Now, Threnosh World
Cal spent the next few months splitting time between overseeing Shira’s recovery, helping with the newb training and disappearing far into the wilderness to work on his own concerns.
He had plumbed the depths of his mind in an effort to find and expunged anything the Mother may have left behind. Even if he hadn’t found anything he knew that they had to be there. He just hadn’t searched hard enough.
He had more positive results with his efforts with Shira and the newbs. The former had quickly regained their control and was weeks away from being cleared to return to active duty. Cal mulled having her stay and take over his role in babysitting the newbs, so that they could finally take on the secret bosses in the zones surrounding the base.
In Cal’s two year absence, Prime Custodian 3 hadn’t allowed them the opportunity. The prime had deemed the risks too great. This meant that the nine special candidates gathered in that time span hadn’t gained the required strength to join the rest of the T-Men. They had spent their time training and fighting standard monsters weaker than them throughout Prime Custodian 3’s jurisdiction.
Cal had been surprised and unhappy to find that they had only added a handful of recruits in his absence. The other primes and jurisdictions had taken note of the T-Men’s effectiveness and had decided to copy them. They kept their own Defectives for themselves, rather than allocate them to Prime Custodian 3 and Cal.
From what Cal could glean their efforts were significantly less effective with a troubling casualty rate. The other Threnosh leadership were undoubtedly treating them as interchangeable pieces of their perfect machine. Individuals were just small pieces of the perfectly-ordered machine that was the Threnosh world.
One couldn’t just treat the special candidates in that way. Each one was unique and needed to be guided to the full use of their power armor’s special abilities. They weren’t only the sum total of their abilities. Their skills needed to be developed, experienced gained, teamwork, so many different things went into making them effective and maximizing their potential to survive the dangerous situations they were placed.
The thought brought a stab of guilt.
Images of Malendrax, Silver Wolf and Brightstrike appeared in Cal’s thoughts. It was as if the trio were standing, talking, walking in front of him. It was a curse of his mental powers. Memories didn’t fade as they once did. He could recall them as if they had just happened. He could’ve have dismissed them, hidden them deep in a recess of his mind, but he didn’t. His friends deserved better.
They gave their lives because of him. The least he could do was never forget.
Cal’s thoughts turned to the future.
Every few days, he checked the spire closest to their base, the same one that he had first emerged from some five or six years ago.
The way back wasn’t open yet.
He wasn’t sure about his timeline. He still had no idea how the Threnosh world’s passage of time differed from Earth’s. It would’ve been wrong to assume that an Earth day took the same amount of time as a Threnosh day.
And he wasn’t even accounting for the unknown amount of transit time from Earth to the Threnosh world. It had seemed instantaneous, but who knew what the truth was. He had spent points on tutorials, but had yet to find a definitive answer to that particular question.
He had kept the majority of the staggering number of Universal Points he had accumulated during his long stay. His ordeal with Mother Madrigal had yielded a ridiculous bounty, but he had to be conservative until he knew the exact number he needed to travel back. It had taken hundreds of thousands for him to reach the Threnosh world. Emptied him to zero.
He was stronger now. The cost to return would be higher.
He considered running the newbs through the secret bosses before he left. Weighed it against having Shira take his place. According to simulations and projections, Shira was strong enough to take over now.
Cal decided there wasn’t really a choice in the matter. Someone was always going to have to take his place in that role. Better start while he was still around to smooth the transition and prevent potential disaster.
He made a note in his PID to prep the newbs for their first crack at a secret boss with Shira as the primary babysitter, he’d hover nearby, just in case.
One decision made Cal allowed himself to simply sit and listen to the sounds of the forest.
Birds called out.
Leaves rustled underneath scurrying paws.
The wind shook the branches and scattered vibrant yellow seeds on a tiny, wispy parachute of fuzz that looked like a stretched out cotton ball.
A tree scientist would’ve loved to see all of the weird crap Cal had observed.
Familiar, yet alien, was how he’d sum up the things he had seen of the Threnosh’s natural world.
He realized that he’d miss it.
There was something about the solitude of being the only human being in a world that struck a chord inside of him. It could’ve been paradise, minus the horrible monsters and multiversal war.
