A Second Generation Whateley Academy Adventure

Silent Mountain

by

MaLAguA

 

Part One

 

Friday, December 23rd - 4:51pm
Berlin roads

<So… how about now? Can you read my thoughts starting… now?> Vic, challenged, using thought-speech to relay the message.

“Hm…” Day Dreamer's eyes flashed red for a blink as her powers went active. <Hm… let’s see… I… I don’t so… wait! Wait! I hear it… Yeah. I got it. You were thinking about… penguins!>

<Dang.> Vic groaned inwardly as the barriers around his thoughts eased up. <I think I might’ve gotten a bit too lax when I thought you were having trouble…> He took a deep breath as he rested back against the car’s cushions. Outside the window, the lush greenery of the woods gave way to the Christmas spirit pervading Berlin. Lights hung about in myriad blinking colors and the people hustled back and forth dressed for a season of cold but fuzzy merriment. His thoughts dwelt upon how things once were… With his mom, Uncle Oscar, Aunt Lily, Uncle Gus… Shit…

Vic cussed inwardly, realizing he was being read by Leslie, who just looked at him with sympathy. <It’s fine,> she thought back. <I wish I could be around my family as well.>

It was the 23rd of December, just a short day before Christmas Eve. The school year had reached its seasonal holiday pause and everyone was let go home for the celebrations at the end of the year. But in Vic’s case… well, Vic and Leslie’s case…

Leslie gave a nod of approval.

They had gotten themselves roped in with the Syndicate, the largest organization that dealt in ‘morally grey-to-light-dark’ services and provided facilities and resources for villains. In Vic’s case, it was a debt that included the tuition for the expensive school for mutants. In Leslie’s case, it was the offer to help her with her eavesdropping problem.

<Hey. I don’t do this on purpose,> Leslie objected.

So, when the term was over, the Syndicate’s top hand-to-hand combatant and high ranking operative, Cole, came to pick both of them up at the school's entrance. And now, they were traveling to who-knew-where to undertake an exam that would check if they were worthy of the Syndicate’s investment, at least for one more year… <That sums it up, right?>

<Think it does…> Leslie smiled as she looked out the window at the passing street, then grimaced as the car stopped at a red light, just next to a large van that was loaded with college freshmen pre-celebrating the party they were going to. <Ugh… I just want some silence…>

<It does sound like a curse…> While he also had a degree of telepathy, his was contact-based and not as intrusive. So he never had to deal with this level of receptivity before. Even with the ‘training’ he had, it would still take a lot.

<Just before, it took me longer than usual… How did you do it?> Leslie asked as the car moved and the alien voices grew more and more distant. <I don’t usually have to put effort into reading other people.>

<It’s a trick my mom taught me…> Vic searched his memory for a moment before elaborating. <What you do is build an imaginary lobby or waiting room just before your metaphorical house. That way, intruders will have a harder time peeking at what you think behind the door… Although, admittedly, I’m a bit rusty on it. I haven’t had real practice on that since I was nine.>

<Your mom taught you that?> Leslie sounded impressed.

<My mom was a top-grade telepath and, well, the best mom. After school, we would have these fun games where she would use her powers to help me visualize anything I thought. We would do animals or replay something I just saw in a movie or a TV show. It was a fun exercise… with some tips and such about how to work with telepathy. Obviously, I didn’t have the talent back then… but it’s fortunate she taught me.>

<It sounds like it.> Leslie nodded.

<Yeah… it was. I feel like… if things had gone differently, I would’ve been better off. I had Uncle Gus, who was very smart. Aunt Lily was the sweetest. And Uncle Oscar was about the best fighter I’ve known. I think he would give Cole a run for his money if they’d met. But that might just be me daydreaming. Sorry, I think I’ve rambled too much.>

<It’s alright… I prefer one voice, or two, over a dozen,> Leslie agreed. They both noticed when the car turned away from the streets and slipped into a parking lot building that was, for the most part, empty and unkempt. <Something I wondered… When we left Whateley, you mentioned you were mutating further. Is it something worrying?>

<Yes… well… no? I don’t know,> Vic mentally stammered, unsure of which option was the right one.

<I don’t mean to pry… But, you know, I have a hard time not catching the thoughts of others. So, if it’s something that’s worrying you and will pop off into your head, I’m just warning you I might listen to it again,> Leslie said.

<Well… I guess I shouldn’t expect to have my concerns safe from you.>

<Believe me, I know.> Leslie's mental voice dipped down into a self-aware mutter of annoyance.

Vic sighed. <Long story short… I was recently diagnosed with a condition. Apparently, I’m an avatar and have a spirit within me. It doesn’t talk, and I barely notice it’s there… but if something happens, say, if I use my powers to lift more water than my recorded limit, then it steps in without asking and boosts my limits. The same thing if I get injured. I heal faster but my body undergoes a bit of a transformation,> he said as he pulled back the sleeve of his coat to reveal the altered skin color underneath it. Leslie gasped startled.

<Sorry.>

<I haven’t told my friends, even though, at the rate things are going, they’ll find out eventually.>

<It’s alright… I feel like I hold secrets for half of Dickinson anyway.>

<I just hope there’ll be a solution before I end up too changed to go out in public.> Vic paused before adding. <And I know what you’ll tell me, that half of Whitman and Twain has problems of that kind…>

<You read my mind.> Leslie had tried to add some levity… which he appreciated mirroring her smile, but then her eyes drifted outward from the vehicle. “Ah,” she said, using her actual voice. “This is the place?”

“Yep… this is where we’ll be getting off,” Cole told them as he steered the car into one of the many vacant spots. They were quite deep within the somewhat large yet decrepit parking lot building, with no cars to be seen on the floor. The pillars had some of the paint chipped off, and most of the lights had gone out, with the few that remained bearing the occasional ominous flicker.

“Alright,” Cole noted as he stopped the car and turned off the engine. “Are you two ready? Had fun with the telepathic gossip session?”

“Was it that obvious?” Vic asked, half knowing the answer.

“Definitely. Silence speaks volumes. Tells me minds are elsewhere or focused,” Cole said as he stepped out of the car and stretched,

“Is this really the place? Looks eerie,” Leslie muttered, being of the same mind as Vic while the two left the car.

“I suppose that’s by design,” Cole noted as he moved to the back of the car. He opened the trunk and pulled out a camping backpack, the one Leslie had exited the school with, and handed it back to its owner. Vic was also told to prepare one, loaded with his combat gear (uniform and water belt) and camping equipment for two days, which had been procured from the campus store.

What was it for? Cole had been quite cagey on the matter, so Vic and Leslie were left in the dark. The only deduction they had was that it involved some danger that would call for them to suit up and that it would happen outdoors for at least a day… which, considering how it was the 23rd of December, which felt like a bit of a sadistic way to spend the holidays. Caroline Kythe, his legal guardian, might try to tell him that the Syndicate wasn’t as evil as people imagined, but this just felt like evil or very very unfortunate scheduling…

“What about my other stuff?” Leslie gestured at the large trunk with her luggage still in the car.

“Don’t worry. We’ll have it shipped to your home later,” Cole said as he closed the car’s trunk. “Now… if you’ll please follow me.”

