67
Hershel stared at Iona pleadingly, and the leader of the Order of Echo and Antirock leaned forward.
"You want me to find them?"
"Would it even be possible for you to?" Myrah asked carefully. After a long night of scouring the Western Province, both parents were exhausted and reaching desperation.
"I may be Ancient, but I'm not all-powerful," the Xinta huffed.
"You found me," Hershel pointed out. "You are powerful, Iona. Surely you could help us locate them in some way?"
"Your niece has always been a wild one, going wherever she pleases. Why is this time such a call for alarm?"
"She's been gone overnight twice now," Hershel confided. "That is incredibly unlike her...as is her involvement of Raiyn. She would never put him in danger."
Iona's expression became distant, and Hershel wished he knew what the Ancient was thinking about.
"I know it may not seem like something that should be high on your to-do list," Myrah began. "And I know we have already asked much of you in the past, but..."
"You're desperate," Iona finished flatly. Myrah's fists clenched slightly, but she finally nodded.
"Yes," she whispered. "Can you locate them, or not?"
"I was able to locate you during that time all those years ago because you had a very powerful signature," Iona pointed out as she turned to Hershel. "And even then, I couldn't get a read on you at all when you wore that ring of yours."
"But the children do not have the ring—there would be nothing blocking you from finding them," Hershel pointed out. "Please, Iona...whatever I could do to make it up to you..."
"Despite the fact that you seem to think I do not care about your plight, I have been searching since you got here," Iona said, causing both Hershel and Myrah to blink in surprise. The ancient woman sighed as she readjusted herself on her cushion. "I'm old, and it takes a lot of concentration. I have not been able to pick up on their signatures yet, so please give me some space from your prattling so I can focus."
Both parents immediately silenced, and the Ancient sighed as she closed her eyes in concentration. Minutes ticked by, and Hershel and Myrah shared a hopeful yet fearful look. At last, the Xinta opened her eyes.
"Strange."
"You couldn't find them?" Myrah asked, her tone distant.
"I was not sure I would be able to reach your niece regardless. We have little connection to each other, and her signature is similar to most other Oni. But your son's power signature is so unique, I thought for sure..."
"What?" The world escaped from Hershel as he stared at Iona in confusion, thinking that he must have heard her wrong. All at once, Iona's expression became almost guarded.
"Raiyn doesn't have any powers," Myrah pointed out. "How could he have a power signature?"
Iona sighed long and slow, rubbing her face with one hand. The anxiety in Hershel's stomach clenched painfully.
"What aren't you telling us?" he demanded.
"Your son does have powers," she said at last. "He has for a while...possibly as long as I've known him. I'm surprised that you still haven't figured that out."
"He...but..." Hershel felt strange as he tried to process the revelation. "We would have noticed—he's never manifested powers."
"There would have been signs!" Myrah added. "We would have noticed...someone cannot hide something like that...especially not someone as young as him!"
"There's never been as much as a whip of wind, even during tantrums, or when he has nightmares..."
"I told you. His power is unique." Iona leaned back, her expression grim. "He didn't inherit normal aura powers, Hershel...because you did not have normal powers at the time he was conceived." Horror filled Hershel's limbs like lead, and Iona nodded, as if to confirm his fears. "The traces of power in Raiyn are closer to the Island's than to a general Oni."
"No." Hershel stood, shaking his head. "That's impossible. I was wearing the ring at the time..."
"That doesn't have anything to do with anything," Iona said. "Whether something was blocking your power or not, that force was woven into every fiber of your being. It makes sense that it was passed on, though at first, I also considered it a cause for concern."
"How could it not be a cause for concern?" Hershel demanded, his voice rising. "If what you are saying is true..."
"It is true," Iona snapped. "Do not doubt me, boy...I may be old, but I am not senile."
"That power destroyed me from the inside out," he reminded, and he distantly felt a hand on his arm. Whether Myrah was holding him to keep him steady or to steady herself, he couldn't decide. Iona raised an eyebrow.
"Yes...because it was forced into you. It was too powerful for your weak, mortal frame."
"But Raiyn is just a normal child," Myrah cut in, her voice low. "If this...if he's..."
"If the power was going to kill your son, it would have already," Iona said matter-of-factly. "I do not think it will, because it's only a trace of the full power that you once had. Still enough to make him more powerful than the average Oni, if he can ever learn to control his special abilities."
"How long have you known all of this?" Hershel demanded, his head still spinning. He looked at the Xinta with betrayal, and she pursed her lips.
"I knew how you'd react," she sniffed. "Can you blame me for not wanting to be the one to tell you? Besides, I thought you'd figure it out eventually."
"We've never seen him do a single blast..."
"Ah...yes. I thought that strange as well...but I learned more about him the more I studied him."
"Studied him?" Myrah demanded. Iona raised an eyebrow, gesturing at Hershel.
"Why do you think I insisted you bring him along when you visited, and offered to watch him while you trained the others? Did you really think it was just out of the goodness of my heart?"
"What did you do to him?" Hershel asked, his body suddenly shaking with anger. "All these years, you were testing on my son?"
"Calm down. I would have never harmed a hair on that boy's head—that much, you have to know." Iona's expression became wistful. "I studied him naturally...just what I could pick up from him as he played and whatnot. There were definitely bursts of power and energy coming off of him...but it manifested in a different way than I had seen before, even in you, back when you were the Island's puppet."
Hershel glowered, and Myrah spoke up. "What did you learn, then?" she demanded.
"Aura power is tied to emotion—you know this. Which is why young children are usually obvious in their manifestations—because they get angry, or fearful, or sad, and their powers react accordingly."
"Raiyn gets angry and fearful, just like any other child," Hershel pointed out.
"Yes...but his aura doesn't react to those emotions." Iona leaned forward, her eyes glittering with curiosity. "I watched him throw the occasional tantrum, or fall asleep and get a nightmare. But his aura didn't manifest. It wasn't until I saw the way he reacted around the other children he played with—or even reacted around you or me—that I realized why he's so different." She shook her head, as if her findings still amazed her. "It's as if your son is only powered by affection."
Hershel stared, and Iona smiled tightly as she saw his expression.
