The cool air of the underground parking lot caused a shiver to run down Junior's back as an overhead vent sent an artificial breeze to kiss his skin.
Or maybe it wasn't the stirring currents of air at all which caused the chill. Perhaps it was his racing thoughts and tumultuous emotions as he stood there and just tried to breathe.
Junior heard Millie calling his name, but didn't respond. He listened to the sound of feet on concrete as she ran closer and felt Sergeant Dwyer's hand lift from his shoulder, but didn't react. Instead, he focused his intention inwards as he considered his latest experience with the Failsafe System and read the longest series of notifications he'd seen so far.
Apeiron Barrier Failing…Reinitializing Failsafe System.
Error! Anomalous Rift Emergence!
Apeirosis Resonance Detected.
Sapience Boundary Dissolution…Liminal Confluence Successful.
Apeiron Reclamation Successful!
Whatever Junior might have expected from this latest batch of System nonsense, what he saw before him certainly wasn't it. It never ceased to amaze him that even though the System seemed so powerful—and could make a blind man able to read—it could still fail so spectacularly at being understood.
What did any of this mean? He could only struggle to piece some of it together based on the context of what had just happened to him and Sergeant Dwyer.
As Junior thought, Millie sprinted out of the short corridor that led to the storage rooms. She glanced around quickly, a wild look in her eyes—part worry, part anticipation. But when she saw Junior and the police sergeant standing calmly without a monster in sight, she came to a stop, and her eager expression turned to one of confusion mixed with curiosity.
Seaman Tran and the second coastie followed shortly behind her as Millie said, "Junior! Are you okay?"
"Don't worry. I'm fine," Junior replied. He offered a smile, but it faded quickly.
Seaman Tran looked from Millie to Junior, but didn't say anything immediately, her face unreadable. Millie opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again as she seemed to think better of it. Quiet stretched, enough to get a little uncomfortable.
While this was happening, Sergeant Dwyer had eased the Langford free from its leather holster and turned it over in his hands. He pressed a contact, and the little one-line LCD on the spine winked awake with a soft chime.
2/6 ST:TS-E00
Mack's jaw tightened. He pressed the heel of his palm against the barrel, expecting heat, the faint singe of powder, the metallic tang of ozone. But the metal was cool to the touch and clear of residue.
He thumbed the release and swung the cylinder out, peering into the chambers, frowning at what he saw. Two cartridges sat neat and whole. The other four were not spent casings; they were simply not there - no dents, no soot, no obvious violence done to the weapon.
Tran had been watching his actions closely, and she finally broke the silence.
"Something wrong with your firearm, Sergeant?" The GCG E-3 asked the NPD sergeant.
Mack swung the cylinder back into place with a dull click and looked down at the weapon.
"I discharged my weapon in that…" he hesitated, then shook his head. He continued with a shrug. "In that place that's not supposed to be a place. I thought it wasn't real. A dream, maybe. But my real weapon is missing real bullets."
"What? That doesn't make any sense," Millie frowned too. Seaman Tran's eyes flickered, but her expression remained otherwise unchanged.
"Thank you, Sergeant," Junior spoke up. His voice was soft, subdued. "I'm not sure what happened. But I know that you saved me. So thank you."
Millie's frown deepened. She looked between Junior and Mack, rapidly turning her head back and forth like a spectator at a fast-paced game of kentauros. She opened her mouth again, then froze, glancing sideways out of the corner of her eye towards Tran. Her mouth snapped shut.
Junior intuitively read the little tensions and sighs.
"It's okay, Millie. I think we're past trying to keep my secret from Seaman Tran." He took a breath and steeled his nerves. "That I'm really the Reclaimed."
Tran's expression didn't change. "I am on your side. No matter which of you is the Reclaimed," she said, voice cool and even.
"What, no lecture about how we should have trusted you?" Millie sniffed. "That you knew all along?"
"Whether I had any suspicions, what does it matter?" Tran responded, unperturbed. "Anonymous means just that. You took the steps you felt were justified to protect yourselves. I would be a hypocrite to hold it against you."
Millie crossed her arms and scowled as if Tran's acceptance were a personal affront.
