The Second Archon War: Interlude 4 (Patreon)

Interlude: In a Strange Land

The wind was cold and wet, with black ice slicking the road, and a biting wind from off Lake Michigan that went through the cheap hoodie she was wearing. Gripping her baseball bat, she looked across the dark parking lot, to where the two thugs were smoking and talking quietly, the stink of tobacco and cheap weed making her wrinkle her nose.

“How many?” she whispered to her small companion.

“Um, maybe a dozen? Are you sure you want to do this? It’s really dangerous, they have guns and-”

“And the kids?” the voice of her brother said, his tone tight and nearly as anxious as hers, the leather of his gloves creaking slightly as he gripped his own improvised weapon, a crowbar in this case.

“T-they’re in there too, locked up,” the small tremulous voice admitted. “B-but this is still really scary…”

“Hey, we’re scarier now,” she said, smiling at her floating little companion, who was shivering with more than just the cold. “We got superpowers, remember?”

“Y-yes, but…oh, fine! You’d both better buy an extra delicious dinner for everyone after this!” huffed the little fairy. It would have been more intimidating if she hadn’t been dressed in an adorable toddler’s knitted onesie with a thick wool cap shoved over her halo. Black for stealth, of course.

“Sure thing,” her brother agreed, frowning at the two guards who were standing beneath one of the warehouse's few working lights. One had a rifle, the other a pistol, but they didn’t seem to be paying all that much attention as lookouts. “So how do we do this? Go in hot and heavy?”

“You always did like to take the ‘stealth is optional’ approach. Some of us prefer to actually get in without blowing everything up and ruining our cover,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “That’s why we sent in our scout.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Ok. Let me repeat this again but slower since you didn’t actually answer my question. So how do we do this? I don’t have the best control yet, and neither do you. If I try something at this range, those two will end up as red smears,” her brother said with a frown. “They’re child kidnappers and-” he shot a glance at their diminutive companion and seemed to change what he’d been about to say, “-not very nice people. So while I’d feel bad about killing them, I wouldn’t feel that bad.”

“No killing! We’re the good guys! Good guys don’t kill people!” the little fairy ranted, stomping her foot in midair. Absolutely adorable.

“If we can avoid it,” she agreed, looking up at the room. She suddenly grinned. “I have an idea. Both of you, give me your hands.”

A moment later, there was a loud crash, and the two guards looked up. They took out a radio, spoke into it, then went over to examine the air conditioner that had randomly appeared there. They examined it, kicked it, spoke into the radio some more, then wandered back to their post, laughing and shrugging.

Grinning, she looked over at her brother from where they were crouched atop the warehouse roof. “Pretty smart, huh?”

“Warn me next time,” her brother grunted. “Getting teleported feels…weird.”

“It worked though, didn’t it?” she giggled, glancing over at the little fairy who was hovering along behind them. “You OK?”

“Teleporting makes Paimon feel like Paimon has butterflies in her belly. Paimon much prefers floating,” the fairy groaned, then hiccuped loudly.

“Shhh!” both siblings hissed, then turned back towards the trap door in the roof they’d found.

“How do we open it?” she asked, prodding the door with her bat.

“We could try picking the lock!” Paimon suggested enthusiastically.

“What kind of reprobates do you take us for?” she said, putting a hand to her chest in mock offense. The other one went into her hair, where she withdrew a bobby pin. Which she kept on her person at all times specifically for picking locks.

“You know, Lumine, sometimes the simplest solution is best,” her brother said, then reached down, grabbed the latch, and heaved. The door simply swung open with a slight creak.

“...or that works too,” Lumine admitted, fixing her hair again. The light that came from the door was dim, but it was there. She motioned to her brother. “Ladies first, Aether.”

“Gee, thanks. How kind,” he said with a roll of his eyes, then grabbed the ladder and slid down. He didn’t go far before landing on a catwalk, holding up his hand. Lumine passed him his bat, and he nodded. “Seems clear. You two can come on in.”

Paimon hastily floated down through the door, and Lumine followed, holding her bat in her teeth like a pirate. It was probably extremely bad for her teeth, but she was willing to bet it looked incredibly badass.

“You look like a dork,” Aether said with a snort. “Take that out of your mouth.”

