115
Amber's adrenaline stayed in her system until she became situated in a hospital bed. As the onslaught of nurses and doctors faded, she felt an overwhelming desire to sleep. It was strange how tired she could be—after all, she had spent the majority of her captivity at Estyeer sitting in a cell where her only options were to sleep or stare at a wall. She should be rested enough from that interminable experience to go for days...but now that the noise and tests and general hubbub had faded, she found it difficult to even keep her eyes open.
The door opened, and she turned to see her parents coming into the room. She felt her eyes fill with tears again at the sight of them. Theo had promised they were on their way, but that had been back when her mind still felt like it was in a fog. Actually seeing them here, she couldn't stop herself from crying.
"Amber." Keyda and Cole basically raced to the bed, and Amber sat up so she could embrace them. She closed her eyes as she clung to her parents, and she could feel them trembling. As they finally pulled away, she could see tears in both of their eyes.
"Mom...Dad..." her voice broke. "The doctors wouldn't let me talk to anyone, but we have to stop Zerek. We have to..."
"Theo is looking into it," her mother promised, cutting in as she pushed Amber's hair from her face. "We're going to stop the person who did this to you, Amber."
"You just focus on resting," Cole added. Amber turned to look at her father, and she was surprised at how tired he looked. He smiled at her, but Amber's gaze went to his hairline. Were his sideburns always that grey?
Amber's mouth went dry as she thought about another question, and she gripped her father's hand tightly. "When the ambulance came to get us, M was still...I haven't heard..." She began shaking. "Is M—"
"He's stable," her father promised, squeezing her hand. "Just a few doors down."
"Can I see him?" Amber's tiredness faded as she was overcome with the urgent desire to see him. Talk to him. After what they had done in Zerek's chamber, and all the things she had seen, she had to talk to him.
"They...aren't letting him have any visitors right now," Keyda admitted. Amber felt a spike of fear.
"Is he okay?"
"He was a little worse for the wear than you were," Cole said gently, pulling her into an embrace. "The doctors said that you should be all right to leave the hospital soon, but M was—"
"Dying." Amber finished as she trembled, and Keyda and Cole glanced at each other.
"He's going to be okay," Cole promised. "Last we heard, the doctors were saying they think he'll make a full recovery. It just may take a few days for them to get him nourished and hydrated."
"It's all my fault," Amber whimpered.
"No." Keyda's tone was firm. "Absolutely none of this is your fault, Amber. The person who did all of this to you is responsible." Her eyes flashed with a rare level of fury. "And I promise, we plan on holding them accountable for everything they've done."
Theo had always wondered what it would be like to be part of a war council. As much as he didn't want any further wars to tear apart his home realm, he also knew growing up that he would be Ruler someday. When he was young, he would picture himself sitting at the head of a table, discussing options and coming up with the perfect plans.
Sitting at a too-small table in a hotel lobby,
laden with mini donuts from their gift shop did not really match that mental image from his youth, but as he faced the group of Oni, retired ninja, and young adults, he was realizing this may be as close to a war council as he would ever be part of.
"We have to leave immediately." It was Zane who spoke, looking more disturbed than Theo had ever seen. Generally, the Nindroid couple was always the most logical and least likely to jump to emotional conclusions, but ever since hearing who the true mastermind behind the disappearances was, they had been pushing to leave for Estyeer as soon as possible. Theo couldn't blame them. He still wasn't sure how the two of them could have gone all the way to Estyeer, met this Zerek person, and come back to rejoin the search without realizing that anything was amiss. The realization of Zerek's identity had caused them to question many things that apparently didn't add up—everything from memory gaps to the confession that Zane had lost his elemental power during the visit.
"He'll know we're coming," Theo pointed out. "The second Amber left, he knew we would know his identity. He'll be prepared for us."
"So we go get an army," Myrah offered. "If your parents won't sign off on the Central Fortress forces, I'll retrieve my own from the West." Her tone was no nonsense, and Theo's gaze drifted over to where the three Oni were standing.
"We can't—"
"The council cannot fault us," Hershel said darkly. "We've been scouring the wilderness to no avail for days, Theo, waiting for them to figure out who took our son. They never did...and they cannot blame us for bringing in the forces we need to reclaim him."
"We're not posing a threat to this realm—just the one man who stole our people," Myrah added. "And our family."
"The council is not my issue," Theo said. "If what Zane and Pix said is true, Zerek is an android."
"I don't care what country he's from—"
"It's not a country," Theo explained wearily. "He's a robot... a metal person, like them." He gestured to the Nindroids, and Myrah, Hershel, and Tolan glanced over. "I don't know what he's willing to do...but given the state we've already found people in, he's probably not afraid to pull out a full arsenal to protect what he's already taken. Robots with guns versus Oni with swords only has one possible outcome."
"Dead robots," Tolan offered.
"Not even close," Theo said flatly. Tolan's expression flickered, and Theo sighed. "You don't understand what we're up against. We have to have a strategy, and a good one."
"I get that, but the longer we wait, the more this Zerek creep can do to the people he still has." It was Mia who spoke up now, her eyes narrowed. "He's still got our brother, and Julien. Not to mention all the other Oni, like your friend Rook."
Theo stiffened. "I know..."
"Then what are we waiting for? We stormed villain lairs all the time, back in the day," Kai said, speaking up. "We've wasted so much time this last week scouring the middle of nowhere. Now that we know where they are, let's go."
"We can't just go—"
"We understand that we need a plan," Nya chimed in. "But there's something to be said about acting fast."
"I realize—"
"I say half of us go in the front and half in the back," Kai offered, turning to his old teammates. "We just need to show them what happens when you mess with the family of the ninja."
"I am sure the commissioner in Ninjago would be willing to send forces. We have already been in touch," P.I.X.A.L pointed out.
"Yeah! We could send them in on the west side," Jay offered.
Theo watched as the room fell into chaos, everyone turning to talk in small groups about the problem. His heart began pounding as he caught snippets of conversation as everyone tried to plan on how to approach this problem—all plans that he knew would never work. He gripped the edge of the table, anger pushing itself to the forefront of his mind. It was an emotion he had been struggling with ever since his sister had been returned in the state she had. Ever since he realized what Rook had done.
"HEY!"
