Victor and Brittany stomped into the base a few hours later, both looking incredibly annoyed. “Okay, whose bright idea was it to send us off then hide this place without leaving any way for us to actually find you people!?!” Victor growled. “We spent more time looking for this fucking place than actually investigating!”
Everyone turned to look at Jake, who coughed awkwardly. “Sorry?”
Victor grumbled bitterly under his breath as he pulled out a bag and started taking strange looking wristbands out and tossing them to everyone. “The aliens call these ‘network devices’ but they're essentially magic smartphones. You can use them to look up training material on their internet. Figure the rest out yourselves.” He explained as he finished handing them out, before finding a seat and focusing on his own device, a translucent screen projecting from it as he did.
Jake frowned at Victor for a moment, before turning to Brittany. “Did you figure anything else out?”
Brittany shook her head. “It's basically what the lady said. There are a bunch of services you could get, but they all require challenge points to earn, so until we do there's not much to figure out.”
Jake grimaced slightly as he nodded in acceptance, focusing on the network device to see if he could find any answers there, everyone else doing the same. That is, except for Greg, who couldn't seem to get his to work. “I think mine is broken.”
“Let me see.” Tessa gestured for him to hand it over, taking it and focusing on it for a second, a screen popping up as she did. “There, see? It works. You just have to focus on it.”
Greg frowned, taking the device back and focusing on it, but… nothing. “Okay, I'm starting to feel stupid. Am I focusing wrong?”
“I'd say that's impossible, but if anyone could…” Casey muttered.
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Just look at it and think about turning it on.”
“I am! It isn't working!” Greg retorted, getting frustrated as he tapped the device, hoping to maybe shake something loose.
“Hold on.” Tessa grumbled, finding a search engine and looking up why a network device might not be working, but every answer she found focused on something being wrong with the device, which clearly wasn't the case. She frowned, looking up how the network device worked, thinking maybe that would provide some answers, but all it said was that the network device used an individual's natural mana to communicate with the network hub. She then looked up natural mana, which was apparently the unique expression of mana within an individual, or in other words, what everyone had been referring to as an ability. Her natural mana allowed her to shapeshift, Casey could use hers to create fire, and Greg… Tessa froze as it hit her. “Greg? I- don't think you actually have mana.”
Greg blinked. “I don't?”
Tessa shook her head. “Every other ability we see is all about doing something. I shapeshift, Casey makes fire, Victor makes people ignore him, Brittany makes illusions… You get the picture. But you- your smoke isn't something you do, it's who you are. A mutation, not an ability.”
“So… no mana.” Greg grimaced, staring at the network device. “Which means I probably can't use anything around here, huh?”
“Probably not, no.” Tessa agreed.
“Now hold on, he should be able to use mana, right?” Carlos interjected. “Otherwise he'd be with the others. The ones who can't use magic.”
Greg's eyes widened slightly. “That's- A good point, yeah. Maybe I just missed a trigger or something? I'll figure it out, don't worry.”
“Says here that a mage awakens when they're exposed to pure mana.” Casey offered. “Hmmm… oh, here it is! Some people need larger quantities of mana to awaken, something to do with rarer forms of natural mana? You probably just haven't been exposed to enough mana yet. There's an awakening station in the strip you'll need to go to that should take care of it, according to this.” She paused. “Though you'll probably need one of us to help you find it.”
“Gotcha…” Greg nodded along uncomfortably. He was pretty sure that even if he did go to this awakening station, it wouldn't help. After all, he hadn't been pegged as a mage. He'd been sent somewhere else, and then he'd been torn apart. He didn't think it'd be a good idea to let the aliens get a good look at him any time soon.
Victor eyed him suspiciously. “Why do I get the feeling there's something you aren't telling us?”
“You're a paranoid bastard?” Greg shrugged, forcing a grin.
“Uh-huh.” Victor grunted, clearly not buying it but sensing that it probably wasn't a good idea to force the issue. Greg wasn't the type to hide something unless it was something that actually needed to be hidden.
“You should get your awakening done soon so we can hit our first challenge.” Jake announced. “We need to start earning challenge points. There are resources that can actually increase the strength of our abilities! And we can learn spells!” Everyone nodded along, excited by the possibilities. The alien abduction may have been unexpected, and no one was sure how to feel about a higher civilization treating them like wildlife in need of protection, but no one could deny the situation was full of opportunity. At least, for everyone but Greg…
*
“So… are you ready to tell me what's going on?” Tessa asked as she and Greg retreated to her room.
“What do you think the odds are of the aliens spying on us?” Greg replied.
Tessa paused, before taking off her network device and tossing it on the bed. “Less now.”
Greg nodded, using his smoke to cover the device in metal for extra security as he began. “So, as you know, I wasn't brought here like you guys were. Instead I ended up in this dark space filled with people, and then suddenly I was alone, putting myself back together after my body was torn apart.”
