9.1 - Mass Driver Spotted!

Marcus and Elaina were talking as Madi and I played a round of Natural Disasters in the living room.

"...and that's where this tome came from, uh, allegedly," Elaina finished.

Madi and I both sighed after her long history lesson.

"Fascinating," Marcus nodded, "It's astonishing how so much magical knowledge has persisted through so many centuries. Mages sure are something else."

"Eh, we're a pretty stubborn bunch," Elaina shrugged.

"A testament to the heroics of all mages, no doubt," Marcus nodded.

Elaina frowned and glanced at me. "Well, maybe not all mages, I'm afraid."

I said nothing to that, but I knew what she meant—the masked girl.

Vanessa...

I refocused on the opponent before me: Madi grinned as she selected two cards from her hand.

"All right, Vector!" she began, "On this pile, I'll play one Wind and an Earthquake card! So, that means you gotta drop 3 cards!"

I smiled back at her. "Hmm, do I?" I took one card in my hand and placed it on top of her Earthquake card. "I think I'll be safe in this Cave, Madi!"

"Wha—?! No way!" She stomped her feet twice. "Rrgh! Even in this game, you're practically untouchable!"

"That's...a bit of a stretch," I replied. "Looks like we're both down to just four cards now, so guess we're in the home stretch!"

"Hmmm..." Madi continued. "For the second pile, I think I'll just play...one Water card to keep it easy. You're up!"

"All right, all right." I drew a card from the deck sitting between both piles. "Hmm...let me see..."

"Whatcha got? Whatcha got?" Madi bounced. "It's over for you!"

"Hmph. I don't think so, Photon Girl! On the first pile, I'll play an Avalanche card! This means you gotta drop more cards."

"Oh, no! Uggh!"

Marcus laughed as he walked over. "Who's winning?"

"Not me, probably," I told him. "Enjoy your history lesson?"

"Oh, yes. Even though I may never learn Magic, it's still super interesting to hear about its origins."

"So, what you're trying to tell us is..." Madi leaned towards her brother. "...you're a nerd?"

"Oi, Madi," I said. "That's not nice."

"What?" she smirked, "He is though! Marc's a total nerd not just for Magic, but for other historical stuff, too."

"Hmph!" her brother scoffed. "At least I know way more than you could, you damn volleyball socialite! For example...!"

Madi rolled her eyes. "Oh, boy, here we go."

Marcus cleared his throat. "Didn't you guys know that this game, Natural Disasters, was played centuries ago by Lord Isah and Lady Anya themselves?"

I raised my eyebrows as Elaina took a seat next to me. "Whoa," I said. "You're kidding..."

"Nope," Marcus shook his head proudly. "In fact, legend has it that Lady Anya actually won a pivotal game of this during an ancient war! Who knew the ruler of all mortal realms would become a Champion of the Elements herself?"

"Boooring!" Madi reeled back. She eyed me, then leaned forward again. "My turn, right?"

"Right," I nodded. "And thanks, Marc, that was, uh, pretty cool to learn about Anya."

"Uhm, akshually!" Elaina raised her index finger and pretended to fix her invisible glasses. "It's supposed to be 'Lady' Anya...you plebian."

I scratched my head. "Uh...r-right..."

Madi rolled her eyes again.

"Why, thank you!" Marcus puffed his chest following my comment. "I'm glad at least you can have some sort of appreciation for history, Jacen. Unlike some other people." He eyed his sister.

Madi drew a card from the deck. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So what if this game's centuries old! Vector's still gonna get his butt kicked right here, right now!"

I straightened myself on my cushioned seat. "Oho? Let's see what you got! Bring it, Madi!"

"Oh, I will! Get ready for—!"

Lin burst into the living room. "Guys! You need to see this! Now!"

I glanced at Elaina and she glanced at me.

Without a word, Marcus got up and followed Lin. So did Elaina.

Madi was looking at me from the couch.

I sighed. "All right, Madi, fine. Last play, make it quick!"

Madi smiled and placed a single card on one pile. "I play another Earthquake!"

