Suddenly, I realize the whistling in my ears is not the wind, but the hiss of an opening regeneration pod. I blink hard a few times as my eyes strain to adjust to the unexpected change in lighting, and I struggle to decide whether I can accept what I’m seeing. The confusion makes me a little unsteady on my feet, but I manage to crawl out of the tube and stumble out into the open air. Nothing around me looks familiar. Panic sets the blood pounding in my ears, until I spot the others moving shakily toward me, looking just as baffled as I feel. The muddled thoughts running through my head are echoed on the faces of my bleary-eyed companions.
We were traveling... on our way to Trinity Junction... Everything seemed to be going fine... Something must have happened, but we were well outside the range of any Icon... What in the world is going on here...
Several moments pass as we stare at each other blankly, with no clue where to even begin looking for an explanation. As we stand there gaping, a sturdy-looking elderly woman emerges from the ramshackle shack a few yards away and cheerily tromps toward us.
“Oh, good!” she exclaims. Her face is friendly, and her tone is familiar. Strangely, she seems unfazed by our blank expressions. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah... we’re awake. And, I’m sorry, but we’re a little confused.” Grace gives the lady a sheepish grin. “The last thing we remember, we were on our way to Trinity Junction. Could you tell us where we are, and what happened?”
“Confusion is to be expected after what you’ve been through. You’re at a waypoint Icon, between Freedom’s Pass and Trinity Junction.” The woman explains, tucking a strand of stray hair back into her salt-and-pepper bun. “I found you lot collapsed in front of the Icon, and did what I could to help you.”
“How long have we been out?” Mercury asks impatiently.
“Three days.” the woman responds.
The five of us exchange looks of confusion, concern, and in Mercury’s case, something close to anger.
“You were in pretty bad shape. It took a lot of time, effort, and nenetic surgery to get you back in working order,” the old Iconotech offers when she sees our worried faces.
“I’m sorry ma’am...” Grace says, “We didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. We’re just still a little confused is all. We really appreciate the help. Thank you... What did you say your name was again?”
“Wilhelmina,” the old lady answers.
“Well, thank you, Wilhelmina,” Grace smiles.
“Not a problem,” Wilhelmina smiles back. “All part of the job. But, you should rest. Your images need a little more time to settle.”
“We should get going...” Mercury says firmly, looking at us. “Three days is a lot of time to lose.”
“I understand, Mercury, but we want to be as ready for travel as we can be.” Grace says calmly, and then shifts her gaze toward the horizon. “Besides, it looks like Night is coming soon.”
“I’d really like to run a few more tests on you first thing tomorrow, to make sure everything checks out,” Wilhelmina chimes in, concern evident on her face.
Mercury looks as if he’s about to object again, but he stops short when each of us meet his gaze with a look that says we agree with Grace.
“Alright,” he says with a resigned sigh. “But only until night passes. First thing tomorrow we have to be out of here. We have a lot of time to make up.”
Wilhelmina takes her leave, giving the five of us space to attempt to settle our rattled nerves.
As I take a mental inventory, I realize something: Other than the unease I feel about the lost time, I feel great. I feel better... stronger... than I have since waking up in this world. Arcadia is still very present in my mind, but it no longer feels as if it’s pushing at the seams, threatening to get out unbidden. Memories, especially mine, hold power. If I can control that power, rather than the other way around, then I can make Arcadia a strength rather than a weakness.
I’m snapped out of my navel-gazing by the sound of Zyphania’s voice.
“I think I know where we are...” Her voice is tentative. She pauses for just a moment, looking briefly toward the Icon. “We’re still in the same spot as that giant tree.”
Each of us shoots her an incredulous glance, but none of us disagrees. The pieces fit too well to discount the idea.
“Damn it...” Mercury mutters under his breath. “Three days gone, -and- we lost ground.”
“My question is,” Frac begins, a curious look on his face, “If this Icon is in the same place as the tree, then which of them is real?”
A thoughtful silence hangs over the group. In the quiet moment, a flash of a memory plays in my mind: I see my hand resting in the handprint on the tree, and feel the brief sensation of cold metal beneath my hand.
“I think the Icon is what’s real,” Zeph conjectures, giving voice to what had just crossed my mind.
None of this makes sense to me yet, and the subdued mood of our usually boisterous group tells me no one else really understands it yet, either. I look idly from face to face, hoping to see a flicker of insight in one of their expressions. The closest thing I see is from Grace’s thoughtful expression as she rubs her neck.
“Do any of the rest of you feel the collars?” she asks dubiously.
“Now that you mention it, no,” Frac adds. Concern suddenly clouds his face. “And Collusion’s been pretty quiet recently, too.”
Another long silence, this one uneasy rather than contemplative.
“One of us should try to contact the King” Mercury says, breaking the stillness. No one makes a move to volunteer.
“Don’t everyone volunteer at once...” he sneers. After another moment with no response, he continues. “Fine. I’ll do it. It makes the most sense for me to, anyway.”
