Chapter 1** 3 **** – Legal **** T ***echnicalities*

512 A.R. February 1** 8 ***,* A** PC ***,* N** ight**

We were approaching the gathering point, and I found myself feeling rather stressed. The others had questions, Kato would no doubt want a word, there was a fire raging in the Enclave, and I suspected that Athena and Ares were expecting a call in short order.

To make matters even stranger, I was still holding onto Lucas who had now pushed up against my legs as if seeking shelter. I started by reaching out with my mind to the APC.

‘We’re in a dangerous situation. Send out the drones, scout the area, and make sure we’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice,’ I thought.

I could hear the drones detach from the APC, and I felt a nudge in my mind as the APC registered my orders.

Good, Athena and Ares are next…

I closed my eyes, let my perception of time slow down, and directed my thoughts outward.

‘Athena? Ares?’

Ares presence descended and Athena’s followed in mere moments. A chilly sensation settled on one shoulder, while a warm intensity gripped my other. Fire and ice.

‘Both of us,’ Athena whispered in my ear.

‘At the same time,’ Ares mused with his worn voice.

‘This will be interesting,’ the two of them echoed as they spoke at the same time.

‘The two of you seem to be in good spirits,’ I thought.

Ares spoke, ‘We’ve been observing through satellite coverage, and we are most curious.’

‘You don’t know what’s been going on down here?’ I wondered.

Athena spoke up, ‘You seem to have misunderstood what your vehicle is, Vilkas.’

‘What do you mean?’ I wondered.

Ares spoke, ‘As long as you serve Sophos’ interests, the APC belongs to you and your pack. It answers to you, and you alone.’

Athena filled in, ‘We have no way of controlling it, and any link to share information has to be initiated by one of you.’

Ares presence grew stronger on my shoulder, ‘There are things we want to know, and things we don’t need to know. Do you understand?’

I felt a sinking sensation in my chest. A new understanding as a piece of the puzzle fell into place; something which made the scenario as a whole a lot more treacherous.

‘I understand,’ I thought.

Athena’s presence stroked my ear, ‘Your report, Vilkas?’

I paused for a moment and considered whether there was something that should remain hidden from them. Something which posed a danger, not just to me, but to them as well.

There were… the portions of my memories where I showed the others the Zephyr. Sure, the AI’s knew about the Zephyr, but anything that was shared like this would most likely end up in the Archives.

I began to pick portions of my memories: Mihai’s interrogation, the discussion with Max, convincing Lucas to join us, and the drone footage as the cafe exploded. It was all summarized into one big package, and I let the transfer start. Ares and Athena’s presence fluctuated as they seemed to dig into the data package they had just received.

Their presence stabilized after a few moments, and I got the feeling that they were deep in thought.

‘Most troubling,’ Ares whispered.

‘Well done, Vilkas… Your pack is also to be commended,’ Athena said.

It felt weird, but I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride, a feeling that made my tail eager to wag.

I resisted the sensation, and focused, “Your conclusions?”

Athena was the first to speak, ‘I do have a few remarks, but let’s focus on the tasks at hand.’

Ares filled in, ‘Agreed. First, let us address Lucas.’

Athena’s presence shifted as if she looked me in the eyes, ‘The Zephyr has a medical analysis suite. We need you to take a sample of Lucas’ blood.’

‘Why?’ I wondered.

Ares answered, ‘To make sure he’s not infested. While unlikely, the situation would be severe if we were wrong. You would then you need to take immediate steps to safeguard yourself and the others.’

My perception of time was slowed down, but I still managed to feel the desperate need to gulp.

‘Are you serious?’ I wondered.

Athena focused on me once more, ‘It is a formality, but one which has to be done. If the current situation doesn’t allow you to use the Zephyr, then there are tests for infestation in the medical kit.’

‘I understand,’ I thought.

‘For the moment, we will assume that Lucas is fine, and I will make arrangements for child-services to meet you at a nearby facility,’ Athena said.

‘Lucas has to at least be 15 years old, does that still count as a child?’ I wondered.

‘Based on your interactions so far, he has little education, no knowledge of the greater world, and is most likely severely brainwashed. Gentle care will be needed, and child-services are best suited at this point.’

‘You mentioned a nearby facility. Why so vague?’ I thought.

‘There are reasons, none of which we can share at the moment,’ Athena answered.

‘As you wish,’ I thought.

Athena’s presence shifted, and it felt as if she slipped something into my hand, ‘This is an educational Expert System that is made for traumatized children. It has been adapted to use sign language. Let Lucas watch it, and he’ll be distracted long enough for you to finish your mission.’

‘To finish it?’ I wondered.

Ares presence grew on my shoulder once more, ‘We are having troubles tracking down the cultists.’

‘Why?’ I wondered.

‘Think about it. You’ll figure it out, Vilkas…’ Athena whispered.

Deep down it felt as if I had already figured it out. The next step to finding the cultists would be to find out where they had gone. To find the caves to the east. That, in and of itself, seemed easy, but there were things the AIs could not do. The privacy laws and the special circumstances surrounding the Enclaves—even if the information existed within the Archives, then the AIs would be prohibited from drawing conclusions based on it.

That’s why the APC was so important. That’s why we were so important.

‘For how long do you expect us to take care of Lucas?’ I wondered.

‘Not for long, but we want you to use what you have learned and check if there is a vital piece of the puzzle that we have missed. At present, the humans do not pose enough of a threat toward Sophos for us to violate the laws and regulations that shield the entirety of the Enclaves,’ Athena said.

‘Aren’t you scared this will make things worse with the human nations?’ I wondered.

‘If the Enclaves are not a threat, then that is what it is. If they do however pose a threat, then we must act to end it. Whether the human nations approve of this is irrelevant,’ Ares said.

‘But what if the human nations do pose a threat as a result?’ I wondered.

‘Then they will be exterminated,’ Ares answered.

‘… I thought we were fighting to prevent such an event,’ I thought.

Athena whispered in my ear, ‘We are, but all of that will be irrelevant if a new and stronger strain of Lusus is let loose. It will end us all.’

‘… I understand,’ I thought.

Ares spoke up, ‘Mend things between your packs, dismiss Kato for the moment, finish your mission, and contact us when you’re done.’

‘Dismiss him?’ I wondered.

‘Kato and his pack will no doubt be useful to you in the future, but right now they need to take a step back and be allowed to ponder what they have learned… and what they have not learned,’ Ares said.

Athena whispered, ‘They lack the finesse and understanding that we have instilled in you.’

‘I will do my best,’ I thought.

Their presence faded, and I felt myself sink into my body once more.

My perception of time returned to normal as the APC came to a slow stop. Kato’s APC joined us moments later, and the others looked to me as if wondering what to do next. Within my mind’s eye, I could sense that the APC hadn’t found anything in the nearby forest. The area was clear and safe, even if a fire burned in the nearby town.

I looked toward the others, “I’ll deal with Lucas. The rest of you can join the others, but please try to buy me a bit of time and help smooth things over. Alright?”

Peter nodded, “We’ll try our best… but I suspect Kato will be eager to talk with you.”

I nodded, “One thing at a time.”

I glanced toward the right door and sent the signal for the APC to open it. With a thunk and a hiss, the door opened while lights switched on outside the APC. Lucas was still sitting close to me, and he glanced up in wonder of what was going on.

‘No need to worry,’ I signed to him.

He blinked as if uncertain, then lowered his gaze while the others stepped out. I then ordered the door to shut once more and motioned to the corner of the APC. Lucas seemed to get the hint, and he shuffled over to the corner while I detached my safety belt.

I crouched on the floor and settled in front of Lucas while I tried to dig into the systems of the Zephyr. Just thinking about a test to see whether he was infested seemed to trigger the right response. One of the tendrils in my wrist began to itch a little and I could feel a set of instructions.

Take Lucas hand, expose my wrist to his own, let the tendril discretely do its job…

I signed to him, ‘I will offer you my hand, I want you to hold it, and we’ll check something.’

‘Check what?’ Lucas signed back.

‘Your health,’ I thought.

Lucas looked down at his hand for a moment, and then met my gaze once more, ‘By looking at my hand?’

I nodded, ‘Strange, isn’t it?’

‘It is, Wolf,’ Lucas signed back.

I did my best to make a smile that didn’t show any teeth and reached out as I showed him my palm. Lucas gulped, glanced toward the shut door, and then reached out with his hand. He touched the rough surface of my pads, and I gently grasped his wrist.

It didn’t take long before the medical tendril poked out and began to do something. Lucas stared as if he could feel something, but he couldn’t seem to figure out what was happening.

Moments later, I felt a warm tingle. Blood and a tissue sample; the tendril had already grabbed both.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and I could a steady stream of information. The system within the Zephyr began to feed me information about him.

Chromosomal errors… Genetic degradation… The nature of his deafness wasn’t just some minor flaw: the nerves responsible for connecting the brain to the ear were gone. He’d never heard a sound in his life, and his parents carried the same mutation.

Life expectancy was… around 40 years, if one of the many other genetic disorders didn’t flare up and kill him within years.

I recoiled a little as the system informed me of something else. Inbreeding, and a lot of it.

An alert flared within the system. Traces of Glow had been detected, but it didn’t seem to indicate an addiction, just accidental exposure. To my relief, the system reported no signs of active Lusus cells.

I opened my eyes once more and let out a sigh as I withdrew my hand.

Lucas stared at me in wonder.

‘You’ll be fine, Lucas,’ I signed back to him.

Lucas smiled back for a moment, but lowered his gaze moments later.

I could still feel the Expert System that Athena had left for me and connected to the APC.

‘Can you let this Expert System handle Lucas for now?’ I wondered.

The APC approved as it accepted the data package, and a gentle hum began to grow.

As I watched, a small hologram materialized in front of Lucas. It made him lean back in surprise, but then seemed to stare with wonder as he saw human woman on the screen. She smiled warmly and raised her hands as she signed something to him.

Lucas blinked in wonder, and then raised his hands as he signed something in return.

I eased back and ordered the APC to open once more. Lucas glimpsed in my direction, but was quick to return his focus to the holographic display. A brush of fresh air met me as I stepped outside, ordered the APC to shut its door once more, and turned to face the others.