Cal sighed.
He rose from where he sat on the ground.
It was time to fly over to the spire and check again.
He wondered if the spire would give him a message when Earth’s ten year tutorial phase was done. Would he not received one since he wasn’t on Earth? Or did being an Earthling? Earthian? Mean he’d get one regardless of his physical location?
He shook his head. He needed to work on his naming conventions.
As he cleared the tree canopy a dark shape swooped down and promptly slammed head first into his invisible telekinetic shield.
The loud crack told Cal that he could continue on his way without further concern.
He didn’t bother to look behind him as the animal crashed down to the forest floor. The giant poison eagle, so named for resembling an eagle, except much bigger and with the ability to spit venomous liquid, would provide a feast for the forest’s scavengers.
Naming conventions.
He sighed.
The spire had become visible when his PID beeped with a message from base.
Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337’s tiny holographic projection appeared in Cal’s faceplate.
“Yes?”
“Emergency alert alpha prime,” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 said.
“That’s—” Cal didn’t expect ever hear those words.
Another alert chimed. Only Cal heard this one.
He scanned the spire message even as the voice spoke in his head.
Finally!
Cal dismissed the message. So many thoughts flashed through his mind. So many things to do and prepare.
“Oh, Tides? What’s the alert about?”
“Spires surveillance scan cycle detected activity that triggered the alpha prime alert,” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 said. “I have reviewed the recording. Seven individuals of your species have exited a spire.”
Cal almost dropped out of the sky due to the great shock.
“Send me the images.”
Cal watched the recording in his faceplate with disbelief.
The spire was in a jungle clearing and people emerged. Just as he had. They milled around warily for several minutes. Talking, arguing, before heading off into the jungle.
The surveillance drone had recorded from a great distance so their features weren’t the clearest.
Two young women, four young men and what appeared to be a teenage girl.
Cal’s heart sank.
They were older, a lot bigger, but he thought he recognized them.
“Tides, when was this recorded?” Cal’s voice was barely a whisper. His hands shook.
“As you know our resources are strained as it is—”
“When?” Cal’s voice rose.
“The amount of data the automated program must cycle through is beyond yo—”
“Just give me the answer, Tides!” Cal snapped.
“115.237 hours.”
Around half a week.
That was a long time to deal with the dangers of an unknown jungle.
“Give me the location.”
Silence.
“Tides? Location, now!”
The coordinates appeared in Cal’s faceplate. “Whose jurisdiction is this?”
“Prime Eternal Warden 1”
Cal cursed.
“I don’t care,” he muttered. He took of toward the coordinates with a series of loud booms that sent birds and other flying creatures scattering out of the treetops below. “I’m going. This is a rescue operation. Notify Prime Custodian 3. They can deal with the diplomacy crap. Prep an aerial transport and have it track my location. Keep it in neutral airspace just outside of Prime Eternal Warden’s jurisdiction. Full medical suite and personnel. Prepare for injuries. I’ll fly them to the transport.”
“Perhaps, you should discuss the matter with Prime Custodian 3 first,” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 tried.
“I’m already several days too late.”
“But Prime Eternal Warden 1 has specifically forbidden your presence in their jurisdiction.”
“The Collective has agreed that people from my world are under my jurisdiction. Besides, I don’t care about Prime Eternal Warden 1. Maintain silence,” Cal growled.
“Acknowledged.” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 sighed and did as ordered. They were concerned with how they were going to word the report to Prime Custodian 3.
----------------------------------------
Tessa stepped out into a wide clearing, surrounded by what looked like a jungle.
She wasn’t too knowledgeable about the differences in outdoor environments.
Forest? Jungle?
It was all just a bunch of trees and plants to her.
Her superior senses picked up all sorts of sounds in the dense growth.
Birds screeched.
Something howled.
Leaves rustled with movement all over the place.
She tightened her grip on her kanabo and continuously scanned the area while she waited for the others to emerge from the spire. She dearly hoped that Veronica and their friends had enough points to travel to the Threnosh world as she had done.
