January 14, 2112
Night-Shade
Night-Shade was the newest ace to hit the age of eighteen, which had happened only a few months ago. Eighteen is a big number, too. It's the minimum age required to be in the service of the ARW military. Even though, as a dor'o, adulthood is traditionally the age of sixteen; rules were rules.
A mixed bag of emotion filled her rose-red chest. War was scary to her, like a looming shadow in the darkness. All the horror stories were enough to make her skin crawl. That didn't stop her from feeling a sense of pride that she could help win against those savage enemies she had heard so much about.
She knew it was her duty as an ace to play her part. Kalvin Keefe had told her such.
Despite it all, the feeling putting the most amount of pressure on her chest was unease. Up until a couple weeks ago, she was still part of Project Ace - a project that helped her learn and master her abilities. Now she was put into a new project known as Project Aurum. To her knowledge, she wasn't completely sure what Project Aurum was intended to do or why it required banding all aces of the ARW together. She knew it had something to do with winning the war, but as to how it would accomplish that implausible goal, she did not know. As a whole, the idea was Kalvin's, just another one of many so-called golden bullets.
She had only arrived on Station 51 hours ago and was only briefed on Project Aurum less than one hour ago. It was a lot to take in, and now she was in the presence of strangers. Although, she did know that each of the other three individuals in her sight were aces of the ARW.
Night-Shade sat quietly on a limestone block with one earbud in her left ear playing rock music. To the beat her head banged only slightly, and her left hand tapped her knee to the tempo of the current song playing. She knew she should give her full attention to the current mission about to commence, but she always felt that she did better with a song playing. Plus, it helped ease her trembling mind.
The mission, though, was quite unorthodox, and the target was beyond this galaxy. Literally, the target was not from the Milky Way, making the briefing she had an hour prior to this moment insanely interesting. But that is how things roll sometimes, and she liked to roll with it. After all, how threatening can a being who called himself The Broker and traded wishes for souls be?
Exactly, very dangerous. She shivered.
At least the setting was unique. Currently, she was in a testing room decorated and prepared for one singular purpose. At the center of the room was a coffin, decorated in Egyptian hieroglyphs, and it rested at the center of a trapezoid-shaped platform. Stairs lined all four sides and led straight up to the coffin. At each of the four corners, limestone columns stood taller than the coffin with torches on top. Limestone blocks and columns were brought straight from the original location of the coffin into this testing room. They were stacked many meters tall against the walls and scattered seemingly randomly around the room.
She was furthest to the right, and when she looked left, she saw one of the other aces making his way over to her with eager strides. A qwayk male; fair skin the color of snow and hair just as white, he was short yet confident. He wore light-weight, technology-driven armor not uncommon for a qwayk. Two daggers were strapped to his hip, along with a line of pouches attached over his butt.
As the qwayk male neared Night-Shade, he didn't come in to shake her hand or make conversation like she expected. He came in, arms extended, and gave her a hug. Night-Shade didn't move and blinked several times from discomfort.
The qwayk eased away and faced her. "My name is Ayeko Madoryia."
"You're friendly." Night-Shade was still motionless.
"Nice to meet you." Ayeko tilted his head and leaned forward, waiting for her name.
"Oh. I'm Night-Shade," she said, seeming to slip from her trance. She took out her earphone and rolled it up neatly.
"You must be the newest ARW ace," he jubilated. "Tell me, tell me, what are your abilities? Where are you from? How old are you?"
"Oh. I umm--" Night-Shade started. Her eyes darted from his, and she felt her body close off a bit at the rush of questions.
Ayeko flipped over his hand. "Wait… I'm sorry. You must be overwhelmed. Here I am, jumping right into your life when you would probably rather know a bit more about us first. That way, you can feel more comfortable. Am I right, friend?"
Night-Shade nodded. "I haven't been here even a day, so I wasn't briefed much on the people I'm supposed to work with, just on the situation."
"Yeah, ain't that something? The Broker." His eyebrows rose. "Scary, right? Shoot, I'm getting off topic, though. I'll start with me. I'm twenty years of age, I became aware of my ace abilities five years ago. I'm from a polygamous household with one parasibling - a sister, and--" Ayeko stopped.