“And I can give getting in touch with Collusion a shot.” Fractal adds.
Fractal walks off, understandably wanting to put some space between the Icon and himself in case something goes wrong. Mercury watches him leave with a look approaching disdain. Once Frac is out of view, Mercury turns to me.
“Wanna come with me?” Mercury asks with a smirk. When I can’t hold back my expression of distaste, he grins even wider. “Oh, c’mon. It’ll be fun. You’ll get to see Alastor again.”
I give him a cold stare, but follow him away from the Icon. We walk in silence until the only thing in sight is the two of us. Satisfied we’re far enough away, Mercury stops. He stoops down, and with deliberate strokes, begins to draw a figure in the dust. A crescent pierced by nail-like spikes- the sigil on the wall of Adam’s cell. With a few minor alterations at my suggestion, the arcane emblem soon takes its proper shape. Mercury kneels, eyes closed, in front of the symbol. His lips move in silent prayer. When he looks up a few moments later, his face immediately falls when he sees no sign of Alastor. Undeterred, he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and repeats the call. When Alastor again fails to answer, Mercury can’t hide the look of concern on his face.
“Do you think He’s gone?” he asks, with an expression that suggests he’s upset with himself for even entertaining the question.
“No,” I answer firmly, trying to hide the uneasiness I find taking me by surprise. “He’s not going away that easily.”
“I don’t think so, either,” Mercury responds, confidence coming back to his gaze. “I think He’s just far away. Maybe something’s keeping him from us. Or maybe He’s keeping away from something that is trying to destroy him.”
I contemplate it a moment. Alastor seemed indestructible even back in Arcadia. Surely there’s nothing that scares him that much... not even Chess.
“Things have been trying to get rid of Alastor for a long time,” I say, putting on my best reassuring smile. “Nothing has managed it yet.”
There is a brief silence, as we share a moment of quiet worry. Then, with a sigh, we return to the others.
“Hey! Welcome back. How did it...” Mercury’s dejected expression answers Grace mid-question. She closes the gap between us, and puts a reassuring hand on Mercury’s shoulder.
“I couldn’t get in touch with Collusion, either,” Frac adds, concern more than evident in his expression.
Sullen silence fills the air as we contemplate what the lack of these outside influences could mean. They couldn’t be just... gone, could they?
Mercury looks up at us, mixed emotions on his face. “We disobeyed the King,” he says, with a meaningful glance toward Zyphania.
Anger flashes in Grace’s eyes, and Fractal opens his mouth to say something, but everything is interrupted by the sudden blaring of alarms from the Icon. Fractal and Grace glance anxiously in the direction of Wilhelmina’s ramshackle shack, but seeing no sign of her, sprint to the Icon to see what can be done. Bells blare and lights flash as the two of them frantically push buttons, pull levers, and turn dials. As they work, they keep looking at the monitors, looking for some sign their actions are making any difference. It’s clear from their expressions that, whatever is wrong with this Icon, neither of them have seen anything like it before. Frac gives the monitors one last frustrated look, and looks toward the main body of the Icon with a slight sigh.
“I’m going in,” he announces. Moving forward, he lays a hand on the machine. It opens up, as it could only for him, and he goes inside.
The time that passes before Fractal comes back out feels like an eternity, and the look of worry on his face when he finally does emerge does nothing to ease my apprehension. Expectation hangs almost palpably in the air as the four of us wait for him to tell us what he found.
“Well, I got inside. Then, I guess you all saw that much...” Fractal finally begins. “ But everything was different this time. It was all...strange. I mean, stranger than usual.”
He pauses for a moment, searching for the words to explain. “The gears and machinery weren’t there; just these weird falls of dirty golden sand everywhere. When I finally found the Icon core, she seemed terrified of something. All I could get her to tell me is that she’d seen there wasn't a place for her in this world anymore... And then I saw Chess.”
Fractal’s brows knit in an almost mournful expression, and he stops speaking. After a moment, Mercury prods him on. “And did you talk to him, Fractal?”
“Yeah,” Frac answers, but the faraway look in his eyes tells me the conversation isn’t what’s really on his mind anymore. “He asked me if I wanted to take down the King. I told him no, that it isn’t my place to decide what happens to him.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Nothing important. Just the same old nonsense. Nothing he says can be trusted anyway, so I've pretty much stopped listening.”
Mercury shoots him a glare loaded with disappointment.
We see Wilhelmina rushing toward the Icon, and suddenly realize that Fractal’s story had so captured our focus, none of us noticed when the Icon started going berserk again.
“What did you do?” Wilhelmina snaps at Fractal. Her gaze remains steely as she begins to roughly spin valves and flip switches.
“Nothing...” Frac answers unconvincingly. He moves toward the Icon again, and continues his answer more sincerely. “It started malfunctioning earlier, while you were away, and we tried to fix it.”
“You went inside, didn’t you?” Wilhelmina’s expression is stern, but softens a little when she sees the surprise and contrition on Fractal’s face. “It’s okay. Yeah, I know about your centroglyph. Don’t worry, your business is your own. Just... just stay away from the Icon for now, okay?”
