Chapter 9

ZIP FURR

Zip Furr could feel himself toeing the edge of a meltdown.

One of the ones with the tears and crying, the lashing out like a cornered coyote, the clawing at skin because it felt a hundred sizes too small, the sputtering of words because he couldn't figure out what was going on in his head. One of the massive ones.

But Zip was still far enough away that he could prevent it, turn himself around from the steady journey toward the edge of the cliff. Still distant enough that its pull wasn't too strong.

He had always struggled with coping. The world had never made sense, and now it made even less sense. He had thought he'd finally found his place, but now he wasn't so sure.

He knew the SFPU was where he was supposed to be. It was the only place where he could truly begin to relax, to let his guard down, to not get so tense whenever he slipped up. He hadn't found that anywhere else.

But now most of that was gone— Kristin was still there, as was the rest of NYTE, but without Ashley, nothing was the same.

After Pyr Iskie, Zip hadn't gone hunting for poachers. There wasn't the usual hustle and bustle in the camp.

If anything, the camp just felt still, like someone had hit pause on the remote and walked away. It felt alien, like Zip was back in the rest of Waverwell, away from the haven that was the camp.

xxxx

After Asa and Azrael had left, Zip had closed himself in his workshop. He let himself get lost in the process of building Hades, mind wonderfully blank and hands working on autopilot, already knowing what to do next. He could feel the tension slowly bleeding from his body, the tremble in his breath easing a little more with each twist of a bolt, each connection of a wire, each line of code written.

Zip leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms up above his head after sitting hunched over at his computer. His spine popped as he arched his back. A quick glance at the clock in the corner of the screen told him almost two and a half hours had passed by.

The programming for Hades was nearing completion, as was the robot itself.

Zip's goal had been for Hades to aid in arresting criminals, to travel where the group couldn't, either due to space or safety, and disable poachers' vehicles and prevent them from escaping. But now he wasn't sure what he was going to do with the robot. Who knew when he'd get a chance to test it out?

As soon as he finished that last line of code, hooked up that last wire, Hades would be placed on a shelf, destined to sit there and collect dust until things got figured out and maybe some new normal would be found, whatever that would look like. Zip had no idea when they'd start returning to hunting down poachers. The Moonfall Precinct had put together a group of volunteers with enough skill to be able to do the job and had told them that the volunteers would keep Silverlight Forest safe until they wanted to return to their former role.

Zip appreciated that, appreciated the break, the chance to rest and truly work through Ashley's murder and how no one currently knew what had happened to him. He knew he couldn't just bottle up all of his emotions— he had to feel them and accept them and figure out how to come to terms with the fact that he lost one of his friends in one of the most brutal ways possible.

But Zip also knew that he was starting to get antsy. He was getting tired of sitting around, staying in one place. He might not have been a wanderer like Charlie and he might not have a hard time putting down roots like Kristin did, but he needed space, needed the ability to move. And right now he couldn't. He didn't have the answers, and he didn't have the resources to piece together every last detail of what had happened to Ashley.

But what he had been able to do was look into Felix Fisk. Despite his computer's powers, it had still taken a while for it to be able to track down information.

There really was a Felix Fisk who worked in tech support at Leviathan Inc. He had a sister, Freya, and both worked at the Corville headquarters.

Charlie probably would've called his work some mild snooping, which Zip felt fit. It hadn't been a deep dive, what he did. He had sifted through Felix's projects that consisted of many printer fixes and monitor reboots, then tracked down his company records, and finally searched through his email, both personal and company.

Felix had taken some time off in the days after Ashley was murdered, but that wasn't any concrete evidence that tied him to Ashley and proved he was the witness. It was still a big maybe— nothing saying Felix was the witness, but nothing saying he wasn't.

Zip had forwarded the information he had found to Larson. He hadn't told Kristin— he didn't know what his friend would say, but in his heart, Zip knew Larson needed to know. Maybe the detective already knew everything, but it couldn't hurt. Every crumb of evidence, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, had the possibility of blasting a hole in the mystery of what happened to Ashley.

But he couldn't help the tendril of hope that swirled in his gut.

Felix Fisk did work in tech support at Leviathan Inc., so maybe he really was telling the truth. Maybe this Felix Fisk really was the person who sent the email to Kristin. Maybe he really was the witness to Ashley's murder.

Please, Zip thought. I just want answers.

xxxx

It was only about another hour before Zip completed Hades. The robot was done.

He thought he would've been more excited at seeing so much hard work having come together into the finished product. But he didn't really feel anything.

