Chapter 11
The Signal
“So, back there again, huh?” Emil’s voice was wavering, an even split of nervousness and guilt running through it. Eddie could understand, regardless of whether he had feelings on the place, himself. Deep down, he knew he should, it being where they had fought a battle they’d nearly lost, against a foe so deeply ingrained in his hatred that the only way to get through to him was smashing him through a building. Perhaps it was because Emil was next to him that he didn’t feel that way about it. “This is gonna be a rough trip.”
“Don’t worry, Emil. You’ve done a lot of good for the Corps.”
“Have I?” Wind blew past them, and Eddie noticed that his companion wasn’t floating off the ground. This was a serious issue for him. “I wanted to make up for what I did. For hurting you guys and getting my head so confused. I feel like all I’ve done is spin my wheels. I still don’t understand anything.”
Eddie felt like he should have known the exact thing to say in that moment. Should have spoken words to help Emil realize he had come at least some distance since that night. He couldn’t find the words, however, but he could clasp the boy’s shoulder, offering encouragement. Emil stopped his slumping, eyes trained on the horizon, to the tall skyscrapers that represented the Metropolis. Eddie followed that gaze, and an unfamiliar sensation welled up inside him. Like he was on the cusp of discovering something grand.
To that, he scoffed, just knowing how excited Meredith would be if she was here instead of him. He did wish he’d been able to tell her before they set off, but it moved so fast.
“Well, I might have an apology of sorts to make, but let’s talk about you,” Emil said, flipping his body around. He leaned against the railing now, smirking across at Eddie like he knew something. The boy had a guess at what that was. “You and Viv, huh? Not a pairing I’d have seen happening.”
“It…it was just dinner,” Eddie admitted, rubbing the back of his head. This was a conversation he’d never wanted nor intended to have, and he could feel his cheeks flushing, turning ruby red.
“Uh-huh. That’s how it starts.”
“Cut it out, Emil. We’re on a mission. We shouldn’t be having social talk.”
“Someone’s embarrassed!” Emil sang, never losing his teasing edge. “Hey, now that the stick’s out of her ass, Viv is a great catch. I’d presume, at least.”
“Wait, weren’t you two an item?” Eddie asked, hoping to divert the discussion as far away from him as possible. Emil was alarmed at the prospect.
“Has Mera been spreading that rumor? Because no way! We just had a very spirited rivalry.”
“Ah, isn’t that the way most relationships start, boys?” The heavy weight settled upon both of them without even realizing it was happening. Their personal space invaded, Jay’s face came close, looking a bit too smug for Eddie’s liking. The lieutenant was staring right at him, that sly look faltering for a second. Eddie wondered if, somehow, Jay knew that he and Vivian had been tracking him the day before. “Rivalries are the best way for a relationship to form. You know how our esteemed healer fell for the captain?”
“I don’t think I want to know…” Emil said, tossing a gag on the end. Eddie had to admit; Emil was a better actor than he was given credit for. There wasn’t a beat missed, and Jay didn’t suspect a thing. Not from his side, at least.
“Aw, don’t be a killjoy, Baroné. Live a little. How about you, Montgomery? Lacroix’s your sweetheart?”
“I-I wouldn’t call her a sweetheart. But she was fun to hang out with,” Eddie admitted. Feeling a little too warm for his liking, Emil tried to push away from the lieutenant and allow the whipping winds to cool him down. “She’s mellowed, and it’s nice to be around. It-it was just dinner. Though, we did talk about going out ag…again…”
“Very nice. I have a sweetheart, myself.”
“You do?” both boys asked. The incredulous look slipped on to Jay’s face, giving Eddie a chance to study him. Was it a lie? Or was there just a half-truth behind it? He didn’t know what to believe these days at all.
