Author's Note: Many thanks to my beta reader Outtsyder for all his help with this story!
Spectrophobia
Chapter 11
The shop was located on the corner of a residential and an industrial zone. As such, it was actually a house with its lower floor converted into a storefront. A wooden sign posted in the front yard read "Miss Prim's House of Oddities" in curling letters. Captain titled his head. Wasn't "Prim" also the name of that elderly rebel - the very same one who tipped him off to this person-of-interest?
The Gundam was standing around on the sidewalk in front of the building, making sure he had the right address. He was in his default mode, unarmed this time. Accompanying him were two SDG personnel, a human woman and a male-identifying GM. Once Captain confirmed that they were at the right store, they headed down the walkway past a blue gazing ball resting a stand in the shape of a motorcycle. They climbed a narrow staircase nestled between hedgerows decorated with pinwheels onto a large full porch with a hammock in one corner. A neon sign in one of the windows assured them that the place was open.
Captain and his entourage entered the shop, a bell attached to the screen door announcing their arrival. They walked into a large room filled with, as the sign put it, oddities. Along one wall was shelves filled with baskets and bowls of crystals and polished semi-precious stones. On the opposite wall were shelves lined with books. In between were shelves full of various goods such as candles, crystal balls of many sizes, salt lamps, decks of tarot cards, boxes of incense, bottles of essential oils, and bags of herbs. In the center was a table covered in jars containing what looked like preserved frogs and lizards, long bones of various sizes, and a skull of a longhorn cow.
Against the back wall was a glass counter with a register and a bell on top of it. A small wooden swinging door between it and the nearest wall gated off the back area. Inside the counter were geodes of many different sizes and colors. There was also a shadowbox, though Captain was too far away to see its contents. Behind the counter was a doorway with covered in a red beaded curtain.
No sign of the proprietor, however.
They walked up to the counter, and Captain rang the bell. "Just a minute!" a voice called from the backroom. As they waited, Captain's lady assistant walked over to the bookshelves and started checking out the titles. The GM examined the shadowbox on display. Curious, Captain also took a peek. Inside was a taxidermied two-headed rattlesnake.
"Pretty cool, innit Captain?" the GM asked.
"Um...yes?" The Gundam honestly wasn't sure how to respond.
The sound of footsteps shifted everyone's attention back to the doorway. A thin young woman with long, red hair pushed the beads aside and stepped into the room. She was wearing a simple red dress and a straw hat with a matching red ribbon around it. Her complexion was oddly ashen, raising some questions about her health. Captain's facial recognition programs instantly matched her with the elderly rebel of the same name; just by his own observations, she definitely resembled a younger version of the other Prim.
"Good morning, everyone," she announced. "Miss Prim at your serv-" She stopped herself when she noticed the SDG badges on her three guests. "Oh! Oh, my! Uh, hello there, officers!" Her pale cheeks flushed beige.
"Good morning. I'm Captain Gundam, and we're from the Super Dimensional Guard," Captain replied. "We're here to discuss your stolen mirror."
"Oh, yes! I've seen you on TV! You're the one who got rid of those evil robots last year!" Miss Prim removed her hat gave him a slight bow. "Goodness, I sensed I was going to meet someone important today, but I wasn't expecting this!" She replaced her hat and cleared her throat. "Oh, but where are my manners? You said something about my mirror - did you happen to find it?"
"Yes, we did ma'am." Captain lowered his head. "Unfortunately, it was destroyed."
Prim's face fell. "Oh it did? That's a shame." She shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best. The thing never did work right, anyway."
"However, we did learn about its dimensional properties," Captain continued.
"Oh, so it started working again?" Prim cheered, clapping her hands. "That's great! You know, I made that thing ten years ago, and it only made a portal once! It's supposed to open every new moon, but after the first time, it wouldn't work no matter what phase the moon was! I often thought something in my shop was counteracting its-" She broke off upon seeing the SDG officers staring at her and putting two and two together. "Uh, am I...am I in trouble? I-in my defense, I swear there wasn't any laws against making portals ten years ago!"
"Don't worry ma'am, you're not in any trouble," Captain reassured her. "However, if you still have any leftover materials from the mirror's construction, we will have to confiscate them."
