***Post Arrival, PA Day 98 11:06 pm, Time Remaining until transfer 9.22:54:00; transfer rank 3,459,832
Gin fell out of bed. His body felt like it was on fire, and he itched everywhere. Gin had finally broken through part of the Gaes with the return of that last memory. Today had been one hard memory after another. Ever since hitting level three, the restrictions were loosening, and memories were returning. Mentally his head was clearer, and he felt less like a passenger in his own body.
The itching was unbearable, and he wanted to peel his skin off even if he knew it was all in his head. [The bed frame was iron, the walls contained iron, everywhere he looked there was some form of IRON.] It wouldn’t actually hurt him unless he cut himself, but being inside was making him paranoid.
Grabbing his bag, he snuck outside and found a place that wasn’t as enclosed. If the Gaes was good at anything, it was in blocking the irrational terror he now had for all things made of Iron. He had learned of his new vulnerability the first time a goblin had cut him with a rusty sword. The wound festered extremely fast, his muscles became stiff, his head hurt, and his jaw cramped. It felt like he had tetanus or something. All of that just because he now had a partial Fae bloodline. [Not even full-blooded.] He couldn’t imagine what it would have felt like if he was full-blooded.
Some of the bloodline restrictions were worse than others. For example, he couldn’t lie anymore, at least not outright. He could equivocate and hedge. There had to be at least a little truth in what he said. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The world could use a little more truth.
Iron was of course out, and possibly deadly. Also, food prepared with iron utensils tasted ‘yucky’. Though good Steel or Stainless Steel irritated his senses less than true iron. He could even tell how much iron something had in it by how badly his skin itched.
Gold was a fun new discovery that he had learned today. While not deadly like Iron, it gave him the ‘Willies’. Back home it hadn’t been that big of a deal, not a lot of gold in his life, but the discovery explained so much. Some electronics had small amounts of gold in their components. Ever since the change he had felt uncomfortable using his cell phone and computer. He actually carried an old Walkman now because it didn’t make him feel funny.
Captain Jenkins had been the beginning of this self-revelation. Gin had finally pinpointed the queasy feeling as coming from the captain’s gold bars. It was even more evident on the base. It was like he was psychic; he now knew when every high-level officer or gold retirement pen on base was coming his way. By comparison, Electronics weren’t as bad, but anything with intent behind it gave him goosebumps and made him want to go the other way.
The Gaes was already pushing against his mind trying to re-assert itself. Gin knew why and knew that he had messed up earlier in the day. Fighting it was still a lost cause at this point and a few more minutes of control would delay what even he knew was necessary. Still, he hated the feeling as he seemed to slide into the backseat and watched himself doing things he hadn’t commanded.
***
Gin made sure he was hidden in the bushes before casting Fade. He was still getting used to the Ethereal (a) attunement and it was odd to feel his body growing less substantial. Though it was nice being able to slip through the base unnoticed.
The tracking rune he had sketched on the dossier paperwork earlier led him straight to the administration building. Where he found an unlocked window and was able to slip inside. Despite the advantages Fade gave him, he still wished he had another slot to add Stealth (s) as well.
The building was quiet and thankfully empty as he moved through the hallways. Gin did find the guard on duty, but the guy seemed to be taking a nap instead of watching the security screens, so Gin backed out of the room after turning the system off. He couldn’t keep the spell up forever and this would make it easier. The pull from the tracking rune was fading but it was still solidly in one direction and after one or two wrong turns he managed to make his way through the labyrinth of hallways. The only problem was that he could see two flashlights in the room as someone else was already there searching the files. Gin could feel his rune emanating from a stack of papers in the far corner. It was in a stack marked ’To Do’ and the duo seemed to be searching the file cabinets looking through the paperwork that had already been processed.
[Dang it!] This would have been a perfect use for Spark. He could have cast the Fire (a) spell and ignited the entire stack from outside the door, but the attunement had transformed into Storm (a) as soon as he learned the Tier 1 Dark (a) attunement. He still wasn’t sure if that aspect of the Fae bloodline was worth it. Typically, Fire (a) and Air (a) would have unlocked Lightning (a) if you made it to Tier 1 in both.
