{Earth}
Earlier, Bones and Twenty-One followed Abresson outside the Ecology. The dark blue Tritan walked across the cliff tops overlooking the Mediterranean until he crested a plateau and looked out at the expanse below. At what? They couldn’t see. But he joined two other men up there. Another Tritan and a mobster they didn’t recognize.
After the call with Tumu, they assumed it was Razor. For the leading vice dealer in all the Vast Collective, the Pain Curator sure dressed pretty. But hey, when one was a god, one dressed as they pleased. Personally, Bones and a majority of the Shadow wore various styles of tactical gear at all times. Maybe it was the lack of breaks they couldn’t catch that necessitated their wardrobe.
Now, hours later, Bones and Twenty-One stood in the security office with X, Pablo, and Jack trying to find Abresson again. Lucas headed down to the Med Labs, and R checked the detainee pods.
The King Regent of Earth and Cinder muttered at the wall of monitors, “I don’t like this.” His hazel eyes narrowed at the security footage of the exteriors.
X, still wearing Jack’s leather jacket over his jellyfish cap, chuffed on a whisper. “What’s to like?” He leaned closer to the cameras.
“There’s no trace of him leaving the building.” Pablo pointed at the screen. “Here. At 3:25pm he walked into his guest apartments. And then…”
Frustrated, Bones ran his fingers through his hair. He blew the air out of his cheeks before finishing, “And then nothing. He never left.”
Twenty-One took his gigantic body to the gray wall, slid down, and set his elbows on his knees. “He wasn’t in his room. I don’t know how we lost him.”
“It’s possible we didn’t.”
They all turned to face Jack. He wet his lips with some anxiety. It was endearing to see an interplanetary leader fidget. “Well, in the anonymous Verse, that Primary could create a conduit with only his blood. Or ‘allow one to open.’ It stands to reason Abresson left with Remorse’s help.”
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Bones glanced at Pablo, who looked at X, who turned to glance at Twenty-One. Each man shrugged or nodded their assent. Pablo smiled approvingly at Jack. “Okay. We’ll go with that. Now, if that Primary is helping him with conduits and meeting for clandestine rendezvous, we can all assume it’s not to plan my surprise birthday party. Which is next week, by the way.”
Bones nudged the Doc so hard he slipped off the security table.
“Hey!”
“I say we arm up,” the Icarean warrior suggested. “I don’t like this. And it won’t hurt to carry around a nacre disabler.”
Jack raised his hand timidly. “Can I get one?”
Twenty-One chuckled from the floor. “Why wouldn’t the King fight, as well?”
X winced and made a cutting gesture at his neck to stop them from heading down that road.
It was a tense subject. Rayne didn’t appreciate her brother danger-adjacent. They couldn’t blame her majesty, but the conflict backed them into this corner. And she wasn’t coming this time to end the war.
Pablo gave the King Regent a withering look. “You know your sister wants you safe—”
“I vote in favor of Jack having a weapon.” Bones held up an apologetic hand. “Sorry. We don’t know how bad this could get, and I think it’s better to arm him and not need it than the alternative.”
“Agreed.” X patted the kid on the back after Jack beamed at him.
Pablo sighed. “Yeah. All right. We should tell the others. Does anyone know Legir’s ETA?”
X shook his head. “I thought he’d be here by now—”
All three hundred muscled pounds of Twenty-One went fluidly to his feet. His dark brown eyes glued to the monitor. “Someone’s in a prisoner’s pod.” He pointed to Four’s cell.
They tightened around the screens as Pablo pulled up the camera. Bones frowned. “A tech?”
Pablo’s voice sounded hollow as he watched. “No. I sent everyone home.”
X gasped beside them. “It’s R. Why the hell—”
All the lights flashed red on the terminals throughout the security room. Pablo’s brown skin turned ivory. “Someone get Lucas on the line. Tell him to grab the weapons and make his way up here immediately. NOW!”
Bones tried to reach the golden-eyed Icarus on his earpiece as Jack anxiously asked, “What? What’s—”
All the nacre-deterrent shields fell, and the pod doors released. The Icarean prisoners of war marched out in perfect synchronization. And R carved out his own nacre on screen.
“X, forgive me. Get out if you can. I… kept my promise…”
The Luk fell to his knees before falling on his face. Dead.
The Ecology plunged into darkness.