When she woke up this morning, she had not expected Detective Mercer to be at her door. He barely gave her time to change, in fact, she had still been buttoning up her uniform when he grabbed her pulling her out the door. She had to pull away to run back in to grab the book. Apparently, she was supposed to be there first thing, except he forgot to tell her where since it was a joint task force. She had originally thought it was a debrief with the Chief. Who she thought might think her insane when she mentioned the magic stuff. She had no idea if he was read in on this kind of stuff. She had even gone so far as to prepare two separate reports for him, only one mentioning the magic stuff.
She was still terrified about what they would do if she had stolen the priceless object. She could only hope there would be some kind of leniency or she would be begging Lilly for a job at the coffee house. It was only when they pulled up to a very crowded business park surrounded by shops, a mall, and plenty of food places. It was one of the most popular areas in the city, and she was very familiar with the area. None of the buildings anywhere near them had a branch of the FBI, CIA, or any of the alphabet organizations.
Turning into a parking garage, Mercer scanned a tag as they were let in. A garage she had never seen before, as trepidation filled her.
“Mercer. Where the hell are we?”
Pulling into a parking spot Mercer unclicked his seatbelt, “We're here for a debrief.”
Alarm bells rang through her head. “Here? Where I know for a fact there isn’t a office for any law enforcement branch?”
Mercer paused with the door half open, “Correct.”
“Not a no. There actually is a branch for the FBI here?”
“No. There is not.”
“The fuck?”
Mercer let out a laugh, “There is no branch of FBI in this city, at least not permanent. The office is a two hour drive, so they have a temporary office out here for field work. Now come on we’re late.”
Despite him making sense, she didn’t feel at ease. Something felt completely off about this. “Is this a black-sight?”
“The hell is wrong with you?” He half shouted, confused shutting the door. “It's a damn debrief. You've done those before right?”
Alice was starting to feel foolish about the whole thing. Other then the abrupt nature of the departure and the area nothing he had done or said was out of place, still she couldn’t stop herself. “What about all the magic stuff? How do I explain?”
Mercer pushed the door open, stepping out. “The hell are you on about. Its a damn debrief with a joint task force. I admit its location is not what I expect either, but come on. I even pulled some strings for them to let us do it here instead of driving out to the main office. Thats why we had to wait a week for the full debrief.”
Shutting the door Mercer headed towards the building, while Alice stared down at the book in her lap. “This better be legit.” Opening the door and heading inside.
#
A man and a witch drive around the downtown area of the city, passing a very familiar skyscraper. One Nicki thought he would never see again. Actually, Nicki knew he would come back over here and see the building at some point. There was this restaurant right across the street that had the best mac and cheese he’d ever had in his life. Not to mention how good the rest of the food was. Then there was the mall and all the other places that he like to simply walk around. So to say he never thought he’d come here again, he would only be lying to himself.
It was the third time they circled the buildings when Jillian, finally spoke up, “Did we have to circle the building three times?”
“I had to be sure.” Is fate actually a thing, or is it Karma? Nicki looked out still disbelieving at where they were. “Are you a hundred percent it’s that one?”
“Yes. I was when we circled the first time.”
Nicki tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Hundred percent?”
“Yes!”
Nicki pushed, “Are-”
“I am a thousand percent sure. The book, that is the twin of the book in my hands. The book you will not let me so much as open up, which is incredibly weird and makes me insanely curious, but you are the client and it would be pretty unprofessional for me to push on the matter.” She shook the book at Nicki, “No matter how much I want to look into it. But yes it’s in that building,” She pointed to the skyscraper he was very familiar with. “And pretty high up I might add.”
Feeling chastened Nicki kept his eyes on the road as he turned into a parking garage, “You can look in it.” He said softly.
With permission, Jillian immediately grabs the cover to open it, only for Nicki’s hand to stop her. She looked up annoyed, curling her lips in a frustrated snarl.
Nicki just shook his head. “If you read it now it will knock you out.”
“What?”
“If you open it now.” He looked her over his eyes trailing her mana, it was knotted and kinked. A trick he had recently been able to use, though he wasn’t sure if it was unique to him or a side effect of the first couple of pages of the book. Looking at Jillian now. Nicki could tell she would pass out as the book tried to straighten her flows out. “It will knock you out.”
She lifted the book in her hands as he took his hand away going up a few floors in the garage. “This book.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Yes.”
“It’s that boring?”
Nicki caught off guard looked over to the smirking witch. Seeing her expression he laughed.
“That aside — Which I will confirm later with witnesses around— why are you hung up about this place?”
Pulling into a spot Nicki let out a sigh, “Remember when I was in the hospital?”
“Yeah?”
Instead of saying anything he pointed towards the building.
Nicki just pointed
Looking back and forth between Nicki and the office, “Here? Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn.”
The two were quiet as they entered the building. Nicki was already readying himself to scan in and make it past the turnstiles. Something he’d done when he used to use the building as his work base.
Just as he scanned his palm to let him and Jillian in one of the security guards stepped up. “I’m sorry sir. You’ve been flagged. So you’ll need to contact security or your head to be let in. Until then please leave the building.”
“Well, Shit.”
#
In a highly professional office, set in the far future from where they currently are. Where a professional office is sleek simple and very very chrome. When random lines of multicolored lights across the walls, and a bright white solid light of a ceiling that somehow lights the room yet is still fairly dim. A floating desk sits with a transparent screen constantly scrolling through information. Not to mention the multiple access panels, that don’t really access anything, but for some reason were everywhere in all the sci-fi stuff Drystia watched, so it was imperative that she had her own.
