Chapter 36

The LSN (Living Sigil Network) also known as the World Wide Web, spans across the globe. Even in the deepest jungles, or the far Northern Ice Wastes, devices can still have web access. But there are still places that can’t be touched by the Resonance waves. Some locations innately have an interference field of the natural magics in the area. Other spaces have an interference field artificially added using jamming devices that utilize Distortion Myst. The LSN also can’t access other realms. This includes pocket dimensions unless there is an open path from Anogwin to the pocket space. Once a pocket space is sealed, no signals or data get in or out.

We had all rode Teefa’s cab back to home base after making a stealthy exfiltration from the hospital. Ferris, Kharmor, Demierra, and Ozwald were forced to share the three seats in the back. This meant that Ferris, being the physically lightest of the four, had to sit on our Dracose Fury’s lap for the ride. Nennel had the honor of getting the front passenger seat, which I gave her to keep her somewhat appeased during the trip. And where was I, you may ask? Why, the trunk of the AV, of course.

Everyone had complaints about the seating plan. Demierra and Ozwald both wanted the shotgun seat, which I flatly denied. Ferris would rather have been spared the shame of a woman’s lap. But Kharmor had too much mass to take anyone’s lap, nor would he have suffered the indignity. Ozwald was wounded, nor would he suffer the indignity either. No one even thought of sitting the Dracose in anyone’s lap for more than one reason. Nennel and Ferris were enraged at the fact that I was ‘forced to lie in the trunk’ as they put it, but I told them both to eat a sock and deal with the choice.

My choice of so-called seating was a complicated one. It spared my leg from undue stress as I lay on my side. It also kept me out of sight from anyone glancing in the vehicle, which I preferred out of fear of someone with an eye like Lynn’s piercing my illusion. The space muted against the complaints of everyone else in the AV, including Teefa, who I knew would be particularly bitter. But above all previous reasons, the trunk was a quiet, dark, and private space to let me brood over the events without interruption for the ten-hour trip back to the safe house.

Things in my life had been moving at a break-neck speed almost since I had entered the hive-city. Murders, ambushes, poisoning, delving into the Undercity, a Regulator AV chase, Nel getting torn to pieces not once but twice, cutting off my own feet like some schizo lunatic, infiltrating a murder happy gang, a law enforcement breach and siege, and above all, that damned digital phantom forcing me into some grand game I couldn’t even comprehend. It was all too much. Too much happening too fast. So, for the first hour of the ten-hour trip, I had a mental breakdown. I sobbed, screamed, and thrashed for that hour.

I was a seventeen-year-old boy, for the sake of the gods. I should’ve been stressing about school exams, finding a girlfriend or boyfriend, and what I wanted to do with my life. But there I was, up to my eyeballs in murder and intrigue, trying just to figure out my next step while some maniac cyber-ghost was plotting who knew how many moves ahead.

After I had my tantrum, I settled into the space and thought. I picked apart as many events as I could, piecing them all back together as one large mental puzzle. But the puzzle had holes. Massive holes, and several of them.

Before I knew it, the AV was landing, and I had to find composure before the others saw me. After I felt the vehicle come to a shuddering landing, I took several slow breaths to prepare myself. When the trunk popped with a click, light flooded my vision, burning my eyes. I raised a hand to block the light and let out a melodramatic hiss like some creature of the night.

“Oh, quit being such a baby.” Navor chided before gripping my ear and dragging me out by it.

“Aw aw aw aw!” I protested as I attempted to follow the force to lessen the pain. That only resulted in the Master releasing my ear in time for me to fall, face first, onto the street. I rubbed my ear as I pulled myself to my good foot, using the AV as a handhold.

“I should have each and every single one of you punished for the sheer stupidity you somehow lived through.” Navor scolded.

“And calling me for transport, again.” Teefa complained. “I’m not your private chauffeur, you know.”

“Look, I’m sorry.” I said. “But what was I supposed to do? Walk back here on an inoperable leg?”

“That would be just what you deserve.” Teefa snapped at me.

Navor turned to the Ceangar. “I’m sorry, Teef. I’ll pay you back with my next paycheck.” The Master then glared at me and each of the other students in turn. “And I’ll take it out of what they would earn.”

