by D N Meinster
The crystal on her neck flickered out before Rikki said, "Wherever it is, we have to follow." She twisted toward the parade of AGTs, and with the direction of her staff, three IPTs broke off from the pack and hovered to a spot in front of them. The glass opened for them, and Rikki hurried inside. Doren and Aros seemed more reluctant. "What now? What are you two looking at?" She steadily turned to take in what was advancing from behind her. More peacekeepers than she could count were rushing to the scene, and she was in no mood to fight them. "Let's go!"
Doren and Aros finally obeyed, and as soon as they hopped into the IPTs, they took off, following Ji-Ji's path by air.
It was not hard to miss the giant denhare rampaging through Belliore. He had grown too big to fit through the spaces between the buildings, so he'd taken to smashing his arms into the sides of the structures to make room. As they got closer to him, they noticed an army of peacekeepers gathering on the roofs and making their way toward him.
"He seems kinda angry," Aros remarked.
"Wouldn't you be if you were a human soul trapped in a denhare?" Doren replied.
"Oh yeah," Aros said, like he'd forgotten what Ji-Ji was. "It probably doesn't help that Rikki treats him like a pet."
"Hey, he's in a better place than he was," Rikki responded defensively. She shuddered as she briefly recalled the abyss she had been stuck in with Jient's soul.
Doren wasn't about to blame Rikki for this, but Aros had a point. "Could you send him to the Bastion?"
A bolt of lightning came incredibly close to striking one of their IPTs.
"No," she said. Rikki wasn't about to sacrifice Ji-Ji even if she could. But there was an enchantment on him that kept his soul in place; one that Neanthal had put on him. The only way she might be able to send his soul to the Bastion was by shifting there herself. That was something she had no desire to try. Shrinking him, however? That she was prepared to do.
The army of peacekeepers began shooting at Ji-Ji with their offensive weapons. Blue lights shot out from their arms and into Ji-Ji's white fur. But the attacks appeared to do little but annoy the denhare, who responded by slamming an arm into one of the packed roofs. Fragments of compressed metal and stray wires were all that remained of those automatons.
"How do we stop that?" Aros said. He had both clawblades in hand, but no idea what do with them. Compared to the denhare, they were smaller than a bee's stingers. He probably wouldn't even feel them if they were used against him.
Rikki directed the IPTs to land on the partially broken roof. She stepped out and approached one of the peacekeeper's detached limbs. Recalling that she might have trouble manipulating the metal, she dug her hand into the arm and pulled out a bundle of wires.
"What are you doing?" Doren asked when he emerged from the vehicle.
"Practicing," she said. "Keep them out of my way?"
"Who?"
Rikki pointed to an adjacent building, where another mass of peacekeepers was coming at them.
"You'd think they'd be more concerned with the giant denhare," Aros sighed. At least he knew what to do with the clawblades now.
"Surrender your weapons," one of the chrome men ordered as it drew near.
Doren responded by throwing his shield into its blank face.
Aros followed up by dashing forward and impaling both clawblades into the closest peacekeeper. He slashed outward from the point of impact, and the chrome man fell to pieces.
Doren lifted up his shield just in time to block a potentially deadly beam. He charged forward and knocked multiple peacekeepers to the ground.
Aros followed up and stabbed the ones he had downed in the head. They would never get up again.
Rikki heard her friends' weapons collide with the chrome men as she tried to focus on the pile of wires. It was not obeying her will, remaining the exact same size as she tried to shrink it. Perhaps it was because she could not give it her all. Part of her mind was ensuring the cloud cover remained in place. Would she have to end the storm to be able to alter their size? Or Ji-Ji's?
As a spray of beams shot through the air, Doren missed blocking several, but they hit his armored chest and left no sign of impact. Doren knocked on the armor, impressed with its durability.
Aros was getting rather efficient at slicing up the chrome men. There were more spliced limbs in his immediate area than in any other part of the roof. And Ji-Ji had left nothing but limbs on the roof.
