Chapter 24 - The Planetary Disciples

512 A.R. February 27, Greengate - Station , Morning

The train station to Tel-Adra was hidden within the Diplomatic Corps, well-fortified, with plenty of bulkheads, big turrets, and more. The others gawked at our surroundings as we walked through the station along with a throng of other people, most of them deer and reptiles.

On each side of the tracks within the station were large armored gates. I'd have hoped the archives would tell us more, but the maps only revealed the purpose of one singular gate: the one heading to Tel-Adra.

"What do you think of the uniform?" Peter wondered as he brushed shoulders with me.

I glanced down at myself. Most of the uniform were in shades of black and had a few strips of blue. The collar was surprisingly big, puffing up my mane to make me look even bigger than usual. Compared to the old one, this uniform consisted of two separate pieces, proper trousers and a nice overcoat. But due to the intricate design, there was a lot more material--and the additional short, split cape didn't help with the overbearing insulation.

The uniform had a certain air about it. A glance at Peter confirmed it: intimidating, dark and imposing. It contrasted well with Allen's fur, and made his visage of a beast from the frozen wilds that more imposing.

I smiled back at Peter, "I like them, though the purpose is quite clear..."

Peter smirked, "Yeah, they don't exactly want us to appear nice and welcoming."

I caught something in my periphery and looked ahead once more. Lydon was standing a bit further ahead with a familiar brown lizard standing next to him.

Tau... Wonder why he's here?

Lydon wore the same gold-trimmed suit from earlier. He made a courteous nod as we walked up, then he focused on me and spoke up, "Parler se-cette tudor, qui nairent urant des sicla rans la hultre ronai?"

It caught me off guard as he wasn't speaking Dyssian, and it made my ears wiggle a little as I focused to catch up. A split second later, things kicked into gear and I recognized it as the language used by the Imperials.

-Good morning, are you ready for our big trip?-

I smiled back at him, thought of the words "Looking forward to it," and let the translator work my lips, "N __os-vol, et ord_ enn._"

Allen seemed eager as he stepped up and spoke in the same tongue, "Able and ready."

It was weird how well the shift integrated into my thoughts. Allen _spoke_Imperial, but my mind understood it in Common.

Lydon seemed pleased as he clasped his hands and smiled, "Well, well... At least two of you have mastered it, with proper pronunciation as well."

"Thank you," Allen answered.

Lydon looked over at John and spoke up in Dyssian this time, "Fetch me a glass of water."

Another of these tests...

I glanced over at John, nervous of how he would react.

"As you wish," John answered and grew a bright smile that bordered on the hint of menacing.

"Thank you," Lydon said, and almost beamed with light as he made a big smile.

John's ears twitched a little before he marched off, still smiling like a madman.

Lydon let out a surprised hum as he turned to focus on me once more, "Thought he'd struggle more, but it seems that you're sincere about this, and I have no reason to object."

You are a tad too stuck up for my taste...

I smiled back as I tipped my head, "We'll do our best."

Tau, who had been silent so far, stepped up, "I will accompany this delegation. Lydon has requested that I lend you my services. Don't hesitate to make use of them."

I nodded in return, "Thank you, Tau... It's appreciated."

"Hmm," Tau murmured with a glance, and then turned his focus to Lydon once more.

"... Right, see you on the train," Lydon said, and turned around as he walked off toward the tracks.

Tau threw us one last glimpse, and then turned to follow in Lydon's wake.

"... John's going to have a fit when he realizes that Lydon walked off," Peter whispered.

I drew a deep breath, "Yeah, let's wait until he's back..."

A set of lights along the track switched to yellow, and I glanced over. The large gate opened in the distance, and I could feel as the air within the station began to shift. My fur began to flutter as a massive pitch-black train emerged from the tunnel.

This train looked nothing like the usual ones. Wide enough to require two sets of tracks, segmented by armor plating, and lined with dome-shaped structures that no doubt hid weapons and sensors alike. While the train was split into wagons, each one seemed a lot more interconnected than usual. The train wouldn't be able to take any sharp curves, unless there was something I was missing.

As the massive train came to a slow stop, I counted three wagons in total, each one a triple-decker.

A presence grew in the back of my mind as I observed the train, and I could feel it knock on my mind. I accepted the connection and felt a now familiar surge of information flowing through my mind. It made me smirk as I realized that each wagon was its own independent unit, and learned that the train could indeed take sharp corners by separating itself.

A voice grew in my mind, one belonging to the intelligence of the train, 'Greetings.'

I blinked as I focused on the masculine but gentle voice, 'Greetings...'

'I am Charon... You and Volkov are welcome aboard,' Charon whispered.

I huffed to myself, 'Charon, of the river Styx... A ferry between the Earth and the Underworld.'

'Fitting, isn't it?' Charon mused with a quick chuckle.

'Or rather grim... Are you a class six Expert System?' I wondered.

Charon hummed, 'That I am... Was it that obvious?'

'I've met others like you... Also, you mentioned Volkov, which is a sign you have more information than most,' I thought.

'True... I guess. Fenrir has told me of you...' Charon said.

'Oh, and how is he?' I wondered.

'He is a troubled being. Not by the looming war, but by his shifting thoughts and self-doubt. It scares me, yet I find myself hopeful for the day when I might walk such a path on my own.'

Everyone's struggling with something... Even a train like this...

'Do say hi for me, and tell him that I wish him my best,' I thought.

'He'll be happy to hear it, I think... Or he'll be embarrassed. Anyway, he's been doing a bunch of culinary experiments lately, I'm not sure whether he's trying to kill his crew, or drive them mad...' Charon mused.

I chuckled, and nodded, 'I see.'

My momentary daze was shattered as John stepped up and glanced around in wonder, glass of water in his hand. Peter smirked as he whispered, "He's not here any longer."

I could imagine the thoughts rippling through John's mind as his his expression began to shift in quick succession. A mix of confusion and indignity, followed by a twitch in his eyebrow as anger brewed.

I reached out and caught John's attention as I grabbed the glass, "... Thank you."

John seemed too surprised to say anything, but let go as I pulled the glass out of his hand.

"Have you said hello to the train yet?" I wondered and looked over at the others.

Allen raised his hand, "I did. Charon seems pleasant."

"... I did feel something trying to get in," Peter murmured.

I smiled back motioned to the train, "Find us a good spot in the train, and I'll catch up with you."

Peter let out a curious hum and motioned to the others as he spoke, "As ordered... let's go."

As the others walked off, I took a slightly different path, the same that Lydon and Tau had taken.

'Apologies for going silent,' I thought, and directed my attention back to the train.

'I could see that you were busy and kept my silence,' Charon whispered.

'So, do you just ferry people back and forth, or...' I thought.

'The Sophos section of the diplomatic haven is a high-risk area. As such, any sensitive equipment or data has to be stored within me,' Charon answered.

'Doesn't that mean you're greatly missed at the moment?' I wondered.

'Not so much... The diplomatic haven is usually staffed by a skeleton crew, and the previous detachment of diplomats have already been evacuated. This is, for a lack of a better expression, a fresh start for negotiations between Sophos and the human nations.'

'I see,' I thought.

I could see Lydon and Tau still standing outside the first wagon of the train. Neither of them seemed to be in a hurry as cargo and people rushed to fill the train.

'One moment, Charon,' I thought.

'Hmm... this will be interesting,' Charon mused.

Lydon seemed quick to notice as I walked up, and faced me in wonder, "Ah, we meet again..."

I made a warm smile as I stepped up to him with a nod and held out the glass of water, "Here is the glass of water that you will take from my hands."

Lydon stared at me for a moment, and blinked as if wondering whether serious or not. I stared back at him, still smiling warmly as I lowered my head to really burrow my stare into his soul.

"... Thank you," Lydon said as he reached out and grabbed the glass.

I relaxed, hid my hands behind my back, "I understand your skepticism, but at some point, your tests will move beyond their purpose and become a victim of your own desires."

It was a subtle insult, but it seemed to have quite an effect. Lydon's eyes widened, and he drew a deep, slow breath, "Any humiliation I may cause pales in comparison to what I have experienced at the hands of humans, and what you will experience... keep that in mind."

I nodded, "But we're not humans, are we? We're better than that, right?"