Her exploits in the Deep Azure’s tunnels had given her plenty of points. She had actually been able to unlock more of her personal sheet and a few tutorials before paying the rest for the transit.
Tessa didn’t have to wait long before Veronica emerged.
She breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Veronica squealed in delight at the sight of Tessa and ran forward to grab her in a crushing hug.
Tessa cursed. “We’re in a combat zone!”
“Oh, sorry,” Veronica grinned sheepishly. “Twinkle Star!” she checked the guinea pig’s small bag. “He’s fine,” she stroked the black-furred animal’s head before hefting her staff and putting her back to Tessa’s. “The spire’s inside is freaky. All misty and it like reads your mind.”
“So? You’ve been inside before. It’s the same.”
“Yeah, but that was a long time ago and I was barely in there,” Veronica said.
“Stop talking and pay attention,” Tessa frowned, while she tried to keep her eyes and ears outward. “We’re on an alien world. We have no idea what’s out there. Alien animals, monsters, or worse.”
Veronica rolled her eyes, but listened to her older sister.
They didn’t have to wait long before the rest of their friends appeared in quick succession in front of the spire.
“Danger sense!” Johnny’s weapons appeared in his hands like magic.
“Defensive formation! Olo with me up front. Bastien and Mads behind us. Johnny, where’s the threat?” Gene drew his longsword with his right hand and conjured his mage shield in its ghostly buckler form in his left.
“I don’t know, dude… like all around us,” Johnny whined. “Fuck this! We jump from certain death to likely death.”
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“Hey, assholes!” Tessa barked. “I think you can chill a little bit.”
“Oh thank Jebus!” Johnny deflated and relaxed. “My danger sense is still going off, but since you two are here…” he shrugged.
“That doesn’t mean you can take it easy,” Gene said.
“I’m glad you all made it,” Veronica said and held up her hand.
“Me too, Vee,” Olo stabbed his spear into the ground and slapped five.
The thwack echoed like a gunshot.
Olo winced and shook his hand while Veronica stuck her tongue out.
“What do we do now?” Mads said. She held her shotgun ready even though it was empty.
“I have no idea,” Tessa admitted.
“We need to contact your uncle,” Gene said.
Johnny took out his cell phone. “Yeah… no signal.”
“Maybe we can find one of those gray aliens and they can contact your uncle?” Bastien said.
Tessa glanced at Veronica.
“We’re not exactly sure how connected he is to them,” Tessa said.
“It sounded like Uncle Cal was only cool with a small group of Threnosh,” Veronica said.
“Wonderful,” Johnny sighed. “We’re going to get repulsored to death by tiny gray iron men.”
“What can you guys see and hear with your superior senses? Any signs of these Threnosh?” Gene had dismissed his mage shield and sheathed his sword, but he made certain to keep Tessa and Veronica in between him and the surrounding jungle.
“Animal sounds,” Tessa said.
“I think I can hear like a stream,” Veronica said.
“Mads has better eyes,” Tessa said.
Gene turned to Mads. “Can you look for a trail? Or this stream. We’ll need water and maybe it can lead to a river, which might lead to a city or something.”
Mads nodded. “Telescopic Vision.” She intently scanned their surroundings with her Skill while the others kept their guard up. She could now see in great detail for many miles. The dense undergrowth challenged her with small spaces, but the slightest opening was enough. The intensity of her gaze reminded them of a bird of prey scanning the ground for prey. After several minutes Mads relaxed. “Couple of things. You want good news or bad news, first?”
“Good,” Gene said.
“Bro, who goes with good first?” Johnny said.
“Shut up,” Bastien said flatly.
“Veronica’s right. There’s a stream about a thousand yards in that direction,” Mads pointed. “It keeps going that way and widens into a river. The land slopes down gently. So, we can get water and the walk shouldn’t be too bad close to the river where the trees and brush isn’t as thick.”
“The bad,” Gene said.
“I saw a few animal trails, but the ones closest to us for the next five, six hundred yards or so run parallel to the stream, which makes them perpendicular to us. We’re going to need to cut a path.”
“I can smash a path no problem,” Tessa said.