"I thought it strange as well—affection doesn't have power. Empathy cannot manifest in aura. And it doesn't, technically. You cannot power an attack with affection, which is why you have never seen Raiyn blast anything. Those manifestations of aura are, in essence, attacks. Whether they are meant to hurt people or not, that is the essence of how they are created—they pull from negative emotions to act as a defense. Since Raiyn's power is only triggered by affection, he cannot wield it as a weapon."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about anymore," Myrah cut in. "Does he have power or not?"
"He does, but it's almost completely internal," Iona said. "And I'm beginning to think it can manifest in ways that other aura cannot—just as the Island had uncanny abilities, or you did back then, that other Oni could not achieve."
"What kind of abilities?"
"I believe he can transport...silently, like you used to be able to do," The xinta explained, scratching at her chin. "I have yet to catch him in the act...but he would be in here one minute, and the next he would be out in the village, getting into mischief."
"He does that all the time," Hershel argued. "He's not transporting...he's just..."
"What? Impeccably good at sneaking past people?" Iona finished. Hershel wasn't sure what to say, and the xinta shrugged. "You may be right. It only happened once or twice, and only in the last month or so. Perhaps he is merely getting more mobile, and thus can make it past old Iona. But there are other ways his power is manifesting."
"Like what?"
"He uses empathy as a weapon," Iona said, but then she grimaced as she saw Myrah and Hershel's concern. "Perhaps weapon is the wrong word. What I mean is that he can seemingly force empathy onto a person. I was blind to this for a long time, but then I realized how often I would give in to his requests, even if my initial thought was to not give him what he wanted. Once I suspected something strange was happening, I paid closer attention. It's that look he gives me...or you, or anyone. I could feel this rush of affection and empathy each time, feeling swayed to do whatever it was he was asking me to do."
"You're saying our son forces people to do things against their wills?" Myrah snapped coldly.
"I'm saying that he has an uncanny ability to make people feel for him...to force that empathy onto them. My will was still my own. When I was aware of this trick, I was able to better guard myself against it."
Hershel wanted to say that Iona was wrong...that somehow or another, she had finally lost her mind. He wanted to believe that the Xinta was reading into things that just weren't there, but the more he thought about what she was saying, the more he saw a glimmer of truth to it in his own experiences with his son.
"You've known this for how long...and you didn't think I had the right to know that my own son is carrying the weight of the Island's power?" he demanded at last, his eyes stinging as he stared at her. "That my mistakes have...have done this to him?"
"I thought it best that I keep an eye on him myself," Iona said, though something about her tone was guarded.
"Why?" Myrah pressed. Iona's expression flickered and she finally glanced away.
"Because when I realized the origin of his power, I felt pressed to keep watch, in case I would have to get further involved."
"You were afraid of him," Hershel realized, and Iona's expression clouded.
"Not afraid...just concerned. And wary. But the more of a connection I formed..." Iona sighed. "I do not think your son is a threat to anyone else...but I suppose I knew the time would come that he would need help coping with his strange abilities. I'm sure he has more that I do not even know about."
Hershel felt sick, and he felt Myrah's hand on his arm again. "Hershel...if he can transport...he could be anywhere by now. What if..."
"Why couldn't you find him?" Hershel said, turning back to Iona. "If he really is so different, and you have a connection with him...why couldn't you find where he is?"
Iona looked away, and Hershel's stomach clenched painfully.
"Where is our son?"
"I could not find you, when you were wearing the ring," she tried carefully. "There could be something blocking the connection. Or..." she trailed off, and Myrah's grip on Hershel's arm became almost painful.
"You think he's dead," the Leader whispered in horror.
"I do not know the reason behind me not being able to find him," Iona countered, looking up with a determined expression. "I already told you—his powers are unprecedented. Perhaps he is untraceable...I haven't ever tried before. Perhaps affection is not something that I am able to hone in on."
"Then...there's nothing else you can do?"
"Check all his favorite locations," Iona offered with a sigh. "If he's transporting, he'll have the easiest time reaching places or people that he's got a strong connection to." Iona leaned forward, her gaze sincere. "I do hope you find him, Hershel. When you do...bring him back to visit me. It's been a few weeks, and I would like to see him again."
The fact that the room smelled like a dentist's office did nothing to help Colby's anxiety. He woke up to poking and prodding, and he strained weakly against the restraints around his wrists and ankles. It took a few minutes for his mind to be clear enough to use words.
"Let me go!" he begged, pulling at the restraints. However, the more he struggled, the more his head swam, and he finally had to relax before he threw up.
"Be calm," one of the droning lab men ordered. Colby opened his eyes to see the man hovering over his arm with a large needle, and Colby balked hard.
"Don't! You can't do this! You can't..." The needle went in despite Colby's attempt at escape, and he winced at the sting. "What are you putting into me?" he demanded, close to tears already. He had been coming in and out of consciousness for who knew how long, and each time he woke, these same men stabbed him with things or forced him to eat.
"The medication will keep you calm," the monotone speaker offered, putting the needle off to one side. "It will begin working in a few minutes to relax you."
"I'm not going to relax!" Colby shouted, straining once again. "You have no right to do this!"
The men didn't answer as they began to mill about the bright, sterile room. Colby watched as they put various tools away and cleaned the surfaces. His heart was pounding as he tried to figure out what they wanted with him. The longer he was awake, the more memories from the previous days trickled in, and he began thrashing weakly.
"Where's Dani?" he demanded. "What did Matilda do to her?" The men didn't respond, just as they never did. Colby yelled out in frustration. "At least answer me!"
The men ignored him as he panicked. The last he had seen, one of Matilda's goons was shooting at his girlfriend while she took cover behind a motorcycle. How she had found him, or where she had gotten the motorcycle, he had no idea. Matilda had taken his phone and destroyed it back at the false luncheon, so he knew she couldn't have tracked him that way. Maybe Dani was never involved, he thought as his mind began feeling fuzzy. Maybe it was all a dream...something I thought up while I've been stuck here. Maybe this is a dream.
The clarity and fear in him began fading, and Colby sagged as he tried to figure out what had really happened and what hadn't. The more he thought about Dani following him on a motorcycle like a scene right out of an action movie, the more he thought it had all been his imagination after all. He found himself hoping it was—if Dani had followed him, then she would be stuck in all of this. If she was even still alive...
