Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Four

Hanna raised the radio. “DJ? What happened?!” 

“Wrong button,” DJ’s voice replied. “Find an emergency exit and get out of there right now! I’ll keep looking for Lui.”

“I already found him,” Hanna answered. “But he’s stuck in a mirror.”

A mirror? DJ thought, but responded with, “Hanna, you need to leave!” 

“No!” Hanna shot back. “I’m not leaving Lui here! I will not abandon him!” Hanna watched Lui in the mirror. Seeing her friend in the state he was in and now faced with a countdown to destruction, the panic and despair drown everything else out. “DJ, he’s stuck here and I…” Hanna faltered. “I don’t… I don’t know what to do. What should I do?!” 

“Can you get the mirror off the wall?” DJ asked. 

Hanna inspected the frame. “I think so,” she answered. 

“Take the mirror off the wall and find the nearest exit,” DJ said. “Can you do that?” DJ remained composed, though the need for urgency was still present. The solution was obvious. At least, it would have been had Hanna not given in to despair. 

“Yes. Right. Hang on, Lui.” Hanna grabbed the frame and gently lifted it off the wall. The mirror came down freely. Hanna checked the back of the object as well as the wall it rested on. The back of the mirror was normal and the wall was solid rock. No hidden rooms on the other side. Only Lui stuck inside a mirror. Hugging the mirror in her arms with the glass facing outward, Hanna flew out of the room and down the hallway, frantically trying to remember where the exit was. “Left,” the radio buzzed. Hanna took a left. 

“Straight then take a right through the second doorway.” DJ said, watching the screens. DJ was still in the control room, guiding her to safety. Don’t worry, Hanna. I won’t leave you and Lui here. “Go down the set of stairs on your right. That will lead you to a room on the third floor. From there, there’s an elevator shaft across the hall that leads directly outside.”

“Got it! Thank you,” Hanna responded. Relief and gratitude swept over Hanna before panic set in again. “How much time do we have left?” she asked. 

“Less than four minutes,” DJ answered. “Hurry!” 

“You better get out too!” Hanna said, following the directions DJ relayed to her. “Be safe, alright?” 

“Yeah, I'm headed toward the emergency vehicle door now,” DJ answered. He double checked the coordinates on the map one more time before leaving the control room. “There’s a giant boulder in front of the castle,” DJ said over the radio. “I’ll meet you on the other side of it when we get out.” Halfway to his destination, DJ checked on Hanna again. “Did you make it to the exit yet?”

“Just made it to the elevator,” Hanna responded.

If we can all get out of here in one piece… DJ stopped dead in his tracks when a nauseating thought hit him. EDJ was still frozen in the arena. Oh no. EO?! I have to go back and get him out of here! The exit was in sight, but DJ turned around and raced the other direction. He only had a couple minutes left. Would he make it in time?

“Hanna,” DJ radioed. “No matter what happens, promise me you’ll get out, ok?” 

“Yeah, I’m almost out,” she responded. “The doors just opened!” 

Good, DJ thought. At least they’ll get out in time.

********

Hanna flew through the open door into the frosty mountainside. “Yeeouch it’s bright out here,” she muttered as soon as she was outside. The sun was up and the wind was blowing. Even though it was evening now, the sunlight against the snow still almost blinded Hanna after being inside for so long. Hanna circled the castle until she found the large boulder DJ mentioned. She flew behind it and landed in the snow. 

“Lui?” Hanna turned the mirror around and held it out at arm’s length. “Are you alright? All things considered…?” Lui was still there. Still chained. Still trapped. Hanna carefully placed the mirror in the snow, propping it up against the large stone. 

“Better… now that… I’m outside…” Lui was still incredibly hard to hear. Hanna could see him speaking, but only half his words were audible. If the mirror was intended to be a method of communication, the signal reception was lousy. The howling wind did not help. In addition to this, it was harder to see Lui in the sunlight. Hanna still wasn’t sure how he got into the mirror and how she was going to get him out, but at least he wasn’t in the castle. Why do these things always have to have a self-destruct button lying around? Hanna thought. She peered around the boulder, looking back at the large structure with worry. Why did DJ say that at the end? Was he worried we wouldn't get out in time? Hanna looked down at the radio she was still holding.

