Nina Carter-Kid was on her way home. She was pissed off because the Foxgloves disappeared. Their house was for sale and no one was there. Nina started believing that it wasn’t the military that screwed up, but the Foxgloves’ Talent-shaping experiment. She was pissed off because she had agreed to this. She shouldn’t have done it.

As her car entered the neighbourhood, she noticed police cars blocking a part of her street. They gestured to her to turn around. She was boiling inside at this point. Nina opened the window as she rolled the car closer to the policeman.

“Ma’am, please turn around.”

“I live here. I can’t turn around.” She did all in her power to sound calm. It was a shame that her soothing Talent hardly worked on her.

“Please wait here,” he said and returned to his car. When he came back to Nina, he told her to park it on the side of the street and come with him. She was not pleased about it but what else she could do?

A few minutes later, her blood went cold when she noticed where they were going. Did something happen to Keynes? She quickened her steps, overtaking the policeman who warned her to slow down, she didn’t heed his words. Her hands shook, her heart thundered in her chest.

Three black, massive cars stood on her driveway. Who were they? She was practically running at the end, the policeman was shouting something behind her.

A man in a black suit was blocking the door as she reached it. She could see the door was damaged.

“Nina Carter-Kid?” the man by the door asked.

“Where is my son?!” she shouted, ignoring his question. “And what are you doing at my house?”

The policeman finally caught up with her and grabbed her arm.

The man shooed the policeman away.

“Please, come inside.”

She shot past him.

“Keynes?! Keynes! Keynes!”

She found a woman in the living room, holding their family picture.

“Where is my son?” she snarled.

“He’s safe.”

“Where is he?”

“Not here and I won’t say anything until you calm down and we talk.”

Nina was trembling and a primal part of her mind craved for blood. It took her a minute to relax her mind enough to be able to talk without snarling.

“What is this about? Who are you?”

“My name is Beverly Nort-Witch and I work for the World Government.”

That gave Nina pause. The World Government!? It made no sense. Didn’t these people deal only with regional governments and the military? What brought them here? Neither Nina nor Ewan had particularly strong Talents. Unless it wasn’t about Talents.

“What does the World Government want with us?”

“Let’s sit down.”

A little more calmed, Nina gave the woman a closer glance. She had dark hair, tightly tied in a bun. Her eyes were brown, coolly staring back at Nina. Except for the woman’s name, nothing about her was unremarkable.

Nina sat down reluctantly, observing the woman suspiciously.

“We’ve already notified your husband. They’ll be here shortly.”

Nina’s heartbeat picked up the speed.

“Why?”

“We need Keynes to work for us.” Nina didn’t miss the word ‘need’. “The nature of the work is top-secret. I don’t even know what it entitles as it’s far above my pay grade. The reason why I am here is to ensure that you understand what happened to Keynes and that he is perfectly safe.”

“If you don’t know what they need him for, then how can you claim that he is safe?”

“He is,” Beverly Nort-Witch simply replied without elaborating. “Furthermore, we need you to sign NDA documents. If anyone will ask about your son, tell them he got a job off-shore. Don’t go into details. Lastly, who else knows about his Talent?”

Once again, Nina was taken aback. Was this about his Talent then? But why? What did they need him to open?

“Just us and…”

“Who else?” There was clear sharpness to her question. Beverly Nort-Witch’s spiritual energy leaked, either on or purpose or accident, Nina couldn’t tell but it left her shaken.

“A woman… Lorelai Foxglove.”

Beverly Nort-Witch quickly noted the name down and asked. “Anyone else?”

“No.”

“Good. Now sign this agreement.”

***

Keynes struggled to his feet. Whatever they’d injected him was crazy strong.

The newcomer stood by the door waiting for Keynes. It took some time, the man didn’t complain, leaning against the door with crossed arms.

“You good?”

“What did they put in me?”

The man shrugged.

“No clue.”

“Don’t they work for you?” Keynes asked confused.

A shake of the head answered him.

They left the room and travelled empty corridors until they exited building. It was old although there was light in several windows in the higher levels.

“It looks like a mental hospital,” Keynes noticed.

“It was one,” the man said. “Now it belongs to the World Government.”

“What?!”

“Oh,” the man muttered. “They didn’t tell you. These idiots never learn. Anyway. You’re here because the World Government wants you. What for? I don’t have a clue. I’m only a glorified taximan.”

