The Phoenix Fallacy_Book II_Norm

by Jon Sourbeer,

“Hmmm, I had no idea Middleton was so…sentimental.” Norm said. He looked at the Adepts, “Well, we don’t have much time. If Middleton starts connecting the dots, we could be in for serious trouble.”

  Rogers jumped in, “Agreed. Norm, grab whatever you need, and get ready to leave. We will be heading back to Valhalla as soon as morning arrives.”

  “But what about—” Janus caught himself, Clara. Celes looked at him in dismay, but Norm looked pleased. Rogers’ eyes narrowed. “That’s not your call, Lieutenant. The Praetor was very explicit in this regard – now that we have secured Norm, we should head back.”

  “No.”

  Both Janus and Rogers turned to look at Norm in surprise. Janus didn’t know how to react to it – torn as he was.

  “What?” Rogers was flabbergasted.

  “I’m afraid that we will not be leaving without Clara,” Norm said.

  “Why?” Janus was shocked he even asked the question, while the Adepts looked at Norm in surprise and alarm.

  Norm smiled, that same sad smile the Praetor had worn – that look of awful loss and of terrible lessons – and it disturbed Janus greatly.

  “Let’s just say that I have obligations that must be fulfilled,” Norm stated simply.

  “What makes you think that we won’t simply pull you out of here?” Rogers asked.

  Norm sighed, “Because you would find it extremely difficult once the slummers caught wind of it. Because even if you could, no matter what you did to me, I would not talk, because I have seen and experienced far worse in my lifetime. Because you would be making a terrible mistake leaving her behind and creating a far worse vulnerability than you know. But we both know it would never come to that, Captain.”

  Rogers spoke softly, “Why?”

  “Because you have a conscience.”

  Janus felt odd, listening to those words. It was why he was so torn – to save Clara – to risk his friends.

  “However,” Norm’s pause brought him back to reality, “That does not change our immediate problem. How to get you to Clara…?” He paused. “Without any sort of Identification Card, you will not even be allowed on the lift.”

  “Can you do anything to help, Norm?” Celes asked concernedly.

  Norm looked reflectively at the moldy book lying next to him on, “Perhaps, although it will be difficult with so many of you.”

  Janus quickly interjected, “Captain Rogers and his squad will remain here as back-up.”

  Rogers eyes narrowed, but after a moment, he agreed.

  Norm grunted, “Well…that will help.”

  The Adepts bedded down for the night crammed into Norm’s small space, still wearing the rags over their armor. While the others slept, Norm and Janus spoke late into the night, pondering the possibilities for reaching Clara, the darkness slowly creeping closer around them.

  Janus pulled out the small golden locket he now wore on his neck. “Norm, can you tell me anything about this…?”

  Norm’s eyes widened slightly and he said, “Ah…”, but the look quickly passed and he said, “…the locket. What do you know about it?”

  Janus shrugged, “Nothing really. Clara wore it for many years, and she never let me even look at it. When I was younger, I apparently took it off her neck once while she was sleeping and started playing with it. When she woke, she apparently gave me such a scolding that I wouldn’t even look at the thing. She told me she felt terrible about it afterwards, but it didn’t change her policy. I always assumed it was something extremely precious and sentimental to her, and she couldn’t afford to lose it… but in the note she said it belonged to me. And there is this writing on the back, with my name.” Janus held up the inscription on the back so Norm could see, and the old man peered intently as the scrawling.

  May Janus remind you

  Norm shook his head sadly, saying, “What else?”

  “There are two pictures inside,” Janus opened the locket, “but I can only make out the woman over here.”

  He held the locket out for Norm to see and Norm raised his eyebrows, “A very beautiful woman,” he said with a smile.

  Janus began speaking faster, as if losing a bit of his self-control. “I knew from early age that I wasn’t Clara’s biological son, but I had no memory of my parents, so I didn’t mind. And Clara has been as good as a real mother to me, better than most probably, when you look at our situation. But if this locket is mine, I’ve been thinking about it and I was wondering if maybe…maybe this woman in the locket is my real mother. And if she is, what happened to her? Clara told me that she found me, but she never really seemed to want to give me the specifics. She always just told me…” Janus put his head down to hide his embarrassment, his eyes shifting to the sleeping group, “that I was the best find she ever made.”