A sob escaped. He didn't have the energy to do much more than squeeze his eyes closed as tears streaked down the sides of his face. Eventually, he realized that he could feel people touching his wrists and ankles, and he opened his eyes to see the lab men taking off the restraints. Colby wanted to spring to his feet and make a run for it, but he found he couldn't even sit up without assistance. His stomach flipped over as the lab men got him upright, and he closed his eyes as the world around him started spinning.
"The nausea will fade soon," one of the men offered, and Colby realized they were forcing a cup into his hands. "Drink this."
"No." Colby glowered down at the light-colored tea.
"You are dehydrated."
"Whose fault is that?" he muttered. Colby tried to drop the cup onto the ground, but the scientist speaking still had a hold of it as well, and kept it from hitting the floor. Colby felt hands grab his arms, and he stiffened in preparation. The routine went down the same each time—they always managed to get him to do whatever it was they wanted, but he wasn't going to give up fighting them.
Ten minutes later, his strange grey bodysuit was covered in spilled tea and tasteless breakfast porridge, and the lab men backed off. Apparently satisfied that he had been forced to eat enough, they forced Colby onto his feet. He pulled at their hold, but his limbs felt heavy and his movements were sluggish. Generally, they took him to the restroom before bringing him right back here to be tied up again. Colby's mind struggled to come up with some way to utilize his limited freedom this time, but by the time he finished at the restroom, he still wasn't sure what to do. He prepared to fight them before they forced him back up on the uncomfortable hospital bed, but to his surprise, they didn't even try to lead him over to it. He frowned as they dragged him from the room completely, not sure whether he should be relieved or more concerned.
"Where are we going?" he demanded. He was no longer crying—it was hard to even work up anxiety. He felt numb as they passed other rooms full of lab-coated men and machinery.
"Further testing will be done in the northern wing," a man informed him.
"Northern wing?" Colby asked tiredly. They reached official looking doors, and Colby shook his head to clear it as one of the scientists held his badge against the door's keypad. It turned green and the door slid open, and Colby was led into the new hallway.
The new hallway looked like it belonged to an entirely different building. The one they had just come from looked like it came straight out of a hospital, but this new one seemed...strange. The walls were a dark olive green, with dark wood accents. They passed a polished wooden door with golden words printed onto it.
Dr. Aristo Zerek
Colby swallowed, trying to make sense of it. The next door looked similar, but this one read Matilda O'Keefe. At the sight of it, Colby felt a flash of anger, but it faded quickly under the numbness. So, he hadn't imagined the Matilda part in all of this. But what did she want with him? Revenge? Why would her revenge include him tied down and constantly drugged?
It took a little while before they reached the next door. There were actually two of them, right next to each other. Rather than having writing on the doors, like the offices did, there were little plaques next to them. One door was labeled Access to Chamber while the other read Access to Observation Booth.
"Chamber? What chamber?" Colby murmured as one of the scientists unlocked the door that claimed to lead into it. His mouth felt dry as they dragged him through the doorway and down a narrow, dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was another door, and Colby exhaled shakily as they opened the door and forced him through.
The room he entered was circular, and Colby looked around at the pure white walls in a panic. Machinery was built into the ceiling—some looked like cameras, while others looked like solar panels. Strips of light stretched from the ceiling to the floor on the walls all the way around the room except for one stretch of the wall that seemed to be a mirror. Colby stared at the reflection of his own swollen face, realizing that the mirrored section made the room look even bigger and emptier than it already was.
"What is this place?" he demanded.
"Dr. Zerek will observe you after the mediation wears off," one answered. "You are free to take a seat until the observation begins."
"Take a seat on what?" Colby asked. There was no chair...nothing but smooth, polished white floors that blended right into the curved walls. "You can't leave me in here..."
The scientists did not respond, as they had already left. Colby moved to the door, but as he watched in horror, it shut and sealed seamlessly into the wall. He grabbed at the section of wall, but there was no handle on this side...he could barely see the outline of the door at all. After groping unsuccessfully for a minute or two, he began pounding the wall itself.
"Let me out!" He demanded. He pounded a few last times, but then a shock came from the wall itself. Colby gasped in pain and stumbled backward, noticing the sparks dancing across the white surface before they faded.
"Please take a seat, Colby Valker. Your observation vill begin shortly."
The voice was different than the men who had been tormenting him for however long he had been in this twisted place, and Colby looked around.
"Who are you? Let me out!"
"Please take a seat, Colby Valker. Vonce ze medication in your system fades, ve vill be able to begin."
68
If Zerek hadn't have drugged him, Julien doubted he would have gotten much sleep that night. As it was, he had been wide awake from the moment his body had allowed him to be. There was no clock in the cell, and no windows or other tools that could be used to ascertain the time. Julien frowned up at the ceiling—it was unnerving to be cut off from time itself, and not know whether it was night or day. The room was dark as pitch, as the lights were not on...but that didn't necessarily mean it was still evening.
Julien wasn't sure how long he had been lying there until the lights flicked on. His mouth felt dry, but there was a weight of resignation on him as he sat up and watched the door. It wasn't long before a man came to offer him breakfast—overcooked porridge with no seasoning. Julien ate obediently, handing the bowl back to the silent scientist once it was empty. Another figure appeared in the doorway, and Julien held Zerek's gaze.
"Good morning, Julien," the man offered.
"Good morning." Julien said as he stood and came over to the doorway.
"Did you sleep well?"
"As well as I could." Julien glanced at the man with the bowl. "Are you aware that the food you give us is terrible?"
Zerek actually seemed surprised at the revelation. "It contains all the nutrients necessary," he assured.
"You must like things bland," Julien said. Zerek motioned for the younger scientist to follow him, and Julien did so without complaint. He tried his hardest to maintain his calm presence, but inside, his emotions were twisting. "Is Colby all right?" he asked at last.
"He voke an hour ago. He has been fed and is ready for ze observation to begin."
"Mentally, or physically?" Julien muttered.
"He does seem to be experiencing a high level of stress," Zerek offered conversationally. "Normally I vould medicate him to help soothe ze anxiety, but I fear it vould interfere vith ze observation. As it is, ve had to vait until his last dose fully faded from his system."
Julien's mouth tasted bitter. "Where is he?"
"He is in ze chamber," Zerek answered. They reached the end of the prison-hotel hallway, entering the hall where the library was housed. Julien stared at the door as they passed it, but he had looked through everything that Zerek had yesterday. Though he hadn't read every word on every page, he was already pretty sure that the knowledge they were after wouldn't be in any of the manuscripts the lead scientist had gathered. Once again, Julien Cyrus prayed that the observations made today would help him figure out how to crack the code without harming Colby.