The chrome men shot at him, but after catching a glimpse of what happened to Doren, he realized he only needed to protect his face. That made disposing of them much simpler.
One reached its hand out to attack him, but Aros cut it off before it could transform its primary weapon. Another he slashed right down the middle, and he watched with glee as each half of its torso fell away from the other.
Rikki pressed a palm to the crystal on her necklace and touched her staff to the bundle. "Shrink," she begged. "Shrink."
A ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, but the peacekeeper's internal wires finally started to shrivel. Instead of merely reducing in size, however, the wires appeared to curl in on themselves, as if an invisible force was crushing them.
"Dammit," she moaned, letting up and enhancing the clouds so that there was no longer a hint of sun. She glanced toward Ji-Ji, who was towering over all of Cortex now. He left only a trail of rubble behind, as he showed no concern for any skyscraper that was in his path.
"Ms. Nasem," a voice called out to her.
Rikki turned to see Lodmac floating down toward the roof of their building. With a snap of his fingers, all the peacekeepers around them went still.
"What have you done?" he asked.
"It wasn't me," Rikki tried to assure him. "Ji-Ji got loose in the weapons lab and – "
"And what were you doing in the weapons lab?" Lodmac continued the interrogation.
Wait, why did she care about justifying her actions to this director? Rikki pointed her staff at him.
"You can guess why," Doren said as he and Aros approached.
"The Key," Lodmac said, shaking his head. "We should have just eliminated you. Look what our diplomatic considerations have cost us."
Aros twirled both of his clawblades. "Is that what you intend to do now?"
"As soon as we've eliminated the denhare," Lodmac stated. "You lot aren't worth the security concerns."
All three of them took an offensive stance.
Lodmac held up a finger. "Wait for it."
A gentle hum filled the air, followed by an explosion that rocked the city more than an oversized denhare could.
Rikki looked back to see Ji-Ji consumed in flames, and a fury burned and consumed any misgivings that would have held her back. The clouds above broke apart, and a shockwave sprung from her staff and knocked over all the peacekeepers that surrounded them. But she held her staff to Lodmac, who was shrinking inside of his armor.
"What are you doing?" he begged, his voice becoming more high-pitched with every word.
When he was less than half his original size, she spun to Ji-Ji and targeted him. The fires that ignited his fur and continued to char him were instantly extinguished. And then the denhare began to shrink. Ji-Ji rapidly returned to his original size, though he disappeared behind the skyscrapers before Rikki could ensure he had returned to exactly how he was.
"You bitch!" Lodmac squeaked out, the cubes in his armor parted to create an outlet for his face where his chest had previously been. The rest of the armor readjusted, tightening up on his reduced form so it fit better. With a snap of his fingers, the peacekeepers woke up and returned to their feet.
"Do you want me to continue shrinking you?" she threatened the Director.
An expression of clear uncertainty passed over Lodmac's face. "Do you know how much damage your little pet did? Do you know how many are dead now?"
"It's your weapons that did it!" Doren accused.
"We know better than to bring live animals into weapons testing!" Lodmac screamed b
ack.
All of the peacekeepers switched over to their primary weapons and aimed them at the trio.
"I'm warning you," Rikki reiterated. She was not going to allow this man to harm her friends like he'd harmed Ji-Ji.
"I know the risks as Director of Security," Lodmac replied. "You can shrink me down to the size of an ant, but my peacekeepers will squash you before you've even thought of raising your foot to do the same to me."
As the standoff continued, Doren turned his attention to the sky. The clouds were drifting away, allowing the sun to power the buildings once more. Their entire mission had been a failure. They didn't retrieve what they needed to from the weapons lab. The storm hadn't lasted as long as it was supposed to. Ji-Ji had wrecked Cortex. And they were moments away from a life-threatening battle with the peacekeepers.
"Maybe you should speak to Versil before you swear off diplomacy," Aros tried to forestall the fight.
Lodmac pointed up. "He knows what's happening."
Aros looked up and noticed the same metallic ball floating above that they had seen earlier. Was Versil watching them with that? How?