The GM officer held out his hand, revealing a holographic projector in his palm. It created an image of the search warrant for Prim to read.
"Alright, I understand," she said, looking relieved. "Everything's upstairs. I'll show you around."
She opened the gate, letting Captain and his assistants into the back room. Against the walls were shelves with more herbs, incense, and cards, as well as the occasional book. In the center was a round wooden table surrounded by chairs. On top of this table was a crystal ball - but unlike the ones in the store, this one was made out of red glass. Captain caught a glimpse of tiny birds fluttering around inside it. He assumed they were just holograms.
Miss Prim led them across the room and up a narrow flight of stairs. The steps creaked in protest at the robots' weight.
"If you don't mind me asking, officers," Prim said as she climbed, "when my mirror made a portal, did...something come out of it?"
"Sorry ma'am, but I'm afraid that information is classified," Captain explained.
The shopkeep just shrugged. "Oh well, that's quite alright. You don't have to tell me if you can't. It's just that, the other day I felt a powerful otherworldly presence enter this dimension, and I got curious." She stepped onto the landing. "Right this way, everyone!"
They followed her into a small room where crates and buckets filled with stones were scattered everywhere. Glittering mineral dust covered the floor. Along one wall was a workbench with many different sized mallets and chisels placed upon it. Next to it was a bookshelf containing gem cutting manuals, geological textbooks, and books describing the spiritual properties of crystals. At the bottom were larger books with no titles on their spines, some of which were covered in archival book jackets.
"You'll have to pardon the mess," Prim said. "This is where I cut and polish my crystals."
She walked across the room, stepping over boxes along the way. She opened a closet door and retrieved a plastic bag. Inside of it were a bunch of large, jagged rocks that were a familiar shade of purple.
"This is all I have left from when I made my mirror," she said, handing the bag off to Captain. "There's not enough for another portal, though."
Captain fished out a stone and gave it a scan. Sure enough, it did not match any known mineral in his database. "Where did you find these crystals?" he asked.
"I bought them up in Clydesville," she replied. "The store said they were rough-cut amethysts. Once I got them home though, I quickly found out they weren't. I ruined an entire set of chisels trying to cut them!" She suddenly clapped her hands together and added, "Oh, that's right!"
She trotted over to the bookshelf and removed one of the thick covered books at the bottom.
"This'll tell you how to sculpt the stones without breaking all your tools. It also shows you how to do the enchantments to make portals," she explained as she gently handed the book to Captain. "Be careful with it though - it's very old!"
The book was bound in worn, frayed black leather. The pages were yellow. Emblazoned on the front cover was Principles of Planar Travel in chipped gold lettering. Underneath was "Y. Kato," presumably the author's name. He handed it off to his GM assistant behind him.
"Thank you ma'am," Captain said. "You didn't happen to sell any of these, did you?"
"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that!" she replied. "I hardly know anything about them, myself. I wouldn't want to give away something that could be dangerous!"
"Is there anything you can tell us?"
"Just that they're really hard to cut, and that they can be used to make dimensional portals," she answered. "The book isn't much help, either. It says they're a new discovery and that research is ongoing about what they can do. It was written over a century ago, but I couldn't find anything since. There isn't even have a name for these crystals - the book just calls them 'Element Z'!"
"Thanks for your co-operation, ma'am," the Gundam said with a nod. "Now, if you don't mind, we'll need to perform some scans on your store. We need to check for any trace elements."
Prim thankfully continued to be co-operative. She shrugged and said, "Sure, go right ahead."
Captain and his assistants then began to scan all of the crates, buckets, and dust piles for any potentially hidden mystery crystals. Fortunately for them (and Prim), all of the rocks in the room came up as known minerals. The other rooms on the second floor consisted of Prim's bedroom, a bathroom, and a workshop from drying and mixing herbs; as such, no crystals were found in there. They headed back downstairs and split up. Captain checked the back room, the GM officer checked the storage room, and the human officer checked the storefront with her handheld analyzer. All of the gems turned up completely normal.
With their work done, Captain thanked Prim for her patience and told her that they'll keep in touch if they had any more questions. She bid them farewell and added, "If you ever need your fortune told, I'll be right here. I even give military discounts!"