But the Fae lost the primary attunements as they were transformed into a separate form specific to their race. Storm (a) still had flames, but it didn’t really burn things. Faerie Fire would outline objects so that the Dreamer could see them better. It would still heat things up causing some damage, but it wouldn’t actually consume anything. It was great in Alchemy or if you wanted to boil water but did frack all if you needed to burn something.
Gin needed a distraction so he could cross the room without being seen. He silently did the math as he watched the duo work through the files. Fade had taken 3 mana each cast, and it had taken 4 casts to move across the base, that plus the four-mana used to activate the tracking rune earlier today, put him at roughly 14 mana used today. That should leave him 18 to 20 mana depending on if he had recovered any during his nap. He really wished he could use the interface in the real world, but it hadn’t manifested yet, so he would just have to wing it.
First, he cast Glamour and watched as the misty fog crept into the room. In his mind, he pictured flashing red lights outside the window, the blaring of fire alarms, and a room filling with smoke. He was trying to keep it simple, but this was not going to be cheap. Thankfully, the duo panicked and fled down the hall never looking in his direction once. People outside of the dream had no reason to expect trickery, so the illusion had been more convincing than it would have been if they were on their guard. Still, it wouldn’t last once they left his sight, so he darted in and grabbed the stack before dropping out the room’s window. Matches would work just fine to destroy the paper.
It was a longer trek back to the barracks without magic, but he eventually made it and got a few hours sleep curled up in a corner as far from the iron bedsprings as he could get.
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***
Morning wasn’t too bad, he was still pretty groggy from his late-night activities, but that had become kind of normal over the last 3 months. The biggest change was the feeling of control. He could feel the Gaes in the back of his mind waiting to take over if needed, but for now, he was in the driver’s seat again.
The shower was communal and a little uncomfortable because of that. Normally that wouldn’t have been a problem, since thanks to the system he wasn’t embarrassed by being the fat guy. But he kept getting the feeling people were staring at him. Even as he crossed the base hoping breakfast tasted better than dinner, he would catch people staring when they thought he wasn’t looking. Several of the females both in and out of uniform would giggle as he walked by. It was making him even more paranoid than usual, and he had checked his jeans twice to make sure they were fastened.
He was just sitting down with a plate full of eggs and feeling a little peeved at all the attention when he finally got a clue.
“What up Dr Spork?” Matt slid into the spot across from him, barely holding back a fit of laughter, while Pat slid in beside him with her hand held high in salute “Live long and Procreate!”
[She always was a little disrespectful.] Still, Gin sat there for a solid tick before his hands touched his ears, his now slightly pointy ears! [GROAN!!]
Matt of course lost his composure at his discomfort and let out a loud guffaw that attracted even more attention to their table.
“What the heck is going on?” panic just seemed to burst forth as Gin looked at the two hoping someone had a clue.
“Should have guessed you’d go for the pretty boy look.” Pat’s teasing smile was two hairs past smug.
“Say again.”
“Sorry, we lost you at check-in yesterday. Matt and I looked for you. Especially after dinner, but neither of us saw where you went.” Pat truly seemed apologetic, while Matt just gave him a look of warning that said don’t say anything.
“That’s OK. I left my ID back home and got a little delayed filling out the paperwork. What do you mean pretty boy look?”
“Oh, we met a couple of people from Wave 11 last night at dinner and managed to get a heads up on some of the information that will be shared with us over the next couple of days.”
Gin had to gesture for Pat to continue before she would. “Well, evidently. The closer we get to transfer the more the dream will bleed through into reality. At least that is the theory from the researchers. Things like older people getting younger, everybody getting prettier. . .” she actually sniggered.
“What do you mean by prettier?” Gins’ eyes narrowed in mock betrayal.
“Things like less acne, more or less rugged features, Bigger assets . . .” Matt was making grabby hands when she said it. Pat of course decided to strike a blow for women everywhere and indicated his waist before also giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Not that you need any help.”
“Still, guys lean towards rugged and manly not Elven ethereal beauty. Girls have been the only ones to try the pointy-ear look so far.”
Gin desperately needed to get in front of a mirror and hopefully find a hat. Until then, all he could do was try to ignore it.
“So, what are you two doing today?”
