Chapter 18-2 Initiative

Chapter 18-2 Initiative

+Another day, another outbreak. Pour one out to the unfortunates at Vengs Stand today, consangs.

Its looking pretty bad. But whats different about today?

[Hiccup; sound of cup hitting a table]

Details are sparse and censors are chewing up any leaking mem-data as best as they can, but my on-site sources and my Exoricist contacts are talking about a Clad on Clad incident. Three Ori-Thaum Knots playing gangbusters.

Why? Who? Well, I cant tell you about the former, but it seems that the group was led by none other than Seeker Shotin Kazahara. Planeshift. Part-time Ori-Thaum war hero and full-time tabloid icon. Seems another one of his operations has gone off the rail. Or on it.

You can never tell with that asshole.

Trust me, consangs: hes the type to leave even before hes done fucking you because he has a hair appointment at seven and hes running late.

And yeah, if that sounds like its personal, thats cause it is.

Its not every day that you get to report on the piece of shit that pushed your parents into a divorce.

Especially when they were both cheating on each other with him at the same time.

Fucker.

Shotin. Mom. Dad. Youre all whores, I hope you get the rot. But at least you guys got to rub bits in the real. Not like the rest of us kids. Our intimacy is secondhand. We try what you did and well be spewing homunculi from every pore.

Its all a godsdamned joke.

We cant hug our friends.

We cant fuck.

We cant even hold our children. That is if we decide to grow a bastard at all.

Whats left? The Nether? Alright. Sure. Fine. But Im tired, everyone. Im tired of looking misery in face and knowing that I am subhuman, knowing that no matter how good I get to be or what I do, I will always live a lesser life than the one my mother did, my father did, my ancestors did.

Call me an ungrateful bitch, but I want warmth. Actual warmth. No to soak in the memory of it. Or think of how Fated Kazahara got to feel it with both my parents.

Piece of shit. I hope it hurt for him. I hope one of them got their cords bundled up.

Jaus, I am so godsdamned tired of all this shit. I just wanna

[Sigh]

Sorry. Onto the next track+

-Cala Marlowe, the FATELESS Thoughtcast

18-2

Initiative

Revealing White-Rab to the others was a strange act, like giving away a secret that wasnt even really his.

He trusted Draus and Kae. Dice and Chambers were chained to his will by the boons he offered and the approval he granted. Tavers was the only true unknown among them, but her very presence bestowed a lightness upon his templatesthe very essence of hero worship.

Much of his base mind remained wary of the squire, but considering White-Rab had tasked her with being Avos shadow, the foundations of her integrity mustve been close to unbreakable.

Basically, he was doing what I taught him to do. Best practices in this city. I mean, I get not looking a gift-ghoul in the mouthmainly cause the fucking thing will just bite you most of the timebut Souls arent easy to come by and if someones going around handing them out like candy, well You wanna figure out their deal. What they want. Whats at risk. Tavers paused and took a breath. Once again, running into you all wasnt the plan. I was just gonna shadow our young friend Dice here until she ran into you. Didnt know you were about to hold your little cult meeting in a ganger hideout.

Jaus, Draus groaned. You got that close, huh?

Tavers snorted. My ass was right around the doorway. Trying to figure out just what was going on when we all got jumped. Godsdamned Silvers. Never saw em coming.

Yeah, cause they do a lot of dyin in a straight fight, Draus said, voice thick with derision. Still. Nasty run for some imps. Thats some hard business, maam.

The imps are a professional courtesy, Tavers said. And this business is good as it's always been. Rash aside. Chambers shuffled in place. Besides, I needed to see about this miracle ghoul. It just so happens that I need a Soul, along with someone who can rebuild or transfer an entire mind, if the need calls for it.

The implications behind her words intrigued Avo. Slowly, a guess took shape in his mind. Said you wanted my gifts for someone else? Family? Want to make them a Clad? Fix something wrong with them.

The squire grew impossibly still for a few passing heartbeats. A faint trickle of melancholy escaped her mind, but with its scent followed traces of hope. Its uh. My son. Third son. Eurun. He was in the circuits for a while. Ended up winning big and losing hard right after. Now, hes got a problem. Something that none of the Agnosi and Necrotheurges Ive helped with know how to fix.

Tavers paused and ghosts swam faster through her halo. She can be.

Good, Avo said. He fought to keep a grimace from his face. Wanted to keep them separate. Use Chambers to direct him through the Deep Bazaar.

