Cende

I always thought The Net and Beastyle were teenagers who'd managed to sneak into Paragon and somehow con people into letting them pretend they were working there. They just looked too young to actually be employees.

Happy birthday, The Net. May you continue to con people into thinking you're about 14 for a long time to come.

One thing to note is that apparently the default gamma is set to REALLY DAMN LOW (like, about 0).

At least one of the early missions in Kingsmouth requires you to locate a painting in a room that's incredibly dark.

Fixing your gamma to something reasonable lets you see the painting - and everything else.

I am afraid there has been a wee interruption in writing while sudden brain stall is being recovered from (shocking announcement and ongoing migraine unite! Form of ... no, this is still a rated T for Teen board).

The story will continue. Since there's like, 3 people who read it other than those who are local to me and 2 of them have given me their address (and I'm pretty sure the third will be following), I'm not sure of the point of putting it up on Samuraiko's www.superheroromance.com (if she'll let me). But if she'll let me, that's probably where it'll go.

If she won't, I'll find a different home for it.

I have to admit that I no longer feel like a VIP.

That is not, however, Paragon's fault.

All together now -

Thanks, NCSOFT!

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

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Chapter 58.

Mitanni Valley, Sunday morning

Following the novice that was sent for her through the hallways, Helena reflected that the temples weren't really much better in the day than they were at night – at least not the parts that were this far underground. She felt as if she were trapped in Oranbega and she was beginning to wish she'd thought to get a message out to Star Patrol while she'd been in the control room. Nobody should be worried about her yet, since her message to Commander Sharpe shouldn't be arriving for another six hours, but she'd feel a lot better knowing they were able to drop a team in at a moment's notice if something really went wrong. Spotting Davos up ahead, she hurried her steps forward, passing the novice and joining the Speaker at the open door he had paused at.

He motioned her inside before she could say anything and then turned away to speak with the novice quietly. Helena frowned, but went in anyway. Inside, she found Cende, dressed in black-dyed leathers that covered her legs and chest but left her arms and shoulders bare. Distracted, Helena frowned. "Shouldn't you be wearing more armor? And when did you get tats?"

"This is what we fight the Trials in. If my skills are not sufficient to protect me, then I fail. It is our way. If by tats you mean tattoos, I have had them since I passed my skills Trials, two years before I came to Paragon. All Elite have the one on my left shoulder; it combines the symbol of Indra with that of Ratri and is the mark of the Maryanni. The one on the right... well, it is only mine, and none outside of a selected few Priests of Ratri have seen it until now."

"It looks a little familiar, like I've seen something similar before."

"You have." Cende turned to fully face Helena and gently smiled. "Davos explained more about Anil's help. Was he able to get you into the control room?"

"Yep. And then he got me fed, and showed me different parts of the temple, and told me more of your history. This place is weird, but it explains tons about you. There seems to be a lot of people quietly rooting for you, which is good for our side, but it'd be nice if they weren't too scared to be a little less quiet about it. Practically nobody's willing to step out of line, or do more than passively help by looking the other way."

"They're all terrified of being judged as having gone against the will of Indra." Davos entered the conversation. "If you had more time with us, you would understand more, but it's better that your visit is kept short until you're in less danger from it. To that end... were you and Anil able to come up with any thoughts on coping with the Summoners?"

"Anil gave me the map just before he showed me back to Dina's room, but he said he shouldn't know what plans there are. He said he's good at keeping people out of surface thoughts, but he can't hold up to direct probes, and he doesn't want to be accidentally thinking about anything dangerous that a probe could find." Helena took a deep breath and focused on Davos. She'd figured out over night that he was the one she had to convince to go along with her plan, since he was the one who would be able to find her the help she needed. "I did come up with an idea, though, based on my experience in Paragon."

Davos nodded, "Good. If you would, please, what is your plan?"

"Well, my experience with the Circle of Thorns is that when they're interrupted while casting, whatever they're working on stops. My training tells me that if you're interrupted in a spell, you have to start over, you can't just pick up where you left off – and obviously, if a spell caster is incapacitated, they can't start over." Helena paused as a soft knock sounded at the door.

Davos crossed the room and admitted a tall, whipcord lean man with a bald head and a scarred face, speaking over his shoulder to Helena as he did so. "I think I see where you're headed. Go on please."

