When I close my eyes, the Saybaro is there.

I hear the trickling of the river, the whispering of the wind through the long grass and the leaves of the ancient oak tree. I feel the warmth of the suns on my face, the tickling of many small fish nibbling harmlessly at my toes as my feet float in the strangely warm water of the river. I smell the fresh country air and the sweet scent of the local wildflowers in bloom.

In my mind’s eye, I can picture everything with perfect clarity: the looming mountains, the sweeping plains, the remnants of the stone tile path surrounding the single tree in front of the dilapidated mansion I call home. More than anything, however, I see my bridge.

Although sturdy enough for use, the simple construct of wood and stone had begun to show signs of its age. One side of the once elegant whitewood railing had long since broken, the other wobbled in the wind. The boards creaked under my weight and vivacious ivies had laid claim to the ancient stone supports. The ivy blooms in the late months of summer, covering the bridge with lovely blue and purple flowers.

It was on a warm summer day some years ago that I sat beneath the shade of the tree that stood between my home and my bridge, my attention caught in a book on the Streamer Arts. After marking my place in my book and setting it on one of the broken tiles near the old tree, I turned to face my target: a cardboard box marked with the logo of the Zuen Mega-corporation. I took Glint, the battered ancestral sword of the Sakamota family, in both hands and closed my eyes.

I cleared my mind and focused on the sound of my breath. With each exhalation, the world around me faded away until all that was left was the sound of my breathing. I had done this hundreds of times; meditation was and is still a part of my daily routine.

As I held onto my mental focus, a stream of energy blew across my skin and through my hair like a warm breeze. This I knew to be the lifestream, the constant flow of life and magic that flows from Vinta.

The first stream was then joined by a second, faint at first, but gradually coming into focus. This one I knew well: it was the tree behind me, its stream old but comforting.

I gradually became aware of other streams from my surroundings; the river, the mountains that surrounded the Saybaro, and even the ivies on the bridge. I could even feel the flow coming from Glint, its stream like that of an old friend.

It was my own stream that I felt last, and with it came a renewed awareness of all the others; at that moment, I could see the Saybaro as if my eyes were open.

Slowly, I reached out with my mind and pulled the separate streams into my own. As more and more energy poured into me, I could feel my own aura grow stronger. Opening my eyes, I saw the blue and green wisps of energy encircling my body. I shifted my mental focus to Glint, willing the wisps of energy into ancient blade.

As the last few wisps of energy gathered in my katana, I felt the sense of anticipation that had been growing inside me reach a peak. Without a moment’s hesitation, I swung Glint at the box, sending out a wave of prismatic light that hit the box dead center, sending it flying as though someone had given it a good kick.

I watched with mild surprise as the box spun high in the air, soared past my bridge, arced downward, and eventually bounced off the head of a familiar man in an old-fashioned tunic and a golden band embroidered with the insignia of the Royal Family of Iniagus around his right arm, indicating his rank as the esteemed Mox Wazoo, leader of the Royal Guard and one of King Liegan’s chief advisors … and my boss.

Wincing, I rushed toward the bridge. “By the Creator! Are you okay, sir?”

He laughed as he handed me back the box. “No harm, no foul, Jimmy.”

I offered him my hand, but he ignored it, clapping me companionably on the shoulder instead.

“It’s been much too long.” He glanced me over for a moment before asking, “New duds?”

Tugging at my black silk shirt, I said, “This is a keikogi.” Patting my black satin, billowy pants, I continued, “And this is a hakama. I imported them from Earth.”

“Well, it’s a good look for you, especially with your dark skin. I gotta say though, it makes your hair look almost completely white. By the creator, if it weren’t for your gray eyes, I wouldn’t believe you’re the same kid who showed up in the palace over a decade ago with that battered old sword.”

“Katana.” I corrected him, my hand brushing against Glint’s hilt. “It’s called a katana.”

“Still fascinated with that old Earth culture, eh?” Devon shook his head, smiling.

“A trained samurai with nothing but his blade can take down a troop of soldiers armed with energy rifles.” I said, “I’m still a novice, but I can demonstrate if you want.”

“Er, no thanks, Jimmy.” He reflexively put a hand to his head. “I think my ears are still ringing from last time.”

“As you wish.” Gesturing to the mansion behind me, I asked, “May I offer you a drink?”

“Far be it from me to refuse your hospitality.” He replied, clapping me on the back again as we crossed my bridge and walked toward the mansion that had been my home for the preceding thirteen years.

According to official Wenapajian record, the Saybaro Mansion was over three-thousand years old. Built from wood, stone, and steel by a nobleman of the same name, the mansion had three floors that extended into the surrounding mountains and a deep basement. Back in the day, it was home to over three-hundred people: friends, family, and servants of the long departed Saybaro family. By the time I arrived, however, the third floor had collapsed making the second floor unusable as well, and only a few rooms on the first floor were still livable.

Of course, that was thirteen years ago. As I pushed open the double mahogany doors, Devon let out a low whistle.

“Damn, Jimmy.” He said, staring around the restored foyer, “You have been busy, haven’t you?”

The lobby floor was a collage of mismatched, multi-colored tile I had scavenged from around the Saybaro. The only furniture to speak of was the old grandfather clock against the back wall, which had been there since I first arrived. Wide, sweeping staircases circled up the walls of the lobby up to the sealed doors on the second and third floors.

Devon seemed impressed despite the lack of furnishings. “If I ever need to redecorate, I’m definitely gonna give you a call.”

I bowed me head respectfully at the compliment. “Still a work in progress, of course; I’ve only just started clearing out the second floor.”

“So the first floor’s done?”

“For the most part, but-“

“Well there you go!” Devon said. “Impressive work, especially out here in the middle of nowhere. Where did you get the materials, anyway?”

“Scavenging the ruins.” I told him. “And through the Weave. I found a good wood supplier that was willing to deliver.”

“I’ll see about getting you some compensation on that.” Devon said, still looking around. “You are restoring a national monument.”

“Any assistance would be appreciated, though not expected.” I told him. “After all, this is my home. Shall we go to the kitchen?”

My kitchen was a moderate-sized room with a black-and-gray tiled floor. A counter ran around the entire room, on which rested about a dozen cooking devices I had ordered throughout the years.

As Devon sat down at the table in the center of the room, I pulled two mugs from a cabinet and filled them both with some of the green tea I brewed to go with my lunch.

As I handed him a mug, he commented, “Nice shot with the box, by the way. How long have you had the Streamer talent?”

“Hard to say.” I replied, sitting beside him, “I only realized myself last winter. I was in the middle of my daily meditation when I opened my eyes and saw Glint levitating in front of me.”

Devon laughed. “I can see how that got your attention.”

I smiled, not mentioning that Glint had fallen almost instantly once I broke focus, landing point-first only inches away from my leg.

Shaking my head, I asked, “So, how has it been?”

He shrugged. “Same ol’, same ol’. One new thing, though; my oldest boy just joined the Royal Guard.”

“Really? I’m sure you’re very proud.”

“Oh, I am. He’s a bit timid, but he’ll make a good guard.”

“I’m sure he will. He’s your son, after all.”

Devon chuckled appreciatively, though there was a slightly uncomfortable tone in his voice I couldn’t help but notice.

“You aren’t here for the tea, are you?” I asked, lowering my mug.

He let out a sigh. “I’m afraid not. I’ve got orders for you from King Iniagus.”

“Truly?” I said, curiosity piqued, “What does His Majesty want with me?”

“Hang on a sec.” After a few moments of digging through his pockets, Devon produced a folded piece of paper. “On this, the thirteenth day of the third month of summer, in the Creator’s year of 77645, the presence of Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, blue-rank of the Royal Guard of Wenapaj is requested at the Royal Palace by his most benevolent, wise, and honorable royal highness, King Geraldo Iniagus the XXVII.”

 “Do you know what this is about, Devon?” I asked.

He shook his head. “He would only tell me that it was of the utmost importance that I bring you to him immediately. I tried to get more information, but-”

Devon suddenly choked on his tea. Concerned, I asked, “Are you all right?”

 “Bathroom.” He muttered before heading toward the door on the right.

“It’s not that way.” I warned him, but he was already gone.

Shaking my head, I cleaned the mugs and put them in their proper places. As I poured the remaining pot of green tea into a pitcher and set it in my refrigerator, I considered what the King’s new orders would entail.

While I had no desire to leave my posting permanently, the idea of leaving the Saybaro for a short time was worth considering. I hadn’t been near civilization for ages. It would be nice to see Yesrej again. Perhaps I could take the opportunity to pick up a few things for the mansion.

It didn’t seem likely that Devon would be back in the near future, so I decided to go ahead and gather a few supplies for the trip. Nothing overwhelming, of course; just an overnight bag in case it took a little longer to get back than I expected.

As I crossed the tiled floor of the lobby, I caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye and quickly spun about to face whatever it was.

For just an instant, I thought I saw a shadow beneath the western stairwell, eyes glinting in the darkness. When I walked around the stairwell, however, I found nothing but an empty cardboard box filled with old books I recovered from the remains of the second floor library. I concluded that it had merely been a trick of light; perhaps it was one of the cats that had a tendency to sneak into the mansion. It wouldn’t have been the first time I received a nasty shock from one of the mouse-hunting feline vagrants.

Shaking my head, I continued across the lobby and pushed through the doors that led to the west wing of the mansion. I had done more work in the west wing than in any other part of the Saybaro, mostly because my own living quarters were located there.

There were doors on either side of the corridor. The doors were unlabeled, save for the fifth door on the right: room 113.

Room 113 was my room, and had been the only livable room in the mansion when I first arrived. Despite my fascination with the culture that had inspired the samurai and my family blade, my room was much like the room I had back when I lived in Rimstak.

I walked around on the fluffy, dark blue carpeting, enjoying the feel of it tickling between my toes. My bed was still unmade; the comforter lay in a heap on the floor and the pillows rested on my desk. My previous day’s clothes were hanging off the edge of my computer monitor.

I approached my bookshelf. Pushing aside various science fiction and fantasy novels, I picked up a small box no bigger than my fist. It was just a simple wooden box, but tourist who had given it to me in exchange for a room for the night assured me that no one other than myself would ever be able to open or break it. While that claim was debatable, I nevertheless used the box for my most precious of possessions; things that could never be replaced.

As I opened its lid, I found myself staring at the picture of a man and a woman hugging each other. Both tall and thin, the man had gray eyes and light blonde hair while the woman had a slightly darker complexion and stark-black hair. They were smiling; the picture had been taken shortly after they had been married.

They were my parents. It was the only picture I had of them; most of our family possessions had been destroyed during the Corruption that had claimed their lives.

Just beside their picture was another, this one drawn and colored by my own hand. It was of Uncle Ann, the Rimstakken who had raised me after the death of my parents. Her curly red hair hung just past her neckline, and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle even in my drawing. I had even added a smudge of grease on her cheek, as that was how I always remembered her.

Shaking my head, I rifled through the bottom of the box. Most of it was, admittedly, junk that I just didn’t want to throw away: a few pretty stones I had found in the river, a pressed flower I had gotten from an old girlfriend in Rimstak, a small device I had made under Uncle Ann’s tutelage that did absolutely nothing aside from making an annoying chirping noise.

Beneath all the junk, however, was something I valued above everything else, even Glint. I pulled it from the box and held it in cupped hands.

It was my mother’s wedding pendant, a heart-shaped piece of amethyst held in a tangle of golden wire. It didn’t necessarily bring back happy memories, but it was the only thing I had of my parents other than Glint and the picture.

I reluctantly set the pendant back into the box and grabbed the blue armband for which I had been searching. Iniagus was very lax in regard to uniform codes, but the armband was required. It not only marked me as a member of the Royal Guard, but also indicated my rank.

It took more time to find my backpack than it did to actually pack. I packed some clothes, my journal, and had just shoved a handful of shards into the side pouch when I heard Devon’s voice in the outside hallway. It was too muffled to make out, but he sounded like he was arguing with someone.

As I opened the door, I heard him say, “… back to Iniagusville before-”

“Excuse me?” I said, closing the door behind me.                                  

Devon jumped, his arms inexplicably outstretched toward the door to the Lobby. “By the Creator! Don’t scare me like that, Jimmy! I don’t have any heart problems, and I’m not looking to find any!”

“My apologies, Devon. I had no intention of-”

“No, it’s fine. You just startled me, that’s all. I was just having a word with one of the King’s Shadows.” He tapped his earpiece meaningfully.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. She’s just a bit further from her post that I would’ve liked, that’s all.” Rubbing his hands together, he said, “Ready to go?”

“You bet.” I hefted my pack. “Let’s head out.”

 

 

2: Chapter 2 - Catch a Ride

After shutting off the lights and locking the front doors, Devon and I left the mansion. As we reached the far side of my bridge, I couldn’t help but turn back to the Saybaro. My gaze slowly swept across everything; the bridge, the river, the mansion, the oak tree. I let every detail etch itself into my mind.

“Jimmy?” I felt Devon’s hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Let’s go. Where’s your floater?”

Devon shook his head, saying, “The king’s been a bit stingy with issuing vehicles lately. I took the autocab to Salutier before walking here.”

I glanced down at his dusty boots and pant legs. “I believe it. I guess the next stop’s Salutier.”

As we walked the five-hour hike to the nearest town, Devon shared some of the recent gossip from the palace. He mentioned names I wasn’t familiar with, situations that I didn’t understand, but it was interesting nonetheless. Occasionally, the conversation turned to a more political nature, but never for long. Vinta had known peace since before my birth, and Wenapaj was small enough to avoid the usual harmless squabbling amongst the nations.

During the conversation, he often spoke of a red-rank guard named Sera. From the way he spoke of her, I gathered she was training under him. Apparently she had beaten him at a recent tournament held specifically for the Royal Guard. I was somewhat annoyed and disappointed that I hadn’t been invited to participate, though I was careful not to let it show.

He was taking me through a blow-by-blow account of the fight for the third time when we finally reached the edge of Saluteir.

To this day, Saluteir is a small farming community surrounded with fields of waving trabia grain and patches of thorny nellberries. While technically a town, it’s really not much more than a small collection of farmers. The residents live in basic wood and plaster homes, most of which looked identical save for a few small elements and the occasional coat of paint.

A floater rental station was just inside the town, a large spinning sign proclaiming the name of the establishment, ‘The Rigger’s Folly Floateryard’.

It was a good thing the sign was there, as it didn’t look like a floater rental station as Devon and I approached. There was only one floater in the entire yard, and it was being repaired by a Galden woman with red hair kept in a long braid. She had a datajack in her neck with a wire running through the window of the floater, presumably attached to the computer interface inside. Her overalls and the smudges of grease on her cheeks reminded me strongly of Uncle Ann.

As we approached, she peered over her shoulder at us. With a lopsided grin, she called back, “Sorry, gents. Most of my stock is out for mandatory company upgrade, and this old rust bucket ain’t going nowhere.”

I walked over and crouched down beside her. “What’s wrong?”

She sat back with a sigh. Wiping the sweat from her brow with a dirty rag, she said, “It’s the damn retro-thruster. It keeps flashin’ on an’ off, an’ makes the whole damn floater spin around.”

I walked around to the back of the car. The hood had already been raised, revealing a small stream engine that was currently non-functional. I quickly identified the retro-thruster and yanked it off with both hands.

“Hey!” She protested, “Whaddya think yer doin’?”

Turning the thruster unit over, I saw the problem immediately. “Ah, there’s the problem. The connection pins have corroded.”

“Huh.” She said, looking at the corroded pins. “But why would that stop the engine from starting?”

“Safety feature.” I said, glancing over the floater. “Common in the Cresste-models, especially those manufactured in Rimstak. If the onboard computer detects a backup system is non-functional, it won’t allow the engine to start.”

“But it’s just the retro-rockets. The main drive and the backup generator would have to fail for it to be needed. How often does that happen.”

I looked at her, uncertain if she was joking. When it was clear she wasn’t, I coughed and said, “Let’s just say you’d understand if you grew up in Rimstak and leave it at that. Do you have a scrubber?”

“Uh, I think so. Hang on a sec.” She disconnected from the car and ran into a nearby shed.

I blew the dirt out of the old unit, and checked for other problems while I waited for her to come back.

“I didn’t know you were a Tekker.” Devon said, leaning against the side of the floater.

I grinned at him. “Like I said, raised in Rimstak. You can’t live there for any number of years and not pick up a few things.”

The mechanic exited the shed and hurried over with the scrubber. “You sure this will work?”

I nodded, taking it from her. “It’ll be fine. See where the metal’s turned bronze? Cyclide alloys do that when they lose their conductivity, but only on the outside. Scrape it clean, and it’ll be as good as new.”

“Whaddya think caused it?” She asked curiously.

“Probably just use and exposure to air through small cracks in the casing.” I finished grinding away the last fleck of bronze from the three connector pins and handed the scrubber back. “Could you bring me some grease, preferably something with an anti-rusting agent?”

She pulled the caulk gun from the holster on her hip and tossed it to me. I put a small amount on each pin and smeared it over the exposed metal. “There! That should keep it from degrading for a while. Okay, let’s see if that did it.”

After I replaced the retro-thruster module, she jacked into the floater and closed her eyes in concentration. A few moments later, the small engine flared to life.

“Nice!” She said, grinning at me as she disconnected from the floater, “Here I was looking for a software problem. What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Jimmy Olsen Sakamota. I’m glad I could help.”

She grabbed my hand and gave it a shake as she said, “Nice to meet you, Jimbo. I’m Meryli Grange.”

She tossed me a somewhat clean towel. As I wiped my hands, she asked, “I don’t reckon I’ve seen you before, Jimbo. You from around here?”

I folded the towel so the grease was on the inside and handed it back to her. “I’m from the Saybaro.”

Meryli seemed thunderstruck by this. “Creator’s underpants! You actually live in that place?”

With a questioning glance at Devon, I said, “Yes ma’am. I’ve lived there for over a decade.”

After a quick glance around the yard to make sure no one else was nearby (though only the Creator knows who she expected to see), Meryli said in a hushed tone, “Granma Fauna went there as a little girl, playing hide-and-seek with her friends. She said she heard voices speaking in the basement. When they went to look, they were chased away by a ghost of a young woman who died there ages ago.”

“Ha!”

Devon’s sudden laugh made us both jump. “Ghosts! Jimmy, you’ve been there for thirteen years. Ever see anything like what she’s describing?”

“I’m afraid not.” I said, hoping Meryli wouldn’t be offended. “Perhaps the spirit passed on in the intervening years.”

From the offended look she gave me, my attempt to placate her failed. “Fine. Believe what you will then. It’s no skin off my nose.”

“So, can we rent the floater?” Devon asked, smirking.

She nodded curtly to the unit I had just helped repair. “Go ahead and take that one. I won’t charge ya this time since the gent helped fix ‘er.”

I couldn’t help but watch her as she stomped back to her office. I thought she might be angry at me until she turned back and gave me a wink. I glanced briefly at Devon, feeling that he had intentionally provoked her but I was too polite to say anything.

It wasn’t a fancy floater, but the seats were well cushioned and the radio worked. As we prepared to leave, Devon cleared his throat and said, “You haven’t seen or heard anything, have you?”

“Nothing comes to mind. Why? Is there something I should know?”

He shook his head. “Nah, it’s nothing.”

Neither of us spoke for the next hour. The dirt path surrounded by crops slowly became an asphalt highway with billboards and eventually other floaters. I even saw a few automobiles on the road, doubtlessly imported from Earth and refitted with Vintan technology. Instead of spewing smoke, they let out the wispy greenish-blue energy of recycled lifestream. Devon steered the car above the traffic to avoid the worst of it and swiftly returned to the ground.

“Bunch of nonsense.” Devon muttered derisively.

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s nothing, really.” Noticing my continued gaze, he sighed. “Look, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now. There’s no easy way to say this, but the Saybaro was built by the Glyche.”

I could tell from both his tone and the way he kept glancing at me that he was worried how I’d take the news. He needn’t have bothered.

 “According to rumors, the mansion was a cover for a Glyche facility.” He quickly added, “Of course, it’s been searched and scanned hundreds of times, and no evidence was ever found of their being anything beneath the mansion other than the basement.”

Looking at Devon, I asked, “Was that why Iniagus posted me there?”

“I doubt it. He may have been aware of the rumors, but even so …” He suddenly let out a laugh. “If he really suspected there was a Glyche facility beneath there, he’d have sent more than one fledgling samurai to guard it. No offense, of course. No, the mansion is technically under his domain, he just wanted someone there so everyone else would know it.”

That wasn’t particularly comforting, but I didn’t say so out of politeness. He was my commanding officer, and it wasn’t his fault after all.

3: Chapter 3 - Iniagusville

My memories of the city were rather limited; my first visit had been brief, and most of the city had been covered with various signs of construction. As such, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.

I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sight of gleaming silver skyscrapers that seemed to stretch impossibly high into the sky. Thousands of floaters flew over and through the city, looking like a swarm of flies from a distance.

The only thing that seemed strange was the absence of Iniagus’s palace. As memory served, it used to be in the center of the city, but all I saw there was a massive chain that seemed to trail into the clouds. I tried to see if it was attached to something, but the clouds obscured my vision.

The city wasn’t all high-tech. There were several areas we passed that had a distinctly different style: A small cluster of trees linked with a spider-web of bridges used by idestans, a homey-looking set of suburban houses and apartment complexes that most Shoran tribes prefer, and even a few environmental enclosures like those in Ronisgald, no doubt hiding larger living areas beneath the ground.

As we neared the edge of the city, Devon advised, “Better put on your seat belt; traffic can be a bit rough around here.”

He wasn’t joking; not ten minutes after our floater took to the sky, a freight floater nearly rammed into our side. Devon pulled on the controls, swearing loudly as he barely avoided the collusion. “Damn freight cars! Think they own the skies!”

As I watched people on the streets below us, a sudden shudder jolted my attention back to the floater, where Devon was still struggling to regain controls.

“Devon?” I asked, worried.

“I’m having a little trouble here.” He said as he tried to steady the floater to no avail. “Engines faltering; emergency retro-thrusters are firing, but they’re not enough to keep us in the air.”

“So much for the safety redundancy.” I muttered as the floater lurched from side to side erratically, as though trying to escape from Devon’s control. Glad I had taken his advice about strapping myself in, I asked, “Can you get us to the ground?”

“At this point, I think we’re gonna end up on the ground one way or the other.” He said through clenched teeth.

The floater descended rapidly, a cloud of green-blue smoke billowing from the exhaust port. It fell erratically through the air as the stream engine flickered on and off.

Without warning, the steering handles tore themselves from Devon’s hands and reintegrated into the console.

“What in Nocturnes?” He had time to say before a series of straps secured us to our respective chairs.

After a loud bang followed by a bright flash of light, I found myself falling through the air while still strapped to my seat. I wasn’t falling for long; my parachute opened a few moments later.

Hearing the sound of another chute opening somewhere behind me, I tried in vain to turn around for a few moments before calling out, “Devon?”

“Yeah, it’s me. You okay, Jimmy?”

“I’m fine.”

A gust of wind carried me away from Devon. I was helpless to prevent it; there was no way to steer the chair, and the ropes of the parachute were just out of reach.

“Jimmy!” Devon shouted, a separate gust carrying him in the opposite direction, “Head to the nearest waystation and send a message through the …”

I did not hear the rest, as the wind coupled with the distance between us made his voice little more than a whisper. I was familiar with the waystations, as they (or nodes, as they were called in Rimstak) were fairly common.

I looked around as best I could as I floated down through the honking floaters and floating billboard. Soon, the tops of trees began to rise from beneath me. As I continued to drift down, I realized that I was about to land in the very park where our floater crashed.

The park was empty save for a giant sculpture of a hand with the middle and pointer fingers held up vertically in the universal symbol of friendship and peace. The floater had crashed through the pointer finger, breaking it just above the knuckle, which left the middle finger standing alone.

The parachute caught in the branches of a nearby tree. Fortunately, I was close enough to the ground to slip out of my chair and land without injuring myself. The trunk of the floater was knocked open from the crash, so I was able to retrieve Glint and my pack with little trouble, both fortunately undamaged.

Still a little dazed, I glanced around the area wondering why there were no security force officers; it seemed strange that the accident would go unnoticed in what looked like a public park. Deciding it would be in my best interest to leave, I started down a path that I hoped led out of the park. In my haste to leave, however, I nearly bowled over two people walking the other way. From their dark skin and pointed ears, I knew they were idestan.

“I beg your pardon.” I sad, bowing politely.

The male started to reply when his eyes caught on the damaged statue. “By the Creator!”

He rushed past me and stood in front of the ruined sculpture . “Who did this?”

Feeling a bit guilty despite the fact that I was just the passenger, I opened my mouth to apologize.

He turned to me, a look of absolute wonder on his face. “BREATHTAKING!”

That certainly wasn’t the response I had expected. I stood there in confusion while the idestan circled around the statue, talking nonstop.

“The classic image of peace, symbolizing the tie of friendship shared by all, broken by the floater! Notice, Casey, that it is the middle finger that remains undamaged, symbolizing not just the dangers of excessive dependence on technology, but the anger, the repressed rage buried in their subconscious minds of those trapped by it. Yet, despite the gravity of this image, we see the abandoned ejection chair from the wrecked floater; a symbol that the one who was once trapped in the way of technology has escaped no worse for wear.”

The red-haired idestan woman who the man had referred to as Casey rolled her eyes. The look she gave me said quite clearly, “See what I have to deal with?”

The art critic ran back to me. “Tell me, is this your creation?”

Before I could even open my mouth, he continued, “Truly remarkable! I must report this find to the Institute immediately. What was your name again?”

“I’m Jimmy Sakamota, but-”

“Jimmy Sakamota. Good! Good artist name. Casey, make sure you get it down. I’m off to the Institute!”

He turned to the statue and let out one final “OUTSTANDING!” With a shiver, he ran off and was quickly swallowed up by the rush of people in the streets.

“Sakamota, not Sakamoto, right?” Casey asked, scribbling something in a small notebook.

“Yes, but I didn’t make this. It was an accident.”

“I guessed as much. Still, if Meister says it’s art …” She shrugged, and closed her notebook with a snap. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Mister Sakamota. I’d better go catch up with him before he decides one of the traffic lights is a piece on transhumanism. I’d like to get back to Wukice before the next cycle.”

As she started to walk away, it suddenly occurred to me to ask her about the waystations. I hurried after her, but she had already walked past a thick cluster of trees and shrubs. I rounded the corner and immediately stopped dead in my tracks.

Just a few feet beyond the trees and grass of the park lay the city. Grass became concrete paved sidewalks, shrubs and bushes became traffic lights, computer access terminals, and trees became buildings. Some were small, such as the donut shop just outside the part. Some of the larger buildings, on the other hand, seemed to stretch forever into the sky. They hadn’t seemed nearly as tall from above. Then again, at the time, I had been more concerned with not ending up a greasy smear on someone’s hood.

I took a few small steps onto the sidewalk, trying to look at everything at once and giving myself a sore neck in the process. Floaters practically lined the roads, barely moving in the thick traffic. Some were flying through the sky, weaving around the skyscrapers.

“Hey, watch it!”

I quickly stepped aside as a portly Galden man stepped out of a floater. Flashing me a contemptuous look, he sauntered off into the crowd, followed by two solemn-looking men in black suits.

As he disappeared into the donut shop, a sudden surge of people swept through the street, taking me along with them.

I had never seen so many people at one time in all my life, not even when I lived in Rimstak. Hundreds, thousands of people were all walking along the sidewalk. Most of them were speaking on communicators and barely paying attention to where they were walking.

More than the number, however, the variety of the people astounded me. When I had first come to Wenapaj, most of the people were either Galden or Rimstakken. This made sense, as Wenapaj was on the border of Rimstak and near one of Ronisgald’s Strands.

Times had evidently changed. While walking through the crowds, I spotted idestans, Shorans, Cleftans, and even a pair of sentients. The male was either an Alcian or a Sirenes; his blue feathered wings were partially hidden beneath a quilted cloak. The dark-haired woman with him had dragon-esque wings covered with ruby-red scales, a sure sign that she was Xemptarian. As they passed by, the two seemed to be arguing good-naturedly about a recent slamm match.

A few moments later, an android wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans parted the crowd (including me) as he rode through on a lightboard. He was followed by two others; a Galden with cybernetic legs and a little Rimstakken girl with goggles and a flight suit, both also on lightboards.

As I watched the three disappear into an underground tunnel, something suddenly occurred to me; there I was in a city of technology wearing the garb of an ancient samurai warrior. Even though no one seemed to be taking notice of me, I felt more than a little self-conscious about my dated appearance. That was, until I bumped into the man in plate armor.

More surprised than anything, I said, “Oh! I beg your pardon.”

He looked at me; at least, he turned his head toward me. Truth be told, I couldn’t tell where he was looking. The only part of him that was exposed was the small opening in his helmet that started just above his chin and ended a little below his nose.

He immediately raised his hand in a salute, his voice younger than I expected as he said. “Sorry, sir! I wasn’t watching where I was going, sir!”

“Sir? I’m not …” I stopped, noticing the white band on the man’s arm. From what Devon had told me, white-rank was the lowest rank in the Royal guard, usually carried by new recruits.

“Uh, at ease.” I said, feeling a bit less at ease myself. I never really thought of myself as having a rank. Sure, I had the blue band which marked me as a specialist, but the only other member of the Royal Guard I had ever dealt with was Devon.

As he relaxed ever so slightly, I asked, “I was told to look for a waystation, but I’m not sure where one might be.”

“Do you want me to take you to the nearest station, sir?”

“Please.” I said, smiling in what I hoped was a reassuring way. “Call me Jimmy, if you don’t mind; formality has never suited me.”

“It would be inappropriate for me to address you so familiarly, sir.”

I sighed. “Very well then, but I assure you I won’t be offended.”

As he lead me through the city, I couldn’t help but notice that he was walking a bit stiffly; he obviously wasn’t used to the armor just yet. If that wasn’t bad enough, the young man was clearly nervous; every now and then, he would look behind us, as though checking to see if we were being followed.

After about the fifth time he did this, I turned myself to try and see what was distracting him.

I stared at the crowd for a moment before my eyes stopped on one person who was standing still a good distance away, staring right at us. Before I could get a proper look, the person ducked into a nearby alleyway.

“A friend of yours?” I asked.

“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

“Whoever’s following us. Who is it, anyway?”

“No one is following us, sir.”

My companion was a bad liar. Still, the fellow was agitated enough at the moment, so I didn’t pursue the topic. As we continued, I glanced back every now and then to see if I could see the person again. Every time, the person would duck out of view just before I could get a proper look.

The waystation was a circular construction rather like an oblong dome made of stone. The glowing purple symbol above the spire on top of the building caught my eye. I didn’t know what the symbol meant, but I knew what it was; an area identification marker. As I mentioned before, I used nodes in Rimstak all the time. The only difference here was that the node booths here were contained in the waystation building, as opposed to just being out in the open.

As we reached the entryway, the guard turned sharply toward me and saluted. “I must return to the park area, sir.”

Bowing, I said, “Thank you, friend. What is your name?”

He saluted again. “Terry, sir. White-Rank Terry Ulyndia.”

I gave him the same sort of reassuring pat on the shoulder Devon gave me when I was feeling down. “Thanks for directing me, Terry. I’ll be sure to mention to Devon how helpful you were. Dismissed!”

He saluted once more before turning about sharply and departing.

 

 

4: Chapter 4 - Shopping List

I watched him go for a few moments before I realized that someone was asking me a question.

“I beg your pardon?” I said, turning to address the Galden woman who had spoken.

“First time to Wenapaj?” She asked, her smile looking as though it had been chiseled onto her face. From her clothing, I guessed her to be some sort of attendant.

“Yes, actually.” I admitted. I started to ask her about sending a message to Devon but she cut me off.

“I know exactly where you want to go; the Penumbra district.”

I raised an eyebrow at this. “The Penumbra district? What’s there?”

She spread her arms. “Why, only the greatest deals in all Wenapaj! Cybernetics, magical artifacts, the latest in technology, and a wide variety of restaurants; no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it in Penumbra.”

I looked at her skeptically. I could tell from her perfectly practiced tone that she had rehearsed that very speech hundreds of times, to say nothing of how many times she must have said it to passersby. Still, I was planning on doing some shopping anyway, so I decided to take her advice.

“Sounds interesting.” I said, nodding. “Before I go, however, I do need to send a message to Devon …”

I stopped, realizing for the first time that I didn’t know Devon’s last name. He had told me when I first arrived in Wenapaj, but that was ages ago. I did remember his rank, though it would be hard to forget a title like that.

Shaking my head, I continued, “… to the Mox Wazoo of the Royal Guard. We were separated, and I need to let him know I’m all right and where I’m going.”

She began typing at a small metal armband on her wrist. I could just make out glowing etchings of the Vintan standard alphabet on its surface. “Message to the Mox Wazoo from Specialist …”

Seeing her look at me in askance, I said, “Jimmy Sakamota.”

“Thank you. Jimmy Sakamota is well, heading to Penumbra district.” She finished typing and looked back up at me, her smile back in place. “Well then, please follow me.”

She led me inside the building. There were about fifteen egg-like node pods lining the inside wall, each marked with a different symbol. All around the room, pod doors were opening and closing as people traveled to and from various districts.

The attendant led me to the pod I assumed led to the Penumbra district, advising me, “Make sure you stay perfectly still while the pod is active.”

Well aware of the risks, I carefully stepped forward with my sword held tightly against my chest. With a polite nod, the attendant activated the pod. The world suddenly swam in my vision; light seemed to dance all around me as I spun wildly in midair. It was quite unpleasant, not at all like the smooth teleportation nodes back in Rimstak.

Fortunately, it didn’t last for long; within moments, the world had settled and I was once again in a pod.

A woman and her daughter were waiting outside with another attendant. Oddly enough, the little girl was fional; she was either adopted or her father must’ve been fional as well. The girl quickly hid behind her mother, holding on to a stuffed rabbit with floppy ears nearly as long as hers. The woman bid me a polite hello as we changed places, the little girl looking at me curiously as she kept her mother between us.

“Can I help you sir?” The woman asked, blushing slightly.

“No.” I replied, realizing that I had been staring. “No thank you, ma’am. Sorry to disturb you.”

As I stepped out of the waystation, thoughts of the mother and her child was jolted from my mind in an instant by the sights that surrounded me. “By the Creator!” I whispered, looking around in astonishment.

The difference in atmosphere was staggering; whereas the district I had been in moments ago had been a thriving metropolis, the area I now stood looked more like a tropical resort town. Bright sunlight, waving palm trees, worn cobblestone roads, tourists wearing shirts with obnoxious flower patterns; there was even a salty smell to the air. If it weren’t for the skyscrapers on the edges of the district, I would have thought that I had left Wenapaj altogether.

The road curved in what I suspected was a great circle surrounding a massive Zuen Technologies building. Shops lined the road, ranging from tiny stalls peddling trinkets to enormous retail outlets with big parking lots complete with sullen-looking teenagers in orange vests gathering shopping carts. Barkers stood outside every store, shouting out deals and promotions to the shopping crowds.

“Two-for-one cybernetics installation! Get scrapped, save big!”

“Sentient fruits, aged geen wine, all fresh from the gardens of Emperor Claudius Melbourne!”

“Need a quick pick-me-up? Calliban’s Crystallic, one vial crystal or a cup liquid only seventeen shards!”

“Want to learn a foreign language, but don’t have the time? Want to play piano like a virtuoso without the hassle of lessons? Memo-com has the best technology to give you the skills you need without the hassle of having to learn them!”

Needless to say, I was enthralled. Before long, I had a brand-new backpack that was supposedly reinforced with selanium threading (given the price of the alloy and the price of the backpack, I doubted that; selanium is rare and extremely expensive, especially in thread-form). I also picked out some carpets for the Saybaro Mansion along with a nice armchair for my den; years of pay without any way to use it other than online purchases had left me a sizeable shard reserve.

As interesting as the shops were, the people were infinitely more fascinating. I watched as a street-corner evangelist from Earth preached damnation and salvation to two Rimstakkens, a male tigreth, and a Sirenes-tribe sentient with an amused look on her face. I listened as a Rimstakken and an Idestan arguing about the price of crystallic in a nearby shop. I grinned as a tigreth took a swat at a greasy-looking fellow whispering in her ear who was apparently unaware of how dangerous it was to antagonize a tigreth.

As I wandered the roads, I noticed a small toy shop shaped within a tree in the style of the vuestan people. It was a quaint little shop, but what caught my attention were the plush dolls of historical figures in the window: the mad Emperor Lucaius Calliban, Sir Thomas Windstar of the Jai Vye Light Brigade, the Lady Death, Skims the wild, and many more. Heroes and villains spanning over three-thousand years of Vinta’s history stared back at me through the toy store window.

The dolls seemed remarkably well made. Lady Death had a small, ornate scythe, Darcones’s wings had little scales carved from ebony, and Skims had a strange fire burning in his tiny artificial eyes.

I was about to move on when one doll caught my eye. Shoved into the corner of the window, almost buried under a strangely fat doll in a pink tropical shirt, was a lone plush doll that could only have been modeled after the Dreamer known as Narrator Number One. I knew it was supposed to be One from the green and gray-striped shirt that he was purported to always wear.

A bell jingled as I entered the shop. I walked to the plush doll display and picked up the One doll, the tales of the famous Dreamer’s exploits my father once told to me now running through my head. The doll smiled at me, its plush arms and legs hanging down from my hands.

Ever since I was a boy, I had been fascinated with One and the Dreamers of The Elsewhere Incorporate. Dreamers were mysterious beings that always seemed to appear just at the right moment with just the right bit of equipment or advice for a troubled hero.

Narrator Number One, however, has appeared throughout the histories of almost every Vintan culture. Not content to just sit on the sidelines during a crisis, he crashed repeatedly into our world, taking out threat after threat. His image was even found on an ancient Kindred ruin, displayed as a being leaping from the sun, wearing his green and gray-striped shirt and blue jean shorts, his twin gauntlet weapons, ‘Headache’, firing beams of light upon the forces of darkness.

“Can I help you?”

Jarred from my thoughts, I glanced up at the speaker, a short woman with curly red hair, cat-like ears and a fuzzy tail. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, maybe younger. It was hard to tell; I had read about the vuestan, but I had never actually met one before.

“I beg your pardon, ma’am.” I said politely, “I was just looking.”

She took the doll from me, smiling as she examined it with gentle hands. “We make every doll by hand. Each one is a masterpiece.”

Her lips didn’t move as she spoke. I was surprised until I remembered that the vuestan didn’t have vocal cords; they communicated through telepathy.

She glanced up at me curiously. “Have you ever met One?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’ve read just about every story ever written about him.”

She smiled a little wider. “I see him every now and then. He’s not quite what you’d expect. Still, you can tell just by talking to him that he’s something special: a hero, as they say.”

I smiled back, feeling more than a little uncomfortable under her gaze; it felt like her eyes were digging into my soul. She may have very well been digging into my soul; even in my isolation, I had heard some strange stories about the vuestan race and their latent telepathic talents.

After a few moments, she pressed the doll into my hand. “Take it. No charge.”

Astonished, I opened my mouth to offer to pay, but she stood on her tiptoes and put a finger to my lips. “No charge. I insist.”

I looked back down at the doll in my hands. It smiled back up at me, brown button eyes twinkling. Smiling myself, I gave the shopkeeper a respectful bow. “Thank you very much, Ma’am. I will take good care of him.”

She patted me on the arm. “Just remember that whatever happens, a real hero doesn’t ever give up. No matter how hard it gets, never let go of hope.”

“I’m not a hero.” I told her, blushing. “But it’s still sound advice. Thank you.”

I left the store, still turning the doll over in my hands. The vuestan woman knew her craft well; the doll was exquisitely made, right down to the tiny rune stitched on the back of its right hand.

As I looked up from the doll, I caught someone across the street staring right at me. In the moment our eyes met, I noticed her cream-colored fur, small nose, and the long rabbit-like ears hanging down her back which marked her as a fional, one of the tribes of Longshore. However, before I could get a better look, she was gone.

Was it the same person who had been following me before? If so, why was she letting me see her now? I had read enough about the fional to know that if one was tailing me, she should have been more than fast enough to avoid detection.

I stared at where she had been standing for a long moment, wondering if I had imagined her when I heard someone nearby call out, “Jimmy? Oh, thank the Creator!”

Devon was standing not ten feet away. He looked as though he had been running; sweat was dripping off his nose and chin, and his face was as red as a beet.

As he ran over to me, I suddenly remembered just why I had come to Yesrej in the first place. “Sorry Devon. I just-”

“Wanted to do a bit of shopping? Not a problem. After that landing, I think we both needed a little time to unwind.” He paused a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow with a surprisingly lacy handkerchief. Seeing my curious look, he said, “Wife made it for me. Say, did the floater made it intact?”

 I thought about the giant statue that now was flipping off the city. Suppressing a grin, I replied, “I doubt it’ll fly again, but no one was hurt.”

“Good to hear. What’s that you got there?”

Not wanting to explain to Devon why I had a doll, I quickly slid the plush One into my pocket. “Nothing important; a trinket I spotted in a toy shop.”

He shrugged it off indifferently. “Ah. Well, are you finished shopping? Ready to head to the palace?”

I nodded. “Indeed.”

Devon led me back to the waystation. Rather than stepping up to one of the pods, he stepped into the black stone ring in the very center of the chamber and said, “This is the Mox Wazoo with Specialist Sakamota, requesting passage to the palace.”

“Password?” Asked a squeaky voice that seemed to come from the floor.

Devon groaned. “Do I have to?”

“You know the drill, Devon.” The squeaky voice sounded unrelenting.

Taking a deep breath, Devon suddenly started singing. Everyone in the waystation stopped and watched as the king’s right hand man began to sing.

 

Ronald Pack and Charles Mack

were walking down the street.

Said Ronald Pack, “Hey, Charlie Mack,

let’s have a bite to eat.”

 

“Sounds good to me," replied Charlie,

“But where’d ya like to go?”

“You’re kidding me, where else indeed!”

Ron laughed, “The Malboro!”

           

The greasy sty with sawdust pie

and mud cocktails to go,

for maggot stew and cockroach brew,

dine at the Malboro!

 

By the time Devon finished, his face had gone a deep shade of red. I can’t say that I was surprised; everyone else in the waystation was staring at him as though he had just gone completely crazy. Still, apparently the song was the password; the stone circle suddenly burst into light and began to shoot translucent rings of energy upward.

Devon vanished in an instant, leaving the ring empty. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the ring, hoping I didn’t have to sing too. Fortunately, I did not; there was a bright flash of light, then I was standing beside Devon on a platform, in front of the walkway that led to the palace entrance.

“Sorry about the … er, strangeness.” Devon answered in response to my unasked question. “There’s a normal waystation a bit further back, of course, but Iniagus likes to use hologram emitters to make visitors run through an obstacle course … or just chase them away with monsters. Much easier to bypass it, even if it’s a bit awkward.”

He quickly started walking, still looking quite red in the face. I said nothing as I followed, knowing full well how I much I’d want to talk after singing in front of a bunch of strangers.

5: Chapter 5 - Malice in the Palace

The palace was nothing short of marvelous with its gleaming silver and gold walls, beautiful stained glass windows, and lofty towers. To be honest, the palace looked exactly as it had during my first visit: like it had been plucked from the pages of a fairy tale.

I did notice one difference, however. The reason I hadn’t seen the palace as we approached the city was because the palace wasn’t in the city at all, but rather above it. Clouds seemed to gather around the foundation, making it seem as though they supported the palace. The other end of the massive chain I had spied earlier was attached to a large winding mechanism on the side of the palace, though I imagined the whole thing was essentially for show, much as the chains that bound the Shineside of Rimstak to the Shadeside.

The road we were walking down was lined with apple and orange trees, imported from Earth and flourishing. Devon plucked an apple and tossed it to me before picking an orange for himself. As I munched on the tasty fruit, my eyes fell to the lanes of water between the trees and the road. The water was clear enough to see many multi-colored fish flitting about beneath the blue stream.

As we neared the entrance to the palace, I heard Devon mutter “Ugh. I was hoping I’d get back before he arrived.”

I followed his gaze to two people standing outside the entrance. The first, and the most striking to my mind, was the idestan woman. The green band on her arm marked her as an elite Royal Guard. From the insignia embroidered on the side of her band, I knew that she was part of the palace defense force. Her long, dark hair hung nearly to her feet in a series of braids, and her skin was as dark as my own. I guessed her to be around my age, perhaps slightly younger.

I could tell she was naturally dark-skinned because much of her skin was easily visible; the breastplate she wore had a large opening just above her sizeable bust, and her selanium-thread skirt barely reached her mid-thigh. She wore armored plating on her arms and legs, but these too had large, intricately patterned holes in them. It was as though whoever had designed the woman’s armor had been far more interested in emphasizing the feminine form than creating protective gear.

The other person was a Galden boy who couldn’t have been older than fifteen. His clothing was no less bizarre than that of the female guard: a dark blue overshirt over a sleeveless tank top, a pair of jeans with one leg a foot longer than the other, a tiger-striped bandanna keeping his spiky dyed blue hair from hanging in his light brown eyes, and a pair of what appeared to be flight goggles over the bandanna.

Even though I’d like to think it wasn’t in my nature to judge, I knew from the moment I saw him that he was trouble. Indeed, it appeared as though he were getting into trouble as we approached; the woman’s face was practically livid with rage. As I passed close to the pair, the woman suddenly stiffened.

“How dare you!” She shrieked, taking a swing at the boy.

The boy had the presence of mind to dodge. Unfortunately, this left me (or more specifically, my stomach) in the path of her fist. I staggered backwards, my ears ringing from the force of the blow; she had knocked the breath out of me, an intensely unpleasant experience.

As I gasped for air, the woman held both hands to her mouth. “Oh! Oh, by the Creator, I’m sorry! Are you okay, sir?”

“I’ve been better.” I gasped as Devon helped me steady myself.

The woman guard put her hand on my shoulder, a look of guilt on her beautiful face. “I’m so sorry, sir. I was trying to hit that little …”

She looked around the immediate vicinity. Scratching her head, she muttered, “Where did that little rat go?”

Sure enough, the boy was gone. Apparently he had taken off just after the woman swung at him, a wise move on his part.

I was feeling a bit better. Well, at least I wasn’t gasping for breath anymore. Coughing, I said, “I’ll be fine. Who was that anyway?”

“Luminous Arc Skylad.” Devon told me, “He was also called here by his majesty.” Turning to Sera, he suddenly turned stern. “You should know better, Sera. I know Arc’s a bit bothersome, but-”

“Bothersome? That little punk grabbed my butt!” She said, her cheeks growing even darker.

This didn’t seem to surprise Devon. “Nevertheless, you are a member of the Royal Guard, and he is one of the people you are sworn to protect. If I see you attack another citizen, I will put you on report. Do you understand?”

She looked as though she would have liked to argue. Instead, she bowed her head, saying, “I understand.”

Devon’s expression softened. “However, if I am not around, feel free to act as you see fit. I can’t say I like the boy any more than you do, and Creator knows you shouldn’t have to put up with that kind of thing.”

A smile slowly spread across her face. “Yes sir.”

“Jimmy, I’d like you to meet my protégé, Sera.” He puffed out his sizeable chest, adding with obvious pride, “She won second place during the last tournament. Surprised the heck out of all of us, especially me.”

Sera’s blush spread across her mostly visible body. “I was lucky; I had a good teacher.”

Devon guffawed, saying, “Balderdash! I was lucky to have such a good student.”

Patting me on the back, he continued, “This is Jimmy Sakamota, specialist and samurai-in-training.”

I bowed my head. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sera.”

She cheeks went even darker. “Please, call me Sera.”

We shook hands. She had quite a strong grip.

Coughing slightly, Devon said, “Well, we’d better be going. It’s nearly dinner time, and you know how his majesty gets.”

Sera smiled. “Only too well.”

As Devon walked away, I turned to regard Sera. She was very beautiful, if a bit oddly dressed, and she seemed nice. It had been a long time since I had the opportunity to ask a girl out, and Creator only knew when I’d get another chance.

Drawing up my courage, I said with difficulty, “If this is out of line, I apologize, but I was wondering if … well, while I’m in town … perhaps we could get something to eat, or see a movie?”

She blushed, but I could tell from the expression on her face what the answer was going to be. “I appreciate the offer, but I already have someone in my life right now. I may not get to see him very often, but I do love him. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I said quickly, trying to sound nonchalant. “I just thought I’d ask; I don’t get out of the Saybaro very often.”

She patted me on the shoulder, smiling kindly. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. A guy as handsome as you’ll find someone in no time.”

I felt my face heat up. Before I could reply, however, Devon called out, “Jimmy? You coming?”

“Be right there.” Looking at Sera, I shrugged and gave her what I hoped was a winning smile. “Well, I wish you and your friend all the luck in the world.”

“Thanks, Jimmy.” Moving back to her station, she replied, “Good luck with the King.”

The inside of Iniagus’s palace was pretty much the same as it had been during my first visit: tile floors, elegant tapestries, large rooms with no apparent purpose but to house massive portraits of the royal family. There was one difference, but it didn’t strike me as particularly important; there were many long strips of carpet leading in all directions.

 “Pardon me for asking,” I said as we started forward, “but I couldn’t help but notice that Miss Sera’s armor-”

“Doesn’t look very effective? Yeah, I know. Iniagus feels that the ladies in the guard should be proud of their figures.” He shrugged. “What can I say? He’s the king.”

“Besides, it makes her look totally hot!”

We both turned to see the boy from before leaning against the wall. “I mean, she looks as though she were made for that armor. Rowr!”

“You’re damn lucky she didn’t rip your arm off.” Devon began, but the boy quickly dismissed him.

“Relax, pops, it was an accident. Not that I’m complaining or anything.” He turned to me and held out his hand. “Luminous Arc Skylad. Call me Arc.”

“Jimmy Sakamota.” I said, shaking his hand. “Jimmy is fine.”

“Nice to meetcha, Jimmy!” He said in a very friendly manner. “So, I’m guessing you were called here to meet the king too, huh?”

“Indeed.” I said, “I don’t suppose you know what this might be about?”

Arc shrugged. “No idea. I’m in the middle of poking around with an old Kindred artifact in the Center at Naidyr when this guy runs in and tells me that Devon here was looking for me.”

I felt a little envious; I had wanted to attend the Center of College, but it was all the way in Naidyr and my bridge-keeping duties made commuting impossible.

“So,” Arc said, rubbing his hands together, “We gonna head to the throne room?”

Devon gestured toward the nearest carpet. “This way.”

Arc shrugged and followed Devon. I followed a moment later, feeling that my earlier assessment had been wrong; Arc seemed a nice enough kid, if a bit chauvinistic.

“Watch your step.” Devon warned as we stepped onto a fluffy red carpet.

The carpet shot into motion like some kind of exceptionally fluffy conveyor belt. Arc fell backwards almost instantly. After a few terrifying moments, I managed to regain my balance.

“Get ready to stop.” Devon warned us.

I barely had time to prepare myself before the carpet abruptly came to a halt. Arc flew forward a few feet and landed flat on his face.

Stumbling forward slightly, I quickly spun about. “What in Nocturnes?”

“Floor runners. Iniagus’s idea.” Devon said. I could tell from the expression on his face that he was amused by my reaction. “They’re installed all over the castle. You almost don’t have to walk anymore, though there’s a broken bone every now and then.”

“You don’t say.” Arc muttered as he staggered to his feet.

It took us three more carpets to reach the throne room. It hadn’t changed much since my last visit, at least from what I remembered. Words enter my mind when I think about it, words like huge, magnificent, splendid, ostentatious perhaps, but as it was the throne room, some flamboyancy was to be expected. It was a magnificently large room with magnificently large windows that opened out over a magnificent sunrise. The walls were covered with a massive mural, but not of anything specific; t was as though the artist just drew what came to mind: the suns, the stars, an owl, King Iniagus (usually performing some impressive feat), a tree, and more.

The floor tiles were made from echostone, a type of crystallic that emits sound when touched. As we walked across the room toward the throne, the crystal tiles chimed pleasantly.

The king’s throne was like a silvery spider’s web woven between two golden statues. The right depicted Iniagus as a mighty warrior, the left as a powerful mage. Seated in between them was none other than King Gheraldio Iniagus.

6: Chapter 6 - King Gheraldio Iniagus the XXVII

The ruler of Wenapaj sat cross-legged on his throne with his eyes closed, his hands playing ever so slightly with strands of the web open which he sat. I would have thought he was meditating if I hadn’t noticed a thin trail of drool sliding down from the corner of his mouth. His massive fiery red mustache twitched a few times, always followed by a soft snore.

I must admit that I was somewhat taken aback by his appearance. He may have still been wearing the royal robes, but other than that it was almost as though he were a different person. He certainly hadn’t had a purple mohawk during my prior visit. Still, it had been a long time since I had seen the king. Some differences were to be expected, I reasoned silently to myself.

“That’s the man in charge of Wenapaj?” Arc asked Devon, not bothering to keep his voice down.

“Our liege and sovereign. He’s a great man.” Devon replied as the trail of drool dripped from Iniagus’s mouth and hit the floor, which let out a small chime with each drop.

Arc cocked his head to the side. “He’s … different than I was expecting.”

Iniagus abruptly leapt from his web, his regal robes whipping about his spinning body as he shot through the air with the force of a small cannonball. Arc and I both reflexively jumped backwards, startled by the sudden movement. Devon didn’t even flinch.

He landed perfectly behind us, and spun around to face us. Moments later, his crown (which had flown off in midair) landed perfectly on the tip of his Mohawk, spinning around it like a hula hoop before sliding down and settling crookedly on his head.

Pointing at me, he exclaimed in his oddly high-pitched voice, “Jimmy Sakamota!”

“Sir.” I said, coming to attention immediately.

He spun around again and pointed at Arc. “Luminous Skylad!”

“Don’t call-” Arc froze at a glare from Devon. Letting out a cough, the young researcher said, “ER, it’s just Arc, if it please your Majesty.”

The king dashed past us to his throne and hopped into the center of his web. He bounced in the air a few times before finally setting back into his original position.

In a flat voice, Iniagus asked, “And why have you come here?”

The way he drew out the word ‘why’ I said, “Your Majesty, we came to Yesrej to-”

“Where?”

“Yesrej.” When Iniagus continued to stare blankly at me, I added, “This city? The capitol of Wenapaj?”

“Yesrej, Yesrej …” He muttered, scratching his chin. Snapping his fingers, he said triumphantly, “Oh, of course! But really, Jimmy, Yeserej was the old capital name. It was dull, boring, and totally not what such a magnificent city deserves! That’s why I changed the name to Iniagusville two years ago! Isn’t that a much more splendiferous name?”

Confused but careful not to show it, I bowed my head and continued, “Of course, your Majesty. We came to Iniagusville in answer to your summons.”

“Right, of course! The summons! I am of course glad you two could find time to come and visit me on such short notice. Overjoyed! Enraptured! DEVON!”

Devon saluted. “Your Majesty?”

“You have done well. You may go to the kitchens and have a royal cookie.”

“Thank you, your Majesty.” Devon nodded at Arc and me before making an about face and marching out of the throne room.

“Well, well, well.” Iniagus said softly, resting his head on top of his interlaced fingers.

He looked us both over in silence for a few moments. I remained still; Arc shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable.

“Well, well, well.” Iniagus repeated, his eyes starting to bulge slightly out of their sockets.

Arc and I exchanged glances. I could tell that Iniagus’s behavior was starting to freak Arc out too.

“Well, well, well, well, well, well, well-” His Highness said, sounding as though he had no intention of stopping.

With another look at Arc, I said, “Pardon me, sir-”

“Shh!” Iniagus held a finger to his lips. Staying completely still otherwise, his eyes began to dart around the room. Slowly, his head tilted until it was roughly forty-five degrees to the right. His other hand, the one not held to his lips, cupped and moved around his ear. I found myself wishing I had bought a camera, though taking a picture of the king would probably have been frowned upon.

“Listen!” he breathed so softly that I could only just make out what he had said.

I listened, but apart from the gentle sound of rushing air from cooling vents above our heads, I heard nothing.

After a few minutes, I realized that Iniagus was silently mouthing words at us. I watched, strangely fascinated, as he slowly tilted his head to the other side and back again, his mouth moving the whole time. He continued his quiet pantomime a bit longer before suddenly clapping his hands together and sitting up straight.

“Right then!” He exclaimed in a loud voice that seemed strangely jarring after the prolonged silence, “Before you go-”

“Huh?” Arc said, “Go where?”

“’Go where’? What do you mean ‘go where’? What have I been talking about all this time? Weren’t you listening?!” Iniagus sighed, and rubbed his temples, “Oh, very well. Have a seat, and I’ll start over.”

Two chairs appeared behind us. Arc and I moved to sit down, only to fall through them. Slightly discordant tones shot through the air as our respective rumps hit the crystallic tiles.

As Iniagus roared with laughter, I seriously considered the possibility that the man was insane. It would have answered quite a few questions at that point. Still, the politeness and protocol that had been ingrained into my mind combined with years of mental training kept me from doing anything that I might later regret. I started to rise to my feet, but thought better of it and simply crossed my legs as though I were about to meditate.

Arc prodded the chair, which seemed perfectly solid until he tried to sit down again. After he fell again, making our king laugh all the harder, Arc let out a snort and sat on the floor beside me.

The king clapped his hands together again. “Well, that was certainly droll. Anyway, so like I was saying, a wave of evil is sweeping over the land, and-”

“I beg your pardon?” I said, the alarm caused by his previous statement jarring me from my silence. “A wave of evil?”

“Yes, evil! The darkness of soul, the spirit of the night, the humpety bumpeties of nocturne alley, the-”

“We get the idea.” Arc said irritably. “What do you mean it’s sweeping over the land?”

The King sighed, and put the back of his hand against his forehead. “The youth of today are so impatient. We were never so impolite when I was a wee mustachioed lad. Why in my day, we’d …”

I waited silently as he rambled on about young people, much to Arc’s chagrin. A mental image of a young Iniagus had formed in my mind, bearing the same ridiculous mustache. I was still trying to keep myself from laughing about it when Iniagus brought his little rant to an end with a small yet poignant cough.

“Evil is coming!” He leaned forward on his hands, and looked at us expectantly. “Don’t you fine fellows feel it? The Evil?”

The way he annunciated the ‘E’ in evil with such a devilish grin on his face nearly made me lose control. A laugh started to slip out, so I coughed in hopes of stopping it and managed to inhale a bit of my saliva.

As I broke into a fit of coughing, Iniagus leapt to his feet with a look of horror on his face. “By the great king Iniagus, may he live forever and have lots of cookies and candy and a kiss from mommy every night! The Evil’s got Jimmy already!”

I waved him off, barely managing to say “My apologies. I had something in my throat. You were saying, Majesty?”

Looking relieved, he sat back down on his throne again. “Thank goodness … huh? Oh yes, the Evil. Well, it’s approaching on the down low, slowly stealing over the land like a plague of locusts and devouring the goodness that is Wenapaj. You see my lads, since ancient times, there has been an equally ancient prophecy foretelling our possible doom.”

In a deep tone and a completely different accent, he droned, “When chaos is the only order of the land, the Evil will arise, and only the chosen one can restore the light.”

“Whoa!” Arc murmured, looking awestruck. He had apparently forgotten Iniagus’s previous behavior.

I was less impressed; his ‘prophecy’ sounded like something from an old fantasy role-playing game.

A grave expression on his face, Iniagus said, “If nothing is done, I fear that everything that is good will be destroyed.”

“All of Vinta, Sire?” I asked, trying to keep skepticism out of my voice. Considering everything else I was keeping myself from doing, this was no mean feat.

Iniagus seemed surprised by my question. “Huh? Vinta? Oh yes, all of Vinta will fall eventually, but for now …”

He leapt out of his chair, grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me as he screamed, “We’re in danger! Us! Wenapaj! That means that I am in danger! Me! I’m too pretty to die! And so young! It’s just not fair, Jimmy!”

I wasn’t sure how to respond; I had spent years mastering control over myself, but that control seemed to be slipping away the longer I remained exposed to the madness that was King Iniagus. It was invigorating in a strange sort of way, even though my arms were starting to hurt from Iniagus’s surprisingly strong grip.

Thankfully, he seemed to remember himself a few moments alter and let me go. Pacing in front of us, he said in a more dignified tone, “Ahem. Of course, you are right. It is the world that is in danger.” A mad grin crossing his face, he added, “All the more reason for us to stop it, because … well …”

“Because as the pinnacle of civilization on Vinta, it’s our job to protect all the weaker countries from this menace.” Arc said instantly, suddenly sounding enthusiastic.

“Exactly, Luminous!”

Arc bristled at the sound of his name. “Don’t call me that! My name’s Arc!”

“Begging your pardon,” I said, considering my words carefully, “but if the threat is as bad as you say, why did you call us? I can’t speak for Arc, but I’ve had no actual combat experience. Surely, the Wenapaj army would be better equipped to …” An unpleasant thought occurred to me. “We do have an army, right?”

“Of course we have an army! You’re a member of it yourself: the Royal Guard! As for your other concern, you are quite correct.” He rushed over to me again, this time staring me straight in the eyes. “But you’re also completely wrong!”

 “Everyone knows that it’s not armies that defeat true evil, but …” he paused for dramatic effect, “The Chosen One!”

He looked at us expectantly. I looked at Arc and was relieved to see that he was just as confused as me.

We both looked back to the king, asking simultaneously, “The Chosen One?”

King Iniagus strode forward and put an arm around our respective shoulders. Huddling down, he said in a quiet voice, “My lads. Listen close, for what I am about to tell you is top secret, and most verily important.”

Without warning, Iniagus straightened up and sang at the top of his lungs:

 

Some day you’ll be as old as me

(a trifle more than fifty-three),

and that’s when you will learn the truth:

that evil things are quite uncouth.

 

I know, my lads that this is strange;

it’d take a man who’s most deranged

to think that evil things are cool

and that the darkness really rules!

 

Reiterate, I must this day

that evil things must go away!

But how to make the darkness pass?

Just wait around? That’s quite a gas.

 

No, heroes are what we would need

to banish all this evil breed:

a man or woman strong of heart

and one who’s skilled with magic art

 

He fights for fame, she fights for land

and for their dear beloved’s hand

When darkness falls, and they have won,

a wedding next; isn’t that fun?

 

So now, dear friends, know one must stand

against the evil in our land.

Now get yourselves out of my hair!

Go out and face the darkness there!

7: Chapter 7 - A Reward Fit for a Royal Guard

I had to admit that despite the oddness Iniagus displayed, he was a fine tenor. When he finally stopped singing and sank down in a low bow, I couldn’t help but applaud.

King Iniagus beamed at me. “Thank you, thank you. I spent hours rehearsing that. Now, what were we talking about again?”

“Evil’s spreading across the land, your Majesty.” I reminded him.

With a shriek, Iniagus leapt behind the throne and cowered there like a frightened child.

A slight headache lightly throbbed against the back of my skull, though whether from fatigue or from the madness of Iniagus, I couldn’t say. Ignoring the fact that the ruler of Wenapaj was now cowering beneath his throne, I continued, “You said one of us was the prophesized hero, and were about to tell us why.”

“Oh, right! I’m sorry, my lads. I just got all excited,” Iniagus stood up, instantly tangling himself in his throne. The more he tried to get out of it, the more he just tangled himself further.

As Arc seemed inclined to do nothing more than snigger most inappropriately at our king, I stepped forward with a sigh and extracted the most powerful man in Wenapaj from his throne.

Slightly out of breath, he patted me on the arm once he was back where he belonged. “Ah, thank you, Jimmy. I see now why the ancient prophecy said you might be the one.”

Well, at least we were making a little progress. “I beg your pardon, but could you tell me more about this prophesy?”

“It was handed down by my ancestors, of course!” Iniagus flung up his hands, as though it would be inconceivable for us not to know what he was talking about, “The prophecy foretold that when chaos spreads through this country, a Galden child would begin his quest to save the world.”

I almost snorted; I had always felt that a person shapes his own destiny. To quote Narrator Number One, “Prophecies are a bunch of superstitious crap. They’re always vague to the point of senselessness, usually carry a hefty time period before anything happens, and only come true because of luck, careful planning, and the gullibility of those who believe in them.”

Arc apparently felt similarly about the matter. “Kind of a vague prophecy," he said, “What evil? What quest? And why, if there is only one hero, why call two people here to bask in your presence?”

“Because you are the only two Galdens in the right age bracket!” Iniagus replied, oblivious to Arc’s sarcasm. “More importantly, you both have the shoe size predicted in the prophecy.”

I looked down at my feet for a moment before glancing over at Arc’s feet. I was wearing sandals, he some kind of fancy sports shoe, but our feet did seem to be very close in size despite our different ages.

The absurdity of the moment suddenly hit me. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “Wait, the prophecy indicated the hero by shoe size?”

“Not just shoe size! There is one question that I must ask to be completely sure.” He leaned forward and regarded us with a serious expression. “Tell me lads, what are your favorite colors?”

“Blue.” We both said instantly.

The King snapped his fingers. “There you have it! Now it’s for certain! One of you is the hero predicted! You must scour the land, find the evil’s source, and slay it! Oh, and don’t forget to bring back proof. Like a toenail or a piece of chewed gum or something.”

“But which one of us-” Arc said.

Iniagus waved him off. “Don’t know, can’t really tell. Perhaps another day. Besides, it stands to reason that the one who finds and stops the evil will be the hero, and with you both out there, scouring and all, I’m sure one of you will find it sooner or later!”

“I don’t ask you to do this for nothing, of course.” Iniagus said. “There will be a reward. DEVON!”

We both jumped. Devon ran into the room, a frosted cookie in his hand. He saluted with his free hand. “Yes, your Majesty?”

“Bring in the grand prize!” He proclaimed, clapping his hand.

Devon bowed and ran off again.

Iniagus bounced up and down on his web, his hands shaking with excitement. “Ooh!” He said, seemingly near his bursting point, “You’re gonna be sooooo excited when you see it! It’s simply, absolutely, indefatigably wondrous!”

In a matter of moments, Devon and Sera entered the room carrying a large trunk between them. They set the trunk between us and the king and stood rigidly to either side. Sera kept her gaze away from Arc. She seemed to be trying to keep her face blank, but I could tell she was still angry.

When a few seconds passed with no one else moved to open the chest, I glanced at Arc and said, “You mind if I …?”

Arc shook his head. “Knock yourself out, dude.”

I put a hand on the lid of the chest. After taking a deep breath and mentally preparing myself, I flung open the chest and leapt back out of the way of whatever was about to happen.

The back of the lid banged against the ground. To my great surprise and relief, the chest did not explode, nor did anything horrible or frightening jump out of it.

I approached warily, and glanced inside. I don’t know what I had been expecting, though given the origin of the chest, it could’ve been full of shards, live fionals, and hard-boiled eggs and not surprised me in the least.

I was wrong on all counts. In the bottom of the chest lay a beautiful white dress with matching sandals and several exquisite pieces of jewelry.

I carefully lifted the dress out of the chest. It was obviously a craftsman’s masterpiece. Precious gems had been sewn into the fabric, which itself was soft and supple, yet light. The bottom of the dress swirled with gentle colors as I ran a hand across it.

I glanced at the king, unable to suppress a smirk as I said, “It’s lovely, but I don’t think it’s my color.”

A giggle slipped out of Sera. I was surprised; she didn’t strike me as the giggling type. She quickly recovered, an embarrassed look on her face.

Iniagus looked offended. Despite his eccentricity, I didn’t want to seriously upset him; insane or not, the man was still a king after all.

I said, “Look, your Majesty, I’m not saying that this isn’t a nice reward. I’m sure it cost thousands-”

Iniagus jerked a thumb up.

“Hundreds of thousands-” I said, but he jerked his thumb in the air again.

I raised an eyebrow. “Millions?”

“Four million, six hundred and twenty three thousand, four hundred and twenty-seven shards and seventeen flicks.” He gestured at the dress with a sweeping hand as he continued, “Hand-woven by a vuestan seamstress out of the finest of materials chosen for feel and durability. The gems were cut by the most skilled Cleftan craftspeople on Vinta. The cloth is a unique material that was recently invented on Earth that feels as soft as silk and changes colors according to the desires of the wearer. There’s a non-wear and tear enchantment on it too; it’ll mend itself when torn. The shoes-”

“We get the idea.” Arc said as I very carefully folded the dress and set it gently back inside the chest.

“Your Majesty,” I said respectfully, “It is truly a magnificent dress, but I’m afraid I just don’t have much use for it.”

“It’s a wedding dress.” Iniagus said, “For the hero’s bride.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I replied, “Which could come in handy someday, I admit, but … well, I can’t speak for Arc, but seeing as I’ve been guarding a bridge in the middle of nowhere for the last decade, I don’t have much in the way of marriage prospects.”   

“My poor, simple-minded friend.” Iniagus smiled indulgently at us as though we were small children, “Surely you don’t think the dress itself is the prize?”

I looked at the chest. It was a nice chest, sturdy. A bit big, but nice in its own way. I could surely find something to store in it. I was, however, wrong again.

“The prize is a marriage, a marriage that is sure to bring much happiness.” Iniagus said, clasping his hands together and batting his eyes demurely.

I wasn’t sure what to say. Fortunately, my rapidly developing sense of cynicism quickly found a question. “And exactly, who would I … or Arc, of course … who would the hero be marrying, your Majesty?”

Iniagus didn’t reply; he just stood there smiling as Sera, Devon, Arc, and I waited.

After it seemed that no one was going to answer, I continued, “I mean, do you even have a daughter? I’m sorry if that seems a rude question, but-”

Iniagus beamed. “Why yes, Jimmy my lad! I do have a daughter! Several in fact, and the true hero will be marrying one of them.”

“Father!” Sera said, somewhat alarmed.

Iniagus snapped his fingers and pointed at Sera, a wide grin on his face. “Right in one!”

Looking very alarmed, Sera stammered, “W-what? Wait just a-”

As everyone else started talking all at once, I took the opportunity to focus my thoughts. It wasn’t easy, but at least one person in the room needed a clear head.

“Surely you mean if she wishes to marry, right?” I asked, making myself heard through the din. Everyone stopped talking instantly and stared at me. Devon’s look was appraising, Sera’s grateful, and the King’s confused, while Arc just looked at me like I was an idiot. I maintained my composure, slightly uncomfortable under everyone’s gaze, but the question had to be asked.

“Well, of course!” Iniagus said, rising to his feet and approaching his daughter so he could put an arm around her shoulders, “but it’s not like she wouldn’t marry a hero, right?”

“But doesn’t she have a-” I said.

“Father,” Sera interrupted, showing remarkable composure, considering the bomb her father had just dropped on her, “I-I can’t marry a complete stranger!”

He patted her on the arm, looking sympathetic. “My dear, that’s always been a problem of yours. You have to believe that you can do things. Be more assertive!”

Leaving her stunned beyond words, Iniagus walked back to his throne and sat upon it. “And now I’m feeling a bit tired. Devon, Sera, kindly take the dress back to storage.”

Sera bit her lip but complied. I was rather impressed with her behavior; a lesser person would have stormed out of the room or perhaps even struck Iniagus, but she helped Devon pick up the chest.

As they left the room, I thought about it: marrying Sera. I know I’ve said it before, but she was a fine woman. She wasn’t just beautiful, but kind and strong as well.

Unfortunately, she was also unavailable. She loved someone else. As long as the cared for another, I could not marry her in good conscience, not even if the king decreed it. No, if this prophecy was real, I would not hold her to her father’s promise.

Iniagus tapped the side of one of the statues. To my surprise, the windows rolled themselves up. Apparently, what I thought were windows were actually tapestries made to look like open windows. The lights, visible now that I knew they were there, dimmed as another set of window tapestries (this time showing a moonlit skyline) quickly unrolled into the same places as the previous tapestries.

Iniagus sat on his throne with eyes closed, not saying a word. After a few minutes, I coughed and asked, “Is there anything more we should be aware of, your Majesty?”

Without opening his eyes, Iniagus said, “Nothing more needs to be said. Your audience is ended, your quest before you. Have a nice day.”

He clapped his hands three times. A large trapdoor opened beneath us, taking both of us by surprise. The last thing I saw before the doors closed over our heads was Iniagus, his head held high and his eyes closed.

8: Chapter 8 - We could be Heroes

The trapdoor dropped us into a long and winding tube that twisted and turned in such a manner that several times I could have sworn that I was actually sliding upwards. I tried to stop my breakneck descent, but the tube too slippery and too wide for me to brace my arms or legs against the sides.

The tube went on for quite a while, which gave me time to reflect on the day’s events thus far. Just that morning, I was resting on my bridge, letting the cool water run through my toes as I watched the clouds pass. My life had been calm, peaceful … a touch boring, but at least I was in control. When did I lose control? Did I ever truly have it?

Sunlight glimmered ahead of me, rousing me from my thoughts. I twisted around as I flew from the tube and managed to land on my feet in a mass of hay. As I steadied myself, I noticed that I wasn’t that far from the waystation in front of the palace.

The warm summer air felt nice, especially after being in the cold air of the palace for so long. Feeling a little better, I started toward the palace waystation when a scream that grew steadily louder reminded me of my fellow ‘hero’. Moments later, Arc shot from the tube and landed face down in the pile of hay.

“By the Creator!” Arc spat out a mouthful of hay, “That man’s a complete loony!”

“He’s certainly a bit eccentric.” I agreed.

“My uncle’s eccentric. That man’s a complete raving loon!” He brushed the rest of the hay from his clothes, looking distinctly annoyed.

Part of me wanted to admonish him for speaking of the king in that way. At the same time, however, I agreed with him; Iniagus was insane. Reprimanding Arc would only have made me a hypocrite. In the end, I simply said nothing.

Arc glanced back at the palace. “What do you think about it? I mean, all that stuff about prophecy and evil and all that?”

I sighed and shook my head. “To be honest, I don’t know what to think anymore. I just want to go back to the Saybaro and try to forget that today ever happened.”

“Can’t blame you for that. I gotta get back to the Center myself.” He gave me a nudge in the ribs and a wink he probably thought was sly. “Working on a big project, you know. Revolutionary, scientifically speaking, of course.”

“Of course.” I could tell from his tone that he wanted me to ask just what it was he was working on, but I really wanted to be alone at the moment. Holding out my hand, I said, “Have a safe journey home.”

Looking a bit put out, Arc shook my hand. “You too, man. Hey, if you see any ‘Evil’,” He made quote signs in the air with his fingers, “Give me a call at the Center. Just ask for Arc. I’m something of a celebrity at the center, so they’ll know who you’re talking about.”

Giving me an impromptu salute, he headed on toward the waystation, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

My encounter with Iniagus had pretty much sapped any excitement I had from being in the city, so I decided to just head home. I wanted to rent a floater for the trip so I could back at the Saybaro before night fell. Unfortunately, though I was well versed in the operation of such vehicles (having worked on many with Uncle Ann), I apparently needed a license to rent so much as a bicycle.

As there wasn’t a transport service that would take me as far as the Saybaro, that meant I was going to be returning home on foot. After another visit to the Penumbra district to pick up some traveling supplies, I headed out of the west gate of the city and started the week-long trek to the Saybaro.

The hiking trail ran parallel to the road for a few hours, far enough to keep the noise level down. The roads parted eventually, the trail going through a thinly forested area, which was also good as there was plenty of shade.

When I rested at night, I often spent hours in meditation. I had a lot to meditate on: my life in Wenapaj, my attempts to better myself, the time and work I had put into the Saybaro.

It was the fact that my assignment at the Saybaro was nothing more than fluke courtesy of Iniagus that disturbed me more than anything. I could have easily been sent to Brigsonstrat to guard stream generators, or to the satellite uplink towers in Wukice, or even sent to repair the windmills in the plains north of the Saybaro.

Still, I had been sent to the Saybaro and tasked with guarding a bridge no one would ever have reason to cross. As I thought about it, however, I felt my spirits lift. Some people would’ve sulked about being posted in such a remote location. Others would’ve no doubt lodged a protest, perhaps even quitting the Royal Guard altogether. I, on the other hand, had made the Saybaro my home. I fixed the mansion, I trained myself to be a better guard, and I guarded that bridge like no one else. No matter how or why I ended up at the Saybaro, I had taken a bad situation and made it into something good, improving myself in the process.

That realization somehow made me feel better. I was a touch more cynical perhaps, but I was ready to resume my station at the Saybaro Bridge despite the fact that there was no real reason to do so.

Three days into my journey, while I was resting beneath a tree and eating lunch, my thoughts turned to Iniagus’s prophecy. In truth, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. My newly-born sense of cynicism wanted to write the whole thing off as the nonsensical words of one who had long since departed from the realm of sanity.

Still, history was full of stories where people ignored obvious warnings and met their demise. If the prophecy was true, if Arc or I was destined to fight against this ‘Evil’, my own inaction could have serious side-effects. What if Iniagus was right? What if something bad was about to happen?