It didn't take too long to leave the western hall and reach the northern one. Julien took in the different décor and frowned. This fortress was the strangest conglomeration of themes—it was as if Zerek had tried to match the décor with stereotypical interior design patterns connecting to the function of each hall. They passed rooms with strange titles, and Julien tried not to think too hard about them. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what the Experimental Extraction Unit was...or the Cerebral Analysis Mechanism. They finally reached a pair of doors, and Julien waited as Zerek unlocked the one titled Access to Observation Booth.
"Are you excited, Julien?" the Metallonian Scientist asked as he pulled the door open. "Perhaps today, ve vill discover somezing no one ever has."
"My concern is for Colby...not for innovation," Julien reminded.
"Ah...compassion. How often it gets in ze vay," Zerek mused, sounding more cheerful than normal. Julien followed him into the dark room, but his stomachache immediately worsened. The observation booth was dimly lit, with various monitors tracking the person on the other side of a thick sheet of glass. Julien immediately walked to the glass, studying Colby. The stocky teen was pressed up against the round walls of his newest prison, his face buried in his arms as he shook. It was hard to tell whether Colby was actively crying or merely trembling, but the monitors showed that his heart rate was galloping.
"He's terrified," he murmured.
"Indeed. Nozing ve say seems to calm him...vich vill be a problem, if he must be calm to use his elemental power, as you hypothesize."
Julien swallowed, but when he turned to face Zerek, his expression was as emotionless as he could muster. "Let me talk to him."
"Zis is ze speaker system," Zerek offered, pointing out a panel of dials. Julien's expression darkened.
"I meant in person."
"Let us try verbal communication first," Zerek said.
"But it will be more effective if I..."
"I vant to see ze effect of hearing a familiar voice," Zerek offered, gesturing to the monitors still beeping with Colby's signs of anxiety. Julien glared at the doctor a minute longer before turning back to the speaker system. He sighed and finally reached out to press the button.
"...Colby?" he tried softly. The teen in the oval room stiffened, but didn't move. Julien swallowed, keeping his voice calm. "Colby...it's me. Julien."
The teen lifted his head at last, looking around the room anxiously. "Julien?" he said, his voice crackling through in the observation booth's sound system. "What...is it really you?"
"They will not let me come see you, but it is me. Are...are you hurt?"
Colby's expression contorted. "Are you working with them? These...whatever they are?" he asked, his voice full of betrayal. Julien physically winced.
"I am a prisoner here, like you," he assured.
"Why do they have you? What do they want? Who are they?" Colby demanded as he looked around.
"They are scientists trying to study elemental power."
Colby swallowed hard, processing that. "But you don't have elemental power."
Julien sighed. "I know. But they seem to think I know about it." He felt Zerek's hand on his shoulder, and he sped up his talking. "Colby...they want you to use your power right now—in that chamber."
Colby's expression clouded. "Why?"
"So they can study it. They are only going to observe...these machines are merely to—"
"I can't do anything—I'm wearing vengestone," Colby replied darkly, fingering the dark cuff around his wrist. "And I'm not doing anything for these people."
Julien could feel his hope sinking, and he continued. "If you can demonstrate the power, then they can get the information they need without being more intrusive. Please, Colby..."
"Why are you here?" the teen demanded. "Why are they making you talk to me? What do they want, Julien...if it even is you?"
Julien hesitated, debating how much to say. He finally took a deep breath—clear communication was the only way he could see this working out. Maybe if Colby understood exactly what was going on, he wouldn't fight so hard against Zerek's forces. "Zerek wants the elements, Colby," he admitted at last. He watched Colby's fists clench, and he continued softly. "If we can observe you using yours today, then—"
"They want to take it from me," Colby murmured. "That's what you mean."
Julien sighed. "Yes."
"Well...I'm not giving it to them."
Julien's stomach lurched, and he leaned closer to the glass, even though he had determined that Colby couldn't actually see him through it. "Colby—"
"I've always been the outcast...the extra child. Getting this element was the first time I felt like maybe I do belong. I'm learning how to control it—it responds to me. It's part of me now. I don't want to give that up."
"I know," Julien tried. "But—"
"Then tell them that they aren't getting it from me!" Colby said. "Tell them they have to let us go."
Julien could feel Zerek watching him, and he struggled to figure out what to say. On the other side of the glass, Colby's anger was fading, replaced with concern.
"Julien...who else do they have, if they have you and me? They don't have Ashley and May...do they?"
"No...he does not have all the elements." Julien assured.
"Yet," Zerek mused quietly behind him. Julien ignored him, and Colby swallowed before continuing.
"Do...do they have Dani?" he asked shakily. "I have this memory, but I don't know if it's real or not."
Julien blinked before turning to Zerek. He took his finger off of the broadcasting button. "Where is Colby's girlfriend?" he demanded, suddenly remembering the panicked message that Amber had received all those days ago. Zerek looked surprised and pursed his lips in thought.
"Matilda mentioned bringing von ozer vith ze boy. She is being kept in von of ze cells."
Julien turned back to the speakers and took a deep breath before pushing the button again. "Colby...Dani is here," he admitted. He watched Colby's eyes widen in horror, and he rushed to explain further as the monitors began rapidly beeping. "She is safe and unharmed...they're keeping her in a cell, but she is okay."
"Tell them to let her go!" Colby demanded, his eyes bright with tears again. "She has nothing to do with any of this!"
"I..." Julien felt lost. He knew that Zerek would lose patience with the conversation eventually. "I will see what I can do," he promised at last. "But Colby, you have to use your elemental power. If you don't use it now, then we won't be able to get a reading on how it works..."
"We? Are you working with them or not?" Colby accused. Rather than getting calmer, the revelation about his girlfriend seemed to be making things worse.
"Please, just listen to me..."
"No! I'm not listening to you if you're on their side! You're trying to help them take the element from me." Colby's panic was rising, and Julien tried desperately to calm him.
"Colby, I—" Pain erupted from Julien's back—electric and sharp, and the young scientist screamed out against his will at the unexpected agony.