Night-Shade stared with narrowed eyes at the strange word.
"I lost you, didn't I?"
She nodded. "I'm not sure what all that means."
"Well, here is the summary of it. Qwayks are beings of pleasure and science. It's not uncommon for qwayks to find multiple life partners and form households with them. And me… I was born into one. I have two mothers and three fathers, and I have one sister. She isn't blood related, but she was born into the household, which is why she is my parasister. Make sense?"
"I'm sorry." Night-Shade shook her head no.
"It's fine. I know it is a lot to take in if you've never seen our qwayk worlds first-hand. I know! Let's get to know you a little bit." Ayeko smiled. "I noticed you listening to music earlier. What kind was it?"
"Metal."
"Metal?"
Night-Shade shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Oh, it's ah… just an old genre of human music. I usually listen to hard rock, punk rock, and some grunge. But those metal genres are nowhere near as popular now as they were in their heyday."
"So why rock? Why not something more modern?"
"There is a lot of pain in the galaxy. For me, metal bands seem to capture that emotion the best."
"Seems too depressing for my taste, no offense." He smiled, showing he wasn't trying to judge her. "So when you were in Project Ace, what were you told about us anyway? Which of course, I assume you were in Project Ace… well, because all aces were--" He stopped, realizing he was rambling on too long.
"Kalvin told me there were more of you than I see in this room."
"You didn't hear? A few aces went MIA."
"Who?"
Ayeko gazed around the room before speaking. "James Stone, Geariic and Alabon Zserin, and Jay Bridges AKA Frost; all MIA after some top-level mission. And Kalvin's pretty pissed about it."
"I've heard of James before. Who hasn't heard of the first ace in the ARW? But I'm not familiar with the others."
Ayeko lit up. "I guess you wouldn't be familiar, being the new ace on the block and all. So let me give you a quick breakdown. James was the first ace, currently twenty-four, developed his powers almost twelve years ago. Geariic and Alabon were discovered by Kalvin three years later, each having developed their abilities only a few months prior to being discovered. Funny enough, they are actually older than James, but ace abilities seem to develop during the puberty stages of the host. This can happen early on or later, of course. And maelkii already have the longest frame of time that puberty can take place. Now back on track… Frost developed his powers six years ago." Ayeko motioned his head toward the only maelkii in the room. "See her?"
The maelkii was female; deep orange skin and taller than average. Unlike what is traditional of a maelkii to wear during times of war, this female warrior wore tight-fitted cloth covered with a looser fabric instead of dense, heavy armor. The cloth covered her upper chest and around her shoulders, along with her waist to her knees. Her exposed skin carried purple inked tattoos that extended from the tips of her fingers up her arms and all the way to her lower back, vining out like a tree. She had one weapon, and it wasn't the tradition forcidion-metal shield used by maelkii or one of their hand-covering plasma cannons. Her weapon of choice was a large broadsword, as tall as a full-grown human man, shaped like a butcher knife and pearlescent purple in color. The blade itself had one small notch to allow a strap to be wrapped around the weapon, making it easier for the user to carry. It's extremely long handle was made for two-handed grip.
"Yeah, I see her," Night-Shade responded.
"She's known as Drayvan Pryde. She entered Project Ace almost a year after Frost." Ayeko was grinning like a little kid. "And she's said to be the ARW's most powerful ace. The sharpest tool in the shed… so to speak," he whispered with excitement.
"Really?" Night-Shade eyes were full of wonder.
"Oh, yeah. Word has it that she took on both the Bruising Brothers and ran through them like it was nothing."
"What's her abilities like?"
"She hasn't told me yet. But I do know this: She's from the Escanorinn House. And that house has a bit of a reputation among the maelkii. Honor to them… isn't the same as what most houses consider honorable. Honor to the Escanorinn House is superiority and glory, a belief in oneself above all other things. In their Book of Ancient Prophets, God, to them, gave them the gift of themselves, and it is upon themselves to cherish that gift from their first day until their last day."
"Sounds hard core," Night-Shade concluded.
