8.3 - Realignment

The study room was down a short hallway attached to the living room and behind a pair of double doors—wooden with long plates of glass in their centers.

The mahogany doors creaked slowly as I opened them and walked in.

The smell of freshly cleaned carpet and a multitude of flowery aromas filled the air.

I smiled as I stepped further in; the study room had vines and flowers lining the ceiling and corners, with multiple bookshelves lined against the walls. In the middle of the room was a circular table with seven leather chairs spread evenly apart.

If I didn't know any better, I would've concluded Elaina came from a wealthy family. Correction—a wealthy family of Magicians.

I took a seat on one of the chairs.

Elaina appeared soon after.

"T-Thanks for the breakfast," I said. "It was good."

"No prob!" she smiled, and I was relieved seeing that again, as if nothing insane had happened recently. "All righty," she continued. "What's up?"

"So, Ela, the truth is...well..."

She kept silent, waiting for me to finish.

"I think I...I saw...someone. I—...um..."

Elaina walked around the table and took a seat next to me. "Someone? Like...in a vision?"

I nodded. "Yeah, s-something like that. It was—Well, I think it was…Isah."

Elaina's mouth fell agape and her eyes widened. "Huh...? You...saw the Lord Supreme? The Lord of the Sky??"

"I know, I know," I started to chuckle, but I shook my head. "Yeah, it sounds crazy."

"You think?!" she straightened herself on her chair and leaned closer to me. "Well, go on! Tell me everything!"

"I remember that...just before I...beat up Ener-G...I saw him just...sitting there and...looking at me."

Elaina frowned. "Ok...? What was his expression like? Did he give you the thumbs up to kill the guy?"

"No—What?! No, not at all. He...He looked sad, er, disappointed? Something like that."

Elaina folded her arms. "Hmm. Are you sure you saw him?"

I nodded. "After seeing him with Anya on that painting of yours upstairs, yeah. I definitely saw him for a moment before I...you know."

Elaina pondered for a couple seconds. "Fascinating...Now, why would the Lord Supreme show himself to a nonbeliever like you?"

"Oi, that sounds harsh. Can you please not label me like that?"

She met my eyes. "Am I wrong?"

"Well, not...really. Uh, I guess not…so much anymore?"

Elaina nodded as she kept her eyes on me. "Hmmm. Interesting...Well, the only reasonable explanation—not that...anything I say may sound reasonable from a secular perspective—is that you probably had a vision of Lord Isah because you desired something you wanted from this world. Something you felt like you had to do or had to have."

"Something I...had to do...?"

"Yeah. It's been said Lord Isah's visage may appear to people who suddenly possess themselves of a strong desire for something good. And only something good, mind you. Lord Isah is said to hate people who try to use his graces for bad stuff, much like how his wife views things like this."

"Something good? But, I mean, you saw what I did to Ener-G."

"I know, but...Hm. It must've come from a place of good. At least, that's my theory. Why did you feel like you had to attack him the way you did?"

"Because he was gonna kill the twins, Sami, or even the crowd at the train yard entrance."

Elaina raised her eyebrows. "Bingo. He must've heard your inner desire for power—power to exact a necessary amount of force on your enemy to achieve something inherently good."

I looked at my hands again. "Inherently...good."

"Makes sense to me," Elaina smiled. "Wow. You, of all people. I never thought His Lordship would give you a hand like that."

"But was it...really him? There's—I mean, there's gotta be a different explanation."

"Jace, I saw you get your ass kicked by Ener-G for most of the fight. When he threatened the twins, Sami, and the crowd of Normals, that's probably when he noticed you. Your soul must've cried out for aid…and he answered you with power."

"Is that...right—"

Multiple thuds suddenly boomed from upstairs, along with several objects crashing and breaking.

"AAAAARRRGH!! AAAAGH!" Ener-G screamed above us.

"He's awake! Come on!" Elaina exclaimed, and we both sprinted out of the study room and up the stairs.

Lin stayed on the first floor, while Marcus followed us to check on Madi.

