“We have a bigger problem brewing than just a wannabe dragon overlord. One that is already having an impact, and may be tied to the root cause for why you guys Awakened,” Joey chimes in after a brief lull.
“Wait, does this tie into the biozones I heard you mention earlier?” Drenar asks after a minute. “You said they grew?”
“Hang on–biozone?” James asks.
“Magical zone, magical plants, critters, and funky crystals,” Julia gives a half-handwave. “Nick mentioned it a couple of times. What do you mean they grew, and how much?”
“They grew exponentially. Whatever this device did, I have a nagging feeling that the spillover effects allowed a dead biozone to reinvigorate over by Savosel road–”
“Holy hell. That’s where we live!” Evan exclaims. “When did you guys come out here?”
“This afternoon, and–” Joey suddenly grins. “That was you in the truck, Nick! I knew something was bugging me about you guys driving by in the afternoon!”
“We just crossed paths with you? That’s a funky cosmic coincidence,” Drenar states, dumbfounded. He’d been in the front seat and he vaguely remembers seeing someone in a sedan with bright red hair. “There’s a biozone near us?”
“There is. It was supposed to be dead based on old town records, meaning no mana crystals nearby, or existing biomass for decades. We stumbled on it when we were researching drakensouls, and effects that could feasibly trigger a premature Awakening.
"The presence of nearby magical plants and crystals indicated rapid growth in a three or four-year window. It isn't just that, there was a mana storm that might have generated from it. Charged raw mana energy in the atmosphere. There's a working theory I've got that Awakenings can be triggered by them."
"Didn't it rain that night before you started showing signs of Awakening?" Julia asks. "Wait. I did too, my plasmakinesis kicked in that day at school!"
"It did. But how..." He thrusts the craziness to the wayside. It had also been raining in his dream. That is a very strange coincidence, what does it means? "Okay, focus on the biozones. It's a bad thing, right?"
Joey nods with reluctance, and leans into the camera frame. “Guys, if this growth is tied to the device, and based on timing alone…this could be bad. Not just two million dragons bad, cracking the Veil apart bad, but really bad.”
“I’m fuzzy on the whole good and bad thing. What do you mean ‘bad’, Joey?” James asks. She withdraws from the screen a little, arms folded tight. There’s deep concern on her face.
“In theory, barring more evidence? Magical biozones could override and replace normal plant and animal matter. While they’ve been shrinking on average due to human pollution and climate change, controlled management of the zones is sometimes needed. It's to keep them from wary eyes. That was my last job. Cataloging flora and fauna with the Magical Biological Preservation Society. I got to see some of that on occasion.
“This growth, if scaled, would override large sections of the world's biosphere. It could be a slow-burn apocalypse, guys. Mana is slightly hazardous for non-magical humans. That includes plant matter with mana-infused materials, and animals. We’re talking about a collapse of the world’s biosphere within years to decades, if I had to project growth out.” There’s a grim tone to her words that tells Drenar she’s convinced by the evidence thus far.
“Well, shit.” James sums up everyone’s reactions in two words, and Drenar has even more colorful words in mind. “Crosomer is going to burn the world down in his quest to burn the Conclave down.”
“He also stated that most everyone would be mages by the end,” Julia points out. “I doubt the guy wants to be responsible for an entire armageddon. But we really can’t take that chance.”
“You think that’s going to be the case? Joey, I know this is a little outside your expertise, but–if you feel that’s a solid theory, we have to put a stop to this,” Nick says after mulling over it for a few seconds.
“Does Crosomer know this?” Drenar gasps. “Does he know what the unforeseen consequences could be?”
“This is my speculation, but…no. I’d say this is something he’s not aware of. Yet.” Angela motions to Joey. “If someone who’s an expert in arcanist zoology is ringing the alarm bell without tons of evidence yet, we need to be worried. Levine, I think we need to clear this discussion for a smaller audience.”
“I agree.” Levine and Nick quickly give ‘the talk’ to Violet, Tristan and Kelly, and none of them are happy that they will be under lock and key with their families for every single second of the foreseeable future and will have escorts.
“This is rich. SAF cares now?” Kelly fumes. “Where was the care and consideration before?”
“That started the second I got brought on board, and now that I’m in charge, your safety–along with the rest of your friends and classmates–is of my utmost concern. This is for your own good,” Levine states sternly. “I’ve already made calls. It’s happening. You’ll be escorted back home and remain there. We will try to make this a smooth transition while we figure out long-term risks. The Talons are a violent insurrectionist element that has a successful track record against the Conclave in years past. Their training and equipment is very sophisticated, especially for an organization that was supposedly on its last legs about fifteen to twenty years ago.”
“So, we’re being babysat. What about them?” she demands when she points right at him, and Julia.
“Case by case basis. Their parents are currently far and away at the moment and being monitored. We will be making arrangements for them as well at the right time.”
“Sounds like a cop-out for, hey, we’re gonna let Julia and Drenar do even more crazy things. Because, they’re chosen ones or something!” She rolls her eyes and an errant spark of plasma arcs and zaps James, who jumps in fright. “Shalinde, that didn’t even hurt.”
