Chapter 20
A few hours later, Contentment verified most of what Despair had told them, and then the debate began in earnest. Petra was back on the island, with Darius, Nick and Chuck. With the confirmation of Chuck's possession, his rivalry with Nick seemed to be at an end. Petra had found that both frustrating and amusing. Sure, they had ended their feud, but if both had shown a little patience, maybe she would have been able to find the proof exonerating Chuck before there had even been a conflict.
"How realistic is Despair's threat?" She asked Nick and Darius. "If Morty refuses, how much damage can she do, with the support of Contentment and the others?"
"A lot," Nick said grimly, pulling a sheet of paper from the recent reports and positioning it on the table. "I had our analysts write up a basic prediction for a worst-case scenario. It would only take twenty-five or twenty-six fades possessing officials in the US and Russia to start a nuclear war between the two. Another fifteen for China, and about the same for India and Pakistan. We have no idea how operational North Korea's missile program is, but the number of officials there can't be too high. There are thousands of fades out there. If they're all working together, they could wipe out over 90 percent of humanity in a day or so! The last time, it took Morty several weeks to figure out which fades were responsible for the plague and kill them. Even if he strikes within minutes of the first possessions, it could still trigger another world war."
Chuck brought his fists down on the table. "But we can keep these people from being possessed in the first place! EMPs to push the fades away, and Faraday cages to keep them out. Magnets even, in a pinch! If I had a few days, I could whip up a protection spell that could be used at a distance. With help from Colin and the others, though. It would be a bit much to do alone."
"How?" Darius asked. "Even if we told them the truth and used magic to prove it, it would be months before any of these world leaders would even let us close, much less set up equipment to protect them. The fades would see what we were doing long before then." He grimaced. "If I'd come forward with the Veil hundreds of years ago, maybe we would be common enough by now that they would accept our protection, but I insisted we stay in the shadows."
"You had no way of predicting this, Darius. No one knew Despair was still alive," Petra reassured him. "Besides, I refuse to believe the entire fade community would be backing this idea. Contentment, Joy, Excitement.. what would they have, in a world devastated by nuclear weapons?"
"It's a gamble," Nick said slowly. "They don't want that outcome any more than we do, but they're sick of just waiting for Morty to axe them. I would be, too. Despair wasn't wrong about him having way too much power."
"Don't tell me you agree with what she's done!" Petra gave him an incredulous look.
Nick shook his head. "No, but I do know what it's like to have your whole family wiped out without warning or provocation. She's suffered just like I have, and for much longer. At least I had an adoptive family, and then Darius and the Veil. She's had to go it alone."
"In a way, this conflict was inevitable," Darius said softly, commanding the attention of the others in his usual, quiet way. "I felt sick, despite my body's state, upon seeing the devastation wrought by the Black Death. I felt Morty's response was entirely justified, and gladly helped him verify who had done it. But after he struck back, I started to wonder if we had gone too far. Human population recovered after a few hundred years. We have children all the time, and we're used to the idea of death. For the fades, death is the ultimate horror. They have no offspring, and no expiration date. We didn't just cross a line, Morty and I. We shredded that line."
He looked away from the group, clearly ashamed. "I thought that the Veil might serve as some kind of poultice, to heal the wounds dealt to humanity and the fades, but I can see now I was just being naïve. I may have delayed the confrontation for a few hundred years, but as soon as humanity developed world-ending weapons, nothing could stop it."
There was a long silence running through the four of them. The sound of the REMP going off just two floors above them was a distant thrum. Petra had gotten used to the usual flash of energy passing through the room, just as she'd adapted to wearing contacts. "All right, then. I guess we just have to hope we can convince Morty. If we can't, the best we can expect is that he wipes out all the fades before they can do any damage." She gave a bitter chuckle. "Maybe in the next life, we'll be forgiven for abetting genocide!"
Chuck drew in a sharp breath. "That's it!" He smiled out of the blue. "I've got an idea! An.. incentive, I guess, for Morty. Nick, you've been to London, right? I need you to send me there, with a transport key so I can get back. I need to visit an old friend."
Nick blinked at the sudden change in tone. "I take it whatever your idea is, you can't discuss it because of the Pact?"
