The air tasted of industry and outrage. The smell of grinding gears and the rough texture of a rusty mesh fence were all that welcomed Amy into Crey’s Folly. She had snuck in, past the guards at the entrance, for the second time. Inwardly, she marveled at her luck. The guards had never so much as noticed the slightest trace of her passage.
She had tried to follow that man, again. That strange old man had gone through here, the wayward with the violin.
She felt around the sharp edges of an industrial energy meter and paused to put one tentative hand directly out in front. It wouldn’t do well to walk into something unexpectedly here, the low hum of her med badge little comfort in these tense moments. Amy listened for the tell tale notes that would herald the violin but she could make out nothing over the din of metal against metal. Where was it? It had to be somewhere.
She had first heard the old carny playing on the street corner for coins a month before she had been enrolled at St. Joseph’s. On some unimportant day, at no particular moment in her life, she had stopped to listen and in a single, dingy, unimportant, moment, her entire life had changed. The Violin. The colors its music had brought about in her mind and painted across the blind canvas of the streets had shown Amy, that the world was still beautiful. There was still light in a dark world.
The sleeve of her jacket caught on a twisted metal wire from the broken fence. She stifled the cry of pain, slapping a hand over her mouth, as she felt the metal cut into her forearm. With an angry wrench she pulled her arm free and sniffled. The warm wetness that slicked the surface of the leather jacket told her enough about the wound but with a shiver and a shrug she ignored it. Her strange regeneration would soon render the point moot.
Carefully, she leaned out into the street, listening for the sounds of people. Everything in Crey’s Folly was dangerous. There was only background noise, the incessant pounding of endless manufacture and the dull click of a far away clock. For a brief moment, she missed Bailey, her irascible seeing-eye dog, but she never brought him out into places like these. She’d just have to make do.
Running her hand along the fence, the other held out in front of her, she began to walk along the edge of the street. When the metal turned she rounded the corner.
“Become silent. Unable to see.”
Amy froze. The voice was no more than ten feet in front of her. She almost panicked. Why hadn’t she heard anyone? How could she have missed the deep, resonating, voice that could be no more than a few steps ahead. It made her dizzy almost, as though the voice were somehow vibrating inside her head.
“No time. Clock too fast. Sky is bad.”
This was a different voice, higher pitched and whining...and only three feet to her right. Amy swallowed hard. In a second, surely whoever it was, would turn around and see her. Any second now, they’d attack.
“Mist is grey. Silent now.”
The air near her shoulders shifted, meaning that something had moved past her. She was barely able to silence the yelp as a small, gnarly, hand suddenly grabbed her pant leg and pulled. She could feel the cold fingers through the rough, cotton, fabric.
“I want warm.”
The whining voice must have been directed at her. The tiny hand tugged on her pant leg once more.
“I want warm.”
That was the last of her fragile self-control, her nerves already on edge. Amy broke away from the clutching fingers and ran in the first direction she could...straight into a wall.
~*~
The halls of St. Joe’s were blessedly quiet at three in the morning as Amy shuffled painfully down the main corridor. The walk back had been long, she remembered that, and the train had been nearly empty of people, or at least if they had been there, she hadn’t heard them. For that, she thanked every deity she could think of.
Her arm hurt, her head hurt, everything seemed to be stiff and painful. She felt dizzy, a low hum seemed to have settled itself into her brain. For a moment she lost her balance and hit the lockers with a clang, the metallic sound was lower than usual, she must be near the second floor bathrooms. Amy winced. Thankfully, blind or not, she could find the dorms from here.
The Sons of Belial (Closed)
Moderator: Student Council
The second biggest disadvantage to sleeping in a tube: if you had an insomnia attack, there wasn't enough room to do anything but stare at the readouts.
Joni sat quietly in the common area, trying to exhaust herself with schoolwork. Too much on her mind lately, plus occasional claustrophobia if she couldn't doze off fast enough, made for a bad combination. At least she was doing something useful with her time...
She checked the wall clock (10 past 3, five minutes later than the last time she'd checked), then returned focus to her assigned reading. He did not wish to let her go from his room any more, at least not as long as he lived. His frightening appearance would for the first time become useful for him. He wanted to be at all the doors of his room simultaneously and snarl back at ca-clang the attackers. However...
..."ca-clang"?
Joni glanced up, glanced around the room. The noise had definitely come from outside; it sounded like someone had slammed a locker door down the hall. She put her textbook to one side, then went to the doorway.
There was a trail of blood on the floor.
She stifled several noises at once, then quietly followed the trail to the lockers. Leaning against one was a disoriented-looking student, taking a moment to recover... a student with a cane? She hurried over. "Amy?" she whispered.
The blind student raised her head. "Joni? Is that you?"
"It's me. My God, are you okay? You're bleeding!" She gently took Amy by the uninjured arm and started leading her toward the nearest couch.
"It's alright, I'm okay, I heal, remember? I've been hurt far worse than this and been fine less than an hour later."
"What happened? Who did it, the Circle? The Council?"
"Uh..." She gave an embarrassed giggle. "...it was the razor wire fence, I think. I was--" She was interrupted by an alarmed noise from Joni. "What?"
"If you've been hurt worse than this, I'm glad I've never had to see it." They had reached the common area and Joni had better lighting to study the wound by. It was more than an inch deep and twice as wide, and the edges of it were an unhealthy color. "We need to get you to the infirmary."
Amy sighed in a "you don't get it" sort of way. "It'll be fine, really, I just haven't had the time to focus on it. Here, watch..." She concentrated. The wound slowly but visibly closed, to a mixture of interest and disgust from Joni. Half a minute later she relaxed. "There, good as new."
"...no it isn't. It's still discolored."
"'Discolored'?"
"Yeah, can't you...? ...no, of course you can't see it. Umm... the entire area's kind of ashy, like the skin's dead. And it's got a sort of leathery texture to--"
Amy dropped her cane and felt the infected area. Her face grew horrified. She hesitated, then slowly pulled up her other sleeve to expose the elbow. "Joni... does it look like this?"
"...it... umm... it doesn't have the... er, ridges, but the skin is about the same, yeah..."
Amy slumped to the floor, stunned. "Oh god, not again..."
Joni had seen plenty of weird things in the month or so since she arrived here, but this was trying for a new high. "Amy, how long has your elbow been like that? Is it supposed to--?"
"Shh!" Amy looked around nervously, but no one seemed to be stirring in the dorms above them. She quietly but anxiously continued. "No, it's not supposed to look like that. But it has been for months, and it's not getting better..."
"The infirmary and GIFT don't know why?"
"...They don't know, period."
"Are you serious?" She watched her friend nod. "...Amy, you need to show this to them. Maybe they can help. Why have you been hiding this from them?"
Amy looked torn. "...what'll they think of me if they see this? What if they want to run experiments on me to find out what's wrong? God, what'll the other students think if they find out? You're my best friend; do you know how much I didn't want to show you this?"
That shut Joni up fast. "...okay, okay. But you can't just ignore this; it's clearly not going away, so... am I really your best friend?"
"Well of course."
"But we only met a few weeks ago."
"And we've talked a lot since. And I think other people are uncomfortable around me, but you've been willing to ignore that and spend time with me anyway. And you're a friendly and honest person. And... well, you now know a secret about me that no one else does, and you're willing to keep it a secret. I'd call that a very good friend."
Amy couldn't see Joni flinch slightly and rub an ear at the "honest" part. "...thanks." She awkwardly shoved the conversation back to the original topic. "...umm, let me think... where were you injured? We should check it out. Maybe there's something there that triggered the change... some sort of chemical or poison on whatever cut you..."
"Chemicals sound likely. I was in Venice; plenty of those there."
"'Venice'? You mean Crey's Folly?" Amy nodded. "Amy, that area's restricted well beyond both our security levels... how'd you even get in?"