Hades looked so innocent sitting on the table, all shiny and new and ready to be tested. But Zip's stomach twisted as when he looked at it. The robot wouldn't be used any time soon. They wouldn't be out tracking down poachers for a long time. He knew why, and it hurt. He knew he should be out testing Hades, but he couldn't.

Not until they found Ashley's killers.

Whoever took his life was a monster.

Monsters had to be caught.

It was one of those simple rules in the world. One of the ones without any exceptions— if someone did something bad, there were consequences. The worse the thing, the worse the consequences. Taking a life was about the worst thing that could be done, and so it would have the worst consequences.

Zip's hand started tapping against his thigh, and he turned away before the robot could get him worked up any further. He didn't need to start down the path to a meltdown again, not when he'd already put so much effort into calming himself down.

He left his workshop, closing and locking the door behind himself, and then crossed the courtyard to go back to the NYTE house.

Ren was outside on the grass with Somnus. They were practicing long-distance obedience, both with hand signals and verbal commands. Sit, down, left, right, come, sit, stand, back, down, release. "Good boy, Somnus," Ren said as he trotted over to them, face split with a wide smile. Their voice was happy, but it lacked its usual edge that dipped into joy.

"Hi, Ren," Zip greeted.

"Hey," Ren replied, tugging on a toy as Somnus pulled on the other end. "How's Hades coming along?"

"It's done."

Zip watched Somnus race after the toy when Ren threw it, then come prancing back, head high and tail waving behind him.

"Oh, Larson called earlier while you were in your workshop. The Moonfall Precinct is piecing together a timeline of where Ashley went on that supply run. The stops are pretty much where he usually goes. Some officers found his car in the parking lot of Books Galore. Nothing was stolen, and they're processing everything now, although Larson said he wasn't too sure that anything will be found since nothing seemed to have been disturbed."

"How did he..." Zip trailed off, unsure of what he was really trying to ask. "Do they-they know where he... went? Why wasn't he in-. In his car?"

Ren's lips twisted into a smile, and they shrugged their shoulders. "I wish I could say. They're looking through the security cameras around Moonfall right now to see if they can find any clues."

"They... have they found any-anything?"

"Well," Ren started. "That's the thing. They might have found something."

Somnus chased after the toy when Ren threw it again. He jumped up into the air, but the toy bounced off his head. A laugh started in Zip's throat, and it dissipated a moment later. It didn't feel right to laugh, not when he didn't even know what happened to his friend. He settled for a ghost of a smile, the faintest wisp.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Larson prefaced this by saying that they haven't finished checking every security camera. But considering he told us, I'm guessing he's pretty sure of it. He's still not telling us everything, but I don't blame him. I mean, he needs to ensure he catches the right people and some information is something only those involved would know.

"That said," Ren continued, "as of right now, the last video footage found of Ashley is in the parking lot of Deanna's Bakery. Ferris is out talking with Larson, so he might get more."

Deanna's Bakery was a shop right across the street from Books Galore that specialized in pies and cakes. Since Ashley had done virtually all of the supply runs, he got to decide many of what the extra purchases were beyond the necessities. And when the mood struck him and he indulged his sweet tooth, Ashley would return to camp with an assortment of pies, cakes, or pastries, and everyone would spend the next few days trying to finish them all before they went stale.

The sweetness was sometimes too much for Zip's senses, but when the balance was just right, it made his fingers flutter and caused him to shift in his seat with that joyous, bubbly feeling coursing through his body.

But Ferris and Charlie had made a cake a few days prior. There was no need for Ashley to stop at Deanna's Bakery. So what was he doing there?

Some of Zip's confusion must have bled into his expression, because Ren added on. "Larson didn't offer much in the way of saying what was in the video, just that Ashley was definitively seen on camera in the parking lot of Deanna's Bakery."

Zip hummed, staring at his shoes.

What was Ashley doing there? He thought. What made him go there?

"I'm going to keep working with Somnus," Ren said, "but there's stuff for a salad out on the counter if you'd like. Ferris left it out before he left to go speak with Larson in person. Something about having more questions and wanting to talk face-to-face. Kristin's in his room, though, so..."

They trailed off, and Zip nodded. So try not to disturb him, was the silent add-on.

"Ok," he replied. "Have fun with Somnus. I'll... watch for Ferris-Ferris's return."

"Thanks."

xxxx

The house was cold when Zip walked in.

Kristin was not in his room, but rather was huddled on the couch, blanket wrapped loosely around his shoulders and dark eyes staring straight through the coffee table. He gripped a fork tight enough that his knuckles had paled. An abandoned salad sat beside him on the couch, squished and less eaten than just pushed around. Lettuce bore indented lines from fork tines, the avocado was in pieces, and the beets had crumbled.