Helena, glancing at the newcomer curiously, shrugged. "If we can get a few of your Elite who are on Cende's side in all of this to go to the places where the Summoners are and knock them out, we can stop their cheating as soon as it starts. If they're even half as good as she is it shouldn't take more than one or two Elite per group of Summoners, since usually casters in the middle of spells aren't too aware of what's happening around them until they're interrupted."

"It's a good plan," Cende admitted. "There's just one problem, and it's one you had no way of being aware of – all of the Maryanni, including the Elite, are required to be visibly in attendance from before the Trial starts until after it is declared ended. If any are noted to be absent they may be harshly questioned, especially once it comes out that the Summoners were attacked."

The bald man spoke up, "The Maryanni, yes, but not the warrior-priest students of Ratri." He smiled grimly to Helena and Cende and continued, "The first class is small, but they are ready for this test, and they have been hidden as well as we can hide them. If Captain Collins is up to leading them, I believe they will perform admirably for her."

"There's only seven of them, will that be enough?" Davos' concern was evident in his face and voice. "Gephel, I trust your judgment of their skills, but seven – eight including Helena – won't be enough to take out all the Summoners at once."

"No, they'll have to remove one group at a time, and there's no help for that. I have faith in Papahai Dina's ability to withstand this trial – Indra and Ratri are both with her. I see no other path but that which has been laid out here." Gephel nodded to Helena, "Do you have something nondescript with you that you can fight in, Captain Collins? For the safety of those who remain behind, we do not wish the robes of Ratri associated with this endeavor."

"Oh, um." Helena was taken aback. She hadn't meant to let Cende out of her sight for this fight, but taking out the Summoners was urgent. "Yeah, I'm wearing jeans and a sweater under all these robes."

"Very good. I will send you the trainees at the beginning of the Trial." Gephel paused, then turned to Cende and bowed deeply. "Fight well, Rajakumari. May the Lord and Lady guide and protect you." Moving quickly, the older man left, quietly closing the door after himself.

There was silence in the room for a long moment, then Davos turned and enveloped Cende in a tight hug. The surprise on her friend's normally serene face was enough to startle a giggle from Helena, and Davos turned enough to pull her into the hug with them.

"Ratri enfold you in Her arms and bless you both," the Speaker whispered. "May you both come through this unscathed and ready to go on to the next step." Releasing the women, he stepped back and straightened his robes. "I, like the rest of the Maryanni, must be visible well before the trial starts. Dina, you know the way. Helena, you'll masquerade as her escort to the grounds, but keep your robes on and your hood up until the trainees get to you. Both of you - be careful!"

"Blessings of Ratri on you, Speaker Davos." Cende bowed, and an expression of quiet serenity flooded her face. Helena knew that expression; it meant the other woman was centering herself in preparation to unleash a serious amount of damage on an unsuspecting enemy.

Davos apparently knew the expression as well; Helena could see some of the tension in his face ease marginally before he nodded to her, and then left the room.

Helena fidgeted in place for a moment, unsure of what to do next, and jumped in surprise as Cende enfolded her in another gentle hug.

"Thank you, Helena," whispered the tall redhead. "You being here is a blessing, and I appreciate all you have done thus far."

"We're friends and teammates. It's what we do for each other. You'd do it for me, too."

"Even still, thank you. Yet, even still I have one more favor to ask of you, and it's not an easy one to request."

Helena shook free of the hug and turned to look askance at Cende, "I'm not leaving before this is done, so don't even think about it."

"I'm not." Cende's smile flitted across her face. "I already tried that. It didn't work and I'm not foolish enough to try again. No, it's Davos. There's a very good chance I won't survive this, no matter what we do here. If I die here... no, Helena, don't make that face, listen! If I die, please promise me you'll get Davos out of here. He'll try to delay, but don't let him. Get him to Paragon, get him to Marcus and Star Patrol, help him tell them everything. Once I'm gone, it's only a matter of time before Endaruta moves against the Temple, and Davos will be his first target."

Helena grimaced, "Yeah, I can see how he's important. Without you and Davos, anyone who's willing to stand up to the Old Man now will either fold or get themselves killed. I don't like it, but I promise; if you die, I'll make sure he gets out ASAP. Just, in the meantime, I'm gonna do what I can to make sure you don't die, okay?"