“I am the only super-vanilla person in the room, yes it did!” he snarls.
“Then suck less,” she replies in a biting tone. He doesn't bother rising to the provocation. “What about my dad?”
“We’ll have to…dig into his history. Kelly, right?” She nods quietly before he continues with a somber face. “I know this is going to make for a rather uncomfortable situation. If he is active in Talons’ operations, he may be key to ascertaining knowledge of their activities and future plans. Do not think I will take that step without evidence to support such a drastic move.”
“Um, Wait. Isn’t Lavernius a tech here?” Joey snaps her fingers and Kyle nods on the projection from the golem chassis. “Tell me that’s not a coincidence!”
“We presume nothing. I will not detain him unless I have compelling evidence to suggest his direct involvement,” Levine counters.
“You’d detain my dad?!” Kelly shouts. “You have no proof!”
“Not currently. But King saying he worked with him is problematic, Kelly. It’s a lead to follow, given the circumstances,” he rebuffs. She looks like she’s ready for a fight–Drenar has to diffuse this again. Kelly might be good-natured, but she can be hard-headed at times.
“Even if he isn’t involved, we have a bigger problem. Val.” His voice finds firm ground again when he finds someone to throw all his hard-earned ire at. “They're already ready to launch an attack. But we don't know how, or when. They could come in by teleportation, right?”
“Unlikely. You try to connect to Asqualia without a secure access token, or a biometric ID custom-tailored to each user, it'll reject a visitor and throw them back out,” Joey explains.
“What about land routes?”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Also unlikely. We're under a lake!” she says animatedly. “There are some access routes I think, but they're hidden or poorly documented. Even though we don't know the locations, there must be a couple of emergency avenues. We can scout those out with golems that we have that are similar to the one you have there.”
“What about just diving down?”
“They're gonna have hundreds of mercs swim down? That's a laugh,” James says with a roll of his eyes.
“Nah. There's a barrier between the lake and the facility, that would be a fools' errand. There’s a giant air pocket–it’s likely an Azure held a lair here ages ago. We just made it bigger,” Joey says proudly. “It’s under Flotsam Lake, that’s all I know–all access is typically by the teleportal network. SAF does try to keep arcanist facilities secure.”
“Flotsam Lake is massive! And there are enough urban areas nearby that you could house a secret entrance to any number of places,” Julia groans.
“Joey, tell me about these biometric IDs, can they be hacked? Reprogrammed to use someone else's bio data?” Drenar asks.
“I can speak to this one,” Kyle responds while stroking his beard. “Not easily. It's on a per-user basis. The tech of these portals will keep unauthorized users from entry. And trying to force your way in will end…badly.”
“How bad is bad?”
“Disincorporation is bad. So like, don't try to come here in a ham-headed attempt.” Even Julia looks averse to this idea, much to his relief.
"And we are absolutely sure that we can't just alert SAF and send a security team?” Julia asks.
“Knowing King? That might be his plan. It's why he told us,” Drenar proposes.
“That guy is either a mad genius, or a complete moron if he thinks teenagers with attitude are going to get him into one of the most secure facilities curated by the Conclave,” Kyle snorts. “Why does he think you’re special?”
“I could think of a couple of reasons,” Nick mutters. “Kyle, we need to keep this brief. Find us a land access we can get into. The teleportal is a no-go for us unless we can get access, and I get this feeling that no one is going to just give us access, even within SAF. Plus there’s a bigger risk. If we ring alarm bells, They might launch early. If King already has a way in, he has people on the inside. This is going to require stealth.”
“So we are on dark-watch duty,” Levine chimes in grimly. “Much as I’m loathe to agree…with King in play, there is a deadly dynamic. There is a reason he fed us information. Either to misdirect us or to get us to react in the way he wants. It is a pattern of high-level manipulation we’ve observed before.”
“So…what’s our plan?” Kyle asks.
“Be unpredictable,” Drenar answers. “But we need to get to Asqualia somehow in a way that they can’t know, and without being tracked. We need to understand the why. We need to know what this machine can do. If we can match translations to the runes, We can infer what Crosomer could do with the machine–or the unforeseen consequences. Maybe even shut it down for good, to ensure this doesn't happen again."
“I’m with Drenar on this one. Get Volkir’s journals out of the archives. Get them somewhere safe. Anywhere but here. And when they come for us–we’ll throw them a beating so bad that they’ll never, ever forget it,” Joey says with a sharp tone to her words. “That’s our plan. And we do it while trying to find the saboteur and buy time. If we put them out of commission, maybe their plan falls on its face. Or it buys us time to find the research they need, and either torch it, or use it against them.”
“I like this plan. We work on finding a land route, you guys, try to do the same and find the saboteur. Levine, You’re SAF, would you be able to find a way?” Drenar asks straight to the point.