"Maybe this is how Ashley feels," Kristin murmured when Zip drew closer. His eyes were focused on some far-off point.

"S-sorry?"

Kristin's face was blank as he spoke, and his voice was devoid of emotion. Zip shivered. "Maybe Ashley's trapped in some cold, empty space," Kristin said. "Maybe he's all alone, shivering in the dark without anyone there to give him a hug and warm him up and tell him it will all be ok. Nothing bad can last forever, even the longest of nights will come to an end."

Kristin's fists tightened on the blanket, wrinkling it in sharp creases.

"Maybe," Zip whispered, unsure of how to fill the silence.

They were both quiet for another long minute that seemed to stretch on for an eternity until Zip remembered an email he had seen in Felix's me84 inbox.

"Kristin..." he started.

"What?"

"Did you..." Zip wrinkled his nose, chewing on his lip as he fiddled with his fingers. He took a step forward how one might approach a skittish deer.

"Did I what?"

"You... email... emailed Felix Fisk?"

Something flickered across Kristin's gaze, but it was gone before Zip could try to identify it. Kristin sat up, glancing at Zip as he took a deep breath.

"Why are you asking me?" He murmured, voice calm and measured.

"You told me to... to look into F-Felix Fisk, so... so I did, and-and I looked at his... email. One from-from you there."

Kristin nodded slowly, eyes narrowed.

"Why did you do it?" Zip asked, rocking up onto the balls of his feet. He twisted his shirt in his grip, energy needing some outlet to escape through.

Kristin's lip curled as he exhaled through his teeth. He huffed a humorless laugh. "Because I need answers. It's been weeks and we hardly know anything more than what we knew at the start! Isn't it worth a try if it might lead to something?" He stood up, dropping his fork onto his plate and slapped a pillow off of the couch as the blanket around his shoulders slipped off of him.

"We'll... we'll find them," Zip whispered, walking around the coffee table to pick up the pillow and return it to the couch. He patted it into place. "They won't get away with-with anything."

"I know that. They'll pay. But they don't get to just walk free after what they did and Ashley can't even say goodbye and get one last hug. They're the ones who deserve to get locked away forever. Ashley is the one who deserves to go where he pleases when he pleases." Kristin's lip quivered.

"I'm sorry," Zip said. He wished he knew what he should say. He was sure there was some phrase one was supposed to say, but he couldn't remember it. Maybe Muse would know.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. You didn't kill Ashley and take him from the world."

Zip offered a small smile that Kristin tried to return, then sat down on the couch, tucking a leg beneath him and turned on the tv.

The channel was already turned to Waverwell News, and the camera was focused on Shaheena Driscoll. She was discussing Alaska's murder, as Zip would've guessed. He almost changed the channel, but Kristin shook his head and Zip left it as it was.

Shaheena brushed her dark hair back over her shoulder, then adjusted some papers on her desk. Once Sarah finished with the weather report, Shaheena started talking.

"We have recently gotten news from the Corville Precinct in relation to Alaska Wendell March's murder yesterday. Her ex-boyfriend, whose name has not been released to the press, has been brought in for questioning. It is not yet clear whether he is a suspect, although friends of Alaska's say they had a very tense relationship. Alaska's sister, Kansas, described it as an off-again-on-again relationship."

"Ryzor Oberhofer of the Corville Precinct has not responded to our request for comment at this time," Jaymes added.

"Why didn't he respond?" Kristin grumbled, jamming his finger into the pause button. His eyes were watery, and he wiped at them with the back of his hand. "People deserve to know what happened."

"Probably... can't say everything. Need... need to-to keep some stuff... secret."

"Yeah, I know, Zip." Kristin nibbled on a carrot he plucked from his plate. "I just want answers, especially if there's a connection to Ashley. I want my brother's murderers shoved into a locked cell and then have the key thrown away. They don't deserve to be free after what they did."

"They don't." Zip couldn't agree more. There were always consequences for actions taken. And if something horrible was done, the consequences were greater.

Kristin leaned forward, sides trembling.

"Do you..." he paused, closing his eyes and visibly trying to calm himself. "Do you think we'll catch them?"

"We will catch them." Zip knew they would. The Trinity would be caught. They existed and walked the streets of Waverwell. They might be hiding, but no one could remain hidden forever.

The Trinity might be very skilled at being invisible, but ghosts could be found.

"It's been weeks, and it feels like forever. This is their whole life— they don't do anything except this, don't they? Can't they get caught? Can't we find them? I just want answers. There's no way the why will make sense or make anything better, but I want to be able to visit Ashley and tell him we found his killers and that he can rest easier now."

