“Darkness isn’t typically used for medical reasons.” Lumi explains with Solomon and Shaquia in a private chamber on a plane belonging to The System. The lynx is inspecting a knife the bat made. “But it worked! It may hurt until it’s properly taken care of, but that’s to be expected.”
“Interesting…” Shaquia says with a curious look.
“Thank you again for saving Thalia!” Solomon chimes in, glad to have trusted Lumi .“And the rest of us, for that matter.”
Genesis can hardly seem to understand the fact that they’re flying, or rather how they’re doing that.
“It was nothing, really.” Lumi shrugs it off. “I couldn’t WAIT to finally meet True Darkness!”
There is a knock at the door, followed by Lisa opening it. “Speaking of.”
“Hey, Thali’s come to. And since you wanted to talk to her…”
Lumi stands up immediately and heads out the door.
“I’ll tell you more later!” She says as she pushes past Lisa. At least the wolf seems to have understood just how much Lumi helped not just Thalia, but Solomon as well after she explained.
“Now if you could give us a minute…” Says the lynx.
Lisa winks at Solomon and closes the door.
“So…” The cat begins to say. “What now? With Ludwig dead, what will happen to the org?”
“First thing’s first, that contract you signed, consider it null and void.” Shaquia states in a formal tone. “I’m next in the chain of command, so I’ll take over. Needless to say, there will be some major changes.” She explains, going through some paperwork. “Although… The old man was right in one thing.”
Solomon doesn’t quite like that she said that.
“I heard just how… Different your power is. This is the biggest discovery, ever. I know I have no right to ask, but if you could come down to HQ and give us some info sometimes…” She says, not expecting much from the cat by the looks of it.
“Hold on.” Solomon takes out her notebook. Genesis feels indifferent about it, so she gives it to Shaquia. The lynx flips through the notebook with her markings glowing, Solomon can see steam subtly rise up from her, seemingly in awe at what she’s reading.
“This… This is amazing!” She says with a look of wonder. Nothing like Ludwig’s greedy selfish, toothy grin, but a smile of genuine delight as a result of the discovery. “Who wrote this?” She looks up from the notebook excitedly.
“Technically, I did, but… Not really.” Says Solomon, causing Shaquia to raise an eyebrow. “Well, I can kind of let him control my hands and write like that.” The lynx seems to find that strange, but interesting. “He also sees through my eyes. Yeah, that totally won’t get weird, not at all.”
“Him?” She inquires, looking a little concerned for her.
“Yeah. The one who made this magic. I call him Genesis.” She states as if it’s the most normal thing to say.
“Alright…” Shaquia puts away the notebook. “That’s a start. But if you could do that… It could help us understand magic so much more.” She states, keeping her composure.
“Well, that’s up for him to decide.” She looks down at her hands. “What do you say?” Genesis gives a thumbs up with her right hand. “There you go!” Delighted, she looks back up at Shaquia, who seems deeply worried for her.
“I can get past the insane cult leader, but oh, I could NEVER get used to that.” She says, then shakes her head. “Sorry, that was unprofessional of me to say…”
“I’m already getting used to it.” Solomon shrugs. “Mostly… Not really. Although I have no idea how it’ll affect my love life.” She says with an awkward look.
“Yeah, that’s rough…” Shaquia shoots her a look of pity. “That really didn’t help.”
“That would conclude our first meeting, then.” Says the lynx, putting her hands together. “You may collect your belongings at HQ when we get there. Like your phone.”
Solomon takes her phone out of her pocket.
“No need for that.” She states with a giggle. “I would like that dress back though. I like that dress.”
“Of course.” The lynx nods understandingly. “Anything else?”
“Don’t be like Ludwig. That’s all I ask.” Solomon says with a smile.
Shaquia chuckles softly.
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. You and your friends are safe, we’ll try to make sure of that.” She clears her throat. “Now, I’ll need to write a report and well, I better get started now if I don’t want to stay up until the next dawn.”
“Good luck, Shaqie.” Solomon says with a nod, the lynx smiles back at her, seemingly fine with the cat calling her that nickname. “I’ll check on the others.” She stands up and steps into the main area on the plane where everyone else is.
She sees around ten agents gathered at the same spot around Andreas and Benedict, talking about the future of the organisation as well as more lighthearted topics, like their families. Some look more than ready to hand in their resignation letters.
Adelar and Yaroslav converse as Durazo shines his light on Sheila’s face in an attempt to fix her eye. Solomon wonders how long that will take.
