Gods of Rust and Ruin

by Azalea Ellis

  Blaine turned to Kris, a question on his face.

  She shook her head and picked up the small stuffed moose propped up against her pillows. It was old and worn. “We both have bad dreams sometimes, but Mom isn’t here to make them seem less real now.”

  Blaine stared at her through the lenses of his glasses, his hands stilling in Chanelle’s hair. “Err . . . well . . . I am here now. I know I cannot compare to your mother, but—”

  Kris shrugged quickly, and cut him off. “We’re older now. We don’t need you to help us with bad dreams,” she said, carefully patting her moose on the head and settling it back against her pillow without looking at Blaine.

  I felt awkward on Blaine’s behalf, so I turned to Bunny and gestured to Chanelle. “Do you have any idea what’s been done to her? Brain damage?”

  Bunny shrugged. “That’s really not my area of expertise. Besides, wasn’t she all ‘rabies-biter,’ before?” He bared his teeth and made fake claws, swiping at the air.

  I stared at him expressionlessly, letting my eyes convey how utterly humorless I found him.

  He lowered his hands after a few moments, “Well, I just mean, you guys did something to her, right?” He stared hard at Blaine. “You gave her something that stopped the crazy but made her stupid instead.”

  Blaine stood up, clenching the comb in his hand hard enough to bend the plastine teeth. “I did not do this to her.”

  “Whoa, calm down. You’ve got to admit it. You’re not a doctor, you’re a scientist. Maybe you didn’t consider all the side effects.”

  Blaine’s arm jerked a couple times, his hands loosened around the comb, and he went back to untangling Chanelle’s hair, not seeming to notice that some of the comb’s teeth were bent. “I’m a genius,” he said. “I didn’t do this.” But now, his voice was calm, almost serene in fact.

  I lifted an eyebrow. Blaine, calmly accepting someone disparaging his inventions or intelligence? Maybe he really was worried that he’d done something wrong. “Well, NIX has records, right? I’m assuming they were studying Chanelle and whatever it was that infected her. We need that information. Talk to whoever you need to, and make it happen,” I said to Bunny.

  Bunny hesitated. “That’s probably classified information. Besides . . . they’re not very happy with me at the moment.”

  “I’m pretty sure everything we know about NIX is classified. At this point, does it really matter? If you don’t make it happen, Bunny, I’m going to.” I let my expression harden a bit.

  He scratched the back of his head. “Well, if you agree to get your VR and GPS chips replaced, I could probably get that information.” When Jacky, Sam, Adam, and I immediately focused on him, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so suspicious, guys! NIX just wants to make sure they can keep track of you without going to ridiculous lengths, and all the other Players here have working VR chips. They run the classes with them, make announcements, all that stuff.”

  I felt my shoulders relax just a little. That made sense. But it still didn’t mean I was going to agree to give NIX even more power over the team and me.

  Jacky shrugged and returned to getting ready, while Sam relaxed with an easy smile, but Adam frowned and shook his head.

  Zed hopped down from his bunk. “What about me? The boss lady said you were going to remove the Seed from me. How does that work?”

  Bunny shrugged. “I have no idea. The scientists are working on something. They’ll let us know when they’ve got it figured out.”

  I frowned. “How long is that going to take?”

  “Not long, probably. Don’t worry,” he said, meeting my gaze. “NIX will take care of Zed. Commander Petralka knows how valuable you are.”

  I wasn’t that worried. But staring into Bunny’s eyes, I realized that I couldn’t tell what color they were. That was weird, wasn’t it? I nodded, and he smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling up in happiness.

  Bunny took us first to the cafeteria for breakfast, where we garnered plenty of attention. Everyone knew who we were, apparently. Many had probably seen the pandemonium of our second invasion of NIX, and each had their own response. Some seemed afraid of me, and the power we had displayed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that response was in the minority. Most watched and waited to see what we would do, like predators waiting for our guard to drop. To be taken in by NIX, you had to be valuable. And above all, NIX seemed to value those of us with monstrous tendencies. I was no exception.