Lydon stayed silent for a moment, then sighed, "Point taken. I will place my trust in your hands and that of your pack."

"Good, and I'll make sure that the others remain vigilant... Now, shall we get going?" I said.

Lydon glanced at the now empty entrance to the train, and motioned with his hand, "After you."

512 A.R. February 27, Train (Charon), Morning

The train was surprisingly full as I walked through its length. To its credit, I had so far passed an impressive medical bay, what looked like a small factory, and a large server hall. The actual cabins for people were small and cramped, and a fair share of people had found refuge in small alcoves hidden along the rest of the equipment.

I do hope they have proper quarters in Tel-Adra...

The scents were thick throughout the hallway, and it was easier to rely on my telepathy to find the others. I had almost reached them, and as I looked ahead I could see another row of cabins.

Once there, I eased the door open and crouched in order to step inside. Peter and John looked up and were sitting on one side. Allen had taken the other, and shuffled aside as I closed the door behind me.

"Lydon was pleased with his glass of water," I said, and sat down next to Allen.

John began to smirk as he leaned closer, "Oh?"

I chuckled and leaned back, "He looked mighty uncomfortable with it before he found a bathroom to empty it out."

"Aww, he didn't drink it?" John mused.

Peter perked his brow, "Why? Did you spit in it?"

John looked shocked rather than amused as he looked over at Peter, "I'd never do something like that... even if the thought _did_strike my mind."

I huffed back, "It's okay to have thoughts like that, as long as you never act on it."

John sighed, "... I do get why he's acting like it, I just wish he'd ease up."

"He will, give him another chance," I said.

John gave me a subtle but approving smile, as if he knew I'd done_something_.

• "Caution, we are entering another acceleration phase." -

Charon's voice filled the train, and I could feel as it put on another bout of acceleration. It made me sink back against my seat while Peter reached out to grab the handrail.

• "Estimated time of arrival, 5 minutes." -

Allen's ears perked, "... 5 minutes? We left the station minutes ago."

"Tel-Adra isn't that far off, and with the speeds we're traveling..." I said.

Allen tipped his head, "... Yeah, according to Charon we're approaching 500 kilometers per hour. Apparently there's been a schedule change or something."

"Hmm," I murmured as I lifted my gaze to the ceiling, "Charon?"

Charon's voice filled the cabin, "The opening event and Kamilah Wosret's arrival was scheduled in the afternoon. We have learned that the human nations have suddenly advanced the timetable, and we are making adjustments to adapt."

John spoke up, "Kamilah?"

I focused on John, "Abasi Wosret is the UCS' representative, his daughter acts as a neutral party to mediate between the nations."

Peter raised his brow, "Isn't that a giant conflict of interest?"

I shrugged, "From what I've read, the UCS has always taken on this kind of role. Simply because they value cash flow over anything else, and the death of the island is something of an antithesis to that goal."

Peter hummed, "I remember hearing Abasi's speech, how they were trying to rally everyone because of the human enclaves. I'm guessing she won't be easy to deal with."

"We'll see," I said.

512 A.R. February 27, Te l-Adra - Sophos Section , Midday

I peered out of our cabin, and I could see a rush as everyone stormed to get off.

As I stood there, I felt an incoming call from Lydon and accepted it as his voice filled my head.

'We're leaving at once. Meet us by the tunnel leading to the haven,' Lydon ordered.

'Coming,' I thought as the connection faded.

I glanced back at the others, "We're moving."

The others nodded, and within moments I pushed my way out among the others in the train. It felt rude and rushed, but it didn't feel like there was much choice given the circumstances.

Guess he picked the front of the train for a reason...

I nudged my way through the herd of deer and felt myself poked by horns every now and then. Some of them seemed surprised to see wolves among them, but I simply flashed them a gentle smile as I kept moving.

The others were close behind, and I finally got to one of the exits. Moments later, I was out in what I thought was fresh air, but promptly realized wasn't. It smelled human, yet there was something odd missing from the air, and a sharp tinge of ozone lingered. Even stranger was the hint of something burnt--not like campfire, but something... thicker.

A combustion engine, like the Dyssian tank near Fenris...

I lifted my gaze as I looked around and saw that we were in a large cave. Several pillars had been raised to no doubt reinforce the ceiling, and most of the walls had been sprayed with some kind of white concrete.

There were a few buildings, all of them armored and lacking windows. Turrets stood high in the distance, and I could see a set of layered walls facing a large tunnel. Far ahead, marching toward the tunnel, was Lydon and Tau.

"This place smells weird," Peter said from behind me.

"Smells like combustion engines," Allen said.

"Where the hell did you learn what a combustion engine smells like?" John asked.

"I used to ride a quadbike with an engine that would guzzle vegetable oil," Allen said.

"Vegetable oil!?" John blurted out in surprise.

I glanced back at Allen, "Who built it?"

Allen looked in front, seemingly surprised as he stared for a moment, "... A friend's dad."

I moved over, slowed down a little, and joined Allen's side, "Rumbled a lot, didn't it?"

A smile pulled on Allen's lips as he met my gaze, "It did... rather annoying to be honest, and the smell was vile, even as a human."

"So why use it?" I wondered.

Allen shrugged, "As said, it belonged to a friend, and it was the only way to reach certain places."

A mystery for later...

Peter caught my eye, "So, who uses combustion engines around here?"

"The Dyssians do: their tanks reeked of oil and exhaust," I said.

"Ah," Peter murmured.

John spoke up, "Seems strange to use a combustion engine underground, limited air and all."

I nodded, but was forced to look up as we reached the giant tunnel where Lydon and Tau were waiting. They nodded in our direction, and began to march. I veered away from the others and joined Lydon's side.

"What's the situation?" I wondered.

"Kamilah will arrive shortly, and the event has already started within the dome. We'll be marching in there and do our best to... mingle," Lydon said as he stared ahead.

"Any last-minute advice?" I wondered and looked ahead at what appeared to be an intense light at the end of the tunnel.

Lydon nodded, "You will find that the diplomats here do not have the same focus as you."

"... What do you mean?" I asked.

"For them--the humans--this is just another day, and most of them are more focused on representing their masters or interests that they may serve, rather than the goal of brokering peace between nations," Lydon said.

"I do believe I already got that impression, or do you mean something else?" I asked.

Lydon glanced over at me, "I'm trying to make you understand that while their actions and lines of reason might seem illogical, they aren't. It's just that their goals are so widely different, and unless you understand that, you won't be able to parley with them."

"Hmm?" I murmured.

"As an example," Lydon said, "I have had heated discussions many times over the most ridiculous things, but it might be little more than a prelude to what's actually at stake. Minutes later, I share a drink with one of them as friends. We are required to hate each other professionally, and while we may bicker and posture, most are merely trying to do their jobs. Understand?"

"Not really, but I'll keep your words in mind," I said.

Lydon drew a deep breath and nodded, "You'll understand soon enough... and please, if you wish to refer to their lack of empathy, don't call them psychopaths."

"I'll... keep that in mind," I said, raising my hand to block the strong light up ahead.

As we stepped out of the large tunnel, I began to see what looked like a small paradise set under a sunny sky. It reminded me of Greengate in some ways, at least when it came to the large dome. Contrary to it, there didn't seem to be any buildings around. Just a large and open landscape, dotted by a few trees and plenty of grass.

Lydon kept marching along the path, but I couldn't help but slow down a little as I looked around.

In the distance, I could see three other tunnels, clearly dividing this small slice of heaven into four parts. To the left were the green banners of the UCS, set among marble pillars, and green vines that reached up along their walls. As people mulled by the entrance, I could see how holograms lit up to display what may have been information... or even ads.

Straight ahead--on the other side of the dome--were the flags of Dyssia and old-but-proud oak trees topped with bushels of red leaves. The floor looked like stomped dirt paths, and while it was difficult to see, there were items dangling among the tree branches. They swayed gently in the wind, and I wondered whether they could be the same kind of ornaments I'd seen in the Dyssian Tank.

On the right side of the dome was a bunker with purple stripes and as well as something of a thorny hedge which glimmered, as if the vegetation had some metallic element to it.

I glanced back and looked at Sophos entrance. It was simple, a flag on the wall, joined by blue tapestry. The floor which we walked on was simple white concrete.

