Hello everyone, back again with the second chapter! The investigation continues! This is another one of those days when I don't have anything too much of not to say here, so I'll just let everyone get right into the story! I hope you enjoy this new chapter!
anomalous point
chapter two
the valley
"Alright so, based upon our investigation, we can conclude two things."
Watching as Matt stood in front of the car, indicating the number two with his fingers, Shiro merely arched a brow. He had a feeling he knew where he was going with this, but he'd let him continue.
None of the other locals had been willing to talk to them, no matter how many they had asked. Some of them just seemed wary, distrustful- but he'd expected that much. Others, however, just looked downright apprehensive, almost fearful- and he'd caught one crossing himself just out of the corner of his eye at least once.
Whatever was going on here, he didn't think it was just because of their Garrison ties that the local population was being rather mum on the subject. If he didn't know any better, it almost seemed as if they were afraid to talk about it.
"First, we seem to have stumbled onto a truly amazing outpost of Southern accents." Matt said. "And second, that Keith is apparently a far more advanced level cryptid than we first gave him credit for."
"Okay, I think we need to get off the whole cryptid thing already." Shiro told him. "This is serious."
"You don't think Keith actually has anything to do with that person from the Garrison vanishing, do you?" Katie asked him, glancing up at him with a frown. "Because I might not know him as well as the two of you do, but that doesn't sound like Keith."
"No, I don't." Shiro told her. "But I don't think it's coincidence either. There's clearly something going on here, some kind of big picture that we're just not getting."
"Yeah like, what's up with this pretty lady that the guy mentioned?" Matt chimed in. "I mean... maybe Keith really did go and pull a full Commander Kogane."
"Matt, I think we both know that's way more unlikely than Keith becoming some kind of malevolent cryptid." Katie told him. "The pretty lady is obviously involved in this in some fashion, but I don't think she and Keith are fucking."
"Katie!" Matt squawked, eyes going wide. "When we get home, I'm telling mom to wash your mouth out with soap."
"Matt, I'm sixteen, I'm legally allowed to swear now." She told him, before turning her attention to Shiro. "Well? If you don't think it's a coincidence, then what do you think is going on Shiro? Because I have to admit, while I don't think Keith would do something like this, or even have the means to do something like this, the timing does seem a little suspicious."
"I'm not sure." Shiro admitted, shaking his head. "From the sound of it, Keith's been coming and going pretty freely, so I don't think this is a matter of him being held captive, but..."
Letting out a long sigh, he turned on his heel, casting his gaze out towards the valley looming in the horizon. "We just don't have enough information."
"...you're not thinking of going to check it out, are you?" Matt ventured. "Because I'm pretty sure the cryptic general store owner just said that was a bad idea."
"I'm not saying we should actually go into the valley." Shiro told them. "I'm just... All I'm saying is, that this phenomena is worth checking out."
"I'm with Shiro on this one." Katie chimed in. "I mean, some kind of weird phenomena that just causes all electronics to cease functioning? You can't tell me that you're at least not a little curious, Matt."
"...I am." Matt admitted. "But I am also apparently in charge of having a level head on my shoulders. Shiro, did your brain get shaken around by the crash or something? Because normally you would not be telling us to go into some kind of weird technological dead zone in which people vanish."
"Like I said, I'm not saying that we actually go into the valley." Shiro repeated. "The store owner was very specific when he told us that we should turn around when our car stops working, which means there's actually a chance to do that before the whole supposed vanishing part."
"Yeah, but like... how much of a window are we talking about here?" Matt asked. "A minute? Two? Because tonight's pasta night, and I am not missing pasta night."
"I mean, I'm not going to force you to do it if you don't want to, but..." Shiro trailed off.
Matt held his gaze for a long moment, before he finally let out a long sigh. "You're really worried about Keith, huh?"
"You aren't, after hearing all that?" Shiro asked.
"I- yeah, no, I'm worried about Keith too." Matt admitted. "If he's gotten himself mixed up in something weird, then we can't exactly sit around and do nothing about it."
"So what's the plan?" Katie asked. "We go in, try to get a reading, then leave?"
"Try to get a reading with what?" Matt asked. "Like I said, technological dead zone."
"Good point." She admitted, her lips twisting into a frown. "Maybe we could get a soil sample?"