After saying their goodbyes, Captain and his crew left the store and headed back to the empty lot where their Gunperry was parked. As they walked down the sidewalk, the Gundam removed a crystal from the bag and gave it another look. That light purple color reminded him of Zephyranthes' cyberpatches...
A week later, Shute was released from the hospital. No brain or nerve damage had been found, and physical therapy was deemed unnecessary. The week after that, he was making plans with Captain to go back to flea market. His mother was extremely reluctant to let him go at first, but he assured her that this was official SDG business. She eventually conceded, but only after he promised not to buy anything weird.
And so once again, Shute found himself wandering past rows of tables selling food, crafts, and knicknacks. This time, however, he was not there to shop; he and Captain were trying to see if that space pirate starfish-in-disguise was out selling his ill-gotten gains again. The boy was searching the south half of the market while his robot buddy searched the north section. Along the way, he noticed a lot of police officers roaming the aisles; apparently, he wasn't the only one on the lookout.
At the end of his search, he wound up in front of that tool shop that he had visited last time. The vendor was once again, asleep. The goods on his table had not changed. What had changed, however, is that the spot next to him - the spot where the incognito Kuchi Kuchi had been previously - was now completely empty.
Maybe they're on to us? Shute thought. Of course, it was possible that they were here earlier, but left when the police arrived. He looked at the sleeping tool shop guy. Would he know?
Remembering how hard it was to wake the man up, Shute shook the table and said "Excuse me, mister!" as loud as he could without shouting. The vendor snorted and fidgeted, but stayed asleep. The boy sighed. Never mind; even if Kuchi Kuchi had been here, this guy would have slept right through it.
Shute left the man to his nap and headed out of the flea market. He followed the sidewalk down to the Neotopia Tower where he and Captain had agreed to rendezvous after their search. Upon his arrival, he found his Gundam pal still in his Mobile Citizen mode and talking with some police officers. He sat down on a park bench under a large tree to rest his feet as Captain finished his conversation.
Stretching his arms along the back of the bench, he gazed around the plaza. It was a pretty nice day to be out. The skies were clear, and it was perfectly warm with no cold breezes. The citizens of Neotopia were strolling around, taking their dogs for walks, playing catch with their kids, or just hanging out. At least one human child was even trying to fly a kite. Birds were fluttering around and singing - especially in the tree next to him, where they were pretty loud. Also, there was a black rock by his foot.
Shute blinked and looked back down at the ground. Sure enough, there was a small, pitch-black stone nestled in the grass by his shoe. He bent over and picked it up to get a better look at it.
It was the size of a coin and rather bean-shaped. It felt smooth like glass and had a glossy sheen despite its dark color. It might have been an onyx of some sort.
He was tempted to stick it in his pocket, but hesitated. A tingle rolled down his spine as he remembered the last time he took an unusual object home from this place. And didn't Mom say not to?
No, Mom said not to buy anything here; this was lying on the ground and therefore free. Besides, he sincerely doubted a little black rock had dangerous magical powers. He gave it a good shake, just for good measure. Nothing happened.
Suddenly, there was a loud fluttering noise in his ear with high-pitched tweets. Something struck the side of his head, knocking him over. Shute yelped, his hand flying to the spot where he had been hit. He looked up, trying to find what it was that scratched him. Directly above him, its feathers poofed out, was a rather enraged-looking cardinal. It was chirping up a storm while hopping around on its branch. A second one, presumably the one that pecked him, landed next to its companion and also began to harangue the boy.
"Hey! What was that for?!" he barked at the birds. "Am I too close to your nest or something?!"
One of the cardinals responded by dive-bombing him. Shute quickly rolled off the bench, dodging the feathered fiend's attack.
"Okay, okay!" he snapped as he picked himself off the ground. "I'm going! Sheesh!"
He stuck the black rock in his pocket, and he swore the birds chirped even more frantically. He backed away from them slowly, keeping a close eye on them just in case they launched another assault.
"Is something wrong, Shute?" a familiar metallic voice asked. Shute turned to see Captain walking up to him.
"Oh, hey Captain!" he said. "Just having some trouble with the local wildlife. So anyway, how goes the search for you-know-who? I couldn't find anything. The spot they were at last time was empty!"