From there, the man took the two freshmen down a corridor on the side and up a set of stairs so that they would come out on the rooftop of the rather stout building, where the construction of a third level appeared to have been left undone, with the walls just high enough to hide whatever could happen from the surrounding buildings. The snow that had fallen since the morning had turned into an unsightly sludge, making the floor slippery if they were to stray from the cleared path.

“Where are we going?” Vic asked.

“You’ll see,” Cole answered, finding some amusement in the teen’s objections as he pulled out his phone and tapped on what appeared to be a custom made app. “The sooner we start this, the more time you will have to make it to safety, so hold the questions till later.”

And with that, he took a couple of steps back and pointed his phone towards a bare concrete wall.

“Come on… come on,” Cole muttered. “You should be here.” The man didn't sound angry or mortified, merely amused that nothing seemed to be happening. He just found it amusing as nothing happened… at least for the first fifteen seconds. After that time passed, he sighed and put his phone down. “The syndicate loves to collect mutant assets. One of their pride-and-joys is the crew of warpers and portal specialists that enable us to create wormholes connecting locations. One of the better ways of travel if your options are limited. Syndicate operatives above a certain clearance are given permission to make use of this service…”

And as he finished saying that, the air around the appointed wall became heavy as a clear distortion in the air bubbled the surface of the wall. Energy flickered and flashed, with sparks and snakes of energy flying off in all directions. It was small at first, but slowly growing more and more constant and defined until a circular disturbance appeared, widening itself up until reaching two meters in diameter.

Both kids were quick to stand behind Cole to watch as the thing formed.

“Of course, we try not to abuse this service because it would become a real problem if anyone, especially the heroes, catch onto the fact that this is one of the resources we use to get around,” Cole said as the swirls of energy spread and stabilized, with the colors revealing the image of a landscape in the middle of the woods: Bushes, trees, snow on the grass and a look of the middle of the afternoon that quite spelled out that this was a different place miles away, given that by now the sun was already gone below the horizon.

“And… these specialists aren’t prisoners, right?” Leslie asked.

“Absurd… There’s no merit in mistreating the person who can just open a portal in the middle of the ocean,” Cole said with a bit of a laugh as he studied the portal.

“Now, we can step through,” he instructed as he walked forward. His body touched the invisible shimmer of the gateway, crossing to the other side and stepping on the snow before turning around to beckon them to hurry.

Vic and Leslie exchanged looks before following Cole’s lead, stepping through the conjured portal. It was definitely an experience. The air around the spatial anomaly was heavy and charged, but nothing that would cause them to distrust it. It was more like stepping through water, with the surface even having a strange layer that separated one side from the other.

Once crossed, the cold air of the outside felt like a bit of a slap in the face for the two, with the still-shining afternoon sun in the sky becoming a sting in their eyes. Going from the dark city to the bright outdoors with just one step was disorienting. So much so, that both of them met the snowed ground head first as they realized that the portal was a couple of inches off the ground.

“I forgot to warn you to watch your step,” Cole said sheepishly, as he offered a hand to both Vic and Leslie.

“Ugh…” was all Vic could say as he wiped the snow off his face and clothes as he was helped up. It was then that he noticed a couple of chuckles from the sidelines. Three figures stood in waiting.

One of them was a young man who could easily pass as a senior in school. The next one was a girl who wasn’t making an effort to mask her sneer at their incident. But it was the third one that stole his attention. It was a face that he hadn’t seen in a while… and certainly didn’t expect to see again this soon. Josh Rowles, his friend from Rhode Island, the one he ran away from home with. In Massachusetts, he was the one he felt could rely on… even if he wasn’t that reliable to begin with. All the way until they were given the option as to whether to go to Whateley or not.

“Yo, Vic. It’s good to see you,” Josh said as he moved over to greet him with a surprise hug and a pat on the back.

“It’s good to see you too,” Vic answered, replying in kind. So much catching up to do… but it would have to wait as Cole spoke up.

“Well, now that the party is here,” Cole said as he produced his phone and tapped something in a particular application. And right after, the portal behind closed, revealing a piece of equipment that resembled a strange sort of bulky tripod with some sort of electronics at the center and an antenna pointing upwards. One could guess that it was some sort of anchor. “Welcome to the woodlands of British Columbia. And to your Syndicate training expedition. Your first objective will be to reach the spot there…” He moved along the edge of the hill, one that overlooked a decent part of the woodlands, and signaled past the river and treelines, to a mountain that stood as part of the ridge.

“You’ll be off to Silent Mountain. The villain base.”

Friday, December 23rd - 3:15pm
Forests of British Columbia

“We’ll be heading to a villain base?” Josh asked. “What does that mean? Like, are we storming the place?”

Most of the kids didn’t appear to be thrilled by the idea, going quiet with concern. It was one thing to get involved with the Syndicate organization at a starter level… but storming into a villain base was a steep jump

“No, no, no,” Cole said, shaking his hand in a dismissing wave. “You see… the base is empty, except for the proctor of the second part of the exercise.”

“An empty base?” the girl with dark hair asked.

“The Syndicate offers many services for villains. One of these is the rental of hideouts and bases. So we have many facilities around the world that could fit the bill, from simple safehouses to fancy villain lairs. This one is currently between owners.”

“It’s a mountain base?” Vic asked. “We don’t have to climb it, do we?”

“Fortunately, there’s no need. There’s an entrance and an elevator at the base,” Cole said as he pulled out a piece of paper and offered it to the oldest person of the group of five youths. “This is the map. It outlines the landmarks that’ll guide you to the base as well as the entry code.”

“Oh, great,” the young man said. The other four kids looked over his shoulder to get an idea of what they were dealing with. It was quite bare in terms of direction, only marking specific objects they would come across before reaching the door. Aside from that, there was a set of numbers printed at the bottom corner of the page: 2468, with no other comment on the matter. The information on the paper was quite sparse, which made sense, given that this was supposed to be a secret villain lair.

“As the oldest, Root. You’ll be the one leading the group. Think you can do it?” Cole added.

The guy, Root, nodded. “I can.”

“Good,” said Cole, moving over to the device that had been used to create the portal. As he tapped the buttons, the thing collapsed onto itself, becoming a much smaller package that he could pick up, and brandish around like an overly thick cane. “Now, to reiterate and clarify. The first half of your evaluation is to make your way northward, to the Silent Mountain base. Any questions?”

“Yes…” the black-haired girl said. “It’s the twenty-third and we have about three hours of light left… I assume we are not going to reach the place today. Are we going to spend Christmas there?”

“Good observation, Obscura. Yes, you are expected to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at Silent Mountain.”

Surprisingly, only the girl, Obscura, responded to the news with a groan. Not that Vic and Josh could add to it. Even if they wished to have fun over the holidays, neither of them had a real home to spend them in.

“And couldn’t they have the warpers drop us any closer?” she pressed on.

“They could. But this was the designated drop-off point from the start,” Cole said, earning a slight frown from the girl. “Your father was notified about this beforehand.”

Obscura rolled her eyes. “Fine. I guess we’ll spend the next two days camping and having fun outdoors.”

“Good,” Cole said, ignoring the girl’s sarcasm. “So, yeah. You’re expected to arrive at the base by tomorrow evening. There, the examiner will give you the second part of your exercise. Please give it your best shot as this will determine whether the syndicate will continue providing its support to each of your causes.”