The moment that crossed my mind, I lowered my sandwich and looked around the sunlit grove. The trees swayed softly, the wind whispering gently through the leaves. Birds were chirping, and there were a few butterflies flitting around a cluster of wildflowers nearby. All in all, it was serene … or was it?

Snorting, I continued eating my sandwich. No, the prophecy was just nonsense cooked up by Iniagus to amuse himself at our expense. Vinta was at peace, and there was nothing to suggest that would change anytime soon.

Eight days after my meeting with Iniagus, I finally was within sight of the Saybaro. Never before had the old mansion been a more welcome sight. Ignoring the ache in my bones, I pushed myself forward until I had crossed the creaky bridge and was beneath the shade of the oak tree in the courtyard.

Despite everything that had happened, being back home put me totally at ease. Here, there was no ‘Evil’, no hustle and bustle, and most importantly, no Iniagus.

I tossed my pack beside the tree, hung my sword belt on a thick stub of a branch, and plopped myself down with my back resting against the tree’s broad trunk. Though it was only my intention to rest for a bit, I was soon sound asleep.

I dreamt I was standing at my bridge, facing the courtyard, only there was a fountain where the tree once stood. The tile that surrounded it looked as though it was brand new as well, without so much as a single weed having worked its way through the gaps between stones.

As I watched, the tile began to degrade, breaking apart and crumbling before my eyes as weeds slowly claimed them. The fountain split and collapsed, crumbling until nothing was left but dust and a few fragments that were quickly buried beneath the weeds. A tiny sprout shot from the center of the rapidly deteriorating stonework moments later and grew until it became the fully grown oak tree. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, and as things often do in dreams, the occurrence seemed perfectly natural to me.

A shout from the other side of the bridge distracted me. As I turned, I saw Princess Sera engaged in combat with what appeared to be one of my training dummies. Someone had written the word ‘Evil’ on the dummy’s chest with a black marker.

What was really strange (aside from the dummy leaping around on its own, of course) was the enormous sword that Sera wielded. The blade was easily as tall as she was, thicker than my arm, and without a doubt extremely heavy.

Despite the obvious difficulty in wielding such a weapon, Sera controlled her assault with expert skill. Using the weight of the blade, she was able to follow up swings and thrusts with hand-to-hand combat moves, essentially flinging her body around as much (if not more) than the sword she held.

After an oddly thrilling battle, she managed to plant the blade straight across the ‘Evil’ on the training dummy’s chest. The blow knocked the dummy apart, its arms and legs still twitching in a most disturbing manner.

As she hefted the blade in the air and began dancing a victory jig, I heard the front door of the mansion slam open. King Iniagus leapt through the doorway, wearing what appeared to be a chipmunk outfit. “Congraduration! This quest is happy end!” 

Arc, who for some reason was wearing the dress that Iniagus had promised the bride of the chosen one, came running out of the mansion. He tried to cross the bridge, but naturally I wouldn’t let him cross. He kept trying to push his way past until I picked him up and threw him into the river with an enormous splash that caught me full in the face.

I awoke with a sputtering start, the moon of Everblue already high in the sky. As I sat up, I realized I was dripping wet. Someone had actually thrown water on me, water from the river by the taste of it.

“Hey, you awake?’

I glared at the speaker. It was Arc. He was holding a mostly empty bucket.

“Luminous?”

He made a face. “Don’t call me that. My name’s Arc!”

“Why did you just throw a bucket of water at me?”

“I, uh, I thought it’d be funny?”

I glared at him. He smiled back, showing off a shiny set of braces and a bluish tinge to his teeth that suggested habitual use of crystallic. Letting the bucket drop to the ground, he grabbed my hand and helped me to stand.

Slapping me on the back, he said, “So, how’s the whole prophecy thing going for you?”

“I just got back.” I told him, ruffling my hair in a futile effort to dry off that only succeeded in making my hair even more of a mess.

He stared at me. “It’s been over a week! What did you do, walk back here?”

“As a matter of fact …” I said, but Arc was still talking.

“I picked up a floater as soon as I reached the outer city. Had a time convincing them that my license was real, but I just flashed ‘em my Center ID card and that was that. They gave me a real beat up old floater, though. I’m surprised the damn thing didn’t break down before I got home.”

“I see.” I collected my belongings from the tree and started to head toward the mansion. Arc followed along, his mouth running nonstop.

“Yeah, that project I was telling you about? Didn’t work out so well. Kind of blew up actually. Not my fault though; I didn’t think interfacing Glyche Technology with Kindred artifacts was a good idea. I musta told Kanook a hundred times, Glyche was a technological society, and Kindred, well, Kindred were into that whole touchy-feely magic stuff. Magic’s unpredictable, and wouldn’t you know it, I was right. At least his eyebrows will grow back eventually.”

“Indeed.” I replied, not really sure what else to say.

“So anyway, I’m poking through the database looking for a new project to play with, when I find old records about several Glyche facilities that are supposedly in Wenapaj. I do some searching, and guess what came up?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Come on, guess!”

Sighing, I said, “I don’t know. Here, at the Saybaro.”

“The Saybaro! That’s right!”

My hand froze just before reaching the door handle, the impact of what Arc had said hitting me with the force of a solar flare.

“Just what do you mean by facility?” I asked, putting my free hand on my hip.

“A full research and development laboratory, complete with constructors, living quarters, and who knows how much cool Glyche stuff.”

 “I’ve lived here for over a decade, Arc,” I said, “and I’ve never seen anything that would indicate anything like that.”

Unperturbed, he said, “It would be well hidden. This is the Glyche we’re talking about, after all.”

I stared at him, scrutinizing him and his story. If he was right, then perhaps my assignment wasn’t just a fluke after all. In Rimstak, I had heard of people posted at positions near known Glyche facilities as a kind of warning system. Had Iniagus known all along?

“If you’re right,” I said, “And there is something here …”

“You could have one heck of time bomb under your house.” Arc said. “Don’t worry, though, I’ve got something that will help.”

I don’t know how I missed it before, but Arc had left a long object resting against the side of my tree. As he retrieved it, I realized with a start that it was a massive sword, identical to the one Sara had used in my dream.

Whereas Sera had hefted the massive weapon easily, Arc could barely lift it. Small wonder: the sword easily weighed as much as he did.

By the time he returned to my side, the young man was breathless. His face flushed, he held out the sword expectantly.

Hesitantly, I took the weapon from him. It was extremely heavy, even with the point resting on the ground. Still, thanks to my reconstructive efforts on the Saybaro, I was no stranger to heavy lifting. With a little difficulty, I was able to lift the blade.

Size aside, it was your basic sword. The blade was at least four feet long, the slightly curved cross guard and hilt another foot and a half. The cross guard was curved slightly toward the hilt, and seemed to have been cast along with the rest of the sword. The two-handle hilt had also been reinforced with something white and very hard; marble perhaps, or ivory.

As I took a closer look at the blade, I noticed that it had been inscribed with many small runes, of what origin I couldn’t determine.

“It’s Kindred.” Arc told me, sounding even more proud of himself than usual, “We found it in a ruin near Naidyr. I haven’t translated all the runes on it as of yet, but as far as I can tell, this was used by Kindred to fight against the Glyche corruption.”

I handed the weapon back. “That’s impossible. The Kindred left Vinta thousands of years before the Glyche arrived.”

The moment I let go of the weapon, the point fell to the ground with a loud clunk. Again struggling to lift it, Arc said, “Yeah, that’s what everyone else thought, but the Kindred ruins we discovered were dated at only three-thousand years ago.”

“I suppose there’s no evidence that all the Kindred left at the same time, but what does that have to do with the Glyche? How would one sword fight corrupted coding? Even putting that aside, you can’t honestly think that you could wield …”

I stopped; Arc had just tried to swing the weapon. Oh, not at me; he was facing toward the tree. Still, from the look in his eyes, I could tell that he was imagining himself fighting core units.

The blade hit the ground and stuck there. “Sorry, what’d you say?” He asked distractedly as he tugged at the hilt.

I rubbed my temples again. Though I had undoubtedly been asleep for hours, I was still groggy and my whole body was sore, no doubt to my lengthy journey.

“Tell you what, Arc, come on inside. I’ll make up a bed for you on my couch, and we can talk more about this whole Glyche thing in the morning.”

He perked up instantly. “Really? Awesome!”

As I deactivated the security and opened the door for him, he punched me in what he must have thought was a playful manner. “This is gonna be so cool! I mean, the two would-be heroes of Wenapaj bunking together!”

I started to close the door, when I realized that he had left his weapon stuck in the ground. Pulling it out with a hard yank on the hilt, I said, “I really hope I don’t come to regret this.”

9: Chapter 9 - The Secret of the Saybaro

The next morning, I woke up already half-out of bed. More specifically, my upper body was on the floor while my lower half was still tangled in the covers.

With some difficulty, I extracted myself from my bed. I had been dreaming, though all I could remember was a vague recollection of flying through the sky toward a cluster of lights while rain pelted me in the face.

I’m not sure how long I sat there trying to catch the vestiges of the dream before I finally snapped out of it. Shaking my head, I started searching for some fresh clothes so I could go get some breakfast.

Once dressed, I walked to my kitchen and searched for my imported Gineran waffle iron. I could have settled for a normal one, but all the Vintan models make waffles with squares so huge that when a person tried to butter them, all the butter invariably fell into one square.

I was still searching when Arc entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

“G’morning, Jimmy.” He said after stifling a lawn.

“Morning, Arc. Ah, there it is!” I found the waffle iron beside a smoothie blender. Moving the automatic mixing bowl, the strange, spider-like machine that was watching me, and the egg poacher (Creator knows why I bought that thing, I never eat my eggs poached), I picked up the waffle iron and headed over to the center table.

“So,” I said casually as I plugged it in, “Sleep well?”

“Eh. It’s a bit too quiet here. Not like the Center at all.”

“Really? How so?”

“We’ve got dozens of experiments running all over the Center. Something’s always bubbling or exploding, or ringing, and that’s just when everything’s working the way it’s supposed to.”

I shrugged. Personally, I didn’t miss all the noise of living among technology; I always had a horrible time sleeping when I lived in Rimstak.

As I gathered ingredients, I said, “So, about the Glyche facility supposedly beneath the Saybaro …”

“Oh, right!” Arc smacked himself in the side of the head. “I completely forgot. Okay, the information left in the Kindred database seemed to suggest that there were several facilities in Wenapaj that were somehow separate from the main facilities in Rimstak. We haven’t translated everything yet, but from what I’ve read, I think that they were separated because of the Corruption.”

“To prevent being infected with whatever caused it?”

Arc shook his head. “Maybe. Personally, I’m thinking the Corrupted Glyche wanted insurance in case their little plan to take over Vinta failed. Like you said yesterday; time bombs.”

“Well, I did find a hidden set of rooms, but there wasn’t anything there. I’m using it as my pantry right now.” The little spider thing peered over the mixing bowl as I started mixing the ingredients.

“You can’t expect the Glyche to have left the entrance to the facility so that any schmuck could stumble across it by accident. Er, no offence, Jimmy.”

“Hmm.” I measured out two-thirds of a cup of milk and poured it into the bowl. The spider-thing reached up with a metal claw and activated the mixer.

“Thank you.” Turning back to Arc, I said, “There would still be some kind of indication as to where the entrance is. The facilities discovered in Rimstak always had some kind of interactive control: usually a glyphstone.”

“Is there a glyphstone here?” Arc asked.

I shook my head. “Not unless it’s buried on the third floor. I still haven’t cleaned it out yet. Still it doesn’t make any sense for it to be up there; the facility couldn’t be hidden above the mansion.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think I would have noticed a giant floating Glyche ruin above the mansion, Arc.” Rolling my eyes, I returned my gaze to the spider thing as it approached, bearing two plates on its back. Something about it seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Helpful little thing, isn’t it?” Arc commented as the spider-thing set a plate in front of him.

I nodded in agreement. “Very. Where did you get it?”

Arc gave me a strange look. “I thought it was yours.”

Slowly, we both turned to the device.

The little robot paid us no notice; after setting out our silverware, it picked up a cup with its tail and proceeded to scoop out some of the waffle batter.

 “Maybe a gift from Iniagus?” Arc asked, edging slightly away from the creature, “He’s supposed to be a pretty good inventor.”

“No, I’ve seen something like this before.” I leaned toward the machine, my eyes narrowed.

Without warning, a miniature energy blade no longer than three inches shot from the end of the machine’s tail, making me jump back in surprise. In that instant, I realized just what it was, much to my horror. It was a skriever.

Skrievers are small robots that the Glyche use for repairs, scavenging material, and in some cases to guard sensitive equipment or information. The little bots are incredibly fast and the energy blade integrated in their tails were just as dangerous as military grade fusion blades.

A memory rushed through my mind; the skriever attacked us without warning, slashing off the arm of Harry Potter Ronsil, my best friend at the time. I could still see the look of horror on his face as he clutched at the cauterized stump.

“Uh, Jimmy?” Arc asked, looking concerned, “You okay?”

“Skriever.” I said, the fear I felt so long ago coursing through me.

“Skriever? What’s a skriev-” His eyes widened. Without another word, he bolted from the room.

I stared wide-eyed at the creature as it removed the waffle from the iron and set it on my plate. When I didn’t move, it chittered at me

My fear fading a little, I said, “You … you aren’t corrupted, are you?”

The tiny robot made an affirmative beeping noise and pushed my plate toward me with its front legs. It really was different from the attack units I had seen as a child; those were horrifying things with sharp pincers and dark metal. In comparison, this skriever seemed almost domestic; even the energy blade was rounded off at the tip. It was hard to consider it a threat when it was using it to butter waffles.

I reached for my breakfast tentatively. The skriever turned away and scooped out another cup of batter for the waffle iron.

My appetite was quite gone, but so was my fear; an uncorrupted skriever would be a great help to my efforts to restore the Saybaro. That still left an important question, however; if this skriever was hidden away in some corner of the Saybaro, what had made it suddenly come to life?

I didn’t have much time to dwell on it; Arc suddenly threw open the kitchen door and ran forward, lugging his enormous blade. Before I could react, he heaved the massive weapon over his head and brought it down with a wild shout in the general direction of the skriever.

The heavy blade slammed into the stone counter, smashing several appliances and sending the bowl of batter splattering in all directions.

The skriever leapt onto the blade and ran down its length toward Arcs hands with alarming speed.

“Ack!” Arc let the blade fall to the floor with a loud clank. The skriever leapt off the blade at the last second, hit the ground rolling, and skittered through the door.

I quickly followed the skriever into the lobby. After a quick glance around the room, I spotted the skriever rushing toward the back wall.

As I hurried to catch up, I wondered if it knew about the hidden door. Sure enough, it leapt onto the clock face and whirled the hands around until the time read ‘3:42’. The grandfather clock moved aside, revealing the hidden passage to my larder. The skriever scuttled inside, now only a few feet ahead of me.

“Arc!” I called out, “I need you to-”

The front door slammed shut behind me. So much for the other brave hero. Sighing, I started down the stairs.

When I first discovered the hidden entrance, I had expected nothing short of a Glyche starship hidden below the Saybaro. Unfortunately, like many of the aspects of my assignment at the Saybaro, reality fell far short of my imagination; I found a few rooms with environmental controls, lots of dust and cobwebs, and the hologram emitter I now used as a fireplace. The Glyche probably used the rooms for basic research or file-storage; I used them as my pantry.

I hurried down the stairs. In fact, I hurried just a little too much; I was unable to stop my momentum when I reached the bottom, and crashed into a stack of noodle cups. Uncooked noodles and dried bits of vegetables flew in all directions as I crushed about ten shards worth of noodles (fifty-eight packs, in case you were wondering). By the time I managed to get back to my feet, the skriever was gone.

“Great.” I muttered, kicking what was left of my reserve meals into a small pile to clean up later. As I looked around my pantry, looking for signs of the skriever, I heard the clicking of metal feet in the direction of the room I used as my freezer.

I kicked the door open and leapt inside with Glint in hand, ignoring the wave of cold air that swept over me. Nothing in the room seemed to have been disturbed; Stacks of frozen pizzas stood beside TV dinners and bags of steamed, baked, and fried foods.

One of the cooling fans abruptly acivated, scaring the Nocturnes out of me. “Easy, Jimmy.” I muttered, a hand to my now rapidly beating heart.

The lid of a box of hamburger patties lifted a fraction of an inch.

With a wild shout that could have rivaled that of Arc’s earlier battle cry, I let out a force edge that knocked the box into the air. The skriever leapt out of the box and landed right on top of my head.

“Ah! Get off, get off!” With a wild swing, I knocked the skriever away.

It hit the ground running. To my amazement, one of the metal panels on the side of the freezer slid up into the ceiling, revealing a secret tunnel.

As soon as the skriever was inside, the door began to close. With a wild leap, I passed through the doorway before it snapped shut, leaving me in total darkness.

The tiny red light of the skriever’s eye hurried forward, the only light in the darkness. I hurried after it despite the inherent danger, but no matter how fast I moved, the skriever was always just a little ahead of me. It turned every now and then, seemingly unhindered by the darkness while I found myself bumping into walls I couldn’t see..

Then, without warning, the skriever’s light vanished. I stood there, shrouded in darkness, for at least ten minutes; after all the twisting and turning before, there was no way I’d be able to find my way back.

“Well, crap.” I muttered. I walked forward, my hands stretched out to either side in hopes of finding a wall. Unfortunately, it was my face that found something.

“Oww!”

Fluorescent lights sprang to life, spreading from a source in the center of the room like blood pumping from a heart. Glancing up, I saw that I had run into some kind of control panel; apparently, my clumsiness had activated the lights.

After I made sure I wasn’t bleeding, I took a better look at my surroundings. I was in a large cylindrical room with eight passageways, one in each cardinal direction. Each hallway had a large glowing symbol above it. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what the symbols meant; as a kid, I had always been more interested in Glyche machinery than the Glyche language. I looked at each symbol, hoping that perhaps some snippet of information would come back to me, but every symbol was completely alien.

I was still trying to decide which passage to pick when one of the symbols began glowing brightly. A few seconds later, it flashed again; obviously, someone or something wanted me to go that way. As I was in a Glyche facility, that was not a particularly comforting thought. Still, wandering around was going to be dangerous no matter which direction I chose, and the knowledge that the skriever chose to retreat when it could’ve attacked both Arc and me was comforting. Nevertheless, I drew Glint before starting down the indicated corridor.

The corridors of the Glyche facilities were surprisingly well-maintained. The metal walls were buffed and shined, and the floor looked to have been recently waxed. I wondered at this; had that skriever kept this place clean all this time? Even if it had been active for years, it seemed far more than it could handle on its own. There must have been more, but how many?

I eventually came to a large, heavily shielded door. Looking down at Glint, I let out a snort of laughter; even with my training, Glint couldn’t wedge open a stubborn cardboard box, much less a fortified and no doubt magnetically sealed door.

When I was only a few feet away, however, the massive clasps on the door snapped open. The door opened with a slight groan, revealing nothing but darkness beyond.

I stepped forward into the dark room, Glint at the ready. A very slight hum was audible in the air, punctuated by the occasional whoosh in the distance.

“Is someone there?” I felt like an idiot the moment the words left my lips. I was lost in a Glyche facility; did I really want to hear a response? What would I do if someone or something did respond?

As if in answer to my fear, a warm, feminine voice said, “Please step forward, Jimmy Olsen Sakamota.”

Fighting the urge to turn and run, I said, “How do you know who I am?”

“I know much about you, Jimmy. You were born in Ronisgald, but moved to Rimstak as a child. After your parents were killed by a Corruption outbreak, you were raised by a Rimstakken who you refer to as Uncle Ann. Shortly after your thirteenth boyfriend, you had a fight with her that ended with you coming here to take part in King Iniagus’s Immigration Employment Initiative, and have been posted here ever since, leaving only recently to respond to a summons from said king. You like green tea, and study the streaming arts, bushido, and do-it-yourself home and tech repair. Your favorite color-”

“That’s quite enough.” I interrupted, a little daunted by just how much she knew about me, “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Step forward and all will be revealed.”

Gritting my teeth, I took a few tentative steps forward.

A series of blue beams shot all around me. I started to raise Glint, but my body refused to move. I calmed down when I realized that they weren’t actually hurting me. After passing through every inch of my body, the beams vanished.

“Jimmy Olsen Sakamota.” The female voice said, sounding happy, “From this day forward, you are my Inheritor.”

10: Chapter 10 - The Inheritor of the Saybaro

Bright lights flared across the room, illuminating the massive chamber. A massive sphere was suspended in the center of the room, encircled by seven increasingly large rings, all of which spun around the sphere in a way that reminded me of the little perpetual motion sculptures.

Feeling very small, I asked, “To whom am I speaking?”

A young woman with a kind face appeared beside me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.

“Gaah!”

She covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers as she let out a giggle. “I’m sorry, Jimmy. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay,” I said, sliding Glint back into my sheath, “You just surprised me, that’s all.”

As I looked at her, I noticed that she was just barely translucent enough to make out what was behind her. “You’re a holographic avatar, aren’t you?”

“I am Bethany, the Core Intelligence Construct of the Saybaro Research Facility.” She bowed her head respectfully. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Inheritor Sakamota.”

“Inheritor?”

“Since the Corruption decimated the Glyche civilization, each CIC is required to have an Inheritor to protect against corruption.” She smiled and said, “I have chosen you.”

“Me?” was just about all I could manage to say at this.

“Yes, Inheritor Sakamota. As my Inheritor, you can seal this facility from the outside world, as well as any other facility connected via teleportation matrix. You can access numerous defensive measures and security systems, and coordinate with any of those you assign as Guardian to deal with threats in a more direct manner. In the unlikely event I become corrupted, it will be your duty to activate the auto-destruct to prevent a corruption outbreak.”

“So the skriever … that was just to contact me?” I asked, my heartbeat beginning to slow as the knowledge that I was in no danger worked its way through my brain

Bethany nodded, twisting her hands in a nervous manner. “I did. I could have patched into the communications systems in the mansion and spoken with you directly, but I didn’t want to scare you, especially considering how much the Corruption has already affected your life. Sending a skriever seemed more innocuous.”

Bethany seemed very nice, so I decided not to comment that having a skriever to lure me into a facility I didn’t know existed was far from calming.

“I’ve been living here for over a decade. Why did you only decide to contact me now?” I asked, a little frustration seeping into my voice.

“I deactivated much of the facility 2774 years ago, a century after the last bio-form left.” A sad look fell over her face. “I had hoped that they might return, but as the years passed, I realized that any who remembered me must be long dead.”

I felt ashamed of my earlier frustration, my own years of loneliness seeming pale in comparison to what she must have gone through.

“My power was not infinite,” She continued, “and after a rockslide shut down the hydro-electrical plant within the mountains, I had to start shutting down systems to conserve what energy was left. First it was life support, then medical, then maintenance and the unessential labs. Eventually, I had no choice but to put myself into hibernation.”

She brightened, both her face and her projection. “Then, a few weeks ago, I received a massive boost of power from the Yaevin Station, enough to fill my reserves.”

“I’ve heard of Yaevin before!” I said, thinking back to the years I lived with Uncle Ann, “It’s an old Glyche satellite.”

“Actually, Yaevin’s more of a space station.” She said, not unkindly. “At first, I thought the Glyche had returned, and started reactivating the facility. When my sensors picked you up in the mansion, I searched through your network until I accessed the Weave and learned the truth.” She blushed again and said, “I … may have read your journals as well. I’m sorry, but you have to understand that I needed information. For the record, I’m sorry about your parents. I can only imagine how difficult their passing was for you.”

“You don’t have to apologize. As far as I’m concerned, the Corruption killed them, not the Glyche.” I said truthfully. “And as for my journal … well, if you can excuse some of the anger in my earlier entries, I don’t mind. Still, why choose me? There are better guards than I.”

“Yes, but you are special.” She said, giving me a kindly smile. “When I found out that you were a guard, not only protecting this place but rebuilding it as well, I realized that in a way, you already were my Inheritor.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that; while it was a nice thought, the fact remained that I had only come to the Saybaro because of the whims of a madman. On the other hand, she had a good point; I was already guarding the Saybaro, and ‘Inheritor’ sounded much better to my ears than ‘Specialist’.

Bethany’s smile faded, replaced with a look of worry at my silence. “Is that okay? I know I should’ve asked first, but when you left, I was worried you’d be gone forever, and I’d have to go to sleep again when the power runs out.”

“How much power do you have left?” I asked her.

She closed her eyes for a moment. “I could keep the facility running for about a month, perhaps two if I started cutting systems again. The Yaevin station might send more, but I’m hoping you might be able to restore the hydro-electrical plant before it becomes an issue. That is, if … if you don’t mind, Inheritor Sakamota.”

The pleading look in her eyes was too much for me to ignore. Smiling kindly at her, I said, “On one condition.”

“Yes?” She said, looking hopeful.

“’Inheritor Sakamota sounds so formal, more like something you’d call a boss or a coworker. Seeing as we’re in this together, I’d much rather us be friends, so would it be all right if you just called me ‘Jimmy’?”

She stared at him for a moment before a smile spread over her face. With a laugh of happiness and no small amount of relief, she surprised me by giving me a hug. Even if she was just a projection of light, and the pressure and warmth of her hug were just force-fields and environmental micro-manipulations, it felt nice to feel the presence of another being.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed after we separated. She seemed expectant, as though she were waiting for me to say something.

I coughed and said, “Well, if you’ll give me instructions on the hydroelectric plant, I’ll check it out right away.”

“I appreciate that, but if you don’t mind, I’d like you to head to the construction labs first. This facility was built with a purpose, and as my Inheritor, you deserve to know what that purpose is. Before you go, however, I have something for you.”

She waved a hand at one of the consoles around the core. On top of the keypad was a strange device unlike anything I had encountered before, Glyche or Rimstakken. At her gesture, the device floated over to me and slipped over my hand, wrapping around my fingers so that the display covered the back of my hand. Once in place, a second strap extended from beneath the device, latching around my thumb and firmly securing the device in place.

“This is your PIM, your personal identification module.” She said. “As the Inheritor, you can use it to access any console or locking mechanism in this facility. Please take care not to lose it; it would be difficult to replace.”

When I tapped the face, a miniature holographic construct appeared above my hand. I started to reach for the construct with my other hand, only to realize it was already moving the way I wanted; I was controlling it with my mind.

“Each point on the construct will activate a different function.” She pointed at a one such point. The entire construct changed, eventually becoming a hexagon filled with tiny lines. “This is the unlocking program, but it can also hack into other mechanical systems if necessary. It essentially allows me direct access to electronic systems, though if you are beyond my range, it will run a preset lock-cracking program that should be enough for most electronic locks.”

She tapped a different part of the construct. Instantly, it formed itself into something resembling a directional arrow. “The facility locating beacon can be set with this function. I’ve taken the liberty of setting it to the Construction Labs. It updates every half-second, so feel free to check it anytime you are uncertain as to where you need to go.”

“Like a Dreamer’s Compass.” I said.

“Something like that.” She activated another point, this one a series of concentric circles. “This is your PIM’s auditory sensor control. It’s already active, so bear in mind I can talk with you anywhere in the Saybaro area, even your bridge. It doesn’t take that much processing power to run this place, so feel free to talk to me whenever you feel like it.”

“I will.” I said, fully intending to make use of the feature the next time I stood guard at my bridge. “Thank you, Bethany … and thank you for trusting me with this.”

“Together, may we restore the Saybaro to her former glory.” With a final bow, she vanished. The lights in the room, however, remained active, as did the rotating rings around the computer core. A smile on my face, I turned and walked back the way I came, feeling a definite spring in my step.

I practiced with my PIM along the way. I didn’t know all the functions as of yet, but after a little trial and error, I was able to activate both the compass and the unlocking program without fail. By the time I reached the hub, I could do it by mental control alone.

I activated the compass as I walked back into the hub room, and took the indicated path. It was a good thing she pointed out the program, as the corridors all looked the same from the hub.

The white of the walls eventually faded to a dark gray. Heavy blast doors were present on both sides. I found these slightly unsettling, though the compass thankfully indicated that I walk past the doors and continue down the corridor.

Eventually the corridor ended with another large door, not unlike that which guarded Bethany’s room. There were no windows, so I had little choice but to raise my hand, activate the unlocking program, and hope for the best.

As the door slid up into the ceiling, I found myself staring into what looked like some kind of assembly area. Bits of skrievers lay all over the place, some completely disassembled while others twitched in a most disturbing manner. A few whole skrievers were moving around the room, busily repairing the broken units.

The room was dominated by a large pod. It sat in the center of the room surrounded by at least a dozen other machines, each displaying a different readout. It was those readouts that told me what exactly Bethany had wanted me to see: a core unit.

Core units were probably the most infamous creations of the Glyche. According to records left from the time of the original Corruption, the Glyche were a dying due to what is believed to be some kind of DNA degradation due to genetic modification over the years.

Facing their own demise, the Glyche created the core units to continue the Glyche civilization. Programmed with AIs and given the ability to upgrade themselves overtime, the core units would become the children of the old Glyche and carry on their traditions with their own children.

Sadly, core units became the downfall of the Glyche; the Corruption turned the once-peaceful androids into a violent collective that came uncomfortably close to taking over Rimstak, possibly even the entire world. Scars of the Corruption still dotted Rimstak, and newly discovered facilities were treated like active weapons of mass destruction.

All of this crossed my mind as I stared at what had become of the most feared things on Vinta. Still, Bethany had been quite nice, and it wasn’t like all core units were bad; the hero Core Desygan was a core unit, not to mention a close friend of Narrator Number One.

I had never actually seen a core unit before, aside from illustrations. It, or rather, he had been built vaguely male, though the exposed joints made it impossible to mistake it for any race or species with which I was familiar. The legs, arm, and torso were covered with metal plating, presumably to protect the internal circuitry. It was the face was what interested me the most; it had no nose, no ears, and no hair. About the only features on his face were the eyes and the mouth. It was as though the creator had started to craft the head as humanoid, but hadn’t gotten past the most basic features.

He looked as though he were asleep; his eyes were closed, and his mouth was hanging slightly open.

“Jimmy?”

I jumped slightly at the sound of Beth’s voice coming through my PIM. “I’m here, Bethany. Is this what you wanted me to see?”

“Yes. The product of three-thousand years of testing; even while I slept and the rest of the facility lay dormant, this pod continued its analysis.” She appeared on one of the consoles surrounding the pod, looking at me expectantly.

“Is it functional?” I asked, trying to force the lump out of my throat.

“One moment.” Her image flickered for a moment. “Final checks are complete. The pod is waiting for your authorization.”

I stared at Beth’s image, lost for words. She was asking me to activate a core unit, an act that always turned out badly in the horror flicks I had seen.

“Jimmy?” She asked, looking at me questioningly.

My gaze fell back on the inactive unit. “Are you sure it’s not corrupted?”

“I’m positive. This unit was my prime directive. Even while I slept and the rest of the facility lay offline, this pod remained active, running every corruption test and even going so far as to try and deliberately infect it. The results are clear; this core unit is completely incorruptible.”

“Are you sure?”

“One-hundred percent. This is in a very real way my life’s work; if you have any trust for me, I ask that you activate the pod and allow my creation to awaken … please.”

I stared at the core unit. It could have been a trap; perhaps she couldn’t open it without a bio-form. Still, there was something in the dormant unit’s face; even without features, there was something peaceful in his expression.

Nodding, I said, “What do I do?”

“Put your PIM hand on the construction pod. It doesn’t matter where.”

The PIM activated the instant my hand touched the smooth surface of the pod. “Inheritor status confirmed. Do you wish to activate the Desygan Prototype?”

I raised my eyes at this. The only Desygan I knew about was Thomas Desygan, who had built Core Desygan, the only core unit that had been able to resist the first Corruption.

Feeling a great deal more confidant, I said, “Yes.”

I took a step back reflexively as the pod opened to fully reveal the slumbering form of the core unit.

For a few moments, nothing happened. The core unit remained completely immobile. Just as I was about to ask Bethany if something was wrong, the core unit’s eyelids slowly opened to reveal glowing solid blue eyes.   

After a few moments passed with no further reaction, I said, “Can you hear me?”

He stared straight forward, and gave no sign that he even knew I was there.

I turned to Bethany. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all, Jimmy. He’s still initializing.”

The core unit suddenly sat bolt upright, startling the heck out of me in the process. I knew I should say something, but my words caught in my throat.

I took another step back as the core unit stepped out of the pod. My hand wrapped around Glint’s hilt reflexively, but I knew it wouldn’t help if the core unit was corrupted.

The core unit’s gaze fell to his hands, then to the rest of his body. He clenched his fists a few times, as though testing them. I looked to Bethany for some instruction, but her attention was focused solely on the core unit.

Finally overcoming the surge of fear that had kept me silent, I asked, “Are you okay?”

He looked at me. It was hard to tell with his limited facial features, but he looked surprised.

“Fei-jan?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Bethany said, “This is Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, Inheritor of the Saybaro facility.

He seemed to accept this. “Inheritor Sakamota. I am pleased to meet you.”

I shook his hand, albeit a bit cautiously. “Jimmy’s fine.”

We both stood in silence for a few uncomfortable moments.

“So,” I said when the silence became intolerable, “What now?”

“Normally at this point, my Creator would begin training me in matters of function, culture, and society.”

“You realize that’s not possible.”

He nodded. “Of course. In the absence of my maker, I am to receive my training from the Inheritor of the facility where I was created.”

I shook my head, my mind still reeling a little from the surreal nature of it all.

“You are the Inheritor of this facility.” He reminded me.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Shaking my head, I said, “What’s your name?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been given a name yet.”

“Right.” I said, realizing my mistake.

“What name do you think I should have?” He asked.

I honestly didn’t know what to suggest. This was an important question, one I wasn’t prepared to answer.

“You said ‘Fei-jan’ earlier.” I said, “How about that?”

To my amazement, his cheeks turned gold. It took me a second to realize that he was blushing.

“That was an obvious error on my part, Jimmy. Father … Thomas Desygan gave me many of his memories to assist in my growth. I mistook you for one of his old friends. That man’s name was Fei-jan, but father always called him ‘Mick’.”

“Well, how about that then?” I said, “Mick sounds fine to me. Mick Desygan?”

He looked uncertain. “I don’t know. Desygan built me, but I was conceived by hundreds of other Glyche; it seems unfair to choose any one of their names.”

I was amazed, quite frankly. Even with his limited facial features, I could tell he was really bothered by this. That made any fear I had about what he was fade away; he wasn’t one of the machines that killed millions; he was an orphaned child of a people who had long since passed away … an orphan that was left in my charge.

That’s when I knew what name to give him.

“How about Mick Sakamota?” I said.

He gave me a surprised look. “You would share your family name with me?”

“Sure.” I replied. “I always wanted a little brother.”

A timid smile slowly spread across his face, “Very well. I am Mick Sakamota.”

Bethany beamed at both of us from her console. “I’ll add the name to my registry.”

Her expression suddenly changed to one of concern.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, secretly wondering what else could happen that day.

One of the other monitors activated, this time displaying fields of ripened trabia grains. Arc was fighting his way through the stalks, his face a mask of pure panic.

“I’m picking this up off one of my guardian drones. Isn’t he the young man you were speaking with earlier?”

“Arc.” I said, remembering my ‘fellow hero’, “I forgot about him.”

“He seems in quite a state.” said Bethany, “He’s covered an impressive distance for a bio-form.”

“He didn’t take the appearance of your skriever as well as I did. We’d better get him back here before he reaches Salutier.”

“I don’t understand.” said Mick, looking as confused as he could with his featureless face.

“Most people are still a little touchy about the Glyche.” I said as I started toward the Hub, “If Arc gets to the city and tells them about the skriever, it could start a panic.”

Bethany held up a hand. “One moment, please.”

Arc vanished abruptly from the screen. He appeared in front of us moments later, still running.

I barely caught him before he bowled me over. “Whoa, Arc! Slow down!”

“Jimmy! How the heck did you get in front of me?” His eyes wandered in Mick’s direction and immediately went as wide as saucers. “AAAAGH!”

I held him fast. “Calm down! Take a deep breath.”

“It’s gonna kill us all!” He screamed, still fighting wildly to free himself from my grip.

Mick coughed politely. “Actually, I have no combat functionality … Arc, was it?”

Arc fell slack. “I-It knows my name?”

Keeping a grip on Arc’s arm, I turned to Bethany’s screen. “This is Arc Skylad, a friend of mine. Arc, I’d like you to meet Mick Sakamota and Bethany, the CIC of this facility.”

Bethany bowed her head respectfully toward Arc. “My apologies if the skriever’s sudden appearance frightened you. I merely wished to bring Jimmy to the facility. As his friend, you are of course welcome here as well.”

Calming down somewhat, Arc asked, “You mean you aren’t going to kill me?”

“If they were, we’d both be dead by now.” I let him go.

“Good point.” He admitted, rubbing his arm. “By the Creator, you scared the Nocturnes outta me.” Chuckling he added, “For a second there, I thought Iniagus might’ve been onto something with his stupid prophecy.”

“Prophecy?” Bethany asked, a curious expression on her translucent face. “What prophecy?”

Sighing, I said, “This is going to take a while to explain.”

11: Chapter 11 - Complications

The weeks that followed my initial discovery of the Saybaro facility were quite nice. The Hydro-Electrical Plant was a mess, but with Mick and a team of skrievers helping, we had the place up and running in a week.

With the facility’s power secured, we turned our attention to the rest of the Saybaro. Fixing up the mansion with Mick, Arc, and a team of skrievers was much faster than doing it alone. It took another month of work on our part, but we finally managed to clear all the rubble out of the second floor. The rooms were unfurnished, and the ceiling of the second floor was mostly tarp and wooden framework, but having the rubble dealt with felt like a major victory.

I was surprised when Arc continued to stay at the Saybaro. He seemed reluctant to trust Bethany and Mick, though he agreed not to tell anyone about the hidden facility. I don’t think he ever bought the idea of a Glyche that was immune from the Corruption.

Bethany, on the other hand, had listened to every word we had said with an open mind. After explaining Iniagus and his prophecy, she immediately insisted that Arc and I begin a strict training regimen.

“Many prophecies have a basis in fact, Jimmy.” She had said, “As the Inheritor to this facility, you have a responsibility to stay alive.”

From that moment on, Arc and I spent at least three hours every day training. Fortunately, the facility was equipped with a massive hologram chamber, where we ran randomly generated obstacle courses and sparred against computer-generated opponents. Mick trained with us as well, though his flight unit made any obstacle course barely more arduous than a slow jog.

The facility was also equipped with a very nice medical bay, which Arc found out the second day of training after a badly-timed jump. I ended up in there more than once for sprains, mostly from sparring.

When I wasn’t training or working, I was standing at the bridge as usual. Mick usually stood out there with me, though Arc never stayed more than an hour (I don’t think he cared for being out in the sun too long). We usually just told stories of our past lives; Arc’s shenanigans in the Center, my adventures in Rimstak, and Mick’s memories of Thomas Desygan. Bethany often joined in via PIM, telling us stories of the Saybaro back in its heyday. Three months after Bethany appointed me her Inheritor, I couldn’t even remember what it had been like to not have them there.

Just when I was settling into the new course my life had taken, things took a rather swift turn for the strange …well, stranger.

 

“So my friend opens the door and sees Squiggles and Frodrick standing outside, completely covered in Nacho cheese, chicken feathers, and hamburger coupons. Before he can say a word, Squiggles turns to Frodrick and says, “See? I told you so!”

Mick, Bethany, and I laughed heartily at Arc’s story. Mick, Arc and I were in the recently renovated living room. I was sitting cross-legged in my new armchair, while Arc and Mick were both seated on a large cushy sofa that Mick had found buried under rubble on the second floor. One of the legs had to be propped up with an old dictionary, but it was in great condition otherwise. Bethany was listening via PIM, her efforts to build and install holoemitters in the mansion still in progress.

“Did he ever figure out what they were talking about?” Mick asked, a smile on his silvery face.

Arc shook his head. “Not a clue, not even now. Squiggles thinks it’s funny, and Frodrick is afraid it might be viewed as improper to ask.”

I chuckled again. “I had no idea the Center of Knowledge could be such a lively place. I’d love to stop by sometime.”

Snapping his fingers, Arc said, “Hey, there’s an idea! Let’s go to the Center!”

Mick perked up, but I shook my head and said, “You’d have to go without me.”

“Oh, come on!” Arc persisted, “Iniagus suspended you from your duties for the whole stupid prophecy thing. Come on, it’ll be a blast!”

“It would be an excellent opportunity to broaden our horizons.” Said Mick.

They both looked so eager, I couldn’t help but laugh. I opened my mouth to reply when a loud alarm made the three of us jump.

“It’s the perimeter alarm.” Bethany said over the noise.

“That’s strange.” I said to myself, “It’s too early for it to be Devon again.”

“WHAT?” Arc shouted, his hands clamped tightly over his ears.

Shaking my head, I shouted, “I’ll see who it is. You both stay here for the time being. Bethany, could you turn the alarm off?”

The alarm stopped moments later.

“Thank you.” Shaking my head, I headed for the lobby. As I approached the front door, I could hear the sounds of someone banging on it from the other side.

“Coming!” I called out as I hurried over to the door and entered the thirteen-digit pass-code that Bethany had practically drilled into my brain.

It took me a second to recognize the strange man who was standing outside the door. He was dressed in an extremely bizarre set of clothes: blue jeans, a turtleneck scarf with one sleeve cut off, an arm warmer on the bare arm, a sandal on his right foot and a bunny slipper on his left. He wore a glimmering white cape with matching hood, and an enormously thick pair of glasses. Despite all of that, the giant red mustache was a dead giveaway.

“King Iniagus?” I said incredulously.

He quickly held a finger to his lips to silence me. Looking over his shoulder as if he were checking for pursuers, he whispered, “Call me Gheraldio Fastien, loyal citizen and friend to all.”

Before I could reply, he darted inside and said, “Close the door!”

I complied, glancing around outside for a moment first. I didn’t see anything.

As I turned around, Iniagus rubbed his hands together and said, “I don’t suppose you could give a little drinky to a loyal citizen and friend to all such as myself.”

“Of course. Let’s go the, uh …” My eyes suddenly fell on Mick, who had just stuck his head out of the living room door. I quickly grabbed the king’s shoulders to prevent him from turning around. “Can I take your coat?”

“No, no thank you. It was a gift from the Queen, you know. Very rare dye to get it this white, you know. Nice, eh?”

No doubt realizing my predicament, Mick ducked back into the living room. I released the king. “Well, in that case, let’s go to the kitchen so I can fix you a drink.

I kept my eye on the living room door while I led Iniagus to my kitchen. Fortunately, Mick had the presence of mind to stay out of sight.

Once in the kitchen, I led the king to my nicest chair. “So, what’ll it be, your Majesty?”

“Shhh!” The king glanced around nervously. “Gheraldio Fastien, that’s who I am!”

“Of course. What can I get you, Mister Fastien?”

“Mine’s a brandy.” He replied smartly, “But I wouldn’t say no to a glass of sentient wine, if you have some around.”

“I have some vintage xemptarian geen wine. Claudius Gardens, of course. It’s for cooking purposes, but I’ve only used a little.”

“Of course you have, you sly dog!” He gave me a roguish wink that made him look all the stranger.

“So,” I said as I set the mug in front of him, “I presume you’re here for a good reason.”

“Oh yes, very important business. First things first, though!” He grabbed the mug and took a big swallow. When he lowered the glass, his eyes were crossed.

Coughing, he managed to wheeze, “Not much of a year, was it?”

“It’s xemptarian,” I said, trying hard not to laugh, “Even they tend to drink very little.”

“I can see why.” After a few moments, his coughing finally died down. Before I could stop him, he took another swallow from his mug.

Oddly enough, this time he seemed fine. “Ah, this is a much better year. Tasty, even. Anyways, I was saying something, no doubt profound and important. Er, what was I saying?”

“You were going to tell me why you’re here.” I reminded him.

“That’s right! Right, right, right. Well, I’ve run into a little domestic problem. It’s kind of hard to talk about.”

“Take your time.” I said, sitting down with a glass of green tea.

He let out a sigh. “Well, to be perfectly honest, it’s my eldest daughter.”

“Sera.” I said, nodding.

His eyes narrowed. “What have you heard? Was it you?” He was on his feet in a moment, prodding my chest with his finger. “Yes, of course! You must be the kidnapper!”

“Princess Sera’s been kidnapped?” I said, alarmed.

“Don’t play dumb, Jimmy! I know you’re involved! Did you work alone, or did you have accomplices?”

“Your Majesty, I-”

“Gheraldio Fastien!” He screeched.

My patience was growing thin. I was prepared to forgive him for sticking me in the middle of nowhere, especially now that it turns out there was a Glyche facility under the mansion, but I wasn’t going to go to jail on a madman’s whim.

“Look,” I said, rubbing my temples, “I didn’t kidnap your daughter. I haven’t even seen her since she left your throne room at the palace.”

Still looking suspicious, Iniagus picked up his mug and took another sip. A blissful expression fell over his face almost instantly. “Ah, that really hits the spot.”

He stared at the table as though mesmerized. I waited patiently, but apparently he stopped to think and forgot to start again.

After a minute or two of silence, I coughed politely. “Uh, Mister Fastien?”

He jumped at the sound of my voice. “Jimmy? What are you doing here?”

I sighed, and said exasperatedly, “I live here, sir. You came here to tell me that your daughter was kidnapped.”

“My daughter, yes! You’ll never believe it, but she was kidnapped!”

“So I gathered.” I said, fighting the urge to rub my eyes.

“She was stolen! Stolen in the dead of night. Such a shame too.”

To my amazement, Iniagus actually cried, only pausing to down the remaining contents of his mug. I filled it again, oddly fascinated.

Choking down a sob, he said, “To be taken away just after hearing she was going to marry a hero. It’s just so tragic!”

With a wild sob, he threw his arms around me, inadvertently tossing the contents of his drink onto my kitchen floor. I patted him awkwardly on the back, not sure what to say and slightly light-headed from the strong smell of the spilled wine which even now emanated a blue-green haze.

Releasing me, he seemed to gather himself. Hitting the table with a closed fist, he proclaimed, “We must rescue her. Please, Jimmy; you and Arc are the only potential heroes I know. Won’t you help?”

“Well,” I said, not really sure how I was going to suggest that the princess might not have been stolen, “I do want to help, but I wouldn’t it be better to send a large armed force to-”

“You fool!” He thundered, hitting the table with his fist again, “I can’t just send the army scouring the countryside, or people will think I’m nuts!”

I was sure we were way past that point, but I didn’t tell Iniagus that. Out loud, I said, “Of course I’m willing to help, Mister Fastien, but are you sure she was taken?”

He nodded vigorously. “Positive! Someone tore the window of her room open, left a horrible mess; buncha deep slashes on the wall and burn marks everywhere.”

“That’s certainly cause for alarm.” I said, secretly wondering just what could’ve happened to leave the mess Iniagus described.

“But I know she’s alive because there was no blood or leftover bits.” He looked to me for encouragement. “I mean, she would have fought to the death, right?”

I imagined she would have. No one in their right mind would just let themselves be carried away, not even if faced with marriage to Arc or myself. The burn marks stuck in my mind as well; there were plenty of mages on Vinta, but they were policed by the Centers. No, this wasn’t just normal Iniagus goofiness; Princess Sera was likely in trouble.

Nodding, I said, “Don’t worry, you’re highness. I will do my best to find her and bring her home unharmed.”

Iniagus embraced me, which as you can probably imagine was extremely awkward for me. “You don’t know what this means to me, Jimmy. She’s my absolutely, most favorite oldest daughter!”

“I don’t doubt that.” I said, extracting myself from his grip as gently as possible. “First things first, however: we should start by investigating her room more thoroughly, to see if we can’t find out who or what kidnapped her.”

“Yes! Excellent thinking as always. Let’s head out immediately.”

He dragged me halfway out the door before I could pull free, “A moment, your Majesty! I need to grab a few things before we set out. Arc is here, along with another friend of mine, and I’d like to bring them in on this.”

“Of course! I shall wait for you …” He paused dramatically before thrusting a finger toward the door. “… outside!”

Without another word, he dashed out of the mansion, slamming the door behind him. Arc and Mick peered out of the living room door again.

I hurried over to them to explain the situation. “Someone or something kidnapped Princess Sera, and I’m pretty sure this isn’t Iniagus being crazy. Whoever it was climbed to the side of the palace and tore through the wall.”

“A bomb?” Mick asked.

I shook my head. “No way to tell. That’s why we’re going to go investigate the scene. Bethany?”

“I understand.” She said. “Iniagusville is out of my range, but I’ll work on a way to get in contact with either you or Mick so you can update me on the situation. And Jimmy?”

“Yes, Bethany?”

“Be careful.”

“Roger that.”

“Dammit!” Arc said as my PIM deactivated. He pulled off his goggles and threw them on the ground. “I knew it was too good to be true!”

“Excuse me?” said Mick.

“Whichever of us was the hero was to be given Princess Sera’s hand in marriage,” I said, “though I’m pretty sure that the king would’ve required us to have actually fulfilled the prophecy first.”

Arc shrugged, a rather silly grin on his face. “Well, sooner or later, something was bound to happen. Since you aren’t interested in the whole hero thing, I figured I’d take care of it.”

If Arc wanted the title of hero, he could have it as far as I was concerned. What mattered at the moment was finding out what had happened to Princess Sera. Her special someone was probably beside himself with worry.

Of course, there was a problem; I wanted Mick to come along as well. Unfortunately, one look at Mick would probably send a man of Iniagus’s disposition into hysteria.

“We need to investigate.” I told them, “But we’ll need a disguise for you, Mick.”

Arc leapt up and down, his hand in the air. “Ooh! I got it! Let me take care of it!”

I should’ve been more suspicious, especially after months of hanging around Arc, but at the time I was too focused on our mission to properly think about it. “Good. Get his disguise and meet me here; I’ll pack some supplies just in case.”

By the time I packed the basics, and returned to the Lobby, Arc and Core were waiting for me. Core was now wearing a set of the exact same clothes Arc was wearing, right down to the flight goggles and brand-name sneakers. No effort had been made to hide his face, and several of his joints were clearly visible.

“There’s no way this is going to work.” I told them. Truth be told, I was having a hard time not laughing.

Arc patted me on the back, “Come on, he looks great! Besides, He’s not wearing the hat. Mick, put the hat on.”

Shrugging, Mick put the hat on his head. He looked like … well, a core unit in a pair of Arc’s clothes and a baseball cap. Arc quickly turned it around so the bill was facing backward, which did nothing to change my initial observation.

Another honk made me glance at the door.

“It wouldn’t do to keep our liege waiting.” Mick pressed. If anything, he seemed excited.

Sighing, I said, “Come on then.”

“Ah, finally!” Iniagus said as we exited the mansion, “I was wondering how long you …”

He fell silent as he saw Mick. For a few moments, I was sure that the admittedly flimsy disguise had been blown.

“Ah, Mister Fastien,” I quickly said, “I’d like you to meet our friend, Mick.”

“Friend? Really? My word. For a second, I thought he was a core unit dressed in ill-fitting clothing and wearing a baseball cap.

“Your Majesty,” I said, putting a hand on Mick’s shoulder, “I give you my personal assurance that he is as much a man as you or I.”

“What’s wrong with his face?” Iniagus asked, poking a long finger at Mick’s silvery cheek.

 Arc piped in. “He has a rare disease he caught while working at the recording industry in Ronisgald.”

“Rare disease?”

“Er …” Arc looked at me for support.

“Chromeitis.” I said, fighting hard to keep a straight face. “Perhaps you’ve has heard of it?”

Iniagus scratched his chin, murmuring, “Chromeitis, huh? You know, now that you mention it, I think I have heard of it before.” Glancing at Mick, Iniagus leaned forward, whispering, “It’s not catching, is it?”

“No, Mister Fastien. It is perfectly safe.”

Iniagus nodded and slapped Mick on the arm. “Well, you’re welcome addition to … by the Creator, you’ve got well developed biceps! Hard as steel! Anyway, glad to have you aboard. Everyone climb in so we can get going!”

It was then I realized that the vehicle the king had driven wasn’t a floater; it was an automobile.

“By the Creator.” I said.

Iniagus mistook my reaction for admiration. “Ah, it is a fine car, isn’t it? Vintage year, you know.”

“I can see that.” I said, eyeing the ancient vehicle, “It is safe, right?”

Iniagus slapped me on the back, saying, “Now Jimmy, everyone knows that driving wouldn’t be fun if it weren’t just a little bit dangerous.”

I looked at the car again. Oh, the paint job was nice, and it wasn’t billowing smoke or anything, but then again, the floater Devon and I had taken to Iniagusville had seemed all right up to the moment it started falling from the sky.

Arc pushed past me, calling out, “Shotgun!”

Sighing, I climbed into the backseat beside Mick, who seemed intrigued by our mode of transportation.

“This is a combustion-powered vehicle, right?” He asked.

“Don’t remind me.” I said as Iniagus turned the car around and started to drive away from the Saybaro.

12: Chapter 12 - Nighttime Encounters

The journey was surprisingly short this time around; the car had apparently been modified to go considerably faster, a common practice on Earth I believe. Still, zooming along the road in an antique car driven (quite poorly, I might add) by the insane leader of the country left my nerves on edge.

A few hectic hours later, Iniagusville lay before us. I expected Iniagus to slow down as we approached the city, as the speed limit naturally was lower as compared to the highway. To my surprise, the king just grinned and pressed his foot down on the accelerator all the harder.

“Shouldn’t we slow down?” Arc asked uneasily.

“Don’t be silly! If we slow down, we’ll never make it to the palace. Oh, that reminds me.” Iniagus jabbed a button by the steering wheel.

Moments later, a long ramp rose from the ground a little ways ahead of us. The machinery involved was impressive, supporting the full weight of the stone road and even curving up toward the end.

“By the Creator.” I said it occurred to me what was about to happen.

Cackling, Iniagus said, “Onwards and upwards!”

“You can’t be serious!” Arc said; I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was regretting his seating arrangements, a feeling I shared. I would have much rather been sitting at home.

Nevertheless, we hit the ramp at full speed. Arc started fumbling at his handle, despite the fact that he’d never survive leaping out of the car at the speed we were going.

“Don’t worry!” said Iniagus, cackling ever louder, “I took the precaution of enabling the child locks to prevent you from getting injured. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

“Fascinating,” Mick said, seemingly unperturbed by our imminent demise, “Is this a normal method of aerial transport?”

Iniagus hit another button on the dash. With a lurch that pressed everyone into their seats, we blasted down the remainder of the ramp at a speed I thought impossible for a gas-powered car and shot straight up into the cloudy twilight sky.

I wanted to scream, but found myself without a voice. Arc had no such problem, and Iniagus was cackling with glee. Mick continued to sit in his seat calmly, as though this were a perfectly normal situation.

“The twilight sky is rather lovely, don’t you think?” He said, looking out his window.

We burst through the final layer of clouds, still rising as we came into view of the palace. It was breathtaking from our position; even though I was scared out of my wits, the sight of the floating palace filled me with awe.

“Are we almost there?” Mick asked, moments before we began to fall.

Arc continued screaming as my stomach took up a position roughly level with my cerebellum.

Which much twirling of his hands and fingers, Iniagus said, “Wait for it!”

We were falling toward the palace much too quickly. There was no way we’d ever be able to stop in time.

“NOW!” Iniagus smacked what I had assumed was the car’s horn.

The trunk flew open, spilling out billowing sheets of canvas.

With yet another stomach-wrenching lurch, our descent came to a near-halt. I glanced out the back window to see Iniagus’s giant face grinning at me from the underside of a gigantic parachute.

I fell back against my seat, breathing a sigh of relief. Arc’s voice finally gave out; he just sat in his seat, his mouth agape and his eyes wide.

“There! Wasn’t that fun, my lads?” Iniagus said, grinning at the three of us.

“It was … different.” I admitted.

Our car came to a rest just before the palace gates, where Devon stood waiting. Once the vehicle came to a complete stop, he approached, calling out, “Another excellent landing, your Majesty.”

“Thank you, my Mox Wazoo.” Iniagus hopped out of the car and tossed his overcoat to Devon. “Is dinner ready yet?”

“My apologies sir, but you just missed it. I took the liberty of having the cook set aside a plate for you.”

 “King-sized?” Iniagus asked hopefully.

“Of course, sire.”

Iniagus let out a most unregal squeal of delight and dashed off to the castle as the rest of us finally exited the vehicle.

“Jimmy!” Devon said, smiling, “I’m glad you were able to come so quickly. How was the trip?”

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of Arc retching over the nearby railing. Turning back to Devon, I shrugged and said, “I’ve had worse.”

Chuckling, Devon asked, “So who’s your friend?”

Mick held out his hand. “Mick Sakamota. Pleased to meet you.”

Devon hesitated only a moment before accepting Mick’s handshake. “Call me Devon.” To me, he asked, “Did you make this?”

I wasn’t sure what to say. The whole ‘Chromeitis’ thing wasn’t going to work on Devon. There was really nothing for it; I had to tell him the truth.

“Mick is a core unit.” I said. “He was designed specifically to be immune to the Corruption.”

Devon looked at me, amazed and just a bit worried.

Mick nodded in agreement. “The facility beneath the Saybaro was built to ensure that I could not be affected by any kind of virus or corruption.”

“The facility beneath the Saybaro.” Devon repeated in a dazed voice.

I sighed. “I know it sounds crazy, but-”

Devon held up a hand to forestall my explanation. “Crazy I can deal with. I am Iniagus’s right-hand man, after all. If you say Mick’s okay, then that’s good enough for me.”

Arc wandered over, still looking a little green. “Next time, Jimmy rides in the front.”

Chuckling, Devon asked, “How about some dinner?”

Arc gave Devon a dirty look, still clutching his stomach.

“No thank you.” I said, only to be interrupted by a loud growl from my stomach. “Well,” I amended, a little red-faced, “I guess I could use a little food.”

He smiled. “We’ll prepare rooms for you while you eat. No reason to jump right into the investigation.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. “Saving the princess is important, but you’ll be more observant after a hot meal and a good night’s sleep. I know; I’ve ridden with Iniagus before.”

“You’re right, of course.” I said, sighing, “Lead the way.”

Arc went straight to his room, so I ended up eating with Mick. We didn’t talk much; Mick was fascinated with his meal, though to be honest he had been fascinated with food since Bethany had installed his sense of taste. I hoped Devon would join us, but he was evidentially needed somewhere else.

After we finished, servants showed us to our rooms.

Mick leaned back as though he were popping his spine, a habit he had probably picked up from me in the weeks following his activation. “It’s been quite a day. I was going to collate some data, but I think I’ll just turn in for the night.”

“Can you dream?” I asked curiously.

“Not yet, but I will after my first evolution.” He paused a moment before adding wistfully, “It is something I look forward to experiencing. In any case, I hope you have good dreams, Jimmy.”

“Goodnight, Mick.”

The rooms Iniagus had provided were lavishly furnished; four-poster beds, dark mahogany furniture, and thick, fluffy carpet that felt wonderful on my bare feet after I removed my sandals. I had a nice view of the rest of the palace from my window, but I didn’t stop to ponder it long; it had been an eventful day and I was ready for some rest.

I awoke late that night. I started to go back to sleep when I heard the sound of crying from the hallway. Unaccustomed to using a bed with posts, I managed to somehow swing my legs to the side of a bed in such a way that trying to get up resulted in my head slamming into the heavy wooden post when I tried to stand. My head now aching, I felt my way to the side of the bed and carefully stood up before approaching the door. I opened the door, and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway.

The sobbing seemed to be coming from a large decorative pot. I peered behind the pot to see a young idestan girl in a silk robe emblazoned with the royal crest. Her dark face was streaked with tears.

“Hey.” I whispered, kneeling down beside her, “What’s wrong?”

She wiped away her tears before regarding him with wide, soulful eyes. “I can’t find sissy, and no one will tell me where she went.”

“Is your sister Princess Sera?” I asked.

She nodded, sniffling.

“Ah.” I said, nodding. “What is your name?”

“Zelda Marie. Imma princess.”

I bowed my head, saying, “Well, your Majesty, I am your loyal subject, Jimmy Sakamota. I won’t lie to you; your sister was kidnapped.”

Her eyes went wide. “Who stole sissy? Sissy was the most nicest lady in the whole castle!”

“We don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out.”

“You are going to rescue her?” She asked, her eyes shining.

“That’s right.” I said, “It’s why I came here. I’m gonna find the princess and help her beat up the people who took her, so you don’t need to cry anymore, all right?”

She gave him a small smile and nodded, drying her eyes on her nightgown sleeve.

Devon came running around the corner. He stopped short of us and took a moment to catch his breath before saying, “Princess Zelda! Thank the Creator! You shouldn’t go running off like that. You’ll worry Her Majesty to death!”

“Jimmy’s gonna rescue sis!” She said happily.

Devon glanced at me. “Be that as it may, it’s way past your bedtime. Come with me, milady.”

She took his hand, and walked with him down the hallway. A few yards away, she turned and asked, “Jimmy?”

“Yes, your Majesty?” I asked.

“You promise you’ll bring sissy back?”

“I promise.”

She gave me a small curtsey. “Thank you.”
Devon nodded approvingly before leading the young princess back to her room.

Smiling to myself, I turned to head back into my room.

The fional I had seen in Iniagusville was staring back at me, no more than ten feet away and clad only in a small shirt with spaghetti straps and a pair of silky short-shorts. A silk robe, so thin it was nearly translucent hung on her shoulders.

“Oh!” I said in surprise. “Hello there.”

I expected her to vanish instantly, but she surprised me by stepping out from the adjoining corridor and taking a few steps toward me.

We stared at each other in silence, which finally gave me a chance to look at my mysterious shadow. She had light brown fur that almost blended in with the white fur that started at her nose and ended a few inches below her belly-button, and her long ears hung with her long blonde hair down her back, brushing against her slender waist. It was her eyes that struck me the most; they were a soft purple, like the blooms on the ivies that grew across my bridge.

She continued to watch me silently, a shy smile on her face as her hands toyed nervously with one of the strings of her robe.

“Uh, hello, Miss.” I said. She gave me a small nod. So I pressed on. “Have you been following me?”

Another nod.

“Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head.

“Then why?”

She cocked her head ever so slightly to the side. I had the feeling that I was being evaluated.

“I didn’t mean to sound rude.” I told her, feeling my cheeks grow warm, “I mean, if you want to follow me, that’s fine, I just … it seems like there’d be more interesting things to do.”

She stepped closer and stared directly into my eyes. I found myself completely incapable of looking away. Faced with a new situation, my mind went blank.

After a few moments, she brought her hand to my face. Her touch was gentle, so gentle that my hand came up seemingly of its own accord, reaching slowly to touch her soft cheek.

 

The next clear memory I had was of waking up in my bed, more than a little confused. I swung my legs over the side of my bed, my mind scrambling to piece together what had happened.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to think about it for long. A knock sounded at my door, followed by the muffled voice of Devon asking, “Sir Jimmy! May I come in?”

“Yeah.” I said, quickly slipping on my hakama. As he opened the door, an idea crossed my mind. I asked him, “Did the young princess get a good night’s rest?”

He flushed, and bowed his head. “I never had a chance to thank you for that. I wanted to tell her, but Her Majesty thought it wouldn’t be in the princess’s best interests.”

Aha! So it wasn’t just a dream!

“Devon,” I asked, “Did you see a fional in the hallway last night?”

He gave me an odd look. “No, I only saw you and the princess. By the time I came back your way, you were in your room.”

I shook my head, saying, “After you left with Zelda, I saw this fional woman. I tried to talk to her, but-”

“Jimmy,” Devon said, looking uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t the first time either. I saw her before, in the city.”

“Jimmy, I don’t know how to say this, but with the whole business with Princess Sera and the whole prophecy thing …” He blushed slightly, continuing, “I mean, you’ve been out there almost a decade by yourself.”

I narrowed my eyes at the implication. “I’m not imagining things.”

“I’m not saying you are.” He said quickly. “I’m just sayin’, that’s all.”

We walked in silence for about a minute before clearing his throat. “So, was she pretty? I mean, I know Shorans aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but still.”

I closed my eyes and drew the image of the fional woman from my memory: her cream-colored fur, the long ears almost covered by her long blonde hair, her soft lilac-purple eyes, and that strange and wonderful shy little smile she gave me, like she had a secret she wanted to share with me … but not just yet.

“Beautiful.” I said, opening my eyes. “Probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” I sighed and shook my head. “Or you’re right, and I’m crazy to the point that I’m seeing hallucinations.”

“Well, you know what they say. The simplest solution is often the most accurate.”

“Ugh … I’ll worry about it later.” I said, having already faced enough embarrassment for one day. “Let’s go to the princess’s room; after all, I’ve got a promise to keep.”

We picked up Arc and Mick along the way. It was a bit out of the way, but I was glad for the delay; I still had trouble pushing the fional from my thoughts.

“G’morning.” Arc said, rubbing his bird’s nest of a head. “Slept well, did ya?”

“More or less.” Glancing at Mick, I asked, “How about you? Did you sleep well?”

“Actually, no. I spent most of last night in the royal library garden.”

“The library or the garden?” Arc asked.

Mick nodded. “Yes, that was the place.”

Arc opened his mouth to reply, but Devon cut him short. “We can take the tour later. Business first.”

Our group complete, we headed to Princess Sera’s chambers. Devon opened the door for us, only for a cloud of dust to shoot from the room and envelope us.

“Intriguing.” Mick said as Arc, Devon, and I were reduced to fits of coughing, “So this is what a princess’s room looks like.”

 Covering my mouth and nose with the sleeve of my keikogi, I walked into the room and peered through the powdery fog. Although it was unusually bright, I was able to make out a figure with a large mustache in the corner of the room wiping a brush rapidly across a shelf. The mustache was covered with powder, but I was pretty sure I knew who it was.

“King Iniagus!” I called out, my eyes streaming.

He looked up at me. “Jimmy! Excellent! You’re just in time!”

“What are you doing?”

“Checking for fingerprints!”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Beg your pardon?”

Sighing, I told him, “I can’t investigate if I can’t see!”

“Oh! Of course, how silly of me.” The king clapped his hands. Instantly, all the powder in the air settled on the carpet and furniture. It was so thick on the floor that it looked as though the room had been caught in a snowstorm. It was then I realized the reason the room was so brightly lit was because there was no outer wall, at least not anymore.

Shaking my head, I glanced around. The room seemed normal, save for the missing wall and the piles of dust. I was kind of surprised to see so many stuffed animals amid the mess; Sera hadn’t struck me as the stuffed animal type, though on reflection the dolls most likely came from Iniagus.

I walked over to the missing wall and looked out over the city of Iniagusville, where the twin suns were just beginning to rise over the sleeping city. It was quite a remarkable view.

I turned my gaze to the wall as my hand rubbed against a strange groove in the wall. At first, it looked like it was just a gash, perhaps made by the sharp edge of the machinery used to tear through the wall. It wasn’t just a single gash, though; there were four, all parallel to each other. From the shapes of the cuts in the wood, I found myself thinking they looked like the marks made by some huge set of claws or talons.

I looked down from the opening. As I expected, there were more claw marks on the outside of the palace, though only around the missing wall.

“So it didn’t climb up.” I said to myself, “Whatever did this could fly.”

Sifting through the dust, I found the last piece of evidence I knew would be there; a bluish scale the size of my fist. It didn’t take long to find more, mostly near the edge of the missing wall.

Letting out a sigh, I said. “I think I know what caused this.”

“You do!” Iniagus danced a little gig in his joy, “Splendid, simply splendid! I knew I could count on you!”     

I held up the scale. “It’s a dragon.”

 

 

13: Chapter 13 - Dragon Warriors

Arc, Devon, and Iniagus stared at me with looks of abject horror. I paid them no notice, however, my mind already working furiously.

It didn’t make any sense; dragons are typically benevolent and wise beings that, aside from a few bad examples, lived peaceful and enlightened lives. It was even rumored that Sir Myssohn, Keysha of the Earth-based organization known as the Knights of the Star, regularly took tea with a dragon.

I couldn’t think of any reason a dragon would kidnap a member of the Wenapaj royalty. For that matter, I couldn’t even think of why any dragon would even be in the area in the first place; they didn’t tend to leave their lifestream-rich home world often.

“Your Majesty,” I asked, “Have there been any reports of dragons in the area?”

“Well,” The king said thoughtfully, “I did hire a young draconis to come and repaint the castle, but he was green. Besides, that was months ago; I’ve certainly seen no sign of any blue dragons recently.”

I doubted there was a connection. Despite having a similar-sounding name, draconis-tribe sentients were only a little taller than the average Galden, and were covered with a thick mane of hair, save for their scale-plated arms, legs, and the crest on their heads. They could fly, but their heavy scale-covered wings were really more suited to gliding, which this draconis probably used to his advantage while painting.

“You hired a draconis to paint the palace?” Arc asked incredulously.

 “He made the lowest bid.” Iniagus suddenly looked thoughtful. “Now that I think about it though, he did seem kind of suspicious; he asked to be paid up front.”

“No draconis left these talon-marks.” I said, pointing the deep gouges in the wall. “This was made by something big, something that was able to fly up here and casually tear a reinforced wall out of the palace. Something with scales, ergo a Dragon.”

“By the Creator.” Devon said, mopping his perspiring brow, “I don’t think we have the resources to take on a dragon.”

Iniagus brightened considerably. “Ah, but wait! We don’t need to!”

I could tell what was coming.

“You don’t fight a dragon with an army!”

Apparently Arc caught on as well; he started tiptoeing toward the door.

“Everyone knows that only heroic knights can fight dragons!”

Two guards effectively blocked Arc’s egress. Picking him up by his arms, they carried him back to the King and set him down next to me.

“Knights like Jimmy and Arc!” Iniagus finished triumphantly.

Arc quickly said, “But we’re not knights!”

Iniagus swiped Arc’s massive sword with one hand and banged the flat of it on each of our shoulders with enough force to make us fall to our respective knees. After a moment’s hesitation, he did the same to Mick, who didn’t even flinch.

“There! Now you’re all knights of the realm. As my newly-knighted knights, your first job is to find the dragon, slay it, and rescue my daughter. Your reward will be her hand in marriage, and half the kingdom, as per tradition.”

“Yeah, if this was a fairy-tale.” Arc muttered just low enough so that only I could hear him.

“Sir,” I said, standing up shakily with Mick’s assistance, “I thought you said her hand was the reward for stopping the Evil.”

“The what?”

“The Evil?” When he continued staring at me with a blank expression, I added, “The coming darkness in the prophecy that named either Arc or me as the chosen one?”

Iniagus snapped his fingers, “Of course, of course. Must’ve slipped my mind with all the hullabaloo. Still, I only promised you one of her hands. Now you can have both!”

I opened my mouth. I thought about the discussion that was likely to ensue. I considered the reasoning Iniagus was going to give me for his previous statement. Ultimately, I decided to keep my peace.

Saluting, I said, “We’ll get right on it.”

“Good man! Now, I’m off to see the Queen.” Iniagus turned abruptly and rushed to the door.

He paused for a moment before turning his head and giving us a roguish wink. “If you can’t get her back, I’ll need to confer with the queen for a replacement princess, am I right?”

Without waiting for an answer, he slammed the door shut.

“Crazy old bat!” said Arc as he staggered to his feet. “What the hell are we supposed to do against a dragon?”

I sighed, and put a hand to my head. “Just wait until Bethany hears about this. We’ll be running drills twenty-four, seven.”

Devon put his hand gingerly on my already sore shoulder. “Well, despite what the king said, you have the support of the army. If there’s anything we can do to help, just let me know.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have a spare Dreadnaught lying around, would you?” I asked dryly.

Devon let out an appreciative laugh. “Tell you what; I’ll have my best men go over this room, every inch. Maybe there’s something here that’ll shed some light on why she was taken. I just hope she’s okay.”

 “With no body and no signs of blood, I would theorize the dragon wanted to capture her alive.” Mick said.

“Maybe,” Arc said, “or maybe it just ate her somewhere else.”

“Why take a snack from the palace when there are plenty of people below?” I asked, “Besides, that’s just species stereotyping; dragons don’t eat people.”

“Why not?” Arc asked curiously, “Too hard to catch?”

“Hardly. No, from what I’ve read, we don’t taste that good. Too many bones, not enough meat.”

Fortunately, further conversation on the matter was cut off as several guards entered the room, including one familiar face … or rather, a familiar helmet.

“Terry?” I asked, surprised to see the young guard again so soon.

He snapped to attention instantly. “Sir!”

“I didn’t know you had met my son.” Devon said, giving me a curious look.

“Your son?” I gave myself a good smack in the head as the realization hit me. “Ulyndia, right. Yeah, we met during my last visit; he helped me find the waystation.”

Terry continued to stand at attention. With all that armor, it couldn’t have been comfortable.

“At ease.” I said, feeling awkward.

“Thank you sir.” He relaxed … a little bit.

“It’s Jimmy. You do remember me, right?”

“Yes sir,” Terry said, his tone as formal as ever, “but as I said before, it would be improper for me to refer to you in such a familiar fashion.”

I sighed. “Well, if it makes you feel more comfortable, by all means.”

“Jimmy’s been assigned to rescue Princess Sera.” Devon told his son.

Terry snapped back to attention again as he turned smartly to face me. “Sir! I request permission to accompany you!”

I was rather surprised by his sudden offer of support, and I could tell from Devon’s expression that he was just as surprised as I.

“You want to help us track down a dragon?” Arc asked, looking quizzically at the young guard.

“Yes sir! I … wait, did you just say dragon?”

 I held up the scale so he could see it. “Do you still want to tag along?”

He looked down at the scale for a long moment. It was hard to tell what he could be thinking; I could only see his mouth, after all.

“Sera and I have been friends since we were children.” He said in a quiet voice. “If you’re going to rescue her, then I want to help, sir.”

I looked to Mick and Arc.

“Hey,” Arc said, “The more the merrier.”

Mick nodded in agreement. “From the sound of it, we can use all the help we can get.”

Turning back to Terry, I said, “I have no objections, if it’s okay with you, Devon.”

Devon smiled at his son. “Only in the Royal Guard for a few days, and already you’re chasing dragons. Your mother will be so proud. Go ahead and get yourself packed up for the journey.”

“Yes sir!” With a final salute, Terry ran out of the room.

“Excitable young fellow, isn’t he?” Mick said.

Devon waved him off. “You know young people; always ready for adventure.”

I wasn’t particularly eager to go tracking down a dragon, but I refrained from correcting him.

Devon turned to the remaining guards. “Okay, boys.”

“Ahem.” Said the tigreth guard, her tail twitching.

“And girls.” Devon amended. “I want this room searched top to bottom. Anything strange is to be sent to the Saybaro to aid in the investigation.”

“Already on it!” Arc promptly started rifling through the princess’s dresser.

Rolling my eyes, I turned to Mick. “We’ll help them look around.”

“What are we looking for?” He asked.

“Anything that might explain why the dragon went to all this trouble to take Princess Sera.”

Unfortunately, there really wasn’t that much to look at; aside from the fine quality of her furniture and a fair-ground stall’s worth of stuffed animals, nothing particularly stood out in my eyes. Despite this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something.

I was still looking around when I heard a set of metal-clad feet rushing through the outside hallway. Terry burst through the door a moment later, a large duffel bag in one hand and a plasma rifle in the other.

“I’m ready, sir!” He said, slinging the massive weapon over his shoulder so he could salute.

Nodding, I said, “Okay then. Devon, we’re going to head back to the Saybaro to plan our search.”

He returned my salute. “Understood. We’ll let you know if we find anything.”

As we started to leave, he stopped Terry. “Remember what we talked about earlier.”

I could have sworn that I saw Devon glance my way for the briefest of moments.

“I’ll do my best.” Terry said, sounding nervous.

Putting both hands on his son’s shoulders, Devon said, “I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Now, don’t get into any trouble you can’t get yourself out of, okay?”

Terry nodded. “Yes, father.”

Giving his son a hearty smack on the back-plating, Devon turned to the rest of us. “Good luck, all of you.”

We took the waystation outside the palace to the Penumbra district. As we neared the large clock tower in the center of the district, Arc asked, “So what are we going to do if we actually find the dragon?”

“Panic?” I suggested wryly.

Mick let out a laugh that seemed to surprise him as much as the rest of us. “Sorry.” he said, smiling sheepishly.

Smiling myself, I said, “As the nearest shop to the Saybaro is a good three hour walk, I suggest we pick up supplies before going back. We can go as a group, or spl-”

“Later!” Arc was off like a bullet.

“-Split up and meet up here in about an hour.” I finished dourly, watching Arc’s rapidly receding back.

Terry left a moment later, but not before giving me yet another salute which I returned uncomfortably.

As Terry hurried off, Mick asked, “Mind if I ask a question?”

“Of course not.” I replied. “Ask away.”

“I couldn’t help but notice that you’re uncomfortable with the respect Terry has shown you.”