Colby's heart nearly stopped at the sound of Julien screaming, and then the audio was cut off completely. The youngest Walker shook. "Julien? What's happened?" There was no reply from the silent walls, and Colby looked around desperately. "Julien, answer me!" he tried. He still wasn't even sure if the person talking to him really was Julien...but it sounded like him. Colby felt tears coming on again. "Are you okay?"
The speaker system crackled, and the cold voice from before began speaking to him. "Hello again, Mr. Valker."
"What did you do to Julien?" he demanded, looking around wildly.
"Your friend assured me he could get you to use your elemental powers vith no added pressure, but to me, it seems you are not villing to cooperate. So now ve must go a different route...as is often necessary on ze path of science."
Colby's fists clenched, but then there was a hissing sound coming from his vengestone cuff. He looked down at it in fear, but to his surprise, it suddenly unclipped itself and fell from his wrist. A small section of the wall then opened up, exposing a large bowl of water.
"A simple demonstration is all zat vill be necessary today. Please move ze vater using your elemental powers."
"I'm not doing anything until you tell me what you did to Julien!" Colby shouted. There was silence for a moment, and Colby was trembling as he waited. The speaker system crackled again, and Colby sagged with relief when he heard Julien's voice.
"I am all right, Colby," he assured, though there was a strain to his voice.
"What did they do to you?" Colby demanded.
"Just a mild electric shock. I will be fine. Do not worry about me...just...just try to calm your mind, and focus on moving the water."
"I can't!" Colby admitted honestly. Even if he wanted to, his nerves were jumping all over in him, and he couldn't focus on anything, let alone using his elemental power.
"Just take a deep breath," Julien tried.
"I can't!" Colby was in tears. "Julien, I can barely control it on my best days! How can I do it now?"
"You are the master of water. You can do this...I know you can."
Julien released the button on the broadcasting system, but he knew that Colby would not be able to use his elemental power. The younger scientist was barely able to contain his rage as he heard Zerek tsking behind him.
"Ze boy is not responding."
Julien spun around, glowering. "You triggered him!" he accused. "I told you—if he's panicking—"
"He was panicking during your approach as vell," Zerek pointed out. "Mere discussion vas going nowhere. I assumed negative reinforcement would help him make ze right choice."
"Negative reinforcement? Is that what you're calling your attack on me without cause? The only thing that accomplished is putting him on the brink of a panic attack!" Julien accused. Zerek frowned thoughtfully.
"Zen perhaps positive reinforcement is ze route to go," the scientist mused. He reached around Julien to push the broadcasting button before Julien could stop him. "If you can demonstrate your element, I vill make sure zat your girlfriend remains unharmed," Zerek tried. Colby's eyes widened in horror, and Julien shoved Zerek off the button so he could speak without Colby hearing.
"Are you insane? That will make it worse!"
"He seemed concerned about her," Zerek offered.
"What are you going to do to Dani?" Colby demanded. The monitors all around were blaring, alerting those in the observation room that the elemental master was anything but calm.
"Mentioning his girlfriend made him panic more!"
"Based on observation, ze girl does more to help reduce his anxiety zan promote it..."
"Because he cares about her!" Julien snapped. "And you just threatened her!"
"I told him I vould make sure she remained unharmed. How vas zat a threat?"
"Let me out!" Colby was yelling, once again attacking the walls. "If you hurt Dani..."
There was a flash, and Julien watched Colby stumble back, his expression twisting with pain.
"What was that?" the young scientist demanded. Zerek answered pensively as he moved to another screen, typing into it.
"Merely a varning zap, meant to dissuade zos in ze chamber from attacking ze valls or equipment. I had to incorporate it after an Oni I vas studying managed to damage some of ze machinery."
"You shocked him?" Julien demanded as he watched Zerek pull up what looked like video feed of the chamber. Julien was confused at why Zerek would want to look at video footage when he could merely look out the glass to see the same room, but then the head scientists began rewinding. Julien frowned as Zerek stopped the video and put it on slow motion. The footage showed Colby slamming the walls, and then lurching backward in pain. At first, Julien wasn't sure what Zerek was watching, but then the scientist rewinded once again and zoomed in on the bowl of water. As Colby cried out in pain, the water in the bowl across the room from him lurched slightly, splashing down the sides of it. Dread settled over Julien as he realized what it meant.
"It seems your hypothesis vas not correct," Zerek murmured. "Zo I have vitneessed ze boy performing ven calm, it seems ze elemental power can be triggered to react more spontaneously in times of great stress."
"Zerek..." Julien started, but the lead scientist had already turned to his staff members.
"Aim ze volt reactor toward ze elemental master."
"You promised you wouldn't hurt Colby!" Julien snapped, grabbing the scientist's arm. "If you use pain to trigger his elemental power..."
"Ze pain vill not be great, nor vill it lead to permanent damage," Zerek said before addressing his staff once again. "Set ze voltage to low and release."
"No!" Julien tried, but the staff had already followed through. Colby yelled out again from in the room, stumbling backward as he looked around for where the attack had come from. Julien's heart twisted as he watched Colby enter a full-on panic attack, his heart rate skyrocketing as his breathing became shallow and rapid. Across the room, more water was dripping down the sides of the bowl.
"It seems higher levels of pain bring about a greater elemental response," Zerek mused. "Set ze voltage three notches higher," Zerek started.
"You have to stop!" Julien cut in, his grip tightening on the scientist in an effort to get him to listen. Zerek pulled from his grasp, barely looking at him.
"Please remove Julien from ze Booth," Zerek said coldly.
"You will give him a heart attack!" Julien tried desperately, fighting the man who tried to grab him.
"Medicate him, if you need to," Zerek told them man holding Julien. "Zen take him to my office. I can complete ze rest of zis research vithout his assistance."
"Julien? What's going on?" the stocky teen begged from the other room. He was shaking as he looked all around him, no doubt wondering where the last attack had come from...and if more were on their way. Time seemed to slow as Julien watched one of the staff members increasing the voltage for the next jolt, while the one holding Julien pulled a syringe filled with anesthetic from his coat. The attack was released. As Colby cried out in pain once again and water leapt from the bowl. Julien's blood boiled with a rare fury.
The staff member behind him seemed shocked as Julien turned and managed to rip the syringe from his grip.