"I snuck in. It was late, probably very dark, and I guess I got lucky because the guards didn't notice me."
Amy also couldn't see how nervous Joni was suddenly looking; Joni was grateful for that. "...okay, think you can get lucky again?"
Joni sat quietly in the common area, trying to exhaust herself with schoolwork. Too much on her mind lately, plus occasional claustrophobia if she couldn't doze off fast enough, made for a bad combination. At least she was doing something useful with her time...
She checked the wall clock (10 past 3, five minutes later than the last time she'd checked), then returned focus to her assigned reading. He did not wish to let her go from his room any more, at least not as long as he lived. His frightening appearance would for the first time become useful for him. He wanted to be at all the doors of his room simultaneously and snarl back at ca-clang the attackers. However...
..."ca-clang"?
Joni glanced up, glanced around the room. The noise had definitely come from outside; it sounded like someone had slammed a locker door down the hall. She put her textbook to one side, then went to the doorway.
There was a trail of blood on the floor.
She stifled several noises at once, then quietly followed the trail to the lockers. Leaning against one was a disoriented-looking student, taking a moment to recover... a student with a cane? She hurried over. "Amy?" she whispered.
The blind student raised her head. "Joni? Is that you?"
"It's me. My God, are you okay? You're bleeding!" She gently took Amy by the uninjured arm and started leading her toward the nearest couch.
"It's alright, I'm okay, I heal, remember? I've been hurt far worse than this and been fine less than an hour later."
"What happened? Who did it, the Circle? The Council?"
"Uh..." She gave an embarrassed giggle. "...it was the razor wire fence, I think. I was--" She was interrupted by an alarmed noise from Joni. "What?"
"If you've been hurt worse than this, I'm glad I've never had to see it." They had reached the common area and Joni had better lighting to study the wound by. It was more than an inch deep and twice as wide, and the edges of it were an unhealthy color. "We need to get you to the infirmary."
Amy sighed in a "you don't get it" sort of way. "It'll be fine, really, I just haven't had the time to focus on it. Here, watch..." She concentrated. The wound slowly but visibly closed, to a mixture of interest and disgust from Joni. Half a minute later she relaxed. "There, good as new."
"...no it isn't. It's still discolored."
"'Discolored'?"
"Yeah, can't you...? ...no, of course you can't see it. Umm... the entire area's kind of ashy, like the skin's dead. And it's got a sort of leathery texture to--"
Amy dropped her cane and felt the infected area. Her face grew horrified. She hesitated, then slowly pulled up her other sleeve to expose the elbow. "Joni... does it look like this?"
"...it... umm... it doesn't have the... er, ridges, but the skin is about the same, yeah..."
Amy slumped to the floor, stunned. "Oh god, not again..."
Joni had seen plenty of weird things in the month or so since she arrived here, but this was trying for a new high. "Amy, how long has your elbow been like that? Is it supposed to--?"
"Shh!" Amy looked around nervously, but no one seemed to be stirring in the dorms above them. She quietly but anxiously continued. "No, it's not supposed to look like that. But it has been for months, and it's not getting better..."
"The infirmary and GIFT don't know why?"
"...They don't know, period."
"Are you serious?" She watched her friend nod. "...Amy, you need to show this to them. Maybe they can help. Why have you been hiding this from them?"
Amy looked torn. "...what'll they think of me if they see this? What if they want to run experiments on me to find out what's wrong? God, what'll the other students think if they find out? You're my best friend; do you know how much I didn't want to show you this?"
That shut Joni up fast. "...okay, okay. But you can't just ignore this; it's clearly not going away, so... am I really your best friend?"
"Well of course."
"But we only met a few weeks ago."
"And we've talked a lot since. And I think other people are uncomfortable around me, but you've been willing to ignore that and spend time with me anyway. And you're a friendly and honest person. And... well, you now know a secret about me that no one else does, and you're willing to keep it a secret. I'd call that a very good friend."
Amy couldn't see Joni flinch slightly and rub an ear at the "honest" part. "...thanks." She awkwardly shoved the conversation back to the original topic. "...umm, let me think... where were you injured? We should check it out. Maybe there's something there that triggered the change... some sort of chemical or poison on whatever cut you..."
"Chemicals sound likely. I was in Venice; plenty of those there."
"'Venice'? You mean Crey's Folly?" Amy nodded. "Amy, that area's restricted well beyond both our security levels... how'd you even get in?"
"I snuck in. It was late, probably very dark, and I guess I got lucky because the guards didn't notice me."
Amy also couldn't see how nervous Joni was suddenly looking; Joni was grateful for that. "...okay, think you can get lucky again?"
The echoes of laughter and shouting skittered up the battered sides of industrial silos as the two girls crept from the tunnel causeway.
“This way,” Amy whispered, “There’s a service stairwell that goes up to the street. Past the first ridge in the sidewalk there’s a fence. I got caught in it up there.”
Violin couldn’t tell if Joni nodded or not but she felt her friend brush past and pause at the street entrance. Deep down she knew this was a bad idea, but if Joni’s theory was right and it was some chemical or poison, then there would be no reason to be afraid anymore. No reason to hide. Please let it be poison.
“It’s clear.” Joni’s voice whispered at last.
The two stepped out tentatively, Violin reflexively reaching for the back of Joni’s shirt before the cold recoiled her hand. The darkness of night that was now a hindrance to Joni was never a consideration to the quiet girl behind her. They made their way across the rusted, littered, street towards the hum of a large industrial meter. Its smooth, grey, sides rattling in the darkness. The fence could be clearly seen from their position, a twisted, orange and grey, abomination against the smoky steel sky.
Joni could clearly see the tear in the fence, ragged and rough, something very large and inhumanely strong must have caused it, ripping through it like paper. Jagged wires and razor sharp edges protruded from every direction. No wonder the wound had been bad.
But it didn’t explain anything. There wasn’t a barrel or container anywhere in sight. No radioactive warning, no voltage, no nothing. Just the dying metal mesh of a forgotten border sagging though its last years in a wasteland.
“We should be careful.” Amy leaned forward and whispered. “The group of people talking over there might see us if we go too far down the sidewalk.”
But there was no one talking. Joni heard nothing over the din of noises that were the staple of Crey’s Folly. She cast a glance at Amy whose head was tilted ever so slightly to the right, as though she was listening to something.
Curiously, she asked, “Where, Amy?”
“Over there.” The blind girl waved a hand toward the spot where the fence turned a sharp corner to the right and the street ended in ruins.
Joni followed the pointed finger across the sidewalk, down the fence, and to the corner.
What she saw, shocked her.
Just like the newspapers had always described them, tall and lean, with a frightening countenance.
Rikti.
“This way,” Amy whispered, “There’s a service stairwell that goes up to the street. Past the first ridge in the sidewalk there’s a fence. I got caught in it up there.”
Violin couldn’t tell if Joni nodded or not but she felt her friend brush past and pause at the street entrance. Deep down she knew this was a bad idea, but if Joni’s theory was right and it was some chemical or poison, then there would be no reason to be afraid anymore. No reason to hide. Please let it be poison.
“It’s clear.” Joni’s voice whispered at last.
The two stepped out tentatively, Violin reflexively reaching for the back of Joni’s shirt before the cold recoiled her hand. The darkness of night that was now a hindrance to Joni was never a consideration to the quiet girl behind her. They made their way across the rusted, littered, street towards the hum of a large industrial meter. Its smooth, grey, sides rattling in the darkness. The fence could be clearly seen from their position, a twisted, orange and grey, abomination against the smoky steel sky.
Joni could clearly see the tear in the fence, ragged and rough, something very large and inhumanely strong must have caused it, ripping through it like paper. Jagged wires and razor sharp edges protruded from every direction. No wonder the wound had been bad.
But it didn’t explain anything. There wasn’t a barrel or container anywhere in sight. No radioactive warning, no voltage, no nothing. Just the dying metal mesh of a forgotten border sagging though its last years in a wasteland.