Mads nodded. “Lots of animals. Weird looking. Almost reminds me of ones I’ve seen from back on Earth,” she frowned, “words I never thought I’d say… anyways, animals or monsters, different from what I’m familiar with. Unless they have special abilities I don’t think they’ll be a problem for Tessa and Vee.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Johnny said.
“There is one exception,” Mads looked back to the opposite side from the direction of the stream. “I think… well, I’m not sure what I saw, but it looks almost like a huge, furry snake and it’s slowly heading toward us.”
Everyone spun in that direction.
“That’s why you go with the bad news first,” Johnny muttered.
“Should we kill it, Tessa?” Veronica said.
“It might not be dangerous if we leave it alone?” Bastien said.
“There are no peaceful monsters,” Olo said.
“It could be a normal animal.”
“Or a mutant one,” Johnny said.
“It could also be too powerful for us,” Gene said. “If it’s moving slowly then I think we should leave it alone and get out of its way.”
“So, how are we doing this? I don’t know how forests work?” Tessa said.
“I’m pretty sure this is a jungle,” Johnny said. “It’s hot and humid.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell,” Veronica said.
“I’m so jealous of you,” Johnny said. “I’ve been here for less than ten minutes and my ass crack already feels gross. Let me just say, this jungle isn’t the only place that a river is running right through.”
“You’re gross,” Veronica said with narrowed eyes.
“Gene, you were in scouts,” Olo said.
Gene frowned. “The most I ever did was camping in campgrounds with bathrooms and showers. But, I have watched a lot of nature and survival videos. I’d say we need to make a lot of noise to scare away any possible venomous alien snakes and assume everything is poisonous, so don’t touch anything.”
“Fine, I’ll smash a path, the rest of you follow,” Tessa said.
“Wait,” Gene held up a hand. “I think Vee should clear a path. Then Olo for taunting and tanking purposes. Followed by Mads for her vision to spot possible far off threats. Then Bastien, Johnny, me and Tessa bringing up the rear.”
“I’m not letting Vee lead. She’ll be first to get attacked,” Tessa frowned.
“It’s safer for her with Olo to draw the first attack with advance warning from Mads. I’m not doing you any favors. The last person in line is the most vulnerable,” Gene said.
Tessa considered it and found Gene’s assessment credible. “Vee, be careful, don’t run for off for any reason and let Olo draw aggro.”
“I know,” Veronica waved her hand dismissively.
“Okay, let’s go,” Tessa said.
“I just want to remind everyone that my danger sense is still going off,” Johnny said. “Also we don’t have any food and water.”
Olo rummaged in the small pouch at his belt. “I’ve got two protein bars.”
“Me too,” Bastien and Mads echoed.
“My water bottle got busted up in the tunnel though,” Olo said.
“Shit, I forgot, let’s make a quick assessment of what we have,” Gene said.
It didn’t take long. Aside from the protein bars. They had four partially filled water bottles and a broken one. Johnny had ditched his supplies before descending into fishmen tunnels. He had argued that it was for stealth purposes. Tessa didn’t have anything in the way of supplies since she had been captured by the fishmen.
The jungle was familiar and alien at the same time. The trees and plants reminded them of the ones they had seen in pictures and in nature documentaries. Some of the foliage didn’t fit in that framework. Some trees were shaped oddly, almost spherical. Some leaves glowed with vibrant, shifting colors that appeared to go through the entire rainbow. Branches moved, not due to the wind, but out of their own accord as they stabbed down.
Veronica shattered these with sweeps of her staff.
The wildlife stayed out of their way. They could hear and catch the occasional fleeting glimpse as the creatures moved around them. That suggested natural animals rather than monsters or mutated ones. Those attacked.
Veronica made a racket with her staff as she bashed a clear path through the dense undergrowth. She definitely made their presence known to everything with ears for miles around.
Five of them were thirsty by the time they reached the stream, but it disappointed. It was muddy and smelled bad. So they sipped from their dwindling supply and followed the stream.
They reached the river quicker since Veronica no longer needed to beat a path through the undergrowth.
The sun had started to sink so they decided to set up camp.