I placed a card above hers. "Cave again. Lucky draw two turns ago."

"Dammit!"

"All right, come on."

She followed me out of the living room and all of us gathered at Lin's desktop. Ener-G sat at the kitchen table alone, munching on some waffles.

"Say again, Lin?" Elaina asked.

Hackathon pointed to one of her screens. "Here, guys, take a look at this monitor. I set up an alert in case we found anything and..."

I leaned forward to get a better look, so did Elaina.

On six windows all equally spaced from each other were six different angles of security camera feeds. But within each frame were the same two subjects. There was a guy wearing a strange jacket outfit who bore a familiar face—Mass Driver—and...

...a girl with a hood and a dark outfit...

I swallowed.

The words mumbled out of my mouth. "Could it really be...?"

Elaina glanced at me. "You think...it's...?"

I took a deep breath. "Only one way to find out for sure." I turned to Hackathon. "Lin, was all this footage taken in the Eastern District?"

"Yeah. And it looks like they're heading for the Atmo-Shuttle Docking Bay!"

I swallowed again, then turned to Ener-G. "Well?" I said.

Ener-G glanced at all of us by Lin's desk. "Well, what?"

“What’s he doing there?” Marcus demanded. "Mass Driver!"

Ener-G shrugged. “The hell if I know.”

“Answer the question!” Madi glared at him, balling her fists.

“I-I really don’t know!" Ener-G complained. "We never shared each other’s operations! That’s how Ambrigado got the jump every time! That is..." He focused on me. "...until we encountered you.”

“Guess I’ll just have to ask Mass Driver myself," I replied.

"Jace..." Elaina said.

"All right," I nodded to her and Lin. "I'm going."

"Not alone, you're not!" Elaina followed me.

I turned. "Ela, wait a sec, you should—"

“Stay here? No way," she protested. "I’m in this just as much as you are!”

I raised an eyebrow. “I was gonna say…you should get your Spellbook first.”

Elaina blushed. “O-Oh, uh…" She felt her empty left waist. "S-Sure. Yeah, I’ll go upstairs and get it.”

“I’ll wait for you outside.” I replied, and she rushed out of the kitchen, passing Madi.

The Photon Girl leaned on the doorframe between the living room and kitchen, grinning. “Man, you guys are such lovebirds it makes me sick.”

Ener-G took a sip from his orange juice. “Tell me about it. A Mage and an Abnormal. It is sickening.”

Madi glanced back at him angrily. “Hey—screw you, Laser Brain. Don’t agree with me.”

Ener-G scoffed. “I agree with your first sentence and I return it. Screw you.”

Marcus opened the fridge. “Want a refill there, uh, Aster?”

Ener-G slid his glass to Marcus. “Fine, sure. Just one.”

“Cool,” Marcus said.

Madi stomped her foot and chastised her brother. “Hey, Marc! Quit being nice to him! He’s an enemy!”

Ener-G blew into the air. “Oh, yeah? And what am I supposed to do with only one arm and a pair of injured legs?”

“Kh!" Madi gritted her teeth. "Maybe take your sorry ass to anywhere but here?”

“You’re not a very bright girl, huh?" Ener-G jeered at her. "What’s your backstory, sweetheart? Parents ran off and abandoned you and your brother? Guy dumped you for a Normal chick? Maybe you got bullied growing up?”

Madi stomped four times towards Ener-G. “That’s it, I’m gonna rip off your white-haired, shit-spouting head!!”

“Madi! Sit down!” Marcus raised his voice, getting between her and Ener-G.

Her gaze was locked onto Ener-G. “Rrgh! I wish...I wish Vector did kill you.”

Madi ran upstairs, passing Elaina again as she came down, and slammed the door to her designated bedroom.

Marcus was about to follow her up, but Lin grabbed his arm, and I was surprised at how fast the latter moved just now. I thought she was laser-focused on her monitors.

“You shouldn’t, you know.” Lin advised.

Marcus met her eyes. “She's my sister. If anyone's gonna talk some sense into her, it's gotta be me.”