"They're definitely different, for sure. Anyway, I entered Project Ace less than a year after her, followed closely by a human girl named Makayla Katakurry."
"Where is she?"
"Don't know. But next was Xavier 'Tank' Brockman over there." Ayeko pointed to the last of the aces in the room. "He got the nickname Tank from his unit that he used to run with and it just stuck. Oh… he also only developed his powers a few months ago."
"Strange. I've had my powers longer than him."
"Just before he gained his powers, he hit a massive growth spurt, so maybe he had a late puberty."
"How old is he?" Night-Shade asked.
"Nineteen."
Night-Shade studied him. He was human, but whatever ace ability he had transformed him. Near the peak of height for a human, Tank was broad and well-defined. Night-Shade wondered if that was how he naturally was or if his ability had something to do with it. What was truly bizarre was his violet skin tone with a wavy texture that seemed to layer on each other somewhat like scales but still carried a fleshy texture. He still had much of the same human attributes, such as two arms, two legs, two eyes, a head, and whatnot, except for a strange rock-like object attached to his back like a shell. The rock pillar was more symmetrical than to be expected of a rock and carried an obsidian tint with various purple lines decorating it.
"He seems preoccupied," she observed.
"He's not doing so hot. Poor buddy got dumped by his fiancé after he began to change. On top of that, he seems to have lost his ability to speak."
Night-Shade's words were lost to her upon hearing such a tragedy. In her empathy for him, she noticed her lower lip quivering slightly. She'd never been in love, but she knew the venom of rejection very well.
The only door to this room hissed open. "Seems we'll have to continue this chat later." Ayeko trotted back to the place he was before talking to her. Night-Shade gazed behind her and saw Kalvin enter the room, followed by Chief Admiral Day-Bringer and a few escorts. Both were in conversation.
Night-Shade put back in an earbud but eventually began to overhear what was being said. "--and he calls himself The Broker," Kalvin told Day-Bringer with his lips half-closed as he smiled on her.
"If a being such as this existed, then you would've used his gifts to your benefit much more than once. So why lie?" countered Day-Bringer, with a ceased brow.
"I am not. The answer is reasonably simple: He can only be summoned with the correct ingredients. And I have only recently located another ancient mask like the one I used once before, which leads me to the belief that he will make an appearance today."
"Okay, then. Let's meet this charlatan, this shadow man." Day-Bringer was skeptical. A feeling Night-Shade shared to an extent.
Kalvin nodded to his assistant, who then communicated the 'all clear' signal. It was now a matter of waiting. The assistant headed from the back of the room and up the stairs leading to the coffin. After a dozen or so steps, he slid the coffin lid half-open and began the summoning ritual.
From a bag, the assistant placed a wooden mask in the coffin, followed by the skull of a jackal. He then took two containers - one full of gold dust and another full of dirt - and poured it inside. Lastly, he took a blade to his palm and sliced. The man winced as the blade drew qwayk blood, and he squeezed so the blood would come.
With the ritual done, a deep humming sound resonated through the room, sounding almost like a steady bass. Little rings carved into the coffin glowed a black light. "I have come to make a deal - a bond unbreakable," the assistant spoke. Through the render chip in Night-Shade's ears, the words were clear as day. However, she knew it was spoken in a language she would never know.
The assistant finally pressed the square hieroglyph that was now emerging from the front of the coffin. The room vibrated for a few seconds before a sudden surge of power, followed by a thunderous clap, knocked out the power. The room went black, and the torches blew out. The glowing and humming were no more. Darkness had engulfed every inch of the room. Even the music stopped playing in Night-Shade's earbud, so she removed it.
Some of the station's lights turned back on, followed by a low and slow alarm. The room was blinking red from the emergency lights stationed about.
Night-Shade looked backward.
"Seems the reaction set off an EMP of some sort - an electromagnetic pulse," a guard told Kalvin. "We are on backup power right now."
"We all know what EMP stands for." Kalvin looked down at the man. "Now go apprise everybody in the control station to restart our emergency systems." He looked to Day-Bringer. "The automated advanced circuit rejuvenating systems should restore things any moment."