After a few apologies and promises, Navor herded us all inside. That was where the real work was about to begin.

I had barely made it into the basement when a hand gripped the collar of my shirt and almost pulled me off my foot. I turned around to find Nennel griping me and pinning me with a look that promised violence. “Talk. Now.”

“Okay, okay.” I hurried to agree with a hand gesture for her to calm down. “Fer, Khar, can you two get some seats for the group and bring them down here? This is going to be a long talk.”

A few minutes later, everyone in the house, including Zynna and Master Navor, was gathered in the basement in a circle of chairs.

“Okay.” I started. “Before I get too deep into what I know, I need info from Oz.” I turned to the Human, followed by everyone else. Ozwald’s eyes went wide and visibly flinched with nervousness.

“I’ll start with a simple one.” I said. “You’re GentlemanWolf on the Copper-For-Your-Thoughts website. Correct?” I stated.

He only gave a single nod in answer.

“And G3ar Gh0zt sent you to put me down. Correct?”

“Correct.” Ozwald confirmed with audible shame.

“I want details.” I said.

“Let me get the biggest piece out of the way.” Ozwald said as he interlocked his fingers and rested them on his knee. “I killed my brother.” The silence after that single sentence was thick as tar and just as ready to ignite. When no one spoke after a moment’s wait, Ozwald continued. “Let me give a bit of context to that proclamation. My family has lived in Grimvale for the whole of my life. In District 1, in fact. That should tell you plenty about my mother. She is what you would call a Corp-rat, but she earned our home by snatching political power at every opportunity. My father was never in the family portrait, and I have no inkling of what happened to him. The only parental figure in the house considered my brother and myself an afterthought behind her corporate climb. My brother and I were twins, but we didn’t have that stereotypical bond that people say twins have. Nathan, who always had a nose for trouble, turned into a drug addict seemingly overnight. My idiot brother had been regularly purchasing Ink-K from the Razor Wings and quickly became unstable. But since Mother was never around, I was the one who became the target of his fits. One day, Nathan stepped over a line, and I had to defend myself. The result was my twin brother dead on the floor with a bread knife in his throat.”

Nennel gave a sharp intake of breath, but that was the only response in the room. Ozwald continued with only the slightest emotional inflection in his words. “My mother blamed me for the murder but had no noticeable response beyond annoyance that she had to pay for a cremation. So, I turned to the digital world to find what she would never give. I found the web page Copper-For-Your-Thoughts, posted a rough outline of my situation, and asked for advice. A guy using the username G3ar Gh0zt contacted me and was the friend I needed to pull through those hard days. I didn’t realize he was manipulating me until I was in too deep to get out safely. I had heard my mother ranting about a new drug formula that she was tasked to complete but required testing. I mentioned it to Gh0zt while complaining, and he mentioned that he had a modified variant of the formula and offered to help me use it for revenge. One talk led to another, and the next thing I knew, Gh0zt told me to find a subordinate of my mother’s that I could use as a means to an end. That subordinate came to the house on occasion to submit reports. During one of his visits, I heard my mother verbally abusing the Dwarf through a closed door. I spoke to the man over a meal with an offer to help. Over dinner, Mr. Fadlemor explained that Mother had tasked him with finding willing test subjects but had failed to do so and was in trouble. I may have lied and said that Mother was setting him up for failure to use him as a scapegoat for the project. Then, on Gh0zt’s instructions, I mentioned utilizing drug users on the streets as test subjects and using the Razor Wings as Fadlemor’s legal fall guys if the test results raised trouble in the city. He thought it was brilliant and mentioned intentionally poisoning the formula to ruin Mother’s standing in the corporate world. I thought it was a great idea, but it came back to bite me.”

I spoke up, verbally working through thoughts of what must’ve happened after. “So, this Fadlemor sold the poisoned formula to the gang. But how was he supposed to get the tailored results from the drug users?”

Ozwald corrected my expectations. “If everything had worked according to plan, you would be right, Maverick. But while Fadlemor made contact with the gang through the LSN digital network, he got cold feet when he needed to meet the gangers in person to hand over the written formula, since it could not be sent over the net without a trail leading back to Fadlemor. Gh0zt said that I had to finish the transaction in person. So I went in disguise and took the money from the sale for myself. The test data was supposed to be collected with body-state tracker bracelets, which I tried to hand over during the deal, explaining that it was for user vital readings and could be given to the addicts as a ‘subscription bonus‘. But the gangers just laughed in my face and told me to stride before I tasted steel.”