Fractal starts to take another step toward the Icon, but hesitates.
“She’s trying to self-destruct...” he says quietly, looking at us. “She’s killing herself, and it’s my fault.”
“You’re all about people making their own choices,” Mercury practically spits at Frac. “Isn’t this hers?”
“Yeah,” Frac says, his voice heavy with sorrow and guilt. “But it’s my fault. I went in and screwed things up, and now I have to try to fix it.”
“It’s a machine, Fractal,” Mercury growls. “We have bigger things to worry about.”
“This thing could blow at any minute,” Wilhelmina cautions as she surmises what Frac is thinking. “If you’re inside when it does, you won’t make it out.”
Fractal once again deliberately steps toward the body of the Icon, only to be stopped by Grace’s hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t go in alone. If we work together, I think I can help you reach her without going all the way inside.”
They step forward together, and with an uneasy look, Wilhelmina lets them pass. I know there’s no talking either of them out of it, and I wouldn’t try if I could. They’re doing the right thing. Still, seeing the two of them standing motionless in front of a hunk of metal that’s threatening to explode makes me uneasy to say the least.
At this point, every light on the control panel is blinking, and every alarm is sounding. Flames begin to snake out of the machine’s seams, and lick higher and higher, toward the Effigy. We all rush forward, and try everything we can to help; some of us trying to extinguish the flames, others working at the control panels according to Wilhelmina’s shouted instructions. Despite our best efforts, it soon becomes apparent we’re fighting a losing battle. Wilhelmina is left with no choice but to throw up her hands.
“Everyone out of the way!” she yells, running away from the Icon. Zeph and I dive for cover on either side. Grace and Frac start to move, but they’re so close there’s no way they can get to safety. I can actually see the Icon beginning to bulge. Mercury leaps toward the two of them, pushes Fractal as far out of the line of fire as possible, and shields Grace with his own body. Not a moment later, there is a blinding flash, as the Icon explodes in a roar so forceful it leaves my ears ringing.
I stand up, brushing the dirt off my pants. A scowl crosses my face as I take in the smoking crater left by the exploding Icon. Across the pit, I see Zeph struggling to her feet as well, dusty but unharmed. At the edge of the caldera, Mercury raises himself from the ground, shaken but in one piece. He helps Grace to her feet, and I can see that she’s battered and bruised, but it isn’t serious. That leaves....
A broken body lies near the broken ground. Fractal is covered in dirt and blood. The heat fused his goggles to his face, burning him badly and possibly permanently blinding him. Metal and wiring stick out in every direction from his now destroyed right arm. His left didn’t fare much better. A huge piece of shrapnel protrudes from his chest, and I can’t help but be reminded of Collusion. And that’s when I feel my heart leap into my throat; It doesn’t look like he’s breathing.
Zyphania rushes to his side, and kneels beside him. Her eyes close, and her hands hover an inch or so above Fractal’s body. As the rest of us move closer, Zeph’s hands begin to glow softly as she skillfully glides them over Frac’s injuries. The healing energy flows over Fractal’s body, mending gashes and bruises almost instantaneously. Grace, Mercury, and I stand there speechless as we watch Zeph work. After a while, Zephaniah lowers her hands and turns to us.
“He’s stabilized now. We should get him somewhere more comfortable, though.”
Grace’s face shows even more relief than I feel. She looks to be almost in tears. “Thank you, Zyphania. Here, let me help you move him to Wilhelmina’s shack. There’s got to be a bed in there, right?”
As I watch them move the still unconscious Fractal inside, it dawns on me that we are missing someone. I begin to search for Wilhelmina. There are large chunks of metal and machinery everywhere, making the quest a difficult one. When I finally spot her, much further from the blast center than I expected, I see her take a shallow breath. Wilhelmina painfully opens an eye as she hears my approach, and motions me closer. I kneel beside her and lean my ear toward her to catch her whispers.
“Your friend... he’s a Metatron, right?”
I nod slowly, making the connection between her shattered body, the nonfunctional Icon, and Mercury’s centroglyph.
“Can you ask him... to come to me... please?” Her breath is labored, and it’s painfully obvious that speech is difficult. I nod again, give the best smile I can muster, and turn to find Mercury.
Mercury is leaning against the outside of Wilhelmina’s shack, a disheartened expression on his face. I know he’s angry, but there’s nothing I can do to help that right now. For right now, I just need to pass along Wilhelmina’s message.
“I found Wilhelmina,”
Mercury gives me a quizzical look.
“Over there,” I say, directing his gaze to the spot where I left her. “She’s... asking for you.”
He gives me a knowing nod, and walks away. I stay near the shack. Their conversation is not for my ears, and I can’t say that sorrows me. I can’t help but shift my gaze in that direction occasionally, however. They talk for a while, and then I see Mercury pull off a glove and touch Wilhelmina’s forehead. After a moment, the dust that was once her exomorph dissipates into the air. I’ll admit I haven’t seen Mercury use his centroglyph that many times, but something about that Reclamation looked different. Perhaps it’s because I was watching from so far away.