“How’d you know?” Lumine grumbled, blushing slightly and grabbing her bat. She looked around, seeing they were on a narrow catwalk that led to some metal stairs down to the warehouse floor. From where she stood, Lumine could see that dozens of cubicles had been constructed, each of them with a mattress with some pillows and blankets that looked less then clean, along with some plastic totes or cardboard boxes that seemed to hold clothes or other small items. The sides were drywall or paneling, but the door was just a shower curtain.

The smell was atrocious, and Lumine spotted two portapotties near the end of the stairs that weres responsible for some, but not all of it. Thankfully, it was frigid in here too, so the smell wasn’t too bad.

And in each of the stalls was a girl. Some might have been able to be called women, but most looked to be younger than Lumine and her brother, and neither of them had graduated high school yet. There were also sounds coming from some of the stalls, some of it crying, others sounding more primal. The girls Lumine could see were huddled under their blankets, shivering or laying there and staring at the wall.

“Paimon,” Lumine said quietly. “Go back up, and wait until we call you.”

“But, Paimon can help! Paimon wants to rescue the kids too, and-”

“Go back outside, Paimon,” Lumine repeated. “We’re going to fight, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Aether and I have fought loads of times, you know that. You’re our best friend, but you’re no good in a fight, especially now.”

“W-well, Paimon is brave! Paimon can fight and-”

“We’d never forgive ourselves if something happened to you,” Aether interrupted, smiling reassuringly at Paimon. “Go on. We’ll rescue the kids, then find you. If anyone comes for you, fly off and wait for us.”

“But what if you need to talk to someone! You need Paimon for that!” the fairy said desperately, tears appearing on her cheeks.

“If we do, we’ll shout for you, OK?” Lumine offered. “Just go be safe.”

“Well, alright… but you better not get hurt!” and with that, Paimon zipped back up the ladder. Aethers scrambled up, then pulled the latch shut, even as Paimon gasped and tried to get back in.

“Thanks,” Lumine said, turning her gaze back towards the brothel below her. “At the end of today, I still want Paimon to think I’m a good person.”

“Still think this is a stealth mission?” Aether asked, his tone grim and smile nowhere to be seen.

“More like the Cleansing of the Red Temple,” Lumine growled, her grip on her bat so tight the wood creaked slightly. “Let’s get loud.”

Despite that sentiment, it wasn’t so simple. There was an office of some sort in the corner, and guards posted at the exits. Aether got out a handful of ball bearings, Squinting and pointing one at the guard against the far wall. No one had noticed them crouching in the shadows yet, and the warehouse was fairly large. How many girls were in here?

Too many. Time to fix that.

Flicking the steel ball with his finger, there was a sharp crack, and an instant later, the guard’s head exploded, and he dropped to the ground with a clatter. There was enough noise that no one seemed to notice though, and Aether lined up his next shot.

Lumine had to fight back the bile in her mouth. It was one thing to decide that these bastards had to die. It was another to see her twin brother mercilessly execute one of them.

Another sharp crack, but Aether’s aim was off this time. The guard screamed, his left shoulder shattering into a bloody pulp as he went down in a shower of gore.

“Shit,” Aether growled, as the other guards started yelling, and more shouts and screams came from the girls. “That’s done it.”

Before they could even scramble down the stairs, the door to the office in the back corner slammed open, and a literal giant of a man surged out. Bellowing and angry, he looked around, shouting at his subordinates, though it sounded like “Fushawaka shithau malaka” to Lumine. It was probably rather profane though.

He was dressed in the biggest hoodie and sweatpants Lumine had ever seen, the fabric stretched tight over his skin. Not because he was fat, though he did have a slight gut, but because he was at least eight feet tall, with slate grey skin the texture of rhino hide, and a long muscular tail that swung out behind him. His hands only had three fingers and a thumb, and those ended with long, sharp nails. Lumine decided he was named Lizardman the Pimp.

And that he was going to die.

“Shit, another cape,” Lumine hissed, dropping down from the catwalk. “What do we do?!”

“The same thing we planned on doing,” Aether shouted back over the increasing din. “Ice these fuckers, and get these girls home!”

Two men, one not wearing pants, the other shirtless, burst from within the cubicles. Despite their state of dress, they were both armed, one with a pistol, the other with a switchblade. Lumine reached towards the one with the pistol, pointing her bat at him.