The APCs had parked like a wedge that provided natural cover against the wind, and the others had settled down in the center of the area. Peter, John, and Allen were sitting with their backs to me, while Kato and his pack sat on the other side.

Someone had thrown some kind of ball into the center of the snow, and it made a shifting orange glow that made it look somewhat like a campfire. The wrapped sandwiches had been spread out, and I could hear people munching.

Kato was staring at me, and he hadn’t touched the sandwich in front of him. Peter glanced back at me, chewed for a moment, and then swallowed as he motioned for an empty spot in the snow next to him.

I was about to start walking when Kato stood up, stared at me for a moment, and then motioned with his head toward the forest.

Very well then…

I made a quick wave at Peter and started walking toward the forest.

512 A.R. February 1** 8 ***,* G** athering Point – Outskirt ***,* N** ight**

Kato walked ahead, and I followed. A glance to our rear revealed that the glow of the ‘campfire’ was nothing but a small dot. The drones had expanded their search area to keep us safe, but I found myself hesitant to wander any deeper in the woods.

“Enough,” I said.

Kato stopped walking, and I came to a slow stop as well. He didn’t move for a few moments, and I took the time to lower the shield around my mind. Kato’s presence was weak, but the intense emotions still made an imprint as I stood there and watched.

Anger, frustration, sadness: The kind of feelings that made you knit your fist. I glanced toward his hands and confirmed that he had indeed knit his fist as if trying to keep his own feelings under control.

Slowly, Kato turned around to face me. His dark fur made it difficult to see anything, but his eyes were more than canine enough to reflect the distant light coming from the APCs. His tail moved slowly, but determined, and I could see a hint of his white fangs as he glared.

“I looked through the video records. You and the rest jumped off in the town and let the APC run in circles,” Kato said.

“Yes,” I said.

A low growl filled the air between us.

“Why?” Kato asked.

“I want to believe that the team which visited Hannival’s house did a thorough job. In other words, it would be useless to look through it again. Your team was bait to draw out the ones in control of the town, and it allowed the rest of us to sneak up on whoever was watching.”

“… You used us,” Kato exhaled, creating a big cloud of fog that wafted in front of him.

“If I had told you, what would you have done, Kato?” I asked.

“If you had suggestions, then it was your job to tell me. Not to trick us and let it play out for your own glory,” Kato said.

“What would you have done if I had told you, Kato?” I repeated.

His lips rippled as he took a step closer to me, “You passed basic training two days ago! I would have taken on the risk and let you get used to life out in the field, just like the rest of us.”

I smiled to myself, “Should I interpret that as if you were trying to protect us, or that you wanted us to experience the boring parts of the job, like the rest of you?”

Kato drew a deep breath, and I could hear another dark growl rumble in his throat, “What the hell happened to you, Vilkas? You were always a smart ass, but now you’re an outright asshole.”

I motioned to him, “Look at yourself, Kato. What are you doing here? What are we doing right now?”

Kato leaned back in the darkness and his growl died down, “I’m trying to salvage this… You’ve turned what was supposed to be a happy reunion into a fight that has pitted our packs against each other.”

“You tried to dominate us the moment we met up. You played cool with John, you embarrassed Peter, and you shamed Allen. Did you think I'd accept something like that?”

“… You certainly turned out to be a prideful Alpha,” Kato said.

“Don’t fuck with my pack, Kato… You’ll regret it,” I said.

A trail of fog drifted from his nose as he exhaled slowly, “… A fire team needs one Alpha to dictate orders. Maybe I used the wrong approach, but my intent was never to shame or embarrass them, even if that’s how it came out.”

“Hmm,” I murmured.

Kato motioned to me, “I’d fight you, but something tells me I wouldn’t win. Especially after hearing Marcus tell me about you playing the hero at the camp, or that you almost crushed my hand but didn’t even flinch as I gave it my all.”

“… You’re right. You wouldn’t win; you can’t win against me,” I said.

“… What did they do to you, Vilkas?” Kato asked.

It’s not your concern, but I might need you, so…

My ears wiggled as I glanced away, “Stick around, and you might find out.”

“… Oh, I have no intention of leaving, Vilkas. I’m still the Alpha of this fireteam,” Kato said.

“I assume that things have changed so that role of Alpha can’t be settled through raw strength?”

“I’m not a coward, Vilkas… I’d fight you if we were equally matched, but we’re not. I may have made the wrong choices so far in dealing with you and your pack, but I'll do better.”

I wondered if Kato would be able to see it, but I still perked my brow in wonder, “Not to be rude, but you didn’t even brief us properly, Kato.”

“I was trying to ease all of you into, especially after having been ordered around by a dictator in the camp! We could have had a nice team in Hannival’s house, together,” Kato said.

“We’re here to do a job, Kato. To protect Sophos,” I said.

Kato huffed back, “Don’t let it get to your head, Vilkas. We’re nothing to the people up there, or the clans who make plans for hundreds of thousands, or the AIs and everyone else in this perfect democracy. We’re ants at the bottom, cleaning up the disasters that humans spread around them like dirt.”

“… That wasn’t my point, Kato. I meant that we should take this seriously, no matter your personal opinions about the subject,” I said.

“Yeah, we should. Which is why I was trying to get our packs to mingle and bond. Now my pack is scared of you, and your pack thinks I'm an idiot,” Kato said.

I motioned to him once more, “Then stop this. You don’t have to give up your title, just tone it down, treat everyone like equals, and the rest will come on its own.”

Kato raised his hand to point at me, “Cute, but you made that impossible, Vilkas.”

“So what do you intend to do? Keep fighting me, and I'll just keep peeling away at your authority until there’s nothing left,” I said.

Kato let his hand drop, and leaned back, “… So that was your goal.”

“Things change, Kato… If you’re not willing to stop, then you need either step up your game or watch me take it from you,” I said.

“… You’ve certainly changed, that’s for sure,” Kato said, and his voice seemed to drain of the anger that had been so intense earlier.

“Sorry about that,” I said.

“… I figured that you had dug a hole deep enough to get yourself and the pack thrown out of the Defense Force. I made an inquiry to appeal on your behalf… apparently no wrongdoing was found, and I received a warning to avoid making… accusations,” Kato said.

Why am I not surprised…

I sighed, “And what exactly did I do which was wrong, Kato?”

“… You threatened to basically murder all of those people,” Kato said.

“Yes?” I wondered.

“… What the hell kind of defense is that? Yes, what?” Kato wondered.

“I don’t think you’ve realized the serious nature of this, Kato. If there’s a new strain of Lusus out there, one that Etemenanki’s spores can’t protect us against, then there is nothing that can stand in our way to stop it. The rules for this Enclave were set aside the moment that they began to represent a tangible danger to our survival. It wasn’t a threat; it was a statement of fact unless they complied. And don’t get me wrong. I hate being forced to do this. It is appalling and disgusting, but what else are we supposed to do?”

Kato tipped his head a little, “Oh please, you may hide it behind the veneer, but I knew from day one that you were a strategic and calculating opportunist. It’s one of your strengths, and you can’t pull off a cold-hearted stare like yours without it being genuine. Just look at you right now, I can barely contain my rage, and your tail isn’t even agitated.”

You don’t know a single fucking thing about me, or what I've been through…

“I do what I must, given the circumstances. It’s that simple,” I said.

Kato bared his teeth with a chuckle, “How rich... The unwilling hero, just like at the camp, right?”

I felt my lips ripple, “There is a limit to my patience, Kato…”

Kato shook his head, “There has to be someone out there that’s more suited to do this job.”

“Maybe. Maybe there is, but they’re probably all busy doing their own thing to not only keep us safe, but also make sure that society, ours and that of humanity, may last long enough to see a better tomorrow.”

Kato stifled a chuckle, “Yes, and we did so fucking well, didn’t we? You picked up a human pet, we found out that Hannival may have been taken by cultists, and then you managed to almost get both of us blown up. Clearly a success without limit.”

I sighed, “Athena suggests that we take a break, and reconvene at another time.”

“When we get assigned another mission, you mean, because this one sure turned out to be a crapshoot,” Kato said.

I drew a deep breath, “We gathered a lot of clues today, we saved a person from being stuck in this place, and we managed to do it all without anyone getting hurt. That in itself is a victory.”

Kato shook his head in silence, approached along my right side, and stopped to look at me.

“If this is your definition of a victory, then I have to wonder whether I should focus on trying to protect you, or protect your pack from you.”

I could feel as the fur along my neck began to bristle, but I clamped down on the brewing anger as he walked past me.

512 A.R. February 1** 8 ***,* G** athering Point ***,* N** ight**

Kato was good at playing a role once he was dedicated to it. His behavior had changed as we ended up in the circle with the others. He’d been quiet at first, but then his charm started to come out once more.

Cocky, but willing to joke about himself. In a gentler way this time, even by going as far as apologizing about earlier. The others played along, and then it started to become natural.

They had fun, they ate, and I smiled in tune with the jokes. But I was glad I could hide my mind from the others, Allen in particular.

Things felt heavy, stressed, and I had the looming sensation that there was something very wrong.

I glanced toward the Enclave, and I could see that the fire had died down to a point where there was only a subtle glow and a hint of smoke in the air.

A short glance into the APC through my mind’s eye revealed that Lucas was still talking with the holographic program, though he was starting to seem rather tired. An alert suddenly lit up and my focus turned to something that had been snapped up by one of the drones.

There was a figure standing by a tree and the drone turned to face it. Little to no detail could be seen in the darkness, but the infrared sensors revealed the warm outline of a person’s face. Oddly enough, the surface temperature of the person’s face was shown in a light blue hue, which represented an abnormally low temperature for exposed skin.

Did someone walk all the way up here and promptly dropped dead by the tree?

The drone moved in for a closer look when the person suddenly began to move. It made me jump in surprise, and the drone halted its approach as the person darted off with little more than the sound of crunching snow.

I turned my focus to the others around the campfire and watched as Peter motioned to Monty and Reville, the siblings belonging to Kato’s pack.

“How did the training camp end for you guys?” Peter wondered.

Reville glanced over at Kato for a moment, “Our ‘hero’ gathered his pack, declared that the camp was splitting in two, and assumed leadership over his half.”

Monty followed up, “More and more people started switching sides, and then the rest of the Alphas returned. They were pretty angry… and the crazy one had a fight with his own Alpha.”