Cende nodded. "I am all right with that, as long as you also take care of yourself. I believe our mediporters are blocked here, and I do not wish to explain to Commander Sharpe how you happened to become damaged during your 'personal leave'."

Helena just laughed.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

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Chapter 57.

Mitanni Valley, Saturday night

Helena followed Cende down the temple hallway, eyeing the torches on the walls with disfavor - she recalled the times that Cende had said that the ruined, underground city of Oranbega reminded her of the deeper areas of the temples where she was raised, and now Helena saw the resemblances for herself.

"Are you sure this place wasn't built by the Oranbegans?" Helena asked Davos, walking along beside her.

Davos shook his head, "We don't know who built it originally. It's an enormous place, really, large enough to hold both temples - Ratri and Indra both, with all the priests and servants - and the training and support facilities for the Maryanni elite. But it was here when our people arrived; the town was a poor and small village then with no lords and nothing to support. There are dozens of abandoned villages at the bases of other, similar temples in valleys just like this one throughout these mountains, and just as many villages of varying sizes supporting temples of equally varying sizes. We don't know when any of them were built, even though we have records of when a fair number of them were finally abandoned."

"Every five years, the Lord High Priest sends out an expedition of Initiates to collect records from the other temples." The smooth masculine voice drifted out from the shadows of an alcove. The voice was accompanied by a young man in robes similar in cut to those Helena, Cende, and Davos wore, but colored yellow and white instead of blue and grey. The young man bowed Davos, and then again to Cende. "Speaker Davos, Rajakumari Dina, Indra's blessings on you both. I believe you had a task you wished my assistance with this evening?"

"Ratri's blessings on you, Anil," responded Davos. Motioning to the smaller American at his side, he continued, "This is... "

"Helena." Helena interrupted, stepping up to the young man in white; she thought he might be one of the better-looking men she'd seen today. Most of the fighters had been built along Cende's lines - long, lean fighters meant for speed and agility - but this guy was solidly built, with wide shoulders and a barrel chest. His black hair was on the long side, brushing his shoulders, and his eyes were a deep, intense blue. She smiled up into those eyes as she offered him her hand, "I’m very pleased to meet you."

Anil hesitated a moment, then took her hand. Instead of shaking it, however, he laid a light, polite kiss on the back of it, and then bowed over it. "The pleasure is mine, Miss Helena."

From behind her, Helena heard Cende's voice. "Davos? Are you sure this is wise?"

"Anil sought me out," the Speaker replied calmly, "and has assisted us before. He's one of the few in Indra's priesthood we can trust, and he understands the control room. He'll be less suspicious than any of our people down there, and he'll be able to make sure Helena has anything she needs."

"I also bring this, from another Brother." Anil pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Davos. "The Brother is one of the Summoners for the Trial tomorrow; these are their instructions."

Davos read the paper and frowned. "They've been ordered to prepare for a full day casting."

"Yes," Anil nodded. "The only reason to do so is to bring in additional demons, or to provide healing and other benefits to the demon prince that is brought through."

Cende glanced at the paper, "It tells them to come to the main temple for their placements. Do we know anything about where they'll be placed for the castings?"

"There are multiple locations possible. Not all will be used, and as I am not a Summoner..." Anil shrugged. "I can provide you with a map of all of the possible locations, however."

Davos nodded. "As long as we know the possible locations, we'll work from there. Thank you, Anil." He sighed. "You were right, though, that we have a task we need your assistance with. We need to get Helena onto the control room computer."

Anil eyed Helena doubtfully, "Does she know how to use one?"

Helena rolled her eyes, "Can a 10-year-old program a DVR?"

Davos patted Helena's shoulder. "Calmly, calmly. Anil is the closest thing we have to a computer expert here, and he's used to people more like Dina and myself. Remember how technologically backwards we are." Answering Anil, he said, "She can do more with one than even you can, actually. She's quite good, and rather more experienced. She is our best chance of getting everything in those computers of yours out of here and properly analyzed."

"I'm a damn good analyst, too. If there's anything in there to find, I'll find it." Helena shrugged. "And once we know what it is, we'll know how to deal with it."

Anil nodded. "Very well then. This way, if you please, Mahila Helena."