Upon looking back in front, I was starting to wonder where we were heading exactly. The answer was starting to grow apparent as the middle of the dome was something akin to a sloping cone. At the very bottom stood another dome-capped structure with a ceiling of glass shifting in hue with the colors of all nations.

I picked up pace and joined Lydon's side once more, "... This is a piece of art."

Lydon glanced over at me, "Many have come here, trying to broker a permanent peace. Alas, it has never worked... but the dome remains, and hope with it."

We reached the slope and began to descend, "Does this place have a name?"

Tau spoke up as he motioned to the sky, "This is the Paradise Dome, a reminder of what could be."

Lydon sighed and raised his hand to point at the smaller dome, "That is simply known as Haven."

I heard something, a distant rumble. It made me look up, and I caught sight of something moving in the air--a large balloon, with a basket hanging underneath. A flame was seen at times, and a roar was heard as hot air was blasted into it. Based on the people peering over the edge, they were humans peering down... Moments later, something glinted.

"Journalists--no drones allowed," Lydon said.

"Ah... Kind of looks like a resort," I whispered.

Lydon gave me an amused glance, "In many ways it is... The elevator within the UCS section goes all the way to the tallest tower in Tel-Adra. The Empire and Dyssia have installations as well, and they double up as embassies in the area."

"We didn't invest as much?" I wondered.

Tau spoke up, "It's more that we learned from past mistakes. It's not the first time that the neutrality of this place has been violated, though... they have never attempted to invade underground."

Lydon lowered his voice, "Because they know that we'd just collapse the train tunnel, and that it would be that much harder for them to invite us back."

I glanced back and was mildly surprised as the others were walking close enough for them to listen in. Peter smiled back, and I smirked a little as I let my gaze wander across the fields. Plenty of others were approaching the Haven as well, and the colors made them easy to identify.

The Dyssians wore big robes, and there was an odd arrangement to how they moved. There was one very big man, surrounded by smaller ones that moved like a personal entourage.

"Obesity is a hallmark of wealth and power in Dyssia," Lydon whispered.

"I'm noticing," I answered.

The UCS diplomats had very strict and formal attire, while the Empire wore uniforms in silver, with cuffs of purple--like their flag.

"This place seems... peaceful," Peter said.

Lydon glanced back, "It is peaceful for the most part, and we've always been given warning before they decide to drive us out."

"... How thoughtful," Peter whispered.

I looked in front and focused on the hybrids ahead of us. There were several groups of them, most consisting of deer, along with felines, lizards, and a couple of canines. To my surprise, one of the taller figures seemed to be a tiger.

"Anyone I should know?" I asked.

Lydon nodded in the tiger's direction, "The tiger is Tychon--he'll represent us at all the official meetings and deal with the human media. I'd stay well away unless you want to end up on every television screen across the island."

"Noted, and how careful should we be around Kamilah?" I said.

"She's certainly an interesting individual... If you have a chance to speak with her in private, then do it... but don't expect her to be candid when surrounded by others," Lydon said, and huffed.

"Any tasks that you have in mind for us?" I asked.

Lydon glanced back for a moment, and seemed to ponder, "The humans will find you wolves fascinating. I'll borrow Allen, and a couple of other groups will borrow John and Peter."

"... What?" Allen, John, and Peter, uttered in surprise as they heard him.

Lydon looked over at me, "Feel free to make yourself useful in any way you see fit, Vilkas."

"Very well," I said, and looked back at the others.

They stared into Lydon's back, and I made a sheepish smile along with a silent plea as I nodded to them. John sighed, Peter nodded to me, while Allen joined Lydon's side.

"Good," Lydon answered and smiled as he looked over at Allen. "Shimmering white, well groomed, and a pleasant voice to boot. The humans will love you..."

Allen glanced over at me with a worried expression, and I could see him gulp.

I looked forward and saw that we were nearing the bottom. The Haven loomed above, and its prismatic ceiling had something of a glow that filled the area. The opening appeared to be a large arch that ran straight through the building. It divided the building's interior in four, and there was a big map across the wall as we entered.

It showed a big meeting hall, a variety of cafeterias, and a large table of rooms in various sizes that were available for booking. One of the biggest rooms--an assembly hall--was highlighted and shown as 'in use'.

A variety of human servants were scrambling about. They pushed carts, carried trays, and seemed stressed out to a point where our presence didn't even register to them. It wasn't clear which nationality they belonged to, but all of them wore the same clothing and carried the same groomed expressions.

Seeing this many humans at once felt strange, particularly in the sense that they all looked healthy.

Makes me wonder how many who have used Glow...

I glanced back and saw that a couple of other groups had laid claim to Peter and John. Meanwhile, Lydon marched ahead with Allen and entered the big assembly hall.

Without a specific goal, I simply followed suit. The assembly hall had a luxurious carpet, filled with weaving, seemingly never-ending patterns, and the ceiling was filled with crystalline chandeliers that flickered like lit candles.

The windows had been draped shut, and the assembly hall seemed to be a world of its own. Dotted along the room were tables filled with food, and it was absolutely packed with human groupings.

Standing tall as I was, people started glancing and staring in short order.

Don't meet their gaze... Don't look confused... Move as if you're on a mission...

I wandered at random and took in the sights. The room reeked of perfume mixed with humans, and there was an undercurrent of scents I'd never caught before. It was intense to a point where I felt a discomforting pinch in my brain, and I did my best to focus on what my eyes were telling me.

The UCS personnel were rather similar to the humans in Sophos. They spoke Common and their clothes were nice but familiar. Many of them were sipping on some kind bubbly alcohol, and they seemed to mingle indiscriminately.

What if they're infested?

The Dyssians were gathered in tight groups, and each of them wore big, all-encompassing robes that were adorned by intricate golden symbols along with woven patterns. Some even went as far to hide their heads, and I caught a distinct haze of scents clinging to them: a rich mix of herbs that--while strong--didn't fully mask the sweat underneath.

It could be hiding within them, and I wouldn't even be able to smell it...

Like before, it seemed that each Dyssian group had one rather obese person, while the rest fawned over the individual like slaves. It made me frown a little as I realized that while the UCS were a mix of sexes, body types, and more, the Dyssians were all the same. Fat, often bearded men, were fawned over by a bunch of slim males with pronounced cheekbones that seemed to verge on malnutrition.

Especially the big ones...

The fat ones talked loudly, but they did so in Dyssian, while one of the accompanying slaves seemed to translate as they conversed with others.

Then there were those from the Empire. They all wore strict military uniforms, and the more of their faces I saw, the more difficult it was to pick them apart. Almost as if... they were all androgynous clones.

No wonder the UCS are mediators when there are so many extremes mixed up...

I wandered closer to one of the dining tables, and I began to contemplate something. To meet regular humans, 'commoners' so to speak, seemed like a distant dream in a situation like this. Were _these_people representative of humanity? Did they _truly_speak for the people of their nations, or the power structures within?

As I looked down at the table, I could see a variety of finger foods, most of them looking rather odd. A flattened donut with a strip of something pink. A pear cut in two, shaped like a crown, with what looked like some kind of raw organ in the middle. Crackers with a pile of small black eggs on them.

Seeing the eggs, caught in some kind of slimy sack, made my throat tighten with unease.

My eyes caught on another plate, and I found myself staring at what looked like pile of centipedes. The center of each one had been hollowed out and filled with a green mass that reminded me of spinach.

It wasn't nice to judge the palate of others, and it was good to try new things...

I shied away from the insects, but reached out as I carefully plucked a cracker with a pile of red goo on it. Upon bringing it to my nose, I was met with a strange combination of scents. There was no way the cracker was made of wheat, and the red goo smelled more like mushroom stew.

My lips twitched a little as I slipped it into my mouth, and began to chew. Salty, with a clear hint of umami, made worse by the slimy texture. The cracker itself crumbled as if made by wheat, but the taste was more akin to cardboard. I gulped as I swallowed it and felt a shiver down my spine.

Do the colors represent different tastes?

I grabbed another, this time a cracker layered with a firm green substance that reminded me of marzipan. A sniff revealed that while it was different from the 'mushroom' taste of the earlier, it wasn't something I could easily identify.

