Cloak (YA Fantasy)

by James Gough

  The new route wasn’t much better. Hauling smoked pork through the halls near the herbivore eatery wasn’t making any friends. They held the bags tightly and hurried along to stay ahead of the angry coughs. Worse, the bacon smell was making Will’s stomach grumble with hunger.

  At the elevator, Flores tapped the down button several times. The doors started to slide shut but stopped. Long, claw-tipped fingers pulled them open again. The sleek, fiery-headed ISPA fox enchant stepped in, her fierce orange eyes boring a hole through Will.

  “Yvonne Liska,” growled Rizz, and pulled Will behind him. The elevator began to descend. “I heard the ISPA sicced its attack dog on St. Grimm’s.”

  “It’s nice to see you too, Rizz.” She flashed a gleaming set of pointed teeth. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Not long enough.”

  Liska lifted her nose and inhaled. “Mmm, delicious. Starting a new diet, Rizz? Or is all that bacon for your little friend there? Don’t be alarmed, Wilhelm. I won’t bite.”

  “How do you know his name?” Rizz stepped forward.

  “Simple, I read the papers.” She held up a copy of The New Wik Times. “Well done keeping him hidden, by the way. Special Branch is doing a bang up job, as usual.”

  “He’s none of your concern. Wilhelm is under Special Branch authority,” stated Agent Flores, his face blending into the wall.“Hold your tongue, lizard.” Liska eyed Flores viciously. “I’m afraid little Wilhelm is my concern now. I’m in charge of the Builder investigation and this boy is either a witness, or an accomplice. He is now a person of interest.” She held up the front page photo of Will and the Builders. “He looks awfully calm in the face of certain death. Don’t you think? Gerbil enchants are normally much more timid than this.”

  “Listen, Liska,” snarled Rizz, “You have all the statement you’re gonna get from Will. So back off.”

  “We’ll see.” Deputy Director Liska shrugged.

  The elevator doors slid open. Rizz, Will, and Flores pushed past her and marched down the hall.

  “It was nice to meet you, Wilhelm,” called Liska in a silken voice. “I’m sure I’ll see you again very soon.” The doors closed.

  Rizz and Flores were distracted after the encounter with Deputy Director Liska. They didn’t even notice when the oozy earthworm enchant at waste disposal wrapped himself around the bags and slurped down a piece of bacon, promising to incinerate the rest.

  When they arrived in the library, Mrs. Morton, the librarian, shushed them for walking across the stone floor too loudly. Dr. Noctua, Agent Manning, and Agent Das were already seated at a table near the reference section.

  “We’ve got trouble,” said Rizz as they joined the other agents. He was shushed by the librarian moth enchant, who’d flown up to sort encyclopedias. Rizz dropped his voice to a whisper and told the team about Liska. “I think she suspects something with the kid.”

  “But how?”

  “No clue.” Rizz shrugged. “But we need to keep her away from Will. Something’s not right.”

  They strategized the best way to deal with Liska until Dr. Noctua cleared his throat.

  “Agents, need I remind you why we are here?” he whispered, nodding toward Will. The discussion of Liska ceased. All eyes were on Will.

  “So,” whispered Dr. Noctua, his face pressing close. “You’ve come to a decision?”

  “Yes,” said Will softly. “I want to do it.”

  “What?” asked Manning.

  “He said he’s going to do it,” repeated Rizz. He received an angry shhh from Mrs. Morton. “That’s great, kid.”

  “So, what do I have to do now? I mean, to be naturalized?”

  “The first step is to visit a friend of mine,” said Dr. Noctua. “I took the liberty of making an appointment for you already.”

  “But how did you know I’d choose to be naturalized?”

  There was a twinkle in Dr. Noctua’s yellow eyes, and he clicked his beak. “Let’s just call it doctor’s intuition. You are wise for your age, Wilhelm, but you are not afraid to take a risk. Boldness and a sense of adventure are some of your most defining traits, but it was good for you to discover that for yourself.”

  “When is the appointment?” whispered Rizz.

  Noctua plucked an old-fashioned watch from his pocket. “Fifteen minutes, to be precise.”

  Will thought he’d have a bit more time to prepare.