Helena took a few steps to follow, then turned back, "But what about Cen.. I mean, Dina?"

Cende shook her head. "Go, Helena, it's all right. I have to spend the rest of the night in ritual and meditation that you can't help with. Get this information, and then get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, I promise."

Helena nodded, "I'll hold you to that." Turning away, she moved up beside Anil, and glanced up at him as they walked. "So... what was that you called me? Mahila?"

"A title. It is respectful. In English, it means Lady. For you to have the skills you do – to have come here undetected, to have computer skills, and to have the respect of the Speaker and the Rajakumari, you must be one of the Elite of your own people, yes?"

Helena blushed. "Well, I guess. It's not really considered the same way back home. And Rajakumari? What does that mean?"

"Ah... Princess, I believe, is the best translation." Anil paused and looked down at her critically, "You're in the robes for a Novice of Ratri, and you're supposed to be assisting a Priest of Indra. This is not going to work without raising suspicions, especially if that Priest is me. I'm going to have to find you something else. Wait here in this alcove a moment, please. Do not go any further without me – it is absolutely not safe." Without waiting for her assent, he turned a corner and strode off.

Fuming, Helena crossed her arms and waited, staring down the hallway. The Priest was back relatively quickly, holding a cream-colored bundle out to her almost as a peace offering.

"If you had proceeded solely in your current robes, you may have been questioned," he stated, before she had a chance to speak, "and if you are caught, it will be dangerous for both of us, as well as the Speaker and the Rajakumari. It is better for you to have these on while you are with me."

"What are they?" Helena asked, grudgingly, as she sorted out the cloth bundle.

"Priest Initiate robes for Indra, with a silence marker on them. They indicate that the one who wears them is in a period of silent contemplation before final vows, and may not speak. This means anyone who sees us will speak to me, and your inability to speak our language will remain undiscovered. You will also remain unmolested while at the computer." Anil glanced down the hallways, then continued to the control room.

"On the downside, I can't talk to you while anyone else is around." Helena finished settling the robes around herself as she moved, twitching to try and get them to lay flat on top of the one she already wore. At least I'm finally getting warm. It's cold here!

"It's a hazard we'll have to risk for your safety. I would far rather return you intact than to explain why the Old Man has you."

"Point taken. Although, that's a question... You're a Priest of Indra. Why aren't you working for the Old Man?"

"That has a complex answer." Anil paused as he opened the door to the control room and looked around. "Good, it's currently unstaffed. We have perhaps an hour at most before the night crew comes in. You'll use my computer; it's the best one here." As he lead Helena to a small desk against the far wall, he seemed at first to be avoiding her question, although once he'd made sure she was comfortably seated, he began to speak softly.

"I am the second child of a Maryanni noble family. My older brother is an Elite. My younger brother manages our family holdings. My four sisters have all made good marriages, although my youngest sister began as a novice of Ratri. For the Maryanni, it is how things have always been done for generations - until the Prophecy started to move."

Perched on the chair with her feet folded under her, lotus-style, Helena listened with one ear as she worked her way into the computer network. There was practically no security on the system; she could see the firewalls and programs designed to lock down the already heavily restricted access to the outside world, but within the internal system, it was wide open. She supposed it made sense – the only people with access were the people with access to this room, and the only people who could get into this room were the people who were vetted by Endaruta. Well, until now, anyway. There were a few nominally hidden files and folders which were no problem to dig up, and one or two password protected files – those she could just download, and take her time getting into on her own system. Looking around for a thumb drive, she frowned in disbelief – there was absolutely no visible way to copy the files off.

Anil paused as she began looking around. "What do you need?"

"Do you have any way to copy files? I know you're probably not on a cloud, but maybe a couple of thumb drives?"

He opened a drawer, reached in, and pulled out a jury-rigged peripheral hub and three thumb-drives. "A few of our more recent returnees brought these with them. I was able to rig this to use them, but it's slow." He hooked the port into the back of the computer and plugged in the drives. "The advantage is that at least you can use all three of them at once."

Helena winced at the speed of the hub, and shook her head. "Well, it'll all fit. It'll just take a while." She sat back to look at him. "You were saying about your family and the Prophecy?"