“DJ… ok?” the soft voice asked through the mirror. 

“I… I hope so,” Hanna answered as she moved back behind the rock. She sat in the snow next to the mirror. Aside from the wind, it was somewhat peaceful and beautiful out here. “There’s always hope… right?” Hanna asked hesitantly. In the moments of quiet silence, doubt began to crowd. 

“Always… hope… even for… you,” Lui answered. It was hard to tell, but it looked like he was nodding. There was a slight pause as Lui watched her. “Are… ok?”

Even now, he’s still looking out for my best interest, Hanna thought. A tiny smile crossed Hanna’s face, but it was overcome with sorrow. “No,” Hanna answered honestly, but quickly tacked on, “But I’ll be alright.” She sniffed and blinked at the sky. The tears threatened to creep up again, but she could not let them fall. Not in front of Lui. Not now. He was the one in trouble here. Hanna could not allow herself to show weakness when Lui needed her strength. Concern grew as the seconds passed. Hanna kept looking off in the direction of the castle, though could not see it through the boulder. “Do you think I should go back for him?” she asked. 

“No,” the mirror answered as Lui shook his head. “You… just… hurt too…” Lui either paused or the mirror didn’t relay his next few words. Hanna couldn’t tell. She scooted closer in an attempt to hear him better. “Destruct… kill…?” Lui asked. 

“I don’t know,” Hanna answered. “It was only supposed to be in the dungeon…” Hanna anxiously chewed on her lips again. “If DJ doesn’t show up soon, I’m going back for him. I have to. I can’t leave him there…” She looked back at the mirror. “But I can’t just leave you here either.” The indecision ate at her. Her choices ate at her. The whole situation was her fault and nothing she did was fixing any of it. And yet, through everything, Lui still trusted her. Why? Why does he still look out for me? I don’t deserve that. “Lui,” Hanna started quietly. “Back when I was… Why did you still…” She frowned, but looked directly at the mirror. “How could you still believe in me?” 

Lui smiled softly and said something, but Hanna couldn't hear him. Realizing she did not hear him, Lui attempted to shift closer to the mirror as well and spoke a little louder, though his words were still broken. “Special…power… can tell… good… inside people. You… still had… good…” His face scrunched, as though he were trying to understand something. “Why… you… doubt?”

Hanna turned away from the mirror in shame. The wind continued to whip her dark hair around. Hanna pulled up her knees and hugged them, but it wasn’t out of cold. “Nobody… should have a friend that betrays them,” Hanna started. “It hurts too deep. You start to feel that you can't trust anyone anymore. You become… empty… cold... and lost. Nobody should become that way.” Hanna shook her head and started crying. There was no stopping the tears now. She had a moment to rest and, in that moment, exhaustion came crashing down. Hanna looked back through the mirror at Lui with tears in her blue eyes. “True friends don't do that to each other. True friends don’t lie to you. True friends don’t betray you. True friends don’t shut you out when you’re trying to help them. It would have been better if you two had never met me.” 

“No!” For one second, Lui’s voice rang clear as a bell. Then it was garbled again. “Would… rather… die… than… forget. DJ… say… same.” 

“Lui, stop it!” Hanna yelled, jumping within inches of the mirror’s surface to face him. Streams flowed freely down her cheeks. She looked just as mad as she was hurt. “You’re trapped in a mirror with the possibility of never getting out and DJ’s inside a castle that’s about to blow him to bits! All of this is because of ME! I did this!” Hanna pointed at herself. “I’m not worth keeping as a friend!” she ended. 

Lui’s eyes widened as he stared back at her. “No… want… be… friend?” Confusion and shock mixed with hurt and disappointment. Hanna saw a tear slide down Lui’s face. 

