Kintaque looks around, his confusion seeming to be mirrored on many faces. “What is an onsen?”
“It is a hot spring! You go there and bathe together with your friends!”
Dan looks at Deakin with a mixture of confusion and amusement. “Like, wash yo ass, bathe?”
“Exactly!”
“Why we gone go there, when we got hotel rooms for all dat?”
Deakin was about to respond, when Codi interjects. “It is more about the experience and camaraderie. It is a significant step in your relationship to bathe together.”
Dan scratches his head and looks at Anaar. “I thought we was best friends. Why we ain’t bathe together?”
“It’s a Japanese thing Dan…”
“Oh! Okay. Wait, what so special ‘bout this shit? This a whole lot of balls I ain’t ask to see.”
“Shut the fuck up already! Just like some boys to be worried about some other dudes seeing their pee pees! Anaar, can you take us there already so we can shut them the fuck up? It isn’t like you have anything to be embarrassed about.”
Anaar’s eyes narrow as he pulls his hand from Phavian’s and walks through the portal he has just created. Maggie frowns at him, taking her leave through the portal as well. He glances at Dan with a look of innocence on his face.
“It’s Codi! He already knew…”
Though everyone could agree their onsen adventure was very relaxing, both the men and the women had their own trials. Peter’s size made it almost impossible to sit with everyone else as the water was nearly over his head. After an extended period of complaining, Anaar finally made him a chair in which he could be seated comfortably. Dan thought it was a good idea to swim in the waters, while Deakin made everyone uncomfortable talking to them while bouncing about, his groin at eye level to them as they were soaking.
The women were sure Codi was using the culture gap and their inexperience as an opportunity for free grabs and squeezes. While they were inherently more comfortable around one another than the men were, Codi’s comparison of chest sizes, and the need to get physical to prove her points, led to Ryn taking one for the team, and imprisoning Codi in a barrier with her until they left. Ryn had always been comfortable as a proximal Defender, but never was there a time she so desperately wished her barriers were not centered around her.
From there they split into their groups, some going to shopping districts, while others visited temples or did karaoke. They were surprised how many vendors only accepted cash, which once again put the burden on Anaar to go to a currency exchange of the behalf of everyone so they could obtain pocket money for the trip. Similarly to the first leg of their journey, they fell into a routine, with most days following the same path.
The difference in their Japanese adventure was that even if they took on similar activities, they still had a wealth of areas to explore, which made every day fresh. Different shops during the day, different bars during the night, each day was a fresh start. It had become the goal of everyone to find places better than where they had been before. On their last night, they all came together as a group to have their official celebration.
During the festivities, Hunter accused Anaar of cheating at darts, as it was impossible to obtain perfect scores every time.
“I don’t know how you are cheating, but I just know you are! Maybe you are moving so fast, you just stick it in the board before we can notice!”
I could probably do that, but it really defeats the point… Anaar pulls out a throwing knife, to the shocked gasps of everyone. “I mean, these are literally my weapons. Are you surprised I can handle darts?”
Despite most people forgetting she existed since she was so quiet, Genny was the first to ask the question. “Why do you have a weapon with you on vacation?”
Anaar’s eyes grew wide for a moment. He had not considered the implications of creating a knife on the spot. Considering he did not have on his bandolier, it made it even more suspicious that he would have one. He was formulating his response, but Kintaque joined the fray instead.
“What makes this even more ridiculous is that out of all of us, he is the most combat ready at any time, with no preparation. So why he felt the need to carry a weapon is beyond me.”
Anaar took the opportunity to retreat into the shadows as everyone became consumed with agreeing and pointing out more reasons for its absurdity. In less than an hour, Anaar was the only painfully sober person left in a group of rowdy college students. Though he made a point of periodically apologizing to the staff, the other patrons were having a blast with the young, rambunctious foreigners. Only a few people fully remembered the night, but their experience proved to be unforgettable.
In an act of pure benevolence, rather than bring everyone home in one trip, forcing them to stumble back to their rooms completely hungover, he instead deposited everyone at the room of one of the couples, the obvious exceptions being Wu, Leo, and Jesus. Phavian had drank harder than anyone else, which resulted in him barely being capable of standing. With everyone safely back on campus, Anaar looked sourly at Phavian, slinging him over his shoulder and walking through his own portal to end their getaway.
34
Weeks had passed since their grand trip around the world, and everything had returned to normal for most people. Phavian was one of those who were an exception to the rule. People still brought up his blackout drunk behavior on their last night in Japan, and how they thought he was going to die of alcohol poisoning.
His response was always the same, blaming his consumption on how weak the drinks were, so he had no choice but to consume more, at a faster rate, in order to keep up. The truth, of which only Codi knew, was that he lived every day in terror for what was next in store for him. Not a day went by that it did not dominate his mind, and now he stood at a crossroads which might provide him some clarity and comfort.