"Unfortunately, I could not find anything on our suspect either," the Gundam replied. "I just spoke with local law enforcement. They had been monitoring the area before the market opened, and they did not find any suspicious individuals. In addition, there has been no reports of any unusual burglaries in the past few weeks."
"Maybe they know we're looking them, so they're laying low?" the boy asked.
"Perhaps." Captain suddenly went quiet and cautiously looked around. "Shute, would you happen to know of any place where we can speak more privately?"
"Uh, sure!" Shute said. "I know a place in one of the parks where nobody ever goes. Here, I'll show you arou-"
He let out a yelp as something whacked him in the back of the head. Furious chirping told him the cardinals were at it again.
"And let's get outta here, quick!" he added, rubbing his head and glaring at the tiny red imps.
Shute and Captain headed into the Neotopia Tower and caught an elevator to the second-highest saucer-shaped park. Upon arrival, Shute led the Gundam down the main walkway until they reached a dense cluster of trees. The boy pushed aside some tall grass revealing a dirt road. They followed it a few meters in to a worn, slightly rusted bench.
"Here we are, Captain," he said, plopping down on the bench. "I've never seen anybody come back this way, so we should be safe. And since it's not my house, no having to worry about my parents barging in."
"Are you sure we're supposed to be back here?" Captain asked. "This looks like a maintenance road."
"If it is, I've never seen them use it," Shute replied. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell me? Is it something top secret?"
"No, I wouldn't divulge classified information here," the Gundam said as he sat down next to Shute. "It is, however, about the Zephyranthes incident."
"What is it? Did you find out more about his dimension?"
"No, nothing like that." Captain lowered his head. "It's more about my inability to fully process the situation. I seem to be much more...disturbed by the incident than I should be."
"Really? Like how?"
"Well, I feel strangely responsible for everything Zephyranthes has done in his dimension," Captain explained. "While I understand that we are two distinct individuals, the feeling will not go away."
"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from," Shute said. "I'd probably feel the same way if I knew my evil twin did something horrible."
He shivered, briefly reminded his "evil twin" that Zeong created to mock him. He had not met his double from Zephyranthes' universe, but sincerely hoped he was nothing like that.
"The only thing I can say is to keep reminding yourself that everything the other Captain did is not your fault," he continued. "It was his choice, not yours."
"'His choice'..." Captain stared off into the distance. "I'm not so sure about that."
Shute frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I did not mention this to you before, but I saw into Zephyranthes' memory banks." The Gundam's optical displays trembled. "It happened when he tried to extract the Brain World codes from me. I saw how he subjugated his own Neotopia and later his Dark Axis."
"Not fun to watch, huh?" The boy rubbed the back of his head. "I don't see that guy having anything pleasant on his mind."
"I also saw his Soul Drive," Captain continued. "It was empty."
"Empty? You mean like, it was just a glass ball, or something?"
Captain nodded. "He told me that it activated once but never again, which leads me to the conclusion that his was broken or defective. And that's what has me worried."
He hopped off the bench and started pacing back and forth as he spoke.
"We saw that Madnug and Sazabi had black Soul Drives. They destroyed entire civilizations. Zephyranthes' was blank. He placed his entire city under mind control, and when that eventually failed, he nearly did it to ours. This makes me wonder how much of our behavior is actually determined by our logic circuits and not by our Soul Drives."
He stopped pacing and shifted his gaze at the ground.
"And if the state of our Soul Drives is what really determines behavior, then...how much free will do we really have? What would happen to me if my Soul Drive were to become corrupted somehow? Or perhaps break in some small way which would cause its flame to be extinguished? Would I...would I become like them?" He started to shake. "Would I...betray...the SDG and all of my friends? Would I...?"
"No."
Shute stood up and marched over to the despairing Gundam. He put his hands squarely on Captain's shoulders, looked him straight in the optics, and said, "Don't do this to yourself. You're not like them, you hear?! You're not delusional, you're not a bully, and you're not a selfish jerk! And most importantly, you're definitely not a traitor!"