Hanna kicked herself. Now you’ve done it. How many times are you going to hurt him? Hanna held her hands out to the mirror. “Don’t cry… Please don’t cry...” She took a deep breath and wiped her face. “Of course, I still want to be your friend… but I don’t understand why you still want to be mine.” 

Lui offered a gentle smile. “Just… because… one… mistake… not… worth… throw away… friendship…” What Hanna wouldn’t give to reach through the mirror and pull him out. 

A loud computerized voice echoed in the air, counting down. “TEN… NINE… EIGHT… SEVEN…”

“DJ?!” Lui and Hanna said in unison. 

Hanna jumped into the air a few feet back and flew around the boulder. Her head swiveled, looking for any sign of her friend. “DJ!” Hanna called out, but received no answer. He’s still in there! “NO! NOOOO!” 

Hanna was about to fly back into the castle when she spotted DJ emerging from it with a large object over his shoulder just as the countdown was ending. “THREE… TWO… ONE…” The massive, stone castle exploded. 

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Three

“LUI!” Hanna called out as she flew along the hallways. “WHERE ARE YOU?!” She had no fear of coming across guards after seeing all the empty security screens back in the control room. Even if she found any, she wasn’t worried about them. She was prepared to face any threat as long as she found Lui. Where did you go? I’m sorry I got you into this mess. Hanna searched the open rooms. When she would get to a locked door, she slammed the pommel of her sword against it and called out again. No response. She was relying on DJ to figure out how to remotely open the doors for her the way his Evil Other had. Until then, Hanna was limited to the easily accessible rooms. On a good day, perhaps when Hanna was fully rested, she might have tried breaking down the doors or blasting through them with ice. But this wasn’t a good day and Hanna was in desperate need of respite. In one of the rooms, Hanna found a medic station. She stopped long enough to stash everything she could fit into her pouch. Different types and sizes of bandages, various medications, antiseptics, and an epinephrine injector. Hanna took everything. She didn’t need to. She was still relying on DJ to contact help outside the castle. Once he did, backup should be relatively quick. But Hanna took all the supplies she could find anyway. 

“LUI!” Hanna shouted again, her voice bouncing off the empty, stone halls. She worked her way down the floors, passing the traps, and through as many rooms as she could. It seemed like the direction EDJ led her through previously was completely separate from the rest of the castle. Hanna passed through living quarters, a kitchen, break rooms, gyms, and training rooms. Everything was in recent use. The food in the kitchen was still warm. But Hanna still saw no one. The uneasy feeling never left. Hanna was flying down another hall when a sound stopped her mid flight. 

“...help me…please…” a soft voice pleaded. 

Hanna turned around. “Lui?” she whispered. “LUI!” she shouted and waited for an answer. Nothing. Did I imagine it? Hanna raised the radio. “DJ, I’m two floors down. Do you see anything in the lower levels of this place?” 

*****************

What a time for Lui to go missing, DJ thought as he focused on the console controls in front of him. He’s more familiar with this sort of tech. I bet he would have easily navigated this thing and had backup on the line in seconds. At the very least, DJ was able to figure out how to pull up the 3D image of the castle. Between the holographic model and the security camera shots, he was working up a clear picture of where the different rooms were located and where Hanna was in relation to them. DJ flipped through the screens until he came to a shot of plexiglass cages. “Is that the dungeon room?” he asked himself, looking back and forth between the model and screen. Doesn’t look like a full shot. If I can find the intercom button, maybe I can- The radio buzzed with Hanna’s voice. 

DJ lifted the radio to answer. “I found the dungeon, but it looks empty as far as I can tell. I’ve looked through four of the six levels so far. No sign of Lui on any of them. I even checked the locked roo-” a noise from behind caught DJ’s attention. He spun around, instantly drawing one of EDJ’s swords, and looked over the control room. Empty. Silent. Still. DJ put the blade away and turned back to the console. Focus. Need to call for help. Need to find Lui. DJ did not see the shadow of a hidden wall panel sliding back into place. 

