WnW 7.25

Seth stood in the middle of the damp room, surrounded by his personal guard. I couldn’t see much with the fog and the flashlights pointed at me, but bits of metal flashed in the dark: earrings, watches, rings, necklaces. They were all dressed in suits, but worn casually, tie-less in some cases, cuffs rolled up to reveal tattoos and jewelry. 

A more casual guard? Or just a group of affluent friends wielding guns? Did they all know about Organ? Or was it just Seth?

“You’re a Shaper,” Seth said. He held a metal briefcase behind himself, which also meant his face was blocked from view by the black orb of a device that sat on his shoulder, its red eye remaining fixated on me. 

“Quite the frightening getup,” he remarked without so much as a hitch in his breath. “If you’re truly not my enemy, then get rid of it.”

There was no way I was doing that.

“It’s just to protect me from the fish.”

Seth clucked his tongue. “No. That’s a lie.”

“Please, just listen. I’m with the department of H.E.S.P. We’re here to get you out of here.”

“Don’t deflect. We’ll get to that in a second. What are you? We can eliminate the obvious. Self-Shaping means you’re not a Witch. So, Cast or Wolf?”

I stayed quiet.

I could see his smirk behind the machine. “Not what you expected, hm? I think you’ll find that I am quite competent on this new playing field. I learn quick and Sillwood was quite the eye-opener. Granted, the government has been slow on releasing information we are owed, but I have other sources to get my answers.”

“Wolf.”

“Mhm. So it is your Witch who has been changing our eyes and ears? I-” he stopped speaking for a second to listen to something. The mechanical eye on his shoulder made a small whirring sound. “H.E.S.P. has not been forthcoming with its spending and new hires. You however are known. A major player in the Sillwood incident. Videos and pictures all over the net, Wickerman.”

My heart sped up. He hadn’t known that a second ago. Or was he just stringing me along?

“People have been working to chart out each Shaper that was recorded in Sillwood, seeing where they went, what they did. You moved through the city more than most. Considered dangerous.”

“I’m happy to answer questions once we get you somewhere safe.”

“No. Another lie. Even with the mask on I can tell,” he said smugly. “Is this really who H.E.S.P. sent to rescue me? An untrustworthy violent vigilante? Or were you lying about your reason for being here too?”

My jaw tightened. “Listen, I just got thrown through that window by someone who expressly said they were out to get you. The same person responsible for the fog. And don’t get me started on the one calling his shots. Even if you think I’m your enemy, you have bigger problems to worry about if they find you.”

One of his allies spoke up, “Seth, he’s right. We should keep moving. If-”

“Quiet,” Seth said, pointing at her. “You’re not seeing what I am. This Wickerman could have any number of weapons and tricks. The quantity of unknowns is too great to walk forward like a bumbling fool, crashing through the forest. We have to stop and examine everything.”

I flinched as a gunshot went off, the bullet whizzing past me. Branches unfurled around my limbs before I could consciously hold them back. Seth’s group backed away a few steps.

“See how easily he moved?” Seth said. “He’s ready to attack at any moment.”

“You just shot at me,” I growled.

“Not you. A fish. Coming from the access point you made with that audacious entrance. Hardly keeping us safe, hm?”

I turned to see he was telling the truth. A fish floated dead in the air. It was strange to see its blood splattered along the window, instead of acting like blood did in water.

“I can seal it off, if you let me.”

Seth gestured for me to go ahead.

I turned and projected antlers, weaving them into a wall, anchoring points into the drywall and suspended ceiling, sealing off the window as best I could. Seth’s allies had lowered their flashlights and murmured softly to each other. There were four of them, all fit and attractive. They eyed me like I was a rapid dog.

“Let’s not get off on the wrong foot,” Seth said. “Tell me, what did you do before you worked for H.E.S.P.?”

“I was a university student,” I said, leaving out the part of my life where I worked for a crime baron. “This suits me much better though.”

“Good. Self-motivated learning is the best kind anyway. It means you have drive. You don’t just absorb what you’re told as inerrant fact.”

Seth watched me work with genuine fascination. “It’s incredible every time I see it. To weave matter however you want. Truly the next step towards humanity’s future.”

“You seem interested in the truth,” I said, snapping off the antlers from the connection point. “Let me make sure you have the full picture. Yes, I was in Sillwood. But what happened there wasn’t what the press is telling people. It wasn’t just Shaper gangs fighting each other.”

“It was Organ,” Seth said.

I was shocked into silence.