Anil shook his head regretfully, "I followed in my family's footsteps. I thought it was as it should be, and I closed my eyes to those things that I knew were not right... until I no longer could. Until it affected my family. A man is not a man if he sees that which is wrong, and does nothing to make it right. He is not a man if he does nothing to uphold his principles. I saw things that I knew were wrong, and I did nothing, until after my youngest sister upheld her principles and paid for them. Then I realized that I had closed my eyes, and done less than a girl-child. And even now - even after the damage done to Rinchen - my family still follows the old ways, still closes their eyes, because they are afraid to go against an insane old man." He clenched his fist, and a small amount of electricity crackled over his hand. "You wish to know why I ally myself with the Speaker and Rajakumari? Because I have seen evil. Because my little sister was destroyed by that evil. And because I will no longer close my eyes as my family and my people and my home are lead to destruction by an insane, evil, old man who wishes more for his own glory than the well-being of those he purports to lead."

Helena leaned forward, laying her hand over Anil's for a moment. "There's phrase we use back home when asked why we do what we do – 'Because if I don’t then who will?' – and maybe that's where you're at now." Unsure of what else to say, she glanced at her screen, saw the last of the download finish, and sighed in relief. "It's done; we can safely get out of here. Let me just get these drives, and then you can show me more of the temple and find me something to eat."

Anil smiled wryly as he stood and headed out of the room. "You must lead your intended husband on a merry chase, keeping him on his toes at all times. He is a lucky man to have you in his future, Mahila Helena."

"Um. What intended husband? I'm not engaged. I don't even have a boyfriend." Helena waited as Anil checked to make sure the passage was clear and then followed him out of the room, making sure to put the thumb drives in the pockets of the jeans she wore under all the layers of robes, wondering as she did if this was his way of finding out if she was single. He could just ask. It's not like it's that hard.

"But surely your father has arranged a marriage for you? You're quite talented and very lovely; is it only that he has not found a man worthy of your hand?"

Is he serious? "I'm an orphan, actually, but... Anil, you do realize that's not how things are done out in the rest of the world, right? Men and women decide they want to get married because they love each other, not because their parents tell them to. It's about compatibility and mutual interest." She caught him glancing down at her out of the corner of his eye and blushed a little. Why am I blushing? She was irritated with herself. It's not as if I said anything forward!

"I see," came the reply, in his smooth, deep voice. "The concept of courting that I've read about. It's an interesting idea. Well, if one would like to seek permission to court you, who would they apply to?"

Struck by a sudden, impish urge, Helena grinned. "Well, if someone wanted to get permission, I suppose they could ask my teacher and senior officer, Commander Ray Sharpe of the Star Patrol."

Anil was quiet for a moment before bowing lightly. "You indicated that you were hungry. Follow me, and we shall do what we can to accommodate your desires for food and information. And perhaps in the process, you will tell me more of your culture and how one patrols the stars."

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

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Chapter 56.

Paragon City, Saturday morning

Marcus stepped through the portal into the Star Patrol base and stopped short on the platform, looking at the faces turned up to him. Shalice, Sorina Tavarisch, and Andrea Blake looked concerned; Ray Sharpe, Manticore, Positron, and Synapse looked disgusted. Thinking back along his path this morning, Marcus tried to recall if he noticed anything out of the ordinary - after leaving Cende's apartment just before dawn, he'd flown back to his own house to get cleaned up and changed, then had made a quick stop by Monica's grave before coming to this meeting he'd insisted happen early enough to undercut most of the day's emergencies. From the expressions on the others' faces, it was apparently not early enough.

"What's happened now?" He was fairly certain he didn't want to know, but this was his job, and one more thing wasn't going to break him.

"I'll take it you haven't seen the papers yet today, then." The edge in Sharpe's voice could have cut steel, but it wasn't aimed at anyone in the room. "We have the full complement of morning editions in the conference room."

Marcus followed the blue-skinned commander into the Star Patrol's command conference chamber with some trepidation. As he entered, his eyes fell on the papers scattered over the table, and their bold headlines jumped out at him. He frowned, then picked up the closest and studied it with rising ire. Behind him, he heard Synapse groan.

"He would have to pick up that one first."

"Of course he did," Manticore was matter-of-fact as he went around the table to the coffee service on the other side of the room. "It's both the most eye-catching and the worst of the lot, which means it's guaranteed to get his blood pressure up."