I sighed. “My mother was part of the Ronisgald Security Force. I guess with the armor and all, Terry just reminds me of her.”

“Aren’t your memories of your mother pleasant?”

“Most of them are.” I said, unable to keep a note of sadness from my voice.

I could tell that Mick was still curious, but he didn’t press further. I was glad; I really didn’t want to talk about it.

As we neared one of the large retail stores, I stopped Mick. “Here,” I said, handing him a handful of shards, “Go pick out some new clothes. I’ll wait here.”

Mick stared at the money in his hand. “What kind of clothes should I buy?’

“Whatever suits your taste.” Smiling, I added, “Just don’t dress like Arc, okay?”

Mick smiled. “I think I understand. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

As I watched him enter the store, I heard someone behind me say, “Jimbo?”

I turned to see a familiar grease-smudged face. “Meryli?”

The mechanic grinned at me lopsidedly, a slightly banged up cardboard box tucked neatly under one arm. “Well I’ll be! Small world, eh? Whatcha up to?”

“Waiting for my friends at the moment. We’re about to go chase after a dragon.”

“Heh, I know what you mean.” Her face suddenly froze. “Wait, what?!”

I blushed slightly, realizing just how strange that sounded. “Princess Sera was kidnapped by a dragon.”

Her face pale, Meryli said, “I heard somethin’ about her bein’ kidnapped, but I thought it was just normal jabber. I mean, a dragon? Really?”

“Looks like it.” I said showing her one of the scales.

She let out a low whistle as her slightly smudged fingers rubbed the rough surface of the scale. “I’ll be damned. You got your work cut out for ya. A dragon could have made it half-way across Vinta by now.”

“Not necessarily. I’ve got a partial linkup to the satellite-”

“Actually,” she corrected, “It’s more of a space station.”

“Right. Well, I’ve got a partial linkup to Yaevin back at the Saybaro. With luck, we can access the station’s scanners and use them to locate the dragon.”

“How did you manage to secure a connection?” She asked. “Being handy with tech is one thing, but it’d take a technical savant to make a connection with advanced Glyche tech like Yaevin Station.”

I gave her a hard look. The average person would most likely panic upon hearing the truth of the situation. Still, she was an experienced tekker, and seemed level-headed enough; I saw no harm in telling her the truth.

“There’s a Glyche facility beneath the Saybaro.”

Her eyes went wide, not with fear but with excitement. “Uncorrupted? Of course it is, you’re standing right there. Is it fully intact? You think I could have a look?”

I held up my hand, saying, “Slow down! It’s fully intact and uncorrupted. We’re heading back now, but maybe it’d be better to wait until we deal with this dragon business before giving you a tour.”

“Ah, of course.” She blushed slightly. “Mind if I ask just one more thing?”

I shrugged, “By all means.”

“Were there any core units inside?”

“Just Mick.” I replied, my gaze going to the store he had entered. “He’s a prototype; supposedly incorruptible.”

I glanced back at Meryli, a grin slipping over my face. “He’s in the store over there if you want to meet him.”

She perked up instantly. “I think I’ll do just that. You mind?”

I shook my head, saying, “I’m fine. You go say hi.”

As she ran off excitedly, I felt a strange prickling on the back of my neck. I turned instinctively and saw the fional standing in a nearby alley, wearing a small black tank-top and blue jean short shorts that looked quite fetching on her. She was staring right at me, a curious expression on her face.

I smiled and waved. To my surprise, she waved back, smiling timidly. Intrigued, I started to walk toward her, only to get caught in a passing crowd. By the time I had managed to work my way past the throng, she was gone.

I hurried toward the alley in case she had stepped out of view, but it was empty, save for a hungry-looking cat. Kneeling down, I pulling a strip of jerky from my rations and offered it to the poor creature. It quickly snatched the meat and scampered off, as though afraid I would snatch the food away at the last second. Once it reached a safe distance, it began tearing the meat into pieces, occasionally glancing back at me.

I grinned, saying, “Don’t suppose you saw her.” The cat looked at me warily for a moment before returning its attention to the meat.

“Sir?”

It was Terry. He had returned, carrying another bag. He looked at me as he approached (at least, I guessed he was looking at me. It was beyond me how he could see anything with his helmet on).

I asked, “Did you just see a fional woman?”

“Sir?”

“Light brown fur, blue tank top and short shorts, light brown fur with a white face and a small beauty mark on her left cheek?”

“You noticed all that, sir?”

“Ten years guarding a bridge gave me time to train my perceptive abilities. So you didn’t see her?”

“I’m afraid not, sir.”

I looked at the cat again as it continued to tear into the strip of jerky. Was I imagining her, like Devon had suggested the night before?

Shaking my head, I asked, “Did you get everything you need?”

“Yes sir. I picked up the usual necessities.” He patted the strap of his new pack.

“Good. Let’s go wait for the others.”

Mick met back with us shortly and gave me my change; he had chosen a loose-fitting set of blue-jeans and a black silk shirt with a fancy dragon motif. He had kept the red hat Arc had given him, though I suppose it was for the best; his literal chrome dome would no doubt spark some suspicion.

“Jimmy,” Mick asked as we headed to the meeting point, “Do you know a Meryli Grange?”

“Ah, she found you then?”

“Yes. She is a most peculiar woman; tell me, is it normal for people to greet strangers with a hug?”

“I wish.” I replied, feeling a teensy bit jealous.

After about an hour, we were still waiting for Arc beneath the clock in the central square. Glancing at Terry, I asked, “Do you happen to know where Arc went?”

He opened his mouth to reply when I heard, “JIMMY! JIMMY, JIMMY, JIMMY!”

It was Arc, running toward as at top speed. He skidded to a halt, nearly colliding into me.

“Whoa!” I quickly grabbed his arms to keep him from falling.

“I was looking at the new tech at Zuen Technologies ‘cause those muscle enhancements look awesome and I thought with the dragon and all that some enhancement might do the trick and-”

“Arc!” I said loud enough to be heard over his rambling, “Take a deep breath, collect your thoughts.”

He took a few moments to catch his breath.

“Now,” I said once he had calmed down a little, “What happened?”

“I think I found a lead on the dragon!”

My eyes went wide. “Really? Where?”

“Come on!”

One wild run through the Penumbra district later, we were in front of the Zuen technologies building.

 “Okay Arc,” I said, “Where’s the lead?”

He pointed to a small pot merchant. I admit I was surprised to see someone selling pots in a marketplace in this day and age. I suppose there’s always a demand for some things.

“Dude,” said Arc, grabbing the merchant by the shoulders, “Tell my bro what you told me.”

The merchant smoothed his vest from where Arc had grabbed him before saying, “The Communications relay with Wukice died last night. My friend works in the Iniagusville Communications center, and he said that they were claiming a dragon was attacking the town. It was probably just a practical joke. I mean, honestly? When was the last time you heard of a dragon on Vinta?”

He laughed as I traded glances with my friends. Turning back to the merchant, I asked, “What’s the fastest way to Wukice?”    

“Oh, that’s easy. Just take the east gate out of Iniagusville, and stay straight on the path. I’d take a floater, though; it’s a good three-week journey on foot, even with the waystations.”

“Thanks for the info.” I said, flipping him a fiver shard. Turning to the others, I said, “Let’s get moving.”

“Whoa there!” The pot merchant quickly moved to block my path. “While you’re here, how about purchasing a decorative pot?”

“Huh?”

The Galden waved at the huge selection of ornate pots around him. “Can’t have a home without a pot! I’ve got big pots, small pots, crystal pots, glass pots …”

“Er, no pots for me today, thank you.”

“Excellent for storing things, y’know. I keep a few pots outside my house to store healing herbs.”

I gave him an odd look. “Thanks for the info, but I really need to be going.”

“Ah, but if you buy a pot, there might be a surprise inside! Think of that, eh?”

Rolling my eyes, I told Terry, “Let’s go.”

The merchant called after us, “Some people store money in pots! I tell you, you’re going to kick yourself for missing the business opportunity of a lifetime!”

“I think Iniagus is starting to rub off on some of his subjects.” I muttered as we walked away.

14: Chapter 14 - Dominion Roads

I can't help but feel a touch nostalgic when I think back to the moment the four of us stepped out of the city and onto the Natalya Highway. We were an untested team with no idea of the strange things that were to come.

I'm getting ahead of myself. You're probably wondering why we were walking. To explain, we'll have to back up a few minutes.

As we approached the floater rental station near the East Gate, Arc approached the counter and made a great show of clearing his throat. "Ah, excuse me!"

"How can I-" The attendant turned and scowled. "Oh. It's you. What do YOU want?"

Seemingly nonplussed by this response, Arc said, "I need a floater, an Uleo model this time."

"Certainly, just as soon as you pay the fifteen-hundred shard fee."

Arc's mouth fell. "Fifteen hundred shards? Who carries that kind of money around?"

"It's the repair cost of the floater you wrecked after your last visit."

We all looked at Arc, who suddenly seemed a little sheepish. "So I left it with a few slight dings."

"Half of the car was missing!" The attendant admonished, "If we hadn't found the other half, we would have charged the full price of the vehicle. Now are you going to pay or not?"

Sighing, I pulled out my wallet and surveyed its contents: Seventy-six shards, my personal ID card, and a receipt for the hamburger I had for lunch during my last visit to Iniagusville. I had a debit card, but I had given it to Bethany, as she wished to purchase certain materials for her own reconstructive efforts.

"So much for that." I said.

"The merchant told us the trip would take two or three weeks on foot." Mick reminded me.

We all considered this for a few moments.

"Maybe Iniagus would give us the money?" Arc suggested, but it was clear from the sound of his voice that even he wasn't that naïve.

I let out a snort. "He'd probably just let us borrow his car … and no, we aren't considering that, Arc."

As Arc sulked, Terry said, "I did bring my portable cabin, just in case, but-"

"-but the princess and the dragon will probably be long gone by the time we get there." I finished.

"Not necessarily."

We all turned to Mick as he continued, "If the dragon took the princess for personal reasons, then it stands to reason that he took her to his lair. If the dragon was seen at Wukice, his lair may be nearby."

"In which case, they may be able to at least tell us which way the dragon went." I gave Mick an appreciative nod. "Good thinking, Mick."

Mick smiled, his cheeks tinged with gold.

"How do you know it's a 'he', Mick?" Terry asked, his tone curious.

"Well, we've established that it was a dragon that kidnapped the princess. Since only male dragons are known to engage in this kind of hoarding behavior, it stands to reason that this dragon is male, and is probably fairly young."

I nodded. "I agree. Probably just about to reach adulthood, and itching to prove himself. That's good news for us; he'll probably be careless. Once we find his lair, we might even be able to sneak in and carry the princess off."

Arc let out a whistle. "That dragon's gonna be pissed when he finds out."

He had a point. We would need a fallback plan in case the dragon discovered our rescue.

"We've got a few weeks until we reach Wukice." I said. "I'm sure we'll think of something by then."

"Wait, we're really just gonna walk there?" Arc said incredulously as the rest of us started walking toward the East Gate. "But he said it'd take weeks!"

"I'd love another option." I told him, "But I don't have a license to rent a transport for all of us or the money to cover the damage you caused. Of course, if you have a better idea, I'd be more than happy to hear it."

Arc grumbled well until Iniagusville was a speck on the horizon behind us. I wanted to laugh, but I remained silent; Arc was already having enough trouble carrying the monstrosity that was his sword.

We passed many other travelers on the ground path, most riding horses, felpas, or in once odd case, a domesticated durien. We smiled and waved politely as they passed. I was a little surprised at the traffic, but reasoned that most were people from local settlements near Wenapaj.

As the ground path veered away from the floater path, the traffic on the road grew sparse. The weather remained fair, and as there was nothing else to do, we fell back into our usual pastime of telling stories about our lives, or in Mick's case, the life of Thomas Desygan.

The only one who didn't speak much was Terry. I couldn't really blame him; wearing all that armor in the hot sun had to be taxing. Still, his complete silence was more than a little unnerving. In truth, I was hoping he'd be more forthcoming; I was curious about Devon's son, and the life he had thus far led.

As we traveled, I continued to watch Terry out of the corner of my eye. Something about him seemed odd, and it wasn't just that he stayed in full armor despite the heat.

His endurance was impressive; even with all that armor, he never seemed to need a break. Even if the armor had a self-regulating temperature unit, it was still quite heavy. Nevertheless, he didn't complain.

"So," I said, trying to strike up a conversation with Terry for the umpteenth time, "Did you grow up in the palace?"

"Yes sir."

After Terry once again gave no further response, Arc let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes sir? That's it? Dude, it must be totally whack living with the King. You have to have some kind of story."

When he still didn't reply, I said, "If we are to work together, we need to establish some kind of communication. Granted, this wasn't how I was expecting to spend the next few weeks, but we might as well make the best of it, right?"

He continued walking in silence.

Just when I was ready to give up, he said, "I'm sorry, sir. I'm just not used to being part of a group, sir."

"What are you talking about? You're a member of the freakin' Royal Guard!" said Arc, throwing up his hands. "Or is this some parallel dimension where the Royal Guard isn't a group?"

Terry replied stiffly, "I've only been part of the Royal Guard for a week or so. Before that … well, I was never really popular among the other kids in the palace."

"Because you weren't royalty?" Mick asked curiously.

Terry snorted. "Nothing like that; if anything, the royal children were nicer to me than anyone else. They teased me because I'm …"

After a moment of silence, I asked, "Because you're …?"

He shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Arc opened his mouth to argue, but I quickly shook my head. No reason to put Terry on the spot; from the sound of it, he had quite enough of that already.

After a few minutes of silence, Terry asked, "If it's not too personal a question, how did you come to be at the Saybaro?"

Arc let out a snort. "If you aren't going to talk about yourself-"

I stopped him. "It's all right, Arc. I'm originally from Ronisgald. When I was five, my parents moved to Rimstak to investigate a series of recently discovered Glyche ruins. Unfortunately, they fell victim to the last Corruption; I survived, but my parents were killed."

Terry bowed his head. "I'm sorry, sir."

"It's all right." I said. "That was a long time ago, and I've come to terms with it. Anyway, Uncle Ann raised me from that point until I was thirteen, when I felt that it was time for me to see the world. I heard about Iniagus's proactive citizenship plan from some travelers, and decided to give it a try. That was thirteen years ago."

"Thirteen years, man. I still can't get over that." Arc let out a low whistle. "I can't imagine spending that much time by myself."

"Devon stopped by every now and then, and I grew to like the solitude. It was nice to wake up and know that I had nothing to do but better myself. Still, after thirteen years, I have to admit that it's nice to have some company."

We continued walking in silence. Mick and Terry both seemed pensive; Arc just seemed bored.

As the suns began to set, we stopped for the night and set camp at the edge of a nearby forest. As I looked around for a comfortable spot to sleep, Terry pulled a small box out of his pack and set it on the ground.

"Step back." He said, grabbing a small rip cord on the side of the box.

I complied. Terry pulled the cord and quickly moved away. The small box seemed to fold outward, growing larger and larger until it was the size of a small house.

I felt the side of the house. It felt like a normal, wooden wall. "Feels pretty sturdy."

"Well, yeah. It's a portable cabin." said Arc, giving me an odd look. "Haven't you ever camped before?"

I glanced at the house, thinking of the week I had spent sleeping out in the open. "I guess not."

The house's interior was pretty simple: a small, serviceable kitchen, a bathroom complete with a tub with running hot water, and a large bedroom. Unfortunately, there were only three beds.

"I told him to get me one with four beds!" Terry said, his pitch rising with his annoyance.

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You three take the beds; I was gonna sleep outside anyway."

Terry seemed mollified by the thought. "You're my superior, sir. I'll sleep outside."

I sighed exasperatedly. "Would you quit that already? You don't have to show me extra respect. It's your cabin, you sleep in it!"

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Terry gave me a final salute before heading toward the bathroom, only to discover Arc had beat him to it.

I left the cabin and found a nice tree not too far away. It was a nice clear night, and I was well used to napping beneath trees at that point. Making myself comfortable against my pack, I put my hands behind my head and stared up at the night sky.

Just as I started to fall asleep, I heard Mick ask, "Are you awake, Jimmy?"

I opened my eyes and propped myself against the tree. "Sure. What's up?"

Bowing his head, he said, "I want to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

"For what happened to your parents."

I felt a slight constriction in my chest. "It wasn't your fault, Mick. Heck, you weren't even operational back then."

"But it was Glyche technology that killed them."

"I don't blame the Glyche, Mick, not even the transversion cells that corrupted my parents."

Mick still looked troubled. "When you told me that others would be afraid of me, I understood why; my people did much harm to the populace of Vinta. How is it that you of all people show us such acceptance?"

"If I dropped a hammer on my foot, should I blame the hammer?" I replied, chuckling. "The Glyche were corrupted, Mick. Someone altered their baseline programming and made them nothing more than killing machines. That person is to blame for those who died at the hands of the Glyche, not you."

Even with his limited facial features, Mick looked grateful. "Thank you, Jimmy. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"I've always got time to talk, Mick."

"I'll remember that. Goodnight, Jimmy."

It was hard not to think about that awful time as I lay back down. Fortunately, years of practicing meditation had given me an impressive amount of mental control. In a matter of minutes, I was asleep.

I dreamt about Mick. He was wearing a maid outfit made for a female and was engaged in cleaning the lobby of the manor, which for some reason was filled with hundreds of pots.

I searched the pots until an enormous dragon head poked out of a largish pot in the middle of the room. It looked at me and said in an extremely high-pitched voice, "And what do you want, little man?"

Mick glanced up from his work and said, "He's supposed to slay you. I don't think he will though."

"Huh! A coward!"

"No," I said, "I just don't know why I should care."

"What about the beautiful princess?"

The dragon held up a hand covered in an enormous sock. The sock had a crude face painted on it, and it was wearing Sera's armor. "Help me, Jimmy!" The dragon said in an even higher-pitched voice, trying to hide the movements of its enormous mouth with a claw, "Save me, my hero!"

"I'm not a hero!" I said, "I guard a bridge!"

The dragon began to laugh. I opened my mouth to give an indignant reply, but was interrupted by a loud shout of, "Watch out! It's a trap!"

I ducked just as the dragon took a swipe at me. Terry was standing there, holding Arc's gigantic sword as though it were a toothpick. With a mighty blow, he cracked the vase the dragon was hiding in, revealing none other than Arc.

Arc looked at me with a rather annoyed expression; the mechanical controls whirred as he tried to continue moving the dragon's head and claws.

"Aha!" Mick proclaimed, brandishing his feather duster, "It was Arc in the lobby with the dragon!"

As I tried to make sense of what was happening, Terry walked over to me and started shaking me by the shoulders.

I woke up to find it was in fact Arc who was shaking me, though Terry was with him. There was fear in their eyes …well, in Arc's eyes anyway.

"What's going on?" I said, my mind still clinging to the vestiges of the dream.

"We can't find Mick!"

Now wide awake, I said, "He's not in the cabin?"

Terry shook his head, "He was gone when Arc woke me up."

If something happened to him, Bethany would be really sore at me. Seeing as I still had to live at the Saybaro once this dragon business ended, it was in my best interests to stay on her good side. Besides, Mick was my friend; if he was in trouble, I wanted to help.

Easing up from the ground, I said, "You two up for a little walk?"

It was a nice night for a search. Okay, no night's a nice night for a search, but at least Everblue was out to give us plenty of light. We searched the nearby woods as thoroughly as we could, but Mick was nowhere to be seen. We couldn't even find traces of his passing.

The most obvious answer was corruption, but I didn't buy that at all. Bethany had centuries, millennia even to perfect Mick; if it was possible for him to be corrupted, it would undoubtedly take more than a few weeks to break through whatever guards she had created … that is, unless Bethany was also corrupted.

I glanced down at the PIM device she had given me. "No," I said to myself, "She wouldn't have made me Inheritor; she would have just infected or killed me."

After about fifteen minutes of searching, I spotted the glimmering surface of a lake through some of the trees. I started to check it out when I heard a shout from Arc in the opposite direction. I found him not too far away, near the mouth of a gaping hole in the ground that easily stretched more than ten feet across.

Arc pointed at the massive hole as though it would somehow escape my notice. "Careful, man! I nearly fell in!"

I knelt down by the edge. The grass had grown over the edges and partly down the sides of the hole. I would have written it off as a natural formation except for the fact that it was perfectly square.

"Don't see many square holes, right?" Arc crouched down beside me.

"Indeed." I stood up just as Terry caught up with us, "Anyone have a flashlight?"

Instantly, the underside of the PIM began radiating a wide beam of light. Glancing at the unit with a smile, I couldn't help but comment, "Handy little thing, isn't it?"

I shone the light down the hole; it was deep enough to make jumping in an iffy proposition. To my surprise, there was grass growing at the bottom.

"All right." I said, "I'll head down first and see if there's anything down there. You two wait here, okay?"

"Yes sir." Terry said. Arc looked like he wanted to argue, but only nodded and crossed his arms.

I had to be careful as I climbed down the hole; the dirt was very dry and crumbly, so I had to make sure each foot and hand hold was secure before moving down. Slowly, the light of the moon faded, leaving me in near darkness.

I continued to climb down, using the PIM to check the distance. The chasm was a lot deeper than I originally thought, but I was making good progress.

A few clods of dirt fell from above. I raised my PIM hand to shield my face. "Sir!" I heard Terry shout, "Watch out!"

The next thing I clearly remember was Terry helping me to my feet.

"Are you okay, sir?" he asked.

"I think so." I said as he helped me up, "Did I fall?"

"Not exactly. Arc fell on you."

I turned my light on Arc just in time to see him scowl. "So I lost my grip. Big deal. You're okay, right?"

"Yeah. I was pretty close to the bottom anyway. Are you two okay?"

Arc started brushing dirt and grass off his clothes. "Yeah, except for all this dirt. These threads weren't exactly cheap, you know, and the dry-cleaning bill alone …"

Shaking my head as Arc continued complaining, I activated my PIM's light again and looked around the bottom of the hole. Even with the light, I almost missed the cavern entrance, a nearly black hole in the side of the hole. Unlike the rest of the hole, the cave looked to have been dug quite recently.

"Aha!" Arc slid his goggles over his eyes, "Toldjya there was somethin' here, didn't I?"

"Indeed. Terry, you might want to ready your-" My eyes darted over to Terry, who had already unslung his plasma rifle. "Right. Okay, I'll take the lead."

"Sir, I should go first." Terry said, sounding as though it was the last thing he wanted to do. "If there's something down here-"

"If there's something dangerous down here, I'll drop to my knees and let you blast it. We've only got one flashlight, and it's attached to my hand; I'll go first."

I walked slowly through the cave, one hand out to light the way, the other clamped around the hilt of Glint. Terry was right behind me; he kept accidentally hitting me with the muzzle of his rifle whenever I'd stop. Arc was in the back; I could hear the scraping of his sword against the ground.

Everything was fine until the flashlight suddenly deactivated. I stopped and was instantly smacked by the butt of Terry's rifle again.

"Oww! Ease up a little, Terry!"

"Sorry, sir."

"What's the holdup?" Arc's disembodied voice asked, "Where'd the light go?"

Try as I might, I couldn't get the PIM's flashlight to activate. I shook my head, despite the fact that no one could see me in the darkness. "I don't like this. Everyone stay close."

Thump.

"Not that close!" I shoved Arc and Terry back.

A strange noise made us stop in our tracks. A short distance away, a small red light suddenly blinked into existence.

"What in Nocturnes?" I'm not sure which of us said it, but we were all thinking it.

The red light began moving quickly away.

"Come on!" I said, hurrying after it.

"Are you crazy!" Arc called after me, but I didn't stop to argue; the light was moving very quickly, much faster than a skriever. I stopped immediately when my foot came down on something that was far too smooth to be dirt, and was instantly knocked forward by Terry and Arc.

Fluorescent blue lights flickered to life. I held a hand over my eyes to avoid being blinded.

Arc wasn't quite as quick. "Gaah!"

"Quiet!" I said, trying to listen for whatever it was we had been following.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized that I was standing in a very familiar-looking hallway. "By the Creator," I whispered as the realization of my surroundings hit me, "It's another Glyche facility!"

15: Chapter 15 - Natalya Nights

Arc looked up, blinking. "Another Glyche facility?! Oh, no! No, no, no, no!"

He promptly turned around and ran straight into a wall that had sprung up behind us. There was no sign of the cave other than the small amount of dirt from our footwear.

"What in Nocturnes is going on?" Arc said, more than a little panic in his voice.

I shook my head. "Calm down; the entrance probably just closed automatically behind us."

"It's a hologram." Terry said, knocking on the wall. The wall rippled slightly under his gauntlet-protected knuckles.

"If it's just a hologram, then we can get through!" Arc ran toward the wall again, as though expecting to pass through this time. I winced as he hit the wall at full speed and promptly fell flat on his back.

I sighed and shook my head. "Just because it's a hologram doesn't mean that it won't hurt, Arc."

If nothing else, the pain seemed to calm Arc down enough to be sarcastic. "Gee, ya think?!"

As Terry and I started to help Arc to his feet, a chorus of loud clanking noises filled the corridor.

My hand on Glint's hilt, I said, "What was that?"

I didn't have to wonder about it long; the corridor began to shift and shake. In moments, the entire segment of tunnel was suddenly speeding along, spinning around like some kind of funhouse ride gone horribly wrong.

I tumbled around helplessly until years of training seemed to finally click into place. Kicking off from what was at the moment a wall, I managed to land in the center of the tunnel. I was able to stay on my feet by running full speed against the spin of the tunnel, but only barely.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the tunnel settled back into place.

I stood there, partially crouched and ready to throw myself back into motion should the tunnel start moving again. After a few moments, I heard the familiar clanking sound; no doubt docking mechanisms moving back into place.

Standing straight, my thoughts turned immediately to my friends. Terry lay on the ground beside me, apparently still stunned from the spinning corridor. Arc, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Did you see where Arc ended up?" I asked as I helped Terry to his feet.

"I saw him get shunted down a side corridor." Terry stumbled a little, but I caught him; whatever the armor was, it wasn't nearly as heavy as it looked.

He tried to push away, but I held him firm, saying, "Take a moment. It can't be easy with all that armor."

"I'm fine." Nevertheless, he let me help him stand until he regained his balance.

Once I was sure he wasn't about to fall over again, I said, "Come on, let's backtrack; he couldn't be too far."

"I'm not so sure about that." Terry glanced around. "Do you see the entrance anywhere nearby?"

Sure enough, there was no sign of the holographic wall. In fact, there was no sign of anything; the corridor seemed to go on endlessly in both directions.

Unperturbed, I said, "Come on; I think this is the way we came from. We'll backtrack and see if we can't find him.

We moved fairly quickly. There was no question of stealth at this point; If, and it was a very big if, the CIC of the facility didn't know we were there, it was only a matter of time.

It took us ten minutes to reach the first fork in the passageway, but the moment we started down the corridor, I heard the tell-tale clanks of docking mechanisms releasing.

"Get ready to run!" I called out to Terry, my body tensing in anticipation.

Moments later, the corridor began to spin; this time, however, I was ready for it. In mid-run, I watched as the segment of corridor that Terry and I were in slid and twisted through the maze of the Glyche facility.

This time, however, the corridor stopped us at the facility's hub room. Several skrievers were skittering around the area, but they didn't pay any attention to us.

I turned to see if Terry needed help, only to bump into him as he started walking forward. "Whoa!"

"Is everything okay, sir?" He asked.

"Just making sure you were on your feet."

"I am a member of the Royal Guard, sir."

"I can see that." I said, impressed; Terry may have seemed a bit nervous before, but he was handling himself admirably under pressure.

I approached one of the hub computers. The computer activated at my approach. There was only one word on the screen, but it was simple enough to figure out.

"Identification?"

I set my PIM hand in the inset next to the screen. The PIM came back to life immediately.

"Identified as Jimmy Olsen Sakamota. Status: Inheritor of the Saybaro Facility."

A blue light shot from the console, presumably some kind of scan. After a few moments, the light faded.

"No corruption detected. Please proceed to the Central Core, Inheritor Sakamota."

Terry said, "Shouldn't we ask it about Arc?"

"That would be nice," I said as the runes on the corridor to the Central Core lit up, "But the keyboard's written in Glyche. The PIM's on, so I can probably access some basic functionality, but I'd need more than that to access sensors."

"Hang on; why did the screen display text in Common?"

I pointed at a nearby surveillance orb that was pointed straight at us. "The CIC's been listening in. Don't worry; when we reach the Core, I'll ask the facility CIC directly."

"If it's friendly."

"If it's willing to let us in the Central Core, I think it's safe to say it's friendly."

"If you say so, sir."

I had barely pulled my hand back when something hit the far wall of the Hub with a loud 'clang'.

We spun around, weapons at the ready, but there was nothing there. There was a strange dent on the wall, but no sign of what made it.

"That didn't sound like one of the corridor clamps." Terry said, his plasma rifle pointed straight at the dent.

Something hit the wall again, making the dent even larger. It was then I realized that the dent was inward; something was hitting the wall from outside the tunnels.

"Something's trying to break in?" I didn't want to meet anything that could tear through metal walls.

All of the skrievers in the room coiled into balls. Before I could marvel at this, the metal orbs shot down the corridor to the Central Core.

I didn't need any other incentive. Smacking Terry in the shoulder plate, I said, "Come on!"

The moment we set foot in the corridor, it started moving again. This time, however, instead of spinning us about, the segment we were in constricted slightly and slid smoothly down the corridor while bulkheads slammed shut behind us.

"Whew!" Terry slung his weapon again. "What the heck was that?"

I shook the idea from my head; there wasn't enough information to guess. The corridor stopped moving just short of the door to the Central Core. As we stepped out of the corridor, several more bulkheads slammed shut behind us.

Trading a worried glance with Terry, I held my PIM out to the door and activated the basic opening program. I tensed as the door scraped open, but fortunately nothing jumped out at us. Still, we let the skrievers roll through first just to be sure.

The Core was fully active, though the concentric rings were moving in the same way as Bethany's did when she was anxious about something. It might have been coincidence, but it still left me feeling uneasy.

As we approached, a blue light encompassed Terry and lifted him from the ground.

"Stop!" I shouted, looking around for some way to deactivate the field, "Terry's with me!"

A holographic image of a young girl appeared directly in front of Terry. Her appearance was much younger than that of Bethany; she looked twelve years old at the most. Still, she was a Core Intelligence Construct, which meant she was probably just as old (if not older) than Bethany.

"Your friend?" She asked, her voice much older than her appearance. It was more than a little offsetting.

I recovered quickly and bowed my head in respect. "Yes ma'am. I'll vouch for him. Please release him."

She stared at his suspended form for a long moment. After a few moments, she started talking as though the two were conversing.

"Yes, I can see you. I understand, but what's with the armor? Oh, I see. Don't worry, I won't."

After a few minutes of this, the blue light set Terry back on the ground and vanished.

Terry let out a trembling breath. I put a hand on his shoulder, asking, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." He coughed and said, "I mean, yes sir. Alaina was just making sure I wasn't corrupted."

I turned to the hologram of the little girl. "Alaina?"

She curtseyed. "CIC Alaina Grace of the Glyche. Pleased to meet you."

I bowed my head respectfully. "Jimmy Olsen Sakamota of the Saybaro, though I'm sure you already know that. We came here with another Galden."

She giggled, throwing me off track. "It's nothing. Please, continue."

"We came here with another Galden, but we lost him when the tunnels moved."

"I'm sorry about all the moving tunnels, but an outside threat is attempting to force its way into this facility. I believe you witnessed its attempt to circumvent my security?"

"What is it?" Terry asked. "What could punch through a solid metal wall like that?'

She closed her eyes. "A core unit … a rogue core unit, to be precise. I can't say for sure if it's corrupted, or has been similarly reprogrammed, but it is definitely a threat."

"It couldn't be Mick." I said, ignoring the horror I felt at the possibility of a corrupted core unit, "Bethany said he was incorruptible."

"I don't think it's your friend." She told him, her glowing hand patting his PIM reassuringly. "Core units have a built in signature that indicates where each was built. None of my brothers or sisters in Wenapaj made the rogue, of that I am certain."

I let out a sigh of relief. "That's a relief. I don't suppose you can locate Mick? We need to find Arc as well."

"From what I can tell, the rogue is the only core unit inside this facility. As for your friend with the implausible sword, I moved him near the Tech Labs."

I asked, "Can you bring him here?"

"Teleporters are automatically cut off when the facility is under alert, I'm afraid."

"Hmm." I scratched my chin. "Can we talk to him?"

"Oh, that's easy." She drew a perfect octagon in the air with the tip of her finger. Moments later, an image of Arc appeared in the octagon. He was glancing around wildly with a look of absolute terror on his face.

After receiving a nod from Alaina, I said, "Arc, can you hear me?"

Arc spun around, his massive sword slicing through the air behind him. "Who said that?"

"It's me, Jimmy. I'm here with Terry in the Central Core of the facility."

His face paled. "Oh no! They got both of you! I'm dead, I am so dead!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Relax, Arc; No one's got anyone, and no one is dead. This facility is uncorrupted … for the moment; we're here with the CIC, Alaina."

"Nice to meet you." She said politely.

"Listen, Arc." I said, "I don't want to scare you, but there is a rogue core unit in the facility."

"I know, I saw it. It grabbed me, but I managed to get away. What are we going to do, Jimmy? I mean, is it corrupted?"

"We don't know. Look, you need to calm down." I said, but it was clearly the wrong thing to say.

"Calm down?! You want me to calm down?! Do you know what rogue cores do to people when they catch them?"

"Tear them apart limb by limb?" Terry guessed.

I gave him a dirty look as Arc's panic reached a fever pitch. "Not my limbs! I need those to be a hero and marry the princess with the big gazongas!"

"Arc, it isn't going to tear off your limbs!" I said, suppressing the urge to sigh.

Alaina nodded in agreement. "It would probably infect him with transversion cells and make him a drone. He'd be far more useful as a corrupted bio-form with his arms and legs intact."

"Okay, you're not helping!" I said to the CIC, but it was too late.

Now in a state of complete panic, Arc gibbered, "No! It's not fair! I don't want to be a techno-zombie! Please, Jimmy, you've got to help me! I'm too pretty to die!"

"By the Creator." I said, "Get a grip, Arc!"

"That's easy for you to say! You're going to keep on living, you and your limbs and your non-corrupted body-"

"Arc, shut up. Alaina, can you do anything?"

She nodded "Stay where you are, Arc; I'm gonna move you to the Medical Bay. The rogue core probably won't bother you there."

"Probably?" Arc's voice was almost nothing more than a terrified squeak.

"If it is corrupted, it will be much more interested in corrupting me, Arc." She said in a soothing tone, "Besides, if it does come back, you can use the medical equipment to isolate and remove the transversion cells. It's not pleasant, but better than the alternative."

"I-I don't know." Arc said, his eyes darting around the corridor.

"Would you rather stay near the Tech Labs?" I asked, not bothering to hide my impatience. "You know if it can't reach the Core, it'll probably head for the Tech Labs to try to hack into the Core from there."

"Okay, okay! I'll go to the Medical Bay!" The screen vanished a moment later.

As Alaina lowered her hands, I asked, "What can we do?"

"Jimmy." Terry said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure? I don't know if we can stop a rogue core unit on our own."

"I can't just walk away from this; if the rogue is corrupted and it gets to the core, it could endanger everyone in Wenapaj, especially Alaina."

"But …" Terry let out a sigh. "You're right. But can we actually bring it down?"

My eyes fell on Terry's rifle. Pointing to the plasma weapon, I asked Alaina, "Would that be enough?"

"Wha-?" Terry's hand touched the top handle of the heavy rifle. "Oh! Right!"

Alaina looked at the massive weapon with some amusement. "With a few light modifications, that plasma rifle could pierce the armor of a Dreadnaught. I'm sure it would be fine, but the rogue core is extremely fast and strong. Your friend is right; I can't ask you to endanger yourselves on my account."

"It's our duty to help citizens in trouble, ma'am." I said firmly. "Even artificial ones. Besides, as an Inheritor of the Glyche, I am obligated to provide assistance."

Turning to Terry, I said, "This is going to be dangerous, and I really don't feel comfortable ordering you to take this risk, rank or no. I merely ask you let me borrow the rifle."

Terry shook his head. "No sir; that won't be necessary, sir. I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir." He raised his rifle. "I won't let you face the rogue alone."

Alaina looked long and hard at both of us before bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you both. I will do what I can to ensure victory. For now …"

One of the doors leading out of the Central Core opened, revealing the corridor beyond.

"… be careful." She said.

"We will." I promised.

16: Chapter 16 - Going Rogue

With a final wave from Alaina, the door slid shut. Moments later, a heavy bulkhead with enhanced force-fields slammed down with enough force to make Terry and me jump.

“Well,” I said, loosening Glint in its sheath, “Let’s go take care of the rogue core.”

Terry stopped me as I started forward. “Sir, considering the circumstances, maybe I should take point.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d feel better with you watching my back. Besides, you’ve probably still got a good five minutes before your rifle’s ready.”

“Huh?”

“Yensing plasma rifles take a little while to charge. You did activate it already, right?”

“Oh, right.” He flipped a switch near the grip of the plasma rifle. A shrill whine pierced the air, slowly fading until it was just a light hum that tickled my inner ear.

“Don’t worry.” I said. “I’m just going on the old J-27 model. Uncle Ann had bought back when I was still living in Rimstak. I’m sure they’ve upgraded the charging mechanism by now.”

Inwardly, I wondered how much help I could actually be; I had never been in an actual combat situation, and my weapon wasn’t exactly a Masamune.

We moved forward with deliberate care, even more than when we had first arrived in the facility Occasionally, Terry would abruptly spin around, presumably to make sure the Core wasn’t sneaking on us.

After about twenty minutes of sneaking up on corridors and nearly scaring ourselves to death, Terry surprised me by saying, “I never thanked you, sir.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For letting me accompany you on this mission.”

I grinned at him. “Are you being sarcastic, Terry?”

“No sir. I knew this was going to be a dangerous mission from the beginning. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of you.”

“I can understand that.” I said, chuckling, “Not many samurai running around Vinta these days.”

Terry let out a sigh. “Sir, please. I’m trying to be serious.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Terry.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it; to be honest, I wasn’t sure about bringing you along at first. You struck me as a little unsure of yourself back in Iniagusville.”

“And now, sir?””

The compliment I was about to give Terry died in my throat as we both rounded a corner and found ourselves face to face with the rogue core unit. It might have just been my imagination, but it looked a lot meaner than Mick.

For a few tense moments, we just stood there. I guess the rogue was as startled by us as we were by it, though it didn’t take long for it to recover and raise its arm cannon.

I pulled Terry into a separate corridor, and not a moment too soon. A hail of energy fire tore into the corridor we had been standing in.

Drawing Glint, I managed to shoot a weak Force Edge at the rogue core as it rounded the corner, but it didn’t do much more than knock it to the floor.

“Shoot it!” I said, trying to focus my thoughts on another Force Edge as Terry scrambled to his feet.

Terry lifted his monster of a rifle, took aim, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

“I’m sorry,” A friendly voice coming from the rifle said, “The Yensing Y-73 Plasma Rifle is still charging. Please wait one minute and forty-seven seconds before-”

“Oh, for the love of … seriously?!” Terry shouted, drowning out the rest of the message.

We both dashed away as the rogue started to rise. Once on its feet, it ran very quickly after us. As soon as we reached the next intersection, however, Terry and I dove into opposite corridors. The rogue core, either going too fast to stop quickly or not anticipating this move, continued past the intersection. Still, our maneuver had only bought us a little time.

“Terry!”

“Almost there!” he said.

The rogue core walked back into the intersection. As it looked from me to Terry several times, the words ‘threat assessment’ came to mind. After a few moments, it started toward Terry.

Terry tried to fire, but the rogue core knocked the heavy plasma rifle from his hands as though it were a toy. The rogue core raised his blaster arm as Terry backed against a security bulkhead, his hand going to his side, but I couldn’t see any side-arm.

All I could think at the moment was that I had to stop the unit before Terry was reduced to a pile of ash. Leaping forward, I swung a mighty blow straight at the unit’s head with all my strength.

I’m sure you’ve heard stories of a hero focusing his strength and dealing a mighty blow that slays his enemy. Well, this wasn’t one of those tales; Glint just kind of bounced off the side of the rogue core’s head. The impact nearly shook Glint from my hand, and ultimately didn’t leave so much as a dent in the gray ‘skin’ of the core unit.

The rogue core turned and gave me a look that came off as contemptuous in spite of the lack of facial features.

I grinned foolishly and did something even more stupid; I punched the rogue core in the face. It didn’t make a move to dodge, nor did it need to; I felt as though I had just punched solid rock.

Wringing my now aching hand, I said, “Well, it was worth a try.”

The core’s eyes narrowed as raised its arm to blast me into oblivion. I closed my eyes, holding Glint in front of me as though it would somehow protect me from the inevitable hail of energy blasts.

I winced at a bright flash, but to my surprise there was no pain. I opened my eyes to see the core unit holding up the metal stump that had been about to blast me. Behind it, I saw Terry, plasma rifle in hand.

The rogue core barely had time to turn before another burst of plasma hit it full in the chest. The rogue core went completely still. After a few moments, I prodded it with Glint. It promptly fell over and lay still on the floor.

Slinging the plasma rifle over his shoulder, Terry approached me, what little of his face that was visible looking flushed. “You injured?” He asked, sounding worried.

“Just my pride.” I said, shaking my sore hand. “Thanks for the save.”

“Save for a save. We’re even.” He turned his attention to the core unit. “It is dead, right?”

I knelt beside the unit and looked in its chest cavity. Nothing remained of the heartstone that had powered it … or of the casing, for that matter.

“Looks that way.” I said. “Let’s head back to the Central Control. I don’t suppose you remember the way?”

Luckily, a whole bunch of skrievers came rolling through the tunnel toward us. In a matter of moments, they had torn what was left of the core unit to pieces and were scurrying back the way they had come.

One of the skrievers approached and clicked at us three times. Kneeling down, I asked, “Can you show us the way back to the Central Control?”

With an affirmative-sounding whistle, it curled back into a ball and slowly rolled down a separate corridor. Terry and I exchanged a nod before following it.

Alaina applauded us as we entered the Central Core. “My heroes!” She said, “You stopped the rogue core!”

I bowed respectfully. “I’m glad we could be of assistance. Are there anymore within scanning range?”

“No rogues. From what I’ve learned of the remains, I believe that this rogue core was simply a holdover from the time of the original Corruption. Yes, it was corrupted, though fortunately, its transversion cells were heavily degraded. I’ve got my skrievers analyzing the remains, but from the scoring on the armor, I’d say it had been buried for years.”

“But why did it come after you now?” I asked. “For that matter, why are you active now? Bethany had been asleep for centuries, most of her functions going on auto.”

“It was much the same with me.” She admitted, “I’ve been in hibernation mode since completing my mission over two-thousand years ago.”

“Your mission?” Terry asked.

“I was in charge of analyzing technology that was integrated into the core units original design, specifically in their arms. Fortunately, said technology was proven to actually help core units resist the corruption. Once I made this determination, I sent my results to Yaevin and went on standby mode.”

“Yaevin?” Terry said, “You mean the satellite?”

“Actually, it’s more of a space station.” Turning back to me, Alaina said, “Several months ago, I received a boost of energy from the station. Unfortunately, the communications array of Yaevin is no longer properly aligned; making communication with my sister CICs impossible. I attempted to correct the error from here for several months to no avail, and was about to go back into hibernation when the rogue core attacked. Fortunately, it wasn’t in particularly good condition.”

“Eh?” Terry said, freezing in place. “What do you mean?”

“My skrievers found high levels of corrosion on over sixty-percent of the core’s materials.” She shook her head and said, “Do not misunderstand me; your still did well to stop it. It was strong enough to tear through the wall and fight off my skrievers, after all.”

“I’m glad we could help.” I said, though I shared Terry’s sentiments.

“Not at all. Bethany is lucky to have you as an Inheritor, and is right to trust you to watch over Mick.”

“Mick!” I said, remembering why we stumbled into the Natalya Center in the first place. “He’s still missing! Now that you’re off alert, can you detect him?”

“I already have.” She said, a smug smile on her face. She made another monitor in mid-air. The monitor displayed a video feed of something small and moving, most likely a skriever. To my surprise, it was in the portable cabin’s kitchen.

“Would you mind turning, Nathaniel?” Alaina asked.

She must’ve been speaking to the recording skriever, for the video feed soon turned to reveal Mick’s curious face.

“Jimmy.” He said, sounding pleased. “So there you are! I see you’ve made some new friends.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank the Creator. You had us worried.”

“You were worried about me?” Mick said, a confused look in his eyes. “But I’ve been right here all night!”

I turned to Terry. “I thought you said you looked everywhere.”

He held up his hands. “I’m as surprised as you are, sir. Arc told me he checked the cabin.”

“I should’ve know.” Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the screen. “So you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. CIC Alaina’s skrievers have been upgrading my arms with the tech she’s been studying all these years. I must admit, it makes me feel a little more … complete.”

Smiling, I said, “Glad to hear it. We’ll be heading back to the cabin just as soon as we grab Arc.”

“Understood. Nice to make your acquaintance, Alaina.”

“And yours as well, Mick.” Alaina said kindly. “Good night.”

Moments later, the map was replaced with security footage of the Med Labs. To my horror, Arc was slumped up against a wall, unconscious.

“Arc!” I called out, “Are you okay?”

Arc shook his head lazily. “S’alright. I don’t have any classes today.”

“Thank the Creator,” I said, “He’s just asleep. ARC!”

Arc’s eyes flew open. He leapt to his feet, his hands on his outrageously large weapon. “Aaaack! My limbs!!”

“Relax, it’s just me. We took out the rogue core.”

“Really?” Arc let out a sigh of relief. “Whew! Any sign of Mick?”

“He’s still in the cabin, which Terry tells me you checked.”

Arc’s face went red. “Well, I didn’t see him in the bedroom.”

Shaking my head, I said, “It doesn’t matter. We’re getting ready to head out. Can you find the way to the facility entrance?”

“Are you kidding? I don’t even know where I am now!”

Alaina said, “I’ll move you there. Step out in the corridor and make sure you stand away from the walls.”

“O-okay.” Arc still didn’t sound completely trustful of Alaina, though I suppose I couldn’t really blame him. “I’ll see you guys back at the cabin.”

As the screen vanished, I asked, “Are you going to be okay by yourself?”

“Well enough, I suppose. I considered giving Terry Inheritor status.” She said, smiling at my armored friend. “But I think his path lies with yours for the time being.”

“In understand, ma’am.” Terry said with a bow of his head, “I appreciate the thought, though.”

“In the meantime, I’ve gone ahead and extended Inheritor status to you Jimmy.” She touched my PIM, making the device glow for a moment, “I’d like your help with finding a dedicated Inheritor for this facility once your mission is over.”

“I’ll be glad to help.” I said.

She beamed at me. “Thank you. I’m going to try to get in touch with the Saybaro again; my sister will no doubt want to know how her Inheritor is doing.”

“You might try connecting to her through the Weave.” Terry said. “But be careful; they regularly monitor connections for signs of Glyche corruption.”

“Understandable.” Aliana said, her head bowed. “I will be cautious. Goodnight Jimmy … and to you as well, Miss Ulyndia.”

“Mister.” He said, sounding a little annoyed.

Alaina’s cheeks glowed slightly. “Of course. My apologies, Mister Ulyndia.”

As we left the Central Control, Terry said, “Is it really that hard to tell?”

“Only for people who haven’t worked in the palace.” I said, patting him on the shoulder-plate. “C’mon; let’s go get Arc.”

We met up with Arc just by the entrance, which once again opened out to the moonlit patch of grass at the bottom of a large pit.

“Dudes!” He said as we approached, “You okay?”

I nodded, stifling a yawn. “Yeah. I’m a bit tired though. Let’s head back to the cabin.”

The entrance slid shut behind us. Moments later, the floor of the chasm slowly rose toward the night sky until we were flush with the ground.

Glancing at the disguised lift, Arc said, “Nice. I can’t even see where the edges are anymore.”

As we left the forest and started back toward the cabin, I once again approached the tree I had been sleeping beneath.

“I’m not terribly tired.” Terry said, “If you want to take my bed, I’ll keep watch until morning.”

“I appreciate the thought,” I replied, easing myself down, “But I’m more comfortable out here.”

Terry nodded. “I understand. Good night, sir.”

“Terry!” I called out as he started to walk away. “Thanks again for saving me back there.”

“Like I said, sir, a save for a save.”

“Still, you did good … and in case I haven’t already said it, thank you for coming along with us on this crazy quest.”

For the first time since I had met him, Terry smiled. With a final salute, he went inside the cabin.

I tried to go to sleep, but the fight with the rogue core had left me sweaty. More than that, it had me thinking; if the initial power surge from the Yaevin station had activated the rogue core as well as the facilities, what else could have been awoken? What other threats might I be facing as the Inheritor of the Saybaro?

I couldn’t really do anything about that, but I could at least wash off the sweat. Remembering the lake I had seen while looking for Mick, I pushed myself from the ground, pulled a fresh set of clothes from my pack, and walked back into the forest.

The woods seemed a lot more pleasant now that I was alone, though it might have been because I wasn’t searching for a friend this time. It was a warm night, but there was a cool breeze in the air hinting at the coming autumn.

It was a pleasant walk, and it gave me time to dwell on the events of the night. Why had it taken so long for the rogue core to reach Natalya? Had it been buried or damaged? I suppose that would’ve explained the delay, but if it truly had degraded over time, it was a miracle the rogue core’s brain functioned at all.

What if there were more? What if they found some other hidden facility? I shook my head; with any luck, hopefully, the other facilities remained well-hidden. If we did encounter any other core units, then we’d just have to deal with it.

The arrogance of that statement gave me pause. What was I gonna do? Hit it with Glint until … what? Until it got annoyed, plucked Glint from my hands, and bent it and me into a pretzel? Terry had a plasma rifle, but he was only one guy. Without a decent weapon, I was useless as anything more than a distraction. While Arc could lift his sword, his fighting style still heavily relied on hitting his opponent with the first blow. Mick could probably put up a fight, especially now that he possessed additional functionality, but pitting him against his own kind just felt wrong.

After a few more minutes of stewing over my growing concerns, I stepped out of the forest onto the shore of the lake. The moons of Everblue and Traysia hung high in the sky, their beauty distracting me from my worries. I slipped out of my clothes and left them neatly folded beneath Glint on an old stump.

I slowly eased myself into the lake, savoring the feel of the cool water against my face. The water was clear, so I opened my eyes and peered blearily into the depths of the lake. The way the moons shone through the water, sending patterns of light dancing beneath the surface was simply amazing.

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt a light ripple pulse through the lake, as though someone or something else had just stepped into the water. I looked around, but my eyes couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. I slowly surfaced, my eyes scanning quickly over the surface for who or whatever was interrupting my bath.

My jaw dropped, giving me a mouthful of lake water. It was the fional woman I had seen in Iniagusville! She was still close to the shore, stripping away her last few pieces of clothing and leaving them in a pile on a large flat rock. I have to admit, I found it a bit hard to not to stare; her body was lean and athletic, and at the moment pretty much completely on display.

She dipped her hands in the water and splashed the cool liquid on her face, a feeling of shame came over me. I don’t care if there’s no rule against it; watching her bath felt like a violation. I wrenched my gaze away and started slowly moving to where I left my clothes.

I’m not going to lie; there was part of me that screamed every step of the way. She must’ve liked me, to follow me this far. Why not make my presence known? Why not make it seem like a complete twist of fate that we were both here? It’d worked before; rumor has it, Keysha Myssohn and his wife met that way.

I don’t have a proper reason why not. Maybe it was typical Galden skepticism at the whole Longshore bonding concept, maybe it was the code of armor I’d developed during my studies of the samurai, or maybe just because I wanted to meet her on equal ground, to just talk with her and get to know her like a normal person. Whatever the reason, I decided it would be best for me to just leave.

Unfortuantely, that was about the time my foot caught on something underwater. I fell face-first into the water, swallowing a mouthful in the process.

If the fional hadn’t felt the waves made when I tripped, she most certainly heard my sputtering for breath. Silently cursing my clumsiness, I abandoned stealth for speed and made a rush for the shore.

I was less than twenty feet from the shore when I tripped again. This time, however, it was different; my foot had caught on something the first time I tripped, probably a tree root. The second time, however, it felt as though something had yanked my feet out from under me.

Certain it was just my imagination making me paranoid, I continued hurrying toward the shore. I was only a few feet away when I heard a soft voice behind me murmur something I didn’t quite catch. You’re going to laugh at this, but the Rimstakken part of me made me instantly twist around and say, “Pardon me?”

The fional tackled me full in the chest. We hit the shore of the lake, my head landing just out of the water into the soft grass. She held me down, pinning my arms and my legs to the ground with hers. I was worried that she was angry until I realized the expression on her face wasn’t one of rage, but of curiosity. As the seconds passed, I realized there was something more in her eyes as she rubbed my cheek.

“Jimmy.” She said, her voice soft and full of emotion. “I like you.”

It was pretty clear she wasn’t thinking in the ‘as a friend’ category. Part of me wanted nothing more than to tell the gorgeous woman whose bare breasts now pressed against my chest that I liked her as well, but another question forced its way through the confusing mess of my mind, much to my libido’s chagrin

“Why me?” I asked, my heart racing, “I mean, I’m just a nobody. I guard a bridge in the middle of nowhere. Surely there are-”

“Shut up, Jimmy.” Before I could say another word, she pressed her lips against mine, her tongue darting between my stunned lips and ticking my own.

That was my first kiss; lying on the edge of a lake with a fional pinning me to the ground, nothing between our bodies but the water of the lake. Not too shabby, I suppose.

As we released, I tried to speak but found myself breathless. She had seemed such a stranger before, but all of a sudden I felt as though she was someone I should’ve known: an old friend from my youth who I’d forgotten, or a dear playmate from when I was just a toddler. I wanted to know about her … no, I needed to know her.

“W-who … who are you?” I finally managed to say, transfixed by eyes.

“Terra.” She gently took my hands and held them to her face. Again I was struck with her eyes, their soft purple just visible in the moonlight.

Fighting against the urge to kiss her, to feel her was too much. I pulled her closer to me, needing to feel her lips on mine again, when I heard her whisper, “Wake up, Jimmy.”

17: Chapter 17 - Woes in Wukice

I woke up to the sight of bright sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tree beneath which I lay. A little jarred by the sudden contrast, I sat up and rubbed my hair. It was just a dream? It felt so real that I expected to find that I was still wet from the lake.

I wasn't wet, but I was fully dressed. Glint was hanging from a snapped tree branch, and my sandals were sitting beside me, right where I had left them. Sifting through my pack, I found nothing missing; every keikogi and hakama I'd brought with me was neatly folded and awaiting use.

I was still wondering about my actions the previous night when Terry, Arc, and Mick emerged from the cabin. Terry and Mick were talking animatedly, while Arc looked as though he could use a little more sleep.

Terry tapped a button that I thought was a doorbell. Instantly, the house began to fold in on itself until it was once again the size of a backpack.

Glancing my way as he retrieved the cabin, Terry said, "Good morning, sir. Did you sleep well?"

"I don't know." I said after a moment, not sure if I should tell them or not. I decided to go ahead and tell them; they were my friends after all. "I had a strange dream last night."

"Really?" Arc said, perking up, "What it was about?"

I told them about the lake and my encounter with the fional. Part of me wanted to keep it to myself, but if I was going crazy, my teammates deserved to know.

"Sounds like a nice dream to me." Arc said once I finished. "If you dream up one of her sisters, let me know."

Terry smacked Arc in the arm, but I wasn't offended. If anything a little levity made me feel better about it.

"I can't wait until I'm capable of dreaming." Mick sighed wistfully.

Terry said nothing. After a moment, I realized he was digging in his pack for what turned out to be some kind of fruit bar rations.

I usually forget my dreams in a matter of minutes unless I write them down as soon as I wake up, yet I could remember everything in vivid detail: the cool rush of water, her smooth fur, her soft, supple … er, suffice it to say, I remembered everything. Still, I had no way to confirm or deny that it was anything more than a dream.

After our breakfast of fruit bars and river water, we continued on our way. The weather was perfect; Thick white clouds obscured the sun enough to let the cool breeze running along the road to keep us comfortable as the days passed.

The mood of the party was pretty good. Everyone seemed to have a little more spring in their step, even Terry. He joined in the conversation, laughing at jokes and commenting here and there. He was back to calling me sir again, but seemed less stiff about it. He never did take off so much as a gauntlet, however. I often wondered about this, and made a mental note to ask Devon about it when we were back in Iniagusville.

The weather remained fair as the days became weeks. Our conversations often fell to the matter of the dragon; was it still in Wukice? Were we wasting our time? What were we going to do if we actually caught up with it? While we never really came up with a better plan than 'grab the princess and make a run for it', we at least came up with a few ideas to potentially make it less horrifically dangerous.

Three weeks after we first set out from Iniagusville found us at the edge of a large city surrounded by a wide expanse of glittering sand. While appearing the same as sand from any other desert, the sand around wukice had a high crystallic content, making it a natural amplifier for the various forms of data-signals used across Vinta. It is this natural amplification that made Wukice the communications center of not just Wenapaj but all of Vinta; all radio, VTS, and digital transmissions were either made in a Wukice studio or passed through their links and relays at some point and beamed out all over the world.

The city itself was a grand affair; castles, skyscrapers, space-age constructs and modest hovels all smashed together around the massive silver dome. A ring of green leaves surrounded the edge of the dome, while one much larger tree rose through the very center, its wide branches spreading over much of the city. It was in its own way somehow stranger than Iniagusville, something I hadn't thought possible.

The road was surprisingly uncrowded; most of the travel in and out of the city was via one of the many highways that led into the city. Most of the other people on the road were tourists. They gave us a wide berth, hardly surprising, what with most of us being armed and one of us being synthetic.

We were still just outside the city when Arc grabbed my arm and pointed at a trail of smoke rising above the city. The flicker of flames was just visible between several buildings.

We all looked at each other, saying simultaneously, "The dragon!"

We rushed along the road, Terry falling a bit behind. Actually, I was more surprised that Arc was able to keep up; the massive sword strapped to his back couldn't have been any lighter than Terry's armor. Mick ran alongside me easily; he could have easily outrun me, but I got the impression he didn't want to show off.

We made surprisingly good time to the flaming building, but our haste wasn't necessary. A group of townspeople had already managed to quell the fire. A quick inspection of the building from a distance showed a distinct lack of claw or teeth marks … nothing, in fact, to suggest that the fire was even remotely dragon-ish in nature. I can't say I was disappointed.

Alargish man with a bushy black beard and a wide grin seemed to be heading the fire-fighting effort. Once the last of the flames had been doused, he wiped the sweat from his brow and called out, "Good job, everyone!"

As the people began to filter away, he approached a young boy, saying with sternly, "I hope this will teach you to not fool around with energism without the proper training."

The boy lowered his eyes, and kicked the back of his heel, murmuring, "Yes, Elder Harris."

The big man smiled kindly at him, and patted him on the back. "Go on now."

The boy was off like a shot. Elder Harris stood up and smiled at us. "Ah, no worried my friends. Everything's under control. You are new to this city, yes?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm Jimmy Sakamota of the Royal Guard, and these are my associates, Terry Ulyndia, Luminous Arc Skylad …"

"Don't call me that!"

"… and Mick Sakamota. We've come to investigate the communications blackout."

"Hmm? Blackout? What are you talking about?"

"We heard about a strange communication directed to Yesrej."

"To where?" He asked, looking genuinely confused.

With a sigh, I said, "Iniagusville."

"Oh, right. Still, I wasn't informed of any disruption in the grid."

"Well, why would you be?" Terry asked, "Wouldn't that be an issue for the techs?"

The man thumped his chest. "I'm one of the Elders of the outer city. I know everything that happens here, absolutely everything."

"Then why didn't you catch that boy before the fire started?" said Arc, a smirk on his lips.

Seeing the Elder bristle, I quickly said, "To be completely honest, we heard reports that that a dragon had attacked the town."

"A dragon?!" The Elder let out a deep laugh, his hands around his sizable stomach. "There's no dragon here. I may not know every tiny detail in town, but I'd think I'd know if there was a dragon attacking."

That did make sense, I reasoned. A rampaging dragon would have been kind of hard to miss.

"Still," Harris said, "if the link to the capital's down, you should probably have a look at it. Creator knows the studio's techs won't lift a finger. You boys got experience teching?"

"About as much as we have in hunting dragons." Arc said. Terry promptly elbowed him in the ribs.

Mick had been staring silently at Elder Harris for the entire conversation, which is why it surprised the rest of us so much when he reached out and tore Harris's beard off.

"What in the blazes?" Harris roared, but his voice wasn't booming; it was rather high-pitched and tinny.

Mick held up a small black box that had been tangled in the beard, satisfaction in his voice as he said, "I thought as much. Voice synthesizer."

"What?" Terry said, sounding surprised. "You can detect that?"

My hand on Glint, I demanded, "Who are you really?"

The man sighed, and pulled on his right ear. His girth deflated with a loud rush of air. In moments, a thin and gangly man of no more than thirty years stood before us.

"My name is Uven Boule Harris. I am one of the city Elders, believe it or not. It's not really a political officer or anything; more of a group of the oldest actors in town."

I exchanged a doubtful look with Terry. Unfortunately, with all his armor, I couldn't tell if he felt the same.

Noticing my expression, Harris let out a laugh. "You know how it is; people want young, vibrant characters in their movies, not old-timers like me. Most old actors move out and settle somewhere else. Heck, the only reason I'm still in town is because I'm a producer of some renown." He made a show of dusting off his shoulders, his tone nonchalant as he said, "Perhaps you've seen the movie version of 'The Dreamer's Knight'?"

I had. He had cut out several important scenes and replaced them with unnecessary action sequences, much to my chagrin. I was particularly annoyed at how they had gotten the title wrong; it was 'A Dreamer's Knight', not 'The Dreamer's Knight'.

Forcing a smile, I said, "It was a memorable film."

"Well, I did my best." said Harris, attempting to feign modesty and failing spectacularly. "Now let's get you to that link station, eh?"

Elder Harris led us through the outer city. He talked constantly about his theatric 'masterpieces'. Even Arc, our resident egoist, found it a bit hard to stand.

Toning the babbling 'elder' out, I observed the city and its inhabitants. I couldn't help but notice that everyone seemed to be acting badly. I don't mean misbehaving; they were acting, as though they were practicing for some campy movie. It was actually quite humorous. I saw one man approach a woman who was leaving a laundry shop.

Holding one hand on his chest, and the other out to the world, he proclaimed, "My dear madam, if your heart is kind and just, couldst thou tell me the current price to utilize a washing machine?"

She replied in equally disjointed speech, "My good sir, it gladdens my spirit to tell a noble knight such as yourself that it only costs fourteen flicks to clean one basket of clothing, but beware! If you wish to dry your vestments, it will cost you another five!"

It wasn't just the acting either; everyone seemed to be in some manner of costume; knights in armor, cyborgs with blaster arms, women in wide sweeping gowns, all sorts of people wearing clown suits (which I found more than a little creepy). In fact, everyone seemed to be in costume. It was pretty much the only place in the world a group such as ours wouldn't attract any attention.

Passing a group of annoyed-looking tigreth wearing armor that reminded me distinctly of Princess Sera, I spotted the fional woman again. Her back was turned, and she seemed to be conversing with a vuestan wearing a chicken suit.

"Wait a sec." I said, hurrying forward. When I reached her, I put a hand on her shoulder. "Pardon me, miss ...?"

She turned, and regarded me with an air of annoyance. "Yes? You're the new assistant, right? I need some spring water with a twist of lemon. Remember, I want lemon; not lime, and make sure none of the seeds get into it this time."

It wasn't her. Her face was only half-covered in fur. A glance at the vuestan showed him to be a makeup artist.

I pulled my hand back quickly. "I'm sorry, Miss; you look like someone I met recently."

She snorted and turned away, muttering, "Amateurs."

My face burned as I walked back to the group. "Sorry about that."

Arc patted me on the shoulder, feigning concern as he asked, "Are we feeling lonely?"

I shot him a venomous glare before shrugging his hand off. We continued through the outer town to the edge of the massive dome that housed the studios. The trees surrounding the dome provided us some much needed shade as we neared one of the outer gates, where people waited in line for entry.

"Ah," Harris said, strolling straight past the crowds, up to the man in charge of admittance, "How does this day find you, kind sir?"

The gate guard did not look impressed. "What is it, Harris?"

"These four people are part of the Royal Guard, here to examine the link station to Iniagusville."

The guard said in a bored tone, "Names and roles?"

"Jimmy Sakamota, specialist."

"Terry Ulyndia, White rank."

"Luminous Arc Sakamota, Kindred research."

"Mick Sakamota, Glyche studies."

The officer stared at Mick for a few moments before shaking his head. "You might want to keep studying. That's the worst core unit costume I've ever seen."

"I beg your pardon?" Mick said, sounding offended.

Shaking his head, the guard said, "Max has been expecting you. You four can go in."

He let us pass, but stopped our guide. "Not you, Harris."

"Look, I just wanted to stop by and offer some suggestions on Machinations!" Harris said as he was led away by two guards who were even more disgruntled-looking than the first.

Once he was gone, Arc asked, "What the heck was that about?"

Shaking his head, the guard said, "He's been trying to sneak back into the studios since they started making the film adaptation of the second Dreamer's Knight movie. After the uproar from the fans following the first movie, Max decided it would be best to not even let him near the set. Ah, Miss Jones!"

A young idestan woman with bright eyes hurried forward from a line on the other side of the gate. I recognized her as the assistant of the art-lover I had met after crashing in Iniagusville.

"Sorry to bother you, Miss Jones." The guard said, his tone now respectful, "But we've got a delegation of the Royal Guard here about the link to Iniagusville."

She sighed and shook her head. "Creator's Grace, it's down again? Very well."

Her eyes widened as her gaze fell on me. Smiling, she held out her hand. "If it isn't Jimmy Olsen Sakamota. This is certainly a surprise."

I accepted her hand, saying, "Nice to see you again. Casey, wasn't it?"

"That's right; Casey Anastasia Jones."

"Well, Casey," I said, "These are my friends: Mick Sakamota of the Saybaro, Arc Skylad of Naidyr, and Terry Ulyndia of Yesr- er, Iniagusville."

Mick bowed his head respectfully, tapping the brim of his hat. Terry, on the other hand, didn't say anything. Given what it took for him to open up to me, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised.

I could tell by the look on Arc's face that he was about to say something that was likely to get him slapped. I started to intervene, but the guard beat me to it.

"Well, I'm glad that you're all acquainted." the guard said sarcastically, "Maybe now you'd like to quit blocking the line." He jerked a thumb impatiently toward the studios.

"Touchy, touchy." Sighing, she motioned us to follow. "Well, let's get going."

Casey was much more pleasant to be around than Harris; she chatted amicably the whole time, asking us about who we were and what we had been up to, occasionally stopping to scribble something in the notebook she carried. She even took our picture with an old-fashioned camera she was inexplicably carrying around.

The studios were quite large, so we ended up telling her what had led us to Wukice, all of us making a point to leave out the bit about the Natalya facility.

"So," She said, scribbling in her notebook again, "You're on mission to rescue the kidnapped daughter of King Iniagus: two members of the Royal Guard, a junior researcher from the Naidyr Center of Knowledge." Looking Mick over, she asked, "What about you?"

"Mick is, er …" I faltered. Fortunately, Mick was a faster thinker than I.

"Not much to tell." He said with a shrug. "I'm a prototype android made by Jimmy's Aunt Ann."

"Uncle Ann." I corrected automatically.

He gave me a strange look. "She's a woman, right?"

I paused for a moment, surprised that the question had not come up over the last few months. "Yes, and she's still Uncle Ann. There's an issue with her Universal Translator that mistranslates the word 'Aunt'."

"What's it translate into?" Arc asked.

"I don't know," I said, "but it got me spanked twice."

Shaking his head, Mick said, "Anyway, I was made to help Jimmy rebuild the Saybaro Mansion."

Fortunately, this seemed to satisfy her curiosity. As she led us through the first few studios, she said, "Okay, the Iniagusville relay's near studio C-32, which means we'll have to go through the studios to get there. A word of warning; be on your guard. There's a very thin line here between 'Special Effect' and 'Dangerous Threat'."

I looked worriedly at my companions. Terry tightened his grip on his plasma rifle, and Arc undid the top straps of his sword with some difficulty. Watching us with interest, Mick said. "I prefer not to engage in physical combat. If you are broken, however, rest assured that I will repair you to the best of my ability."

"That's reassuring." Terry said, frowning.

"Don't worry, I can repair you as well. Your bio-form is essentially the same as … oww!"

I glanced back to see Mick holding his arm. Terry was checking his weapon, muttering, "Sorry, Mick. I think my power coupling's out of alignment again."

"Quite all right." Mick said, looking at Terry with distinct suspicion.

The sets are holographic, but once you're in one, getting out can be hard. If you do accidentally wander in, try to find a door or a window or some form of exit; in the very least, you'll enter another set." She snapped her fingers and added, "Oh, and if you bump into a familiar character, go ahead and call him or her by the character's name. The directors like to keep accidental shots. Heck, you might make it into a movie."

Casey hadn't been joking; one step into the area, and I thought I had stepped into some kind of crossroad of dimensions; there were explosions going off everywhere, some inside buildings, some high above our heads. Faint landscapes stretched over wide areas, only to abruptly join with dark cities, crystalline palaces, and more. From our perspective, these were only faint images, but that just made it more surreal. It looked like dozens of imaginary landscapes hiding on the very edge of reality.

As we made our way through the studios, I saw something in the distance take to the sky: something large and winged. As I watched, it shot a blast of fire that made it all too clear what it was.

"Okay." Arc said, "That's definitely a dragon."

I slapped Terry on the arm. "Looks like our friend was easier to find than we thought. Come on!"

"Wait, Jimmy!" Casey shouted as I rushed toward the distant dragon, "If you step past the boundary-"

I stepped over a thin red line that had been painted on the ground. Instantly, everything went dark.

18: Chapter 18 - Lights, Camera, Action!

I stopped dead in my tracks, not immediately realizing what had just happened. As my eyes adjusted, I found myself standing at edge of a large forest, not far from a squad of tigreth soldiers, all female. I wondered at the time, but later learned that this was historically accurate for the movie they were filming; Longshore didn't unify until after Calliban's Crusade, and at the time, the tigreth government was a matriarchy, tigreth men being considered only fit for reserve troops.

Realizing my error, I turned around to exit the set only to find a sheer cliff behind me. While there was likely some sort of safety function, I wasn't about to test it by making a leap of faith.

One of the tigreth warriors had noticed me by that point. After pointing me out to her fellow soldiers, she drew her weapon and approached me. She had a fiery look to her; red fur, amber eyes, and a series of black and white markings over her body, most of which was visible thanks to armor that even Iniagus might have thought skimpy. I get that having fur probably made overheating a serious concern, but it was hard not to stare at the tigreth's attractive body and face as she approached.

She stopped, her eyes widening.

"My apologies, madam." I said, raising my hands well away from Glint. "I wandered here by accident. Can you show me the way out?"

She growled at me. Alarmed, I took a step back.

"Uh, nevermind." I said, "I'll find my own way."

I tried to step around her, only for her to block my path. Whenever I moved, she moved so that I couldn't pass her. Too late, I realized the look in her eyes wasn't anger.

"Oh, no." I said, "You couldn't be in thrall. There's medication, there's-"

Her sword flashed in the air. I ducked under it and slipped around her, shocked at this turn of events. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who noticed; several of the other tigreth actors were hurrying our way.

"Look," I said, backing away slowly, "It's not that I don't find you attractive, but I'm in a bit of a WHOA!"

She swung at me so fast that I almost ended up a head short. Thankfully, I had paid particular attention dodging in my training even before Bethany's training regimen and dove aside instinctively.

As she spun around, I glanced at a nearby tigreth, hissing, "Uh, a little help?"

"Stay in character!" she hissed back, but I noted a worried look in her eye. "Just try not to die, okay? We'll do the best we … we …" Her eyes began to have the same hungry look.

"Oh, no." I said, "Not you too!"

She reached for her weapon, growling through her teeth, "Get moving! I can't … too many of us in thrall."

I glanced at the group, and to my horror, they were all starting forward toward me.

I knew more about the tigreth than I did about the fional, mostly because of a tigreth girl by the name of Selena. I had an immense crush on her back when I lived in Rimstak. When Uncle Ann noticed, she made sure to educate me very well on the tigreth, particularly the manner in which they choose a mate.

After reaching maturity, tigreth females enter a phase known as 'the thrall' in which their innate psionic abilities become exceedingly strong. When they are attracted to a mate and said mate is in turn attracted to them, the two will fight till either the male is dead or the female is defeated. The most common theory for this is that it's a natural response to the skewed ration of male to female births coupled with an instinctive desire for a strong mate.

Unfortunately, what I didn't know was that when in large groups, the latent psionic ability in female tigreth can spread the thrall to other tigreth. This creates a domino effect of psionic energy that gets stronger with each tigreth who falls into the thrall, and invariably will set off the entire group. One stray thought thanks to a skimpy costume and a pretty face, and I found myself the target of over twenty armed tigreth women.

Fortunately, not every tigreth appreciated the competition. A snow-white tigreth started forward, only to be knocked aside by the tigreth with the red fur. In a matter of seconds, the entire group was fighting. If the situation had been less grave, I would have been flattered. As it was, I used the distraction to flee.

I had barely made it ten feet before I heard someone shout, "He's getting away!" Peering back, I saw that some of the tigreth had stopped fighting and were now chasing me.

Even with my training, there was no way I was going to outrun all of them. They were tigreth, and could run even faster on all fours if so inclined. Still, the prospect of a highly probable death was an excellent incentive.

Unfortunately, I was a little too focused on who I was running from and not focused nearly enough on exactly where I was going. A sharp dip in the landscape knocked my sense of balance completely askew, sending me tumbling down the rest of the hill.

After a few jumbled moments, I finally rolled to a stop. From my new position, I could see that I'd gained quite a bit of ground; the tigreth were only just starting down the hill, cautious to avoid the same pitfall as me even while in thrall.

I quickly got to my feet and hurried toward the forest. Casey had mentioned something about finding an entrance to the next set, but I didn't see anything around that seemed like a way out of the holographic set.

As I neared the edge of the forest, four tigreths leapt from the trees blocking my path. I didn't even have time to wonder how they had got there so fast.

The redhead stood in front of the others, "He's mine."

My mind raced for a solution, something that could clear my path without actually hurting them. Then it clicked: Force Edge.

I leapt back, and swung my blade in a wide arc. A wave of energy burst from my blade, blasting the tigreth away from my path and knocking several out cold, including the redhead. She hit a nearby tree hard enough to make me wince in sympathy.

I knew I should get moving, but a twinge of guilt made me pause. I knelt down beside the redhead to make sure she was okay.

She tackled me before I could even blink. Pinning me to the forest floor, she said, "You can stop running; that was more than enough for me."

I tried and failed to get up; she had pinned me down almost exactly as the fional had that night at the lake. Some detached part of my mind made a note to have Bethany add wrestling holds (and how to break them) to my training.

It was strange; if she felt I had defeated her, I was supposed to feel an urge to kiss her and form the bond; the only thing I felt at the moment was an intense desire to be somewhere else.

She moved her face nearer to mine; I was still struggling to break her grasp when she was knocked away by what looked suspiciously like a Force Edge.

I turned to see a Galden man leading a small troop of soldiers, all wearing the uniform of the mad King Calliban. I hadn't even thought about it before, but of course it stood to reason that whatever scene the tigreth were shooting involved the brief but decisive conflict that followed Iniagus's attempts to invade Longshore.

The other tigreth were rushing through the clearing now, their attention shifting to the Galden soldiers. A slight pang of guilt ran through me; while it wasn't my intention, I'd inadvertently put the Galden soldiers in danger's way.

"The tigreth are in thrall." I told the soldier who saved me.

His eyes widened, but he gave me a firm nod. In a quiet voice, he said, "Understood. Keep moving through the forest, and you should reach the next set."

"But-"

"Don't worry about us!" The man said in a louder voice, turning to face the red-furred tigreth, her gaze now on him. "That information is crucial to the King!"

Without another word, he brought his prop sword around in an arc, sending a Force Edge of his own at the red-furred tigreth. She dodged this one and darted forward, only to nearly catch the flat of his blade in her face.

Seeing other tigreth approaching me with the thrall in their eyes, I gave the Galden a final appreciative nod before dashing into the forest. I forced my way through heavy foliage, the tree branches scraping my face as I …

… stepped into a ballroom. All the dirt and leaves that had were stuck in my clothing and hair vanished; my clothes were clean, and I felt as though I had just been given bath. I quickly moved away from the door, as there was nothing to make me believe the tigreth couldn't enter just as easily as I.