The man was screaming at her, what she couldn’t tell, but a look of befuddlement came over his face as the gun he’d been waving around vanished. He blinked, looking stupidly at the bat that had appeared in his hands.

“Just like paintball,” Lumine whispered to herself, and squeezed the trigger on her new gun. She was aiming for the center of mass on the man, but her shot was low, hitting him in the gut. He screamed loudly and went down, even as another ball bearing from Aether took out the one with a knife and no pants as his torso exploded.

“CAREFUL!” Lumine screamed at him. “Your shots are going all the way through the warehouse! You’re basically a railgun!”

“EVERYONE, GET DOWN!” Aether bellowed, for all the good it would do. It wasn’t like these people could understand them.

More guards, more gunfire, with Lumine swapping her pistol for a rifle when it ran dry, then swapping the rifle for another pistol when that ran out. It was a bit harder to trade up so to speak, giving her a bit of a headache, but she could manage it, and it both disarmed her opponents and kept her relevant, as unless there were some anvils handy for her to swap with light fixtures or something she didn’t see how she could really use her power to directly harm people.

On the other hand, Aether’s power was enormously destructive. He had an entire bag of ball bearings, and when Lizardman the Pimp attacked them, Aether took him down in a single shot as easily as he’d managed with the normal humans.

In less than five bloody horrific minutes, it was over. As soon as Lizardman the Pimp was taken out, the other guards shouted the same word over and over, one that Lumine figured probably meant “cape” or something, and ran away, some of them dropping their guns in their haste to flee.

That left Aether and Lumine alone in a now gore streaked hall, and with a Lizardman the Pimp who was actually still alive. He’d had his chest blown open, but his wound was knitting back together already. He was still out cold, and Lumine briefly considered checking to see if he could regenerate from a bullet to the brain.

Instead, she went over to where the porta potties were and promptly vomited until her stomach was completely empty. She could hear the sound of Aether retching as well, both of them violently ill after what they’d done. How many people had they killed? Ten? A dozen? Those fuckers had deserved death, but that didn’t mean that Lumine didn’t feel any less like a monster herself now.

When she turned back around, she saw nervous faces peering at her from behind curtains, though they quickly hid again, disappearing in a rustle of fabric.

“So, what do we do now?” Lumine rasped, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, then grimacing at the streak it left.

“I’ll cover the bodies. Can’t do much about the blood, but…” Aether sighed. “We will need Paimon. None of these people can speak any language I’ve ever heard before.”

They ended up stuffing the bodies in the porta potties, then Aether went and found Paimon while Lumine tried to calm the panicked and crying girls. Well, and boys, it seemed this brothel had catered to all types.

“Hey, it’s OK! It’s OK! I’m a good guy! A hero! We came to rescue you,” Lumine told the girls, who were looking at her with either fear in the eyes, or a sort of dull lifelessness that made her feel sick to her empty stomach.

Thankfully, just as she was at her wits end, Paimon zipped over. “Paimon knew you would need her! Don’t worry, Lumine! Paimon is the greatest Travel Guide in all of, um, wherever we are.”

She chattered away at the girls, who were staring wide eyed at the fairy. Some of them looked like they couldn’t even be out of elementary school. Lumine strongly considered going back and putting that bullet in Lizardman the Pimp. No. It wasn’t worth it, not now.

After the rescued slaves talked back to Paimon, with more peering out of their stalls and inching forward to see the sparkling little fairy that trailed stars in her wake, Paimon turned to the twins. “Paimon has explained that we’re the Travelers, and that we’re heroes! Paimon has told them they’re safe, and that there will be no more bad guys!”

“Good,” Aether said with a nod. Then he grimaced. “But, well… do they have anywhere to go? Should we call the police, or whatever they have here?”

“Paimon will ask,” the fairy agreed, and burbled away at the newly freed youths. Several started crying, and one, a girl who looked to be about Lumine’s age, so around 16 or 17, stepped forward. She had dark hair and skin, and sores on her lips and body. Despite the cold, she was wearing only a tank top and thin pajama bottoms, with bare feet.

“This is Trinity! She says that some of the kids were kidnapped by the bad men, but others, um… oh no!” Paimon’s expression fell, and she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with chubby little hands. “She says… Trinity says… her mom sold her to these men, to be…she won’t say, but Paimon thinks she was sold to the bad men and they’ve been very cruel!”