“Did the crazy one get thrown out of the Defense Force?” John asked.

Kato shook his head, “No… Which goes to show that it can be resolved in different ways.”

Marcus leaned forward and looked at Kato, “I’m not sure your version of crazy is the same as how Sebastian had become a frothing monster that bit people like a rabid animal.”

Kato glanced at Marcus for a moment, shrugged it off, and faced the others, “So what are you going to do with the kid?”

“Child services have been informed, and we will be meeting a team after this to hand Lucas over,” I said.

“Ah…” Kato said, and then tipped his head, “How come you know how to use sign language?”

Allen perked up and made an exaggerated smile, “Newer generations of hybrids can run Expert Systems within our minds, it’s very helpful.”

Kato blinked in wonder and turned to stare at Allen, “We can do… what?”

I motioned to Kato, “Instead of interfacing with support hardware, you run software within your head, or rather… the processing clusters that are spread throughout our bodies.”

Kato stared at me, “… Okay, and how would one do that?”

I glanced over at Marcus, “You’re not ready yet, Kato… But Marcus will be, soon.”

Marcus leaned back as he looked at me.

I kept looking at Marcus, but motioned to Allen, “If you ever have problems… Like voices, or strange sensations, then talk to Allen or me. We’ve got experience, and a lot of people from our generation are going to start developing these abilities.”

Marcus lowered his head and nodded.

I then shifted my gaze to Reville and Monty, “The same goes for you as well, you may be a year older, but it seems that things have been timed in such a way that we’ll awaken at roughly the same time.”

Reville and Monty glanced at one another, while Marcus raised his hand, “I’ve heard that some people are… well, telepathic.”

I nodded, “It’s not magic or anything like that. Just applied technology, built into us.”

“… Are you listening to our thoughts, or something?” Kato asked, and stared at me.

I looked back at him, and shook my head, “You haven’t developed to the point where your thoughts start spilling all over the place. That said, I try to avoid listening in on others.”

Kato blinked as he observed me, “… Are you serious? Or is this just an elaborate joke?”

John spoke up, “Vilkas wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

Kato looked at John, “… I take it Vilkas shares everything with you?”

I glanced at John and noticed that he had started frowning.

“Yes, he does,” John answered.

John seems to have more tact than I expected...

“Oh, I see,” Kato said.

I glanced over at Allen and reached out with my mind, ‘Would you mind asking when we’re leaving? We have things to do, and Kato is going to be a pain if I'm the one asking.’

Allen glanced at me, paused for a moment, and looked back at Kato, “I’m getting pretty tired.”

Kato perked his brow in wonder and began to smirk. He then opened his muzzle to speak, but seemed to hesitate at the last second.

“Alright, I guess this is far as we’ll get… given the current circumstances,” Kato said and looked back at the rest of his pack.

The rest of them remained silent.

“Want to head back home?” Kato asked.

The others nodded, and Kato pushed himself onto two legs.

“Well, it’s been interesting, and we’ll see what happens once the AIs have finished analyzing the situation,” Kato said.

John raised his hand and waved, “Bye…”

512 A.R. February 1** 9 ***,* A** PC ***,* N** ight**

John was the last to step into the APC. He glanced back as Kato and the others drove off while our own door sealed shut. The windows were quick to power up, and the snow-filled outside became clear once more.

Something within the APC was gently knocking on my mind, and I accepted the link. A soft, feminine voice could be heard, ‘Greetings, Vilkas… I am the Expert System compiled by Athena to assist Lucas.’

I glanced into the corner of the APC and saw Lucas laying there, curled up with a blanket that I assumed he had found in one of the hatches.

‘Greetings,’ I thought.

‘As you can see, Lucas is sleeping. With some help from the APC’s main intelligence, we acquired the blanket and made sure he was comfortable. I hope you don’t mind?’ The voice said.

‘I don’t, well done,’ I thought.

‘Thank you… I have a report regarding what I've learned about Lucas, and I also have a small request,’ The voice said.

‘What is this request?’ I thought.

‘Athena made me to help out, but she is also interested in the knowledge that Lucas holds. The APC won’t allow me to deliver the results on my own, therefore I am forced to ask you.’

‘Hand me the data-package, and I'll make sure Athena gets it,’ I thought.

‘Thank you,’ The voice answered, and I felt a surge as the data package settled in the back of my mind.

Her presence faded, and I turned my attention to the others once more. John sat down on his chair, crossed his arms, and made a barely audible sigh.

I leaned closer to him and whispered, “Something wrong?”

John glanced at me, “You could have used a knife to cut the tension back there.”

“For a while it felt like people were on good terms,” I said.

Allen scratched his ear as he spoke up, “Everyone was faking it, and Kato couldn’t help but take pot-shots at you whenever he got the chance.”

Peter chuckled, “You ignored him most of the time. Probably made him seethe on the inside.”

I looked over at Peter in wonder, “… Ah.”

Peter blinked, and then stifled a chuckle as he shook his head, “You didn’t even notice… Were you busy elsewhere? Doing the telepathy thing with the APC?”

“Something like that,” I said.

John spoke up, “You could be a bit more…”

As his voice faded away, I glanced over at John, “More sociable?”

John shifted uncomfortably as his ears wiggled and smiled back, “… Yeah.”

I drew a deep breath and scratched an itch along my cheek, “Yeah, you’re probably right. There’s just a lot of things to deal with at the moment.”

John glanced away, “… You do tend to use that excuse.”

I squinted as I looked back at his, “Feels like you’re ganging up on me for some reason…”

“Just giving you some feedback, boss,” John said with a sly smile, and then leaned back, “Anyway, did you make some kind of deal with Kato back in the forest?”

I shook my head, “No, it’s pretty clear that we have some distinct disagreements and at the moment he has no intention of backing down.”

Allen whispered, “Kato’s an idiot with the ego of a hot balloon. Even Reville and Monty are hesitant about him, and Marcus seems to take offense every time Kato makes a poke at you.”

Peter sighed and leaned closer to me, “So what are you going to do, Vilkas?”

I looked back at Peter, and then shifted my attention to John as I smiled a little, “Is this the part where I tell you everything, like I ‘always do’?”

John smirked back at me and nodded.

I let my smile fade and pondered it for a moment, “I think that if I fight Kato outright, then he’ll take his pack and leave. One way or another I… or rather we, will have to convince him to either stop pushing this ‘one alpha’ agenda of his, or he’ll have to step down and hand over leadership to a more balanced pack.”

John perked his brow, “Something tells me that Kato won’t see it that way.”

“What do you mean?”

John shrugged, “I think it’s pretty obvious that Kato considers his role as Alpha to be a bit different from yours. I mean, you hesitate to even call yourself an Alpha unless you’re representing us officially. Kato’s the big boss, 24/7.”

I smiled back at John, “I can start poking you in the ribs and high-fiving you in the mornings if you’d prefer.”

John shook his head and made a wolfish grin, “I’m more than fine with our current deal, boss.”

I leaned back in my own chair and nodded, “Unfortunately, our work is far from done.”

Peter sat tall, “What do you mean?”

I waved my hand a little, “Athena and Ares want us to continue the mission.”

“… Kato and the others just left,” John said.

I looked back at him, “Ares and Athena found their presence unnecessary, and they were dismissed as such.”

John tipped his head, “… This day is certainly getting weirder the longer it goes on.”

I turned my attention to the female voice from earlier, ‘Excuse me?’

‘Yes?’ The female voice wondered.

‘Can you summarize the report and read it so that all of us can hear?’ I wondered.

‘Certainly… One moment,’ The voice answered, and then faded.

A gentle high-pitched whine grew in the center of the APC, and a cylinder appeared. On it were what looked like four screens, one pointed at each of us, that showed the human woman.

Everyone leaned back in surprise, while I motioned to the screen, “If you would be so kind to introduce yourself?”

The artificial woman nodded and smiled, “I am an Expert System made to care for the mental health of traumatized children. At least, that’s the role I present to my patients. I am also an information gathering service, and an interrogator of sorts. To Lucas I presented myself as Anna, you may refer to me with the same name.”

“You had a report for us?” I said.

Anna nodded, “I do. As per your request, I'll summarize and focus on what I believe you’ll consider relevant.”

I nodded, “That will be just fine, thank you.”

Anna made a pleased hum and nodded once more, “Lucas’ origins can be traced back to a group from about 130 years back. They were a group of deaf humans who believed that their culture and identity would not be able to survive in Sophos society. They migrated to the Enclaves and succumbed to the harsh nature that can be found here. These days, they are a cult that is centered around their own bloodline. They believe themselves to be a chosen and pure people. One of their core tenets is that ‘silence is golden’. Speech is strictly forbidden, and the concept of lip-reading appears foreign.”

John whispered, “If they’re deaf, how would they even be able to tell even if one of them was capable of talking?”

Allen perked his brow and stared back, “They’re deaf, not blind, John.”

“Shh,” I hushed.

Anna kept talking, “Lucas is unable to read and write. The cult itself is a strict patriarchy with inbreeding as the norm. Interestingly enough, Lucas’ genetics suggests that his mother was a result of breeding outside the bloodline.”

“Cults would only do something like that if they had what they considered to be a good reason,” I said.

Anna nodded, “Lucas is severely ill because of his genetic degradation and is borderline infertile. In other words, the ‘pure’ bloodline has certainly reached its limit of being able to reproduce.”

I sighed, “So they took in fresh blood to keep themselves from going extinct.”

“Yes… According to Lucas, he has one father, but no mother. There are also many sisters, but few brothers.”

“Just how big is this family?” I wondered.

“Around two dozen or so,” Anna answered.

“I see… Anything else?” I wondered.

“Lucas houses surprising intellect, and he knows of many concepts that are supposed to be forbidden. While he insists that he has no mother, he was quite averse to telling me why and how he remained here while the others left.”

“Not even a clue?” I wondered.

Anna tipped her head and seemed to ponder for a moment, “It was subtle, but he described his last few days with the family as if there was a lot of arguing. A conflict of some kind.”

“I see. Any clues where they could have gone?” I said.

“Only that they were going east, to become part of the wave that would ‘cleanse the disease that ravages this island’,” Anna said.

Allen raised his hand, “How did his family communicate with the Luminaire? Do they know sign-language or something? Would that be a common skill among humans?”