There were high-class people all around. Some were waltzing in the center of the room, others were talking amongst themselves, and still more were eating from the tables set around the room. Everyone wore extravagant suits and dresses, lending the party a very upper class feel.

Taking a moment to collect myself, I said, "Okay; the dragon was straight ahead when I entered the battle zone, so I need to head that way."

Fortunately, there was a magnificent set of doors in the direction I needed to go, at the other end of the hall. As I made my way through the room, I noticed that everyone was wearing masks: elaborate, full faced masks made to look like the various races.

Someone grabbed my hand; her wings marked her as a faerie, and quite a lovely one too.

"Just once, I wish I could meet an ugly girl." I said, my face red.

She giggled, her cheeks turning bright red. "Thank you, milord. Would you dance with me?"

"I appreciate the offer, milady, but I'm a bit preoccupied right now."

I risked a glance behind me. I didn't see any tigreth yet, but it was only a matter of time. Sure enough, I saw several tigreths searching in vain for me through the crowd.

"Come on! It'll be fun." Without waiting for my reply, she took my hands and placed one on her waist, the other on her shoulder.

Fortunately, I had studied a fair bit of dancing during my time at the Saybaro; footwork was a major part of fighting with any type of sword. After a few small missteps, I managed to catch the beat and swept through the dance floor with the lovely faerie. Her wings flittered around me, stirring up a sparkly dust that swirled around us.

As we danced, I slowly moved both of us toward the main doors, hoping that the fact that I was dancing this would throw off my pursuers.

The faerie maiden floated through the air with a remarkable grace. I wondered if it was true that their feet never touched the ground after they received wings. Eventually, however, she noticed my glances at the tigreth who were slowly spreading through the outskirts of the ballroom.

"Cat problems?" She asked, a teasing smile on her face.

"Just a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Let a thought slip around the kitties, eh?"

I laughed, though I was unable to suppress a note of nervousness. Glancing around, I asked, "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"I can't help but notice that you're the only one not wearing a mask."

"I never wear a mask. It's such a silly tradition, isn't it?"

"I suppose. Still, I feel kind of strange without a mask."

"Without a … wait, you're not wearing a mask?"

"Uh, no." I smiled at her. "This is my face."

She suddenly backed away from me, a horrified expression on her face.

Feeling a bit put out, I asked, "What's wrong? I'm not that ugly, am I?"

Pointing a shaking finger at me, she cried out, "GALDEN!"

Everyone in the entire ballroom stopped and looked at me.

Masks quickly changed into angry faces. Glimmering wings broke out everywhere, lifting hundreds of slim forms into the air. I was surrounded by a horde of unfriendly faeries!

"Get the groundling!" Someone shouted.

Some of the tigreth were immediately drawn to the cause of the commotion. Though they seemed to notice me, they stopped well clear of the faerie crowd.

Then it hit me; everyone in the ballroom was an actor or actress; the Galden soldier had been quick to refer to me as some sort of contact or informant, and even in the thrall, the tigreth were suspicious of the sentients now that the masks were off. Anyone who lived in Wukice had showbiz ingrained in their personality, and were practically hard-wired to stay in character, just in case the cameras were rolling.

The Faerie-tribe sentients may be friendly in this day and age, but they used to be extremely xenophobic, mostly because 'groundlings' kept kidnapping young faerie men and women (though there is some conjecture that said maidens and lads left voluntarily to escape a frighteningly draconian Faerie government). If I played into the situation, I might be able to get to the doors.

"Faerie tribe, period piece," I said, thinking fast. "If I were a horrible groundling here to steal a faerie bride, what would I do?"

An idea popped into my head. I wasn't completely comfortable with it, even if it was just acting, but I didn't have time for finesse; the tigreth were moving to box me in.

I grabbed the faerie maiden and held Glint to her neck, shouting to the crowd, "Stay back! I'm taking the lady with me!"

To my surprise, the faerie maiden seemed genuinely scared. To be fair, I did have a sword against her throat, even though it would take a few minutes of steady sawing to leave as much as a scratch on her pale skin.

"Relax." I breathed in her ear, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"But y-you have a sword! A real sword! I can feel the metal!"

"Yes, but you can't feel the edge because there isn't one. I don't have time to explain this; just play along until I can get to the next set."

"Oh! I get it!" She cleared her throat, and screamed, "Let me go, I beg of you!"

A few of the faerie men made threatening gestures, some even using flashy magic, but none moved too close. Slowly, keeping my eyes on as much of the group as possible, I began to make my way across the dance floor.

I was only a few feet from the large chamber door when I caught a glimpse of the tigreth with snow-white fur crouched behind one of the tables of food. Letting go of the faerie, I managed to catch the tigreth in the middle of her pounce and toss her into a large cake.

I turned to make a run for the doors only to have a set of vice-like hands grab me by the arms and lift me in the air. The biggest man I'd ever seen held me aloft and stared me in the eyes. He did not look happy.

A winged cat hopped onto a nearby table and said in a high-pitched but definitely female voice, "Ell would like to demonstrate what happens when people threaten his friends."

"Ell, no!" The faerie girl shouted, "We were just acting! It's just a scene for the movie! Tell him, Flip!"

The cat glanced at the big guy for a moment before shaking her head. "Sorry, Min. I don't think he's listening."

Fortunately, I managed to raise my foot high enough to prop it up against the man's chest. I don't know if I caught him off-guard or if he was distracted by his friends' attempts to calm him down, but I managed to kick out of his grasp. I hit the ground running and rammed through the doors with everything I had in me. As the door gave way, I closed my eyes, tried to ignore the pain running through my shoulder, and slammed the door.

After the disorientation passed, I opened my eyes and found myself in a large hallway lined with countless doors. My foot brushed against a can of red paint someone had left near the door leading to the previous set.

The door handle rattled, startling me from my observations. Grabbing a broom that was leaning against the nearby wall, I jammed it under the door handle. I knew it wouldn't hold for long, but at least it would buy me some time.

I quickly chose a door and ran through it, only to end up in an identical hallway. The only difference was that the can of paint was further away. I could even see the broom I had propped up against the door handle.

Something occurred to me. I waved Glint through the door and glanced down the hallway. It took a moment, but I spotted my blade about fifteen feet away.

"Huh." I spun around, looking at all of the doors. "One of the doors must lead to the next set, but which one?"

I glanced at the can of red paint. "Guess I'll have to do this the hard way."

Picking up the paint can, I splashed some paint on both sides of the door I had just taken. Choosing another door, I walked through, and ended up on the far side of the hallway.

As I marked the door, the door with the broom slammed open. In ran a horde of faeries, tigreths, and the massive fellow who had nearly squashed me earlier. One of them pointed at me and said, "There he is!"

I dove through the nearest door and ended up behind the entire group this time. They were halfway down the hall before I managed to trip over a bump in the carpet and dropped the paint bucket to the floor with a loud clunk.

"Get him!"

Not bothering to see who was shouting, I slapped my paint-covered hand on the nearest door, and ran through it.

It didn't take long for the scene to dissolve into complete chaos. Everyone was running everywhere, tearing open doors, rushing through, and ending up all over the place. A few times, I ended up chasing some of the group that was supposed to be chasing me.

I continued marking doors, stopping only to wet my hand with the paint again, until only two doors remained; one would lead to the ballroom, the other to the next area. The broom was gone, picked up by one of my pursuers as a weapon, no doubt, leaving me with no idea which door was the right one.

The group of faeries erupted from a door to the right just as a group of tigreth emerged from a door on the left. As the groups converged, I picked a door, whispered a quick prayer to the Creator, and ran through it.

About a minute later, I hurried into some kind of lounge on the other side of the new set, my face burning with embarrassment. On the other side of the door, the throng of tigreth and faeries had no doubt been joined by several angry men and women draped only in bed sheets.

"I didn't know they made those kinds of movies here!" Shaking my head, I dove through the only other door and found myself face-to-face with myself.

We both froze, shocked. As I started at him, I began to notice subtle differences: the shape of his eyes, the shade of his hair, and the fake tan on his skin. Still, it was obvious that he was supposed to be me … but why? Who would make a movie about a bridge-keeper?

My doppelganger was the first to find his voice. "Oh, good. The stunt double. Good timing ... and good luck."

He patted me on the back and walked through the door to the erotica set, a move I'm sure he'd regret very soon. Glancing around, I realized I was outside my home, or at least a holographic representation of my home.

There were some pretty noticeable errors, however; the mansion was gigantic, and perfectly maintained. My bridge was a magnificent affair crafted from ivory and gold, and the river beneath it was a raging torrent.

That wasn't the only thing different; there was a woman tied to a long pole where my tree should have been. It was Sera!

I rushed forward, calling out, "Princess Sera!"

"Jimmy! Save me, my love!"

My love? I barely knew her. Besides, hadn't she said that she had someone already? Shaking my head, I kept running.

The throng of pursuers appeared as soon as I reached the bridge. The Faerie mob flew through the air, tigreth ran on all fours, and a few people from the last set ran as fast as they could holding sheets over their private bits as they rushed after me.

I spun around; it wasn't really my bridge, but it was close enough for me to stand my ground and do the job I'd done for the last thirteen years, no matter who was chasing me.

Channeling as much energy as I could muster, I shot a Force Edge large enough to encompass everyone.

The wave of energy dissipated before it could do much more than simply stop the throng. They all looked at me with expressions of surprise.

"Listen up!" I shouted, "I don't want to fight you, but if you don't get lost right now, I'm not going to hold back! I am Jimmy Olsen Sakamota of the Wenapaj Royal Guard, and no one is crossing this bridge!"

I braced myself for an onslaught that never came. To my complete surprise, the entire group turned and fled, screaming all the way until they disappeared into an adjoining set. Even the big guy ran off, the winged cat and the faerie girl under his massive arms.

"Damn right." I said, tossing Glint in the air and catching it deftly.

"Ahem."

I turned back toward the princess and found myself staring into the bemused face of a very large blue dragon.

"Plucky little thing, aren't you?" It commented in a deep booming voice.

It took a few moments for me to regain the ability to speak. The dragon waited patiently, twin curls of smoke rising from its nostrils.

Steeling my courage, I said, "Sir or madam, I am Sir Jimmy Sakamota of the Wenapaj Royal Guard, and I am here to secure the release of Princess Sera by the order of his Majesty, King Iniagus the uh …" I took a moment to count the numerals in my head. "… the twenty-seventh. I do not wish to resort to violence, but I have my orders."

The dragon appeared to consider this thoughtfully. "I think I understand your position, Sir Jimmy, but allow me to present my counter-argument."

I dove into the river just in time to avoid being blasted by the dragon's fire breath.

I climbed out hurriedly, soaking wet. I started to pull out Glint when an idea popped into my head. It was a shot in the dark, but after everything else I'd dealt with thus far, I decided to risk it.

"Hey!" I shouted, "What gives? That's not in the script!"

The dragon seemed to be completely caught off guard by this. "Huh? But I thought … oh! Oh, right! I'm supposed to do the flame breath after you flail your katana at me. Terribly sorry, chap. Let's just take it from the top."

The dragon took off and flew behind the mansion. Thanking my lucky stars, I quickly dashed over to Princess Sera and untied her bonds. "Are you okay, Princess Sera?"

"What in Nocturnes are you doing?" She asked, sounding annoyed.

I squinted at her. It was hard to tell with water still in my eyes, but after a moment I was sure that it wasn't Sera. She wore the same ridiculous armor and had the same ample proportions, but the face, while beautiful, wasn't the same.

About that time, the dragon flew over the mansion and saw what I had tried to do.

"Hey!" It shouted, its booming voice shaking the ground, "That's bloody unfair!"

It dove at me with frightening speed as I tried to make my escape into the mansion. It snapped the metal pole like a twig as it flew past. Fortunately, the 'princess' had already scurried away.

Without looking back. I threw open the front door of the Saybaro Mansion and ran inside, only to find myself in another forest.

There was a tigreth with auburn fur and a white patch from her nose to her stomach standing next to a chaser with her hands on her hips. She was talking with a young man about my age wearing a tell-tale green and gray-striped shirt. It was probably just an actor, but I recognized the role he was playing only too well.

"Hey! Narrator Number One" I shouted, rushing over as fast as I could.

He and his companion turned, both looking at me quizzically. As the actor playing One opened his mouth to reply, his eyes suddenly went wide. "Get down!"

I fell to the ground and not a moment too soon; the dragon swooped overhead, its claws missing me by mere inches.

As I rose to my feet, I noticed that the dragon's right wing seemed injured where it joined into the dragon's back. It wasn't bleeding, but it looked as if the bone was exposed. It had probably hurt itself when it slammed into the pole.

As it spun and prepared to dive again, I rushed over to One and pointed at Headache. "Are those functional?"

He looked at them, then at me with a curious expression. "Last time I checked."

"Good. Could you throw me just above the dragon as it passes by?"

One seemed a little surprised by this request. "Really? You sure, dude?"

"No," I admitted, my eyes on the dragon as it dove toward us, "but toss me anyway."

The LEDs on the side of Headache began to illuminate as the strength booster charged. Just as the dragon leveled off, One picked me up and threw me with all his might at the dragon, shouting, "GOOD LUCK!"

The rush of air was almost blinding, but I managed to grab the hilt of Glint and pull it from its sheath. As I passed over the dragon, I drove the point as deeply as I could into the dragon's back with surprisingly little effort. Strangely, the dragon didn't even seem to notice.

The dragon rose into the sky as I held on for my life. Leveling off, the dragon bellowed, "Where are you, Sakamota?"

"Hey, scale-face!" A voice below us shouted. The dragon focused on One, who was making an insulting gesture with the mechanical retractable hand in one of his Headache units. The actor playing Teria slapped her backside and shook it provocatively, her long tail wagging.

With an angry roar, the dragon flew toward them. As its body went level, I moved with some difficulty toward the wing. Barely able to see as the wind stung in my eyes, I gripped Glint as tightly as I could, and swung at the exposed joint with all my might.

Glint cut deep into the joint, nearly cutting the wing off altogether. I might have been able to keep my balance if the wing hadn't torn loose and hit me in the forehead.

Disoriented, I fell from the now spinning dragon's side and landed with a jarring thud, Glint still clutched in my hand. I watched in a daze as the dragon crashed to the ground and exploded into a million flaming pieces.

"Wow!" I murmured as I began to pass out, "I didn't know dragons could do that."

19: Chapter 19 - Special Effects

I don't know how long I was unconscious; all I remember is dreaming about flying a dragon-shaped kite with my parents at the Saybaro. As the wind began to pick up, I had trouble holding the dragon. I knew if I lost my grip, the dragon would turn and eat my parents, so I held on as tightly as I could. It wasn't enough, however; with each second, the clouds turned darker and the dragon grew larger and more life-like.

I screamed at my parents to run back into the mansion, but they just stood there with their hands on my shoulders, smiling at me. Why wouldn't they run? Couldn't they see the dragon?

Just as the string began to slip from my grasp, I burst back into consciousness.

"NO!" I shouted, sitting up in my bed.

I sat there, panting slightly as the dream faded from my memory. I let myself fall back with a sigh. My head was pulsing. What had happened? Where was I? The last thing I remembered was seeing the dragon explode.

The door opened moments later, revealing a concerned-looking Mick.

"Hey Mick." I said as he approached. "I'm sorry about the shouting; I was having a bad dream."

He breathed a sigh of relief, an impressive feat especially seeing as he didn't need to breathe. "Shout all you want, Jimmy. I'm just glad you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Like I fell off a dragon."

Mick chuckled. "Fortunately, you were close to the ground; your wounds were only minor. I've already patched you up with the upgrades I received from Alaina."

"Then you have my thanks. Where are we, by the way?" I asked, starting to sit up.

Mick pushed me back down easily. "Don't move; I'm going to give you a quick scan to make sure everything's all right."

Blue lights shot from his eyes to the very top of my head and slowly began to move down my body.

"We're in the Laffer Estates Hotel, not too far from the studios. I suppose I should have brought you to a hospital, but …"

"You're a core unit, built by Thomas Desygan no less." I said, remaining as still as I could, "Add in your new upgrades, and you're probably better equipped to treat injuries than any hospital on Vinta."

Mick smiled. "Thank you, Jimmy."

The blue light flickered out once it reached my feet.

"All clear." Mick said, helping me sit up.

"Where are Terry and Arc?" I asked.

"In the next room over, both getting a nap in, I'd imagine. There was quite a mess after you fell asleep: bits of flaming dragon everywhere, actors and actresses fighting over half the studios. Fortunately, Narrator Number One managed to calm everyone down."

"Narrator Number One? You mean the actor I bumped into, right?"

"Someone say my name?"

The door opened, revealing Narrator Number One. He held up Glint, a grin on his face. "You dropped this yesterday, Jimmy. I thought you'd like it back."

I took it back, and bowed my head in thanks. "Thank you, Mister …?"

"Bah. One's fine. It's what I'm most known as, after all."

My jaw dropped. "Y-you're the real Narrator Number One? The Dreamer?"

"Yup. Like I said, just 'One' is fine." He held out his hand. I could see the Anti-ka Maru, the rune that supposedly gave the Dreamers power over reality, etched on the back of his right hand. "And you're Rena and Hugh's son, Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, right? How's the bridge?"

"I-It's fine, sir." I paused for a moment and asked, "You remember my parents?"

"Of course I do! Saved my butt several times during the Epitimus Incident." Chuckling, he gave me a playful slap on the shoulder. "You look a lot like your father, though I know for a fact he never did anything as crazy as letting me throw him onto a dragon."

I wasn't sure what to say about that; I knew my parents had helped One sometime before I was born, but I didn't think he had kept track of me.

"While you were out, your friend Mick told me about the Saybaro. Heh, I knew Thomas was up to something in Wenapaj. I guess now I know what it was." Shaking his head, One asked, "So, can you walk?"

"He should be fine." A mischievous grin spread across Mick's face. "Just try to suppress the urge to throw him onto any dragons."

"No promises." One said, helping me to stand.

I felt a little dizzy as I rose to my feet, but it wasn't anything I couldn't manage. One led me out of my room onto the second floor landing of the hotel.

As I approached the railing, I could see there were about fifty people milling about on the lower floor. A flash of panic shot through me as I realized a large number of them were tigreth and faerie.

As I started to back away, someone in the crowd shouted, "He's up!"

I reflexively took a step back. To my great surprise and relief, everyone applauded: The faerie nobles, the Galden soldiers, the tigreth warriors, and a few other people I didn't recognize at first because of their previous lack of clothes.

As I walked downstairs, I was met by the galden who had saved me from the red-furred tigreth.

"Nice to have the chance to meet you proper-like. Kevin Smith Jennings." Looking me over, he grinned and added, "You look like hell."

"You're no fruit basket either." I retorted, noting his black eye and bruised arms. "Still, thank you for helping me earlier. I see you managed to calm down the tigreth."

His face went red. "Well, not quite."

The red-furred tigreth walked up the steps behind Kevin. To my surprise, she slipped her arms around him and gave him a kiss that made even me blush.

"Ah." I said, understanding. "I think I see."

"Let me introduce Trish Icarus. My fiancée, thanks to you." Kevin squeezed her close.

"We couldn't be happier … all of us." Trish said, smiling.

"All of you?"

Beside me, One counted out loud, "twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three … looks like a total of twenty-seven couples." Clapping me on the shoulder, he said, "Nice job, Jimmy. It took me seventeen years to pull off that many Cupid's Arrow assignments, and that was after I became a Dreamer. I'd say that qualifies you as a Sleeper."

"That's great." I managed as One slipped a green and gray ribbon beneath my blue royal guard band. I glanced at my new status marker, noting that the Anti-ka Maru had been embroidered on the edge.

The faerie with whom I had danced made her way above the crowd and landed gracefully near the giant who had nearly crushed me earlier and his winged cat. As they approached, I felt my apprehension return; the big guy's face was unreadable.

"Sir Jimmy!" The faerie said, giving me a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

I patted her back, unable to say anything but, "More or less."

Letting go of me, she grabbed her friend's arm and pulled him forward. "Ell has something he needs to say to you."

When he didn't say anything for a moment, both she and the cat gave him a nudge.

He coughed, looking embarrassed. Oddly enough, it was the winged cat who spoke. "He wants to apologize for the incident in the ballroom. He tends to react without thinking, especially around Minnie."

The man's face went red. He took a swat at the cat, but she was in the air in an instant, poking her tiny pink tongue out at him.

Minnie blushed and hugged the Ell's arm, her wings fluttering rapidly. "Aww! That's so sweet!"

His face still quite red, he bowed his head to me again.

"It's fine," I assured him, "Don't worry about it."

"See, Ell?" Minnie said, still clutching his arm, "I told you he'd be totally cool about it."

Further conversation was cut off as another of the couples pushed their way forward. Minnie managed to say, "Bye!" before she was drowned out by dozens of people talking at once.

Every pair I had unintentionally brought together invited me to their wedding. Some couples even promised to name their first-born sons after me. I thought that was a bit much, but being my usual polite self, I just thanked them all for their kindness.

After the last couple turned to leave, a short man wearing a jacket with a seven-point star on the back rushed up to shake my hand. "Thank you very much, Mister Sakamota."

"Huh?"

"The name's Gilborn, Gilborn Ratchet. I'm the Director of 'The Sakamota Story'. I just have to say, that fight scene was simply fantastic!"

"Uh …"

"We'll have to edit out the Ronisgald woods, but everything else will make the final cut with a little dubbing: tricking the dragon, freeing the princess and giving her time to escape, calling on the help of the brave Narrator Number One, and hurling yourself at the face of danger! Much better than the script Iniagus sent us."

"Script?"

The director nodded excitedly. "I wasn't sure His Majesty's script was blockbuster material at first, but that last scene will make it a hit for sure!"

Shaking my head, I said, "Wait, are you telling me the dragon-"

"Just a prop, of course! All under my control, Jimmy! Er, sorry about chasing you and all. I got caught up in the scene. Still, you responded perfectly in character, so no harm's done, eh?"

I felt my confidence dip. All that trouble, and all I had defeated was a special effects prop.

He must have confused the expression on my face for guilt. He patted me on the back, saying, "Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. Don't worry! Accidents like this happen all the time, really. Besides, with what you gave us, we won't need another dragon."

"Out of curiosity, what was the ending of the original script?" I asked.

"You got eaten, and Arc Skylad defeated the dragon and rescued the princess. Still, that fight was so great that we've completely rewritten the script so that you're the hero! Besides, the actor playing Arc ran off with one of the tigreths."

"That's … that's great." A small voice in my head noted the faith Iniagus apparently had in me. The usual Iniagus-fueled headache wasn't far behind.

"Well, we can take care of all that with digital editing. Of course, I've taken the liberty of transferring a generous amount of shards to your bank account. Remember, if you ever want to break into the movie industry, come see me first, okay?"

I nodded, not really paying attention; my headache was making it hard to concentrate.

Mick noticed. "I'm sorry, everyone, but Jimmy really should lie down for a bit longer."

Waving goodbye, the crowd left me alone with Mick, One and the last remaining couple, Trish and Kevin.

As we walked upstairs, I asked her, "Miss Trish, I don't pretend to be an expert on Shoran mating rituals, but when I knocked you down, and you tackled me, I should have felt an urge to kiss you and complete the bond, right?"

Kevin's chuckle along with the grin on Trish's face made me blush as I continued, "I mean, I read about it happening to Keysha Myssohn, but I didn't feel anything."

Even One was looking at me now, making me feel even more self-conscious.

"It's not that I don't think you're pretty." I said to Trish, my cheeks burning.

She laughed and rubbed my cheek kindly. "I know what you're trying to say, Jimmy, and you're right. Normally, you would've been drawn to me, and I do know why you weren't. I couldn't tell at the time of course, but when my head cleared-"

Mick stopped her, saying, "I mean no offence madam, but he really needs to rest now."

I wanted to argue, but he was right; my head was really starting to pound. "Maybe Mick's right."

Smiling, Trish moved to her beau's side, saying, "Then we'll take our leave."

"Yeah. I guess we've got a lot to talk about." Kevin added.

Trish wrapped her arms around his neck, asking coyly, "Who said anything about talking?" His face turned scarlet.

As she and Kevin left, I was led back to my room. They were helping me back to the bed when I noticed One's rune hand suddenly pulse.

"Ugh." He muttered, tapping it. "Never a moment of peace. Sorry, Jimmy; I gotta go. Elsewhere business; I'm sure you understand. I'll check up on you later, okay?"

I nodded weakly, now feeling very tired.

Mick was very attending; he helped me into bed, and even tucked me in. How nice, I thought hazily as he held a hand over my head. Moments later, it began to emit a strange, warm light. I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, and promptly fell asleep.

I woke up in the dead of night, feeling much better. My body still felt pretty sore, but at least my headache was gone.

I stared out the window at the rising moons. The entire trip to Wukice had turned out to be a waste of time. Yes, my bank account was a little bigger and I was now credited in an upcoming movie, but that wasn't why we came to Wukice in the first place.

Sighing, I lay back down and pulled the quilted covers around me. We were still no closer to finding Princess Sera or the dragon. Despite the fact we had already come to the conclusion that she wouldn't be hurt, I hoped that she was still okay, for her and her lover's sake.

I had just begun to drift back to sleep when my eyes caught on someone standing out on the balcony.

My heart immediately stuck in my throat; it was Terra!

She was wearing the same tank-top and blue-jean shorts as when I saw her in Iniagusville. She looked lovelier than ever to my eyes as she stood silently, her puffy tear-shaped tail waving gently from side to side as she leaned against the rail and stared out onto the city.

Almost unconsciously, I quietly opened the door and slipped outside. As I approached the balcony railing, the city of Wukice stretched out before me, a collection of prop houses and holographic checkerboards like the one I had stumbled into the previous day.

After standing behind her for a few moments, I said, "I was wondering when I'd see you again."

Apparently I was a lot better at ninjitsu than my holo-sensei had indicated; from the way she spun about, it was clear that I caught her by surprise. Any doubt of that vanished when I realized there was a short energy blade hovering inches from my throat.

Her eyes widened. "Jimmy?"

She lowered her weapon and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Creator. Are you feeling okay?"

"Well enough, I suppose." 'I said, "Still feel a bit sore from the dragon thing, but I can't complain."

"I saw that." Terra said, "Jimmy, you're insane."

"I'm starting to wonder." I said. "It'd explain you."

"Me?" She asked, a surprised look on her face. "What's wrong with me?"

"Frankly, I think you're a hallucination … a manifestation brought on by loneliness and a desire to have a special someone in my life."

"Oh?" There was a note of amusement in her tone as she leaned back against the rail and crossed her arms, a smile on her face. "And why would you be hallucinating little old me?"

"Well, I did live alone at the Saybaro for thirteen years. Yeah, Devon stopped by, but he only stopped by once every few months. Don't get me wrong; the Mox Wazoo has way more important things to do than to babysit some kid watching a bridge. He's got his own family, and a real son to look after. I'm still a little surprised by that, to be honest."

"That Devon has family?" She asked, "Why?"

"I don't know." I said. "I guess it's hard to imagine anyone who has to cater to the whims of Iniagus as having time for a family."

"A fair point." She conceded, letting out a small laugh. "How does that figure into me? Sorry, I mean your hallucination."

"Well, I've been lonely for a long time." I told her. "No dating options in the middle of nowhere."

"Ah, so I'm some sort of fantasy then?"

"Of course." I looked her over. "I mean, for starters, you're unbelievably gorgeous."

Even in the light of the moons, I could see her cheeks grow red beneath her fur. "You really think so?"

"Of course." I told her. When she extended her hand, I accepted it and held it between my own with the care I'd normally show a glass figurine. I rubbed the fur on the back of her hand, marveling at just how soft it felt against my rough hands.

"Then there's the timing of your appearances."

"Oh?" She said, moving a little closer to me.

Trying to ignore the feel of her arm against mind, I said, "First when I was helping Terry, then when I was reassuring Princess Zelda, and then, when we were about to head out to begin our search for Princess Sera. Every time I've been tested, you've been watching. Perhaps you're trigged when I behave honorably?"

"What about the time outside the toy shop?" Terra said. "When you bought that little plush doll. How is that part of your bushido, Mister samurai?"

"Plush One?" I said, "Venerance, I suppose. The guy's a hero, no doubt about that. I can't even imagine having to go through what he went through."

"I dunno." She said, giving me another wonderful smile. "What you did was pretty brave. Misguided, perhaps, but you're definitely a h-"

She stopped, no doubt in response to my body growing tense. She stared at me for a few moments, and for the first time, I felt her thoughts mingling through my own. I caught glimpses of her; her mother rocking her and her twin brother to sleep, of her many other little brothers and sisters, of her, her brother, and Princess Sera meeting as teenagers and quickly becoming best friends.

"Oh, Jimmy." Terra said, sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I didn't need to ask what she had seen. Nevertheless, the thought that she had dug into my memories to find that image made me uncomfortable, to say the least.

Almost immediately after that thought, I felt her mind pull away from mine. It was like a door swinging shut between us. I could still feel her presence in the back of my mind, thoughts and feelings that were indiscernible, yet somehow both comforting and faintly familiar.

"I should go." She moved to leave, but forgot that I still had her hand. Not letting go, I said, "Please stay."

She seemed to fight with herself for a moment before letting out a sigh and moving to stand beside me at the balcony rail. We stared at the night sky in silence for a few long minutes.

"I'm sorry." She said, not meeting my gaze. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine. You're just a different part of my mind, after all, right? If it bothered me, then maybe my imagination shouldn't have made you sneaky."

"Sneaky?" She moved in front of me, her hands going past my sides and holding the rail behind me. "Tell me, Mister Samurai, why would you call me sneaky?"

"Perhaps playful is a better term." I said, keenly aware of how close her face was to mine. "The way you keep appearing and disappearing, making me question my own sanity one moment, then staying her and speaking to me at length like this. Even now, it's like you're playing with me."

"I did trip you in the lake while you were trying to sneak away." Terra said, nodding her head. "Be honest; you're kinda glad I did, aren't you? I mean, you would be if I were real."

I kissed her. I meant to just nod in reply, I think, but instead found myself closing the distance between us. She was startled at first, but her hands slid up my chest and wrapped around my shoulders.

When we released, I said, "Real or not, I'm glad you're here, Terra. If this is really just a hallucination, I hope it's one that I'll continue to have, even after I do this."

"Do what?"

I slipped my hands under her arms and tickled her sides. She let out a shriek and fought to catch my hands before I could make her run out of breath from laughter. She tried to move away, backing into my room, but I didn't relent until she managed shove me on the bed and pin my hands to the mattress with hers. Smiling victoriously, she moved closer and kissed me again. I savored the softness of her lips, the purple of her eyes close to mine. I didn't care if I was crazy anymore, as long as it meant we could be together.

"Hallucination One, Samurai nothing." Terra said, her smiling face still inches from mine. "But as a consolation prize, let me give you a little advice."

She leaned forward until her mouth was beside my ear. In a soft voice, she said, "I wouldn't be a good hallucination if there wasn't at least a chance that I was real. Wake up, my lonely samurai."

20: Chapter 20 - Tech Support

I awoke with a start. The suns shone brightly in the sky through the open window of my room, but I barely even noticed. All I could think of was Terra.

I leapt out of bed and ran out onto the balcony, hoping to find something, anything that might prove that what I had seen the night before was real.

As I looked around the balcony, trying to ignore a strange chill in the air, a glimmer of light reflecting off metal caught my eye. As I knelt beside the edge of the balcony, I heard the door of my room open.

"Sir? Are you here?"

"On the balcony, Terry." I said, resting an hand on my bare leg as I reached behind a row of flower planters and closed my fingers around a rubberized handle.

Lifting it up, I felt a surge of excitement; it was the handle of the energy blade she had been carrying! She must have forgotten to take it with her!

"Sir, are you … by the Creator!"

I turned to see Terry standing in the doorway. He was looking very intently at the room's dresser for some reason.

I held up the device, triumph in my voice as I said, "Take a look at this!"

"Y-yeah, I see it, sir." Terry said, still averting his gaze.

Frowning, I asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Your clothes, sir." He said, the visible portion of his face was bright red.

"What about my-" Looking down, I suddenly realized why I was so cold.

With a yelp, I rushed back into the room. I couldn't find my clothes, so I just grabbed one of the quilts and wrapped it around myself like a toga.

"Sorry about that, Terry." I said, my face burning. "But check this out. Terra left it here last night."

Terry looked at the inactive weapon. "Hmm. It looks like a toy to me, sir."

"It's some kind of energy dagger. Hang on." I tightened my grip around the handle. Nothing happened.

"Come on," I said, my fingers probing over the device.

I was still trying when Mick entered the room with my neatly folded clothes under his arm.

"I trust everything is in order?" He said, eyeing my impromptu attire curiously.

"My clothes." I said, my attention moving from the dagger to the clothes under Mick's arms.

He handed them to me. "I removed your clothes for cleaning after you fell asleep. I didn't think I had disturbed you."

My cheeks grew warm. "Uh, I guess you didn't … but in the future, please just ask me for my clothes. I'm not comfortable with the idea of being undressed."

"My apologies." He said, his cheeks slightly gold. "You're right, of course."

They stood there in an uncomfortable silence until I cleared my throat meaningfully. I had to stop myself from laughing at the sudden look of realization on their faces moments before they hurried toward the door.

Once they had left the room, I quickly slipped into my clothing and did a quick sweep of the rest of the room for proof of Terra's presence: a finger print, a strand of hair, anything. Unfortunately, there was nothing; the weapon was the only thing of her that was left.

Sighing, I sat down on the bed and toyed idly with the device she had left. Nothing I could do activated it. Perhaps Terry was right. Perhaps it was just a toy some previous visitor had left. Perhaps the previous night had just been a dream or a hallucination hinting at serious mental issues that needed addressing. That last thought was not particularly comforting.

Sighing, I tossed the device in my pack. Maybe it was just a toy, but it was all I could say I had of her.

I met up with Arc, Terry, and Mick in the Lobby. Terry saluted as I approached; I waved him off, not bothering to ask him to call me 'Jimmy'.

"Heard you had another visit from your myserious fional last night." Arc said, an impish grin on his face.

I glared at him. "Just drop it, okay? I realize how pathetic it sounds."

"Not necessarily." Mick said. "You described her as a fional, yes? When a fional finds a potential mate, he or she will often stalk them for days, weeks, or even months before attempting to initiate a bond."

"I'm pretty sure they'd prefer the term 'scouting'." Terry said. "How do you know that anyway?"

"The Glyche did extensive studies of Vinta's native species before the Corruption. Some believed that the biological Glyche could be saved with the introduction of DNA from another race."

Terry shook his head. "But that was over three millennia ago. How can you be sure the fional haven't changed since then?"

"I can't. Even then, they were secretive about their bonding ritual. I'm merely suggesting the possibility that Jimmy's fional could very well be real, but is avoiding the rest of us."

"I don't know." Arc said. "The whole stalking thing kinda creeps me out. It makes it sound like she's going to kidnap Jimmy and shove him in a pet carrier."

"Let's forget about the fional." Terry said, much to my relief, "We should be focusing on the task at hand: locating the dragon."

"Right." Arc said, smacking a hand on the dresser. "The dragon. Well, I haven't seen it either."

Terry snorted. "Thanks Arc. Having you on the team's a load off my mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Terry." Arc said, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice, "Why don't you just tell us where the dragon is?"

I stepped between Terry and Arc, saying, "That's enough of that. Mick, is there any way you can contact Bethany?"

"No need." Mick closed his eyes. When he opened them, they shone orange instead of their normal blue.

He smiled at me. "Jimmy. I'm glad to see you are well."

"Bethany?" I asked, though it was clearly her voice that spoke.

Mick nodded. "This is unusual, I grant you, but it is much more secure than the Weave. Thank you for saving my sister, Alaina."

"I'm glad we could help." I said. "Has Mick updated you on our mission?"

"You mean your quest?" She asked, raising one of Mick's eye-ridges. "Do you truly believe a dragon is to blame?"

"The evidence fits." I said. "Any chance you can help us?"

"As a matter of fact, I can."

He held out his hand. Moments later, holographic map appeared above his palm, showing the layout of Wukice.

"Whoa!" Arc said, "You did a scan of the city?"

Mick nodded. "The satellite I'm using to transmit to Mick has fairly impressive scanning equipment, as well as a backlog of old readings. It's not as powerful as Yaevin, but I'm still having trouble establishing a firm connection to the station."

I tried to make sense of the map, but engineering wasn't my strong suit. "Are there any mountains or caverns near here?"

"Not that I can detect, though the crystallic sand is causing some slight interference."

Terry said, "How about a lifestream scan? Something as big as a dragon's gotta have a massive signal."

"One moment." The map changed to a view of Wenapaj. Aside from the cities, there were only a few blips of significant stream energy, but nothing that seemed spectacular.

I tapped my bottom lip. "Hmm. Maybe the crystallic is interfering here too?"

"Or maybe the dragon's not here." Arc said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Look, man, the transmission was more than likely about that prop you killed. It could've been a joke, or that the link operator was startled … or maybe the pot dealer in Iniagusville was full of crap."

"I could run a more detailed scan." Bethany said, lowering her hands. "I'd also like to run through the backlog of sensor data; perhaps it was in range when the princess was first taken."

"Good thinking." I said, nodding. "We'll start heading back; now that we can afford a floater, we should be back in a few days."

Terry let out a polite cough. "Sir, there's still the issue of the broken link."

"Oh, right." To be honest, I had completely forgotten about that.

"Isn't that a problem for the local techs?" Arc said. "Let them handle it!"

I was inclined to agree, given the gravity of our quest. To my surprise, however, Bethany said, "One moment. My scans have revealed a possible connection with the sudden silence of the link to Iniagusville."

"A connection to the dragon?" Arc asked, his tone incredulous.

"No, a link to another Glyche Facility."

We all stared at Mick. Nonplussed, Bethany said, "I'm detecting a faint signal in your area, almost indiscernible from the background noise. I'm definitely reading a Glyche signal there."

"What kind of signal?" I asked.

Mick shook his head. "I'm not sure. As I said, it is difficult to read, probably due to the interference from the crystallic sand. Given your recent rescue of Alaina at the Natalya facility, I would appreciate it if you'd investigate."

His cheeks went gold. "I … miss my sisters. I realize the princess is important, but since you are already there, I hope you'll indulge my request."

I couldn't help but smile. "Okay, Bethany. We'll check it out."

"What?" Arc said, a note of panic in his voice.

Mick smiled and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were once again green.

"Hang on a minute!" Arc said, a hint of panic in his eyes. "We are not going into any more Glyche facilities!"

"Any idea where it might be?" Terry asked, also ignoring Arc.

Mick shook his head, his voice once again his own as he said, "The reading was from beneath Wukice, but it was impossible to get a more precise reading than that. Still, if the facility was also recently reactivated by Yaevin, the skrievers could have inadvertently caused the outage while harvesting materials for repairs and maintenance."

"Wait," Arc said, holding up a hand to stop the conversation, "You mean Yaevin the satellite?"

"Actually, it's more of a space station." Terry said, a faint hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"In any case, the first thing we should probably do is meet up with Casey." Seeing my questioning glance, Mick said, "We have a lunch appointment with her and someone named Maxis."

"That would be Maxis Telangrin." Terry said, "He's pretty much the mayor of Wukice … and quite an accomplished Director as well."

"Fair enough." I said, "I could use some breakfast anyway."

We left the Laffer Estates inn and headed toward our appointment with the mayor of Wukice, Arc complaining every step of the way. He hated the idea of finding the Genovis facility, he hated the fact that the rest of us were perfectly okay with it, he hated Earth cuisine, and he even hated the nice sunny day. We didn't pay him any mind.

The Shangri-La Café was a cute Earth-themed restaurant that makes a little bit of everything, but is most well-known for its bacon cheeseburgers.

Casey caught sight of us as we walked through the doors (though upon further reflection, it would be pretty hard to miss a group like ours) and quickly waved us over. "Good morning, everyone! I'm glad you all could make it."

As we drew near, she asked me, "Are you feeling better?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "Everyone's talking about your participation in the fight with the dragon. I've spoken with fifteen directors just dying to have you in their movies."

"As an actor?" I asked, intrigued.

"As a stunt man."

She led us to a corner booth, where a dark-skinned man was lounging in one of the seats. At first I thought it was just some young actor who had wandered in from one of the sets, so imagine my surprise when Casey coughed politely and said, "This is Maxis, the head of the Wukice studios. Maxis, this is Jimmy and Mick Sakamota, Luminous …"

"Ugh, don't call me that!"

"Sorry. Arc Skylad and Terry Ulyndia."

"Well, good morning to all of you!" Maxis stood up and shook hands with all of us. As he shook my hand, he said, "You're looking pretty good for a guy who tangled with one of Gilborn's props."

He turned to the counter and said, "Charlene? Be a dear and bring us some breakfast."

The harassed-looking woman at the counter turned to the grill and shouted, "Ordering! I need six flaming squealers and a pitcher of motor oil!"

"That is a common misconception." Mick said, "I don't actually ingest-"

"She means coffee." I told him. "At least, I hope she meant coffee."

Maxis laughed. "Something like coffee, anyway. So, what brings you all to Wukice? My dear Casey mentioned something about the link to Yesrej being down."

Everyone looked to me. Sighing, I said, "Well, to make a long story short, Princess Sera was captured by a dragon and we're trying to rescue her."

It didn't occur to me how ludicrous that really sounded until I actually said it. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't sure whether or not he should take me seriously.

"I think in this case, the long version of the story would probably be more helpful." He said raising an eyebrow.

The waitress set platters of pancakes, sausage, and eggs in front of all of us, giving Mick an odd look in the process. If he noticed, he didn't react.

As we ate, we told Maxis about the kidnapping of the princess, including how we knew it was a dragon, our suspicious about what he kidnapped her for, and what had lead us to Wukice.

Maxis nodded thoughtfully as the waitress cleared away the plates. "Well I can certainly understand the confusion about the prop. After all the trouble you've been through, I almost hate to tell you that there hasn't been a real dragon anywhere near here for almost half a century."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Arc.

"Because he's a dryad." We all looked at Terry as he calmly took a sip from his mug. Looking up at us, he said, "You didn't know? Maxim's been the mayor of Wukice for sixty years."

Maxis gave Terry a shrewd look. "Your friend is right. I am a dryad, which means I'm in touch with trees as far as Iniagusville and Naidyr. If something as large and lumbering as a dragon had flown anywhere this side of Wenapaj, I'd know about it."

This news didn't exactly excite our group, though Mick, said, "Well, look at it this way; we've eliminated half of Wenapaj."

"I suppose you're right." I said, finding myself smiling at his Mick's eternal optimism.

Terry asked, "What about the link? It's still down, right?"

In truth, I hadn't forgotten; telling Max about a hidden Glyche facility possibly beneath his city seemed like something to handle with some amount of caution.

"Small surprise there." Max said. "The links have been falling apart for years, and I just don't have enough tekkers to keep everything up and running."

"Haven't you sent a request to Iniagusville?" I said as I stirred a little more sugar into my coffee.

"Several times. Unfortunately, this is Wukice; as Jimmy learned yesterday, everyone entering this city gets swept into the movie business sooner or later. The people sent always ended up getting drafted for special effect projects and the occasional role. The last guy actually made a star out of himself. Unfortunately, that leaves me stuck with the same problem."

Glancing at me, Mick said, "Jimmy has experience repairing machinery."

"Obviously." Maxis replied, looking over Mick; he may not have looked like a core unit with his clothes, but it was still pretty obvious that he was a robot.

His cheeks gold, Mick continued, "Perhaps we could help restore the link."

"Hey, if you're offering, I'll certainly take you up on it. I'll pay you well too."

"Deal." I said, "I was hoping to look around a bit longer anyway."

"Of course. Just … take it easy on the props, okay? You don't even want to know how much Ratchet spent on that dragon."

"Understood." I glanced at my friends. "Shall we check it out now?"

Arc opened his mouth, only for Terry to pointedly stomp on his foot with a metal-clad boot. As Arc grabbed his foot and swore, I said, "Excellent. Now we just need to know where it is."

"That's no problem. Casey?"

Casey, who had been very quiet since we sat down, perked up. "Yes, Mayor?"

Maxis let out a sigh. "Casey, we've known each other for over a decade. Max is fine. Now be a dear and take them to the Iniagusville link facility, would you?"

She blushed and nodded, "Of course, M-max."

He smiled; I noticed his hand twitch slightly, given their positions, I thought he was about to put his hand on hers. He didn't, however; instead, he stood up.

"Thanks, Casey. I appreciate it. I'm already late for an appointment with that twit, Uwen. He claims he's got the perfect script for a movie based off the Eternal Story series. I'm sure it's just as awful as his script for the last one, but I suppose I should at least look at it."

I couldn't help but notice that Casey's eyes followed Maxis as he left the restaurant. I wasn't the only one, either.

"I don't mean to be rude," Terry asked, "But are you and Maxis a couple?"

She turned bright red. "N-no! That'd be absurd! He's the mayor; I'm technically only a gardener."

"Gardener?" Arc asked, giving Casey a strange look. "I thought you were just a tour guide or something."

"I know a lot about the city." She said, her eyes flashing to me. "And I've made a few notable contacts over the years."

"Like Meister?" I said, remembering my encounter with her art-loving friend.

To my surprise, she let out a snort. "Meister's my brother. He's … special."

"I remember." I said with a laugh.

"The gardener thing is … well …" She sighed and said, "You know how King Iniagus offers a job to anyone immigrating to Wenapaj?"

"I'm familiar with the Immigration Employment Initiative." I said, a smile slipping across my face. "So he made you a gardener?"

"Yes. I mean, I was put in charge of caring for the trees." She said, "He didn't say anything about the dryads, though. I was here for a month before Maxim appeared to me, scaring the heck out of me in the process. He and the rest of his grove had been watching me since I arrived."

She blushed and said, "We spent a lot of time together in those days. He showed me the whole city, introduced me to his siblings and his mother … he made me feel at home. He's my best friend."

"Then why call him 'mayor'?" I asked.

"Well, he's the mayor. He's been elected the last four years, ever since we exposed the last mayor for the embezzling, black-mailing bastard he was. He didn't want to be mayor, but he was the corrupt mayor's official advisor, making him the next in command."

She chuckled softly. "He was so nervous at first, his leaves wilted. He used to be so worried; I remember him talking for hours about mistakes he thought he'd made, fretting about even the smallest decisions."

"Still, in the end, he did such a good job that the people of Wukice elected him again. He wasn't even running for the office; over half the population penciled him onto the ballet. He was going to turn it down, but he had a lot of support from his friends, his family-"

"-and you?" Arc said, a knowing look on his face.

"I … well, of course I supported him. He's my best friend."

"Just a friend?"

Casey bristled at this. "Friendship and romantic attraction don't have to be the same thing, Luminous."

"Don't call me that!"

"And what's wrong with 'just' being friends? Maybe we're comfortable with the way things are!"

"Yes, because you totally don't look like a love-sick high-school student."

"Listen to me, you little-"

I rose to my feet to stop the argument, but wasn't quite as fast as Mick.

"My apologies." Mick said, just a hint of impatience in his tone. "Perhaps we should continue this while heading for the link."

"Agreed." I said, nodding at him. "The sooner we get the link up and running, the sooner we can get back to looking for the dragon."

With a final glare at Arc, Casey stood up as well and said, "Very well. Come on; the link stations are near Cassandra."

21: Chapter 21 - Blackout

Cassandra, as it turns out, was the name of Maxis's mother, the dryad who inhabited the massive tree in the center of the city. I was curious as to whether or not we'd see the dryad mother, but found myself hoping she was indisposed; Casey and Arc were still arguing, and despite attempts to defuse the situation by Mick, Terry, and myself, the two seemed close to blows by the time we reached the first row of link stations.

The buildings themselves weren't particularly notable, being little more than a brick and mortar box. If it weren't for the link transmitter antennae on the roof, I'd have thought it merely some kind of storage building.

There were hundreds of the buildings. Fortunately, despite her continuing argument with Arc, Casey seemed to know where they were going. The link station to Iniagusville was larger than most. One of Cassandra's roots hung over the top of the building, partially entwined around the transmitter. Given the size and age of the root, however, it seemed unlikely that it was the cause of the interference.

"Ah, so this is the link station for Iniagusville?" Mick asked, nearly shouting to be heard over Casey and Arc.

"What?" Casey's attention focused on the building. "Oh, right. Yes, this is it. One moment; I'll open the door."

I sidled over to Arc as Casey approached the entrance.

"Is it really that important?" I asked him in a quiet voice.

"Of course! How could you be in love with someone, yet not be friends with them? That's stupid!"

"Be that as it may, don't forget that there might be a Glyche facility here, and we don't know if it's corrupted. We need to be on our guard, not arguing ideologies. All right?"

Arc let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, whatever … but you know I'm right."

Casey put her hand on the door scanner and said, "My name is Casey Anastasia Jones. I request access for maintenance purposes."

A blue beam swept over Casey in a matter of seconds. "Identity confirmed. Have a nice day, Caretaker Jones."

We were greeted by darkness as the door slid open. The lights inside the facility had apparently gone out, leaving the inside of the building completely dark aside from a few pinpricks of red and yellow here and there.

Casey peered through the door. "Ugh. No power. I bet it's just another busted fuse."

"This happens often?" Terry asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say often, but with the expansion of the city, sometimes the power grid can be … unstable. Still, if that's the case, we can probably just reset the power breaker; there are plenty of replacement fuses in the storage closed for just that purpose."

"Where's the breaker box?" Terry asked.

Casey pointed into the darkness.

"Yeah, that seems about right." I tapped my PIM to use it as a flashlight, but it didn't react. The internal battery was completely drained.

"No problem; I always carry a light." Casey pulled a flashlight from her side-pouch and turned it on. "Look, if this is just a fuse job, I can handle it myself."

"It's no problem." I assured her. "We said we'd help, after all."

"All right. Follow me, gents."

The interior of the building was surprisingly complex. What little light came through the open door was soon mostly obscured by a combination of consoles and walls. The consoles were mostly dark, but I spotted a few red standby indicators and the occasional yellow inactive light.

"It still seems to be receiving some power." I said.

"Auxiliary backups." replied Casey, "There's a solar array on the roof that stores enough energy to keep the consoles partially powered up for a week. It's not much, but it keeps any data from being outright lost."

"Oh, yes." Arc said, sarcasm thick in his voice, "Week-old news broadcasts are way more important than, say, emergency lighting."

"There should be emergency lighting. I honestly don't know why-"

She was interrupted by the sound of metal hitting metal.

"Hey! Watch it with the sword, Arc!" I heard Terry say.

Arc let out a startled shout a moment later. I spun around and stepped forward only to run straight into Mick. It was like running into a somewhat lumpy but still very solid wall.

He helped me steady myself. "Are you okay, Jimmy."

"I'm fine." I assured him. "Terry?"

There was a moment of silence before he said, "I'm fine."

"Did you just try to nod?" I asked.

"Er, yes sir."

"I thought so. Arc?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Terry just stepped on my foot!"

"Then maybe you should watch where you put your foot."

"I can't watch my foot if I can't see it, Terry! I only stopped because you squawked at me!"

"I squawked at you because you whacked my leg with that ridiculous sword of yours!"

"Then stop walking so close to me!"

"Would you please knock it off?" Casey said, a note of nervousness in her voice. "Look, just stay close to the light, and everything should be okay."

"Yeah, as long as the batteries hold out." Arc said.

I winced. I may have spent the last thirteen years guarding a bridge, but even I know you don't say things like that. You NEVER say things like that. As the light flickered and promptly died, I heard Terry say, "I blame Arc for this."

"Me too." I agreed.

"Ugh, stupid Galden piece of junk." Casey muttered, the resulting smacking sounds probably her hitting the flashlight.

"Screw this." Arc said, "Let's just turn around and go back. There should be enough light for us to make our way back as long as the door doesn't shut on us."

The door behind us immediately slid closed, cutting off what little light was left in the building, save for blinking display indicators. I glared in the direction of Arc's voice, even though there was no way he could see me.

Arc took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, well, it could be …"

"No!" I swatted toward his voice, only to smack someone in the head.

"Ow!" Terry said, "What was that for?"

"Oh! Sorry, Terry. I thought you were Arc."

"Hey!"

Realizing my hand had touched hair, not metal, I ignored Arc's protest to ask, "What happened to your helmet, Terry?"

"What? Oh, I took it off. It's hard enough to see as it is."

"Great." Arc said. "The one opportunity we get to see Terry without his helmet and the lights are off. Hey, Mick! You remember where the exit is, right?"

Only silence answered me. "Mick?" I asked, "Where did he go off to?"

Two bright lights flared to life directly in my eyes.

"Ack!" I quickly shielded my eyes. "What in the name of the Creator?"

As my eyes adjusted, I realized the lights were coming from Mick, or more specifically, his eyes.

Looking straight at me, he said, "I've been analyzing this installation, and think I've found the problem."

Trying my best to cover my eyes and still look at him, I said, "That's great, but could you turn those things down a bit?"

"Of course." The lights dimmed considerably.

I glanced around the room; I wasn't able to see tremendously well, but it was better than complete darkness. I turned to face the others just in time to see Terry pull on his helmet over his short, slightly curly hair.

"I didn't figure you for a blonde, Terry." Arc said with a grin.

"Shut up, Arc." Terry muttered as he adjusted his helmet.

"I have located the fuse box you mentioned, Casey." Mick said, "And believe your earlier assessment is correct. It does seem to be blocking power from reaching the rest of the facility."

"Well, that's a relief." She said, "The fuses are in the supply closet to the right of the breaker box. "It shouldn't take long to fix then."

"I believe I can take care of it. Perhaps the four of you should wait here, to avoid further accidents? I may be able to spot other matters of concern."

I nodded, catching his meaning. "Good idea. We'll stay here for the moment."

"Understood. I'll head back as soon as I'm done."

As Mick walked away, I sat down cross-legged on the floor.

"Does anyone else smell something burning?" Arc asked. "That's not just me, right?"

"You smell that too?" Terry said, "I thought it was just me. Yeah, I've smelled it since we came in here. There's something else too; something I can't quite place."

I sniffed; they were right. There was the familiar acrid stench of something burnt in the air, accompanied by something sweet yet somehow unpleasant.

"It'll probably clear up when ventilation comes back on." Shaking my head, I said, "So, Casey, what is it you do in Wukice, anyway?"

"I told you." She said, "I was appointed as a gardener."

"Yes, and I was appointed to guard a little bridge in the middle of nowhere. I also like to draw and paint, especially landscapes."

"Whoa!" Arc said, "You mean those paintings in the mansion are yours? I mean, yours yours?"

"Indeed they are." I said. "Standing guard over the bridge is my job; painting is what I do."

"I think I understand." Casey said, "Well, when I'm not helping Maxis, I work as a gopher among some of the directors. It's neat to see the films being made, and I …"

"What is it?" Terry asked curiously when she didn't finish her sentence.

"Well, it's … oh, you don't want to hear it." Despite her words, I could tell from her tone that she hoped we did.

"Come on," Arc pressed, whatever he was sitting on creaking ominously, "We're all friends here, right?"

After a long moment of silence, he amended. "Okay, we're all at least casual acquaintances stuck in the same room together. That means something, right?"

This brought a chuckle from the rest of the group, including me.

"C'mon!" Arc said, his tone genuinely friendly, "You got me curious! I mean, hey; I program retro-style video games in my spare time. Terry?"

"What?" Terry said, sounding surprised to find himself suddenly on the spot, "Well, I, uh … I like embroidery and sewing. It's very calming."

I was worried Arc was about to laugh, and was surprised when he said, "Hey, more power to you. I tried a little knitting once; that stuff's harder than it looks."

"So how about it, Casey?" I said, "What do you do?"

"Well … I'm a writer."

"As in movies?" I guessed aloud.

"Yes."

"Ah." Terry said, "I'd imagine there's a lot of competition for that around here."

"Oh, yes." Casey said, "I'm sure there are hundreds of would be writers in the city, maybe thousands. I know I'm just one in the flood, but … I just know my scripts are good. My stories could be as big as Deagon's 'Chronicles of the Calliban' or Yunderland's 'Memorification Saga'." She let out a dejected sigh. "If only someone would give me a chance."

"No luck so far, huh?" Terry said.

"No, but I do have a few scripts I'm pushing at the moment. I've got a few friends in the industry, but finding a director can be tricky."

Arc snickered. "Why don't you ask Uwen Harris? He's got some free time."

"Very funny." Casey said, making a face at Arc.

The lights activated, cutting off our conversation. In the renewed light, I saw that Terry was sitting on what turned out to be an overturned wastebasket and Arc was on a swivel chair that looked to be on its last legs. Casey, however, was sitting on the dead body of an overweight man.

22: Chapter 22 - Toasty!

At first I thought it was a prop, but the burn marks on the clothes and flesh of the man made it too clear that he was the source of the strange burnt smell. There were several strange hollow rubber cylinders lying beside them. Something about them struck me as familiar, but I was too distracted by the body to give them much attention.

I heard the screech of ancient metal wheels against the floor, followed by the sound of someone retching behind me.

"Whoa, Arc! Are you okay?' Casey said, a look of concern on her face as she smoothed aside a lock of her hair.

"Casey," I said uneasily, "Your seat …"

"It's nice and cushy." She bounced up and down a few times, making the rolls on the corpulent man's stomach jiggle slightly.

Terry just stared, his mouth moving up and down but no words coming out. He seemed to catch himself, quickly shaking his head and rising to his feet and unslinging his plasma rifle.

As I was trying to find a gentle way to break it to Casey, Mick walked around a wall of consoles and said, "Everything is up and running. Miss Casey, are you aware that you are sitting on a corpse?"

Casey looked down. For a few moments, she just sat there and stared, her body completely rigid. I can't say I blamed her; even I didn't want to look at the bloody mess of the man's face.

"It's important to stay calm." I said as Terry and I helped her stand and led her slowly away from the body. "Just relax, take a deep breath, and-"

Without warning, she let out an ear-piercing scream. I quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and said, "If by some miracle whatever did this is still around and hasn't noticed us yet, I'd prefer to keep it that way. I'm going to let you go now, and I'm asking that you please don't scream, okay?"

She nodded, her eyes wide. I let her go. She started breathing heavily, but simply sank down onto the overturned waste basket.

"By the Creator." I said, turning back to the body, "What the heck could do this? A plasma rifle?"

Terry shook his head. "I don't know anything, weapon or otherwise, that would have done that to his face."

Grisly though it was, I made myself look at the mass of burnt skin, melted fat, and exposed bone. I didn't notice anything at first, but after a minute or so, I realized that many of the man's teeth were missing, his jaw having been torn apart.

Arc started to join us, but one look at the corpse was enough to send him halfway over the console, depositing the rest of his breakfast on the floor.

"Easy, there." Terry said, patting the young man's heaving back. "Just let it all out."

Mick put his hand on the dead man's chest. "He's only been dead for a few days. Give me a moment, and I'll try and reconstruct his face."

He stared at the bloody mess that was the man's face for a few moments before holding out his hand to produce a holographic image of a man's face.

"That's Charlie Michaelson." Casey said, sadness in her voice. "He was one of the few Techs we had left. He always had a smile on his face when I saw him."

"I'm sorry." I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.

Casey still seemed on the verge of panic, but she managed to nod. "I-I'm okay."

I helped her to Arc's chair where she sank down without another word.

"Take a moment and gather your thoughts." I said, hoping I sounded at least a little reassuring.

She was still shaken, but she nevertheless gave me a timid smile. "Thank you, Jimmy."

Terry coughed abruptly. Seeing my curious glance, he shook his head, "Sorry, sir; it's a bit dusty in here."

Turning back to the corpse of Mister Michaelson, I noted that he was dressed as you might expect from a tech: coveralls, tool-belt, name-badge on a lanyard, and steel-toe work boots. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized that he didn't have a single piece of metal on him. No belt buckle, no zippers, no metal tools … even the steel guards embedded in the boots had been neatly removed.

That's when it dawned on me how poor Mister Michaelson met his end.

"Mick." I said, reaching for Glint as I slowly rose to my feet, "Skrievers."

"Agreed." He said, his eyes already scanning the room for signs of the small robots.

Casey's eyes went even wider. "Skrievers? You mean the G-Glyche? H-here?!"

"Look at the body." I said, nudging one of the rubber cylinders that lay beside the man, recognizing them now as tool grips. "Everything metal gone. Scavenged. Any sign of them, Mick?"

Mick shook his head. "I'm not getting any returns on the ping I sent out. If they're here, they aren't responding to Glyche protocol."

"That's worrysome." I said.

"Still," Terry said, "If there are skrievers here-"

"-then the facility Alaina mentioned must be hidden under here as well. Good news for us, I guess. Not too good for fatso here." Arc kicked the body.

"Arc!" I said sharply, "You shouldn't disrespect the body."

Arc snorted. "He's dead; what does he care?"

Shaking my head, I drew Glint. The others readied their weapons as well; Arc hefted his massive sword to the best of his ability, Terry's rifle finished charging, and Casey, strangely enough, pulled her camera out of her side pouch.

"Oh, great." said Arc, looking at the camera with contempt. "Now I can be immortalized while being sliced to ribbons."

"Sorry, Michaelson." Casey said, lifting her camera as though to take a picture of the body. A blast of light shot from the lens and made a hole as big as a fist in the poor man's already hole-ridden chest.

"Impressive." I said.

Arc snorted. "Oh, I kick the body and it's disrespectful; she blasts a hole in it, and that's impressive."

"That's a Rimstakken camera, isn't it?" Terry asked.

"Yes. It was a present from my brother."

"Meister? The art critic?" I asked.

She nodded, turning a small crank on the side of the camera, "It was designed to be the perfect camera, but the designer went overboard on the flash mechanism. It's strong enough to burn anything on everything but the lowest setting. On high, it can cut through things with the force of an industrial mining laser, but I'm not sure it'll work on-"

Without warning, she let out a scream. I spun around and unleashed a Force Edge, expecting nothing less than a group of fully armed core units running full tilt toward us. The wave of energy hit the lone console that 'threatened' me with enough force to tear it from the ground and send it flying. Fortunately, nothing seemed effected by absence of the now-scrapped console.

"Wow." Terry said. "You're getting better at that."

Feeling embarrassed despite his praise, I turned back to Casey, who looked nothing short of horrified.

"If they killed Michaelson, then they're corrupted! This is a corruption! Wukice is in danger!"

Mick moved to comfort her, a bad idea considering her current chain of thought.

"You! I recognize what you are now! You're a core unit! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

She clicked the camera switch. Apparently, whatever she was doing with the crank wasn't finished, because nothing happened. With a terrified shriek, she bolted from the room.

Hitting Mick and Terry on their arms, I said, "Come on! If she runs into one of those skrievers like that, they'll attack her for sure, corrupted or not!"

We chased her through tunnels that gradually sloped down beneath the building. It was much bigger than the building above, but fortunately, there weren't a lot of rooms. Eventually, we chased Casey into a spherical control room designed for a single user. She was cowering in the corner, looking thoroughly petrified.

"Stay back!" She shouted, raising her camera, "It's fully charged!"

I raised my hand and said in what I hoped was a comforting voice, "Calm down, Casey."

"You said he was an android! He's probably corrupted you, and is using you to move around with impunity!" She said, her voice nearly a shriek.

"I'm sorry we lied to you, but we were afraid it might make you panic like you are right now." I said, "Mick won't hurt you; he was built to be incorruptible."

"Liar! I've heard about the Glyche! They'll act all innocent until you aren't looking, and then you're dead or zombified!"

"Chill out!" Arc said, rolling his eyes, "It's Mick we're talking about here; he doesn't even have combat capability."

"That is not necessarily true." Mick said. "I do have the Gineran upgrades thanks to Alaina. While technically for building and medical purposes, they could be used as weapons."

"You're not helping." Terry said, rifle still aimed at Casey.

"No!" Casey screeched, "He's corrupted you! All of you!"

"I think I see your point." I tossed Glint to Mick. "Mick, would you please attack me?"

Casey looked at me in shock, as did Mick. In a different time and place, I would have laughed.

"But Jimmy," He said, sounding more than a little confused at this turn of events, "I can't kill you! You're Bethany's Inheritor, and my friend."

I turned around, saying, "Well, I'm not watching. You could totally get away with it. You're much faster than any of us; you could kill me and be gone before Terry or Arc could raise a finger."

"Yup." Arc said, releasing the grip of his massive sword. "Tell you what; to be safe, you'd better just kill me and Terry too."

"Indeed." Terry didn't lower his plasma rifle, but he didn't turn and aim at Mick either.

Mick looked at each of us in turn, a look of complete confusion on his face. He shook his head and handed Glint back to me, hilt first. "I don't understand why you're asking this, but I will not raise arms against any of you. If you do not trust me, I will shut down and allow myself to be disassembled."

"That won't be necessary, Mick." I said, patting Mick on the shoulder as I took Glint back. "I trust you, and I think Arc and Terry do as well."

He stared at me for a long moment. "You wanted to show Casey that I am not corrupted. I think I understand, but isn't your reasoning flawed? If I were corrupted, wouldn't I want to keep you alive as my minions? I mean, she wouldn't be able to stop all four of us."

"She could take you out." Arc said, but Mick shook his head.

"If I'd corrupted you, all three of you would be carrying transversion cells. Jimmy and Arc would have been with me long enough for them to be under my control. A few months more, and I'd have Terry too … were I corrupted, of course."

Terry lowered his rifle and let out a sigh of exasperation. "Guys? This isn't helping."

"Yeah?" Arc said, hands on his hips. "Says the guy who was just aiming a plasma rifle at a gardener armed with a camera."

"It's called being prepared. It's part of being in the Royal Guard."

"Oh yeah? I didn't realize guards were supposed to shoot innocent civilians."

"We're supposed to make sure we all survive!"

Mick said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we're supposed to be finding the dragon and rescuing Princess Sera."

"Shut up!" Arc and Terry said to Mick before returning to glare at each other.

I didn't say anything. Casey still looked frightened, but hearing them bicker was definitely calming her down. She lowered her camera slightly and said, "You … you really aren't corrupted?"

"Madam Jones," Mick said as Arc and Terry continued arguing, "I was designed specifically to be incorruptible. Tests were run on my platform for over two-thousand years just to be absolutely sure I would remain true to the highest ethical and moral standards of the biological Glyche who created me."

When she lowered her camera further, Mick took a small step toward her, and held out his hand invitingly. "Please, come with us. If the facility beneath Wukice is corrupted, then this place is dangerous, and I don't want anything to happen to you. While I haven't known you for long, I consider you my friend too."

Shakily, she reached her hand out and took Mick's hand. "I-I'm sorry, Mick; I just … with the body, and Jimmy talking about skrievers-"

"I understand completely." Mick said, patting her hand as he led her to the group. "For what it's worth, I doubt very much that this is a true corruption. Mister Michaelson probably attacked the skrievers out of fear. They respond with full force to threats, and they would have stripped him of all metal afterwards."

"But his face!" Casey said, shuddering. "Why did they melt his face?"

"His teeth." I said, proud to have found a clue.

"Actually, they were after the tech in his head. They would have just prodded his mouth open for the fillings." Mick gave me an apologetic look.

"But why emerge in the first place?" Terry asked, resting his rifle against his shoulder and rubbing his metal-covered chin. "And why leave the rest of the tech intact?"

"Good question." I glanced around the room and asked, "Where are we, Casey?"

"This is the main control room for the link station." Still trembling a little, she sat down at the main console and activated the main screen. She immediately frowned, and I could see why; although the system was obviously getting power, the link was still off-line.

"Well," I said, rubbing my hands together. "Looks like our services are needed after all."

We spread out to look for possible problems. I thought I might have found something hidden behind a loose wall panel, but it turned out to be an empty can of Elizer Blue. Mick linked up to the computer to look for possible programming anomalies that might have been causing interference while Arc half-heartedly looked beneath the consoles.

"I think I found it." Terry called out after about fifteen minutes. As we crowded around the area behind the main console, he finished wresting one of the access panels off the wall, revealing a mass of circuitry and motherboards.

Arc nodded. "Ah, yes. Circuit boards and wires gumming up the works. Welp, better start yankin' them out."

Terry turned to Arc. I got the impression that he was glaring, though the helmet made it hard to tell. "Do see these wires, Luminous? Do you think this just happened by accident?"

I peered at the large circuit boards he indicated. It took me a few moments, but I eventually saw what he was talking about; the cable that was supposed to connect the link feed cables that linked to the satellites and antennae on the roof of the building. Oddly enough, nothing appeared to be missing; it was as though a skriever simply cut the link and left.

Mick said, "The link was deliberately sabotaged."

"Well, no problem!" Arc reached for the cables only for Mick to quickly grab his hands.

"I don't think we should reattach the cables, Arc."

"Why not?"

"A skriever will only resort to violence for two reasons." Mick said, "Self-preservation or corruption."

Mick let go of Arc's hands. Arc pulled them back, a wary look in his eye as he stared at the broken cables.

"But if it was corrupted, why break the link?" Terry asked, "It could spread the Corruption much faster and farther with the link station intact."

"We might be talking about two different skrievers." Mick said, "If the facility beneath the link station was in danger of being corrupted, the CIC would no doubt send a skriever to disable the link to prevent it from spreading the Corruption. Alternately, if the CIC was corrupted, one of the skrievers could have willingly separated itself from the facility and destroyed the link."

"Can a skriever do that?" Terry asked.

Mick nodded. "Easily. Skrievers are intelligent constructs, after all. They can be a bit stubborn and prideful, but if there's anything they hold dear, it's their sense of duty. Corruptions are just as bad for the Glyche as they are for anyone else."

I shook my head. "In either case, I'm going to agree with Mick; better to leave it alone for the time being. I'd hate to be remembered as the man responsible for the next Corruption."

"I hear that." Arc grabbed the handle of his massive sword and "Let's find the entrance and get this over with."

We broke into three groups; Mick and me, Terry and Casey, and Arc by himself. Strangely enough, he didn't argue; I think he was eager to prove himself after missing both the incident with the dragon prop and the fight at the Natalya facility.

"Mick," I said as we were examining a maintenance closet, "I have to say, you did well speaking to Casey. Are all core units so well-spoken early on?"

"From the moment I was activated, I've observed your speech, as well as that of the people I have encountered, and have been integrating your mannerisms into my own communication program."

"I understand that, but you've only been active for a few months."

"Ah, but I'm not a normal core-unit. I was given imprints of Thomas Desygan's memories. As such, I already have the emotional awareness and experience that help me to blend in, so to speak."

"About that; don't you ever think that you're Desygan? I mean, if you have all his experiences-"

I was interrupted by Mick's chuckle. "Of course not. The memories and experiences are just implants, nothing more. It's more like having constant access to a library of video files than actual memories."

"Still," He said, now sounding wistful, "It is strange to see the way things have changed since the time of the Glyche. It was especially hard to see the Saybaro; it used to be such a lively place."

"Don't worry." I said, patting him on the shoulder, "We'll get it fixed up once we get this dragon business sorted out."

We met back up with everyone in the center room of the station, a large circular chamber with rows of monitors currently displaying nothing. Casey still seemed a little nervous, but seemed to be talking amicably with Terry and Arc about recent movie.

Terry saluted at me as I approached. "Nothing suspicious to report, sir."

"Same here." I said, glancing around. "Arc?"

"Nah, nothing." Arc let out a sigh. "Maybe we were wrong about the skriever thing."

"I hope not." Terry said. "I'd hate to think there's something else around here that likes ripping out cybernetics."

"Oh?" Arc asked, his interest perked. "Are you scrapped?"

"Just a datajack." Terry said, "But I don't want it cut out of me."

I let out a sigh. "Is there anywhere we haven't looked?"

"I don't think so." Terry said. "We could do another sweep, though."

"Perhaps it won't be necessary." Mick said, his eyes on the large circular panel in the center of the room. floor.

I stared at the floor as well, my keen eyes scanning for signs of a secret entrance to no avail. Shaking my head, I said, "I don't see anything."

"Nor do I." Mick said, his gaze not faltering.

Confused, I said, "Then what are you looking at?"

"I do not know." To my surprise, he knelt down and started probing the metal surface, his hands searching for something I could only guess at.

Standing back, he pulled off his hat and ran a hand over his chrome head. "I don't understand it." he said, "Something about this feels off. Can you feel it, Jimmy?'

Shrugging, I knelt down and put my hand on the floor. It felt cold and flat, and the heavy bolts that secured it to the floor seemed very secure. There was something though, a strange hum that felt strangely familiar.

"Sir?' Terry said. "You feel something?"

I nodded. "It seems familiar, almost like …"

"Like …?"

"Like when I use my streaming talent." I said. "Like when I'm pulling in stream energy."

Terry approached me and watched for a moment before asking, "Mind if I try?"

Shrugging, I stood and backed away from the panel. "Go ahead."

To my surprise, Terry unslung his rifle and took aim.

"What the-" Arc said, backing away.

Everyone including me jumped as Terry pulled the trigger. A blast of energy hit the floor, which to our surprise, wavered for a moment before returning to normal.

"Looks like a wile with a projected force-field." He said as he changed the settings on his rifle. "I should be able to take it out if I hit it with the right frequency."

I was torn between admiration for his knowledge of machines and annoyance that he just shot the wall without warning. It seemed strangely out of character.

It took his three more shots before the wall wavered and vanished, revealing a small stairwell that led down into the familiar fluorescent glow of Glyche facility lighting.

A small device on the first step down blinked erratically. I picked it up and looked at it for a moment before holding it out to Mick. "Can we salvage this?"

Mick took it from me and checked it. "Hmm. It seems slightly damaged. Probably just overloaded. I should be able to fix it, no problem."

"All right," I told the others, "Everyone stay close; if there is something going on, we can't afford to get separated. Just stay together, and try not make a lot of noise, okay?"

Even Arc nodded in agreement, no doubt remembering his previous experience in the Natalya facility.

We walked slowly through the corridor in one massive huddle. Every time there was a noise, everyone seemed to crowd behind me.

Finally, after about the seventh time this happened, I shrugged off Mick.

"Would you knock it off?" I said to Mick. A thought occurred to me. "Wait a second; why are you hiding at all?"

"The whole incorruptible thing hasn't really been tested in an actively hostile situation. I'd be mortified if my actions were to cause any of you harm."

Arc avoided my gaze. "I'm just watching our backside. Y'know, making sure they don't sneak up on us."

"Best to keep some distance," Terry said, holding his rifle at the ready. "You know, to get a good shot."

Casey didn't reply; she was shaking so much, it was a wonder she hadn't dropped her camera.

I let out a sigh and said, "Right."

Without another word, I strode forward at my normal speed, annoyance overriding caution; if I was going to be the only one in the way of danger, at least I could make better time.

The corridor was long and winding, far more than the other facilities I'd previously explored. There weren't even any side-corridors, just one long corridor that led deeper and deeper into the ground. Still, from previous Glyche facilities, I knew that it'd eventually lead me to the Hub.

Ten minutes later, I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked into the Hub room, the lights and panels all online.

"All right!" I said, clapping my hands together, "Now we're getting somewhere. Which way to the Central Core, Mick?"

There was no response.

"Mick?"

I turned around to find the corridor empty. I was alone.

23: Chapter 23 - Cyber-cripes

I stood there for a long time, frozen to the spot and completely alone in the Glyche facility. Despite having been around the Saybaro facility for months and having been involved in the recent mess in the Natalya facility, I couldn't help but feel a small note of panic; it was one thing to be lost with friends, quite another to be completely alone.

Backtracking was my first thought; surely, the others weren't far behind me, perhaps in the very spot I had last spoken to them. After walking a good fifteen minutes back the way I came, calling out for Terry, Arc, Mick, Casey, and even Terra to no avail, I came to an abrupt halt after finding my path led straight back to the Hub.

There had been no forks in the passage, no alternate paths I could take, and yet here I was once again, staring at the same circle of consoles. Had I gotten turned around? Was this perhaps another Hub? How would that work for a Glyche facility? It occurred to me that perhaps this facility had the same defense mechanism as the Natalya facility, but there had been no tell-tale clicks, no rotating corridors, no hint that the corridors were moving.

Leaving a scratch on the wall, I walked back the way I had come. This time I could tell that something was wrong; the tunnel was more twisted than ever. In a matter of minutes, I was back in the Hub room. Even stranger, I was able to find the scratch … on a completely different corridor than the one I previously exited.

There wasn't much I could do. I knew I could find the others if I made it to the Central Core, but I couldn't even find my way there; every time I tried a tunnel, it invariably led me right back to the Hub again.

Eventually I just sat down against a nearby wall. Feeling something lumpy, I shifted and searched through my clothes until I removed the offending object; it was the plush doll of Narrator Number One I had picked up in Iniagusville.

It stared at me with its happy little smile as I held it in front of me. I smiled back, despite my situation.

"You wouldn't know the way to the Core Control, would you?" I asked him jokingly.