“Now, for quick introductions,” the man continued. Conveniently, the participants happened to be standing in a line as Cole addressed them. He pointed at the oldest one, in the center of the formation. “As I mentioned, Root is the assigned leader of the group. And you will be looking after…”

And to that, he moved along the line, singling out each of the participants in the activity.

“FitTogether.” To that, Josh smirked, adjusting his rather hefty backpack just to hear the clutter of tech stuffed in it. “A gadgeteer that is currently training under Junkerer, one of the organization’s outfitters and providers.”

“TideStriker. A telekinetic capable of manipulating water.” Vic nodded in greeting.

“Obscura. Someone who thrives in dark places.” The black haired girl sighed to voice her dissatisfaction with the description and life in general.

“And Day Dreamer. A telepath capable of easily reading surface thoughts.” Upon mention of that, she got a couple of looks from the others in the surroundings.

“Yeah… I can hear you all,” Leslie noted. A situation that wasn’t new… but also one she had yet to get used to. “I don’t do this on purpose…”

“Ah, right. Speaking of which. FitTogether,” Cole said, addressing Josh.

“Yes?”

“Did you bring what we requested from Junkerer?” Cole asked.

“Oh… I have it right here,” Josh answered, taking off his backpack with some effort before setting it on the ground. The lid was open and he rummaged through the contents, pulling out a protective cloth and then piece of tech after piece of tech, searching for something in particular. Concern crossed Vic’s mind as it appeared his friend didn’t pack much in terms of camping gear.

Leslie’s expression suddenly brightened up as she caught Cole’s thoughts, only for the boy to answer with a polite smile: “Try to act surprised since I already spoiled the news.”

With a shout of victory, Josh pulled out a piece of tech that resembled a strange collar, with pieces of tech ingrained around the edge. It looked quite bulky and unwieldy… but the inner cushioned lining at least promised that it would keep a girl’s neck warm. “Here it is. From Junkerer’s workshop, a psychic field canceler.”

The girl accepted it happily, letting Josh slip it around her neck and fasten the latch. He gave her a quick runthrough of how it worked, directing her towards the tiny buttons and dials that rested on the side of the device, and listing what each of them did. Pressing one that turned a green light on, she gasped at something no one felt.

She sighed relieved before explaining. “I can no longer hear you all.”

“The battery lasts in the range of four to five hours. So try to use it sporadically,” Josh said, handing over the charging cord.

“That’s the first prototype, based on tech used to disrupt telepaths, now made at a more portable level. Calibrated to the readings from your last evaluation,” Cole explained. “If you intend to continue with us, we can have our experts make it more compact and efficient for your convenience.”

Leslie nodded as she reached over to the side of the thing and, under Josh’s direction, turned off the collar. “Thank you.” Her smile was faint but warm. “Right now, it’s not so bad. When I’m in a crowd, I’ll be more than happy to have it.”

“Early Merry Christmas,” Josh said, trying to be a charmer. Leslie blushed with a bit of a shocked look. She clearly read a playful thought or something from him.

“Alright.” Cole clapped. “I’ve given Day Dreamer her item. I’ve made quick introductions and outlined the mission. Now, some small notes: Root has a direct line to my phone, but it is meant to be an emergency call. Making use of it in this first half will result in immediate failure to everyone involved. Additionally, we are currently deep within the Canadian wilderness, so try to be wary of the wildlife and dangers of nature. There are no other Syndicate personnel around here, so on the off chance you run into another person, assume the worst… that they are crazy people from the mountain or otherwise up to no good. Outside of that, everything else falls under your discretion. Understood?”

“Yes…” all of those present agreed.

“Does anyone have any other questions before I take my leave?”

“I do.” Josh raised his hand briefly before going back to trying to fit the tech and protective cloth back into his backpack. “What’s this place’s gimmick?”

“Why is it called Silent Mountain?” the black-haired girl, Obscura, added.

“Right… a bit of lore,” said Cole as he moved towards the clearing, gesturing at the mountain. “About five years ago, a bitter young mutant, who happened to be deaf, decided to take on the path of villainy. He did what was expected: robbed some banks, recruited some minions, and built his own base.

“The guy must’ve had a love for architecture because the end result was quite decent. A four-story facility located in the mountains, with a proper structure and following the safety regulations . There were barracks for his crew, a rather roomy storage unit , a decent workshop, and a modest hangar near the top that could house personal- to medium-size airships.”

“Junkerer told me he comes every now and then to do maintenance on the place.” Josh added eagerly as he finished haphazardly stuffing everything back into the bag.

“Correct. And, what makes it stand out is the system its creator installed. See, the man wanted for everyone to feel like he did, so he created this technology that basically canceled every sound vibration generated in the facility, effectively rendering the place completely silent.”

“That doesn’t seem smart,” Obscura noted.

“How do their men communicate?” Vic wondered. “What about if there is an alert… or an intruder?”

“Valid questions. First and foremost, every minion was required to learn and master American Sign Language, which, as it turns out, can be done quite efficiently once you shut down all auditory distractions and it’s the only way to communicate. Well-positioned screens and bright lights made sure that no alert message would go unnoticed. And, for intruders, security was sight- and vibration-based. The latter of which was exceptionally well-suited for, in theory, detecting invisible movement… I said ‘in theory’ because so far, no superhero team has even come close to finding this lair.

“Eventually, the creator of the lair realized that villainy wasn’t his thing, so he retired early from the profession and put the place up for sale, which was when the Syndicate bought it. From there, it’s been rented to the occasional villain that wanted to take residence in the region,” Cole said, taking a slight bow. “And that’s the origin of the ‘Silent Mountain’ lair.”

The kids humored him with a clap, because he’d made them somewhat curious about visiting the place. It was starting to feel more like a fancy school expedition than a mission for an organization that dealt in villainous resources. Josh, in particular, was looking forward to slipping in and checking on the tech.

“Having given you the full rundown of the situation. Are there any more questions?” Cole looked around just to make sure no one had raised their hand. “Good… You all have been told about this hike you’ll be taking, so I assume you packed provisions for the road…”

That got Josh’s jaw to drop but he didn’t add anything.

“But, just in case, I asked Root to load some extra rations.” To that, Root nodded and raised his backpack, much to Josh’s relief.

“With that last bit, I’ll take my leave,” the man said as he adjusted his modest backpack and the compressed tripod.

“You’re not staying?” Vic called.

“No. I do have some matters to attend to in Vancouver, but I will be coming back around Christmas to check on you and send you off,” Cole told them as he turned his back and took a couple of steps in the opposite direction. “I wish you the best of performances.”

“Thanks.” Leslie waved.

“See ya.” Vic and Josh waved out, joined by Root.

Now, it would just be the five of them. Five kids that were being tested to see if they would maintain the Syndicate benefits that allowed them to stay afloat. To Leslie, it was the collar that gave her a semblance of mental peace, while for Vic and Josh, it was either that or they would be out in the streets again… Suddenly the weight of the matter began to be felt and the distance felt so far, that failure would be an option.

Thoughts flew past and as Cole wandered off, slipping further into the distance until he was lost between the army of trees and the foliage of the nearby branches. Root stepped forth, looking up to the mountain in the distance. Clearing his throat, he turned to the group. “Alright… Let’s get going. While we still have some daylight left, it’s best if we try to cover as much terrain as we can.”