Assuming Mercury will make his way back to the shack when he’s ready, I poke my head inside to see how things are coming with Fractal. To my surprise, it looks like he’s coming to.
“Uuuugh...” a painful moan escapes Frac’s lips as he attempts to sit up.
“Frac, easy... you’re hurt pretty bad...” Grace says, rushing to kneel by Fractal, a broad smile on her face.
“Grace?” Frac manages to squeak out. “Grace, is that you?”
“Yeah, Frac, I’m here.” She glances around. “Delilah and Zeph are here, too.”
“Is it Night? Is the room dark?” Fractal asks. It’s clear from his tone that he already knows the answer.
“No, Frac” Grace continues uncomfortably after a pause. “It isn’t Night yet. The explosion...”
“Oh,” Frac interrupts her, his voice full of sorrow and resignation. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“I’m still working on you. There’s a chance it isn’t permanent,” Zyphania chimes in. “But, if it heals, it’s going to take some time.”
“And he needs his rest,” she adds, looking at Grace and me with a firm but understanding expression. “Everyone out.”
I step outside, and with a sigh, sit down cross-legged in the dirt in front of the shack. It takes a couple more tries before Zeph manages to chase Grace out.
“Where’s Mercury?” Grace asks as she joins me, her eyes scanning the horizon.
“I’m not sure. The last time I saw him, he was checking on Wilhelmina. I... don’t think she made it.”
Grace frowns at this news, a hint of sadness showing in her eyes. A moment later, she looks up, the sorrow shifted to concern.
“I’m going to go look for Mercury,” she informs me. “ I think I know where he is.”
She hops on the skiff, and takes off in the direction of Trinity Junction.
I get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watch her go. If Grace can’t find Mercury quickly, the Night could catch them both alone. I shudder to think what the consequences of that would be.
I sit by myself for a while, nervously watching the horizon. As the sky gets darker, a flash of light catches my eye. Something in the pit left by the exploding icon is... blinking. Cautiously, I creep to the edge of the hole and look down. There, in the center of the depression, is a large chunk of metal with some kind of indicator light on the side. I’ve never seen the inner workings of an Icon before (well, physically at least), but I the thought crosses my mind that the chunk of metal in front of me could be the Icon’s core. The steady pulse of the indicator light captivates me. It feels almost like a heartbeat. A... wait a minute... what if she’s still...
The hum of a skiff’s engine derails my train of thought. I look up, and breath a sigh of relief when I see that it’s Grace, and she found Mercury. Mercury looks... while not happy, at least a little more at ease. He dismounts and goes to find somewhere to sit near the shack. As Grace climbs off, I run up to her, and pull her toward the rubble.
“Grace, there’s something you need to see.”
Grace follows me without giving voice to the myriad of questions evident in her expression. Just as I thought, however, one look at the indicator light is enough to erase any confusion she might have had. As soon as she sees the chunk of metal, her face lights up, and my theory is confirmed.
“She’s alive!” Grace practically jumps for joy. “ The Icon’s alive! She’s.... We’ve gotta tell Frac!”
Grace takes off in a sprint toward Wilhelmina’s shack, and I follow close behind. Zeph looks up in surprise as the two of us come barreling through the door.
“Frac! Frac!” Grace yells, making it to his bedside in about two strides. “The Icon’s alive! She survived!”
Fractal tries to leap to his feet with a shout of excitement which morphs into a yelp of pain.
“Don’t excite him so much!” Zeph scolds, shooting a scathing glance in our direction.
“He’s stable, but he shouldn’t move!”
“I have to go to her.” Frac looks up pleadingly. “I need to talk to her. Please... help me outside.”
“no... no... no.... no....” Zeph cautions quietly, though it’s clear she realizes her repeated warnings are falling on deaf ears. I certainly can’t deny Frac this request, and even if I could, Grace certainly won’t. So, irrationality wins out, and we gingerly help Fractal outside.
Night has fallen, so Grace pulls the skiff around so that we can have some light. She parks it as close to the crater, and the Icon core, as possible, and we lay Frac across the back seat. He exhales sharply as he stretches out, but the tension visibly drains from his face once he’s comfortable. A moment later, the look of relaxation changes to one of calm concentration as Fractal attempts to contact the spirit of the Icon.
Suddenly, a chill runs up my spine. I look to the sky, and let out a gasp of fear as I see inky darkness rolling swiftly in our direction.
“Deep Night,” Mercury says quietly, the phrase coming out like a curse muttered under his breath.
“Everyone, move closer to me,” Frac says, trying to keep his voice steady. “I can keep us safe for a little while.”
We huddle around him as tightly as possible, and I feel my sense of dread begin to melt away. The sense of calm I feel around me is so akin to being close to an Icon that I find my eyes involuntarily drawn toward the hunk of metal in the pit.