"Do we even have anything to take a soil-" Shiro began asking, pausing midsentence as Katie silently opened her bag, pulling out a small petri dish- and then another, just for good measure. "Of course we do. Good job, Katie."
"Always thinking two steps ahead." Katie told them, slipping the petri dishes back into her bag. "So, we doing this?"
Giving her a firm nod, Shiro fixed his gaze on the horizon once more. Keith was out there somewhere, and whatever it was that he had gotten himself mixed up in, he wasn't going to leave him to deal with it alone.
"We're doing this."
Sure enough, just as they had been warned, once they drew closer to the valley, their car lurched to a sudden stop, the engine sputtering before it died completely.
It was hard to judge distance in the desert, but if he had to guess, the valley was probably still a good ten or so miles out. He found himself searching for those strange, spire-like outcroppings, and though they were harder to see from this perspective than they had been on the plateau, he could just barely make them out.
Gaze fixed on them, he found himself blinking before long, rubbing his eyes. Maybe it was just the desert, but they almost seemed to shimmer in the horizon, as if they were about to give way to something else. As curious a sensation as that was, it also kind of gave him a headache, and he took that as a warning he was doing something he probably shouldn't.
He didn't know what to make of the cryptic warning they had gotten, but caution was never a bad thing. If he were alone out here, he might be making some different choices, but with the Holt siblings here, things were different. If some part of him was telling him he'd better stop looking, then that's exactly what he would do.
He might have entertained exploring the valley on foot, at least at first. But now that they were actually here, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
And not by the people from west town.
The only reason he didn't rush them out of there right now was because the gaze didn't feel hostile. At least, not yet.
It was as if they were waiting to see what they would do first.
Getting out of the car, Matt threw open the engine, trying to determine what went wrong. "I don't know what to tell you, Shiro," he said, casting a glance over in his direction, "-by all means, everything should still be working like a charm. There's nothing wrong with the engine, other than the obvious fact that it just won't turn on."
"Did you check the-?" Katie piped up.
"Yes, I checked that. It was like the first thing I checked!" Matt cut her off, watching her through narrowed eyes. "Need I remind you who it was that built this engine in the first place? I think I know how it works, Katie."
She gave him a shrug of her shoulders. "Just making sure."
"Alright, it's obvious that we can't stay here." Shiro told them, glancing between the pair of Holt siblings. He'd brought them out this far, but he wouldn't put either of them at any further risk, not if the general store owner's warning had any merit- and he was starting to suspect that it did. "Matt, help me push the car out of this dead zone. Katie, you get those soil samples."
"Already on it!" She told him, and he couldn't help but smile. "I'll get a control sample from outside of the dead zone too, so we can have something to compare it to."
"Good idea." Shiro nodded. "Alright Matt, on the count of three, we push the car back. You ready?"
"My bulging muscles are always ready for such fine, manly activities." Matt told him with a grin. "Sure you'll be okay?"
"You don't have to worry about me." Shiro reassured him. "I've been keeping up with my rehab. Plus I've got a job that has me on my feet all day."
"What, you mean to tell me that you never snack on any of the pastries?" Matt asked, arching his brows. "No man alive has that much willpower, Shiro, not even you. You can't fool me."
Unable to help himself, Shiro let out a faint laugh. "Okay, you got me. Maybe every so often, I might snack on a danish or two. Now come on, let's move this car."
It took a bit more effort than he would have liked, but they got the car moved. Once he confirmed that the engine was working again, Matt gave him the all clear signal.
"Katie, you done?" Shiro called out.
"Just about!" She called back, holding up a hand. After a moment, she popped back into view, already tucking a petri dish back into her bag. "Okay, samples collected. We can head back now."
"Good." With a curt nod of his head, he waited until she was safely back in the car before he got inside himself. "Alright, let's head back to town."
Casting one last wary look out the window, he could have sworn that he almost felt whoever was watching them seemingly lose interest. The faster they got out of here, the better.
"To the west town?" Matt asked, peering back at him.
"Home." Shiro told him, shaking his head. "They probably saw us drive out to the valley, so it might be best to give them a wide berth on the way back."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Matt told him, backing the car up. "You want to stay for dinner? I know I said this earlier, but mom's making pasta tonight."
"I'd... like that, actually." Shiro told him, almost hesitating for a moment. He didn't want to intrude upon their family dinner, but he got the feeling that none of them would consider it as such. "It's been awhile since I had a home cooked meal."