“You guys doubt me?! She’s in the Metropolis. We met after the Games, actually. She just couldn’t resist my charms. Works at Communications Tower, which is how we met and…” Jay’s babbling about his maybe-girlfriend continued on, but Eddie had stopped listening. Emil had, as well, the two looking to one another as surreptitiously as they possibly could. Was the man just using smoke and mirrors, a lie of terminology? His insistence on hanging around and speaking about it most certainly kept the suspicion mounting.
Only one idea kept it from blowing up into an interrogation, and was the one question Meredith, in her usual impulsivity, had never considered tasking them with. If Jay was the killer, what purpose did it serve?
Eddie could have come up with numerous answers, but had no time to delve into any of them before Emily arrived from within and slapped her subordinate from behind.
“Ouch! Em, you could’ve killed me!”
“Your head is thicker than that.” Jay took offense to his acting-captain’s insult, but Emily ignored his blustering to stand before her two interns, hands pinned behind her back. For any who doubted that she could lead Tempest Squad well, she had the stature and the commanding aura, having learned from the best, and both boys treated her with the respect that demanded. “Baroné, you’re with Bruce and Trent on this one, to Communications Tower. Commander Chavez has scheduled you on an interview to make up for your actions at the Games. Don’t be worried; I hear Chapman will be immensely fair.”
“Sounds like fun,” Emil said, his deadpan indicating it was all but that.
“Montgomery, you’re with me and Jay. We’ll meet up with Quake Squad outside Guardian Tower, along with a representative of the Home Guard. After we get information, we’ll determine the next course of action. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Eddie communicated. Emily smiled at him, quietly thanking him for his support on the matter. Jay looked disappointed, as if he wanted to go to the Communications Tower, himself, but Emily dragged him off and prevented further disgruntlement.
The Metropolis was already upon them, its gleaming skyscrapers as representative of the wild future as ever. There were less skyships streaking into its city, and from their distance, the stadium where the Alliance Games had taken place was repaired, but nowhere near as packed as it had been that day. The sight brought a frown to Eddie’s face.
For all the world had tried to return to normal, Rico’s statement had made a profound impact, and it could be felt in the nexus that was the Metropolis. The Defender began to descend.
“Hey, Emil, I’m sure it’ll be just fine.”
“Long as they don’t carry pitchforks, right?” The two boys clasped hands, each wishing the other luck while they walked back through their skyship. They reached the exit with the others as the skyship hissed, the engines cutting out upon landing in front of Guardian Tower.
Stepping out, however, led Eddie to a sight that he hadn’t expected.
“That is one sad look,” Sal said, her head shaking back and forth with the utmost disappointment. “It’s like no one even lives there anymore.”
Guardian Tower was as tall as ever, but looked all the lonelier. There were certainly Guardians there, but not the numbers that had once been in the Metropolis. No one could say for sure why, not from Eddie’s memory, but he knew it had to have been a combination of those who had fled following the incident with Rico, or a great many that were called back to base in light of all the recent events…and the shifting public sentiment. The biggest signs of that were the papers and posters plastered on the sides of buildings, larger and more numerous than they had ever been…if they had ever actually been.
Conversation had sparked between the landing party and the group of four that was already present at the base of Guardian Tower. In the corner of his eye, Eddie could see a head-hanging Emil being escorted by the well-spirited and back-slapping Bruce and Trent. Having no more wishes to give his friend, Eddie allowed himself to be distracted by the black poster that felt like it was dripping down one of the walls. There was little surprise in finding it to be some piece of propaganda for the Order.
“Those have been cropping up all over the place the last couple weeks. Most are ignored, but quite a few more listen than you’d think.” The feminine voice had Eddie turn his head, and his soft smile matched Brynn’s. They did nothing else to greet each other but stand side by side while Emily and Jay talked with Quake Squad. “How’ve you been, Eddie? Mera doesn’t talk much of you in our conversations.”
“Ah, I’m sure she has a lot on her mind. How about you?”
