Chapter 12

It was about 3 PM by the time we finally stepped out of the police station. Reese had given us some of his precious MREs, which we wolfed down noisily. Gene was still wiping food from his cheeks when I closed the door behind me.

The sky was completely black now. Yet we could still see perfectly fine, like the sun was still being allowed to shine through the gloom. Blue and purple lightning forked across the darkness constantly, and my nose was filled with the scent of burning ozone. My Brand lit up a much brighter orange as a strong gust of wind blew past. Arkham pulled his bomber jacket close to protect himself, while Reese put on a leather jacket of his own. "You little shits. How is this fair?!"

I grinned. “Sorry buddy. Plenty of jackets on the ground though.” I got on one knee and tossed him a gaudy pink coat, frills and all. Gene ducked to avoid it, flipping me the bird as he did so.

“How are the two of you so unaffected by this whole mess, anyway, sir?” Reese asked over his shoulder. “You’re the first I’ve seen that seem to be doing fine despite everything.”

“...I dunno, actually,” I replied. “I, uh… don’t like being around too many people, I guess. And I’ve been living alone in my old penthouse for years…”

“...that’s a little cold, isn’t it, sir?”

“Yeah. Yeah, maybe it is. But it’s helped, I think.”

“Cold schmold, you should see this guy around Ysandra,” Gene teased again.

“What about you, Gene?” I shot back. “You're not really fazed by the Disappearance either.”

“Just figured I don’t have room to let this get to me too much, man.” He finally picked out a simple grey hoodie and put it on without much hesitation. “I’ve gone months without a proper place to sleep at night. People, well, they almost always treat me either like shit, or a sentient walking camera… So I treat them like walking bags of cash.” He started caressing his camera again, not even missing a beat. “I legit have no idea where people like my old friend, or you and Bertram and yes, Ysandra, have been all this time. I feel like a person again, I guess… and if any of you Disappeared, then I’d be really affected.”

“Bet she'd be thrilled to be included in that list.”

“...shit, you think she's watching?” His eyes darted all over the buildings, probably looking for any signs of our Valkyrie.

“Even if she was, kid, I don't think any of us would know,” said Arkham.

We were stopped by a makeshift barricade made from the husks of cars, stone columns, and burnt-out trees. Reese peeked through the windows of the car, then signalled for us to climb over. We tried to make as little noise as possible, ths steel of the car groaning slightly under our weight. “We're close to something, little man.” Arkham's Brand was lit up into its brilliant sea-blue, brighter than it was earlier this morning.

The road beyond the barricade was clear - all the rubble had been pushed to the side, blocking all the buildings one way or another. There was some smoke in the distance, and we could hear some cheering coming from the same direction.

Reese, being burdened with so much gear, made a little bit more noise. One of the car's tires made a very, VERY loud popping noise, followed by the hiss of escaping air. “Uh-oh.”

I immediately unholstered my gun and told my team to move against the vehicles on the sidewalks. Fog formed in front of our faces as we exhaled, our breathing heavy. The eerie light made me feel like I was on the stage of some crazy play.

The cheering picked up again, and the four of us finally relaxed. “Look for a green L on the road. I can open it. Should lead directly to the fuel cell's pool.” The other three nodded, and we broke off. I alternated my eyes between the dull gray of the asphalt and my surrounding areas, doing my best to see any incoming hostiles. It slowly dawned on me that the road had also been cleared of all the Disappeared's clothes. I checked out a few cars, and they were also empty of clothes.

Weird.

A light bounced off of one of the mirrors, then flickered three more times. Someone must've found the fuel cell entrance. Some radios would've been great, but Reese refused. “If a Brand can pick up radio waves, sir, we're screwed,” he had said when I asked him about it. “At least if the flashlight draws attention, it'll only be in a relatively small area.”

I eventually came across Arkham and Reese lifting a massive tree. Gene was peeking underneath, saying, “Yep, that's it.” I rushed over and reached out to it as the tree started shuddering. I rolled out of the way as soon as I heard a familiar click, and a log came crashing down, cracking the cement a little.

“Should… be… there.” I grabbed a piece of metal that was now poking out of the middle of the road, twisted it, then lifted. There was a loud hissing, and the road started to rise a little, then split apart horizontally. “...shit.”

I was suddenly thrown into the air by a huge force, landing on the other side of the entrance with a slight crunch. Reese got his shotgun out while Arkham and Gene prepared some of our makeshift spears. “We're out in the open. But we can't lead them underground,” I instructed as I stood up, clutching my ribs. My bones weren't liking this. "...inside. all of you. Now is not the time for risks and variables.”

We descended the ramp, Reese covering our backs with his gun. Once at the bottom, I shouted “Code: Green. Close entrance.” The automatic lights turned on as the road reformed behind us. “The pool's just beyond this corridor,” I said, before taking off with a light jog. After just a few seconds, the smell of stale, recycled water hit me, slowing me down a little. The end of the hallway was dark, which meant something was definitely broken.