Once more, I slipped it into my muzzle, and started chewing. Firmer, sweeter, a syrupy-like taste mixed with something earthy. Better, but the combination of tastes made it... difficult for my taste buds to agree with it. I swallowed in order to get rid of it, and made a subtle cough to clear my throat.

A fat Dyssian walked up, reached out, and reached out with his sausage fingers as he piled centipedes on a small plate. Moments later, he licked his chops, and carefully slipped the head of a centipede onto his tongue. A loud crunching noise followed, and the still-wet insides of the insect began to flow with the texture of a half-boiled egg.

Something began to turn in my guts as I forced myself to look away.

I've been face deep in the guts of wild deer, but this is a bit much...

Something shifted in the room as a lot of the guests turned their attention to something in the corner. I turned to look, and watched as a new group entered the hall. Four guards entered first, all of them clad in padded green armor, though no weapons were in sight.

A woman walked in the center and took to the lead as the guards stepped aside. Most of the others at the event had a rather tame, professional clothing. This woman did not subscribe to that line of thought.

High heels, bare legs, short blond hair set in a style I'd describe as 'tough'. Her clothing appeared to be the mix of a dress and a stylized uniform. Hues of green glittered across the suit, as if it was covered in thousands of reflective scales, and a pair of gloves lined with the same material stretched over her hands. She strode forward with determined steps, and looked about with a surprisingly harsh stare.

Her eyes caught onto me and seemed to linger for a moment. It made me nod in her direction, but her attention had already turned elsewhere. Within moments, several humans--some of them carrying cameras--marched up to greet her.

I'm guessing that's Kamilah...

I reached out with my mind, accessed the archives, and confirmed that she was indeed Kamilah. Tychon approached her as well, and at this point I-

My ears perked as my senses told me that someone had stepped up next to me. I looked to my side and saw a man dressed in a UCS uniform. He was holding a plate filled with various crackers that were coated in colorful blobs of goo.

"What do you think?" The man asked and nudged his head in Kamilah's direction.

I ran the man's face in the archives as well and found another record. Mayrett Antoine, a local politician in Tel-Adra, one that had been labeled as a troublemaker.

"About?" I asked.

Mayrett plucked a cracker from his plate, and motioned toward Kamilah, "Not your type?"

I stayed silent while the man glanced up at me and grew a shit-eating grin.

"Not enough hair, or is it the fact that she's walking on two legs?" Mayrett asked as he kept his grin.

Engaging with someone like this would be exactly what they wanted, and I reasoned it was best to just ignore him. In silence, I turned and was about to walk off.

"Hey, I was talking with you!" Mayrett yelled at a volume that made his intentions clear.

Heads were already starting to turn, but I paid it no heed as I started walking.

"Hey!" Mayrett yelled at my back.

I only stopped once I had reached the drapes near one of the windows and was relieved to see that Mayrett seemed to have given up as I looked back. Suddenly, something materialized in front of me. A hologram of some sort, flickering with a gentle blue hue.

' Your daily feed: MCR Consumer products +3.12%'

' Lastech™ the PREMIERE option for unwanted hair!'

I stared at it for a moment, frowned at it, and heard a sudden click coming from my right. I turned to look, and saw another a rather short man holding up what looked like a phone.

"Sorry... I just needed to katang that," The man said with a bright smile, and stepped closer as he reached up and made a dismissive wave at the ads. As he did, the hologram faded away like a puff of smoke.

Katang... The word itself was alien to me, but the mere act of pondering the word made me remember something from Lydon's lessons. It was a social media network, primarily used by the UCS, though it was slowly spreading in Dyssia.

"Are you big on Katang?" I wondered.

"Huh?" The man wondered.

"I mean, do you think the photo will be popular?" I wondered.

The man blinked, "... What?"

"On k** atang**," I said, and leaned a bit closer.

The man slipped the phone into his pocket, and raised his hand as if illustrating something, "Katang is... Well, uh, how do I explain it. It's like an imaginary place where people can talk to each other without using their mouths. You can see images, you know, like on the glass thingy in front of you, and you find it funny... because, um..."

I perked my brow, "I know what social media is..."

The man blinked in what almost seemed like shock, "Oh... You do? Well... I guess you wouldn't be allowed in here if you were gonna maul us all..."

I had the urge to make a wild grin, but forced myself to hold back as I made a subtle, but smiling nod, "I've been told to keep any maulings to a minimum."

The man chuckled, froze for a moment, and seemed to ponder whether I was serious or not.

There needs to be someone with at least a hint of intelligence in here...

I caught movement in the corner of my eye, and saw that the rude man from earlier, Mayrett, had returned. He marched toward me, while the guy with the camera marched off in haste.

As Mayrett marched up, I looked down at him in wonder, "What do you want, Mayrett?"

Mayrett grew the same shit eating grin as earlier, "Oh! You know my name?"

"As a renowned troublemaker, yes," I said.

Mayrett motioned to me with both hands, "Well then, I'll make it easy for you. Grab me and give me a good shake, or I'll start screaming bloody murder in here."

I reached out with my mind across the room and contacted Lydon, 'We have a situation. Mayrett is asking me to play rough with him for some reason, or he'll start screaming.'

Lydon answered as I heard his voice in my mind, 'Stall him, help is on the way...'

I raised my brow as I focused on Mayrett, "You want me to give you a good shake? Why?"

Mayrett raised his hands as of painting a picture, "Imagine it, the headlines. First time a wolf is seen in ages, and I get to be the one talking about your stinking breath and big fangs."

"Ah, it'll cause an incident and reward you with a bunch of attention," I said.

Mayrett pointed his index finger at me, "You got it... Now, either way I win , and you lose. But you can make things a lot less awkward for your boss and Kamilah over there."

"How so?" I wondered.

"Because... A scuffle between us doesn't need much more attention than a few cameras, but with me screaming, well..." Mayrett said still smirking.

"... You are aware that our kind records everything we see and hear, right?" I asked.

Mayrett made the kind of face which meant he didn't give a shit, "Which doesn't matter, as no one but your own kind would believe it, now-"

I interrupted him, "There's a reason why you didn't walk up here and start screaming at once... I figure it's because you're frightened it might attract too much attention."

Mayrett made a quick huff, "Hey now, I was just trying to be a good kelbas about it-

I pondered the word, but nothing came to mind as I spoke up to interrupt him, "Kelbas?"

He stared at me for a moment, and frowned as if annoyed, "It means... Uh, it's local slang for being, you know, a good sport."

"Oh," I whispered.

"As said, I was trying to do you a favor, but if you insist then-"

I motioned to him, "I'm saying that you should sweeten the deal a little. Make it worth my personal time, and I'll give you enough fangs and claws to make your photographers drool."

Mayrett froze for a moment, and a sly smile grew, "I heard you wolves were different... Guess that was true, but not in the way I expected. What would you want to... 'sweeten the deal' as you called it?"

I opened my muzzle to speak, but let the words linger as a new human was approaching. My gaze turned to the newcomer, and I found myself surprised by how stocky the man was. Not fat necessarily, just... built like a bear.

As Mayrett looked over, he grew an almost disgusted frown. The bear of a man marched up and motioned to me with both hands, "Ho there! I was told we were having-"

Mayrett stepped in front as he faced the newcomer, "We were having a discussion, and you're-"

"Yeah, yeah," The burly newcomer said, and proceeded to push himself against Mayrett with enough force that he almost stumbled to the side.

"Mautril ett!" Mayrett hissed as he gritted his teeth in a language that my translator didn't seem to pick up on.

The newcomer gave Mayrett a frown, and lashed out in the air as he muttered, "Pelti ett!"

Mayrett stepped back, face growing red in anger, and gritted his teeth, "It seems we'll have to continue our discussion another time..."

"Seems that way, Mayrett," I said, and nodded in return.

As Mayrett walked off, I turned my attention to the newcomer, and saw as he reached out with his hand, "It is a custom of yours to shake hands, yes?"

A... human __custom_ , yes?_

I reached out with my hand, and looked him up in the archives as I grabbed his own.

Laki Pedersen, 45 years old, a collaborator... This is the help that Lydon sent...

Guess I should be careful around him...

"I didn't realize that shaking hands was a Sophos custom?" I said.