  Norm smiled, “Clara cares for you deeply, but I can only speculate why she didn’t give you the locket earlier. She wants you to have it now, though.” His eyes once again returned to the locket, “I don’t think I can add anything at the moment to what you already know. Perhaps once you reach Clara, you can have a more frank discussion with her. But now, you should get some rest, as there is much to be done tomorrow.”

  Janus agreed, and found a small open patch on the floor to stretch out on. It seemed comfortable and familiar to him – and the temperature was just right. In moments, he was fast asleep.

  Celes lay awake, her back to Janus and Norm. As the group’s soft snores filled the room, she closed her eyes, pondering the conversation she had just heard.

  “You know, Lady Celes, you should get some rest. Tomorrow will be a difficult day,” Norm whispered softly. Celes rolled over to look at him in surprise. She was just able to make out his small frame in the dark, resting in the aging chair. “Don’t worry, you have nothing to fear.” With a turn of his head he added, “Captain, you should rest as well. Nothing ill will befall you during the night.”

  A surprised, but amused grunt emanated from the direction of Captain Rogers, and Celes felt strangely reassured. She closed her eyes again, and slumber soon overtook her.

  Norm awoke the party after only a few hours rest.

  “You are going to need to strip all of your Adept armor off. We can’t risk you being discovered. The whole corporation has been in an uproar since Alastor’s death. Word spread quickly, and now there is talk of war – it is unprecedented. At least, since Phoenix.” Norm shook his head, “Middleton has been whispering about the attack on Titan’s mining facility, and suggesting that Titan blames Cerberus for the attack, and that it hired you for revenge. She has been trying to pin the blame on Adepts for Alastor’s death ever since she returned,” Norm said.

  The Adepts exchanged doubtful looks with one another. Lyn chimed in, “But why do that? Isn’t she is working secretly with Delacroix? Besides, Titan didn’t lose its mining operation – it completely routed our forces.”

  Norm looked concerned, “I don’t know. But for right now, our current priority has to be Clara.” He pointed to the far side of the room, “The piles of clothes in the corner are for your team. I have been collecting those for months now. I figured you would come back with others, although Ramirez might have trouble finding anything that will fit him particularly well. I suppose that will make it more convincing, though,” Norm added as an afterthought. He tapped his chin. “No offense to the clothes you brought, but they are in far too good condition, and they might attract attention. Slummers might not notice, but there is an ST or two sharp enough to spot flak armor when they see it, even if it is ripped to shreds. Captain, you and your team can remain in your armor, since you will not be traveling to the higher levels.”

  Lyn and Celes both looked at the pile of clothes and pulled off their flak rags. As Celes began to undo the collar of her armor, Janus and Marcus grew wide-eyed. Celes blushed and turned away and Lyn gave Ramirez a harsh look. He quickly herded the surprised pair outside the room. Norm, Rogers, and the other Adepts followed, leaving the two girls to change. When they
exited the room, Janus, Marcus, and Ramirez all quickly went in and exchanged their armor for the rags. A sharp smell emanated from the fetid clothes – Norm must have gathered them from a particularly foul heap. Janus chuckled at Marcus, who twisted his nose at the rank odor.

  “You can bring your weapons, for now,” Norm said when they emerged. “You will have to leave them with Captain Rogers when you separate, but there is no point in not being prepared while we travel to the lifts. Take the water pouches on the wall as well. If you are going to be factory workers, you may as well look the part.”

  With that, Norm beckoned them into the eternal twilight of the slums.

  Chapter 25: The Forges of Cerberus

  Dim lights shone along the squalid streets, casting strange shadows with the flickering fires. A crowd waited at the gates of Styx, ready to travel to the lifts. There was safety in numbers. At the appointed hour, the gates creaked and cranked open under the guidance of the guards and people streamed out in multiple directions, heading for the lifts to which they had been given access. Janus knew some would be gone for days – the journey to some of lifts would take many hours, and factory shifts were long and hard. The men and women wore grim, tired looks. Norm moved slowly, letting the main group slip ahead.