He nodded. “Surprised that I know about Organ? The government isn’t the keeper of information in this day and age, try as they might. Instead information is everywhere, dissolved and dispersed far and wide. Whispers in one corner, photos leak elsewhere, a drone finds something it shouldn’t, nobodies stumble across a connection that others missed. One simply has to aggregate that information to find complete answers.”

“I thought you were about medical tech.”

“I’m about everything. That’s why I’m here.”

“If you know about Organ, why not out them? Tell the world that they’re the reason why Shapers are so hated right now. They’ve been abusing Shapers for ages. People should know.”

“Why?” Seth asked, exchanging knowing looks with his allies. “What are people going to do? They shrug their shoulders, they say ‘it’s too big a problem for me to do anything’. They’re too busy with their little bubbles. They go to work, they go home, little else of import happens between. They aren’t like us. They won’t make the sacrifices it takes to play the game.”

Nell spoke into my ear, “Nick, Chase is at the bottom floors. I’m trying to keep him at bay for now, but there are Aberrants around and he’s skilled at directing them towards us. It’s only a matter of time before Daria and I can’t handle them and we have to retreat.”

Seth paused and turned his head. I got a good look at his face, some European features and a light brown skin tone. A narrow-bridged nose, perfect teeth, and long lashes. He smiled, mouth slightly open. “Chase, Nick, Daria,” he repeated.

How had he heard? The headset spoke directly into my ear. I had only heard Daria’s when I was right next to her. Neve’s hearing enhancement shouldn’t be that heightened.

“NIck,” he said, pointing to me. “That makes Daria part of your team and Chase must be my intriguing adversary. I have to admire the breadth of his maneuvers. He targeted and trapped every one of the buildings I frequent. He must have been observing me for some time. He knows my patterns.”

I rallied from the shock. “You heard my ally. So you know then that we don’t have time to waste.”

“We were trying to leave, but the fish are much more numerous near the base of the building. They drove us upstairs. Right then, lead the way, Nick.” He gestured with a flourish towards the door. “Unless you expected us to jump out the window with you.”

The group stepped out of my way, giving me a path to the door. Seth made sure to stay out of reach.

I walked towards the door, trying to decide what to do. Seth was much too comfortable with the situation. The Director believed that there were people within the government that were working with Organ. That was why he was unconcerned with being under our care. 

And then there was that briefcase that he was subtly shielding with his body. I suspected that was what Chase was after. If it was so important, did I really want it to leave my sight? It could be passed on to any number of people once we were back on dry land. I had the control now, I needed to use it. 

I closed my hand around the door handle.

The Director wanted me to be the rogue. I had to throw a wrench into the works. Take a deep breath.

I breathed in slowly, then let it out. “Why did you come here, Seth?” I asked, turning to face the piercing eyes of him and his allies.

“My escape was cut off at my suite. I had to retreat elsewhere.”

“So why here? This is just some random archival storage.”

“I don’t have to answer that.”

“And who are these people?”

“You’re wasting my time. I thought we had to hurry-”

“The Beacon-”

“I don’t know what that is!” he snapped, raising a finger.

“-spoke to me,” I whispered.

He froze, hand dropping loosely to his side.

“You say the government isn’t the keeper of information but I know that particular tidbit didn’t get leaked.” Because I never told them.

He regained his composure in an instant, his unbothered demeanour snapping back down into place. He readjusted his collar. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Lie~” I said mockingly. “And unlike you, I don’t need a robot to hold my hand and tell me what’s true.”

His expression darkened. The machine stared silently at me with its red camera. His posse began to step closer, hands tightening around pistols and hidden things beneath their suit jackets. I pulsed Nell, making sure she knew shit was about to hit the fan.

“What? You think I wouldn’t know?” I asked. “I had one of those in my kitchen back in Sillwood. A Brainbox, artificial intelligence. I thought you had what it took to play the game?”

Seth tugged on his suit jacket and straightened up. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“Big talk for a little fish.”

“To arms!” he shouted.

The woman in front laced her fingers together then pushed her palms out towards me, stretching. The joints at her fingers split open and something gray spilled out.

The man next to her reached deep inside his own throat and pulled out a sword that looked like it was made out of his own spine, white and segmented. It clacked together like wooden blocks.

A shark crashed through my barrier, toothy mouth stretched wide. It was immediately assaulted with bullets as the two guards in the back unloaded their pistols into it. Unstoppable, it sank its teeth into one of them, carrying them forward and knocking into Seth.

The briefcase was knocked loose from his grip, spinning across the wet tile floor.

For the first time, I saw fear pass across Seth’s face. Not from when he had seen the shark, but from the moment the briefcase had hit the floor.