Then

“Princess, fireman’s, or maybe piggyback,” Eron mused.

“What are you talking about?”

“Trying to decide the best way to get us out of this mess.”

Cal and Eron had backed up to the far end of the roof. Where Cal found his trusty camping ax. For the moment the gremlins and their alpha were still occupied with the late Jaden, racist cop, all-around scumbag, and now monster food. Whatever abilities the man got from his trip to the spire had made him stronger and tougher than even Eron, who was bulletproof and capable of picking up a compact car and running up and down the street with it over his head.

Sadly for Jaden, his powers weren’t enough to keep him alive, which was a problem for the two brothers since once the gremlins were done with the body it wasn’t hard to see who was next.

“Fix a problem, create an even bigger one,” Cal said.

“Piggyback will make it hard for me to run,” Eron continued his musing. “Screw it, you can decide.”

“Decide what?”

“How you want to be carried when I jump us over to the next building.” Eron pointed to the closest single story classroom building.

“You can make that jump?”

“Yup, pretty sure… like ninety percent,” Eron said. “Been practicing and thanks to earlier I know now that I can at least take a three story fall without breaking anything. The only question is how you’re going to handle it, but that’s like the lesser of two evils when put up against them.” He gestured at the gorging monsters.

Cal shook his head. “No way. You go ahead and jump. I’ll climb down the side or something.”

“Not happening,” Eron pointed down the side of the building. “Apparently they can climb.”

“Well… shit.” Cal looked down and sure enough there were regular-sized gremlins climbing up. “Fine. Fireman’s carry then.”

“Are you sure? I was thinking princess style. That way I can toss you up right before I land.”

“What does that matter?”

“You’re tougher than normal now, but I’m betting that you can’t take the impact from this height and distance. Something about force being your mass times the acceleration of gravity,” Eron shrugged. “Point is, you’ll probably break some bones unless we can lessen all that… stuff.”

Cal thought about it then he noticed that the gremlins were starting to look in their direction. “Fine, princess carry then.”

Eron held out his arms and grinned. “Get on, princess.”

Cal hopped into Eron’s arms.

Eron took a few steps back then sprinted for the rooftop edge. He took a running leap just out of reach of the gremlins that had scaled the side of the building. The brothers soared through the night sky.

Now

“What is this word, princess?” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said.

Before Cal could launch into a lengthy explanation, Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 interrupted.

“You have strayed into digression, Designation: Honor.”

The alien’s eyes flicked to its counterpart for a split second. It was nearly imperceptible, but after many sessions with the aliens Cal was getting good at reading them. Both their physical movements and inside their heads.

“Explain why the monsters and your enemies continuously did things or committed blunders that directly fit your exact needs,” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said.

It seemed that Loaming had received a talking to behind the scenes. The alien was keeping a tighter grip on their emoting than they had displayed in previous sessions. They weren’t displaying the annoyance that Cal had carefully cultivated in them.

Cal opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted again.

“And do not ascribe such results to random occurrence,” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 said.

“Agreed,” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said. “Once or twice is statistically acceptable. Multiple occurrences over a span of one encounter are suspect.”

Cal tried to shrug. “I don’t know what to tell you. It sounds odd to me too. Maybe the spires’ magic stuff had something to do with it. I mean, you’ve had similar experiences with them, right? I’m sure weird stuff happened all over your world.”

“Continue.”

Cal slowly, deliberately tilted his head to one side while staring at Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 without blinking. “Huh?”

When Loaming spoke, their voice was just a little bit higher and faster. “How did you and your creche-mate escape the Encounter Spawn?”

“Encounter Spawn… not bad, I might steal that,” Cal mused.

“You are warned, Designation: Honor.”

“Oh, sorry Tides. I’ll make sure Loaming gets the shout out for it,” Cal said.

A small shock suddenly ran through Cal’s body. The muscles in his body tensed and spasmed for a few seconds. He was expecting it, courting it. He had clamped his mouth shut, teeth together, to keep from accidentally biting his tongue. The electric shock wasn’t painful, more uncomfortable. The aliens had taken a few tries before finding just the right power level to make him feel it while not causing excessive pain.