A doll stood upon the desk her skin silver, sleek, and shiny, hair tied back revealing her face, all her joints lit to really sell the design. She waited for the man standing in the middle of a disk of light. His eyes unfocused, and lost slowly he came to himself.
After he began to look around the little android spoke in a flat emotionless tone, “Thank you for using Hero, Inc. You are dead and have been chosen to be reborn upon another world, whom we refer to as Heroes. Or the common vernacular term, isekai'd.” Drystia may not have been showing emotion, but she was giddy on the inside pretending to be a small robot.
The man standing in front of her, shook his head, seeming to barely register her words, “Seriously?”
“Yes seriously.” He’s not screaming! Seeing the man now looking around, “Please follow me, Christopher.” Drystia jumps down off the desk keeping herself as stiff as possible, as she makes her way out of the office. Leading into a long-lit hallway completely out of place with her sci-fi setting. I forgot to change the setting in the hall. She thought feeling annoyed at herself for not changing the hall. Amateur Drtsyia, this is amateur. She berated herself while walking down the aisle. Taking a quick look behind her she noticed Christopher following looking even more confused.
Catching her eye Christopher, “Why is this place—.” His voice trailed off as Drystia raised an eyebrow. Clearing his throat he tried again, “So what kind of world am I being sent to?”
She was always surprised how few questions people actually ask when you act like they should already know whats going on. “What kind would you like?”
“I can choose?”
Drystia let out a flat laugh, “Of course. We are a reputable company. We try to match Heroes with their proper worlds. Where they will be both challenged and happy. It is your life after all.”
“Like a temp agency.”
Drystia missed a step at the comparison, “If you'd like to think of it like that I suppose it's not a bad comparison. However please do not treat it as a temporary decision, think of it as a permanent posting.” She debated for a moment whether or not to add the next part, “It is possible to leave the chosen world, it is highly unlikely. It is even possible to return to your original world. That will require the help of a deity.”
“Huh?” said thoughtfully as Drystia led them through the halls till they entered another room. This one is perfectly in theme with her sci-fi motif with plenty of metal access panels, LED lights, a big circular console with a hologram of a random world, and Christopher.
“What?” He asked confused
The door shut behind them. Drystia ignored his implied question and began, “Here you can go through and customize your experience.”
The man looked stunned looking stunned and wanting to ask a thousand questions. She was giggling in her head the entire time. His reaction was hilarious.
He stared up at the hologram for a long time before settling, “I can select my new world?
“Correct.”
“What is this—” he gestured towards the hologram. “—image of me?”
“This is for customizing your appearance and abilities for the world you choose.” She stepped up to the console and began pushing buttons that changed the image’s color height, weight even race before resetting it back to its current appearance. ‘
“I can customize myself?” He said in awe.
Drystia got an odd feeling at his question. He seemed a bit to excited with this, especially after all the confusion. She pushed the odd feeling aside to answer. Christophers's file had been flawless and selfless. He also had an intense love of isekia, litrpg, and fantasy in general. Drystia felt this would be a fitting reward and she really wanted to try the customizer, thinking it might make things easier for her. Also she wanted to know what a person would do if given limitless options.
“You can customize yourself to your hearts content. The program will keep you from crippling or accidentally killing yourself with options you select.”
Rubbing his hands together he began to mess with settings, “Ooohh this is going to be so much fun. My favorite part of games was the character creator.”
#
A man and a witch walk out of a building with a security guard eying them the entire time.
“You know I really should have seen that coming,” Jillian said practically laughing at him. “I can't believe you thought just walking in was a plan.” She paused, “Actually was that always your plan? Just go in and ask to look around?”
Nicki knew it had been a dumb plan. Hell, he had never actually had a real plan as he tried to play it off. Seeing her look he sighed, “Honestly. Never thought I'd get this far.”
Afraid of Jillian’s possible cutting comment he continued as she was about to say something, “It’s been weeks. I've honestly not been looking all that hard.”
“Then why seek my coven out?”
Nicki thought of his little adventures, “Do you know what I’ve found in my search for the book?”
“A guy who sells daggers?”
“Yes, and psychic dogs.”
“They're real!” She practically shouted.
Nicki snorted, “Very real, and eager to talk.”
“Looks like I owe someone a hat,” Jillian said under her breath.
“Also, a Hippy commune full of elves and dryads, an underground of ritual seekers hidden in the park, a sentient house if you could believe it, not to mention a cafe run by Fae.” He said ticking off the magic things he had seen in his search.
“That were Lilly works?” Jillian asked teasing.
“Yeah. It’s all been kind of magical. Finding things like this right in our very own neighborhood. It’s been like a dream.” He found himself smiling wide as he spoke.
“So what now? You going to sneak in and hunt for the book?”
“Plghhhh” He let out a long raspberry, “I don’t know. At this point I’m wondering if its worth it. I mean it could be dangerous depending on who uses it. I mean its just volume one though had to split it the real book was insanely dangerous. This one gives someone a starting point, and would need to go from there.”
“How many volumes are there?”
“Just two. Though the second all depends on what one finds. Rixar was a genius.”
“Ok. So if the second volume is so dangerous why didn’t you use that one to find volume one?”
“Because here I’m still kind of human, and I’m trying to hold onto it for as long as I can.”
* * *