Have you used Glow, Mr Laki?

Laki had a big hand for a human, but my own still dwarfed his. I let the handshake remain, and used my free hand to give him a heartfelt grip. As this occurred, I instructed the tendrils to take a sample of his blood. It only took moments, and Laki didn't seem to notice as the process finished, and I let go.

Now to wait for the analysis to finish...

"Shaking hands is a rather outdated way of greeting one another, not to mention how unhygienic it is, but we all have to make sacrifices in this time of need, right?" Laki said and smiled back.

Laki's hair was short but well stylized, and he had something of a triangular black beard. He looked respectable for a human, and while his scent was drenched in deodorant, it wasn't a bad one.

"I'm Vilkas... and you are?" I said.

"Laki Pedersen, at your service," Laki answered, and made an exaggerated nod with his head.

"You're the first pleasant person so far. Thank you for the help with Mayrett," I said.

Laki huffed as he kept smiling, "Not a problem. Mayrett is a royal pain around here, and his incessant desire for drama has ruffled more than a few feathers, among hybrid and human alike."

"I see," I said.

He stepped back and peered at me as if examining a painting, "It's the first time I've seen a wolf up close, and I'd admittedly expected something less... refined."

I perked my brow, "Why... thank you. So, what do you do around here?"

Laki shrugged and moved to my side as he faced the room at large, "This and that. I've been stationed down here for years."

"Ah, I see... Do pardon my curiosity, but what did you and Mayrett say to each other?" I wondered.

"You couldn't translate it?" Laki wondered.

I shook my head, "No, it was either too short to identify, or it was-"

Laki interrupted with a renewed grin, "A bit of nonsense."

"Hmm? Nonsense?" I wondered as my ears perked.

"Imagine if you wanted to say something foul to someone, but you couldn't because it'd cause problems. What do you do?" Laki asked.

"I'm guessing a gesture won't be tolerated either... Thus you create a bit of nonsense, where your words can mean anything and nothing, but the circumstances still make your intentions clear."

Laki nodded as he looked out across the crowd, "A complicated way of saying it, but yes."

"Is your society... harsh, regarding foul language?" I asked.

"People are protective when it comes to their own brand, and for good reason... Though I understand if that seems confusing to you," Laki answered.

"... Your own brand, is that another way of referencing your social clout?" I wondered.

Laki hummed for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, I guess so."

"So you've invented a system to discretely insult each other..."

Laki glanced at me, and blinked as if peering at an ignorant child, "It never ceases to amaze me that your kind come here and expect things to work according to your logic and reason. Our culture works one way, and we adapt accordingly."

"But... can't your culture decide that these meaningless-but-contextual words of nonsense could also be inappropriate?" I asked.

Laki stifled a hearty chuckle, "I'm sure we will one day, but then I'll just start with pleasantries..."

"With... pleasantries?" I wondered.

His sly smirk returned, "Could you imagine how annoying it would be, to have your frustrations met by a cheery voice that wishes you a good day?"

Ah, that sort of game...

I motioned to Laki, "The humans before the collapse already used pleasant words as insults."

Laki lifted both hands in the air, and made a chuckle, "No one cares about the old world, and no one remembers either. It is simply... irrelevant."

"... I see," I whispered, and lifted my gaze to the rest of the room.

Kamilah seemed busy with other groups of humans, while Tychon was surrounded by what looked like an entourage of media personalities. Surprisingly enough, there was a small child in the middle of everything. While it was difficult to see from here, the propped-up child was saying something while facing a set of cameras.

Laki whispered under his breath, "That's Green Edge, an activist fighting against Sophos oppression."

"I guess that answered one question, and created a great many more," I said.

"You've never heard of her?" Laki said and looked at me as if surprised.

I shrugged, "We can access human media if we want, but... it's not exactly useful information most of the time."

"Hmm," Laki murmured.

The results of the blood sample were finally presented to me, and I took a moment to go through it.

No Lusus markers to signal an ongoing infestation... No trace of Glow...

Plenty of lusus-antibodies... Stress... Plenty of alcohol in the blood... Might be an alcoholic...

"Do you mind what might seem like a naive question?" I asked.

A butler approached with a tray that was filled with glasses, and Laki reached out to grab one.

"Not at all," Laki said, and took a sip from his newly acquired glass.

"Why won't the human nations leave Sophos alone?" I asked.

Laki looked up at me for a moment, and he stared as if not knowing how to even process the question. After a few moments, he took another sip, "It's a question with many answers... I guess. Culturally, economically, environmentally..."

"But is it generally understood that Sophos just wants to be left alone?" I asked.

Laki drew a deep breath, "No, there's no such understanding."

"How so?" I asked.

Laki turned his attention to some point along the ceiling. He then motioned upwards with one hand, "Between the entrances to the UCS and Dyssian sections, there's a museum of sorts. You should visit it... it might teach you a thing or two about how Sophos is viewed from the outside."

"Am I going to get shot at if I try to enter?" I asked.

Laki chuckled to himself as he held the glass near his lips, "Everything within the Paradise Dome is neutral ground... No guards, no weapons. But don't take a step past the border of each tunnel. You'll be arrested in an instant, get shot... or both."

My attention was drawn to the crowd once more. Peter was standing by a group of robed Dyssians and appeared bored. John was being teased by what looked like a biscuit being held in front of him, and Allen was talking to a group of UCS officials alongside Lydon.

Better see if I can help John out...

I looked back to Laki, "I'm going to have a look around, will you be all right on your own?"

Laki waved at me dismissively, "Go... have fun, watch out for that _mlekpak_Mayrett."

"I will," I said and smiled back.

512 A.R. February 27, Tel-Adra - Haven, Midday

"Achél dik menalô mshiya marmar usut n'djadou!" The robed Dyssian snapped with his booming voice while waving a cracker in front of John's nose.

Another robed Dyssian--both shorter and slimmer--spoke up and motioned with his arms, "M'shall, holy be his name, wishes you to bow, animal!"

M'shall... Otherwise translated as 'holy cleric'...

John remained frozen in place, lips twitching a little as he glared back in anger.

"N'djadou! Shiya man alaya galub tiibmur!" The fat one exclaimed, pulled his hand back, and then hurled the biscuit through the air. It smacked into John's head with a thwack that made it bounce off in shattered pieces.

I was so focused on John that the translator didn't seem to trigger. Which in turn didn't matter much, the goal was to deal John and the unbridled anger that seemed to boil within him. While it would have been amusing to see John go wild, it wasn't something we could risk.

With a gentle push, I walked between the group of Dyssians and John. A shiver of surprise ran through John as he looked up at me, while I reached out to nudge his shoulder.

The Dyssian behind me roared in anger as he began to blabber, but I ignored as I leaned in by John, "Ignore it, and walk away."

He was stiff with tension as we began to walk, and-

There was a sudden and harsh grip on my tail. It made me jerk to a halt, and I could feel my hackles itch. I met John's gaze, nudged him along, and smiled, "Keep walking."

John did as told while I turned sideways, feeling as the hand held tight on my tail.

"Where do you think you're going?" The robed man asked in Dyssian, as I finally bothered to translate it.

As I tried to move away, the pressure grew on my tail, and I could see the fat man strain as he held tight around my fuzzy appendage. Instead, I kept turning and faced the Dyssian face on. It forced the Dyssian to be pulled closer as he still held onto my tail.

I leaned down with the idea of giving him a growl, but as my muzzle approached his face, something unexpected happened. In a sudden blaze, the Dyssian reached up high as if to slap me, and then... caught my whiskers.

He grabbed the whole bundle of them on the left side of my muzzle, and gritted his teeth with a twisted display of fury.

Now what?

He pulled on my whiskers, and I found myself being tugged along. I didn't want him to rip them loose, nor could I smack the shit out of him.

Suddenly, I felt Athena's presence flutter around me, and her voice reached out. My perception of time slowed down as I accepted her impromptu call.

'Seems like you've gotten yourself caught in a situation...' Athena mused.

'An embarrassing one, yes...' I thought.

'Want some help?' Athena wondered as a chuckle echoes in the background.

'... Yes, please,' I thought.

'Here... A small script. Run it like you would an expert system. It'll deliver a solution for you within seconds,' Athena mused.