“Going to orientation, signing up for an assessment slot, signing up with the Logistical Readiness Squadron for equipment distribution, and trying to find a group. They still may ship some of us out to other sites, but so many people showed up for wave 12 that they are spreading everyone out more to try and lockdown some new colonies.” Matt had obviously given it some thought.
“What’s a Logistical Readiness Squadron?”
“They’ve been raiding the box stores and bringing stuff here for the transfers. Everyone who registers will receive an allotment to take with them. They even have an equipment shop that can make weapons or armor, but only if you have money to spend.”
“So, basically, the Quartermaster. Wait, how are they taking stuff with them? I didn’t know we could do that. Is that why you brought the Katana?”
“And here I thought that was why you brought that ugly hammer. No, I didn’t know either. It was one of those things they told us last night. As we sync with the dream, we will gain access to some of our skills and gear. Bringing stuff into this world is next to impossible unless it already exists here, but you can send stuff through if you have room in your bag. The guys last night recommended clothes, armor, weapons, and food, but it will be hard to prioritize with the limited volume in a starter bag. Oh, and I dare you to call them the Quartermaster. You’ll wind up transferring with nothing more than a smile.” Matt was doing a fine job of reminding Gin to keep his trap shut.
Pat sighed, “I just wish we had access to our spells already. I really need to practice some more.”
It was only thanks to Matt’s subtle headshake that Gin didn’t say anything.
***
Orientation was lame. Matt and Pat had covered the most pressing details that morning. Assessments weren’t mandatory but recommended. The researchers were still trying to understand how the dreams worked and they were also categorizing Dreamers to see what skills or characteristics worked well with each other. Completing the Assessment would also earn you extra gear from the Quartermaster.
Special emphasis was placed on finding a group. The speaker kept emphasizing that the Group dynamic was important to our survival, and we needed to find people that we could get along with. If we didn’t find a group, then we would be randomly assigned one on the day of transfer. There were close to 200 teenagers, most under 18, that were present at the site, and it was strongly hinted that they would be split equally between the groups to ensure maximum diversity and the survival of humanity.
There was one bright spot when Dr Baxter, the head of Dreamer research, explained that the 11th wave, leaving that evening, would be carrying the resources needed to set up a beacon. No one in the crowd really understood what that meant until he explained. China had set up the first beacon during the 10th wave and was expected to activate it for the first time that evening. It would allow Dreamers to target the same or similar DNA patterns. Basically, if you had a relative in the Dream, then you would be transported to their direct location. It was potentially lifesaving for those under 14. It also reduced the dispersion radius of groups transferring into the same location.
Currently, groups could find themselves anywhere from 50 to 100 miles from a colony even if they used the same launch zone. Tightening the target would mean you were more likely to make it to an area where help already existed and since the groups were growing in size the dispersion factor we expected to increase if you didn’t have a beacon.
Gin decided not to do the assessment and went back to the barracks to try and find a hat. It took a bit, but he did convince a young Air Force officer to take pity on him and she bought him an Air Force beanie at the PX.
Ears finally covered; it was late afternoon before Gin was able to locate the Quartermaster, who seemed rather busy. When Gin rolled up a rather large crowd was already waiting just outside the open hanger doors. The huge structure seemed full but there were forklifts and people still setting up the three-story shelving towards the back of the cavernous space. It looked like they had just loaded the entire store on trucks and were reassembling as they went. Gin was kind of glad that he wouldn’t be the one organizing this mess.
A man standing on the back of a large truck started speaking into a handheld and his voice boomed out of the speakers that had been set up. “Ok, listen up, I’m getting tired of saying this today. If your name is not in the system, then we can’t process you at this time. Admin is still processing the paperwork from yesterday. If we have already checked for your name and not found it, then come back tomorrow. If we haven’t checked yet, then proceed to the tables up front and we will process you as fast as possible. Do not keep coming back today, if we have already told you NO!”
Gin just stood there looking at the dejected faces. He even recognized some of them as having been in the same group when they were filling out paperwork yesterday. [Oops!]
Dinner was just as yucky as before, only this time it was served with a side of despondency. He really needed to come up with a plan. The bloodline restrictions were putting him in a bad spot and the Gaes had seemingly walked him into the middle of a giant trap.
What he really needed was to clear his head and maybe a night of grinding Mobs would help him reassess.