Cooking... well, it wasn't his strong suit, to say the least. He'd been trying to learn, now that he was living on his own, but it was slow going. Having only one hand now did nothing to help speed up that process.
"Maybe you should have mom give you some cooking lessons." Katie offered. "She's been trying to teach me, but I'm afraid I'm a lost cause at this point."
"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself, Pidge." Matt told her, ignoring the faint grumble the use of that nickname earned him. "At least you're better at it than Keith. Knowing that he's out there somewhere, possibly in charge of cooking for himself... that might be the most horrifying thing of all."
"Don't be so hard on him, it only happened once." Shiro noted.
Sure, even he knew better than to try and make a grilled cheese sandwich in the toaster, but nobody was perfect.
"Yeah, because they never let him back in the kitchen ever again." Matt observed, glancing back at him. "That once is all we have to go off of, Shiro."
"...that's fair." Shiro was forced to admit.
Watching as the valley faded from view, Shiro couldn't help but frown. He didn't know what he'd expected to find here, but he'd been hoping that if not Keith himself, that it would at least be answers, not even more mysteries. Had someone from the Garrison really disappeared after heading into the valley? The fact that they had been looking for Keith was not a thought that rested easy with him.
Did... did Keith know about it?
What was he even doing out here?
He had a million questions, and none of them, it seemed, had any answers.
It wasn't that he didn't know where to start looking for them- he did, and they were currently driving away from it. But for the time being, he would put that idea aside. Mrs. Holt had already lost a husband because he hadn't been able to act fast enough to save him, he couldn't allow her to lose her two children as well. He had a responsibility to bring them back home, safe and sound.
If he wanted to go into the valley, he'd do it alone.
Just not yet.
From the sound of it, Keith was coming and going as he pleased, so at the moment, he wasn't too worried about him. Like he said before, it didn't seem like he was any kind of captive. Wherever he was right now, he was likely there willingly- and though he couldn't shake the feeling that he had gotten himself mixed up in something worrisome, he'd just have to trust that he knew what he was doing.
Still.
Even so, he couldn't help but be concerned. Knowing that he was out there, somewhere, in the desert... as much as he tried to reassure himself, it didn't sit right with him.
"Actually, Matt?" Shiro spoke up, peering up at him. "Do you think we can swing by the west town one more time? There's something I need to do."
"I see you came back."
Gaze flickering towards the owner, Shiro gave him a wry smile. "I did."
"Decided not to go after yer friend?" The man asked.
"Not today." Shiro told him. "Could I ask you to keep something here for him, in case he comes back?"
"Don't see why not." The man said, giving him a shrug of his shoulder. "You seem like a decent enough fellow, even if ya do associate with them Garrison folk."
"You know, Keith's Garrison too." Shiro couldn't help but observe.
"Nah, that boy ain't Garrison." The man said with a snort. "Oh, I don't doubt he was there once, likely where ya got so close to him in the first place. But he ain't Garrison."
He really couldn't argue with that, not really. It was true that Keith had never really fit in at the Galaxy Garrison. He never really made much of an effort to, preferring to remain on the sidelines, as an outsider. Not only did he not make an effort to get along with his fellow cadets, he didn't make much of one to appeal to his instructors, either. The military discipline that they tried to ingrain in every cadet had never really taken hold in Keith- were it not for his talent, he'd probably have been kicked out long ago.
Though somehow, he didn't think that was quite what this man was referring to.
"Well, if you do see Keith again, please give him this." Shiro told him, sliding a small white envelope across the counter, Keith's name scrawled on the front. There wasn't much inside but his address, but he hoped that it would serve its purpose.
An olive branch, if you would.
In truth, he wanted to write more- much more- but the hand he'd lost was his dominant one. Suffice to say, that although he had been putting effort into it learning to write with it, his handwriting was still a complete mess. It had taken all the effort he'd had just to make it legible.
Some people, he thought, unable to help but think fondly of Keith himself in that moment, didn't have the advantage of being ambidextrous.
"Tell him it's from Shiro."
No sooner than had he entered, did he find himself swept up in a warm embrace, putting to rest any worries that he might have about Colleen Holt not wanting him here. "Oh Shiro, it's so good to see you again!"