He pulled the hefty bag over his back and trudged through the snow. To that, the rest of the kids got up and followed him down the path.

“Did you guys know we were spending the night camping outside?” Josh asked out loud.

“Yes,” Obscura, Vic and Leslie answered.

“Dang it,” Josh groaned as he picked up the pace.

“Well, all I knew was that I needed to camp for a hike. They didn’t tell you?” Vic asked.

“No… wait… maybe he did? I might’ve been too focused on something else,” Josh muttered.

“I’m glad we’re camping. Things are quiet in the woods,” Leslie mused.

“I just want this trip to be over,” Obscura said as she trailed along. The girl sighed as she looked skyward to the sun that would be hiding a couple of hours from now.

Friday, December 23rd - 3:54pm
British Columbia forests

“Wow… that mutant school sounds incredible,” Josh interjected.

Naturally, being friends, Vic and Josh began to catch up on what they’ve been up to. The first topic in question was Whateley, the mutant school that the former had chosen to attend and the latter hadn’t.

Vic did his best job at describing the school. Going from the start to his first day on campus, the cottages, the classes and the teachers. All the while, Josh listened with deep interest at every part.

“It does make our old school sound boring, doesn’t it?” Vic mused with a bit of a brag.

“I bet it does… I mean, that story about the super stink bomb going off on campus was… hilarious,” Josh mused.

“You weren’t there. We had to run into the tunnels to escape the stink wave.” Even though Vic tried to be serious, he had reached the point where he felt he could laugh about the extremity of the situation. For the sake of keeping the mood light, he focused on the funnier or more entertaining stories from the school, making omission of the Ring Incident and the Turkey Day Tragedy.

“Well, you survived, right?”

“Yeah… though from what I heard, there was a lot of vomiting… and even right after there were some lingering effects of the smell. Like you would sit on a cushion and a bit of the scent would waft into the air, making us sick,” Vic shook his head.

“Dang… Wish I could get away with that kind of stuff.” Josh smirked. “So… what of those tunnels? Of the underground labs and workshops? Anything interesting?”

“Well… Can’t say for sure. I don’t frequent the place as much as the rest. I know that there’s a lot of advanced or industrial level tech as well as works in progress that could range from anything. From a new coffee pot to a super powered blaster. Many of the tech-oriented students tend to spend their days down there, working either on assignments or passion projects.”

“Any armored suit? Or megazord?” Josh inquired, posing his sign for a morphing call.

“Not that I know of… and really hope there aren’t,” Vic chuckled. “Although a friend of mine was making a neural neutralizer. It looked like something out of Star Trek.”

“I’m more of a Star Wars fan… but I’m not trusted enough to make a lightsaber,” Josh sighed. “So one of your friends is a techie? Is he a devisor or gadgeteer.”

“Both, actually… Don’t ask me how that works… oh and it’s a she.”

“Really? Think you could introduce me to her?” Josh asked, giving Vic an elbow nudge. “Is she, like, an exemplar?”

“Yeah… Although, don’t think you’re her type,” Vic noted.

“How do you figure?”

“Just a feeling.”

“One never knows.” Josh shrugged, adjusting his coat as a gust of cold air blew past.

Less than an hour had passed since Cole left them, and the night already threatened their way as the sun shrank more and more distant with each passing minute. Root led the team from about five to ten steps ahead. He was committed to the assignment, keeping his eyes focused on both the map at hand and the compass for direction, pausing them and changing directions whenever they would come across one of the landmarks on the way there. These were things like big rocks, a large bush that grew in weird shape or a strangely bifurcated tree.

Still, despite that, Vic could see they had quite a ways to go before getting within reach of the mountain. He took a moment to pull out his phone to check the time and to also confirm that the signal was practically non-existent this deep into the wildlands.

“We’re practically cut off, huh?” Josh asked, leaning in to check on the phone.

“Yeah, we are…” Vic sighed and pushed him back just to regain his personal space. So far their trip had been quite peaceful… but one could wonder how much that would change as the night settled in. The Syndicate wouldn’t just expect rookie members to be fighting wolves or bears in the woods.

Vic shuddered as he had flashbacks of his most recent intense activity: the combat finals, where he was almost mauled by a robot masquerading as a dog.

“So,” he said to distract himself. “I told you about me and my school. How about you?”

“Me?” Josh asked.

“Yeah… what have you been up to?” Vic asked. “You took the apprenticeship, how is it?”

Josh nodded. “Well, they relocated me to New Jersey, into the workshop of one of the providers for the Syndicate to learn the trade. The first couple of weeks or so, things started off rocky. I was just being taken and fed. The owner of the workshop didn’t really want to have to do much with me.”

“Well, what’s your mentor like?”

“Junkerer?” Josh inquired, looking around as if to check if Root was listening to them. “Well… the guy is this human-sized fantasy dwarf with a rather mean face about him that only seems to have one setting: pissed off. He also curses like Gordon Ramsay, and just as loud… But I do think I’m winning him over… even though we don’t talk that much.”

“Really?” Vic nodded, just to keep himself in the conversation.

“Yeah… Although after those first weeks, the Syndicate orders began to arrive and he began to teach me how to make basic items that would be shipped to other buildings. Things like tranq guns, glass cutters, special grenades, personal forcefield generators and so on. And eventually, just a couple of weeks ago, as the orders from the Syndicate began to dry up, I was given more time to work on other projects. From there things have been fun as I test out my creations.”

“You just work and sleep?” Vic blinked.

“Well, I do have to attend school,” Josh noted. “Think the Syndicate told Junkerer I had to get enrolled to a nearby school, just so that I would actually have an education. So… it all feels normal.”

“Feels like that would’ve been better,” Vic said. He wondered whether, if he’d picked the option to not go to Whateley, he would’ve been given the chance to go into a normal school instead of the craziness he saw daily. Granted though, techies like Josh were on a different track, so that they could learn and construct things… but for people like Vic, unless there was someone dedicated enough to train him in how to use his powers, there wasn’t really merit in placing him in the normal school system.

Vic’s attention then shifted towards his left arm, the one that bore marks of change in the form of an altered color pattern: green and white. He had no idea of when he picked up the spirit that was doing this to him… if it happened during his stay at Whateley, which felt unlikely, he wouldn’t be dealing with this… on the other hand, if it happened before, normal schooling would’ve been a narrower option.

“Hope you’re not going there causing trouble,” Vic continued the conversation. “Remember how things ended at the school in Rhode Island?”

“Nah… Usually, I just go to school then go back to Junkerer’s workshop to scratch that creative itch.” Josh nodded before looking to the side.

“Day Dreamer?!” Root’s words cut in through the conversation, addressing at the back of the group where the two girls appeared to have been having their own brief conversation. The team leader was beckoning her to the front.

“Yes?” Leslie asked as she picked up the pace to overcome Vic and Josh.

“Day Dreamer… Do all Whateley students go by their codenames?” Josh wondered.

“I don’t,” Vic muttered. It would probably be much easier if we all just call ourselves by our names, he thought.

“You can call me Leslie,” the girl said, seemingly hearing Vic’s thoughts just as she was a couple of steps ahead. “It’s kinda pointless to keep quiet about it if we’re on this together.”