**********

Hanna listened. Maybe she hadn’t heard anything at all. Maybe she imagined the sound. She continued flying down the hall as she searched. The small voice returned, stopping her again. Hanna landed on the ground and listened with bated breath. “Please… help… trapped…?” It was definitely Lui, but the voice was so quiet and broken it was impossible to tell where it was coming from. 

“Lui! LUI!” Hanna shouted, trying to determine the source. “Hang on, Lui! Where are you?”

DJ buzzed in on the radio. “Did you find him?” 

“I don’t know,” Hanna answered, voice anything but calm. She spun around in circles in the middle of the hallway, unsure of which direction to take. “I think I hear him, but I don’t see him anywhere. Did you find anything on the cameras?” she asked, hoping for a bit of guidance. 

“No,” DJ answered. “I don’t see anything at all on the screens.” 

Hanna turned around again. Why can’t we find him?! I know he’s here somewhere! He should be on one of those screens or something! Please be safe, Lui, please… The grip Hanna had on the radio was tight enough that her hand shook, but she did not notice. Where are you?

Thankfully, the little voice spoke again. “Trapped… no… see… .me… this…” the soft voice said. Hanna picked a direction and followed it as quietly as she could manage. “Particles…” the disembodied voice continued. “Soul… shattered… rescue…?”

Hanna paused. “What… What are you talking about?!” she asked loudly, hoping Lui could hear her. “How can I help you?!” 

“Check… cameras… fight… particles… disappear… me… Particles… trapped… me… in… castle…” 

Hanna’s mind raced. Something's not right. What’s he talking about?! Particles. Disappearing. Trapped. Cameras. Hanna gasped and pulled up the radio. “DJ! check the cameras right after the battle. EDJ was recording everything! Maybe you can figure out what happened!” 

*************

“I’m on it.” DJ answered and set the radio down. Not seeing the commands directly at his current console, DJ went to one of the closer workstations. This workstation still had cameras filming the arena. Thankfully, EDJ was still frozen solid and had not moved from his position. DJ tapped on the keyboard, accessing the video files, and scrolled through the footage. There it is! He rewound the recording until he got to the tail end of their battle. Too far. He moved the footage forward a little, rewound again, and stopped. He watched the screen play out. That’s not possible. With a frown, DJ rewound the footage and slowed it down. Lui was there one frame and gone the next. 

“He… he really did disappear…” DJ whispered, brows furrowed. That doesn’t make any sense. DJ rewound again and slowed the feed down even further before pausing on a frame. DJ moved back  to the main console and grabbed the radio. “Hanna, Lui’s body dissolved into little particles and left the room.” DJ gave a frustrated sigh as he flopped into the large command chair. He put his head in his hands, needing a moment to stop and thoroughly contemplate the situation. Lui dissolved into particles. How? Nothing hit him. Not visibly anyway. No one else was around. Could someone have activated a remote particle transmitter? With everything else in this crazy place, I guess it would make sense for EO to have a particle transmitter on hand, even if only a handful of prototypes are in existence. But why? What am I missing? DJ took a breath and stood up. He grabbed the radio again. Maybe talking it out would help. 

“Ok,” DJ started, mostly to himself. “If EO has a particle transmitter somewhere in this castle, it’s possible Lui ended up in a part of the castle we haven’t checked yet. We still have two levels to go through. If it’s outside the castle, then it’s possible he’s not even here to begin with.” DJ squeezed his eyes shut in thought. “Then again, it’s also possible the particles wound up in an object of some kind between transmission. The range of those things is sketchy at best. This is all so weird.” DJ shook his head before looking back at the screen of Hanna standing in the hallway. She did not move. “Are you still there?” DJ asked. She still did not move. “Can you hear me?” DJ looked at the radio in his hand. DJ turned to the main console. Which one of these is the intercom? DJ held down the most promising of the buttons on the console. 

A loud, robotic voice broke the silence of the control room. “DUNGEON SELF-DESTRUCT WILL OCCUR IN FIVE MINUTES.” 

“Uh oh.”

