Ted’s residence, 200 years After-the-Tilt

A week went by.

Ted held his words. The hospitality I received had greatly improved.

After weeks in my small jail, tortured, famished, and battered, I was finally moved to actual room, with a bed, a small desk and my own water closet. During the day I was allowed, under supervision, to eat three meals in the kitchen and to stroll in the indoor garden. Still, I limited myself to one short visit outside my room, quickly to grab food. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary encounters with Eva or Eli. Not once did I see Ted nor the young man who had been my guide. Outside my door, except for my guard, there had been no activity.

I couldn’t help but wonder where my friends were kept. Were they alive? How had they have survived the last three months? Had they been subjected to experimental asphyxia? And Evian! What had they done to him?

I spent most of my days laying in bed. Going over all the information I had gathered since my rescue from Nova Urbi. Big gaps remained in the narrative, there was much uncertainty about certain facts I had been given. Who to trust, where to find the truth, was as puzzling as the turn of events themselves?

It was on the seventh day of my new confinement that Ted appeared on my doorstep, wearing his deceptive innocuous smile.

“I see you are well. Have you been enjoying the underground facility?”

I didn’t answer.

“Well then, how is the food? Is it to your liking? Do you need anything for your comfort, an extra pillow perhaps…”

“Cut the crap out. How’s my brother doing?”

“Yes, of course. Evian is doing well. He is still under care but conscious and eager to see you.”

“Bring me to him!” I ordered.

Ted didn’t like the tone of my voice. I didn’t care.

“Remember what you need to do!” he warned me.

“I know what I need to do, thank you!”

We swiftly walked through the labyrinth until we reached a narrow corridor. I had never been this far into the compound. The corridor led us to yet another building.

A full-scale laboratory, many restricted areas and a whole medical facility. That is where we were heading, my host explained with pride. When we arrived, Evian was asleep, connected to a multitude of machines. He didn’t look as well as I had hoped, but he was clean, and his face had gained back some coloring.

“It won’t take long; I’ll get a nurse to wake him up.”

“Induced coma?”

“That’s the only safe way to keep him. You understand, with both of you in the same building…”

“But while we were in our cells…”

“… the lowered oxygen kept you from utilizing your Heighten Characteristic…” Ted had a look of triumph on his face.

“…even if you had wanted to, Fenn, you wouldn’t have been able to kill.”

He took joy at delivering this new bit of information.

I clenched my jaw. I remained silent.

A nurse walked in. He injected something into the PICC line, took my brother’s pulse then left without exchanging words.

Evian slowly woke up.

I rushed to his side.

I had so much to tell him. But couldn’t yet. I peeked over my shoulder; Ted was waiting.

“Evian, you have to bring me into your head.”

He didn’t seem to understand.

I could see Ted growing impatient.

I put my hand on his cheek and felt his heartbeat right away. He was weak. Much weaker than he seemed.

“What are they giving him?” I asked Ted, pointing at the intravenous fluid bag.

“He gets exactly what he needs. Do your job, and let them do theirs,” was Ted’s snappy answer.

I put my hand on Evian’s cheek again and started transferring my energy, that’s the least I could do for him. Slowly at first, then faster, the light in his eyes came back as I started to wither.

“Evian you have to bring me into your head! Do you understand me? You need to bring me in right now.”

A look of terror crossed his eyes. His heartrate spiked on the monitor.

“It’s ok. I am here. I won’t let anyone do anything bad to you. But you have to bring me into your memories.” I whispered to him, trying to calm him down.

I was getting dizzy. My legs were trembling. I had already transferred too much energy. My head started feeling heavy. It was similar to the discomfort you get before a headache takes hold.

“Evian, is that you?” I asked as my whole world turned into darkness.

Evian stood before me. Both of us, in an open field of red flowers.

“P for poppies,” Evian whispered. “The flower of remembrance.”

Overcome with joy I squeezed him in my arms.

“I can’t help you,” he said as he pushed me away.

“What do you know about the 8 minutes in Hell,” I questioned him.

Evian seemed confused.

“8 minutes in Hell? The magnetic pole switches?”

“Yes! Is it true mom and dad knew about it? Is it true mom figured out a way to survive the lack of oxygen?”

“Ted sent you to get the B-24602 formula, didn’t he?”

“He did.”

“Where’s Fiori? Where are Yuki and the others?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know if they are alive.”

“You can’t give Ted the formula to B-24602.”

“Why?”

“B-24602 is dangerous! It is not the solution to our problem!”

“Then, why me? If Ted only wants B-24602, then why me? Why does everyone wants me to stay alive?”

“Because you are B-24602. But Ted doesn’t know that. No one knows that. At least not on this side of the ocean.”

“I don’t get it!” I pressed him. “I am the formula?”

“No, but the formula needs our DNA. Hana’s, yours, or mine… it needs a specific genetic marker, but that’s all I know. That’s all I was able to gather.”

“Did Ted know this much?”

“It is possible that he knows we possess the genetic marker, but I do not believe he knows which one.”

“If you don’t know, then who does?”