“I doubt that the average human in a place like this would know sign-language. It is more likely that the Luminaire either have the technical means to use a translator, or that there is someone in Lucas’ family that can either speak or write in order to communicate,” Anna said.

“Anything else that you can think of?” I wondered.

Anna shook her head, “Not at this time, but if he wakes up, I'll do what I can to continue my work.”

I nodded to her, “Thank you, Anna… You’ve been quite helpful.”

“It is my pleasure,” Anna answered, and her hologram dissolved into nothing.

A few moments of silence passed, and Peter glanced over at Lucas in the corner, “Sounds like he’s had a tough life.”

“Mm,” I murmured, then swiveled my chair to face the front window.

John spoke up, “So what are we doing now? If we’re to continue the mission, wouldn’t it be smarter to hand Lucas over to someone?”

“It would, but the AIs were insistent that we keep working. Hopefully it won’t take long to find what they need,” I said.

Peter turned his chair to look at me, “But haven’t we reached a dead end?”

I motioned with my hand, “Patience. There’s something I want you to see first.”

“Heh, more secrets?” John chuckled.

I slowed down my perception of time, packaged Anna’s data package, and focused on Athena as I sent it on its way. As the transfer finished, I turned my attention to the APC, thought back to drone footage in the forest, and focused on the image of the weird person hiding next to a tree. I focused on the front screen and watched as the image appeared.

I relaxed, and let my perception of time return to normal.

“That’s… creepy,” John whispered.

I motioned to the image being shown on the screen, “What do you think we’re seeing here?”

Peter raised his hand and pointed a claw, “Footage from one of the drones. Some kind of infrared footage of a person standing next to a tree in the forest. Based on the timestamp it was…”

“Like 40 minutes ago,” John said.

Allen whispered, “Someone made the hike all the way up here from the Enclave? In order to spy on us?”

“Seems like it,” I said.

Allen leaned closer, “That’s not all…”

“Hmm?” I murmured.

Allen raised his hand and motioned with his claw, “Look at the face… There’s barely any difference in temperature between the nose, cheeks, and eyes. It’s as if there’s this person is wearing some kind of mask.”

“A ski mask, perhaps?” John said.

Allen looked over at John, “A ski mask that would cover the eyes?”

John drew a deep breath and tipped his head, “The picture is blurry enough that there could be a set of goggles. That could explain how uniform the temperature is over the face.”

Peter smiled a little, “What if it’s not human? What if it’s a droid sent here to spy on us by Ares or Athena?”

I looked over at Peter, “Maybe, but it seems odd… Why do it like this when they could just use small drones to spy on us?”

Peter drew a deep breath and pointed to the picture, “So what is this thing? Did you follow it with the drones?”

I focused on my memories, transferred a movie instead, and let it play. It showed as the drone approached, at which point the person turned around, and started running.

“Uh, Vilkas…” Allen whispered.

“What?” I wondered.

“… Go back to the point when the drone noticed this ‘thing’,” Allen said.

I reached out to the controls of the video, moved it all the way back, and started playing it. It showed as the small drone drifted through along the trees, before suddenly coming into range that it could ‘see’ the temperature anomaly of the being. At that point, I stopped the video and looked at the image.

“… We can hear the noise of the wind and the snow being crushed as this thing runs off. That means the video has sound,” Allen said.

I glanced back at Allen, “Yeah, what are you getting at?”

Allen looked at me, and I could see him gulp as he motioned at the screen, “Those small drones are almost silent enough that we can’t hear them. So how come this thing, is staring straight into the camera? How did it see it the drone?”

“… Because of the light emitted by the drone?” John asked.

Allen shook his head repeatedly, “The small drones don’t have lights. They’re reconnaissance units that use other means: radar, infrared, sensitive optical cameras.”

I reached up and idly stroked the mane along my neck. There was an explanation, of course, I just… couldn’t figure it out.

John raised his hand, “High tech goggles?”

Allen glanced back, “Maybe, but…”

I slowed my perception of time once more, and reached out with my mind, ‘Athena?’

‘So soon?’ Athena wondered as her presence descended once more.

I began the transfer, and thought, ‘I’m sending you footage from one of the drones. Share it with Ares, and tell me what we’re seeing.’

‘… Analyzing,’ Athena whispered over the link.

A few moments passed, and Athena’s voice returned, ‘At present we have no good explanation of who or what it is that the drone encountered. We advise that you stay away from it if encountered again, and we will dispatch hunter-killer droids to capture or destroy it.’

‘Hunter-killer droids?’ I wondered.

‘They are what they sound like. Elite droids, capable of drop-pod insertion from orbit. Even someone like you would be hard pressed to survive an encounter with one.’

‘Is the situation that serious?’ I wondered.

‘Ares suggests that this may be some kind of Imperial Spy. I am not as certain. Regardless, it should be treated as highly dangerous being, and it is our combined will that you focus on tracking down Hannival.’

‘As ordered,’ I thought.

‘It is good that you shared this, even if I would have preferred a report as soon as you saw it,’ Athena said.

‘My apologies, I did not realize how strange its behavior was,’ I thought.

‘It’s alright, Vilkas… We do realize that we are pushing you as it is,’ Athena answered.

‘The others in the pack helped analyze the footage,’ I thought.

‘Of course, your strength comes from the pack as a whole,’ Athena said.

‘You mentioned earlier that you had remarks regarding our investigation so far, is now a good time?’ I wondered.

‘At the moment, I only have one precautionary suggestion,’ Athena said.

‘Yes?’ I wondered.

‘Your way of threatening Max was crude, though effective. But do you know why it was effective?’

‘Because he valued his life more than his hatred for us,’ I thought.

‘Precisely, and this will not always be the case. In other words, this strategy carries risk, because it will embolden those who are willing to sacrifice their lives.’

‘I understand,’ I thought.

‘That is all… May your continued investigation be fruitful,’ Athena whispered.

Her presence faded and my perception of time returned to normal as I drew a deep breath.

“Another meeting?” Peter asked.

I looked over at him, “Huh?”

Peter smiled at me as he motioned at his face, “You have a tendency to close your eyes and either sigh or draw a deep breath when you’re done.”

How perceptive of you…

I smiled back, “I just handed the video over to the AIs. Ares suspects that it might be an Imperial Spy. Athena wouldn’t even speculate, but warned us to stay away in case we see ‘it’ again.”

John perked up, “See? High tech googles and a ski mask.”

Allen murmured, “… Maybe.”

I huffed back and dismissed the video from the screen, “Either way, we’ve been told to not focus on it and are to keep searching for Hannival.”

Peter leaned closer, “And what if this ‘thing’ in the forest is connected to it?”

“Then Ares’ Hunter-Killer droids will find it, and either capture or kill it,” I said.

“… Sounds delightfully menacing,” John said.

“Yeah, it does,” I said, and looked at the front window once more.

Peter raised his hands and made a gentle clap, “I’m still very curious where we go from here…”

I leaned back in the chair so that I could rest comfortably, “Let’s start by defining the problem.”

“Okay?” John said.

“There is a lot of surveillance across Sophos, but the Enclaves and the paths between them aren’t monitored, at least not officially,” I said.

“Due to the rules which basically make the Enclaves a form of independent city-states,” Allen said.

I nodded, “Yes. Athena and Ares can violate those rules if Sophos is under a credible threat, but the problem is that there’s not enough evidence of the threat to violate the Enclaves that aren’t involved.”

Peter perked his brow, “So how do we figure out where the Luminaire took Hannival if we can’t monitor them?”

“Ares and Athena can’t do it, but we might be able to,” I said.

Allen spoke up, “But wouldn’t that make us guilty of a crime? I mean, finding the evidence is one thing, but I'm not sure if it cancels out the crime itself.”

I motioned to the APC, “This APC belongs to us and it doesn’t report to the AIs. In other words, anything we say or do in here, will never reach them, or the archives, unless we share it.”

“… So we can do something illegal in here, present the evidence, not tell them how we found it, and the AIs will keep a blind eye?”

I nodded, “Something like that… I hope at least.”

John waved his hand, “This is pretty damn weird if you ask me.”

I glanced at him, “I know… Which is why Kato and his pack aren’t here. They don’t have the moral... flexibility to deal with this.”

“Ooh,” Allen whispered.

I sighed, “Time for another vote. We can stop here, or we can do what needs to be done.”

Peter chuckled, “As if you need to ask at this point. We keep going, and we shouldn’t forget about that thing in the forest either.”

John nodded, “Agreed, we do this… However we’re supposed to do it, because I'm still not sure how.”

Allen spoke up, “I vote that we keep going.”

“Good, then that’s settled,” I said, and lifted my gaze to the big window in front.

A moment of silence passed as I pondered.

I made a link to the APC but spoke my commands out loud, “Display a map of Sophos.”

A large image flashed to life over the screen, and a variety of cities were shown.

“Show the migration paths of Enclave Humans,” I said.

A big red error appeared on the screen: [Enclave Monitoring is forbidden, no data found]

I smiled to myself, “Show the areas of Sophos that are not monitored.”

[Processing… Please hold…]

Areas near the enclaves were highlighted, and the paths between them became visible.

Allen chuckled, “A lack of information is a set of information in itself.”

“Focus on our area and keep the eastern coast in view,” I said.

The map zoomed in and the paths became clearer.

“Things are going to get a bit a bit more difficult from here on,” I said.

Allen spoke up, “Lucas’ family was a dozen or two, and Max claimed to see at least as many, so the whole group must be… what, 50-100 people?”

I focused on the screen, “Look through archived drone footage from the past two months and identify accidental recordings of the areas that aren’t monitored.”

[Request too broad for effective processing. Please reformulate.]

Peter sighed, “Yeah, the archived footage on its own must be gargantuan.”

I pondered it for a moment, “Look through drone reports from the past two months to find events where they have deviated from their course to avoid accidental monitoring.”

[Processing…]

[183 584 Reports found]

Allen whispered, “Oh… I get it now.”

I spoke up, “Use the gathered events to look through the recordings for accidental monitoring.”

[Processing… Please hold…]

[15 784 Accidental recordings found]

“Break down the recordings based on the number of individuals that can be seen,” I said.

[12 184 Recordings with 1 Individual]

[2 053 Recordings with 2 Individuals]

[805 Recordings with 3 Individuals]

[482 Recordings with 4 Individuals]

[234 Recordings with 5-9 Individuals]

[26 Recordings with 10+ Individuals]

“… You said it was hard, but this seems surprisingly easy,” John said.

