The Beginning Ch. 29-30

I met up with the others later that night for dinner at a prominent pizzeria, and after finally getting a good night's sleep, I rode back to base with Ryan. Just like when we were heading to Limerick, we took three separate cars and staggered our departure times, so as not to raise any suspicion.

A few hours later, I was resting in my room for the first time since getting there. That was it. I'd completed my first mission.

The next day, I went searching for Fiona, a burning question on my mind. Just as I was about to call her, I saw her coming up the stairs, towards me.

"Chris," she greeted me, smiling widely. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," I responded, returning her smile. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

"Of course," she affirmed, coming to a stop in front of me. "Should we go somewhere, or—"

"No, that's alright," I said quickly, my nervousness pushing me to interrupt her. "I was just wondering whether I could go take a look at the house— my house— today. I was actually thinking that I could just live there, instead. I'd still be close enough to be able to respond when called, but—"

"Sorry, kid," she said, apologetically, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Your entire street was declared a no-go zone after what happened. Most of your house was actually blown apart—"

"What?!" I exclaimed, stepping back so I could look her in the eye. "Blown apart?!"

"Protocol," she answered, grimly. "Since your parents worked for the task force, we couldn't take the risk of leaving anything valuable just lying around. A team went in to retrieve anything they could find, following which, we used shaped charges to—"

"I get the picture," I responded, somberly. "Permission to return to my quarters, Centurion?"

"Granted," she said, reaching out for me, but I just dodged her, turning on my heel and marching to my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

Rationally, I knew that there was no need for me to feel the way that I was, at that moment. There was no point in mourning a place that I hadn't even thought of visiting, for the past four years. There was nothing left for me there, not after my parents had died; and yet, that was the house I'd grown up in. The hollow shrieks and cries of joy from the ghosts of my past, the echoes of happier, simpler days echoed through the wood and bricks that made up that building. It was the last bastion of the years gone by, and now, that physical link that I could have called on, was gone.

And I mourned it.

I don't know how many hours went by as I sat there, my back against the door, knees drawn to my chest, reliving memories that I hadn't drawn on for years. A deep cold, the kind that can only exist underground, seeped in and set into my bones, but I didn't feel any of it. My head and my heart were aglow with a mix of emotions and remembrances, most of them blurring together into a bittersweet joy that gutted me to my core.

My phone rang, then, an unknown number popping up on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered, after taking a few rings to compose myself, my voice hoarse.

"Hey, love," the one voice that could help said, the warmth of that auditory embrace chasing away some of my gleeful blues. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Rayka," I responded, a lump forming in my throat, even as some of my sorrow washed away. "How are you calling me?"

"I spoke to Vaishnavi, asked her if I could stay with her, here in the Mundane world, till I was deployed. I figured that we could use some of this technology they're so proud of, and stay in touch. Sneha was just telling me about this video chatting software that..."

Noticing how cold I was, I pushed myself to my feet, my joints cracking loudly enough to sound like a snap. Stretching to pop my back as well, I gave myself a good shake, before moving to the bed and turning on the heating inside my room.

"Chris?" Rayka asked, drawing my attention back to her. "You okay? You haven't said anything in a while."

"Sorry," I apologized, as I got comfortable. "My mind was elsewhere. What was that you were saying about video calling?"

I could hear the grin in her voice as she realized that she had my full attention, again. We spoke for a few hours, chatting about everything and nothing, even her virtual presence helping me settle in a little better.

I didn't even realize it as I fell asleep, only noticing when my phone rang again the next morning, a single text from Fiona lighting up the screen.

"410. Now."

It was time to go to work.

Over the next five months, there were a total of four days when I wasn't out in the field. After my third mission, Fiona actually let me go out with them. Rather than stick to the same groupings every time, she liked to mix it up, which actually allowed me to get to know the squad better. Even the surliest of them all, Leandra, eventually warmed up to me.

As surprising as it was, one of the things that we seemed to avoid, was discussing how powerful they were, and what animals they were Bonded to. Nobody asked me for my details, and since none of the others wore their Totems openly, or proffered up their details, I just squashed the curiosity within myself, figuring that it was either off-limits, or just plain rude, to ask. I wouldn't have hesitated if they were all from the Indian Academy, but I didn't know whether they'd previously agreed not to discuss details like that, so I kept my mouth shut.

I did learn, however, that none of them were currently in relationships, the toll of being part of the "Cannon Fodder Squad" as Vince referred to us, wreaking havoc on their love lives. Even Ryan, who got to go home at the end of the day, found it too difficult to pursue someone, long-term.

Rayka and I, in an attempt to avoid that, started calling each other whenever we could. Voice calls, video chats, and even cutting-edge holographic interfaces, courtesy of the Irish Government— we used them all! Since Vaishnavi's task force was not actively deployed, they spent most of her day training and running scenarios, as opposed to being out on missions, like we were. That meant that while she could tell me all about her day, I had to skirt around most of mine, revealing only the most general of details.