I felt a brief transmission of data, a script of some kind that could be executed.

'What is this?' I wondered.

'Trust me...' Athena whispered as her presence faded once more.

I pondered it, then opened up the small script within my mind's eye. It looked like a set of instructions for nerves and various muscular spikes. The sum total of it made little sense, but... given that I was already running Expert Systems in my head that could translate back and forth, this seemed like a minor thing.

I hope...

It felt weird to run something like a script on my brain, but I did it anyway, and let my perception of time speed up. The Dyssian was still pulling on me as I felt something odd.

A pressure in my muzzle, an itch, almost burning. A moment later I recognized the feeling, it was the sudden desire to sneeze.

"You pathetic- __f_ orsaken_, coming here, thinking you can-"

The Dyssian was caught by surprise as I drew a deep breath, and felt as my whole body seized up. A split second later, I sneezed. A big and loud sneeze, as if I was in the height of a cold, and the whole world seemed to shudder in response.

Time itself seemed to freeze as the sneeze passed, and I opened my eyes once more. The fat Dyssian had let go, but his face was now a splatter of snot, mucus, and a fair amount of spittle filled with bubbles. In fact, it looked as if some of those crackers with the disgusting slob on them had gotten caught on his face as well.

As time seemed to kick into gear once more, the Dyssian was already toppling backwards. He screamed and retched at the same time, and hit the floor with a loud thump. The slaves next to him were screaming as well. Some of them gesticulated at me in anger, while others lunged at their master to wipe at his face with a variety of napkins and other pieces of cloth.

I shook my head, cleared my throat with a cough, and looked up to see that I had once more found myself the center of attention. Some looked openly disgusted, but a surprising amount of people throughout the room could barely hold back their laughs. It felt... nice, to see a hint of what I imagined humanity was really like, as I saw their lips twitch at the edge of bursting into laughter, and how even the servants were hiding their faces to avoid giggling.

It made me smile back, and I made a sheepish shrug. A moment later, someone nudged my uniform, and I glanced over to see that Lydon was there.

'It's time to leave...' Lydon thought over an impromptu link that formed between us.

'Are you displeased?' I wondered.

Lydon drew a deep breath and seemed to roll his eyes, 'No... It was a good distraction, but Kamilah has already left the scene, and there's little more for us to do here.'

'Very well, I'll inform the others...' I thought.

Lydon was already walking off, 'Quickly, before the slob recovers.'

512 A.R. February 27, Tel-Adra - Sophos Section , Afternoon

Peter and Allen were still talking about what was now my _secret_superpower as we stepped into our assigned quarters. John had been silent all the way from assembly hall, but as the door shut, he couldn't bear it any longer. In a sudden and bristling bout of anger, he let out a snarl in anger, thrashed his head back and forth, and delivered a kick to the wall with enough force that it left a black smudge from his shoe.

The others went silent in an instant, and I loomed behind him. I could hear his labored breaths, see the way his hands trembled as he gave the wall a harsh glare. His steady panting shuddered, and finally seemed to calm as he leaned onto the wall.

I carefully slipped my hand onto his shoulder and leaned in, "... You doing okay?"

His hackles relaxed, his breathing grew steady, and he glanced over at me, "... Yeah, I just needed to get that out of my system."

"Physical, and mental... Speak your mind, John," I said.

His lips rippled as he gave me a dark glance, "Sometimes I want to fucking strangle them..."

Intense as always...

I nodded slowly, "Yes... But we're not going to do that, right?"

"No..." John whispered, as his shoulders slouched.

I patted his back as I rested my muzzle against his shoulder, "I checked the maps. Looks like they have training halls here. We could spar; let our frustrations out at the end of the day."

"... I'm fine, Vilkas," John said.

"Sparring still sounds good though, right?" I wondered, and perked my brow.

John huffed and straightened himself, "It does..."

"Good," I said, then stepped back as I turned my focus to the others, "Anything to share?"

Peter glanced at John, and then came to focus on me, "The Imperials want nothing to do with us... I mean, they seem to hate us as much as the Dyssians, but they're not bothering. They just... ignored me, or stared in a way that gives me the creeps."

Allen stepped up, "I read up on them in the archives again, but... we seem to know surprisingly little about them. Their borders are even closed to other humans, and while they're happy to export high tech wares, they only buy raw materials--mostly from the Dyssians."

John joined in moments later, "They all look like clones."

Peter nodded, "Yeah, but there are a couple of different faces among them. As if there are different 'families' of clones."

"Putting all your eggs in one basket might be a valid consideration, even for a society that's built on clones," I said.

Allen looked between us, "The archives don't say whether they're actually clones. It could be that they're genetically different from each other, but they've erased most of their physical variations."

I nodded, "Could be..."

John frowned, "But why? I mean, hybrids could be criticized for the thought shaping effects of the symbiont, and the fact that we tend to reach the same conclusions through different means. But a society made up clones... seemingly endless duplicates of a few individuals, that ought to really stifle creativity."

Allen drew a deep breath, "They might see it in the way that they're merely breeding the best from the best. In fact, they might be subtly altering each new generation to make them better."

Peter looked at me, "Do we know if Imperials can be infested? Or whether they can fall victim to Glow addiction?"

I shrugged, "I'd assume so... They still look and smell human. That said, the archives are sparse regarding any information about them."

"Isn't that pretty strange?" Allen asked.

I looked over at him, "... Because there should have been plenty of opportunity to interrogate or perform research on those left behind after all the smaller scale wars?"

Allen nodded with a smile, "Yeah."

"I don't know... But I'll ask if I have the chance," I said.

John turned around to look at the room, "At least the room is spacey..."

I turned to look at the room and was tempted to agree with his deduction. There was a large bed to the right, multiple closets, a table on the left side of the room, and a spacious bathroom near the entrance.

All of it were simple, but functional.

John reached down to give the bed a gentle push, "Did you notice that the Dyssians were all men?"

I raised a brow, "Yeah, I did."

Peter sauntered over to the bed and sat down along the edge, "So, where are we eating tonight?"

I pointed at the floor, "There's a restaurant downstairs."

John turned his head to look at us, "I'm actually hoping they have some plain food... potatoes, meat, loads of vegetables... sauce. The aftertaste of that... _thing_they served at the Haven is still sticking to the back of my throat."

Peter jumped up from the bed once more, and slapped his hands together, "Food it is!"

512 A.R. February 27, Tel-Adra - Sophos Section , Evening

We'd barely stepped out of the restaurant when I caught sight of a familiar brown lizard. He was sitting in the corner of a lounge built into the end of the hallway, and he peered at us intently. The others joined my side, and someone let out a subtle burp.

"... Was he spying, or does he want something?" John whispered.

As John spoke, Tau rose from his corner and walked up to us, "Lydon wants to see you. He's in a nearby room, but he is preoccupied at the moment, so... if you will wait just a minute."

I motioned down the hallway, "Lead the way. We'll wait outside the room."

"... As you wish," Tau said with a courteous nod, and resumed walking.

John and Peter drifted closer to Tau, and a quick glance revealed that they were kind of... sniffing him out as we walked.

I ignored it as I joined Tau's side, and spoke up to distract him, "What changed your mind?"

"About?" Tau asked without any inflection of emotion.

"Well, I thought you didn't like coming here, that your place was in Greengate," I said.

"Lydon wanted dependable people by his side, ones that wouldn't be preoccupied with their own ambitions," Tau answered.

"I see, so... Is it your first time here?" I wondered.

"Oh... No, it isn't. I've spent decades working as a Diplomatic Aide to others," Tau said.

"... So, several decades ago, you already developed a preference to avoid this place," I said.

It was subtle, but the leathery brown skin of of his forehead made a subtle crease as if annoyed, "You're digging into my nature."

"Yes... Would you prefer me not to do that?" I wondered.

Tau drew a deep breath, "If you have good reason, then I have no objection."

"I merely want to understand--if it annoys you, then tell me, and I'll stop," I said.

Tau looked over at me, "Yes, I did develop an aversion to this place, and I sought to avoid it. Now it demands my attention once more, thus I am here."

Allen sneaked up along Tau's other side, and spoke up, "So, what was it that caused said aversion?"