“No,” I think to myself as I shift my gaze back to Fractal. “That’s not the Icon that feeling is coming from.”
As the utter darkness of Deep Night blankets the area, I shut my eyes, and hope that Fractal can keep us, and the Icon spirit, safe long enough for the danger to pass.
We were traveling... on our way to Trinity Junction... Everything seemed to be going fine... Something must have happened, but we were well outside the range of any Icon... What in the world is going on here...
Several moments pass as we stare at each other blankly, with no clue where to even begin looking for an explanation. As we stand there gaping, a sturdy-looking elderly woman emerges from the ramshackle shack a few yards away and cheerily tromps toward us.
“Oh, good!” she exclaims. Her face is friendly, and her tone is familiar. Strangely, she seems unfazed by our blank expressions. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah... we’re awake. And, I’m sorry, but we’re a little confused.” Grace gives the lady a sheepish grin. “The last thing we remember, we were on our way to Trinity Junction. Could you tell us where we are, and what happened?”
“Confusion is to be expected after what you’ve been through. You’re at a waypoint Icon, between Freedom’s Pass and Trinity Junction.” The woman explains, tucking a strand of stray hair back into her salt-and-pepper bun. “I found you lot collapsed in front of the Icon, and did what I could to help you.”
“How long have we been out?” Mercury asks impatiently.
“Three days.” the woman responds.
The five of us exchange looks of confusion, concern, and in Mercury’s case, something close to anger.
“You were in pretty bad shape. It took a lot of time, effort, and nenetic surgery to get you back in working order,” the old Iconotech offers when she sees our worried faces.
“I’m sorry ma’am...” Grace says, “We didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. We’re just still a little confused is all. We really appreciate the help. Thank you... What did you say your name was again?”
“Wilhelmina,” the old lady answers.
“Well, thank you, Wilhelmina,” Grace smiles.
“Not a problem,” Wilhelmina smiles back. “All part of the job. But, you should rest. Your images need a little more time to settle.”
“We should get going...” Mercury says firmly, looking at us. “Three days is a lot of time to lose.”
“I understand, Mercury, but we want to be as ready for travel as we can be.” Grace says calmly, and then shifts her gaze toward the horizon. “Besides, it looks like Night is coming soon.”
“I’d really like to run a few more tests on you first thing tomorrow, to make sure everything checks out,” Wilhelmina chimes in, concern evident on her face.
Mercury looks as if he’s about to object again, but he stops short when each of us meet his gaze with a look that says we agree with Grace.
“Alright,” he says with a resigned sigh. “But only until night passes. First thing tomorrow we have to be out of here. We have a lot of time to make up.”
Wilhelmina takes her leave, giving the five of us space to attempt to settle our rattled nerves.
As I take a mental inventory, I realize something: Other than the unease I feel about the lost time, I feel great. I feel better... stronger... than I have since waking up in this world. Arcadia is still very present in my mind, but it no longer feels as if it’s pushing at the seams, threatening to get out unbidden. Memories, especially mine, hold power. If I can control that power, rather than the other way around, then I can make Arcadia a strength rather than a weakness.
I’m snapped out of my navel-gazing by the sound of Zyphania’s voice.
“I think I know where we are...” Her voice is tentative. She pauses for just a moment, looking briefly toward the Icon. “We’re still in the same spot as that giant tree.”
Each of us shoots her an incredulous glance, but none of us disagrees. The pieces fit too well to discount the idea.
“Damn it...” Mercury mutters under his breath. “Three days gone, -and- we lost ground.”
“My question is,” Frac begins, a curious look on his face, “If this Icon is in the same place as the tree, then which of them is real?”
A thoughtful silence hangs over the group. In the quiet moment, a flash of a memory plays in my mind: I see my hand resting in the handprint on the tree, and feel the brief sensation of cold metal beneath my hand.
“I think the Icon is what’s real,” Zeph conjectures, giving voice to what had just crossed my mind.
None of this makes sense to me yet, and the subdued mood of our usually boisterous group tells me no one else really understands it yet, either. I look idly from face to face, hoping to see a flicker of insight in one of their expressions. The closest thing I see is from Grace’s thoughtful expression as she rubs her neck.
“Do any of the rest of you feel the collars?” she asks dubiously.
“Now that you mention it, no,” Frac adds. Concern suddenly clouds his face. “And Collusion’s been pretty quiet recently, too.”
Another long silence, this one uneasy rather than contemplative.
“One of us should try to contact the King” Mercury says, breaking the stillness. No one makes a move to volunteer.
“Don’t everyone volunteer at once...” he sneers. After another moment with no response, he continues. “Fine. I’ll do it. It makes the most sense for me to, anyway.”
“And I can give getting in touch with Collusion a shot.” Fractal adds.
Fractal walks off, understandably wanting to put some space between the Icon and himself in case something goes wrong. Mercury watches him leave with a look approaching disdain. Once Frac is out of view, Mercury turns to me.