“So you and your minion couldn’t get the data to ruin your mother. That must’ve been an issue. But, you had to have made the trade before you traveled back to the Aegis Academy for the school year.” I deduced.

“Correct.” Ozwald confirmed. “I thought I was clear of trouble, but the Razor Wings had a Circuit class Mage on retainer who recorded my personal IP address during the transaction. And when the drug testing caused trouble for the gang, they came looking for compensation, intending to take their pound of flesh from my body as payment. I would’ve simply ignored them, stayed at the Academy for the year, and purchased a new device and IP address when I got home. But Gh0zt knew more than he should have. He demanded I join a training party coming to Grimvale. When I told him where to stick it, he… told me things. Things that no one should’ve known, and he proved he had power beyond what any normal Circuit Mage should have. I was threatened into doing things I did not want any part of.”

“Like poisoning the party?” I asked.

Ozwald ran a hand through his hair again, clearly stressed. “The money from the drug sale was spent buying poison from a Silent Heart student I know at the academy. I poisoned the coffee and was instructed to frame either Darrdane, Stillwind or you, Maverick. Gh0zt said that it was to cause you trouble and put you off your game while he worked on… something. I don’t know what, to be honest. Gh0zt also fed me information on Darrdane’s father to send to the Razor Wings to save me from the gang who caught onto my trail the moment I was in the city again.” Ozwald nodded toward Nennel as he mentioned her. “He never gave me a reason for what he made me do, other than simply saying ‘To toy with a fresh player.’”

Nennel audibly growled like a hound at the Human boy. At the same time, I spat out a string of curses that caused everyone in the room to stare at me.

I lightly tugged on one of my horns with two fingers in thought and locked my eyes on the floor as I ran through what Ozwald had just said. Weaver had me targeted for his games before I even entered the city. Did he specially set up that first corpse in the electronics shop for me to find? How? Maybe he dug into Vartex’s systems and lured the agent there with a planted job after he somehow learned I was going to be on that corner. Did that mean that Weaver had hacked into Navor’s systems to read the schedule planned for that day? I raise my gaze back to Ozwald. “I’m getting the sense that you are playing a bigger part in the happenings that you’re letting on. Spill.”

Ozwald nodded with his eyes locked on his hands in his lap. I couldn’t help but question how on Anogwin this guy had made it into Sightless Eye and Silent Heart if he was so bad at acting and had such a soft conscience. “Gh0zt had me feeding him intel on the group whenever something happened.” Ozwald continued. “After I threw Darrdane to the wolves, I had to tell him about your plan to travel into the Undercity to talk to some hacker. He took an intense interest in this. And I’m guessing he found out whoever you were meeting because he mentioned something about laying breadcrumbs in the spider’s web. He must’ve been watching you somehow as well, because he told me about your Regulator chase before the Master said anything. He said something about a hound on your tail that I would need to contact later.”

“Later?” I asked.

“When you went to the gang hideout, Gh0zt had me contact a Regulator named Kellden and tell him that the killer of his sister would be at the Razor Wing hideout. He said that it would stir up two wasp nests and give you something to worry about.”

I rolled this news around in my head for a second before a question came to mind. “I don’t understand why he would sick the Regs on the Razor Wings. He told me himself that he hired the gang to put down the targets he challenged me to save. Why would he get in his own way like that?”

“Then he sent that stranger to kill Oz.” Ferris pointed out. “Why would he target his own mole?”

“I don’t get it.” I said as I ran a hand between my horns and through my hair. “And there was definitely something wrong with that guy. Did you see his eyes?” I asked.

Kharmor nodded in agreement as Demierra said, “Yeah. Guy must’ve been on something. He wasn’t even talking straight. What did he say again?”

“White pawn takes white rook, or black knight takes white pawn.” Kharmor repeated from memory. “But there was something wrong with his speech pattern. He had a stutter that sounded more like a computer glitch than anything natural.”

“White pawn. White rook. Black knight.” I muttered.

