Chapter #44The Return of Two Prodigals by: Seuzz   Verity's substrate is on the dissection table, but the rest of the operation has to be run from the control room. The control panels are very complicated, but that's mostly for monitoring the machinery that's hidden in the wall. The actual process of operating the machines is straightforward.
There are three large computer towers, each with a hinged top, and into each you set one of the discs that contain Verity's metaphysical bits. It doesn't matter what order you put them back into her, but you save P1 -- her physical appearance -- for last, since she'll be naked.
You start with the P3, punching a short sequence of buttons. The drill at the end of the table descends into the slab, and on a readout you see the numbers climb, reaching 100% after a few minutes. The same with P2, which activates the drill that is nearer the floor. That done, you raise the hinges on the computers to show that discs have evaporated. Then you touch the buttons that will return her physical form. The bank above the slab glitters as the lasers begin to play. Slowly, a form appears on the slab: fuzzy at first, then acquiring a firmer definition. There's an ethereal glow about it, but that dissipates when the readout reaches 100%. "And there she is," you say. You look at Rick.
He gestures you to follow him into the chamber, where Verity is slowly stirring. "Talk to her," Rick says, and she freezes at the sound of his voice.
You have to clear your throat first. "Verity, can you hear me?"
She opens her eyes, then clenches them shut again. "Yeah." Her voice is tense.
"It's Will. You know I'm telling the truth, don't you?"
She swallows, and her voice is tight. "Your voice is different," she says. "But yeah."
"I'm in disguise. But you don't have to worry, Verity. You're safe. You're with the good guys."
"Huh. You said that earlier, you know, and look what happened. Where are those other guys?"
"You don't have to worry about them. Even when they come back. They, uh, they weren't themselves. It's hard to explain."
She does the last thing you'd expect: She laughs -- brusquely, but warmly. "Hard to explain," she echoes. "Yeah, that's fucking truth."
Rick steps in. "Probably best if you take her someplace else before she meets the boys," he says. From her pod he pulls the last of the content: a bag containing her clothes.
"You can get dressed now," you tell her, and guide her hand to the sack. "It'll be awhile before we leave, but it'll all be okay."
You keep your back turned as she fumbles herself into her clothes: blouse and jeans and shoes. You slip your arm into hers to lead her into the control room. But Rick stops you from leaving. "I want you to run the machines. You can stay in here, though. I'll talk to them."
Swann and Rick take care of moving the bodies. They start with Joe, laying him on the slab. You change out the discs, putting Joe's P3 into the necessary slot and pressing the keys with one hand while holding tightly onto Verity's hand with the other. "You sound just like that guy we saw earlier," she says.
"Oh, you recognize the voice? Yeah, but he's gone. I'm pretending to be him. None of the bad guys know, so I've actually been ordering them around."
"Am I ever going to learn what's been going on?" she asks.
You're watching Joe, who is sitting up stiffly and blinking. He is very pale, and his eyes are wide with pain and horror. You can guess what's going on: He's remembering everything that he did while under Fane's control. The memories will still be inside his body, and it will feel to him like he was doing it, even though it was another's "soul" inside him. "You'll learn the facts, Verity," you tell her as you watch. "Whether it will ever make sense to you, I don't know." You squeeze her hand, both to reassure her and to anchor yourself as Joe's eyes catch yours. They fill with hatred, and his teeth show. Rick grips him by the arm and mutters at him. Joe pulls his gaze from yours long enough to stare at Rick in astonishment, and then he looks back at you. His eyes till burn, and his face flushes, but the hatred is gone. "There are some things so horrible," you murmur to Verity, "that maybe you don't want them to ever make sense."
In the theater, Joe helps Rick and Hal lift Frank onto the slab. You load his P3 into the computer. After the drill has lowered into Frank's head, Rick points at you and Verity, and then at the door. You nod; it probably would be safer to absent yourself until Frank can be calmed down. You take Verity by the arm and lead her to elevator and down into Dey's private apartment.