Elaina and I arrived first and found Madi restraining Ener-G with her photon powers. Both beds had been destroyed, and the shelves on the wall opposite them were partially incinerated.

"L-Let go of me!!" Ener-G demanded Madi, who had him bound with a set of turquoise-colored light strings.

Madi tightened their knots. She spoke through gritted teeth. "I'll make you pay for hurting me and my brother...YOU DAMN FREAK!"

Both of them noticed us as soon as we reached the doorway.

Ener-G's eyes widened when he saw me. "V-Vector?! You're...here?! What're you—...Get this bitch away from me!"

"Madi!" Elaina called to her. "Step away from him!"

Madi shot us a look. "Are you guys nuts?! Why'd you bring this dipshit under the same roof as us?! Have you seen what he did to Sami, too?!"

Marcus pushed through me and Elaina and raised his hands to his sister.

"Madi, stop!" he told her. "You need to let him go!"

"Let him go?!" Madi hollered. "He'll try to kill us if I do!"

"No, he won't!" Marcus tried to reason with her, and he stared down at Ener-G. "You won't."

Ener-G scoffed at Marcus, and he again looked at me. I wondered if he was terrified of either Madi or me, or...probably both of us.

I backed up from the doorframe and leaned on the hallway wall behind me. Elaina noticed and retreated, too.

"Get him up!" Elaina instructed Madi and Marcus. "Madi, don't hurt him. Marcus?"

"I got him," he said, and he pulled Ener-G and sat him up on the floor. "Madi, over here...Madison, get over here, dammit!"

Madi stomped next to her brother and glared at Ener-G, who was still bound by her photon strings.

He struggled to break free, but the light wasn't obeying him.

Elaina motioned for me to follow her in.

"Aster Malvor," she began, and Ener-G raised his eyes to her. "I'm Elaina. You're in my house, enchanted with Magic. My friend Lin and I tended to your wounds. You're safe."

Ener-G sneered. "Unbelievable. To think I'd be captured by the Anomaly and her band of freaks."

I glanced at the back of Elaina's head.

Anomaly? Guess your nickname’s gone around, too, huh?

Guess so, Elaina unexpectedly replied telepathically.

Ener-G moved his gaze to me. "And of course, YOU'D be here! You bastard! You freak monster! You devil! You damn traitor to all ABNORMALS!"

"ASTER!" Elaina yelled over him. "No one is going to hurt you here." She glanced at Madi. "No one.” Then back at him. “So, I need you to listen for a second—"

"Why, in the entire Grand Design, would I ever listen to what you have to say, you damn witch?" Ener-G jeered. "I'm not gonna take orders from a magical girl! You're probably gonna do some crazy shit—like experiment on me or harvest my organs or something!"

Elaina shook her head. "Listen just for a second!"

"I DON'T LISTEN TO MAGES!"

I stepped forward in front of Elaina.

Ener-G shut up. His eyes were wild for a second, then they changed to a silent fear.

I exhaled and tried to relax my nerves.

"What do you know about Dr. Shevren Ambrigado?" I asked him bluntly. "Why is he trying to kill me? And how is Anomaly related to the Science Division’s operations?"

Ener-G shook his head and laughed. But his tone of voice seemed to calm down. "What makes you think I'll tell you anything?"

"Because you will never leave this madhouse if you refuse," Elaina threatened him.

I raised a hand to Elaina, and she backed down.

I refocused on Ener-G. "I wonder what Ambrigado would think if you found your way back to him looking like this. Defeated at the hands of the guy he's trying to kill, not to mention getting his ass kicked and losing an arm."

"Tch!" Ener-G scoffed. "You're a damn traitor..."

"A traitor?" I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You, Mass Driver and The Rumbler kept calling me that. Explain."

Ener-G lowered his eyes and stared at the floor, contemplating his next move. He then closed his eyes and sighed. "...Ambrigado's cooking up a big plan that'll finally change things around here for the better—for all of us Abnormals," he said to me. "You were supposed to be a part of that plan, Vector. But you...you chose to stay idle. You chose to shut yourself in. You chose...to get friendly with Normals."