“Wanna come with me?” Mercury asks with a smirk. When I can’t hold back my expression of distaste, he grins even wider. “Oh, c’mon. It’ll be fun. You’ll get to see Alastor again.”
I give him a cold stare, but follow him away from the Icon. We walk in silence until the only thing in sight is the two of us. Satisfied we’re far enough away, Mercury stops. He stoops down, and with deliberate strokes, begins to draw a figure in the dust. A crescent pierced by nail-like spikes- the sigil on the wall of Adam’s cell. With a few minor alterations at my suggestion, the arcane emblem soon takes its proper shape. Mercury kneels, eyes closed, in front of the symbol. His lips move in silent prayer. When he looks up a few moments later, his face immediately falls when he sees no sign of Alastor. Undeterred, he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and repeats the call. When Alastor again fails to answer, Mercury can’t hide the look of concern on his face.
“Do you think He’s gone?” he asks, with an expression that suggests he’s upset with himself for even entertaining the question.
“No,” I answer firmly, trying to hide the uneasiness I find taking me by surprise. “He’s not going away that easily.”
“I don’t think so, either,” Mercury responds, confidence coming back to his gaze. “I think He’s just far away. Maybe something’s keeping him from us. Or maybe He’s keeping away from something that is trying to destroy him.”
I contemplate it a moment. Alastor seemed indestructible even back in Arcadia. Surely there’s nothing that scares him that much... not even Chess.
“Things have been trying to get rid of Alastor for a long time,” I say, putting on my best reassuring smile. “Nothing has managed it yet.”
There is a brief silence, as we share a moment of quiet worry. Then, with a sigh, we return to the others.
“Hey! Welcome back. How did it...” Mercury’s dejected expression answers Grace mid-question. She closes the gap between us, and puts a reassuring hand on Mercury’s shoulder.
“I couldn’t get in touch with Collusion, either,” Frac adds, concern more than evident in his expression.
Sullen silence fills the air as we contemplate what the lack of these outside influences could mean. They couldn’t be just... gone, could they?
Mercury looks up at us, mixed emotions on his face. “We disobeyed the King,” he says, with a meaningful glance toward Zyphania.
Anger flashes in Grace’s eyes, and Fractal opens his mouth to say something, but everything is interrupted by the sudden blaring of alarms from the Icon. Fractal and Grace glance anxiously in the direction of Wilhelmina’s ramshackle shack, but seeing no sign of her, sprint to the Icon to see what can be done. Bells blare and lights flash as the two of them frantically push buttons, pull levers, and turn dials. As they work, they keep looking at the monitors, looking for some sign their actions are making any difference. It’s clear from their expressions that, whatever is wrong with this Icon, neither of them have seen anything like it before. Frac gives the monitors one last frustrated look, and looks toward the main body of the Icon with a slight sigh.
“I’m going in,” he announces. Moving forward, he lays a hand on the machine. It opens up, as it could only for him, and he goes inside.
The time that passes before Fractal comes back out feels like an eternity, and the look of worry on his face when he finally does emerge does nothing to ease my apprehension. Expectation hangs almost palpably in the air as the four of us wait for him to tell us what he found.
“Well, I got inside. Then, I guess you all saw that much...” Fractal finally begins. “ But everything was different this time. It was all...strange. I mean, stranger than usual.”
He pauses for a moment, searching for the words to explain. “The gears and machinery weren’t there; just these weird falls of dirty golden sand everywhere. When I finally found the Icon core, she seemed terrified of something. All I could get her to tell me is that she’d seen there wasn't a place for her in this world anymore... And then I saw Chess.”
Fractal’s brows knit in an almost mournful expression, and he stops speaking. After a moment, Mercury prods him on. “And did you talk to him, Fractal?”
“Yeah,” Frac answers, but the faraway look in his eyes tells me the conversation isn’t what’s really on his mind anymore. “He asked me if I wanted to take down the King. I told him no, that it isn’t my place to decide what happens to him.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Nothing important. Just the same old nonsense. Nothing he says can be trusted anyway, so I've pretty much stopped listening.”
Mercury shoots him a glare loaded with disappointment.
We see Wilhelmina rushing toward the Icon, and suddenly realize that Fractal’s story had so captured our focus, none of us noticed when the Icon started going berserk again.
“What did you do?” Wilhelmina snaps at Fractal. Her gaze remains steely as she begins to roughly spin valves and flip switches.
“Nothing...” Frac answers unconvincingly. He moves toward the Icon again, and continues his answer more sincerely. “It started malfunctioning earlier, while you were away, and we tried to fix it.”
“You went inside, didn’t you?” Wilhelmina’s expression is stern, but softens a little when she sees the surprise and contrition on Fractal’s face. “It’s okay. Yeah, I know about your centroglyph. Don’t worry, your business is your own. Just... just stay away from the Icon for now, okay?”
Fractal starts to take another step toward the Icon, but hesitates.
“She’s trying to self-destruct...” he says quietly, looking at us. “She’s killing herself, and it’s my fault.”