On the timing of his words, the main lights flipped back on, and the siren shut down. Everything was back to normal. That was until Night-Shade turned back to look at the coffin. It was now closed, and the assistance was now at the bottom of the stairs, looking at his hands with a quizzical expression.
What started as tiny black particles formed into a full person. Legs relaxed over the edge of the coffin with his arms resting atop, he immediately squeezed his fist together, and the coffin rearranged its shape into a throne. Through his mask, his eyes moved from person to person until he had seen everyone in the room. Night-Shade couldn't believe how humanoid and fit he looked. Not exactly the proportions of a human, omelic, or qwayk, but there was an uncanny resemblance to those species. Noticeably different were his longer arms and fingers, and the nails at his fingertips were sharp and resembled a werewolf more than a human. Just like she heard during the briefing, he wore a kilt with wrapping covering the main parts of his body. However, his signature black spiral-patterned mask that focused and spiraled around the eyeholes had been replaced. Presently, he wore new mask instead of the one that she was told about. Patterned in symbols, a sharp gold and raisin black, this new mask highlighted his eyes and assorted jewelry.
"My, my. I have an audience." The Broker spoke with a smoky accent.
Night-Shade's eyes immediately jumped back to Day-Bringer and Kalvin. Day-Bringer was utterly wide-eyed, not a common expression shown by her, by any means. Kalvin didn't share that look; his eyes had a hint of a thrill at seeing Day-Bringer at an actual loss for words.
Kalvin called up to The Broker, "Hello, old acquaintance. Do you remember me?"
Night-Shade's eyes were back to the foreigner.
"I remember all my customers. And how could I forget the man who convinced another man to forfeit his soul for his own benefit? It seems you used the information I gave you after all. Glad I was able to satisfy another customer." The Broker nodded indifferent to Kalvin.
Kalvin sounded a bit thrown off by The Broker's words. "Umm, how do you know whether or not I heeded your advice?"
"I anticipated that I would someday meet you again should you take my advice. And here we are."
Day-Bringer jumped in before any more words could be spoken. "Is what Kalvin said about you true? Are you actually from another galaxy?"
"If you mean to ask whether or not I was born in your galaxy, then no. I was not."
"I don't believe you."
The Broker shrugged. "And I don't care. I'm not here to prove anything to anyone."
"So if I asked you for proof, would you provide it?" Day-Bringer continued her questioning.
"No."
"I thought not. What a shame, really. I was really hoping to understand just what you are."
"Most of my past customers want to jump right into their own desired wishes. They don't care much for who I am as long as I can provide them with what they desire. But I get the sense you aren't most."
"I just find all this a bit unfitting. To hear about this mystic man who grants wishes seems all too convenient."
"Or maybe you just don't want to believe that there exists things in this universe that you don't have the answers to," The Broker gleamed. "So tell me, Day-Bringer, what is it you desire?"
"You really just want to jump right to it, don't you?"
"I'm a businessman." He gave a carefree shrug.
"Too bad I'm not in the market to trade away my soul."
"And yet, we are in a room full of individuals." The Broker gazed around. He pointed his finger toward Ayeko, then to two different guards, and finally to Kalvin's assistant, who was now back to their side. "Four qwayks." He then lifted his finger again and pointed to Tank, then to Kalvin, plus the last guard. "Three humans." Drayvan was next. "One maelkii." His finger stopped at Night-Shade. "One dor'o and--" his finger then lingered on Day-Bringer, "--well, two dor'o." He inhaled. "So much potential in this crowd. I am so… humbled to finally meet many of this galaxy's enhanced beings." His gazed fixated on Night-Shade for a few seconds. "I choose you. What is it you desire?"
Night-Shade perked up, though her words were unsure. "It's umm… it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first."
"I'm who you want me to be."
"Aren't deals supposed to be built on trust? And in my culture, names are as important as our very lives. But you sit there pretending to be a man with no name… a man who is nobody."
"I'm nothing more than a guide meant to help others gain what they want," The Broker voiced, his tone calm. "I'll tell you what. I'm in the mood to make a deal with someone in this room today, so I'll go along with this if one of you can guarantee that a trade is made."