“An understatement,” Aether sighed. He glanced over at Lizardman, who had mostly regrown his chest by this point. “Right. Here’s what we’re gonna do…”

They found piles of cash in the office, and more in a large safe that Aether blasted the door open on.

“Money! Oh, Paimon loves money!” the fairy said eagerly, swooping down and scooping up armfulls of cash. She turned around hopefully, a cautious smile on her lips. “Is this… is this enough for us to go home?”

“It’s not for us,” Lumine said, knowing what her brother was thinking. “Count out… how much? A thousand what was it… dollars?”

“Each. And five hundred for Paimon, so $2500,” Aether agreed. He picked up a stack of bills, and handed them to Trinity. “Tell her the money is for all the girls. But don’t touch the, uh, the bags of white powder. Those aren’t food.”

“Right!” Paimon eagerly turned to the girls, then hesitated. She looked down at the money she was holding in her hands. “But, if we give away the money… will we ever be able to get home?”

“We’ll find more money,” Lumine assured her little friend, patting Paimon on the back. “There’s always more bad guys, right? We can just beat them up and take their stuff.”

“That… that sounds a lot like stealing to Paimon…” the little fairy said, looking rather concerned at the prospect.

Thinking fast, Lumine said, “We’re like… heroic thieves! Robbing from the rich, and giving to the needy.”

“Which includes us,” Aether agreed.

“Oh. Well, that works for Paimon!” Turning around, the fairy explained to her audience that the money was theirs to take. They were shocked at first, but Trinity stepped forward, and they began divvying up the cash.

Even as that was happening, Aether tapped Lumine on the shoulder. “We’ve gotta go. Paimon, tell someone to call the cops and warn them that Lizardman the Pimp is gonna wake up soon. They don’t want to be here when that happens.”

With that, they left the office, slinking away before they were noticed. Lumine did put a bullet into Lizardman the Pimp, but only his kneecaps. That would probably slow him down for a while.

They stepped out together into the cold night, and Lumine looked up at the sky. There were very few stars visible, though if they had been out, they would have been unfamiliar to her. She wasn’t sure if that was because they were at a different latitude, or if the sky on this world was simply alien. She shivered, wrapping her arms about herself, until there was a twinkling sound, and Paimon nestled up against her shoulder.

“Paimon is pooped. Fighting bad guys is hard work,” the little fairy yawned.

“You didn’t even do any fighting,” Lumine giggled, but walked on, letting Paimon snuggle up to her.

“Hmph. Paimon is super strong! Just you wait, she’ll be a mighty Adventurer just like the Travelers!” She puffed out her cheeks, floating up and planting her hands on her hips, keeping pace with Aether and Lumine as they walked.

“Maybe we’ll leave the big one to you next time,” Aether teased, which made Paimon go red.

“Uh, on second thought, maybe Paimon will leave the fighting to you two. You’re super strong!” Zipping over to Aether as they headed away from the warehouse, Paimon hovered at about head height, her brow wrinkled in thought. “Were you always this strong?”

“No, we didn’t have powers until we came here,” Lumine said with a shake of her head. “You know that.”

“But, Paimon has heard you talk about fighting all kinds of bad guys and winning prizes and stuff,” the fairy pointed out.

“Those were just games. You know, like on a computer,” Aether said with a shake of his head.

Looking plaintive, Paimon shook her head, her halo bobbing about her head, glowing faintly in the dimness. “Paimon doesn’t know what a computer is… did they have them where we’re from?”

“Honestly… I don’t know if we are from the same place,” Lumine admitted, shoving her hands in her hoodie’s pocket. “We found you in the same place as those vials, while that giant angel was attacking the city.”

“She was super scary,” Paimon said, shuddering at the memory. “Paimon was glad to run away from that! But, that’s right, you got your powers from drinking those vials, and Paimon was trapped in that glass. Paimon was just sleeping, but Paimon had bad dreams, and now Paimon doesn’t remember where she’s from!”

“Well, you can always come with us,” Lumine offered. “We just want to get back home.”

“Hmm,” Paimon considered that, then nodded. “OK! But first, Paimon’s belly is rumbling!” She rubbed her stomach, and a faint gurgle could be heard. “Can we get some yummy food? We have money now!”

“Sure. We saw that building that looked like a restaurant a few miles back,” Aether agreed with a shrug.