They found a clear spot and made a fire. It was a trivial matter thanks to Gene’s fire spray spell and the ease with which Tessa and Veronica tore a tree down with their bare hands and ripped it into kindling.
They boiled the river water and drank their fill.
Protein bars were shared and Johnny stabbed several small fish-like animals out of the river with his enhanced reflexes for a meal. They even had dessert in the form of a sweet, but ugly looking puke-green fruit. Twinkle Star had eaten a piece without hesitation so they decided to risk it. Was it smart to trust a guinea pig? Maybe, maybe not, but luck was with them and no one developed any problems from the meal.
The fire burned through the night, while Tessa and Veronica stayed on guard so the rest could sleep.
Nothing attacked.
The second day carried on in the much the same vein. They followed the river, but kept a healthy distance from the water’s edge after Mads spotted a sizable wake trailing close to them. Something big was in the water.
The night was quiet again. Except no fish this time. Johnny had refused to go near the water. They ate the last of the protein bars and drank water gathered in Olo’s helmet attached to the end of Veronica’s staff.
Tessa stood the watched alone. She could see that Veronica was growing tired, so she had forced her sister to sleep.
On the third day Mads saw the jungle transition into marshlands miles in the distance.
The utter lack of signs of civilization was worrying. They had no choice except to forge ahead.
Three nights and Tessa was growing tired. She powered through her watch, but found her eyes drooping on several occasions.
Day four saw them reach the edge of the jungle and the marshlands.
“I’m not looking forward to wading in wet and muddy land,” Tessa said.
“We probably don’t want to get stuck out there in the dark. We should camp here and cross in the morning,” Gene said.
“Hey, Mads, how far would you say this death swamp is?” Johnny said.
“I’d estimate ten, maybe twelve miles. I can see a wide plain beyond, then mountains. Still no cities or anything artificial looking.”
Johnny wiped his sweat streaked face. “What I wouldn’t give for a safe shower.”
“Yeah, I don’t remember what it was like to not stink,” Veronica said.
Johnny sniffed at himself. “I don’t know what’s worse. Me? The jungle? Or the swamp? Everything kinda smells like ass.”
“You all smell terrible,” Tessa said. “It’s worse with our enhanced senses, right Vee?” she tried to smile.
Veronica nodded.
“Let’s make camp,” Tessa said.
“I’ll take the watch tonight,” Veronica said.
Tessa hesitated.
“You need to rest or you won’t be sharp in case we get attacked by monsters.”
“Okay.”
The jungle and the marshlands had fallen silent as Veronica added more logs to the roaring fire. She wouldn’t admit it, but the darkness scared her. At least the chirping birds and chittering insects had gone quiet. Maybe her sister and friends would finally be able to get a good night’s sleep.
The past three nights had sucked for Veronica. She had held Twinkle Star tightly in one hand and her staff in the other. Every noise had her on the edge of springing up to fight.
The dead silence was good.
She actually regretted offering to take the watch so that Tessa could finally get some real rest.
The fourth night passed without incident until something big, long and furry wrapped around Veronica and dragged her screaming back into the jungle.
----------------------------------------
Now, Earth
The cult delivered the vehicles as promised.
One of the army trucks that Remy had ridden into the city in what felt like weeks ago and a yellow school bus.
Two vehicles for the survivors when they had driven in many. Not to mention the addition of the resistance members.
Remy buried the dark thoughts.
Remy rode in the truck, while one of the soldiers, Jimenez, drove. Megan sat between them. She didn’t want to be more than a hand’s reach from Remy. He felt the same.
Their daughters’ fates weighed heavily on them.
The cultist’s escort car led them to city hall.
More prisoners were bound in the parking lot, waiting for them.
Detective Ordonez was there, along with Jake and twenty or so people. All bore signs of violence. Cuts and bruises marked them all.
A coffin lay next to the Detective.
“Bennett?” Remy said as he approached.
“That’s what they say,” Detective Ordonez said.
“We can’t open it to check,” Jake looked up at the bright sun, “I think, unless he’s like a daywalker or something.”
Remy shook his head. “Not that I know.” He turned to Barry. “Can you prove that Bennett’s in there?”