"No offense, buddy, but ah… I don't think anyone is going to trade their soul. We were taught better," Ayeko added.
"Who said anything about souls?"
"Isn't that, like, your entire role?"
"While I do have a preference towards that type of currency, I do barter in other things. I'll be honest with you, I don't really need many more souls anymore," The Broker snickered.
"So what, then, do you desire?" Kalvin asked, with a twinge of mockery towards The Broker.
Ayeko giggled at the remark.
The Broker was unfazed by the humor. "I need a specialist of sorts. This person would have to be the kind of person with knowledge capable of setting up civilizations."
The room was silent. Everyone stared at The Broker, waiting for more.
Kalvin jumped back in. "That would be easy to arrange."
The Broker clinched his fist. "Uh, this is… maybe a bit awkward, but here's the issue, Kalvin: I can only make a deal with someone once. That means, Kalvin, our business is over. On the bright side, you have a person just to your left able to make such arrangements."
"Day-Bringer?" Kalvin mumbled the question.
Day-Bringer smiled at Kalvin with the intent to put him down. "Well, of course I can make such an arrangement, too. But how long would you require the assistance of this specialist?"
"Indefinitely."
"What?! How can I ask someone to walk away from their lives indefinitely?"
"That person would be treated well. I guarantee it." The Broker chuckled.
"That isn't the issue."
Kalvin stuck up his finger. "Allow me to chime in. Day-Bringer, I can produce those arrangements for you. You just consent to the deal."
"It's not that simple, Kalvin. We are talking about a person here."
"Sure it is. I will simply produce a proposal that somebody desperate cannot refuse, such as lifetime support for their family and every future generation of their family. Easy as that." Kalvin grinned.
The Broker pointed his finger up to Kalvin, looking at the group of aces. "I like that man there."
Day-Bringer was ill at ease. "How about we discuss this outside some more?"
Kalvin nodded, then looked back to the group of aces. "I should not be long." He headed out the door, with Day-Bringer just behind.
Ayeko got up from his seat. He headed closer to The Broker and stopped at the base of the stairs. "So Mr. Broker… how 'bout we talk while the bosses are out?"
"I don't mind the silence," The Broker responded.
Ayeko smiled and let out a hint of a laugh. He waved his finger in humor. "You're definitely something else."
"Something else. If you mean to imply that I'm not of your species, then you are correct."
Ayeko's humorous grin did not subside. "No, no, buddy. I was simply talking about the way you conduct yourself. I like it. I do. You-you got that, ah… mystery thing going well for you. But I've been doing my research."
The Broker waited in silence.
Ayeko continued. "Our buddy, Kalvin, had us all briefed on anything and everything he could find out about you based solely on your little chat with him all those years ago. And there is a common theme I picked up on."
The Broker did not speak.
"Rumpelstiltskin. That was a name you used when you first meet Kalvin. You've been called that, no?"
"I have indeed."
"Any human will recognize that name as an imp who likes to make deals, although not exactly for souls. And most humans don't realize that the original story can be traced back four thousand years ago in human history. Given you told him that you last visited this galaxy a few centuries ago, the facts line up."
"A rough estimate," The Broker acknowledged.
"You also mentioned Sinnerman. Another name of yours?"
"Indeed, it is."
"Not one to talk much." Ayeko laughed. "That's fine. I'll carry the conversation for the two of us. Now back to the fancy name of Sinnerman. Well, it sure has a ring to it, I'll give you that. But even more interestingly, there is an old tale not well known in maelkii history of The Sinnerman. It's just your basic children's story following a main character who sells his soul to a fleshy male being for riches - a sin of greed. He gets his weight in gold but, over time, loses his virtue to corruption. He is eventually shunned and banished. And the moral of the story was to not give in to inner sins. I find it a bit funny that the fleshy male being, as described in the story, was just an afterthought, and not the main focus." He took a breath. "And you'd think that was all… but no. Qwayks have a folk tale song that dates back many centuries about a magical man who makes deals named Jyruckal. In every story, it's almost as if you don't really care much to stick around." Ayeko praised that last line as if to challenge The Broker.