“So how’d you even get in there?” Adelar asks the bear.
“I was looking for a secret entrance. There was none. So I made one!” He replies with a chuckle.
“And then you fought Shaquia?” The eagle inquires, ready for an epic story.
“Not really.” Yaroslav admits. “We made a deal to make it look like she lost. Oh, how she hated that wolf!”
Farther down, Lisa is sitting next to Thalia with Lumi on the opposite side. Thalia tries to hide that she’s thoroughly creeped out by her, but isn’t doing too good a job at it. Solomon walks there and sits down next to Lumi.
“So how’d it go?” Lisa asks, interrupting Lumi’s rambling about how her darkness was passed down to her by her mother, who in turn got it from her mother. “I feel like someone else might be more interested in that.”
“I was told we’re alright. They’d like me to assist them in research now and then, but I can do that.” She assures. “But I’m taking a week off from work after this is over for sure.”
“Granted!” Adelar raises his voice, which causes Lisa and Solomon to chuckle.
“That guy’s your boss?” Benedict inquires, turning around in his seat. “That’s not fair!”
“I believe this is supposed to be a private conversation.” Thalia speaks up, the people return to their business.
“I’m just so glad that you’re okay.” The panther goes on in a soft, sombre tone. “I couldn’t bear to see another friend just… Disappear like that.” Lisa puts a hand on her shoulder. “Poor Alan…”
“Who’s Alan?” Lumi asks abruptly, making Solomon feel quite upset with her.
“Oh come on, Lumi. It’s-” She begins to say.
“It’s something you should know, after all this.” Thalia cuts her off, taking Lisa and Solomon by surprise. Lumi just seems rather excited. “Alan was a friend from my old life. He was this, like… Government person, secret service or whatever.” She sighs. “He was involved in all kinds of operations. He hardly talked about them, of course, but he was happy, he was sure that he was making a difference in the world.”
Solomon sees a tear roll down the panther’s cheek, the conversations around them making sure that only they hear what she has to say.
“Thali…” Says Lisa, clearly noticing her saddened mood as well. “You don’t have to relive that.”
“No, I’m fine.” Thalia wipes her eyes clear of tears and collects herself. “At least it’ll keep his memory alive…” She takes a deep breath, ears drooping. “Anyway, that all started to change throughout one particular week. His usual, happy demeanour, replaced by just… Despair. Call me dramatic, but that’s the best word I can use to describe it. I just had to ask him, can you really blame me?” She pauses to collect her thoughts.
“A government conspiracy? And Lisa isn’t eager to be on the case?”
“He was working on this, like, ultra-secret thing called Project Ghost?” Thalia goes on, sounding as if she herself questions her recollection. “He told me that they wanted to find definite proof of an afterlife. He told me that they were close, despite “everything”. He told me he’d be fine…” She leans back in her seat with a deep sigh. “The next day, he… He disappeared without a trace. No one, and I mean NO ONE has come forward or even looked into him! I-I went to the police to report him as a missing person… And I was told that there was no such person working in that field.”
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That small corner of four people falls silent for a long moment.
“That’s… Terrible.” Says Solomon, extremely curious about the incident in secret. “Maybe we could look into it?”
“Listen, Rox.” Lisa replies, looking as if she’s heard that story more than once. “As much as I want to help Thali get her friend back, that’s way, waaaay beyond what we can do. We don’t fuck with the government.”
“I hate to say it, but she’s right.” Says Thalia. “Th-they whacked him, I just know they did… But they also erased all of his records, as if he never even existed? Just… What the hell did he see to warrant that?”
Genesis feels like he doesn’t understand everything about what the panther said, but in a way, he relates.
“We can, uhm…” Lumi begins to say, putting her hands together. “Talk about it?” She shrugs with an awkward smile.
“No…” Thalia responds, ears perked. “I’d rather not think about it anymore… But I thought it was fair that you should know, Solomon. And with no one here working for those bastards, it’s as good of a time as it gets.” She wipes her forehead and clears her throat. “Anyway Lumi, what was it that you were on about?”
Solomon is admittedly left speechless, figurative speaking, as she has many, many questions about it. Questions she decides not to burden Thalia with, at least not for the time being. Something that’ll no doubt be on her mind.
“The purest form of darkness!” Lumi says in a much more cheerful voice. “You have to teach me! I need to learn the ways of using dark powers!”
“I’m not exactly sure about this whole thing, I’ll be sure to tell that to those guys as well.” Thalia glances over at members of The System. “But you did save my life… If it really is that important to you, fine. But know that I’m just some woman who works in a restaurant.” She winks.