They didn’t do torture, found the concept of it abhorrent. From his mental probings Cal discovered that they had to dig millennia into their distant past to learn about what they could try to encourage him to comply with their demands. Part of him felt bad that he essentially forced an alien culture to re-learn such techniques by being annoying.

“Ouch,” Cal said flatly. “Fine, fine. My brother and I basically jumped down the building and made a run for it. Luckily, the encounter spawn didn’t follow us once we got off school grounds. It was a close thing though.”

“The Encounter Spawn Zone, how did your kind eradicate it?”

“Well, Loaming, we didn’t. Not until nearly nine months later.”

“But to leave it unchecked for that long is—”

“We didn’t understand how a spawn point worked. We thought that it’d make a good spot to get stronger, get points, and practice. We thought that the monsters were confined to the grounds.” Cal studied the aliens’ reactions and lightly probed into their minds. “I see you’ve had similar experiences. Then you already know what happened. It started around six weeks after we escaped. The monsters came pouring out of the spawn point. Turns out they constantly spawn, every day when it resets, for lack of a better word. They fight and feed on each other, getting stronger. Until they reach some kind of threshold.”

Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 looked at Cal with sympathy. He knew this because he could see the sentiment in the alien’s normally cold, logical mind.

“Yes. This is known to us.”

“There are still many regions of our world that are lost to us because we failed to realize how an Encounter Spawn Zone functioned,” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said.

“Still? But you said that your world is almost at the ten year mark.”

“The spawn grow stronger, just like your people, if they aren’t eradicated.”

Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 abruptly raised a hand. “This session is at an end.”

For the ninth time in the three weeks he had been in captivity Cal’s sarcophagus encased him in darkness and took him away.

Now

As soon as Designation: Honor was taken out of the room the door slid shut. A holographic projection appeared in front of the two interrogators.

“Prime Custodian 3.”

Both interrogators slammed their metal clad fists together and bowed their heads.

“Be at ease.”

“Yes, Prime Custodian 3.”

The Threnosh in the projection was smaller then even the two interrogators. They stood barely up to their armored chests. Out of their armor they would’ve at least been a head taller. Their skin was a patchwork of mottled grays, ranging from light to dark and everything in between. They weren’t at all like the smooth, singular tones of the interrogators. Most strikingly, it appeared to be naked. Unlike every other Threnosh that Cal had seen, this one wasn’t clad in powered armor. The only thing they had was a small, metallic orb that floated near its head. It was black with green lines and segments that seemed to pulse faintly. It was easy to miss at first, but a thin mono-filament only visible if it caught the light in just the right way connected the orb to the back of the Threnosh’s neck.

“The subject conceals the truth.”

Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 looked at Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 with a hint of nervousness. It was slight, but it might as well have been a glaring sign when compared to their controlled interactions with Cal.

“The scans indicate otherwise,” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 said.

“Yes,” Prime Custodian 3 said. “Yet the subject still conceals the truth.”

“How is that possible?”

“Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623, the subject is a member of an unfamiliar species. It is entirely different to the Threnosh.”

“He.”

“Clarify, Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337.”

“The subject identifies as a male of his species of which the proper pronoun is he.”

“Acknowledged,” Prime Custodian 3 said.

“To return to the subject. All of our scans, respiration, heart rate, indicate that the subject speaks the truth,” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said.

“Our analysis indicates that there is a 97.15 percent probability that the subject is controlling these biological functions. Furthermore we have detected a strange interference that centers around the subject.”

“Prime Custodian 3, what have you discovered?” There was a reserved note of alarm in Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337’s voice.

“Nothing conclusive at this juncture. Further data is required.”

“What are your instructions?”

“Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337, you will continue to question the subject. However, since the subject states that he seeks an amicable relationship with the Threnosh you will reciprocate, slowly.”

The two interrogators eyes darted to each others. A clear sign of great confusion.

“I understand your concern, interrogators, but we believe that the subject is truthful in this particular stated purpose.”

“Believe?” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 immediately shut his mouth, his eyes widening a fraction of an inch. To his side Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 stared at him in barely concealed disbelief. “My apologies, Prime Custodian 3, I spoke out of turn. Please do not let this reflect on my partnership with Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623.”