“I gave you my word,” Barry scowled.
“For what it’s worth I think the bastard’s telling the truth,” Detective Ordonez said.
“So… like I’m assuming we won?” Jake said hesitantly. “Seeing as how you’re standing right there, I mean.”
“It’s a truce,” Remy said. “Release them,” he ordered Barry.
Barry frowned, but whistled and the cultists started unlocking the cuffs and cutting the zip ties.
“Get everyone loaded up. We’re leaving,” Remy said. He regarded the fancy-looking coffin. He generated a magnetic field and detected signs of… something inside. It wasn’t like the electromagnetic fields that human bodies generated. He leaned close to the coffin’s head and knocked. “Bennett, if you’re in there knock twice!”
Two angry knocks.
“Alright, we’re going home. I’m sorry it took so long.”
One knock.
Remy had no idea what it meant.
The coffin had metal handles so he levitated it into the back of the army truck.
He had Detective Ordonez take his place in the front cab next to Megan.
Remy was going to ride on top. They had a couple of hours drive through wyvern territory and he needed to shoot down any that attacked.
They reached Davis without incident, which felt like winning the lottery.
What was less heartening was the empty watch post as they entered through the eastern edge of town. Indeed, they didn’t encounter anybody until they drew near the university.
A girl and her over-sized dog flagged them down.
Remy couldn’t recall her name, but knew that she was one of the junior members of the Watch. Like an intern.
The girl told them that Watch Commander Lawrence had instructed her to bring anyone that returned from San Francisco directly to her near the spire on campus. Especially, Remy.
“The city council fucked us,” Watch Commander Lawrence said as soon as Remy jumped down from the truck’s roof.
“What?”
The watch commander explained what had happened. How the council had sold the town out to the cult. How the people unwilling to join were in the process of evacuating across the river to Sacramento.
Remy had the urged to find the council and express his displeasure, but he had more important things to do. He had to return for captives and hopefully, his daughters and their friends.
“Can we kick the council out and void the agreement?” Megan said.
“We all got the same Quest message from the spires,” Watch Commander Lawrence said stiffly. “The message essentially outlined the terms of the deal the council struck with the cult. Our only options are to agree and stay or disagree and leave.”
“I don’t understand why we have to leave,” Hanna glared at everyone and no one. “We just fought a fucking dark god and now we’re being kicked out of our homes. Why can’t we just fight?”
“We can do that,” Watch Commander Lawrence said, “but the agreement means anyone that refuses the agreement and doesn’t relocate across the river is in violation of this truce and is free game.”
Remy bit back a curse. “That’s why they wanted a truce.”
“Fuck!” Hanna snapped. “We should’ve killed them all when we had the chance.” She jabbed a finger at Remy. “You could’ve done it.”
“People would’ve died,” Remy said.
“People are already dead!” Hanna spat and strode away. “I need to get my things.”
“I need to go back for the captives… and others,” Remy said. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to pack up our house,” he said to Megan.
Megan smiled, tight. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that their home had been demolished. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Stick with Nila,” Remy said.
Megan nodded. “Be careful. Bring our girls back.”
“I will.”
Megan went to look for Nila while Remy went over to the truck.
“I’m coming with you,” Detective Ordonez limped over on her cane. Her prosthetic was barely functioning.
“Me too,” Jake said.
“No, you need to report back,” Detective Ordonez.
“Both of you need your injuries looked at,” Remy said.
“You’ll need my skills to make sure the cult bastards aren’t pulling any tricks. I can tell if they’re hiding captives from us.”
“Fine, that sounds useful.” Remy turned to Jake. “Bennett’s in your truck, make sure you put him in dark place, probably should have a couple of blood bags ready just in case.”
“Yeah, man, I’m not dumb,” Jake rolled his eyes.
“We don’t have time to waste.” Remy ripped the truck’s hood off, flipped it and floated it to the ground. He stepped aboard and held out a hand to Detective Ordonez.
The detective slapped it away and climbed on before sitting down near the center and holding tight.
Remy stood in front of the detective to block the wind before flying up into the sky. Though not too high and fast for the detective’s sake.