*****************

Dissolved?! Hanna stood frozen to the ground. That doesn’t… That can’t… What have I done? How do I fix this?! How am I supposed to bring him back now? DJ’s voice was still going on the radio in the background, but Hanna wasn’t listening. He was discussing something about particles and the possibilities of Lui being inside an object. Or something along that line. Hanna’s mind was stuck on the word “dissolved” until the tiny voice returned. “...Mirror…”

Hanna’s head snapped up. Mirror? Hanna lifted from the floor and called out into the hall. “Lui! If you can hear me, say something!” She continued checking the rooms she could access. 

“Mirror… rescue? Hear… voice… louder… You…?” Lui’s voice was also growing louder, but not by much. Hanna entered a room with a bunch of furniture draped with white sheets and boxes scattered throughout. It looked like an unfinished guest room currently serving as storage space. Hanna didn’t see anything terribly out of the ordinary. 

“Lui, it's me,” Hanna called out. “I'm gonna get you out of here alright? Just hang on. Where’s the mirror?” 

“Behind… table… see… me?” the voice answered. 

Hanna went up to a large table, grabbed a corner, and pulled it out of the way so she could see the mirror behind it. It looked like any other ordinary mirror. Hanna could see her reflection and the reflection of the room, but nothing else. “Lui?” Hanna put her hand against the glass. The surface was warm. She flew back to the open door and turned off the light. In the dim room, light from within the mirror poured through and a figure on the other side could be seen. Hanna gasped. “Lui!” She flew back to the mirror and stared at it. 

Lui was on the other side, chained and looking to be in rather miserable condition. “Me… See… in… mirror?” Lui’s broken voice emanated from the mirror. 

Even this close, Hanna had trouble hearing him. She nodded slowly with a small smile. She found him. So close. So far. How did this happen? How did he get in there? How do I get him out? Hanna swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Lui… I… I'll get you out of this,” Hanna said in a somber tone. “I promise.” 

A computerized voice boomed through the castle, “DUNGEON SELF-DESTRUCT WILL OCCUR IN FIVE MINUTES.” 

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Two

-Mysterious castle; Mount Everest; Earth; May 12th, 2009-

“We should move before we lose any more time,” Hanna said as she stared down at the frozen body of EDJ with a critical eye. “That prison isn’t going to hold him forever.”

“Agreed,” DJ said with a nod “I’m sure EO still has plenty of guards around too. You mentioned a shortcut?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Hanna answered, turning around to point to an exit. “The doorway is right over-” she paused as she glanced around the arena. “...where’s Lui?” 

“Lui?” DJ echoed as he also turned to look around the room. Aside from EDJ’s frozen form, Hanna and DJ were the only ones in the arena. Even the bodies of the defeated guards were gone, having been dragged out by their injured companions a while ago. “That’s weird,” DJ said, stepping in the direction he last saw his Other. “He hasn’t said anything in a while… he’s not here…” DJ did not feel his Other’s presence. He was right here, wasn’t he? DJ turned back to Hanna with a quizzical look. “Did he leave the room?” 

“I’m not sure,” Hanna answered. “He just seemed to disappear…” Her brows scrunched together as her concern grew. Did he leave because of me?

DJ headed toward the open door on the far end of the arena and cautiously poked his navy-haired head out. The doorway opened into a hall. He looked both directions, but saw no one. “Lui?” DJ softly called out, not wanting to draw too much attention. He did not get an answer. DJ pulled back into the arena and walked toward Hanna. A small, green object on the ground caught his attention. DJ stopped to pick it up. 

“Did you find him?” Hanna asked, still standing guard over EDJ. 

DJ slowly shook his head as he stared down at the green and black string bracelet he picked up. He disappeared, Hanna’s words replayed in his thoughts. Where could he have gone? A feeling of unease started to creep in, but DJ dismissed it as he returned to cryomancer. “You should probably hold on to this until we find him,” DJ said, handing over the wristband. 

Hanna took the familiar object, eyes widening. “If something bad happened to him,” Hanna whispered. She shook her head, unable to finish the thought. “This is all my fault… everything… none of this should have happened.” The tears threatened again. 