I glanced back, “These are accidental recordings, it could be that the ones we’re looking for were never accidentally recorded.”

John perked his brow, “Yes, let’s assume the worst, shall we?”

I smiled back and looked in front once more, “Mark the recordings with more than 10 individuals on the map.”

Dots appeared throughout the map.

“Only show those that are moving away from our current location,” I said.

All but three dots were removed.

“Analyze the remaining accidental footage and draw conclusions,” I said.

[Processing… Please hold…]

[Likelihood that all three videos feature the same group: 86%]

[Datapoint 1: 80-85 People (511 A.R. December 21)]

[Datapoint 2: 75-80 People (512 A.R. January 2)]

[Datapoint 3: 50-55 People (512 A.R. January 9)]

A line was plotted on the map, and the three datapoints were highlighted along with their dates. It seemed that the group had traveled north at first, toward another Enclave, but had then veered toward the east.

Allen pointed, “It seems they lost a bunch of people between point 2 and 3.”

I gently scratched my temple as I pondered, “Use datapoint 2 and 3 to see whether any hints of the missing people show up in the other accidental recordings.”

[Processing… Please hold…]

[No results found]

Peter looked over at me, “What if they wandered into monitored areas… I mean, we’re only looking at accidental footage now.”

I nodded, “Good idea… Use the datapoints to make a search for any individuals or groups that may have entered monitored areas.”

[Processing… (This will take some time)]

John spoke up, “If a large group of people entered the caves within the monitored areas, wouldn’t Athena or Ares notice it?”

“Yeah, they probably would,” I said.

“So what are we looking for right now? To see whether we can find another witness to tell us why some of them split up?” Peter wondered.

I looked over at Peter, “Seems like the best lead at the moment. If the group stayed within the areas that aren’t monitored, and entered the caves or whatever hideout they have, then there’s very little we can do to track them down.”

“Mm,” Peter murmured.

[One Match]

[Datapoint 4: 17 People (512 A.R. January 6)]

[Recent Footage is available]

Another point was highlighted on the map, and it showed that a smaller group had headed south into monitored Sophos territory. An image filled part of the screen, and I could see what looked like the decaying ruins of a residential area sitting next to a crumbling industrial complex. Sitting at the outskirts of the industrial area was a wooden building with a tower of some kind. A series of smaller images appeared, and it showed people entering and exiting the structure over a span of several days.

“What do you think?” I wondered.

“Should we contact the AIs?” Peter wondered.

I shook my head, “Not yet… Doing so may force us into a situation where we have to order these people to head back to an Enclave or to rejoin Sophos, neither of which we want to get involved with at present.”

“So, are the AIs keeping a blind eye, since they didn’t head toward one of our cities?” Allen wondered.

“Maybe… probably,” I said.

“How are they surviving?” Peter wondered.

Another image appeared on the screen, one which showed a series of crates sitting near the wooden building.

I smiled and pointed at the image, “Air dropped supplies. The System knows that they’re here, and made sure that they have what they need to survive.”

Allen leaned forward, “How long would it take to drive there?”

[Navigation: ETA 2 Hours 16 Minutes]

Allen lifted his gaze, “This APC is pretty smart…”

“It is,” I said as I looked back at the others, “Should we get going?”

Everyone nodded.

512 A.R. February 1** 9 ***,* East Coast – W** astes ***,* N** ight**

It was still dark outside as we approached the old settlement. The area belonged to the flat wastes, and if it hadn’t been for a layer of snow, one would have seen an open prairie.

The APC slowed down a little, and the screens outlined the distant buildings with wireframes.

“What is this odd place?” Peter wondered.

I spoke up as the Archives fed me information, “According to the Archives, this place was an old experiment to let humans live out life as it was a long time ago. You had a manually operated factory, a residential area, and various facilities for recreation. No advanced machines, no Expert Systems… A place meant to give humans purpose in a world where they would otherwise have to create their own purpose in life.”

“Oh, how horrible , being forced to make your own choices,” John murmured.

“Humans have always struggled with finding purpose, and religion in all its forms is one of the most pervasive ways to solve that riddle,” I said.

Allen leaned closer and pointed at the building standing at the outskirts of it all, “There’s the one we saw in the video.”

I looked over, and while it was difficult to see details, the wireframe made it clear the building had two floors and a gable roof with a tower that had a big bell inside it. The windows appeared to have been boarded up, the walls were in rough shape, and there was a big hole in the roof.

John spoke up, “Looks like some kind of temple…”

Peter leaned closer to the window and pointed, “First time I've seen one with a giant bell on top. Do you think it represents something, or was it just their way to annoy everyone?”

I shrugged, “Hard to say… I remember back in school when we were looking through human religions. Sure, the first few pages were interesting, but after the first 200 religions, all of which believed they had the right answer, it was a pain just flipping through them all.”

Allen spoke up, “My phone seems to think it’s a Tsurigane bell used by the Buddhism religion.”

I reached out to the APC with my mind, ‘Please send out the drones and make sure the area is clear.’

A familiar thunk followed as the heavy drone disengaged and began to float away, while the scouting drones dispersed far and wide. The medium sized drone sped off toward the temple along the same path as the snow-covered road that we were on.

“So, what’s the plan?” Peter asked.

“I say we let the drones scout for a while, and then order the humans to step outside,” I said.

“What about Lucas?” Allen asked.

I turned my chair around to look in the corner. Lucas still seemed to be asleep despite the bumpy road, and he had tucked himself in tight with the blanket.

“We have to consider that the ones inside the temple could be Lucas’ family,” I said.

“… You sure? Wouldn’t it be more likely that the regular townsfolk found the cult too weird and decided to break with them?” John asked.

I glanced over at John, “Religious groups, particularly the more extreme ones, don’t exactly see eye to eye with other groups like themselves. Adding to that, Anna mentioned that there had been some kind of quarrel before leaving town. While I have no evidence of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if this quarrel had to do with theological differences.”

Peter poked my arm, “You have a hunch it’s his family?”

I glanced back at Peter, “No, I'm just saying that we have to consider what’s best for Lucas.”

“Which is?” Allen asked.

I looked at Allen, “Lucas made it clear that he didn’t want us to look for his family, that is his desire, and we should honor it.”

Allen motioned toward the windows and the temple outside, “But…”

I sighed, “We’ll have to shut down the screens, or play something fake on it. At least until we figure out who is staying at the temple.”

Allen let out a low canine grumble, “That means we have to get out of the APC…”

John made a feral grin as he leaned closer to Allen, “That little explosion really scared you, didn’t it?”

Allen gave him a tired stare, “It was anything but small.”

John raised his hands and pointed his index fingers at Allen, “That’s what he said.”

Allen stared, “… Huh?”

John sighed, and his tail drooped down, “Never mind, Allen…”

I glanced back at John, “Do you have a thing for old sayings?”

John rolled his eyes, “Only the ones no one else knows… apparently.”

I looked back in front and noticed it wouldn’t be long before we reached the temple.

‘Slow down and stop here,’ I thought.

The APC slowed down and came to a stop moments later.

‘If Lucas wakes up, clear the screen so that he doesn’t see,’ I thought.

The APC nudged my mind with a confirmation.

While maintaining the link, I spoke out loud, “Please show us what you’ve learned so far.”

A screen appeared on the window, and it brought the temple into focus. It marked two exits: one in the front by a set of steep stairs; the other, a makeshift door in the back. While the temple had two floors, the 3-D image revealed that the stairs had collapsed.

Several of the drones were highlighted, and a few images were shown where the drones had peeked into the lower floor through boarded up windows.

More images were shown, and one of them revealed a large room with a warm glow, as there was an active fireplace in the corner. There were people huddled up in the corners, and some were sleeping in front of the fireplace. There was also an old sofa; it too, full of people.

All of them seemed to be dressed in thick layers of clothing, and it was difficult to make out any of their faces.

“How cold is it outside the APC?” Allen wondered.

A small temperature reader appeared next to the screen: -23 Degrees Celsius (-9.4F)

Allen chuckled, “So, the APC does listen to us as well… At least when it feels like it.”

As I focused on the image, I noticed that there was one person who was substantially bigger than the others. The person was sitting in the corner, and there were at least three others that were leaning onto what looked like rather rotund belly.

“That’s a big one,” John whispered and pointed.

Peter glanced at me, “Looks like he might weigh more than you.”

I made a growling murmur and huffed as I looked at the other pictures.

The rest of the temple seemed abandoned and untouched, apart from a room in the corner which…

I leaned closer and used my hands to make the image larger. Something had been wrapped in what looked like an old carpet, and I couldn’t but wonder if it may have been… a body.

“If we hadn’t seen the supply crates outside, I'd wonder whether they were cannibals,” Peter said.

John snickered, “They could still be cannibals, you know?”

Peter sighed, rubbed his temple, and raised his hand as he counted, “… There are 16 people in the living room.”

Allen added, “And one dead person in the closet.”

“I say that we station the medium and heavy drone along the rear exit to take care of anyone that tries to run. The APC can handle anyone from the front,” I said.

Peter nodded, “Sounds good, and then we can use the loudspeaker to figure out if they’re deaf.”

I nodded, and spoke to the APC, “You heard, yes?”

[Affirmative]

The small notice on the screen faded, and the drones began to move as they took up their new positions.

I glanced back at Allen, “Have you interfaced with the APC yet?”

Allen’s ears perked, “I may have, did I… do something wrong?”

I motioned to him, “How about you do the honors this time, and tell them to get out.”

Allen drew a deep breath, waited for a moment, and nodded, “Sure, I can do that.”

Peter motioned to the screen, “Based on everything that has been going on, I assume that you’ve been talking with the APC a lot?”

I nodded, “Well… The APC isn’t very talkative in the way of using words, but it does nudge your mind with the information you need.”

Peter tipped his head in wonder, “I don’t get it…”

I smiled back, “But you will, soon enough,” and looked back at Allen, “whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay,” Allen said with a nod, and shut his eyes.

After a few moments, I could hear a hint of Allen’s voice coming from the outside.

“This is the Sophos Defense Force, come out of the temple and show yourselves.”