Chuck nodded, and Nick asked no further questions. After getting a nod from Darius, he went over to the conference room door- one of many which had been replaced following Chuck's exoneration- and used his key. Once he'd opened the door, he put another key in Chuck's hands. "Good luck." Chuck gave him a grateful glance, and then vanished into England.
Darius tapped Petra on the shoulder. "Tomorrow at noon, island time, you and I will return to Italy. We'll present the fades' demands to Morty, and then regardless of his response, we'll complete the transfer." He hesitated. "The last time we did this, there was very little ceremony involved. It was just me, my predecessor and Morty. If you want to bring someone from the Veil along though, for moral support, I understand. Someone to help you bear the burden, as it were."
His meaning was clear: someone to help her carry his body back to earth. He had been a Roman soldier; no doubt he'd dealt with many bodies in his time. Carrying the body of his predecessor would have been no big deal. Petra hadn't even been able to attend her father's wake. She nodded, realizing that help would be necessary.
"Actually, Nick and I need to get to Vancouver," she said after a moment. "There's a friend we need to visit, and I'd rather do it before tomorrow."
Darius nodded sedately, and went back to the papers arrayed on the table. Petra shook her head. There was that trust again. He didn't know she'd told someone about the fades, and he didn't care. Darius knew, heart and mind, that she was the right person for the job, and that was all that mattered to him.
-.-
Fortunately, Timber Creek was still open when they got back. It was hard to fathom just how big the Pacific really was, at least for Petra, until she started thinking about the time zones. It was a three hour difference between Vancouver and Nova Scotia, where one of her old pen pals lived. It was three hours earlier on Kiri Atoll than it was even in Vancouver!
They exited one of the doors in the basement next to the boiler room, where people were the least likely to see and ask questions. From there it was just up a few flights of stairs to the main visiting area. Didi smiled at Petra, and then her eyes grew concerned as she saw Nick. She recognized him of course; she had taken photos of him back before the first fade attack.
Petra steeled herself. Nick was right: she could very easily just keep this quiet from everyone until she was in charge tomorrow. He would back her play, no matter how risky he thought it was. But he was also right in another way: Petra had flouted the rules by telling Didi. She had to answer for that, and Didi had to be interviewed and observed to make sure she wasn't a threat to the Veil.
That was, if the Veil even existed tomorrow. Petra introduced the two of them, and then stepped away. Nick sat with Didi in the open courtyard, and Petra took the opportunity to record a message on her phone for her mom and Mark. If.. the worst should happen, she wanted her mom to at least hear her voice before the end. Petra would send the message off as soon as she got back from Morty's, if he refused. Somehow she doubted she'd get cell service in Morty's domain.
At least the discussion between Nick and Didi looked like it was going well. For some reason it was Nick who looked surprised and not Didi. He grew a little animated after that, but it wasn't much by normal standards. Petra had spent a little more time alone with him since her breach of protocol. He forgave quickly, when it came to her keeping this from him. It was her harming the Veil he couldn't get past. He really was a company man, through and through. Petra hadn't even thought about introducing him to her friends yet, and here he was interviewing- or perhaps interrogating- one of them!
After another ten minutes or so, Didi extended a hand to Nick. He hesitated at first, and then shook it. Petra figured it was time, and went over to the two of them tentatively. Didi smiled at her. "I don't know if it's appropriate for me to give my blessing here, but this one definitely has potential," she nodded at Nick.
Petra was confused. Had the conversation even been about Darius and the fades? "I'm glad you approve," she said evasively, before taking a sip of water she'd gotten earlier.
"Anyway, I'll be going with you two to Italy tomorrow," Didi said conversationally, and Petra almost choked. "I'm not going to any island in the middle of nowhere, or to some freaky other dimension, but I do want to be there for you."
"You told her about the transfer?" Petra asked Nick raggedly, when she'd coughed a bit. The water had been more for show, and for something to do, but it still impeded her speech slightly.
"She already knew most everything else," he said mildly, though surprise still lingered in his expression. "It was either remand her to custody and lock her up on the island, or trust her to help you through this. Given what we might be facing tomorrow, I figured this was the better way."
