Clanging and buzzing from streams of electricity lined a long dark chamber, where a shadowy figure in a long black hood. From the darkness beneath his hood, to bright white dots shined brightly, casting beams across wherever it pointed at. Each step he took sent pulses of energy through the building, sending streaks of lights that ran through channels that powered the entire facility. Every step was like a heartbeat that pulsed, with him being the heart that fed the chamber around him.

Approaching a deadend, the walls and ground shook as he neared it. Through his will, walls spread apart and opened up to a newly formed hallway, and kept opening the further he walked that direction. From behind, walls closed in his wake as he walked ominously forwards.

The walls opened up into a new chamber, a low round and metallic pedestal stood. From this pedestal, a different source of energy emitted from a small round coin that spun rapidly. It glowed the exact color as the hooded figure's eyes, and reacted to his calm approach. Like a giddy child happy of its parents homecoming.

Waving his hand over the spinning coin, a spark shot from his palm onto the coin. A bright beam was shot upwards from the pedestal, casting the figure’s shadow across the room against the wall. From the center of the beam, lines began to intertwine and come together making all sorts of shapes. The shapes came together and made complicated forms, and within moments a ghostly transparent human form was made.

The apparition looked across the room, but could not see anything. It was impeded by the human figure from being able to see or sense anything, it flayed arms around trying to feel for anything. Hands groped to grab onto something, desperately trying to feel for a physical material to press its small hands against.

“You’ve felt something, haven’t you Enigma?” The figure rasped.

Sparks emitted from every syllable he uttered, but to the apparition, all it could here was a deceptively calm and clean speech.

“Please, let me go!” The static apparition warbled. “I don’t want to do this anymore, let me die, you got what you wanted.”

“Have you ever started a business?”

Enigma responded hastily. “No, let me go. No more stories. No more, I had enough.”

The spinning coin shot streams of electricity through the pedestal, which caused Enigma to howl in pain. It fell to its knees, wrapping arms around its abdomen, wheezing in pain from the energy that burned it from the inside out.

“As I was saying before being rudely interrupted. A boss pays their workers a fee, may it be the cold greens bills that the world over glorifies, or some sort of exchange that satisfies the worker. The expectancy that the two should have a satisfactory outcome that benefits them both. However, it is the boss that should be the most satisfied, not the worker. If the employees work is unsatisfactory, he is a burden and done away with. A newer and more worthwhile employee comes along, taking the place of the now worthless worker. Are you seeing what I am leading at?”

Enigma failed to respond fast enough between its coughing, still affected by assault moments ago.

He sighed.

Closing eyes, as if he had false remorse for what he had to do. Waving a hand over the ring, another stream of electricity was sent coursing through Enigma. Another episode of howling occurred, sending Enigma toppling over its side.

“I know you heard me, I designed my pods to directly link me into your mind. Don’t make me repeat myself, answer me.”

“It just happened, it had nothing to do with me. An extension of me is out there, but it is not me. I can’t explain what it is, all I can say is that it is tainted.”

“Interesting. Let’s verify and validate your claims. An unusual preposition, but I can’t discredit your claims without fact checking them.”

Raising both hands over the pedestal, he gently grasped at the air and sparks emitted from his hands into the ring. Drawing out to other holograms that emitted from the beam of light, he set two wavelengths side-to-side in comparison to each other. Pressing his two hands together, the two images brought atop of each other to see if it mismatched at any section.

Pressing the key points of the wavelengths image, red marks showed parts that did not overlap each other.

“Very well, you have merit to what you’re saying. What we saw today was not a subtle breach of your particular wavelength, but it does raise some curious mysteries. According to the graph, it was your energy, but inferior. Remnant of your energy in someone’s possession perhaps?” He explored, half to himself.

“I-I can’t remember, it was some other time. Another life.”

“Don’t even bother trying, Enigma. According to my data, it is 20% inferior. I’d dare and venture in saying this was 5 or even 6 years ago. But who could possibly have remnants of your powers from so long ago?”

He rubbed his chin. A curious occurrence. At least it does not mean I need to terminate her again. This does not provide any clarity, however, if anything, a greater mystery.

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“Enigma, my dear. Could you, perchance, pinpoint where this was coming from?”

“I don’t know.” It clasped its mouth, realized it made a mistake. “No, I can try. No please.” It pleaded desperately.

“I’m afraid that is far too little and far too late, your initial responses always speak louder than mewling cries you form afterwards.”

“NO!”

It outstretched an arm, the hologram went right through his face. He did not even flinch from her reaction, it was just an apparition from her own mind and his linked together after all. Turning around away, he left from the pedestal that powered down. The beam dwindled and died, and the human form distorted then broke apart.

