Pan led Aria and Irini into an abandoned factory. The front doors opened wide, and the arch of the passageway towered above their heads. Pan looked into the gloom and saw piles of junk. They looked like shadows at a flea market before dawn. Work tables and conveyor belts peeked from beneath the junk, and paint chips littered the space in shades of blue and white.

“Here we are.” Pan flung her arms wide, a schematic grasped tight in one hand. “Brynn loves this place.”

Pan turned and faced her friends. She watched Irini and Aria. Irini’s eyes widened. Aria scrunched her nose and frowned.

“What?” Pan asked.

“Is some of that stuff made of hazardous materials?” Aria pointed into the gloom.

Pan stepped away from the junk. “I don’t know. I’ve been here a handful of times. Do you think it is?”

Aria grabbed Pan’s arm and pulled her back.

“It’s got a pretty strong aura of fear and sickness,” Aria said.

Pan tried to remember the color of sickness. A certain shade of green? Before she gained the ability to heal herself, she got sick quite a bit. Aria always knew when Pan would be under the weather before Pan did, and she offered sympathy from a distance – a very safe one.

Irini backed away.

“Where are you going?” Pan asked.

“I don’t want to get some disease.” Irini looked at Aria. “Do you think they’re carcinogens?”

Aria glanced at the pile. “I don’t know. I can’t tell just by looking.”

Pan smiled. “The story of this factory goes like this…once upon a time, in a factory, lightyears from Scaldigir, there worked a ragtag group of alien species. They built parts for ships, tried to feed and clothe themselves on their meager pay, and avoided the accidents that marked this facility as one of the most unsatisfactory production centers on this side of the galaxy.” Pan glanced between Aria and Irini and found them rapt. “One day, a worker lost his mind and diverted some molten metal onto his compatriots and a foreman. It started a fire, that scorched the merchandise on the loading dock as well as the production lines. After that, everyone just up and left. They went to the other side of this world and its Mother-Tree forsaken settlement, or they fled the planet. They didn’t bother fishing through the completed parts. They just threw everything back inside the ashy facility and...” Pan shrugged. “That was it. Brynn and I have been taking things from here when the repairs on the tug are too suspicious to bring to…an engineer.” Pan picked at a fingernail. “Since the engine won’t even start, I’d rather have a real engineer look things over, but we don’t have a choice. We’re stuck.”

“We do have choices,” Aria said.

“Oh?”

“Wait for Sotir and the Ischyros. I don’t think you’ve escaped him just yet.”

Pan felt herself flush. She touched her cheek and wondered if her grey skin showed any of the red that lay beneath.

Aria raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

“I’m not touching that stuff.” Irini pointed. “Besides, I don’t know what half of it is. I can’t help you repair the ship if I don’t know what to look for.”

Pan bit her lip and looked at the schematic she carried. “We’ve got the directions, you, me, and soon, Brynn will come to help. We can figure this out. And, if we find any ghosts associated with this wreck, we’ll ask them about the potential health hazards.”

“Are there ghosts here?” Aria asked.

Pan looked up. “Plenty. Come to think of it, if we have to stay long, you two might see some stuff.” Pan sighed. “They’re very strong, incoherent, and…angry. Sometimes, from the back room, I hear the sounds of that fateful day. The one with the molten…”

Aria held up a hand. “I gathered that.”

Pan smiled a little.

“Why is this your rendevous?” Irini knit her brows.

“You feel at home?” Aria also wore a slight smile.

Pan shook her head. “I didn’t pick it. Blame Brynn. She said everyone would stay away.” Pan jabbed a finger at Aria. “I guess you don’t understand that concept?”

Aria failed to smile. She nodded weakly. “Brynn picked it. Of course.”

Pan hesitated. She tried to decipher Aria’s expression – perhaps skepticism. “Come on. We can skip this room and its paint chips.” Pan waved for them to follow. “We’ll check some of the other rooms for junk and ghosts. I’ll see if I can find anything that matches the schematic.”

“Agreed.” Aria headed after Pan.

“What if Brynn comes, and we miss her?” Irini asked.

At least Irini believes me.

“She’s very thorough. She won’t miss us.” Pan beckoned.

As Irini trailed the two arcane women, she wondered what she’d gotten into. She’d always admired Aria, but Aria picked a garbage scow for a vessel. Then, Aria took her to find the reaper. So far, Aria had been right that Pan wouldn’t attack them, but Pan was still scary. And, she took them to a toxic waste dump. What was wrong with these two?

“This place is crawling with the emotional detritus of pain, sickness, and suffering. How long did this place operate?” Aria asked.

Irini could only see the back of Aria’s head. Aria’s curly black hair fell to her waist. Irini would rather see Aria’s expression and get an idea just how bad the place was. Irini wanted to know if Aria was smiling or joking in any way. She bet Aria just wore an emotionless mask. Aria always looked so calm.

“Emotional detritus,” Pan repeated. “I like that.”

Irini could hear the smile in Pan’s voice. She began to wonder if the two women were pretty well suited. The ideal way she saw Aria started to crumble, but Irini bucked up. She’d made this choice, and so far, nothing bad had happened. She’d seen some bad places and smelled some bad smells – really bad. But, everything was safe and as promised. She just needed to keep telling herself that.

“I think it was in operation for thirty-five years.” Pan shrugged. “I’m not really sure.” Pan turned to look at Aria. “Doesn’t really matter now.”