They made their way along a path to the parking but didn’t stop there. The large building and all the fields were surrounded by thick forest. Where was he?

“Where are we and what’s your name?”

“We’re in Louisiana. As for my name, I usually don’t leave my name behind. It’s a matter of national security but in your case… I can make an exception. Call me Ventura.”

“Why am I in a different state? Why did you kidnap me?”

Ventura didn’t slow down even for a second. They reached the line of trees and followed a dirt path that led to a clearing with a helicopter.

“Sorry, but I don’t know the answers to those questions. I was notified this morning to come here and pick you up.”

“Where?” Panic spiked inside Keynes.

“No idea. I’ll receive further instruction up in the air.”

“Is this some kind of spy movie? I don’t understand the excess of secrecy.”

They reached the helicopter. It was black and had only the insignia of the World Government on it. No other visible features. Keynes wasn’t an enthusiast of flying machines but he possessed a library of the models from movies and books in his head. None of them matched this one.

“I’ve never seen something like this.”

It had a futuristic feel.

“It’s custom made. The World Government isn’t a trusting institution. Perhaps that’s why there is so much secrecy. But again, this is something you’d have to ask the people in charge. I’m not one.”

Ventura used a hand scanner to unlock and open the machine and gestured to Keynes to enter the passenger section. It was quite comfortable but there was a clear barrier between this section and the pilot’s cabin.

Ventura entered the pilot’s cabin and locked the doors.

“This isn’t your standard helicopter. For one, you don’t need to wear earmuffs. This thing is quiet like a Tesla car.”

Keynes nodded, slowly finding peace. He was most likely still in shock. It was not every day he was kidnapped by the World Government. Keynes pulled out all the information he had about the World Government. It was founded sixty-two years ago by twenty-five countries tired of the constant wars and supremacy of three superpowers: the USA, Russia and China. It sparked another war. One that was slightly different from others. It lasted twenty years and ended up with the World Government toppling Russia and the USA. Then it took another five years to subdue China and consolidate the power of the World Government completely.

Since the inception of the World Government, Mars, Venus and many moons were colonized and the population exploded. The world changed for the better.

Strangely, there was not much else on there the World Government in Keynes’s memory. He decided to ask Ventura.

“I don’t really know much about the World Government, kid. I stay away from politics.” Did he call me a kid or by my last name?

“You don’t know anything about your employer?”

“Welcome to the joys of my world.”

Disappointed and frustrated, Keynes scolded himself for being too optimistic. How could he believe that the kidnapper would tell him anything valuable? It didn’t work like this.

Keynes leaned back, glancing through the window. His eyes bulged as he saw the forest far below. They were already in the air. How? He didn’t sense the motion.

“How did we get up?”

“I told you, this is a unique beast,” the pilot chuckled.

Only by looking outside, Keynes could tell the helicopter moved forward. The lack of sensation reminded Keynes about something else.

“Why cannot I sense your spiritual energy?”

“Ah, that thing. Learning it was a part of my training. I bet, they’ll put you through the same training. It’s standard for the World Government operatives and most of the military higher-ups. Anyway, I hope you like swamps because we may stay in the air for a while.”

***

Waxilium Earl stood alone in the conference room. Before him, the screen flicker to life and the President’s face appeared. It looked younger since Waxilium had seen him the last time but Waxilium wasn’t a fool to mention this to Windsor Freeman, the President of the World Government.

“Mr President.”

“Wax. What’s the news?”

“We got the boy. Ventura’s awaiting your decision as we speak.”

“Good, good. Send him to the site right away. I don’t want to delay it any longer.”

A shadow of doubt had to appear on Waxilium’s face and the President asked, “What’s the matter? You disagree?”

Waxilium swallowed. Windsor Freeman behaved like a good uncle but he was anything but. If he thought that Waxilium overstepped his authority, he’d punish him without a second thought. This man stood at the pinnacle of the World Government for twenty-one years despite many powerhouses reaching for his seat.

“Sir, we just secured the boy yesterday and sent him to our safe house in Louisiana, Beverly Nort-Witch is with his parents so we didn’t have anyone to explain to him what was going on. He will be terrified. And we have not done any evaluation tests.” It all boiled down to the manpower. Freeman wanted this operation to be as small as possible and it already started causing issues.