Marcus threw down the paper and pointed to it, biting out, "That... is there any truth in that? At all?"

The Star Patrol leaders glanced at each other, then at the lurid headline. Over a long-distance shot of Cende and Marcus, both in uniform, the Caper's lead story for the morning screamed out, Statesman's Mistress an International Assassin, Longbow & Wyvern Hiding Evidence!

"The Tattler is better, since Harvey likes Cende, and the Times is trying to be careful about not presenting it all as established fact, using words like alleged and possible and unconfirmed... but essentially, it's the same story in all of them." Tava took a deep breath as she sat up straight. "As far as if it's true or not, there's two parts of it. The easy part is that all this was 'leaked information' from Wyvern and Longbow, and that they - and by extension, Manticore and Statesman - were working to cover this all up."

Manticore snorted. "I've already got my people working on finding out where the planted information came from. Like you said, that's the easy part."

Shalice nodded, "I've already spoken with Alexis as well, and she's got Freedom Corp specialists taking apart the Longbow computer systems. There was an upgrade scheduled anyway; this just put an urgent spin on it. If there was any information of this sort in the Longbow system, they'll find it."

Andrea nodded as she took over, "That leaves the part about Cende, and that part's much harder. Is she a fully trained assassin? Could be... she certainly has the skills to be. Does she serve the patron Goddess of thieves? She's always claimed that her Goddess is the patron of the night and dreams, but it's possible that the same Goddess could also protect thieves, we simply don't know. As far as her destiny to become a leader of some sort of evil clan, or that she's following a prophecy to take over the world... she's so reticent about her history and her background that almost anything is possible. About the only thing I'd be willing to categorically state is that she is absolutely not here to assassinate Statesman."

Marcus managed a smile at that. "How can you be so certain of that?"

"Mostly because she's been in love with you for as long as I've known her," Andrea admitted. "But also because she's had plenty of time alone with you, and she's never actually tried."

Marcus nodded in agreement, "She hasn't, you're right." Picking up a copy of the Tattler, he scanned the headline - Longbow & Wyvern Investigated in a Cover-up Scandal! - and sighed. "The Longbow and Wyvern aspect of this is not something we can rebut without proof. Alexis will get the proof for Longbow; Justin, I know you can be relied upon for Wyvern." Studying the article further, he frowned slightly. "It says here that, quote, Cende and Statesman were unavailable for comment. Additionally, no members of Star Patrol, Freedom Phalanx, Wyvern, or Longbow were reachable for comments, unquote. Now, I was on emergency contact only last night, but I checked my messages and I know I didn't have any requests for comment. Did any of you?"

Negative replies came from around the room, and Positron looked up from his communicator. "I just got back confirmation from the rest of the Phalanx that they weren't contacted; neither were Freedom Corps' or Longbow's official communication channels. Which I'd expect from the Caper, but the Times is too professional for that, and Harvey's usually careful enough to check that his reporters actually have called for quotes. I suspect that the reporters did find someone late last night and that person blew them off, thinking it was a joke - on the surface, the story sounds absolutely preposterous."

Marcus frowned, "I hate to think you might be right, but I suspect you are. Alexis will find out and handle it." He looked at the Star Patrol leaders and sighed. "I know you're able to handle your own relationship with the press, but in this particular case, would you mind if we all went through the Freedom Corps press room? I'd like to present a united front."

"We're members of Freedom Corps; going through their press room makes sense to me and may simplify matters. We'll let the other leaders know, and let everyone in the Patrol know that's where they can refer anyone who asks." Sharpe shook his head. "Frankly, this is too well timed to be coincidental; someone wants us off balance."

"Well, it's going to work, at least a little bit." Manticore's tone was sour. "Wyvern will issue its own short statement once it has the proof we need that it never had the files it's accused of having, but until then, we've got analysts sweeping the system rather than going through new data. Longbow and Freedom Corps' systems are almost totally offline until the emergency upgrade and systems reviews are completed, and we're all going to have reporters camped out on our doorsteps and dogging our footsteps for another week at least. Never mind what it's going to do when Cende finally resurfaces."