“Plenty on my mind, too. Not the least of which are these damn posters.” Brynn raised a hand, her fingers running down the length of the vinyl posters, every inch earning her disdain. “The Order has been off on their usual schtick, but it’s the people that concern me. With the staff at Guardian Tower getting smaller by the day, it can be hard to keep faith in the Corps. Even the Home Guard has gotten some backlash from the Games. Add that to all the conspiracy theories flying around and, well…”
“Sounds like a rough time,” Eddie said. He turned, and saw Emily waving him over. To that, he tapped Brynn’s shoulder and indicated he would follow her. “Let’s take care of some of that right now. I think it’s time we find the Order, huh?”
“I like the sound of that.” The two of them walked over to join with Emily and Jay, standing before the quartet.
“Montgomery, this is Quake Squad. They’re like our antithesis, including being under the commanders’ direct command,” Emily introduced the four. The one at the head, a gruff, older man, reached forth to take Eddie’s hand and shake it.
“We work localized, ground issues,” he explained, bristling. “To that, we’ve been drilling down on that information you guys dug up at that mining facility, and requested the Home Guard’s help. Finding information in the Metropolis has gotten more difficult of late.” The people walking by emphasized that in that very moment, Eddie found, casting looks of wariness to the gathered Guardians. He was sure they wouldn’t have shared kind words if he was close enough to listen.
“Mera asked me to keep an eye out for things, so Quake Squad’s request was a pretty easy one to fulfill,” Brynn said. She separated from Eddie to join near the quartet. “I think it might be best to talk inside, though. Wouldn’t want this kind of information to get where it shouldn’t.”
“Follow me,” the leader of Quake Squad said. He grunted with his movements, but led the way to the tower. The closer Eddie got, the colder it looked, and the more it made Eddie feel like such a small part of a much larger machine…even if that machine had grown utterly quiet.
Stepping inside, they fell into a hush. The front hall was empty, unless one counted the receptionist, but she seemed so busy that no one paid her much attention. The leader of Quake Squad certainly didn’t, bringing them over to a grouping of chairs, where a number of them sat. Not a single Guardian came through the hall, and nor did any businessmen or Lacardians. That was depressing to Eddie, but Brynn shoving a tablet across took up the rest of his attention.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Long before now, about a week after you guys left the Metropolis, the Order started getting more active,” the young woman informed them. Emily swiped the tablet and scrolled through the images and news sources. “Not enough to make the front page, but enough to be a nuisance. We’ve always had problems with the cultists, but it was always your blank slate evangelism of their goddess. This was different.”
“The Abyssal Blade…” Emily breathed out. “They’re putting out a bounty for one of the Legendary Weapons.”
“That’s no surprise,” Jay said. “That’s what led them to the mining facility in the first place, for all the good it did them. We routed whatever information they sent to the Metropolis.”
“Which is where our squad took over,” the Quake Squad captain spoke. “There wasn’t a lot to go off of. It seemed to be a Corps server, but after that, it split off to somewhere else in the city. In the end, that information could have gone anywhere. That’s where the Home Guard came in.”
Eddie watched the conversation, hanging on every word and parsing through it. More than once, his gaze lingered on Jay, wondering if he would show any strange reaction to the words in any way. He didn’t, not even to Brynn chiming in again.
“The bounty on the Abyssal Blade stirred plenty of interest, but in a place like the Metropolis, only a few sources are going to know what to do with it. So, I sent my boys to work, and we canvassed the streets,” the leader of the Home Guard said. She crossed her legs, leaning forward like it was a particularly juicy piece of gossip. “Only one area was taking any interest in that kind of information, and there were some other rumors. Rumors of a woman with earrings that rang like song posting the bounties, herself.”
“Was it one of those seedy underbelly types they say exist in cities?” Eddie asked without thinking. Brynn winked at him. He’d hit the nail on the head.
“Yes, Miss Taylor directed us right to where criminal contractors appeared to be getting their work…a place set up far too near to the tower here for comfort,” the Quake captain elaborated. He looked utterly displeased, a frown giving him thin lips. Realizing it, the man cleared his throat after his subordinates coughed. “One can only imagine they possibly listened in, or got their information from the inside.”