"We will catch them," Zip repeated, leaning in closer and hoping that perhaps it brought Kristin some measure of comfort.

A moment later, Charlie came out of her room, brandishing her laptop like a weapon. She rolled her eyes with a drawn-out sigh. Zip moved to the edge of the couch, putting more distance between himself and Kristin.

"I hate this," Charlie grumbled. She sat down on the coffee table.

"You hate what?" Kristin asked, hands over his face and muffling his voice.

"I've been searchin' around on Muse, right? And I've been looking into Alaska Wendell March and the connection between her and Ashley. I know Asa and Azrael are doin' that too, but no way I'm just gonna be sitting around and not doin' anything!"

"What have... what have you-you found?" Zip inched forward on the couch. He hoped Charlie had been able to dig up something. If her hyperfocus kicked in, maybe she had.

"Well, that's where the issue is..." she trailed off. "I couldn't find anything. I mean, I'd feel pretty darn confident saying Ashley had no idea Alaska even existed. But considering he kept his journal from us, I don't know."

Kristin groaned into his hands. "I can't recall ever hearing of an Alaska Wendell March in the past. I know I never met her. I doubt Ashley knew of her either. I wish I could say for certain, but who knows what he knew. He kept stuff from me— I didn't know about his journal. I didn't care that he had secrets since everyone does, but I would've listened. He knew something big." He exhaled a shaky breath. "Who knows what he knew."

"I was readin' through his journal again," Charlie said as she scrolled through something on her laptop. "Well, actually the copied version Ferris made so nothing happens to the real thing. He was hinting at a lot. He definitely knew more about this disease thing going around than I think most do."

"Do you think that's what got him killed?" Kristin's voice was paper thin, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"That's the thing." Charlie turned her laptop around. "With the disease, the biggest thing I could find were those whistleblower claims. The disease is Leviathan Inc.'s fault, right? So I went huntin' around for information. I'm not Ashley-good at finding stuff, but I can't find any hard evidence that there's anything wrong there. Maybe there's something I didn't find, but I do believe Arkreon passed every safety test required."

"But I mean, Chad and Darcy have so much money. Couldn't they have just bought the passing results?"

"Dunno. Don't know that much about that testing. It's what I'm going to look into next. I just realized I haven't eaten anything in, like..." Charlie looked at her watch. "Six hours. 'Bout time for a snack. Dipper back yet?"

"No."

Charlie hummed, turning around and riffling through the fridge. "Oh, well," she said, opening a container of grapes and popping a few in her mouth.

xxxx

Ferris called an hour later.

"Heya, Dipper," Charlie said in a sing-song drawl.

"Hey, Springs," Ferris chuckled. "Who's with you?"

"Zip and Kristin."

"Can someone go get Ren, or are they busy?"

Kristin glanced at Zip, a question in his gaze.

"They were... tr-training S-Somnus, last I... last I saw them. Can go find th-them though..." Zip said.

And he didn't have to walk far; when he opened the door to the NYTE house, Ren was still out in the courtyard, running Somnus through some drills.

"Ren?" He called.

"Yeah?"

"Ferris is on the phone and wants you to come in."

"I'll be there in a minute," Ren replied, calling Somnus back to them as they walked toward the dogs' house.

"What's it like out in the world?" Charlie was asking when Zip returned to the couch. Her phone was in the middle of the coffee table on speaker.

"The streets are empty. I don't think I ever had to stop on the way to the Precinct."

"Whoah..." Zip murmured. Even on good traffic days, there were still stops, still some little backup. Empty streets were something Zip had never seen.

"Guess all it took for traffic to die down was a mystery disease no one's ever seen before."

Charlie chuckled.

"What's so important you couldn't wait to tell us?" Kristin asked before Charlie could respond.

"Yeah, that," Ferris said. A door opened and then shut, and the sound was followed by rustling. "Can you hear me alright?"

"Yes," Ren said, settling down on the floor opposite Zip, their back to the tv.

"Ok. I'm in the car now. So I talked with Larson to get some more information and make sure what we had was right. He also gave me some new information."

"Which was?" Charlie asked.

"He confirmed that Ashley never entered Deanna's Bakery."

"Alright," Kristin said, silently pushing Ferris along.

"Larson wouldn't give me much, but there was someone else they caught on camera."

"Which means?" Charlie pressed.

"They believe someone was working with the Trinity. They do not know who the person is and to what capacity they were working with the Trinity, but the Moonfall Precinct is trying to identify them."

Zip's heart sank, and he felt his face fall.

"There's a fourth person?" Kristin choked on a breath, tears pooling in his eyes.

Ferris hesitated.

"Yes," he replied, voice soft. "There was a fourth person."