"You speak of stories many centuries old created in times of lesser-minded individuals."
"So what?" Ayeko asked.
"It may come as a shock to you, then, that I'm not exactly as such works of fiction portray."
"No, I don't think it is as you say. I can read people pretty well… it's a gift, really. And you strike me as a man with a wall."
"A wall? What a curious metaphor." The Broker tapped his finger to his knee.
"You mask your face from view, care little for your own identity, and charade around like nothing more than a simple businessman. All of it is meant to build a wall to hide away who you really are. You aren't making deals for the sole reason of helping others like you claim. You commonly make exchanges for souls, and everyone else here seems to miss that point. There must be a reason you are collecting souls."
"I am just as everyone else. I have my own motivations."
Ayeko chuckled. "Hard to imagine what motivates a man to go from planet to planet making deals over and over again. I guess life could be worse."
"Could it?" The Broker asked. Night-Shade could've sworn his tone had a sliver of pain in it.
Night-Shade chimed in, raising her head upward. "You reek of loneliness. I've been there before."
"What makes you think he is lonely?" Ayeko asked Night-Shade.
"He is always alone in those stories." She looked back to The Broker. "I've been alone before."
The Broker took a moment before responding, staring at Night-Shade with his golden eyes. She couldn't get a read on him. His expressions remained hidden. "Loneliness," he scoffed. "You would not know the meaning of the word loneliness had I not wrote the book on it eons ago."
"Then let's talk about it," Ayeko pleaded. "Let's talk about you."
The Broker nodded and flicked his chin towards both Drayvan and Tank, both near each other. "Doesn't seem everyone shares your enthusiasm."
Night-Shade could see the gloomy look in Tank's depressed eyes. She knew The Broker was right about him. He was in too much heartache to really care about the situation. Drayvan, on the other hand, was different. Her gaze had been locked on The Broker since the first second. Despite being lower to the ground than The Broker, she still seemed to stare down at him like he was just an ant. Night-Shade was glad to not be on the receiving side of that glare.
"Oh, please," Ayeko shrugged it off. He pointed to Tank. "He can't talk at all, and Drayvan… she doesn't speak much anyway. So don't let them fool you. Both would like to know more, as I would."
"Maybe we can start with you and the other… enhanced beings here. I must admit, I've often wondered what the best of this galaxy can do."
"I'm surprised you don't already know," Night-Shade jumped in.
"No mortal can know everything," The Broker informed. He stretched his long arms outward. "You seem eager to speak. What's your story?"
"Do you really want to know?" Her body shifted away.
"Let's say yes," he nodded.
"Come on, Night-Shade, do take forever now," Ayeko added with sarcasm.
Night-Shade sighed. "I'm afraid I'm pretty boring. I never stood out in any way growing up. I kept to myself, drew sometimes, listened to rock music, and never had a rebellious phase; just a typical teenager."
"And you're unique gift as an enhanced?" The Broker dipped his head.
"Nothing special either. It boils down to this: I can project myself out-of-body and walk about without risk of being seen or hurt. I can only go so far from my body though." That was not all she could do, however. Much of the limits of her ability was still mysterious to her, and she seemed to discover something new about it each time she used it.
"And how does the world look through spiritual eyes?" he asked.
"Everything is shades of gray."
The Broker flinched. "Very interesting indeed--"
Ayeko was bubbling with enthusiasm and couldn't hold on any longer. Despite The Broker looking as if he had some more to say, Ayeko jumped right in. "My friends call me Doctor Time. You won't guess how I got that name--"
"Because you're a doctor," Night-Shade teased.
Ayeko frowned. "Ah, yes… that. But I'm still in training. However, don't let my over-eager personality overshadow what I can do. It's awesome, really. I can create a nonphysical sphere near me, and within it, I'm a master of time itself."
"You control time?" The Broker blinked.
"Only in the sphere, and I cannot jump forward or backward in time. I merely slow it down."
"And that allows you to save lives, I presume." The Broker spoke as if he already knew the answer.
"Now, if you don't mind, I can tell you about Tank if you would like. I mean, he won't tell you himself anyway, so--"
"Speak if that is your desire." The Broker gestured him onward with an open palm.