A small quirk of the lips crossed Prime Custodian 3’s mouth. “Would it ease your concern if I were to tell you that we determine this probability is at currently 81.3 percent and steadily rising?”

“Yes, Prime Custodian 3.”

Prime Custodian 3’s holographic image pulsed and skipped for a split second. The interrogators would not have noticed if not for the top-tier sensory package that their powered armors were equipped with.

“From this point on there are no other eyes on this briefing, neither will there be a record.”

The two interrogators shared a look of abject fear, a display of emotion that was rare even between bonded partners.

“Be at ease. As a Prime, I assure the safety of your roles and your existence.” Prime Custodian 3 waited for the interrogators to gather their composure before continuing. “There is not much time left until our world exits the protected phase. We are unable to calculate the probability that the higher world that we are connected to will be violent, peaceful or somewhere in between. We must determine if the subject and his species can be made into allies. If not then we must learn everything about their world. The possibility exists that we may have to evacuate our world. Discover the truth of the subject’s abilities. We have calculated that even with the enhancements to the subject’s physical body there should have been only an 8.92 percent chance of surviving a newly formed Encounter Challenge Zone. Furthermore, according to what we know of the spires, the subject is too weak to have been allowed to traverse from his world to ours before the end of their protected phase.”

“He claims that four of his planetary cycles have passed since the spires appeared on his world,” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said.

“Discover the truth he hides.”

The interrogators recognized the dismissal.

“Understood.” They said in unison and saluted.

“We will be monitoring the subject’s sessions.” Prime Custodian 3 returned the salute right before the projection disappeared.

The interrogators said nothing. They were extremely concerned. For a Prime to bypass their superiors and contact them directly was unheard of. The content of his words and his directives were even more worrying.

Now

Something was off with the interrogators, Cal could tell. What had happened in the days since their last interrogation session? He could read the worry and conflict in their thoughts easy enough, but what was truly jarring was that he could see it in their faces. Normally smooth, placid, and expressionless. He could see the slight wrinkle to both their brows. Their faces looked pinched. His other hint was that he had already been shocked three times and they’d barely just started.

“Look guys, I don’t know what to tell you,” Cal said while pretending to breathe harder and allowing his pulse to quicken as befits someone who had just been hit with enough electricity to knock a bear down, thrice.

“Our scan of your body indicates that there have been recent, sudden changes. Musculature, connective tissue, skeletal structure, and organs. All have been strengthened to varying degrees. Based on our research you’re general overall strength has increased exponentially from where your basic biology indicates it should be before the spires appeared on your world.”

Loaming really didn’t like that word.

Cal nodded in agreement. “That sounds about right.”

“Except this strength gain took place over the four years that you claim passed in between the spires emergence and your traveling to our world, which means that you were significantly weaker when you first entered the Encounter Challenge Zone, this Martin Luther King Jr. High School,” Interrogator Ebbing Tides 2337 spoke the unfamiliar words haltingly.

“Yeah,” Cal tried to shrug, but his full body restraint kept him immobile.

“These, gremlins, as you call them. The description is familiar. A similar if not the exact same spawn were responsible for the destruction of an entire regional hub city. Your level of strength does not indicate that you would have been capable of surviving, let alone destroying an entire Encounter Challenge Zone left unchecked.”

“Uh, well it wasn’t just me,” Cal said.

“No, the numbers you claimed for your people is much too low and you claimed that not many shared the level of your strength,” Interrogator Ethereal Loaming 5623 said.

“Aww, you too Loaming? Tides I get, they’ve always been the stickler, but I thought you were cool.”

“Designation: Honor, cease your attempts to misdirect or be compelled.”

Cal’s brows went up, Tides was actually letting his annoyance slip out. Something had definitely changed. It was time to prod a bit deeper, which meant some misdirection was in order. It was time to tell another story. He put a serious look, grave even, on his face. “Fine, fine, you got me,” Cal sighed. He was going to have to add a bit more of the truth, which was fine. That was part of the plan anyways.