Theo's shout echoed above the chatter, but even if it hadn't gotten their attention, the ground suddenly churning below them did. Theo's arms flared orange as his eyes flashed with purple light, and everyone turned to look at him, their various conversations petering out. He fixed the group with a stern glare, shaking his head. "You guys are going to get them killed."
"What are you talking about?" Mia snapped. "You're the one hesitating when—"
"If you rush into this, Zerek is going to kill them all," Theo cut in. "Don't you get it? He doesn't need them—he doesn't need Colby, once he gets the element out of him. He doesn't need Julien, or Raiyn, or any of those Oni. If we do this wrong, he's going to kill them." The mood of the room shifted, and Theo drew himself up. "The only reason he's probably even kept them around this long, if he even has kept them around, is to use them against us. If we go charging in, our choices are quickly going to become surrendering or sacrificing those who are still missing. Do you understand?"
"He didn't kill Zane and P.I.X.A.L," Kai pointed out. "If he was so bloodthirsty..."
"He's not bloodthirsty," Theo corrected flatly. "He's worse—he's apathetic."
"You've never even met him," May pointed out softly. "Theo, we just barely learned who the guy is, and now you're acting like you know him—"
"I may not know him, but I am well aware of what kind of person he is. He doesn't care about people—people are just vessels for power." Theo clenched his fists. "None of us matter, all that matters is the power we carry." He turned back to Kai. "Of course he didn't kill Zane and P.I.X—that would have given him away. But now that his cover is blown, he's got nothing to lose. I'm expecting we're going to get some kind of ransom call soon—"
"A ransom call for what?" Ashley finally spoke up. She had been lingering on the outside of the group, mainly just listening. Now her eyes were trained on Theo, her brow furrowed in thought.
"Our powers. Mine, yours, and May's." Theo ran a hand through his hair. "That's obviously what he's after—the elements. And he may not care about the prisoners he's got in custody...but he knows we do. He's going to make us give ourselves up, or he's going to get rid of them."
"If he was going to make that kind of ransom, then why hasn't he done so before now?" Nya asked, her expression tight with concern. "Why would he do it now?"
"Because before, he was going to get the powers and retain his ambiguity. Now, he doesn't have to worry about keeping his cover."
"I just don't understand why you're so sure—" Mia started.
"Because that's what Evynn did!" Theo leaned on the table, trying to calm the rage inside enough to talk. "She took me and Amber and held us hostage so she could get to my Dad. And when he showed up, she tortured him without a care, getting the element out of him...and when he didn't have it anymore, she erased his mind and left him to die! People like her—people like Zerek—they don't have feelings. There is no line for them—there is no point where they're going to think that they've gone too far. The only thing they care about is getting what they want, no matter what cost it has to everybody else." Theo pounded a fist on the table. "We have to have a strategy...a good one. One that can't go wrong...one where we can get to our loved ones without him being able to use them against us, or it's game over."
"So...what do you suggest?" It was Myrah who spoke up in the silence, and Theo took a deep breath.
"I...I don't know," he admitted, his gaze glancing from face to face. "But we need to realize this isn't just a battle where the strongest side will bully themselves into a victory. This is going to be delicate, and it's going to come down to whether we were smart enough to find some flaw...some loophole in Zerek himself. We need to figure out everything we can about him. It may be our only chance at finding something that could stop him."
There was silence for a few minutes, and then Ashley spoke up. "We may not know much about Zerek...but that doesn't mean that nobody does. Amber still remembers her interactions with him, and I wonder if M. will as well."
"Not to mention, it sounds like Matilda really was part of this," Mia pointed out darkly. "I say we press her for information as well."
"Oh my gosh, we've got to get her arrested before the news comes out that Amber and her son were found," May realized. "She'll skip town before we can get anything out of her!"
"She didn't skip town when Dani and Agatha were found, though," Nya pointed out.
"Because they didn't have their memories," Ashley realized. She turned to the twins. "I may have an idea on how we can get her...but I'll need your help."
"Consider it done," Mia sniffed. May nodded her agreement, and Theo turned his attention to Zane and P.I.X.A.L.
"You're the only ones here that have met Zerek in person. What can you tell us about him?"
"He is a very good liar," Zane admitted, his expression grim. "Even with the strange events surrounding our visit to Estyeer, it never occurred to me that he would have done any of the things we now know he did."
"He comes across as genuine," P.I.X.A.L admitted. "But looking back, every interaction was a little too scripted. He was playing us...and I do not expect to let him do so again."
"Would Agatha know more about him?" Kai asked. "I mean, she was dating Julien, and they both worked for the guy at MIRI, right?"
"Why don't you go talk to Agatha, Zane and Pix?" Ashley offered. "Zerek was no doubt as opaque with his true motives to his business as he was to the two of you...but she may know little details about him that could come in handy."
"Little details like what?" Mia asked.
Ashely shrugged. "I don't know, but as a lawyer, no piece of information is too little to at least be considered."
"So who's talking to Amber and M?" May demanded.
"I will," Theo cut in. Truthfully, he wished he didn't have to include Amber in any of this after what she had no doubt been through...but she and M would probably have the most current and accurate take on Zerek.
"So...what do the rest of us do?" Kai asked.
"I was about to ask the same question," Myrah added.
"Look...we are going to need skilled people for the infiltration," Theo offered. "But for now, we need to focus on gathering as much info as we can to form our plan. You ninja may not still have your powers, but I know you've still got fight left, and we'll use that."
"Gee, thanks," Jay muttered. "Way to make us sound like geezers..."
Theo ignored him as he turned to the trio of Oni. "Tolan, Myrah, Hershel...I'm not sure if you realize exactly what we're up against, but—"
"We've been up against weirder," Tolan said flatly, fingering his katana. "Whatever you're going to do, you better count us in."
Theo nodded, not really expecting any different. "Everyone make sure you're close by some form of communication. You guys are right about time being against us—we need to share any and all information across the board so we can be ready for Zerek when he makes his move."
"When do you think he'll do that, exactly?"
Theo took a deep breath, studying the others scattered across the small hotel dining area.
"Probably as soon as he can."
116
Early experimentation with Oni structure had been completed using electric pulses that were meant to trigger organic response...but really, they only seemed to cause pain and fear. Eventually, Zerek had created his first power extraction device...but again, the machine merely put overwhelming strain on the Onis' structures until they collapsed completely. After the loss of several oni, Zerek had put the project on hold, deciding it would be better to first acquire a powered Oni and try to reverse engineer a process from there.