Tessa grimaced, already suspecting something like this from the little clues he'd dropped. “So when the aliens said they were taking care of the others…”
“They likely meant it in a permanent sense.” Greg sighed. “I mean, we are dealing with magic here, so maybe it was some sort of decontamination process that my smoke just didn't mesh with, but… I doubt it.”
Tessa nodded. “So, what do we do?”
Greg shrugged helplessly. “What can we do? We are completely at these people's mercy. At any moment they could send us wherever they like, and there's nothing we can do about it. The last thing I want is for you to end up in that dark room.”
“But we have to do something!” Tessa protested. “They slaughtered our people! And for what reason?!? Because they couldn't use mana!?!”
“I know. Believe me, I know.” Greg growled. “But there's nothing we can do about that now, and our focus needs to be keeping the rest of our people safe. There's no point in avenging anyone if the rest of us die in the process.”
Tessa scowled at him for a moment, before letting out a frustrated groan. “You're right. We need to be smart about this.”
Greg nodded. “Which unfortunately means we need to play their game. Find challenges, get points, get stronger, and hope at some point we'll be in a position to hold them accountable for what they've done.”
“Right. We need to get you awakened as soon as possible.” Tessa agreed.
Greg gave her a complicated look. “Tessa… I don't think that's an option. I think there's a reason I ended up there, and not here.”
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Tessa froze. “But then- how will you get stronger?”
Greg shrugged helplessly. “I won't? Look, I'm not happy about it either, but I don't think there's much we can do about it. If I go to that awakening station and the aliens figure out I can't use mana…”
Tessa grimaced. “But what if you can use mana? What if there was some sort of mistake? The aliens obviously have a hard time dealing with your smoke.”
Greg blinked. “They do have a hard time dealing with my smoke… but it still isn't a chance we can take. If they figure out we know what happened, it's over.”
Tessa frowned. “Then… What if we do it ourselves? We could sneak into the awakening station or steal some pure mana somehow! The aliens would never have to know!”
“That could work.” Greg agreed, nodding thoughtfully. “But what if it doesn't? What if I simply can't use mana? And even before that, how do we keep the squad from catching on before we figure out how to get the pure mana? I'm not sure if we should tell them what's going on or not… I mean, I know Victor could handle it, but Casey would probably end up going off on someone at some point, and I don't know the rest of the squad well enough to say how they'd react.”
Tessa hesitated. “I- think we should keep this between us for now. I know Jake wouldn't be able to handle this, and only telling half the squad just doesn't feel right. But I also have no idea how to hide the fact that you can't use mana. You can't even use the network device without it! How would we even explain the fact that people have no way to contact you?”
Greg sighed. “I should have stayed hidden until you were alone. I get the feeling it's going to be impossible to hide my lack of mana. It would have been easier to just hide me.”
“But then we wouldn't have a place to hide Sarah.” Tessa pointed out. “The longer she's out there, the higher the chances she'll run into someone too powerful for us to stop.”
“True…” Greg muttered. “And that would have forced me to reveal myself anyway.”
Tessa nodded. “Plus, I like having you around.”
Greg grinned. “Oh do you now?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Duh. I am your girlfriend.”
The two of them smiled at each other for a moment, becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they were alone in a room Greg had made sure was more than adequately sound proofed. “I'm not sure there's anything else we can really do right now.” Greg commented, taking a step closer to Tessa.
“Maybe some investigation?” Tessa offered tentatively, though she didn't step back.
“I think I can handle that myself… while you sleep.” Greg replied, hesitating for a moment before lightly placing his hands on her hips. “It's probably better to use my smoke anyway… the aliens do have a hard time with it after all.”
“That's true…” Tessa agreed, running her hands up his arms and resting them on his shoulders. “I suppose we'll have to find some other~ way to occupy ourselves.”
Greg chuckled malevolently, Tessa shivering as he pulled her close, wondering why that excited her so much. “I'm sure we'll think of something.”
*
A satisfied smile spread across Greg's lips as he idly played with Tessa's hair as she slept, feeling like the luckiest man in the world. Or on the ship, he guessed. Greg grimaced as that thought immediately killed his mood, reminded of the fact that this could be taken away from him at any moment at the whim of their new alien overlords, subconsciously pulling Tessa closer. He truly gave zero fucks about what happened to him, but if anything happened to Tessa… well, he wasn't exactly sure what he'd do, but he'd make damn sure someone wasn't happy about it.
Greg sighed, dismissing the thoughts as he sent out a small cloud of smoke, the smallest he could manage while still being able to see with any measure of clarity, which was about the size of an eyeball. It was also the same density it'd take to actually make an eyeball, which should probably tell him something… Greg sent the ball of smoke out of the base, keeping low as he flew it towards the strip. Tessa had shown him a map before things got… involved, so he had a vague idea of where he was going. Thankfully the aliens had been accommodating enough to label everything in English, so once he got to the right area, he had no problem finding the awakening station. Which of course, was where the trouble began.