“We should be careful.” Amy leaned forward and whispered. “The group of people talking over there might see us if we go too far down the sidewalk.”
But there was no one talking. Joni heard nothing over the din of noises that were the staple of Crey’s Folly. She cast a glance at Amy whose head was tilted ever so slightly to the right, as though she was listening to something.
Curiously, she asked, “Where, Amy?”
“Over there.” The blind girl waved a hand toward the spot where the fence turned a sharp corner to the right and the street ended in ruins.
Joni followed the pointed finger across the sidewalk, down the fence, and to the corner.
What she saw, shocked her.
Just like the newspapers had always described them, tall and lean, with a frightening countenance.
Rikti.
The Rikti invasion had never come within a hundred miles of Savannah, but it didn't fail to impact Joni. She still remembered being glued to the TV alongside her parents, watching the scattered news reports and quietly praying for the horror to end...
Not once, however, had she ever seen one outside shaky film footage and photos. She'd heard from the more experienced students that there were still underground cells in Paragon, but it took standing less than fifty yards from four armed Rikti to drive the point home.
"Amy..." She tried for a whisper and got more of a squeak, but there was no sign they had been noticed at that distance. "Be very quiet, and don't move."
"What's going on?"
She was already trying to focus... chill the air just right, hopefully there would be enough moisture... "There's, um, there's a group of Rikti in the direction you were pointing."
Amy squeaked a little herself. "...are... are they the ones talking?"
"Umm... I still can't hear them from here; your ears are sharper than mine. Err, your hearing is. Why's it matter?"
Silence for a moment, and then a quiet, "I heard similar voices when I got injured earlier."
Joni was glad the mist was forming well. "Let's try to get closer, then..."
"What? We'll get spotted!"
"Shh! Don't panic." I'll do enough of that for both of us, Joni silently added as one Rikti glanced at the noise. It started advancing... in entirely the wrong direction. Thank God. "That chill around us is a fog I'm forming... they won't see us in it. Just stay close..." She took the hesitant Amy by one sleeve and slowly crept forward. "And let me know when you hear them clearly. Maybe they have something to do with..."
A thought clicked in Joni's head. ...no, that's just ridiculous. She peered at the Rikti again through the mist, continuing her slow march. Amy tilted her head again in concern. "What it is now?"
"Ummm... I'm trying to get a good look at them. There's something else I didn't notice earlier; it's--"
"Ohmygod, run!"
The something else -- a floating pod of some kind, which had just rotated to face their direction -- lit up. The four Rikti turned in tandem and took aim; Joni barely had time to react before...
"Joni? Joni, come in. Are you okay? Oh god, tell me you're okay..."
The young mutant grimaced, taking in her surroundings as the regeneration tube released her. She'd never visited the Brickstown Hospital in particular, but all the Medicom receiving rooms looked pretty much the same.
She looked around for Amy before realizing the source came from her communicator. "Ow, that hurt... Amy, did you get sent to another hospital somehow?"
"...the Rikti, uh, didn't get me. I'm on my -- oof! -- on my way to you... the hospital's the building just on the other side of the gate, right? I'm almost there; I can hear the police drones..."
"They didn't get you?" Joni rubbed the spots where the plasma bolts had torn into her. They still throbbed. "...you truly are lucky." She took a few steps toward the elevators, but a nurse noticed and immediately started into the usual lecture about taking an hour to recuperate. Given that Joni was in no real hurry to go anywhere, she decided to take the advice and collapsed into the nearest bed.
Amy had gotten past the nursing staff three minutes later and shooed them off for some privacy. She was already panicky. "I'm so sorry, Joni... I should have spoken sooner. Now you're in the hospital for who knows how long..." She had a nervous deathgrip on one of the bedposts.
"What? Oh! No, Amy, I'm not bedridden or anything, I'm just resting... it's um, worse than it 'looks.' Besides, I was the one who wanted to get closer. This was totally my..." She blinked. "Wait, you did speak up. You knew that pod had spotted us before I did. How'd you know?"
Silence for a moment. "...you really didn't hear the Rikti right before they opened fire, did you?"
"You mean when the rest of them turned? You yelled before that."
"No, when the artificial-sounding one, the pod I guess? gave the intruder alert. Then they all said something like 'acknowledged' and that's when I yelled."
"...Amy, I never heard them say a thing the entire time, and we were... well, we were obviously well within firing range."
Amy looked even more alarmed than in the dorms. "I... I remembered as soon as you mentioned they were Rikti... They communicate with each other telepathically. I read it somewhere. I was just hoping I remembered wrong."
"...so, hold on, you've become telepathic? That's why you could hear them and I couldn't?"
Her friend was shaking her head. "It's not just... I can hear and understand them. I walked right up to them twice and they didn't attack me either time, even though they shot you the instant they noticed you."
"Amy..." Joni looked around the room anxiously, glad there was no one near enough to hear them.
"And I'm developing leathery patches of skin... Rikti are grey, right?" She pulled up her sleeves again. "How much does their skin look like this?"
"Amy, don't even go there!"
"You're thinking it too, aren't you? Joni," Amy asked dreadingly, "what if I'm a Rikti?"
Not once, however, had she ever seen one outside shaky film footage and photos. She'd heard from the more experienced students that there were still underground cells in Paragon, but it took standing less than fifty yards from four armed Rikti to drive the point home.
"Amy..." She tried for a whisper and got more of a squeak, but there was no sign they had been noticed at that distance. "Be very quiet, and don't move."
"What's going on?"
She was already trying to focus... chill the air just right, hopefully there would be enough moisture... "There's, um, there's a group of Rikti in the direction you were pointing."
Amy squeaked a little herself. "...are... are they the ones talking?"
"Umm... I still can't hear them from here; your ears are sharper than mine. Err, your hearing is. Why's it matter?"
Silence for a moment, and then a quiet, "I heard similar voices when I got injured earlier."
Joni was glad the mist was forming well. "Let's try to get closer, then..."
"What? We'll get spotted!"
"Shh! Don't panic." I'll do enough of that for both of us, Joni silently added as one Rikti glanced at the noise. It started advancing... in entirely the wrong direction. Thank God. "That chill around us is a fog I'm forming... they won't see us in it. Just stay close..." She took the hesitant Amy by one sleeve and slowly crept forward. "And let me know when you hear them clearly. Maybe they have something to do with..."
A thought clicked in Joni's head. ...no, that's just ridiculous. She peered at the Rikti again through the mist, continuing her slow march. Amy tilted her head again in concern. "What it is now?"
"Ummm... I'm trying to get a good look at them. There's something else I didn't notice earlier; it's--"
"Ohmygod, run!"
The something else -- a floating pod of some kind, which had just rotated to face their direction -- lit up. The four Rikti turned in tandem and took aim; Joni barely had time to react before...
"Joni? Joni, come in. Are you okay? Oh god, tell me you're okay..."
The young mutant grimaced, taking in her surroundings as the regeneration tube released her. She'd never visited the Brickstown Hospital in particular, but all the Medicom receiving rooms looked pretty much the same.
She looked around for Amy before realizing the source came from her communicator. "Ow, that hurt... Amy, did you get sent to another hospital somehow?"
"...the Rikti, uh, didn't get me. I'm on my -- oof! -- on my way to you... the hospital's the building just on the other side of the gate, right? I'm almost there; I can hear the police drones..."
"They didn't get you?" Joni rubbed the spots where the plasma bolts had torn into her. They still throbbed. "...you truly are lucky." She took a few steps toward the elevators, but a nurse noticed and immediately started into the usual lecture about taking an hour to recuperate. Given that Joni was in no real hurry to go anywhere, she decided to take the advice and collapsed into the nearest bed.