"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Holt." Returning her embrace with a smile, Shiro forced himself to push aside the surge of guilt that rose up in him. Maybe nobody here blamed him for Samuel Holt's death- but that didn't change the fact that he did.
Still, he wasn't going to let his own guilt spoil the evening.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't greet you when you came by this morning." Colleen told him, drawing away from the embrace, a soft smile on her face. "I had to take a sudden shift at the library."
"It's alright, I understand how it can be." Shiro told her. "I hear you're making pasta tonight?"
"That I am!" Colleen told him. "It should be done in just a few minutes. Why don't you take a seat in the meantime? I hear you've been trooping around in the desert today."
"Are you sure?" Shiro asked. "Because if you need any help in the kitchen, I can-"
"No, no, it's fine." Colleen told him. "You're our guest tonight, Shiro, and it's been so long since we've had you at our table. You brought my son home safe to me, the least I can do is not make you work."
"I-" Quickly shutting his mouth, Shiro swallowed back his own guilt anew. He should have brought home more than just her son. "Alright, if you insist. I just feel bad, not helping out."
"I do. Now, off with you." She said, with a wave of her hand. "Katie, make sure he stays put!"
Exchanging a glance with Katie, Shiro gave her a helpless shrug of his shoulders. If it were anyone else, he'd worry that he was being treated like some kind of invalid, but Colleen Holt was not that type of person.
"So you really think Keith's out there, in the desert somewhere?" Katie asked, walking backwards ahead of him into the dining room.
"Sounds to me like that's pretty much it." Shiro told her. "All I can do now is hope that he decides to accept my invitation."
"Maybe he knows something." Katie ventured. "I mean, he had to have left the Garrison for some reason, right? Maybe he found out about the faulty parts before we even knew about them."
"Maybe." Shiro said. "But I know about the faulty parts, and so does Matt, but the Garrison isn't exactly trying to chase us down."
"True." Katie admitted, pulling out a chair. "You can sit across from me, next to Matt."
"Don't mind if I do." Shiro told her, pulling out a chair for himself, taking a seat. "It just feels like there's something more to this whole thing than we're getting."
"Well I haven't gotten a chance to look at those soil samples yet, but I can tell you what the Internet chatter is." Katie told him- and judging from the expression on her face, he got the feeling it was going to be a hell of a story.
He thought she'd been pretty quiet on the way back- so she'd been browsing the Internet.
"By Internet chatter, do you mean those conspiracy boards you hang out on?" Shiro asked, arching a brow. "Matt told me you made a friend on one."
"Who, Red?" She asked, flashing him a quick grin. "Yeah, he's pretty cool. Totally thinks the whole pilot error thing is a load of crap. Says he's looking for solid proof, but hasn't been able to find it just yet."
"Glad to hear it." Shiro said. "So?"
"Oh right, the chatter." Katie blinked. "Well to be honest with you, there's not actually a whole lot of it. It's pretty remote out there, so it kind of figures. Most of it comes from Garrison cadets, you know, using their one hour of allocated Internet usage wisely, as one does. I looked into things, and according to rumor, the area's supposedly off limits."
"Off limits." Shiro repeated, arching a brow. "But the Garrison doesn't own that land. How could they make it off limits?"
"Well, it's not officially off limits." She told him. "More like a very stern warning to all cadets to stay away."
"How stern?" Shiro asked.
"Expulsion stern." Katie told him.
"Yeah, that's pretty stern." Shiro admitted. "Matt, did you know about this?"
Looking more than a little spooked at being caught entering the room, Matt flinched. "It's the first I've heard of it, but they don't have me working with the cadets."
"Well I don't think they'd make it up for no reason." Shiro said, leaning back in his chair. "If they did send someone out there after Keith, and they didn't come back, I could understand why they would want to keep any cadets out of the area. The west town is still a popular dare spot for them, isn't it?"
"Popular as ever." Matt told him, setting down a plate in front of him. "Probably even more so after Keith went and became a cryptid. They're all hoping to catch a glimpse of the ace pilot that just up and vanished."
"I'm just amazed none of them have ever tried to confront Keith." Katie said.
"That's... actually pretty normal." Shiro told her. "Keith kind of held himself at a distance from the other cadets, and almost all of them seemed to return the favor. It's not too much of a surprise that none of them would actually try to approach him."