  I sighed. It was definitely going to get annoying if everyone didn’t go back to minding their own business soon.

  After we finished the gigantic and very uncomfortable meal, Kris and Gregor left to go to class, which apparently was being taught by remote schooling. I was surprised, because for some reason I hadn’t anticipated that NIX would ensure their continued education while holding them hostage against Blaine.

  Blaine left with the kids, excited to spend time with the niece and nephew he’d been separated from for so long, and then to get his lab area set up while they were learning.

  Just as Bunny was about to continue our introduction to NIX, some scientist approached and requested that Zed come with him for diagnostic testing.

  “He’s not going anywhere with you alone,” I said automatically.

  Bunny sighed loudly. “You are the one who asked for this, Eve. Relax, and let the man do his job.”

  Zed looked uncertainly from the scientist to me, but left with him.

  I watched him leave, feeling strange. Just as he was about to turn the corner, I crouched down, touching Birch on the flank. “Go after him. Make sure he’s safe,” I murmured.

  Birch fluffed up and raced after my brother, his claws leaving little scratch marks on the floor.

  Bunny shook his head, but only sighed. “Come on, guys. Let’s get you signed up for classes.” As we walked, he launched into a seemingly-rehearsed spiel. “NIX is very interested in helping our Players to develop and expand the utility of their Skills. With some experimentation and practice, you may find that you’re more versatile than you originally imagined, or that refinement of your control significantly increases your effectiveness.”

  He turned to look at Sam. “NIX is particularly interested in helping you develop your Skill, you know. It’s rare that we find someone with the ability to heal others, and the juxtaposition between the restorative and destructive side of the coin is fascinating. To the scientists, you know. I heard them talking.”

  Sam smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and he met my own gaze with wordless apprehension once Bunny had turned away. I knew Sam didn’t want to use the destructive half of his power any more than he absolutely had to. It was too easy to kill with. “I’d love to take some of the first aid or medic classes,” he said after a pause.

  “Oh, definitely!” Bunny nodded. “Adam, your Skills are pretty interesting, too. Hyper Focus, Electric Sovereign, and Animus, right?”

  Adam nodded silently, his fingers sparking with tiny little flashes as he rolled a coin between them.

  “It’s a pretty eclectic mix. We’re hoping we’ll be able to help you integrate them and create some really powerful synergy.”

  “We?” Adam said. “Do you still consider yourself part of NIX?”

  Bunny rolled his eyes again. “You’re part of NIX now, too. God, why are you all so cynical? This is going to be an ordeal. Step one, remove stick from buttocks. Step two, sigh in relief.” He smiled at Adam in that infectious way.

  Adam smiled back, though it was more like a smirk on him.

  Jacky snorted, and slapped Bunny on the back in approval. “Great advice. So, how’s NIX gonna help me get stronger?”

  I shared a look of amusement with Adam at Bunny’s wince and stumble. Soon enough, Bunny would learn to brace himself when Jacky moved in his direction.

  Bunny walked us around the circular, multi-leveled base, pointing out our classrooms, places we could go to spar mundanely or practice with our different types of powers. and places where we c
ould go to review previous Player battles. “Players get a chance to contact relatives twice a month. Video chats are restricted to those with good behavior, so you guys won’t be having those for a while. But as soon as NIX is able to find and contact your families, who seem to have ‘relocated’ mysteriously, we’ll get you in contact with them. Wouldn’t want them to think you died!” He laughed, while those of us with relatives still outside NIX shared looks of unease.

  We stopped by one of the empty observation rooms. One wall was a big screen, and there were multiple smaller cubicle stations with smartglass tables.

  Bunny used his link to activate the wall display. The guards atop the wall and down below went from mostly still to kicked-anthill scrambling, in fast-forward. Then, a small figure appeared atop the wall, as if they’d leapt up, and began to attack.