“We shouldn’t spend too much, we’ll need money if we want to learn anything about how we came here, or how we can get home,” Lumine said hesitantly, trying to figure out just how much $2500 was. She sort of understood how much a dollar was, as they’d had to scrounge up some money to buy food in the half a year they’d been stuck in this world, but a majority of the time they’d stolen it.

“Oh, cheer up! Paimon has the money she kept for herself. Paimon will buy everyone dinner!” the fairly said cheerily, holding up several bills. She frowned, then looked again. “Uh, this one’s a five, and this ones a ten… oh no, uh, maybe you’ll have to order the cheap food…”

“We’ll take it out of your share,” Lumine laughed. “Come on, I’m starving.”

Together, the Travelers walked off into the night. It was the first time the mysterious wandering heroes and their fairy companion would be reported, but far from the last.

Walking off the runway of the plane, Lotte couldn’t help but look around fearfully. She expected heavily armed PRT Troopers, or worse, Legend himself waiting for her. But no, it was just your average airport, not particularly busy, but also not especially quiet. People moved off the plane, and Lotte hurried forward, carrying the one small bag that held all her remaining worldly possessions. There wasn’t much in it: a little money, some toiletries, and a few articles of clothing.

But not her costume. That was in an alley in Munich somewhere. Hopefully, anyone who found it would think she was dead.

As she scurried towards the airport exit, a tall man with broad shoulders in a nice business suit waited with a sign that read Lotte Becker. Her heart skipped a beat, but he matched the description she’d been given. Mousy brown hair, glasses, a neatly trimmed mustache. She hurried over to him, smiling nervously.

“Um, are you from Medhall?”

“Yes. You must be Lotte.” He lowered the sign, and stuck out a hand. “James Fliescher. How was your flight?”

“Oh, you know, long,” Lotte said, glancing around again, feeling like everyone was watching her, that they knew. “But it’s good to be here.”

“Of course. Right this way,” Fliescher said, motioning for Lotte to follow him. He led her out to a parking garage and to a gray sedan, even opening the door for her. She slid inside, clutching her luggage to herself.

“So. You were one of the Gesellschaft,” he said as Lotte was buckling herself in.

She squeaked, eyes going wide, but nodded. “I-I was there at Munich, yes. Is it…is it safe to talk? They say He can hear you, you know.”

“He?” Flescher asked, frowning at Lotte, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on her headrest.

She nodded, biting her lip. “You know,” she dropped her voice, “Barbados.”

Flescher snorted, and turned around to the back the car up. “That’s across the ocean. You’re in Brockton Bay now, not Germany.”

“Er, yes, I suppose,” Lotte agreed, but she still trembled slightly, remembering the sight of a god’s fury unveiled, and that horrible, awful music.

The car ride was quiet, with Fliescher making an abortive attempt at small talk that Lotte answered in monosyllables. She was exhausted, not just from her flight, but from the desperate running she’d been doing for the past two weeks as she fled Germany. First to France, then Great Britain, and now finally here to America. She prayed it would be far enough to escape the Wrath of Barbados, but her dreams were still filled with arrows that struck with the force of hurricanes and those horrible green eyes. Fighting back a sob, Lotte squeezed her eyes shut, recalling her shame.

The drive across the city took nearly an hour until they arrived at a large building with the words “Medhall” on the front. Fliescher led Lotte inside, past a smiling secretary, to an elevator that rode all the way to the top floor. There, he showed her into a private conference room. “There are drinks in the fridge there. They’ll be by shortly with lunch.”

“Thank you,” Lotte said quietly, sinking into a plush executive chair. She turned it to stare blankly out at the city below her, gazing out at the bay and the bustling port. Then she heard the wind, and shuddered, turning away, cringing in on herself.

Fliescher was already gone though, and she sat alone at a table meant for twenty. For how long, she didn’t know, time had lost most of its meaning to her. It couldn’t have been too long however, until a tall and imposing man in a finely cut navy blue three piece suit and red tie stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

Jumping to her feet, Lotte smiled nervously as the man looked her up and down. Max Anders. She knew him, but not who he really was.

“So. You’re the survivor?” he asked bluntly. He was a few years older than her in his mid-twenties, with piercing blue eyes, broad shoulders and a build that indicated he was heavily muscled. He had a jaw to die for, and blond hair that was cut fashionably, with three days of carefully cultivated stubble on his chin.