He was grateful for the time he had spent studying Teag's power, even in the midst of all the other important projects going on. It was in talking to the young oni and witnessing how his power reacted to the C.A.M that helped Zerek form his current hypothesis about the unlocking of Oni power.
The power was activated and controlled through emotional impulse and response. Apathy caused the power to fade, just as strong emotions such as fear or anger created higher levels. If emotion was that important in its creation...perhaps it was emotion that was the key to unlocking the powers, as well.
Zerek watched the Oni as she screamed and writhed in the chair of the C.A.M as it triggered that ever-useful limbic system. Was it a specific kind of emotion that caused the crack? Or did it just have to be a powerful enough response? Or was he still wrong in his theory, and emotion had nothing to do with the unlocking of oni power? He wished once again that he had been able to question Amber and Teag about it. Both had kept the nature of their power's unlocking close to the vest, and Zerek had figured there would be time later to pursue that specific knowledge more doggedly. Alas, now he was in a situation where interrogation was no long prudent, but often the greatest finds were done through trial and error, not through questioning and theory.
"Dr. Zerek." A staff member appeared at Zerek's side, and the lead android didn't so much as glance over, his gaze still trained on the thrashing oni in the chair.
"Vat is it, forty-seven?"
"Julien has voken."
Zerek turned then. "Has he?"
"Yes. Physically, he is stable," the staff member provided.
"And mentally?"
"Ve are still in ze process of determining."
"Mmm. How is he feeling about ze procedure?"
"It...is difficult for us to ascertain."
"I suppose it vould be." Zerek turned his attention to the Oni, doing a quick scan of her vitals. "Continue zis experiment in my absence," he ordered. "Chances are she vill lose consciousness soon. Ven zat happens, turn off ze C.A.M and load its findings into the mainframe. Vait for ze subject to vake, and begin ze procedure again. Zis time, use fear razer zan anger."
The staff member nodded its understanding, and Zerek left the room containing the Cerebral Analysis Machine. His pace was quick as he headed for the hallway on the opposite side of Estyeer, and the staff members he passed kept out of his way.
He reached the hospital room at last, and he made his way to the back corner where Julien had been treated. Zerek scanned Julien as he crossed the room—it seemed he was indeed awake. The young man turned and met the android's eye, and the android picked up on the young man's accelerating heartrate, but Julien made no move to sit up. After what had been done to him, the android doubted he had much energy.
"Hallo, Julien," Zerek greeted. Julien continued to stare, and Zerek eased himself down into the chair next to the hospital cot. There were tears reflected in the young man's eyes, and Zerek waited for him to say something. At last, Julien spoke, his voice soft with betrayal.
"What did you do to me?"
Zerek smiled, scanning the young man's vitals. He wasn't sure if his body would recover, especially with the changes that had become necessary to make, but his vitals seemed strong enough to be considered stable. "Technically, I saved your life."
Julien looked away, staring up at the ceiling instead. He seemed angry, and Zerek leaned forward.
"Vould you have preferred I left you viz no arm at all?" the android asked softly. Julien closed his eyes, and Zerek turned his attention to the arm in question, continuing his explanation. "You electrocuted yourself, Julien. It stopped your heart, but I vas able to reverse ze process. Ze arm you used to grab Zane, however, could not be saved. Based on our testing, it vas unresponsive, and you vould have never been able to use it again."
"So you thought you had the right to...to..." Julien had opened his eyes again, but now he was staring at a wall. It seemed the young man was determined not to look at Zerek, but even more determined not to look at the chrome arm now connected to his right shoulder.
"It vould be hard to spend a lifetime in electronics and robotics viz only von functioning arm," Zerek pointed out. "Have you tested it out yet? I vill admit ze procedure vas experimental, but it should respond to ze neural impulses traveling zrough your nervous system."
"Stop." Julien's expression contorted, and he swallowed hard. "How dare you do this to me."
"Your horror is unnecessary," Zerek pointed out as he leaned back in his chair. "Zere are vorse outcomes zat could have occurred from your irresponsible use of emotion, Julien."
"What are you talking about?" Julien's gaze flicked to Zerek at last, glowering at the android.
"You disregarded logic in favor of an emotional reaction," Zerek accused. "In ze lab, ven Zane vas reacting to ze core of your machine. You grabbed his arm and sent a surge of electricity zrough your body."
Julien's brow pinched, but then Zerek watched the blood drain from his face. "My father...what did you do with him?"
"Zane is fine. He and ze ozer android who raised you vere returned to Bembay. Zey vere unharmed, but zey are now missing zeir true memories from Estyeer...and ze element of ice."
Julien stared, and Zerek smiled slowly as he gestured to a nearby screen. Julien's eyes flicked over to the screen as it turned on, and his breathing became shallower as he studied the video of a pulsing cube of chronosteel.
"No..." the young man breathed, and Zerek pushed himself to his feet.
"You did it, Julien," he offered. "You cracked ze code. Using your machine, you vere able to extract ze element from its master. Not only zat, but Zane made a full recovery—you accomplished vat you set out to accomplish. Elemental removal zat did not interfere viz ze holder's lifeforce."
Julien didn't answer, still staring at the elemental power pulsing in its new chrome vessel.
"Now, ve need only replicate ze experiment."
Julien turned back. "No! Connecting my father to the charged core nearly killed him—"
"It nearly killed you," Zerek corrected. "And zo it did seem to effect your fazer's ability to reboot quickly, he did recover. Zere is nozing else in our vay."
"You cannot mean..."
"Ve vill be beginning ze procedure on Mr. Valker shortly," Zerek agreed.
"You can't!" Julien began to struggle to sit up, but it was to no avail. After enduring electrocution and an extreme surgery, Zerek was not surprised to see that Julien's body struggled with movement. "We have no way to know that Colby would react the same as my father. You could do something horrible...something unalterable. You could—"
"Relax, Julien," Zerek ordered softly. "You are letting emotion cloud your reason vonce again."
"Reason deserves to be clouded, when people's lives are at stake!" Julien snapped.
