Chapter 375: A Proof of Cataclysm

I really hope I’m wrong. But I have a horrible feeling that I’m closer to right on the continuum of gut feelings. While Fleur freaks out about her new travelling tattoo I pull out my Class Card and send a quick message to everyone–everyone who can leave the city and fight–with a warning. To still be on edge, but for something far worse now.

All I need is to find a shred of proof. And we might have a way to do that right here in the city.

“Shelby? Is it bad?” Fleur holds an arm out for me to see. “It doesn’t hurt or anything, but I don’t know what it is. I should be able to get rid of it easily. But it’s… it’s a part of me now. I don’t want it to be a part of me.”

Pearl unfuses from me and pops out of my ear. “That’s the responsibility of the first, Fleur. If your people are anything like shellraisers… you’ll know it soon enough.”

“What does that mean?”

“I promise… you’ll see.” Pearl assures her as a snap of magic connects her and Fleur. “When it happens–if it happens–come see me right away. Illumisia and I will make sure everything goes right. You have two people here who bear the responsibility of a progenitor. I promise we’ll help you every step of the way.”

Fleur stares at Pearl in confusion, then trails her gaze over to me. I shrug unhelpfully.

“Sorry, Fleur; I don’t know what she’s talking about. But I’ll double down on the ‘we’ll help you’ thing,” I smile reassuringly and put a hand on her shoulder. “Right now, though, I need to go confirm something. Can you tell Slice to meet me in the amusement park district–and to bring the core-heart from the mech?”

My hand grows warm as Fleur’s light brightens. She makes a sound like taking a deep breath, then nods and starts to sink into the floor. I watch her go until she’s completely gone, then turn away from her spot and motion for Quest to come out. A section of wall opens, and it steps aside to let me in.

“Do you really not know what’s happening to her?” Quest asks, casting a glance through the door as it slowly closes behind us. “She’s legitimately worried. I’d be, too, if I was in her position.”

Pearl sighs knowingly and plants her chin in her hands. “I can put a name to what’s happening to her, but I don’t know how it’ll manifest. It’s like… all plants grow, but not all of them grow in the exact same way, you know?”

Quest grimaces and nods. “I think I understand. That thing that died… it was the first halsia to die, wasn’t it?”

It’s Pearl’s turn to nod. Quest hisses through its teeth and turns back to the wall, presses a hand to it, and opens another doorway to the amusement park district where I first met Slice. Without a word all three of us file into the space. I turn to see if Quest is going to stay with us for this, and from the fact that it isn’t turning around, it looks like it is.

Something hums to life around the edges of the room. It feels like the uplifting trials, but not quite as… ensnaring. I look around to try and pinpoint the source of the sensation until a simple line between two stone bricks catches my eye. It feels like Click.

I motion at said line in question. “Does Click have admin privileges back?”

“Yes, it does,” Quest confirms. “Starting a few days ago Click is in charge of all the city’s data. It’s not sure if it can do everything it once did, but after a trial period, it’s hoping to take over all the city’s operations. I provide the magic, it provides the processes, and together we’ll make this place something the system will regret letting out of its grasp.”

The line on the wall flickers once. Quest grins to itself and holds a hand to its chest. “Ah, silly me; I forgot all the constructs who are helping us out with this. So it’s a team effort, really.”

Another flicker, but this time, it seems satisfied. If Click is watching over us, then that means it should have access to all the system’s research and experimentation logs soon enough. Not sure I want to go through all of that shit, but if Click’s happy to give me the important notes, then power to them.

I raise a hand and give the line a little wave. It shifts back and forth in return.

“Glad you’re doing well,” I say to the magical line. “Tell me when you have confirmation that the uplifting trials are safe, yeah? That’ll be a massive well of free stat points for us.”

The line brightens for a moment, then shifts to the side as another door opens. Slice and Fleur emerge carrying what looks like a side-loading washing machine decorated with countless tubes and monitoring devices, half of which look like they were detached just seconds ago.

I wince as they walk it to the center of the room. “Shit, did I disturb something?”

“No, just–” Slice pauses to set the machine down. It lands on her fingers hard. “Ooh, hssss, that smarts! Gonna feel that something fierce for a few days. So, why did you need to bring this thing out here instead of you coming to finally see how our lab’s been evolving? We’ve got a pretty nice little setup going thanks to Quest and Click there. Oh, and all the others, before you get huffy.”