“Y-yes sir,” Lotte said, bowing slightly. “I…I was called-”

“Stuka. My father never mentioned you,” Max said, coming over to tower over Lotte. Despite her powers, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

“I wasn’t very important. A new recruit, really,” she admitted. Indeed, she’d only been a part of the Gesellschaft for less than a week before it had been utterly destroyed. They hadn’t thought much of her, but they’d needed every aryan cape they could find.

Max put a hand out, tilting Lotte’s chin up and studying her like she was an animal he was about to buy. “Stand up straight. Smile. You’d look prettier if you smiled.”

Blushing, she eagerly did as he bid, giving him her most coquettish smile. Well, the best she could manage with the frayed and ragged bundle of nerves she was at the moment. He looked strong. He was rich. Maybe this American could hide her from Barbados. Perhaps she could yet escape the winds of judgment…

“Better. You may sit,” he told her, taking a seat himself. He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers before him. She nervously sat, leaning forward, crossing her legs, trying to appear more confident than she felt.

“So. Did you know who my father was?” Max asked.

Lotte shook her head, but added, “Was he…Allfather? I didn’t know his real name, but-”

“Yes. Richard Anders. Allfather. My father.” Those blue eyes were as cold as winter, and Lotte couldn’t suppress a shiver. “Executed by Barbados and his Knights.”

Licking her lips, Lotte decided to not mention that Allfather had been killed by the Endbringer they had called Khonsu. “Y-yes.”

“How did you escape?” Max demanded, cracking his knuckles ominously.

Thoughts of prevarication fled, and Lotte stammered, “I…I was a nobody. Not even a full member of the Gesellschaft. I saw Germany being overrun by Untermensch, and-”

“I do not wish to hear your history. I wish to hear of the battle, and how you got out,” Max demanded.

“Yes, sir. Um, I-I was only a minor cape. I had been fighting against the knights, away from the headquarters. M-my squad leader had been killed, I’d only survived because my powers let me absorb kinetic energy. I was trying to find the others to regroup when…when Khonsu came. And He…that is, Barbados…took to the skies.”

“I see. So, you were on the periphery, and fled,” Max said, his tones chill and ominous.

“N-no! Uh, not at first. I knew it was an Endbringer and an Archon, and that I-”

“Archon?” Max interrupted again, leaving Lotte feeling ever more dazed and confused.

“Y-yes. Um, Barbados, he’s the Anemo Archon, as the Raiden Shogun is the Electro Archon,” Lotte explained hastily, wringing her hands. “I-I did not know until…until I saw…”

“Well. Go on,” Max demanded, and Lotte closed her eyes.

“What I saw…Sir, you can’t begin to understand. I’ve seen powerful capes. I saw your father fight the Knights, nearly kill Legend himself. He was strong, far stronger than me, both of them. But Barbados and Khonsu? I might as well have been an insect. If I charge up enough, I can tangle with some mid-level capes, maybe even contribute against someone like Legend. But those two? I was watching a god and a demon fight. I needed your father, the Fuhrer, Red Lotus! I tried to return to the headquarters, to join them in resisting those monsters.”

“So you returned to the base. Did you find my father?” Max prompted, his tone commanding.

“I…I was too late. The base had been hit by the Endbringer. There was nothing left. Not even a body. The attacks, they aged buildings and people hundreds of  years in moments,” Lotte explained.

“Really? I had heard Barbados countered the time bubbles,” Max said.

Lotte swallowed. She would have to tell him. “Your father was…stronger than me. I was caught in one attack when I tried to find survivors at the headquarters, but-”

“How did you survive when my father lived? He was stronger than you, as you say.”

Hanging her head, tears forming on her cheeks, Lotte admitted, “When I was caught in the bubble…I gave in to my fear. I…I sang.”

I grant you freedom, Lotte. But I will always know you were Stuka. Freedom does not mean that you are free from the consequences of your actions. You will yet face judgment.

She hugged herself, squeezing her eyes shut, heart pounding, those green eyes blazing in her mind once more. Though she had fled across the ocean and Barbados was thousands of miles away, she still felt as though he was right behind her, an arrow nocked to his bow, ready to slay her where she stood.