“I am honoured!” Lumi says proudly, bowing to the panther.
Solomon feels elated to be away from the cult, but with a former member, or rather insider by her side, there’s one more thing she wants to know.
“You know Lumi…” The cat begins to say, drawing the bat’s attention to her. “I have to say, those guys work fast. Took those three very little time to track me down.”
“What are you talking about?” The bat asks, confused.
Lisa seems to remember what she means, based on her rather vindictive expression.
“That trio of a ferret, lizard, and jackal?” Says Solomon, getting a little worried. “The System didn’t send them after me, so it must have been the Lightborn.”
“That’s just impossible.” Lumi’s expression turns to pity. “I’ve never seen a single ferret there. Nor do I know of any outside connections like that.” Solomon feels terribly concerned all of a sudden. “I don’t know who sent them, but it wasn’t us.”
“Oh… That’s great.” The cat states. “I’m not sleeping well tonight.”
Just a few minutes after that, Sheila gasps. The others look over at her.
“I… I think my vision is returning!” She exclaims. A couple minutes later, her right eye, the one that was shot by electricity, seems to be healed by Durazo. She stands up and hugs the canine.
“Thank you, father…” She says in a grateful voice.
“I’m only doing my job of helping those in need.” He states in a formal tone.
Sheila then sits back down.
“What about the other one?” He asks, glancing at her eyepatch.
“The medical staff will take care of that at HQ. Don’t waste your energy on me anymore.” She smiles, something Solomon didn’t see her do often. Durazo nods in response and sits down next to her, but he stands back up not long after, looking directly at the cat.
“Solomon!” He says, she turns to look at him. “Do you happen to know what happened… To Antonio?”
Solomon has completely forgotten about that. She’s personally glad he’s gone, but she isn’t sure what Durazo would think.
“He didn’t make it.” She states in a low voice.
“Oh…” Says the canine. “What happened?”
Solomon really thinks about how to put it. It wasn’t exactly pretty, but her life depended on it.
“Let’s just say that he’s half the man he used to be.” She says with a shrug.
“Very well.” Durazo retains a neutral expression. “May the Lord have mercy on his soul.” He sits back down in his seat.
Solomon finds herself wondering if he would have done the same in her situation.
“Might I ask who that is?” Sheila inquires.
“Someone that the world is a better place without.” The canine leans back in his seat, looking quite comfortable.
After one more hour into the trip, the plane finally lands back at The System HQ in Britain. Everyone disembarks, Solomon goes to collect her dress, escorted by the members of the organisation. Sheila scowls at Lisa before they enter, the wolf gestures a peace sign to her as she puffs on her pipe outside. Lumi is given proper streetwear, along with a hoodie, so that she doesn’t stick out too much in public. Once everything is settled, Solomon bids farewell to the organisation, at least for the time being. The group gathers outside the facility, Lumi with them.
“So… Have you always been part of that cult?” Adelar inquires.
“I haven’t forgotten how the outside world works.” She replies with a sly smile.
“I think we should focus on something else.” Lisa chimes in. “How are we gettin’ back?”
The trip to Lanolow takes just about all day, complete with breaks. They even stop to discreetly celebrate getting Solomon back in a restaurant.
“Well this menu totally sucks.” Lisa remarks.
“It has fish!” Solomon exclaims surrounded by her friends, glad to finally be back with them. “That’s all I really need.”
“Solomon, I’m so sorry…” Says Adelar, catching her attention. “I really, really shouldn’t have just left you alone back then. I really-”
“Hey, I turned out fine!” She retorts. “Don’t blame yourself, Adelar. After all, I found out so much about…” She looks down at her gloved hands with a warm feeling from Genesis. “Everything.”
No one says anything for a long moment.
“Way to kill the mood, mate.” Lisa remarks, causing the cat to softly chuckle.
“Thank God you’re okay.” Says Durazo.
Solomon forgot how much she hates public transportation, but at least she has people to keep her company. She has yet to mention anything to them about Genesis… But maybe that’s for the better. A skeleton in her closet that no one else needs to know about. Exhausted, the group gets off of the train at the same stop, not too far from Bird’s Eye.
“Right lads, who needs a ride home?” Lisa offers. “I should still be parked at the station.”
“Since you took my car to the airport…” Says Thalia. “I may need one. And get it back sooner rather than later, yeah?” She adds with a smile.