Captain slowly lifted his head. "But-"
"No buts, Captain!" Shute interrupted. "Think of everything you've been through. The Dark Axis tried to recruit you not once, but twice! I think if your Soul Drive was going to get corrupted, it would have done so already!
"And besides, we don't know for certain if it has anything to do with your personality! I'm not an expert on Soul Drives, but what if the opposite is true? Madnug's kind of a bad example anyway, because I'm pretty sure Zeong forced his to turn black. But as for Sazabi and the other Captain, maybe their Soul Drives were messed up because they were just bad guys to begin with!"
A sudden wave of light-headedness struck him as he said those last words, and he had to lean on Captain to keep his balance. He closed his eyes, waiting for the dizziness to subside.
"Are you okay, Shute?" the Gundam asked.
"Uhhh...yeah. I'm fine," the boy groaned, rubbing his face. "I...I think I need to sit down."
"Here, let me help." Captain draped one of Shute's arms over his shoulders and slowly helped walk him back to the bench. Shute plopped down and buried his head in his hands. The light-headedness had become full-blown dizziness, and there was a dull ache in his temples.
"Do you need some water?" Captain asked.
"I think I'll be okay," the boy replied. "Just give me a minute."
The Gundam sat down next to him. After a few minutes of silence, he suddenly spoke. "I think you're right."
Shute opened an eye. "Huh?" was the only coherent thing he could think to say.
"I think you're right about the Soul Drives, I mean," Captain explained. "There are still things we don't quite understand about normal, functional Soul Drives, and there have been no studies on abnormal ones at all. Therefore, I cannot draw any meaningful conclusions about my Soul Drive potentially becoming corrupted. Zephyranthes' actions has me so deeply disturbed, that I am allowing them to interfere with my logic processing systems."
His dizziness fading, Shute was able to sit up and open his other eye. "Don't worry about it, Captain," he said. "Like I said, it's totally understandable. Just don't let him get to you, and try not to beat yourself up over what he did. Remember, you're nothing like him!"
Captain nodded. "Thank you, Shute," he said. "I will try to keep that in mind."
"With that outta the way, why don't we talk about something more positive?" the boy suggested. "Like, um..." He paused for a minute in thought before snapping his fingers when an idea presented itself. "Oh, hey! How about that weird glass the mirror's made out of? Did you guys find anything out about it? At least, anything you're allowed to talk about outside the Blanc Base?"
"Oh, yes! The substance has not been classified as of yet, so it is safe for me to discuss it here." The Gundam seemed to have perked up a little. "First, our research teams determined that the mirror and Zephyranthes' control patches are made from the same mineral..."
Shute ears suddenly began to ring.
"...amazing physical properties..."
The ringing was now so loud that he had to struggle to hear what Captain was saying.
...Hu...man?
Shute looked out of the corners of eyes. Did he just hear a voice besides Captain's?
"...a Z-boson that lasted for up to a minute..."
Hum...an! Leave the Gund...take the bla...to edge of...find aband...mill!
Yes, he definitely heard a voice! He craned his neck around, looking for the mysterious speaker. Meanwhile, that dizziness was beginning to come back.
"What's wrong, Shute?"
The ringing abruptly stopped. Shute found Captain staring at him, a puzzled and concerned look in his optics.
"Uhh...nothing!" he replied, picking at his ear. "Just felt a little dizzy again. I'm okay now."
"I hope you're not getting sick," Captain said. "Perhaps all the exposure to the sun during our investigation gave you heat exhaustion?"
Shute made a embarrassed chuckle. "No, I don't think it's anything that bad," he said. "Y'know, I think I know what it is - I haven't eaten lunch yet!" He slowly stood up from the bench, still a little light-headed. "Let's head down to the fourth floor. There's a new pizza place I wanna try!"
Captain stood up. "Sounds like a good idea."
They made their way back to the main trail and headed back toward the elevators. While his mother told him not to buy anything weird at the flea market, Shute figured she would make an exception for food. Except for indigestion, there was no harm in buying a slice of pizza.
Right?
Of course not.
Nonetheless, as they reached the elevators and rode down to the eatery floor, Shute found himself praying that the pizza place wasn't haunted. The last thing he needed was for his own evil twin to jump out of a cursed piece of pepperoni.
THE END