"Very well," Rikki said.
As soon as Lodmac began to shrink within his armor again, the peacekeepers let loose their barrage. Hundreds of blue shots flew through the air. The trio's armor absorbed most of them, though Doren blocked some with his shield and Aros did the same with his swords.
Rikki was determined to miniaturize Lodmac. As cubes floated up from his armor, which she was certain were meant to freeze them in stasis, she willed them back down toward him. The only thing that stopped her from shrinking him further was a peacekeeper, which caught her off guard when it rammed into her back.
Doren decapitated the chrome attacker with a swift bash of his shield.
Rikki looked back to see a mini Lodmac fleeing the scene in the arms of one of his clones. The director had underestimated what magic could do. Well, she'd show him.
Doren and Aros were in the middle of the accumulated automatons, breaking them to pieces with every swing. Rikki knew they were resistant to magic, but she didn't need to target them. She would transform the roof like it was pliable rock, and cut them down faster than any of her friends' weapons could.
But before she got the chance, she was enclosed by floating cubes. Knowing she was seconds away from entering stasis, she swung her staff so all of the cubes went flying far from their intended location.
The other clone of Lodmac landed in front of her.
"You are all such small men," she said, intending to shrink this Lodmac as well.
The cubes in this clone's armor floated up and began linking together to form a weapon.
Doren, spotting the new arrival, tossed his shield at the clone's head. It bounced into him, but only left an aggravated look on his face.
One of the nearby peacekeepers dove at Doren, tackling him to the ground.
Doren reached for his shield, even though it was more than an arm's length away. But the shield rose into the air and zoomed back into Doren's grasp. With a harsh swing, he disabled the peacekeeper and got back on his feet. "Thanks!" he called out to Rikki.
But Rikki gaped at him because she had not willed the shield back to him. He had done that on his own.
"MR detected," one of the peacekeepers said. The others began repeating the phrase.
Lodmac's clone appeared to be more afraid of the alert than he was battling a mage.
Doren's hands were shaking, and he didn't even defend himself as another peacekeeper closed in.
Aros' clawblades cut down the chrome man. "What's going on?"
"MR detected."
"MR detected."
Rikki and Aros watched as Doren's hair progressively turned as bronze as his armor. He looked down and saw his hands turning bronze as well. Doren dropped his shield and backed away from his friends. He stared at Rikki, who witnessed his irises change to bronze. "Rikki?"
As the trio stood around, unsure what action they could take, Lodmac's clone and the peacekeepers swiftly moved in. They took their weapons away from them without resistance and locked their arms together with titanium bonds.
Lodmac's clone was wearing some sort of bulbous strap on his mouth, but they could still make out what he said. "Quarantine."
Chapter Eighteen
Quarantine
Doren's eyebrows were bronze. His lips were bronze. He was one change away from being little more than a copper statue.
Rikki bent her neck every-which-way to try to get a glimpse of her friend. Dozens of peacekeepers had packed themselves inside the AGT, providing them with no space to maneuver or get close to their companions. Rikki couldn't spot Aros, but if she crooked her neck just enough, she could behold Doren. And he looked worse every time she was able to see him. Her heart ached as she perceived the helplessness on his face as he continued to transform. She wanted to do something for him; to help him. But even if she broke free of her manacle, which she probably could, she had no idea if she'd be able to fix what was happening.
The Bellish had been so secretive about this MR. They only told them what it did, not what it was. It was unlike any plague in Ghumaic history. Never before had magic been granted to those who weren't born with it. Yet this disease did exactly that, but at a terrible cost.
Rikki silently begged the Goddess to cure her friend. These Bellish believed She was responsible for it. If that were true, she had the only connection left that could reach the Goddess. It had been too long since Aros had heard from Her to rely on that.
"Please," Rikki whispered under her breath. Magic originated with Magenine. If this plague was Hers as well, there was no reason to infect Doren. He was tasked with helping Her; helping retrieve the Keys. She wouldn't take him out of commission without cause. But then, maybe this wasn't Magenine. The Bellish had experimented with so much, they probably tried something with magic. And they had unknowingly unleashed this.