“Well, that’s a little silly. Are you accusing someone from inside the Corps of having put the job request out?” Jay said. He stood, his anger over the notion surprising all but Emily, who yanked him back down.
“Not in the slightest, lieutenant, but it explains quite a bit.”
“Did you get coordinates? Or a name? Anything would help, captain,” Emily stressed. Brynn bit her lip, and Eddie could see there was an answer she wanted to present to the group, but wasn’t sure if it held any water. The captain didn’t notice at all, though he sought to answer Emily’s question as swiftly as he could.
“A coordinate, yes. With the location of where the buzz was centralized, we raided the spot and found a hub of information, with signals being sent to and from,” the captain said. He leaned forward, his eyes flittering about, determining the best way of sharing the info. His subordinates said nothing, perfectly stoic and in line. “It took a couple days of explicitly searching through all sent there to find the information we were looking for. After that, we ran our reverse tracking. Where the information’s endpoint was…was here.”
He swiped across the screen, and brought up a map of the world. A few taps later, and it zeroed in on a very specific sight. Eddie blinked. “The middle of the ocean?”
“I very much doubt it’s that, but it would deter the less determined.” The captain sat back, his arms folded with all the gravitas he could muster behind his words. “We, unfortunately, lack the man and firepower needed for what could constitute a fool’s errand. It’s likely why Marcus and Commander Frigas elected Tempest Squad to take the mission…well, and Miss Taylor has her own suspicions.”
“My worry is for what the Order is planning, itself,” the woman said. Her olive-green eyes were squinting, drawing attention to the distorted freckles on her face. “They’ve gotten bolder. A mining facility. Lacardia was all over the news. With news of our raid spreading, I fear the Metropolis may be a target, as well. Plus, the rumor that tragedy has struck within the Corps…someone’s doing their hardest to spread misinformation, fear and division while gathering their own info for something.”
Emily eyed Brynn at her news of what had taken place within the Corps, and Quake Squad huffed a bit, but Eddie kept his eyes on Jay. The man offered no response, but to ask a single question of the pink-haired girl. “You think you know who it is?”
“I have my suspicions…Maria of the Renegades.” Eddie found his brow knitting with concentration over that prospect. It was true that the woman had disappeared, but it had been no different for Rico or Lovelia, and he very much doubted they would resort to such fearmongering tactics for their own gain, and certainly not in service of the Order. “It’s just a hunch. The woman has the ability to mimic magic, and transform into others. I’ve seen it firsthand. It’s very possible she was the one who put the initial orders out. With her ability, infiltrating any space would be a breeze.”
“Infiltration…of course…” Jay stood, alarming those in the vicinity. “I have to get to Communications Tower.”
“Why, Jay?” Emily asked of her subordinate. He didn’t look ready to answer, and Eddie stood, ready to intercept him if he attempted to flee. Quake Squad remained seated, their subordinates alarmed, but their captain taking back his own work by pushing buttons on his tablet.
Then, a tablet at Emily’s side beeped and she took it out, Bruce and Trent right on the front. Emil was nowhere to be seen, but the background showed they were at their intended location. “Uh, Captain Em, we have an issue. You might want to tune into the broadcast of Emil’s apology show.”
That was all they needed to say. Eddie glanced up, his and Brynn’s eyes meeting, and they both communicated something between them. The Order was making a move, indeed.
----------------------------------------
Meredith wasn’t happy. Nor was Vivian. It felt, to both, that they had been pulled off the A-team, being relegated into doing grunt work. Of course, Meredith would have told anyone who asked (not that anyone did) that she didn’t care if she had to do grunt work. It was more the principle of the whole thing, and Amelia’s abrasive attitude did little to make things better.
“Investigation is the cornerstone of a good Corps leader,” she had instructed them. Meredith believed the words at the time, but it made it little better. “Besides, we’re running low on information and most lack your intrepidness.”
