Seeking

"Klaus? Can I enter? Klaus-21? Snap out of it!" Charlotte-17 tapped her foot impatiently. Sure, Klaus could get oblivious to his surroundings while Watching, but usually the sound of her voice would get his attention. Maybe he was Watching something important enough that he couldn't cut away. If he's so intent on Elpis that he's ignoring me, then my entry shouldn't break his Trance… Keying the override code he'd confided in her years before, Charlotte entered the Chamber.

Huh... that's weird…

Klaus wasn't there after all. But if so… why was all of the equipment still up and running?

She took a quick look around the small space. The cushioned neural interface chair was still a tad warm, and the sensory deprivation helmet hadn't been sanitized. Odd. Klaus was usually really good about following procedure after a session of Watching. Almost as conscientious as his best friend, Duri. She poked around at the master terminal, and frowned. He hadn't even officially signed out. It's like he just stopped Watching and left… She'd seen that plenty of times from poor little Niko. Though the kid could handle his own pain like a champ, seeing any sort of confrontation or suffering in others would send him into a panic attack. She'd lost count of how many times the youngest Watcher had fled his Chamber without closing down his session. But Klaus?

Maybe… maybe something similar happened here. We still don't really know what the deal is with Elpis. No other world has ever experienced anything remotely like the temporal anomaly that afflicts our most distant colony. Perhaps Klaus saw something so awful he just had to cut and run? It's starting to look more and more likely that they kill off the Unwanted, so such a scenario is plausible…

But deep down, she doubted it. Klaus-21 was never one to shy away from the darker elements of humanity. His example, his passion for everything the Watchers stood for, and everything they might one day become… It had inspired her for sixteen years, ever since his Induction as the Twenty-first Watcher. Charlotte's drive, dedication, and ability to push the envelope of what the human mind could achieve… she owed it all to him.

But for the moment, she had no other theory. Where would he have gone if he saw something so grim he couldn't handle it? She realized her mistake immediately. It wasn't about where he'd go. It was about who he'd talk to.

Duri-22 elevated his perspective by another ten meters. It looked like the rioters were finally breaking. He sure hoped so. If it stopped at this, maybe there'd be no deaths. Three of the peacekeepers lay still in the debris-littered streets, but Duri zoomed in close, confirming they still breathed. They'd simply succumbed to the tranquilizer gas grenades that had flown both ways at the height of the chaos. The people of Kordon still remembered the violence that had plagued their homeland generations prior, and even rioters seemed to hate the thought of actual killing. Duri spun his perspective around and followed the idiot who had started this mess. Duri might not have Charlotte's trained power, or Niko's talent, but he had been a published scientist before being Inducted into the Watchers. He knew how to make his observations count, and what details would matter most to the scientists and archivists who reviewed this footage.

He zoomed in, getting a better look at the rebel leader's back. As he suspected, a tiny device clung to the man's jacket. A signal beacon. So that's what that sniper was doing, and why his shot didn't seem to hit anyone. It was a nonlethal, for tracking this troublemaker.

In no time, the authorities arrived in multiple helicopters, and their target surrendered without a fight.

That's a relief. Everyone will be thrilled to know this whole mess wrapped up so quickly. Hopefully, Kordon can go back to being the second most peaceful colony after–

"Duri! Do you have a minute?"

If this interruption had come much sooner, Duri would have resented it. But with what he'd just Watched, he was probably entitled to call it a day. He withdrew his perceptions fully into his own body, and disconnected from his rig. With a quick command, he opened the Chamber door to let in the petite brunette. He powered off his equipment and grabbed the sanitizer to spritz down his helmet. "Good news, Charlotte. The rabble rouser on Kordon got tagged and bagged. I'm reasonably sure the whole mess is over, and likely with zero body count."

"Really?" Charlotte said, disbelieving. "I thought that maniac was going to make an absolute mess of things. Didn't he seize several first gen gauss pistols for his best recruits?"

"And a couple merculite charges. Thankfully, his followers weren't anywhere near as unhinged as him. None of them actually used those weapons once things got messy. I think they hoped the threat of such firepower would be enough to get the authorities to back down. But the peacekeepers called their bluff, and no one was willing to kill."

News this good was a blessing for Watchers. Despite all the efforts of the Science Division and their colleagues around the world, no one had any working theories on how a Watcher might send a message to the worlds being Watched. For all of their history thus far, any Watcher observing a distant colony was powerless to help in any way.

That was why eleven of the current eighteen Watchers were out of play, traveling at relativistic speeds toward the most populous extrasolar colonies. That had been 21's idea, and Duri fully supported it.

"I'm definitely in the mood to celebrate," Duri said, kicking back. "And tonight's RPG session should be pretty wild. It sounds like all the players will be available, which is a good thing."

Still flush with the positive news about Kordon, Charlotte took the bait. Those brilliant green eyes seemed to sparkle, and she smirked. "So what's the latest craziness in that homebrewed campaign you're always raving about?"