"And yet emotion is vat caused your life to be at stake." Zerek studied Julien coldly. "You truly are lucky you only lost an arm, Julien. Vat vould ve have done if it vere your brain zat had been so detrimentally effected?" Julien clenched his jaw, and Zerek glanced at the chrome arm that was still lying still on the bed. "Your emotions have already cost you greatly. Do not give me reason to vish I had removed zem, razer zan your arm."
"It's scientifically impossible," Julien stammered, and Zerek picked up on the young man's rising adrenaline levels. "You cannot remove someone's emotions..."
"Zere are many zings possible zese days zat vere vonce not," Zerek mused as he studied the young man. "If emotions can be given to androids, like ze vons who raised you...zen perhaps zey can be taken from a human."
Julien went pale at the threat, and Zerek could see him trembling. The android finally smiled. "However, it seems emotion does have its positive sides. I suppose vithout your fear and empathy on behalf of ze android you call fazer, you might have never been motivated enough to crack ze code. Perhaps it is vie I vas never able to solve ze puzzle before you were—zere is somezing to be said about having ze fear of loss as a persuader for quality results." He met Julien's eye, and his smile faded. "So in our future work, Julien, I vould hope you use your emotion responsibly." The young scientist didn't reply as he stared at him in fear, and Zerek tilted his head. "Are you hungry? Zirsty? Should I get you some vater?"
"How can you not see how wrong all of this is?" Julien demanded softly.
"Zere is no wrong in science, Julien. Just vat can be proven and vat cannot." Zerek studied him a moment longer before turning to look at the other two patients in the hospital wing, both unconscious for now. "It is fortunate you voke ven you did. I vas hoping you vould be able to take part in zis next procedure, as it vas your genius zat has gotten us to zis point."
"Like I would help you now," Julien murmured angrily from his place lying in the bed. Zerek gestured to his staff members to get ready.
"Do not vorry, Julien. I am fine viz you merely being a vitness to ze greatness ve vill achieve togezer. But I do hope you are ready for vat is surely coming our vay."
"Coming our way? What are you talking about?"
Zerek ignored the question with a smile as he addressed his staff. "Prepare ze oni and Master of Vater for our procedure."
The hotel décor was triggering. It was such a stupid thing to think, but the niche, trite interior design of the Metalloni-INN was so similar to how Zerek had decorated his hallway of holding cells at Estyeer. Amber shuddered at the thought, trying to ignore the bland painting of a bowl of fruit that was staring at her from behind as she focused on the drawing she was penning on the back of the restaurant recommendation guide.
The hospital had decided that she was in fine physical health, though they had expressed concerns on what her mental state would be, after being through something so traumatic. Amber hadn't exactly spread the word that she hadn't been lost in the desert, so she assumed that was the general consensus among parties that weren't the ninja and their families. Her parents had tried to get her to stay in the hospital a little longer when the doctor suggested it, but Amber had blatantly refused. As much as she hated thinking about Estyeer, there was no choice but to take action, and she wasn't going to be able to do much in a hospital bed. After begging the hospital to inform her as soon as M was allowed to have visitors, she had asked her parents to take her back to wherever they were staying. Now, she wondered if the hospital was really that much worse than the hotel.
"What are you working on?" Keyda asked, standing at her shoulder.
"A map," Amber murmured, one hand pressed to her head as she tried to remember the details that she knew would be crucial in the coming days. Possibly even coming hours.
"Hey," Cole said, gently putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know that you have a lot of information to share, but given what you've just gone through—"
"I'll rest when it's over. All over," Amber snapped. She felt her father sigh, and she turned to look at him. "I abandoned Colby and Teag and the rest, Dad. I have to do everything I can to help them now."
"You didn't abandon them," Keyda urged. "If you hadn't escaped, we still wouldn't know where to look, and you could all—"
"Don't finish that thought," Amber begged, turning back to her drawing. Her parents went silent, and guilty tears stung at Amber's eyes. She knew they were just trying to help...but they kept acting like the worst of everything was over. They all knew it wasn't, so why did they think she would be all right resting and recovering when there was still a fight to be fought?
A knock sounded at the door, and Cole went to answer it. Amber turned in her chair, and she relaxed when she saw it was Theo. He shifted, and Amber realized there was discomfort wafting off of him. She glanced over at her parents and realized they seemed stiff as well. What's going on?
"I thought you guys were still at the hospital, but they said you came back here." He hesitantly stepped into the room and glanced over at Amber. "Are you...are you feeling okay, Ams?"
"No," she answered honestly, and she saw his expression cloud. "But I can't just sit in a hospital. There's too much to do."
"There is a lot we have to do, and not much time," Theo agreed. "Ams...I have to talk to you about Estyeer. And this Zerek person."
"I don't think that's a great idea," Keyda pointed out, and Theo glanced at her.
"I wouldn't ask her to talk about it unless it was important."
"Theo—" Cole cut in.
"I have to."
"Guys, it's fine," Amber chimed in, her heart pounding at the tension in the room. She had seen Theo and her parents at odds before, especially in recent years. However, this felt like something bigger than normal.
After a moment, their parents finally stood down. Cole glanced at Keyda and sighed. "Your mother and I will go find something to eat," he offered at last.
"Don't strain yourself, Amber," the Ruler prompted, pushing her daughter's hair from her face before moving to follow her husband from the room. Theo was quiet as their parents left, and after the door clicked shut, he made his way over to his sister.
"What was that about?" Amber demanded softly.
"Nothing."
"That wasn't nothing. What's going on? Is it about me?"
Theo sighed heavily, and his sister narrowed her eyes.
"What aren't you telling me, Tay?"
"It's not about you," he promised softly as he took a seat on the nearby bed. "We...got in a fight before we came and found out you were missing."
"What kind of fight?"
"A big one," Theo admitted, not meeting her eye. She continued to stare at him, letting him know she wasn't going to drop it, and she watched as he ran a hand through his hair. "I gave up my title."
"What?!"
"I promise, I'll fill you in later," Theo said, looking up to meet her eye. "But right now, we have to know everything we can about Zerek. I hate to ask you to remember, but—"
"I know; I'm just as eager to defeat him," Amber offered. "And you better believe we will be finishing this conversation later." She turned to the paper she had been drawing on and added a few last notes before moving to hand it to Theo. "This is a map of Estyeer. As much as I really saw, or was told about."