Though it was hard to believe, it had been six years since his life at Sophangence began. Everyone often talked about the benefits of being a Sophangence graduate. They preached how important it was to push through the rough times because it was all worth it in the end. What no one ever talked about however, was how one was supposed to suddenly leave their life, living in a dream world, behind.
Because of the missions he frequented, he was well aware of how different the real world was. On the rare occasions when he would return home, he would talk to childhood friends and find he could no longer relate to anything in their lives because it felt as if he stepped into a parallel universe where technology never advanced, and people went about life in a haze.
The truth, he knew to be quite the opposite. Quintessences all about, hyper advanced AI that ran most components of life, respect for one another without care for attunement, all of these were fantasies out of a novel. It had been tearing him apart as he worked to navigate his withdrawal from what felt like the most amazing and addictive drug.
He had tried enjoying it to the fullest, and then dealing with the consequences once everything was over. As appealing as that seemed, there were a number of outside forces that prevented him from holding fast to his sweet delusions. Straightening his tie and checking his hair, he psyched himself up to confront the most aggressive of such.
Years of hard work, taking on challenging missions, while excelling in school, had set him up for what everyone hoped as they were graduating. Similarly to how colleges or agencies scouted talented athletes in their final year of high school, exceptional students needed not seek out the best opportunities, because they were in fact by invitation only. The level of inundation was staggering, something which Codi yelled at him for whenever he mentioned it.
Compared to him, Codi might as well have been invisible, or never have attended Sophangence at all, but they had come to believe that was not all due to her lack of a resume. Though few cared on campus, her status as the heir to the Aya fortune bore just as many freedoms as it did restrictions. It took her five months in her freshman year to finally rid herself of the security d
etail she had her entire life.
As he was not lacking options, he had been going into each of his meetings, understanding he held all the power. The meeting he was now attending was the only that had him intrigued from the beginning. Whereas every other offer was detailed, from the duties, to the benefits, to the pay, this one gave very little in the way of promises other than no one else could deliver the world to him like they could.
Phavian sat next to a man whose appearance made it seem as if it should be his father. He had dressed professionally for the occasion, but instead of the meeting happening in one of the many available conference rooms around campus, here he sat on a bench underneath a tree. Since his extended hand was not accepted, he sat awkwardly awaiting the man’s initiation of the interview.
“You are probably wondering what it is you would be signing up for if you decided to join with us.”
The man’s gruff voice fit the aesthetic. It was intimidating, with an underlying threat of harm to it. Phavian took note, but also could tell the obvious was actually a ruse, masterful misdirection to draw the attention from something else. He was not sure what it was, so instead he decided to let the conversation play out.
“Something like that.”
“All the official packages, with pages of legalese, detailing everything for you, this must feel odd. It should. We aren’t tied down by all that bullshit.”
“Who exactly is ‘we’?”
“You don’t get to know all that until it is earned.”
“No disrespect, but what kind of bullshit is this? You puff out your chest like you are all big and bad, when you are the ones at my doorstep. The whole purpose of this is for me to determine if you are worth my time, yet all I have gotten is dumb ass swaggering.”
Phavian stands to leave, mumbling to himself about being an idiot, when a hand grabs his arm. “Covert ops. That is what you will be doing. Your skillset if best suited for my unit.”
Phavian looks back at the man, and the hand on his arm, shaking it off. “Covert ops? I’m not an infiltrator! I’m not a Traveler, I don’t have Invisibility, or something like Shapeshifting. I’m quick, but still only within the normal spectrum of human ability. There is nothing about me suited for covert ops. I’m someone who works better on the front lines.”
The man burst into a fit of laughter, Phavian noticing something about him that seemed like a glitch in a holoprojection. “You’re a funny one. You’ve got some stones on you, that’s for damn sure. I get it, you have an amazing record for someone your age, and you have dominated this place since you arrived. It is understandable you think to be at the top of the food chain. Technically you are, but what you don’t know is that the real talent, the monsters that lurk in the shadows and fight the true fight, they don’t attend the fancy schools like this one. We are plucked and groomed long before we get to this stage. You wouldn’t stand a chance against the real frontline threats.”
“Then why do you want me?! I was concerned with what I would be getting paid, but now I don’t even know why I would be getting paid in the first place if I am so much shit, that is somehow suited only for ‘covert ops!’”
“It stings, I get it. You should be happy. No one gets in with us at your age. Either you are brought in and built into what they want you to be, or you have a proven track record. It would normally take about another ten years for us to even blink at you, but as I said, your skills have particular uses for our work, and your connections make you an invaluable resource.”
“Please, explain to me just how you plan to make me into some supreme spy.”
The man snorts, shaking his head. “Spy? Who in the hell said anything about that? You’d make a shit spy.”
“What in the hell are covert ops then?!”
“There are plenty of things that need to be taken care of in secret. Like disposal.”
“Are you serious… Like taking out the trash?!”
“You could say that.”
“Right… And exactly what kind of disposal could my skills be particularly useful for?”
“The human kind.”
All at once it hit Phavian what was being asked of him. The constant evasion, the reference to their work being ‘covert.’ He could not believe he had not put it together sooner.