I lit up one of Reese’s flashlights and shone it all over the dark room. I could see the elevator doors from here; they were the only thing on the other side of the large pool. Speaking of which, the pool was still above full, and there was a soft humming coming from somewhere to the right. “I need to get to that humming sound. Arkham,” I said as I tossed him one of the nanobot tubes. “You were a sailor right? How long can you hold your breath?”

He grunted, as usual. “Long enough to get whatever you need done, I reckon.”

“Good. Code: Blue Sea; maintenance mode.” I could hear the tube rattle a little as the nanos activated. “Dive down there, and release it in the middle of the pool, as deep as you can go.” He turned off his flashlight and removed his jacket and his bag of spears. Without saying another word, he took off running and dove headfirst into the pool.

“Dude, how deep is that thing?” Gene asked, a little concerned.

“15 feet deep, give or take. About 13 meters long and half as wide. He’ll be fine.”

“You sound confident.”

“He’s got a water-based Brand. Relax.”

Reese clicked his tongue. “A little unsafe to assume it’ll help, right, sir? Could’ve asked at the police station first.”

I bit back a retort. “Yeah. My bad. But Arkham went in without any hesitation. Now come on - find where that humming is coming from.” I broke off from them, one hand on the walls to detect any vibration. Sure enough, about halfway across the pool, the wall was shaking a little. “Code: Future is now. Maintenance mode.” The wall slid open, revealing a small room with a huge cube in the middle. The humming was definitely coming from there.

Shit. It’s not working.

I put the flashlight in my mouth and began checking all the wires. Sure enough, there was a broken connection to the left of the room - a clear pipe that was leaking water. A small puddle had formed on the floor directly below it. I took out my second tube of nanos. “Code: Sea blue. Water pipe repair.” The top layer of the nanobot mass glowed slightly, and I gathered them on the palm of my hand. Carefully, I approached the pipe, making sure not to drop any of the nanos; as I reached out to the broken pipe itself, the nanos formed a bridge and reformed into new material, sealing the crack shut.

I kept the flashlight trained on the pipe, making sure that the fix was complete. The humming of the fuel cell got a little louder, and the room was not bathed in a blue light. The cube was now filling up with water, and bubbles would form every few seconds - hydrogen gas, I hoped. I stepped out of the room, closing the door behind me.

The pool area was now brightly lit, the white light blinding me a little. Gene and Reese were looking at the pool, arms on their hips, impatient. “Reese, man, he’s been down there too long.”

“I know, sir.”

“What’s happening?” Reese turned back and jerked his head towards the pool. I stepped forward slowly, my heart beating. If Arkham was injured somehow… All my fears vanished when I heard a splashing coming from the pool.

Arkham was doing laps, his movement sleek and fluid. Every stroke was practiced and powerful, and he wasn’t even raising his head out of the water. “Holy shit, he’s… breathing the water,” I murmured.

“Man, you guys have such cool Brands…” Gene sounded crestfallen again. I put a hand on his shoulder and assured him.

“Relax, man. You fed us this morning, didn’t you?”

He shrugged then moved towards the shiny elevator door. “I guess…” Reese gave me a sympathetic nod.

“He’s not the first Branded disappointed by their first week. Won’t be the last.”

“Arkham! Time to go!” He swam towards the pool’s ladder, then got out in one bound. “...damn. Okay, impressive.” Arkham put on his jacket, shoes and other gear then approached us.

“Well, that was rejuvenating.” He sounded a lot more… alive compared to before, and his hair was plastered against his face, blocking his eyes. He shook it away with a swift nod; his grey eyes were now a bright sea-blue, the same color as his Brand when it was active. “Right. Thanks, little man. I needed that.”

The elevator door was open when we finally reached Gene again, who was just standing around waiting for us. “bout fucking time,” he said as he rolled his eyes. He entered the elevator and slumped against the far corner, keeping his head down towards the floor. Reese gave him a friendly pat on the head, but didn’t say anything. I nodded to him, and he took out his badge and inserted it into a slot on the elevator panel.

“Welcome, officer McJoel,” greeted a male mechanical voice. “WARNING. FLOOR ACCESS UNAUTHORIZED.”

“Code: Blazalphon.”

“Personal override accepted.”

I felt three pairs of eyes look at me. “...I take it none of you have backdoors anywhere important?” They all shook their heads. My laugh was heartier than any I’ve had in a long, long time. “Happy to impress, gentlemen. Maybe you’ll see more of my little tricks in the next few days.”

The door finally closed, and I turned around, my face serious again. “Eyes and ears open. Weapons ready. Reese, take point with your shotgun.” He cocked his weapon and fumbled with the bullet that flew out before hastily loading it back inside. This time four voices laughed in the small space.