“No. I guess not. I was just wondering how long they got away with it,” Aria said.

Pan faced forward again, showing Irini her straight black hair that fell in a loose S. “If you really must know, I can ask Brynn. Brynn knows everything these days.”

Aria shook her head, and her curls bounced. “Brynn is really strong enough to push you around?”

“Yes,” Pan said darkly. “Don’t believe me? Or, you think she’s not real?”

“I don’t know, Pan. Ghosts don’t travel that far, and they’re supposed to be limited…” Aria turned slightly to look at Pan. “These are your rules. You gave me all this information, and Brynn doesn’t fit the pattern. Don’t you think it’s odd?”

“Of course, I think it’s odd.” Pan’s eyes looked angry in profile. “I also know she’s real.”

“Alright.” Aria shrugged. “Real or not. You act like she’s your partner in crime, not a sinister being controlling your every move.”

Pan glanced at Aria. “Well, she is. She’s also the only person I get much consistent contact with.”

“Oh?”

Pan never answered.

Irini looked side to side. Rooms branched from the tunnel-like hall. Irini saw shadows and equipment. She saw big rooms, pitch dark, and wondered what they might hide. In one room, she saw a window and what looked like a man, contorted in front of it.

Irini pushed between Pan and Aria. “Hey.”

Pan and Aria stopped. Irini could finally see their faces. Aria’s expression went from neutral to sympathetic, and Pan’s expression went from interested to grim.

Irini stuttered a bit, but she got the words out. “I’m scared. Can I walk between you guys?”

Pan smiled. Aria nodded. The two women separated and offered her a place between them.

“Allow me to prepare you for what you might see.” Pan gave Irini a mischievous sidelong glance.

Irini took a deep breath. She looked ahead and saw another shadow. “I keep seeing shadows that look twisted.”

Pan shook her head. “Those are from your imagination. I don’t see anyone yet.” Pan looked ahead and checked. “Anyway. Irini…You can expect to see a large sample of the galaxy’s species, and every one of them has forgotten how the living move and sound. The ghosts here are sub-dimensional beings wearing our skin. Hey!” Pan looked down the hall and waved.

Irini grabbed Aria.

“What?” Aria asked.

Pan stopped mid-wave. “I just saw one, but it ran away. I think I recognized him too.”

“Is it an angry one?” Aria asked.

“Not so much. I wouldn’t try to wave it down if it was.” Pan took several steps ahead. “I wonder where it went.”

Irini’s face felt hot, and her stomach turned. “Can we just let it go?” She looked at Pan and caught a flash of annoyance on the reaper’s face. “P...pl...please.”

Pan sighed. “Alright. We’ll look for another one, but the next one might be less pleasant.”

“I thought they were all confused and angry. What can you really get out of them?” Aria asked.

“I’m not too picky for company these days,” Pan said absentmindedly.

They walked a few steps in silence. Irini saw more twisted shadows. She couldn’t believe they came from her imagination. If so, her thoughts alone were too scary. Irini wanted to grab Pan and Aria’s arms, but she also wanted to be brave and strong like an experienced arcane. Irini wished Pan and Aria would start talking again.

Aria granted her wish. “I’ve thought of a ghost, whose portrait I would like to see.”

“Brynn,” Pan said.

Aria smiled and nodded.

Pan raised a hand and cut her short. “There’s not much to see. She looks almost like she did in life.” Pan shrugged. “She floats. Her eyes change color, depending on her mood. Sometimes, she’s bloody.”

“But, you do have a picture?” Aria asked.

“I have two. One with blood. One without,” Pan said.

Again, the group lapsed into silence. Irini started to think about the ghosts and how they might move differently from the living. Contorted shadows seemed to fit. Irini saw one again.

Suddenly, Irini got an idea. Could she use her golden thread to see if any ghosts awaited them? Irini imagined a ghost. For a moment, she closed her eyes to get the right idea and picture. When she opened them, she looked down at her hands. Golden threads wrapped all around her palms and fingers and shot off in all directions. Irini’s jaw dropped, and she stopped.

Aria and Pan stopped a beat later.

“Using your power?” Aria asked.

“Looks fun,” Pan added.

Irini looked up. “I...I wondered if I could use my power to locate ghosts.”

Pan perked up. “Really? It works?”

“My hands are covered in thread. There’s so many.” Irini shook.

Pan grabbed Irini’s hands and said, “Just forget about that. I can deal with the ghosts. Find us the parts we need.”

Irini beheld Pan’s insistent gaze. Something about it bothered her. She felt as if Pan wanted to use her, like Irini’s power held a certain value. She’d seen hints of that sentiment in mentors and other Scaldin, but Pan showed it to Irini bare. Irini checked to see if Aria agreed.

With wide eyes, Aria nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea. I should have thought of it. I’m supposed to be training you, after all. We won’t be doomed to fly the garbage scow, which I admit, I’m not too proud of. Do you think you can do it?”

Before Irini could answer, Pan spoke, “I know you can do it. Just get it done. Then, we can follow the thread.”

“But, I won’t know where the ghosts are.”

“I will.” Pan pointed at herself.

Irini relinquished the idea of ghosts and watched the threads fade. Then, she closed her eyes and imagined the broken-down tug. When Irini opened her eyes, she saw three threads. “We need to get three things.”

“That’s manageable.” Aria cocked her head.

“It is.” Pan agreed with a predatory smile. “I told you we could do this. We might have the ship repaired by the time Brynn arrives. Which way first?”