"Except for that one cargo pilot." Matt noted.
"Yeah, but you were right about that. I wouldn't really call those two friends." Shiro said with a frown.
"Rivals." Matt noted, giving them a sage nod. "Or at least, that was- what was his name again, Lance?" Frowning, he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, pretty sure it was Lance. Anyways, he liked to think so. I don't think Keith really saw it the same way."
"He definitely did not see it the same way." Shiro told him. "I don't think he even remembered his name more than half the time, even before they got divided into different classes. Almost enough for me to feel kind of bad for the guy."
Almost. There were obviously some underlying issues there, but it still didn't change the fact that he got into Keith's face on the regular, generally in disregard of his personal space. Something Keith tended to value. Honestly, sometimes Shiro had to wonder if he was just not trying to learn the guy's name out of pure spite.
Except Keith wasn't actually that petty- at least, not usually. He probably genuinely didn't remember his name, and had likely since forgotten all about him.
"But we're getting a bit away from the main point here. What were you trying to tell me, Katie?" Shiro asked.
"Aliens." She told him, folding her hands in front of her, almost seeming to smirk. "The Internet thinks it's aliens."
"Aliens." Shiro repeated. "No offense Katie, but last I checked, the Internet thinks everything is aliens."
"Fair and true." She admitted. "But that's what the chatter is saying."
"So what, is Keith being brainwashed by aliens or something?" Matt asked.
"Nobody's being brainwashed by aliens." Shiro said, rolling his eyes. "Sorry Katie, but I think maybe the Internet is a bit off base on this one."
"Eh." Shrugging her shoulders, Katie took it in stride. "Never said I bought it myself."
"Yeah, but how cool would it be if it was really aliens?" Matt asked, taking a seat. "I mean, just imagine. What if Keith's out there right now, making first contact?"
"Technically if it was true, Keith would have made first contact quite some time ago." Katie pointed out.
"Alright you two, that's enough about aliens." Shiro told them. "Besides," glancing up, catching Colleen's faint smile, "-it looks like dinner's ready."
If he caught the way her gaze lingered on the empty chair at the head of the table, he didn't say anything.
Dinner with the Holts had turned out to be just what he needed.
He had very much been keeping up with the physical side of his recovery, just as he'd told Matt, but if he had to be completely honest, when it came to the emotional side of it... that was where he was lacking. He kept coming back, again and again, to how he'd let a man die- how he'd done everything in his power to bring them all home safe, but it just hadn't been enough.
Shiro never considered himself a hero, even before Kerberos.
At least the rest of the world was now seeing him in that same light.
But the Holts... they forgave him. It baffled him. Even if they didn't believe that the crash was the result of pilot error, they still should have held at least a little enmity in their hearts for him- and yet, not a single ounce of that had surfaced, not even once.
Maybe they once had, but it had been given time to pass. He'd never know.
But being back together with the family he had gotten to know so well during the preparations for the Kerberos mission... it had been good. It made him feel whole, in a way that he didn't fully realize he hadn't up until that very moment.
Not completely whole, though. Sam Holt was still gone, his right arm was still lost, and there was still an important person missing from his life.
But Keith, at least, was alive. And whatever it was that the Garrison wanted from him, whatever it was that he had gotten mixed up in... he was going to get the answers to those questions too.
Making his way up to his apartment, Shiro dug into his pocket, pulling out his keys- before he froze, his blood running cold. In the low light of the hallway, it was difficult to make out- but he'd always had good eyesight.
There were scratch marks on the lock.
Someone had broken into his apartment.
Drawing in a long breath, he reached a tentative hand out, testing the knob. It opened at the slightest touch- and he wasted no time in shoving his keys back into his pocket, bracing himself for the chance of a fight. He didn't think that he had much of value that a robber would want, and there was a chance that they had already left, but he wasn't about to let his guard down.
One armed or not, he still knew how to defend himself.
Someone, as it turned out, was very much still in his apartment.
But it was no robber.
Letting out his breath, Shiro felt his shoulders slump, a look of visible relief crossing his face. He'd been hoping it would work, but he didn't think his olive branch would work this fast.
"Hey Keith." Shiro spoke first, for the brief span of a moment, almost worried that he would vanish like a mirage once he did. "I see you learned how to pick locks."
"Hey Shiro." Keith responded. "You have shitty locks."