Duri smiled hugely. Usually, Charlotte was all business, so he jumped on this chance to gush. "In our last session, we discovered that Princess Leia is a Sliver of Infinity. I think the Party's gotta distract Smaug the Dragon while Khriss and Shad give Leia a crash course in Compounding. Niko's terrified for the Party, of course, and the girls from the Archive division aren't sure we can do it, but I'm seriously stoked. This is gonna be fully epic. I'm pretty sure the elf Radiant with us is ready to swear the Final Ideal."

"Hold on a sec," Charlotte said, letting herself get pulled in, to Duri's immense satisfaction. "I know your Party's super strong on that planet, with Investiture and all the bonuses to Force powers… but don't Smaug's champions include two Voidbinders and two Thunderclasts?"

"And a Mistborn, an Aes Seddai Black Amyrlin, a Twinborn Olog-hai, an S-rank Shinobi with a kekei genkai, and a freak'n Worldbringer!" Spelling it out like that got Duri's anxiety up, but he pulled himself together. "Once that guy taps all his metals, it'll get ugly. Back when we hired a Worldbringer of our own, it took Ba'alzamon to bring him down. But I'm not actually scared, well not too much, when I force myself to remember who our GM is. Klaus is way too good at balancing things to accidentally T.P.K. us. Plus, I kinda cheated and glanced at his notes when he left his files open. He has years worth of adventures planned for this Party, and he really doesn't want us to die."

"Speaking of Klaus," Charlotte said, smile fading, "do you know where he is? He left his Chamber without signing out or cleaning up. I kinda hoped he'd be here."

"Naw, the session isn't scheduled to start for another three hours. He never lets anything get in the way of Watching while the Aurora Australis is active."

Charlotte's obvious worry deepened, and that got Duri worried too. The Southern Lights were active right now. It didn't matter to her. As the most powerful Watcher, Charlotte could see as far as Elpis without the range boost the Lights imparted. But Klaus and Niko needed that advantage to study the most distant colonies. With only three Watchers able to see Elpis at all, and the bizarre anomalies plaguing that world, those two always made use of the Aurora.

"GLaDOS," Charlotte said, "has Klaus-21 left this level?"

"Negative," the emotionless voice of the HQ computer answered. "Klaus-21 has not passed any checkpoints or boarded any elevator."

"That's a relief," Charlotte said, though her voice didn't really show it. "I guess I'll go check with Niko. If Klaus saw something so disturbing that he cut his session short, maybe he's checking in with the only other Watcher who may have seen something similar…" She whirled, her waist-length ponytail bapping Duri as she hurried out the door.

Growing more afraid for his closest friend, Duri jumped to his feet. "I'm coming too."

Niko-29 tried to keep himself calm as he Watched the tragic scene unfold. On distant Elpis, a girl Niko's age pleaded with her father. She reiterated how much time and effort she'd put into learning the family trade. Even at twelve years old, she could rebuild an engine on her own. She swore to her father that she'd still be useful, even as an Unwanted. Then, the girl stood straight, quivering, and she looked sick.

Fighting to control his breathing, Niko forced himself to Watch. He desperately wanted to disconnect and hide from what was probably about to happen, but he had a duty. Klaus had taught him, again and again, that Watchers must be able to face the most painful events humanity experienced. And everyone insisted that they needed footage of what happened when an Unwanted was created.

The father stepped back, ignoring his daughter, sweeping his eyes from side to side, looking for something.

With a sudden convulsion, the daughter lost balance and fell.

In that instant, another figure manifested off to her left.

It was an identical copy of the girl.

"Ah! Good to see you!" the father said. "I hope you'll be easier to work with than your obsolete version. As you're of course aware, she's been moping and complaining and begging ever since she felt her time drawing close. So tedious, and annoying."

The girl on the floor rose to her knees, clearly terrified. She locked eyes with her father, and the desperate pleading on her face caused Niko to hyperventilate. No matter how much this data mattered, he didn't know how long he'd last at this rate.

"Father, please… she's me," the new girl said. "I… she… we… worked so hard to learn what I… she… would need to be useful to you. Sure, she can't learn anymore, or grow. But she knows everything I do! Please–"

"We'll have no more of that," the father said, cutting her off. "We just don't have enough customers to need two of you, and you're the version that can keep learning. Still, I guess I should thank her. All of her hard work has made you a capable little employee."

"No.. please, Daddy don't do it! I'll take care of her! I'll do extra jobs on the side to pay for–"

"Lamia, Lamia!" the man shouted, cutting his daughter off. "I call to you! Take this Unwanted thing away! It is for you to do with as you please! Lamia, Lamia! Claim what is yours!"

The new girl screamed in frustration and rage, while the Unwanted girl spun about, confused. Niko desperately wanted to look away, but what came next would surely be vital.

A shimmer disturbed the nearest wall, and for a moment the surface distorted.

Then a child stepped through.

The girl was younger than Niko, slim, pale, with unkempt blonde hair, and wearing a sleeveless white nightgown. Her bare feet made no sound as she crossed the room. She looked very tired, and her garment was speckled with blood. The Unwanted daughter stared at her in horror. But neither the father nor the replacement daughter acknowledged her in any way. Niko had the odd sense that they couldn't see the newcomer. He didn't dare to look directly at the pale girl, instead keeping her in his peripheral vision. It would still be a clear image for the archivists when they studied this footage.