"Well, Tank is the strangest one of the bunch. Not that the dude is strange or anything. It's his ability. See he is the newest one of us, and well-- Have you ever heard of an old comic featuring a kid who gains, like… spider-based powers?"
"I am unfamiliar."
"Tank is in a similar situation. He was a normal human male, but somehow his ace ability, whatever it is - 'cause we don't really know much about how it works and whatnot – it, ah… kind of began to partially transform him into a mordazul - you know, the species."
"A human who has blended himself with a mordazul? Unwilling or otherwise, that has potential." The Broker showed his respect with his tone.
"Granted, he is a bit more powerful than that ancient species, even though they are pretty strong already," Ayeko added.
The Broker's eyes closed in on Drayvan's and met hers. It was a staring match for a few moments before The Broker started to speak. "This one's been staring down on me from the moment I showed myself. I must say, I'm curious as to what goes through your mind."
Drayvan stopped leaning against a hieroglyphic column. Her stance was straight as a line, chest out, arms to her side. "How presumptions of you. To think you are worthy of my thoughts," her orotund voice taunted.
For the first time, The Broker let out a hint of hilarity.
Ayeko started. "Don't mind Drayvan--"
His mouth stopped moving the moment Drayvan placed her hand on his shoulder. She stared down at him with burning eyes, then nodded toward the door. Kalvin and Day-Bringer had just returned.
Kalvin spoke. "I apologize for the delay. That was longer than anticipated. Nonetheless, I shall make it worth your while since I bring splendid news, Broker. Day-Bringer and I have reached an agreement on what to do."
The Broker leaned back on his throne as he waited.
Kalvin turned to Ayeko. "Move forward with Code C."
Night-Shade's heart thumped faster.
Ayeko sighed. "Damnit. Sorry, buddy." He extended his arm, and a golden sphere formed around The Broker, meters in radius and hazy, with pinches of smoke flowing off the surface. "I've distorted time around both of your legs, body, and arms by one-ten-thousandth the speed. The only thing you will be able to move is your head."
The Broker expressed an initial shock but didn't seem overall phased. Though, his expressions hid behind a mask, so he was difficult to read.
"And just as we were getting to know each other." The Broker shook his head to Ayeko, his smoky tone just as calm as his movements.
"I know, buddy. I wish I didn't have to."
Kalvin had stepped forward. "Alright, Broker, we expect a few favors from you and in return you will be granted your freedom. Understand?"
"I understand my situation," The Broker said, only he seemed not to be answering Kalvin with his remark.
Kalvin entered the sphere and moved toward The Broker.
"If you're wondering why Kalvin seems unaffected by the time distortion, it's simple. I can choose how time affects different matter in the sphere. It didn't come without a lot of practice, however." Ayeko chuckled to himself.
Kalvin was now in front of The Broker. "I desire three favors from you. Favor one: I want the whereabouts of James Stone." Kalvin laid out a map of the galaxy. "Favor two: I want to pinpoint the location of the threat that caused this." Kalvin pulled out an image showcasing the disturbing leftovers of many men butchered and shredded apart by what seemed to be bones. "And favor three: Tell me precisely who and what you are."
The Broker began laughing. "I've thought I've seen everything." He let out a breath of fresh air. "This moment… it feels so fresh… so new. You have no idea how miserable I've been these last few millennia. All of you have breathed new life into me. You have shown me that there are still many surprises left in this existence. And I thank you."
"Thank us by making the deal," Kalvin urged.
"That is simply out of my hands."
"Explain," he commanded.
"Rules. I'm bound by rules given to me by-- Let's just say my gift for making deals is a borrowed talent."
"That tells us nothing," Day-Bringer shouted from the back.
"I assure you the process of making these deals is more complex than you can handle."
Kalvin had fire in his breath. "Enough of this. Ayeko, give me a dagger."
Ayeko did as requested.
Kalvin held the blade over the knee of The Broker. "I will start here and work my way around until we get what we want."
"The heart of a desperate man." The Broker did not stir in his chair. But he did give Kalvin a long, judging look.