“You can call me Vic,” he followed in suit to both the front and back of the group.

“I’m Josh,” his friend answered. “Let’s make it through this together.”

Leslie smiled only to turn her head towards Root, just before he could call her over again.

“Can your telepathy detect if there are any animals in the vicinity…” Root asked. From snippets, fragments and gestures, Vic got the picture. Their leader was considering a spot where they could stop for the night and set up camp. To which Leslie noted that she had camping experience and offered her help in picking the better spot.

Vic would’ve tried to hear more but a figure appeared in the periphery. “So… Vic and Josh,” Obscura chimed in, walking casually alongside them.

“Yeah, that’s us,” Josh answered.

“Nice to meet you,” she asked, though there was an air of suspicion about her. “Do the two of you attend that mutant school in New Hampshire as well? Well, you must, since you came through the same portal as Leslie, right?” She looked at Vic.

“Yeah, I do,” Vic nodded.

“What’s it like? Just a bunch of people using their powers? Showing off?”

“Not really.” Although Vic had to reconsider for a moment. “Well… for the most part, it’s like a normal hyper fancy school. But a lot of students do show off their powers, many of them look out of the ordinary and the classes are a mixture of normal and mutant-oriented.”

“There’s also a lot of trouble and action,” Josh chimed in. Something that Vic wouldn’t have decided to add just like that, but he carried along with it.

“Yeah. At times fights break out… others, there’s a lot of drama… I mean, students live together and get themselves into mischief. And, well, there seems to be a lot who like to play smartass, while others just get to be the dumb kind of jerk.”

“Oh, that sounds like an eyesore and an annoying pain to deal with. No offense,” Obscura answered disingenuously.

“You don’t go to Whateley, right?” Josh asked.

“I don’t need to. I’m fine where I am, going to a school of muggles while hiding my powers as I’ve been doing for years,” Obscura said, smirking a little. Vic noticed that she emphasized years, despite seemingly appearing their age. “But it never hurts to get a peek at what’s on the other side and get to know the rest of my… teammates from my first trial in the organization.”

“Thanks… I guess,” Vic said, having the slight sense that she was looking down on them.

“By the way… My name’s Raffina.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Josh answered, just to be polite.

“Hope you can show me some of your cool toys, techie… and you, Vic, show me what special training a guy like you, who’s probably in this because of the combat aspect, got from that fancy school.” And with that, she took strides forward to catch up with Leslie.

Raffina, Vic thought, shaking his head. He already had the niggling suspicion he wasn’t going to enjoy her company, even if he couldn’t be sure about it.

But, in the end, that was enough for him to get a good read of the team, sans the leader. Josh, his best friend from middle school; Leslie, the girl that could read everyone’s thoughts; Raffina, the one who thought herself too special for this; And Vic, the one who pretty much wished for this trial to be over with and him to make it unscathed… as unlikely as that might be.

Friday, December 23rd - 6:49 pm
British Columbia forests - campsite

The expedition made haste, trying to cover as much ground as they could, maybe even more than it was prudent. Still, it wasn’t until Root tripped in the growing dark that they decided it was time to stop..

From there, aided by the light of their phones, they spent only ten minutes searching around for the ideal location: somewhere under the shade of a tree, on high ground, with a small creek passing by, where the soil had the least snow so they could light up a fire. To aid with that, Root spread his arms wide and gave the old fir a literal tree-hug. Despite the amusement that might’ve brought, the results were nothing to scoff at as they could see the magic traveling from him and into the plant. The branches above them grew denser and stronger, giving them a decent enough roof over their camping spot.

Then, they had to clean up the area and prepare the ground. Everyone heeded Leslie’s and Root’s advice. In both Vic and Josh’s case, their own outdoor experience boiled down to squatting within a building, which certainly didn’t teach them how to pitch a tent or set up a campfire.

“So… let me get this straight. You missed the part where they said you would need to prepare for a hike, and loaded no tent, no food, no sleeping bag. Do you even have a flashlight or a lighter for the fire? What about a toothbrush?” Vic asked as he moved around doing his part to set up the camp, using water pulled from the creek to wipe away the snow and dry the grass around the campfire. “The only thing I don’t have is a tent because they didn’t have them in stock.”

“I… As I said, I was busy loading up some other things,” Josh said, having laid down a blanket on the now dry ground and pulling out pieces of tech. “I do think I can make a flashlight or create a laser to start the bonfire… that’ll be easy… But I won’t have a place to stay.”

“Don’t worry,” said Root. “Cole saw this coming, so, aside from the extra rations, he gave me two tents we can use. They’re not big, though, just enough to fit two people.” Root unloaded the two large nylon and fabric cylinders that hung from his bag with a huge sense of relief. “I know they might not look like much, but when you’re out here, anything feels like a palace.”

“Yeah… we know,” Vic and Josh answered.

“I’m glad.” Leslie let out a relieved sigh as she prepared the ground for the campfire. She wouldn't have found a tent in the Whateley campus store either and Raffina didn’t pack one for herself. The dark-haired girl wasn’t even bothering to get her phone out to illuminate the area.

“Good,” Root smiled. “Then these are yours. I’ll sleep outside.”

Leslie looked like she was about to ask if he was sure, only for her to quiet down midword as she read Root’s thoughts.

“Well, that’ll make sorting easy: Girls and boys,” Raffina noted.

“How’s that lighter coming, Josh?” Root asked as the gadgeteer appeared to be putting the finishing touches to his creation.

“It’s done… I grabbed some modular pieces from Junkerer’s workshop. This just spared me a lot of work,” said Josh as he showed off a compact gun-like devise. Pulling the trigger a couple of times, a laser fired off the muzzle but no fire was started… fortunately. “This part is somewhat worn but it should work enough if we keep it pointed at a specific spot long enough.”

“It looks like a laser pointer,” Raffina mocked.

“Well… It is, but I can adjust the intensity a little bit,” Josh noted.

“Um…” Leslie raised her hand. “I brought a box of matches.”

“We can use both,” Root said. “But we can’t start without any firewood. Leslie and I will set up the tents… The rest of you should go get it.”

“Can’t you grow it?” Raffina asked.

“I’d rather not waste mana on growing kindling,” Root simply answered. “Also, it would be too green to burn easily.”

“Sure.” Vic nodded as he tossed the water towards the creek, dragging a bunch of the snow with it.

“Alright,” said Josh as he stuffed the gun into his pocket. He folded over the blanket of pieces before getting up.

Raffina sighed. “I could do this alone.”

“The more we get, the better. The fire should burn all night just to keep us safe.” Root noted.

To that, the other three kids nodded before setting foot outside the perimeter, to wander into the dark with only the light of their flashlights. The weather was getting colder and they were eager to having a good fire to warm themselves.

Friday, December 23rd - 7:17pm
Vancouver Syndicate Safehouse 3C

In the end, Cole’s oh-so-important job in the city boiled down to a simple visit to one of the local criminal cells that was already starting to overstep in their roles. It was not a surprise that Syndicate support came with a few simple rules which varied from place to place… Most city criminals are told some basic things: Don’t level the city, don’t anger the heroes, keep body counts to a minimum and so on.