Coming up with topics to talk about proved to be a little difficult, initially, but as with everything, we got better at it, with time. Being in the field on her birthday definitely put a strain on things, but I'll never be able to forget just how understanding and supportive she continued to be.

The voice showed up erratically, as well, though he didn't have much to say about my situation or my compatriots. Each time, I tried to pick his brain about the potential flight spell, as well as other, more complex magic, but each time, he either changed the topic, or just refused to answer, outright. He did help identify false positives a couple of times, when he showed up while I was in the field, but other than that, he wasn't being very helpful.

As the months passed me by, I found myself desperately craving more free time, all so I could work on the flight spell. While I couldn't actually test anything out, since I couldn't Wield, I still started trying to figure out what alternatives I had, other than using Air or Fire-based spells.

Eight months after I'd joined the I.G.A.D.W.T.F., and just as I was beginning to wonder whether I'd been apprehensive over nothing— other than a severe lack of downtime— I walked out of my room to find Anaya waiting there for me.

"You've been summoned," she stated, haughtily. "Follow me."

She didn't give me a chance to protest, or to say anything, turning around and walking away at a swift pace, leaving me to catch up. I jogged after her, slowing to match her pace when I caught up, at which point, she ignored all my questions. I pulled out my phone to let Fiona know where I was going, but Anaya told me to put it away, saying that we'd be back before anybody noticed that I was gone.

I got the feeling that going along with her was the best possible thing for me to do, so I complied, stuffing it back in my pocket, and following her to the parking garage. Once there, she led me to the top floor, which was open-air parking. Vince was waiting there for me, standing close to the edge of the building, a light breeze tussling his hair and clothes as it blew across us.

It was almost peaceful and serene.

"You can go," he said, as we neared him, dismissing Anaya.

She bowed to him, even though he didn't turn around, and left. We stood there for a few moments, though I was just itching to break the silence.

"You've done better than we expected," he suddenly said, drawing my attention away from the birds I'd been watching. "You've really gotten them to trust you."

"Not hard when you're decent, and not putting up an act," I replied, unconsciously adopting a defensive stance.

There was something about the way he sounded that I couldn't place, but it raised the hackles on the back of my neck. It felt like it was making my ears slimy in a way, like there was a layer of oil underpinning his voice.

"You think you know everything, don't you?" he asked, his voice growing softer.

"Not everything," I disagreed. "Just that they're right to not trust you."

"Nor you," he sneered, his voice growing cold, almost too soft to hear, now. "You are going to betray them, Chris. On your next mission, your squad is going to be ambushed by a whole Dark Cell. All of them, save for you, will die.

"If you manage to make your way back here, I'll be waiting for you, with a set of Inhibitors, and a mass of evidence that paints you as a traitor to us all. If you try to run, I'll have the power and authority of the Indian Academy to hunt you down, like the dog you are."

"What's stopping me from going in there and telling Fiona all of this right now?!" I yelled, a mix of rage and fear running through me and setting my body aflame. "They're all more likely to believe me, over you!"

"Love," he responded, finally turning to face me. The cold look in his eyes took me by surprise, and I took a few steps back, wanting to distance myself from him.

"Love, decency, goodness," he spat, a manic expression spreading across his features. "Everything you claim that you have, and I don't; that's what's stopping you. Have you forgotten our conversation during the Proving? We own you, Chris. Defy us, and Rayka pays the price. If even one member of your squad survives, aside from you—"

"I get it," I cut him off, unwilling to listen to more threats. "Just tell me one thing: Why me?"

"Unimportant," he said, waving dismissively, as his face returned to normal.

Understanding that I wasn't going to get anything more out of him, I turned and walked away, my mind whirling. Was I really going to do it? Was I going to stand by and watch as my squad— the people I'd come to have some semblance of love and respect for, over the past eight months— were killed? I kept telling myself that I was doing it for Rayka, but even if I could live with myself after betraying them, would she ever forgive me, if she found out? The way Vince was talking, it seemed like she was definitely going to find out. If that's the case, maybe—

"Chris!" Ryan called, walking up behind me and snapping me out of my thoughts. "I see you got the summons too."

With a start, I realized that I'd walked all the way back to the elevators on the third floor, where he usually parked.

"Summons?" I asked, looking at him in a bit of a daze.

"Aren't you returning to base because Fiona called us in?" he retorted, as the elevator doors slid open.

"Oh, right," I mumbled, checking my phone to see that she'd indeed called us in. "Must be a new mission."

"Right on!" he agreed, with mock enthusiasm. "Let's go find another false positive, eh?"

"Yeah," I said, my heart sinking to my stomach as guilt raced through every fiber of my being. "Let's."

* * * * *

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