Night-Shade's pulse was beating like a drum. Her skin felt cold, and her eyes were glued to the blade. It stabbed downward right into The Broker's knee. Night-Shade's heart nearly jumped from her chest as she waited for the cry of pain.
There wasn't any. No sound. In fact, the stab wound wasn't even bleeding. Wait. Night-Shade's eyes focused around the wound. There was no cut either. The blade was very much inside his knee, but it seemed to pass through, not slice through.
Kalvin pulled it back up, staring down at The Broker's knee in complete bewilderment. Their eyes met.
"Shocked? Not what you were expecting?" The Broker's eyes had a menace to them as he looked down at Kalvin.
The Broker stood up! And that is in spite of the fact that he shouldn't've been able to move in Ayeko's bubble.
He pointed to Ayeko but spoke to Kalvin, "You should teach your pets not to speak so carelessly about what they can do. To someone like me, information is a weapon to use against those who would wish me harm."
Kalvin stepped back with rapid steps. "Someone restrain him! Now!"
Night-Shade sat still; she was no good in a close fight. Ayeko pulled out his other dagger and ran at The Broker. He didn't flinch. Yet his body seemed to break apart into black particles.
"Over there!" Kalvin's voice rang.
Night-Shade looked over to see The Broker was now a meter behind Drayvan Pryde. She turned rather nonchalantly. She then crossed her arms as she looked down at him.
"Brave of you to step forward to me, only to forfeit your insignificant life," her voice issued a challenge.
"I know what everyone here is capable of except for you," The Broker breathed, "and that knowledge is of interest to me."
"I invite you to try and find out." Drayvan Pryde didn't even reach for the sword over her back.
The Broker didn't move forth.
"Tank! Remember what we spoke about? Get in there and do something!" Kalvin commanded.
Tank had already put away the ring. Now he stood tall and reached back with one hand and touched the pillar attached to his back. It took only a slight touch of his fingers, and the giant thing spun right off his back. He soon maneuvered it in front of him. That same second, he leaped toward The Broker and slammed the bottom end of that pillar to the ground! The very foundation popped upward in front of the pillar and shards of the floor below The Broker fragmented everywhere. And a shockwave of sound erupted through the room!
It was to no avail! The Broker didn't move, his body unharmed. Everything just phased right through him. Drayvan was not impressed yet stood there as a spectator.
The Broker raised his hands to the air. "I yield."
What?! Night-Shade thought she had just imagined the words he had just said.
"You yield?" Ayeko, still in his bubble, shouted.
"I'm afraid I don't care for fighting. Each of you can throw all the attacks you want at me if you desire… but sooner or later… my time will run out, and you won't see me again for a long time. Neither of us would get what we want."
"So what, then?" Day-Bringer had joined the group. She was almost a meter away from the dealmaker.
"You and I make that deal you promised. Kalvin seems to want three things, but what do you want?" He turned to face her.
"Day-Bringer--" Kalvin started.
She turned her head to him. "I've got this!" She directed her words to The Broker. "And no exchanging of my soul?"
"I never go back on a deal."
"Pleasant. Then I want you to tell me where we will be able to find the threat responsible for this." She held up the same picture of the massacre Kalvin did earlier.
"Day-Bringer!" Kalvin was livid. "We need him to find James and Jay!"
"Back off! I know what I'm doing," she insisted.
The Broker spoke. "I cannot tell you where that threat is this very moment. Whatever it is seems very good in the art of shrouding itself. Though I can tell you of a place that will prove to be of great use to you in finding it. Do you desire this deal?"
"The deal is to my pleasure."
"Excellent. Meet me a kilometer south of this facility, in the forest that surrounds it, at midnight in your ARW time. Come only with the specialist whom you will be exchanging for that information." His gaze fixed on Kalvin, who was barely containing his anger. "As a past customer of mine, I grant you this: James will not be lost to you forever. May that ease your mind."
Night-Shade could hear the steam of anger expel from Kalvin's head as he let out a long breath. Everyone seemed to gaze his way. She almost missed The Broker glance Tank's way before evaporating into particles again.