“No one. For some reason scientific research weren’t part of mom’s memories that I was able to access. As if she had safe locked all her knowledge in a separate compartment of her brain. I do know, however that within our old house, she kept a journal in which she scribbled important dates, appointments or names. The journal is hidden in Hana’s old bedroom under a loose plank of her floor. I placed it there before turning myself in, to the government. I avoided reading it, so that my memories would not contain any important information. Find the book. Look for a foreign name… in the margin. That name, that someone, knows something.”

“I will!”

“But why did mom hide B-24602 if it could save humanity!”

“It’s complicated. Hana is the one who told me. Shortly before mom suffered her mental break down, it came known that B-24602 had potential in helping humanity survive its greatest challenge to date. Mom and dad had long engaged in research putting them at the forefront of the scientific elites. Their means were questionable and nonethical, but their results were noteworthy. I’ve said it before, this was their downfall. They were not doing it for the sake of humanity’s survival, they were doing it for the standing, the glory, the recognition. It was while developing a way to infect a young child with aethereusian characteristics, that mom stumbled on something greater than she could have ever dreamed off: heighten characteristic. The government of Antarticum heard about it. Mom wanted to make it accessible to everyone. The government of Antarticum had other plans. They wanted exclusivity. By then, dad had already fallen in bad terms with the government. Mom knew there would be no negotiating terms or patent, they would come to steal her research. So, she created a dummy version and trusted the real formula with someone, someone she knew outside Antarticum. Mom wanted the whole world to be able to profit from this vaccine. But she knew time was not on her side, so it only made sense to keep the formula out of Antarticum. The government continued to harass her, in a last act of desperation, trying to conceal her knowledge, she exposed herself to daily low dose of hydrogen sulfide. Her cognitive functions, long term and short-term memories started failing her. By the time I killed her, she was but an empty shell.”

“Why didn’t you tell me all this before. Why did you leave out, all of this information?”

“For your safety. I know Eva shares the same characteristic as me. I don’t know how well she controls it, but the less you know, the safer you are.”

“And what about the human super weapon? What makes me or Elijah a super-weapon?”

“Both of you can transfer energy. Meyer explained it well before. The hypothesis is that you could develop your ability into an offensive weapon.”

“Why would Antarticum want a human super weapon? Why would they want exclusivity on B-24602?”

“Because out there… there are people. People who were not granted a place in Antarticum. People who would do anything to destroy the Land of the Gods.”

“So, what should I do now?”

“You need to escape this place. You need to take Fiori with you and leave Antarticum.”

“But I don’t even know if Fiori is still alive!”

“We don’t have much time Fenn. You need to figure it out! You need to get out of here! Get away from Ted. Get away from this forsaken place!”

Around us, the field of poppies slowly started to fade away.

“I can’t do it alone!”

“You need to go! It’s already been too long.”

“Wait! You need to help me.”

“I told you, I can’t help you. This is something you will have to figure out on your own.”

“Evian, wait… one last thing… were mom and dad bad people?”

“I don’t know, we will have to wait for History to judge all of us after the facts. This is not something we can decide while we are caught up in this narrative.”

I took a step toward my little brother.

“Is this the last time we meet?”

“Possibly,” he answered with a twitch.

A flock of yellow bird flew over our head. It was sudden. It was unexpected. We both stared as they disappeared into the darkness slowly enveloping us.

“B for birds”, Evian whispered.

Lianna’s book, I thought…

The flowers had now disappeared.

“Thank you for everything,” I said. “When all is said and done, I’ll make sure that you and Hana be remembered as good people.”

I rested my hand on his shoulder as his image faded into oblivion.

I found myself on the ground with a splitting headache. I jumped to my feet. Evian was unconscious looking as frail as ever.

Ted still stood by the side with a grin on his face: “So, did you find out the information?”

I took a deep breath.

Unpredictable, I thought. I have to be unpredictable.

I took a step forward. Laid my hand on Ted’s bicep and looked him right into the eyes.

“I did. There is no formula. I am B-24602.”

Ted frowned. Was he trying to hide his surprised or did he think I was lying?

“Evian too is B-24602. And so was my older sister, Hana, apparently.” I used such an accusatory tone on this last part it made his lips curl.

“What else did he tell you?”

“Everything I need to know.” I said with a broad happy grin. “But surely it can wait after dinner… I am dying to meet your lovely wife.”

Ted took a deep breath and fixed his glasses.

“I’ll bring you back to your room. Dinner is in three hours. I’ll send someone to get you.”

“I am feeling festive…” I added innocently: “Could we not invite my old friends Fiori, Yuki and Meyer?”

I stared straight into his eyes, not daring to blink. I was fishing for information. I wanted to know if they were still alive, if they were in this compound. I was looking for his reaction, anything that could possibly give me a clue.

Ted laughed. He was unto me.

“Let’s not get too daring, now will you. But I will let you know, regardless, because I am a good person. Fiori, Yuki and Meyer are alive. Their wounds have been tended too but I cannot guarantee their safety. They are all three wanted for serious crimes against Antarticum. And so are you, if you need a reminder… so let’s not get cocky. Time for you to head back, your work is done here.”