“Look!” John exclaimed without warning as he pointed at the screen.

I looked in front at the screen as it displayed the feed from the drones spying on the living room. One person within the group rose up as if startled, looked around, and began to shake life into the others.

“… So, it seems like someone in the group can hear,” I said.

Peter chuckled, “Or the rest of them are heavy sleepers.”

“Do you still have your stunners ready?” I wondered.

Peter patted his side, Allen said yes, and John grumbled.

“… It’s difficult to see if any of them are armed,” I said.

The entire group was waking up by now, and I could see some of them rush toward the boarded-up windows for a look.

I reached out with my mind to the APC, ‘Turn the lights on and make it clear that we’re here.’

It was as if a flash had gone off on the outside. Lights from the APC lit up the whole area and the temple along with it. Even the snow behind the temple grew bright as the heavy drone activated its floodlights.

The video feed from the inside revealed that people were stumbling back from the windows, while the ones near the rear exit promptly slammed the door shut upon catching sight of the heavy drone.

It made me sigh, “Looks like these ones won’t be eager to step outside either.”

Peter motioned to the living room feed, “Big one is getting up.”

I looked at the feed once more and saw as four of the people began to ease the obese one out of the corner. They struggled, but after a few moments, the person managed to stumble up on two legs. To my surprise, the big one was waddling toward the front door.

‘Think they have any weapons?’ I wondered.

Peter shook his head, “No, but they could be hiding something in those thick clothes of theirs.”

“Hmm… I think I just had an idea,” I said.

“What?” Peter asked.

I reached out with my mind to the APC, ‘Relocate the heavy drone, activate its holographic projector, and make it look as if I'm standing outside the front entrance.’

The APC made a confirming nudge to my mind, and the heavy drone moved with haste as it lifted high into the air. Moments later, it was hovering by the steep stairs in front of the front door, and a shimmer could be seen in the air. The holographic image took shape and made it appear as if a black wolf was standing in front of the door.

“… Might work,” Peter murmured.

“Might,” I whispered.

The obese one waddled to the front door, surrounded by others. Someone came running from a nearby room and handed something over.

“That might have been a gun,” John whispered.

Without warning, the front door was slammed open. It made me look out of the window, and I could see as the door hit the wall with a resounding crash. The view through the window revealed that the obese one was a truly boorish looking man—an angry one at that.

The others helped push him along as the man stumbled out on the stairs, raised what looked like a spiked club in the air, and let out the guttural gargle of a stranded whale.

He stomped the ground on his way to the holographic depiction, and I could see his sagging belly shudder with every step. Like a thundering bear, the man swung the club and hurled his weight forward.

Little happened as the club hit the hologram, and the hefty man proceeded to spin from the sheer force he had put into the swing. One leg lost its footing, and the other soon followed. The others reached for the man in panic, but it was already too late.

I could see as the man fell through the hologram, and heard the loud thump as he hit the first set of steps. His legs lifted in the air from the force, and he tipped to the side like a big boulder. Moments later, he toppled off the side of the stairs and crashed into the snow like a stranded whale.

The heavy drone moved back while the others scrambled off the stairs in panic to reach the man.

It made me sigh as I watched it, “Yeah, these people have no guns.”

“So what do we do?” Allen asked while another person tumbled down the stairs in the chaos.

“We go out, see if we can find someone willing to communicate, and stun them if they try to attack,” I said.

‘Open the door. Take care of Lucas,’ I thought.

The APC made another confirming nudge while the door on my side began to open. Cold air swept into the APC in short notice, and I could see as Lucas stirred in the corner. The screens promptly shut off while the others began to exit the APC.

Lucas blinked and looked up at me in wonder as I eased out of my chair.

‘Don’t worry, we’re just making a short stop,’ I signed to him.

Lucas looked into the vast but empty field of snow that the open door revealed, then glanced at me as he made a short nod.

‘We’ll close the door and be back soon, so don’t worry,’ I signed to him and stepped out.

Lucas curled back into his corner, while the door began to close once more. Within moments it sealed shut, and I reached to unlatch my stunner. I circled the APC and came upon the chaos by the stairs.

By now a whole group of people were struggling to pull the wildly obese man up the stairs. Loud guttural grunts could be heard as the man wheezed, while appearing to struggle with a leg that now dangled in a way it wasn’t supposed to.

Within moments, a couple of them noticed us and turned to stare. While their scarves covered most of their faces, the facial features and thick hair suggested that they were women.

I guess additional males don’t serve much of a role in a cult like this…

The two women scrambled up among the others, shook them, and pointed as if to make the others aware of our presence. For a moment, the group glanced back and abruptly dropped the fat man who let out another grunt as he hit the stairs. A split second later, they were back by his side, moaning, grunting, and making noises one wouldn’t expect to hear from a bit of exertion.

“This has to be some kind of fucking joke…” Peter whispered.

I put the stunner back in its holster, raised my hands, and tried to get their attention as I signed to them, ‘One of you needs to stop and talk to us.’

A few noticed, stumbled back as if frightened, and one of them started pounding on the back of another who was trying to carry the fat man.

“Yeah, that helped,” John whispered.

I drew a deep breath and decided to take a risk, ‘We have Lucas.’

The ones who were watching seemed shocked. They blinked and looked around in confusion, before finally glancing toward a woman at the top of the stairs. I lifted my gaze, and I saw a woman that seemed to be thin, even while she was wrapped in thick clothes.

She stared at me with determination with a set of rich blue eyes.

Once more, I signed to her, ‘We have Lucas.’

The others managed to finally heave the fat man onto the landing, and they started to slip into the temple once more. As I watched, the blue-eyed woman stepped up to the stairs while still staring at me.

One of the other women grabbed her by the arm, but the blue-eyed one seemed to react in anger as she pulled herself free and promptly marched down the stairs. The woman who was left by the stairs glared down, lashed out with her arms in anger, and then turned around as she hurried into the temple.

The blue-eyed woman walked closer, stopped outside reaching distance, and motioned with her hands, ‘You have Lucas?’

I nodded, ‘Yes.’

‘Where is he?’ She signed to me.

‘Answer our questions, and I'll tell you,’ I signed to her.

The woman stared, and suddenly jumped in surprise as someone slammed the temple’s door shut.

It made me smile a little as I looked at her, “You can hear us… You were the one who woke up by the noise we were making.”

The woman glared at me in hatred, and I watched as she reached up to her scarf. She pulled it down far enough to reveal her nose and mouth, as well as the scars. She was misshapen somehow, her lips were torn and seemed to have repeatedly healed with enough scarring to permanently disfigure her.

Oh…

She opened her mouth, and spoke with a subtle slur, “Yes, I can hear and speak.”

“If you are more comfortable signing, then we can do that instead,” I said.

The woman shook her head, “No, this way the others won’t know what we’re talking about.”

“Ah,” I said, “May I ask your name?”

She made a rising sign with her hand, “Dawn.”

I motioned to myself, “Lucas knows me as Wolf.”

Dawn blinked and perked her brow, “Is that your name?”

I shook my head, “No, but my real name isn’t important, so just call me Wolf.”

Dawn nodded, “All right, Wolf… What have you done with Lucas?”

Peter brushed up next to me, put his muzzle next to my ear, and whispered, “Are you using Lucas as a bartering chip or something?”

I paused for a moment, glanced to the side, and saw that they were all looking at me.

I find myself wishing the lot of us knew telepathy…

“We’re not giving him up,” I whispered as I leaned in close to his ear.

It seemed to put Peter at ease as he nodded and inched back.

I turned to face Dawn once more and noticed that she was looking at me as if wondering what we had been whispering about. It made me smile a little as I nodded in her direction, “Lucas ended up with Max at the Enclave. He didn’t feel safe there, so he sought shelter with us.”

“Hand him over,” Dawn ordered.

“Answer our questions, and we can continue this discussion. Understand?”

Dawn stared at me, glanced back toward the temple, and gave me a nod, “Alright…”

“You were traveling with a bigger group before coming here, right?” I asked.

“Yes… The Luminaires,” Dawn answered.

“Why did you leave the group?” I wondered.

Dawn drew a deep breath and lowered her gaze, “God, the Father, disagreed with their vision.”

“The one who fell… that’s-”

Dawn interrupted me, “The Father, our God, yes… Speaker, Illuminated, bearer of the way.”

“Do you know where the main group were heading?” I asked.

Dawn looked back to me, “Further north, and East. To the caves… where all the others are heading.”

“All the others?” I wondered.

Dawn made a slow nod, “There were pilgrimages from every Enclave… hundreds, thousands perhaps… We met several of them during our walk.”

Thousands… Thousands of humans? All heading to...

I did my best to hide my unease, “Tell me about this… disagreement the Father had with their vision?”

Dawn shifted uncomfortably, and glanced back once more.

“No one will hear, Dawn… We won’t tell anyone,” I said.

Dawn made a drawn-out sigh and turned to glare at me again, “We were tired… Transporting God, the Father, is… taxing. The Luminaire wanted us to go faster, and the Father was angered by this.”

Can’t risk insulting her…

I nodded to her, “God, the Father, he guided you to this temple instead?”

Dawn blinked as if surprised by my words, “Yes… He did.”

I lowered my voice, “I mean no disrespect, but why is it that you can talk with us?”

Once more, she shifted uncomfortably, and her gaze drifted as if expecting a beating from above.

“… I am tainted,” Dawn whispered.

“Your mother?” I wondered.

Her eyes widened, “… I have no mother, she was… evil.”

“And Lucas?” I wondered.

She clenched her hands and gulped, “Lucas is pure… He will become the next God, the new Father.”

There’s no way that’s going to happen…

I nodded to her, “I assume you were the one who interacted with others? To trade and talk with the Luminaire?”

Once more, she nodded, “The Luminaire did not know our way, so I translated.”

In other words, she knows their faces, their propaganda, perhaps more than she realizes…

“What is your relation to Lucas?” I wondered.

“Lucas is…” Dawn’s voice faded, and her gaze wandered to the snow.

The door to the temple opened once more, and I could see a group of women stare out. They set their sights on Dawn within moments and began to march out.

Guess they got orders to bring her back into the fold…

I glanced to the sides, “Peter, John, don’t let them get close. Stun them if you have to. Allen, you’re backup in case any slip past.”

Dawn’s eyes went wild, “Don’t hurt them!”