Today’s rulebreaker was a criminal group that, according to a whistleblower, was thinking of bombing the local heroes in a public event. This was a massive red flag because all it did was anger the heroes and the city as a whole… and when that happened and the criminals were inevitably caught, the first thing they would do was point fingers at their supplier.

So Cole had to pay them a little visit to remind them of the troubles such recklessness could cause. He stepped into their warehouse, just as a prep meeting was taking place. Part of it was to sell the myth that the organization was always watching and always present, when in reality it was just intel given by the whistleblower within their ranks.

Fortunately, although rather disappointingly, this all went down without a big fight. They just nodded after a thorough scolding and allowed Cole to ruin their explosives, with only one or two punches thrown. He did his job and left, making it to the Syndicate safehouse soon after.

The place wasn’t anything big, about the size of the common hotel room, with a bed, bathroom and a small kitchen that happened to be next to the pantry conveniently stocked with fresh supplies. The walls were gray concrete, lacking in wall paper, making the whole place feel like a bunker, but apart from that detail, it was surprisingly cozy. There was even a hidden terminal he could use to contact the main branches and a large TV screen embedded in the wall facing the bed.

Once the door closed behind him, Cole took off his small backpack and dropped it on the bed, along with the warper’s anchor, and then hung his weapons on the perch by the wall. He took a moment to rehydrate and leave his meal cooking before leaving the small kitchen area.

The TV was on. The previous occupant had left it playing the local news, showcasing the event that might’ve been a catastrophe if he hadn’t intervened. And yet, he was fine with the idea of no one knowing how he had saved the day, so to speak.. Seeing the local cape-watchers so excited at the prospect of meeting their heroes, even if it was a PR stunt, touched his heart with a bit of warmth. It reminded him of times when he and Oscar watched superheroes and villains in their youth. They had been partial to the martial arts types.

“Hm… thinking of which,” Cole mused as he produced his phone and, with a couple of swipes, had the line ringing against his ear.

“Cole? How’s it going?” a deep voice called out on the other end of the line.

“Lightning… It’s good to hear from you. How’s things on Silent Mountain?”

The man on the other end of the line, Lightning, grunted. “Preparations are going ahead. I take it the children are on their way here, right?”

“Correct… I set them loose about four hours ago… They should be about a third of the way there.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then we’ll be ready to receive them. The preparations for their designated tests are almost complete. Censer and I just finished doing the maintenance to keep the facilities up and running after the eviction.”

“Was it troublesome?”

“The previous tenants weren’t particularly happy about being evicted, so they went the extra mile to create messes on the way out. But you know how it is with some villains. It’s never their fault and the world is unfair to them. The loaned henchmen stood down while the guy’s crew got loaded and sent over to Vancouver. Put them in a precarious position where they could’ve been arrested by the heroes or the police.”

“That’s fine. That should teach them to not skip out on rent. Fortunately, you happen to be skilled when it comes to clearing the messes.”

“Some bases have their own measures. This one favors me by having the hallway floors be conductive. They should’ve learned the lesson,” Lightning said. “Still, as it turns out, their villain boss left some valuable items behind in his office, so that should compensate for things.”

“What valuables are you talking about?”

“A bunch of gold and silver ingots. A set of big bones that I think he was planning to sell to some sort of geneticist. Some old pieces of armor and paintings.”

“What? Did he rob a museum?”

“I’d guess so,” Lightning shrugged. “All those things are stashed behind the locked office, waiting for the appraisal team to see what to do with them.”

“Well… you’re going to be waiting a while.”

“I know. Holidays and all that. Not that there is much of a rush, anyway.”

“That’s about right,” Cole agreed before moving onto the topic he called for. “I actually wanted to call about the examinations. I was curious about what sort of tests you would be giving them.”

“What? Are you thinking of spoiling the surprise?” Lightning chided.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Cole answered in all seriousness. “I just wondered what you had planned or what instructions you were given for the exams.”

Lightning hesitated for a moment, but conceded. “I don’t think you’re the kind to give the kids a heads up. But, even if you did warn them, it wouldn’t change anything.”

“Then what is in store for them?”

“Let me see… Day Dreamer is marked as a special case. For her it will just be the trek and the subsequent training after.”

“Correct. I’ll be taking Mistral there the day after tomorrow.”

“Good… Then… Obscura is getting an obstacle course. Her father didn’t have a particular reason. He just wanted her out of home for the holidays and for her to learn some manners.”

“Not the best of ideas… but could be worse,” Cole admitted, knowing the girl’s file.

“For FitTogether. It’ll be a disassembly test. I was going to have him de-couple the generator and perform maintenance to it. Junkerer supposedly trained him for it.”

“And for TideStriker and Root, they’ll be facing down Censer and then me in combat.”

Cole stopped. “Facing both you and Censer in combat? Two units of the Syndicate? One of them is just a freshman.”

“Well, there are some rules to tip things in his favor. He would need to land three hits and remain conscious to pass. Success against both of us is needed to be given a passing grade…”

“Even so, the outcome feels very skewed in comparison. Especially considering your mastery over electricity,” Cole noted. “It almost sounds like you’re setting him up for failure.”

“And what if I am?” Lightning snapped back but quieted down. “I’m not the one who dictated the tests. I’m just following the orders of the higher ups. The parameters of the tests were defined by Laureate and the wallet clenchers.”

Cole didn’t have an answer. Laureate was one of the high Syndicate members of the division. He was a younger man within the board with the old mindset that the Syndicate was meant to be the black-aligned organization that veered everyone towards world domination, which happened to be the case until they realized they each had different ideas as to what that meant or how to achieve it. That was in opposition to the more neutral black and white current model where they were just facilitators of means, regardless of who asked.

Lightning continued. “I understand you. If it were up to me, I probably would’ve gone for a fairer assessment. You know, something like an obstacle course or more technical combat encounter between them, rather than a pass-fail situation that wouldn’t stain my reputation. Shit, having me fight some kid…”

“I would’ve gone for a simple sparring combat. Given that I’m in charge of training, I can make a more proper assessment… plus I know you don’t really hold back. No offense.”

“None taken. If you asked, and I mean really asked, I could make an attempt to go light on them… But I hate losing and the security cameras in this place are always on. Anyone who would see the black box would know. Censer as well. From what I heard, the guy has been put in a bad situation. They told him his status as an operative will be severely hampered if he were to be taken down by someone like TideStriker or Root. I believe the higher ups told him it’s either him or them… so he’s going to go all out.”

“So, that’s their intention? To disqualify them,” Cole said flatly. There was frustration, knowing that if they were to be cut off, that would also include Whateley. In Vic’s case, Caroline would be punished if she defied the rule and harbored him. Still, he kept a neutral tone. “They think me soft, don’t they?”

“Why wouldn’t they? You work next to that bleeding heart, Lifeward,” Lightning said with a bit of a laugh. “In all seriousness, you were indirectly involved in the recruiting of TideStriker, FitTogether, and Root. Now, the techie I can see them wanting to keep, especially since his living arrangements are cheaper, but the other two? An untrained mage that communes with plants and the teenager that can only control water at a weaker rating and as long as he’s touching it. They have a higher expectation of what constitutes strength and have deemed both of them too weak for the brawler track.”