"Is that a problem?" I replied. “You hurt my friend, Sami. And for that, how I could ever forgive—"

"That IS a problem! Normals hate us! They'll ALWAYS hate people like us! And you...you chose to defend them—hell, you chose to cozy up with 'em! You're just a damn traitor to all Abnormals!"

Elaina stepped next to me, indignant. "Jace, how 'bout I just read the guy's mind?"

Ener-G blinked, panicking for a second at those words.

"No, Ela," I said to her. "I wanna do this my way." I stared back at Ener-G. "So, that's it? Ambrigado wants me dead because I didn't take notice of whatever scheme he's trying to run?"

Ener-G shook his head. "Nah, he doesn't wanna kill you."

Finally, there was a new lead.

"He's just plain curious about your powers, is all. There's not a damn person in this city who can kill you, except, maybe the Doc himself. And, well, maybe me, but..." Ener-G raised his left arm at me. "Guess you proved me wrong, huh?"

"I'm...sorry about that."

"Screw you and your pity. Even though you never joined the Science Division, your powers were always of interest to the Doc. That's why he sent the bomb. That's why he sent The Rumbler on you and your girl. And that's why he ordered Mass Driver and me to challenge you. You're just a guinea pig for Ambrigado. All so he can see what you're made of and...if you're worth the investment."

I balled my fists. "The hell's that supposed to mean? Investment?!"

Ener-G closed his eyes and looked away. "That's all I know. For real. Kill me if you want. I told you everything I know."

I shot Elaina a sideways glance. Ela, is he...?

No, he's not lying. Unfortunately. That really is all he knows.

Ener-G exhaled and leaned on his knees. "So, then, Vector. What's it gonna be? A Normal-lover like you's got all the power in your hands, literally. You can send my head back to Ambrigado—that is, if you can find him."

"Where is he?"

"Northeast District. There's an abandoned refinery with an underground lab. That's the only headquarters I'm aware of in the whole damn city."

"Thank you. Marc?"

"Yeah, Vec?"

"Can you please ask Lin to triangulate all abandoned refineries in the Northeast District?"

"On it."

Marcus pulled Madi out of the room with him and we heard their footsteps head downstairs.

I walked up to Ener-G. My shadow covered his entire body.

He grinned at me. "I'm not afraid to die, pal. Not anymore. To you, that is. I've accepted my fate."

"Good. It's what you deserve."

I removed my glove and raised my hand.

For a moment, Ener-G's eyes widened, but then he breathed deeply and shut his eyes. "Pa...Ma...I'm sorry. I'm real sorry..."

I brought my hand down and grabbed at Madi's photon strings around Ener-G's body. I pulled at them, and they followed my momentum. The strings of light dissipated as I sent a trajectory along their strands to spread them into the air.

Ener-G fell back, freed.

"What...What the hell is...this?" he looked from Elaina to me. "What the hell are you guys doing?!"

"I'd like us to start over, Aster, if that's all right with you," I said, putting my glove back on. "I don't feel right turning my back on another Abnormal, and we sure as hell won't let you go back to Ambrigado. So, for the time being, you're gonna have to hang with us."

Elaina pulled something out of her right waist and threw it at Ener-G.

It was a thin slip of paper that stuck itself to his bare right arm.

"Ngh?! What...is this thing?!” he complained. “You witch! What is this?!"

"It's an explosive talisman," Elaina explained. "Like it or not, you're a part of our little group now—or at least until Jace says I can kill you. So, if you even think about trying to go back to Ambrigado, or if you try to attack any of us, I'll force that thing to blow up your other arm. Don't even try to remove it, by the way. It's already absorbed into your skin."

"Kh...! This damn Magic..."

I squatted down to speak to Ener-G at an equal eye level. "Now, when you feel like it, there's pancakes downstairs. We'll be waiting for you there. I think there's still a lot for us to talk about."

"Hmph. I see now why the Doc's interested in you. Of all the other Abnormals I've met…you're hands down the most terrifying."