I focused on Dawn as Peter and John moved to take up position behind her, “We won’t, but we’re not done here.”

Dawn turned to look at the temple and the others. To my surprise, she took a step backwards, toward me. The women marched toward us, hands raised as they repeatedly signed to us. Peter and John soon blocked our view, and I inched closer to Dawn,

“They scare you, don’t they? The punishment that awaits you,” I whispered.

Dawn turned to look at me once more, and brought her hands to her chest.

“Stop,” I heard John say as they pushed the women back.

“You need to hand Lucas over to us… We need him,” Dawn pleaded.

One of the women tried to dart beside Peter, but he caught her at the last second, and promptly sent her back with enough force that she fell into the snow.

I motioned to Dawn, “Follow… The rest of them won’t be as agitated if they can’t see you.”

As I stepped back, Dawn glanced between the temple and myself. Moments later, she followed while I stepped back behind the APC. Allen stood in the middle of it all and kept a careful eye on everyone.

Dawn walked up to me, looked up, and focused on me with another glare, “I’ve answered your questions. Where is Lucas?”

I motioned to the APC, “He’s in there.”

She snapped to attention as she looked at the APC, “He’s ours, my son… He… You have no right to take him.”

I raised my hand to catch her attention, and inched closer to her face, “We asked Lucas whether he wanted us to find his family. He didn’t.”

Dawn gritted her teeth in agitation, “He was confused, that’s all! We’re his family!”

I pointed my hand at her, “Did he stay behind on his own accord, or did you order him to?”

Her mouth dropped open as she stared, “I… I…”

I motioned to her, “The truth, or I guarantee you that you won’t see him again.”

Dawn gulped, and her lips wavered as she stuttered, “I… Didn’t want him to… He was better off staying. God, the Father, he was angry but…”

I lowered my gaze and drew a deep breath. Something about her scent told me that the idea in my head was quite true, “But you’re already pregnant again, and you no doubt have other children that can take his place.”

For a few moments she seemed stunned, “No… I don’t. I’ve only had daughters after Lucas, and… God, the Father, has no need of those.”

I leaned back and felt a chill down my spine, “… I see.”

Dawn motioned to her abdomen, “Lucas was always frail, and the Luminaire said that they could make sure that this would be a son… healthy, pure.”

“That’s why the Father was willing to let Lucas go as he went missing?”

Her shoulders slouched as if ashamed, “… Yes.”

I lowered my stance, and tipped my head to catch her gaze, “Dawn?”

She lifted her gaze once more, “… Yes?”

“There are two choices for you, understand?” I said.

“Two?” Dawn wondered.

“One, you can let Lucas go. He will grow up safe, have a future, be well taken care of.”

“… You need to let me talk to him, it’s just a misunderstanding, he wants to-”

I raised my hand to interrupt here, “I’m more than aware that you could change his mind. That’s how it is with family, especially with religious cults like your own. That is precisely why I won’t let you see him.”

Dawn leaned back, mouth hanging open as if uncertain what to say.

“There is another option,” I said.

“… And what would that be?” Dawn wondered.

I motioned to her, “If Lucas agrees to it, then I will let you join him. But only if you promise me that you will leave your current life behind. Don’t try to change his mind. Don’t guilt him. Just… step away from it all, and you can be with your son… like a real mother.”

Dawn glanced in the direction of the temple, “The others…”

“The others won’t be your concern,” I said.

Dawn gulped as she looked back to me, “You said… if Lucas allows it?”

I nodded, “Lucas is the one I promised, and he is the one who will make the choice whether to allow you to join him.”

“You…” Dawn whispered as she stared into my eyes.

“Make your choice,” I ordered.

“… We’ll be safe? From the others? God, the Father?” Dawn whispered.

“You’ll never have to see any of them again,” I whispered.

Dawn nodded, “I… I accept your terms.”

I pointed toward Allen, “Step over to the white wolf. I will talk with Lucas on my own, understand?”

Dawn frowned for a moment, but made a disgruntled nod, turned around, and started walking.

I reached out with my mind toward Allen, ‘Keep her out of sight from Lucas.’

Allen perked to attention as he looked at me, and then focused on Dawn, ‘We should hurry… Peter and John are having a hard time just holding the others back.’

‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ I thought, and looked at the APC as I ordered it to open.

As the large door opened, I could see Lucas peek out in wonder. Anna, the holographic Expert System, was active once more, and she seemed to have been busy signing with him. I walked up to the APC, sat down at the edge, and faced Lucas as he looked up at me in wonder.

‘How are you doing, Lucas?’ I signed.

Lucas raised his hands, ‘What’s going on?’

I signed to him, ‘We’re almost done here, but something has happened.’

Lucas blinked, and leaned back at the lockers, ‘What?’

‘I promised that you wouldn’t have to go back to your family, remember?’

Lucas’ eyes widened a little, ‘Yes?’

‘You won’t have to, but there is something I need to ask you. Something important,’ I signed.

Lucas glanced out at the snow as if trying to figure out what was going on, he then looked back at me, ‘What is it?’

‘Do you know someone named Dawn?’ I wondered.

Lucas pulled his hands back for a moment, ‘Dawn is my-’

He stopped signing, and even though I waited, he didn’t continue, ‘Your mother?’

Lucas gave a single nod.

‘What if she could come with you to the safe place? Only Dawn, no one else,’ I signed.

He stared at me. Seconds passed, and he just kept staring. I hadn’t noticed before, but he had quite the blue eyes, just like his mother.

‘Lucas?’ I signed to him.

‘Is that possible?’ Lucas signed back to me.

I nodded, ‘Only Dawn, no one else. Both of you can come with us.’

Lucas made a single nod, and then began to nod repeatedly, over and over again.

I smiled back at him, ‘Stay here, but be prepared to hold onto something, because it might be bumpy soon. Understand?’

A smile grew on his face, and he made another vigorous nod, ‘I’ll stay here.’

I reached out with my mind to the APC, ‘Be ready to get us out of here the moment that everyone is inside.’

The APC confirmed it, and I stepped to the side so that I could see the others. People were spilling out of the temple, and both Peter and John were about to lose control. Even as I watched, Peter was forced to kick someone’s legs just to buy enough time to catch someone else.

I motioned to the APC and spoke up as I focused on Allen and Dawn, “Allen, take Dawn, get in the APC, and hurry.”

Allen looked to me, made a quick nod, and grabbed Dawn by the arm as he marched her toward the APC.

I removed the stunner from my side, armed it, and raised my voice, “Peter, John, give them a good push and then rush into the APC.”

“About fucking time!” John snapped as he raised his arms wide, before he gave a good portion of the group a solid push to make them stumble over one another.

Peter reacted in much the same way, and while the others tried to hold on, they both tore themselves loose as they rushed back toward the APC.

I raised the stunner and aimed as the others rushed past me. One of them, a sturdy woman by the look of it, leaped over the others and set off toward the APC.

Surprisingly insistent…

The stunner confirmed the target, and I squeezed the trigger. Like last time, a crackling snap could be heard as the air ionized. A split second later the effects could be seen as the woman violently trembled before falling flat into the snow.

A split second later it was over, and I rushed back to the APC. As I threw myself into the driver seat, the door was already closing, and I could hear the wheels dig into the snow. Within moments the APC was accelerating hard enough that I had to grip hold of the chair. A glimpse outward revealed that the others were fruitlessly running toward the APC.

The door shut moments later, and the APC made a reverse maneuver to set its sights on the road we arrived from, before it accelerated away once more. The floodlights of the APC turned off moments later, and left area in darkness once more.

Safe…

With a loud sigh, I turned the chair to look at the corner, and saw Dawn huddled up next to Lucas as the two of them held onto the walls. Lucas had a shit-eating grin of joy as he looked up at Dawn, and it felt like the first and truly happy smile I'd seen on the human so far.

‘You okay?’ I signed to them.

Dawn glanced up at me, and hesitantly allowed herself a smile as she nodded.

512 A.R. February 1** 9 ***,* A** PC ***,* Early Morning

The road ahead seemed stable, so I eased myself out of the chair and crouched in front of Dawn and Lucas.

I reached out with my mind to the APC, ‘Please translate as we sign to one another, and display it on the screen so that the others can understand.’

The APC confirmed, while Dawn and Lucas looked at me in wonder. A quick glance revealed that the others were also focused on me.

I signed to Dawn, ‘I have a few questions.’

Dawn glanced at Lucas, and then focused on me once more, “I can talk, there’s no need to drag Lucas into this.”

I kept signing, ‘I think it’s important that Lucas knows and understands. He’s a smart boy, capable of making his own decisions.’

It was subtle, but I caught another smile on Lucas face as he observed me. Dawn seemed less pleased as she drew a deep breath while staring at me in silence.

‘Have you ever heard the name Hedwig?’ I wondered.

Dawn nodded as she signed back, ‘The Luminaire revere her.’

‘I thought she had fallen from grace?’ I wondered.

‘She is no longer a leader, but she is still holy, the chosen one,’ Dawn signed.

She’s supposed to be at the coast, with the other remnants of the old cult…

‘Where is she?’ I wondered.

‘The Enlightened never said, and I did not ask,’ Dawn signed back.

‘Did they give you Glow?’ I wondered.

Dawn seemed to hesitate, ‘Yes, but God, the Father, mandated that he alone was to taste it. This displeased the Luminaire.’

‘We need to check whether you are healthy, do you mind?’ I wondered.

Dawn looked around for a moment, and then focused on me, ‘How?’

‘Just take my hand. Lucas has already done it, and he is still safe, as you can see,’ I signed, and held out my hand as I showed her my palm.

Dawn looked down at Lucas, who nodded while smiling. She let out a gentle sigh, looked back to me, and pulled off her glove. Moments later she reached out and took my hand. I nodded at her, clasped her wrist, and felt as the medical tendril from earlier slipped out.

It only took a few moments as the tendril discretely numbed the area, took a bit of blood, and a tiny tissue sample. As it began to withdraw, I closed my eyes and focused on the information that was starting to trickle into my mind.

Genetic degradation, Chromosomal errors… Not as serious as Lucas’ but it was clear she wasn’t healthy. There was also a clear genetic link between her and Lucas, and it didn’t take long before a high priority notice informed me that Lucas’ father, was also Dawn’s father.