Amy had gotten past the nursing staff three minutes later and shooed them off for some privacy. She was already panicky. "I'm so sorry, Joni... I should have spoken sooner. Now you're in the hospital for who knows how long..." She had a nervous deathgrip on one of the bedposts.
"What? Oh! No, Amy, I'm not bedridden or anything, I'm just resting... it's um, worse than it 'looks.' Besides, I was the one who wanted to get closer. This was totally my..." She blinked. "Wait, you did speak up. You knew that pod had spotted us before I did. How'd you know?"
Silence for a moment. "...you really didn't hear the Rikti right before they opened fire, did you?"
"You mean when the rest of them turned? You yelled before that."
"No, when the artificial-sounding one, the pod I guess? gave the intruder alert. Then they all said something like 'acknowledged' and that's when I yelled."
"...Amy, I never heard them say a thing the entire time, and we were... well, we were obviously well within firing range."
Amy looked even more alarmed than in the dorms. "I... I remembered as soon as you mentioned they were Rikti... They communicate with each other telepathically. I read it somewhere. I was just hoping I remembered wrong."
"...so, hold on, you've become telepathic? That's why you could hear them and I couldn't?"
Her friend was shaking her head. "It's not just... I can hear and understand them. I walked right up to them twice and they didn't attack me either time, even though they shot you the instant they noticed you."
"Amy..." Joni looked around the room anxiously, glad there was no one near enough to hear them.
"And I'm developing leathery patches of skin... Rikti are grey, right?" She pulled up her sleeves again. "How much does their skin look like this?"
"Amy, don't even go there!"
"You're thinking it too, aren't you? Joni," Amy asked dreadingly, "what if I'm a Rikti?"
"When you can hear 'em talk, cling to them with all force, because those are the ones with staying power." - Ursula Vernon
The words hung in the air between them. A heavy, settling, weight now spoken.
Amy’s face was stricken, tears brimmed at the edges of her lashes. Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing the milky white orbs she usually hid behind closed lids. In size and shape they seemed normal, but flecked with red and gold striations and tints.
“It’s the regeneration, Joni.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “It started when I was in the car accident, when I got glass in my eyes.” A vague motion seemed to indicate her face.
“This happened.” Her voice wavered. “THIS is what came back. I don’t understand it, Joni. I get hurt sometimes and I heal, good as new, just like normal and sometimes I…I…sometimes…”
She took a deep breath. “Sometimes it comes back like this. Like them.”
Joni wanted to say something comforting, but all the words that came to her lips seemed worthless somehow. So she said the next best thing.
“Amy, this is the hospital in Brickstown. I bet they deal with Rikti problems all the time! We could…”
“NO!” Amy nearly shouted, “Joni, please…don’t you see?” The small, blind, girl began to tremble. “I don’t want to be an experiment.”
Joni shook her head before remembering Amy couldn’t see it. “Amy, no. I mean the lab. They should have tests for this kind of thing, right?”
Amy’s face was a twist of incredulousness and confusion. “How are we supposed to do any of them? I’ve never worked in a lab!”
Joni’s brow creased, remembering the last time she had spent hours at Chiron sitting though strange tests and weird experiments as doctors and researchers scrambled to understand her mutation. Sometimes being the odd one out wasn’t all a wash.
“I’ve seen some, Amy. They are just these paper tests where you drop something on them and they turn blue and stuff. Like a yes or a no, and they come with a little instruction booklet. We could use one of those! Maybe they have something we could try.”
Amy pondered it for a moment, before nodding, “Well, we snuck into Crey’s, why not the hospital lab room. It should be way after hours by now.”
~*~
The lab was ominous, dark, and silent. The soft clink from several metal trays made an odd ambience as the girls crept into the strange smelling room. Amy rested a tentative hand on a smooth counter-top, her fingers automatically feeling out each little groove and blemish.
“Hang on.” Joni’s voice came from somewhere to Amy’s left and the soft scrape of drawers opening followed.
“Here!” The whispered triumph almost made Amy smile.
The next few tense moments passed with the sound of a foil package opening and the muffled shuffle of paper.
“Ok, instructions for the Acetylcholine-Receptor Rikti Anti-body SNAP Test. Ok, here it is. It says, ‘for use in sample determination, blue wells indicate origin of sample is Rikti if developer appears red after five minutes. Sample will appear clear if sample origin is human or other, any other colors indicate test is inconclusive’. Uhhh…fill the blue coated plastic wells with the chromatic developer, then add two drops of specimen to both blue wells and control white wells. Wow, this reads like stereo instructions.”
“Specimen? Wha…what do they mean?”
“Ummm…blood I think. Can you umm…”
Amy nodded. “Hand me something sharp, Joni.”
Amy’s face was stricken, tears brimmed at the edges of her lashes. Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing the milky white orbs she usually hid behind closed lids. In size and shape they seemed normal, but flecked with red and gold striations and tints.
“It’s the regeneration, Joni.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “It started when I was in the car accident, when I got glass in my eyes.” A vague motion seemed to indicate her face.
“This happened.” Her voice wavered. “THIS is what came back. I don’t understand it, Joni. I get hurt sometimes and I heal, good as new, just like normal and sometimes I…I…sometimes…”
She took a deep breath. “Sometimes it comes back like this. Like them.”
Joni wanted to say something comforting, but all the words that came to her lips seemed worthless somehow. So she said the next best thing.
“Amy, this is the hospital in Brickstown. I bet they deal with Rikti problems all the time! We could…”
“NO!” Amy nearly shouted, “Joni, please…don’t you see?” The small, blind, girl began to tremble. “I don’t want to be an experiment.”
Joni shook her head before remembering Amy couldn’t see it. “Amy, no. I mean the lab. They should have tests for this kind of thing, right?”
Amy’s face was a twist of incredulousness and confusion. “How are we supposed to do any of them? I’ve never worked in a lab!”
Joni’s brow creased, remembering the last time she had spent hours at Chiron sitting though strange tests and weird experiments as doctors and researchers scrambled to understand her mutation. Sometimes being the odd one out wasn’t all a wash.
“I’ve seen some, Amy. They are just these paper tests where you drop something on them and they turn blue and stuff. Like a yes or a no, and they come with a little instruction booklet. We could use one of those! Maybe they have something we could try.”
Amy pondered it for a moment, before nodding, “Well, we snuck into Crey’s, why not the hospital lab room. It should be way after hours by now.”
~*~
The lab was ominous, dark, and silent. The soft clink from several metal trays made an odd ambience as the girls crept into the strange smelling room. Amy rested a tentative hand on a smooth counter-top, her fingers automatically feeling out each little groove and blemish.
“Hang on.” Joni’s voice came from somewhere to Amy’s left and the soft scrape of drawers opening followed.
“Here!” The whispered triumph almost made Amy smile.
The next few tense moments passed with the sound of a foil package opening and the muffled shuffle of paper.
“Ok, instructions for the Acetylcholine-Receptor Rikti Anti-body SNAP Test. Ok, here it is. It says, ‘for use in sample determination, blue wells indicate origin of sample is Rikti if developer appears red after five minutes. Sample will appear clear if sample origin is human or other, any other colors indicate test is inconclusive’. Uhhh…fill the blue coated plastic wells with the chromatic developer, then add two drops of specimen to both blue wells and control white wells. Wow, this reads like stereo instructions.”
“Specimen? Wha…what do they mean?”
“Ummm…blood I think. Can you umm…”
Amy nodded. “Hand me something sharp, Joni.”
Joni went through the drawer again. The needles the doctors used to draw her own blood were made of different materials, of course, but the principle was the same, and Joni's veins were all in the same location. She'd seen this done enough times to have the basic idea.
Amy flinched and looked confused as Joni swabbed a spot on her arm. "You don't need to complicate this. Just give me a scalpel or something."
"This will be more exact; hospital needles are going to be free of other blood sources." That and she had a vague vision of the jittery Amy taking the scalpel only to slash her own wrists. She unsealed the needle cap. "Ready?" Amy nodded, and Joni jabbed her as gently as she could.