He scratched his head with a pudgy plush hand. "I dunno. Put me on the console and I'll see what I can do."

With a yelp, I hurled the doll away and leapt to my feet, Glint in hand. The plush doll hit the wall and fell to the floor with a loud thump and an even louder, "Oww!"

I stared open-mouthed as the doll stood up and brushed itself off, a distinctly annoyed look on its stitched face. It put its tiny hands on the hips of its blue jean shorts and glared at me. "Geez, Jimmy! Nervous much?"

"Who … what …" I stammered.

The doll rolled its eyes. "Oh, come on! You didn't forget me already, did you? It's only been a day."

"One?" I said, raising an eyebrow at the toy. "Narrator Number One?"

He thumped his chest. "In the flesh. Well, in the plush."

I had seen some strange things before, but this was … well, this was certainly one of them. I knew that it was definitely within One's power to do this sort of thing, but kneeling on the floor to converse with a doll possessed by one of the most famous members of the Elsewhere Incorporate was definitely an unusual experience.

"I know this is a bit weird," said One, glancing with bemused interest at his hands, "But it seemed as good a way as any to help you out while I'm busy with the whole movie thing. Seeing as you had one of Maya's dolls-"

"Maya?"

"Yeah, I recognize her work. Out of curiosity, what did she look like when she gave you the doll?"

"Vuestan." I said, thinking back to the toymaker in Iniagusville.

"Eh, she's probably just matching Jeronem now that they're married. You've heard of Jeronem Thistlethorn, right?"

"You mean Seed Thistlethorn of the Muonsol Center of Knowledge?"

"You got it. Well, his wife made these dolls as a special favor to Luck and me. After everything that happened, Luck wanted a way to keep in contact with me when we have separate assignments. I guess Maya just had some extra cloth from the two dolls she gave us."

"Out of curiosity, what was the favor?" I asked.

One let out a chuckle. "Given that I'm talking to you, I'm guessing I'm doing the favor right now. Maya was always a bit funny like that, though to be fair, I did ask her to send any potential assignments my way."

Shaking his head, he said, "Well, in any case, after your little stunt in the studios, I thought I'd listen in and give you a hand … if you're interested, of course."

"Of course!" I said, slightly stunned at the offer. "I'll accept any help you're willing to give, but …" I sighed and said, "Why me? I'm sure there are more important people who need your help. I mean, I guard a bridge in the middle of nowhere!"

"And you're a knight, and a Sleeper. Oh, and a potential hero, don't forget that you're a potential hero."

I waved my hand dismissively. "The knight and hero titles were from an idiot, and you're the one who said I was a Sleeper."

"Fair enough." He said. "Well, then consider this me repaying the Sakamota line for the help your mother and father gave me years ago. Now, if you're done with trying to be modest, pick me up and let me take a look at those consoles."

Feeling embarrassed, I picked him up and brought him to the consoles in the center of the hub. The moment his tiny stuffed feet hit the console, he was on his little hands and knees, tapping at the controls.

"My Glyche is a little rusty." He said, "But this should just about do it."

A thrum ran through the air that made me spin around. To my surprise, there were no corridors now. The Hub was just a room, no entry or exit.

"Crap." One said, "Not a problem, just give me a second. Aaaaaand now!"

The auxiliary power generator rose up beneath the hub consoles. I looked at it for a moment before turning my attention back to One.

"All right, all right!" He said, tapping faster than ever. "Third time's the charm!"

Another thrum ran through the room. This time, however, there was one corridor leading out of the hub.

"Ha!" One said, wiping his plush hands. "See? Easy-peasy. Pick me up, and we'll go and have a chat with the CIC."

"Are you sure this leads to the Central Core?" I said, picking up the plush doll and letting him climb onto my shoulder.

"Of course!" He said as he sat down, his tiny feet resting against my shoulder. "Well, either that or Central Plumbing. Or maybe Medical. Meh, it leads somewhere. We'll worry about the rest later."

"But I …"

"Ooh! Is this real silk? Nice." One ran his small hand over the cloth of my keikogi, seemingly ignoring me.

With a sigh, I said, "I don't suppose you have some Dreamer way of knowing if my friends are okay."

"Let me think; small kid with JRPG protagonist written all over him, the dude wearing so much armor it's a wonder he doesn't need wheels to get around, Maxis's 'totally not-my-girlfriend', and the core unit with the hat?"

"That's them." I said, smiling at his description of my friends. "I thought they were behind me, but the next thing I knew, they were gone. I tried to backtrack, but the corridors keep changing."

To my relief, he chuckled. "Ah, right, the scrambler mechanism. The corridors shift when a threat is perceived. You friends probably just got stuck in a different corridor."

"But I haven't heard the corridors moving around."

One chuckled at this. "Run into one of those too, huh? I think I get your confusion, but this isn't one of those facilities. No, this one uses holograms and force emitters. Saw it in the Janeel facility, back in Rimstak. It takes a lot of power to keep 'em running, so you only saw them in the really important installations."

"Of course." I said, "That's why the corridors were different; if they were all holograms, they could be changed into Creator knows how many different configurations … but why? Why separate us? If it thought we were a threat, couldn't it just make the corridors solid, or fill with all sorts of traps to kill us?"

"Dude, it registers you as a possible threat, not an actual one … not yet, anyway. CIC's probably more curious than worried right now. Still, the CIC's not stupid; it's easier to deal with a group of intruders separately. Divide and conquer, man."

"You aren't making me feel better." I said.

He patted me on the head. "Don't worry; if the place was corrupted, the CIC would've sent skrievers here to pick you and your friends apart by now. The odds of you being the last are at least one in twenty."

"Still not helping."

"Ah, stop worrying and start walking! I'm sure corrupted or not, the CIC's waiting for us."

"Or Central Plumbing." I said with a grin. "Or Medical."

"I'm almost positive I got it right this time." One said, small circles of pink cloth appearing on his cheeks in what I realized was a blush. "At least eighty-percent sure. So let's go! Onward, to adventure!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the small doll raising its hand to spur me onward. With a Dreamer-possessed doll on my shoulder, an old sword in my hand, and a prayer in my heart, I started down the corridor.

24: Chapter 24 - CIC SOS

As we walked, I found myself telling One about my entire adventure. I told him everything from the moment Devon delivered the message from King Iniagus to the moment I realized I'd lost my friends. He seemed interested, and asked me a few questions about some minor details. I answered to the best of my ability and continued until I finally came to the end.

"So what do you think is going on?" I asked him. "With the Glyche, I mean?"

"In general, or this facility?"

"Both. This makes three facilities I've just happened to encounter in the last few months, and I'd bet Glint that we're going to find out that this facility also recently received a burst of power from the Yaevin Space Station."

He shrugged. "Not sure. I was long gone by the time Thomas was doing his thing in Wenapaj. You mentioned the scans on Mick finished recently, right?"

"Right." I said. "Apparently she'd been running them for thousands of years."

"Well, maybe that's the connection; once they were sure he was truly incorruptible, they activated the other facilities to give him full functionality."

"Maybe." I said, though I'd be lying if I thought he was right. I wasn't even sure why I felt that way; it was a perfectly plausible explanation.

"As for this place, well, seeing as we haven't been attacked by an army of corrupted skrievers, I'm guessing that dead guy you told me about did something that the skrievers registered as a threat. This is a communications station; perhaps something he was sending contained a virus. Whether he knew it was there or not, he'd still register as a high-level threat to the skrievers, the poor bastard.

"That still seems a little extreme." I said.

"Agreed." One said, "Hopefully the CIC will have some answers for us."

We eventually reached the end of the corridor. Unfortunately for us, the heavy security door leading to (hopefully) the Central Core was securely shut.

One rapped his hand against the metal door. To my surprise, it sounded as though he had knocked on it with a real hand, not the plush one of the doll. "Huh. Guess the CIC wasn't expecting us. Hold me up to the control panel and I'll see what I can do."

I took the doll awkwardly in my hands and held it to the door's control panel. He tapped his soft felt fingers against the keypad faster than I could read. It was strange the way his fists seemed solid, the stitching only giving the appearance of fingers, yet when he needed to be more precise, the fingers would separate as needed. After a few minutes, the massive security doors slid open.

Rubbing his little hands together, One said, "Ha! I still got it! C'mon, Jimmy! The CIC awaits!"

The core was the usual giant orb with circling rings. Instead of a floor, however, a series of glowing blue holographic platforms encircled the core. I tested the floor gingerly before trusting it to hold my whole weight.

One leapt off my shoulder and started walking across the floor. "It's perfectly safe, Jimmy. Come on!"

As we approached the Core, I wondered what this CIC would look like. I'd only met CICs that appeared female. Was this normal, or would this one be male? Would he or she be as young as Alaina, or closer to Bethany's appeared age? Would they even look Galden? As we neared the Core, however, no one appeared.

"Hmm." One rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You'd think the CIC would be more forthcoming."

Glancing around, I called out, "Hello? My name is Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, Inheritor of the Saybaro and acting Inheritor of the Natalya facility."

There was no response.

Scratching my head, I asked One, "Could there be some kind of technical problem?"

One shook his head, saying, "I've never known a CIC to be completely unresponsive. The skrievers would fix any major problems."

"Could this CIC not have a hologram emitter?"

"With all the other holographic technology here? Doubtful. Besides, every CIC has a hologram emitter. Old Desygan thought it help people associate the CICs as people. Even those with physical proxies still had holo-emitters as a backup."

I caught movement the corner of my eye, but it turned out to just be flashing text on the screen of one of the consoles hovering around the core. I started to turn back to the core, when I realized I understood the message, as it was in Vintan Common, not Glyche. It said, "OVER HERE!"

"Hang on." I scooped up the doll and carryied it over to the console.

As we drew near, the text vanished only to be replaced with the message, "Sorry about the unconventional welcome, but my personal holo-emitter's off-line. We only received power recently, and it wasn't exactly high-priority."

"Thousands of years with zero maintenance can be a bit tough." I said, remembering my first meeting with Bethany. Raising my PIM, I said, "I'm Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, Inheritor of the Saybaro."

"The Saybaro? Then my sister is awake as well?"

"Alaina too. We ran into her a few weeks ago."

"Really? That's wonderful! If we can resolve my current situation, I can link up with Yaevin and reestablish and communication link. It'll be so nice to speak to my dear sisters again."

"Your current situation?" One said.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Things have been chaotic around here lately. I'm Cristlyn, CIC of the Barenz facility. I'm sorry I had to separate you from your friends, Jimmy, but I'm in a bit of a predicament right now, and seeing as you bypassed the wile at the entrance, I had to be sure none of you were corrupted."

"Corrupted?" I said, alarmed. "What exactly is going on?"

"Perhaps it would be faster to show you."

The screen changed to reveal an old lab. Inside was a rather battered-looking core unit. A single skriever was crawling over it, making repairs. It was an unusual model, with twin tails and only four legs.

"One skriever and a broken core unit?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at this.

A single skriever tried to sneak inside the room, this one a standard six-legged model. The skriever repairing the core unit quickly moved over the core unit's power core. Moments later, the core unit lifted an arm and blasted the intruding skriever into a pool of molten metal.

"Ah." said One, nodding, "Corrupted skriever. Has it gotten to that core yet?"

The screen reverted to text. "Not yet. The core unit is a blank, but if the corrupted skriever finishes its repairs, it'll just merge itself with the soulstone."

"Did you try just rushing it?" One asked.

"Yes, and I lost half of my skriever complement. The damn thing's smart; it took out most of my internal sensors while I was still powering up. If I hadn't shut access to the core before entering hibernation, it would've corrupted me for sure."

"Skrievers are powered by the local core." I said, scratching my head, "Can't you just shut off the power feed?"

"No, it's general use. Cutting power to a single skriever would be like you trying to cut off blood-flow to a single finger with the power of your mind. Besides, it's got enough battery power to stay active more than long enough to take over the core, at which point power won't be a problem."

"So we gotta do things the old-fashioned way." One hit his hands together in a way that might have been menacing if he hadn't been a plush doll. "All right, send us to-"

"Wait!" I said, "Sorry One, but I need to know if my friends are all right."

The screen flashed. "Like I said, most of my internals are off-line, but I am getting vague bio-energy patterns in several areas."

"Any chance you can teleport me close to any of them?" I asked.

"Well ... I suppose I could. The teleportation systems are online."

"We really should take care of the skriever first." One said, "This facility isn't corrupted, so your friends should be all right."

"Actually," I said, "I was thinking about Terry's plasma rifle. All we've got is a battered old katana and … well, a plush doll."

One's plush cheeks turned red. "Ah. Good thinking, Jimmy."

The screen changed, showing an overhead map of the facility.

"Each of the red dots represents a possible bio-form reading. Tap the screen where you want to go, but be careful; once you leave the core, you'll fall off my scanners again. I won't be able to bring you back if you run into trouble."

I looked over the map. There were at least ten different red dots, which told me some were probably small animals or false readings.

Sighing, I glanced at One. "Any ideas?"

"We'll split up. We can find them faster if we work separately."

I looked down at the little doll, not bothering to hide my incredulity. "And what exactly do you plan to do if you find any of them?"

"I'll just …" One's voice fell off as he caught my meaning. "Oh, right. They might not be very receptive to a talking plush toy. I guess I'm with you then."

Turning back to the screen, I said, "Okay, if we've only got one shot at this, let's try and kill two birds with one stone. Which is the closest to the corrupted skriever?"

One of the red dots blipped. Nodding, I touched the point. There was a brief flash of light, followed by a loud "Eeeeeeek!"

"Casey!" I quickly grabbing her camera and turning it away before she accidentally blasted me. "Are you okay?"

"Jimmy!" She said, eyes wide. "How … where …?"

"The CIC teleported me here. She's friendly, but there is a situation-"

"I knew it! We're all going to die!"

One ran across my shoulders and put a felt hand over her mouth. "Oy! Calm down!"

Her eyes bugged, but no sound came out. She obviously wanted to scream, but her mouth vanished the moment it came into contact with One's plush hand, leaving nothing but a smooth expanse of skin with.

"Huh." He said, looking at his hand. "I guess I'm not completely powerless in this body after all."

"It's a long story. Don't worry; he's on our side." I said quickly, "Now focus; we need to find Terry fast."

After a moment, I sighed. "One?"

Nodding, he tapped the place where her mouth had been. Mouth restored, Casey took a deep, trembling breath and said, "We were separated about five minutes ago. I don't know what happened; he was behind me one moment and then he was gone!"

"Same thing happened to me." I told her. "The corridors are holographic; Cristlyn changed the layout to separate us while she figured out if we were corrupted."

"Jimmy?" asked the voice of a teenage girl from my PIM, startling me. "This is Cristlyn. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I'm here." I said, "Surprised to hear your voice."

"I linked to your PIM. Any Glyche CIC can create an audio link as long as you're within range, given enough time."

"Strange. Alaina never used it."

Cristlyn let out a sigh. "Yeah, that's because she's Alaina. Listen, the skriever is almost finished repairing the core unit. I've got what's left of my skriever compliment ready to attack, but it'll only serve as a distraction. You need to take it out quickly."

"Is there another way into the lab?" One asked.

"Well, there's the air vents, but it's much too small for you to-"

"I got it." One said, cracking knuckles he couldn't possibly have.

A nearby vent cover fell to the ground, making Casey and I jump. One leapt from my shoulder and slipped inside, giving us a thumbs up and a reassuring smile before disappearing into the vents.

Shaking my head, I said, "Okay, One's going through the vent."

"Typical Dreamer. In that case, I'd like you and Casey to go and join the skrievers' assault. Don't leap into the room or anything; a blast from the core unit is as deadly to you as it is to a skriever, and I don't want to have to explain to Bethany why her Inheritor has a big hole in his chest."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I said, "We'll be careful."

The corridor changed instantly, leaving us one path to travel.

"You ready?" I asked Casey, drawing Glint.

"No." she said. "But we still have to go, don't we?"

"I do." I said, "But I'm not dragging you into a potentially hostile situation. I could use your help, but you can stay behind if you want. I won't blame you."

She seemed to consider this for a few moments before finally shaking her head. "If there's even a chance I could help stop this from becoming a corruption, I'll go. Just … warn me if things are about to go bad, okay?"

"I will." I promised, not mentioning that I thought we were well past bad already.

The corridor lead us into what looked to be the Tech Labs, where we saw about twenty skrievers milling about, joined by a series of small flying machines I didn't recognize.

"Cleaners." Cristlyn said from my PIM. "They don't have any combat capabilities, but I thought they might make for a good distraction."

"Good thinking." I said as I took up position beside the door, my hands clasped around Glint's hilt. "Let's go."

The skrievers ran into the room first, the cleaners buzzing by moments later. Taking a deep breath, I spun into the room, Glint slicing through the air until it hit the side of an empty core constructor. There was no sign of the corrupted skriever.

I let my blade fall to my side. The skrievers milled around, seemingly just as perplexed as Casey and me.

"What is your status, Jimmy?" Cristlyn asked, a touch of nervousness in her voice.

"There's nothing here." I said, prodding the area around the Core pod with Glint. "No force field or Wile. This room's empty."

"What? But I'm certain … no … that's not possible!"

"What's not possible?" I asked, trying to ignore the growing feeling of apprehension in my stomach.

"The security feed's been set to the wrong room! That little bastard messed with my security feeds! It was set on the wrong door!"

"Well, where's the right door?" Casey asked, her dark-skinned knuckles nearly white from her grip on her camera.

The door on the opposite side of the corridor buckled as something hit it hard enough to leave a fist-shaped impression on the metal. Casey let out a shriek and hurried into the empty room as I quickly moved to the door, skrievers and cleaners quickly following behind me.

"Skrievers, split up on either side of the door!" I said, "Cleaners, get ready to spray cleaning material in its eyes or something. Casey!"

She jumped slightly at the sound of her name. "Y-yes?"

"Stay there and take a shot at it as soon as it breaks through the door, then shut and lock your door. We'll take care of the rest."

"G-gotcha."

I quickly took up a position to the right of the door. Drawing Glint, I concentrated for all I was worth on drawing stream energy into the blade. Glint probably couldn't cut through the core unit's armor, but my Force Edge could give it one hell of a wallop.

The Core leapt through the torn hole in the door. A bright flash from the adjoining room caught it full in the face. It staggered backwards, hands over its eyes as the door opposite it slid shut with Casey inside.

Lifestream energy coursing over me, I spun through the doorway and swung Glint in a wide arc. The Force Edge exploded from the wake of my blade with enough force to push me back a good foot or two and hit the rogue core with enough force to slam the machine against the back wall.

The skrievers were swarming over it instantly, energy blades digging into the creature. Sensing an opportunity, I rushed forward and brought Glint down as hard as I could on the Core's exposed power core. I felt the crystalline core crack under the force of the blow.

A metal hand shot through the mound of skrievers, sending me flying clear out of the room and into Casey, who had unwisely decided to open the door to see what was going on.

As we both fell to the floor the core unit slowly got to its feet, scattering skrievers in all directions. I made a wild grab for Glint, but I needn't have bothered; the core unit ignored both of us and ran out of the room.

Hauling Casey to her feet, I said, "Cristlyn, the Core's heading your way. I'd suggest cutting off access."

"I can't." Cristlyn said, "I have to leave at least one passage to the Central Core. It's hardwired into my system, so even if I were corrupted, I'd have to leave a path open. My Inheritor could override that command, but-"

"-but you don't have an Inheritor." I finished.

"Right. I can still change the corridors, though."

"That'll stop it, right?" Casey said. "I mean, she can make it run in circles for eternity!"

"Not if the corrupted unit figures out what's going on. If it does, it'll override the hologram emitters and create a straight path to the core."

"Can you at least shut the other security doors around the Central Core?" I asked.

"I'll try, but I'd appreciate it if you'd head this way as soon as you can; assuming all the locks work, I'd still need an Inheritor's approval to shut the final door."

"We're heading your way now." Nodding at Casey, I said, "Let's go."

I started running down the corridor the rogue core had taken. After a few yards, I realized that Casey wasn't following me. I turned to see her sitting down against the wall.

The sad look in her face gave me pause. "What's wrong, Casey?"

She shook her head. "Go on without me, Jimmy. I'll just slow you down. Look at what just happened; I wasn't any help at all."

"You distracted it long enough for me to have a shot. It's fine."

"No, it's not, Jimmy!" She let out a sigh. "I'm … I'm a failure."

"That's a bit harsh." I said. "I wasn't expecting you to kill it with one blast."

"It's the truth. No one will even look at my scripts; if it weren't for Max, I'd be in the outer city with the rest of the hopefuls. I can't fight or use magic, I can't write a screenplay that'll get considered; I can't even tell Maxis how I feel about him. Sometimes …" she bowed her head. "Sometimes I wonder if I should just head back home."

Maybe it was the shock brought on by the death of the Tech, or maybe it was just built up stress. Whatever the cause, I could tell Casey had been carrying this inside for a while.

I sat down beside her. "I know how you feel."

She looked at me, surprise in her eyes. "You do?"

"Yes, about a year after I was assigned to the Saybaro. When I first got there, I was sure I was there to prevent nothing less than a full-on Corruption. By that winter, however, I realized that I was stuck in an abandoned mansion. The air conditioning wasn't working, and my room was little more than a cot, the cardboard box I had brought with me, and a tiny portable heater that barely kept the room from completely freezing over. I thought about leaving every day."

"What happened?"

I smiled. "I packed my meager belongings, and was halfway across my bridge before I stopped myself. As a Lieutenant of the Ronisgald Security Force, my mother took on Blakcal Suon with a plasma rifle, and nearly was killed because of it. Her sense of duty was enough to make her take on a super villain, and there I was trying to run away from guarding a bridge in the middle of nowhere from absolutely nothing. It put things in perspective."

"It's not about glory or respect; it's about doing your best. Even if you never succeed, even if you never think you accomplished anything or meaning, at least you'll have done it to the best of your ability." Smiling at her, I added, "Besides, I'm sure your scripts are just fine. You'll get picked up one day. Trust me."

After a few moments of silence, she smiled at me and said, "Thanks, Jimmy. Even if you don't mean it, it's nice to hear someone say it."

After a moment's hesitation, she held out her hand. "Could you help me up? We've got a corrupted core unit to stop."

"Well then. Let's go bag a core unit."

25: Chapter 25 - Core Issues

We hurried through the corridor, Casey cranking up her camera as best as she could while running. We had lost a little time, but I was confident that we'd get to the Central Core before the rogue core unit, as Cristlyn was no doubt leading the rogue core on a wild goose case.

As we dashed into the Computer Core, I called out, "Cristlyn! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Came her voice from my PIM, "But three of the doors aren't responding to my commands. You'll have to use the manual override systems."

"Walk me through it." I said, turning back to the door through which we just entered.

"Okay, there's a panel in the floor just in front of the door itself."

The stylish holographic floor shimmered, revealing a rather plain-looking metal floor just in front of the door. I spotted the panel she spoke of, a circular plate of metal that was nearly seamless with the adjoining plates.

"Put your PIM hand on the plate and activate your unlocking program."

After I did so, the circular panel slid aside, revealing circuitry and wires.

"I need you to find the cable that leads to the tertiary power access supply. It should be red. As soon as you find it, pull the side closest to the door and plug the cable into the emergency port three slots to the left."

I followed her instructions, eventually moving three more cables before another plate opened beside me, revealing a large handle. I pulled the handle up, twisted it ninety degrees, and slid it back into its housing, at which the security door slowly slid shut.

"One down." I said, already moving for the next open door. "Cristlyn, do you have security feeds that display outside the doors?"

"Yes, of course." Instantly, a small display panel appeared beside each security door, showing a view of the outer corridor. Most were blocked off at the moment, the corridor ending abruptly only a few yards away from the security door. One of the currently open doors opened to a corridor, however.

As I knelt beside the override panel of the door opening into a corridor, Casey asked, "Cristlyn, can't you switch the corridor to one of the closed doors?"

"I'm sorry, but it's the Inheritor override again. I can close the doors, but I have to leave at least one corridor open as long as I have control over them. Right now, Jimmy's the only one who can override that."

"I'm working on it." I slid the handle into place and watched as the security door slid shut in front of me.

As I moved to the last door, I heard Casey suddenly shout, "Jimmy! It's Terry and Arc!"

Swearing, I rushed over to the door Casey was watching. Sure enough, Arc and Terry were running down the corridor toward the closed security door.

"How do I reopen the door?" I asked Cristlyn.

"Jimmy, the core unit's hacking into the holographic matrix!"

"Which means it can kill my friends with a simple command. Open the door!"

For a long moment, there was no reply. I peered through the side display at Terry and Arc's face; they looked frightened. Well, Arc looked frightened. Terry, as usual, was hard to read.

Just as I considered trying to pry the door open with Glint, the door slid open. Terry and Arc rushed through the door and past me.

"Thank the Creator!" Arc gasped, collapsing against one of the consoles around the Central Core. "One of those damn rogue cores is in here!"

"I know." I said, "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine, sir. You?" Terry said, sounding a bit winded.

"We had a run in with the rogue core too, but it didn't hurt either of us. Any sign of Mick?" I asked.

Arc shook his head. "Disappeared, just like you. What the hell's going on here?"

"It's too much to explain. Casey, do you remember how to activate the manual override?"

She nodded. "I think I remember how you did it."

"Good." I unlocked the panel for her, as she didn't have a PIM. "Go ahead and get this door going down. Arc?"

He looked up at me from his seat on the floor. He looked tired.

"Stay here and back her up."

Arc gave me a weak thumbs up.

Patting Terry on the arm, I said, "We'll take the other door."

"Yes sir!"

As we started jogged to the last door, Terry said, "I won't lie, sir; I'm a little nervous."

"You and me both." I said, "Still, we stopped the last one, didn't we?"

"Er, yes sir. Of course."

I could hear the slight hesitation in his voice, but couldn't blame him. After all, we only barely stopped the last one. Smacking him in the arm, I said, "Come on!"

We ran to the other door little as fast as we could. A little too fast, it turns out; I ended up skidding to a halt just past the panel and stumbled through the open door.

The core unit skidded to a halt just a few feet away, no doubt as surprised by my appearance as I was of it. The skrievers had left the already battered core scarred, but it still had full use of its arms and legs.

The core unit recovered first and immediately lunged at me, but all those years training at my bridge weren't for nothing. I leapt back just beyond its reach, and batted its arm aside with the flat of Glint. As it charged forward, I looked for its soulstone only to find it covered by a plate of metal; apparently, the skriever had added it after my earlier attack.

"Jimmy! Get down!"

I threw myself aside just as Terry opened fire. The core unit put up some kind of energy shield, but not before a few shots tore through ancient armor plating. While it looked two steps from being scrap, nothing vital in the core unit was apparently damaged.

The shield produced by the core sent plasma flying in all directions, including mine. I spun out of the way as Terry quickly stopped firing. The core unit was on him in an instant; with one well-placed punch, the corrupted core unit sent Terry flying into the wall. Terry hit with a clang of metal plates before falling to the floor.

"Hey, scrap-brain!"

The rogue core turned just in time to see Arc leaping through the air, his massive sword coming down like a steel girder. The core unit twisted away, but Arc's sword still managed to smash off one of the core unit's arms at the elbow.

Using the weight of his blade to further propel his small frame, Arc planted a kick straight in the Core's face. It was a nice technique, one that showed promise and ingenuity, and would probably have worked a lot better on an opponent whose skin wasn't metal. The Core grabbed Arc by the leg and sent him flying, blade and all.

I rushed forward before it could even turn. My blade clanged against the unit's armor. The blade only left dents in the corrupted unit's armor plating, but the force of my attack was enough to push the core unit back. I swung again and again, batting aside its grasping hands as I looked for some weakness I could exploit to bring the rogue core down.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the power of a soulstone giving me strength. My endurance, though high from years of training, eventually began to wane. The core unit made a feint, I attacked before I could stop myself, and soon found a metal hand was clasped around my throat.

I struggled to release the unit's steely grip, but it was no use; it was too strong. I heard something metal hit the ground behind me just as I began to black out.

Suddenly, I was on the floor, gasping for breath as the core unit spun about, flailing wildly at something vaguely green and gray that had latched onto its face.

One was pummeling the rogue core in the face with what looked like a miniature version of his signature weapon 'Headache'. The rogue managed to knock One away, but the possessed plush toy spun about easily in mid-air and landed in an offensive stance. He leapt forward with a wild cry and slammed both fists against the unit's chest.

It was a very impressive maneuver, and while I was sure the mini-Headache could amplify the Dreamer's strength by the same magnitude as the real Headache, the fact remained that it was amplifying the strength of tiny cloth arms. The core unit rocked back slightly at the attack, the expression on its face a mix of disbelief and confusion.

"Okay," I heard One mutter, "Let's see how you much you like this!"

One rose into the air, his doll body surrounded by a halo of lifestream energy as he was unmistakably preparing to blast the core unit out of existence with raw dream energy. Small cracks appeared across his 'skin', revealing a brilliant light beneath it.

The unit swatted him aside like an older brother knocking a toy out of his sibling's grasp. I watched as the plush doll flew across the chamber and smacked Arc in the face just as the young would-be hero started to rise. Both promptly collapsed on the floor.

Staggering to my feet, I struggled to raise my blade as the core unit turned to face me. Just as it raised its arm to strike, however, blast of light engulfed the core unit. I turned to see Casey backpedaling as she quickly cranking up her camera again, a fire in her eyes I'd never seen before.

As it moved toward her, I saw another core unit enter through the open doorway, this one wearing jeans and a baseball cap. It grabbed the core unit and tossed it against the wall. Another flash engulfed it as Casey took another shot, this time encompassing the whole unit.

The rogue core, slightly steaming, rushed toward her, but wasn't as fast as Mick. Grabbing the corrupted core by the waist, Mick pulled him back and slammed a metal fist into the shielding on the soulstone. To my amazement, Mick's fist left an imprint.

It turned toward the Central Core, and stared directly at me. I backed up, sword out and ready to attack as it advanced with arms outstretched.

"Stay back!" I said in what I hoped was a commanding voice.

It lunged at me. Had I been at my best, I probably could have side-stepped it easily, or even shot a Force Edge at it to slow it down. As it was, I barely had the strength to hold on to my sword as it crashed into me and bore me to the ground.

I waited for the unit to start tearing into me, but there were no grabs, no punches … just a heavy and very warm weight pressing me to the floor. A tiny light of hope starting to blossom in my heart, I opened my eyes.

The unit's green eyes flashed for a few moments before deactivating, its now-frozen fingers still reaching out for the nearest console. Even on my back, I could see the end of Glint sticking out of the dead core's chassis.

I tried to push the Core off, but there was little strength left in my arms at that point. Exhausted, I sat there for what felt like forever, stunned by my victory and pinned to where I lay by the machine.

I gradually became aware that One was tugging at my sleeve. "Jimmy! Are you okay?"

I looked over him, dazed. "One?"

He let out a relieved sigh, apparently no worse for wear from his earlier flight. "Thank the Creator. I was worried for a second there. Are you okay?"

"I think so." I said as Mick hurried over and lifted the core from me.

"Thank you." I said as he helped me to stand.

We stared at the core unit for a long moment before I bent down and pulled my blade from its chest. It slid out easily, the dull blade still sharp enough to cut through the metal of the core unit after it had been softened by Casey's camera. A quick glance showed that my family's blade was no worse for wear.

The same couldn't be said of the rogue core; Glint at pierced it straight through the unit's soulstone, even managing to spear the skriever that had hidden itself in the chest cavity. It took me a second to realize just how lucky I had been.

I slid Glint back in its sheath, my body aching with every movement. Glancing at my friends, I asked, "Is everyone okay?"

Terry managed to nod, a grimace on his lips. "I think I broke a rib, sir."

Mick was already at his side, a blue light emanating from his hands. "Don't worry, Terry," he said, "I'll have you fixed up in no time."

As I plopped down between Terry and Arc, I turned my head to my fellow would-be hero. "Pretty impressive fighting, Arc. I don't think I've ever seen that kind of sword style. Well, not while awake, anyway."

"Thanks, Jimmy." Arc said, a tired grin on his face. "You did pretty good yourself."

"How about you, Casey?" I looked to our resident playwright to find her scribbling busily in her notebook, her cheeks still flushed.

"Just a second." She said, no trace of the fear that had plagued her earlier. "I need to get all this down now before the memory fades."

One crawled up my arm and plopped himself on top of my head. We must've been quite a site, the six of us piled up against the wall like that.

After a few moments, I realized that Terry, Arc, and Mick were staring at me, or rather, One.

"Huh. I didn't think I hit the wall that hard." Arc muttered, rubbing the back of his spiky-haired head.

I let out a sigh. "Everyone, Narrator Number One. Narrator Number One, everyone. He's possessing the doll."

Casey's head popped up. "Really? How? Where did you get the doll? Is Jimmy your new assignment"

"Yes, enchantment on the doll, Maya Thistlethorn, and maybe." One said. "It's been pretty fun so far."

As Casey went back to scribbling in her book, a swarm of skrievers skittered into the room. A group of them approached the core unit, but One hopped off my head and shooed them away, "Oh, no you don't! I call dibs! You get your own materials!"

A single unit approached him, clicking angrily at him.

"I don't care what Cristlyn wants! Rebecca wants a look at it, so it's coming with me. Now get lost!"

The skriever backed away and rejoined its brethren, but not before making a very inappropriate sound at One.

"Hey! Do I talk about your mother?" Muttering beneath his breath, One turned back to the fallen Core. Wispy streams of the same light energy that practically engulfed him earlier shot from the stitched rune on the back of his right hand and swirled around the core unit. In a matter of moments, it was gone.

I asked, "You're taking the corrupted Core?"

"Yup. I've got a CIC in the Elsewhere who wants to run a few tests. Don't worry; no one's corrupting her. I've got a few things I'd like to check out myself."

"Oh." I said, feeling awkward, "You're leaving then?"

He patted me on the arm. "Just for a bit. Don't worry, Jimmy; I'll be back. Try not to die before then, okay?"

With that, the doll fell lifeless to the ground. As I picked it up, Arc said, "That was … surreal."

A hologram suddenly burst to life mere inches from Arc, eliciting a startled shout from the young would-be hero.

The image was flickering, but it was clearly a young girl in her early teens.

"Ah, Miss Cristlyn I presume?" I said. Part of me wanted to stand up, but my body didn't seem to want to cooperate at the moment.

The young girl bowed respectfully to us. "Indeed. I wanted to thank you personally for taking care of the corrupted core."

I waved my hand at her. "Not a problem. Why, we're practically experts at this sort of thing, right Terry?"

"Something like that, sir." Terry said, sounding somewhere between tired and stunned.

"I'm glad you happened along. I've sent my remaining skrievers to repair the link to Iniagusville. In a matter of hours, I should be able to initialize the Wenapaj Glyche Network and link up to my sisters."

Mick cleared his throat meaningfully.

"Right." I said, snapping my fingers, "Miss Cristlyn, I was wondering if you could help us out. We're trying to track a dragon, and seeing as you're connected to the Yaevin station-"

"-you'd like me to configure the Yaevin station for a more precise geological and lifestream scan to locate either the dragon or its lair in Wenapaj?" She asked, an intrigued look on her face. "That shouldn't be a problem. A full scan will take a few days, but I can update you real time once the Glyche network is up. Mick, would you mind assisting me in calibrating the search?"

"Certainly, ma'am." said Mick, heaving his metal mass off the ground. The rest of us stayed there, sitting against the side of the console as Mick worked with Cristlyn.

"What a day." I breathed.

Arc chuckled. "Hey, at least we're still breathing. Any battle you can walk away from is a victory, right?"

"I don't know." Terry said, hanging his head, "I got knocked out before I could be of much help."

"Yes," Arc said, "Because this was a battle that made all of us look really good."

A grin spread on Arc's face as he let his head loll to the side facing Terry. "Still, if it makes you feel better, we'll give you first dibs on the next corrupted core."

"Gee, thanks." Terry said, smiling nonetheless.

"There." Mick stood back from the console, and cracked his metal fingers. "I've finished recalibrating-"

The hologram of Cristlyn coughed pointedly.

Mick's cheeks tinged gold. "That is to say, we've finished recalibrating the Yaevin satellite-"

"Actually," I interrupted, unable to suppress my grin, "it's more of a space station."

Mick fixed me with what was undoubtedly a glare. "Thank you, Jimmy. We've set the station to scan for any subterranean space capable of housing a fully-grown dragon, as well as to scan more thoroughly for any stream-flux patterns large enough to be produced by a dragon."

I nodded. For once, it seemed like everything was going according to plan. Terry and I shuffled apart so that Mick could sit beside us.

As he ran scans on Arc and me, Casey asked, "Say, Mick, I've been wondering: are you male or female?"

"Core units usually choose a gender starting with once we reach our second evolution." Mick said. "I haven't reached a decision yet, but I'm still two months off from having to make the big choice. For the time being, feel free to refer to me as male."

Casey pouted. "Oh, please! Girls are much better than boys!"

"Really?" Mick said, seeming legitimately interested. "Please explain."

"All my story scripts feature heroines. They're more rational, quicker on their feet, and they don't make as many mistakes as guys. Take it from me, girls are better in every way."

"Except for those special few days every month." Arc whispered not-so-subtly, prompting Casey to whack him on the head with her notebook.

"Sorry." Arc said, an apologetic grin on his face. "Couldn't help myself."

I rose reluctantly to my feet, trying to ignore the painful ache that seemed to permeate my entire body. "So, what now?"

Cristlyn coughed politely. "I have a task for you, if you don't mind."

"It's not another core unit, is it?" Arc asked, sounding more than a bit apprehensive.

"No, nothing like that, I assure you. I'd like you to return to the Hub and head for the residential area. My sensor records tell me that the rogue skriever was there earlier, and I'd like to make sure everything is okay."

She quickly added, "I don't sense anything dangerous, but I'd like someone to make a visual inspection. Besides, you'll need rooms for the night, right?"

I shrugged and turned to the others. "Seems easy enough. Who's coming with me?"

Everyone was on their feet in an instant.

Taken aback, I said, "We seem to have a consensus."

"Frankly," said Arc, "I don't care if you're heading into Nocturnes. I'm staying with you."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Feeling a little embarrassed, I said, "Okay then. Let's

26: Chapter 26 - Accommodations

We left Cristlyn in the Central Core and headed back to the Hub area. We spotted a few skrievers along the way; the little machines were busy repairing bits of the facility here and there, and paid us little mind.

When we reached the Hub, the plush doll shifted in my pocket. I quickly pulled him out.

He spat out a wad of lint and said, "Hey Jimmy. Everything all right?"

"For the moment, yes. Cristlyn asked us to check out the living quarters."

"So I'm useful again! Help me up!"

I lifted the Dreamer doll to my shoulder, refraining from mentioning that Cristlyn had already given us directions.

He pointed us to the correct corridor. "That way!"

Everyone was quiet as we continued to the living quarters. After a few minutes, I realized it was because of One; they were all still looking at him with varied expressions. Mick looked curious, Casey looked like she wanted to pelt him with questions, and Terry seemed as suspicious as a man can with most of his face covered. Arc kept sneaking glances, as though he were interested, but didn't want to look like it.

Sighing, I said, "So, One; had any interesting assignments lately?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Luck and I are still technically on our honeymoon. We came here to make sure they didn't screw up 'Machinations' like they did the first movie. I asked her if she wanted to tag along, but I think she got some bad sushi at dinner last night. Might want to avoid the seafood if you stop at the Prinny Café later."

"Food poisoning, huh? My sympathies." Perking up a little, Casey said, "I'm surprised you just didn't remake the original, seeing how badly it was received. I still can't get over the fact that Wong was cut from the movie. He was such a whimsical character."

"Yeah, he was a little upset too. Fortunately, we stopped him from doing anything drastic."

"Like what?" Arc asked curiously.

"Like making every actor in Wukice look just like him … and no, I'm not kidding."

Terry said, "I've always wondered; is he really crazy, or is it just an act?"

"Honestly, it's hard to tell. He's definitely eccentric, but just when you think he's nuts, sometimes he does something really smart. Of course, he'll think he's a teapot five minutes later. Sometimes he manages to ace an assignment in a way that surprises us all, sometimes he screws up so badly that it takes pretty much the whole Elsewhere Incorporate to bail him out. I'm not sure if he's really crazy, but he's definitely weird." One chuckled and added, "Said the possessed doll."

We reached the doors to the living quarters not too long after that. The doors opened at our approach, revealing a large entertainment room of sorts. There were several large viewing screens on the walls with couches and chairs set in front of them. Several tables had console screens on the top, currently inactive. Everything from the panels to the chairs to the metal floor seemed to be perfectly clean and ready for use. There were three additional passages leading out of the chamber, each marked with a sign in Glyche.

The reason became clear when a cleaner floated toward us, humming softly. Stopping in front of Mick, it sprayed some kind of cleaner in his face, which didn't seem to bother him. Producing a small cloth, it wiped Mick's face until it was clean and shining.

"Thank you." Mick said, beaming.

The robot responded with a positive chirp and moved to Terry. Apparently mistaking him for a machine (which, on reflection, isn't particularly surprising), it sprayed him in the face as well. Terry swore loudly, swatting at the cleaner as the rest of us roared with laughter.

"Right." I said, turning to the others. "Casey and Terry, take the passage on the …"

I stopped abruptly, feeling uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, sir?" asked Terry.

"I don't want you to think I'm trying to boss you around." I said uncomfortably.

"You're the leader, sir. You're supposed to boss us around." Terry looked at the others for support.

To my surprise, everyone nodded, even One.

Blushing, I said, "In that case, Casey, Terry, you check out the corridor on the right. Mick and Arc, you two take the left passage. One and I will take the passage across from the entrance. Cristlyn?"

One of the large displays activated, displaying the CIC's youthful face. "Yes, Jimmy?"

"If someone does run into trouble, can you let me and Mick know?"

"Certainly. For the record, I'm still not detecting anything suspicious that way. My guess is that this is where the skriever first entered my facility; still, if there's a hole, I'd like to know so I can plug it up."

"Understood. Everyone, keep an eye for any strange holes or open vent covers. We'll meet back here in, say, an hour. Everyone okay with that?"

There were no complaints, so our group split into three and went our separate ways.

The passage straight across from the entryway soon branched sharply left and right, with a door right at the split point that Cristlyn identified as a lift. One took the corridor on the right, leaving the left for me.

The corridor was long, and curved ever-so-slightly to the right. The smooth walls were periodically broken on both sides by doorways marked with glyche runes. The doors led to rooms obviously designed to house the long-gone Glyche.

They were nice, in an austere, generic kinda way; whether made for a single occupant, a couple, or a family, each room had the same dull gray sheets on the beds, the same whitewood furniture, and the same computer panels. It all seemed rather boring, though the dark blue and extremely fluffy carpet was pleasant.

I exited one such room to see Arc and Mick walking toward me.

"Storage was a bust." Arc said, sounding bored. "It looks like someone cleaned it out."

"Looted?" I asked curiously.

Mick shook his head. "I don't think so. Nothing seems broken, or damaged; just empty. Have you found anything?"

"Nothing but empty quarters." I said, jerking a thumb back at the room I had just exited. "I'm guessing One hasn't found anything either."

"Oh, yes I have!" One said, coming not from the way I'd come, but the way I was heading.

"One?" I asked, kneeling down as the plush doll ran toward me. "Where did you come from?"

"Whole corridor just comes around in a massive circle. Most of it's just more rooms, but I found something else, something awesome!"

"Really?" Arc said, "What?"

"C'mon!" He took off running. I met Arc's questioning gaze and shrugged before following the tiny Dreamer doll.

We followed the little doll down the corridor to a door nearly twice the size of those leading into the quarters. The door opened as we drew near, but what lay beyond brought us to an immediate halt.

For a moment, I thought some sort of portal was at work; the ground outside the door was dirt and grass, a simple path leading from the doorway to the side of the lake. The sky was blue, the suns beamed down a comforting warmth (especially compared to the rather cold corridors of the facility), and the leaves of the trees rustled as a slight breeze blew through the air. It was as though the door led directly outside, despite the fact that we were far underground at that point.

"Impressive holography." Mick said, startling me from my stunned state.

Remembering to breathe, I said, "Right. Of course; a hologram."

"Not all of it." One said. "Just the skybox."

"Dude, who cares?" Arc said, pushing past me. "They've got a friggin lake!"

One chuckled as Arc ran ahead of us. "They used to call this kinda place a 'sun room'. Some Glyche never had a chance to leave the facility. Hell, some never really wanted to, especially after the first Corruption. Still, you need a little time in the sun to stay healthy and sane."

"Indeed." Mick said, "Even Glyche Star Cruisers had sun rooms, if my memories are accurate."

By the time we reached the lake, Arc was already on his hands and knees and was splashing water on his face. I knelt beside the lake, and stared into the depths. The water was impeccably clean, as well as the white sand that lined the bottom of the lake. This was likely due to the small spherical blue machines whisking busily through the water. There were no signs of fish in the pool, but I reasoned that any aquatic life would have probably died and their remains cleaned away years ago.

Glancing at Mick, I asked, "Does the Saybaro have a sun room?"

"Most likely. Given that you get plenty of time outside and live in the mansion, I doubt Bethany ever thought it worth mentioning."

I took my sandals off and let my tired feet dangle in the warm water. Mick and Arc followed suite a moment later. I was worried that Mick might short circuit or something, but he seemed fine. He even started humming happily to himself.

One sat down beside me. His tiny legs couldn't reach the water, but that was probably for the best; I'd hate to have to wring the water out of him later, and I'm sure he wouldn't care too much for it either.

"You know," I said, "It's hard to understand why the Glyche abandoned all these facilities."

"Really?" Mick asked, "How so?"

"It seems like these facilities were made to be self-sufficient. They didn't have to worry about any native interference, rooms like this would give them a feel of the outside, and the hydroponic and science labs could produce a steady supply of food. Despite all of this, the Glyche still abandoned all these facilities well after the Corruption ended. I just don't get why."

"I hear ya." Arc said, laying back against the grass-covered ground. "If I was an Inheritor, I don't think I'd ever go topside again. Well, except to pick up new games and movies, but hell; you could always just download those from the Weave."

"You wouldn't download a floater, would you?" One said, a grin on his face.

"What?"

"Sorry; old Earth joke. I dunno, Jimmy. I'm sure they had their reasons, but I was well gone by the time they abandoned Wenapaj. I know some went to Ronisgald, but beyond that, I've no idea what happened to them."

After a few minutes, I rose, and shook the water from my feet. "Well, there's not much left in this area, and the hour's almost up. If you guys want to go meet up with Terry and Casey, I'll finish up here."

"You sure you want to be alone?" One said, pushing himself to his feet.

I smiled at them. "I'll be fine. Go ahead; I'll catch up with you in a few."

As they walked away, I could hear Mick ask, "So, One, what do you remember of Thomas Desygan?"

I walked around the pool again, wanting very much to jump in for a dip. Maybe later, I told myself.

A few of the remaining doors led to more bedrooms: one led to a large bathroom (which I was extremely grateful for, as it had been a while since I had relieved myself), and the final door led to a broom closet lined with dormant cleaners. Shutting the door so as not to disturb the resting machines, I headed back down the hallway to rejoin the others.

Upon reentering the main chamber, I heard shouting coming from the passage to my left … the corridor I'd sent Terry and Casey to investigate. Fearing the worse, I drew Glint and dashed through the corridor. It ended at a set of double doors that I promptly shoved open, Glint poised and ready to release another Force Edge.

Mick, Casey, Arc and Terry stopped laughing and stared at me, each holding a small carton of ice cream. I soon saw the cause of their amusement; One had apparently climbed over the side of his ice-cream and fallen into it head first.

Seeing me standing there, Glint in hand, sent them into another wave of laughter.

My cheeks burning, I returned Glint to its sheath. "Sorry, guys. I thought … oh, never mind."

Sitting down between Mick and Terry, I grabbed One's frantically kicking legs and pulled him out of the carton. He shook his head, the ice cream shaking completely off, leaving him as clean as before. No worse for the wear, he smacked his lips. "Mmm. Say what you want about the Glyche, but their ice cream is top-notch."

Terry pulled another container from a nearby fridge and tossed it to me. "There's a ton of it here, all perfectly fine. In fact, everything seems to be fine."

"Cryogenic suspension." Mick said knowledgably, "It keeps perishable foods fresh for an indefinite period of time. Much more efficient than normal freezing." He glanced at me. "You know, we could set up a few of these in the mansion when we get back."

Arc handed me a spoon and said, "Try some, man."

I took a speculative bite. It was cookies and cream, my favorite.

"Mom and I used to make ice cream back home." Casey commented as we ate.

"Really? Where's home?" I asked politely.

"Altier."

One perked up. "Ah, so you're from Alex's village! How's the old toymaker doing?"

Casey shrugged. "Fine, the last time I saw him. I think his wife had another kid on the way."

"Oh? Another niece or nephew to tickle and tell stories to." One said delightedly, "I'll have to stop by later and give my congratulations."

Licking a drip of ice cream off my hand I asked, "How about you and Luck? You thinking of having any kids?"

"Not sure yet. I think we'd both like to, but there're so many questions. I mean, is the Elsewhere Mansion really a good place for a kid to grow up?"

Casey patted the doll on the head, saying, "I think you'd make a great father."

He smiled. "So does Luck. God knows I'm willing, but …"

After a few moments of silence, I asked, "What's wrong, One?

"Nah," he said, waving me off, "I don't want to lay my problems on you."

Arc blew a raspberry at him. "That's what friends are for. Just tell us already."

He sighed, and sat with his back against his ice cream container. "You're right, I suppose. Truth is, we've been trying ever since coming back to the Elsewhere Mansion, but we haven't had any luck yet, no pun intended. Luck thinks it might be because she's a sentient; they have pretty low birthrates due to their immortality, but I can't help but wonder if we're missing something. It's bothering both of us. Heck, we've considered checking with a fertility clinic."

"Oh. Um …" Arc looked into his ice cream container, suddenly very interested in scraping out the last bits.

"Hang on," Casey said, "Alex has kids. He has a lot of kids."

"Right. One of them's the one who made this doll." One said.

"So his wife's a Dreamer too?"

"Uh, no. She's sentient …" One stopped, no doubt catching Casey's point. "So that's not it."

We were all quiet as One seemed to be thinking.

Coughing, I said, "Could it be the Elsewhere?"

"What?" One said, a surprised look on his plush face.

"Well, the Elsewhere's outside time and space. You can slow or even halt the flow of norm time in the Elsewhere Mansion, right? Well, if time's set to slow or stop, wouldn't that effect the growth of a fetus?"

One blinked his button eyes at me a few times.

"I mean," I continued, "She could be pregnant right now, but only days or weeks into the pregnancy depending on how much time she actually spends in the Elsewhere. How much time have you spent in the mainstream since they started filming 'Machinations'?

"About four weeks." He said, his plush face looking slightly dazed.

"It differs between species," Casey said, flashing me a knowing look before turning her gaze to One, "but morning sickness tends to hit four to six weeks into a pregnancy. Are you sure she's suffering from food poisoning?"

"I …" Without another word, his doll form crumpled to the ground. The way its arms landed, it looked as though it were hugging the ice cream.

We all looked at each other and had a hearty laugh.

Raising my cup of ice cream, I said, "Here's to Narrator Number One, Solarion, Dreamer, and possibly a soon-to-be father!"

"Here, here!" Mick, Arc, Terry, and Casey said, raising their cups as well.

27: Chapter 27 - By the Light of a Simulated Moon

We were still chuckling when Cristlyn's voice came through my PIM. "Jimmy, are you there?"

"Yeah, we're here." I said, setting down my ice cream. "No sign of any damage in the living quarters."

"Good. I just wanted to let you know that according to my estimates, the scan will take at least a day."

"A day?!" Arc said, "The scanners at the Center can cover half the country in less than an hour! What's the hold up?"

"We're doing a much deeper scan with the Yaevin station. It's going to take longer if you want thorough results."

I wasn't bothered; at this point, as dark as it was to consider, if the dragon had wanted to eat Sera, it would be far too late to do anything about it. If, as we suspected, the dragon was merely holed up somewhere in Wenapaj with the princess, we'd know it once the scan went through.

Cristlyn said, "You are more than welcome to stay here in the meantime. I have plenty of room, after all."

I glanced at the others, who nodded in agreement. "We'll take you up on that, thank you. It's been a long day, and I think we could all use a good night's rest."

Arc was on his feet in an instant. "I'm gonna go for a swim!"

"Shouldn't you wait thirty minutes before-" I stopped as the door closed behind Arc. Sighing, I said, "Never mind. I think I'll just head to bed, myself."

"Go ahead, sir." Terry said, rising as I did. "I'd like to look around a little more, if that's all right."

"Sure thing. Good night, everyone."

Casey and Mick looked at each other.

"Ice cream binge?" Mick suggested.

Casey scoffed and said, "Bring it on, tin can!"

Shaking my head, I headed for the exit with Terry, pausing to call back, "Just make sure you save something for breakfast."

"No promises!" They called back in unison. Shaking my head, I left them to it.

Terry headed for the storage area for another look while I walked back to the living quarters. I don't know what he was wanting to check out, but it must not have taken long; I hadn't even chosen a room yet when I heard him call out, "Jimmy! Uh, sir! Can I have a moment!"

"Sure." I said. "What's up?"

"Sir, I've been meaning to ask you for a while. Assuming we are able to rescue the princess, are you going to take Iniagus up on the reward?"

"Reward?" I had to think a moment to remember what he was talking about. "Oh, right: one of her hands in marriage."

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

I chuckled. "Something Iniagus said. Sera's a lovely woman. I'd be lying if I didn't say the idea of marriage to her wasn't at least a little appealing, but …"

"But what, sir?"

I sighed. "Sera already has someone; she told me as much herself. To force her to marry me when she loves another just wouldn't be right. Besides, the cumulative time I've spent with Sera amounts to about five and a half minutes; what kind of a basis for a relationship is that?"

"And just how long have you spent with this mystery girl of yours, sir?" Terry said. To my surprise, his voice was almost teasing.

I grinned at him. "Are you sassing me, Terry?"

He chuckled. "Of course not, sir. I'm merely curious."

I pulled the device Terra had dropped from my pack. As before, it didn't activate, but I really didn't expect it to at that point. "It's strange … it couldn't be more than an hour, but it feels like it's been longer. You know how sometimes you start dreaming, and you're certain it's part of a dream you've had before, only to wake up and realize that it wasn't? Only I haven't woken up; her memory is still there, almost like she's somehow hiding in my thoughts."

Terry didn't say a word. Blushing, I said, "I know it's crazy, and I'd be lying if I wasn't just a bit worried about my mental state. Still, I can't help but think I'd feel a lot worse without her … even if she is just in my mind."

After a long moment of silence, Terry said, "May I see that, sir?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sure." I handed it to him and said, "Be careful with it, okay? I know you people don't believe me, but it is a weapon."

After watching him prod the device with his gauntlet-covered hands for a few moments, I realized I was starting to drift off.

"You go ahead and play around with it for the night." I told him, suppressing a yawn, "I'm going to get some sleep."

"Of course. Pleasant dreams, Jimmy. Er, sir."

I took the next room on my right, only a few doors down from the sun room. It was as bland as all the others, but it had a large bed. At that moment, that was all I really cared about.

Just before I drifted off, I found myself wondering about the Saybaro. I had only been gone for a few days, but I was ready to get back and sit on my bridge while the stream trickled between my toes.

That night, however, I didn't dream myself back home; I dreamed I was walking around the Genovis facility with a Galden woman who was very pretty, but unfamiliar.

Still, in that strange way that we can possess knowledge only in the realm of dreams, we seemed to be old friends. We spoke at length, mostly good-natured bickering and the sort of flirting two people who know each other well enough feel comfortable doing. We played some kind of game on the tables in the lounge, and ate a meal in the dining hall.

We eventually went to the lake area, where Casey, Arc, and Mick were playing with a large inflatable ball. Plush One's form was visible through the clear plastic, trapped within the beach ball. Even more inexplicable was Terry, who was standing in the lake in full armor. He just stood there with a grimace as the water lapped around his shoulders.

The woman pushed me toward the lake, but I grabbed her arm as I fell and pulled her with me. The moment we hit the water, I woke up with a start.

I sat up and rested my arms on my knees, trying to hold on to the rapidly fading dream. Narrator Number One has been quoted as saying 'Dreams are the mind's way of perceiving reality'. If that was true, what in the name of the Creator was I perceiving?

Shaking my head, I started to go back to sleep when the lake popped into my mind. Terry, Arc, and Casey were probably asleep and Mick was probably recharging or doing whatever it was he did at night, meaning I could slip to the pool for a quick swim without worrying about swimwear.

Grabbing a perfectly folded towel from the dresser, I quickly disrobed and wrapped the towel around my waist. After listening at the door for a moment, I left my room and moved quietly to the lake room.

About halfway there, I heard a voice behind me say, "What are you doing up, Jimmy?"

I spun to see Mick looking at me with a quizzical expression.

"Ah, Mick." I said, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks, "I was just going for a little swim."

"Without a bathing suit?" To my surprise (and relief), he let out a good-natured laugh. "I'm only teasing you, Jimmy. You'd hardly be the first skinny dipper taking advantage of the sun room. In any case, Casey's out cold, Terry and Arc sleep like rocks, and I'm going to see Cristlyn; apparently, she's got an upgrade for me too."

"Really?" I said, "What's the upgrade?"

"Don't know yet. My guess is that it's something to do with my communication systems. I'll let you know all about it in the morning, if you want."

"Thanks, Mick." I said, patting his arm with the hand that wasn't holding the towel around my naked waist.

"Have a pleasant swim." He said as he continued past me.

The lake room was lit only by the light of a simulation of the moon Traysia and the lights of the floating robots lined up against the side of the lake. I wondered if it was linked to the actual time of day, or if it was on its own time cycle.

I knelt down by the water and ran my hand through it; it was cool now, likely in some sort of night-mode, but still felt fantastic. After a quick glance around, I removed my towel, and slid into the lake. The cool water lapped against my skin soothingly as I swam out into the middle of the pool.

As I drifted through the waters of the lake and stared up at the simulated stars, my mind turned to the matter of the Glyche. Why had they left their facilities in nearly perfect condition? Why was everything except the cryo-freezers in the kitchen area completely clean and ready for habitation? Why did they abandon their homes en masse?

The sound of the lake room's door sliding open cut my musings short. I pushed myself against the far side of the lake and watched silently as a familiar figure stepped into the room.

Terra tentatively approached the edge of the pool, wearing nothing more than a towel. After running her hands through the water, presumably to test it, she let her towel fall in a clump on the ground and gently lowered her naked body into the lake.

Feeling mischievous, I slowly sank beneath the water. Careful not to make any sounds or sudden movements, I swam behind her as she waded out into the middle of the lake.

Once in position, rose from the water right behind her and put my arms around her stomach.

She nearly jumped clear out of the water. Spinning in my grasp (but not, I noted, pulling away), she said, "Jimmy! You scared the Nocturnes out of me!"

"You know," I said, running my hand through her hair, "if you're really trying to convince me you're not a hallucination, appearing in the middle of a hidden Glyche facility doesn't exactly help your case."

"Are you disappointed?"

I smiled at her. "No."

"Then what does it matter if I'm real or not?" She asked, her mouth tantalizingly close to my own. "Now, where did we leave-"

I kissed her before she could finish. She slowly wrapped her arms around my neck, her hands rubbing the back of my head and pressing me closer to her. We were both breathless when we released.

"Jimmy." She said, a faint blush visible beneath the pale fur of her cheeks. "Do you really still think I'm just a hallucination?"

I stared back at her, feeling both her wet fur and a sense of anxiety I recognized as not mine, but hers. "I'm still not sure. I don't think so, but like you said, that's kinda the point. Still, the time I spend with you feels no more surreal than anything else I've done lately."

I kissed her again before adding, "And I've still got your dagger."

"What?" Her eyes widened again, only for her to close her eyes and let her head fall to my chest as she sighed. "I left it at the hotel. Real smart, Terra."

"Terry thinks it's just a toy, but I'm betting it only works with you, perhaps a genetic safety locking mechanism or a mental verification subroutine?"

"Gineran stream-sensor." She said, sounding impressed. "You say Terry has it?"

"Yeah. He's the one wearing all the armor. A bit formal at times, but he's trustworthy."

She let out a giggle before quickly covering her mouth. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's nothing. Tell you what." She said, slipping her arms around my neck again. "When I leave, I'll take the opportunity to sneak into his room and get it back. Then you'll definitely know, right?"

She moved to kiss me again, but I stopped her. "Why not stay?" I asked. "You don't have to hide from my friends, and we could definitely use the help. We've spent so little time together; I'd like to change that."

She bit her lip, her gaze slipping from mine. "I … I can't Jimmy. I'm sorry, I just … I'm not …"

Feeling her anxiety once again grow, I kissed her again and rubbed her cheek. "It's okay. If you're not comfortable-"

"I am!" She blushed again and said, "I'm comfortable with you, Jimmy. I'd have to be, considering …" Her gaze lowered briefly, her cheeks red. I blushed as well; it was hard not to stare at her body.

Still blushing, she toyed with my hair and said, "Let's not talk about the others tonight, okay? Tonight, it's just you and me … so ask away."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know about you, but you only know a little about me, and I can tell it bothers you."

"I didn't …" I stopped. Who was I arguing with? She was right, and what's more, I could tell she knew it. Sighing, I said, "I'm sorry if-"

"No." Sighing, she rubbed her cheek with the back of my hand. "Don't be sorry. I want you to know more about me before we …" She blushed, her hands squeezing mine. "Well, you know. Besides, I can practically hear the questions buzzing in your head. So out with them."

"Okay." I said, feeling a little relieved. "Well, where are you from? Are you a native Wenapajan, or did you immigrate too?"

Chuckling, she said, "I'm a native. My dad's native too, though mom's from Longshore."

"Really? How did they meet?" I asked.

"He was just a rookie in the Royal Guard accompanying King Iniagus on a diplomatic mission, and mom was part of the Kynse border patrol. They were both accompanying King Iniagus when he was kidnapped." She blushed. "Ironically, they were flirting when the rest of the group was under attack. By the time they realized there was a problem, the King had been kidnapped. It took them months to rescue him, during which time they fell in love and eventually completed their bond. A year later I was born."

"Mom worked for Iniagus for a long time, but eventually went back home. She and dad are still together, though; he visits her as often as his position allows … well, usually."

"Do I know your father?"

"Perhaps." She said, moving closer to me. "But I thought you were going to ask questions about me."

"Right." I said, blushing. "Are you part of the Royal Guard?"

"Yup. I'm one of the Queen's Shadows, which is why I don't have to wear the same getup as Sera."

"I don't blame you." I said, remembering the impractical armor, "If you're going to wear armor, it should at least be functional."

"Oh? So you wouldn't want to see me wearing it?" She looked down through the clear water and giggled, much to my embarrassment. "I thought so. One more question before."

"Before what?" I said.

She pressed against me, her face a short breath from mine. "Before I give you all the answers in a more ... direct way."

She wasn't lying; if anything, she'd been holding herself back … and so had I. I wanted to give in to it, to give myself to her and the dream, but something was holding me back. There was one question I needed to know.

Looking her in the eyes, the curves of her body pressing against mine in an unfamiliar but oh-so-exciting way, I asked, "Are you real?"

She stared at me for a long moment before slowly moving to kiss me. Just before our lips met, however, the door to the sun room slid open. We froze as Casey walked into the room, a dazed look on her face as she approached the lake.

Her eyes half-closed, Casey slid out of her clothes until all she was wearing was a red bra and pair of panties. Still either ignoring or unaware of us, she waded into the lake.

Terra caught my eye and nodded toward the door. We slipped out of the lake and hurried away as quietly as we could. I don't think it mattered; Casey didn't so much as glance our way.

We hurried through the hallways, Terra pulling my by the hand until we reached my room. Our towels were still beside the lake, but there were more in the bathroom. As we dried off, my gaze fell on Terra; her still damp fur, the gentle curves of her body, and her tear-shaped puffy tail.

She caught me looking at her and grinned. "C'mere, you."

She tackled me on the bed, her fingers tickling me with an almost unnatural knowledge of my most ticklish spots. I had to stop myself from shrieking with laughter and waking up the others. Eventually, I managed to slip from her grasp and mount a counterattack that ended with me pinning her to the bed.

We stared at each other, both out of breath, for a long moment. Slowly, I moved my face close to hers and kissed her. She returned the kiss, pulling my body closer to hers. I couldn't think properly; bushido, streaming, my team, the dragon, all of that was gone in an instant. There was only an overwhelming urge to make her feel good, to make her happy, to … complete something I couldn't quite put to words. She felt it too, the desire that had overwhelmed my own sensibilities … which simply added to my confusion when she suddenly stiffened and pushed me away. Her cheeks red, she slid from under me and stood up, her eyes on the door.

"Terra?" I said, taking her hand before she could move away.

She turned to face me, a look I could only describe as anger on her face. Shame ran through me moments later, not all of it my own.

"I'm sorry." I said, letting her hand go. "I didn't mean to-"

To my relief, she blushed and shook her head. Sitting down on the side of the bed, she said, "It's not you, Jimmy. I'm not mad at you. If anything, you've shown remarkable restraint considering …"

She put a hand to the side of my face. "Answer me this; do you love me?"

"Yes." I said automatically. What I had said struck me a moment later; I barely knew her. I liked her, I liked the idea of getting closer to her, perhaps one day loving her, but now? I'd be a fool to consider my actions as anything other than simple lust … lust for a woman who might very well just be a dream cooked up by a lonely mind.

She knew. Just looking in her eyes, I could tell she somehow heard the thoughts that had just run through my mind.

"He was right." She said, "I should have asked you. I should have given you a choice."

"I don't understand." I said. "What choice didn't you give me?"

Her lip trembled as she met my gaze. I thought she was about to run, but to my surprise, she put her hand on mine, and rubbed it against her cheek, her amethyst eyes shining with tears.

Before I could ask what was wrong, she slipped her arms around my chest and moved to kiss me. Just before our lips met, she whispered, "I'm sorry … wake up, Jimmy."

28: Chapter 28 - Setbacks

The moment I awoke, I sat up in my bed and looked around. There were no signs of Terra's presence, not even the towels we'd dropped on the floor.

"Goddammit!" I shouted just as Terry entered the room.

He seemed a little taken aback, although I suppose that shouldn't have been surprising. "Sir?"

"It was Terra! She was here!"

"The girl you keep dreaming about?"

His disbelieving tone didn't help my mood. Without a word, I jumped out of bed and threw my clothes on. Grabbing Terry by the pauldron, I dragged him from my room into the sun room, where Casey was still swimming in the lake in her scarlet underclothes.

"Aha!" I said, pointing at Casey, "See?"

What I could see of his cheeks turned red. "All I see is Miss Casey in her underwear."

Casey turned bright red as well. Covering herself as well as she could, she said, "Oh! I didn't think you'd be up yet."

"You were sleepwalking, right?" I said.

She gave me an odd look. "No. At least, I don't think so. I came here to have a swim."

"Then why are you in your underwear?" I asked.

"Because I'm not going skinny dipping in a Glyche lake no matter how safe it is, especially with that prepubescent runt Arc around. Now would you both please leave?"

As we left the sun room I felt more frustrated than ever. Part of me was trying to calm down, but it was hard to be calm when I could very well be going crazy. It wasn't just that; there was a lingering feeling of frustration that I couldn't explain at all. I felt annoyed at myself, yet I wasn't annoyed at myself, and that alone made it hard to think.

"It was real." I said, "I know it was."

Coughing slightly, Terry said, "I don't mean to dispute you, sir, but isn't it odd that-"

"The dagger!" I said, remembering she had told me she'd take the dagger as proof. "Terry, where's the dagger?"

"The what?"

"The handle thing she left at the Laffer Estates! The think I lent you last night!"

"Oh, er, right. That." After a moment of fumbling at his side, he produced the strange device. My heart sank, only to rise again as I saw Mick exiting one of the rooms.

"Mick!" I said, hurrying toward him.

He smiled at us. "Good morning Jimmy. Good morning, Terry. Is Miss Casey up yet?"

"She's in the lake." I said, waving a hand dismissively in the direction of the sun room. "Mick, do you remember seeing me go to the sun room last night?"

"Indeed. Just before Cristlyn gave me my upgrade."

"Did you see anyone other than Terry, Arc, Casey, you, or myself in the facility?"

He seemed to hesitate for just a moment, probably linking to the Central Core. He shook his head. "No. The entrance to the facility has been secured. The link has been repaired as well, by the way. May I ask what this is about?"

"It's the fional again." Terry said.

"Her name's Terra." A sudden suspicion ran through me as my eyes fell on Terry ... or more specifically, the armor covering most of his body.

Narrowing my eyes at Terry, I said, "Take off your helmet."

"My helmet?" He said, sounding starteled. "Why?"

"Because I think you've got a big pair of floppy ears under there!"

"W-what!" Terry sputtered, his hands quickly covering the latches that held his helmet to the rest of his armor.

Perhaps sensing that I was about to tackle Terry to the floor and tear his helmet off (and with how I was feeling at the moment, that was a very real possibility), Mick quickly stepped between us. "Okay, let's just calm down. Jimmy, I've scanned Terry several times already. He is male, I assure you."

Looking at Mick's concerned face helped calm me down. "Of course. I'm sorry, Terry. It's just … this is just so frustrating."

"I think I understand, sir." Terry said, lowering his hands. "Think nothing of it."

"Do you detect anything wrong with me?" I asked Mick. "Maybe a concussion or some sort of brain anomaly?"

Mick looked me over for a moment before shaking his head. "You seem to be in perfect health. You're a little stressed, but that's understandable. Still, if you'd like, we could use the medical bay here to do a more thorough scan. It would only take a few hours."

I sat down on the bed and held my head in my hands. "Maybe I am losing it, but this is more than a dream. She told me things."

"What things, sir?" Terry asked.

"She's one of the Queen's shadows. I didn't even know Iniagus employed shadows at all. She even told me how her parents met."

"Her parents?" Terry said. "She told you about her parents?"

"Yeah, her father's Royal Guard and her mother's Border patrol."

"And?"

I glared at him. "And what?"

He held up his hands. "Sorry sir. I meant-"

"No, I'm sorry. That's twice now I've snapped at you." I sighed and said, "It's just she was pulling me to the bed one moment, only to push me away."

"What?" Terry said. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know." I told him. "She said she should have given me a choice, and that 'he' was right."

"He was right, was he?" Terry said, sounding strangely intrigued.

"I don't know who she was talking about." I said. "I mean, if she is just a hallucination, wouldn't I know?"

"Makes sense to me, sir." Terry said, "Maybe unlike her, you'd actually listen to 'his' advice."

"Terry, please." Said Mick as he sat down beside me.

Terry bowed his head. "My apologies, sir. I meant no offense."

"I can't get mad at you, Terry; I'm the one going crazy."

He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, but didn't say anything. He didn't have to, in all honesty.

"I don't detect any mental abnormalities." Mick said. "And aside from Terra, I've seen no outward signs of insanity."

"Not all mental disorders manifest as a physical problem." I said.

"Or maybe she's real. It is a possibility." Mick said. "There is technology that can block the most sophisticated of scanners, spells that can render even Yaevin's detection technology completely useless. We haven't been able to find the dragon either, after all."

"But why hide?" I asked. "Even for a fional, this has to be unusual. And what happened last night? When she first appeared, I felt happy whether she was a delusion or not. Now ... I don't know."

"I'd agree with Mick, sir." Terry said, sitting on my other side. "Perhaps she's still cautious of us. Perhaps she's paranoid, and doesn't realize that her approach to wooing you is bizarre."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter."

"Sir?" Terry said, sounding surprised.

"I can't let myself be distracted like this." I told him. "Sera's still in danger. Whether I'm going insane or not, we've got a mission to complete."

"Indeed." To my surprise, a hologram of Bethany appeared on my PIM. "There's nothing wrong with indulging in make-believe, but there's a time and a place … like when you're back at the Saybaro, Inheritor."

"Beth!" I said, smiling. "It's good to see you again!"

"And you too, Jimmy." She said, smiling at me. "My, you've been busy; in just a few short weeks, you've saved two of my sisters and helped reestablish the Glyche Information Network. Impressive work, even for an Inheritor. We've already started resynching the teleportation grid; soon, you'll be able to travel between facilities in the blink of an eye."

"No more walking?" Terry said, perking up immediately, "Sounds great to me."

"Well, we have that going for us." I said, "What about the dragon? Any luck on the scans?"

Her smile faded. "I regret to inform you that there is no sign of a dragon anywhere remotely near Wenapaj. Cristlyn's still checking the old records and we are still running deeper scans, but so far there's no sign of a flux pattern anywhere near the size or intensity of a dragon's."

So there it was; no dragon in Wenapaj that could be detected by Glyche sensors. Even though I hadn't really considered the possibility, I wasn't really surprised to hear this.

Tentatively, Mick said, "Jimmy? It isn't my place to suggest a course of action."

"It doesn't really matter at this point." I said. "Suggest away."

"I believe we should return to the Saybaro. Cristlyn can contact us is they uncover anything, we can run a detailed medical scan on you to rule out possible insanity, and perhaps a few days of actual rest would help us all."

"You getting homesick too?" I asked, smiling kindly at him.

"Homesickness is for wetware … er, no offence, Jimmy." He paused a moment. "Though I suppose I do find myself missing the Saybaro."

"Not a bad idea." Turning to Terry, I asked, "How about it, Terry? You mind heading to the Saybaro?"

"A chance to see the famous Saybaro Bridge, sir?" He said, a smile spreading across his face, "How could I pass that up?"

Smiling, I said, "Well then I guess we're heading back to the Saybaro."

Mick stopped me as I started to leave, saying, "What about Miss Casey?"

"What about me?"

We turned to see Casey met us in the corridor in her normal clothes, her hair still wet.

"Where are we going?" She said excitedly as she slipped a band around her hair.

"Well, we were thinking about going back to the Saybaro," I said, "but I didn't mean to speak for you."

"Oh, I couldn't just stay here, not after yesterday! I've never been so excited in my whole life! The Glyche, and dragons and … and …" her eyes shining with excitement, she pleaded, "I've spent the last decade giving tours, tending trees, and assisting a bunch of artistic weirdoes."

"Like your brother." I said.

"Like my brother." She said, nodding. "Let me come with you! I'd love the chance to meet another Glyche CIC!"

Arc, looking more tired than ever, stepped out of his room. One was splayed flat on top of the young man's head, though whether he was sleeping or inactive, I couldn't tell.

"Ugh. Enough with the Glyche already." Arc said, rubbing sleep from his eyes, "I've got core units and skrievers chasing me in my dreams now."

"Relax, Arc." I said, plucking One from his head, "We're heading back to the Saybaro. Casey wants to come with us. You okay with that?"

Arc looked Casey over, much to her chagrin. Her dark cheeks lightened slightly as he stared pointedly at her breasts.

"Sounds good to me!" He said, a grin spreading across his face. "When do we leave?"

I glanced at Mick and asked, "Is enough of the grid operational for Cristlyn to teleport us there?"

A nearby cleaner zoomed right in my face. Instantly, a miniature hologram of Cristlyn appeared above it, her arms crossed. "Yes, SHE can."

"I beg your pardon." I said, bowing my head respectfully. "I didn't know you were listening."

"You're the only people in the facility, and the first visitors I've had since the Glyche bio-forms left. Of course I'm listening; who else am I going to listen to?"

"Hey now." Bethany said, still displaying on my PIM. "Be nice to my Inheritor."

Cristlyn stuck her tongue out at her older sister before returning her attention to Jimmy. "Site-to-site's going to take awhile, but the resynching process is nearly complete between our facilities. I should be able to get you back to the Saybaro whenever you like. Just let me know when you're ready to go."

I glanced at the others. They all looked back at me eagerly.

Nodding, I turned back to the cleaner and the miniature hologram of the Cristlyn. "We're ready."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

A bright light surrounded flare up around us. It was like travelling via waystation or node at first … after a few seconds, however, there was this strange feeling of coming apart. It wasn't painful (which was good, seeing as I couldn't scream); it was, however, quite disconcerting.

It also seemed strangely drawn out this time, as opposed to the nearly instantaneous transfer of normal node travel. I wrote it off as a distance related issue; after all, Wukice and Saybaro are on opposite sides of Wenapaj.

When the light faded, however, I opened my eyes and was surprised to see a rather surprised looking waystation attendant.

I stepped out of a waystation pod, and looked around the station feeling no small amount of confusion. "This doesn't look like the Saybaro."

"This is the palace waystation ... you know, in Iniagusville." The attendant's eyes went wide. "Wait, you're Sir Sakamota! The king told us to keep an eye out for you."

I nodded as my friends emerged from separate pods, looking about as confused as I felt. I was just grateful we all ended up in the same place.

The attendant gave me a salute. "I'm sorry for the delay. By all means, go on ahead."

The door to the station opened, revealing the grand path to Iniagus's palace. Before our eyes, the hedge maze walls shifted and formed into a single straight path.