  “Okay, kid.” Rizz clapped him on the shoulder. “Are you ready to become an enchant? Figuratively speaking.”

  “Geronimo,” Will squeaked.

  He was shushed by the librarian

  “Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

  Will ducked just in time to avoid colliding with a pointy-faced insect woman speed-walking on the ceiling.

  “Sorry,” Will called over his shoulder. The three hours of sleep were taking their toll. His head was full of pudding and his legs felt disconnected as he staggered down the winding tunnel.

  “Late night?” smirked Rizz at Will’s side. “I should have warned you about hanging out with nocturnes. It can really take it out of you.”

  Will stared at Rizz. “You knew?”

  “I hear things.”

  “And the bacon?”

  Rizz shook his head. “No clue on that one.”

  “Will I be in trouble for going out?”

  “Officially, I’m supposed to be very concerned if I hear of you participating in any dangerous activities. Off the record, did you have fun?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “Good to hear it. But can you do me a favor?”

  “What?”

  “Next time you drop ice cream on old Bump the grump, don’t miss.” Rizz stepped aside as another early morning ceiling walker sped past listening to headphones.

  “But, how did you know?” sputtered Will.

  Rizz raised a brow and sped up.

  “Wait.” Will had to jog to stay with him.

  They’d just started down a long curving slope when they heard a loud bang. The sound came from somewhere down the tunnel.

  Kaya and Rizz quickly stepped in front of Will and Dr. Noctua while Manning and Flores covered them from behind.

  “I already told you how it happened; we were jumped in the hall.” Cylus’ cold voice echoed through the corridor. “Isn’t that right, Wart?”

  “Uh-huh. Yep, that’s how it happened. They snuck up on us in the dark. We was just minding our own business when wham!”

  “But what happened to the fang?” asked Dr. Bump in his high voice. “We could replace it much sooner if we had the fang.”

  “I don’t know where it is.”

  “But you must have some idea who attacked you?”

  Cylus rounded the corner holding an icepack to his mouth. “It was dark.” Cylus locked eyes with Will. “But I’ll know him when I find him. And I will find him.”

  Will returned the glare, daring him to come closer. The stare-down lasted until Manning and Rizz stepped forward. Cylus flinched and flipped his hood over his head.

  “Was that a threat, young man?” squeaked Bump, trying to catch up with Cylus and Wart. “I will not stand for intimidation in this hospital. Hey, where are you going? Don’t turn your back on me.”

  Dr. Bump chased Cylus and his sidekick up the hallway.

  “What was that all about?” Kaya eyed Will.

  He shrugged and looked at his feet.

  Kaya narrowed her gaze.

  “Oh, look at the time—don’t want to be late.” Rizz stepped forward and led the way down the corridor.

  They gathered around a red stone arch with a round oak door marked Research and Development.

  Rizz knocked, but instead of wood, a metallic clank echoed. “Dr. Dervis replaced the doors with titanium for security,” he explained to Will. “He is a bit paranoid since the explosion. See, this used to be Dr. Josef Grimm’s lab.”

  “Who’s there?” A nervous voice sounded from a hidden speaker.

  �
�Dr. Dervis, it’s Xavier Noctua. I’m here with Wilhelm Tuttle and friends.”

  “Friends? You mean those government lackeys who follow you everywhere? You got my note on that, Xavier. They’re double agents, all of them.”

  “Elham, I assure you they are perfectly trustworthy. I vouch for each of them myself,” said Dr. Noctua, clicking his beak.

  There was a long silence as they waited.

  Five minutes later Dr. Noctua lifted his cane and pressed the buzzer.

  “What?”

  “Dervis,” rasped the doctor. “Might I have a word in private?”

  There was another pause. “Fine. But just you.” With a heavy clang, the door slid upward into the ceiling. “Come in. Come in. Hurry.”

  As soon as Dr. Noctua crossed the threshold, the door slammed behind him.

  Twenty long minutes later, Dr. Noctua appeared and ushered Will and the agents inside. Will barely got out of the way of the closing door.