The strange little girl reached out a hand toward the Unwanted daughter, who turned in a panic and tried to run. But after a single step, she abruptly stopped, as if grabbed.

The new daughter wept, while the father laughed. Niko kept his mind on the girl who'd stepped out of the wall. She now walked backward, passing through the distorted surface. In a rush, the Unwanted daughter flew through the air, vanishing through the wall too.

The rippling disturbance ended.

The daughter collapsed to her knees. "In a few years… you'll do the same thing to me… won't you?"

The father loomed over her. "I suggest you make the most of the time you have. Maybe, if you work hard enough, your newest version will impress me so much… I'll let her keep you as a pet."

That was finally more than Niko could endure. A full blown panic attack gripped him, and his Watch abruptly ended.

Hyperventilating, fighting back nausea, he yanked his head from the SenDep helmet and curled up in his seat. In the fetal position, hugging his legs, he quivered and shook, and let the tears flow. Never did Niko cry on his own behalf, not even when his nerve disorder flared up. But what he'd just seen…

A ping indicated that someone wanted entry. With Niko's propensity for panic attacks, he alone of all Watchers didn't have real privacy. After just ten seconds of silence, the door opened without his permission.

"Hey kid, have you seen or heard from… Oh no, poor Niko…"

That was Charlotte, but she wasn't alone. Without a word, Duri rushed forward. He put one hand on Niko's shoulder, and with his other he gently forced Niko to look at him. "It's going to be ok, Niko. You're strong. Whatever you saw… this doesn't make you weak. It's because you care. You care so much it hurts you. And right now… we're worried about Klaus. Please, for him… fight this."

Klaus. Dear, supportive, comforting Klaus. When Niko had been Inducted into the Watchers two years before, he'd felt so lost and alone. Families weren't allowed to visit Headquarters more than once a year, and Watchers were far too rare and dangerous to be allowed to refuse Induction. Klaus had stepped in without hesitation, filling the role of the father who would no longer be a major part of Niko's life.

Father… a father… That girl's father didn't want her…

Niko screamed.

"Take care of him," Charlotte said. "I need to focus on Klaus. I'm really starting to get worried. He's not the sort to hide from anything."

Duri again locked eyes with Niko, and the boy forced himself not to look away. He focused on Duri's face, trying to fight through his panic attack by taking in every detail. The olive skin, the rich brown eyes, the pockmarks from a childhood illness, and the clear concern for Niko and Klaus. "Please, Niko. Please. We're worried. Klaus might be even more scared than you. Get it together... For him."

Though his heart pounded so hard it hurt, though he couldn't control his breathing, though the nausea threatened to overwhelm him, Niko tried to pull it together. He really did. He turned toward Charlotte, and saw that she had closed her eyes, standing completely still. She's… she's Watching… outside of her Chamber… Even Charlotte can't see past HQ's faraday shielding without her equipment…

All at once, the depth of their worry sank in. Charlotte must be going against protocol, and the Watcher rules of etiquette, to Watch Headquarters itself. She was so worried about Klaus, she was projecting her awareness throughout the facility, trying to find him. All of the archivists, scientists, security personnel, and support staff would rightfully view this as a serious breach of privacy.

Slowly, Niko's breathing and heart rate slowed. Though still shaking and sick, he rose from his chair. He nodded to Duri in thanks, then he took Charlotte's hand, stroking it to get her attention. "If it's that important… don't waste time. Just call Hasina."

Charlotte's eyes opened, and for a moment she looked confused and disoriented. Though her raw talent for Watching couldn't match Niko's, she had twelve times his experience, and a hundred times his drive. She always poured herself into the mental focus required for Watching, and she could see farther than anyone else. But this also made it rougher for her when she returned to her own body. After a moment, she looked down to meet Niko's eyes. "Huh… good point… I should have tried that first." She fully collected herself, and the disorientation of her Watching passed. She was again the calm, disciplined, fearless woman Niko so admired. She tapped the implant in her right ear. "Security Chief Rakoto, could you ping Klaus-21's implants for me? I've been looking for him, and I'm getting worried."

"Rakoto here. You know the rights of Watchers exceed that of any other citizens. His privacy–"

"He left his pod without signing out, and he didn't go to Duri or Niko. The Aurora Australis is currently active. Have you ever known him to wimp out and let the Southern Lights pass without Watching for the full duration?"

For several seconds, Hasina stayed silent. Niko felt his heart speeding up again, but now it was on behalf of Klaus.

"Understood," Hasina finally said. "Pinging now."

"Thank you, Chief Rakoto," Charlotte said, breathing a sigh of relief. She took Niko's hand, and nodded to Duri. "If he saw something… bad… the three of us will need to help him get over it."

An uncomfortable silence passed, stretching out far longer than made sense. It should take under a second for the Computer to ping Klaus-21's implants…

Finally, Hasina spoke. "Charlotte-17… I don't know how to say this… All of our pings… have gone unanswered."