Then

Cal shook the small dog-sized mutant squirrel from his ax. He wiped the bloody ax head on the overgrown grass and inspected it. The blade was chipped all along its edge with a few inch-long cracks starting to spread out. It seemed that monster bone was proving to be just a bit tougher than wood for his trusty camping ax. That or it was his steadily growing strength. He was trying to pull back to hit with just enough power, but it was hard, especially when monsters were trying to bit his face off. He let out a sigh.

“What?” Nila was crouched near him, wiping blood and mutant squirrel chunks off her baseball bat. She was on her third one. Cal had tried to convince her to switch to the ones made out of polypropylene, since they were supposedly unbreakable. She had steadfastly refused. According to her the wooden ones felt the best in her hands.

“At this rate choppy isn’t going to last.”

“So, just get another one.”

“It wouldn’t be the same.”

“Do you even need a weapon? I’m pretty sure you can punch or kick one of these things to death.”

“That would be gross. Get all that blood and guts on my hands, no thanks.”

“Wear gloves.”

“I guess I could, but then they’d be a pain to wash, since electricity is being sketchy.”

“Just wash them by hand,” Nila sighed.

“I wish I had the time, but in between patrolling for monsters, mutant animals, and baddies, practice and working out,” Cal shrugged.

Nila frowned. “So, instead you burn your clothes and loot new ones.”

“Accurate, but in my defense is it really looting if new clothes magically appear in the stores periodically? Also, who knows what sort of monster diseases might be swimming around in this stuff.” He waved a hand at the splattered blood.

“Yes.”

“Technically I suppose you are right,” Cal said. “How about when you factor in that I’m constantly out and about taking on dangerous things without getting paid? Doesn’t that sort of balance it out.”

“You get Universal Points,” Nila pointed out.

“Fine, fine, I’ll carve out a spot in busy schedule for laundry.” Cal’s face twisted. “Can we go into the spire now?”

Nila took a deep breath.

“It’ll be fine,” Cal rubbed her back. “Eron and Remy just went and they came back alright. I’ll try to go through everything quickly. If you take your time then that means I’ll probably come out first. In case the squirrels re-spawn.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. They don’t scare me anymore.”

“Is it the regular-sized gremlin sightings?”

It had been a couple of weeks since their escape from the MLK High School Encounter Challenge. The various quests they had received had been deemed successful to varying degrees and as a result each of them had received a veritable windfall of Universal Points. Eron and Remy had gone first to purchase as many tutorials as they could, while Cal and Nila stayed behind to guard Megan and the kids. The initial plan had been to spread their resources, with each purchasing a different tutorial. Unfortunately that plan was a bust. When Eron tried to share what was in the basic tutorial with anyone else all that person heard was garbled static. It was an extremely disturbing experience to realize that the spires were able to reach out into real world and mess with them to such a degree.

It had triggered a heated debate centered on the old ‘reality is just a simulation’ theory. As much as Cal hated to admit it, he was slowly being convinced.

The regular-sized gremlins were another problem that had popped up. Word was spreading of several sightings of the larger monsters outside the high school grounds. Something that should’ve been impossible. Cal and Eron had taken to patrolling around the school with nothing to show for it. It was a worrying matter. The people were understandably unwilling to go around and start attacking things like murder hobos. Even the smaller, weaker monsters, the mutant squirrels and birds scared them. For his part Cal wasn’t really pushing the matter. He preferred to stay out of the makeshift city council’s daily meetings, a worthwhile effort to reclaim some sort of order after being hit by the sudden apocalypse and then the racists cops’ heinous actions.

Tension were still high between the whites and everyone else. The former, even if they didn’t throw in with the racist cops, were understandably concerned about retaliation from the latter, which was to be expected in Cal’s eyes. Even if they didn’t play an active role, they still stood aside and did nothing. Although, he had to acknowledge that he had some bias in that regard.

Part of him was sympathetic, he knew that they risked their own lives had they objected. Perhaps it would’ve been easier if he just used his telepathy to find out who to trust and who to write-off. He couldn’t do it though. He still wasn’t willing to perform such a violation of potentially innocent people’s privacy. It’d make him just as bad as Jay and his gang.

“It’s fine,” Nila said. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Okay, ladies first,” Cal smiled.