“I prefer to blame EO in these kinds of situations,” DJ commented, voice calm and even as he glanced down at the frozen Evil Other. Talking about things that never should have happened… “I’m sure Lui’s still in the castle somewhere,” DJ reassured. “I can only imagine what’s going through his head right now after everything that’s happened.” Too much of a reminder. “Maybe he needed some time alone,” DJ finished. 

“You don’t think he trusts me?” Hanna asked. 

“I think he was hurt,” DJ clarified. “But not to the point of total loss of trust. Maybe he went to look for a way out.” 

“Or maybe one of the guards found him,” Hanna said, tone becoming anxious. 

DJ frowned. “I hope not.” Settling on a course of action, DJ spoke again. “Let’s go find that control room.” 

Nodding, Hanna pointed to the doorway closest to them. “This way.” She tucked the little bracelet into a pocket. 

Readying his lance again just in case, DJ opened the door and went through first. Hanna paused, looking back at the frozen EDJ, as though to verify he wouldn’t cause any more harm in his current state. She debated whether to put another layer of ice over him or to leave him as is. 

“Hanna?” DJ whispered, already a third of the way down the hall.

“Right, sorry!” Hanna let the door close and followed DJ. This hall was narrower than the previous one DJ checked, but he was still wary of stumbling upon any guards who might be loyal to EDJ. 

“You ok?” DJ asked Hanna, still in a hushed voice. “If you’re still recovering, you can hang back. I’ll take care of whatever we come across.” 

“Pfft, I’m not letting you take on the rest of EDJ’s guards by yourself,” Hanna countered, though she leaned against the wall as she walked. 

DJ gave her a dubious look. “Do you need a shoulder to lean on?” he asked. 

“Thank you for the offer. I can always use my friends’ help,” Hanna answered sweetly, but made no move to accept his assistance. “Thank you for coming to save me,” Hanna continued, tone more somber. “You and Lui were there when I needed you the most… I’m sorry for turning you away.” 

“I told you already, you’re completely forgiven.” DJ glanced back at Hanna, but continued forward down the hall. “Tell me what’s ahead of us,” he requested. “I didn’t get a good look inside the control room. How many guards should we expect?” 

Hanna thought for a moment, recollecting what she saw. “There weren’t many guards at all,” she answered. “At least not when I was there. There were about a dozen techs with maybe three or four guards. The room is mostly filled with work stations and tv screens. More like a command center on a sci-fi ship or something.” Seeing the end of the shortcut, she added, “This door leads out into another hallway. The control room will be on your left.” 

DJ nodded before pushing through the door. The hallway was clear so he moved on to the control room. The guards were nowhere to be seen, but three techs were still in the room. They raised their hands as soon as they saw DJ and Hanna enter.  

“We’re taking your boss into custody,” DJ said, addressing the techs. “I suggest you either stick around long enough for the authorities to get here or hightail it off this mountain.” 

The techs quickly made their way out of the room, leaving DJ and Hanna alone. DJ put away the lance and walked up to the massive screens behind a sizable desk. He watched the monitors, seeing the techs go up and down the halls as they made their escape. DJ frowned. “He’s been keeping an eye on everything this whole time.” 

Hanna nodded. Noticing a tray of untouched snack food on EDJ’s desk, Hanna helped herself. She grabbed and stashed everything she could fit into the satchel on her belt while simultaneously taking bites of the more perishable foods. “Hey,” she said to get DJ’s attention. “Eat while you can.” Hanna tossed an apple, which DJ caught. Food supplies safely stowed, Hanna stepped up and pointed at one of the screens. “That’s the arena we were just in,” she said, unwrapping a massive chocolate chip cookie and munching on it. DJ nodded, taking a bite of the apple and moving to one of the tech stations. Hanna glanced at the station that used to have the big red button on it, but the button was missing. Perhaps it had been locked back up. When did that happen? 

“If the guards did catch Lui,” DJ started, already halfway through the apple as he turned back to Hanna. “Where would they have taken him?” 