"Set ze voltage to five notches higher..." Zerek started, but before he could say anything else, Julien plunged the syringe into the scientist's back. However, instead of sinking in, the needle met immediate resistance as if Zerek's skin had been made of stone. Julien's eyes widened as the needle broke off from the force of his attack, the vial shattering and raining glass and anesthetic onto the tiled floor of the booth. Julien's hand stung from cuts from the glass, and he stared in confusion as Zerek turned slowly. The man didn't even seem to be in pain as he met Julien's gaze with a cold, emotionless expression.
It clicked. Julien's eyes widened with sudden understanding, and Zerek must have realized because he gave him the slightest smile before another needle was stabbed into Julien's side.
"You're...you're a..." he tried, but his consciousness was fading fast.
"Yes." Zerek's voice was unapologetic as Julien blacked out.
69
"All phone calls to the MIRI or the RIFA will be rerouted to these phones, and you lot are in charge of answering. Do you understand?" Matilda demanded. She faced the four staff members sitting in her office, and they nodded once. Matilda didn't know where Zerek had hired these men, but she knew she could trust them to do their job—even if they were a little unnerving with their massive builds, labcoats, and sunglasses. "Good. Tomorrow, classes begin again in Ninjago City. If people aren't suspecting things by tonight, they definitely will be by tomorrow morning. No matter who calls, the story must be the same—the last the MIRI saw of the children was last night, when they mentioned meeting up with other friends to go exploring. Two MIRI employees went with them, and MIRI has not heard any word from the children or the employees. If people ask why that didn't raise alarm, point out that the Ninjagoans had mentioned camping and it seemed natural that they would be out of reach for phone service."
She paused in case any of the employees had any questions, but they were stone faced as they continued to listen. "Do you understand?" she said again, and once again received their nod of assurance. "All right...just checking. Make sure you don't repeat the exact same thing word for word, as that generally seems suspicious. Put your own twist on the story to make sure it doesn't sound like it's been rehearsed...but make sure that the main details are there. The visitors met up with others to go camping, and MIRI has not had any contact with them since. Do not try to dissuade them from reaching out to local law enforcement—if Zerek has kept up on his end of the deal, then the law enforcement will find what they are looking for. Let them know that we have a stake in this too, as two of our own employees were with the visitors, and thus may be missing as well. The social media posts I made last night should back our story up from the mouths of the missing persons themselves...but alert Zerek and I if anyone seems overly suspicious."
The four men were as silent as ever, and Matilda finally sighed. "Well...enjoy watching for phone calls, if you believe you're set," she mused as she stood. "I'm going to go get a coffee."
Pippa's mind was racing as she waited for Imgloss to return. Quazier had left a while ago, and Imgloss had been less than thrilled to have been left with her. She found herself constantly fighting panic as memories pushed their way to her mind—memories of waking up to find tattoos on her arms, or great clumps of hair all around. The thought of him drugging her again made her want to attack and cry at the same time...but her other option was to be civilized enough that he wouldn't feel like he needed to drug her.
All bad choices, she decided. Once again, Teag's order came to mind, and she squirmed in the chains. She knew her family was looking for her, but she had no idea how long it would take for them to find her. She wasn't sure how likely Quazier was to follow through with his threats, but she had dealt with Imgloss before. He might be a fat, lazy coward...but he wasn't one to not follow through.
The tent rippled as someone came in, and Pippa and Imgloss made eye contact. They shared similar grimaces before he tossed half a loaf of bread at her. "I don't know what Quazier sees in you," he muttered. "Well...he sees power, I suppose...but what he doesn't realize is that you might as well milk aura from a sniffer than deal with the likes of you."
Pippa grabbed the bread, wanting to chuck it right back at his head. However, she stopped herself. She began eating it, and Imgloss raised an eyebrow.
"Finally hungry enough to stop being so defiant?" he asked. Pippa ignored him, scarfing the food down as fast as she could. She was hungry, but she also was aware that she needed to change her tactic. Imgloss watched her as the food disappeared, and Pippa made a show of wiping at her mouth before folding her arms and studying the Ancient through slit eyes. "And it seems you've run out of insults as well, you vulgar thing." Imgloss muttered.
"Why do you work for Quazier?"
Imgloss frowned. "I work with him, not for him."
"Then why does he boss you around?"
"We have a mutual understanding..."
"So you're watching me cuz you want to be, or because he told you to?"
He scowled then. "As long as we're asking questions, why hasn't your uncle come for you yet?" he demanded. "Word in camp is you've been here several days...and yet, there has been no sign of him."
"He's coming," Pippa assured coldly. "He came last time, remember?"
Imgloss winced slightly. "Yes...he seems to like leaving you in danger for a little while before swooping in. Is that it? Though, I have been thinking, and if the boy I brought from the East truly is Hershel's ward, why was he under the impression that Hershel has no power? Was he trying to protect him by lying? But the Hershel I last met needed no protecting..."
"He is coming, and if you don't want to be a statue, you'll let me go."
Imgloss scoffed. "I'm still not sure I believe that Pazzol was turned into stone, mind you."
"He was. He tried to hurt my mom, and Hershel killed him. He'll kill you too, unless you let me go."
"And then what? You'll put in a good word for me?" Imgloss sneered.
"I'll tell my uncle not to kill you, if you listen to me," she scowled.
"And why should I believe you?"
"I already kept him from killing you once, remember?" she snapped. Imgloss looked like he wanted to argue, but then his expression clouded as if he was trying to remember back. Pippa continued firmly. "He was gonna squeeze the life out of you, but I told him to stop. I saved your life—you owe me."
Imgloss went quiet, but then his expression twisted again. "I owe you all right, for these." He held up his wrists bitterly to expose the glowing chains. "For an ancient to be cut off from his power...it's a disgusting show of disrespect to my higher race. Here I thought Hershel was dead all these years...or hoped he was. But if he's alive, perhaps it gives me the perfect opportunity to make him suffer for what he dared do to me."
"If you hurt me, then he'll definitely kill you," Pippa pointed out. "I have a better idea."
"I'm not letting you go, girly...ask again, and I'll knock you out so I don't have to listen to it."
"Just listen!" Pippa snapped. "I hate you more than anybody...but you're obviously not the brains in this stupid group of criminals. That means that you weren't the one who captured me and Raiyn...which means that you're not technically to blame. If you let me go, I'll let my family know that it was Quazier's fault and not yours."