The squire laughed. Oh. You wanted to be the puppeteer with the kid, huh? Sorry, ghoulie. Raldis never played that way. Hell find an angle on you sooner or later and turn things around. Youre just lucky he didnt... Shit, I guess he cant jack you now, can he?

It'd be a short attempt, Avo said. Memories are really quite flammable. Regarding Dice and Tavers again, he found himself increasingly pleased. Things didnt start out well at all. But now, regarding the changes he needed to make to his plans, his options were growing, and his personal contacts were expanding as well. He needed to keep thinking bigger. He wasnt just one person anymore. His reach exceeded that of his body.

He needed to intrude upon the highest and lowest reaches of the city, and with his current assets, what once appeared a struggle was now all too surmountable.

Draus, Avo said. Open a passage back to the Washington. Need to make introductions.

The Regular nodded. Need Chambers to scramble her mind or somethin?

He can try, Tavers said. I think White-Rab will be interested to see how his wards hold up against a competent intruder.

Kae scoffed. Competent. I think you will probably be fine.

Chambers winced.

Look, Tavers said. I know the score. Ill eject the memories from my mind right afterward. Ill even have one of you do a peek. Maybe not the ghoul since I actually like having thoughts.

Alright, then, Draus said. Dont think Denton or Cas are gonna like this.

Theyll be fine once I tell them about Kare. Kae. Need your input for new ontologic upgrades. Chambers. Get to the cloning pools. Contact the grafters. See if we can get Subject-One completed soon. Want to take them on a test run.

Vigor filled Chambers immediately, his body snapping to alertness. Avo felt him via the template. The ghoul was still being nice to him. Not insulting him. There was still some validation to be gained. If the Rashing of Shotin wouldnt make everyone love him, then what if he helped make the biggest, baddest, meanest bioforms there ever were? Or amp up the new sheathes somehow?

All this to be liked. All this so that someone else could tell him he matteredto ensure his continued position in the group.

Chambers was a dog desperate to be leashed. And that degraded him from becoming. That degraded his personhood.

An echo of Calvinos earlier words passed through Avo. The restored EGI, deliberately silent through the recent dialogues, spoke once more. {You know what you can do. Set him free. Lead him away from making himself someone elses play thing. Give him a path to grow.}

Chambers, Avo said, holding up a hand. Before this. Need to say something.

The mans face dropped.

Avo began. Youre a fool. Selfish. Impulsive. Killed thousands of innocents today. But saved us. Shotin likely would have killed us all without the Rash. You didnt think about the ones you killed. Only about making yourself matter. Consumed by your fixation with lust. Youre still the same jackal you always were. The half-strand at Burners Way. Casual murderer of FATELESS. And thank you for giving us a way out.

Heads turned and confusion spread. Chambers wasnt the only one who looked lost. I, uh

Didnt feel what it was like to kill the FATELESS. Wasnt jacked into them. Too focused on Shotin. But I did. With my Sanguinity. Tasted the pain in their minds. Felt the homunculi bursting from them still. Theyre getting scapeled now. Casual massacre born from your unorthodox salvation.

So I Did I do bad or good?

Both, Avo said, letting him think on it, turning to offer the Agnos a shrug. Drawing on the momentum of his words and guided by his templates, he turned to Kae. Kae. Life you had is gone. Buried. Cant have it back ever again. But you can decide your life now. Get revenge. And also stop Chambers when he does something stupid. Not a bystander anymore. Dont need let this city degrade you. Attack you.

Her eyes fell, unable to meet his eyes. You dont understand. The Rashwhen I felt them coming out of me

No. Youre right. Dont understand. Wont burn you for understanding either. I will let you stay yourself. But life wont. New Vultun wont. Can talk about this later. If you want. Will listen to whatever you have to say. But need you focused afterward. Need you ready to survive.

Okay. He barely heard her say it, but something in her tone felt different.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed that Draus helmet was gone and she was giving him a shit-eating grin. Got anything for me?

Yes. You have a gun addiction. Need therapy. Like Essus.

She made the ground beneath them turn to glass with a rude gesture. A moment after, radiance flooded its reflective sheen.

Dice, Avo said. Stay close. Might feel a bit of squeeze.

Picking up the nu-cat and placing it in her pocket, the waif gave him a quick nod.

So whats this supposed to be? Tavers asked. Some kind of glass Heaven? She froze. Wait, didnt that dead Greatling have one of those? What was it called

The Twice-Walker pulled them down, across, and back up in the George Washington.

Back in the gutters, an unnatural brightness faded from within an abandoned bar.