“Have Ventura explain things. Tests can be done at the site. You have all the equipment I presume?”

Ventura was the last person Waxilium would ask to explain anything to anyone. The man just didn’t care and because he was already Level 5 he was a too valuable asset to remove.

“Yes, Mr President. I will do so.”

“Good, good. When he comes with the boy. Keep him at the site. I want to add him to the fold.”

Waxilium almost snorted. Ventura was a bad choice. He was simultaneously part of the military and the World Government, which was a paperwork nightmare. And on top of that, Ventura’s character was the true obstacle. Waxilium didn’t say any of this though.

“Will you not be coming to the site yourself, sir?” Waxilium asked, keeping his true emotions hidden.

“Time will tell, Wax.”

“Yes, Mr President.”

The screen vanished and Waxilium breathed out. He hated dealing with Windsor Freeman and preferred when his father did it. His father, unfortunately, was auditing Venus’s government for the next three years.

Waxilium was about to release the security runes when another call came through, indicating it was important. Beverly Nort-Witch? What now?

“Speak.”

“Sir, the Kid family made no issues. We may need to arrange a meeting with the boy in the next six months but other than that, the insignia of the World Government was enough to douse the fire. However, there was a woman, Lorelai Foxglove. After a little questioning, they revealed some kind of contract with the woman’s family. Another NDA contract, sir. What's more, I’ve checked the house they said belonged to the Foxgloves. House’s empty, put for sale.”

“Did you trace the owners?”

“Yes, so far nothing.”

Waxilium sighed. That stank of regional government’s interference or worse, one of the World Government’s other shadow organizations. There were many of them, dabbling their fingers in everything. If Keynes Kid’s Talent leaked out people would add two with two and things might become difficult.

“Keep digging. Use all the authority you need. What about the military?”

“I have them all sign the NDAs. Though one of the specialists kept asking me if he could work for us.”

“Isn’t he now? The military is the subordinate of the World Government.”

“Well, I believe he was intrigued with why we needed Keynes Kid so badly we made him keep the boy’s Talent secret.”

“Do whatever you think is in our best interest. I don’t have time to deal with him.”

***

The helicopter did a sudden turn and sped up. That Keynes felt.

“What’s happening?”

“We got the orders.”

“What orders?”

“They need you in Jamaica.”

It took them a few hours to reach the border of Jamaica. Despite feeling tired, Keynes couldn’t sleep. The gravity of the situation was trickling into his mind and he felt its oppression condense.

Eventually, the helicopter approached the landing site. A plain clearing in the middle of nowhere.

“Where are we?”

“In Jamaica.”

“You told me that already. But where exactly?”

Instead of answering, Ventura exited the aircraft and motioned Keynes to do the same. Keynes did so and expected to find another mental hospital because the setting around looked quite similar. A clearing surrounded by trees.

Ventura pulled out a cigarette and took a deep breath.

“Relax.”

It was easy for him to say, though the weather was pleasant and with everything that was happening, Keynes desired nothing else but to lay down and rest.

Their solitude lasted no longer than the cigarette. One of the mounds near the tree line shuddered and then split revealing a gaping hole. A man walked out of it and beckoned them closer.

“This is like a freaking spy movie,” Keynes muttered.

The man near the entrance didn’t look like a part of the military or the World Government. He wore a white uniform, decorated with the World Government’s insignia.

“Is that normal?”

“What is?”

“A white uniform.”

“You should ask him.”

The red-haired Asian man nodded at them.

“Welcome to the Jamaican Covert Operations Base. I am Specialist Kaito Ren and I will be your guide until your debriefing.”

“My debriefing?” Ventura asked. “What for?”

“I do not know, captain.” Captain? He didn’t tell me that.

Captain Ventura looked back at his helicopter. The specialist picked up the silent question right away.

“We’ll take care of your machine. This entire area is off-limits for the public. Now if you don’t mind, please follow.”

Hearing the man talk, Keynes didn’t expect to find any answers from him. Were all these people just grunts? It sounded implausible.

The captain lost a bit of his easy-going attitude as they entered the tunnel. The door closed behind and the only source of light was yellow lamps. The tunnel descended into darkness.

“That looks deep,” Keynes noticed.

“It’s a secret base after all,” Specialist Kaito Ren replied.