“Can someone please fill me in on this whole story?” Zynna asked with annoyance. “I feel like I picked up a new holo-show halfway into a season.”

“Agreed.” confirmed Demierra, even as Ozwald gave a slight nod.

So, I told the room my side of the story up to the present at that time. I kept nothing out. Everyone knew that this all started as a vengeance mission for Nel after the Razor Wings jumped her the first time. But the people who weren’t with me for the delve into Undercity listened intently, only knowing the tail-end of the encounter. Demierra laughed at my disaster of an escape from the ghouls. When I got to the moment of stupid when I nose-dived into the toxic pool, everyone, including Nel and Ferris, booed me and threw wads of paper at me. Zynna directly called me a liar when I got to the Stigmagaunt, but Nel and Ferris both vouched for me, and Nel pulled up the news footage of the Stigmagaunt’s rampage.

When Nel pulled up the footage, I got the complete story on the creature’s blitz of terror. The creature had totally collapsed six buildings, severely damaged seventeen structures, and killed forty-six people directly or indirectly. The creature was stopped by the Regular Stryker team after half an hour of nonstop combat and the death of four Regs.

This news only served to put more weight on my shoulders. But I got back to my tale of woe, picking up with the infiltration of the gang. When I revealed that Gh0zt G3ar was a cyber phantom, Ozwald almost ripped out his own hair with the realization. Apparently, the knowledge that he was being manipulated by the soul and engram of a dead Circuit Mage did not sit well with him.

When I got to the part where Zynna and Demierra swooped in to save our collective bacon, I asked them what had led up to that. Turns out that even as I was laying groundwork plans with Ferris, Nel, and Khar, Master Navor had set the other three members of the team as a safety contingency. The Master already knew that Zynna was a Copkin and clearly put her species’ natural talents to use, slipping into the ganger ranks with much more ease than myself and the others. While Zynna was keeping an eye on us and obviously bailing the Darkling idiot out of trouble, Demierra had been perched on a nearby rooftop, ready for a tactical strike, such as wrecking balling herself through a third-floor wall. Ozwald, meanwhile, was tasked with lining up several escape routes if things went sideways. Well, it’s hard to get much more sideways than what happened, especially with the knowledge that Ozwald sicked the Regs on us, which was a guaranteed method to throw my plans right out the window.

With everyone brought up to speed, we went back to puzzling our situation out. We had Ozwald acting as an unwilling mole for Weaver, Weaver apparently committing self-sabotage to get rid of me, a Regulator Arsenal with a serious grudge against me, and a strange, possibly drugged up man stepping into our hospital room and attempting to dispose of Ozwald in a rather permanent fashion.

With Ozwald revealing his role, we got some answers, but several more questions as well. While we pondered this, I had a sudden realization. “I need to go get some paper and a pen.” I said casually as I stood and limped my way into my bedroom. Quickly, I collected a sketchbook and a pen, and took off my therra, placing it in a desk drawer before writing a message of five lines. I pinned the message to the back of my door and called Navor into my room for a private talk.

As Navor entered my room, I closed the door and carefully placed myself so she faced me at an angle that my message would be just inside her range of view, but outside the camera angle of her therra.

“What do you want to talk about?” The Master asked.

In answer, I faked wiping my nose with a hand, a single finger just barely pointing to the message on the door before speaking. “Sorry, runny nose. I wanted to talk with you about Ozwald. He’s already poisoned the squad once, informed on us to this wraith in the system, and almost got me and my friends killed when we were neck-deep in the gang. It’s your final choice, Master Navor, but I don’t feel comfortable working with him. I say we confiscate his therra for evidence and throw the corp-kin traitor to the street.”

I never saw her eyes even glance at the message, but it was clear that she saw by her response. “Are you sure, Iver? He was at the top of his class in both sects at the academy. He has very useful skills.”

“It’s because of those skills I don’t think we can trust him. He might just be giving us tailored responses to play on sympathy.”

“Alright. I’ll take all his devices and ship him back to the academy. I can contact the headmistress to close off the entire network there and put him under guarded watch for the duration of his year. After that, it will be up to Mysteriarch K whether he stays with the academy or goes.” Navor said in a dead serious tone.