But Lin held on to him. "Yeah, but give her some time. Let her cool off. Let her think about it. She just needs time to...uh..." She peaked from behind Marcus to look at Ener-G. "...to forgive you."

Ener-G sighed and balled a fist, but then relaxed his hand. He looked at Marcus. “I’m…sorry…for what I put you and your sister through, for what it’s worth.”

Marcus shook his head. “I admit. I’m still apprehensive about what happened, but if Jacen and Elaina can tolerate you, then I will, too, for their sake, and for my sister. If it benefits all of us. But I share their sentiment—you make one wrong move, and you're history.”

Lin let Marcus go and folded her arms next to him, looking at Ener-G. “Sentiment's the same for me. Though, as much as I’ve scammed people out of their life savings before, seeing you looking all pathetic like this sure hurts my eyes.”

Ener-G looked away from them. “Gee, thanks. Guess we all are a band of freaks, huh?"

Lin waved him off and walked over to me and Elaina. “Save it, Sir Shines-A-Lot. I’m compiling a build for your new arm. It’ll be a prosthetic, but, hey, at least you’ll be part machine now, like how your armor made you look before.” She turned to me. "That still all right with you, Mister Leader?"

"Why do you call me that? But yeah, the new arm's fine," I confirmed. "You sure that program of yours will keep him tight?"

"Oh, come on, Vec," Lin smirked. "Who do you think I am?"

Ener-G nodded at her. “Thank you, Lin. I’m grateful.”

Lin eyed him. “Don’t thank me yet, idiot. Just don’t try to hurt me or my friends, and we’ll be straight.” She turned her attention to us. "Marc and I will keep an eye on Mr. Rehab boy over there. Ah, and Madi and Sami, too. They'll be fine."

"You guys take care around here," I told her, and I waved Marc over to us. I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Marc, if he tries anything..."

"I'll kill him," Marcus whispered back. "Simple as that. You have my word I'll keep the girls safe, if that happens. I'll check on Sami, too. You can count on me and Lin."

I nodded.

"And Lin, if anything happens..." Elaina began. "If there's an emergency..."

Lin snapped her fingers in an "X" gesture. "Yeah, yeah. Palm on the wall and say 'Summon Safety!'"

"Right," Elaina said. "You got it."

"Cool," Lin nodded again. "Now, you two get going! Remember, you wanna head for the Orbital Docking Bay in East!"

As soon as we arrived at the Atmo-Shuttle Docking Bay, we immediately noticed how eerily quiet it was. No sign of any workers or office staff anywhere.

Elaina and I entered through a side door and made our way through the facility.

"Lin? Can you hear me?" Elaina spoke aloud, placing a hand on her left ear. "...Yes...Okay, hey, don't panic! It's just a...Yes, it's a Spell. Now, can you tell me...Okay...You see us on the cams? Great...Which way? Down the next hallway...Turn left...Straight through the next lobby and...into the main docking bay. Got it!"

"Lead the way?" I told Elaina.

She nodded. "Sure...ah...!" She froze and felt her forehead as soon as she took a step forward.

"Ela...?! Is that...You sense them. Don't you?"

"Yeah. There's a...really powerful Magical signature around here. I must've...stepped through some sort of barrier...Dammit! I'm sure it'll get stronger as we get closer. Come on!"

We followed Lin's directions and arrived at a long catwalk overlooking a huge screen that appeared to be dead. The silence in the docking bay was haunting, until—

The colossal screen turned on, illuminating the dark facility.

Mass Driver's enormous head stared down at us. "Well, what have we here?"

"Mass Driver!" I called out to him.

"Huh. I didn't think the Doc's plan in luring you here would work! But hey, color me surprised!"

Elaina gasped, looking around frantically. "Jace, the...Magic sig...it's close!"

I glanced around and saw no one else, then refocused on Mass Driver. "How about you show yourself and anyone else you're with!"

Someone stepped onto the catwalk from the opposite side of us. A camera drone floated next to his head.

"All you gotta do is ask," Mass Driver smirked as he stepped forward. "Long time no see, asshole."