I glanced at the others and motioned for them to follow me. I wanted to talk, but not in front of the attendant. Fortunately, they all seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me.

"What in Nocturnes just happened?" Arc asked once we were a good distance from the waystation.

I shook my head. "I don't know. Perhaps the waystation caught our energy pattern. Mick?"

He shook his head. "I don't have enough information to formulate a hypothesis."

I let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose we were planning to head here anyway. We should probably give the king an update on our search while we're here. I just wish we had better news."

Terry patted me on the shoulder and said, "I'm sure he won't blame you, sir. Besides, we haven't given up yet, right?"

I smiled, Terry's confidence lifting my spirits somewhat. "Right. Come on then; let's get moving."

As we approached the front gate, another female guard in the same ridiculously inappropriate garb as Sera halted us.

"Names?" She asked, holding a small datapad.

"The name's Arc Skylad, but you can call me whatever you want, babe." Arc said, eyeing the young woman's creamy skin. She scowled at him, a dark look in her eyes.

Hoping to avoid the ensuing fight, I stepped in front of Arc and gave the woman a respectful bow."Jimmy Sakamota of the Saybaro."

Mick did the same, saying, "Mick Sakamota of the Saybaro."

Terry saluted her. "Terry Ulyndia, white-rank."

"Casey Jones, playwright and Wukice guide."

The guard looked at all of us. "Let me see if I got this right: a robot, a tour guide, a little punk, a ronin, and a white-rank."

Terry flinched at the way she seemed to spit his rank. I was a little surprised that she knew what a ronin was until I noticed the pin on her collar; Knights of the Star. She must have recently immigrated from Earth, which explained the confused, 'how the hell did I end up guarding a bridge in my underwear' look on her face.

Shaking her head, she stepped aside. "Either this is the beginning of a joke or you're a group of questing heroes who could kick my ass in a second. At this point, I don't really care. Go right ahead."

While most of us moved toward the doors of the palace, Arc hung back for a second. "Say, you're really hot. How'd you like to see my sword?"

I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him away. The former knight gave us another scowl before turning back to her post.

As we entered the palace, Casey let out a whistle.

"Amazing!" She said, watching as several people zipped along the conveyer belt carpets. "My brother tried getting an audience with the king last time we were here, but we never found a way through the maze."

Mick glanced at me. "Would you like me to lead the way?"

"By all means." I said, gesturing for him to take the lead.

After a few false starts on the carpets (which usually ended with someone flying off the carpet, usually into me), we found ourselves in the corridor leading to the throne room. As we drew near the door, however, a tall, shadowy man brought our group to a halt. To be quite frank, he looked evil. I know it's wrong to judge someone by their appearance, but I'm fairly confident that pretty much anyone in the universe would have agreed with me.

The man wore black silk robes with red flame accents and a massive wide-brimmed hat in the bowl of which he could have easily smuggled watermelons. His eyes had a scheming look to them and his goatee that came to a curly point just beneath his chin. On the whole, his appearance was less 'I am the king's most trusted advisor', and more 'I'm plotting to overthrow the kingdom'.

"Nobody is to see the king today." The creepy man said, his voice as oily as his appearance. "I can, however, deliver a message."

"We came to update the king on the search for his daughter." I said, bowing slightly but not taking my eyes from the man.

"Ah! Very good." He brought his hands together, his fingertips lightly touching. "What do you have to report?"

I eyed the man. "I'd prefer to speak of this with the king."

"Ah, but I am Iniagus's most trusted adviser, Councilor Trustworthy."

"Who names their kid Trustworthy?" Arc said with his usual tact.

"Kinder parents than those that name their children after third-rate video games." Trustworthy replied with a contemptuous snort.

His face beet red, Arc started forward only for Mick to hold him back.

"Easy, there." I said, motioning for Arc to calm down. Turning back to the advisor, I said, "I have orders to report directly to Iniagus."

"You can trust me with the message." Trustworthy said, giving me an insincere smile.

"Be that as it may, I was told to report to Iniagus directly." I put my hand on Glint's hilt. "My honor insists that I obey that order, with my life if necessary."

The mock friendliness on the man's face fell away. "I am the king's most trusted advisor. He's just going to tell me anyway."

"That's his decision." I said, "What the King does is his own business. I, however, am following my orders."

He looked as though he still wanted to object, when from out of nowhere, Princess Zelda appeared and gave Councilor Trustworthy a kick in a very uncomfortable place.

As the councilor collapsed to the ground, groaning, Princess Zelda said, "Quit being such a butt-head!"

Turning to me, the little Princess asked excitedly, "Did you find sis?"

I knelt down and ruffled her hair, trying to think of a kind way to break it to her. "Not yet, but-"

Mick chimed in, "-but we're getting close."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes wide as I glanced back at him curiously.

"Indeed. We are still in pursuit, but as we were in the neighborhood, we thought we'd stop by and let you know that your sister is alive and well."

Princess Zelda threw her arms around me, then Mick. "That's great! I'm gonna go tell everyone!"

As she ran off I asked Mick, "We're closing in, huh?"

"I'm confident in our abilities." Mick said, his cheeks tinged gold.

I raised an eyebrow at this. "You know that's not an answer, right?"

The doors to the throne room suddenly opened a crack. Iniagus poked his head out and said, "What's going on out here?"

When he saw me, his demeanor instantly changed from crabby old man to excited schoolboy. "Oh! It's Samurai Knight Jimmy! Awesome!"

"Your Majesty." I said, bowing respectfully, "We were in the area and wanted to update you on the search, but this man-"

"Oh, Unne?" Iniagus let out a loud laugh. "Unne Trustworthy and I have been buddies for years! I trust him like a brother twice removed but never talked about because he left home to become a cross-dressing actor by the name of Vladamir Lestrade."

"Unne Trustworthy." Casey said in a completely deadpan tone as Iniagus continued detailing what I sincerely hoped wasn't his family tree. "His name is Unne Trustworthy."

"Indeed! Now come on in, and tell me all about your quest!"

"Here we go again." Arc muttered as we abandoned the still-groaning Councilor Trustworthy and walked into the throne room, our combined footsteps creating a discordant melody on the crystal tile floor.

As Iniagus positioned himself on his web-like throne, Mick tapped me on the shoulder.

"Let me give the report, Jimmy." He said in a quiet voice.

I shrugged and waved him ahead. "By all means."

Mick stepped forward gave the king a low bow. "Your Majesty."

"Ah, yes; you're the lad with chromeitis." Iniagus beamed at him. "How are things?"

"The investigation has proven difficult, but nevertheless promising. We've already established that Princess Sera is alive, and that the dragon who kidnapped her does not intend to consume her."

"My word," said the king, "That is good news. I can't tell you how put out I would have been if she had become some foul beast's lunch, to say nothing of the queen."

"The Queen's been kidnapped?" Arc said, alarmed. Rolling her eyes, Casey smacked him in the back of the head.

Iniagus chuckled. "Sorry, odd sentence structure. No, the old bat's still here and quite fine; she's a bit on edge though, which makes it difficult to try and make another princess if you know what I mean."

As the king continued lamenting his lack of hanky-panky, my eyes suddenly widened. Terra was there! She was standing in the back of the room, against the far wall. She watched us intently … or, more precisely, she watched me. When our eyes met, I felt a sudden panic rush through me. She stood straight immediately, her eyes wide.

"Terry." I murmured, tapping his gauntlet to catch his attention. "It's her."

"It's who?"

"Terra."

"Where?"

I moved my eyes from her for a moment to meet his before looking back meaningfully, only to find myself looking at a blank wall. I looked around for a few moments, my eyes searching every wall and tapestry for some sign of her.

I turned back to Iniagus to find him staring at me. I felt my cheeks grow hot under not only his stare, but those of my friends. Bowing again, I said, "My apologies, your Majesty."

"Are you okay?" He asked, genuine concern on his wizened face. "You look … bothered."

"It's fine, your Highness." I said, trying to force down feelings of shame. "It's been a long journey."

"Indeed." Mick said, "We've managed to locate and reactivate the Genovis, Natalya and Saybaro Glyche facilities, successfully fighting off several corrupted core units in the process. We even established a link to Yaevin while repairing the link between Wukice and Iniagusville."

"That was you?" King Iniagus said, registering no small amount of surprise, "Three uncorrupted Glyche facilities and the link station in just a few weeks? By the Creator, you are on the ball! And you managed to link up to that old Glyche satellite as well?"

"Actually, it's more of a space station." Mick said, the corners of his mouth twitching momentarily, as though he were suppressing a smile. "With the uplink established, we are scanning the surrounding area for large-scale life forms."

So that was why Mick wanted to give the report. I was glad; the way he put it, it sounded like we were hot on the dragon's tail rather than limply hanging from it.

"A more detailed analysis should help us locate the dragon's hiding place, at which time we will make a daring rescue." Mick said.

"Daring rescue." Arc said, unable to keep the sarcastic tone from his voice. "Right."

Iniagus, as usual, didn't seem to notice. "Ah, excellent! Nothing like a daring rescue. Why, I was quite the swashbuckler in my own day, let me tell you. It all began when I-"

"I beg forgiveness, your Majesty, but we must return to the Saybaro and begin preparations for our daring rescue." I made a point to glare at Mick as I emphasized the words 'daring rescue'.

"Of course, of course. I'll have the records of my exploits sent to the Saybaro. I appreciate the update on the search, my friends. Perhaps this'll calm the queen down, eh?" He gave me a roguish wink.

"Of course, your Majesty. Send her Majesty my regards." I turned to the rest of the group and said, "Shall we?"

"Oh, let me help!" I heard Iniagus say behind me, followed by the creak of his web-like throne.

As the floor gave way, I couldn't help but let out a laugh. After all, you'd think I'd have remembered the trap door.

29: Chapter 29 - There's No Place like Home

After a long tumble down the escape chute, the lot of us were dumped onto the collection of mattresses set outside the palace to break the fall of anyone the king had similarly dismissed. This time I managed to land on my feet. I leapt aside moments before Terry flew past where I had been standing. Arc and Mick came flying out of the chute moments later.

Mick rose to his feet quickly and caught Casey as she slid out of the chute, somehow still scribbling on her notebook.

"Oh! Thank you Mick." She said absently as he set her on the ground.

As Mick helped Arc and Terry up, Casey said, "Incredible. I'd never met his Majesty before."

"Incredible ain't exactly the word I'd use for it." Arc said, a little unsteady on his feet.

"Now, now." Mick chided, "He is the king."

"He's a fruitcake." To my surprise, it was Terry who spoke. "And don't even get me started on Councilor Trustworthy."

Arc snorted. "What is up with that? I mean, seriously? That guy's got some sort of evil plan in the works."

"He seemed fine to me." Mick said. "After all, his name is 'Trustworthy'."

Arc stared at Mick in disbelief. "Dude, his first name is 'Unne'!"

"Coincidence?" Mick suggested.

Scribbling in her notebook again, Casey said, "You have to admit, he's a perfect Councilor for Iniagus. The two of them seem quite entertaining."

"To visitors maybe, but not if you have to live here." Terry said, sounding distinctly annoyed.

Terry's sudden annoyance caught me a little off-guard. He had mentioned his rough childhood at the palace before, but he hadn't said anything Iniagus. I started to ask him about it, but decided against it for the moment.

"I was hoping to talk with Devon." I said, glancing up at the palace, "But under the circumstances, I suppose it can wait. Let's just head home for now."

No one was terribly excited about the walk home. Fortunately, it wasn't an issue; Casey, at least, had a floater license without a fine on it. After stopping for lunch, we rented a floater and were soon zipping through the sky toward home.

I kept glancing at Terry. Something was obviously bugging him.

He caught me looking at him. "Sir?"

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"I'm fine sir."

I felt a strong aura of 'don't ask' radiating from him. This time, however, I didn't let it phase me. "You said you grew up in the palace, right?"

For a few moments, I thought Terry wasn't going to reply. Just as I decided not to press him, however, he said, "It's hard to have much pride in your country when your king is a nut job, you know? I thought I'd get used to it like dad, but I just can't!"

"Whoa, Terry." Arc said, as startled as I by Terry's abrupt outburst.

"He seemed cool at first: like a big, goofy uncle always willing to tell me a story or give me advice. It was all nonsense of course, but I didn't mind. None of the other kids would play with me."

I listened silently as he let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I had to grow up while he stayed exactly the same. He went from silly uncle to creepy friend; every time he saw me, he wanted to play video games or pull pranks on people in the palace, but I had schoolwork and training. No matter how many times I tried to tell him, he just couldn't understand that not all of us were free to remain children our whole lives. It got so bad at one point that I left to live with my mother instead."

"Devon and your mother were separated?" I didn't mean to interrupt him, but I had no idea that Devon and his wife lived separately.

Terry winced. "Not really. Mom just couldn't stand Iniagus. They're still quite happily married. Dad makes a point to spend time with her as often as he can, which is why I came back."

Seeing our blank looks, he sighed. "Dealing with one overgrown child is one thing. Do you have any idea how nightmarish it is to deal with twelve brothers and sisters?"

My eyes went wide. "Twelve?"

"At the time I left, yeah."

"Woo-hoo!" Arc chimed in, "Way to go, Devon!"

"Shut up, Arc." Terry said, glowering at the child-hero. "I knew if I came back, I'd have to deal with Iniagus again, so …"

"… so you came up with a disguise that would appeal to his childish side yet lets you remain incognito." I finished.

Smiling, Terry said, "Dad came up with the power armor and had me listed as a non-relation to keep Iniagus from finding out who I really was."

"Pretty sneaky for the Mox Wazoo." Casey commented from the driver's seat.

Terry snorted. "Seems to run in my family. Still, it means I had to wear this armor through all my training. I've gotten used to having it on, so much so that I can't help but feel naked without it."

"So that's why you wouldn't take your helmet off." I said, feeling even more ashamed of my breakdown in the Genovis facility. "I'm sorry, Terry."

He waved it off, saying, "It's okay, sir. You were stressed out because of Terra."

"Yeah, about that." Arc said, "You're seeing her in the day now?"

"I know." I said, embarrassed about my episode in the throne room. "I'm going to ask Bethany to scan my brain for abnormalities."

"I don't think that will be necessary." Mick said.

"You saw her?"

"No, but I don't think that you are crazy. I've been thinking about this for awhile, going over what information I have on mental disorders that could cause this kind of hallucination. Tell me, have you ever met a fional before Terra?"

"Well, no. There was a tigreth back in Rimstak, but we were just kids."

"But you still care for her?"

"As a friend, yeah. She still writes every now and then."

"So why would your fantasy woman manifest as a fional? Why not a tigreth, a rimstakken, or an idestan? Why not appear as a galden, the same as you? Why appear as a species you've never even seen?"

"If she was real, wouldn't you or one of the CICs have noticed her by now?" I asked.

"It isn't as difficult as you may believe. There are devices that can block stream energy and hide biorhythms."

"I dunno." Arc said, shaking his head. "That's awfully convenient."

"But worth thinking about." Said Mick.

"What about the throne room?" Casey asked. Glancing at me, she said, "I mean, can't you just rewind your video feed and look to see if she was there?"

"I already have." Mick told her. "I found nothing, though I was picking up some unusual stream interference in the room."

Arc snorted. "The tiles, man. Surely you heard them while we were walking."

"Perhaps." Mick said, "Or perhaps she had a Wile."

"In which case, how would Jimmy see her?" Arc asked, crossing his arms.

This seemed to stump Mick. Fortunately, a sudden beep from my wrist provided a convenient distraction. A miniature hologram of Bethany appeared on my PIM. She smiled up at me and said, "Jimmy. I'm glad you're back."

"It's good to be back." I told her. "Been catching up with your sisters?"

"Yes, I have. Thank you again for helping them." She chuckled. "Of course, Cristlyn and Alaina are already bickering like the old days."

Mick shook his head, a smile on his face. "Some things never change."

"Indeed. In any case, I wanted to catch you before you returned; someone named Meryli called for you about an hour ago. Would you like me to replay the message?"

"Meryli?" Arc asked curiously.

"She's the mechanic at the Salutier floater rental." I said, "Go ahead and play the message, Bethany. Please."

"Of course." After a few moments, there was a brief burst of static.

"Jimbo," Meryli's voice said, "It's Meryli. You still lookin' for that dragon? Well, I might just be able to make your day. Come to the garage as soon as you can. Bye!"

I glanced at the others silently.

Plush One slapped his knee, startling all of us.

"Hot damn!" He said in a perfect imitation of Meryli's accent, "Don't that jus' beat all?"

"Ah, Mister One." Bethany said, smiling at the doll. "Cristlyn mentioned you were helping out my Inheritor. After three-thousand years, you still keep coming to the aid of the Glyche."

"What can I say?" One said, leaping off of Arc's head to sit on my knee. "It's a hobby. Looks like I came back just in time too."

"Heck, yeah!" Casey said brightly. "A lead on the dragon, and a Dreamer on our side. Looks like our luck's turning!"

"Oh, yes." Arc said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "We've got the dragon right where we want it."

"It's worth checking out." I held the PIM up again and said, "Could you send her a message saying we're on the way, please?"

"But of course." With a bow, Bethany vanished.

About ten minutes later, we landed in the Meryli's floater rental just outside Salutier only to find the place deserted.

"Huh." One said, rubbing his plush chin, "Seems a bit odd. I mean, if I just saw a dragon, this place would be a lot more active."

One was right; the passage of a dragon was the sort of thing that drew crowds, even in modern times. The streets were just as deserted as the floater bay … which, I realized with a sinking feeling in my stomach, was also a well-documented reaction to a passing dragon.

"I'm detecting a bio-form inside the station." Mick said, his eyes glowing. "Female galden, from the looks of it. Her heartbeat is elevated, but otherwise she seems to be okay."

Nodding, I turned to the others and said, "I'll check it out. Everyone else stay in the car in case we need to leave in a hurry."

"Got it." Casey replied, excitement in her eyes.

"Just enough time for me to go get my dragon-poking stick!" One said, the doll falling inert moments later.

We exchanged questioning glances. While I doubted there really was a proper stick for poking a dragon, I could nevertheless see a Dreamer being the one to do the poking.

Nodding at the others, I started toward the garage, my hand on the hilt of Glint.

Using my other hand, I slowly swung the door open. Meryli had replenished her stock of rental floaters sense my last visit. A few non-functional floaters sat silently in bays as well, some blanketed by dust-covered sheets. The work area was well equipped with various types of equipment needed to maintain and repair floaters: arc welders, power tools, and even a pair of Universal Builder's Tools. There was a lot of space, though only the area around the counter was currently lit.

"Meryli?" I asked as I approached the desk. "You here?"

Something rustled in the corner of the room, where a pile of boxes had been neatly arranged.

"Meryli? That you?." I said, my hand already sliding Glint from its sheath.

There was a whimper just behind the boxes, but no other response.

Slowly, keeping Glint firmly in hand, I moved a stack of the boxes to reveal Meryli huddled behind them.

"J-Jimmy?" She rose and threw her arms around me, her whole body trembling with fear.

I patted her back awkwardly. "Easy, Meryli, easy. We got your message about the dragon. You know where it is?"

She pointed. I turned, my heart leaping straight into my throat as I saw a massive pair of red eyes watching me from the shadows.

30: Chapter 30 - On the Wing

An evil laugh came from the direction of the eyes as I raised my blade. "Really, Sakamota? You would truly face me with that ancient weapon?"

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to ignore the feeling of dread rushing through me.

The red eyes glinted as the figure moved, its massive form writhing in the darkness. It didn't take my mind long to make out the long spiked tail, the giant leathery wings, and the massive claws.

I sucked in my breath. It was a dragon. The dragon. I had found it. Well done, Jimmy.

At that moment, I realized the futility the blue-scaled dragon had implied, the futility of my quest altogether. How could I hope to fight such a colossal creature? The smallest of the dragon's teeth was at least as long as Glint, and doubtlessly sharper.

The dragon smiled at me. The sight of all the dragon's teeth wasn't reassuring in the slightest, though I sincerely doubt that the dragon was trying to calm me down.

"Are you the dragon who kidnapped Princess Sera?" I managed, somehow able to keep a grip on my katana.

"Indeed. What of it?"

Part of me dearly wanted to run away. Okay, most of me wanted to run away. I heard once that dragons emit some kind of fear-inducing aura, but I was almost certain that I had read somewhere that it was just a myth based on some fantasy book. It was hard to refute the claim, however, when every cell in my body screamed at me to run until I got to the Saybaro and take refuge in the facility for a decade or two.

I was suddenly acutely aware of Meryli cowering behind me. If I ran, what would happen to her? What about my friends outside, unaware of the danger? And what of my mission to rescue Princess Sera? I had spent far too long studying the samurai's code of honor to abandon it so readily.

Steeling myself, I said, "As a Specialist of the Wenapaj Royal Guard, a knight of the realm, and a registered Sleeper of the Elsewhere Incorporate, I request that you return her immediately, alive and well."

The dragon laughed at me, a horrible, grating sound that made my stomach curl. "So you not only fancy yourself a samurai, but a knight and a Dreamer as well? How delightfully pathetic."

A dented hubcap suddenly flew through the air and bounced off the dragon's face with a rather humorous clank.

I glanced behind me only to see Meryli standing near a pile of dilapidated parts, the UBTs on her arms. She was still shaking slightly, but there was a definite look of defiance on her face.

"Get the hell outta my shop, you overgrown iguana!" She shouted, hefting an old engine block from the pile and tossing it at the dragon as though it were a basketball.

The engine smashed across the right side of the dragon's face, sending scales flying in all direction. With a roar loud enough to make my ears ring, it raised a massive claw to swat us into jelly.

Perhaps it was the urgency of the situation, but I barely had to concentrate a moment before drawing in enough stream energy for a Force Edge. The stream blast flew out from my swing and knocked the dragon's claw away from us and into an old floater, which miraculously shot into motion and slammed into the dragon's face. This seemed to stun the dragon long enough for Meryli and me to reach the exit.

As we rushed out of the station doors, the dragon tore through the roof of the station, fire bellowing into the sky from its gaping tooth-filled maw.

"Start the floater!" I shouted at Casey, quickly throwing the door open. Meryli dove through the door, nearly tackling Terry in the process.

Casey's eyes widened at the sight of the dragon fighting through the steel. "Maker's Grace … it's … it's a real dragon."

"Incredible!" Mick said. "Look at those wings!"

"Having trouble getting past the teeth." Arc said, hands clutching the hilt of his massive sword.

I slammed the door shut. When we failed to move, I said, "Casey!"

She blinked and shook her head. "Right … right. Everyone hold on!"

The floater started forward, and not a moment too soon; the dragon spread its massive wings over the ruins of the garage and took to the sky. I was expecting it to go straight for us, but to my surprise, it turned tail and flew in the opposite direction.

"I don't suppose we can just let it go.' Casey said.

I patted her on the shoulder from the back seat. "If we can't stop it, we at least need to see where it's going."

"I was afraid you'd say that." She sighed and turned us around to pursue the dragon. The ground fell away as we zoomed after the scale-covered kidnapper. To my surprise, we were gaining on it.

Meryli grabbed my arm. "Whoa there a sec! What're ya plannin' Jimbo? That thing shrugged off an engine block to the face and your … whatever you did. You got something bigger to hit it with?"

"Terry?" I said, turning to Terry, "Think you can hit the dragon from here?"

He smiled back at me. "No problem, sir!"

Terry carefully climbed partially out the driver's side backseat window with his rifle, the Casey, Mick, Arc and I grabbing on to him wherever we could get a hold so he wouldn't get sucked out.

"Set it to full power!" I called out over the rush of wind. "We may only get one shot!"

"Yes sir!" Several capacitors activated along the barrel of the weapon, charging larger amounts of energy. I held onto his greaves tightly in anticipation of the coming kickback.

"Firing!" He shouted over the rush of wind. A burst of light rocketed from his rifle, the force of the blast making the floater twist in the air. Terry started to fall out the window as Casey lost control. Holding on to Terry as best as I could, I shouted, "Hold on! Everyone, just hold on!"

Casey managed to stabilize our flight and point us back at the dragon just in time to see said dragon as it sped toward us. There was a sizeable hole in his right wing that still glowed with heat from Terry's shot.

"Evade! Evade!" I shouted, still tugging on Terry.

Casey shot straight down. Although the sudden descent caught me off-guard, I was able to use the momentary weightlessness to tug Terry back into the vehicle.

As we burst through a cloud and down into a low sweeping plain, I pulled out the One doll, shouting, "One! One, if you're there, we could really use some help!"

The doll came to life almost instantly, a small length of wood appearing in his plush hand. "Ah, Jimmy, I just found …" He glanced around, looking at our faces. "Okay, I can see you're in a bind, so we'll forget the polite crap. What's the problem?"

"Dragon." I said, pointing at the front windshield.

"What are you talking-" One's little button eyes went wide. "Everyone down!"

The dragon swiftly flew over our floater, taking the opportunity to rake the top of the vehicle with wickedly sharp talons.

Fortunately, we all heeded One's warning and ducked as a group, narrowly avoiding decapitation as our floater was modified into a convertible. As the wind rushed over us, I saw the dragon turn to make another pass.

"Thoughts, One?" I asked, thankfully maintaining my grip on the plush toy.

"Hmm. It's too far for me to poke." He said, tossing his stick aside. "I could throw you at it, like with the prop dragon."

"Something that won't get me killed?"

He scratched his little plush head. "Hmm. Let me think on it."

The floater shot into a narrow canyon, one of several in the mountains near the Saybaro. The floater was able to slip through a narrow opening at the base of the cliffs, forcing the dragon to rise well out of clawing range. The cliffs above were too narrow to allow it to descend from above, and it was too high to reach us with its fiery breath.

"Ha!" Arc shouted as the dragon watched us through the narrow cliffs above us. "What's wrong, you ugly sack of crap? Too much of a fat-ass to-"

One pressed a plush hand on Arc's mouth, vanishing it instantly. "Never laugh at live dragons, you fool!"

To all of our surprise, the dragon turned sharply out of sight. All of us except Casey watched the narrow gap between cliffs for some sign of the beast, but it didn't reappear.

I let out a relieved breath. While I'm sure it wasn't going to just give up, at least we had a moment to collect ourselves.

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

"No." Casey said, her knuckles white from her tight grip on the steering wheel. "No, I don't think I'm remotely okay. We're alive though, and that's what's important."

"Indeed." One smiled at Meryli and gave her a friendly wave. "Hey there. You one of Jimmy's friends?"

"Yeah." She squinted at him. "Are you supposed to be Narrator Number One or something?"

"Something like that." he told her, a smirk on his stitched face.

I looked at the others. Terry still seemed a little dazed, but his grip on his plasma rifle seemed firm enough. Arc was handling the situation remarkably well; he only looked a little frightened, and his grip on his sword told me he was ready to take a swing should the dragon get close. Mick seemed completely unphased, and even gave me a smile and a wave when he noticed my inquisitive stare.

Nodding, I said, "All right, everyone; I'm hoping this is one of the canyons that opens up near the Saybaro. With any luck, we-"

I was interrupted as Casey quickly swerved to avoid a cascade of falling rocks. They slammed into the ground, some shattering with the sheer force of their fall.

A burst of wind from above drew our gaze upwards, where the dragon was tearing at the side of the canyon, its massive wings buffeting us with every flap. As it flew away again, Arc said, "Damn. Lizard's clever, huh?"

Another cascade of rocks nearly buried us as the dragon struck the cliffs above. Still, we were nearing the end of the canyon. Through the opening at the base of the cliffs, I caught a glimpse of the Saybaro Mansion. It was distant, but never had I seen a more welcoming sight.

"Bethany!" I said, holding my PIM to my mouth and hoping she could hear me over the rushing wind, "We're coming in fast with a dragon on our tail. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated."

She didn't respond. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to question it; the sides of the nearby mountains pulled away, the cliffs above giving way to an open blue sky which unfortunately also contained a very angry-looking dragon.

Terry took another shot with his plasma rifle, the kickback pushing us forward just a bit faster, but the dragon managed to dodge it. Even a burst of what looked like rivets from Meryli's UBTs didn't seem to do much but piss off the dragon even more.

"We're not gonna make it!" Arc said, and given the dragon's rate of speed, I had to agree.

"Take the wheel, Mick!" Casey shouted. Once the delighted core unit had a hand on the wheel, Casey climbed into the back seat between Meryli and me.

"You have a plan?" I asked.

"Maybe." She said. "You just charge up another Force Edge. Terry! Get ready to take another shot!"

"But what are you …" I stopped as Casey readied her camera, a fierce light in her eyes. "Right. One Force Edge coming up. Terry?"

He was already aiming his rifle at the dragon. "Ready, sir."

"On Casey's mark." I said, nodding at her as I readied Glint.

The dragon was slowly closing the distance between us, growing larger and larger in my view. A glance back showed the Saybaro not far, but not close enough.

"Come on," Casey coaxed as the dragon drew nearer and nearer. "Just a little closer!"

With the dragon literally only a couple of feet away, Casey brought up her camera and flashed the dragon straight in its scaly face. While the dragon was strangely unresponsive to the searing blast, several of the scales seemed to wilt. Undaunted, it opened his jaws and prepared to bite the car in half.

The next few seconds were complete chaos. I swung as strong a Force Edge as I could muster, knocking the dragon's maw back just as it brought its jaws together with a loud snap. Mick braked slighty, bringing the dragon's head close enough for Meryl to smash one side while Arc brought his massive blade against the other. As it recoiled, Terry opened fire while One did … something: it looked like he grabbed a bit of air and pushed it toward the dragon. The resulting chaos was like a small explosion, after which the dragon was suddenly reeling back, its wings sending gusts over us as it turned away from the floater.

"Pull back around!" I shouted, getting ready to take a leap, "Now's our chance to-"

The end of the dragon's tail caught the edge of the floater, sending us into a wild spin. I saw Casey fly out of her seat, only to be caught by Terry. Arc had no such luck, and went flying; it was sheer chance that his foot caught on the passenger side mirror. The rest of us held on somehow, though we all knew it was only a matter of time before our inevitable landing.

Then, without warning, everything and everyone froze in place, suspended by a mysterious blue light. I waited for a few moments, half-expecting time to resume while the other half waited to see my life play out before my eyes.

Bethany appeared above (or rather, due to the spin of the floater, below) us, a curious expression on her face.

"I'll need to see your license and registration." She said, a smirk on her translucent face.

"The dragon!" I tried to say, only to discover that I couldn't speak. The stasis field that saved us also held us completely immobile. Fortunately, Bethany's quick nod told me she understood what I was trying to say. She quickly righted the vehicle and set it on the ground before removing the stasis field. I spun around immediately, only to find the dragon a distant speck on the horizon.

"East, northeast." I said to myself, watching the sweeping movements of the creature's impressive wings.

"I take it you've had an interesting trip home?" Bethany said as we exited the vehicle.

"That's a word for it." I said, helping Arc down from his precarious perch. After giving me a grateful nod, he fell to his knees by one of the dead bushes outside the mansion and promptly wretched.

One patted Arc on the arm. "Oh, come on, Arc! I thought you of all people would love a good adventure! I mean, aren't you Reggie's grandson?"

"I'm pretty sure grandpa didn't fight any dragons." Arc said weakly. "I mean, seriously, what are we gonna do now?"

"And what just happened?" Casey said, "What was that field anyway?"

Meryli raised her hand. "And what's with the talking doll?"

Pretty soon, everyone was asking questions. Feeling a headache coming on, I said, "Let's take this inside, shall we? This is gonna take a while, and I'm sure we'll all be wanting some lunch."

The sound of Arc wretching again flew through the air.

"Well, eventually, anyway." I said.

31: Chapter 31 - Mousy Plans

After what felt like several hours of retelling what had happened during the past few days, a silence fell over my living room broken only by the incessant scratching of Casey's pen as she recorded everything. The room had a decidedly somber atmosphere until a loud snore from Arc made us all jump.

Chuckling, Mick reached over and grabbed Arc's shoulder.

Arc's eyes flew open at Mick's touch. "DRAGON! There's a-"

Mick clamped a hand around Arc's mouth. "Easy, there; we're at the Saybaro, Arc. It's perfectly safe."

Arc let out a sigh as Mick released him. "Sorry Mick … everyone."

"It's okay." I said. "I think today's excitement was enough to leave us all a little on edge."

"No argument there." Meryli said. "It's kinda funny; when I called you to tell you someone in town had seen that horror, I was kinda wishing I'd seen it myself. Careful what you wish for, eh?"

I laughed appreciatively, only to quickly stop in embarrassment. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't laugh; your rental station's in shambles."

She let out a sigh. "I dunno; maybe it's for the best. I never liked the job anyway."

I paused for a moment before asking, "The Immigration Employment Initiative?"

"Yeah." She looked at me a moment later, realization in her eyes. "You too?"

I nodded. "Thirteen years ago."

She let out a low whistle. "No kidding? Damn, and I thought I had it bad … and now, this dragon thing."

"What I'd like to know is why you're here, One." Bethany said, eyeing the plush doll sitting on the arm of my recliner. "It's no secret that the appearance of any Dreamer is typically tied to events of great importance, and I certainly don't need to tell you why your appearance in particular has significance to the Glyche. Is there something on the horizon with which we should be concerned?"

"Nah, there's nothing going on. Well, nothing I know about." One said, "I just bumped into Jimmy in Wukice and thought I'd lend a hand. After all, his parents helped me out back in the day."

Bethany didn't look convinced, small surprise considering One's track record.

Coughing, One asked, "So, what's the plan now? Our first encounter with the dragon was … er, less than promising."

"I think we did well considering it tried to ambush us." Terry said mildly. "We all survived, after all."

"Thanks to Bethany." I said, nodding at the CIC's projection. She sat beside Terry, her hologram looking much more realistic.

"I have to look out for my Inheritor, don't I?" Bethany said, blushing slightly.

"I don't know about you guys." Arc said, prompting Casey, Bethany, and Meryli to politely cough in eerie unison. "Er, and gals. What I'm trying to say is that I don't think a frontal assault's a good idea."

"That is surprising, coming from you." Terry said. "You sure you don't just want to charge in and whack it with your sword?"

"I'd like to kick our liege in the butt too; that doesn't mean it's a good idea." Shaking his head, Arc said, "Seriously, we nearly got roasted today, not to mention clawed, bitten, and possibly digested. I wouldn't even want to think about attacking that thing head-on without an army behind me … or preferably, in front of me."

"Which will likely not happen." Mick said, "After all, it's not armies that fight dragons."

"Hardey-har har." Arc said, narrowing his eyes. "Don't forget he knighted you too."

Looking at One, I asked, "You're friends with Keysha Myssohn, right? I recall the Knights of the Star have connections with the dragon community. Perhaps he could help us."

"Trust me; we're better off on our own. While I'm sure Mikaen would help, the Circle of Flame's bureaucracy is enough to drive a Cleftan bonkers. Even if we did manage to get their help, they'd likely just send a strongly-worded letter to the dragon in question unless there was definitive proof that he was physically harming her."

I let out a sigh. "Okay, so there really is no one to help us."

"So we're giving up, huh?" Meryli said, sounding defeated.

"Of course not." I told her. "We already ruled out a frontal assault ages ago."

"Agreed." Terry said. "Our best bet is still to rescue the princess while the dragon's either gone or asleep."

"Ah." One said, his stitched grin widening. "Burglary!"

Arc and Casey both giggled as One jumped to his tiny feet and raised one pudgy plush finger to the sky.

"Before we do anything," I said, "we need to find where the dragon actually is. Assuming it was heading back to its lair after our encounter, that puts it somewhere east or northeast."

"I'll start a more concentrated scan immediately." Bethany said, standing up.

"Thank you." I paused and added, "And thanks again for the save."

"Anytime, my Inheritor." She said, giving me a smile.

As Bethany's image faded, Meryli asked, "Say, you got a link to the Weave here? My cellphone was in the station when the dragon flattened it, and I'd like to see if my insurance covers dragon-assault."

"Sure." I said, "Computer room's right next to the kitchen."

"Speaking of which," Arc said, "Anyone else hungry?"

A chorus of assenting voices answered him. Since I was hungry as well, I said, "Sure thing. Mick, could you show everyone to the pantry? I'll meet you there in a minute so we can all decide on something."

"Sure thing." Mick said, rising to his feet. He led most of the group out of the room, One perched on his shoulder.

Meryli and I left the living room as well, heading for my computer room. The name was a bit of a stretch, I suppose; the only computer I had was the same old computer that had been here upon my arrival. I'd upgraded it a little, but it was still ancient by most standards.

"Wow." Meryli said, her eyes on my faithful little computer. "A Cortunga Express. Haven't seen one of these since grade-school."

I shrugged. "It's all I've ever really needed."

Shrugging, she said, "Well, whatever. I just need to make a call, that's all."

I nodded and headed for the door to give her some privacy.

Terra was waiting outside. She smiled as I approached. "Hey, Jimmy."

"Hey, Terra." I said, unable to suppress a sigh. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you here."

"Just checking up on you." She said. "Heard you took on a dragon today."

"Yeah." I said with a chuckle. "Something like that."

"Dangerous stuff." She paused, a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

She took a step toward me, but I quickly took a step back.

She regarded me with a puzzled expression. "Jimmy? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I told her. Even if she wasn't real, what I needed to tell her made me feel uncomfortable. "Nothing is wrong. Well, aside from the dragon, the kidnapped princess, and the fact that the king's insane."

"I don't understand." She said slowly.

"I'm not alone anymore; I have friends. Arc, Mick, Bethany and her sisters, Narrator Number One … even Casey and Meryli."

"I'm still not getting it." Terra said. She tried to move closer to me, but I backed away again. I could feel her frustration as she said, "Why are you avoiding me?"

I slowly took her hand and held it between mine. "When I hold your hand, I feel your warmth; the softness of your fur, the smoothness of your palm, the sharp points of your nails. Even from this distance, I can smell the sweetness of your breath."

With a sigh, I let go of her hand. "But it's not real."

"Oh, this again." She said, but her smile quickly faded as she looked at my face. "You … you really don't think I'm real?"

"I want to." I said. "But that's the point, isn't it? I wanted you to be real, for a beautiful and strong woman to want to know me. If you'd appeared years ago, who knows how far gone I'd be at this point? Would I have imagined a whole family?"

"Do you want a family?" Terra asked, her hands slipping around my waist.

"More than anything." I admitted, "And if it were still just me, maybe things would be different."

"Jimmy, stop it!" She said sharply, a hint of fear in her voice. "Seriously, I'm sorry I've been so flighty lately, and I know I should've been more open about … about kissing you back at the lake. I'm sorry, and I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll explain everything, and if … if you don't want to be with me, I'll understand, but for Creator's sake, don't just write me off as a hallucination."

"I can't." I told her. "Mick, Terry, even Arc have all tried to be nice about this, to indulge me in my fantasy, but seeing you in the throne room … I can't afford to let my mind wander like that, especially with the dragon. If I keep letting my mind lapse, someone could end up dead, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my friends for a fantasy. I'm sorry, but … but I have to move on."

She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her chest before I could pull it away. The soft fur of her chest coupled with the warmth of her skin and the curves of her breasts pressing against the sides of my hand made me blush.

"If you really think I'm not real, then I only ask you give me one more night. One night alone with you, to finish what I started with the kiss. Then you'll know the truth, I promise you."

Her eyes met mine. She was so beautiful, so perfect … too perfect to be real, I realized. As my gaze fell away, she whispered, "Jimmy …"

"I'm sorry." I said, pulling my hand free as gently as I could. "I wish you were real, I really do, but I can't deal with this anymore."

Her face went from angry to confused before finally settling on stubborn resolve. Grabbing my hand and holding it so hard that I could feel her nails digging into my skin, she said, "Then I'll prove it! Right now!"

To my surprise, she pulled me through the doorway into the computer room. Meryli was sitting at the computer, her eyes facing us.

"There!" Terra said, "See? Tell him you can see me!"

When Meryli didn't respond, Terra let go of me and took a step toward her. "Hey! Meryli! Come on, say something!"

For me, it was a moment of ultimate realization. Meryli was looking straight at Terra, but it was clear she wasn't seeing her. Saddness filled me as the last remaining bit of hope in my heart died.

Terra turned back to me, a look of shock on her face. "Jim, I'm not an illusion, I promise you. I'm real. I'm a member of the Queen's Shadows, and Princess Sera is my best friend and … and …"

Seeing tears in her eyes made me want to comfort her, to hold her in my arms and assure her everything would be okay … to give in to the delusion. I wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt, but I knew I was just making it worse for myself.

"Goodbye, Terra." I said before turning away and heading out of the door.

The others were still looking around when I reached the pantry.

"Where's Meryli?" Terry asked.

"Still in the Weave." I told him, feeling tired.

Terry put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay, sir?"

"Not really." I said. "I just … said goodbye to Terra."

"You … what?" He said, sounding legitamtely surprised. "Where was she?"

"Just outside my computer room." I said, gesturing up the stairs. "Look, I appreciate what you and Mick tried do, but she's a delusion, and I need to accept that."

"Are you sure, sir?" Terry pressed, "Just because she's avoided us-"

"I can't keep questioning myself like this. She and Meryli were in the same room, looking right at each other, and Meryli didn't even acknowledge her presence."

"Sir, it may not be my place to say this, but-"

"Are you really going to tell me that I should give in to my delusions?" I said, my slightly raised voice catching the attention of Arc and Casey. Sighing, I said, "Look, until we finish dealing with Sera and the dragon, I'd really rather not think about … her. Okay?"

"I understand, sir, but just in case she's still there, I'd like to inform Bethany and check the area."

"You won't find anything." I told him more firmly than I felt. "But check if you wish. I'm going to get started on dinner."

As he hurried up the stairs, I couldn't help but think how strange it was he now eager he was to prove Terra right.

"Thank you, Terry." I said before I shook my head and walked further into the pantry.

32: Chapter 32 - Dinner with the Family

We ended up cooking a few pizzas, a family-size lasagna, a small basket of chicken strips, and some kind of casserole Mick whipped up using an old Glyche recipe. It didn't look like much, but it tasted pretty good.

We sat around the central counter in my kitchen, eating and talking. It was a strange feeling to be sharing a meal with so many people in my own home, though I'd be lying if I wasn't still distracted. Meryli was the last to arrive. She yawned as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning!" Mick said, grinning at her. "Have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, I did. Must be more tired than I thought." Shaking her head, she grabbed a plate and took a seat next to mine.

"I'm amazed you can just doze off here." Casey's cheeks darkened as Mick looked at her curiously. "I mean, Mick and Bethany are nice, but it's still a Glyche facility. I've lost count of how many horror movies I've seen in production that used Glyche facilities as their main setting.

"The Glyche I can deal with." Meryli said, pausing a moment to wipe pizza sauce from the corner of her mouth, "Ghosts, not so much, which is why I was so glad you told me about Bethany back in Iniagusville, Jimmy. I'll take Glyche over ghosts any day of the week."

"You believe in ghosts?" Terry said, surprise in his tone.

"Nope. They still scare the heck outta me, though."

Arc snorted and promptly choked on his pizza. Mick gave our young friend an over-enthusiastic whack on the back, dislodging the offending hunk of pizza and firing it from his throat. The pizza fragment flew across the room and smacked One square in the face with enough force to send his plush body flying from the counter and into the wall, where he promptly fell into my sink

Everyone had a good laugh as I retrieved the Dreamer and brought him back to his plate. He had already eaten a few slices of pizza, though how he was eating when his mouth was just thread was still a mystery to me.

"What are you going to do now?" Casey asked Meryli, vocalizing something I had been wandering myself

Meryli sighed. "Well, my garage is trashed. I ain't too broke up about it; there never was much business anyways, not in a farming community. Seeing as that place was my garage and my home, though, I guess I'll have to find myself a new place to live."

"You're more than welcome to take a room here." I said, drawing a sharp glance from both Arc and Terry.

"Really? That's real swell of you Jimmy, but ..." She sighed and said, "Nah, I don't wanna be imposing on ya'll."

"You aren't imposing." I told her. "I've got tons of space, and it would be handy to have a tekker around to help fix up the mansion, especially now that we're working on he second floor. Besides, the dragon wouldn't have destroyed your garage if it weren't for us."

I couldn't help but notice the blush at the sides of her smile as she said, "Well, if you really want me around, I guess I can't say no. Thanks, Jimbo. Er, Jim."

As the rest of us continued eating, Casey asked, "Speaking the dragon, how long do you think it'll take for Yaevin to complete its scan?"

Mick wiped his mouth on a paper towel. "A day or two to be sure; the dragon may be hiding in the mountains, which will take some time to fully analyze because of their high crystallic content. Don't worry; if it's there, we'll find it."

No one really wanted to talk (or hear) about the dragon anymore, so conversation turned to more casual topics. As Terry and Arc argued about their favorite slamm teams, I found my gaze wandering Meryli's way a few times.

She was quite pretty, seemed friendly enough, and reminded me of Uncle Ann: the bushy red hair, the freckle-covered face and shoulders, the smile on her face that looked to always be there. It was more than that, however; seeing her pitch an engine at the dragon without a shred of fear made the resemblance all the stronger.

I considered trying to turn the conversation toward her, or to talk to her directly, but a feeling of guilt came over me every time I got up the courage to do so. I eventually stopped trying; she was coming to live in the mansion, after all. There's be plenty of time for us to become better friends, perhaps even intimate. As though reading my thoughts, Meryli turned to me and caught me staring. I blushed and quickly looked away, though not quickly enough to miss the smile she gave me.

Once the leftover food and dishes were squared away, I led the group to the west wing, as there were more rooms with furniture on that side. One by one, I bid my friends goodnight.

I started to head to my own bed when I realized that I actually wasn't that tired. I suppose it comes as no surprise that I ended up standing on my bridge, leaning against the remaining railing and staring up at the stars.

As I stared at the moon, I couldn't help but wonder; in less than a month, my life had went from boring tedium of self-contemplation to … well, to what it was now: Glyche facilities, Iniagus's prophesy, a whole slew of friends, and the dragon.

The mere thought of the dragon brought to mind an image of the massive creature as it tore through the garage. With a sigh, I kicked off my sandals and sat down on the side of the bridge, letting my feet rest in the stream.

On impulse, I reached into my side pack and pulled out one of the dragon scales I had taken from the princess's room so long ago. About as large as my clenched fist, it looked like something I would have used to shingle the roof of the mansion. I rubbed my thumb against the rough surface idly, my thoughts on the dragon until I heard someone step onto the bridge.

It was Terry, still clad in his armor. Sighing, I patted the bridge planks beside me and said, "Take a load off."

Terry sat beside me with a little difficulty, keeping his feet well away from the water. "Still awake, sir? You really should get some rest."

"With Arc's snoring? Not a chance."

"Thank the Creator! I thought I was the only one hearing it!"

We shared a laugh at Arc's expense before falling once again into silence.

Turning to me, Terry asked, "Would it be too forward of me to ask what you're thinking about?"

I let out a sigh. "What else? The dragon."

"Oh. I thought-."

"That I was thinking about Terra?" I sighed, my thoughts briefly on my imagined lover. "I'm sorry for indulging her … my imagination for so long. I can't imagine what you were thinking."

"Only that you were lonely, sir … and for the record, I don't think she was part of your imagination."

"I appreciate you saying that." I said, "But it's okay."

"No, sir, I don't think it is. Look, maybe she's part of your imagination, or maybe she's real; in either case, you seemed happy when you thought she was real."

"When I wasn't freaking out at you, Arc, or Mick." I said. "Besides, Iniagus seems plenty happy. Would you want to stand with him against a dragon?"

"That's a fair point." He admitted. "Still, there was no harm."

"Not now." I said, "But she was appearing while I was awake. What if she appeared while we were dealing with the dragon? Someone could have died, and it'd be my fault. I'd rather be single than end up here alone again, some crackpot in the middle of nowhere who can't tell the difference between his imagination and the real world."

"That … does make sense." Terry said. "Still, if there's a chance-"

"If there was a chance, I'm sure she'd be here right now. Even if Meryli couldn't see her, someone could; hell, she could go banging on any console and catch Bethany's attention. There's nothing, because there is nothing. She isn't here. I have to accept that, or I might as well turn in my armband."

After a long moment of silence, Terry said, "Well, I'm here."

"Yes, but you're nowhere near as pretty."

He looked at me as though startled, but smiled when he saw my grin. "That hurts my feelings, sir."

I chuckled and turned my gaze back to the river. "It's not just Terra that has me thinking, though. Seriously, Terry, is it just me, or does something about this whole dragon thing feel off?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the dragon just happened to know the one person I knew in Salutier who just happened to have called me with information on the dragon less than half an hour prior to our passing? Was our arrival in Wenapaj really an accident? Why did we lose contact with Bethany for awhile there?"

"That does seem rather suspicious." Terry said. "Do you think Meryli's working with the kidnapper?"

"Did you see what was left of the floater rental station? That was her home. I have a hard time believing she'd be okay with the dragon levelling the place where she lived. Still, how did it know we were heading this way? What if we'd been in Wukice? It could've been days before we made it here."

"I see your point." Terry said. "Perhaps it had help on the inside? Someone who clued it in as to where we were?"

"Maybe." I conceded, "But why show itself at all? The only reason we even have a vague direction is because it attacked us. If it had never appeared at all, we'd still be in the dark."

Terry tapped a metal-covered finger on the railing. "Maybe it knew Bethany's scans might reveal it."

"They might." I agreed, "But how would the dragon even know about Bethany? Even if it was alive back when the Saybaro was built, how would it know the facility's active now? Bethany was in hibernation for over two-thousand years! I mean, who knows about the facility? You and me, of course, Arc, Mick, Casey, King Iniagus, Devon, and Meryli."

"About that; she didn't seem that surprised about the Glyche facility. It seems a little suspicious to me.

"I told her back before we left Iniagusville to head to Wukice. We bumped into each other."

"Was it really a coincidence?"

I stared at Terry for a moment. "Is there something between you and Meryli I should know?"

"What?  No! No, sir! I'm just throwing out possibilities."

It was a lie, of course; I didn't need to see his face to know that. After staring at him for a few more moments, I shook my head and sighed as I rubbed my thumb against smooth groove on the underside of the scale.

"Perhaps," I said, going for a different tact, "It's not a real dragon."

"If that's true, that was one hell of a butterfly we had on our tail today."

I bumped into Terry's shoulder, grinning at him. "I'm serious. You want to consider other possibilities, then answer me this; what looks like a dragon, but isn't actually a dragon? A shapeshifter perhaps?"

"Nah, shapeshifters have to keep a fairly constant mass."

I thought back to the Genovis facility. "Holograms?"

"Then where did the scales come from?"

I tapped the scale against my hand. "That's a good point."

"I've heard rumors that draconis-tribe sentients sometimes possess the ability to assume a larger form considered dragon-like."

"Assuming the rumors aren't just fairy tales, I guess that would be possible." I considered this for a moment; there was still much that wasn't known about the sentient tribes, especially the somewhat secretive draconis. Vaguely dragon-like in appearance, they looked more like a Longshore tribe than anything; sure, they had the long necks, the sharp claws, and the heavy scale plating covering their arms, legs, and forehead, but the rest of their body was covered with a soft layer of fur.  Even the horns were decorative, and commonly carved and embellished with jewels and gold. Not an unattractive species in my opinion, but I'd only seen a few during my travels.

Sighing, I said, "I dunno.  Maybe I'm going crazy. This whole thing seems like a pile of coincidences. I mean, what are the odds that the dragon would steal away Sera after her father promised her to either Arc or me?"

"But you said you weren't interested in marrying her. Even if Terra wasn't real, you didn't want to come between Sera and her boyfriend."

"That's right." I paused a moment and asked, "Speaking of which, does he know? Has anyone even told him yet?"

"I honestly don't know." Terry said. "Sera's probably my best friend in the palace, but she barely said a word about the guy. I know he's not Royal Guard, and that they met during last year's tournament, but I never knew his name."

"I wish we did; he deserves to know." I paused, my thoughts flicking to Terra. It seemed unfair to compare the hurt I felt to that of someone who legitimately lost his girlfriend.

After a few moments of silence, Terry said, "Look, Jimmy, there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"Hmm?" I wasn't really listening; I couldn't help but feel was missing a piece of the puzzle. One lousy piece and the whole situation would fall into view.

"I should have told you ages ago, but after all the excitement in Wukice and the dragon chasing us …" he chuckled and said, "It's been a wild ride."

"Definitely." I said, not really listening as I looked at the scale again. It was roughly oval in shape, about the size of my fist, and had a metallic sheen; all of that was in the norm as far as I knew. It was lighter than I expected as well, but then again, I had little experience with dragon scales.

"It's about … well …" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his helmet-covered head. "I'm not really sure how to say this. I'm not sure where to start."

Something that looked like a dragon, but wasn't a dragon. Why was that sticking in my head so much? I didn't know, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I already had the answer.

"You've been a good friend to me, Jimmy. After everything that we've been through, I think you deserve the truth about me, my dad, and … and my brother."

I wanted to listen to him, but I was too focused on that nagging feeling in the back of my mind. What had I seen that looked like a dragon that wasn't a dragon? Still, almost reflexively, I said, "Your brother."

"Yes, my brother. You see …" Terry paused for a moment and said, "Your thumb is blue."

I blinked, the oddness of Terry's statement wrenching me from my thoughts. "Excuse me?"

He pointed at my hand. "Your thumb; it's blue. Were you drawing earlier?"

"I haven't drawn anything since we got back." I glanced down at my thumb; it was in fact blue. In fact, it was metallic blue, the same metallic blue as the scale I was holding. I rubbed the edge of the scale against one of the wooden planks of the bridge, and sure enough, it left a metallic blue line.

Almost on impulse, I took the scale in both hands and tried to bend it. The scale of the dragon, an object that according to rumor and legend could deflect all but the strongest arrows and defend against the sharpest blade, snapped in half as though it were a saltine cracker.

33: Chapter 33 - Paper Dragon

Terry's jaw dropped. I can't blame him; I was feeling similarly stunned. At the same time, though, I felt that strange thrill one feels when unravelling a tough riddle.

"A dragon that isn't a dragon." I said, staring at the pieces of the broken scale. "Tell me, Terry, were you in the palace the night Sera was kidnapped?"

"Yes." Terry said, "I spoke with her that evening, in fact."

"Did you hear anything?" I asked. "The dragon supposedly tore through the walls. I don't care if they were sound-proofed, it would've made a hell of a noise."

Terry frowned. "Now that you mention it, no. My room wasn't that far from hers, and I'm a light sleeper. I definitely heard Princess Zelda scream when she we went to see her sister."

"In the middle of the night, right?"

"Er, yes. When she has nightmares, she likes to slip into her big sister's bed. It's really cute. Still, I didn't hear anything, and given the damage, that's ridiculous."

"Because there was no dragon, not then." I said, looking at the pieces of the scale. "That's why no one saw it. That's why Bethany couldn't detect it. I'll bet anything that Zelda found the scene before anyone was supposed to, maybe even while the kidnapper was making off with the princess."

"But her room … I mean, you saw it."

"Yes, it looked like a dragon tore open the side of the palace. There were even scales conveniently there to point to a dragon culprit. What there wasn't, however, was a dragon … not yet, at least. That was reserved for if someone was stupid enough to go looking for Sera."

I shook my head as I looked at the broken pieces. "Still, what we faced today looked a heck of a lot more real than that prop in Wukice, and Sera's room looked like a dragon had torn through there. Whoever build the dragon is some hack prop builder; he or she's an artist."

Another realization hit me. Iniagus had said it in an off-handed manner, but looking back, I couldn't help but feel like a fool for not giving it more consideration. "Not just an artist; a painter."

"A painter?" Terry hit the railing with his fist, no doubt making the same realization. "That draconis! The guy who painted the palace!"

"He had access to the palace and the equipment to reach her room from outside. I'd bet Glint he drugged the princess, set up that whole scene, slipped her out of the palace with his painting supplies, and set up that scene for us to find. No wonder he only charged the king half-price."

"He still would've had to tear a chunk of the wall out of the palace. I mean, we all saw it, right?"

"Hmm." I tapped a scale fragment against the railing of my bridge as my mind raced to put the pieces together. "How long was he there?"

"He started not long after I first met you, so I'd say at least two months. I think I see where you're going, but wouldn't Sera have noticed someone sawing into her wall?"

"Not unless the palace has a severe termite problem." I snapped my fingers as realization hit me. "Bugs. He bugged the palace! Not only would he have known when Sera wasn't around, bugging Sera's room let him hear that Iniagus assigned us to find her. I bet he slipped a bug into the throne room too, to make sure Iniagus remained blissfully unaware."

"Meaning he was listening in when we arrived, and knew we were coming. By the Creator, Jimmy, that's genius!" Terry said, "But how can we be sure? Find the bugs and trace them back to the source?"

"Not a bad plan, but that's all the way back in Iniagusville. For now, we have the scale; perhaps Bethany can find something more with a deeper scan. C'mon!"

I ran through the lobby of the mansion, Terry close behind me as we searched for Mick. He had his own room, but as he was not yet capable of true sleep, he tended to recharge via outlet in the kitchen. We found him there, already curled into a ball.

Plush One was there as well, pouring himself a glass of tea that was just a little smaller than the doll. No doubt seeing the urgent look on my face, One nodded at us and tossed a piece of hard candy at Mick's head, yelling, "Oy, Mick!"

The candy bounced off Mick's head with a loud 'ting'. Activating instantly, Mick stood up and let out a yawn before glancing curiously at Terry and me. "Jimmy. Terry. What's going on?"

"The dragon's a fake." I said, handing him the fragment of the scale.

Mick glanced at it, still looking sleepy. In a matter of moments, however, the sleepiness changed to an intense curiosity. He tapped part of the counter; to my surprise, the circular counter pulled back, revealing a small computer center.

"How long has this been here?" I said, perplexed to find so much tech in my cooking area.

"Since my last Inheritor decided she wanted to be able to cook while running genetic models." Bethany's face smiled at us from the main screen. "Good evening, everyone. Working late, I see."

"Good evening Bethany." Mick said pleasantly. "Could you analyze this scale fragment please?"

"Certainly." Blue light shot from her eyes and encompassed the scale for a few moments. "Interesting. It is made from a synthetic polymer that is light and surprisingly heat-resistant. If this came from the dragon, then the dragon-"

"-isn't real." I finished with much satisfaction. "At least, it isn't a real dragon."

"One moment." Bethany vanished, only to reappear a moment later, an image of another scale appearing on a different screen. "I found a few scales in what was left of the floater; analysis shows them to be identical in composition."

"Unne Trustworthy!" One said immediately. "He's behind this! He's got a dragon suit, and kidnapped the princess to force her to marry him, making him heir to the throne! A classic OAC three!"

The doll looked so proud of his theory that I almost didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. Almost.

"Surprisingly, no." I said, "Listen, Iniagus mentioned hiring a draconis to paint the palace. We think he created the entire scene in Sera's room to make us think it was a dragon. Maybe he had help; there's no way to be sure, but it sure as heck wasn't from a real dragon."

"We should check the palace records." Terry said. "Both for the draconis's information and for signs of anyone who might be working with him. Being a painter's one thing, but he'd need a tekker to help make his fake dragon."

"Fake dragon?" said a sleepy Casey, wandering into the room with her hair a mess and her eyes nearly shut. "The dragon's not real?"

"Oh, there was a dragon." I told her. "But it was just another prop, probably made as a backup in case someone actually started looking into the kidnapping. Let's be honest; how many people would be crazy enough to chase after a dragon?"

Terry counted on his fingers for a moment. "Counting One and the CICs, at least ten. Eleven if you're wrong about Terra, which, for the record, I still think you are."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the remark. "Fair enough. Still, that's good news! That means the Princess is okay!"

"Yes, perfectly fine while being held captive by a draconis." Casey said, taking the scale fragment from Mick and looking at it curiously. "Okay, so why did this draconis kidnap her?"

"Maybe he's a romantic, and thought he was rescuing her." Terry suggested. "She was really bothered the day I met you, Jimmy. I remember her saying that her father was forcing her to marry someone because he saw the word 'evil' spelled in his alphabet cereal that morning … with two 'E's, no less."

"Alphabet cereal." I said, shaking my head. "Yeah, that's about right."

"Maybe his interest is a little less pure. The kidnapper, I mean." said Casey, "If this draconis has been stalking her, maybe he saw this as a way to win her over; 'rescue' her from the palace, so she wouldn't have to marry either of you."

"I could see that." I said, "Given the amount of detail in Sera's room and the dragon itself, I think it's safe to say he's a bit obsessive."

"Wait a minute!" Bethany said, raising a hand to stop the rest of us. "All this is fine and perfectly plausible, but hinges on this stalker having access to the materials to rig up a fake dragon on short notice. The paint on both scales is several years old; either he was planning this for awhile, or he already had some kind of mock dragon to work with."

"That's …" Terry sighed, enthusiasm deflating. "That's a good point. Where would someone even find something like that just lying around?"

"Maybe an old prop?" I said, glancing at Casey.

"Maybe." She said with a yawn, "I can check the database for other dragon props. If so, there may be an identifying-"

She suddenly frowned, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the scale. "Hang on a sec. Jimmy, can I see the other parts of the scale?"

"Sure." I handed the other fragments to her.

After putting the pieces together and staring closely at it for a moment, she said, "There are letters here."

"What?" I said, moving around to see. At first, it looked like just like any of the other small ridges on the scale. As I stared closer, however, I was just able to make out tiny letters obscured by several layers of paint.

"One moment." Bethany's image blurred for a few seconds before solidifying. An image of a whole scale appeared on one of the side monitors. We all watched as waves of energy swept over the scale over and over again until the paint was scraped away and the words were visible.

"Property of the Nation of teh Noobs." I read aloud.

Mick rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Strange; this misspelling seems intentional."

"It's Leet-speak, slang from pre-Devastation Earth." Said One, a disgusted look on his face. "'Teh' is a common misspelling of 'the', and 'noob' basically means someone who's inexperienced."

"So, the nation of the inexperienced." I said. "What does that supposed to mean? Have any of you heard of this place?"

Casey and Terry looked at me strangely. Well, Casey did; Terry just looked in my direction, his mouth open slightly.

It was ultimately Terry who asked, "You never heard about the Nation of Teh Noobs, sir?"

Sighing, I said, "Thirteen years in the Saybaro, Terry. Not a lot of news outlets here, and my Weave connection was spotty at best before Bethany came along."

"Right. Sorry, sir." Clearing his throat, Terry said, "The Nation of teh Noobs was a theme park near the western border of Wenapaj. The king had it built for his thirty-second birthday. I remember he billed it as a theme park for anyone who loved video games."

"Sounds interesting." I said. I didn't play as many games as I did when I was younger, but it wasn't like there was a lot else to occupy the free time between my training and guarding the bridge for the past thirteen years.

"Well, it never opened." Casey said, "The king lost interest after delays in construction, and the whole thing was abandoned. Millions of shards, just wasted. The king was even forced to make a public apology."

"I bet that was something to see." I said, but a soon frowned at an unpleasant thought. "Which means this might not be a stalker after all."

"You mean … revenge?" Terry said, "Against Iniagus?"

"I don't know." I said, "But if my job suddenly died just because the king was bored, I'd be a little upset."

"Either way, Sera is definitely in harm's way." Bethany said, a worried look on her face. "Something like an amusement park should be simple enough to see from orbit. Give me a moment to run a quick surface scan.

The scale vanished, replaced with a 3-D map of Wenapaj. The map focused on the western side of Wenapaj. The map began to fill in more details; the Saybaro Mansion, the roads and rivers, part of an energy-producing city to the north called 'Brigsonstrat', and the occasional wayside hotel/bar. After a few moments, the image of a massive castle surrounded by a great stone wall appeared almost directly west of the Saybaro.

"That's it." I said, clapping my hands together. "That's where the princess and her abductor are hiding."

"It makes sense." One said, rubbing his tiny chin thoughtfully. "A place with plenty of spare parts that's far enough from any other settlement, yet close enough for him to link into the Wenapaj Weave … and hey, with a castle like that, I'd bet my rune they had some sort of ride or animatronic designed to look like a dragon."

Turning to me with a mischievous smile, he said, "So, shall we get going?"

"I suggest we finish resting first." Mick said, "The Saybaro's teleporters can take us a good distance, but we'll still have at least an eight-hour hike to reach the park."

To my surprise, Terry said, "I think we should go now, sir."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm as eager to rescue her from whatever her captor's putting her through at the moment, but Mick's right. If we show up exhausted, Sera's at even greater risk."

"They could try to leave before we get there, sir. If we wait, we might miss our chance."

"If we are unprepared for the fight, we risk being incapable of rescuing her at all." Mick said, giving Terry an odd look. "Our chances of success are higher if we wait."

I wasn't surprised when everyone looked to me for a final decision. I still wasn't comfortable in the role of the leader, but I supposed this situation was a good example of why someone had to fill the position.

"Mick's right." I said after thinking it over. "The better prepared we are, the better chance we have of resolving the situation."

"Agreed." Mick said. "Bethany, can you link into the public Weave and see if you can find a map or a schematic of the place?"

"I already have." Two small stacks of papers materialized on the kitchen counter. "I made enough for everyone to have their own."

I took one sheet from each stack. The first seemed to be a concept image of a park map, the kind of map given to park-goers. The second was a roadmap with the path from the Saybaro to the Nation of teh Noobs highlighted in red.

Everyone took a copy of each map, save Terry; he took two each.

"Meryli's in the room next to mine." He said, "I'll make sure she gets them in the morning."

"I could do it for you." Mick offered. "I need to bring Arc his anyway."

"That's all right." Terry said, tucking the sheets away in his breastplate. "One less stop for you."

Shrugging, Mick held the final set of maps to One, who didn't respond in the slightest. After a few moments and a quick prod with my finger, I realized he wasn't in the doll.

Shaking my head, I said, "I guess One has left the building. All right, everyone, go get some sleep. We'll head out in the morning after a quick breakfast. Bethany, can you send a copy of everything to the Mox Wazoo? I still doubt Iniagus will send help, but we should let Devon know what we've discovered and warn him about the possible bugs in the palace."

"I've already prepared the message." She said with a smile. "Pleasant dreams, everyone."

Mick and Casey said their goodnights as well as they left the kitchen Mick taking Plush One with him. As I started to follow them, I saw Terry still standing by the counter. I couldn't see his face, but he almost looked pensive as the counter slid back into place.

"I'm sorry." I told him.

He jumped slightly, as though he'd forgotten I was there. "What? Sorry for what, sir?"

"You were trying to tell me something earlier, and I kinda blew you off."

"Oh! Right." He seemed to fight with himself for a moment before saying, "It'll keep sir. Right now, we should probably focus on the princess."

"Are you sure?" I said, "We've got time, and if you've got something you want to get off your chest-"

"I can talk to you anytime. I know, sir … Jimmy." Terry said. "and I will when we get back. I promise."

I smiled at him. "Okay. Well, I'm heading for bed, but feel free to drop in while I'm making breakfast. We can talk tactics regarding dragon-props. I've got valuable experience, after all."

"I doubt anyone could throw this armor that high, even without me inside it, sir."

We both chuckled at this for a moment before I headed toward the door. "Goodnight, Terry."

"Goodnight, Jimmy."

As I left the room, I heard a slight rattle, as though something hit the counter, followed by a murmured, "Damn."

"It's easier to go around the table, Terry." I said without turning back.

I heard him sigh. "I'll try and remember that, sir."

Chuckling, I headed for my room and some much-needed sleep.

As I entered the room, I spotted my sketchbook lying on my bed. It immediately struck me as odd; I usually kept it on my nightstand.

As I picked it up, something brushed against my hand; a small tuft of all-too-familiar blonde hair neatly tied at one end. My heart beating fast, I opened the book to the page to see a message.

"Watch the Tekker. -Terra."

34: Chapter 34 - A Head Start

It took me awhile to get to sleep after the note I'd found in my sketchbook. Was it just another sign of psychosis? Was I hallucinating objects and messages as well? Should I tell the others?

I eventually decided against it, though I couldn't bring myself to throw away the lock of hair. Hallucination or not, it made me feel happy, so I slipped it through the silver chain of a necklace I'd worn as a child (Ironically, the old pendant was shaped like a dragon's claw), and slipped it around my neck. The silken strands brushed against my bare chest as I slipped it beneath my keikogi.

The message itself bothered me; if it was all a hallucination, it was pretty clear my mind was trying to tell me something. Had I noticed something that my subconscious worked out before I did?

After a fitful sleep, I awoke before anyone else. With little else to do and not wanting to dwell on other matters, I headed for the kitchen to prepare a little breakfast for everyone. I had just set down a plate of pancakes when One walked into the room, his tiny plush face pinched, and his hair ruffled.

"Morning, Jimmy." He said as I picked him up and set him on the table.

"Morning One. You left in a hurry last night."

"I didn't leave." One said as he pulled a thick, fluffy pancake onto an empty plate. "Luck ambushed me at our room in Wukice. Kept me up all night, not that I'm complaining."

I grinned. "Are you good for today?"

He nodding, trying his best to cover his mouth as he yawned. "Syrup?"

I poured some syrup onto his pancake, and set the bottle beside him. Using his fork like a shovel, he asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"Go to Teh Nation of Noobs, get the princess, capture the kidnapper, and get back to Wenapaj." I hefted my pack. It was heavy, but manageable. "Hopefully we can catch him out of the dragon, but if not, we'll put it out of commission. Sound good?"

"Depends on what kind of surprises the kidnapper has prepared for us. He's holed up in an amusement park, one themed after video games. Mark my words, there will be traps."

"After all we've been through, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it." I said with genuine confidence.

He nodded approvingly. "Well said. You got any crystallic cider?"

I poured him some of the magical pick-me-up into a small condiment bowl, the closest thing to a cup I could give him. As he drank up, Terry came into the room, plasma rifle slung over his armored shoulder. Without a word, he sat next to One, and let his armored head hit the table.

"One just pointed out that there might be traps waiting for us. What do you think?"

He groaned, not lifting his head from the table.

"Well put." I said, patting him on the helmet. "Say, what did you want to tell me last night?"

"Sir?" came the muffled reply.

"You were trying to tell me something before we figured out the dragon was fake. I know you wanted to wait, but it's been bugging me a little."

He lifted his head and said, "The dragon's a fake?"

"Yeesh. Get this man some coffee." One said, chuckling.

Casey walked through the doorway a moment later. She was loading her camera with some kind of silvery film, her notebook tucked under her arm. Arc was right behind her, looking surprisingly alert for a change.

"Morning, all." Arc said cheerily, sitting down beside Terry as Casey absently took the seat beside him. He knocked his knuckles against Terry's helmet, adding, "You still in there, Terry?"

"Aren't you just a bundle of sunshine." Terry said, swatting away Arc's hand. Arc just chuckled and turned his attention to the food.

"Okay," I said, "That just leaves Meryli and Mick."

The message in the sketchbook flashed through my mind. I was still thinking about it when Meryli pushed through one of the swinging doors.

"Mornin' everyone." Meryli said as she pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. "Breakfast? Why, aren't you a sweetie!"

"Eat up." I said, rising from my chair. "Terry, could you fill Meryli in on what's going on while I go find Mick?"

"Uh, I don't really …" I could see the edges of his cheeks turn red.

"I'll do it." Casey said with a laugh. "Sounds like Terry could use a reminder anyway."

I checked the living room and the lobby to no avail. I started to check the rooms when it occurred to me that I had a faster way.

"Bethany?" I asked, holding the PIM to my mouth. "Have you seen Mick?"

"Yes, he stopped by before leaving this morning."

I stopped moving instantly. "What?! Where did he go?"

"The Nation of teh Noobs." She sounded uneasy. "He didn't tell you?"

"No! We were supposed to head there today! Did he say why he was leaving early?"

"He seemed concerned that the person controlling the dragon knew you were coming."

"Well, that's fine, but why in the name of the Creator would he head off alone?"

"He thought that since he's faster on foot, he could sneak into the park and rescue Princess Sera before her abductor was prepared. I told him he should run it by you, and he said he would. From your response, I'm guessing he didn't."

"By the Creator." I said, honestly a little hurt that Mick ditched us. "Can you reach him with the teleporter?"

"I should be able to-" She frowned. "That's strange; someone put the teleportation systems on a full maintenance cycle."

"Very clever, Mick." I said. "How long will it take for the cycle to finish?"

"Three days. I can override, but stopping in mid-cycle will probably cause some alignment issues."

I winced; a misaligned teleporter node was always trouble. If you were lucky, you'd be teleported to the wrong place. If you weren't … well, places would be a more apt description of where you'd end up.

I shook my head and said, "We need to catch up to him fast. If the draconis knows he's Glyche, he'll have prepared for it."

"It would be difficult to match his speed on foot." Bethany said. "Fortunately, I have a solution. Get the others and meet me outside the mansion."

I hurried back to the kitchen and shoved the door open. Everyone looked up at me, surprised by my abrupt entrance.

"Mick went to the Nation of teh Noobs." I said.

"What?" Everyone said, none louder than Meryli as she rose to her feet.

I nodded. "He thinks he can get there and rescue the princess without putting us at risk."

"Can't Bethany just teleport him back?" asked Arc. "I was half-way to Salutier when she grabbed me."

"She could it someone hadn't activated some kind of transporter maintenance cycle."

"Mick?" Casey asked.

I nodded. "Most likely."

"Dude, the dragon's going to eat him alive!" Arc hopped out of his chair and grabbed his sword from the corner. "We gotta go after him!"

"Agreed." Terry said, rising as well. "We should go now. He's got a big lead on us, but even he has to stop and recharge."

"Grab anything you need and meet me outside." I said. "Bethany says she has something that might help us catch up with him."

Everyone else hurried to their rooms while Arc and I made for the front door. As my eyes adjusted to the light of the morning suns, I spotted what Bethany had prepared for us. My jw immediately dropped. Arc stumbled out the door a moment later, his reaction the same as mine.

It floated just off the ground at the same place where we had so nearly crashed the floater, a sleek machine distinctly Glyche in design. It looked more like a small spacecraft than a floater, though here and there I could spot components salvaged from the floater we so nearly wrecked.

Bethany appeared in the driver's seat, smiling. "I had the prototype schematics in my database, but lacked a few key components. Then you lot nearly crashed a floater into the mansion. You've probably lost the deposit on it anyway, so I figured why not?"

"Awesome! Way to go, Beth!" Arc hurried onboard, presumably to claim a seat.

I followed him into the vehicle; it was nice and roomy, with plenty of space for a group twice as large as ours. Each seat was complete with an overhead compartment, a comfy reclining chair, and a personal computer console. Bethany indicated one of the seats that had in addition to the other features a small sword stand. I couldn't help but smile as I laid Glint on the stand, several small latches immediately securing it in place.

As I put my pack in an overhead compartment, Bethany said, "I call her the Ascendant."

"The Ascendant." I repeated, taking the booth behind the pilot seat. "I like it."

Meryli and Casey stepped out of the Saybaro, followed shortly by Terry and One. All looked stunned as they beheld the sleek ship.

"All aboard!" Bethany said, motioning for them to ride.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Meryli said, climbing into the vehicle.

Bethany vanished from the driver seat, appearing again in the main walkway, one hand gesturing for Meryli to take the driver's seat.

"I'm driving?" Meryli asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course." Bethany said, "I can't stray too far from the facility. Besides, you used to repair floaters; surely you can handle this."

"Heck yeah, I can handle this!" She tossed her UBTs in a locker behind driver's seat and strapped herself into the chair, hands slightly shaking with excitement.

I hesitated, the warning in my sketchbook again coming to mind. What would I say, though? That my imaginary girlfriend left me a note telling me that Meryli shouldn't drive? I could only imagine how well that announcement would go over.

For that matter, how did I know Meryli was the tekker in question? It could be Arc, as he would have needed a basic course in general technology before beginning Kindred Studies. Perhaps Terry or Casey were Tekkers on the sly, or maybe the message was referencing Narrator Number One; Builders were essentially just extremely skilled tekkers, after all. Even I was technically a tekker, what with all the work I did on the Saybaro. Maybe the warning wasn't about a person at all, but was advising me to look at things from a more technical standpoint. In the end, I said nothing, though I resolved to keep an eye on Meryli.

Once Terry was onboard, Bethany looked at us from the view screen in the front of the Ascendant. "Good luck everyone. I will remain in contact as long as I can; once you're out of facility range, you'll need Mick to activate his link for us to converse."

"Don't worry, Miss Bethany." Terry said. "We'll bring Mick home."

"And the princess." Arc chimed in.

Bethany smiled at us. "I know you will. Stay safe, everyone."

As her image vanished from the view screen, Meryli grabbed the controls. "Everyone make sure your strapped in; I'm gonna see what this baby can do!"

35: Chapter 35 - The Nation of teh Noobs

The Ascendant shot from the courtyard of the Saybaro Mansion, just barely missing the railing of the bridge.

"Yee-haw!" Meryli whooped as the Glyche floater sped forward. In a matter of moments, the Saybaro was just a speck on the horizon.