“Are you sure you are supposed to tell me this?” Keynes asked, having a bad feeling about this.

“Yeah, you’re a part of the World Government now.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. Didn’t the captain inform you?”

“What?” Captain Ventura asked incredulously. “No such orders came through.”

Specialist Kaito Ren, holding his hands behind his back, turned his head and smiled faintly. Yes. Definitely. Bad feelings about this. But he could do nothing but follow these men. It’s better that they are the World Government than some criminals… I guess.

The specialist brought them to a bright room with a wide desk and a few chairs.

“Take a seat, Keynes Kid. Would you like to eat first?”

“No. I’d rather go through that debriefing you mentioned.”

Kaito Ren nodded.

“Fine. Someone will be with you shortly then.” He turned to Captain Ventura. “Please, follow me.”

The door didn’t stay closed for long. A man resembling a blond Gandalf the Grey entered, his face split by a smile.

“Hello!” he said with excitement. “I see I am first. Good! Just a few minutes ago they finally gave me access to your files. I’m impressed. Photographic memory… Nice. If we only had a working method of Talent-shaping in place... eh, people like you would pull our civilization through the bottlenecks we face from time to time. So close…”

Keynes pressed his lips together. He couldn’t tell him about the Foxgloves’ method. He’d signed the freaking NDA. It didn’t work in the end though. He understood why these people were so obsessed with the possibility of shaping Talents. History was full of geniuses with raw talents in various fields, prodigious chess players, unsurpassed athletes or unmatched musicians. If their Talents could be shaped so that they complemented their natural talents, it would create true greatness. This made Keynes only feel worse. He was so close. So close. But at the same time, it begged a question, why was he here? He knew that Specialist Webster Frog was interested in him because the man was a Talent researcher but the World Government?

“Hi.”

“Cheer up! Your presence here is an amazing thing. I’ve waited for this moment the last ten years.”

“Exactly why am I here? My Talent has nothing to do with my photographic memory and as I see it, it’s useless outside specific needs.”

Gandalf-wannabe didn’t answer as the door opened again and another man entered. This one had an air of authority around him. Keynes actually stood up, feeling this was appropriate.

“At ease,” the man said.

“Croft, you were meant to wait for me.”

“My apologies, Lord. I was so excited to see young Keynes.” Lord? Seriously. What is a Lord doing here? Well… it actually makes sense. The High Parliament was a part of the World Government and members of the High Parliaments were known as Ladies and Lords.

The man placed a thick pile of documents on the table and straightened his back.

“Welcome to my base. My name is Lord Waxilium Earl. I am a member of the High Parliament and run this operation. If you wish to lodge a complaint, then you have to go straight to the President.” He made a pause then turned to the other man. “This is Specialist Willow Croft. Our Head Researcher here. He will work with you.”

Keynes nodded, feeling a bit dizzy. This man here was not only a Lord but also the Earl, a member of one of the most powerful families in the solar system. Keynes was sitting in the same room with him. This, somehow, had a bigger impact on Keynes than the fact that he’d been kidnapped by the World Government. The human mind was a peculiar thing.

Keynes opened his mouth but found no words. He was intimidated by the presence of this man. For the first time in my life… no, a second time. Vivena was the first one to turn my brain into jelly.

“Calm down, young man,” Waxilium Earl said. “You must have a lot of questions. I apologize for the way we brought you here, but time was of the utmost importance.”

Keynes nodded like an idiot.

“You’re the only person in the world… no, in the solar system who has a Talent that can open locations. We do not understand why there is no other Talent like this and while we had expected one to emerge, we had not seen it happening at the onset of our Talent programme.”

“So… you want me to open something? Like a room?”

“Yes. We need you to open a rift.”

“A rift?”

“Indeed,” Willow Croft joined the conversation, excited like a small child who couldn’t refuse a sweet. “We’ve found a rift ten years ago. Here in Jamaica and since then we’ve done everything in our power to open it but it seems without a specific Talent, it’s impossible. We need you to open it for us…” Was this all? Couldn’t they approach Keynes like normal, civilized people?

Waxilium Earl placed a hand on Willow Croft’s shoulder and the Head Researcher quieted.

“We need you to open the rift for us. You will be well compensated for this. You will become an employee of the World Government and be placed directly beneath Mr Croft in the chain of command. Your and your family’s future will be completely secured.”