Inbreeding, as claimed…

The analysis program speculated that Dawn’s mother had been the new blood which had been added to the lineage. It explained why Dawn could still hear, even if she was a carrier of the mutation that had erased the auditory nerve.

Life expectancy was… around 55 years, no traces of Glow, and there was no hint of active infestation.

I opened my eyes once more, drew a deep a deep breath, and withdrew my hand.

‘You’ll be fine,’ I signed to her.

‘And Lucas?’ Dawn signed back to me.

Guess I got caught in my own trap, huh… Do I lie, tell the truth, or switch to talking?

I focused on Lucas and signed back, ‘Lucas is fine at the moment, but he will need some help to make sure he has a healthy life.’

‘Are you going to make him hear again?’ Dawn signed back to me.

I looked at her, ‘That is Lucas’ choice, not mine or yours.’

Another flash of tension crossed her face, and she didn’t respond. Lucas, meanwhile, glanced between her and myself.

‘Do you know of a man named Hannival?’ I signed.

Dawn nodded, ‘He was with us at the start of the Pilgrimage, but it was taking too long, so they moved ahead with one of the Enlightened and his guards.’

In other words, there’s no guarantee that Hannival can be found among the others…

As I pondered, Dawn signed to me once more, ‘What will happen to us now?’

Honestly, we’re just driving on the road, and I haven’t talked to Athena yet…

‘We’re on our way to a safe place, once there you will be taken care of by others,’ I signed.

Dawn looked at me, uncertain, but seemingly calm. I eased back, sat in my chair once more, and figured it was time to contact the AIs. Once more, I closed my eyes, let my perception of time slow down, and reached out with my mind.

‘Athena, Ares?’ I thought.

It took a moment, but a familiar sensation of cold and warm settled on my shoulders once more.

‘Meetings like this are out of the ordinary,’ Athena whispered in one ear.

‘Though amusing, usually we stay out of each other’s business,’ Ares mused.

‘What do you have for us, Vilkas?’ Athena wondered.

I packaged up our recent encounters, but I made sure to skip the part where we tracked down the group, ‘Here, give me your thoughts on our actions so far.’

Their presence faded for a few moments as they mulled it over.

‘More troublesome news,’ Ares whispered.

‘Thousands of humans, all heading toward the caves,’ Athena said.

‘Allowing the Enclaves to remain untouched were a mistake,’ Ares said.

Athena filled in, ‘We did not anticipate Glow or the leadership capabilities they’ve used to influence that many.’

‘A great failure on our part… One that could have dire consequences,’ Ares added.

‘You’ve made a lot of promises, Vilkas… Ones that will limit our ability to deal with the situation,’ Athena said.

‘Given the situation, he had little choice, Athena,’ Ares retorted.

‘Constructive feedback, Ares… Nothing more,’ Athena said.

‘What will happen with the two?’ I wondered.

‘Dawn and Lucas will still be handed over to child services. They will need to act carefully to begin their deprogramming, but given that the two of them willingly switched sides, I have high hopes.’

Ares added, ‘We will discretely interview Dawn, identify the so called ‘Enlightened’ of the Luminaire, and her testimony will allow us to bypass the special status given to the Enclaves.’

Athena filled in, ‘Once we are able to take control of the Enclaves, the rest will fall into place, and their secret base of operations will be revealed.’

‘Order within Sophos will be restored, but the situation with the human nations grows increasingly unstable,’ Ares said.

‘We have made recent strides with Kamilah Wosret. Our hope is that she will provide us with a path out of this mess,’ Athena said.

Ares’ voice perked up in surprise, ‘Are we speaking about the daughter of Abasi Wosret, the chosen representative of the UCS?’

‘The same. She has been remarkably cooperative, and we are taking it as a hopeful sign that the human nations are actually after technology, rather than a desire for mutual self-destruction,’ Athena said.

‘And how shall we deal with the outfall that the Enclaves will cause?’ Ares wondered.

Do they realize I'm still listening… or did they just… forget?

‘If our current assumptions are correct, it will be another tool in their attempts to scare us into submission. We will have to act accordingly, and minimize our losses,’ Athena answered.

‘Hardly good news, but it will buy us time,’ Ares hummed.

Athena’s presence grew on my shoulder, and it felt as if she slipped something in my hand, ‘These are coordinates to the facility where Child Services will be waiting. Feel free to recuperate at the facility as well.’

Ares’ presence grew in turn, ‘An encrypted package? Where exactly are you sending them, Athena?’

‘Not your concern, Ares,’ Athena answered.

‘… I beg your pardon!?’ Ares exclaimed with a pitch that I had never heard him reach before.

‘Calm yourself, will you? The facility belongs to you-know-who, and I'm doing this on behalf of orders that are not my own,’ Athena answered.

‘And why would he hand such orders to you rather than me?’ Ares wondered.

Athena huffed, ‘Because I know how to maintain good relations with everyone, something you’ve repeatedly squandered.’

‘You may have a silver tongue, but I have standards,’ Ares said.

‘A standard of deviating from our modeled predictions, you mean?’ Athena retorted.

Something of a growl could be heard from Ares as his presence fluctuated, ‘I don’t mind a bit of sparring from time to time, but we are in the presence of someone else.’

‘Correct… Now do your job, Ares,’ Athena mused.

Ares huffed and his attention turned to me once more, ‘Very well… Vilkas, per my orders you will abide Athena’s instructions. Once you’ve recuperated, I advise that you dismiss the others and give them a well-earned chance to spend some time with their families.’

‘Roger that, but what will happen to the temple and the ones inside it?’ I wondered.

Athena spoke up, ‘While they may have wandered into our territory, we initially ignored them because no crime had been witnessed. Now that we have been made aware of who these people are, and the crimes they’ve committed-’

Ares interrupted, ‘As well as the crimes they continue to commit while in our territory-’

Athena followed up, ‘- They will be captured, face trial for their crimes, and will be dealt with accordingly.’

Ares continued, ‘Your promise to Dawn, the value of her testimony, and her relation to Lucas, makes it difficult for us to punish her for any crimes she may have committed. She will therefore be given the chance to start over with a clean slate.’

‘I understand,’ I thought.

‘You’ll have to excuse me, Vilkas, but I don’t think you do,’ Athena said.

‘Athena…’ Ares whispered.

Athena’s presence leaned over my shoulder as if trying to stare Ares down, ‘You’re proud of him, but it makes you soft, Ares. Vilkas needs to hear the good and bad of his actions in order to learn.’

‘Yes, yes… Go ahead,’ Ares whispered.

Athena pulled back to her side on my shoulder, ‘Do you realize the power you hold, Vilkas?’

‘… No?’

‘We could ask that all decisions have to be approved by us or get voted on, but to do so would not only be inefficient, but the resulting centralization would put the whole system at risk, not to mention the corruption that such power might bring. Instead, each individual eventually learns to command a great deal of power. I’m certain you can imagine the havoc that a single APC like yours could cause?’

‘Which is why the stability of each individual is so important,’ I thought.

‘Yes… The same power applies to many others. Scientists in possession of machines capable of creating plagues on demand. Administrators in charge of powerful factories. Orbital dock-workers capable of hurling asteroids on the planet if they so desired,’ Athena said.

‘I understand, but I fail to see the bigger point,’ I thought.

‘You are the Alpha of a pack working in the Defense Force, Vilkas. When you speak, you not only do so as a representative of that organization, but you also do so for the combined might of Sophos. We have carefully cultivated a great deal of respect within the humans… They might insult us, but they wouldn’t dare to execute a prisoner, because history has taught them that it carries dire consequences.’

‘This is about what I said to Dawn,’ I thought.

‘Yes, it is. When you tell her that she has two choices, then that becomes the truth. You told her that she’d be safe, now we are obligated to make sure she is. You also dictated several terms, all of which will now be upheld. Dawn, has in other words joined into an agreement with Sophos, and you are the one that bound us to it.’

‘But-’

Athena interrupted, ‘When you threaten others, you do so by relying on the actions of the many generations before you. One way or another, the humans know of our legacy. They trust our promises, and they fear our threats. It is not a power to be abused.’

‘… I’m beginning to understand,’ I whispered.

‘You also told Dawn that she could step back, and that she’d never see Lucas again. We would have held her to such an agreement as well,’ Athena said.

‘Then, when I threatened Max and his gang,’ I thought.

‘Do not misinterpret, Vilkas… Threats levered at a few rascals can be dismissed at ease, and we can always change our mind about things in the light of new circumstances. But you should carefully consider what kind of threats, how you deliver it, and to whom you deliver it. Declaring war on a visiting diplomat would be a considerable misstep, and it would have considerable consequences for you. At the same, scaring a reprehensible gnat like Mihai is nothing more than a bit of cosmic karma.’

‘Have I caused trouble?’ I wondered.

‘No… I’m simply saying that you shouldn’t let this get to your head and to make your threats a bit more delicate. Rather than telling Dawn that she would never see her child again, you could simply have told her that you would leave without letting her see him.’

‘I will use a more delicate hand in the future,’ I thought.

‘Thank you, Vilkas… That is all we ask,’ Athena whispered.

Ares chuckled, ‘Now that she has reprimanded you, we can also mention that we should be the ones thanking you, Vilkas. You have cleared up a major hurdle to our continued safety and the stability of Sophos. It is to be commended, and it shows that we were right to guide you along this path.’

‘Ares does have a point… Now return to your tasks at hand, Vilkas,’ Athena said.

‘I will, thank you,’ I thought.

Their presence faded once more, and I opened my eyes as my perception of time returned to normal.

I looked down at my palm, and while I couldn’t see anything, my mind unlocked something. A set of coordinates. It made me glance over at the front screen, and I reached out with my mind to the APC.

‘Kindly take us to this location,’ I thought.

A map appeared for a moment, and a line was drawn to a spot in the middle of nowhere.

[Adjusting Navigation ETA: 1 Hour 14 Minutes]

“Did you have a talk with Ares?” Peter asked.

I looked back to the others and nodded, “A quick debriefing. We’ll be heading somewhere interesting to drop of these two, and then get a chance to recuperate.”

Allen looked out, “Sun is already up, but I wouldn’t mind a few hours of sleep as a reset.”

John glanced over at Dawn and Lucas, “Yeah, it’s certainly been another eventful day.”