“She could have just said ‘I want you out of the way’,” Vivian also replied when the duo was back on their way to the library. Never did Meredith think she would spend a length of time in a place lined with books and paper over a garage that smelled of grease and oil. “What exactly are we looking for?”
“I have no idea. Emil and I searched all night. You know what we found on Cynthia? A photo. That was it!”
“Maybe we should look into Jay. You know, protect the boys while they’re on mission…in case the guy’s a homicidal maniac.” Meredith had to hand the point to Vivian in that regard. She had been so focused, she hadn’t thought about checking records on their other target. Nodding at having a better game plan, now, Meredith increased the speed of their progression towards the library.
“You’re kidding, commander?!” They pulled short after hearing the echoing sounds of Raymond’s voice. In the empty halls on their level, it made it all the louder, and they peeked around the corner. “That’s really the rumor going around?!”
“Well, just a rumor.” Both froze up at the sound of Cynthia being the one to converse with Raymond. “I wouldn’t put stock in it, but as his captain, I thought it best to inform you, since Masters might come to question you, or your sister again.”
“I’m not his current captain, but thank you for the information, commander. Does that mean you’re running your own investigation?”
“One always needs to have a pulse on the rumor mill. It makes things effective while undercover. That’s how my old squad operates, too. I think even your sister would have the makings of that kind of position.” Hearing that from Cynthia brought Meredith no pride. Vivian tried pushing her along, wanting them to move towards the library, even if she wanted to stay and listen, herself. “Of course, she’ll need to complete the trials first, but Marcus has been eyeing her since…well, for a while.”
“I’m not surprised,” Raymond said, his response laced with chuckles. “My sister can be quite headstrong, but she’s…well, she’s young, I guess. Hasn’t yet learned to trust in the Corps and our commanders.”
“Mm, I can’t blame her. The current crop of Guardians isn’t making it easier. That rumor alone spells out their need for a scapegoat to sleep well at night. Sweep the issue under the rug. It’s no wonder Marcus has talked of restructuring for greater efficiency.”
“Well, he might not be too far off…”
This time, Vivian was successful. Whatever remaining conversation was taking place, they didn’t hear it, and Meredith began to think that was for the best. Her head was stuffed full of enough worries and nonsense to ruminate on any double-meanings in the commander’s words, or about whether her brother was angry at her. She wanted to take the positivity from it, but she instead circled around to what was said.
“Scapegoat, huh? Think it’s Jay they’re talking about?”
“Maybe. If it is, we’re not too far off the mark. Let’s see what we can find!” Her ferocity was noted, and Vivian looked wild when she pinned her hair and rolled her sleeves. Grateful for the enthusiasm, they pushed on to the shelves and lines of books that were stacked about.
The library was a bit more packed than usual, with a great many Guardians seated around tables. Summer was running the desk with a librarian, while Conrad instructed a group in the ways of magic. Many others huddled on newspapers or articles, and Meredith was curious if that was what had kickstarted these supposed rumors, or if something else was going on that she didn’t know about. Trusting in Brynn’s information, she figured that wasn’t the case, and she and Vivian approached Summer.
“Weren’t you just here an hour ago…?”
“I…like the library?” Meredith said in her blatant attempt to lie. Summer didn’t look like she believed her, but that was of no object to Meredith. “My stuff still here?”
“I had to bring it behind the desk,” the twin said, hauling out the messy stack.
“Some librarian, Summer. You couldn’t have organized it?” Vivian snapped. Summer regarded her with eyes and tone colder than even Commander Frigas could muster.
“I could reorganize your face, Vivian.”
“And we’ll be going. Thanks much, Summer!”
Meredith wheeled Vivian before the girl could retort, right back to the room she had sat in with Emil earlier. No one was there, allowing Meredith to dump all the reports and clippings across the table and set into work.
It was slow-going, if it was going at all.