What would happen if I refuse? But why should I refuse? And didn’t Kaito Ren sound like they already see me as their employee? It seemed so.

“What’s a rift, Lord?”

There was a pause then Waxilium Earl spoke up again.

“I can only answer that question if you agree to my—”

“I agree!” Keynes said quickly and then realized how rude he was. “I’m sorry.”

“It is fine,” he said. “Just do not make a habit of it. As for the rift, our researchers believe it is a location to farm essence.”

Suddenly, everything clicked in Keynes’s mind and he shot up to his feet.

“That makes sense! I’ve always thought that something’s missing, the inactive Talents… all that wasted potential…” he was rambling but inside he felt he was onto something. “Can we go there now? I’d like to try to open it.”

There was a stunned silence. It didn’t last long though. Waxilium Earl nodded, asking Willow Croft to facilitate this. The Head Researcher needed a moment to gather his wits. Once he did, he shot to his feet and beckoned Keynes to follow him.

The next hour felt like a dream. Keynes and Willow Croft descended a few levels until the tunnel opened up into a larger natural cave. They stood over a hundred meters below the ground. The cave was stacked with lab equipment, leaving a path in the middle that led to a shimmering point.

“Is that… the rift?” Keynes asked.

“Yes!” Willow Croft replied, excited.

All the people working in the room stopped their activities and stared at them. Keynes didn’t know if they were aware who he was, if not then they had to at least suspect.

“How do I open it?”

“With your Talent.”

“I’ve had no chance to use my Talent since the ceremony.”

Willow Croft looked a bit surprised but quickly said, “Using Talents is natural and doesn’t require any special skills. Once you’re next to the rift, you’ll know what to do. But remember, to speak of everything you do and follow my instructions, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Keynes rushed to the middle of the cave. They had so much equipment Keynes had never seen, around the shimmering point, that it slowly started sinking in how serious this whole thing was. Still, Keynes was too excited to properly analyse the situation.

As he approached the rift, his pulse was at an all-time high. If it worked he’d go down in history. Possibilities exploded in his head. Keynes reached for the light…

Rift (Common)

Level

1

Status

Sealed

Details

???

Accessing Details…

Task failed. Insufficient Spirit.

“What happened?” Willow Croft’s voice shook Keynes out of stupor.

“It says my Spirit attribute is too low to access Details,” Keynes replied without looking away from the rift’s interface.

“Forget the details and focus on opening the rift.”

Disregarding the message, Keynes thought about opening the rift.

Attempting to open the rift…

The Rift’s Status: Sealed.

Attempt Unsuccessful.

Keynes relayed the message to Willow Croft who sighed.

“Try again, but try to force your will into opening the rift.”

Keynes did so with the same effect as the first time. It didn’t discourage him though. He tried again. Still, the rift remained sealed.

“Let’s call it a day,” Waxilium Earl said as he joined Mr Croft. “It didn’t work, which is expected. You need to train your Talent.”

“Lord Earl’s right,” Willow Croft agreed, though he didn’t sound so. “You need rest and we need to run tests. There’s still plenty of data to analyse from your attempt.”

Keynes wanted to challenge them. He could do it. At the back of his head, he felt like he was missing just a tiny part of the larger puzzle. If he found it, he’d open the rift. But then, Lord Earl was right. His Talent needed to be trained. Handling the Talent felt natural but the complexity of the rift’s seal required a mastery Keynes didn’t possess. Lucky for Keynes, the whole unsealing process resembled navigating a labyrinth and with Keynes’s perfect memory, it was quite easy.

One of the assistants who either didn’t introduce himself or Keynes missed the introduction showed Keynes a way to his room. Keynes thanked the man but before he could enjoy the solitude the assistant started explaining things.

“This room has runes and mana glyphs. Whenever you need to regenerate your mana turn this on. That cabinet there holds your new clothes. Please put the current ones in a black bag and throw the bag into the rubbish hatch. This cabinet here holds fluids and dry rations. You will receive a daily schedule from your officer. The door over there leads to a toilet and shower. If you need something press this. If it is serious and urgent then slam the red buttons. Do you have any questions?”

“No, thank you.”

Well, he had one, but the man was already gone when he decided to voice it.

“What just happened?”