“That’s the problem. Their potential lies somewhere aside from brawn.” Cole held the words in his tongue, instead opting for the answer. “It’ll be as it’ll be. All I’ll say is that they’re being undervalued.”

“I’ll note it.” He could hear Lightning’s smirk. “So, I’ll be seeing you on Christmas morning?”

“As planned.”

“What a sad way of spending the holidays,” Lightning scoffed. “Here I hoped to share it with my wife… now I have to figure out a way to make it up to her.”

“I can get you something from Vancouver, just text me what you want and I’ll buy it tomorrow,” Cole said as he hurried over to check on his pot. It was about to bubble over.

“Thanks, man,” Lightning said before hanging up.

“Huh… I do trust Vic and Travis will prevail,” Cole muttered to no one in particular as he got to work on trying to salvage his dinner. “Especially Vic. He’ll need the help of the organization… of Caroline, if he doesn’t want to live off the streets.”

Friday, December 23rd - 7:18pm
Forests of British Columbia - away from campsite

“Here’s something,” Vic hissed in success as he found a rather large fallen branch to add to the bundle under his arm… although he wished he could do this without the extra effort of needing his phone as a flashlight. If only they’d done this while there was still daylight, and if only he wasn’t so worried about the changes that came with using his powers. This task would be easy.

Still, he did his work and added the large branch to the pile. That would have to be enough.

He turned around to see Josh’s light moving as he approached. They each illuminated each other just to get a good look at their haul.

“I win. Aren’t you supposed to be the exemplar?” Vic teased as they compared their piles.

“Well… I’m an exemplar in the good looks department,” Josh scoffed.

“Sure,” Vic rolled his eyes before looking around in the darkness of mismatched bushes, fallen trunks and rocks where tripping was far too easy. In the distance, they could see the flashing movement of Leslie and Root’s own lights around the designated campsite as they worked to finish setting things up. “Let’s just find Raffina and get back to camp.”

“Must we?” Josh muttered. Vic shared the sentiment so he held back his answer and just began to walk around, shining his light around. But there was no other light around.

“Raffina had no light with her, did she?”

“That's very careless of her,” Josh said.

Sounds familiar, Vic thought as he moved around.

“Hey,” Josh broke the silence a couple of steps later. “I was wondering… do you have a sleeping bag?”

“Yeah, I do?” Vic asked, too focused on the steps he took to see the obvious path this was taking.

“Is it big?”

“Kinda? It’s not the cocoon type sleeping bag, more like a huge thermal blanket with a zipper on the side. It folds over.”

“Oh that’s perfect.”

“Perfect for?” Vic asked as his eyes were drawn to the side. Thinking he heard a twig snap or something move.

“We can share the sleeping bag, right?”

That did get Vic’s attention, pointing his light towards Josh. “Share it?”

“Well, I don’t have a sleeping bag.”

“You can sleep on the floor of the tent,” Vic snapped back. It was always like this with Josh. He always ended up not preparing, organizing or cleaning for that matter and it was always up to Vic to fix it. When they squatted in that old factory building in Massachusetts, it was Vic who made sure to get the food, clean up, get paid and keep matters in order while Josh worked on his next project.

“Please…”

“No…” Vic growled. “You should’ve brought your own stuff!”

“Please. I don’t think I can sleep well. I would do the same for you.”

“I have yet to see you do me the favor,” Vic said. His resolve started to crack, though.

“Dude, as a bro…”

“Josh…”

“Please.”

Vic frowned. “Fine. Fine! I’ll share it. Just don’t get too close.” The displeasure hung heavily in his voice, at both of them.

“Great, thanks dude.” Josh celebrated, rattling the sticks on his arm. “Thought you would have me beg.”

“Maybe I should’ve,” Vic grumbled, although paused for a second as he thought he heard a laugh to the empty space to his right.

“Aw, come on. I’ll share some of the things I created in my free time. I have one I think you would like.”

“Like what?” Vic asked, suddenly drawn.

“We both love videogames, right?” Josh asked seemingly unaware of his friend’s growing concern. “Working with Junkerer, I now have the computer setup I’ve always dreamed of and a bunch of broken tech that happens to make it to the junkyard. You won’t believe this but I got a broken down VR headset, a corrupted version of the game Neonsaber and a set of haptic gloves. So I wondered if I could combine them into something. I have the prototype with me to try it later and…”

Josh’s words trailed off as he, just like Vic, became aware of a presence in the vicinity, moving about in the dark where the light of their flashlight couldn’t reach. Rustling that didn’t come from the wind and movement that wasn’t from either of them. And more importantly, a sound that felt akin to soft embers with flashes of pitch black or purple in the middle of the dark.

“Something is here,” Vic muttered, feeling some panic as he didn’t have water he could use.

“I-I haven’t calibrated my laser! Plus I don’t have a hand to use it!” Josh muttered as he pointed his light around, narrowly missing a figure as it slipped around trees and rocks, disappearing only to keep up with their pace as they began to speed up.

“Better hurry… Um Raffina? Are you there?” Vic asked out loud, wondering if this was, in fact, their teammate.

“It has to be her, right?” Josh muttered before calling out. “Show yourself!”

And something did. From the low hanging branch they were passing by a figure dropped itself hanging upside down. A dark visage with pointed ears and sharp fangs grinning their way bore out a wicked grin that elicited a primal response. And that was followed by a bunch of flashes of light.

The “Boo!” wasn’t needed to get the reaction, but it upped the volume of their screams.

“Gah!” “Aah!” both Vic and Josh went as they fell back, the sticks falling off from their hands.

“Ah ha ha!” Raffina’s voice came out of the creature as she pointed in laughter. “You two are such cowards. You should’ve seen your faces.”

“What the hell?” Josh growled, shining his light up against her.

“Not funny.” A couple of insults stuck in the tip of his tongue, especially as he felt the ground and cold combine for a painful fall on a couple of rocks and the branches he carried. He was just glad his phone wasn’t broken.

“Oh come on. I’m sure you two would see the fun if you saw the chance,” Raffina said as she flipped herself from her hanging branch to touch the ground, showing off her body in the process.

It was the appearance of a wingless devil… or an imp… Or rather, Imp-like. Her skin was a dark blue color under the light that easily got itself lost in the dark. Her ears were elven looking, standing out on her head, twitching at the sounds in the surrounding. Her eyes had changed, with the whites turned pitch dark, making the blue of her irises stand out all the more. Her teeth had grown sharper with fangs at each point that almost gleamed in the night. And behind her swished a robust yet prehensile tail that ended in a sickle like protrusion.

She touched the ground with a graceful flip. “You two gathered a good amount of wood.”

“Where’s your pile?” Josh asked.

“I didn’t find any. Unlucky me, I guess.” Raffina smirked just as the sound of footsteps called her attention to the side as another light danced about, becoming larger as its holder drew closer.

“What happened?!” the three of them heard Root call out as he approached with a flashlight at hand. Immediately, the light fell upon the seeming stranger. “Is that you, Raffina?”

“I am. I was just playing a prank on them,” she answered, raising her arms to block the light as literal dregs of darkness exuded from her body and the rest of her form reverted back to the normal human girl they’d seen for the past couple of hours.

“What was all that about?” Josh asked as he gathered their wood into a bundle and split it between Vic and himself.

“Oh? That? You mean my alternate form? It’s a little perk of mine,” Raffina said with a smirk.