“You’re all about people making their own choices,” Mercury practically spits at Frac. “Isn’t this hers?”
“Yeah,” Frac says, his voice heavy with sorrow and guilt. “But it’s my fault. I went in and screwed things up, and now I have to try to fix it.”
“It’s a machine, Fractal,” Mercury growls. “We have bigger things to worry about.”
“This thing could blow at any minute,” Wilhelmina cautions as she surmises what Frac is thinking. “If you’re inside when it does, you won’t make it out.”
Fractal once again deliberately steps toward the body of the Icon, only to be stopped by Grace’s hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t go in alone. If we work together, I think I can help you reach her without going all the way inside.”
They step forward together, and with an uneasy look, Wilhelmina lets them pass. I know there’s no talking either of them out of it, and I wouldn’t try if I could. They’re doing the right thing. Still, seeing the two of them standing motionless in front of a hunk of metal that’s threatening to explode makes me uneasy to say the least.
At this point, every light on the control panel is blinking, and every alarm is sounding. Flames begin to snake out of the machine’s seams, and lick higher and higher, toward the Effigy. We all rush forward, and try everything we can to help; some of us trying to extinguish the flames, others working at the control panels according to Wilhelmina’s shouted instructions. Despite our best efforts, it soon becomes apparent we’re fighting a losing battle. Wilhelmina is left with no choice but to throw up her hands.
“Everyone out of the way!” she yells, running away from the Icon. Zeph and I dive for cover on either side. Grace and Frac start to move, but they’re so close there’s no way they can get to safety. I can actually see the Icon beginning to bulge. Mercury leaps toward the two of them, pushes Fractal as far out of the line of fire as possible, and shields Grace with his own body. Not a moment later, there is a blinding flash, as the Icon explodes in a roar so forceful it leaves my ears ringing.
I stand up, brushing the dirt off my pants. A scowl crosses my face as I take in the smoking crater left by the exploding Icon. Across the pit, I see Zeph struggling to her feet as well, dusty but unharmed. At the edge of the caldera, Mercury raises himself from the ground, shaken but in one piece. He helps Grace to her feet, and I can see that she’s battered and bruised, but it isn’t serious. That leaves....
A broken body lies near the broken ground. Fractal is covered in dirt and blood. The heat fused his goggles to his face, burning him badly and possibly permanently blinding him. Metal and wiring stick out in every direction from his now destroyed right arm. His left didn’t fare much better. A huge piece of shrapnel protrudes from his chest, and I can’t help but be reminded of Collusion. And that’s when I feel my heart leap into my throat; It doesn’t look like he’s breathing.
Zyphania rushes to his side, and kneels beside him. Her eyes close, and her hands hover an inch or so above Fractal’s body. As the rest of us move closer, Zeph’s hands begin to glow softly as she skillfully glides them over Frac’s injuries. The healing energy flows over Fractal’s body, mending gashes and bruises almost instantaneously. Grace, Mercury, and I stand there speechless as we watch Zeph work. After a while, Zephaniah lowers her hands and turns to us.
“He’s stabilized now. We should get him somewhere more comfortable, though.”
Grace’s face shows even more relief than I feel. She looks to be almost in tears. “Thank you, Zyphania. Here, let me help you move him to Wilhelmina’s shack. There’s got to be a bed in there, right?”
As I watch them move the still unconscious Fractal inside, it dawns on me that we are missing someone. I begin to search for Wilhelmina. There are large chunks of metal and machinery everywhere, making the quest a difficult one. When I finally spot her, much further from the blast center than I expected, I see her take a shallow breath. Wilhelmina painfully opens an eye as she hears my approach, and motions me closer. I kneel beside her and lean my ear toward her to catch her whispers.
“Your friend... he’s a Metatron, right?”
I nod slowly, making the connection between her shattered body, the nonfunctional Icon, and Mercury’s centroglyph.
“Can you ask him... to come to me... please?” Her breath is labored, and it’s painfully obvious that speech is difficult. I nod again, give the best smile I can muster, and turn to find Mercury.
Mercury is leaning against the outside of Wilhelmina’s shack, a disheartened expression on his face. I know he’s angry, but there’s nothing I can do to help that right now. For right now, I just need to pass along Wilhelmina’s message.
“I found Wilhelmina,”
Mercury gives me a quizzical look.
“Over there,” I say, directing his gaze to the spot where I left her. “She’s... asking for you.”
He gives me a knowing nod, and walks away. I stay near the shack. Their conversation is not for my ears, and I can’t say that sorrows me. I can’t help but shift my gaze in that direction occasionally, however. They talk for a while, and then I see Mercury pull off a glove and touch Wilhelmina’s forehead. After a moment, the dust that was once her exomorph dissipates into the air. I’ll admit I haven’t seen Mercury use his centroglyph that many times, but something about that Reclamation looked different. Perhaps it’s because I was watching from so far away.
Assuming Mercury will make his way back to the shack when he’s ready, I poke my head inside to see how things are coming with Fractal. To my surprise, it looks like he’s coming to.