The blind student flinched again. "...maybe you should have done this on one of the... 'irregular' locations."
"A bit late to worry about that..." Joni withdrew the needle. "But your blood is your blood; the same stuff flows through the whole system. Besides, I wouldn't know where to find the blood vessels in... umm... those areas." She checked the contents: plenty. A few drops went into the test tray. She capped the rest in case the test screwed up and needed a repeat, then glanced at her watch (well past 4 am, yikes). "And now we wait five minutes."
Amy fidgeted in silence. Joni quietly sucked the life out of the room's heating unit. She idly wondered what her own blood would show as in the test. Probably "inconclusive." Provided it didn't freeze the whole tray solid first.
Well, then Amy would be the same. A fellow freak. Someone whose injuries mutated into something odd-looking. Odd-looking but certainly not Rikti. And at least Amy wouldn't have to look at herself in the mirror. Joni rubbed an ear and checked the time again.
"Joni?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think will happen if I turn out to be Rikti?"
"Amy, you aren't Rikti. How could you be Rikti? It's not like people just wake up one day and bam, they're... Rikti." She stared at the test.
"Joni, it's been five minutes, right?"
".....not yet."
"Joni, I just had my comm read off the time to me. It's been five minutes. What color is the test result?"
Maybe the lighting's too poor in here. She turned on a lamp and moved the test under it.
"Joni! Stop stalling! What color is the test result?"
One stunned student looked at the other, glad her expression was invisible. "...'Bam.'"
Amy flinched and looked confused as Joni swabbed a spot on her arm. "You don't need to complicate this. Just give me a scalpel or something."
"This will be more exact; hospital needles are going to be free of other blood sources." That and she had a vague vision of the jittery Amy taking the scalpel only to slash her own wrists. She unsealed the needle cap. "Ready?" Amy nodded, and Joni jabbed her as gently as she could.
The blind student flinched again. "...maybe you should have done this on one of the... 'irregular' locations."
"A bit late to worry about that..." Joni withdrew the needle. "But your blood is your blood; the same stuff flows through the whole system. Besides, I wouldn't know where to find the blood vessels in... umm... those areas." She checked the contents: plenty. A few drops went into the test tray. She capped the rest in case the test screwed up and needed a repeat, then glanced at her watch (well past 4 am, yikes). "And now we wait five minutes."
Amy fidgeted in silence. Joni quietly sucked the life out of the room's heating unit. She idly wondered what her own blood would show as in the test. Probably "inconclusive." Provided it didn't freeze the whole tray solid first.
Well, then Amy would be the same. A fellow freak. Someone whose injuries mutated into something odd-looking. Odd-looking but certainly not Rikti. And at least Amy wouldn't have to look at herself in the mirror. Joni rubbed an ear and checked the time again.
"Joni?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think will happen if I turn out to be Rikti?"
"Amy, you aren't Rikti. How could you be Rikti? It's not like people just wake up one day and bam, they're... Rikti." She stared at the test.
"Joni, it's been five minutes, right?"
".....not yet."
"Joni, I just had my comm read off the time to me. It's been five minutes. What color is the test result?"
Maybe the lighting's too poor in here. She turned on a lamp and moved the test under it.
"Joni! Stop stalling! What color is the test result?"
One stunned student looked at the other, glad her expression was invisible. "...'Bam.'"
"When you can hear 'em talk, cling to them with all force, because those are the ones with staying power." - Ursula Vernon
Color. It was one of the only things in her life that Amy missed. Color had always held such meaning, such reverence in life; from the cliché of sunsets and childhood crayons to being able to organize your closet or your desk simply by the garishly bright rainbows of sweaters and paper tabs. It was one of those things she had never really considered until the day she had been blinded. Now, color might very well have spelled the beginning of the end.
It had been almost a week since Joni and Amy had snuck into the lab in Brickstown, just outside Crey’s Folly. Almost a week since the test had turned red.
In truth, neither of them had been really sure what to do afterwards and Amy found that after a few days back at school, she was getting closer and closer to explaining it away to herself entirely. The test was surely not working right or more likely, they had messed something up. What did they know about lab tests and procedures, anyway.
That’s right. It was just a fluke. A clumsy mistake.
The early morning halls of St. Joe’s were filled with the multitudes of voices that made up Amy’s landscape. Echoing back and forth over the smooth walls and tiled floors, she could make out familiar friends, class clowns, and the shy whispers of timid freshmen. In her mind, she always imagined the sounds like paint swirls, painting a picture of the world only she could see. Voices were colors now.
Joni’s color was lavender. To Amy, it fit. Soft tones with a gentle hue that always managed to stand out against all the other colors. She could hear lavender somewhere to the right of the first locker stand.
She managed a smile and called out, “Good Morning, Joni!”
“Oh? Oh! Hey Amy. Umm…how are you?”
She nodded really without meaning to. “I’m good. I was just on my way to get Bailey and head to Geometry. Wanna stop by my quad with me?”
“Umm, sure. Ok.”
Idle chit-chat, a bit tense, filled the space between the main lockers and the short hall of the girl’s dormitory. Lunch, boys, homework, the 2nd period fire drill scheduled for the next day…the two friends crossed the hall and stopped at the battered quad door.
Amy reached out with confidence, feeling her way from the rough door frame to the antique knob. With a slight shove the door gave way.
“C’mon Bailey, let’s go! Time for school!”
Joni watched as the lumbering, affable lab trotted out from his bed near the table, tongue already lolling off to one side. Despite herself, Amy smiled. Bailey was always a happy moment in any day.
But the dog stopped mid-stride and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room, feet planted wide on the carpet.
“C’mon Bailey, let’s go!” Amy motioned towards the hall outside.
The sound was unmistakable. A low, rumble emanated from the usually placid Labrador.
Joni cast a sudden worried glance at her friend, whose brow had also knitted.
“What’s wrong, buddy. It’s me! Time to go.”
With a soft whine Bailey tilted his head. Amy, thinking he might have hurt himself, took a concerned step forward.
Joni could feel the tension, “Wait, Amy… I think...”
Bailey never gave her the chance to finish the warning. There was another deep growl and then the dog erupted into a snarling and barking fit. Amy let out a shriek and stumbled backwards nearly careening into the shocked girl behind her. With a thud she hit the floor just outside of the door and scrambled backwards. She was shaking and with a frightened choke, tears began to drip onto her trembling lips.
Bailey, suddenly straightening his round body, promptly trotted over to Joni ready with a wagging tail and sloppy kiss.
The only words Joni heard behind her were soft and thick with tears.
“Joni…what am I going to do…”
It had been almost a week since Joni and Amy had snuck into the lab in Brickstown, just outside Crey’s Folly. Almost a week since the test had turned red.
In truth, neither of them had been really sure what to do afterwards and Amy found that after a few days back at school, she was getting closer and closer to explaining it away to herself entirely. The test was surely not working right or more likely, they had messed something up. What did they know about lab tests and procedures, anyway.
That’s right. It was just a fluke. A clumsy mistake.
The early morning halls of St. Joe’s were filled with the multitudes of voices that made up Amy’s landscape. Echoing back and forth over the smooth walls and tiled floors, she could make out familiar friends, class clowns, and the shy whispers of timid freshmen. In her mind, she always imagined the sounds like paint swirls, painting a picture of the world only she could see. Voices were colors now.
Joni’s color was lavender. To Amy, it fit. Soft tones with a gentle hue that always managed to stand out against all the other colors. She could hear lavender somewhere to the right of the first locker stand.
She managed a smile and called out, “Good Morning, Joni!”
“Oh? Oh! Hey Amy. Umm…how are you?”
She nodded really without meaning to. “I’m good. I was just on my way to get Bailey and head to Geometry. Wanna stop by my quad with me?”