"Besides, I've always wanted to go back to Italy. I haven't been there since I was a kid," Didi continued, clearly enjoying Petra's confusion.
Nick seemed to have really leaned into disclosing secrets, at least to Didi. If he weren't such a straight shooter, Petra might have thought he was doing it just to impress his girlfriend. He was right, now that she had a little time to think about it. Petra would need moral support tomorrow, and this way she could have a friend there without having to tell anyone else. The damage, such as it was, was already done.
"All right, then," she finally answered, looking at Didi. She looked much better than before, as was to be expected now that she knew she wasn't losing her mind. "I'll pick you up here just before three pm tomorrow. That'll be noon, island time. We'll go to Italy, but you'll have to stay there during the transfer. I doubt Morty would like non-Veil people to be present."
Didi shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I like travelling, but I'm kind of attached to this dimension anyway."
-.-
Ever since he'd gotten back from England, Chuck had been nervous. Not about what he'd heard there, but about what he had to do now. When someone knocked on the door to his quarters, he stood quickly. "Come in."
Colin opened the door and stepped in, nearly cracking his head on the low-hanging light fixture. He wasn't as tall as Nick, but everything in here was placed with Chuck's limited height in mind. "You asked to see me?"
What they had to discuss was semi-private, but Chuck didn't want to close the door. He didn't want Colin to feel trapped in any way. He did look different since getting back, though. His time in Germany had mostly been outdoors, it seemed. He was weathered and tanned, and his hair had retained a wild appearance in the last few days. "Yes. It's about your uncle, Lord Harmon."
Colin took the seat offered to him, and looked over at Chuck searchingly. "What about him?"
"I went to Bristol this morning, to look at the historical archives in the borough record office. I was looking for this," he held out a picture of a red circlet meant to be worn around the neck, about as wide as a man's hand.
Colin recognized it immediately, and nodded. "The Ruby Torc. It's Celtic, according to Uncle Tristan."
"Yes. According to the records, he bought it from another collector twelve years ago. Do you know where it is now?"
His brow furrowing slightly, Colin nodded. "It's in his estate in Bristol, along with the rest of his collection."
Now for the tough question. "Do you think your uncle could be persuaded to part with it?"
Colin let out a strangled cough. "Uh, no. He would never let it out of his sight. It's priceless- dating back to Arthurian times!"
"It's even older than that, actually," Chuck qualified. "It's a magic artifact, built by Merlin. Even I wasn't sure about that until I contacted my friend in the Gloucester Coven. Have you ever been to Lord Harmon's estate? To where the collection is kept?"
"Not since I was a kid. Wait, you're not thinking of stealing-"
"We don't have much choice, Colin!" Chuck cut him off desperately. It would only be a few hours now, before Petra and Darius spoke with Morty. He had that long to get the Torc to them. "It's the only thing that might convince-"
Chuck bit his tongue and looked away briefly. He wasn't allowed to tell Colin, or anyone else, what Despair had said back in that factory. Everyone present had been sworn to secrecy, on Darius' orders. If the Veil found out that the world might be ending tomorrow, it could cause chaos. They would want to go and be with their families, at the very least. The fades watched them as well, and might decide that the change in behavior meant Morty had already refused. No, Darius had good reasons to want to keep this under wraps, but it didn't make Chuck's job any easier right now.
"Look, I'm not allowed to tell you why, but we need that Torc. Darius and Petra need to take it with them into Morty's realm."
Colin stood suddenly, and started pacing by the door. He always did that when agitated- it helped him think. "You're asking me to trust you. To steal a priceless artifact from my uncle for you, and you can't even tell me why? The last time I took you at your word, I committed treason against the Veil!"
"I'm not possessed this time, Colin. I know you're still sore about what happened. It's not something that people can just get over in a few days. But Despair used both of us to achieve her goals. You're not the only one who feels guilt and rage over what we did." He resisted the urge to stop Colin's pacing. "You know I wouldn't ask this unless it was important. You're the only person who's seen the door in your uncle's estate. Using one of the keys, you could be in and out before anyone knew what was happening. Please. We only have a few hours."