There was a creaking of wheels and leather, and a heavy hand fell on Lotte’s shoulder. She flinched, opening her eyes, and saw Max’s face only centimeters from her own, those intense blue eyes boring into her.

But they, at least, could not see into her soul.

“You are saying my father, the stubborn old fool, refused to do something as simple as sing a song, and let himself die instead?”

Flat, no emotion. Lotte thought of lying, but she knew it was pointless. She’d run as far as she could.

“I wasn’t there. I don’t know for certain, but…y-yes. I think so,” she admitted. “I saw others trapped in a bubble turn to dust. They didn’t sing. Those that did…we survived. I betrayed my race. F-forgive me…”

For a long moment, Max simply stared at her, then he removed his hand, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “That fool. He could have unbent long enough to save himself. What is a song? Easy enough to do that, and live to fight another day. He let himself die. It seems you are more intelligent than that rabble in Europe tend to be. Perhaps I will have a use for you.”

Relief flooded through her, and Lotte eagerly nodded. “I-I still have my powers! I’m not the strongest, but I am strong enough! I will serve you, and Empire 88 eagerly!”

“Hmm, perhaps,” Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He sighed again and shook his head. “My wife, Heith, has not been comforting of late. She threatened me with divorce some weeks back, actually.”

“That is…unfortunate?” Lotte said uncertainly, not sure where this was going.

Max smiled at her. “I could use some comfort, at this time. You are pretty when you smile.”

Hastily, Lotte pasted a smile on her lips, and Max nodded at her. Then she slid out of her chair, onto her knees, looking up uncertainly at Max. He put a hand on her head, and spread his legs a little wider.

She would do anything to escape the Winds. To hide herself from the gaze of Barbados a little longer. Shame? What was shame to her. Besides, this man was rich and powerful, and a good aryan. She reached to pull her top off, then for his belt.

“Let me comfort you, sir,” she cooed as he leaned back in his chair.

“Kaiser,” he told her.

She hesitated, then added, “Yes, my Kaiser.”

For a little while longer, she would live. For a little while longer, she would run. And perhaps, one day, she would have friends powerful enough to protect her from Barbados, and his army of subhuman filth.

Stepping out of the portal, Doctor Mother adjusted her glasses, then looked around the room. A simple lab set up, with David waiting for her, sitting on the examination table in a medical gown, looking down at his hands. He looked up when she entered and started. “Doc? It’s just a routine exam, there’s no need for you to-”

“I think there is. Besides, it’s been too long since I visited this world in person. Not since White Sands in, what, October of last year?” she said briskly, walking over and picking up the clipboard on the stainless steel counter. The room itself was all metal and chrome, with bright white artificial lights, the only comfort a high stool with a thin pad on it, and the white padding on the medical examination table.

“November,” David said with a grimace. “Has Keith-”

“Still refuses any infusions,” Doctor Mother said briskly, dropping the clipboard onto the table. It was bad. David’s powers hadn’t dropped precipitously like they’d done in December of the previous year, but there had been a steady drop in all his numbers. She picked up a vile, inserting it into a needle gun and turning to David. “Unlike you, who insist on these regularly.”

“I burn through my powers, and fast. I need more,” David said, his hands balling into fists and his jaw clenching. “I’m not nearly strong enough. We didn’t lose at Loy Yang, but-”

“But you’ve got a chip on your shoulder about the Japanese still,” Doctor Mother said, stepping over to David as he rolled up the sleeve on his gown and held out his left bicep. “They didn’t drive Behemoth off on their own. You were the deciding factor there, I think.”

“And if Raiden had come? What about Barbatos?” Eidolon demanded through clenched teeth. “How extraneous would I have been then?”

“Barbatos hasn’t been seen since Eurovision five months ago, and Raiden is still pursuing her… vendetta,” Doctor Mother said with a shrug. “Regardless, Khonsu might still be out there. We won’t know for certain for several more rotations.”

Then she pressed the needle into David’s arm. He didn’t even grunt, though Doctor Mother had it on good authority that shots of the solution were intensely painful by the way sweat broke out on David’s forehead and his muscles clenched.

“Pain killer?” she asked, reaching for a pill bottle.

“No. I’ll be fine,” David growled, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. He let out a long ragged sigh, and shook his head. Doctor mother waited as he swallowed reflexively a few times, then lowered his chin to meet her eyes again. “What if we’re wrong, Doc?”