  Norm spoke quietly, “With Alastor’s death, the protection around the lifts has become chaotic. Moving to the highest levels is nearly impossible, even for those with access. I’ve been completely cut off. But there are conflicting instructions being given to the ST guards – Cerberus needs more troops, and more weapons, if it comes to war. Recruitment has stepped up, even beyond what you saw when you left, Janus. This means that the factory levels are still open to us, even for those who don’t normally have access. The flow of people is intense, and nothing would get done if the STs tried to stop everyone. If we stick with the main group, we can reach the factory levels.”

  Janus interjected, “True, but we still won’t have access to the higher levels. How will reaching the factory level help us?”

  Norm shook his head with a smile, “This plan already has enough holes in it, I don’t want to hear you analyzing it yet. I have an idea to get you higher, but I need to see it again before I will know for sure. It has been a long time since I was last there. Just trust me for now.” He straightened and peeked over a small garbage pile. “This is where we leave you, Captain. We are approaching the station and the last thing we need is for the S.T.s to get suspicious. Take the weapons and head back to Styx, you will be safest there.” Captain Rogers raised his eyebrows in protest, but Norm cut him off, “No insulting your capabilities, Captain, I have no doubt you would win a fight. But you might be surprised what it might cost you, and the last thing we need is for any unwanted attention coming our way. I have already instructed Sara to take care of you as best she can.”

  Rogers saluted Janus, and nodded to Norm, “Good luck, to all of you. Honor and Victory.”

  “Honor and Victory,” Janus murmured back, as Rogers and the Wraiths faded into the shadows, following their instincts.

  Norm drove Janus and his team to catch the small group of straggling slummers. The six quickly fell into line, winding their way through the lonely streets until the pulsing obsidian rock of the lift came into view. A line of slummers stretched from the door, and the black and purple armored S.T.s outside paid little attention to the struggling people, seeming almost bored in their duties.

  All the better for us, Janus thought.

  It took an age to get inside, and when they did, the crush of bodies was immense. Norm gulped and breathed deeply before leaping into the press. A constant flow of slummers moved onto the lifts that formed the outer ring of the station. More lifts were active, moving many slummers to the factories. But across the way, over the heads of the crowd, Janus could see many of the gates for the highest levels of the city were closed, and locked, guarded by more S.T.s than Janus could ever remember seeing within the confine of the station. There was even an Infernus prowling amongst them.

  Norm’s breathing became ragged as they pressed deeper. “What’s wrong with Norm?” Marcus asked quietly.

  “He doesn’t like being enclosed by crowds like this,” Janus said in a low voice.

  “That would be a problem,” Marcus whispered. Lyn and Ramirez agreed, “I don’t think we’re going to move through this anytime soon,” Lyn spoke softly.

  Janus was at a loss. Norm’s condition was getting worse. His breathing was becoming louder and others in the crowd were starting to look at him. Celes, however, wormed her way forward through the crowd, and grabbed Norm’s hand tightly. He stared at her in surprise and she smiled at him, patting him gently on the arm in the limited space. He nodded his appreciation and his breathing slowed.

  As another lift descended, the crowd roiled. Janus felt the mass push forward, trying to get onto the lift. A moment later, a counter push sent the mass backward, as the slummers at the front struggled to prevent themselves from being pushed under the lift and crushed.

  The STs shoved the crowd forward again as the lift locked into place, and Janus found himself in a stream of people jetting aboard. Grabbing Celes’ hand, he pulled her into the stream too, and the little group was swept onto the lift, and moved to the edge.

  Janus whispered to Norm, “That was quite a bit easier than I remember.”

  “Well, we aren’t done yet,” he breathed as the lift slowly accelerated. Relief was evident on his face – the lift was still crowded, but the STs had limited the numbers, quickly shoving back the crowd as the lift had filled. “We still have to get off on the factory level – but I have a few tricks up my sleeve in case there is trouble.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Marcus spoke in a hushed tone, “Walking into Cerberus unarmed like this is worse than that time Hawkes suited up in S.T. armor and fought us one on one,” he paused, “What did we call it again?”