The initial burst of speed had pushed me back in my seat, but after a few moments I found that I was able to move about normally.

"Probably some kind of inertia dampening system." I said to no one in particularly.

Meryli grinned at me. "Smooth ride, ain't it? And we're going way faster than that rental floater! We'll be there in no time!"

I felt a slight push as Meryli pulled up slightly to go over part of the Carhal Mountains. Swiveling in my chair so I could see the others, I said, "So, I suppose we should go over the plan."

"We steal the princess and get the hell out before the mad scientist sends his robot dragon after us." Arc said instantly. "That's about it, right?"

"Well, yes." I admitted. "I was thinking we could go over the maps and work out a search pattern."

"Hold on a sec." Casey interrupted, "Arc, did you say 'mad scientist'?"

"Seems pretty obvious to me. Made a dreadnaught out of an old prop, holed up in a castle, has a strange penchant for kidnapping beautiful women; sounds like a mad scientist to me."

"More like a mad mechanic." Casey replied.

"Hey!" Meryli said, looking at Casey through the rearview mirror. "I'm a mechanic!"

"Yes, but are you mad?" Casey asked.

Meryli let out a laugh that started off normal but slowly became a full blown maniacal cackle.

"Ladies and Gentleman." Terry said wryly, "Our pilot."

We all had a good laugh.

For about an hour, we studied the maps Mick had provided of the Nation of teh Noobs. It was a surprisingly complex layout; it seemed divided in one of seven areas, loosely based on video game conventions. I was relieved to see that 'sewer-level' was not one of them.

There was the Shroom Woods, a forest of mushrooms home to kiddy rides; Crystal Cove, a pirate-themed area with a massive ancient sailing vessel that was partly frozen in a fake glacier; Galactic Central, a space-themed area with an impressive observatory; Miner's Refuge, a large underground exhibit with many maze-like corridors, the Shadowlands, an fear-inspired area filled with spooky attractions, and the Aetherial Plane, an educational area that proposed to teach visitors about the many forms and uses of magic on Vinta. The final area, labelled on the map as 'Bizarre Bazaar'(and yes, I wanted to punch someone after reading that) encircle the palace and led up to the main entrance.

"It's a damn shame." Meryli said. "All that equipment just abandoned like that. Matter-replicators for food and souvenirs, state-of-the-art rides and attractions … I dunno about you, Jimmy, but I coulda used some of that."

"You mean they just left it all there?" I said, shocked at the waste.

Terry let out a snort. "The Queen was eager to stop the waste of money, and the King had completely lost interest. He probably just assigned some poor immigrant to guard it and forgot it ever existed."

"Gee, that's fair." I said. "I get stuck with a bridge in the middle of nowhere, and someone else gets the abandoned amusement park."

"Yeah, poor Jimmy." Arc snorted. "With your mansion and your Glyche facility."

A distant rumble caught my ear. Peering through the front window, I spotted storm clouds on the horizon.

"More good news." I said.

"Don't worry, Jimbo. I can handle a little rain." Meryli winked at me. "That reminds me; you think to pack some snacks?"

I opened a pack of beef jerky and offered it to her. She made a face, but took some anyway. "Never cared much for seasoned shoe-leather. Still, better than nothing."

Terry and Casey each took a piece, but before Terry could hand the packet back to me, Arc snatched the bag from his hand and rushed back to his seat. I didn't mind; I wasn't feeling very hungry.

The dark clouds slowly spread across the sky as we continued across the rocky plains. As we drew nearer our destination, conversation slowly died away. Even Arc seemed pensive, which was a refreshing change. I absently rubbed the lock of Terra's hair, lost in thought as Terry checked his rifle and Casey continued scribbling in her notebook.

All too soon, we were within sight of the Nation of teh Noobs. It lay in the dead center of a large valley, a massive castle surrounded by rollercoasters and rides seemingly frozen forever in place. It made me feel a little sad; had it been finished, it would've looked nothing short of wondrous, especially to a child.

I tried to maintain my composure, but I was worried; what was waiting for us inside the park? What kind of traps would we find? Would they just make things difficult, or would some of us possibly not make it?

The road led right up to the Main Gate. According to the map, it was the only way past the massive stone wall that surrounded the park. The massive doors had been painted to resemble the visage of our nutty liege, the massive red mustache looking as though it were designed to move in some fashion.

"Waggles." Terry said.

"Spins." Arc said.

"Guys." I said, "A little seriousness please."

Meryli shook her head. "Whatever it does, I'm flying over it."

"Wait!" Terry said as the Ascendant rose in the air. "There's a-"

The ship shuddered as it tried to pass over the gate. It wasn't like the Ascendant hit anything; more like something was pushing it back. Nevertheless, the sudden change in momentum was jarring to all inside the craft.

"-skyshield." Terry finished, falling back into his seat. "It's to keep floater traffic from being a hazard in the park."

"Great." Meryli said, "So if the main gate shuts, we're stuck in there?"

"We could always climb over the wall." Arc suggested.

"That wall's over fifty feet high." Meryli said, "I'd like to see you make it up there with that sword of yours."

"Or my armor." Terry said. "And I'm definitely not leaving it behind."

"Dude, is it worth your life?" Arc said. "Why so secretive anyway?"

To my surprise, Terry paused. "I wouldn't consider it except as a last resort. This armor was surprisingly expensive."

"We could park outside." I suggested, but Meryli shook her head.

"Ain't leavin' a work of art like this out here for some dragon to torth." With a sigh, she brought the Ascendant back down to ground level and slowly flew through the giant mouth of King Iniagus.

I saw her cringe as we passed under the massive white teeth. I couldn't blame her; I half expected them to come crashing down too.

After a long drive through a deserted parking lot, we found ourselves at the edge of the Bizarre Bazaar. There were several covered parking garages marked as 'employee parking'. We ignored the signs, agreeing unanimously that the shelter was preferable to leaving the ship out in the open.

Once safely parked, we left the Ascendant and walked rather reluctantly toward the gates that led into the park's main area: the Bizarre Bazaar. As the map indicated, this area had a definite circus theme; giant tents were visible as we reached the ticket booth, while smaller wagons and stands lined the roads.

We each took turns hopping over the turnstile, but not until I had Meryli give it a quick glance for traps. I found myself thinking how odd it was that we'd yet to trip anything. Perhaps Terry was right, and the draconis had already escaped.

I suppose I should've known better; after all, this was Wenapaj. The moment Arc slipped through the gate, the safety shutters on the other side came down with a frightening crash. Arc leapt an impressive distance away, his loud yelp nearly as loud as the falling gates.

Before we could react, the entire park came to life. Lights flared, Rides began running by themselves, carnival music blared through strategically placed speakers, and food stands began making the usual fare of the sort of amusement parks. We watched in stunned silence as hotdogs materialized on rollers, enormous turkey legs appeared on spits, and sugar was rapidly spun into billowing clouds of cotton candy.

"I think we've been made." Terry said, a high-pitched whine shooting through the air as he activated his rifle.

Arc gave him a scathing look. "No, really?

Glancing at the rest of the group, I said, "Maybe not. This might all be automated by some kind of motion-"

My voice was immediately drowned out by the boom of strategically placed speakers as a deep, cheery voice said, "Welcome to the Nation of teh Noobs! A glorious monument to video games of both Earth and Vinta! Whether you're a samurai, a white-rank, a gardener, a punk from the Center, a mechanic, or even a plush doll, I promise that tonight will be a night you never forget."

"Wow. That was subtle." Arc said, his hands clenched around the hilt of his massive sword.

"What's wrong, little ones? Are you afraid of a little entertainment?" The voice asked, "If you don't want to play, you're always free to be on your way."

The shutter retracted once again, revealing the parking lot beyond. I was surprised he'd even offer the appearance of a choice, though part of me was sure it was just another trap.

Trying my best to sound determined, I said, "We're not going anywhere without the princess."

I fully expected the gate to slam shut again, but to my surprise it remained open.

"Perhaps not now," The voice over the loudspeaker said, "However, I'll leave the door open for you in case you change your mind. Since you're here, why not take a look around? Sample the rides, experience the thrills … but remember: there's always a price. Enjoy the show, samurai."

"Wow." Plush One said from his perch on Meryli's shoulder. "Theatrical much?"

"You would know." Meryli said, giving him a knowing look.

His plush cheeks went pink. Coughing, he said, "So, where to now?"

Arc grimaced and pointed to the massive castle in the center of the park. Even from a distance, we all could see the light in the tallest tower.

"Oh, come on." Casey said, "That's way too obvious."

"You're right." Arc said. "I mean, the guy's been nothing but subtle so far."

I stared at the light. "I'm inclined to agree with Casey on this one. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure if I was Mick and didn't realize what a massive cliché it was, I'd have gone straight for it. Maybe it's wrong, but I'm more worried about him than Sera at the moment."

"Wait a minute!" Terry said as we started toward the castle. "What if this is his plan?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We all go to the castle, he slips around us and runs off with the princess. He wouldn't need a dragon for that; just a floater."

"Well, maybe we should split up then." Meryli said.

Arc let out a snort. "Speaking of clichés."

"I agree with Meryli, sir." Terry said, to my surprise. "Splitting up is the best course of action, given the circumstances."

As much as I hated to split the party, they were right. They were all right. Now they were all looking at me.

"Fine." I said. "Okay; there are six of us counting One, so I suggest we split into three teams. One stays here to cover the entrance and check out the rest of the Bizarre Bazaar while the other two circle around the castle looking for signs of Sera, Mick, the draconis, the Dragon, or anything else that looks off."

"Dude, splitting up is not a good idea." Arc said. "The draconis might be expecting that!"

"And he might be expecting us to stay together. We just don't know; this way, at least we'll have eyes near the gate should he try to slip out." I sighed, adding, "I know it's not the best plan, but the only other option is to turn tail back to the Saybaro. I'm not going until I find Mick and Princess Sera, but I won't blame any of you if you want to leave."

Arc let out a sigh and shrugged. "What the heck. I didn't want to die old anyway."

"We're with you, sir." Terry said, the others nodding in agreement. Casey and Meryli nodded with a similar sentiment.

Looking at my friends, I felt a surge of gratitude for their friendship and loyalty. "Thank you … thank all of you. Keep your eyes open for more traps."

"I thought this might be an issue." Meryli dug in her side-pack and tossed us each a small walkie-talkie.

I caught mine, a little embarrassed I hadn't thought of bringing some myself. "What's the range?"

"About a five-hundred feet. They aren't great, but I've got them set up to act as relays; if we spread out the right way, we should be able to stay in touch. Just don't be surprised if they get jammed; if he's a tekker of any skill, he'll have ways of cutting these off."

"Still better than nothing." I said, clipping the device to my sash. "Now we just need to split off into teams."

"I'll take the gate." Meryli said. "I'd like to keep an eye on the Ascendant, just in case the bastard tries to make off with it."

"I'll stay with her." Terry said.

Meryli shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't need a protector, Terry."

"It's two to a team." Terry said. "And if we do run into trouble, I can fire off a blast to alert the others."

"Good idea." I said. "It'll give us a warning even if we're out of range."

Meryli looked like she wanted to argue, but just pursed her lips and nodded. I would've written it off as her just being uncomfortable around Terry if it weren't for the note in my sketchbook. As it was, I was glad Terry was going to be able to keep an eye on her.

"I'm going with Jimmy." One said, floating over to me and landing on my shoulder. "You're going straight to the castle, right?"

"Yes." I said, "I'll check the tents along the way, of course, but I'd like to rule out the castle."

Arc and Casey looked at each other. Neither looked particularly pleased.

"If you feel safe enough on your own-" I said.

"I'll head to the Aetherial Plane." Casey said at the same moment Arc said, "Dibs on Crystal Cove."

"Fair enough." I paused, feeling I should say something before we headed off to what could be our doom. Strange how mysterious Glyche facilities barely made me bat an eye, yet this felt somehow more dangerous. I looked at each of them for a long moment before finally saying, "Stay safe, everyone."

With that, we went our separate ways. One patted me reassuringly on the shoulder as I walked toward the castle.

"Don't worry." One said. "I really doubt he's out to kill us."

"I don't know." I said, peeking into an empty tent. "He certainly gave it a good try when we chased him out of Salutier."

"Yeah." One said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess that's a good point. Still, actually killing someone … actually doing it as opposed to defending yourself, that's not something I think anyone really can do easily. My instincts tell me we're gonna run into traps designed to … er, trap. Either that, or just slow us down."

"I hope you're right." I said.

"Tell you what." One said, "Give me a sec and I'll see if we've got a proper Atlas for this place in the Elsewhere. It'll show us where the traps are, and whether or not they're deadly."

"That … sounds really helpful." I said.

"Right. Might take a few minutes depending on the mood of the Library, so you might as well go on without me for the time being."

"Understood. See you soon."

With that, the doll fell limp in my hands. I tucked it in my pocket and headed cautiously into the heart of the Bizarre Bazaar.

36: Chapter 36 - Shadow Boxing

It didn't take me long to regret the Dreamer's absence; there was a definite air of spookiness to the Bizarre Bazaar. The canvas-covered tents whispered with the wind, and the activity of the rides and booths continued to strike me as disquieting. I couldn't shake the feeling that the Bizarre Bazaar would be better called the Spooky Circus.

Most of the tents were little more than wooden framework covered with canvas. Perhaps these were incomplete attractions, or perhaps they were meant to hold circus acts that never came. Whichever was the case, I checked every one just to be sure, but found nothing of note.

Eventually, however, I reached a tent that was an actual building. The outside of the circular building had merely been painted with the same red and yellow stripes as the tents, but was clearly something different.

Deciding to investigate, I walked up to the door. There were several signs set around the door, most with the usual 'step right up' and 'not for the faint of heart' messages you'd expect. The large placard on the door itself, however, read, "Face your Worst Enemy."

I frowned, my ears picking up sound from the other side. I put my ear against the door and listened. Sure enough, I could hear the sound of sobbing coming from within the building.

The door handle was stubborn, but I'd had plenty of experience with stubborn locks while fixing up the first floor of the Saybaro. It took a little work, but eventually the lock clicked open and I opened the door.

The building was one central room, a little bigger than the courtyard of the Saybaro. Everything was blanketed in darkness save for a figure in a chair in the very center of the room. I couldn't make out many details, but it looked like the figure was wearing the same silly armor that Sera and the rest of the female guards apparently had to wear.

The head suddenly jerked to the side. "Hello? Who's there?"

My pulse quickened. That was Sera's voice! Hurrying to her side, I said, "Princess Sera! It's Jimmy Sakamota. We came here to rescue you."

"Thank the Creator." She said, "Quick, untie me so I can help you track down the bastard who kidnapped me!"

I nodded and glanced at her bindings; the kidnapper had bound her hands with nothing more than rope.

"This might take a few minutes." I said apologetically as I prepared to saw at the rope with Glint. I pressed Glint against the rope only for it to pass through both the rope and Sera's wrist as though they weren't there.

"Hologram." I murmured, horror filling me as I realized I'd walked into a trap. I immediately ran back toward the door, only to collide with a wall I couldn't see. As I reeled back, I heard the crackle of a loudspeaker system being activated.

"Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, royal guard, knight of the realm, and self-styled samurai." Said the same voice that taunted us at the entrance. "Surely you didn't think it would be that simple."

"Not really." I admitted, fairly certain he could hear me. "Would've been nice, though."

"Oh, no doubt. Rescue the princess, slip out of the park before the big bad dragon finds you, then retire to your precious Saybaro with a Princess bride."

"Princess? Yes. Bride? No." I came to the end of one wall only to feel the corner of another. "I'm not out to marry the princess."

"Of course you are! She is sexy and strong, and her heart is kind. She deserves better than to be given away as a prize! That's why I rescued her!"

"Rescued? You kidnapped her!" I retorted. "Stole her from her boyfriend, her parents … her little sister who slipped into her bed whenever she had a bad nightmare."

Silence answered me. Sighing, I said, "Look, I get it; you like her, and love can make people do strange things, but how are you any different from her father by kidnapping her?"

"I am not Iniagus." The voice sounded angry now. "I gave her a choice."

"You mean you demanded she choose you." I said. "Hardly a true choice."

"What do you know of it?" The kidnapper said. "You've spent thirteen years alone at a bridge! What do you know of love?"

I immediately thought of Terra. I didn't want to; I'd been trying to keep her out of my thoughts, but it was like she had a foothold in my mind. "I know that sanity and love aren't necessarily bed partners. I know that it's easier to accept a lie than to deal with the truth. I even know that sometimes, despite all your hopes and plans, some people just can't be together."

Having made a complete circle, I sighed and walked back to the spotlight. "I know that being in love can make your judgement questionable. The thing is, love can't be one-sided. Think about what you've done; were you really thinking of Sera, or just of yourself?"

The whirring of an electric motor made me quickly step back. A small pedestal rose in the center of the room, topped by a crystal ball. The light from the spotlight seemed to be absorbed into the crystal until it let out a pulse of light that spread through the area.

Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I spun about with Glint at the ready to find myself staring at … myself. Several myselves, actually; the walls I'd touched were in fact mirrors.

"Enough talk." The kidnapper's voice said. "Whatever your true motivation, you won't be able to continue until you've found your way out of this little maze."

"I'm not here for games!" I said.

"Ah, but all of life is a game, a show, and adventure. Of course, you know that, don't you, Sakamota?"

"The thing about games is that sometimes you can cheat." I swung Glint at the nearest mirror, only for the blade to bounce off an invisible field.

The kidnapper's laughter filled the room as the orb let off another pulse of light. "Don't let the décor fool you. This is a state of the art facility. No, you'll have to think your way out of this maze, Samurai. Of course, if you promise to leave …"

"Not happening."

"Your choice. Wander to your heart's content, Sir Samurai."

I tried climbing one of the mirrors, but the same field repelled me; the moment I grabbed the upper edge, the mirror vibrated so hard that I couldn't maintain my grip. Sighing, I released the mirror and looked at my surroundings through the pulsing light.

Seeing what looked like opening, I stepped forward only to smash straight into an invisible wall. Holding my nose, which was sore but thankfully not broken, I swore loudly. Using Glint's sheath, I poked around the area like a blind man, trying to find the exit. Finally I found it … straight through one of the mirrors.

"So I can't trust my eyes at all. Perfect." I pulled out the One doll and gave it a quick shake, hoping that it might come to life. It simply stared back at me with brown button eyes, giving me no sign that the Dreamer's consciousness was within the doll.

Shaking my head, I put the doll back in my pocket and kept moving. Poking around with Glint and my sheath, I eventually poked my way through the maze enough to see the door through which I entered.

Forgetting myself, I stepped toward the entrance and straight into another wall, this time so hard that I fell on my backside.

Laughter rang through the intercom, making me blush as I rose to my feet.

"Yeah, yeah." I said, making a mental note to beat the Nocturnes out of the kidnapper once I figured out where he was hiding, "Very funny."

"Oh, come on. Admit it, if you saw someone else do it, you'd laugh."

"Tell you what," I said, "Let's trade places and see if you're right."

The voice laughed again. "Another time, perhaps. Continue on!"

Grumbling, I tried to work my way to the door. Unfortunately, every path I found seemed to lead away from it. Worse yet, several passages I'd walked through earlier seemed to be solid now. The maze was shifting, so much so that I eventually ended up right back in the center again.

"Ready to give up yet?" The kidnapper asked, amusement still clear in his tone.

"No thank you." I said pointedly.

I glanced around where I stood. This was carnival attraction, so there must be some trick to it … but what was it? I couldn't trust my eyes, and the shifting of the walls made trying to feel my way out next to impossible. I could hear the sliding of mirrors, so obviously some were real, but how could I tell them apart from the fakes without physically touching them?

As the light pulsed again, my eye caught one of my reflections. The area around me lit up with each pulse of the light, but in that one mirror, it looked as though I was stuck in the shadows.

I stretched my hand out, still expecting to feel the vibrating energy field only for my hand to pass through the reflective surface. The next time I came to a branching path, I again found that the mirror with the shadowed reflection was false.

It didn't take me long to find my way back to the entrance. Unfortunately, as I reached for the handle, the entire wall spun around so that the door was on the other side of the room again.

"Not so fast, my friend. A strong mind is a truly valuable asset, but a strong body is even more so in this world. There is a second part to this attraction, my friend, one I think you'll find most illuminating."

All around the room, the mirrors slid back into the ground or simply vanished. To my horror, every shadow reflection of me remained, promptly turning to face me. Each figure pulled out a shadowy Glint, and held it at ready.

Grabbing my own weapon, I said, "Here we go."

I ran at the nearest shadow, Glint slicing through the air. The figure dodged my attack and attempted to counter-attack, but its movements were slow and jerky. Easily avoiding the attack, I drove Glint through the shadow Jimmy's armpit and into its chest. Without a sound, his form dissolved into a dark cloud that dissipated moments later.

Without wasting a breath, I dove at the next one, and the next one, and the next one. They may have looked like me, but they definitely weren't as good with a sword. They did get better, however; the last dueled me for five minutes before I finally caught it with a feint and dispatched it with a slash to the chest.

As the last shadow faded into nothingness, I called out, "Is that it?"

"Not quite. Look behind you."

I turned. The clouds of darkness reappeared and coalesced into a single figure. It still looked like me, but as it drew Glint and made a few passes with it, it was obvious that this one wasn't going to be a pushover.

He came at me, Glint swinging through the air in a deadly arc. I sidestepped and countered, but he quickly came about and blocked me. He batted my sword aside and stabbed toward me. I barely managed to avoid being skewered on his sword, though he did manage to tear my keikogi.

I flipped over my adversary, and stabbed backwards. My doppelganger dove forward, avoiding my attack. I brought my blade around in a spiral, only to be blocked again. As he took another swing at me, I realized I needed a new strategy.

The progression of shadows must've been learning from me, meaning that they'd likely learned enough about my sword-fighting ability to keep me at bay. I needed to try something different, something that would go against the precision and grace of bushido.

I promptly dropped Glint. This seemed to surprise my shadow self; he cocked his head to the side, a quizzical expression on his face. That was long enough for me to punch him in the face. He staggered back a few steps, sword still to the side as he tried to process this new method of attack. Before he could recover, I used the toe of my sandal to kick Glint back into my hand and stabbed him in the chest. He stared down at the blade in his chest for a moment before meeting my gaze and giving me a brief nod before dissolving into nothingness. The shadowy Glint hit the floor, remaining corporeal a moment longer before finally vanishing into thin air.

I'd scarcely caught my breath before the sound of clapping filled the air. "I must admit, I am impressed. Most of the people who tested this attraction failed, yet you faced yourself in battle and were victorious."

There was a pause. "It's a shame your skill is wasted in the service of an insane king. Are you truly willing to throw your life away on this fool's errand? Would you kill me in the king's name?"

I thought about it for a long moment before finally shaking my head. "No. I will fight to save the princess, but I won't kill unless I have to. Will you kill to keep her here?"

When he didn't answer, I said, "Let her go and we will leave. I'll call my team and have us out of here in the hour. I'll tell Iniagus that you escaped before we got here."

"You really mean it, don't you." He said, disbelief clear in his voice. "You'd just let me go."

"As long as you didn't harm the Princess, there's no reason for us to cross blades." I said, sliding Glint into its sheath. "End this. It needn't come to bloodshed."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Perhaps if you find me, then you'll understand. For now, you've earned the right to continue your investigation. Walk with care, samurai."

When nothing more was forthcoming, I let out a sigh and headed for the now-open door.

37: Chapter 37 - Spooks and Spoops

For a few minutes, I thought I made a good impression with whoever was on the other end of the intercom. His last words carried with them respect … a begrudging respect, granted, but respect nonetheless.

That thought faded as the kidnapper's voice followed me on my path toward the castle, saying things like, "That's the wrong way!", or "Go back while you still can!" I gritted my teeth and continued onward until I spotted another building made to look like a tent.

While I was wary of going inside, I nevertheless approached so I could read the sign on the door. To my surprise, there were only three letters printed on the sign: L, O, and another L.

"I'd leave that one alone if I were you." My kidnapper said.

"Oh?" I said, a grin spreading across my face. "Something there you don't want me to see?"

"Well, no, but it's an unfinished attraction. I'd hate to give you the wrong impression of my wonderful little paradise.

I paused; there was a definite change in tone; almost as though he were a little frightened himself. Interpreting this as a sign that he was hiding something, I said, "Now I'm really curious."

As I grabbed the handle, the voice on the intercom tried one last time to dissuade me. "Look, Jimmy, take my word for it; I'm not in there, and you aren't going to like what is."

Ignoring him, I opened the door.

The room was dark. Moments after I opened the door, a light activated in the center of the room, lighting up the entire building enough for me to see dozens of hunched over figures scattered around the building.

The figures wore colorful costumes with bells and fluffy bobbles, and their shoes were strangely large.

"Uh, hello?" I said, taking a hesitant step forward.

Slowly, each and every figure stood up and turned to face me. Dozens of painted smiles greeted me throughout the room, the silence broken only by the occasional chuckle. It was a little unnerving, I grant you, but I wasn't afraid. I'd never really understood the fear clowns generated. These weren't even real clowns; from the whirring of motors, they were mechanical. Just after I'd written them off as robots, all the clowns slowly smiled at me, showing rows and rows of jagged, metal teeth.

"Uh, sorry to disturb you." I said, slowly backing through the door as the sound of giggling filled the building.

The laughter grew louder and more maniacal. Several clowns drew items from their belts; never before had rubber chickens, juggling pins, and brightly painted balls seemed so threatening.

A loud laugh made me spin around; one of the clowns was bearing down on me, his maniacal grin just a few feet away.

I ducked beneath his outstretched arm and darted through the open door. I tried to slam the door shut, but a gaily clad arm shot through the opening just before the door closed.

As I pressed against the door to keep the clowns from escaping, I heard my radio activate.

"Uh, Jimmy?" Arc's voice asked, "You got a moment?"

"Kinda busy here, Arc." I slammed the door against the clown's arm. I doubted it was designed to feel pain, but my efforts apparently were enough to make it draw its arm back enough for me to close the door.

"I've, uh, got a problem. There's this animatronic pirate fox trying to-"

"Clowns, Arc. Clowns with sharp metal teeth."

"Ah. Never mind. I'll figure it out."

"Good." The metal blade of a large kitchen knife pierced through the door right beside my head. I fumbled with the handle, but there was no lock.

Laughter echoed from the other side of the door as the knife stabbed through the door again and again, some coming uncomfortably close to my hand as I held the door closed.

"Jimmy!"

I turned to see Mick's head poking through a large manhole in the ground. Fortunately, he seemed to realize I was in trouble, and quickly motioned for me to follow him. Nodding, I made a run for the manhole. I barely made it a few steps before the door slammed open and creepy laughter filled the air. There was no reason to turn around; I kept running until I reached the hole. I climbed through and with considerable effort, pulled the manhole cover over the opening. As it slid into the recession, I heard a loud click.

"Don't worry." Mick said, "It's just a locking mechanism."

"Thank the Creator for that." I said as I climbed down the rungs and joined Mick. He looked no worse for wear, though his clothes were a little dirty.

"Are you injured?" Mick asked, his scanners already sweeping over me. "Jimmy, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Mick, what are you doing here? Why'd you run off without us?"

"Did Bethany not tell you?" Mick said, a puzzled look on his face. "I hoped to rescue the princess and bring her back to the Saybaro without anyone coming to harm."

"And what would've happened if you came to harm, Mick?" I asked him. "What if you were hurt? How do you think the rest of us would feel if we found you injured or dead?"

His cheeks gold, Mick said, "I just figured that as a core unit-"

"What, that you were more expendable?" I let out a sigh, more from disappointment than anger. "Mick, you've known me for months. Do you really think I think less of you because you're artificial?"

"No." He said, gold spreading across his face. "You've treated me as an equal."

"That's because you are." I said. "You're my friend, and I don't want to see any of my friends hurt. Sure, we're all at risk here, but at least together, we can watch each other's backs. Okay?"

He smiled at me. "Okay … and I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I said, patting him on the shoulder. "You're okay, and now that we're all here, we have a better chance at finding the Princess. Speaking of which, have you found anything of note yet?"

"I'm afraid not. I was in the Aetherial Plane when I thought I saw someone slipping into a manhole; turns out it was a trap."

"He trapped the sewers?" I said, glancing around the long corridor in which we stood. Truth be told, it didn't look particularly sewer-like; while the passage did have streams of nasty-looking water on either side, there was no smell whatsoever.

"Well, it's not really a sewer; that's a few levels down. I'm not certain, but I think this might be some kind of tunnel system for park employees." He gestured to the corridor on his right and said, "I passed several changing rooms and a breakroom earlier. That's where I found this."

He held up a slightly dusty identification badge, the name 'Finnegan Cresste' visible beside a photo of a young man with butter-blonde hair.

"Good thing, too, or it would've taken me longer to open the access hatch." Mick said, tucking the ID in his shirt pocket. "Strange, that our kidnapper was trying to warn you about the clowns."

"Speaking of which." I pulled out my radio and activated it. "Arc, you still alive?"

There was no response, so I tried again. "Arc? You there? Casey? Meryli? Terry?"

Mick let out a small cough. "This 'Sewer Level' seems to be shielded from outside contact. I lost contact with Yaevin the moment I came down here."

"My radio was working just a moment ago." I said. "Either our kidnapper just turned on a jammer, or they shielded the Sewer Level to keep them from using their cellphones on their breaks."

"Perhaps all we need to do is go above ground."

"Not here." I said, glancing up at the manhole. "Let's find another opening … preferably in a different section of the park. Perhaps there's a tunnel that leads straight to the castle."

"There are." Mick said, "But they've been closed off. Recently, from what I could tell."

I frowned. "How recently?"

"Hard to say. No more than twelve hours at most."

"Cautious, or did he know we were coming?" I said, again thinking of the message in my sketchbook. "She would've made the call about twelve hours ago, right about the time we had dinner."

"Pardon me for asking, but who would've made the call?"

"Meryli." I told him. "I'm not saying anything for certain, but she might bear watching … provided we can get out of here."

I half-expected Mick to question me about this, but he simply nodded and said, "Then let's proceed. Going by the design schematics, the closest areas would be either the Shroom Woods or the Shadowlands."

I pulled out my map of the park. "As ominous as the Shadowlands sounds, it's closer to Crystal Cove. Arc sounded like he might be in trouble, so I'd like to make sure he's okay."

"Agreed." Mick gestured to the open corridor. "Shall we?"

There wasn't much to say for the Sewer Level. While obviously playing off the whole video game theme of the park, it really was just a set of tunnels and a few employee rooms of little interest. We checked each room in passing, but other than a few disused mascot costumes, found little of interest.

Of more interest to me was the lack of taunting from the kidnapper. We didn't hear so much as a peep from him as we walked through the tunnels. It worried me; perhaps he was taunting one of the others, leading them astray.

Eventually, we reached a ramp that led up to a set of doors set into the ceiling. The doors slid open after Mick swiped the employee card, revealing the dark sky above what looked to be the inside of a mausoleum.

My suspicious were correct; after Mick broke the lock, we opened the massive doors to reveal a moonlit graveyard. This would've surprised me if our visit to Wukice hadn't shown me how easily creative holography could be applied.

"Very spooky." I said as the doors slid shut, their presence disguised by two sarcophagi sitting above them.

"According to the design documents, this area was designed to represent the horror genre." Mick said.

I chuckled. "Nothing more classic horror than a spooky graveyard, I suppose. Surprised they didn't put the clowns over here either."

"Indeed." Mick said, turning to face me. "Is your radio still malfunctioning?'

"What? Oh, right." I pulled out the radio and activated it again. "This is Jimmy. I've found Mick, and he's okay. Can anyone hear me?"

"Jimmy? Oh, thank the Creator!" Casey's voice said. "I'm stuck in the Aetherial Plane!"

Mick and I exchanged glances at this rather confusing statement. Raising the radio to my mouth again, I said, "Um, could you clarify that please?"

"I can't! I just stepped in the building, and now it's like I'm floating in an epileptic's nightmare."

"Sounds like she's run afoul of one of the attractions as well." Mick said.

Nodding in agreement, I said, "Okay, just … float there for now, and we'll head your way after picking up Arc."

"Can't you get here first? If the kidnapper finds me here, I'm history!"

"What about your camera?" Mick asked.

Casey sighed. "I dropped it when whatever this is started. I can see it floating in front of me, but I can't reach it. Besides, Arc's probably fine; you know how he-"

"I am so not fine!" Arc's voice said in a loud whisper. "Stop talking, or they'll hear you!"

"Who?"

"Shh!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Where are you?"

"In the hold of one of the pirate ships near the gate to Galactic Central. The name's something with an 'A': Arcadia, Alundra, Astynax, something like that."

"Great. Terry, Meryli, can either of you read me?"

Someone responded, but I couldn't tell who; there was too much static to get a clear answer.

"Out of range." I said. "Damn."

"We could split up." Mick said. "One of us goes to Arc, the other to Casey."

"That puts us at risk as well." I said.

"But if we delay, Arc or Casey might not make it." Mick said. "You are our leader, Jimmy. It's your choice."

I let out a sigh. "No pressure then."

None of the options seemed good, but I didn't want to risk being too late to save a friend. With a sigh, I said, "Fine. Go save Casey; you're faster, and the Aetherial Plane's on the other side of the park. I'll get Arc."

"Understood." He was off in a flash moments later.

"Mick!" I called after him. He stopped and looked at me.

"You be careful, okay?"

He smiled and nodded at me before resuming his egress. Sighing, I turned my sights back upon the Shadowland and started walking.

I have to give the designers credit; the Shadowlands were definitely creepy. While horror was the overall theme, the area was laid out like a small abandoned city. Sure, I passed a few horror-themed rides like the Bone Grinder and the Doom Train, and even spotted an impressively spooky mansion (The Macabre Manor, going from a stone-chiseled sign on one of the posts on the outer gate), but the people who had built the place were definitely going for an overall ghost town effect.

I quickened my pace as I passed what looked like an old elementary school, its true nature as an attraction given away somewhat by several food stands amidst the shells of old floaters and cars in the parking lot. Every now and then, I could have sworn I heard a clownish giggle in the distance … and that was by far the least of the creepy sounds coming from the fog.

Despite the sounds, the streets were completely abandoned. I tried to keep my direction constant, knowing it would be all too easy to lose my way. Unfortunately, the layout of the town made this difficult. I'd reach the end of one street, only to be blocked by an old church or a hospital. In one case, the road itself was simply gone, like some massive hand reached down and tore a chunk out of the road.

Every door I tried was locked tight. I eventually stopped checking; while I knew the princess could easily be hidden in any building, with the fog blanketing the area, the kidnapper could be in his dragon machine twenty feet away and I likely wouldn't notice.

The whole area seemed like the perfect place for an ambush; I could barely see, the abandoned town and strange sounds had me on edge, and the wide open streets left me exposed. Strangely, however, nothing happened. The kidnapper didn't even taunt me.

Eventually, I came to a wall of buildings. Different paint, different signs, different materials … different buildings, yet put so close together that they formed a solid wall. I wondered if this was the edge of the Shadowlands and looked for the parapets of the castle towers in hopes of confirming I was still headed the right way. Unfortunately, between the fog and the night sky, I couldn't make out anything more than fifty feet away.

I considered asking Arc via radio; after all, he must've come through the Shadowlands to reach Crystal Cove. If he was still in danger, however, using the radio could give him away. He clearly thought as much from his last communication. Having no other recourse, I started walking down the sidewalk of the wall of buildings, my eyes searching for some kind of gate or passage.

The buildings of the abandoned town began to thin with the fog, the wall of buildings becoming instead a massive iron fence with a fast-moving river just beyond, a moonswept plain seemingly lying beyond. There was a hint of light on the horizon; as though morning were just moments away from breaking. Hearing the hopeful sound of waves in the distance helped me put a little more spring in my step, as I realized I must be getting close to the pirate-themes crystal cove.

The gate eventually opened to a single covered wooden bridge. I shook my head at the irony as I started across to the plains beyond. No sooner than I'd set foot on the creaking planks, a deep voice whispered, "Turn back."

I'll admit, it made me jump. After a few moments, however, I only felt annoyed. "Very funny." I said aloud. "I wondered when I'd hear from you again."

"Go back to the Saybaro." The voice breathed. There was something different about the tone, but I wrote it off at the moment as simple voice-changing software.

"Not without the princess. Now if you don't mind, I'm a little busy at the moment." I continued walking down the bridge, the boards creaking under my sandaled feet.

A ghoulish howl set the hairs on the back of my neck on edge. More angry than scared, I said, "Would you knock it off? I'm not running away. I came here to rescue the princess, and it's going to take more than spooky noises and empty buildings to scare me off!"

A long moment of silence followed, prompting me to let out a sigh of relief. Before I could take another step, however, I heard a low growl behind me. I slowly turned to see a skeletal knight astride a spectral horse, the green fire that was its eyes boring into me like diamond-tipped drills. After a few moments, it slowly drew a twisted black blade from its sheath. The moment it was fully exposed, the blade burst into blue flame.

"Okay," I admitted, backing up, "That's a much better trick."

With an unearthly howl, the skeletal knight spurred his spooky mount into a full gallop. I quickly considered my options; fighting was iffy; while this was obviously a prop, I knew first hand that didn't mean it was safe. A holographic blade can still cut, holographic fire could still burn, and holographic hooves could still trample me to death. Unfortunately, that ruled out the possibility of running as well; I couldn't hope to outrun the horse on foot.

There wasn't anything for it; the moment the spectral horse's hooves clattered against the bridge, I threw myself over the railing and fell into the raging river below. The current was even stronger than it looked; in a matter of moments, I was swept away.

I wasn't free yet, though; the skeleton knight and his horse followed on the side of the river. To my surprise, he sheathed his sword and swung himself to the side of his spectral ride. As he pulled one arm free, I realized what he was trying to do; sure enough, he used his longer arm to try and claw at me as I struggled to swim away.

I batted the long bone arm aside; ahead I could see the circular opening where the river flowed under the wall of buildings, just beyond the iron gate. If I could make it that far, he would either have to give up or jump in the river with me, which would at least take the unearthly fire out of the equation.

Just before I could slip though, however, I felt the skeleton's bony hand squeeze my shoulder, holding me fast. Bracing myself as best I could against the side of the concrete walls of the river, I hammered glint against the bone to no avail; the few times I managed to hit between the armored plates of the skeleton's gauntlets, Glint didn't even manage to chip the bone.

The skeleton started to pull, its grip on my shoulder painfully tight. I tried to pull back, but I simply didn't have a good enough purchase on the side of the river to push back with full force.

"LET GO OF HIM!"

To my astonishment, Terra landed on the back of the spectral horse. With one swift swipe of her energy dagger, she separated the skeleton's head from its body. It hit the grass on my side of the fence, the green fire still in its eye sockets.

With another swipe, she had the long boney arm in her grasp. Shoving the rest of the flailing skeleton from the horse, she met my gaze and said, "I've got you, Jimmy."

The skeleton let out a wicked cackle. I felt surge of relief immediately followed by a sense of panic as the skeletal hand let go of me and bent to grab at Terra. Her eyes went wide as she fought off the elongated arm, but the concern there wasn't for hersel, but for me. I could feel it somehow. Still fighting off the skeleton, she reached out for me, desperation in her eyes.

"Jimmy! Grab my hand!"

I lunged for her hand, only for the skeleton to pull her arm out of my reach. My fingers scrambled in the grasp, eventually grabbing the skull itself and pulling it along with me as I fell into the river. The strength in my arms all but gone, the river's current pulled me into the dark tunnel beneath the buildings.

38: Chapter 38 - The Ones in Crystal Cove

I awoke to the sound of dripping water echoing against the stone walls of the cavern in which I rested. I promptly rolled onto my side and retched out a lungful of water.

"Oh, good." Said a pleasant voice, "You're awake."

I couldn't reply; my stomach was still heaving. Thankfully, I'd eaten little that day, so there wasn't much to expel.

A different yet familiar voice said, "That's it. Take your time and let it all out."

I drew in a shuddering breath before slowly pushing myself up. Something soft and slighty damp patted my hand, nearly making me jump to my feet.

"Whoa!" Plush One said, "Easy there! You all right, man?"

"One." I breathed, relaxing somewhat. "Thank the Creator, you saved me."

"With my assistance, of course."

Realizing the sound was coming from my left hand, I looked down to see the skull staring back at me.

"Gah!" I dropped the skull, which bounced across the floor of the cave with a series of thunks, each punctuated with a loud, "Ow!"

"Careful, Jimmy!" One said as he hurried over to where the skull eventually stopped. To my amazement, he turned the skull over and turned it to face me. "If Dee hadn't started shouting, I wouldn't have realized you were in trouble."

"Dee?" I said.

"Yes, Dee!" The skeleton said in a mildly indignant tone. "And after your friend did this to me!"

"I'm sorry, Mister-"

"Miss."

I paused for a moment to consider this before nodding. "Fair enough. I'm sorry about your body, but to be fair, you did attack me."

"Of course I attacked you. That's my job. Classic horror, that is. Lone hero walks down covered bridge, gets assaulted by spooky horsewoman? I was even gonna throw my head at you." The skull let out a sigh, though how it did so without anything a living being would need to even breathe was a complete mystery. "People would've loved that."

"But your sword-"

"Neat effect, eh?" She said brightly. "My idea. Eats through the metal in about a minute, but you have to admit, it looked quite amazing."

"It did." I said, still feeling confused. "So when you were grabbing me …"

"Well, you fell in the river!" The lady skull said. "You're the first proper patron this clark's ever seen! I couldn't just let you drown!"

"I see." I said, rubbing my forehead. "And your screaming?"

She let out a wicked cackle that reverberated through the stone walls of the cavern. "I've been practicing that for years. Good, eh?"

I started to nod when something the skull had said clicked in my head.

"Terra! You saw her, right?"

"Your friend? The one who cut off my head?" The skull asked, irritation seeping into her voice. "I didn't get a clear look or anything … you know, before she decapitated me."

"I'm sorry about that." I said, "Did see her at all? Even just a glimpse? Please, I need to know."

"Well, whoever it was moved fast and used some kind of plasma weapon; my bones are made of reinforced heat-resistant polymers."

"Polymers?" One said. "Wait, you aren't a real skull?"

"Oh, my skull is real." Dee said, "But you can't blame a girl for having a little work done."

"I suppose not." I tried to stand, and banged my head on the ceiling of the cave.

Dee let out another cackle. "Watch your head, Jimmy."

"Where are we?" I asked, rubbing the bump on my head.

"Some kind of maintenance tunnel." One said. "The left passage goes back to the river, though if you go that way, you can pull yourself out."

A mental image of a skull and Plush One dragging me out of the river briefly played out in my head before I shook it away. "Arc's stuck in Crystal Cove. From the sounds of it, some kind of animatronic's chasing him."

"Doesn't surprise me." Dee said. "That lot have always been a bit … strange."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, after the park fell through, they started thinking they were real pirates. They've gone through the rest of the park, picking up anything that looked gold … not a single actual bit of it real, I'd imagine. Peaceful enough, if you play into their delusions, but they can get seriously mean fast."

"They ever bother you?" asked One.

"Nah. The Shadowlands is spook territory, and like any good pirates, Foxy's crew is superstitious. I sometimes rode through the stands at the edge of Crystal Cove just to give 'em a good scare."

"So you know the area?" I said, picking Dee up and looking into the flames of the skull's eyes. "We could use a guide."

"Know the area? Ha! I know Crystal Cove like the back of my hand. Er, you'll have to trust me on that, I'm afraid."

"All right." I said, holding up a hand. "Just … let's keep the 'no body' jokes to a minimum, okay?"

"Cross my heart."

I frowned at Dee as she let out a cackle that eventually faded to a sigh. "Okay, I'm done. Let's go."

The cave area turned out to be another part of the employee tunnels, and was even connected to the Sewer Level; every now and then, we'd find a hub room with tunnels leading in all directions, much like the hub of a Glyche facility. Each corridor out of the hub rooms bore a different theme, one of which was that of the Sewer Level.

"Y'see?" Dee said, nodding at a corridor bearing the theme of the Sewer Level, "You want to get around the park, just follow the theme."

"Which leads to Crystal Cove?" I said, my eyes catching on a black-walled corridor with nothing more than swirling streams of light for a floor.

"Oh, it's the caves. See how the lights are shaped like crystals? Clear give away, that. We're in the right area, Jimmy; I'll let you know when we're near one of the exits, don't you worry."

"Thank you." I said.

As we headed back down the cave-like tunnel, One and I gave her a quick explanation of what led us to the park.

"Looking for a princess, huh?" She said, "Well, you'd have to ask Tellah about that. He's the only fleshie running around up there. Never knew a draconis when I was alive, but he's a decent enough fellow."

"Draconis? Jimmy, he must be the kidnapper!" One said, looking to me.

"Maybe." I said, "Where does he live?"

"The castle. He gives us all our space, and usually only steps in when there's a dispute."

"I'm sorry," I said, "But who is 'us'?"

"The residents of the park." Dee told me. "I don't know about him being a kidnapper, but we all owe Tellah for all the work he's done here, especially any of the robots, androids, and animatronics he got back online. He's even been trying to fix up the park attractions. I doubt we'll ever be able to open, but it gives some of us hope, y'know? I mean, given the trouble they went to, building so much of the place."

"Among other things." One said. "I can't imagine how much it cost to enchant a skull to be as interactive as you."

"I'm not an enchantment." Dee said, sounding a little offended. "They resurrected me."

I stopped in my tracks. "You're … then this is really your skull."

"Yeah. We've been over this before."

"But … I thought you were some kind of magical intelligence." I said. "I didn't know they actually brought you back from beyond."

To my surprise, Dee cackled at my words. "What, it was fine if the skull was real, but icky if the skull's owner's still hanging around?"

"I didn't mean-"

"I'm just messin' with ya, Jimmy. Nah, I never had much faith in any kind of afterlife, and there was still so much I wanted to do here. So I signed my body to the Center for experimental necromancy. I'll admit, the skeleton thing took me by surprise, but losing my flesh was a definite improvement."

"Still," One said, "To just be abandoned here-"

"Abandoned nothing." Dee said. "I have a contract; three weeks of vacation a year, a nice coffin in the Macabre Motel, and anything I want from the food stands. I don't take 'em up on that last bit often though; I just don't have-"

"The stomach for it." One and I finished in unison.

Dee let out a pleased cackle. "That's the spirit!"

That one made me groan, though I couldn't be too annoyed; were I a living skeleton, I'd probably milk the jokes as well.

Before I could say anything, however, Dee said, "Ooh, surface exit to the right!"

The right path didn't look much different than any other cave passage. Still, I followed Dee's direction and walked down the tunnel until it came to a sudden dead end. The wall felt solid, but became translucent the moment I touched it. This had the unfortunate side effect of filling my vision with the light of the suns.

"Yeah, sorry. I shoulda warned you about that." Dee said as I tried to blink the spots out of my vision. "The idea was for these tunnels to be secret. Ol' Iniagus wanted employees to pop out of nowhere; all part of the illusion. There should be a lever or a button to open the wall proper somewhere around here."

"Got it." One said. A moment later, there was a loud rumbling as the wall slid into the floor, allowing us access.

As I stepped blinking from the cave into the sunlight, a warm breeze rushed over me. After the chilled air of the Shadowlands and the dampness of the caves, the warm wind of Crystal Cove felt nothing short of wonderful. I slipped off my keikogi and wrung it out as I walked out onto the sandy shore of a wide beach. Three large ships were docked at a large boardwalk down the beach; remembering that Arc had mentioned the name of a ship, I decided to walk that way.

By the time we reached the boardwalk, the simulated suns had dried off me and my keikogi, and left my hakama merely damp as opposed to soaked through. Still, I left my keikogi off for the moment so I could enjoy the feel of the suns on my skin.

The town around the boardwalk looked typical of the seaside; weathered boards, barnacle-encrusted posts, seagulls, and even a few crabs scuttling around. Most of the buildings were either linked to rides, or were the usual souvenir shops and restaurants in disguise. Again, the smell of fairground food filled the air, all the more tantalizing for my empty stomach.

"Just grab something." One said after the third time my stomach growled. "There's about a zillion safety programs in place on those things; it'd take a hacking genius to get through that mess. Even Luck would have trouble."

"All the more reason to be careful." I said. "Who knows how long this guy's planned this?"

Sighing, One hopped from my shoulder and started assembling a hamburger from the nearby grill.

"One!" I said, "Arc's in trouble."

"That kid IS trouble." One said, tossing a slice of cheese onto the sizzling beef patty. "And you're gonna be in trouble if you have to fight on an empty stomach. Now do you want mayo or mustard?"

With a sigh, I said, "Mustard."

One finished prepping the burger and set it on a paper plate. After watching him struggle to lift it for a few moments, I sighed again and took the plate in my hands.

I stared at the burger for a few moments before taking a bite. When this failed to cause me to start coughing up blood, I eagerly devoured the rest of the burger.

"Ha! Jimmy was burgin." One said, flipping another burger, presumably for himself. "Told ya it'd be fine. It is a bit odd, though; I mean, matter replicators eat quite a bit of power. You'd think the king would've cut this place off from the power grid after abandoning his little project."

"That would be Tellah again." Dee said. "He's a clever one, there's no mistake. Hydro-electric power, cunningly placed wind turbines, and several stream generators give us everything we need. If we start getting brown-outs, Tellah sets up a few more generators until the situation is resolved."

Eager to learn more about the possible-kidnapper, I asked, "What can you tell us about him?"

"Well, the lad's the only person who's never given up on the park. He's been working here since before they shut down construction, always fixing up this and repairing that. No one took it harder than he when the place was closed down."

I thought about my home, and the work I put into it over the years. "Maybe he hopes to open it again someday."

"It'd be nice." Dee said with a sigh. "Seeing you lot made me hopeful; I see your armband. Royal guard, isn't it? I thought that maybe the King was giving us an inspection. There's a lot more than me who'd like to see this place lively again."

I realized that I might very well be putting Dee and the other park inhabitants in jeopardy, I realized. If this Tellah was the kidnapper, I'd be forced to arrest him and bring him to the king. Without him to repair the park, it'd be truly abandoned by the living. What's worse, it might bring attention to the afterlife employees. There was still a definite prejudice to the undead on Vinta, and public outcry would likely cost them their jobs, perhaps even their lives. As for anything robotic with even a smidgen of an AI ... well, they'd be lucky if they were left functional. Feeling a wave of sympathy, I pulled out my walled and put what few shards remained into the till of the grill.

"What about the animatronics?" One asked. "Are they intelligent?"

"I'd call em dumb as posts myself, but I reckon you want to know if they've got AIs, right? Well, they do. It was rudimentary at first, but after a few years, they're as intelligent as any ... but don't tell 'em I said that. I think they're classified as props."

"PROPS?!"

The doors to the buildings burst open. Dozens of metal feet thumped across the boards as I was quickly surrounded by robots. Modeled after several Vintan species, the abundance of eye-patches, peg-legs, and hook hands made it clear these were the animatronic pirates.

"We not be props, ye scurvy land-lubbers!" Said the nearest robot as it waved a cutlass in my direction. "We be pirates! And this be our property!"

A chorus of 'ayes' with a distinct electronic edge answered him.

A metal hand came down on my shoulder, quickly spinning me around to face an angry-looking pirate with a luxurious beard and a black eyepatch. "You'll be handin' over that blade and coming along peaceful-like if ye know what's good for ye."

He was right; animatronic or not, the fact remained that I was completely surrounded. The fact that Glint could do little against their endoskeletons made resistance completely futile. Although I was loathe to hand over my family blade, it was the only choice I had.

With a sigh, I handed Glint to the robot pirate. He raised the blade with a triumphant shout, echoed with much gusto by his crew. Turning to me, he said, "Grab the boy and his doll and bring them to the Cap'n!"

One pirate picked up Plush One and tossed him to the pirate who spoke to me, presumably their leader or similar person of authority. One struggled, but the pirate quickly slipped a rope around the toy Dreamer's arms and legs. Swinging the

"Hey!" Dee said indignantly, "What about me?"

The pirates all shrank away from the skull immediately. Some pointed and gibbered things like, "Tis a specter!" and "A demon from the Shadowlands!"

A perfectly captured snarl on his face, the lead pirate grabbed the skull and turned to face his men. "One skull and you lot turn yellow? Ye should be ashamed!"

"They're gonna be a lot more than that if the rest of the spook squad find out you've kidnapped me." Dee said.

"Ha! I'm afraid of no man or woman, dead or otherwise!" He pulled out another short length of rope and quickly bound Dee's jaw shut. Pressing the now muted skull into my hands, he said, "Take yer rot-infested friend and follow us! And remember, try anything funny, and yer little dolly gets it."

With that, he shoved me down the path now lined with pirates. As I was shoved toward the shore, I couldn't help but wonder how much stranger my day was to become.

39: Chapter 39 - Bilge Water

Three ships were at the dock: the Meridian Child, the Arcadia, and the Dorgenark. The Arcadia was by far the largest, so it was no surprise to me that it was our destination. The pirates swarmed around me, slowly shoving my up the gangplank and onto the deck, where even more animatronic pirates waited.

While the shoran tribes bore animal-like characteristics, these animatronics were far closer to the animal side of the spectrum, if a bit cartoony in appearance. They barked, cawed, and hooted along with the laughing pirates as I was pushed across the deck. Dee was ripped from my hands and a particularly large and hairy pirate swiftly tied my hands together behind the ballast. I struggled against it, but whatever the creature was supposed to be just laughed and ruffled my hair.

Unable to get free, I could only watch as the pirates tossed Dee around in a spirited game of catch. Occasionally, I could hear her angry mutterings through the thick rope that bound her jaw. How this stopped her from talking when lack of throat, lungs, larynx, and lips didn't seem to hinder her in the slightest was a mystery to me, but the sudden appearance of Arc on deck drove it from my mind. Bound and gagged, Arc was carried to the ballast by the same giant hairy pirate-creature that tied up my own hands. It dropped Arc beside me and tousled his hair as well before joining the game of catch the skull.

"You okay, Arc?" I asked.

His eyes widened at the sound of my voice. After flipping himself around to face me with some difficulty, he tried to speak through his gag to no avail. He didn't seem to be hurt, at least, though there was no sign of his Kindred blade.

"I came here to rescue you." I told him, my tone apologetic.

Arc rolled his eyes and mumbled something else.

"I know, I know." Sighing, I tried to work my way free. I knew the massive hands of the animatronic couldn't have tied too good of a knot. Sure enough, with a little work on my part, the rope binding my hands grow slightly more slack. Before I could get too excited about my progress, a loud roar made me look up in surprise.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Thundered a massive bear animatronic. No, not a massive bear of an animatronic; it was clearly supposed to be a bear. From his dress, captain's hat, and the mechanical parrot perched on his shoulder, I could tell he was the leader of the merry band of mechanical pirates.

He stomped across the bridge, the other pirates quickly moving from his path. Coming to a halt right in front of me, he said, "Now what have we here? Another stowaway looking for a free ride and pocketful of doubloons?"

The bearded pirate gave the captain a salute, the inert One doll still tied up and dangling from a short length of rope in his other hand. "Intruders and spies, cap'n! He cavorts with the specters of the Shadowlands!"

The captain caught Dee in mid-air and stared her in her flaming eyes. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I couldn't help but think there was a look of recognition in the robot bear's surprisingly expressive face.

He approached me slowly, skull in hand and met my gaze. "Are they recruiting you, sonny Jim? Are those bags of bones and rotten air looking to expand their forces? What did they offer ya, eh?"

"No sir-"

"That's captain, to you." The bear-pirate said. "Captain Graggle leader of the finest band of scallywags under the twin suns."

" I said. "I'm a member of the Royal Guard, here on a quest to rescue Princess Sera."

Everyone fell silent. Just as I started to worry that they were working with the kidnapper, the bear let out a loud laugh. The rest of the pirates joined in a moment later, the sounds of laughter and metal limbs clanging filling the air with an almost deafening roar.

"Hear that, lads?" said Captain Graggle, slapping me hard on the shoulder. "We've got a regular hero here!"

"I'm not a hero!" I snapped, an old anger flaring up in my chest.

The crowd fell silent again. Even the captain looked taken aback by the force with which I'd spoke. My cheeks red, I said, "I guard a bridge in the middle of nowhere, that's all. If it weren't for the Princess being kidnapped, I'd still be there now. Please, I'm not looking for a fight, I just want to rescue the Princess and go back home."

"HA! A likely story, friend of the dead! First Mate Floyd!"

The pirate with the large beard saluted. "Aye, Captain Graggle?"

"I think our friend needs to take a little walk. Prepare the plank!"

The pirates roared their approval as a plank was laid over the side of the ship. A sinister-looking pirate fox approached me, a cooking knife in the grasp of the hand that wasn't a hook. Before he could reach me, however, a shrill voice shouted, "Belay that order!"

The crew stared at the speaker, a rat no taller than my calves yet still dressed as a pirate. He hurried to the captain with something shiny in his hands.

"Why would ye belay me order, Rizzo?" Captain Graggle asked, taking a knee to better speak with the tiny crewman.

The following conversation was nothing more than whispers to me. When it was done, however, captain's eyes widened. He took the shiny object from his rat crewman and slowly approached me.

"This be yours?" The bear captain said, holding the object out to me. It was a shard, one of the ones I'd left for the burger I'd eaten.

"Yes." I said, blushing a little. "I got a burger from one of the stands."

The captain spun the shard in his hands for a few moments before clamping his jaws on the shard and trying to bend it to no effect.

"By the stars." He said, looking back at me. "It's real!"

"Yes." I said, uncertain as to why he'd think otherwise.

Captain Graggle raised the shard in the air for all to see and bellowed, "He be no spy! He be a customer!"

A gasp of surprise ran through the crowd. Instantly, the ship was a flurry of movement. Pirates scurried about as the bear captain and his bearded first mate urged them onward, occasionally shooting nervous glances at us. I felt my hands come free and turned to see the little rat pirate cutting Arc's bonds as well. We were quickly pushed into two chairs the pirates had seemingly pulled from nowhere.

"Uh, thank you." I said to one of the three cat-pirates that pushed me into the chair. "Could I have my sword back?"

"Normally weapons aren't allowed in the park." The first cat said.

The next cat continued, "But since your weapon is old and blunt,"

"We can classify it as an antique." The final cat said, handing me Glint and Plush One.

Rubbing his wrists, Arc said, "What about me? My blade's a Kindred Artifact!"

"Kindred artifacts are considered yellow-level threats." The third cat said. "While you have a permit for it, you cannot carry it throughout the park without administrator approval."

"Yeah, what he said." The second cat said.

The first cat finished, "You can pick it up at the main gate office as you are leaving the park."

The cat handed him a small paper slip, presumably a receipt. He glared at the cat and said, "Gee, thanks."

"Hurry up!" I heard Captain Graggle say as the cats scurried away. "Everyone in their places! We've rehearsed this for years, so if something goes wrong, so help me, I'll keelhaul the lot of ya."

"Rehearsed?" Arc said, eyes widening. "Oh no. Don't tell me they're gonna-"

A jaunty tune started, a mix of calliope music with light accompaniment that was toe-tappingly catchy. As Arc feared and I'd guessed, the pirates danced as they sang:

A capital ship is quite a trip to see in this age and day

Floaters in the sky or a simmersill ride is how most make their way

But an engine's wail can't beat a sail on a ship with a merry cre-e-ew

So we'll leave this bay once the anchor's weighed and sail on the briny blue

So, blow you winds, high-ho! A rovin' we will go.

We'll stay no more on Rimstak's shore, so let the music pla-a-ay.

We're off on the morning train, across the raging main:

I'm off to my love with a boxing glove, ten thousand miles away.

Our captain's a bear and has a mean stare he gives when he's in a mood

But he's smiles all day as we work and play, so you shouldn't think him rude

The first mate's beard is really weird, and it used to reach his knee-e-es

Till we caught him asleep. With a razor's sweep, his face from his hair we freed

So, blow you winds, high-ho! A rovin' we will go.

We'll stay no more on Rimstak's shore, so let the music pla-a-ay.

We're off on the morning train, across the raging main:

I'm off to my love with a boxing glove, ten thousand miles away.

So we welcome you, come and join our crew, and we'll sail to the setting sun

We'll see foreign lands, land on distant sands, and find treasure by the ton

If you say no, you'll deal us a blow, but we won't force you to sta-a-ay,

Just give us a grin and a wave of yer fin as we sail on our ship away!

So, blow you winds, high-ho! A rovin' we will go.

We'll stay no more on Rimstak's shore, so let the music pla-a-ay.

We're off on the morning train, across the raging main:

I'm off to my love with a boxing glove, ten thousand miles away.

Overall, I have to say it was rather well done; the dancing animatronics were quite entertaining, and acted amazingly life-like. After the final lyric was sung, I stood up and clapped, Arc joining me a moment later.

"Thank ye, thank ye." Captain Graggle said. "We've been wanting to do that for ages. Tell me, there be more customers coming, aye?"

I exchanged an uncomfortable look with Arc. Fortunately, we were saved from having to say anything by the mainsail timely bursting into flame. Several skulls burst from the flames, their toothy jaws open in screams that made the sound of nails on a chalkboard feel like a fond childhood memory.

Captain Graggle held Dee up by the same rope that was binding her jaw shut. "This is your doing, isn't it? Tryin' to steal our customer!"

The fire in Dee's eyes flared, the rope straining as she undoubtedly tried to speak.

A group of skeletal horse-riders on flaming spectral steeds were running across the docks; the fire of the horses didn't seem to spread, but it was an impressive sight nonetheless. The screaming skulls circled the ship in a swirl of colored flames, though they didn't set any fires either; if anything, they seemed to enjoy flying around and screaming. Dark shadows stretched over the weathered boards, their shapes only vaguely human.

"Back to the Shadowlands with you all! You'll not be having him!" The Captain spun about and shouted, "Weigh anchor! Trim the sails!"

His crew didn't move. They were literally shaking, their metal appendages making quite a bit of racket in the process.

Rolling his eyes, Captain Graggle said, "Come on, you rusty heaps! The spooks won't dare cross the water! Now get movin' before I get me cat'o'nine tails!"

It didn't get everyone moving, but a sizeable portion of the crew snapped out of their fear and started attending to their duties. In a matter of moments, the ship was actually moving. It wasn't enough, however; the dark shapes flitting along the seaside boardwalk were soon slinking over the ship's hull. Skeletons caught the ropes of the ship's rigging and slowly pulled themselves toward the deck.

Arc sidled closer to me. "Should we run?" He said, his voice a whisper.

"Where would we run to?" I whispered back. "The pirates are on the ship, the spooks are at the dock; are we gonna swim to the outer wall and hope we can make it to-" I checked my map. "The Jungle Ruins?"

Most of the horse-riders stopped at the end of the dock, but several leapt onto the deck; one clearly missing its skull.

As the screaming skulls and the other skeletal riders chased the animatronic pirates around the ship, Dee's body rode with singular purpose to the helm, where Captain Graggle stood. Graggle held his ground, Dee's skull still firmly in hand.

"You want this?" He said, holding up the skull.

The headless skeleton drew a sword and pointed the business end at the bear-pirate.

"You think I'm frightened?" Captain Graggle said, letting out a loud laugh as he pulled a metal-reinforced club from his belt. "Of a bunch of enchanted bones? Now get off that horse and face me like a man."

The ropes binding Dee's jaw snapped, leaving her hanging from the single remaining robe. "I'm a woman, you dolt! A woman! You want me off my horse, then throw me to my body!"

"And lose my new trophy? Ha! I've got plans for you." Captain Graggle said, "Perhaps once I find a way to keep you permanently quiet, I'll use you as a coffee cup."

"Whoa!" I said, holding up a hand. "There's no reason-"

My words were cut off as Dee's body lunged forward, sword flashing through the air. Captain Graggle was ready, however; with the club in one hand and Dee's skull in the other, he deflected blow after blow while taking the occasional shot himself. He wasn't as fast as the skeleton, but the force of his attacks was enough to drive Dee's body back.

Unfortunately for Graggle, Dee was trouble in more way than one. While he fought Dee's body, Dee the Skull was snapping at Graggle anytime she swung into biting range. Her teeth couldn't pierce the metal skin of the animatronic's exoskeleton of course, but it seemed to annoy him enough that his attention was divided.

As all this was going on, Arc and I were still in our chairs. I was engulfed in a sense of surreality that left me more bemused than anything.

I glanced at my fellow hero and said, "You ever wonder if all the strange things we keep seeing are altering our perception of normality?"

"Strange things?" Arc asked, sounding just as dazed as I felt. "It's just a bunch of animatronic pirates fighting actual ghosts and skeletons in the middle of a video game theme park inhabited by a painter who kidnapped Princess Sera and built a giant dragon-mech. What's so strange about that?"

I chuckled at that, but the chuckle soon died in my throat as I spotted something unpleasant on the horizon.

"Say, Arc," I said, pointing at something that lay straight ahead of us. "What is that?"

Arc squinted at the object. "Just looks like a rock to me. A really big rock."

"Okay, but we're heading right for it."

Slight lines of worry appeared on Arc's face. Still, he laughed and said, "I'm sure whoever's at helm will steer clear any second now."

Slowly, we both turned and stared at the helm, completely bereft of spook or pirate. After looking at each other for a few seconds, we both scrambled out of our seats and hurried to climb the railing. It wasn't easy, but certainly easier than fighting through the throng on the stairs leading up to the upper deck.

"Okay." Arc said, grabbing the wheel. "Just turn it, right?"

He tried to turn the wheel, but it didn't budge so much as an inch.

"Uh, problem." He said, still tugging at the handles.

I moved beside him and gave it a try myself to no avail. The wheel felt as though it were locked into place.

"There must be some kind of catch." I said, looking around for controls. Unfortunately, there just weren't any; it was just the wheel.

I grabbed the handles again; almost immediately, a rather plain voice said, "We're sorry, but only authorized personnel are permitted to operate park equipment."

"Override!" I said, panic rising as the rock grew larger in our view. "By the authority of the Royal Guard!"

"We're sorry. Only authorized personnel are permitted to operate park equipment. In case of emergency, please speak with park personnel."

"Ugh!" Rolling my eyes, I leapt over the railing and hurried across the deck to where Dee and Captain Graggle were still fighting.

"Ahh, Jimmy!" Dee's skull said. "You're just in time to watch me make mincemeat out of this wretch."

"We're heading for a giant rock!" I said, "We need to turn the ship, but the wheel won't respond to us."

Captain Graggle let out a booming laugh. "That's 'cause you ain't a pirate!"

"We are going to crash!" I said. "Do you hear me?""

"Yeah, I hear you." Captain Graggle said. "I'll get us to safety just as soon as I put this skeleton into her place!"

"Ha! I don't need to be here to finish you off. Jimmy, catch!" Dee said, her body throwing her head at Arc and me. Arc shrieked and ducked behind me; fortunately, I caught the skull before it hit the deck.

"Can you operate the helm?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but not without hands, and I doubt Graggle will cooperate. You sure this thing's really a threat?"

I turned her to face the oncoming rock. She was silent a moment; the rock was very close now. Even if the helm was accessible, I doubted we'd be able to turn in time.

"Right." Dee said, "Okay, that's a problem. Graggle! Body! Knock it off!"

Graggle didn't even bat an eye at Dee's shout. Dee's body paid similarly little attention.

"Traitor!" Dee sighed and said, "Fine. Don't worry, Jimmy, I've got another way off the ship. Your friend won't like it, though."

"He'll live." I said. "What about the Graggle and his pirates?"

"They want to be pirates, let 'em go down with the ship. You want to stay with them?"

"No thank you."

"Then let's get out of here." Dee let out a shrill whistle. One of the spectral horses sent an animatronic spinning with a well-placed kick before cantering over to us.

"W-what?" Arc said, his eyes wide with terror. "Oh, no; I'm not riding that thing!"

"Hey!" Dee said, "There's nothing wrong with my Poppie. If you don't like her, you can just stay here! Jimmy?"

I didn't need to be told twice. Climbing on to the spectral horse's back was a lot like mounting a spinner that had a mind of its own; still, I managed to situate myself onto the saddle.

"Whoa there!" I said as the horse shifted slightly in response to my weight. I patted her shoulder place in what I hoped was a soothing way. "Easy, Poppie, nothing to worry about. Arc?"

"Mad kings, Robot pirates and ghost horses." I heard him mutter as he reluctantly climbed behind me.

"All right, you two." Dee said, "Hold on tight. Poppie! Git!"

Poppie reared back, her hooves pawing the air for a moment before she ran toward the starboard railing at a full gallop. With a graceful leap, she soared over the railing.

"AAAAAGH!"

I winced as Arc continued screaming in my ear, despite the moment of panic I too felt as our mount plummeted over the side of the ship.

Our worry was needless; she landed with an almost unnatural ease, her hooves brushing the tops of the waves as though it were a grassy meadow. A gentle rain began to fall as Poppie carried us over the waves, eventually bringing us back to the beach.

"So where to?" Dee asked. "The Ancient Ruins? The Aetherial Plane? The Miner's Refuge?"

"No more beating around the bush. We're heading for the castle." I said. "It's probably a trap, but it's the best lead I've got at the moment."

"You got it, boss. C'mon, Poppie!"

Poppie let out a snort as she continued galloping forward. We were soon clear of the beach and the boardwalk, and were fast approaching a wide drawbridge that led over the moat and through the massive fortified stone wall around the castle.

"Sure you don't want to check the other areas?" Arc asked. "Galactic Central sounds kinda cool."

"Bah." Dee said. "You don't wanna go there; the Grays are snooty bastards. Won't even acknowledge the Spooks."

"Grays." I said, wondering what they looked like. "Who all lives in the park, animatronic or otherwise?"

"Well, you've got the Spooks and the Pirates; we're always fighting a bit, but it's just in good fun. Then you've got the golems in the Ancient Ruins; they're friendly, but will talk your ear off if you give 'em the chance. Then you've got the Grays at Galactic Central, a bunch of robots pretending to be different robots. Weird, huh? Then there's the Boglins in the Shroom Woods, the Dugger Clan of Miner's Refuge, and the Ascended in the Aetherial plane. Oh, and the Clowns of the Bizarre Baazar."

"I remember the clowns." I said, a small shudder running through me at the memory.

"They're not that bad." Dee said evenly. "They're just unfinished. Tellah was still working on them before he just sealed himself in the castle. Speaking of which, you might want to hold on."

I'd barely tightened my grip on the reins when Poppie came to a halt just short of a massive drawbridge over a surprisingly deep chasm. Despite Dee's urging, Poppie refused to go any closer to the castle.

"Sorry, Jimmy." Dee said, "She's always been a little funny about heights."

"Fair enough." I said, sliding off the spectral horse. Handing Dee to Arc, I gave Poppie a pat on the side. "Thank you for carrying us this far, friend."

Poppie bobbed her head at us, but remained standing at the foot of the drawbridge.

"See?" Dee said as we walked across the drawbridge. "Poppie's a sweetie."

"She is." I agreed. "Are you sure you want to come with us? There's no telling what the kidnapper's set up for us."

"All the more reason to take me with you." Dee said. "I'm friends with a few of the bucket-heads who patrol the palace."

"Bucket heads?" Arc asked, glancing down at the skull in his hands.

"Robot knights. A few of them have mounts; we all get together to go riding sometimes. I should be able to talk to any that give us trouble. Besides, I want a word with Tellah."

"Oh?" I said.

"Yeah. The only reason we're here is because the king's forgotten about us; I mean, there's a ton of resources here, yeah? If Tellah's your man, and he brings attention to us, this whole place will probably be torn to pieces and carted all over the country. The animatronics will be dismantled, all the attractions will be scrapped … I'll probably get roped into a desk job. Ugh … talk about horror."

"They can't scrap the animatronics, not if they're aware." Arc said. "Glen versus Kaal; the moment an artificial being gains sapience, Vintan law requires they be treated as citizens. Even King Iniagus isn't insane enough to go against a Council ruling."

"You say that." Dee said, "But I'd rather not put it to the test. Besides, it won't stop him from evicting the lot of us from government property for compliance in her kidnapping."

Arc stopped dead in his tracks. "Aw, crap." He said, "My sword! I completely forgot about it!"

"Calm down, flesh-bag." Dee said, "It'll be at the Main Gate Office, perfectly safe and sound."

"Well, I gotta go get it!" Arc turned and immediately started walking back the way we had come.

"Arc!" I said, moving to follow him.

"It's okay." Arc said, glancing back at me. "Someone should probably fill Terry and Meryli in on everything anyway."

I sighed and nodded. "Fair enough. I'd appreciate Dee's company in case of trouble, however."

"Yeah." Dee said as Arc looked down at her. "Besides, I'd rather not run into the clowns like this; I'll either end up slathered in makeup, or in the air next to a juggling pin."

"Right." Arc said, "Sorry."

He had only taken a single step in my direction when a shudder ran through the bridge. The question of what was causing the shaking was on my lips when the plank in the center of the bridge abruptly fell free of its moorings and splashed into the moat below a few seconds later.

"Uh …" Arc took a step away from the gap as the planks on either side began to shake as well.

Realizing what was about to happen, I said, "Run!"

Planks shook under my feet as I ran toward the castle. As I neared the edge, I could've sworn I felt a few of the planks drop just as I pull my foot away. With a final leap, I cleared the bridge and landed on the cobblestones beyond. I turned back in time to see Arc reach the other side of the bridge, Dee still safely in his hands.

"Thank the Creator." I breathed. Cupping my hands to my mouth, I called out, "Are you both okay?"

"Yeah." Arc called back. "What now?"

I glanced around the courtyard; I could see other drawbridges in the distance, no doubt leading into the other areas of the park. Unfortunately, they were all closed.

Sighing, I said, "Get your sword, fill in Terry and Meryli, and try to contact Mick and Casey."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine." I said, hoping it was true. "I'll try and find a way to get the bridges down."

Arc nodded. As he started to move away, however, Dee called out, "Hang on, kid; Jimmy? Can you hear me?"

"Yes!" I called back. "What is it?"

"If Tellah turns out to be your kidnapper, go easy on him, okay?"

"I may not have a choice." I said. "The Princess's safety-"

"I know, I know. Still, I'd hate to see him come to harm after all he's done for the park. He's a good kid, just … a little lonely, that's all."

I closed my eyes, Terra's face appearing in my mind's eye. "I won't hurt him, not unless he give me no other choice."

"Thank you, Jimmy." Dee paused for a long moment before adding, "And if you don't make it ..."

"Yes?" I asked.

Dee cackled. "We're always recruiting for the Spook Squad."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'll keep it in mind."

40: Chapter 40 - Dungeon Crawler

After watching Arc and Dee head toward the border between the Shadowlands and Crystal Cove for a few moments, I turned my sights on the castle beyond the drawbridge gate. The courtyard was larger than I expected, and was surprisingly vacant. I wasn't sure if it was meant to emphasize the size of the castle, or if the park's funding had been cut before the food stands and attractions had been built. Either way, walking across the cobblestone paths and the occasional patch of grass left me feeling very exposed.

With nothing to get in the way, it didn't take long to reach the next drawbridge. Unfortunately, there was no control mechanism that I could find: no buttons, no switches, no panels, not even so much as a lever. The chains of the bridge went into holes in the ground, but the means of controlling them was nowhere to be seen.

There was nothing for it. With a sigh, I turned my sights to the castle. It loomed over me, another stone wall separating it from the outer yard. Before I could walk forward, however, my eyes caught on something else; far in the distance, just barely poking out from behind the castle, I could make out a massive blue-scaled tail.

I sucked in my breath through my teeth. Even though I knew it was fake, I quietly approached the castle wall and followed it around the castle until I saw the rest of the dragon. It was laying on the ground in a pose that suggested sleep, its eyelids still half-open.

My first thought was to sabotage it in some way. Surely, the kidnapper would try to use it again, and preventing the machine from starting would prevent both his egress and any injury. Unfortunately, as I walked around the dormant dragon machine, I realized there wasn't much I could really do; I didn't have any tools, nor would Glint be able to do more than knock away a few scales from the construct.

Still, knowing it was a fake, I couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly the dragon had been built. I had to pull off another scale and snap it just to put my mind at ease from a sudden fear that perhaps this dragon was real. The snap of the scale brought with it a reassuring release from that fear, and even if that hadn't been enough to convince me of the dragons' nature, the leathery skin beneath the dragon's scale was ice-cold to the touch.

Unable to do anything about the dragon without tools or more knowledge of its construction, I turned my attention back to the castle. An elegant set of ivory stairs that led up to a massive pair of wooden doors, one of which was slightly ajar.

My eyes caught on the third step from the bottom, which seemed strangely shiny. A quick swipe of the finger and a sniff confirmed it to be soap. The step had been completely covered in it.

I ascended slowly, but even my perception failed to catch the sticky patch on the railing about halfway up the stairs. I grimaced as a forcibly peeled my hand from the banister with a slight sucking noise. I forewent the rail until one step slid down with a loud click. In an instant, every step tilted to a forty-five degree angle, creating an incline. I slid a few feet before desperation made me grab the railing.

