Chương 20: Mire Expedition Team

The days passed in a surprisingly comfortable peace. Work for Harbor was slow for once, and every night I returned home to my sister. We played games, listened to old-time detective radio dramas, and just enjoyed what time we had left. Quinn even came by for dinner a couple nights. We argued sometimes, 'course, but we always made up by bedtime. Sylvie went out of her way to ensure I never went to sleep hurting. It was such a small thing, but it made my heart thrum with happiness even just thinking about it.

Despite my small prayers that the days could continue forever, the time quickly came. Funny how my happiest times passed the quickest. Soon it was time. Haman sent me a text with a location and no matter how much I wanted to stay, I had to go. For us. For a future where I wasn't owned by my own condition. I watched the rain roll down the window of Quinn's beat-to-hell car. We slowly rolled to a stop at a red light, and pedestrians crossed the street.

Office workers, children headed to school, a man walking a dog—how many of them knew just how lucky they were? I habitually pushed down the envy before it could grow. A red-neon sign of a pole-dancer distracted me for a few moments. Anything was better than wallowing in bitterness. It wouldn't change anything.

"Thanks for driving me."

"Not like I'd make you take the tram," Quinn muttered. Her forehead was pressed down into the steering wheel, and her red-rimmed eyes were closed tightly.

"Just wish I could've done more for you."

"You've done more than enough." I sighed, and patted her on the shoulder.

"Sylvie's ceremony—""I'll take pictures." She instantly got what I was talking about, and lifted her head. The light flicked green, and the car rumbled forward once more. With each passing block, the wall loomed higher and higher overhead. Good. That was one less worry on my shoulders. At least someone would be there for her even if I couldn't. Sylvie said she'd awaken, but… reality was bleak. After the Awakening Ceremony was the number one time a kid shouldn't be left alone.

"And take care of yourself, yeah?" My words felt distant like they were coming from someone else.

"I will." Quinn silently pulled into a parking space close to a perimeter defense force base.

"Reyna…"

"Yeah?" I glanced back toward her.

"If you don't come back—" She broke off into a laugh, and looked away. The laughter couldn't hide the way her bottom lip trembled, nor the tightness of her expression.

"Sorry… you'll make it back."

"I will. Just keep believing in me." I brushed a strand of frazzled hair out of her face. She looked like she hadn't slept in a couple days, which was entirely unlike her.

"No alcohol until I get back."

"You're asking for too much." She sighed, and thumped the side of her head with her palm.

"Fuck… fine. I'll stay sober." I thought she'd shoot me down, so it took me by total surprise that she agreed so easily. Even if I didn't make it, getting her sober would be one last thing I could do for her. Dead friend pressure was a real thing.

"… thank you."

"You have the relics?" She asked for the tenth time since I got in the car. As it turned out, radiant relics of the church were hard to get a hold of. The fact she even managed to get three in such a short amount of time spoke of her sheer effort.

"Got them." I lifted the necklace dangling around my neck. It was golden, and the spherical charm glowed with an internal light. It was supposedly a healing relic of some kind, though the details hadn't been too clear.

"The axe?" She asked.

"Here." I lifted a tactical combat axe. The blade flickered gold, just like the knife Harbor usually sent me out with. It was pretty similar to the axe I used as Barghest.

"And—""It's going to be okay." I said for the thousandth time. If I said it enough, maybe everyone would finally believe me. Still, I rolled up my sleeve to reveal a silver bracelet just above the black band at my wrist. It could apparently charge any device. It was a surprisingly practical relic. She nodded her head. Her eyes had turned even redder, and she looked like she was manually restraining tears with her ability.

"Stay safe, Reyna."

"… you too." I leaned across the central console and gave her a tight hug. She returned it while patting my back, and quickly let me go.

"Okay, give them hell, Reyna."

"I will." I popped open the door, grabbed my bag, and stepped out onto the curb. I watched Quinn's beat up car long into the distance with a soft smile. Eventually, I turned around. Instead of going to the front of the Perimeter Defense Force base like I told Quinn, I cut into an alley. I waited until even the fading hums of Quinn's engine vanished beneath the light rain. Only then did black plates flowed over my armor and I once more turned into Barghest. My smile vanished under the lithe combat armor.