Click’s line blinks with satisfaction. Slice rolls her eyes, but chuckles affectionately as she rubs her half-smushed fingers.

“Seriously, though, what’s the threat? I know you wouldn’t ask this for nothing.”

Fleur nods. “I should’ve asked when those last two dying messages came in, but I’m still a little too worked up about the green.”

Slice raises an eyebrow and turns to Fleur, who presents her new tattoo for Slice to get a good look at. She leans in to get a closer look while humming to herself in thought.

“It’s beautiful, if I do say so myself. But I didn’t think your body could change much at all, nevermind stay changed after you break down and reform yourself like you just did. Can you feel this?”

A sharp, shield-coated claw pokes at Fleur’s tattoo. Fleur squeaks and pulls her arm away.

“Yes, I can, and you know I hate that,” she pouts. “Your radiation isn’t compatible with my body. It does… weird things…”

Fleur trails off and stares down at the core. Looks like she’s making the same connection I did a minute ago, but for different reasons. Reasons that compound together to paint an even worse picture than before. My tone and intent are deadly serious as I make eye contact with the only live halsia I know.

“What if it wasn’t the water, Fleur?”

She rubs her shoulder and dims. “It was the water. It weakens the connection I have to myself; splits the pieces between a larger space to send commands across. I could pull myself together if I really had to, but if something else weakened my control beforehand…”

Her hand leaves her shoulder. All of her arm falls away, turning to simple salt that joins the rest of her body, except for one very tiny part. A cone with a little bit of green attached to it.

“Then you wouldn’t be able to reform,” I finish with grim, undesired certainty. “Pearl, if there were two mechs taken by the cataclysm, would you be able to track the theoretical second one’s pieces with the beacon using the first one’s core?”

Everyone turns to look at Pearl. Even Click’s line narrows to a small dot of focus. She studies the contained core long and hard, hemming and hawing in thought all the while. The fact that she hasn’t said anything so far means the answer is yes, but with a few massive asterisks attached.

Eventually she tents her fingers and exhales sharply. “I think it could work, but it could also severely damage the beacon beyond the point of return. There’s no existing data in the beacon for it, so… we’d have to touch the reactor-core-heart to the beacon. For long enough to transfer tracking data.”

She furrows her brow and turns to me. “We won’t get another beacon, Shelby. Nobody has the schematics or the resources for it.”

“Then give it to us,” Slice butts in before anyone else can. “We’ll do everything we can to reverse-engineer the beacon, and we’ll know extremely quickly whether it's possible or not.”

“And while they’re doing that, I’ll search the area around the lake with Fleur. If we’re lucky, we’ll find evidence of the fight without putting your beacon in danger. Won’t we, Fleur?” Quest smiles wide, bearing teeth that look very similar to my own. “You found the halsia in the first place, so it can’t be that hard to find some traces of a battle it fought.”

Fleur brightens hopefully. “Maybe it won’t be.”

Quest’s grin widens. “Attagirl, that’s the spirit! How’s now work for you?”

“It works just fine–”

Fleur and Quest both disappear mid-sentence, probably off to the exact same lake we just left. Slice nods to herself and looks at me expectantly. …Right, she needs the beacon to try and replicate the beacon. I summon it from my Class Card and gingerly put it in her hands.

“Be really careful with that,” Pearl warns. “If you set it to expel and hooked your radiation up to it, you could kill everyone here.”

“You don’t have to worry about that; I’m the most careful person in this city,” Slice sets the beacon down on the washing machine and picks the both up with ease. “But I’ll pass the warning along to anyone else who wants to help; a taste for forbidden knowledge uplifted the paindne, as you know.”

Pearl narrows her eyes. “I’ve never heard that saying before.”

Slice laughs and turns to leave. “Not a saying, shelly! Just the horrible truth. Watch your message for updates!”

The walls consume her. Click’s line on the wall flickers twice, then disappears too. I breathe calmly through my nose and hope to hell that everything I’m assuming is wrong, but in case it is, then I have to get ready. Because even if I’m right, that doesn’t explain one last little thing; the how. For that, I’ll need the Preservation’s data logs. Ones they’re obviously keeping tight under lock and key for some reason.

A message pings onto my Class Card, interrupting my spiral. I hold it up to my face, eyebrows shooting to my forehead with every word I read. Because they’re actually there with Jumble. All four of them from the party, seemingly unhurt and in good-ish spirits.

I close my eyes and latch onto the coin Jumble has. Time to go tell them the bad news.