“The dungeon,” Hanna answered in fair confidence. “EDJ had a whole bunch of plexiglass cages in there. I can’t think of anywhere else they would keep him.”

DJ finished the apple and started tapping away on the keyboard in front of him. “This isn’t it.” He moved to another station and did the same thing. “Not this one either.” DJ moved back to the main desk. “One of these has to be…” One of the monitor screens flickered as it started switching between cameras. “There we go!” He flipped between cameras and angles. 

The more screens they went through, the heavier the feeling of unease settled in the pit of Hanna’s stomach. It was either dread or the half-eaten cookie. Something’s wrong. “Where is everybody?” Hanna asked. There was no sign of life on any of the screens after the remaining technicians ran off. Where were the guards? Where was EDJ’s army? Where were all the workers? Every room was empty. Even Stitches was missing.

“I don’t know,” DJ answered with a perplexed frown. “It’s a bit disconcerting…”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Hanna muttered. She started exploring the rest of the room while DJ fiddled with the console on the main desk. There was a door nearby, but it was locked. Hanna checked the other technician stations. One of them had a number of radios charging on docking stations. She grabbed two radios and set them to the same frequency, testing that they worked before heading back to DJ. “Here.” Hanna handed one of the radios to him. “I’m no good with tech and I hate sitting around. You stay here and figure out what you can. I’ll start sweeping the castle for Lui.” 

DJ was about to ask if she was up to it after the battle, but the look on Hanna’s face indicated that might not be a question worth asking. She acted like an entirely different person when she had an objective to focus on. “Got it,” he answered. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.” 

Hanna nodded. “Your EO was using drones and a PA system in addition to all the cameras. Good luck figuring it out.” With that, Hanna opened her black wings, took flight, and left the control room. 

Headstrong, that one. DJ smiled. He looked back at the console in front of him. The computer was easy enough to figure out. It was all the extra buttons, sliders, dials, and switches that concerned him. Why is none of this labeled? 

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-One

-Headquarters of the Organization of Rebellious Others; Thorae; May 12th, 2009-

Jester watched the screen in front of him with wide red eyes. “No way,” he whispered in disbelief. He suddenly shoved away from the desk and grabbed his communication device. “ACE! Ace! It’s happening!” Jester repeated in excitement as soon as the recipient picked up. 

“Wha-” the voice on the other end said groggily. “Slow down, what’s happening?” 

“It! The thing! The thing we’ve been waiting for!” Jester answered, barely able to contain himself. “The events are unfolding as they were recorded!” 

There was a pause on the other end. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes!” Jester frowned and went back to the computer. He typed a bunch of numbers and hit send. “Check the coordinates I just sent. It’s happening exactly as it’s supposed to. The catalyst disappeared. We found our weapon.” 

There was another long pause as Ace processed the information. “Good,” he finally said. “We need to inform Axaeus and then wait.”

“He’s still somewhere on Earth,” Jester answered. “There may be a bit of a delay, but I can ping him.” Jester typed a few more commands before he turned back to the screen. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the feed. “How do the rest of them get to Thorae?” Jester asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Ace answered. “I think an agent is supposed to contact them and show them the way.” 

“An agent of mine or of yours?” Jester asked. 

“Couldn’t tell ya,” Ace answered. “The records were fuzzy.”

Jester leaned back in his chair. “Well, how long is that going to take?” Jester asked, propping his feet on the desk and folding his arms. 

“Maybe a few hours. A few days. Maybe even a week,” Ace responded casually. 

“A week?!” Jester sat up straight. “I’m not waiting that long.” 

“Bro,” Ace said with a warning in his tone. “What are you doing?” 

Jester clicked away on the keyboard with a sly grin. “I’m going to speed things up a bit.” 

“Are you crazy?!” Ace exploded on the other side of the communication device. “You know what will happen if we interrupt the sequence. We could fail the entire mission!” 

Jester rolled his eyes. “The mission was scrapped as soon as Axaeus realized what year we showed up in. It’s not our fault they sent us back too early.” 