Theo blinked in surprise, and he quickly took the paper. Silence fell as he studied it, and Amber tugged at the shirt she was wearing. It was something they had bought her at a Metallonian gift shop, considering that she and M had still been wearing the ugly Estyeerian jumpsuits when they had escaped.
"It's not like to scale or anything," she admitted at last. "Just a general idea of where things are."
"So the holding cells are on the south side?" Theo realized. "That's where the prisoners will be being kept? Julien, Colby..." there was a slight hesitation. "...and Rook?"
"I don't know," Amber admitted as she leaned forward to study it with him. "I only know that's where they kept M and I. But it makes sense that they would be there."
"What's 'the chamber?'"
Amber shuddered. "A place where Zerek liked to experiment," she offered softly. Theo glanced up, and she could feel the pain and horror wafting off of him. Her eyes stung with tears, and Theo reached out and pulled her into a hug. She embraced him back, and he murmured into her hair.
"He's going to pay for what he did to you guys, Ams. And for what he made you do."
Amber didn't answer, and she felt her brother sigh.
"I have a confession. I...I had to tell everyone that you could erase memories. It was the only way to convince them that the Buyer really was holding you captive and forcing you to do it for him."
Horror struck, and Amber pulled away. "How did you know that—"
"The survivors couldn't remember anything, Ams. It didn't take much to put two and two together," Theo offered with a sad smile. It faded quickly, though. "Whatever he did to you, to make you do that—"
"He threatened M." Amber's voice broke, but she forced herself to continue. "He started starving him, and he said he wouldn't let him go until I erased Agatha and Dani's memories. But then he didn't keep his promise. When he brought Rook in—"
"So, Rook really is there? You saw her?"
"Who is she, exactly?" Amber asked. Her brother broke eye contact, and she frowned suspiciously. "She claimed she was a fan of yours."
Theo scoffed. "A fan?"
"She said it was too complicated to call you a friend."
"That's an understatement," he muttered softly before looking up to meet her eye. Amber was surprised by the pain in his expression as he spoke. "Do you think that Zerek is holding her hostage right now? Or...do you think he would he have just..."
Theo trailed off, and Amber chewed her lip, understanding what he was asking. She wanted to assure him that Rook was safe, but after what she had seen from Zerek, she wasn't so sure.
"I don't know," Amber finally admitted, deciding that being honest was going to be best in the long run, even if it hurt her brother to hear it. "But even when he brought her in, Zerek was acting like the only usefulness she posed was what information he could glean from her mind. Now that I'm not around to be forced to do that gleaning...I don't know if he would have, um, kept her around." Theo exhaled slowly, and Amber winced at the grief she felt from him. "You cared about her...didn't you?" she realized.
Theo's expression hardened for a moment, but then it softened as he continued to avoid her eye. "I just wish she hadn't been so stupid. All she was supposed to do was stick close so she could identify the buyer...not run off chasing him on her own. She never thinks things through!"
"She was thinking in the chamber," Amber pointed out. Theo looked back at her at last, and she swallowed hard. "She's the one who came up with the plan so that we could all escape. She used her thoughts to transfer it to me while I was supposed to be erasing her mind. If it wasn't for her...I don't know that I would have been able to get the courage to fight back." She felt a wave of shame as she hugged herself. "I wish I had been stronger, but the longer I was at Estyeer, the more it just started feeling like Zerek had already won. Like the only way to survive was to listen to him, and if I stepped one foot out of line—"
"It's not your fault, Ams. You're by far the strongest person I know." He turned his attention back to her, fixing her with a gentle expression.
"I'm sorry I left her, Tay," Amber blurted as she looked up at him with tears filling her eyes. "It's my fault she got stuck there. I got to M, but then when I turned around, Zerek's robots had her. I should have done something, but there was so much going on..."
"You did what you had to do," Theo said distantly.
"She told me to leave," Amber admitted softly. Theo frowned as he studied her, and Amber took a miserable breath. "I just...I couldn't get to her, and she told me to transport without her. I didn't want to, but I didn't know what else to—"
"She told you to leave her?"
"Yeah. And she told me to tell you...wait, let me remember." Amber closed her mind, trying to remember Rook's last request. "She said, 'tell your brother he's not the only one who can keep his promises.'"
She opened her eyes, and she was surprised to see that the color had drained out of Theo's face. Just as she was about to ask him what Rook's comment meant, the building around them creaked and groaned as it rocked, and Amber looked down at the ground in concern.
"Theo!" she realized, looking back at him as she realized that the sudden earthquake was probably from him. He closed his eyes, pressing his hands to his head. After a moment, the rumbling stopped, but she could still feel emotions pouring out of Theo like a bucket full of holes.
"She wasn't lying," he said at last, his eyes still closed. He laughed once, bitterly, but then his expression twisted. "I should have...I was such a..."
"Who is she, Theo?" Amber asked again. "A friend? A...more than friend?"
"I don't know," Theo snapped, his expression still contorted with pain.
Amber watched him struggle for a minute, and then she moved to hug him. He didn't embrace her back this time, still holding his head, and she laid her head on his chest. "She was kinda pretty," she pointed out at last, remembering the spark in the eyes of the lively Oni Zerek had dragged into the chamber.
"Pretty insane, maybe," Theo murmured. "The first time we met, she was trying to assassinate me."
Amber's eyes flew open. "She what?"
"It only gets more complicated from there," Theo warned, but then he sighed as he lowered his hands at last. "What in Kahzym's tragic name did you do to yourself, Rook? Why couldn't you have just waited..."
"She tried to kill you?" Amber repeated numbly. That certainly puts a damper on my first impressions...
"I told you, it's complicated." There was still pain in Theo's voice, but Amber felt him sag as a despairing resignation wafted off of him. "She had said she wanted to turn over a new leaf, and it sounds like she was actually sincere about it. But, now..."
"Zerek might have kept her alive," Amber said, but she didn't have a whole lot of hope. "If you and her are, well, whatever, he might try to use her as leverage."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Theo admitted softly.
"But at least she would be alive?" Amber pointed out, though she wasn't really sure why Theo was so upset about someone who had tried to murder him. She finally decided that there must be more to the story.
Theo took a deep breath. "Yeah...at least that," he agreed at last. He looked back at the map Amber had drawn, pointing at the center of it. "What exactly is this village? The place Zerek lives with his workers?"