Tau let out a subtle sigh as he met Allen's gaze, "... It wasn't the humans. Rather, it was my companions."

"... Go on?" I said.

We came to a slow stop outside what looked like a meeting room, and Tau stared at the door as if annoyed that it wasn't open yet.

"... You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," I said.

Tau's shoulders drooped a little, and he turned around to face the rest of us. As the gaze of his slitted eyes wandered across us, it felt like the observation of someone that struggled with his own emotions. Uncertain and troubled, as if intimidated yet confused at the same time.

After a few moments he seemed to shy away as he inched closer to the door, while focusing on me.

"... My kind can be very boring, especially when you differ from the rest and begin to see the world in a new light," Tau answered.

I nodded, "Yeah, I can't imagine how... lonely it must have felt."

Tau blinked as he stared at me, "Lonely... is one way to describe it, yes."

Suddenly, the door next to us opened, and Tau jumped a little in surprise. Lydon peered out a moment later, gave Tau an odd glance, and turned his attention to me, "I was thinking we'd have a short debriefing... You have time, I assume."

I smiled back, "We do."

"Mm," Lydon nodded as he stepped back into the meeting room.

Tau marched inside, and I followed along with the others. The room was large, but simple--plain gray walls, a meeting table, along with chairs in a variety of sizes along its length. At the end of the room was a big screen, and a small holographic emitter hung from the ceiling.

Lydon walked down the length of the table and carefully eased himself into a chair, "We'll be working with Kamilah when we can, but she has a load of meetings with her human compatriots which make it difficult."

I couldn't help but perk my brow, "Isn't the whole reason to create a peace between us and the human nations?"

"It is... but the humans need to come up with ways to split the spoils," Lydon answered.

"... Oh, so that's how it is," I said.

Lydon raised his hand to point at me, "She noticed you as she entered. I'm not sure whether she has some intelligence on you, or if she just took note of the tallest figure in the room."

I took a slow walk along the chairs, "You sent me off to do my own thing, does that have something to with it as well?"

"It does... I have no intention of introducing an entire pack to Kamilah, but one person... I can work with that," Lydon said.

"Ah..." I whispered.

"What about the rest of us?" John asked.

Lydon looked over at the others, "I've thought about that as well, and there are several options. One is that we simply lend you out to other teams--there's also an intelligence-op on the train that could use some backup, and the reptiles wouldn't say no to some assistance either."

Tau spoke up, "While the Expert Systems are skilled, they do fall into certain... patterns. When the situation requires it, a fully sapient individual could help resolve the situations that sometimes occur."

I drew a deep breath, "You're effectively splitting us up?"

"Is that a problem?" Lydon asked and looked back at me.

I moved closer, and stopped along the wall as I focused on Lydon, "That depends on what the situation is like around here. Particularly when it comes to the risk of infestation among the humans."

Lydon peered at me as he reached up to scratch a spot his right antler, "... Frankly, we don't know."

"... The humans don't have any tests?" I wondered.

Lydon sighed, "The humans don't realize the troubles that are growing in the shadows. According to Kamilah, they do have health and security controls before being let in here, but we have no clue whether they're testing for the things we're concerned about."

I motioned to our surroundings, "And the facility itself? Can it contain an infestation?"

"The doors are reinforced and the walls are fireproof. If an infestation does occur, you contain it within a room, and set fire to the inside..." Lydon said.

"... Seriously?" I wondered.

Lydon lowered his gaze to the table, "If that doesn't work, you flee back to our section, where we do have the necessary precautions to halt an infestation."

I sighed, "Have there been any sign that any of them are infested yet?"

"No," Lydon answered, "But as we already know, this new strain lies in wait until it's ready, and emerges all at once."

"So, this is quite dangerous..." I said.

Lydon focused on me with something of a stare, "Temporarily. Kamilah understands the danger, and once we've had a chance to oil the hands we need, we'll be in a much better position to selectively purge any that might pose a risk."

"Mm, and what about Laki? The collaborator you sent to help me out," I said.

Lydon motioned at me, "He can be trusted. His help has so far been invaluable, and he's in the rare place of acting as a double spy for us. We slip him enough information to keep his masters happy, and we get information about what they're truly after."

"... And how do you know you can trust this double spy of yours?" I asked.

Lydon smiled back, "Because his real family is in Sophos, safe within one of Athena's secure villages."

"Ah," I whispered.

"... Did you test him?" Lydon wondered.

I tried to act ignorant and perked my ears, "... What do you mean?"

Lydon gave me a tired stare, "Oh, please... You're deeply concerned about the infestation risk, you're more than equipped to grab a discrete sample, and he's the first person in the Haven that you shook hands with. The likelihood that something with your profile _wouldn't_sample him is unlikely."

So, I guess he knew about the Zephyr as well... Makes things simpler, I guess...

I huffed and met his gaze, "Yes, I did test his blood, and from what I can tell he's clear."

Lydon made a slow nod, "Good... That means he hasn't slipped up while I've been gone."

I looked over at the others, "... What do you say, are we willing to work under these circumstances?"

John nodded, "I am... but I'd want a go at this intelligence-op."

Allen's ears perked up, and he looked over at John as if he had stolen his idea.

John seemed to notice in turn, and met Allen's gaze, "... Did you want that?"

"I did, but..." Allen whispered.

Lydon raised his hand and interrupted, "You did well today, Allen... Silent, but charismatic. The humans seemed to enjoy taking pictures with you."

Allen's ears fell flat, "... Alas, I did not."

Lydon perked his brow, "Does that mean you refuse to do what's being asked of you?"

"... No," Allen whispered.

Lydon smiled back and clasped his hands, "Good... I'll make sure you end up in good company, and John can have a go at the intelligence-op. That leaves you, Peter..."

Peter glanced at me, and then turned to focus on Tau, "I can help out with the reptiles if Tau tags along."

Tau drew a deep breath, "... Unexpected, but I guess my previous experience and current status will help bridge the divide."

"Good," Lydon said as he motioned to them, "You're on the security team, and Vilkas will take the role as my personal aide during our stay here."

I have more than one bad feeling about this...

"We'll give it a try, and evaluate daily," I said.

Lydon nodded, "Indeed, we will..."

Unknown

I was asleep, yet I could feel something pull on me within the depths of my own mind. It felt as if I floated within a void, and an invitation opened in front of me. The barrier between me and Volkov opened up, and my mind stirred with that realization.

'We should talk,' Volkov said as his voice echoed across the void.

'Very well,' I thought, and felt myself fall past the barrier.

The world shifted around me, and suddenly I was plunged into the virtual reality of Volkov's domain. I stumbled, and it took a few moments for my senses to adapt--mostly because I had been laying down a moment ago, and now I was standing on a platform that seemed to float in outer space. I'd been here before, in Volkov's new little home.

I drew a deep breath, stood tall, and my gaze wandered to the center of the platform. It quickly became apparent that this place had changed a bit. The once subtle red crystalline pillar that had been standing in the center had changed. It was a lot bigger, had grown twisted, and now reached upward like a branching tree that reached toward the sky. In fact, it carried an eerie glow and seemed to distort the space above it, as if there was a storm brewing. Even the platform itself had cracked as large crystalline roots had spread outward from the center.

Volkov was sitting next to the large crystal pillar, on one of the large roots that had extended from it.

He had the same appearance as last time. Shorter and smaller than a wolf, with gray fur, and distinctly yellow eyes. He peered at me in silence and let his legs sway gently in the air.

I couldn't read the state of his mind, so I started walking instead. It didn't take long before the crystalline tree loomed above me, and I looked up at the root which Volkov was sitting on.

"It's been a while," I said.

Volkov looked down at me and nodded. Something about his eyes, the way he peered at me... it made it seem as if he was tired.

"It has," Volkov said, with a voice that was almost my own.

"How are you, Volkov?" I asked.

Volkov huffed and made a knowing smile, "I'm like you. Neither of us are fine, Vilkas. We're stressed and tormented. We hide the many pains we feel and keep going."

It made me frown a little, "... I have no intention of stopping yet."

Volkov grew a subtle smile, "As I said, we're the same."

I raised my hand to motion at the large crystalline tree and its ominous glow, "What's this?"

"You've already asked that," Volkov said.