  “This is us,” I said. “You recorded us, from yesterday.”

  “Of course. There are cameras everywhere, as I’m sure you know. But these rooms are mainly used for the Players to view the official mock battles. Your little rampant destruction spree was uploaded only because you haven’t participated in any of the battles yet, and I’m sure the others will be eager to analyze it.”

  “What exactly are these mock battles?”

  “Oh, you know. Just practice in military-style fights. In the Trials, you run willy-nilly for your lives, or so I hear. In the mock battles, you have objectives you have to complete, against an enemy that looks and thinks like you, but is stronger than any of the normal human soldiers on Earth. We simulate protecting civilian groups, or taking out enemy strongholds, that sort of thing. Based on your . . . ‘wanton destruction,’ we probably won’t be having any Trials for a while, so this is going to be the main way for the Players here to gain Seeds, in addition to the occasional reward for exceptional performance in class.”

  “So, we fight another group of Players for Seeds, and everybody else watches how we did, trying to figure out how to beat us next time?” Sam said, staring up at the screen, where I was now fighting the Player girl and getting tossed around.

  “It shouldn’t be that hard,” a new voice said. “You’re not so special. I have no idea why Commander Petralka agreed to let idiotic traitors like you join.”

  We turned to the Player standing in the door.

  “We’re the elite,” he said. “You don’t belong here.” He stepped forward, and a group of other Players filtered into the room behind him, spreading out among the stations.

  “Watch yourselves,” Bunny said sharply. Without his nonchalant irreverence, he wasn’t so innocuous.

  The Player who’d spoken looked away in an obvious display of submission, and stayed silent.

  “Let’s go,” I said. “I’ve seen enough here.”

  As we left the room, I spread my awareness out just enough to keep track of anyone who might see our turned backs as a vulnerability. It irritated my head, and I was just about to reel it back in once we reached the hallway, when I realized a bright spot of power was following us, and it wasn’t one of my team.

  I turned my head, and saw Bunny exit the room.

  He shook his head in exasperation. “You Players are mostly idiots, as I’m sure you’re aware. Don’t take it too seriously. They’ll get over themselves in time, once you’re all properly integrated.”

  I shrugged, keeping the expression from my face, and turned my head back to the front. “Where to now?”

  Bunny started talking, and moved to the front of the group to lead the way again, but I wasn’t paying attention.

  I turned and caught Adam’s gaze out of the corner of my eye. I shook my head minutely.

  He nodded, the motion almost undetectable.

  —Bunny’s a Player.—

  -Eve-

  —I figured. Mind control, do you think?—

  -Adam-

  Chapter 3

  Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.

  — Citron Aodh

  Adam and I discussed our suspicions through Windows, so that neither Bunny nor anyone watching though the cameras at NIX would notice. The need for secrecy resulted in a useful discovery. Instead of body movement or verbal cues, I could use a focused enough thought to direct my VR chip.

  I discovered this by accidentally wishing to close the Window Adam had sent to me. With a little more experimentation, I found I could mentally dictate and send him a message back, without ever moving my body or speaking a word. Of course, I shared this discovery, and from there it was easy to communicate without fear.

  —Should we tell the others?—

  -Adam-

  I debated the question for a bit. They knew how to keep a secret, but if NIX was watching our every move, lack of knowledge about Bunny’s true nature would ensure they weren't able to accidentally give anything away.

  —No.—

  -Eve-

  Adam’s mouth twitched in a subtle grimace, but he nodded.

  I watched the back of Bunny’s unkempt head, my lips twitching as they attempted to pull back in a snarl. What good reason could Bunny have for hiding the fact that he was a Player? Or for manipulating our emotions? Any trust I’d ever had for him had evaporated quicker than rubbing alcohol. If I could just take him somewhere isolated . . . But no. If he just disappeared, NIX would notice. I couldn’t remove him unless I either had a really good way to hide my own involvement in his disappearance, or I no longer needed NIX’s goodwill.