* * * * *
You prop the door open so the others will be able to get in, and sit on the bed with her. Rick might be able to fill her in better, but you feel like you should prepare her. "So, this has all been quite an adventure, hasn't it?" you say. "For me too."
"When's it going to end?"
"You want things back to normal? I'm not sure they ever will be. Um, these people, they learned some interesting facts about you."
"My talent, right?" she says with a trace of bitterness.
"Apparently it's more than that. It's magic."
She says nothing.
"That's what I've learned," you continue. "That magic is real, and some people have it. They have special talents. You've got one. The guys that rescued us do too. Uh, I think they'll want you to go with them. They like collecting people with those kinds of talents."
She tenses.
"I don't think it would be bad, Verity. They're all kind of crazy, but not in a bad way. They're decent. They've got like a secret society. I think they'll want you to join, to become one of them."
"I just want things to be normal again," she says.
"What if I joined along with you?"
She turns sharply toward you.
"They think I've got a talent too. I can turn myself invisible. I didn't find out until a few hours ago. That's how I was able to get away from the bad guys. These guys who rescued us, they asked me to join. I said I would."
"What about Robert?"
"I don't know what his deal is. I don't know how it works, if it runs in families. It would be nice if it did."
"Well, I don't know," she says. "Do I really have a choice?"
Before you can answer, you hear the elevator doors open. You and Verity both tense, and clutch each other. A figure appears in the doorway.
It's Joe.
He glances at you and Verity, then looks around the room. He walks over to the vault, where in his earlier incarnation he had fallen. He puts his finger to it, but draws back. "Did you know what was going to happen?" he asks in a very clipped tone without looking at you.
"You mean with the door? No."
"Did you know about your invisibility trick?"
"No. It just suddenly kicked in."
"How'd you change your imago?"
"Accident. Dey made a new number two, but I killed it. I was trying to pull it into the duplication pod, but fell in myself, got trapped, and the programming started up."
"Is all that true, Verity?"
She stiffens. "Will, do I have to talk to this asshole?"
"I'd appreciate it if you did," you say.
"Then yeah, it's all true," she says.
Joe nods. "Good. You're a lucky son of a bitch, and we could stand to have all the luck we can. Luck favors the prepared, but it can take you only so far." His tone turns even more bitter. "Me and Frank have to go back into training. We fucked up our first mission so hard we almost put the Stellae out of business."
"It was my fault, Joe," you stammer. "Not yours. I'm the one who got you into this mess -- "
"Who's talking?" he snaps. "Will Prescott or Julian Dey?"
Your face burns. "You can blame both of them. But if you want to blame me, blame Will Prescott, because that's who I am."
"So it's your fault?"
"I'm the one who trapped you in a mask and turned you over to Fane, I'm the one who started it all."
"So you're saying you're better than me and Frank? More skilled?" His eyes flash and his grin is hard. "We trained for ten years, and you still managed to best us, is that what you're bragging?"
"I'm not bragging! I didn't even know what I was doing!"
"Ha! So you were lucky." Some of the hardness leaks from that grin. "See what I mean? You're a lucky son of a bitch. Think how much better you'll be when you've got some training to season that luck."
This is awful, and the awfulness is not improved when he adds, "We're going back into training too, I said, me and Frank. It'll be fun having you around. We can all train together."
You open your mouth, but can find no words. You're saved from utter humiliation by something even worse.
It's Frank, suddenly looming in the doorway. You almost faint at the sight of him.
He locks eyes with you for a moment, but his countenance, though open, is unreadable. Then he speaks. "Rick wants to talk to you, Joe. Take the girl with you. I want to talk to Prescott. Alone."
You try to shrink down inside yourself. Joe looks at Frank, and looks at you, then puts his hand on Verity's elbow. She recoils, but with a hiss suffers herself to be led away when you tell her it's okay. Joe pauses at the doorway and mutters something at Frank. "I won't," Frank replies in a loud voice, his gaze fixed on you. Joe and Verity depart.
The door closes with a firm click.
The walls are soundproofed.
No one would be able to hear you scream. You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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