What was happening to Doren was their fault. She should've realized it sooner. What had the Bellish done?
Rikki saw Doren again. This time, his shackles had turned to copper, as had a patch around his eye. If she continued to do nothing, he'd be completely bronze before they reached quarantine. That was unacceptable.
The channeling crystal on her neck illuminated the entire cargo area of the AGT. Rikki pulled her arms apart, and the titanium bonds shattered as if they'd only been painted glass.
Multiple chrome heads turned to look at her. Before they had a chance to react, Rikki jabbed an open palm forward. The peacekeepers standing between her and Doren started to melt. As she ran towards her friend, the peacekeepers she collided with immediately liquefied and splashed down onto the floor, leaving only chrome puddles where they had once stood.
Rikki didn't bother to brush the chrome residue off her body, nor was she even momentarily impressed with herself that she affected the metal. It only mattered that she got to Doren in time.
When he was within reach, she held out her hand and her fingers made contact with his face. Rikki willed the bronze to stop spreading and kept her fingertips in place even as Lodmac's clone approached her.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled.
"Saving his life!" Rikki shot back.
Lodmac's clone eyed her but had no response. He idled in his uncertainty, languishing on a decision.
When Rikki determined he wasn't about to attack her, she gave Doren her full attention. She looked back at him, relieved that the bronze hadn't spread since she'd touched him. Perhaps her magic was saving his life.
Her eyes watered as she continued to stare at him. He didn't say anything as they stood so close. Could he even speak? Or had his throat been infected as well?
She'd keep her hand on him forever if she had to. She would not let him die. And if any of these fools tried to stop her, they'd regret it.
"It's working," she told Doren, confident it was the truth.
He blinked at her i
n response. Both of his eyelids were copper.
"What's going on?" she heard Aros shout from somewhere inside the AGT.
Their vehicle shook as it came to a stop, and the door slid open. Lodmac's clone ushered out the peacekeepers until only he and the trio remained in the transport.
"Let's go, you three," he barked at them.
Rikki wasn't ready to leave yet. "Our weapons."
"You really think I'm gonna give those back to you?"
"If you don't want to end up like them, you will." Rikki waved her free hand toward the puddles on the floor.
The clone's gulp was audible. "Very well." With a snap, three peacekeepers entered the AGT and returned Doren's and Aros' weapons to their backs. Rikki didn't wait for the chrome man to turn her staff over, instead summoning it back into her hand when it was in sight.
"Come on, now," the clone insisted.
Rikki nodded, and she guided Doren out of the vehicle, while Aros followed in their wake. She recognized where they were as soon as they stepped out onto the platform. They were back at the hospital.
"Not again," Aros moaned.
The peacekeepers marched alongside them as they headed to the hospital's entrance. Rikki carefully moved at their pace, keeping her hand on Doren's face the entire time. She only took a second to acknowledge the gorgeous afternoon her failing storm had permitted.
The entire group entered while the hospital door remained open, but they were unable to proceed further inside due to an obstacle they should have anticipated.
"What is going on here?" Keisler demanded, standing in front of the dozens of peacekeepers.
Lodmac's clone shoved the peacekeepers aside as he went to meet the Director. "I'm taking our three Kytheran guests to quarantine. One is showing signs of the MR."
"Bring them forward," Keisler requested.
"You heard what they did to Director Cron?" the clone asked, not moving.
"Are you going to make me repeat myself, clone?" Keisler responded with an undertone of intimidation.
The clone snapped, and the dozens of peacekeepers sidestepped to make a path forward for the trio.
The three of them crept to the front of the pack. Rikki didn't know what would follow, but she was glad Keisler would be the one directing them. He had proven that he was on their side when it came to gathering the Keys, and she expected him to be more amenable than most of the other directors. However, she had no clue what he could do for them now, given there was no cure for the MR and Versil Talap controlled all the research.