A back entrance was left open for me, which I promptly slipped through and entered a garage. A full convoy was set up and preparing to head out just inside of the garage. By the looks of things, everyone was on their final preparations and just about to start loading up. Groups of syndicate members stood around. Some were busy loading cargo and doing final weapons checks. Others laughed and chatted in small groups or smoked cigarettes to calm their nerves.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. A group of lieutenants off to the side pored over a map. A few familiar faces, including one I wished I'd never see again, were mixed into the groups. Most of them were Cerberus' people that I'd seen at least in passing, though only a few were ones I'd actually talked to. Amanda, a normal enforcer, waved at me like we were old friends. Even just seeing her made me feel like retching, and my tail curled defensively behind me. I silently avoided the group.

Hopefully, I'd be able to go through the entire trip without having to run into anyone I knew. It took me a bit, but I eventually found Agent Haman near the front talking to a lady with flaming hair. Cerberus was thankfully nowhere in sight. If that guy came along too… I would've had to change my plans significantly. He'd watch me like a hawk. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Ah, Barghest! There you are." Agent Haman hollered from the other side of the room, and waved me over to him. The flame-haired woman was sent away. Once I got close, he spoke in a much quieter tone.

"I was afraid we'd have to go fetch you, Silver Wolf."

"It's—" Wait, no. He actually got it right that time. My eyes narrowed on the man. What game was he playing at? If it was Cerberus or the researchers, they would've stuffed that into my face for the next half a decade.

"My nature is supposed to be secret."

"I know, I know." He waved the matter off, and crossed his arms. He turned slightly to look out over the convoy.

"If the plan goes right, over half these people won't make it back, anyway. Nothing to worry about." Somewhere behind him, a group of enforcers broke into laughter at a joke. One of the guys grabbed a fresh cigarette and lit it completely unaware his fate had already been sealed. We were far enough away none of them had heard their odds. A shiver went down my spine. What plan? The whole thing reeked of a conspiracy.

"Agent Haman—""We're all allies here." He nodded to the convoy, and once more reminded me just how precarious my position was.

"Call me Overseer." My tail twitched unsteadily.

'Course. I should've figured out as much by now considering how Cerberus treated the man. Not to mention he kept his composure quite well in front of Bartmoss. Executors were in charge of cities, and Overseers oversaw the syndicate's interest in several cities. That once more evoked my curiosity of Lord Bartmoss. He had a Hades Syndicate Overseer guiding him around. It appeared his identity was even more complicated than I first expected.

"Here." Overseer Haman held out an autoinjector to me. The fact he was just handing it out so easily took me by so much surprise that I stood there like an idiot for several seconds and just stared at him.

"Ahem."

"Thank you, sir." I pulled the inhibitor out of his hand, and held it in my own. This was the first time in a seriously long time I'd been given an inhibitor before the previous dose ran off. I… I didn't even know what to do with it.

"Go ahead. I've got another in case it takes us longer than expected." Overseer Haman sighed, and shook his head in disappointment.

"It seems someone's been mistreating our poor wolf." And you haven't? I bit that remark back, and adjusted one of my arm guards to get better access for the injector. It was hard to say he mistreated me when he was just handing it over like this. I mean, sure, there were a few times in the past week that weren't fun, but they could all just be misunderstandings. Right. It may be hard to remember, but not everyone was like Cerberus.

I pressed the button, and a full injection of inhibitor was blasted into my system for the first time since I got back from the first expedition. Comfort rolled through me in soft waves of warmth. Maybe Haman wasn't so bad? Hades… Maybe I was just unlucky? Warmth surged through me from the drug, and my tail twitched around in happiness. There were still people like Director Roose! Right, right, it wasn't all bad. I just happened to be stuck with a bad group.

The comfort faded into an alert feeling like my brain had just been cleaned out. The autoinjector suddenly felt like lead in my hand. What was I becoming? Mom… she'd understand, but what would dad think if he saw me like this? Or Sylvie? She'd probably hate me even more, wouldn't she? I stared down at the injector in disgust. How could such a small thing control my mood so easily?

"You're with me in the command car." Haman either didn't notice or didn't seem to care about my swinging mood. He simply nodded to the hummer just behind an APC. Unlike the others, this one was more heavily armored and lacked a turret mount.

