Silent Hums From A Box Of Phantoms

“I just got the call, they’re here,” Umbra said to Caesar, moving over to where the portal had opened during their arrival.

She extended her arms, forming orange waves that appeared in a grid on the floor. The essence flowed up like lava, fully dispersed once the bodies of Ultra and Lucius were formed under the high ceilings of the Sanctum.

“Well, c’mon how was it? I know our signals get a little hazy out there, but you could’ve told me something. I was just telling Caesar that the Hourmen might’ve got you both for real this time.”

Lucius and Ultra both looked over at each other in the midst of the questioning, not even given a second to process the reconstruction of their bodies.

“Give us a second, Umbra, it's been a long day. Relax, we won’t leave anything out,” Ultra replied, taking a seat at the table with Caesar.

As the four of them sat, Ultra and Lucius went over and explained all that they had learned from the examination of the Angiporium.

Once all was accounted for, Umbra completed her interrogative line of questioning. “You’re right then, that basically confirms it. The Amber King is involved in all this.”

“Yes, but regardless, our plan remains the same. Our first priority is to get Lain and Surazal back, then we can proceed with the later objectives. We need to stay focused on one thing at a time. Which brings us to the main reason for our meeting here, the preparation for the auction.” Ultra stood up and moved over to the central dock.

“We only have a few days to prepare for the event, everything needs to be ready by then. Each of us will be playing a crucial role, I don’t think I need to reiterate how imperative it is that everyone follows the plans accordingly.”

“This ain’t my first rodeo man, you’ll have no troubles from me,” Caesar said, sitting back in his chair like planning a heist was a normal occurrence for him.

“Me neither. I won’t let any of you down,” Lucius agreed.

“And I’m always reliable, so let’s get on with it Ultra. Skip the pep talk and get to it,” Umbra said, hungry to hear the details of the plan.

“Right. The Crane House has an abundance of security, so it would be borderline impossible for all of us to enter in. That’s why, Lucius, you will be our eyes and ears from the auction floor,” Ultra said, pulling up interior schematics on the holo screen.

“Wait just me? I’m gonna be in there alone?”

“As a patron, yes. Everyone has their roles catered to their abilities, but as you are the one with the lowest levels of resonance, it needs to be you on the inside.”

After a slow nod from Lucius, Ultra continued.

“The guards check guest credentials at the door, so you’ll be fitted with a holo mask to take the appearance of an invited individual. The patrons inside always use aliases to hide their real identities, but when I attended it was not difficult to recognize certain people, even behind a mask. The easiest target is a man who goes by the name Petrarch, who I have confirmed is supposed to be in attendance. Which leads me to the next part…” Ultra brought up the headshot of a decrepit looking old man with gray wisps of hair hanging down over menacing eyes.

“Tomorrow evening, Petrarch will be meeting me at the club to discuss a new business venture, per my request. On his way up to the office, Caesar, you will bump into him, where you will relieve him of his identification credentials in the process. Once he reaches the office, while I distract him, Lucius will activate the Phantom Vault and imprison him inside. Then, we can reconvene here in the Sanctum to trace the next steps.”

“Hold on a second, the Phantom Vault? What the hell is that?” Lucius asked in confusion.

Umbra strolled over to a shelf decked out with an array of assorted high tech gadgets. She returned with a black cube the size of a clenched fist, with white veins running across it on all sides that met at a centered circle that looked like a clenched eye.

“No way, I’ve always wanted to see that in action! Ever since I stole it for you guys from the last auction I wondered how it worked,” Caesar excitedly exclaimed.

“The Phantom Vault, once activated, can house any individual inside of it, with the only way out being if the user deactivates it. Once Petrarch is pulled into the cube, he will be trapped and unable to interfere with our plans, allowing Lucius to easily take his place at the auction,” Ultra explained.

Umbra slid the cube across the table to Lucius, who hesitated to even touch it in case it pulled him inside.

“The on switch can only be activated by resonance, even the slightest amount. You should have no difficulty using it, regardless of your levels. When I give you the signal, just point the circular center towards Petrarch and focus to activate it. It’s as simple as that,” Ultra explained. “And since you’ll be the one activating it, you will also be the only one able to deactivate it when its purpose is completed. Is that clear?”

“Uhhh, do I get a practice run or something?” Lucius asked, feeling immense pressure from the weight of the cube.

“It’s too dangerous to try out here, and I don’t think any of us are itching to volunteer as test subjects anyways. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be just fine,” Umbra chimed in.

The holo screens turned off, and Ultra stepped back to face the three sat individuals.

“Is everything else all clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Sure is.”

“I guess.”

“Good, then let’s get some rest. There are idle chambers down the far hall, they will rejuvenate you all until the time of the meeting comes. That will be all for now.”

They dispersed, but Lucius was last to rise from his seat, trying his best to hold himself together.