"He and his workers are all androids—I don't think they need living space," Amber admitted. "The village is where he keeps all the Oni he's taken over the years."
"The slaves," Theo realized.
"He was trying to get them to unlock their powers, but he said he finally gave up trying to force it and started hoping it would happen naturally. It never did, so then he tried to buy oni with powers." Amber fell quiet. "He finally got one. He was experimenting on him when I was brought to him one of the times."
"Teag," Theo whispered.
"You...know him?"
"Did he look about fifteen? Dreadlocks?" Theo met Amber's eye, and she felt a horrible twist.
"Yeah. I...I should have tried to stop it, but I was in vengestone and I didn't know what to do..."
"Would Teag and Raiyn be in the village, or in the holding cells?"
"Raiyn? Wait...as in Hershel and Myrah's..."
"He's got powers, and Zerek bought him from the slave traders over a week ago," Theo confirmed. Amber blinked as she tried to process, her mind whirling.
"I never saw Raiyn. I have no idea where he'd be. Oh my gosh...he's only four."
"Thank you for the map, Ams," Theo offered as he stood. "We don't have a lot of time to plan, and this will make it easier to figure out who's going where."
"Wait, Theo," she cut in, standing as well. "I don't want you going anywhere near Estyeer."
"I have to. We have to stop this Zerek person for good, and get the people back that he took."
"He's after you!" Amber tried, her heart beating as she remembered the way Zerek had talked about her brother. "You've got two powers, and he—"
"I know." Theo met her eye. "That's why I have to go."
Amber's eyes immediately filled with tears. "I can't let him hurt you too, Tay."
"I won't let him. I promise." The words had a certain heaviness that Amber couldn't interpret, but Theo had already continued. "Ams, I need you to tell me everything you know about Zerek."
117
"He's a vat?" Agatha's eyes were wide with shock, and Zane sighed.
"An android, like P.I.X.A.L and I," he explained, gesturing to his wife. Agatha's gaze flicked between the two of them.
"And you're saying zat Zerek—Dr. Zerek, my boss—is ze von behind all of zis? Everyone being missing, my displaced memories..." she trailed off before looking down at her arm. "Zis...snakebite?"
"I know it may be hard to believe," P.I.X.A.L offered. "But we recently visited Estyeer, and we returned with altered memories as well. Not to mention what Amber has explained."
"I'm sorry, it's just hard to wrap my mind around vat Zerek vould possibly be doing zis for. Also, I mean, I didn't even know viable artificial intelligence existed a few monzs ago, and now you're saying zat my boss is von of zem."
Zane and P.I.X glanced at each other, and Agatha must have interpreted the look.
"It's not zat I don't believe you," she offered carefully. "It's just a lot to process."
"We understand," Zane said. "Normally, we would not have bombarded you like this...but as there are still those Zerek is keeping captive, including our son..."
"Julien," Agatha murmured, her expression crinkling. "If Zerek is vat you say, vie would he have released me and kept Julien?"
"We...were hoping you could help us understand that as well," Zane admitted. "We know for sure that Zerek is highly interested in elemental and Oni power, but Julien does not have the element of ice. I do...or, I did." His expression crumpled. "Zerek has somehow managed to extract it from me."
"So perhaps he used Julien as a way to lure you."
"I suppose he did, as it was Julien's disappearance that caused us to agree to go to Estyeer to gain answers."
"You say...you have no memories of your visit?" Agatha asked, looking deep in thought.
"We have memories, but we are pretty sure they have been altered," P.I.X.A.L offered, her expression dark. "We do not know exactly what transpired at Estyeer."
"Perhaps he used Julien as a bargaining chip vonce you arrived," Agatha mused, though she looked unsure. "It is hard for me to picture Zerek in zat light, but let's say you are right. He could have threatened Julien as a vay to procure your compliance so he could get your...vat did you call it? Element?"
Zane clenched his jaw, and he felt P.I.X.A.L take his hand. "We...also wondered if that was the case," he admitted at last.
"Mainly, our reason for coming here today is to ask you everything you know about Dr. Aristo Zerek," P.I.X.A.L offered, getting right to the point. "We need to defeat him in order to save our son and others, but we do not know what we are going up against. You have known him far longer than we have...do you know of anything we could use against him?"
Agatha glanced away, looking troubled. "I...I am not sure. I vould have to zink about it." She exhaled shakily. "I still cannot believe he vould do somezing like this. It feels strange to consider plotting against him."
Zane felt his circuits whirring with disappointment, but he nodded. "We understand. But if you can think of anything that..."
"You say that your memories were accessed?" Agatha cut in, glancing up at him. Zane blinked.
"Yes...we believe so."
"And if vat you are saying is true, he accessed mine as vell." Agatha's expression flickered, but she powered on. "I have no vay to access my own thoughts...but if you would allow me to, um, look at yours...perhaps ve could find some evidence to hone in on."
Zane glanced at his wife and could tell P.I.X.A.L was uncomfortable with the request. However, surprisingly it was the female Nindroid who spoke first as she turned to the scientist in the hospital bed. "What do you need to do?"
Agatha swallowed, glancing at a laptop bag sitting nearby. "I should be able to access your memory core from my laptop, but I would need your permission and cooperation."
Zane waited to see what P.I.X.A.L would say. It only took her a few seconds to respond. "Very well."
M's father was the last person M expected to see when he woke up...and yet, there he was in all his greying-hair and disheveled-suit glory. The young man blinked in surprise as he looked around, realizing he was in a hospital bed.
"Dad?"
Marty IV immediately turned, and M could see him sag in relief, though his expression was still pinched.
"Marty Openheimer V, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" the man demanded, and M tried to remember when the last time his father had used his full name.
"I...uh, no." M looked around, his mind whirring with questions. Unfortunately, they weren't really questions he thought he should be asking his father. "You're probably tired of coming to see me in the hospital, huh?" M said at last, grasping for something to say.
"You'd be right," Marty snapped, but his expression softened somewhat as he studied his son. "You look awful. What on earth were you thinking, going exploring out in the middle of nowhere, in some foreign country? You said you were coming here to look into internships, and instead, you decide to go galavanting into the wilderness? Are you an idiot, M?"