“You want me to be an assassin.”
“I was told you were sharp. After this conversation, I’m starting to doubt everything in your file.”
“Fuck you man. You come here with this smoke and mirrors routine, and then tell me you want me to be a killer for hire. What kind of shit is that?!”
“You’ve killed people before, what is the difference?”
“In self-defense! It isn’t like I was ever given orders to go kill someone! I would have a serious problem with that!”
“Your boyfriend doesn’t have a problem with it.”
Phavian was more than aware of the volume of blood spilled by Anaar. He did his best to understand the struggles that caused his body count. He knew Anaar had killed many people intentionally, maliciously, but he did not believe it was something he could do as a prime directive. Unlike him though, Anaar did not discuss every mission he had, nor did he inquire into the ones Phavian took.
As he was coming to grips with Anaar’s activities, a wave of revelation choked him. “You are using me to get to him. That is what you mean by my ‘connections.’ I’m worth nothing more to you than an entry point.”
The man looks at Phavian as if he had just been accused of genocide. “Of course that is the main reason for seeking you out! You are good, don’t get me wrong, but like I said, you are about ten years too green for a crew like ours. We are willing to work with that though, because we know you will eventually bring the big prize to us. Hell, we don’t even care how you accomplish your missions, as long as they are clean and precise. You could get him to help you for all we care. That might be more beneficial for us anyway.”
“With how secretive you have been, you don’t care that a civilian who has nothing to do with your organization, has knowledge of sensitive operations?!”
“That kid is already considered to be one of the deadliest weapons in the US arsenal. He stopped being a civilian long ago. He also has knowledge of shit classified at levels I’m not even privy to, so I think we are good on that piece.”
Phavian’s heart began to throb uncontrollably as his throat constricted. The flood of information was too great for him to handle. Anaar was constantly warning him of being a target thanks to their relationship, but he was always expecting it to manifest by way of danger, and direct assault. There was so much these people knew about him and those around him, yet they were not threatening him, they wanted him to join them, if only to use him as a bridge to Anaar. He did not want to put Anaar in even more danger than he typically already was, but something told him it might be better to keep them close, rather than have them be a dangerous enemy in the future.
His anxiety spiked to levels typically only achieved when faced with life or death situations. His fight or flight mechanism activated, and his body kept coiling tighter and tighter, the explosion of energy it would loose if activated, immense in scale. Little did he know, in Anaar’s paranoia, since obtaining his Life attunement, he was in a constant state of being monitored, just in case there was a repeat of what happened in his Freshman year. His tension abated significantly when a familiar touch grazed the back of his neck.
Phavian opened his eyes to see Anaar standing there, alert, but otherwise unconcerned, no doubt because he realized there was no threat to be had. Instead, he appeared to be appraising the man before him. Phavian took comfort in Anaar’s ever composed, analytical attitude, though he suddenly realized it was odd that he was there in the first place.
“Don’t you think this was a bit overkill? Playing dress up as someone close to him, expecting it would disarm him and make him easier to sway? I get it is standard operating procedure for you, but I would have thought it wasn’t included in the recruitm
ent pitch as well.”
The man’s face never twitched, nor did his movements or even his heartrate increase, but there was a sense of foreboding deep in his gut. Anaar took stock of the impeccable control on every level and found himself extremely impressed. This pushed him to take it a step further.
“Luciana Nerbust, known by most as Corvid. Head of the Covert Operations unit of the single most powerful entity in our country that doesn’t exist. Phavian, you got scouted by the boss herself. It doesn’t get much better than that. I’m proud of you.”
Phavian looks at Anaar with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m not surprised she didn’t tell you. Oh… I forget you are absolutely terrible at picking out Shapeshifters, though I wouldn’t blame you in this situation. She makes Merc look like someone in a cheap suit from the party store. If she is the one recruiting you, it must be for assassination, probably made to look like death of natural causes. You could stop someone’s heart, making their death appear completely normal, and it would be practically impossible to find in an autopsy. There is no way you’d be trusted with infiltration. Not when there has to be people far more qualified than you.”
Luciana had long since beaten uncontrolled reactions out of her system. There was nothing that could be done to shake her from a state of equilibrium. There was no polygraph she could not pass, no role she could not play. She never showed her hand, and she was always in control. The man standing before her, the true target, was every bit as spectacular as she had heard.
It was an unexpected surprise to see him appear, no doubt in response to the mental state of his partner. Nothing she knew about him gave her any insight as to how he would be able to respond in such a fashion. He also appeared organically, making it appear as if he happened to be simply strolling by. The execution was perfect, and only her decades of experience exposed it for what it was.
Covert Operations, Assault, and Intelligence all wanted this man for themselves. Though they were one entity in name, that was where it stopped. She had known well that Phavian would not qualify for the others at time of graduation, but she also understood he would be key to securing Anaar in the future. Though she was the head of Covert Operations, she possessed a tactical mind that rivaled the head of Intelligence.
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 62