“Umm, sure. Ok.”
Idle chit-chat, a bit tense, filled the space between the main lockers and the short hall of the girl’s dormitory. Lunch, boys, homework, the 2nd period fire drill scheduled for the next day…the two friends crossed the hall and stopped at the battered quad door.
Amy reached out with confidence, feeling her way from the rough door frame to the antique knob. With a slight shove the door gave way.
“C’mon Bailey, let’s go! Time for school!”
Joni watched as the lumbering, affable lab trotted out from his bed near the table, tongue already lolling off to one side. Despite herself, Amy smiled. Bailey was always a happy moment in any day.
But the dog stopped mid-stride and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room, feet planted wide on the carpet.
“C’mon Bailey, let’s go!” Amy motioned towards the hall outside.
The sound was unmistakable. A low, rumble emanated from the usually placid Labrador.
Joni cast a sudden worried glance at her friend, whose brow had also knitted.
“What’s wrong, buddy. It’s me! Time to go.”
With a soft whine Bailey tilted his head. Amy, thinking he might have hurt himself, took a concerned step forward.
Joni could feel the tension, “Wait, Amy… I think...”
Bailey never gave her the chance to finish the warning. There was another deep growl and then the dog erupted into a snarling and barking fit. Amy let out a shriek and stumbled backwards nearly careening into the shocked girl behind her. With a thud she hit the floor just outside of the door and scrambled backwards. She was shaking and with a frightened choke, tears began to drip onto her trembling lips.
Bailey, suddenly straightening his round body, promptly trotted over to Joni ready with a wagging tail and sloppy kiss.
The only words Joni heard behind her were soft and thick with tears.
“Joni…what am I going to do…”
Joni nervously looked from dog to... she was no longer sure what Amy qualified as, honestly. She'd been increasingly wary around her friend since the night they snuck into Venice, although she hoped Amy hadn't noticed. Mana's betrayal, inadvertent or not, had been devastating enough; now the only person on campus who "saw" her as normal might be yet another time bomb.
...Except she knew at least one way Mana's fall could have been stopped. She could prevent a repeat. "Amy. We need to tell someone."
"Shh!" Amy closed the door; Bailey looked up suspiciously at the movement but thankfully did nothing more. "No, we can't! No one can know about this! Do you realize what they'll do to me if they think I'm... Rikti?"
"Amy, this is insane. How long can we hide this? Until you get another injury? What if you get shot in the face tomorrow; you won't be able to hide that! But the doctors may be able to help; we just need to tell them before things get worse!" She started for the door. "We need to talk to Miss Gemini, or someone..."
Her path was blocked. Amy looked utterly panicked. "You promised! Don't you dare...!"
She trailed off. Bailey was growling again.
"...Amy?" Joni had taken a guarded step back.
The would-be Rikti quietly opened the door, defeated. "...lead the way, Joni."
...Except she knew at least one way Mana's fall could have been stopped. She could prevent a repeat. "Amy. We need to tell someone."
"Shh!" Amy closed the door; Bailey looked up suspiciously at the movement but thankfully did nothing more. "No, we can't! No one can know about this! Do you realize what they'll do to me if they think I'm... Rikti?"
"Amy, this is insane. How long can we hide this? Until you get another injury? What if you get shot in the face tomorrow; you won't be able to hide that! But the doctors may be able to help; we just need to tell them before things get worse!" She started for the door. "We need to talk to Miss Gemini, or someone..."
Her path was blocked. Amy looked utterly panicked. "You promised! Don't you dare...!"
She trailed off. Bailey was growling again.
"...Amy?" Joni had taken a guarded step back.
The would-be Rikti quietly opened the door, defeated. "...lead the way, Joni."
"When you can hear 'em talk, cling to them with all force, because those are the ones with staying power." - Ursula Vernon
She sat in Gemini’s office, a downcast face examining the carpet. The exhausted sounding woman was halfway through her fourth call of the day as she tried to explain, yet again, why she needed to talk to a physician specialist.
Amy tried not to cry, blinking away the sting at her eyes and hoping that Gemini was too involved in her phone calls to notice. Joni was right but it didn’t make the actual even any easier. Just before lunch the two girls had arrived at the office, drawn and worried, and had sat shaking as Amy had tried her best to describe what was happening; carefully glossing over some of the more rule-bending parts.
Rikti. Amy still couldn’t believe it, and yet, a part of her simply knew it had to be the truth. The explosion when she was younger, the car accident, her eyes, the events in Crey’s Folly; it all came together into one cohesive and life altering word. Rikti.
Finally Gemini sighed and hung up the phone. Reflexively, Amy squeezed Joni’s hand, the waning coldness a comfort against her sweaty palm.
“Amy,” she began, “I don’t want you to worry, alright. I’ve made an appointment for you with S.E.R.A.P.H. They are going to run some more specialized tests to see what’s going on. I’ll take you over there later this afternoon. Why don’t you and Joni go and get some lunch and I’ll meet you back here at 3?”
She wanted to say something like ‘thanks’ but nothing came out, so she managed a nod. Truthfully, Amy wasn’t feeling all that hungry.
“C’mon Amy,” Joni’s hand tugged at her’s, “Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
The cafeteria was loud as usual, full of the day to day bustling of a few hundred teenagers. Silently, Amy got her tray and followed Joni through the line, the large room fading into a haze of white noise.
Jello, something that smelled vaguely of beef and grease, some pasta salad…
“Joni.” Amy finally forced her voice past her lips. “I think I’m going away for awhile.”
Amy tried not to cry, blinking away the sting at her eyes and hoping that Gemini was too involved in her phone calls to notice. Joni was right but it didn’t make the actual even any easier. Just before lunch the two girls had arrived at the office, drawn and worried, and had sat shaking as Amy had tried her best to describe what was happening; carefully glossing over some of the more rule-bending parts.
Rikti. Amy still couldn’t believe it, and yet, a part of her simply knew it had to be the truth. The explosion when she was younger, the car accident, her eyes, the events in Crey’s Folly; it all came together into one cohesive and life altering word. Rikti.
Finally Gemini sighed and hung up the phone. Reflexively, Amy squeezed Joni’s hand, the waning coldness a comfort against her sweaty palm.
“Amy,” she began, “I don’t want you to worry, alright. I’ve made an appointment for you with S.E.R.A.P.H. They are going to run some more specialized tests to see what’s going on. I’ll take you over there later this afternoon. Why don’t you and Joni go and get some lunch and I’ll meet you back here at 3?”
She wanted to say something like ‘thanks’ but nothing came out, so she managed a nod. Truthfully, Amy wasn’t feeling all that hungry.
“C’mon Amy,” Joni’s hand tugged at her’s, “Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
The cafeteria was loud as usual, full of the day to day bustling of a few hundred teenagers. Silently, Amy got her tray and followed Joni through the line, the large room fading into a haze of white noise.
Jello, something that smelled vaguely of beef and grease, some pasta salad…
“Joni.” Amy finally forced her voice past her lips. “I think I’m going away for awhile.”
"...'Away'? Away where?"
"I don't know. Wherever they send people like me."
"...what do you mean?" Joni forced out a nervous chuckle. "They send 'people like you' here."
"I'm pretty sure they don't let Rikti study on campus." Amy looked like a death row convict with no appeals left. "I'm probably going to get labeled a danger to global security. Some sort of sleeper agent. I don't know, maybe I am a sleeper agent and don't know it."
Joni tried to give her friend a reassuring "you're not a sleeper agent, silly" but couldn't get the words out. How could she be sure, one way or the other? If she didn't suspect it just a little, she probably would have let the matter slide forever instead of insisting they go to Gemini, but here they were.
Her hand, preoccupied with rubbing her ear for the past three minutes, was working its way up to attempting some knot-tying. "...Amy..." And that was all the comfort she could manage. Some friend you are.