M stared, trying to process what his father was saying. "I'm...going to have to get back to you on that," he offered distantly, trying to reconcile the impression his father was under with the memories pounding at the back of his head. Had that all been a terrible dream, or was his father just misinformed?
Marty IV's expression crumpled. "I just meant that you could have died, M. You've got to think things through." He reached out a hesitant hand, putting it on his son's head. "The doctors said that you'll recover...but it came close. It came way too close."
M reached up and scratched at his face in thought, and as he did, he realized how much stubble he could feel on his face. For whatever reason, that detail alone sealed the fear he had been struggling with. It hadn't been a dream. He looked down to see if he was still wearing the smelly, week-old jumpsuit, but he was dressed in a hospital gown.
"Dad..." M blurted, his heart starting to pound. "I have to know...I mean, if I made it out, or got sent home, then who else is still out there? Is it over, or..."
The man sitting next to the bed frowned as he studied his son. "What are you..."
"Where's Amber?" M demanded, finally getting to the root of his question.
Marty's expression darkened, and for a moment, M's mind plunged into worse case scenarios. His father broke eye contact as he answered. "She left the hospital before you did—didn't get affected nearly as badly, from what I could tell. The second I heard you were together, I realized what that Oni had—"
"None of this is Amber's fault!" M snapped, struggling to sit up. "You said she was here? In the hospital? So she's not still out...um. Missing?" Perhaps it was dishonest to go along with his father's misunderstanding of the situation, but M preferred that to having to slam the man with the news that M had been kidnapped and starved this last week by a deranged robotic scientist bent on some evil plot involving Amber and her entire extended family.
Marty IV sighed. "Look, I figured you would want to know more about your...friends." He drew the word out, as if he didn't really want to use it but couldn't think of a better term. "I have to admit, I don't really know much about any of the others you took your foolhardy adventure with. I was merely contacted and told that you had been found and were at the hospital. I haven't had a chance to speak with anybody about this, though goodness knows the news keeps calling." He rubbed his face wearily, and a rare smile tugged at the side of his mouth. "Do you think there's any chance they'll listen if I ask them to just leave us alone and not try to make our latest trauma into a headline?"
M blinked, and his father turned to grab something on the floor. M frowned as he moved to sit up the rest of the way, trying to see what it was. He was shocked when he noticed a traveling terrarium containing a familiar black snake.
"You brought Oni snake?" M was flabbergasted, and his father tugged at his mustache a moment before setting the snake on the bed.
"I thought you might want to see it," Marty said at last. "It wasn't easy getting the hospital to agree to let me bring it in, but they were eventually persuaded when they discovered it isn't venomous."
Whenever M's father used the word 'persuaded', M knew that money had been involved. However, he couldn't help but smile a little as he opened the lid of the terrarium and reached down. The snake seemed happy enough to slither up his arm, and M had to admit that it did make him feel better to see his scaley friend.
Marty IV glanced at the door as the thin snake wound herself around M's wrist. "You might want to put her back in the terrarium before someone comes in," he warned. "It was definitely a snake-stays-in-its-cage sort of deal."
M obliged, helping the snake back into her chamber. "She looks healthy. In fact...she's looking a little chubbier than I remember."
His father huffed. "How was I supposed to know how much to feed it?" he muttered.
M looked up in surprise. "You've been taking care of Oni-snake?"
"Well, someone had to feed it," Marty pointed out gruffly, straightening his tie. "I figured you wouldn't want to come home to find it..." he trailed off, and M smiled a little as he put the lid of the travel terranium back in place.
"Thanks, Dad," M offered sincerely. His father shrugged.
"It wasn't like I did anything hard," he muttered. "It's not that needy of a creature." He still wouldn't look at M, and the young man wondered if it was less about not wanting to meet his son's eye than it being that Marty didn't like seeing M like this. M knew he looked awful—he had seen himself in that dreadful cracked mirror in the chamber.
Thinking about the chamber and the last week made M break out in a dread sweat. The soft, comforting feeling from his father's visit was evaporating as M realized how much he still didn't know. He was about to gather enough courage to trust his father with the truth when a soft knock sounded at the door. They both turned, with Marty IV quickly retrieving the snake terrarium and lowering it to the ground. A nurse with kind eyes entered and offered a small smile.
"You have another visitor, Mr. Openheimer. If you're feeling up to it."
M leaned forward, and his heart nearly stopped as he caught sight of the person standing next to the nurse. She was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt with the words "Best of Bembay" plastered over it, and it was clear she had been able to take a shower and brush her hair since the last time M had seen her. But it was Amber's haunted expression that let M know that his memories of the last week were correct after all.
"Speaking of needy creatures," Marty IV murmured under his breath. M glanced at his father and saw that the man's expression was tight with anger, and M reached out to grab his hand.
"Dad..." he pleaded, and Marty glanced back at him. For a moment, M really thought his father was going to make a scene and tell Amber she couldn't come in, but then the man sighed in resignation.
"You have twenty minutes...but only because I'm going to go find something edible in this town for us to eat." He stood stiffly, and M watched as his father brushed past the oni in the doorway without so much as looking at her.
"Are you not wanting visitors?" the nurse repeated. Amber still hadn't said a word, standing stock-still, her face pale as she stared at him from the doorway.
"She can come in," M offered, and the nurse smiled and nodded at Amber. The Oni came in woodenly, and the door closed behind her. They stared at each other for a few more seconds before M spoke again. "I'm pretty sure I can remember everything," he offered at last. "So, are your powers just not as good as you made them out to be, or..."
"M." Amber's voice broke as she crossed the room, tears filling her eyes.
"Did you erase my mind or not? Are there things I can't remember that you got rid of?"
Amber's expression contorted, and she shook her head. M scoffed, glancing away. He really was relieved to see her, but now that he knew she was all right, he couldn't help but harbor a feeling of betrayal when he thought about what had happened the last time he saw her.
"Too bad," he pointed out a bitterly. "After all the effort you put in to get into my head."
"I'm sorry!" the oni blurted, and she stumbled the last few steps to the bed before dropping into the chair his father had just left. "M, I'm so, so sorry...I just couldn't think of anything else I could do."
"Really?" He murmured, still not meeting her eye. "Kissing me to get my guard down was the best you could come up with?"