"By the Creator." I said as the steps righted themselves. "What next?"

By the time I reached the doors that led into the castle, I'd found three more soap steps, six more trick steps, and enough sticky spots on the railing to leave my palms sore and red. Needless to say, I was not in a good mood. I couldn't help but feel a little confused, however; we expected traps, but these traps seemed oddly juvenile. They wouldn't have stopped me; they were just slowing me down. What was the point?

I reached for the door to push it open, but paused with my hand on the handle. Impatience; that was the point. The kidnapper knew I was closing in on him, and was deliberately goading me into acting without thinking. Looking up, I spotted the bottom of the bucket, perched precariously atop the door so that should someone push the door open, the contents would doubtlessly land on said person's head. I kicked the door open, sending the bucket crashing to the floor with what looked to be a bunch of leftovers from someone's meals.

"Juvenile." Shaking my head, I hopped over the refuge to a clear patch of floor. Too late, I spotted the hinge hidden in the carpet; the trap door swung open the moment my full weight came down on my foot. There were no railings this time; helpless to alter my momentum, I fell through the trap door.

I slid through a dark tube with no lights and no idea where I was going. The tube was too wide to brace myself against, and I was moving too fast to draw Glint. It reminded me of Iniagus's little slide, though that at least had been well lit.

My trip through the tube ended abruptly, leaving me falling in complete darkness. After a few moments of panicked flailing, I hit something that definitely wasn't ground and immediately bounced back into the air. After a few more bounces, I realized that I was on some sort of trampoline. I managed to stop bouncing after a few moments. It was still dark, but my eyesight was quickly adapting … or so I thought. It took me a few moments, but I gradually realized that the lights within the wall-mounted sconces were slowly growing brighter.

The lights revealed that I was indeed on a trampoline that stretched across the room. The walls were stone and mortar, or at least appeared to be so in keeping with the medieval theme of the castle. There was a single stone-lined tunnel leading away from the trampoline room.

After making sure that Glint was secured, and hopped from the trampoline into a stone-lined hallway. Torches burst into life on either side of me the moment my feet touched the ground.

"Son of a-" I put a hand to my chest and shook my head. I reached for Meryli's communicator, only to find it gone; small surprise, considering what I'd been through. I tried my PIM, but received no response there either. I was on my own.

A sudden wiggling in my pocket nearly made me leap out of my hakama. Pulling out the object, I realized it was the One doll.

"Jimmy!" One said, smiling up at me. "Hello again! I see you managed to resolve the pirate thing without me … or did they throw us in the hold?"

"No, Dee's Spook Squad helped us escape. We're beneath the castle in the center of the park." I glanced around the corridor for a moment. "Somewhere. Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. Great! Why do you ask?"

"You acted like you got yanked away from the doll again."

Plush One rubbed the back of his head, his blush again manifesting as patches of pink cloth on his tiny cheeks. "Yeah, I did. Luck again. She's been a bit frisky ever since we confirmed her pregnancy."

"Her pregnancy?"

"Yup." He said, his stitched smile wide. "You were right, Jimmy; the fetus was frozen as a zygote as long as we were in the Elsewhere. Captain Morgan had to make a house call, but he confirmed that she's about a month along, which fits the timeframe of our stay in Wukice."

"Well, congratulations!" I said shaking his hand. "I'm sure you'll make a great father."

"Thanks. I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous about it, but I'll definitely do my best." Shaking his head, he said, "Anyway, on to your quest. Where are we again?"

"Not sure." I told him, "I, uh, fell into a trap."

One chuckled and patted my shoulder. "Happens to me all the time. Null worries, Jimmy; let's just see where this leads, eh?"

Expecting something to leap out at me any moment, I cautiously proceeded forward. Every few feet, two more torches activated; probably a response from some kind of flux-sensing technology. It was more than a little unnerving, but far from the worst thing that could happen. Besides, with One back, I felt a little more secure.

The tunnel ended just in front of two doors; one was marked with a simplistic happy face and the other with a simplistic frowning face.

One let out a groan. "Smilies."

"Smilies?"

"Yeah, emoticons. Text used to simulate images or phrases; it's not strictly a gaming thing, but it saw a lot of gaming usage back in the day. I had a feeling we'd be running into this kind of thing sooner or later. Hopefully this is about where the funding ran out; I don't think I could take a bunch of internet jargon gimmicks."

I looked at the doors, not sure what to make of it. "So … which door should we choose?"

"The smiling face would make the most sense." One said, scratching his head. "Which also makes it the most obvious to be trapped."

As I reached for the sad face, One said, "But he might be expecting us to come to that conclusion. If he knows that we know that the smiley face room would be a trap, then he's probably set a trap in the sad face room."

I moved toward the other door as my hand brushed against the cold metal, One said, "Of course, if he knows that we know that he knows we know, then-"

"Stop." I said, rubbing my temples. "Let's just go with the smiley door and hope for the best."

I opened the door to reveal another room. I could make out the basic shape from the light coming through the door I'd just opened, but not much else.

"Turn on your flashlight." One said, his button eyes squinting.

"I don't have a flashlight." I said.

"Of course you do. It's in your PIM. I mean, it should work if you've got a good battery charge."

My face fell. "You're kidding."

"Nope. I think the quick-activate default is two quick fist-clenches."

I clenched my left hand twice, and couldn't help but feel a little silly when a light emanated from a series of LEDs set into the front of the device. "Wow. That would've been useful back in Wukice."

Shaking my head, I shone the light around the room; it was roughly circular with two doors: the one I'd just opened and another on the far side of the room. Seeing nothing but the smooth walls, I took a tentative step forward.

"I'm not seeing anything." I said, my light uncovering nothing more than smooth white walls.

One put a hand on the side of my head. "Hang on a sec; shine your light at the floor."

I did so, revealing a dusty floor and a number of strangely not dusty yellow balls, the nearest not far from where I stood. Seeing something drawn on the ball, I took another step forward for a closer look.

The door slammed shut behind me as neon lighting in the shape of a massive smile hummed to life over our heads and filled the room with light.

"Crap." One said, glancing behind us. "Bet it's locked."

I didn't respond; my eyes were still on the nearest of the yellow balls. Someone had drawn a smiley face on it … a smiley face showing a large quantity of clean, white teeth. A glance around the room showed that every ball had a similar expression; the eyes were different, and the shape of the mouth differed, but they were all looking right at me and smiling.

"Uh, hey there." I said, feeling even more unnerved than when I had seen the metal-jawed clowns.

Every face started hopping. It sounded to me like an army of tennis balls constantly bouncing up and down. It was still unnerving, but not necessarily threatening. Well, not until the nearest smiling ball bounced straight at me, its grinning mouth open.

"By the Creator!" I slashed at it with Glint, but the smiley bit down on my blade and held on with remarkable strength. Horrified, I tried the door behind me, but it was locked tight.

Another smiling face hit me in the shoulder and bit down hard enough to make me let out a cry of surprise. It didn't break the skin; its teeth were too blunt. Still, it squeezed down with more force than was comfortable for me. One ran across my shoulders and punched the smiling ball with enough force to dislodge it from my shoulder. He flashed me a smile that quickly became a look of alarm.

"To the right, Jimmy!"

I didn't hesitate to throw myself to my right, just in time to avoid three more of the smiling balls. Once on my feet again, I shot a Force Edge at the cluster of smileys. The energy wave sent them flying against the chamber walls, but they bounced back as though made of rubber.

After a few wild seconds of dodging the toothy things as they bounced madly around the room, I managed to get to the other door. I rushed through and slammed the door behind me, trying my best to ignore the multiple thumps coming from the other side.

"By the Creator." One breathed as I rested against the door. "That was … unexpected."

"Among other things." I said. A quick glance around the stone-walled room told me I was at least in relative safety.

In the ensuing silence, however, a high-pitched growling sound from the vicinity of my sword caught my attention. The little smiley face was still clenched on Glint, growling like a small dog and looking nowhere near as frightening on its own. With a snort, I backhanded the thing off my blade.

With a loud yip, the smiley face bounced back to the door, which I opened just wide enough for it to slip back through before slamming the door shut again. I glanced at my blade to find it unharmed; apparently, the thing had been holding on by the sheer strength of its jaw.

"Tenacious little bastards." One said, examining my shoulder. "Glad the teeth weren't sharp. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, "It surprised me more than anything."

I noticed the other door, the one with the frowning face, was slightly open. Unable to repress my curiosity, I peeked inside to see a multitude of sad blue faces. At my approach, they backed away from me and averted their eyes.

"I definitely can tell Iniagus had a hand designing this place." I muttered as the blue orbs whimpered in their corner. "I wonder if this was part of the attraction, or just something the kidnapper added."

One gave me a shrug. "Could just be an attraction gone wrong. Terry and Casey did say this place was shut down due to safety concerns."

"Hard to imagine why." I said, rubbing my shoulder.

We continued on through the torch-lit corridors. There were a few adjoining corridors here and there, but for the most part they led to dead ends or empty chambers filled with parts. It was definitely designed to be a labyrinth, but an incomplete one. Some of the rooms even bore sign of recent work; cans of paint, small piles of lumber, strange decorations that would doubtlessly be incorporated into future room designs.

Eventually, my path ended with three more labeled doors. The right door was labeled, "suxxor", the middle was labeled 'pwned', and the left was labeled, 'frag'.

"Okay." One said, rubbing his hands together. "Definite gamer lingo here. Suxxor's an abbreviation for sucks."

"I thought the whole point of an abbreviation was for the abbreviation to be shorter than the actual word." I said.

"Since when has logical sense had a place with slang?" Shaking his head, he continued, "Pwned implies being defeated, so I'd definitely give that door a miss. Frag means …"

"That one I know." I said. "So we won't be choosing that one."

"Good idea." One considered the other two doors for a few moments. "Suxxor sounds like the safest choice."

"Fair enough." I approached the door marked 'Suxxor' and turned the handle.

The instant I inched the door open, a tremendous vacuum tried to pull me forward. As I held on to the door frame as though my life depended on it (which was probably true, given the nature of traps I'd seen thus far), I glanced backwards. A small vortex of dark energy was in the middle of the room, sucking in everything around it.

"Careful, Jimmy!" One shouted as he hung from my shoulder. "Short-ranged localized teleport vortex! Probably designed to spit us out randomly somewhere else in the maze!"

"Or the park. Or the planet. Not worth taking the chance." With a lot of effort, I managed to climb over the door and out of the chamber. It took a good minute or two, but One and I managed to shut the door. The gravitational pull of the vortex stopped the instant the door lock clicked back into place.

I sank against the floor, muttering, "By the Creator, I hate this place."

"I dunno." One said, lying across my stomach. "A little paint, a few throw pillows-"

We exchanged looks for a moment before both letting out a relieved laugh. With a sigh, I picked up One and rose to my feet.

"Okay." I said, "So we've got 'Pwned' and 'Frag'. Ideas?"

"Pwned." One said. "Still sounds better than 'Frag'."

"Agreed." I put my hand on the handle of the door marked 'Pwned' and glanced at One. He took a firm hold of my keikogi and nodded.

Nodding back, I slowly slid the door open a crack. It was another dark room, but the lack of gravitational pull prompted me to open the door wide enough for me to poke my head through the doorway.

Something cold, squishy, and smelling faintly of lemon slammed into my face. I slammed the door shut, but not before I was dripping with meringue, bits of graham-cracker crust, and lemon-flavored filling.

One burst out laughing at the sight of me. Not as amused by this turn of events, I pulled him off my shoulder, opened the door again, and held the now-struggling doll inside the room until I felt another wet thud on my hand.

Pulling the pie-covered doll back through the doorway and closing the door, I regarded him for a moment and said, "You're right. That is pretty funny."

One crossed his small plush arms. I couldn't make out his face, what with all the meringue, but I imagine he was sulking. "Almost as funny as this."

A burst of water fired from his tiny Headache caught me in the face and proceeded to wash the pie remnants from my body. When it finally stopped, One was clean as well, though not dripping wet like me.

"I'm soaked." I told him.

"Yes, you are." One said. "How about that?"

Sighing, I moved back to the 'suxxor' room and cracked the door open. I had to struggle to keep the door opening all the way, but the suction was enough to pull most of the water from my body and clothes. Still a little damp, I said, "One door left."

"No sweat." One said, flexing his miniature Headache-clad arms. "Let's do this!"

Careful not to stand in front of the door this time, I twisted the handle of the door marked 'frag' and pushed it open with my foot.

The door swung silently open. I waited a few seconds, just in case there was some kind of time delayed response, but still nothing happened.

Still cautious, I peered around the corner.

The room was empty, save a metal ladder and a few cans of paint. As I walked inside, I noticed a piece of paper tacked to the wall. It read, "Remember to restock frag room ammo."

It took me a few moments for that to sink in, but the relief I felt when it finally did was palpable.

"Ha!" One said, pumping a metal fist in the air. "Procrastination saves the day again!"

Not wishing to push my luck, I walked swiftly across the room and exited out the other door. To my surprise, there was a spiral stairwell in the room beyond.

"Heck, yeah." One said. "Looks like a way back up to the castle."

"And whatever the kidnapper has waiting for us up there." With a sigh, I started up the stairs.

41: Chapter 41 - The Princess in the Tower

The stairwell went up and up and still further up. There were no windows or signs to break up the monotonous gray walls linking the stairwell, so it didn't take long for me to wonder if we were making any progress. Just as I considered turning back, the stairwell opened to a circular room with a single unmarked door.

"Thank the Creator." I said as I walked up the final steps. "I was beginning to wonder if that wasn't just another trap."

"Spinning staircase, never going anywhere?" One said. "Yeah, me too. Still, after all those stairs, we have to be back at the castle, right?'

We stared at the single door present in the room atop the stairwell. It looked rather benign, though after the rest of my day thus far, I wasn't going to assume anything.

"Only one way to find out." As I reached for the handle, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the other side.

"Incoming!" I stepped away from the door, swiftly drawing Glint and readying myself for whatever might try and enter the room. I raised my blade as the door opened only to immediately lower it when Mick rushed through the doorway and shut the door behind him.

"Mick!" I said, "It's good to-"

Mick held a finger to his lips. Motioning for me to move closer to him, He opened the door ever so slightly. I peered through the crack; after a few minutes, a suit of armor with energy blades for hands came walking around the corner.

"Hiding from Joe, are you? Ha! You'd better choose your hiding place well!" The armor proclaimed. "For Joe is the mightiest of knights, the most stalwart of warriors, and the deadliest of foes!"

The Joe-bot clipped the leg of a small decorative cabinet. Joe spun around and reduced the offending furniture into sawdust with a flurry of energy blades.

"Ha-ha! Solo EXP!" Joe shouted, raising an energy blade skyward.

"What the-" One said, only to have Mick clamp his hand around the doll's stitched mouth. Fortunately, the armor didn't hear him.

It walked down the path it had come, its synthesized voice echoing through the hallway. "So fall those who challenge the might of the great Joe!"

Once the Joe-bot was out of sight, Mick said, "I figured you'd be here by now, so I came here to assist; unfortunately, Joe caught me while I was lowering the drawbridge to the Bizarre Bazaar and has been flowing me ever since. Frankly, I'm amazed it's still in working."

"What about Casey?"

"Back at the Main Gate. She was still a bit shaken from her entrapment in the Aetherial Plane, so she wanted a chance to take a break."

"Fair enough." I said. "Creator knows I could use a break myself. I had my own robot troubles earlier."

"Truly? Androids?"

"No, just animatronic pirates. Apparently, someone named Cid fixed them up and gave them a basic AI."

"Fascinating! He must be quite the programmer." Mick said, "Is this Cid our kidnapper?"

"I think so. He definitely has the expertise."

Mick gave me an odd look. "Hold on a minute; wasn't One here a minute ago?"

I glanced at my shoulder, only to find that the One doll was indeed gone. "That's odd. I wonder where he went?"

We looked around the nearby area, but found no sign of the possessed toy. Eventually, I sighed and said, "He's gone. Again."

"Thomas often described One as being a little unpredictable." Mick said.

"Might have had an emergency, I suppose." I said. "Or perhaps Luck was ready for another round. Doesn't explain where the doll went though."

"Another round of what?" Mick asked, genuinely curious.

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm sure he'll catch up with us later. Come on; we need to get moving before Joe's patrol takes him this way again."

The corridors of the castle were pretty much what I expected: walls of stone bricks, tapestries, a wide strip of red carpet in the center of the corridors, and the occasional suit of armor. We gave the armor a wide berth, but otherwise had no difficulties.

I'm not sure if we were just lucky or were walking head-first into a trap, but we managed to find the right stairwell (ironically labeled 'To the Tallest Tower') without any additional trouble. Unfortunately, this meant another spiraling stairwell.

"I could go ahead of you to see if I she's really up there." Mick said.

"No, it's probably best that we stick together. No telling what's waiting for us up there." With another sigh, I started up the staircase.

After what felt like hours, we finally reached the top. By that time, I was well out of breath.

"Thank the Creator." I said, falling to the floor and resting against the wall. "No more stairs, please."

"Are you all right, Jimmy?" Mick asked, kneeling beside me and putting a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at his concerned face, and smiled. "It's okay. I'm just tired. It's definitely been a long day."

We sat there for a while as I caught my breath, staring at the door that hopefully led to Princess Sera. It was a heavy oak door with steel reinforcement. As my eyes fell on the keyhole, I let out a groan."

"What is it?"

"Key." I said, pointing. "Given the rest of this place, I'll bet Glint that we're gonna need a key to open that. He's probably hid it somewhere in the castle … or the park."

Eyebrow raised, Mick rose to his feet and approached the door. After glancing at the keyhole for a few moments, he dug his fingers into the hard wood and ripped the door off its hinges.

I stared as he set the door carefully against the wall. Dusting his hands off, he smiled at me and said cheerily, "Shall we?"

Shaking my head, I stood up and approached the open doorway. The room beyond seemed to be very … well, I know princessy isn't a word, but that was the best way to describe it. There was an exquisitely carved four poster bed with a cushy pillow-top mattress, a gold-trimmed full body mirror, an armoire, and even a beautiful, silver and gold harp in the corner.

Unfortunately, there was one thing missing; the princess. There was, however a figure in the window; a wooden mannequin that the kidnapper had dressed in the female royal guard uniform.

I rubbed my temples; while I'd known her presence in the tower was unlikely, I couldn't help but feel intense annoyance at being right back at square one: a massive park with no clue as to the locations of either the kidnapper or Princess Sera.

"Jimmy?" Mick asked.

"Yes, Mick?"

"That's not the princess."

"That's very observant of you." I said, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

After a moment on contemplative silence, he said, "Then this was a farce after all."

"Looks that way."

"Huh." Mick said, scratching his head.

As there was little else to be done, I poked around the room in a half-hearted attempt to search for clues as to the princess's whereabouts. I checked under the bed, rifled through the armoire (which was filled with costume-quality gowns and dresses) and thumped the floor in case there was a secret hatch. I even plucked a few strings on the harp. Other than discovering the harp was badly out of tune, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Nothing." I said. "This was a complete waste of time."

"Maybe" Mick's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe not."

I turned just as Mick plunged a hand into the bed. With a mighty yank, he tore a metal device about as large as my hand from the bed.

"Aha!" He clenched his fist around the device, reducing it to a handful of scrap. "Jamming device. Try your radio, Jimmy."

I did so immediately. "This is Jimmy Sakamota. Can anyone hear me?"

"Jimmy!" Terry's voice soon responded. "Thank the Creator! I was about to go looking for you!"

I didn't have time to reply before the radio activated again, this time broadcasting Casey's voice. "I hear you too; did Mick catch up with you?"

"Yes." I said. "Are you with Terry?"

"Not yet, but-"

Terry's voice cut in. "I can see her! Casey, I'm by the hot dog stand!"

"Good." I said. "Arc should be on the way to your location as well. I'm in the castle right now; the dragon machine's here, so if at all possible, I'd like Meryli to hurry this way and disable it."

"Uh, problem." Terry said. "Meryli's-"

"Gone missing, hasn't she?" I finished, a sinking feeling in my chest.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't realize she was gone until checked back with the Ascendant a few minutes ago. No signs of struggle, no note … she's just gone."

I rubbed my eyes. "Great. So she's either captured, or Terra was right and she's a traitor."

"Terra warned you about Meryli?" Terry said, reminding me that I still had the radio on.

"Yeah." I said, feeling embarrassed. "She left me a warning last night. Watch the Tekker."

"You didn't say anything to us." Mick said, sounding legitimately surprised.

I couldn't help but sigh. "What was I supposed to say? My imaginary girlfriend left me a warning?"

"Is she blonde?" Mick asked.

I stared at him for a long moment before managed to say, "Why would you ask that?"

He reached out and touched the lock of hair hanging from my neck. "I noticed you wearing this earlier, and have been wondering where you came by it. It's not the same shade of blonde as your hair, and the only other person with blonde hair is Terry."

"What?" Terry said over the radio. "When did you see my hair?"

"I caught a glimpse of it back in Wukice, in the power station. Still, while closer in shade to yours, it's still not the same. Jimmy, if you'll lend me a hair, I may be able to put this to rest once and for all."

"Is this really the time?" Terry said.

Terry was right, of course, but the temptation of an answer was too much for me. Reluctant but hopeful, I held out the makeshift amulet. Mick carefully pulled a single golden strand from the lock and pulled it taught between two fingers. All thoughts of the princess and the dragon were gone from my mind as I held my breath.

After staring at it intently for at least a minute, a sly smile spread across Mick's face. "My, my. Isn't that interesting?"

"What?" I asked, unable to keep desperation out of my voice. "What's interesting?"

"According to my genetic profiles, it's a near-match."

"A near match for what?" I asked.

"For-" Mick's eyes flicked upward, his voice dying almost immediately. "Uh, Jimmy?"

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I slowly turned to see a very large reptilian eye staring at me through the tower window.

"By the Creator." The words fell from my numb lips.

"What is it?" Terry said via radio. "Mick? Jimmy?"

It was Mick who finally said, "We've found the dragon."

The whole tower gave a great shudder, knocking me and Mick to the floor.

Fortunately, the fall snapped me back to my senses. I raised my radio and shouted, "The dragon's active! I repeat, the dragon's active!"

After Mick hauled me off the floor, we promptly made a break for the stairwell. We barely made it down the first steps before the dragon's claws smashed through the walls of the chamber, showering us with stone. Mick shoved me behind him and produced an energy field that deflected the rocks.

The dragon hovered above the remnants of the bedchamber. For a moment, I again thought I had been mistaken about it being a fake; it certainly looked like a real dragon with its blue scales, the flames licking around its jaws and the glittering red eyes that stared down at us.

"You leave me no choice, samurai!" Shouted the same voice that earlier taunted me in the Bizarre Bazaar. "I will not let you take her from me!"

"Wait! Cid!" I shouted, "This doesn't have to-"

The dragon breathed fire at us. Fortunately, Mick was smart enough to haul me down the stairwell before I ended up as black as my clothes. Accepting that my attempt to be diplomatic had failed, I followed Mick down the stairwell moments before the dragon began to systematically destroy the tower in our wake. Being nowhere near as fast as Mick, I had to duck more than once to avoid having my head taken away with a segment of the tower.

We rushed out of the doorway that previously lead to the tallest tower and kept running. I glanced behind me just in time to see the rest of the tower crumble to ruins. The dragon thrust its jaws through the opening. With a roar, it let out another blast of fire just as we rounded the corner.

"The princess must be close." I said as we continued to run, "I mean, he was playing with us before, but he seems really angry now."

"Perhaps his jamming signal was blocking more than the radio. If we can get to the Ascendant, I can run a scan of the park. I'd link up to Bethany, but that would involve stopping, which wouldn't be a good idea at the moment."

As if to make Mick's point, the dragon came crashing through the hallway behind us. "Sakamota!"

"We could really use a Dreamer about now." I said as I pushed myself to my limit to keep up with Mick.

We raced through the castle with the dragon hot on our heels. I still don't know how we managed to stay ahead of it; perhaps a mix of adrenaline, terror, and the narrow corridors restricting the dragon's movement. Still, I had no idea where we were going, and was essentially trusting that Mick was more knowledgeable than I.

Fortunately for me, he was. The massive doors of the castle entrance were soon within our sights. I could see the drawbridge beyond the doorway leading to the familiar tents of the Bizarre Baazar.

Unfortunately, the Joe-bot was also there, standing directly in our path. Its helmet turned toward us as we slowed to a halt in front of it. We'd lost the dragon for the moment, but we could hear it growing closer.

The Joe-bot activated its energy sabers and shouted, "Aha! An enemy has appeared!"

We turned around to retreat, only to see the dragon smash through the passage through which we just passed. Stuck between the two threats with nowhere left to run, I drew Glint and prepared for a fight. That was when the plush form of One fell from a hole in the stone ceiling and latched onto the face of the robot.

The robot swung around blindly. "Status Ailment: Blind! Quick, someone toss some eye-drops my way!"

One climbed around the robot, yanked off its back panel, and quickly climbed inside the machine's innards. Joe twisted and jerked around, its arms incapable of reaching the possessed doll. "Hey! What are you … no, don't touch that! I'm not …"

Joe suddenly went still. After a few moments he turned back to us, now speaking with the voice of One. "There we go. Just like piloting a Dreadnaught. Now let's get moving before your friend catches up with us!"

The three of us rushed out of the castle. We made it to the drawbridge just as the dragon forced its way through the main gate.

The dragon gave out a hair-raising screech before taking to the air, the gusts caused by the flapping of its great wings nearly knocking me over. Just as it dove at us, a blast of energy caught it in the shoulder. With another shriek, it quickly changed its trajectory and headed back to what was left of the castle.

Terry rushed toward us, firing off another shot that unfortunately missed the dragon's wing by inches. Casey was with him as well, her camera at the ready.

"Come on!" She said, motioning for us to follow.

We wasted no time in following her and Terry into the Bizarre Bazaar. By the time the dragon circled back in our direction, we'd already disappeared among the circus tents.

42: Chapter 42 - The Dragon

We moved carefully through the tents; the dragon made regular sweeps across the Bizarre Bazaar, but its large size and noisy nature made it easy for us to stay hidden as it passed overhead.

"Thanks for the save." I said at roughly the halfway point between the castle and the main entrance. "Where is Arc?"

"Back at the Ascendant." Terry said. "I knew you'd want someone there in case Meryli came back."

"Yeah, I do." I glanced at Terry. "So, any ideas on how we can bring that thing down?"

"Short of me dead-shotting a moving, flying target in a weak spot I'm not even sure really exists? Not really."

"What about the Ascendant?" Casey asked. "It can fly."

"Yes, but it has no offensive weapons." Mick said.

Glancing at One, I said, "A dreadnaught could take it down. Any chance of borrowing one, One?"

"Sorry, Jimmy." One said, "I lent my Dreadnaughts to the Knights of the Star for their rebuilding efforts. Even if I could get the Final Fantasy back in relatively short time, it's not configured for combat at the moment."

"Okay, so scratch that." I said, wishing I hadn't put off forming a proper plan before coming here; that dragon looked a lot more complicated than the one I had destroyed in Wukice.

Or was it? That gave me a reckless idea. It must've shown in my expression, as One said, "You're about to do something stupid, aren't you?"

"Probably." I admitted. "We need to get that thing out of the sky. Fortunately, I've got experience with that sort of thing."

"Experience?" Terry said, "You mean the prop in Wukice? You can't be serious. Even if you could get up there, Glint isn't going to be cutting through that thing's wings!"

"Not alone." I said. "First things first; Mick, do you think you could throw me onto the back of the dragon?"

Mick nodded. "You're pretty light. I'm no Dreamer, but I think I can manage it."

"Right. Next, we'll need a distraction to get the dragon close and to keep it still long enough for me to take out a wing."

"Yo." One said. "Terry and I will take care of it."

"We will?" Terry said, looking at the Joe-bot.

"Yeah. You draw its attention with a warning shot or two, and I'll take care of the rest. Trust me."

"Excellent." I said before Terry could argue. "Okay Casey, I hate to ask this, but I need to borrow your camera to weaken the base of the wings."

"I'm not going to just watch from the sidelines!" said Casey, her hands trembling but her face resolute. "Count me in."

"I'll fly her up there after you land." Mick offered.

I gave him a strange look. "Fly?"

"Alaina's upgrade." Mick said. "I can fly for short distances. I'll toss you, then fly Casey up there to take her shot."

"All right." I looked at my friends' faces for a long moment. There was fear there, but also excitement, and even a degree of eagerness. "Everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay. Terry, give us a ten-count to get into position before you start firing."

"Understood, sir."

"And be careful." I added. "That goes for everyone."

One snorted. "You're the one getting tossed on a dragon. We're just being a distraction."

Mick, Casey, and I hurried away from Terry and One. The dragon seemed to be watching us, but given its distance, it might have just been my imagination.

I secured Glint as best as I could. Casey tightened her grip on the camera, trying very hard to stay calm. I flashed her a reassuring smile and said, "Well, this ought to make for a good scene in one of your screenplays, eh?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "If we win."

"One step at a time." I told her.

A burst of energy shot from Terry's position. With a roar, the dragon dove in the direction of the plasma burst. Just as it prepared to breathe fire across the Bizarre Bazaar, however, another dragon appeared with a loud popping sound. This dragon, however, had purple scales and brilliant orange eyes, and seemed to be breathing a stream of bubbles. The blue dragon reared back in surprise, which was understandable; I had a hard time looking away myself.

I grinned, despite the gravity of the situation. "That's got Dreamer written all over it. You guys ready?"

I looked at Casey. She shut her eyes and nodded.

"Okay." I said, steeling myself for what was to come. "Let's do this!"

Mick picked me up easily and flung me at the dragon's back. For the second time since the whole adventure started, I found myself flying through the air toward a dragon. For the hundredth time since the whole mess had started, I wondered if I had gone completely crazy; perhaps I would wake up any moment now, my feet in the river as I lay on my bridge.

The first droplets of cool rain brought me back to my current situation just as I drew near the dragon. Mick's aim was exemplary; I landed on the dragon's back just as I started to fall, stumbling only slightly against the scales on his back. The dragon didn't even notice me; it continued to stare at One's dragon, its claws raised in anticipation of an attack.

Nodding, I turned and motioned for Casey. Moments later, Mick was flying beside me with Casey in his arms. The blue light of the thrusters on Mick's back left trails of light in the evening sky.

As he set her down, I helped her catch her balance. "Steady now. You okay?"

She nodded, but I could see the fear in her eyes.

"It's a piece of cake. Just stay close, and everything will be fine." Looking back at Mick, I shouted, "Mick, stay close to pull her out of here."

Huddled together, we moved unsteadily to the base of the dragon's wings as the dragon hissed at One's creation. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered whether the dragon One had summoned was real or just an illusion. With a Dreamer, there was no telling.

"The base of the wings," I reminded her.

"I don't know if I can get them both." Casey said.

She had a point; the prop dragon in Wukice's wings came together at a singlular point, whereas the wings on the dragon we were currently riding jutted from its shoulder blades.

"Make sure to get a definite shot on one, then." I told her. "One wing off will still keep it from flying."

She raised her camera to take the shot, but before she could press the shutter button, the dragon reared back to take a swipe at One's dragon. I stabbed Glint into the dragon's back to secure myself and grabbed for Casey, but her hand slipped from my grasp. Mick was there in an instant, his flight thrusters leaving a blue trail behind him as he flew down and caught Casey.

The dragon's claws passed effortlessly through One's illusion, landing dangerously close to where Terry and One were hiding. As they scrambled for cover, One's illusion vanished with a poof. The dragon let out a roar of frustration and quickly took to the sky with me still clinging to my sword stabbed in its back.

The rush of wind was nearly enough to make me lose my grip on Glint. While I didn't go flying off of the dragon's back, my blade slowly cut through the dragon's skin, leaving a long gash of splintered wood and exposed wiring.

Eventually, the dragon leveled off and flew a massive circle above the park. It was searching for my friends, trying to spot them so it could swoop in for the kill. With difficulty, I rose to my feet and started to move toward the dragon's wings. Cold rain pelted me in the face and every burst of wind threatened to sweep me off the dragon's back, yet I still managed to keep my footing as I pushed forward.

After what felt like a small eternity, I reached the base of the right wing. It didn't look like there were any breaks in the armor, but I knew I had to try something. Grasping my weapon with both hands, I raised Glint over my head and slammed it against the right wing. A single scale flew off, tearing a slash in my cheek as it was blown away. I staggered back, pressing a hand against my bleeding face. Before I could steady myself, a deafening peal of thunder made the dragon reel back. I didn't have time to react before I was thrown into the night sky.

"This is it," a voice in my mind said as I plummeted through the air, Glint miraculously still in my hand. "This is how I die."

Years of discipline and meditation shoved that thought aside; there was no time for that kind of nonsense at the moment. My friends were counting on me; as long as I drew breath, there was still a chance.

As the dragon pulled into a steep dive, an idea sprung into my mind. I sheathed Glint, loosened my sash, and let my keikogi flow free; by grabbing the edges of my sleeves and holding them out as far as I could reach, I was able to slow my descent. It wouldn't save me from slamming into the ground, but it did allow me some degree of control on the angle of my fall. Once I was falling toward the dragon, I pulled my vestments close to my body to speed my descent. By the time the ground was beginning to get uncomfortably close, I was right beside the dragon. Drawing Glint, I managed to stab the creature in the back again.

As it leveled off, I braced myself against both the angle and that horrible elevator-coming-to a halt feeling before making my way toward the wings again. Soaking wet and adrenaline still pumping from my recent flight, I gripped Glint with both hands and raised it to strike as the dragon let loose a jet of flame that ignited one of the large buildings built to resemble a circus tent.

"Jimmy!"

Mick zoomed by me, Casey in his arms. "Say Cheese!" She shouted, lifting her camera.

A brilliant flash shot from her camera and encompassed the base of the right wing. When the light faded, the scales looked as though they had partially melted. Realizing I didn't have much time, I swung Glint. This time, my weapon tore through the superheated wing with little resistance, severing it completely.

Mick could only carry one person, so I leapt backwards as high as I could, hoping with all my might that the extra upward movement would be enough to keep me from breaking every bone in my body.

I landed far too early; looking down, I realized I was standing on the Ascendant.

Arc poked his head out of the driver's window, a wide grin on his face. "How's it hanging, Jimmy?"

I looked up in time to see the dragon spiraled downward and crashed into the building it had only just set on fire. The already weakened building collapsed on top of the dragon, promptly burying it in flaming rubble.

Arc brought us back to the ground as the evening shower grew into a light rain. I hopped off of the roof of the Ascendant and promptly fell to my knees, feeling exhausted.

Mick helped me stand as Terry and One in the Joe-bot hurried toward us.

"Dude!" Arc said, leaping out of the Ascendant, "That was AWESOME!"

I gave him a tired thumbs up. "Thanks for the save."

"Well, I was thinking; the floater shield only keeps floaters from flying into the park; once we were inside, the Ascendant could fly just fine! That's when I saw you clinging to the back of the dragon, and thought I'd lend a hand."

"Have you seen Meryli?"

Arc shrugged. "I spent a good five minutes calling out for her while you were apparently being an uber-badass. If she's still near the entrance, it's her own fault."

"She turned on us!" Terry said, anger in his voice.

Casey's eyes lit up. "Ohmigod! She was working with the kidnapper!"

"Easy, everyone." I said, "Let's not jump to any conclusions. Perhaps she was trapped as well."

"But …" Terry sighed and said. "If you say so, sir. If we do find her, however, I'd suggest that we keep an eye on her."

"I can keep an eye on myself, thanks."

We turned to see Meryli approaching, every inch of her skin and clothes covered in dry dirt and soot, save for a goggle-shaped spot around her eyes. A cloud of dust poofed from her with every step she took.

She looked at the flaming wreckage of the building for a moment and said, "I see ya'll have been having a fun time too. Did I miss something?"

"The dragon." I said, motioning to the wreckage. The rain had quelled the fire somewhat, though the flames were still quite high.

We all stared at the blaze for a few moments. The clowns had made an appearance; they formed a long bucket chain, and were slowly but steadily putting out the fire. Quite honestly, I think the rain was doing a better job of quelling the flames.

"I hope our princess was in another castle." One said, chuckling. Seeing my questioning glance, he shook his head. "Never mind."

"You think he was actually inside that thing?" Arc asked.

I felt the blood drain from my face. "By the Creator. Perhaps we should try to-"

The flaming wreckage suddenly shot in all directions. As robot clowns fled in terror, One held his rune hand out; instantly, a shield of pure light shot up around us. As flaming wreckage bounced off the shield, a dark figure rose within the fire.

One's eyes went wide. "Cyber-cripes!"

The dragon, looking like something out of a horror movie with most of its scales gone and parts of its metal understructure exposed rose from the wreckage. With a loud, slightly static roar, it stomped toward us.

"Looks like I didn't miss the party after all!" Arc said, hefting his massive sword.

Arc's shout jarred me from my panic far too late to stop the young would-be hero as he ran at the mechanical monstrosity. The dragon slammed a claw down at him, but Arc leapt back at the last moment. The moment the claw hit the ground, Arc leapt on top of it and started running up the dragon's arm. It raised its other claw with the unmistakable intent of smashing Arc into jelly.

Terry blasted the machine with a full-powered burst, blasting off the dragon's other wing. The plasma burst snapped me out of my stupor in time to send a force wave flying through the air. It impacted the dragon's claw enough for the dragon to miss Arc.

"Swarm it!" I shouted, already running toward the dragon.

I was fast, but the Joe-bot sped past me. The dragon's claw slammed into the ground, but under One's guidance, Joe easily evaded the attack and countered, its twin energy swords cutting through the dragon's claw with ease.

"Oh, yeah!" One said, making the robot pump his fist in victory. "Nobody messes with Joe!"

He wasn't celebrating for long; with one swift movement, the dragon smashed the Joe-bot into spare parts. I caught the One doll as it was sent flying and quickly let him climb on my shoulder. When the dragon took a swipe at us, I narrowly managed to dodge it by throwing myself out of the way.

A bright flash followed by a click of a shutter made me glance back. Casey was running away, already cranking her camera again as Meryli rushed at the dragon with a loud cry. The hands of her UBT dug through the weakened scales and tore out handfuls of wiring, fake leather skin, and scales until the main arm support was visible. She slammed her UBT clad hands against the metal 'bone', each blow leaving a sizeable dent. With a quick nod, she ducked as I swung Glint and severed the rest of the claw.

I leapt aside as the dragon tried to crush me with its stump. Arc was on its shoulder now and was now working his way to the back of its neck. I wasn't sure what he was trying to do, but at this point any strategy was better than nothing. I shot a Force Edge up the dragon's arm, scattering what was left of its scales in all directions and leaving a few long tears in its 'skin'.

The Ascendant rushed through the air over my head. As it swerved to avoid the dragon's remaining claw, I spotted Mick in the driver's seat and Casey in the back.

The dragon tried to hit the Ascendant with its fire breath, but Mick's flying skills were beyond impressive; he spun around the fiery burst without so much as a single scorch mark on the Ascendant.

A brilliant burst of light I recognized as the flash of Casey's camera caught the dragon full in the face as the Ascendant flew past its monstrous head. If that wasn't enough, a plasma blast from Terry slammed into the dragon's skull, shattering its right eye. As it recoiled from the attack, Arc managed to clamber onto the beast's head.

Hefting his massive blade high in the air over his head, Arc shouted, "Eat Kindred steel, you overgrown toad!"

Arc stabbed the Kindred blade into the dragon's head, pushing it down all the way to the blade's metal hilt just as a loud flash of lighting hit somewhere within the park with a near-deafening thunder. Still, the dragon continued fighting.

Even horribly mangled, the machine still functioned well enough to send us running if we got too close. As Terry was proving the biggest nuisance, he started to shamble slowly toward the white-rank guard. Garbled noise came from the dragon as though the kidnapper was trying to talk, but it was impossible to discern what he was saying.

As another flash of lightning shot through the sky, I had a wild idea. Channeling stream energy, I ran at the dragon once again.

"Jimmy, what the hell are you doing?" One asked, struggling to hold on to my shoulder.

"I have to get closer." I said, energy already radiating from my blade.

The dragon stopped snapping at the Ascendant and focused its eyes on me. Arc stood on the machine beast's head, trying in vain to tug his weapon free. I knew he wouldn't succeed; thanks to Casey, he'd buried his blade deep into the dragon's artificial skull.

"Get Arc on the Ascendant!" I shouted into the PIM, hoping that Mick was listening.

He must've been; the Ascendant pulled alongside the head, just behind its eyes so that it couldn't see him. Arc glanced between it and his sword for a few moments. After a final tug, he gave up his sword and leapt onto the roof of the Ascendant.

As Arc and Mick flew away, I continued my dash toward the monster.

"How close do you have to be?" One shouted over the rising sound of rainfall.

"Just a little closer! If I'm not close enough, it won't be strong enough!"

"Strong enough for what?"

The dragon loomed in my view; it stared down at me with its angry red eyes. Despite all the exposed circuitry at that point, I still marveled at how real it looked. I just wasn't afraid of it anymore.

I stopped only a few yards from the beast. As its head darted toward me, I swung Glint with every bit of strength and stream I could muster.

The resulting Force Edge seemed to explode from my blade and sent little tremors through the air as it passed. It hit the dragon's face with enough force to send the entire head flying up. The dragon staggered back as its head flew as high as its neck would allow, the metal hilt of the kindred blade reaching high into the stormy sky as I prayed for a little luck.

A blast of lighting hit the hilt of the Kindred blade and shot down into the dragon's skull. The electrical discharge danced over the dragon's metal frame, accompanied by minor explosions that soon left it without limbs. With a final roar, it collapsed to the ground, and lay still.

The Ascendant landed behind us; in a few moments, the team gathered in front of the fallen dragon machine. It was a strangely somber moment

"Dude!" Arc whispered, staring at the damage his sword had caused. "How did you know?"

"Anything that flies had to be protected from lightning, but when you stabbed it in the head, your sword became a grounding rod straight to its internals." I said.

"No, I mean how did you know the lightning would strike?"

I shook my head; it had made sense at the time, but my mind was too numb to recall. "I don't know. I guess I just figured the Creator owed me one."

"It … it's dead this time, right?" Casey asked, peering at the remnants of the dragon from behind Mick.

A glimmer caught my eye; the massive chunk of crystallic that was the thing's power core was exposed.

I walked toward the dragon. The others moved to follow me, but I raised a hand to stay them.

"It might be dangerous." I said. "Terry?"

"Ready, sir." Terry said, his rifle already at the ready and aimed at the dragon's core.

Keeping Glint in hand, I approached the remains of the dragon.

When I reached the core I touched it gingerly, only to find the stone was as cool as the falling rain. Using Glint, I pried the large crystallic chunk out of its casing and let it fall into the growing puddle of mud. The light in what remained of the dragon's eyes slowly faded before eventually going dark.

Only then did I feel the dragon was no longer a threat. I let out a deep breath and moved to sheath my blade.

A loud clang made me spin around, blade at the ready. The sound was from one of the outer plates on the dragon's chest as it swung open and hit the partially destroyed arm. As I watched, a bedraggled figure stumbled out of the smoking cockpit and promptly collapsed to the ground in a fit of coughing. His scales were a deep green, his fur a lighter shade of that.

As he looked up at me, a thin rivulet of blood tricking down the side of his face, I realized he was a draconis … no, not just any draconis; he was the draconis, the painter who had kidnapped Princess Sera and just tried to kill my friends.

My resolve hardening, I slowly approached the draconis and pointed the business end of Glint to his long neck. "Where is Princess Sera?"

He held out a hand. "Please, hear me out."

"You've already done plenty of talking tonight. I tried to reason with you, I tried to give you a chance, but you just laughed and let us stumble around your park and into your traps. When that didn't stop us, you resorted to trying to outright murder us. You'll excuse me if I'm not interested in hearing your sob story."

A look of fear fell on his face. "Are you going to kill me?"

I'm ashamed to say that part of me considered it. He was wounded, and after what he'd tried to do to my friends, part of me was positively screaming for vengeance.

"We're here to rescue the princess. Tell us where you've hidden her, and I'll consider letting you go."

"Rescue?" He said incredulously, "She doesn't need to be rescued; I already rescued her, from an insane king and his two would-be heroes!"

I opened my mouth to reply when I heard someone shout, "Cid … by the Creator, Jimmy, NO!"

I turned to see Meryli running toward me, but she wasn't the one who had shouted; right behind her was Princess Sera. I almost didn't recognize her, as she was wearing much more sensible clothes rather than the female guard uniform.

She brushed by me and knelt beside the draconis. Furthering my confusion, she embraced him and said, "Please don't hurt him, Jimmy, please! I'll do anything, I'll go back to my father, just please don't hurt Cid!"

After a long moment, I lowered Glint, and bowed my head. "Mick." I said quietly, knowing he'd still hear me, "Could you come here for a second?"

Mick approached. "Jimmy?" He asked, looking curiously at the princess and the draconis.

"Would you please heal his wounds? He's probably breathed in a little smoke too, so just give him a little checkup, okay?"

"Of course." Mick swiftly walked over to Cid and knelt beside him to begin his work.

Sera looked up at me, her eyes shining with hope. "Jimmy?"

"A moment." I said. I watched in silence as Mick attended to Cid's injuries. All the while, the events of my adventure were whirling about in my head. Sera kept looking from Cid to me, her concern growing more and more by the moment.

"Jimmy," She said when the silence apparently grew too much for her. "I can explain."

"I think I can too, for the most part. I just need to ask one question; when I asked you out on a date back in Iniagusville, you told me you already had someone special. You were talking about Cid here, weren't you?"

"He's the secret boyfriend?" With a sigh, Terry lowered his rifle. "By the Creator, Sera, what in Nocturnes is going on here?"

I nodded as well, though my nod was one of satisfaction. "I think I understand. Stop me if I get something wrong. When you heard your father was going to try to marry you off to either me or Arc, the first thing you did was tell Cid. Together, the two of you came up with this plan."

"Sir?" Terry said.

"The princess wasn't kidnapped by the dragon." Casey said, "She ran away with the dragon!"

"So to speak." I said. "I have to say, it was a brilliant plan, trying to make everyone think a real dragon had kidnapped you. A dragon could fly out of Wenapaj in a matter of hours, making pursuit useless. Even if the supposed dragon stayed local, only an idiot would go looking to a dragon."

"Clearly, the quality of idiots has gone up in recent years." Cid said, giving me a weak smile. "Tell me truly; did I ever have you fooled?"

"Oh, yes." I told him. "I thought it was a real dragon for a while there. We were going the wrong way, but I'm sure you knew that."

I turned to face Meryli and said, "Didn't you?"

"Huh? Whaddya lookin' at me for, Jimbo?"

"Because you helped them."

Her cheeks went red as she said, "I dunno what you mean."

"Sera and Cid may have planted bugs around the palace to keep an eye on things, but someone had to monitor them and warn them of anyone getting too close. Someone had to coordinate, someone who knew both of you. You told us you trained as one of the Queen's Shadows, so I'm guessing that's where you met Sera. As for Cid, well, he had to rent floaters from somewhere to visit Sera; he lives father from Iniagusville than me."

Meryli sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, he did."

"And I told you about Sera's kidnapping in the market just before we left. I even told you about the Glyche facility beneath the Saybaro. You bugged Mick, didn't you?"

"What?" Mick said, startled.

With a sigh, Meryli said, "I slipped it under your collar when I hugged you. Sorry, Mick, but after all the trouble we went to, I had to be sure you and your friends weren't too close."

Mick felt around the collar of his shirt before producing a small metal dot. If anything, he looked bemused as he handed it back to a blushing Meryli.

I continued, "You knew we'd find nothing, even with access to the Yaevin station, but if we started looking into the kidnapping scene … well, we'd find out just what we found out. Fake scales, but no dragon. Fortunately for you, we already found a false lead; the supposed dragon in Wukice. That gave Cid plenty of time to work on something more substantial to throw at us."

"Something to scare you off, yeah." Meryli shot a dirty look at Cid. "Not blow you up! By the Creator, Cid, what in Nocturnes were ya thinkin'?"

"I was just trying to make it more believable." Cid said.

"Yeah? And what about what just happened? Your castle's in shambles, and the only reason this whole place isn't a blaze is because of rain and the clowns! I promised I wouldn't snitch on ya, but you nearly killed all of us with that stunt in Salutier!"

"I didn't think you'd pursue me!" Cid said, giving me a rather plaintive look. "You were supposed to run in fear, not actually try to stop me! When the king knighted you, I guess I just assumed that you'd be as silly as he is." He sighed. "And I was wrong. By the Creator, I was wrong."

Mick shut off his healing beams. Patting Cid on the shoulder, he said, "You're good to go. The rest will heal after a good night's sleep, though you'll probably be coughing for a few days."

"So what happens next." Terry said, looking at me uncertainly.

Everyone turned to look at me. I was the leader, whether I wanted to be the leader or not. To be fair, I don't think anyone wanted to deal with the decision I faced.

"What happens next." I repeated, conscious of everyone's eyes on me. I closed my eyes and ran through the whole scenario in my mind once again before confirming the conclusion I knew in my heart I'd decided the moment Sera confirmed that Cid was her lover.

I sheathed Glint, and turned away from Sera and Cid. "Meryli, go get the Ascendant started. We're leaving."

Arc's jaw dropped. Meryli just nodded and flashed me a grateful smile before hurrying toward the Ascendant.

"What?" Sera said, clearly startled. "You're … you're not going to tell my father about all of this?"

"About the park?" I said, "All we found was a fake dragon. No kidnapper or princess anywhere. In my opinion, the kidnapper and the princess must've fled to Rimstak. I'll mention, of course, that I have suspicions that you went along willingly with the kidnapper, but have no concrete proof of this other than what I've already sent."

"Sir?" Terry said, "I want to help Sera, but ... you're going to lie to the king?"

I sighed. "Yes. I'm going to lie to the king. They wanted to elope, and I can't argue with their reasoning for doing so. The alternative places Cid in jail and Sera getting married to someone she doesn't love. She's your friend too, isn't she? Which do you think will make her happier?"

Terry looked at Sera for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "Yes sir."

"Thank you, Jimmy … Terry." Sera said, bowing her head respectfully at both of us.

Cid, however, shook his head, a clear look of disbelief on his face. "I tried to kill you. I damn near succeeded. Why would you do this for us?"

I bowed my head. "Maybe it's trite, but you did what you did for love. Maybe that wouldn't have meant as much to me before this chase began, but now? No, I can't in good conscience condemn you for doing what you felt was necessary to help the woman you love.

Cid looked me in the eye as Sera helped him to his feet. Slowly, he held out his hand, "Thank you, Sir Sakamota. Just … thank you."

I know I said that I'm not a hero … and truly, I don't think I am. However, a few times in my life, I've felt close. Watching Sera and Cid walk off together arm in arm as the rain finally relented was one of those time.

"So that's it, huh?" Arc said, sounding disappointed.

"It's the right thing to do." I clapped him on the shoulder and smiled at him. "Look at it this way; you dealt the critical blow."

"I did?" A grin slowly spread across his face. "Yeah, I did! I knew this Kindred blade was special!"

"I'm not arguing with you." Casey said as Arc walked happily to the Ascendant, "But what about the king? You're essentially having to tell him that the kidnapper got away."

I paused; she was right. Even if he believed my story, he probably wasn't going to be happy with me. "I'll cross that bridge when we get there."

43: Chapter 43 - Happily Ever After

The trip back to Iniagusville was not a pleasant. The rain cleared up, and we all somehow had made it through the fight with the dragon without serious injury, but there was a strange uncertainty in the air that brought with it an uncomfortable silence.

I couldn't let the others take the blame for my decision, yet I couldn't help but wonder what Iniagus would do when I reported my failure. Would I be thrown in jail? Stripped from my post? I didn't want to leave the Saybaro, but even if I ran away, my friends could be made to suffer in my place. I wouldn't let that happen.

The others were quiet for their own reasons. Mick seemed to be processing everything that had happened. Casey was scribbling in her book again, though she did flash me worried glances every now and then. One had left the doll, saying he wanted to spend some time with his wife now that the dragon business seemed to be over. Arc was busy polishing the Kindred Sword; Mick had pried it out for him, but it was still covered in smudges.

Meryli didn't talk much either, other than to update us on the journey. She was taking the trip slow, as we'd pushed the Ascendant rather hard thus far. Secretly, I felt she was still a little bothered about having helped Cid keep tabs on our group. She needn't have worried; if anything, the length she'd gone to help her friends was admirable.

It was Terry's behavior that bothered me the most. He barely seemed to so much as move during the entire trip, and said absolutely nothing. I was worried that he now regarded me as a traitor.

All in all, I was glad when we finally reached Iniagusville. The bustling streets helped take my mind off my troubles, at least until the guards showed up, accompanied by Unne Trustworthy.

"Sir Jimmy Olsen Sakamota!" Councilor Trustworthy said, an unpleasant smile on his face, "You are to come with us immediately."

To my surprise, Terry moved to stand in front of me. "What is this about?"

"His Majesty only wishes to speak with Jimmy." Trustworthy said, "The rest of you are not required."

Terry stood defiantly in front of me. "Jimmy is my superior officer. Where he goes, I go."

Casey chimed in, "Me too!"

"I will be present." added Mick.

Arc threw his arm around my shoulder. "We possible-heroes have to stick together, right?"

"In for a penny, in for a pound." Said Meryli, shrugging.

The guards seemed daunted by this. Iniagus just seemed annoyed.

"Fine!" he snapped. "If it'll get us

Everyone in the street seemed to be watching as we were escorted up to the palace waystation. It was a little unnerving, though watching the two guards sing a duet-rendition of 'The Malboro Café' brightened the mood slightly.

As we approached the palace, I looked for Devon, but he wasn't there. It would have done me a little good to see a friendly face smiling at me.

At long last, we entered the throne room. The windows were set to stormy weather as Iniagus sat on his throne, a brooding look on his face. "Guards," He said in a tired voice, "I asked for Jimmy. Who are all these people?"

"Terry Ulyndia, White-rank royal guard!"

"Oh, I'm Casey Jones, and I'm screenwriter from Wukice."

"Arc Skylad, knight, probable hero, and expert on Kindred weaponry!"

"My designation is Mick Sakamota, Medical Technician."

"Meryli Grange. I'm … er, I was the Salutier Floater mechanic.

"I'm Vicks Fargo, Royal …" said one of our escorts.

Iniagus waved impatiently at the identical guards. "I know who you are! You're dismissed! Now get lost!"

The two guards jumped, hastily saluted the king, and hurried out of the throne room as fast as they could manage.

"You too, Councilor Trustworthy." The King said. "I'd like to handle this on my own."

"Of course, your Excellence." Trustworthy gave the king a low bow before walking swiftly from the room, flashing me a nasty smile as he passed me.

Once Councilor Trustworthy was gone, Iniagus stared at us … at me for a long time. Finally, he said, "I know what happened."

The sound of dry bones clicking made my breath stick in my throat. Dee walked from behind one of the statues, her head once again attached to the rest of her skeleton. Even while wearing normal clothes, the site of an ambulatory skeleton sans skin and organs was still somewhat disconcerting.

"Thought you saw the last of me, eh?" Dee said with a cackle. "The looks on your faces … priceless!

"You told them what happened?" I asked, even though the answer seemed obvious.

"Nope. I just gave them a ride."

"Them?"

Two more people walked out from behind the statues. My jaw dropped at the sight of Sera and Cid, looking quite solemn.

"We told my father. We told him everything." Sera said, no doubt noticing my look of shock.

"You … you did?" I said, my spirits plummeting.

"Yes, they did." King Iniagus said. "Have you anything more to add on your behalf?"

With a final glance at Sera, I sighed and said, "I did what I felt was right, your Majesty."

"What was right?" The king shouted, rising to his feet. I braced myself for what was to come, and was completely taken aback when the king rushed toward me and gave me a bear of a hug.

"My dear boy," He said, hands on my shoulders. "You have done an incredible service for my family! I knew you had the spark of greatness in you, my boy, but even I doubted you could actually take down the dragon!"

"The dragon." I repeated, eyes glancing again in Cid's direction. He shrugged and gave me a sheepish smile.

"Yes, the dragon! I still can't believe the foul creature had the nerve to make its nest in my old theme park! It's a good thing that Cid got word to you in time for you to help him get my dear daughter to safety!"

"But Cid was-" Arc said, only for Casey and Meryli to slap their hands over his mouth.

"-Quite the hero." Said Casey with a wide smile. "Yeah, brave the way he, uh …"

"The way he got the princess outta danger's way while we distracted the dragon." Meryli said, her eyes on Sera, who gave her a subtle nod.

I quickly recomposed myself and said, "Of course. I'm glad we were able to do our part."

"As am I, my loyal knight, as am I." Iniagus's smile fell. "I'm just sorry that since technically Cid did the rescuing, he's the only one entitled to having her hand in marriage."

"What?!" Arc said, only for Casey and Meryli to quickly cover his mouth again.

I had a hard time hiding a grin as I said, "It is as you say, your Majesty. However, I'm nevertheless glad I was able to do my part in bringing the Princess home."

"Indeed." Iniagus said, smiling at his daughter and her draconis fiancé. "My daughter seems happy enough with the lad, and I suppose that's what's important."

Sera blushed as Cid gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, father.

Nodding at them, King Iniagus said, "I must admit I've warmed to the fellow myself. I mean, he's not a possible hero or a knight, but Dee tells me he's been doing great work restoring my amusement park. That's brilliant! I'll simply have to have a visit once they've repaired the damage from the dragon."

I couldn't help but crack a grin as I said, "I'd recommend checking out Captain Graggle and his pirates at Crystal Cove. They've got an excellent song and dance show."

"Fantastic! I shall make a point to see it! For now, however, know that you and your team have done an excellent job. As such, I feel obligated, nay, bound to reward the lot of you. Now I promised you Sera's hand, but seeing as both of her hands are gone, I could offer the hand of one of my other daughters. You and the Princess Zelda seem to have developed a bit of a friendship; she speaks incessantly of you since Sera's return. She's still a bit young at the moment, but perhaps in a decade or so-"

"With all due respect to you and Princess Zelda, your Majesty," I said, "May I make a request as to my reward?"

King Iniagus seemed pleased by this. "Certainly, Jimmy my boy! Just say what you want, and I will consider giving it to you!"

That wasn't exactly the absolute I was hoping for, but it would have to do. "I would like to purchase the area known as the Saybaro, as I've put a lot of work into restoring the place and have come to think of it as my home. Besides, if I am to one day take a bride, I must have a place where we can live … a place of my own."

"A kingdom for your queen, eh? Yes, that does make sense, but I'm afraid I cannot grant your wish. No, I can't sell it to you. Nope. No way." He shook his head emphatically.

My heart sank. Before I could say anything, however, he snapped his fingers and shouted, "Devon!"

Devon ran in moments later. He flashed a smile at Terry and me before approaching the king. "You called, your Majesty?"

Iniagus slapped Devon on the back, saying, "I thought I told you to call me Iggy, you old trout!"

"My apologies. You called, Iggy?"

"I most certainly did. Please see that the Saybaro area is registered under Jimmy Sakamota, and make sure he has the deed before the day is out, free of charge." Looking back at me, he said, "It is done. The Saybaro area is now yours."

"All right!" Arc said, giving me a high five.

Mick asked, "And everything beneath it?"

"All of it is yours! Mineral rights and everything! Not even taxed for my loyal knight and possible hero. Now for your friends, for I believe they should be rewarded as well."

Terry snapped to attention. "Sir! I request to be posted at the Saybaro."

"But my lad," Iniagus said, clearly taken aback by this request. "Why would you want to guard such a remote part of the kingdom? Surely you'd prefer a more lively post?"

Terry didn't know what to say to this; fortunately, I did. "Sir," I said, "With the evil-"

"Evil, Jimmy. Enunciate the 'E'."

"Er, right. With the Evil engulfing the land, the Saybaro area may become a target. I would welcome the additional help in protecting the area for when the Evil becomes manifest."

"An excellent idea, Jimmy! Excellent, excellent, EXCELLENT! Sir Terry, I promote you to the rank of specialist, and assign you to assist in guarding Saybaro from the Evil. You may leave as soon as you fill out the appropriate paperwork."

"Thank you, your Majesty!" He said, bowing.

"And as for you, Miss Casey, the only thing I have for you … is some terrific news! You see, since the queen wasn't as gung-ho in my efforts to produce a new princess, I've had plenty of time to read some of your screenplays."

"You … you did?" Casey said, clearly surprised to hear the King of Wenapaj read her work. "What did you think?"

"What did I think? They were fantastic! Spectacular! Magnificent! That's why I called in a few of my director friends and pitched a few of your screenplays. Don't be surprised if you start getting calls soon."

"T-thank you, your Majesty!" Casey said, her cheeks dark. "Nothing may come of it, but-"

She froze, the sound of buzzing audible throughout the chamber. She pulled out her phone and stared at the screen for a long moment. "It's Gilborn Ratchet."

"Indeed? Well, you'd better answer him!"

With a final grateful glance at Iniagus, Casey hurried through the throne room doors, already talking into her phone. I whispered a quick prayer to the Creator, hoping that her luck was indeed about to turn.

Iniagus rubbed his hands together and asked, "So, who's next? Miss Meryli, perhaps?"

"I dunno." Meryli said, rubbing the back of her head. "I don't know if I really qualify for a reward. Still, if you're offerin', I could use a new place. My place got kinda trashed."

"I thought you were going to live in the Saybaro." I said.

She stared at me, clearly surprised. "You … you're still offering?"

When I nodded in reply, she gave me a dazzling smile and said, "Well then, that'll be plenty enough reward for me!"

"Excellent!" Iniagus said, clapping his hands and turning to Mick. "And now for you, er …" He looked at Mick a moment and sighed. "You know, I've looked up Chromeitis in a dozen medical journals and found nothing."

Glancing at me, Mick said, "To be perfectly honest, your Majesty, I am a Glyche core unit."

"Ah, I see." Iniagus patted Mick on the shoulder and asked in a kindly tone, "And how is that working out for you?"

"As well as can be expected, your Majesty." Mick said, a bemused expression on his face.

"Well, then, what would you like for your part in bringing down the dragon?"

Mick considered this for a few moments before giving the king a shrug. "I don't know. I'm quite happy with everything I've got at the moment, although …"

"Yes?"

Looking at me, Mick asked, "Would you mind if I got a puppy?"

The oddness of the request made me laugh out loud. "Sure thing, Mick."

The King laughed as well. "In that case, I'll have a coupon made out to you for one puppy from the pet shop or animal shelter of your choice. Just remember, having a pet is a big responsibility! And as for the young Sir Luminous-"

"Ugh!" Arc said, throwing up his hands as if to fend off his name, "Don't call me that! My name is Arc!"

"Very well. From this day forward, you will be known as Arc Arc Skylad." Iniagus looked rather pleased with himself. "I say, that wasn't difficult at all."

Arc's eyes went wide. "Wait, that's not what I-"

Iniagus clapped his hands together and said, "Well then! Now that the prizes are all handed out, it's time for a feast to celebrate the engagement of my daughter and her brave and clever suitor, Cid!"

He clapped his hands. The storm windows rolled up, and sun windows rolled down in their places. About a hundred servants came running into the room, most of which were carrying a large table. They set the table down between us and Iniagus, scooped us up into chairs, put us around the table, and set the largest feast I had ever seen.

The remaining princes and princesses joined us for the feast, as did the queen. Princess Zelda sat next to me after giving me a big hug, and spent most of the feast asking me to tell her about the fight with the dragon over and over again. Sera and Cid made a point to say hello; while we couldn't talk about what truly happened, they both gave me looks of gratitude.

We stuffed ourselves to the point of bursting. Even Mick seemed to be having trouble walking as we left the royal chamber (where Iniagus had fallen asleep with the right half of his face in a chocolate mousse).

As we were led to our rooms, we talked about what we were going to do.

"It might take me a few weeks to get ready to move," Terry told me, "There's a lot of bureaucracy to cut through, and I've got a few things of my own to take care of."

"It's okay." I said, "Take your time. We've got to prepare two new rooms before you arrive."

"It should not be a problem." Mick said, "With the assistance of myself and Meryli, not to mention the resources of the Saybaro facility."

Casey said, "I'd like to stop by as well, if that's okay."

"Okay," I amended, "Three new rooms."

"Oh, well three rooms … no way we can do all that." Mick grinned at us.

We all laughed as we continued down the hallway. One by one, each member of our group wished the rest of us goodnight before entering their assigned room. Soon, it was just me and Devon.

"Your son did a great job." I said. "You've every right to be proud of him."

"I am." He said as we stopped outside the door to my quarters for the night. After a momentary pause, he said, "I'm proud of both of you."

I stared at him in surprise as he swiftly walked away. I'd always thought of him as a father figure, but I'd never realized he felt the same way. Smiling, I stepped into my room and immediately froze when I found myself face to face with Terra.

44: Chapter 44 - Terra

We stared at each other for a long time. She looked as surprised as I felt, despite the must've been waiting for me. She was wearing the same night-clothes I saw her wearing all those weeks ago when I first met her in the palace. Given the time, I suppose it wasn't all that surprising.

Part of me immediately wanted to stick my head out of the door and call Devon back, but I didn't. I didn't need to.

"Hi." I said, finding my voice.

"Hi." She said, her blush visible beneath the soft fur of her cheeks.

Another long silence fell between us. Every time our eyes met, she shied away from my gaze. I found myself thinking it rather cute.

"Oh, shut up." She said, though I could see her trying hard not to smile.

"I can't help it." I said. "You're adorable."

She stuck her tongue out at me. I could tell she was relieved as I at the levity.

"I'm sorry." We both stopped, the surprise on her face matching my own.

"Um, you go first." I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"No, it's okay, you can go first."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She said, toying with her hands. "I mean, I know why I'm sorry, but why are you apologizing?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry I wrote you off like that. I was nervous about the dragon, and being the group leader didn't make it any easier."

"It's okay." She said. "I mean, it's my fault, really. If it weren't for my damn social anxiety, maybe you wouldn't think I'm just a hallucination."

"Still, real or not, it was wrong to do that to you. It wasn't a nice thing to do." I let out a sigh. "And still you tried to warn my about Meryli. You even tried to save me from Dee."

Her blush very evident now, she said, "She wasn't really attacking you."

"I didn't know that at the time, and I doubt you did either. Thank you … and I'm sorry for not believing you."

""No, Jimmy, don't be sorry." She said, not meeting my gaze. "It's my fault. I did this all wrong. It's no wonder you don't think I'm real. Even now, you aren't sure, and it's my fault. I might as well just be an illusion with the way I've handled this. I could've done so many things to show you I was real, but I didn't because … because I was scared."

"Am I truly that frightening?" I asked.

"You have no idea. Jimmy." Sighing, she said, "I should've told you from the beginning."

"Hey." I said, rubbing her cheek. "Tell me what?"

She met my gaze for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "You know how tigreth women bond with their mates? Well, the fional do as well, both the men and women. It's different with us, though; there's no fight, no contest. For us, it's a two-part process that starts with a kiss between two people who feel a mutual attraction."

"Like when we kissed in the lake at Natalya." I said, realization washing over me. "By the Creator, I'm thick. That's why I keep waking up when your around, why I get snippits of how you're feeling. We bonded that night; you've been in my head ever since."

I did feel an emotion at that: shame. Her embarrassment was so strong that I could feel myself blush a little. She sat down on the side of my bed, her head bowed. I slowly sat down beside her and patiently waited, feeling her need to explain it to me.

"I should've told you before I kissed you." She said, "I should've explained it, but after watching you for so long, seeing the way you act even when there's no one else to watch you …"

She turned her gaze on me, her affection flooding through the bond I knew us to now share. I really like you, Jimmy. You're handsome, brave, dedicated, and by the Creator you've a kind heart. More than anything, though, you know how it feels."

"How what feels?" I asked, by voice quiet.

"How it feels to be alone. I know it's not fair to compare your situation with mine. I've lived surrounded by others in the palace for years, whereas you had no one save tourists and the occasional visit from my father when he was on the way to spend time with my mother."

I took her hand between both of mine. "I grew up in Rimstak after my parents died. Trust me; sometimes there's no lonelier place in the world than in the middle of a crowd."

She gave me a timid smile, the happiness she felt brushing against my own thoughts like a warm breeze. "At first, it was everything I wanted. I knew it would take a little longer for you to start feeling the effects, as you aren't fional, but I hoped to give you a chance to see into my mind as well as the weeks passed, give you a chance to get to know me the way I knew you."

She sighed. "And then, I went to check on you after the incident with the prop dragon in Wukice. I didn't realize just how strong the urge would be when feeding of our feelings of mutual attraction."

"The urge?"

"To complete the bond." Blush reappearing on her cheeks, she said, "The kiss is the first part. The second part … well …"

I felt my own cheeks grow warm. "I think I understand."

"You liked me, I liked you, and our affections just fed on each other, making the urge to complete the bond all the stronger." She sighed again, a smile on her face this time. "It's gotten easier to manage, but by the Creator was it overwhelming before, especially in the Genovis facility."

"Really?" I said, a sly smile sliding across my face. "I hadn't noticed."

"Shut up." She said, punching my arm playfully. "Seriously, I'm surprised I was able to stop myself from just jumping you outright and completing the bond whether you were ready or not."

"To be fair, I wasn't exactly pushing you away." I said.

"Yes, but part of you was still fighting. I think some of that discipline you taught yourself over the last thirteen years finally started trickling through the bond when we met in the Genovis facility, 'cause that's when I finally realized what I was doing."

She looked away from me. "I should've explained everything and given you a choice that night at the lake, but I didn't. I forced myself on you, because some part of me was afraid that you'd say no. I'm sorry about that, Jimmy, and … and if you want to break the bond, I completely understand. You really deserve someone so much better than-"

I cut her off with a kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise, but soon she brought her hands up to caress my cheek and neck. As I pulled away, I said, "Do you remember the first thing you ever said to me?"

"I like you." She said, nodding slightly.

"Well, I like you too. I liked you since you smiled at me for reassuring Princess Zelda all those weeks ago. I wasn't partially bonded to you then; heck, I didn't even know your name. I won't pretend that I fully understand the nature of the bonding, but would I have agreed to give it a try? Yes, I think so."

Her smile widened slowly as I continued, "I'll admit that our relationship's been a bit unusual, and after what you've told me, I do think it's too soon for us to complete the bond, but do I want it to end?" I shook my head. "No, I don't."

Her happiness radiating throughout my core, Terra hugged me. "Me either." She whispered in my ear.

When she pulled away, her hands in mine, she asked, "So what now? What's the next step?"

Seeing her looking so earnestly at me was almost too much. I scooted back on the bed and picked up the remote on my bedside table. Waving it meaningfully, I said, "Well, seeing as we've already eaten, would you like to watch a movie with me?"

She smiled and quickly scooted back until she was right beside me. Nestling against my side, she said, "I'd love to."

I awoke the next morning in bed with Terra curled up against my side, my keikogi over her shoulders and the remote for the console that served as both computer and television for the guest chamber still in her hand. Smiling, I kissed Terra's forehead. She nuzzled against my chest for a few moments before settling down, a contented smile on her face as she continued to dream.

I was content to lay there and watch Terra sleep. Unfortunately, as a result of the large feast the night before, I soon found myself needing to go to the bathroom. I carefully extricated myself from Terra's sleeping arms and slid out of bed. Seeing her shiver slightly in the cool air, I pulled the comforter over her.

"Be right back." I kissed her on the forehead before moving swiftly to the bathroom.

After dealing with the more immediate issues, I approached the sink and washed my hands. As I reached for a towel, however, I spotted something strange on the sink; lying beside the silk night robe Terra had discarded for my keikogi was a strange metal bracelet.

Curious, I picked it up and inspected it for a few moments before I chanced to glance up at the mirror and saw Terry's armored visage staring back at me.

"Agh!" I stumbled back, dropping the bracelet into the sink. Terry's image vanished in an instant, leaving behind only my own reflection in the mirror.

Slowly, I picked up the bracelet again, my eyes never leaving the mirror. The moment my fingers touched the bracelet, Terry's reflection again engulfed my own. It took but a few moments to find the triggering mechanism on the bracelet. When triggered, Terry's image once again vanished.

I was still trying to process this when I heard someone at my door call out, "Jimmy! It's Arc. I've got Mick and Terry with me. You decent?"

"Yeah." I called back, still distracted by the strange bracelet.

I heard the door to my room slide open. "Yo, Jimmy, it's almost noon. How about we get some lunch before we …"

Hearing him fall silent breaks my distraction. I walk back into the room with the bracelet in hand only to find Terry, Arc, and Mick staring at my bed. Arc was stunned, Terry seemed bemused, and Mick had a satisfied expression on his face as the three of them watched Terra slowly sit up in bed, still looking sleepy.

"Oh." She said, blushing as she pulled the keikogi closed over her night clothes. "Um … hi."

"Hi!" Mick said brightly. "You must be Terra!"

Terry gave her a little wave. Arc continued to stare with his mouth wide open.

After a few moments of silence, she said, "I-I should go."

She hopped out of bed and hurried toward the door, her tear-shaped tail bouncing with every step. I caught gently by the shoulders before she could slip out of the door.

"You don't have to run away." I told her. "Please, stay."

"Indeed." Mick said. "Perhaps a fourth room renovation in the Saybaro is in order?"

Terra looked at me in askance, to which I nodded. "If you want to. I mean, moving in might be a bit sudden, but-"

She stopped me with a kiss. I held her close, my hands rubbing the small of her back in that way I know she liked.

"It might take a few weeks." She said, arms around my neck.

"Take all the time you want." I told her. "Just don't take too long, okay?"

She gave me a smile and another kiss before slipping out of my grasp, leaving me holding nothing but my keikogi. I watched her run down the hall, only to stop and turn back a good distance away.

Smiling, I kissed the tips of my fingers and held them out toward her. She repeated the gesture before hurrying out of sight.

My chest feeling near to bursting with happiness as I slipped back into my keikogi, I turned back to my friends. Arc was still staring slack-jawed down the now-empty corridor.

"So." I said, clapping my hands together, "You said something about lunch?"

45: Epilogue - Letter to Uncle Ann

Dear Uncle Ann,

 

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry I yelled at you that night, I’m sorry I ran away and worried you, and I’m sorry it’s taken this long to reply to your letters. I never really appreciated how much you did for me … how much you cared.

I’ve wanted to tell you that for a while, but it just didn’t seem enough. Truth be told, I was afraid if I had told you what had become of me, you would have asked me to come home … and I wouldn’t have been able to say no. I have missed you, and Rimstak as well, and the last thirteen years have not been easy for me.

Now, however, I find things have changed. I’ve travelled across Wenapaj, explored hidden Glyche facilities, fought dragons (not real dragons, but still), and made some good friends.

First there’s Mick. Now, don’t freak out at this, but he’s a core unit. He’s a prototype designed to be incorruptible, and his A.I. is based off the memories and experiences of Thomas Desygan himself. You’d like him; he’s polite, helpful, and unwilling to harm anyone.

Arc Skylad reminds me of how I was when I left; he’s got a big chip on his shoulder, and is way too eager to prove himself. Still, his heart’s in the right place, and I can’t fault his bravery. It may be closer to the stupidity side of the spectrum, but I’m not one to judge.

Then there’s Terry. He’s a member of the Royal Guard, like me. He wears so much armor that you can only see his mouth … if I didn’t know his father, I’d say he was a Cleftan. He acted all stiff and formal at first, but I think he’s warmed up to me. He might even stop calling me ‘sir’ altogether soon.

I met Casey in the movie studios in Wukice. She’s a screenwriter, and can be a bit high-strung at times, but she’s got some spirit in her. She’s in love with this dryad named Maxis, though you shouldn’t mention it around her unless you want to hear her life story.

Speaking of the movies, I met a famous celebrity you definitely know. Narrator Number One … THE Narrator Number One was down there, acting in ‘Machinations’. He helped me out a lot while I was looking for the princess. He’s a friendly guy, though not quite what I expected.

Meryli reminds me a lot of you; she’s a tech by trade, and while she’s nice to me, she certainly isn’t shy about voicing her opinion. Heck, she even looks a little like you.

Of all my friends, however, the one I know you’ll want to know the most about is Terra, my girlfriend. Our relationship’s been a bit turbulent so far, but I think we’re finally finding a pace we’re both comfortable with. She’s one of the Queen’s Shadows, and if her abilities thus far are any indication, she’s probably the leader of the bunch.

I’m still rebuilding the mansion at the moment, but I’d love for you to come visit when we’re done. I miss talking to you, and I’d like you to meet my friends, maybe even Terra, if she’s around.

 

I hope to hear from you soon!

 

Jimmy Olsen Sakamota

 

 

P.S. Iniagus says there’s some kind of ‘Evil’ lurking around that I may or may not have to defeat. Personally, I think he’s a loon, but just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to lock up extra tight at night.