"Um, I know you aren't going to be allowed to take care of him yourself..." Amy sniffed. "...but, uh, if you could visit Bailey every once in a while after the guide dog people assign him to someone new... I'm sure he'd like that..."
"Hey, hey." That finally got her going. "You're coming back, okay? You may get jabbed with needles, or brain-scanned by telepaths, and they may spend some time working on stopping the change, defusing programming, whatever... but you're coming back, okay?"
"But even if... even if they ever let me come back... I mean, who knows what I'll look like by then? I could be gray all over, triangle head, I could... even Bailey's stopped recognizing me already... no one's going to look at me the same..."
"Amy?" Joni abruptly reached out and took her friend's hand. Amy, confused but non-resistant, let her move it into contact with the familiar chill of Joni's face... then flinched in surprise when it traced up the cheek to touch a floppy, cow-like ear. She gave it an exploratory squeeze between her fingers; it twitched against her palm in response.
"Freak pride, okay, Amy?"
She giggled a little through her tears and nodded. "Freak pride."
"We'll be here when you get back."
"I don't know. Wherever they send people like me."
"...what do you mean?" Joni forced out a nervous chuckle. "They send 'people like you' here."
"I'm pretty sure they don't let Rikti study on campus." Amy looked like a death row convict with no appeals left. "I'm probably going to get labeled a danger to global security. Some sort of sleeper agent. I don't know, maybe I am a sleeper agent and don't know it."
Joni tried to give her friend a reassuring "you're not a sleeper agent, silly" but couldn't get the words out. How could she be sure, one way or the other? If she didn't suspect it just a little, she probably would have let the matter slide forever instead of insisting they go to Gemini, but here they were.
Her hand, preoccupied with rubbing her ear for the past three minutes, was working its way up to attempting some knot-tying. "...Amy..." And that was all the comfort she could manage. Some friend you are.
"Um, I know you aren't going to be allowed to take care of him yourself..." Amy sniffed. "...but, uh, if you could visit Bailey every once in a while after the guide dog people assign him to someone new... I'm sure he'd like that..."
"Hey, hey." That finally got her going. "You're coming back, okay? You may get jabbed with needles, or brain-scanned by telepaths, and they may spend some time working on stopping the change, defusing programming, whatever... but you're coming back, okay?"
"But even if... even if they ever let me come back... I mean, who knows what I'll look like by then? I could be gray all over, triangle head, I could... even Bailey's stopped recognizing me already... no one's going to look at me the same..."
"Amy?" Joni abruptly reached out and took her friend's hand. Amy, confused but non-resistant, let her move it into contact with the familiar chill of Joni's face... then flinched in surprise when it traced up the cheek to touch a floppy, cow-like ear. She gave it an exploratory squeeze between her fingers; it twitched against her palm in response.
"Freak pride, okay, Amy?"
She giggled a little through her tears and nodded. "Freak pride."
"We'll be here when you get back."
The clock in the lunch room chimed noon.
Two days.
Amy had been gone now, for two days.
No word from S.E.R.A.P.H., no word from the school. Just gone.
No one in the hallways asked about her. It didn’t even seem as though anyone had figured out she was gone at all.
Twelve o’ five.
Bailey moped in the corner of the dorm room mostly, staring at his food dish. Every now and again he would wander over to his harness, watch it for a moment, and then return to his corner.
A movement at the door still eliciting a wag, and then…only disappointment.
The world simply moved on, oblivious.
Twelve ten.
Maybe she had been right. Maybe Amy wasn’t coming back. Sitting somewhere in a lab, maybe in Peregrine Island, maybe in Steel Canyon. Grey Rikti skin covering her face and arms, her sightless eyes a constant source of experimentation.
Was she ok?
There were probably bars on the cage.
Twelve twenty.
Gemini held in another exasperated sigh as she cradled the phone in the crook of her neck. “No, no, I see. Yes. Yes, we understand completely but I was checking to see whether or not…yes. I understand. Thank you.” She put the phone back in its cradle. One more run around through the medical system. Fifty more “hold while I transfer your call”. Still no word on Amy.
Twelve thirty.
Her roommates would be back soon from classes. Maybe they would head to the hot-tub, maybe go out and meet secret contacts, maybe fight crime. One would feed Bailey, the others would glance over to the empty bed and look away. No one would talk of it.
Two days, one hour, and twenty minutes.
Two days.
Amy had been gone now, for two days.
No word from S.E.R.A.P.H., no word from the school. Just gone.
No one in the hallways asked about her. It didn’t even seem as though anyone had figured out she was gone at all.
Twelve o’ five.
Bailey moped in the corner of the dorm room mostly, staring at his food dish. Every now and again he would wander over to his harness, watch it for a moment, and then return to his corner.
A movement at the door still eliciting a wag, and then…only disappointment.
The world simply moved on, oblivious.
Twelve ten.
Maybe she had been right. Maybe Amy wasn’t coming back. Sitting somewhere in a lab, maybe in Peregrine Island, maybe in Steel Canyon. Grey Rikti skin covering her face and arms, her sightless eyes a constant source of experimentation.
Was she ok?
There were probably bars on the cage.
Twelve twenty.
Gemini held in another exasperated sigh as she cradled the phone in the crook of her neck. “No, no, I see. Yes. Yes, we understand completely but I was checking to see whether or not…yes. I understand. Thank you.” She put the phone back in its cradle. One more run around through the medical system. Fifty more “hold while I transfer your call”. Still no word on Amy.
Twelve thirty.
Her roommates would be back soon from classes. Maybe they would head to the hot-tub, maybe go out and meet secret contacts, maybe fight crime. One would feed Bailey, the others would glance over to the empty bed and look away. No one would talk of it.
Two days, one hour, and twenty minutes.
Joni had taken the longest route possible through the corridors to Gemini's office. The message had been ominously vague. She was picturing an officer from the courts ruling the death of Mr. Evans was her fault after all. Or Prince Nandelu to announce her GIFT scholarship was revoked. Or...
"Is that you, Joni?"
...pretty much anything but that voice.
"...it is Joni who walked in, right?"
Gemini smiled. "It's her, I think she's just stunned to see you." She turned to Joni. "I'm sorry; she wanted it to be a surprise. I'll leave you two to catch up." And she went back into her office, leaving the two alone in the waiting area.
Joni remained in her shocked state right up to the moment Amy got up and clumsily hugged her, apparently not caring about the cold at this point. "God, Joni, I missed you so much."
"...what... I... I... are you alright? Are you... are you cured? What happened?"
Amy shook her head. "It was weird. They took me to a medical center in Steel Canyon, ran a lot of tests on me... and then they just nodded and said I was turning Rikti. Like it wasn't the weirdest thing in the world. Like it was nothing." She sounded like she was still digesting that news herself.
Joni extracted herself from the embrace; it would be her luck to get Amy back only to give her frostbite. "But... but it's been over a month! They wouldn't tell us anything! I thought they had locked you up or, or had you shot!"
"No, they were just were just worried about how well the other Rikti could hear my thoughts, so they wanted to make sure it was under control before I could return. But, umm..." She fumbled in her coat pocket for a small bottle of amber liquid and a syringe. "...they said I take a dose of this every day and I'll be fine from now on. It fights off the change..." She turned the bottle over in her hand thoughtfully, like she was holding it for the first time, before pocketing it again. "The doctor was handing it out like, I don't know, insulin. He didn't seem worried at all."
"Then you're okay?"
"I... I guess I am." She looked somewhat stressed, maybe a little thinner, but...
"Then... um... are you still mad at me?"
"Mad? What for?"
"...that I... I..."
"Joni, you're my best friend! You're the only person I can talk to... do you know how long I've wanted to hear your voice again? Why would I be mad?" She gave Joni another hug, frostbite or no.