"Lord Bartmoss?" As soon as I asked, I bit my tongue fiercely. The inhibitor must've made me stupid. I knew better than that. Asking questions freely was a good way to get a beating—"Already in there. His stooges are in the APC." He answered easily. The guy pulled a tablet out of his satchel, and tapped around on it. He stuffed it back in, and tossed the entire satchel to me.

"Here. It's got a copy of all the map data." My teeth dug down further, though this time it was to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Was this Hades? Why—why was I being treated like an actual person? I accepted the satchel, and the edge I'd been feeling all morning faded slightly. Maybe I'd actually be able to keep my promise. Maybe Sylvie wouldn't have to bury another family member. Three corpseless burials would be crushing.

"Thank you, sir."

"Mhmm. We set off in ten." He waved a hand toward the far side of the warehouse.

"Equipment over there. Grab whatever you want. MET was kind enough to pay for this entire voyage." AKA, Hades politicked their way into getting the government to pay for a private expedition. No, maybe not even politicked. Could be plain ole simple deception. On paper, this entire expedition was likely legitimate. I loaded up with everything I'd need, including a top of the line vi-rifle that looked like it was fresh off the assembly line, and worked my way back to the command hummer.

To my surprise, Overseer Haman himself was the one driving. Between him, Bartmoss, and me, there were only three of us in the vehicle. I stopped at the open door, and froze. Seeing the two sitting there made the entire vehicle feel like a snake's den. It was only when a vehicle in the convoy honked twice that I managed to force myself into the passenger's seat. The convoy set off shortly after that. Just like the last time, we slipped through the impenetrable walls of Silverport without any issue.

It was even easier this time, actually. We were a legitimate expedition instead of a group getting through by corruption. The golden light of the city slowly faded behind us. Rain obscured the gargantuan walls that kept the city safe, and even the oppressive shadow soon faded behind the fog of the Mire. The walls that'd protected me my entire life steadily disappeared. As soon as we got out beyond the walls into the Mire, Haman nodded to me.

"Code's 2004. Pull open the target file."

"Sir." I grabbed the tablet that'd been given to me, and opened it up to find dozens of fragmentary satellite images. Most of them were terrain, but the ones in the file he indicated were of what looked like a crashed AV freighter. I narrowed my eyes and zoomed in on the downed AV. Where the hell would it be coming from? Silverport was on the outer fringe of UCS cities, and there weren't any known remnants of civilization beyond us. Why the hell would a freighter be coming from out there? Secret UCS base, maybe?

Or… is it an anomaly… Haman glanced at the photos, and spoke up, "we know the general area, but our analysts indicated strong spatial anomalies in the area." Even without the spatial anomalies, it'd be almost impossible to find once we got out there. Especially with the Mire limiting visibility so much. There were radiant relics and certain abilities that could see through the Mire, but even then it was difficult to actually find stuff out there.

Not to mention the chances of running into calamities shot through the roof. I swiped through a few more images. I could see why they needed me… especially if there were spatial anomalies present. Seek worked through the fastest route regardless of terrain—but that didn't include pockets of disordered space. They were like null zones that forced my psionic ability to reroute.

"Hades was quite adamant you'd be able to find my target," Bartmoss spoke up from the back seat. The overwhelmingly large man looked absurd squished back there. He took up nearly two seats.

"They weren't lying, I trust?" Seek activated, and I slowly felt a connection form with the crashed freighter. Thanks to the satellite images, I knew what it looked like. That was enough. The connection was incredibly weak thanks to the distance, but it was there.

"I have it." I instead swiped to the maps, and looked through them one by one to get a lay of the land ahead of us. The entire surrounding area was covered in dense palepines.

"It's east of us somewhere."

"Hmmm." Lord Bartmoss nodded in satisfaction.

"Just as we promised, milord." Haman lifted out an ancient looking MP3 player, and clicked on the four way dial to load up a song.

"How do you feel about pop music? I downloaded a couple weeks' worth of music in preparation for this." Lord Bartmoss looked like he was about to say something, and then seemed to think better of engaging with us lowly insects. He just closed his eyes, and seemed to slip into a meditative state.

"It's fine, I guess." I answered simply. Who was I to deny an Overseer's taste in music?

'Sides, I didn't listen to music all that often, so it was hard to have an opinion. I wrapped my tail up into my lap, and mentally prepared myself for the several day trek out to our destination. Somewhere east, beyond the endless fog and monsters, the freighter waited for me. All i had to do was find it and come home.