“I’m going with Thalia!” Lumi exclaims excitedly. I get that bats are nocturnal, but that’s just ridiculous. How are you still not tired?”
“Yeah, yeah, we get that.” Says the panther.
“I can walk.” Says Yaroslav. “I should call the wife soon…” He mutters to himself, looking slightly concerned before leaving.
“I’m sleeping at the station.” Adelar states. “I do not feel like walking up four sets of stairs because the lift is broken down again.”
“I feel like I haven’t slept at all these past few days.” Durazo states with a yawn.
“You slept through most of the train rides.” The eagle claims.
“...I’m sleeping here too.” Says the canine.
“Right, the rest of you lot, get in.” Lisa orders as Solomon says goodnight to the rest.
Lisa takes Thalia home, Lumi stays with her. The panther doesn’t protest, as the bat seems to respect her greatly. Not to mention, she can likely handle her if she does get any ideas.
“Hey, if you don’t mind…” Solomon begins to say, finally alone with Lisa. ”Mind if I sleep at your place?”
“You already know I don’t.” Lisa says in response. “I’d like to hear more of what happened to you. You left off at having a steam bath with that lynx, yeah?”
Solomon is brought to Lisa’s house. The wolf stretches her arms as she enters, then puts on some relaxing classical music. The sense of familiarity Solomon feels in her old-fashioned, eccentric home is exactly what she needed.
“Now I know you ain’t much of a drinker…” Lisa says as she pulls a book out slightly from the bookshelf in front of that one strangely placed wall. Solomon hears the click of a lock. “But come on. We got you back. That’s pretty fuckin’ neat, innit?” She says with a smile.
Solomon is glad to see that she hasn’t changed a bit. Then she realises that she was only gone for a little over a week. She feels like she aged three years plus Genesis’ age, in comparison.
“You know, I could use some of that, actually.” She says, wondering what the wolf is doing. Lisa then slowly swings the bookshelf open like a door, revealing a hidden room behind it, which leaves the cat surprised. “That would explain the unused space.”
Lisa goes through the door, Solomon can’t help her curiosity and follows her in. From the doorway, the first thing she sees is a large corkwood board with a desk in front of it. On it is a small box of thumbtacks, a stack of empty notepapers, a ball of red string, a magnifying glass and different-coloured felt tip pens. “She takes this more seriously than I thought…”
Looking to the left, Solomon sees a collection of framed photos, all but one depicting Lisa and at least one other person. In every single one of them, she is wearing a blue trench coat and chequered trousers, those that show the legs, that is, and the same, brimmed hat Solomon is used to seeing by now. In some, Lisa is next to an almost identical-looking, save for the outfit, older female wolf. They both look happy. Solomon figures that it has to be Lisa’s mother.
In other pictures, she’s with Thalia in generally unassuming locations, like a park or a restaurant. Another picture has a younger Lisa with other people Solomon has never seen or met: a male cougar, a female ferret, a male red fox, a male lizard and a female lizard. She doesn’t remember Lisa ever telling her about these people.
In the one picture without Lisa are two wolves. One that Solomon saw in other pictures, and another, more grim-looking, male wolf. “They must be her parents.”
Looking to the right, she sees a pondering Lisa looking at a wine rack that is able to hold up to twelve bottles. Only eleven of them are occupied.
“Woah…” Says Solomon. “What is this room?”
“It’s where I put the important things.” Lisa explains without looking at the cat. “Also the drinks, ‘cause the pantry’s run out of space by the time I got to them.” She then reaches for one bottle and pulls it out. It’s a champagne brand Solomon knows, maybe not for the right reasons, but she won’t be putting in complaints because of that.
“That’ll do it.” Lisa then turns to leave. As Solomon follows, she sees that the inner side of the bookshelf door has a regular door handle.
Lisa fetches two champagne glasses and then opens the bottle with a loud pop. She pours the glasses full.
“Cheers, mate!” Says Lisa, downing the drink.
“Cheers!” Solomon does the same. “Maybe… Maybe this is the time to do it.” She then puts one arm around Lisa and thinks about confessing her feelings. The warmth of the wolf is something she has missed more than she ever could have imagined, and now, she will make sure that nothing can take that away from her again. She’s finally with the one she’s grown to love in her absence… And she thinks about doing it for one long moment.
“It’s good to be back.” She says, finally, unable to bring herself to properly say it. “I want it to be perfect.”
“It’s good to have ya back, Rox!” Lisa responds, pulling her into a friendly hug with one arm.