I opened the door to the room to hide the message before Navor turned to leave. As she passed into the communal area again, she made the decree that sealed the deal. “Alright, everyone. I have two announcements.” She made eye contact with Ozwald as she folded her arms in disappointment. “Mr. Ozwald. I’m afraid we are going to need to send you back to the academy. We are going to restrict your access to the LSN and keep you under watch.” While Navor made her decree, I folded and pocketed my note before I pulled my therra from the desk and remounted it to my temple.

As I stepped into the communal area, I folded my own arms and gave Ozwald an obviously ticked-off expression. He looked ashamed and hurt, but didn’t argue with the decision. “But first,” Navor continued. “I need to collect all your therra-nodes to review any footage and data on them we might find useful. That includes yours, Jonathan. Once you make it back to the academy, you’ll receive a temporary therra with improved security and monitoring. Now, everybody, follow me to my room.”

Everyone looked shocked at the development, but not a word was said as we all followed the Master upstairs and into her pocket space room. The room looked the same as before. That strange cross between refined noble and barbarian war chief esthetics. Nennel, Ferris, Ozwald, and Demierra ogled the space in curiosity, clearly new to the space, but Zynna and Kharmor seemed unimpressed. As if they had been there before.

First, Navor walked up to her mammoth cherry wood desk against the right side of the circular room. She pulled open one of the top drawers and withdrew an electronic stick no bigger than a thumb drive. It was Coded Teleportation Key, or CTK for short.

For those unfamiliar with CTKs, private or heavily restricted Teleportation Traversal Zones can’t be accessed without one of these keys. Each CTK is linked with a single TTZ, and trying to jump to one of these restricted TTZs without the correct key can have… messy results since the jumper is redirected to another TTZ, or several TTZs at once. Think missing pieces. 

Navor handed the CTK to the miserable boy. “This is keyed to the correct destination. You’ll get told anything you need to know after you land. I’ve already messaged and paid for a cab to take you to the TTZ.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what the Master had planned. I was originally plotting to use Ozwald as a triple agent against Weaver. But Navor had far more experience than me, so I’d have to trust her judgment.

“But before you go, and this goes for everybody, I need ya’ll to put your therras in this shielded box.” As Navor spoke, she walked over to a set of shelves against a nearby wall and pulled down an ornate wood and stone box with a hinged and locked lid. She flipped the box open and moved to each student one by one. “I want to make sure that there is no messing with the data on these things.” Navor explained. “Now, Ozwald, I’m going to need you to wait by the curb for pick up while I talk with the rest of the party. Your ride’ll be here pretty quick. Please close the door on your way out.” Navor closed the box in time with Ozwald closing the door with dejection.

“Okay, we can talk freely now.” Navor said as she moved to flop into her desk chair.

“Okay? What the hell?!” Zynna demanded. “I know Oz screwed the pooch-”

“More like screwed a warg.” Ferris cut in.

Zynna shot the Quint an annoyed glare before continuing. “But, he came clean and honestly seemed to regret the screw-up. We could’ve used his help with this shit storm.”

I shot the Copkin a skeptical look. “The guy poisoned the squad, was feeding intel to the enemy, and set up an ambush that almost got me and Demierra killed. And you’re saying, trust the guy who was trained as a spy and assassin based on him acting like he feels bad? Zynna, you’re part of Sightless Eye too. You should know better than anyone that he could’ve been play-acting to win our sympathies.”

“Don’t give me that.” Zynna snapped at me. “I’ve seen the guy act for a role, and that all seemed pretty real to me. And he could’ve been useful.”

“I agree.” stated.

“Stop being a resentful ass. I know he-… Wait… What?” Zynna was winding up for an argument until she realized what I had said. All that simmering anger dropped into open confusion.

“You heard me.” I said. “I agree that Oz would’ve been useful.” I turned to direct my question to Master Navor. “So why send him away?”

Navor looked at me for a long moment without saying anything. “Let's think of this as a lesson. Maverick, show the others the note.”

I eyed the Master in curiosity as I pulled out the folded paper and opened it to show everyone what it said.

Likely have bugs. Weaver is Circuit. Need to make a show of throwing Ozwald out. Separate him from therra. We all need new therras with masked data. Till then, meetings in your room, with door closed.