Previously in Sediment Terri #14…
“I must admit you were not who I was expecting to see, Terri,” Mukda said. “But it makes a nice change. Glad to see they didn’t just replace Brad with another man.”
“Shut up will you, and get the hell out of here,” Tank snapped.
Mukda shot Tank a look but returned her attention to Sediment Terri. “But before I do. Terri, I have a message I need you to give to someone. Tell Pan, he'll soon have one more thing in common with his big sister. Except that I don’t need Daddy to give me the gift of eternal youth. I'll do it myself.”
“Wait… so you’re… Pan’s big sister?” Terri asked. "He's never said."
“He wouldn't. He doesn't know I exist." Mukda smiled in a way that unsettled Terri more than the peril they were in currently. "And I will look forward to meeting him for the first time. I just so wish I could see his face when he finds out.”
---
An hour after leaving Stjørdalsverg International Seed Archive.
“Well that all adds up,” Isaac announced after examining the data from the seed archive. “The flowers of the Nordic Emerald Azolla are needed for the Elixir of Life, according to these scans sent through of ancient scriptures.”
“It’s an extinct fauna nowadays. The seeds have been stored for centuries from place to place until being stored here,” Prince Ernst said.
“So she’s going to be able to recreate the actual Elixir? And be like Pan?” Terri wondered out loud. “...Huh.”
“Has he ever spoken of a sister to you?” Ferris asked his wife.
“No, but I’ve not really had much reason to speak to him that much,” she admitted. “And she said he doesn't, so, we have to believe that."
Isaac was given another print out by a Norwegian Secret Service agent. “Hm, it says here that there’s some other seeds missing too… I don’t know what they’re used for but a dozen... Devil’s Galangal Seeds are missing too.”
“Das Schwein,” Tank growled.
“Either way, Norway will be seeking justice for this theft,” The Heir stated. “We might not be able to get the seeds back, but there will be justice.”
“In good time, your highness,” Isaac assured.
“Well I think I ought to head back home and let Pan know the news,” Terri said, wincing in a show of awkwardness.
“Well I wouldn’t want that job, so good luck with that!” Isaac said. “And thanks for stepping in today. We appreciate your help. Sorry it wasn’t more of a success.”
***
Pan’s house, back in America.
“Hey Pan,” Terri said when the door opened to her.
“Oh... Terri? Hey,” he said, surprised to see her there. “Please… come in.”
“Thanks. Are you by yourself?”
He looked at her dead Pan. "I am old enough to be left by myself."
Terri went red. "No, I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, Pan. I meant, are you alone."
He closed the door behind her and gestured for her to follow him through the house. “Yeah, everyone else is at school or work. Do you want a drink?” he asked, bringing her into the kitchen.
“Please. Just a water.”
Pan took a bottle from the refrigerator. “It’s mineral water,” he said awkwardly smiling.
“Nice, my favourite!” She laughed before taking a gulp.
“So Dylan said you went on your first G7 job? How was it?”
“Yeah, a bit crazy actually. I met The Heir.... He’s pretty cool.”
“No way? His Insta is fire!”
“Yeah I follow him too. But look... I actually wanted to talk to you about the G7 job.”
Pan blinked in complete surprise. “Oh. Me? What for?”
“Ok, so here me out. There was a group who stole from the International Seed Archive. That part was kept out of the press, so I tell you that knowing you know to keep that schtum.”
“Of course.”
“Those behind it, were called a group called The Order of The Unseen Eternal. They're a Thai based terrorist organisation.”
Pan looked stunned, still wondering what this had to do with him. “I’ve not really heard of them, I’ve not been to Thailand for a number of years. Are you thinking I have something to do with them or something?”
“Oh God no! No, not at all. No, no. There’s more.... About their leader. The thing is, she had a message… for you.”
“For me?” Pan’s face looked panicked and he dropped from the counter he was sat on. “What was it?”
“She said that… she’s your older sister and that she ‘doesn’t need Daddy to make her the Elixir’ as she’s going to do that herself.”
Pan’s jaw fell open.
“Here, sit down Pan,” Terri said, leading him towards a dining table chair.
“My older… sister? What? But I don't have sister... Since when?”
“I don't know, I'm sorry. This must be a lot to take in. Her name was Mukda Bunnag. Does that ring a bell to you at all?”
“I’ve not heard that name in my life. I have zero idea. Honestly, I didn’t know I had a sister, Terri. And she wants her own Elixir? Why?”
“Yeah, by the sounds of it. She needed some seeds of a plant to be able to complete it, but I don’t know much about the recipe or whether she’s nearly finished it or what. Do you know anything about the Elixir you were given?”
“No… nothing. My father administered it to me without my knowledge. It wasn’t until my Aunt Belle told me after I got here that I’d been given it.”
Terri nodded. “I’m really sorry to be the one to tell you this. I hope we can get you some more information soon.”
Pan just sat there, staring at the floor, letting it all sink in. “Terri, should I be worried? Like, am I at risk? Are my family?”
She inhaled as she considered the question. “I don’t know. I’d say there could be a chance. She’s in charge of a terrorist group who stormed a secure building to get some seeds in order to live forever... There's a chance she could try anything.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“When you put it that way… But you do know I’m not going to live forever, I just won’t ever age.”
“Ok, well no, I wasn't aware of those specifics. That's good to know. If she makes an appearance. If I were you, I’d be on my guard.”