"Same here," I replied.

I observed Mass Driver's new outfit. On his sleeves and pant legs were single railgun paths, each one equipped with glowing reactors—two on his shoulders, and two at his waists—all attached to the rails. The rails themselves pulsed with green electromagnetic radiation.

“I see you got some new drip,” I said.

Mass Driver chuckled. “And I see you got yourself a sidekick.”

“HUH!?" Elaina stomped her foot. "Sidekick?!”

Mass Driver covered his ears. “A very loud and annoying one, at that. What’s up with her, man? Couldn’t face me again yourself?”

I smirked back. “What if I just brought her here to get a front row seat for when I kick your ass all over again?”

“Don’t be so sure of that, Vector. Check it!” Mass Driver took a few steps back.

A red, misty streak flew out of a room attached to the left catwalk and landed between us and Mass Driver. The mist coalesced together into a humanoid shape, until—

It flashed red, and a familiar girl appeared wearing a dark hood. She raised her head and locked eyes with me as the mist faded away.

I stepped forward. "V-...Vanessa...?! Vanessa, is that...you?"

She removed her hood and fixed her blonde hair as it fell just below her shoulders. "For the record, it's 'Vanessa Vilana.' I didn't give you my surname last time. Hey, Jace, nice to see you again," she smiled.

Elaina balled her fists and kept her gaze on Vanessa.

Again, huh? Elaina asked me telepathically.

Don't think too much about it, Ela.

"Vanessa," I began. "What...What are you doing working with the Science Division?"

"Long story," she bobbed her head. "What're you doing with...um...that circus clown in the orange scarf there?"

I felt an invisible, otherworldly heat radiate from Elaina. "E-Ela, calm down, calm down."

"Oh, I'm gonna kill her," she mumbled to me.

"Jace, listen..." Vanessa spoke up again. "Why don't you just...leave that girl there and come with me—I mean, us! We can catch up, ya know? I've got a lot to talk to you about."

"Vanessa, I—"

Elaina stepped in front of me. "Jacen is not going anywhere with you!"

Vanessa frowned. "Ah, so the novice can speak for herself, after all."

"I'm no novice," Elaina replied. "And I know now that the Magical signature I've been sensing...It's all coming from you!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, no," she answered sarcastically. "How could I have possibly allowed this to happen?"

Elaina furrowed her eyebrows. "So, it's true...You're...You're the Blood Mage I've been tracking this whole time...?"

"The official name's 'Bloodletter,' Elaina Yoshinaga," Vanessa sneered at her. "I'm actually surprised a novice like you is even able to decipher what sort of Magic I wield."

I remembered Elaina's brief description of what a Blood Mage is—someone who uses the blood of their victims to enhance their powers even further. Nasty stuff.

"Ugh! How could I not?" Elaina retorted. "Any Mage should be able to tell when a Blood Mage is around! It's because their...their...victims' souls...are still etched on their hands...!"

Vanessa grinned. "So, you do understand. Yes, you are right. You must be wondering why you haven't come across any employees in this spacious Docking Bay. Well..."

I felt my stomach drop.

Elaina's eyes widened. "You...You're...You're a disgrace to all that is Magic! A disgrace to everything Lady Ceriana stood for!"

Vanessa took a step back when she heard that name. "The Lord and Lady have no say in what Magic I can perform! Neither does the Lady Sovereign!"

Mass Driver clapped his hands behind Vanessa. "Very good, very good. So, we've set the stage for the main event! Well then, Vector, shall we see what you two are actually made of?"

"How 'bout you tell us why you're here first?" I stood next to Elaina. "What's Doctor Molecruel really planning here?"

They kept silent and readied themselves.

Elaina took a deep breath and mumbled to me. "Should we split up? I don't mind teaching that ex-girl of yours over there a lesson."

I became flustered. "She and I were never like that! It was just hanging out for a day. Nothing else!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Elaina smiled, and she cracked her knuckles. "I'll kick her ass either way."

"But to answer your question—no." I met her eyes. "We face them together. You cool with that?"

"Always."