“We’re on a mission, you know? This isn’t probably the best time to be pranking each other.” Vic snorted.

“Yeah, you didn’t pick anything,” Josh commented.

Root sighed. “Raffina, if the campfire starts to dwindle and we’re out of wood, I’ll have you pick it up in the dark.”

“If we’re missing kindling. I’ll walk into the dark and pick it. Darkness isn’t something I’m afraid of,” Raffina answered. “Besides, I just wanted to play a prank on them. See two of the guys on our team share a fright.” With that she held out her phone, showing that she snapped three pictures of the two screaming, with Josh and Vic backing into each other before the stumble.

Josh tried to snatch it but she had already pulled it out of the way.

“Very funny. Can you delete that?” Vic asked as he resumed his walk to the camp.

“Nope.” Raffina smirked as she joined the rest of the way back to camp, taking light strides that put her ahead of the group. “This’ll be one of those fun camping memories I’ll remember if we see each other again after tonight.”

“I’m glad I went to the bathroom before I began picking sticks,” Josh muttered, echoing Vic’s sentiment as they followed.

And at the rear, Root covered them with the flashlight, already sighing to himself as he realized that there was a possibility he might not be ready to handle this group.

Friday, December 23rd - 10:59 pm
British Columbia forests - Campfire

Vic snuggled deeper into his jacket and then leaned in closer towards the campfire. Already he was thinking about reaching for a couple of sticks from the pile to throw them into the flame just to keep the protective warmth lasting longer. He’d had no idea that he would be facing this level of cold… or how biting the feeling could be.

It certainly made him miss his room in Twain. But if he was lucky, this would be the only displeasure he would see tonight.

After bringing in the kindling for the campfire, they got the break they’d been wanting for a while as they stopped to rest. The snow-wiped grass was a welcoming feeling under their butts, and the tents were even starting to look decently cozy, even if it would be somewhat cramped for two people. Vic wasn’t looking forward to sharing his sleeping bag with Josh.

Soon after, it was dinnertime and each of the students produced the food they brought to the expedition. Root had some canned goods and military style rations to share it with those around. All in all, Vic had expected worse, so this was a welcomed surprise.

And in between bites, silence settled in around the five of them, with someone chiming in every now and then to pose a question. Josh was quite curious about Silent Mountain Base and its facilities. None of those present had actually been there, so the topic died. Vic wanted to know about the tests they would be given and was already starting to throw in some ideas as to what they might be. And Leslie asked about the arrangements to get back, which everyone guessed would probably be through the same portal system they used to get there. There was no way they would be crossing national borders back to the US through the normal means.

Afterward, they divvied up the lookout duty. Five shifts from nine to seven, two hours each. And Vic got the luck of the first shift.

Once everyone slipped into their tents early, with Root pulling out an all-encompassing sleeping bag that he rested up against the tree, Vic took up his role as the first watch.

This was the first time in a while that he had kept watch. Even when he was in Urresti’s gang, the boss usually had others look out for the operation or their hideout, given that both Vic and Josh were that important to the team. Now he could understand why everyone always complained about It.

It was as boring as one might imagine. There wasn’t really much to do but remain at his post and be attentive to the surroundings. His attention glommed to any sound that might happen just outside of the perimeter,and he used the flashlight Root gave him to illuminate anything off. But it was just silence and darkness in the vicinity, with the cold pretty much warning him not to get away from the fire lest he wanted to catch a cold, at best.

Still… in the quiet while staring into the darkness, his mind began to drift off, jumping from topic to topic His thoughts of comfort led to the memory of his room in Whateley, which got him to jump to the other bedrooms he’d had. His thoughts finally landed him back to his childhood home in Maryland, where he lived with his mom. The apartment wasn’t big… but it was home. His mom and her friends were his family and made sure that nothing ever felt lacking.

Staring at the void in the darkness as mist appeared to slip by the lower levels of the valley, Vic got himself lost thinking of how things would’ve been if things were different. If he were to wake up back in the apartment, greeted by his mom. Watching martial arts movies with Uncle Newton. Playing videogames with Daryl. Going to a normal school with Danny and Lizzy. Not having to worry about the Syndicate.

They were thoughts that he really didn’t want to consider further than just a dip, knowing that the biting cold he felt whenever the campfire beckoned for kindling painted a clear contrast.

“There is no point. There is no point. Things are fine right now,” he muttered as he looked down at his hand, noticing that the fingers that were once broken were starting to look different under the light of the fire. Feeling the skin and up his arm always made him feel queasy. The knowledge that he was changing further and further into something not human. His dream of having a normal life slipping away every day…

But then again, what other option did he have? What could he do about it? Now, it was just localized to his arm, but he wondered about the day when he wouldn’t be able to walk out on the street like that.

That spirit, that entity within him that was triggering all this. What was it up to? What did it want? Its presence slowly grew clearer with each passing week. Not just ill-remembered, weird, inter-crossed dreams, but the feeling that there was someone else about. A memory or a knowledge that slipped in to guide him in the few times he needed help. But there was still a conversation to be had.

Vic looked down at his hand, wondering as well. Doctor Gutierrez said that the spirit’s cohesion was granting him a certain degree of magic. It made him wonder what sort of stuff he would be able to do after remembering that dream where the young entity used magic to summon electricity in her fingers. Would he be able to do the same? Obviously not to the absurd levels as Morgana and Bianca… right?

“But what’s the point of that? What good is it if it ruins everything else,” Vic muttered as he thrust his hand forward. He didn’t really expect to just shoot lightning from his fingertips, so he wasn’t disappointed when it didn’t happen. But it was a good way to release his concerns and stresses.

“Yo… Vic,” A sudden voice in the monotone silence got his heart to jump. But it quickly settled as he saw Root emerging from his sleeping bag. “Anything of note?”

“Right… focus on the now,” Vic thought to himself, hoping that Day Dreamer was actually off using her dream walking ability, as she mentioned, rather than hearing his self-diatribe. “Nothing going on. Just cold,” he answered with projected ease. The presence of someone else got him to focus.

“Well, it’ll be my turn then,” Root said as he knelt by the campfire, grabbing a couple of pieces of wood and infusing his magic into them to get them to grow just a little bit before Vic’s eyes. “In harsh times, I found that the heat of a magically boosted wood lingers longer.”

“Is magic hard?” Vic asked as Root threw the enhanced kindling into the fire to get it to burn higher.

“Hm… I don’t know. I was never properly trained…” Root admitted. “And I am still due for some. This trick with plants and seeds is the only thing I have practice with. It seems to come easier to me, even if I’m just finding things out on my own. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Vic answered as he pushed himself up, stretching to completely unfreeze himself.

“You should go to sleep,” Root said as he took Vic’s seat, just to preserve the warmth. “I’ll keep watch and then let Raffina take over.”

“Thanks,” Vic said as he walked away. He wasn’t sure how much of a good sleep anyone was having but it felt like something he longed for after everything that had happened today.

He moved over to the tent he shared with Josh, only to find his buddy sprawled all over the large sleeping bag. With a frustrated sigh, Vic moved the arm and leg to give himself some room before climbing in and covering himself, falling asleep soon after his head rested on the cushioned side of his backpack.

 

To Be Continued