  The R&D lab was as big as a habitat chamber, but it was entirely constructed of metal. Gadgets and equipment cluttered several long worktables. On some tables lay robotic pieces of bodies, all in different stages of completion. Several prosthetics were moving on their own. A giant mechanical whale’s tale supported by cables swam slowly in the air. Rows of artificial wings hung from the ceiling, flapping like a flock of bodiless birds. Various tails—some furry, others scaly—wagged from a rack on the wall. A round pool took up a large portion of the far side of the arena-like lab. Built over the water was some kind of obstacle course. It had steel balance beams, metallic climbing walls, as well as swinging pendulums with huge balls and ladders that soared thirty feet in the air.

  “What’s that?” Will nudged Rizz.

  “Just a prosthetic testing course.”

  Will stared at the course and the water lapping against it. His knees wobbled. Why water? He gave the pool a wide berth.

  Ahead, an army of silver mannequins of every shape and size stood at attention in an alcove. Some sported realistic-looking limbs and wings—a seven-foot lizard dummy was fitted with a scaly tail that twitched on its own. Three identical grasshopper enchant mannequins wore antennae that followed every footfall on the metallic floor.

  From the back of the line, one mannequin moved forward, working its way through the rows. As it advanced, other mannequins slid to the side. A pinkish tentacle wrapped around its waist, pushing it through the crowd. More fleshy tentacles shoved and pulled the obstructing mannequins out of the way.

  “Haven’t needed a gerbilchant model in quite some time. Had to bring it up from storage.” The silver figure of a teenage boy halted in front of Will. From behind it a giant squid enchant emerged, wiping his tentacles on his lab coat. His eyes darted from face to face. “Is this Wilhelm?” He poked a tentacle at Will. “You trust him?”

  “I do indeed.” Dr. Noctua clipped his beak.

  The squid enchant studied Will with a saucer-sized eye. “Fine, I’ll see what I can do for him.” Dr. Dervis compared the mannequin to Will. “It’s a bit short.” Two ten-foot tentacles wrapped around the model and pulled. The metal screeched and stretched apart. Dervis measured again. “Better.”

  “Always the perfectionist, Dervis.” Dr. Noctua’s eyes twinkled. “Wilhelm, meet Dr. Elham Dervis.”

  “It’s Will. Nice to meet you.” Will held out his hand for the enchant tap.

  “What are you doing?” Dervis pulled his tentacle back. “Do you know how many germs are exchanged during a limb tap? I thought you said he was trustworthy, Noctua? And what’s with the gloves? Does he have a disease or something?”

  “I assure you, he’s perfectly hygienic.”

  Dervis sniffed the air and muttered, “Doesn’t smell hygienic.”

  Will studied the paranoid doctor for a moment. He was translucent pink with a bulbous head and a beak-like mouth. His thick body balanced on a tripod of tentacles while two more ten-foot appendages sprung from his back and hovered over his shoulders. Dervis’s body had a constant nervous tremor, except for his longest tentacles that moved with powerful precision.

  Dr. Noctua stepped forward. “Wilhelm, Dr. Dervis is the world’s foremost authority in the field of enchant prosthetics. He’s agreed to help you. Haven’t you, Dervis?”

  “Fine, let’s get this over with.” Dervis slipped rubber sleeves on his tentacles. He picked up the model and placed it next to a long table full of an assortment of artificial body parts. He tacked several to the model, covering the mannequin with prosthetics. Gloves and socks wrapped in metal webbing were placed on the limbs. A mask with long metallic whiskers covered the face. A tail was added, along with a small nose clip and tiny pink triangles that fit in the ears.

  Dervis eyed Will. “Did you lose your hearing or have you been defective since birth?”

  “Defective?”

  “Since birth,” interrupted Dr. Noctua. “Wilhelm was raised in a very Nep environment and just recently decided to become naturalized.”

  Dervis lifted a jiggling brow. “I’ve heard of gerbilchants choosing to live as Neps. Disgusting. No wonder you’re so underdeveloped.”

  “I’m not underdeveloped.”

  “Oh really? I bet you can’t even hear that?” Dervis pointed a tentacle in the air.

  “Hear what?”

  “Exactly. You should be about a seven and half I think.” The doctor lifted a tiny flesh colored triangle from the mannequin and moved toward Will.

  Will backed away.

  “Oh, and they say I’m paranoid?” smirked Dervis. “Don’t worry. It’s just an audio enhancer. It’s not going to hurt you…unless you’re a Nep.” He eyed Will. “You aren’t, are you?”