  We decided to keep a close eye on Bunny and his interactions with the others to make sure he wasn’t doing anything too nefarious. We would tell them if it became truly necessary.

  The whole situation left me feeling like I had ants crawling up my spine, and only made me more desperate to regain control of everything being swept up by the winds of circumstance. I had to fix whatever was wrong with me, first. Then, I could work on the reason I’d agreed to join NIX in the first place. The creature below. With more information about it, and NIX, I’d be able to figure out what to do about Bunny.

  We had some free time after the group gathered again for lunch, since we weren’t yet integrated into the schedule of the rest of the Players, so I left Adam to keep an eye out for the rest of the team and grabbed Sam to come with me.

  Birch stayed by Zed’s side, fluffing up and growling at any of the other Players or guards that came a little too close to my brother for the creature’s liking.

  I led Sam out into the courtyard, where people milled around, repairing damage, examining the Shortcut, and guarding the compound and surrounding wall. We climbed up onto the top of the wall, where a guard moved as if to stop us, but stopped abruptly when he saw my face.

  I listened carefully for monitoring devices, and found them only on the uniforms of the guards. None of them moved close to us.

  “What are we doing, Eve?” Sam asked. He looked over the side of the wall, then stepped backward away from the open air.

  “I need your help,” I said simply. “Follow me.” I walked until we were standing over the edge of the mountain, looking down on the crashing waterfall below. The sound would help disguise our voices, I hoped.

  “Are you hurt, from yesterday?” he said. “I saw that you didn’t look so good, but I was so preoccupied . . . with everything . . .” he said. “I’m sorry. Where are you hurt?”

  “I’m not sure, exactly,” I said. “Everywhere, I think.”

  He laughed, then frowned in confusion when I didn’t join in. “Err . . . did you get really bruised up? You seem to be walking alright. Broken ribs or something? It could even be internal bleeding, with how you got tossed around.” He seemed to be worrying himself more and more with every word. “Eve, you really need to stop toughing these things out and just let me know when you need to be healed. That’s what I’m here for.” He reached forward, and placed a hand on my forehead.

  I watched his face carefully. What would he find?

  His eyes went blank for a moment, and then he frowned. “What . . .�
� He grabbed my hand with his free one, and frowned harder. “What’s going on, Eve? It’s like . . .”

  “Like what? What do you . . . feel, or sense, or whatever?” Tension leaked into my voice.

  “Something is hurting you, as we speak. It’s . . . everywhere. It’s almost like it’s trying to dissolve you, or eat you. Your body is trying to heal itself, but it can’t keep up. What happened, Eve?”

  “I did something foolish,” I admitted. “But it had to be done.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I ate the Seed of a Goddess,” I said simply, knowing he would understand. “She told me my body wouldn’t be enough to contain her power, but I thought I’d have more time. But . . . it’s getting pretty bad. It’s giving me nosebleeds quite often now, and when my emotions are heightened, I can feel it become agitated. It feels . . . almost alive, like a wild animal, or a storm that’s caged inside me. I’ve been putting the normal Seeds into Resilience and Life, and meditating to calm it and keep it caged, but that’s not enough on its own. I need you to help me stay ahead of it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “Because this is what’s keeping us safe. I didn’t want everyone to feel guilty about it, because we don’t have a lot of options. And I didn’t want NIX to know, because if they knew I wasn’t as strong or valuable as they thought, I wouldn’t be such a good bargaining chip. But people might start noticing something is wrong soon, and I can’t seem to get my healing factor up high enough to overcome it, so I need some help.”

  Sam nodded soberly, and said, “I hope you know how stupid you are, Eve,” before closing his eyes and getting to work.

  Seconds passed, then minutes, as his eyebrows furrowed together, and his skin grew pale. I waited to feel a difference, some feeling of relief, but nothing happened. “What’s wrong?”