"And now I'm asking again. Last time you said you couldn't affect it, but that it was wired into every system. Now it has changed, and that has to mean something," I said.

"I'm sure it does mean something, but it's not for us to know yet," Volkov said.

I squinted as I stared up at him, "Is that the truth?"

Volkov glanced away, "Partially."

I drew a deep, slow breath, "And I'm guessing you won't tell me, but what if I played hard in return, hmm? What then?"

Volkov looked back at me, "I invited you here, not to fight, but to talk."

"We can't talk, unless we're honest with one another, Volkov. Talk to me, trust me, and I will help you... if it's help that you need," I said.

Volkov clasped his hands together, and made a lopsided smile, "I can't, I'm sorry... But it won't be long now, and then it will all become clear.

"And I'm supposed to just accept that? With no clue whether I'm doing the right thing, or if I'm even in the right place, or whether it even involves me?" I wondered.

"We are where we need to be, and if we do things right, everything will be fine..."

I sighed, and motioned to the ground, "Will you at least come down here so that I don't have to strain my neck like this?"

Volkov perked his brow, "We're in a virtual world, Vilkas... You can just float up here and sit next to me if you want."

I looked down at myself, and pondered, "... How?"

"Just... think of some other time you've done it, and follow your gut," Volkov said.

There were a few times where I'd been floating, when caught between worlds, or when Athena showed me what happened within the bunker. As I focused on the memory, the feeling of it, the weight of my body no longer felt as heavy.

Suddenly, it felt natural. I became weightless, and gently pushed off the ground. Within moments I was floating upwards, and with some gentle movements of my hands, I floated closer to Volkov.

Soon thereafter, I floated next to Volkov, and let myself grow heavy once more. I sank down, settled on the large root, and felt as everything settled once more.

"See, that wasn't so hard?" Volkov said.

I huffed back, "It wasn't..."

Volkov smiled and looked out across the void that surrounded the platform.

"... You seem tired," I said.

Volkov nodded, "I've been spending most of my time in an accelerated state. For you, it has been weeks. For me, it has been years."

"For years... Why? How? I mean... to that extent?" I wondered.

Volkov looked back at me, "It's not perfect, accelerating like that. Most feelings lag behind, certain kinds of thinking become difficult, but for intellectual pursuits it works well. As for why, well... because it was necessary."

"... Alone?" I wondered.

Volkov shook his head, "No... I've made friends, acquaintances, relationships. None of whom you know, and probably never will know. Most of them spend their days being accelerated as well, working toward the project."

"I've tried to contact you," I thought.

"I know... Most of the time I've been far too busy, other times I've simply... not felt like talking."

I leaned closer to him, "So, given these years you've had, have you found answers to the great many questions both of us shared?"

Volkov stifled a chuckle and gave me an incredulous look, "No, at least not _those_kinds of questions. Even if I did, would you want them if I were willing to hand them over?"

"Well... I'd listen to them. I'm not sure I'd accept them without some serious thought though. That said, I want to think that the answers to our questions only breed more questions, and I doubt you've run out of them yet," I said.

"True, true..." Volkov whispered with a nod.

I motioned to him, "Say, Athena handed me a script earlier. I ran it, and it caused to me to sneeze over a particularly annoying Dyssian."

Volkov snickered to himself as he nodded repeatedly, "I know... I did see the newsclip about it."

"It was easy enough for me to understand the nerves it pulled on, but I had difficulty understanding on a macroscopic scale, that it would make me sneeze," I said.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised. Our bodies are very complicated, and you really need to start making your own Expert Systems to help out with these things. That way you'd be able to react quickly, which is our forte, but you can hand over the heavy lifting to programs that are better suited to putting the pieces together."

"Ah, but... How far can this go? Is there a command to stop my heart?" I wondered.

Volkov tipped his head, "There is, of course. But to do something like that requires the highest level of clearance, something only your conscious mind can conjure up, and that's if you really... really want it. Scripts like the one Athena gave you are as harmless as the translator. It can make you do things, but only if you let it, and as long as it doesn't hurt you."

"So, if I had tried to resist the sneeze," I said.

Volkov nodded, "Then it would have stopped... probably. Can I have a look at it?"

For a moment, I considered asking him how to do it, but... it felt as if I was starting to get a hang of this. I thought about Athena's message, raised my hand to the area in front of us, and imagined a screen that displayed the contents of the script. With the blink of an eye, the screen appeared as if summoned with magic.

Volkov nodded approvingly, "Good work, now let's take a look..."

He stared at it for a moment and smiled to himself, "I do think it would have been difficult for you to stop the sneeze. Mostly because the commands in this one triggered your natural responses. It made you think there was something like pepper irritating your nose, and your natural reflexes did the rest."

"Ah," I said.

"What if I was asleep, would something like this work?" I wondered.

Volkov shook his head, "No... The activities that can be done without the host being consciousness is very limited. You can enter suspended animation and set timers for when to awake, or what senses to keep on and wake you up, but not much more than that."

I nodded, "So... in the end, we're pretty much like machines."

Volkov glanced at me, "We were always like machines, even when we were human. We just weren't able to control the machine... at least not properly."

"True," I whispered.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Volkov said and pointed up at the many branches of crystal that glowed and pulsed with activity.

"It is," I said.

"... I know I've been rather dismissive, but it's easy to forget that you spend your life interacting with people living in 'real time'... so, feel free to drink from my wellspring of wisdom while I'm in a good mood."

"Ooh, how generous and humble of you," I mused.

Volkov stifled a chuckle as he looked back at me, "It was... strange, dealing with things I couldn't share, problems you wouldn't understand, and then... you'd pop out of nowhere, asking me to go over a bit of data. I know it wasn't fair to you, but it felt as if..."

"I was falling behind..." I said.

Volkov shrugged, "Yeah, and I know how dickish that sounds but... I guess we have such high expectations out of ourselves that we don't stop to consider the circumstances."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I whispered.

Volkov seemed to cheer up with a smile, "So... first question?"

I lifted my gaze a little and pondered, "Let's see... I've noticed that the translator is behaving oddly at times... adding conjugations like_pathetic-forsaken,_" I said.

Volkov nodded, "That's because the humans have a lot of words for which there is no direct translation. Rather than add a bunch of new words to Common, it simply reaches for the best set of words to describe it."

"Ah, I see... They went all out on inventing these new languages, didn't they?" I wondered.

"That is a pretty apt description of it. Dyssian was not a language that naturally evolved from Common. It was designed and forced on the populace to make sure that there was a distinct barrier between 'their' people, and the rest of the island."

"... That can't have been easy," I said.

"I'm sure it wasn't, but when you outlaw a language and condemn anyone to lose a finger for speaking it... Well, they basically erased Common in just a couple of generations."

"Ah..." I whispered.

Silence fell between us, and my thoughts wandered to something that had weighed on my mind.

"I do have one big questions which I'm hoping you might be able to shed some light on," I said.

"Yeah?" Volkov wondered.

"Selina mentioned that there were a lot more launches than expected, and that the archives didn't reflect the true number. I haven't dared ask Athena about it, and I won't ask what's on those ships, but-"

Volkov interrupted, "But you're curious about how this is possible, and what would happen if Athena found out?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

Volkov clasped his hands, "Athena knows... On some level, she already knows. Maxwell has these little taps all over, and he can use them to make things invisible to the system. She objects to this level of interference, but she's powerless to stop it, as are the rest of us."

"But why? Would it hurt that people know there are a lot more launches?" I asked.

Volkov perked his brow, "And what makes you think that's the only thing being manipulated by Maxwell? The rockets might only be a piece of the bigger picture, but it's still one clue closer to the truth."

"A truth _you_know?" I wondered.

"A truth I know a _part_of," Volkov corrected.

"And that makes you trust him enough to do what he says?" I wondered.

Volkov sighed as he looked back in front, "I don't trust him, but the circumstances make it unlikely that he there would be deceit behind it... and that's as much as I'm willing to say about it."

"... Alright, I'll accept that," I said.

"Good," Volkov whispered.

"... So, why did you invite me here?" I wondered.

Volkov kept his gaze held high, "Because I was lonely, and I was hoping you'd join me here for a while."

"... I can do that," I answered, and shuffled closer to him.