  Rizz put a hoof to his lips.

  “No.” Will’s voice cracked.

  “You can never be too careful.” Dervis lifted the pink triangle to Will’s ear. “This enhancer is designed to improve your faulty hearing. It takes most enchants weeks to get used to its intensity. But since you’ve been defective since birth, it may knock you unconscious. Please hold still.”

  Will trembled. A cool, tacky tentacle held the side of his head. Something was pushed into his ear. The world exploded with sound—bright and deep, crisp and intense. He could hear the blood flowing through the veins of everyone around him and the tensing in Rizz’s jaw.

  The sounds drew images in his head. Closing his eyes, Will saw his surroundings through his ears. Every wave in the pool and movement of the prosthetics created shapes in his mind. He could hear which pipes buzzed with electricity and which carried water. There was also music. Soft classical tones that rang with more depth and clarity than any music he’d ever imagined. He could actually hear the musicians breathing as they played and the whooshing of the conductor’s baton.

  “Is that Bach?” Nurse Grundel used to force him to listen to classical music.

  Dervis looked stunned. “Yes. It’s his Arioso. But how did you? I’ve never seen anyone be able to decipher sounds that quickly, much less recognize a super-audio rendition of a classic.” Dervis stared at Will and backed away. “What is going on here, Noctua?”

  Dr. Noctua ignored him and took Will by the shoulders. “Are you feeling any pain? Loss of hearing?”

  “No, but I can…” Will closed his eyes and listened to the room. “I can hear shapes.” A three-dimensional model of his surroundings appeared in his mind. With his eyes shut, he took a step forward then another. Winding through the rows of mannequins, he picked up speed and confidence.

  “That’s impossible,” gasped Dervis. “No enchant could become a super-hearer instantly. It should be as difficult to interpret these new sounds as it would be to hear a new language for the first time and understand what was being said. There’s only one explanation.” His eyes widened and stared at Will, who was now weaving between the tables with his eyes clamped tight. “No. It can’t be,” he muttered.

  Will’s confidence expanded as he neared the testing course. A crazy idea popped into his head, but
with his new bravado, he had no doubt he could pull it off. He sprung to the top of a steel log and caught the climbing wall. A handstand, a flip, a graceful twist—his body knew just what to do without thinking. He sprinted down the narrow beam between the pendulums. Grabbing a bar, he launched into a twisting back flip, rotated three times in the air and landed squarely atop a narrow ladder.

  Will sprinted down the ladder and back toward the group, listening to the grin on Dr. Noctua’s face and the expressions of amazement worn by Dervis and the others.

  Dr. Noctua nodded, lifting a ball-bearing from a nearby tabletop and standing ready to throw it. Will understood the doctor’s intent and nodded in agreement.

  He threw the ball.

  Will cart-wheeled, vaulted into a back handspring and dropped to his knees, catching the ball-bearing as he slid across the floor.

  “No. No. No. You come here.” Dervis took Will’s face in his tacky tentacles and turned his head from side to side, examining him. He pulled his tentacles back and sniffed them. “No. No. No. It’s impossible.” Dervis staggered backward and sat on a table. “I never thought I’d see it in my lifetime. An Immune! Here!” He turned to Dr. Noctua. “And you made me give him an enhancer? What if it hadn’t worked? He could have lost his hearing, or worse. Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out, Xavier? I invented artificial gerbilchant musk. Did you really think you could con me with my own creation?”

  “We weren’t trying to make a fool of you, Dervis. The disguise is for Wilhelm’s protection. And as for the enhancer, he was aware of the risks.”

  The squid turned to Will. “You knew what could have happened?”

  Will nodded.

  “And you did it anyway? No wonder your kind is…was extinct.” Dervis stared. “When Josef W. Grimm died, I thought that was it. He liked to try untested enhancers too—and with similar results, although he never had such instant success. He was reckless and impulsive, and he liked to show off his abilities like you just did. I think that’s what made him so ingenious, and probably what got him killed.”

  “You knew Josef Grimm?” asked Will.

  “I was his assistant for years—myself and Thaddeus Bump. In fact, most of my work is just building on Josef Grimm’s genius. Everything except his Builder communication research.”