She didn't answer right away, but when M heard the sob, he looked up at last. He felt a little bad when he saw how miserable she looked. "I couldn't let him hurt you," the oni admitted, the tears streaming down her face as she studied him.
"So you kissed me to protect me...not because you meant it."
Amber swallowed, looking away. "I mean...it's not that I didn't mean it."
M's heart pounded with a sudden hope, but he found he was too scared to ask outright. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Did Zerek let us go, then? Is that why we aren't still in Estyeer?"
"No." Amber wiped at her face. "I transported us out."
M raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You did?"
"I did." Amber's voice was a whisper. She wasn't looking at herself anymore, staring at her hands clenched in her lap. "But in order to do it, I had to leave everyone else. Rook, and Colby, and Julien..." her voice broke. "I had to get you out, but now I've probably doomed them all..."
"Hey." M reached out at last, grabbing her hand. She looked up to meet his eye, and he shook his head. "Don't apologize for getting out of there when you could, Amber. That man—robot—is a psycho. Who knows what he would have done to you, even if he had let me go." M shuddered. "Which I still don't think he would have."
"I know." Amber's voice was small. She was clutching his hand in both of hers, and M felt his anger dissipating.
"So, did you transport us while you were in my head, or..."
Amber shook her head. "After," she admitted. "Zerek's goons knocked you out, but Rook and I fought back, and I was able to get us out without her."
No idea who Rook is, M thought, but I've got more important questions right now. "So...you got into my mind, but you didn't erase anything?"
Amber squeezed his hand. "I couldn't."
"Your powers weren't working?"
"No, M. I couldn't do it, not after seeing..." She trailed off, and he watched her struggle to figure out what to say. At last, the Oni looked up at him. "Were you doing it on purpose?" she demanded, her eyes still swimming with tears. "Did you send me that memory, or was that just some freak coincidence?"
M's heart began to pound. She saw it. She really saw it. "Um. I...yeah. I tried to send it to you. Wasn't sure exactly if it would work."
Another sob escaped the Oni and she shook her head miserably. "You wanted me to see that?"
M wasn't sure how to interpret the reaction, and he felt like his world was spinning. Was she mad at what he had said to her? Or rather, used a memory to say to her? Did she not feel the same? Did she wish she had never seen it?
"I didn't think I was ever going to see you again," M finally admitted lamely. "I had to tell you somehow, before you erased my mind and Zerek killed me or stuck me out in the wilderness to wonder what the heck ever happened to you—"
"So you meant it?" Amber's voice was strained, her grip on his hands starting to make his fingers tingle from lack of circulation.
M scoffed. "You're the one who can read feelings, Oni-girl," he pointed out softly. "What do you think?" She studied him, and then she began to sob in earnest. M. swallowed uncomfortably, trying to sit up. "Are you mad?" he finally asked.
"Mad?"
"That I have feelings for you? Like...big, kinda important feelings?"
Amber released his hand with one of hers so she could wipe at her face. "Are you asking me if I'm mad that you love me?"
Danger, danger. "Yes?"
Amber covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. For a moment, M thought she was still sobbing, but when he met her eye, he realized that it looked like she was laughing as she cried. "I'm not mad."
"You aren't?"
"M..." She wiped at her face one last time before leaning in a little closer. There were still tears, but she was offering him a wavery smile. "I...also, um. The more I thought about it, the more I realized...you're not the only one who...you know."
M's heart pounded as he wondered if she was trying to say what he thought she was. When Amber reached out to push the hair out of his face, still stammering, M felt a smile stretch across his face. "See? It's harder to say than you'd think," he pointed out. Amber winced, and then she was biting her lip.
"I love you too," she whispered so softly that he almost didn't hear it.
A warm feeling rushed over M's entire body, causing goosebumps to race up his arms. For a moment, they stared at each other, and M swallowed. "Oni-girl?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you lean in a little closer?" he asked.
Amber's laughter was breathy, and her expression betrayed her nervousness as she complied. M wished he had the energy to do it himself, though if he wasn't so physically drained, he would do more than lean forward. He would jump out of the bed and whisk her off her feet, pulling her into a dance, or at least pick her up and spin her around...
His imaginings trailed off as Amber reached him, and M closed his eyes as they kissed. It was far gentler than the one she had given him before invading his mind, and as they finally pulled apart, M met her eye.
"Can we just decide that the first two times canceled each other out and this was our official first kiss?" he murmured. Amber smiled, and maybe it was just because she had always looked good in black, but M was pretty sure that she had never looked more beautiful than right now, wearing a souvenir tee with her horns gleaming in the clinical hospital lighting.
And I look like a starved animal that smells like its been living in the trash...
He was thinking about how he wished he could have at least showered and shaved before this visit when there was another knock at the door. Amber pulled away, and M couldn't help but feel irritated at the interruption as they both turned to see who it was. For a moment, he was afraid his father had come back to snap at Amber after all, but it was merely the same nurse as before.
"You're a popular fellow," she offered apologetically. "But if you're feeling too tired for another visitor..."
"Who is it?" he demanded, trying not to snap. The nurse turned, and a red-headed young woman stuck her head into the door with an apologetic wince.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Ashley offered, her eyes flicking between M and Amber. "But there's something urgent I need to discuss with you two."
M frowned, but Amber nodded, so the redhead entered the room. Ashley waited for the door to close before continuing.
"We have to make a move against Zerek, and it has to be fast," she pointed out. The happiness M had been floating in moments before started to fade as he realized that just because he and Amber were safe didn't mean that everything was okay. We're not really safe until that sociopath is behind bars, or gone for good.
"I'm planning on helping," Amber said firmly before her gaze flicked back to where M was lying. "But M isn't in any state to be involved in this mess anymore."
Good old useless me, M thought bitterly, but he didn't deny it. He was truly not going to be able to charge into battle, if that's what the redhead had in mind.
"I promise, it's nothing dangerous," Ashley said, holding her hands up. "But there is something that I think M could do that would help us get critical information for our battle against Zerek...if he's willing to."
Amber hesitated, and M could tell she wanted to ban him from helping at all. However, he felt bad enough that he had been absolutely useless back in Estyeer. Worse than useless. Because of him, Amber had waited so long to escape and had probably been through all sorts of horrible things. So before the oni could answer for him, M met Ashley's eye.
"What did you have in mind?"