“Will there be an attempt to go after her?”
“The Heir was ‘keen’ to do that, I think. But Isaac’s going through the proper channels and liaising with the Thai authorities.”
“…ok.”
She titled her head slightly and looked sympathetically at him. “...Are you going to be ok? I know I’ve dumped a whole load of shit on your doorstep, and I’m just going to leave you to it. Do you want me to call someone for you? Do you want me to wait until they get here?”
“No, you go. Honestly… I’ll talk to Aunt Belle when she gets home, but I’ll be fine... Really,” he bluffed.
Terri looked at him with uncertainty, but went along with it. “Ok, I’m here if you need me though- it's always better to talk to someone before doing anything. You don’t have to go through with this alone.”
***
“Hey! Good afternoon Pan! How’s your day been? I brought home some muffins being given out at work,” Belle said as she came home in a bit of a fluster. She was at his bedroom door and sensed something was wrong. She stepped further into his room. “What’s happened?”
“Terri came by today, with some… news.”
“Oh? What was it?” she said, a genuinely concerned look grew across her face. She sat on the desk chair opposite him.
“She said she had spoken to someone, who said… who said that she was my sister. Someone called Mukda Bunnag... Did you know I had a sister?” Belle got up, her face going from concern to annoyance. “Belle?”
“I’m not talking about it,” she said bluntly.
“What?!” he cried incredulously. “Why the hell not? Oh my God, how long have you known about her and why have you not said anything to me?” he challenged, getting up too. “You know she’s the leader of a terror group in Thailand? Terri said that she’s wanting to create her own Elixir? But you don’t want to talk about it?”
“Your father brought you up better than arguing with your elders!”
“Don’t give me that bull crap, Auntie. My father was a liar and is also dead now.”
“Don’t speak of him like that! Have some respect!” she shouted.
“I can’t believe you’re being like this!”
“If you’re going to stay under this roof, then you had better start to,” she snapped back.
“This roof? This is a Government funded roof… because of me!”
“Well then we’ll move out, but I won’t be a part of your life if you continue on like this!” She stormed out of his room, leaving him stunned at how this had escalated so spectacularly.
Why wouldn’t she say anything?
What was she hiding?
He stomped after her down the stairs. “Really, Belle? You want to fall out over this? If you’re worried about my father, then you don’t need to be.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not worried,” she shouted, grabbing her keys and bag.
“Then what is it?”
Belle ignored him and left out of the front door, leaving Pan dumb founded in the hall way.
***
“I’m really pleased you called Pan. I hadn’t really heard from you since you went in the sewers. I thought if I’d upset you or something.”
“Nah, you’re ok Tobias. I’ve just been busy.”
“No worries, coz yeah, I’ve been busy here too,” Tobias said as they walked through the hang out area of The Lodge.
“Liar!” Eden coughed, over hearing Tobias boast.
“Ignore her,” Tobias said hurriedly leading Pan away from her. "I do."
“Well anyway, thanks. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Tobias puffed his chest out with pride on hearing that. “What about Dyl? Would you not have gone to him?”
“Not for what I’m about to ask.”
“Oooh, sounds mysterious. Do you want to say hi to Otto?”
“Not yet Tobias.”
“Right, no probs. My room’s this way. Ulrika says it’s cool for you to hang with me there. We’re a bit short on space down here, I’m afraid. There’s not a lot of room to extend underground, but my room’s big enough.”
“It’s cool, honestly. Thanks for this Tobias,” Pan assured.
Tobias gestured for Pan to enter his room first and he followed in behind. “So what did you want to ask me?”
“Well, look just know before I ask it, that I know it’s a big thing for me to ask, I know, and I know that I’ve been a bit reluctant to… entertain the idea of a young team…”
“And we all got in trouble when we did that thing last time...” Tobias raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously.
“I know, exactly. Which is why you can say no if you want. But I’ve found out I've got a sister, apparently. An adult one who leads a terrorist group in Thailand. She stormed the Seed Archive the G7 went to, to steal a seed for a plant to finish off making her own Elixir.”
Tobias said nothing as he just blinked at Pan.
“So first of all, something needs to be done about her breaking into the Archive. And secondly, I need to stop her from making the Elixir for herself.”
“Aaaaaand so you want to get the group together to do all of that?”
“...Terri says that they’re handing it to the Thai authorities but I don’t trust it. But say no if you don’t want to help me.”
Tobias scurried to his room door and pressed the button to shut it. “Oh, I’m so in!” he said with a devilish grin and uncontainable giddy glee. “I’ve been thinking of this moment for a long time. Not like, this moment, because I didn’t think that it would be because you have a terrorist sister, but like, the moment we put the team together and I thought that we could be called the YoungEns, but the ‘e’ is a capital because it’s Young-Enhanceds, but just YoungEns for short, y’know? Do you get it?" Tobias asked excitedly.
Pan laughed a bit. “Take a breath man. And yeah I get it man. It’s a good start.” Tobias’ shoulders dropped a bit defeatedly. He seemed to really be into the idea. “So you think we should get a team together for this?”
“A secret, unauthorised mission to Thailand to return and get justice for seeds? Sounds just like the thing for the YoungEns!” Tobias said with almost in song, his eyes twinkling.
Terri was right, Pan realised. He didn't have to go through this alone.