The E3 switched her attention back to Junior. "If I understand you correctly, Mr. Stoneberg, Sergeant Dwyer helped you in some way. Care to explain what happened?"
Junior's immediate instinct was to fall back on his previous pattern of denials and avoidance, but he hesitated. Frowned. Changed his mind. Like he'd told Millie, this didn't feel like the time for secrets.
Just as he started to answer, Junior saw one more change in his System notifications that he hadn't noticed under the slew of others.
Apeirosis: 0.26%
"Wait, what?" Junior blurted out loud.
\ - / - \ - /
It took some time to get things sorted out.
Junior first explained his exclamation at his drop in Apeirosis score, then summarized what happened in the white chamber, Seaman Tran listening intently. She sent the other coastie back to the storage locker to retrieve the monster's remains — the reason they'd come here in the first place.
But the biggest shock came when Mack had to report in.
The NPD sergeant got a call on his portable radio using some police codes that Junior didn't understand. But he easily picked up on the urgency in the dispatcher's voice. Mack had to excuse himself and step aside to take the call. When he returned, the big police officer was deathly serious.
"There's been another wave of monster attacks," he stated without further preamble. "Reports are unclear, but it looks like there's a new group of Reclaimed."
"Holy hells!" Millie breathed, her face distraught. "Is anyone hurt?"
"Yes." Mack locked his eyes with Tran's. "Which is why I need to go. Now."
"Of course, Sergeant," the E3 responded without hesitation.
"Stay safe," Junior added. He cringed at how inadequate he'd sounded, but silence felt worse.
Mack nodded firmly, shot a lingering gaze at Junior, then turned on his heel. He entered his cruiser and drove away.
As the police officer left, Millie eyed the Galatean Coast Guard E3 warily. Tran, in turn, watched the cruiser ascend the garage's exit ramp, lights flashing silently.
It was Achilles' gentle huff that broke the silence first. The trained guide dog nudged Junior's leg, a soft rustle of fur against fabric.
Junior reached down to acknowledge his partner's patience with a head pat.
"So, what now?" he asked.
"I'm hitting up the forums," Millie stated firmly. Her thumbs danced across the screen of the phone she'd already pulled out.
At times, Junior found Millie's choice of words a little odd. 'Hitting up' wasn't a term he was familiar with. It was easy enough to gather her meaning from the context, though.
He assumed it was mainlander slang. He didn't dwell on it.
Seaman Tran watched her colleague return, a bundle wrapped in thick, layered plastic in tow.
"Now I take these remains and dispose of them," Tran said. She moved to help her colleague heft the weight into their Manta's open cargo bed.
Junior tilted his head to the side and frowned.
"That's it?" he asked. He wasn't sure what he'd expect Tran to say or do, but carrying on like nothing had happened wasn't it.
"That's it," Tran stated calmly. "None of us seem to be in immediate danger after the latest event. I'll return to base, report what I've learned, and await new orders."
"Military in-the-box thinking at its finest," Millie muttered loudly enough to be sure she was clearly heard.
Tran's eyes narrowed slightly. Then her face relaxed and she responded with a single word, brushing past the snark.
"Yes."
Junior scratched the side of his neck reflexively. "Okay, but do you have any suggestions for me?" he asked a bit helplessly.
Tran paused and gave Junior her full attention.
"I suggest you return to base as well. Go home," she said, not unkindly. "Maybe get something to eat. If your friend finds anything on the forums, talk it over. Decide what, if anything, you want to share with the other Reclaimed. Then go from there."
Junior took a moment to absorb what Tran had said. Then he sighed, as if in relief.
"That's pretty good advice. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mr. Stoneberg. Remember, you aren't alone."
Millie sniffed but didn't contradict anything Tran said, as close to agreement as she seemed willing to give.
From there, the two coasties returned to their vehicle and drove up the ramp to exit the garage. Millie and Junior walked to the elevators and waited, with Millie already sharing what she'd found so far.
"The big guy was right," Millie said, referring to Sergeant Dwyer. "New Reclaimed. New monsters." Pause. "New conspiracy theories."
Junior grimaced at the last. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. They walked inside, Achilles right behind them.