  “The night of a thousand bruises,” Celes chimed in softly.

  “Ah, yes,” Marcus reminisced. “Good times,” he joked.

  The lift slowed and stopped at the factory level and the rest of the slummers departed. Norm waved for the team to keep up. They had hardly exited the lift before it silently dropped away, heading back for the slums. The S.T.s here, however, were alert – far more than their counterparts below. One immediately motioned for Norm and the team to step to the side.

  Janus hacked into his dirty sleeve, making a hand motion to his team.

  Be read—

  Janus stopped, staring at Norm, whose own hand was signaling behind his back:

  Stay calm. In control.

  Janus was bewildered. Delacroix, now Norm. How did everyone know their signals? But Janus had to trust Norm, for Clara…

  The S.T. waved them over, asking imperiously, “And what business do you have on the factory level? I haven’t seen you pass through here before.”

  Norm kept his head lowered as he spoke, “Sorry, sir, but I work on the upper levels as a servant and I heard that Cerberus was searching for additional S.T.s to fill key roles. My friends wanted to join up.”

  The S.T. eyed them through his visor, “Figured you’d get out of the slums just like that, eh? Think that we live padded lives? Well, we’re not taking trash like you anymore – mudfish garbage. We met our quota for today.” The S.T. glanced at the lift, “Don’t know why the idiots down there keep letting you on.”

  Norm suddenly looked towards another S.T. overseeing the factory guards. “Lieutenant! Lieutenant Simms!” he shouted loudly.

  The S.T. perked up and swiveled his head around, finally settling his gaze on Norm, who was waving his hand in the air. He came hustling over. The Adepts looked at Norm shrewdly.

  “Norm! Good to see you!” The S.T. said warmly. Janus had a hard time masking his surprise.

  Lt. Simms turned to glare at the threatening S.T., “Is there a problem, here?”

  The imperious manner instantly dissipated, “Uh, well, sir… this… gentlemen and his friends
are trying to get access to the factory level for S.T. recruitment.”

  Norm jumped in, “I had heard that there were a few spots left for S.T.s, and although I already have a position and I certainly couldn’t fill the role of an S.T., I was hoping that I could get my friends out of the slums by getting them into the Cerberus Security Forces.”

  Simms lifted his visor, smiling warmly. “Well, I don’t know how you get your information, Norm, and I am fairly certain it is wrong this time, but I don’t see the problem in letting you try. I’m almost positive they won’t take anyone else for a while. But I owe you a lot more than this for your… assistance.”

  “But sir!”

  “Oh shut up, Gibbs. I’ve heard enough of your slummer nonsense. He’s an old man who has been a servant here for Cerberus knows how many years – how much trouble could he possibly cause? Search em’ for weapons, but let em’ through,” he winked at Norm, “Hope you can help your friends. Stay sharp, you wily old man.”

  Norm smiled back, “I plan to. Stay out of trouble, Lieutenant.”

  Simms waved as he left. The disgruntled guard did a quick weapons scan and patted them down and waved them through.

  When they had significantly enough distance between them and the security checkpoint, Celes spat in disgust and muttered under her breath. Lyn cursed. Janus stared at the pair in surprise. Celes glared at him and said, “That S.T. certainly didn’t seem to find a problem with me being a slummer when he was patting me down.”

  Janus gulped and turned to Norm, “What was that about Norm? How did we get through that checkpoint?”

  “And how long have you known the ODIN hand signals? No one is supposed to know those – they were introduced to ODIN by the Praetor himself,” Lyn asked.

  Norm looked surprised, “I have known the hand signals for a while. I did not realize they were specific to ODIN.” He paused, collecting his thoughts, “Simms is a bright and capable man, enough so that I was able to get him into an S.T. position, long before Cerberus started grabbing slummers for their army. I have kept track of him since then through various connections over the years. I discovered recently that he had been promoted to a lieutenant and was the head of this checkpoint. I counted on that to get us through if we were stopped.”