That did it. A stream of frosty tears hit Amy's coat. Joni had spent a month picturing Amy Davis locked up in a tiny cell, cursing the name of Jonina Jacobs for selling her out to SERAPH, right up to the moment she was Riktified enough for the firing squad to-- "...no reason," she mumbled through her sobs. "None at all."
"Is that you, Joni?"
...pretty much anything but that voice.
"...it is Joni who walked in, right?"
Gemini smiled. "It's her, I think she's just stunned to see you." She turned to Joni. "I'm sorry; she wanted it to be a surprise. I'll leave you two to catch up." And she went back into her office, leaving the two alone in the waiting area.
Joni remained in her shocked state right up to the moment Amy got up and clumsily hugged her, apparently not caring about the cold at this point. "God, Joni, I missed you so much."
"...what... I... I... are you alright? Are you... are you cured? What happened?"
Amy shook her head. "It was weird. They took me to a medical center in Steel Canyon, ran a lot of tests on me... and then they just nodded and said I was turning Rikti. Like it wasn't the weirdest thing in the world. Like it was nothing." She sounded like she was still digesting that news herself.
Joni extracted herself from the embrace; it would be her luck to get Amy back only to give her frostbite. "But... but it's been over a month! They wouldn't tell us anything! I thought they had locked you up or, or had you shot!"
"No, they were just were just worried about how well the other Rikti could hear my thoughts, so they wanted to make sure it was under control before I could return. But, umm..." She fumbled in her coat pocket for a small bottle of amber liquid and a syringe. "...they said I take a dose of this every day and I'll be fine from now on. It fights off the change..." She turned the bottle over in her hand thoughtfully, like she was holding it for the first time, before pocketing it again. "The doctor was handing it out like, I don't know, insulin. He didn't seem worried at all."
"Then you're okay?"
"I... I guess I am." She looked somewhat stressed, maybe a little thinner, but...
"Then... um... are you still mad at me?"
"Mad? What for?"
"...that I... I..."
"Joni, you're my best friend! You're the only person I can talk to... do you know how long I've wanted to hear your voice again? Why would I be mad?" She gave Joni another hug, frostbite or no.
That did it. A stream of frosty tears hit Amy's coat. Joni had spent a month picturing Amy Davis locked up in a tiny cell, cursing the name of Jonina Jacobs for selling her out to SERAPH, right up to the moment she was Riktified enough for the firing squad to-- "...no reason," she mumbled through her sobs. "None at all."
“Better to reign in hell, than serve in Heav’n.”
The blast of steam would have caught her off guard, but with familiar, practiced ease she ducked beneath the heated mist. The night momentarily tasted of smoke and ashes. Tonight she was careful. It was important to listen. The stiff, jagged, metal fence that closed the way into Crey’s Folly gave with a gentle push and the hot stench of industrial water filled the air. A deep clank and the grinding of metal against metal heralded her arrival into the forbidden zone.
For a moment she paused.
What a world, twisting in on itself. A world of little more than motion and mineral. From as far back as she could remember the Rikti had shadowed over her life, a malevolent totem wielding a branding iron of blind flesh.
The small girl moved slowly across the sand quarry and out into the uneven street.
She briefly fingered the vial in her pocket. How long would the serum last and hold the mutation at bay? How long until she was Rikti?
Amy stopped near the street sign, bent and warped from violence, its crumpled numbers nearly doubled over in the pavement below. Her mind registered a soft hum before words began to drift in and out of the salty air. The Rikti. They were there, not more than fifty feet in front of her, communing in a huddled group near the corner.
Amy made no attempt to stop the warm tear that slipped down her cheek. Truth was brutal and heartless. And the truth was that she was all that she had feared. Amy Davis was Rikti, an enemy.
She still cried some nights, long after lights out. Bailey still tensed at her commands.
She raised her chin to face the aliens. She should go to them, she thought, she should stand with the Rikti and accept that was what she was. She should let go and accept that this fight was for heroes. Not for her.
She moved forward carefully. Tentative hands reached out as she brushed her sensitive fingertips across scarred alien flesh. The arm was bony and strong. The Rikti attached to it did not pull away as it turned to look at her, the unfamiliar sounds she came to understand meant a greeting came as a response.
She sighed as she stepped closer to the tall creature. Maybe it was alright to be Rikti. A short claw-like finger gently touched her shoulder, a gesture that was almost comforting.
Deep inside her something happened. Something profound transpired in a fraction of an instant, something she would perhaps never fully understand. Her world would never be the same.
A human observer would not have understood the subtle changes in the Rikti’s expression, but Amy felt its concern wrap her like a blanket. The words in her mind took shape.
“Sister?”
Her arm swung wide and with a loud crack, the flat of her fist landed squarely in the center of the alien’s face. Soon after, the muffled thud was replaced by a most unpleasant gurgle. The sharp footsteps of the girl faded back towards the guarded doorway.
Maybe she wasn’t Rikti after all.
“In courts and palaces he also Reigns
And in luxurious Cities, where the noise of
Riot ascends above their loftiest Tow’rs, And
Injury and Outrage: And when Night darkens
The streets, then, wander forth the Sons of
Belial, flown with insolence and wine.”
~Paradise Lost
The End.
Thanks for Reading Everyone. Freak Pride!
The blast of steam would have caught her off guard, but with familiar, practiced ease she ducked beneath the heated mist. The night momentarily tasted of smoke and ashes. Tonight she was careful. It was important to listen. The stiff, jagged, metal fence that closed the way into Crey’s Folly gave with a gentle push and the hot stench of industrial water filled the air. A deep clank and the grinding of metal against metal heralded her arrival into the forbidden zone.
For a moment she paused.
What a world, twisting in on itself. A world of little more than motion and mineral. From as far back as she could remember the Rikti had shadowed over her life, a malevolent totem wielding a branding iron of blind flesh.
The small girl moved slowly across the sand quarry and out into the uneven street.
She briefly fingered the vial in her pocket. How long would the serum last and hold the mutation at bay? How long until she was Rikti?
Amy stopped near the street sign, bent and warped from violence, its crumpled numbers nearly doubled over in the pavement below. Her mind registered a soft hum before words began to drift in and out of the salty air. The Rikti. They were there, not more than fifty feet in front of her, communing in a huddled group near the corner.
Amy made no attempt to stop the warm tear that slipped down her cheek. Truth was brutal and heartless. And the truth was that she was all that she had feared. Amy Davis was Rikti, an enemy.
She still cried some nights, long after lights out. Bailey still tensed at her commands.
She raised her chin to face the aliens. She should go to them, she thought, she should stand with the Rikti and accept that was what she was. She should let go and accept that this fight was for heroes. Not for her.
She moved forward carefully. Tentative hands reached out as she brushed her sensitive fingertips across scarred alien flesh. The arm was bony and strong. The Rikti attached to it did not pull away as it turned to look at her, the unfamiliar sounds she came to understand meant a greeting came as a response.
She sighed as she stepped closer to the tall creature. Maybe it was alright to be Rikti. A short claw-like finger gently touched her shoulder, a gesture that was almost comforting.
Deep inside her something happened. Something profound transpired in a fraction of an instant, something she would perhaps never fully understand. Her world would never be the same.
A human observer would not have understood the subtle changes in the Rikti’s expression, but Amy felt its concern wrap her like a blanket. The words in her mind took shape.
“Sister?”
Her arm swung wide and with a loud crack, the flat of her fist landed squarely in the center of the alien’s face. Soon after, the muffled thud was replaced by a most unpleasant gurgle. The sharp footsteps of the girl faded back towards the guarded doorway.
Maybe she wasn’t Rikti after all.
“In courts and palaces he also Reigns
And in luxurious Cities, where the noise of
Riot ascends above their loftiest Tow’rs, And
Injury and Outrage: And when Night darkens
The streets, then, wander forth the Sons of
Belial, flown with insolence and wine.”
~Paradise Lost
The End.
Thanks for Reading Everyone. Freak Pride!