“There’s nothing here!” Vivian shouted with exasperation. She looked ready to toss one of her articles, but stopped for fear that they’d shatter glass. “Ugh, why do Eddie and Emil get the fun assignment while Amelia has us pushing paper?”
“To be fair, Emil’s been the one pushing a mop the last month.” Vivian snorted, and Meredith joined her, both finding it far funnier than they should have. “I get it, though…for a Corps, it keeps surprisingly little records. Most of the stuff about Jay is his background: northern fishing town, did well in his trials, served in the prison himself, but that was years ago. Everything else is from his time on Tempest Squad.”
“If anything, it does prove he knows how the prison works.”
“Him and about a hundred or more other Guardians. You see the rotational staff there.” Vivian hummed her recognition of that fact. Getting nowhere, Meredith leaned back in her chair, her head hitting the glass that rattled. “There has to be something…somewhere…”
Vivian shrugged her shoulders, and started to go through the papers for yet another cycle. It was an exercise in futility, but Meredith didn’t stop her. She did space out, however, staring into the heart of the library without seeing what was really there. Not much time passed and Meredith found herself nodding off, until the blur that was Summer walked past and she snapped awake, her chair legs hitting the floor with a loud enough thud that Vivian jumped.
“What’s wrong with you, Mera? Could’ve given me some kind of heart attack…wait, where are you-?”
“We might not find anything in the present, but if whoever killed Gaius is working for the Order, knowing a little more about the past could help, too, right? They’re always after artifacts.” No argument could made against that, and Meredith dashed from the room, right for the area that Summer had pointed out earlier that morning. Conrad watched her run past before turning back to those with him, but she ran right up to the row of shelves that had a nicely laminated plaque on them reading “Golden Age History”. In her excitement, Meredith pulled the first few books she could find that spoke of the Corps’ own history and rushed them back to Vivian.
“What do you think you’ll find, anyway?”
“No idea.” But she was filled with excited anticipation, nonetheless. Taking the first book, quite simply titled “The Corps and the Age of Legends”, Meredith cracked it open. The dust that came off it made her cough, indicating that it hadn’t been opened in quite some time, the last checkout date a number of years ago by an unfamiliar captain. Vivian pushed away from the table and resumed laughing at her dusty state, but Meredith just turned pages over, combing through them for some truth. There was no wonder that modern day Guardians hadn’t even touched this kind of book, its words a bunch of dry drivel that read like a history book rather than any thrilling tale that Meredith could have expected. It wasn’t until she found a very familiar symbol in one of its pages that she knew she could get some mileage out of it. “Isn’t this Crea’s symbol?”
“Mm, looks like it. What’s that about?” Vivian asked.
Before answering, Meredith took the time to peruse the contents of the page, taking in the little notes. “Huh, looks like at the Corps’ founding, worship of Crea was actually just starting to fall out of favor. It was pretty prevalent up to that point.” More flipping of pages, and the symbol of the Corps appeared. “The six trials are meant to symbolize the six elements found in nature…and the twin swords are a reference to the seventh Weapon…”
“What?” Vivian clumsily moved her chair around the edge of the room to peruse the book alongside Meredith. “Does that mean the Weapons are tied with the very foundation of the Corps itself?”
“Nothing like that is stated here, but it does seem implied that at one time, the Corps had control of all seven,” Meredith pointed out, tapping the passages where she could locate that information. Vivian moved the book, scanning the words before her. “Bet you they made the decision to split them up for safety.”
“The way this reads, it almost seems like the Corps was the one behind the formation of the Weapons to protect from that great evil. Says their leader was the one who decided to split them up just after they were formed, though it doesn’t say why.” Vivian blew some more dust off the page, squinting at a very specific piece of text that was presenting itself to her. “Ah, no, not just the Corps’ leader at the time. The Corps’ founder made that decision.
“Apparently, he was some guy named Terrill Jacobs.”
Meredith felt the world turn on its side.