so, did they tell you anything else useful?”

Her answer was an expression that was part-smirk and part-grimace. “Oh, they told me some. For one thing, we’re going to make this tower easier for people our size to navigate. That’s why we’re going to the bridge first. Come on–wait.” Abruptly, she turned away and produced something I couldn’t see. She seemed to be murmuring softly into it, listening for a moment, then murmuring again.

Once she was done and had put the whatever it was away, I casually asked, “Was that Sonoma or your grandfather?” Immediately I wondered if I shouldn’t have mentioned Grandfather. But she had to have figured out if I knew her in the future, I would know him, right? At the very least, it wouldn’t really be surprising.

“Both of them,” she replied easily. “He’s staying away because he’d recognize too much if he even so much as glanced at you. He’d know your entire bloodline, and even more besides that. He wouldn’t be able to help himself. It’s better if he never even looks at you. They’ll wait until I’m ready to come back. Which I’d like to do soon, so let’s get a move on.” With that, she started down that identical-looking massive corridor (well, not completely identical, this one was curved), with Laein trotting along right behind her chattering about all the incredible magic and weapons she hoped we’d be able to find in this place.

Percy and I followed after, with our pets. I looked around on the way, trying to spot or feel any difference that made it seem like we were really fifteen miles off the ground. But there was nothing. It all felt the same, and it wasn’t like there were any windows or anything like that. There was, however, a feeling of familiarity in this place. It felt comfortable, despite the fact that everything was too big and I had clearly never been here before.

Oh, wait, duh. I hadn’t been here, but I had just been very thoroughly connected to people who had spent a long time among these corridors. Of course it felt familiar to me. Which–wait, if it felt familiar…

“There,” I abruptly announced while pointing to a completely unmarked part of the wall. “The bridge entrance is through there.” I knew it, even though I couldn’t actually feel anything through there. The walls blocked out my item sense. But I still knew, deep down. That was where you went to walk onto the bridge.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Bastet gave me a curious look at that. “Nice job. Can you open it?”

“I… think so,” I murmured, trying to focus on what my not-quite-memories were telling me. I had to walk up to the wall and run my hand along it testingly. There was something that needed to be pushed or… or activated somehow.

While I was doing that, Percy spoke up curiously. “Is this a tower or a ship? You keep calling this place a bridge.”

Before Bastet could reply, I answered absently. “It was part of a much bigger Reaper ship. This is just a small piece. But their ships were made to split apart whenever needed, and they were modular. Actually, modular isn’t even the right word. They could break a piece off and have a new whole set of systems appear on that piece. You know, the engines, the bridge, the weapons, it would all just sort of build itself into what was needed. The whole structure is made out of–uh, sort of this liquid metal stuff that can shape itself into other structures. And all of it knows how to turn into anything the ship needs. Computers, weapons, wait–” I tapped my fingers a few times against the wall, then pressed my hand against it and thought intently. After a moment, that piece of wall shifted and my hand closed around a curved saber, which I pulled out into view and gave a few swings to demonstrate. “Pretty sure it can do guns too,” I noted, even as the wall sealed itself around the empty space that had been left when I took the sword out. “Anything you need. Except like, food or drink. But it’s got other ways of helping with that. There’s a forest around the middle of this place. Like, a real honest forest with a small stream and lake, its own eco-system basically.”

Only once I was done saying all that did I notice Percy staring at me. She didn’t look freaked out or anything, just delighted to be honest. But still, I blushed. “Uh, sorry, I guess I got some extra memories from my new friends.”

“I’ll say,” Bastet murmured. When I looked at her, she waved it off. “Anyway, can you open the door?”

Shrugging uncertainly, I put both hands against the wall that time and focused. Something told me the door was usually easier to open than this. It had been sealed very deliberately to keep everyone out. Anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there, anyway. So, not really knowing what else I should do, I closed my eyes and thought very intently at the wall that I was permitted to be there, that I was allowed in the room. It kind of felt silly, thinking at a wall like that, but it also seemed like the right choice.

And apparently it was, because after a few seconds of that, the wall slid apart in two halves, revealing the control center beyond. It had actually listened to me. Well sure it already had when it allowed me to take the sword out of the wall, but still. This felt a little more impressive. The entrance to the bridge had been completely sealed, yet it listened to me when I told it to unlock. It listened to me.

With those thoughts running through my mind, I stepped through the newly opened entrance to look around the bridge. Immediately, I noticed something strange. It wasn’t set up for fifteen-foot tall people. There were six chairs scattered around the ovular room, with complicated-looking control panels in front of them. The panels had several multi-colored orbs (like glass balls that drifted through various colors) about the size of billiard balls you were supposed to put your hands on to control different things, and another orb slightly larger than a basketball in the middle that acted as the screen. There were two levels to the room, which was about thirty feet wide by fifteen feet deep. A much larger orb, almost as wide as the room itself, was partially embedded in the opposite wall from this entrance. It was just showing random drifting colors now, but I knew it was actually their version of the viewport or viewing screen when the ship was in motion. The seat directly in front of it was where the pilot was supposed to go. And speaking of pilot–speaking of this entire place actually–

“They’re too small,” Percy announced curiously. “The controls, the seats, everything in here is too small. This was not made for the same people who used those corridors.”