“Might be possible. Secure facilities always have a few backup exits–”
“Guys, shut down the feed, ping spike! I think someone’s trying to piggyback the signal!” Kyle shouts. “Power down the golem, there’s a mana crystal on the back panel! NOW! Get to Asqualia as soon as you can! If you find a land route, turn the golem back on, it’ll ping on my remote when you’re close!”
Drenar doesn’t waste a second and grabs the golem and grimaces. “Sorry for the abrupt exit,” he utters before he pops open the panel and eyes the small shard of mana crystal capped at either end by brass windings. Joey nods quietly.
“Don’t get killed on the way here, guys. I’d really like to meet you all.”
“Likewise.” He pulls the crystal out the same way he’d pop out an AA battery, and the golem’s lights flicker and die, just as the display winks out of existence. He sets the defunct construct down after a minute and taps a finger on his arm. “Thoughts?”
“Drenar, you’re still trying to play the hero.” James is as quiet as he is to the point. “You are going to get us killed with the way you’re leading us around, you know that? Law enforcement is here. This is Levine and Nick’s job. Don’t you get it? After that shit-show down at the lab, you want another round of punishment?”
“You’re acting like we don’t want to go, James,” Angela scoffs. “Well guess what, I’d go anyway!”
“Sis, you are being led around by Boy Wonder here, who is emotionally compromised, and let King get the better of him!” James snaps back.
Drenar clenches his fist, James has been pissing him off this entire week, and he is really, really fighting to keep patience with him this time. “King is a master class con artist, and he’s not the most dangerous person we’ll face. "That giant dragon that can burn the world? You know, the one that is murdering her way up the food chain of Magitech Industries, in a scheme more cynical than American corporate culture? She can kill every single one of us, and it would be an afterthought. And, she’s got an army backing her up."
He's off the handle now, Drenar can feel the blow-out moment coming from James, and it's not even subtle. “You are all signing up for a suicide mission, and I’m not going to let you!” he snarls before he grabs his phone. “Maybe Mom can talk some sense into you. For once.”
Angela grabs the phone out of his hand with a kinetic grapple, and she’s focusing on him with murderous intent. “Don’t. You. Dare.”
“Why? Because Mom’s right? That Drenar’s a bad influence on you? Or that you’re doing this, because you’re chasing Nick around?”
“Oy,” Nick protests and gives James a contemptuous look.
I know he’s your friend Drenar, but he should not be bullying every dragon in the room, Alex whispers worriedly. Drenar gets in the way before Angela can reel back and punch a hole clear through James’ chest, and puts an arm out.
“No. We are not going this route. We aren’t coming to blows. Are we clear?” he says quietly. “You told me the same thing earlier.”
“James needs to mind his manners,” she growls.
“Level heads have to prevail, is what you sort-of told me earlier. It was good advice and still is.” She relents after a second and steps back, arms crossed and glaring at her twin. “James, I get the feeling that you’re harboring. I get it. But set aside the personal feelings. This is where we’re at.”
“You have no regard for your own safety Drenar, I agree with Evan. You are going to get everyone killed.”
“Ah shut up, you wet blanket,” Kelly interjects.
“You should be one to talk! You almost let Jonaleth goad you into a fight, and Violet screwed up our plan!” James counters forcefully.
“Just ignore him, James is being an ass, and he’s venting, Angela. Let it go this time, much as I’d love for your brother to get walloped,” Julia says, as if this situation isn’t immediately dangerous for his health.
“Look, we’re camping out here tonight. Kelly, you really should be with family, and keep an eye on your dad. This is all bad news with the way King has feelers on just about everyone. Tristan, Violet, you guys need to seriously chill and not attract attention, or the giant murder lizard might decide to just torch the entire town.”
Drenar breathes a sigh of relief when Julia, of all people, diffuses the situation. Usually, she’s adding fuel to the fire, if unintentionally. Levine also takes note and gives a nod to Nick before speaking.
“Given the situation, I concur with the young lass, and her assessment. Nick, I just got a ping, SAF personnel are just up the road. We’re going to have to do some talking with them. We keep the plans between us–are we clear? Lives are at stake.”
After getting Kelly and the others to reluctantly agree, Drenar watches them head out to the unmarked cars with blue-uniformed SAF officers. Julia puts a hand on his shoulder reassuringly while watching them slowly back up out of the driveway, with Kelly giving them one solemn look from the rear seat before departing.
He wishes they had the same assurance of safety as Kelly did. Though, with her father now being a possible inside man for the attack on Asqualia, maybe not. Kelly’s father would never do that. He couldn’t. He’s always been warm and caring of his daughter.
Good people can do terrible things if properly motivated, Drenar. I don’t want to be a downer on this, but…not everyone stays in the light. Not everyone can escape the darkness inside them. Alex chimes in unexpectedly, and Julia rubs his shoulder gently, almost as if she knows the turmoil going on inside his head.
That twinge of his wrist picks the worst time to act up, and he rubs it uncomfortably.
He knows it’s only going to get tougher from here, and his personal stake in this is getting more apparent. He hopes King is lying.
Because if he isn’t…what terrible secret did his mother take to her grave?