Six years ago. He pondered as he stepped towards the wall that widened from his approach.

Streams of light coursed through the glowing and living walls, and beams from his eyes shone the path he walked upon. Arms behind his hunched back, he thought deeply and tried to remember any particular events from five or six years ago that had any relevance to enigma.

An inkling thought popped up, remembering one of his prized possessions that he had lost from that long ago. That sent him to desperate measures when he failed to recapture what was his, he had thought that incidentally it was completely destroyed from his careless desperation

It couldn’t possibly be, surely she would have made an appearance sooner than now. What would have changed? Reality can’t be that cruel and ironically generous. Perhaps I should give my friends at Foundation another call, it has been a while after all.

Electricity bounced from the walls and him as he trekked through the long hallways hunched over, a ringing sound echoed in the chambers. A phone call rang in the darkness, he was trying to get in touch with one of his contacts. Someone picked up the line after four rings.

“What?” A deep rough voice yelled.

“General Tombs, is that how you always respond to your assets?”

A gulp.

“My apologies, I did not recognize the number.” A hushed apologetic voice, he excused himself from a room to get more privacy. Attentive back to the phone call. “Besides, I thought something might’ve happened to you, since it’s been over a year that Cavalry last responded.”

“I accept your apology, as for Cavalry, it is my concern and mine’s alone. You function as my extension and that is all that you must know.”

“Of course, of course. And I am appreciative of your aid, my career endeavors greatly flourished under our engagements.” The general said.

“Flattery gets you nowhere with me General, there is a purpose to this call and it has nothing to do with idle-chatter.” The hallway opened up to another chamber, a lot like to where he was in before.

An elevated platform with a meshed chair waved mesmerizingly in the air, a force hummed kept it afloat. The hooded figure walked up the steps and rested on the chair, airborne as static charges bounced between him and the floor.

“Of course.” Tombs cleared his throat. “Is there another target you have available for us?”

“Yes, there is something I need you to verify for me. I am sending you the location to your phone right.”

Sparks emitted from his body, a hologram overlaid him in the form of a woman. A stronger connection was made between his mind and Enigma who he moments ago was conversing with, he made use of her powers to pinpoint a specific spot from where it had come from. A blip popped up in his mental map of the world, it zoned in on the western world, further narrowing on the panama canal. Suddenly it rolled further northwards and then the signal cut off, ending at the barrier to the Valle de Muerto.

No wonder the signal was weak, a miracle that Enigma even felt it to begin with.

“It should be on your phone now, Tombs.”

A moment passed. “Yeah, I see it. Wait, this can’t be right? This is a reserved badland.”

“I am fully aware of that General, that is why I want you to scout it ahead of me. My assets are far more valuable than what you could ever unfathomably be. Send in vultures, if anything is found, bring it to my attention without delay.”

“Vultures? Those are our most valuable units, do you know what you are asking of me?”

“I know precisely what I am asking for, that is why I am making this demand. Has a year of loafing made you dull? These are not requests, if you can’t meet them, then I simply go elsewhere.”

“But...” He started.

The robed figure interrupted. “I see Elijah is doing well, I can see him working hard on his university studies. He takes more after his mother, if I have to be honest.”

The phone was being gripped tightly, sending rubbing sounds through the mic.

“Don’t you dare lay a finger on my son?”

Ignoring the general. “Seems like the wife is preparing chicken pot pie for dinner, it looks delicious by the way. You’re a very fortunate man to have such a splendid wife. Oh, where’s my manners, I am afraid my thoughts took hold of my tongue, how awfully inconsiderate of my part.”

“Listen here, you-”

“I’d be careful with what I say next general, the next words better be along the lines of ‘you will get what you need’. Unless you want me to pay a visit towards you wife and share a meal, right after I help your son with his studies, of course.” His voice turned crisp cold, full of clear menace in his intentions.

A brief pause. “You want it, you got it. Let me make a few calls and I will do just so. Is that all Static?”

“That will be all.”

Static hung up the call on him and slipped his mind into Enigma’s body, he stumbled forwards in the body he took over. Long threads of electricity sparked between the body and the walls of the chamber, the threads became finer and finer until they became like strings attached to a puppet. Pressing arms against the ground, he lifted himself back up.

Still imperfect, seems like I still have to stick with influence over control. Damn you Grusha, if only you hadn’t been so stubborn.

Slipping his mind back into his own body again, he directed his influence over Enigma, directing her what her orders were to be when the time came.

How fate can be so twisted, one moment all is gone and the next it taunts me. If you still live in Grusha, that would be most fortunate indeed.