“...You’re all idiots,” Gene said.

“Heh.”

“Civilian walkway access, security entrance. Good luck with your case, Blazalphon,” announced the voice. Reese took up his position at the very front, shotgun against his shoulder and finger near the trigger. The door slowly opened, revealing…

...another door. “Proceeding to the civilian area on your mark,” said Reese.

“Mark,” I whispered. The police officer held out a hand and pressed a switch, and the door opened without a sound.

“Oh, Christ, what-?!” Reese audibly gagged, but I couldn’t blame him. The walkway wasn’t empty, per se. Corpses were everywhere - lying on the steel floor, hanging by the torso on the railings, sitting up against some of the columns. They all looked… dry. Emaciated, like mummies. There was no smell of rot or the presence of any flies or maggots, either, but the sheer number of corpses was just unsettling.

But something else caught my eye. A familiar looking gun, resting against the body with a bullet in its head. My heart dropped like a rock, and I rushed to it despite the protests of my team. I was sweating bullets even as I knelt down to pick it up.

There was no mistaking it. There was no magazine inserted, and the scope was shattered, but it was definitely a Hans-Vadim. “Reese,” I said through gritted teeth. “Does New Pines use the Hans-Vadim sniper rifle in any official capacity?”

“Negative, sir. HV makes it their business to stay out of military partnerships. Only mercs are allowed to purchase them. Should have the name of the registered owner on the other side, sir.” I flipped the rifle over, and sure enough, her name was machine-engraved on the stock.

This Weapon owned by: Alysandra Duriel

“I… I think they’ve captured Ysandra,” I told them. “I….” My mind was blank for the first time in two days.

Why the hell am I so concerned about her anyway?

She technically saved my life, I guess?

...and she took me away from a death I deserved…

She just made you remember your promise.

“Blaze? What’s the call?” asked Reese.

Right. Can’t fail now. I have people relying on me again.

“...Reese. How far from the mob?” I slung the surprisingly light sniper on my back, barrel pointing down.

“Few spokes that way, sir,” he said, pointing at the way ahead. “They’ve fortified a certain area there heavily. Even built a makeshift tunnel.”

“You saw it?” He nodded.

“We used a drone. Someone EMP’d it before we could see much else.”

“...weapons free on this op, gents. Try not to kill, but if don’t hesitate if you must. Just don’t make it unnecessarily brutal.”

Blaze?! What are you-

I’m sorry, Aria. But I have to do this if you want me to keep my promise.

Arkham grinned, clearly enjoying the new orders. Reese’s face didn’t change, probably being an officer and all, but Gene looked horrified. “Dude, are you sure? What happened to the whole variables thing?!”

“We’re taking the risk. We can’t lose Ysandra, or Noire, or any of Reese’s friends.”

“Heavy emphasis on the former, I assume,” Gene snapped back.

“Think what you fucking want.” I checked my gun then nodded to Reese, who went forward with his own weapon raised. We came across the dried up corpses all throughout the walkway - I took the opportunity to check them out up close when I could.

“Is it me, or do these Branded not have any Brands?” I asked my team after the fifth body I couldn’t see any markings on. “Maybe they’re all hidden under their clothes, but the odds of that being the case for everybody…”

“Improbable, aye, I agree,” concurred Arkham.

“I’m starting to hate these mysteries...”

After a few minutes we saw less and less bodies, until the walkway was clear of. The city had been eerily quiet all this time, except for the occasional gusts of wind and the constant rumbling of thunder. Buildings were little more than husks of their former selves, though at least the horizon wasn’t on fire anymore. Every now and again some clothes would blow through with the wind, a bleak reminder of how much emptier the world was now.

Reese held up a fist to signal us to stop. The walkway was normally lit by white lights from the ceiling, but the way ahead was illuminated a bright orange, like a fire. We waited for a few seconds, watching for any shadows that could warn us of sentries; none appeared. I nodded to Reese and we kept moving forward, keeping as low to the ground as possible now. Every now and again the wind picked up; my Brand would glow brighter and the others would close up their jackets even more. Small ice crystals begun to form along the railings, but the orange light ahead only got brighter and sharper.

Something was tugging at the back of my mind. I ignored it for now.

The walkway soon took a sharp corner, with Reese taking a peek. He withdrew almost immediately, his face several shades greener. "Blaze, sir. You may want to prepare yourself."

That tugging again. That orange glow is way too specific…

I nodded, and all four of us rounded the corner, weapons drawn. There, hands bound on the railings, were three people. The chill wind picked up again, and the bodies didn't even look bothered. Instead, the light of their Brands flashed a brighter, warmer hue of orange… then and there, I finally understood what was bugging me.

My Brand was glowing the exact same shade of orange.