“About?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think you doubt our mission. You were ever the most dedicated.” And the one with the biggest Messiah complex, but when you were granted godlike powers at the tender age of 17, you tended to develop such things.

“No, not that. Just… I’ve been thinking. If Khonsu really is dead,” Eidolon swallowed, hanging his head. “Does the world even need us?”

“Yes. Because Venti is a drunken fool, and Raiden is too busy playing video games when she’s not enacting extrajudicial killings on foreign soil,” Doctor Mother said icily. “They’re powerful. We can use them. But they’re only two pieces on the board. You’re still vital in this game, David.”

“Game? Odd way to put it. Is this really a game to you, Doc?” David demanded, his eyes flashing.

She sighed and sat down on the stool, removing her glasses and tucking them in the pocket of her white lab coat. “David, let me be frank. I have given everything to fighting this war. Just as you have. You know that. Unlike you, I have actually seen a living Entity. And it is more frightening than you can comprehend.”

“I’ve been to the Garden. I know,” David said quietly, clenching and unclenching his left fist and rubbing at the shoulder, grimacing. “But, maybe Keith’s right. Maybe we can win.”

“That is my prayer. As it is yours. As it has been these many long years,” Doctor Mother said quietly. She didn’t pray. Not anymore. Hadn’t since she’d seen a little girl from a backwater village on a pre-industrial world drive a knife into a god's heart. “But we cannot relent if that is to happen.”

“Someone has to make the hard choices,” David mused. He nodded. “I suppose.”

“The hard choices, for a dream of peace. Of survival,” Doctor Mother agreed. She didn’t believe it though. They would lose this war. This was humanity, raging against the dying of the light. It was a beautiful dream, but it was only a dream. Even Raiden and Venti gave only so little hope to that dream. Enough to keep it alive, but… no more.

Though you are held captive by your doubts, your heart will continue to Dream.

David was saying something again, but she didn’t catch it, shaking her head and raising a hand. “Did you… hear that? Do something?” she asked, but then it came again.

You sow the seeds of hope, and water them with your tears, guarding Life fiercely.

“Doc? Doc, are you OK?” David’s voice said, but it was as though he were fair away, speaking through a long tube, and she didn’t quite hear him.

“A voice, clear, crisp, but like that of a child,” she whispered, grabbing the clipboard, her pen racing across the paper as her heart thundered in her chest.

Knowledge is your sword, and Wisdom your Shield: your Ambition is for learning.

“Doc! MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC!” David was shouting, but her pen continued to race across the page as she transcribed every word.

Let your Vision Guide you, Daughter of Samsara.

Light burst forth in front of Doctor Mother, an emerald green glow that was full of life. She dropped her pen and clipboard in her haste to grab it, snatching the light and covering it with her hands for a moment, holding her breath. Then she held it up to her face, opening her hands to display a small, tear drop-shaped crystalline object with a green heart with five buds on the outside, and two wings within.

“Virgin Mother protect us,” David gasped, his eyes going wide as saucers as he stared at what Doctor Mother held shakily up to her face.

Feet pounded behind her, and Doctor Mother turned serenely to see the red-faced medical staff and two security officers behind her.

“I will need a full physical immediately. Take my vitals, now,” Doctor Mother said, shooing David off the examination table as she stripped off her lab coat.

“Ma’am, what is-” one of the doctors began, but David had already grabbed a blood pressure cuff and was placing it on her arm.

“The object is emerald green, about five, no… six centimeters at its longest point, three and a half at the body,” Doctor Mother recited, clutching her Vision in her hands.

“A Vision? Anemo?” David demanded, pumping up the cuff as the doctors raced about, one coming over to peer into Doctor Mother’s eyes and check for dilation.

“No,” she said, clutching her Vision tightly despite what it would do to the readings. “I think not.”

Her heart beat inside her chest, and that seed of hope, rarely tended, long thought dead, began to take root. What this heralded, she did not know for certain.

She only knew that her dream was possible. She would make it possible. She had her Vision now. And with that in her hands, nothing was impossible.

And across the world, by the waters of Babylon, the Dreamer opened her eyes.

Author’s note:

Next: Sapientia Oromasdis 1: It Was Her Birthday

There was a time skip, but we’ll go back in time after a couple of chapters to cover what happened in the ten months between The Battle of Munich and the Radish’s Arrival.