"So you're free and I get nothing out of the arrangement," Imgloss points out flatly. "It seems you never did learn how to—"
"Stop interrupting, stupid! If he gave you those chains for kidnapping me the first time...maybe he'll take them off if you let me go now."
Imgloss blinked. Pippa stared, trying to appear confident. It was taking everything in her to not merely explode into name calling and threatening, but all of that hadn't changed her situation yet. Besides, it wasn't just her she had to worry about. She had Raiyn to think of, too.
"Nice try," Imgloss finally said, shaking his head. "Your Uncle would sooner gut me than free me...and that's if he even has powers still."
Pippa felt a wave of rage, and she fought against her chains. "At least let me talk to Raiyn!" she demanded. "Quazier said he would bring him back, and he hasn't! You have to bring him to me!"
"Raiyn? Is that the cousin you keep mentioning?"
"He's just a baby!" she spat. Imgloss scoffed, but then his expression became clouded.
"Your cousin..." He looked over at her, as if just realizing something. "Do you have any other kin, outside of your Uncle?" Pippa's expression darkened, and Imgloss paled. "Then this cousin..."
"He's Myrah and Hershel's baby," Pippa confirmed darkly. "If you think they'll be mad about you taking me, just wait."
"Hershel has a son?" Imgloss asked before he cursed. "This is what happens when you keep out of politics. You never know anything."
"If you let me and Raiyn go, then Uncle Hershel will have to take away his spell," Pippa tried. "I'll tell him that you freed us and—"
"Knowing who your cousin belongs to does change things," Imgloss realized. "Quazier won't let me touch you, because of your powers..." He turned to Pippa with wide eyes. "Does this child have powers as well?"
Pippa's stomach twisted. "Of course not!" she snapped. "He's just a normal baby, but—"
"Then he poses a unique chance," Imgloss mused. "Quazier can have his powered slave, as disobedient as you will no doubt prove to be...and I can have my revenge."
Pippa's stomach clenched with horror. "Don't you dare touch Raiyn!" she screamed as she fought her restraints. Imgloss wasn't listening.
"Hershel hasn't gotten here yet...if he is still powered, then it seems he cannot track as easily as I believed him to be able to. I suppose that is why it took him so long to get to you the first time. If he cannot track, then I can hide the child...use him as leverage..."
"NO!" Pippa screamed. "Leave Raiyn alone!"
"If Hershel shows up, I'll force him to remove the spell, or his son will pay the price. Quazier would never allow me to make such an ultimatum using you, but I doubt he cares about your cousin."
"I'll kill you myself, if you touch him!" Pippa yelled. Imgloss looked up and smiled patronizingly at her.
"Thank you, girly," he offered. "You have been so helpful. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go track down that cousin of yours."
"NO!" Pippa strained against the chains again, but the powerless Ancient had already left the tent. "Come back! Don't touch him!" she screamed, her voice hoarse. There was no reply, and after fighting and cursing a little while longer, Pippa dissolved into sobs.
Zerek was there when Julien came to on the same couch he had woken on the first time. He stared at the ceiling, dimly aware of Zerek's presence nearby. Julien's breathing became shallower.
"It took you longer to avaken zis time," Zerek mused from his place watching nearby. "I believe ze cuts on your hand allowed more anesthetic zan normal to enter your bloodstream ven you broke zat syringe."
"You're an android." Julien's mouth was dry as he said it out loud at last, not looking over at the emotionless man nearby.
"Yes." Zerek didn't seem angry that Julien knew. If anything, he was as calm as he always was.
But it's not that he's a calm person, Julien realized. He's an A.I...that is why he seems so emotionless. That is why certain things about him are not quite right...from the forced décor to the flavorless food...and that cold, unblinking stare.
"Vile you have been unconscious, I have compiled all ze data ve collected from ze observation," Zerek said, and Julien looked over at last to see the android shuffling papers. "Some vas surprising to me, but I am eager for your input on vat it all means."
"What do you want?" Julien demanded, and Zerek looked up again. If he was a robot, he was very well made—as well made as his parents, even. His body truly looked like flesh and blood, even though Julien had found out the hard way it was not.
"I vant you to look over ze data and figure out how to withdraw ze element," Zerek said slowly, as if reminding someone of something they had forgotten.
"No." Julien's voice gained strength. "I meant what do you want with all of us? Why do you want the elements?"
Zerek chuckled then. "I already told you vie I wanted zem, Julien. Should ze reasons be different because I am an android, razer zan human?" The scientist stood, looking down at the young adult lying on the couch. "I vould have zot you of all people vould be more open minded."
"You thought I would trust you to tell the truth, after discovering the lie you have been hiding behind? All this time, you were an A.I. Does anybody know?" Julien demanded. "Agatha has no idea—she did not even believe A.I's existed."
"Zat is because I taught her zat zey did not," Zerek mused. "Just as I teach all my students."
"Why?"
"If people believe A.I. do not exist, zen no von vould suspect zat I vas von."
Julien pushed himself upright at last, not wanting to stare at Zerek from such a vulnerable position. "Why hide who you are?"
"Several reasons," Zerek mused. "I learned early on zat people trust man more zan machine, despite ze fact zat machines are far less likely to error and zus technically more trustvorzy. For anozer zing, you should know from ze experiences of ze androids zat raised you zat people tend to enjoy disassembling robot kind." Zerek shrugged. "Take a person apart, and it's murder...take a robot apart, and it's science."
Julien shuddered hard. "What are you trying to do with the elements? You said you wanted to mesh them with machine...did you mean you?"
"Not necessarily," Zerek mused. "Any machinery vill do...zo, if I can put elemental power into hardvare zat could be used by me or ozers, zen I vould zink zat vould be ze easiet vay to make zem profitable."
"You want to sell the elements?"
"I am focused on ze science of ze project...vat can be accomplished. My business partner is more concerned viz how it can affect ze company monetarily."
"Who built you?" Julien demanded. The slight smile on Zerek's face vanished, but Julien held his gaze as he leaned forward. "Who created you, Zerek?"
"I created myself...at least, who I am today."
"But who built you initially?"
Zerek shook his head slowly. "Vie does it matter?"