“Jester,” Ace said again with forceful warning in his voice. “This is serious. They could send a clean up crew. We’re talking about a reparator here.”

Jester ignored Ace and continued clicking away. “I have waited four years for this moment,” Jester responded. “Our entire existence depends on those heroes. I’m not waiting here another second.” Jester paused and turned his attention back to the device. “Now, you can either come with me and make sure the heroes cooperate or you can tuck tail and run back to our Original. Your choice.”

“Fine,” Ace answered grumpily, finally giving in. “I’m going with you, but this is a bad idea.” 

Jester resumed typing. “Yeah, well, if they wanted to fix history, they shouldn’t have messed up by sending us in the first place.” 

“Fair point.” Ace sighed on the other end. “Just let me do all the talking. We don’t want to scare them.” 

Jester scoffed. “They should be scared. All of humanity rests on their shoulders. The fate of multiple worlds hangs in the balance and they don’t have a clue!” Jester took on a more serious tone. “They have no idea what’s coming for them.” 

“Just wait for me to get there before you do anything,” Ace responded. “I’ll meet you at the gate.” 

**************************

-Mysterious castle; Mount Everest; Earth; May 12th, 2009-

Eoin stared at the screens with a ball of dread sitting in his stomach. This isn’t good. Eoin leaned over one of the techs. “I need the last five minutes of that fight on an external, please.” 

The tech nodded, splicing away at the video feed and copying the portion over to an external drive. As soon as the file finished copying over, the tech removed the drive and handed it to Eoin. The assistant took the drive and immediately left the room. Grabbing a coat, Eoin made his way out of the castle, only stopping long enough to yell at a group of guards that were on break. He went to a dead tree and pulled out a radio from the empty trunk. 

Turning the radio on and dialing in to a specific frequency, Eoin raised the device to his face. “Echo to Charlie Sierra, repeat, Echo to Charlie Sierra. Come in.”

The radio came to life with a burst of static. “Charlie Sierra to Echo, we read you.” 

“Stand by for video transfer.” 

“Copy. Standing by.” 

Eoin plugged the drive into his laptop and typed a few commands in before a progress bar appeared. The assistant hugged his core and bounced a little, trying to keep himself warm in the snow while waiting for the file to finish transferring. 

The radio buzzed again. “Transfer complete. File received. Requesting risk assessment.”

Eoin paused with a frown before answering. “Type Three.” 

“Repeat?”

“Type Three,” Eoin repeated. “Failed to contain. Requesting additional resources.” 

“Resources en route. Be advised, ETA 2300.”  

Eoin turned his watch over. 1530. “Copy.” 

Once the transmission was finished, Eoin headed back inside the castle. He got to the control room and watched the screens. The heroes hadn’t moved from the arena, but he was expecting them to do so any minute now. Eoin went to the head of security. “Casey, was it?” the assistant asked. The burly security lead nodded. “We need to evacuate all personnel without drawing attention,” Eoin continued. “Get everyone out through the tunnels and don’t let the heroes see you.” Casey raised a ruddy brow, but nodded and left the room. Eoin looked back at the screens with a frown. So much for keeping things under control. 

**************************

Sarah was in the middle of feeding the clown fish when her pager went off. She checked the device before shoving it into a pocket. Sarah climbed down from the tank ladder, wiping her hands on her coveralls, and met a guard outside the room. 

“What’s going on?” she asked as the guard ushered the other employees along. 

“Bad news,” the guard replied. “Boss got taken down by the heroes. We’re getting out of here before they come for us.” 

“EDJ got taken down?!” Sarah asked, tucking a lock of curly, dark hair behind her ear. 

“Yup,” the guard answered. “Better hurry up and get to the tunnel before you get left behind.” 

“Right, thanks for the info.” Sarah left the guard, but did not head in the direction she was told. Instead, she ducked into a restroom and pulled out her phone. 

When the person on the other end answered, Sarah said, “I need a teleport back to HQ. … Yes, right now would be great. …Thank you!” Sarah hung up and patiently waited in place. I need to contact Misty.