Colin scoffed briefly, probably at the gall of his request. Chuck couldn't blame him. He'd spoken about his uncle repeatedly over the years. Tristan Harmon had sponsored Colin's application to the British SAS, risking his own reputation that his nephew would do well. He'd been devastated when Colin had dropped out after only a few years to join the Veil, especially since Colin couldn't even tell him why. It was ironic, given the current situation.
When Coin finally nodded at him, Chuck let out a relieved breath. "Thank you. I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as Petra gets back. You'll see that it's worth it."
After he left, Chuck felt drained, as if he'd just gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champion. He tried to distract himself by continuing his magic-tracing spell. According to Colin's initial debriefing, another agent working for Chuck had made contact with him a few months after Lisbon. She had borrowed the transport key he made for his group, and then returned it a few hours later.
Colin had given a description of the woman, but sketch artists could do only so much. She was black-haired, mid-thirties, about five feet tall. She'd most likely been a temporary host: someone Despair had possessed long enough to interact with Colin's group, and then abandoned once she was done. If that was the case, tracking her down would be pointless. Possessed people remembered nothing of their time as a host.
However, his spell might be useful. If she had used the key she'd borrowed from Colin, it might leave a trace. Chuck just had to isolate that particular signal from all the others in the area. That was no easy task, given how often the Veil used the things. Perhaps he should recommend essential travel only, when things calmed down.
He took a break a few hours later to bid Darius and Petra farewell. They'd drawn quite a crowd actually; Darius had founded this place after all, and he wasn't coming back. Chuck tried not to get choked up about that. Darius had been his boss for a long time. They'd never been very social, but he did respect the old man a great deal.
As Darius, Petra and Nick all used their keys and left, Chuck could see Colin from down the hall. Apparently he'd come through: Petra was carrying the Ruby Torc. He didn't look at Chuck for long, though. This was just another wound in an already deep cut left by Despair.
Sighing, Chuck went back to work. His spell went off, thankfully without a hitch, and began spitting out coordinates into his mind. He used the mirrors to contact Andy upstairs, and she helped him cross-reference known Veil activity with the numbers he was getting. Together they eliminated most of the travel as mundane.
"Here's one," he said after a moment. "Someone used a key to get to the island eight weeks ago, stayed for a few minutes, and then used the same key to leave. That's not on your list, is it?"
"No," Andy's voice came through the mirror. "It couldn't have been Despair. The REMP would push a normal fade away, but it would kill her. Does she have any human minions she could have used?"
"Not that I know of," he said distractedly. Something about this particular trip seemed important, though. "Wait.. that was the day we first brought Petra to the island! The REMP was shut off for a few hours so that she wouldn't go blind! Despair must have known we would do that. It was the perfect time to sneak in here and back out again!"
"Where did she go?"
Hastily, Chuck scanned over his list of coordinates, and then rattled off longitude and latitude for Andy. There had been a fair bit of travel between Vancouver and Kiri Atoll, so he recognized the general area as Vancouver, but this wasn't the Veil office used downtown.
"Hang on, I'm looking it up now," Andy said, the sound of her fingers on a keyboard following her voice.
"At least Despair doesn't know when or where Darius and Petra have to be, to go see Morty," Chuck said into the mirror. "Even if she did break in here, none of that information was stored anywhere on the island."
"It's not the Veil office," Andy said unnecessarily. "It's a private residence. Registered to a Diedre Halstaff."
Chuck felt like the floor had dropped out from under him. Halstaff was Despair?? And just yesterday, Nick had told Chuck that he was going to go see her in that mental health facility, along with Petra! If they had told her where they were going..
"Chuck? Are you there?"
Chuck vaulted to his feet and ran over to the door. He wrenched it shut, fitted his own key to it, and thought hard about the graveyard in Italy. A moment later he was out under the open sky, searching for the stone circle on the ground. There was a woman lying on the ground outside the shack, apparently unconscious. Chuck put two fingers to her neck, and could feel a heartbeat. It was Halstaff. Despair really had been possessing her.
The stone was just on the other side of the shack, but there was no sign of Darius, Petra or Nick. "Good God," Chuck breathed, as Andy's voice continued to echo through the open door. Darius and Petra were immune to possession, but Despair must have jumped into Nick!
And Chuck had no way of warning them.