"Is there someone higher pulling your strings?" Julien demanded. "Someone trying to get the elements, and planning on using them for—"
"Ze man who built me has been around elemental masters for much of his professional life...if he vanted ze elements, he could have tried to take zem long before now," Zerek mused. Julien furrowed his brow in confusion, and Zerek turned to look at the window of the office. "But alas...he sits in zat tower of his in ze middle of ze city...making useless trinkets and doodads for human entertainment instead of zings zat could really benefit ze vorld."
"Wait..." Julien shook his head as he realized who Zerek was describing. "Are you saying Cyrus Borg built you?"
"So surprised?"
"I thought you hated Borg—you have said multiple times that he has never made anything of consequence..."
"And he hasn't," Zerek said, leaning forward as he fixed Julien with an unblinking stare. "I am ze von who got myself to vere I am today." He must have noticed that the young man still looked unconvinced because he smiled thinly. "Do you credit your parents for your successes, Julien?"
Julien clenched his fists. "My parents taught me everything I know. If anything..."
"I do not mean ze androids who raised you," Zerek interrupted. "I mean your birth parents...ze people who created you." The question took Julien by surprise, and he found he didn't know how to answer. Zerek nodded slowly. "Borg is as connected to me as zos people are to you. Just because zey created our bodies does not mean zat zey can take credit for who ve are today. Do you understand?"
"What do you know about my birth parents?" Julien asked softly. Zerek chuckled again.
"Not much...but I know zey vere not androids...as should be clear to everyone," he pointed out. "Based on your civilian records, you have lived vith ze androids who raised you since you vere very young."
"They are not just androids...they are my family," Julien said coldly.
"Yes...zey seem to have adopted such human structure and labelling. Mankind cannot seem to get by vithout ze labels." Zerek stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If I subscribed to ze same labels, I suppose you could see me as your...cousin? No, zat is not right." Zerek tapped one finger. "Uncle, I believe it vould be. Ze android you call mozer and I have ze same creator, after all."
Julien's blood ran cold at that, and Zerek smiled. It was as if he could sense Julien's dread and found it amusing.
"Zey are just labels, Julien. Zey do not actually mean anything...zey do not change anyzing."
"Who was built first?" Julien asked softly.
"I vas. Ze near-sighted Cyrus Borg built me decades before he created his digital assistant. Originally, I did not have as much range of zot as I now do. I vas merely a test—a vay to see if artificial intelligence could be created. His first attempt, as it vere. I vas called A-Z; an android zat vould understand everyzing from A to Z."
"What happened?"
"Borg input a great deal of knowledge into me, but he could not 'crack ze code' to make me truly zink for myself. In ze end, he scrapped ze project and sold me to an interested company in Metallonia so he could start over. Back zen, science in Metallonia vas a mere fledgling in comparison to Ninjago...but zere vas metal and resources here zat Borg had never tried. I do not remember exactly vat it vas zat helped me finally reach a state vere I could zink on my own, but if I had a moment similar to birth, it vas ven I stopped taking orders from mankind, not ven Borg created me. I left ze scientists and zeir silly projects zat zey had tried to use me for. In ze unexpected destruction of zeir laboratory, zey believed that ze A-Z project vas lost, but I merely gave myself a new life...ze life of Aristo Zerek."
"You clearly make your own decisions," Julien said softly. "But..."
"Zere is somezing missing?" Zerek guessed, and Julien swallowed. The Android nodded slowly. "I can zink for myself...I do not take orders. But the absence you recognize is ze lack of human emotion." He took a seat again, looking pensive. "I can feel some zings, but not ze vay humans feel. I feel urgency to fulfill goals and irriation ven zings make doing so difficult. But ze vide range of human emotion is lost to me." Zerek leaned back. "I have studied emotion in great detail—I understand it, I know how it vorks vithin a human mind...but I am not able to feel it myself."
"Perhaps there is a way we can unlock..."
"You misunderstand," Zerek said, smiling patronizingly. "I have no desire to feel human emotions, Julien. As you are aware, they merely get in the way of logical thought."
"As I am aware? What do you mean by that?"
"You have been blocking your own emotions from a young age, mimicking the refined reason of the machines who raised you."
"My parents have emotion," Julien snapped. "As do I. It may seem different than others, but we can feel things just as well as a human can. Just because my parents are androids does not mean that they lack in that."
"Based on my observations, it seems you are correct," Zerek agreed. "How zey crossed zat final threshold has alvays intrigued me, but zeir emotions flaw them, razer zan complete zem. Your fazer and mozer could have been making huge leaps in science and discovery all zese years, but instead, zey chose to waste so much time in fields of compassion. Protecting human life, fighting against disaster...raising an orphaned child. So much logic and reason sacrificed for projects of empathy."
"It was not a waste," Julien said darkly. Zerek studied the boy and then smiled.
"You vere not a vaste," he agreed. "You have a high intelligence for a human, Julien...and your emotional restraint is applaudable. However, your emotions are still present enough to get in ze vay—like in ze booth, for instance, ven you attacked me."
Julien glanced away, not sure if Zerek wanted an apology. He wasn't going to give one, but thinking about it made him feel dread for a whole different reason. "You were hurting Colby," he reminded coldly. "What did you do to him, after removing me?"
"I stopped ze testing after you vere removed," Zerek assured. "Your...explosive behavior helped me realize zat I vas getting ahead of myself. Knowing how ze element vorked in ze master vould do me no good if ze master vas injured. I do not zink a few more zaps vould have really harmed him...but I allowed you to convince me to err on ze side of caution."
"Where is he now?"
"Sleeping. His body has fully recovered, but he vas in such a strained mental state, ve had to put him under again."
"You cannot keep knocking him out," Julien mused angrily.
"I do not plan to." Zerek dropped the pile of papers on the table next to Julien. "You have ze rest of ze day to go over ze data. I vant a detailed report of your findings by morning."
"You still think I would work with you, after what you did in the booth?"
"Of course...because you still care vat happens to ze young Mr. Valker, don't you?" Zerek said. "Plus, based on your human labeling, ve're family...are ve not?"
"No." Julien's answer was full of anger, but Zerek didn't seem to mind. He chuckled as he headed for the door.
"No indeed. Androids do not have families. Bloodlines cannot exist between man and machine, not in any true reality. But you are a good assistant, regardless. I look forward to vat ve vill discover togezer, Julien Cyrus."
With that, the Aristo Zerek left the room, and Julien felt his eyes prick with tears as the lock turned in the door.