“Uuuugh...” a painful moan escapes Frac’s lips as he attempts to sit up.
“Frac, easy... you’re hurt pretty bad...” Grace says, rushing to kneel by Fractal, a broad smile on her face.
“Grace?” Frac manages to squeak out. “Grace, is that you?”
“Yeah, Frac, I’m here.” She glances around. “Delilah and Zeph are here, too.”
“Is it Night? Is the room dark?” Fractal asks. It’s clear from his tone that he already knows the answer.
“No, Frac” Grace continues uncomfortably after a pause. “It isn’t Night yet. The explosion...”
“Oh,” Frac interrupts her, his voice full of sorrow and resignation. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“I’m still working on you. There’s a chance it isn’t permanent,” Zyphania chimes in. “But, if it heals, it’s going to take some time.”
“And he needs his rest,” she adds, looking at Grace and me with a firm but understanding expression. “Everyone out.”
I step outside, and with a sigh, sit down cross-legged in the dirt in front of the shack. It takes a couple more tries before Zeph manages to chase Grace out.
“Where’s Mercury?” Grace asks as she joins me, her eyes scanning the horizon.
“I’m not sure. The last time I saw him, he was checking on Wilhelmina. I... don’t think she made it.”
Grace frowns at this news, a hint of sadness showing in her eyes. A moment later, she looks up, the sorrow shifted to concern.
“I’m going to go look for Mercury,” she informs me. “ I think I know where he is.”
She hops on the skiff, and takes off in the direction of Trinity Junction.
I get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watch her go. If Grace can’t find Mercury quickly, the Night could catch them both alone. I shudder to think what the consequences of that would be.
I sit by myself for a while, nervously watching the horizon. As the sky gets darker, a flash of light catches my eye. Something in the pit left by the exploding icon is... blinking. Cautiously, I creep to the edge of the hole and look down. There, in the center of the depression, is a large chunk of metal with some kind of indicator light on the side. I’ve never seen the inner workings of an Icon before (well, physically at least), but I the thought crosses my mind that the chunk of metal in front of me could be the Icon’s core. The steady pulse of the indicator light captivates me. It feels almost like a heartbeat. A... wait a minute... what if she’s still...
The hum of a skiff’s engine derails my train of thought. I look up, and breath a sigh of relief when I see that it’s Grace, and she found Mercury. Mercury looks... while not happy, at least a little more at ease. He dismounts and goes to find somewhere to sit near the shack. As Grace climbs off, I run up to her, and pull her toward the rubble.
“Grace, there’s something you need to see.”
Grace follows me without giving voice to the myriad of questions evident in her expression. Just as I thought, however, one look at the indicator light is enough to erase any confusion she might have had. As soon as she sees the chunk of metal, her face lights up, and my theory is confirmed.
“She’s alive!” Grace practically jumps for joy. “ The Icon’s alive! She’s.... We’ve gotta tell Frac!”
Grace takes off in a sprint toward Wilhelmina’s shack, and I follow close behind. Zeph looks up in surprise as the two of us come barreling through the door.
“Frac! Frac!” Grace yells, making it to his bedside in about two strides. “The Icon’s alive! She survived!”
Fractal tries to leap to his feet with a shout of excitement which morphs into a yelp of pain.
“Don’t excite him so much!” Zeph scolds, shooting a scathing glance in our direction.
“He’s stable, but he shouldn’t move!”
“I have to go to her.” Frac looks up pleadingly. “I need to talk to her. Please... help me outside.”
“no... no... no.... no....” Zeph cautions quietly, though it’s clear she realizes her repeated warnings are falling on deaf ears. I certainly can’t deny Frac this request, and even if I could, Grace certainly won’t. So, irrationality wins out, and we gingerly help Fractal outside.
Night has fallen, so Grace pulls the skiff around so that we can have some light. She parks it as close to the crater, and the Icon core, as possible, and we lay Frac across the back seat. He exhales sharply as he stretches out, but the tension visibly drains from his face once he’s comfortable. A moment later, the look of relaxation changes to one of calm concentration as Fractal attempts to contact the spirit of the Icon.
Suddenly, a chill runs up my spine. I look to the sky, and let out a gasp of fear as I see inky darkness rolling swiftly in our direction.
“Deep Night,” Mercury says quietly, the phrase coming out like a curse muttered under his breath.
“Everyone, move closer to me,” Frac says, trying to keep his voice steady. “I can keep us safe for a little while.”
We huddle around him as tightly as possible, and I feel my sense of dread begin to melt away. The sense of calm I feel around me is so akin to being close to an Icon that I find my eyes involuntarily drawn toward the hunk of metal in the pit.
“No,” I think to myself as I shift my gaze back to Fractal. “That’s not the Icon that feeling is coming from.”
As the utter darkness of Deep Night blankets the area, I shut my eyes, and hope that Fractal can keep us, and the Icon spirit, safe long enough for the danger to pass.