*What the fuck?!?* Greg complained internally as his smoke practically bounced off the awakening station's walls! *What the hell are these made of, mythril!?!* He paused. *Wait, shit, that's actually possible, isn't it? Guess I should look for a door…* He drifted around the building, finding the door and attempting to slip under it, but… *Did they seriously make this thing air tight?* Greg wondered incredulously as he slid along the edge of the door, getting nowhere. *Is this place really that important, or is this just how they build?*
Greg flew over to the next building, frowning to himself as he slipped right through the walls, finding himself in… a spa? He flew out and checked the sign, finding that yes, it was a spa. He then turned back to the awakening station. What was so important about this building? Was pure mana really that valuable? Obviously it was, but why? What did it do besides allow people to awaken? He'd need to remember to have Tessa look it up, but either way, there wasn't anything more he could do here. Unless… Greg returned to the door to the awakening station, flattening some of his smoke so it bridged the edge of the door and the door jamb and turning it into paint, so that when the door opened, it would break. He made sure the color was as close as possible to the color of the door, then painted the rest of the smoke across the top of the door jamb where he believed people would be least likely to notice anything off. If anyone opened the door, he should be able to sneak inside after them. Of course, there was still the matter of getting whatever was in there out, but first steps first.
With that set up, Greg decided to check out the ferals. He focused on one of the pieces of glass, turning it to smoke and looking around, the glass thankfully made from enough smoke to give him a clear view, albeit unintentionally, allowing him to clearly make out the lightly feathered breasts he found himself nestled between. Wondering whether he should read into that or if it was just a convenient place to keep things, he slipped out to look around, and- *Oh this is bullshit!* Greg complained as he found himself in an almost luxurious room! This was blatant favoritism! Why were the ferals being treated so well?!? He slipped outside, looking around the space he found himself in, which was practically the polar opposite of the space the squad was in. Where their space was a wilderness with a thin line of civilization, this space was full on city! Greg could still see some forest and mountains in the distance, but it was clear the aliens had dedicated a lot more resources to the ferals. He could even see a few of the aliens walking around, talking with the ferals, looking like they were giving them personal guidance.
*Okay, this is just rude.* Greg grumbled, flying towards the mountains to dissolve some rocks so he could actually talk to someone about what the hell was going on, making sure to leave a bit of smoke in the bird girl's room so he could find his way back. It didn't take him much to grab enough smoke to make a scorpocroc body, but as he was about to fly back, he realized a problem. This was way too much smoke to go unnoticed flying through the air. He supposed he could go underground, but the city ground was made of solid stone and that was a bitch to get through, so getting anywhere would take forever. Well, more like a half hour or something, but in Greg time, that was completely unacceptable. He paused as he realized something. Why did he have to travel as smoke? Would the aliens really question a random feral wandering around? Greg grinned as he transformed into the scorpocroc and started making his way back towards the bird girl.
“Halt!” A voice snapped after Greg made it about halfway back. He whirled around to find a blue woman glaring at him. “I believe we made it very clear that males are not allowed in the female section. I pray this is your first offense or you will not enjoy the consequences.” She growled, activating her network device, a beam shooting out to scan the stunned Greg. The woman frowned, tapping at her network device as the beam shot out again. “Strange… Why can't I scan your natural mana?”
“I- haven't awakened?” Greg offered tentatively.
The woman raised an eyebrow at him. “That doesn't matter. I would still be able to pick up your natural signature simply through your interactions with the scanning mana. This- it's like you don't interact with mana at all!” Greg gulped, not expecting his secret to get exposed so easily. Maybe if he could escape- “But that shouldn't be possible… all life interacts with mana!” The woman continued, studying Greg thoughtfully.
Greg blinked. “All life?” He couldn't help but ask. “What about people who can't use mana?”
The woman's gaze sharpened. “Who told you there are people who can't use mana!?!”
“I- have really good hearing and I overheard some of you… blue ones discussing it.” Greg explained, not technically lying.
The woman narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then snorted. “Damn gossips. But yes, even those who ‘can't use mana’ can interact with it, creating a unique signature that we can track. The only way to not interact with mana is to not be life at all. Which, clearly, is impossible.”
Greg paused. Was he not actually alive? That- would actually make sense, in a way. He was definitely sapient, but he wasn't sure he met literally any other requirement for life. “Not that I know what the requirements for life are…” Greg muttered absently, forgetting where he was. The question was why wasn't he alive? He had been, hadn't he? Before the apocalypse? And he could simulate life… What was the difference between simulating a cell and being a cell? He looked at his hand, focusing not just on looking like a scaly, clawed monstrosity, or feeling like a scaly, clawed monstrosity, but on actually being a scaly, clawed monstrosity, and suddenly he felt something shift as he was hit with a gnawing hunger digging into his gut! “Food!” He gasped, turning to the confused looking woman in desperation, feeling the modicum of smoke he had left get drawn into him somehow as he passed out.