“No,” Bastet confirmed. “Because she activated it.” Her hand gestured toward me. “When she unlocked it, the room reconfigured itself to fit people her size. Our size. Before she did that, this room was much larger, and arranged for the same size people as that corridor. That’s what it does.”

My mouth opened and shut, before I managed a weak, “You mean it did all that in the time it took to open the doors? That’s… that’s fast. It adjusts fast.”

Baset shrugged. “It’s like you said, it’s all made of… what did you call it, liquid metal? Yeah, the solid structure collapses into liquid, reshapes, then solidifies. It only takes a second. At least, that’s what they tell me.” Her hand tapped her forehead. “But they didn’t tell you that, did they? You just remembered. Well, ‘remembered.’”

“You mean because of my new connection with the Ankou,” I started before pausing, head tilting a little curiously. “Huh, Ankou. I guess that’s what they’re calling themselves. Don’t ask how I know that either. It’s just right there in my head.”

“Yes, because of that,” Bastet confirmed dryly. “That’s how you know all this. They remember, so you do. It’s in your memories through them.”

“And that’s how he was able to take the sword and open the doors?” Laein quickly put in from where she had been curiously examining one of the chairs, clearly delighted to find that it seemed perfectly sized for her. “And fix this room.”

Bastet, however, shook her head. “Not… exactly. At least I don’t think the memories are all of it. But first, I’d like to confirm. You, Seosten-adjacent person.” Her gaze moved to Percy. “Could you do me a favor and…” She leaned in to whisper something in the other woman’s ear, while Laein, Cerberus, Eurso, and I watched uncertainly.

After a few moments of that, Percy looked at me and frowned curiously. “Jacob,” she started, “would you mind if I possess you? I need to check something. If my sister here is correct, this is interesting.” There was a lot of emphasis on that last word, enough that I was even more curious and confused than I had already been. Which was a pretty high bar to start with.

Part of me wanted to just tell them to just get to the point and explain what they thought was going on. But I pushed that down and hesitantly shrugged before offering her my hand. “I mean, of course. Go for it. But this better not be set up for some sort of prank.” I said that part weakly, trying to make light of this whole thing. Well, as light as I could make of a situation that was taking place in the bridge of a Reaper ship-turned-prison-turned-maybe-ship again right after I had just … gone through everything I had to get to this point. It was a lot. All of this was a lot. And from the look on both Percy and Bastet’s faces, it was about to be even more.

I tried to keep as still as possible and not inwardly interrogate Percy after she possessed me. I would find out what this was about soon enough, even if it was killing my curiosity.

Honestly, I expected her to be in and out. But, while she did take a moment to assure me that everything would be okay, it took her longer than I thought it would to finish whatever she was doing. I was standing there for almost a full minute before she popped out of me, actually stumbling a little before turning back to stare my way. “Oh,” she managed, voice weak, “that… is… remarkable.”

“I suppose I was correct, in that case,” Bastet noted.

Before I could say anything, Laein spoke for me. “About what?! Correct about what?! What’s wrong with him? Is he going to die? Can you stop it? Can you save him?!” After a pause whose length I appreciated, she added, “And if not, can we salvage his power?”

“I’d kind of like to know if I’m dying too,” I put in. “So I can get my affairs in order.”

“You’re not dying,” Bastet snapped. “Though you are closer to death… in a way.” She smirked at her own words, clearly amused.

“Jacob,” Percy started before I could demand to know what that meant. “When you… did what you did back there and were connected to all the… Ankou, it seems to have… changed you.”

I frowned at that. “Changed me? What do you mean?”

Instead of answering, Bastet reached into her cloak and produced a small silver coin. “Here, kill this, would you?” At a word from her as she tossed the coin, a poodle-sized cockroach appeared. A Peridle.

Well, I was still confused, but I shrugged before bringing my foot down as hard as I could on the basically mindless thing, squishing it. Gross, my foot was–

And then I forgot about my foot, because I realized something. The aura. The aura that appeared when I’d killed that thing, it wasn’t gold. It was a deep azure blue with little bits of white or silver mixed in. And, come to think of it, I hadn’t felt the usual Boscher sense warning me about the creature. And… and… I’d felt something else. Hunger. I felt hunger when that thing died. Hunger that had appeared and then been abated almost immediately as I tasted its death. Death was a bit tangy.

Stumbling a bit with that realization, I blurted, “What the–huh?”

Bastet spoke flatly. “A Boscher Heretic shouldn’t have been able to interact with any of the controls in this place. You shouldn’t have been able to activate the doors, pull out that sword, any of it. That’s why I had her check you. And…?” She prompted, with a look that way.

Percy bounced a few times on her toes, staring at me with delight. “Jacob, they transformed you. They connected to you, maybe even more than they knew. The connection to Crossroads is… it’s just–it’s gone. I mean, you still have your powers, they were transferred along with you, but… but you’re not a Bosch Heretic anymore. You’re not a Heretic at all. You’re not even… human, not exactly. It’s like they completely rebuilt your body and changed some of it in the process. They made you part of them. Even more than a Natural Heretic.”

“You’re a Fae. An Ankou-Fae.”