"Which brings me to why we're here in the first place." Marcus turned to the Star Patrol leaders in determination. "Where is she? I know she said she had to deal with an unwanted marriage and that they might not let her return, but I'm pretty sure we can get around a revoked visa. I'm going to go get her and bring her home; I just need you to give me her coordinates."

Tava, Andrea, Sharpe, and Positron exchanged dismayed looks. Shalice, watching them with narrowed eyes, suddenly went ashen, clapped her hand over her mouth, and turned to face Manticore, who looked up from his smartphone in surprise. Synapse looked from Marcus to the others and then back to Marcus, and Marcus was gratified to see the other man look as baffled as he felt.

"I think we're missing something important, Boss, and given the way everything else is falling out, it isn't going to be good." The speedster slouched back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I'm betting on it not being as simple as walking up to the church and sliding you in place of the unwanted groom."

"We don't know where she is, actually," Andrea admitted slowly. "The location of her temple is another one of those things she couldn't tell us, and it apparently has some sort of anti-location protection on it. We've been trying to trace her communicator, but it stopped transmitting at the Kathmandu airport. At this point, she could be anywhere in the Himalayas."

"I have a search program looking for her mediporter signal, since that's a much newer, subtler, and less well-known technology, but it is still a great deal of area to cover and we're not sure how much time she actually has." Tava glanced at him, her eyes dark with worry. "For all we know, the mediporter has stopped transmitting because it's too late."

"Too late for what? Why would her mediporter stop transmitting?" Marcus could feel the tension gathering in his jaw and shoulders, and was unsurprised when he felt Shalice attempting to soothe him.

"We thought she had told you, but apparently not all of it." Sharpe's tone was uncharacteristically gentle, and for a brief moment, Marcus hated the man. "She is going to stop an unwanted marriage, yes, but apparently the way that she has to do this is some sort of fight to the death."

"And you let her go in without backup?" Having had more time to get over his shock, Manticore was able to ask what Marcus was only just beginning to think.

"She has, over time, convinced us that it is more dangerous to send people with her than to let her go alone, and this time she was adamant," Sharpe replied, frowning. "But no, it was not our intention to let her go in without backup. As we said, we were tracking her by satellite through her communicator. I was also tracking her through magic, and that cut off shortly afterward, apparently directly over a ravine in a particularly wild and unsettled part of the mountains. I can forward the satellite imagery to you if you want to go over it yourself. We had every intention of having a team ready to go on a moment's notice, but we lost her." Sharpe's frustration at the admission was palpable.

"Commander Sharpe?" The slightly digital female voice cut off Marcus before he could say anything else. "There is a high priority e-mail addressed to you from the Freedom Corps address of Captain Collins. Keyword search includes the terms Cende, backup, and the phrase 'don't be mad'. Would you like immediate delivery?"

Sharpe groaned, "Yes, deliver it now." Pulling out his smartphone, the commander scanned the email and then shook his head. "Helena, you impetuous idiot. Tava, can you expand your search parameters to look for two mediporter signals?"

"Da, but two? What's Helena done?"

Sharpe addressed the room as a whole, "This email was scheduled to be delivered in about eighteen hours, but due to the systems vacuuming happening, was sent now. Captain Helena Collins believes she has figured out a way to sneak in to Cende's valley home, and has gone in as Cende's backup. As it happens, they work well together, so if Collins has made it in, they'll be a formidable team. She is also going to be finding intel on what the hell is actually going on in that valley, and plans on bringing back a full report, so we know what kind of danger Cende keeps putting herself into every time she goes home. She said she took personal leave to do this on her own so that we could truthfully deny any knowledge of her actions in case something happened."

Synapse was shaking his head. "So now we have two of them in there, and we can't get either one of them out."

"Collins is my student, so tracking her with magic should be easier than tracking Cende. I have a better chance of actually finding them that way. Getting in may still be a challenge, but between the eight of us, if we have to go in on a rescue mission, I'm pretty sure that nothing standing in our way is going to remain there for long." Sharpe glanced at Marcus' face, and nodded, "Not if they're standing between him and Cende, anyway. We'll keep looking, and in the meantime, have faith in them. They're both strong, competent women, and they may not need rescuing."

Abruptly, Marcus had had enough. He pushed away from the table and stood, moving toward the door and the portal beyond, growling over his shoulder as he left, "I'll be in Boomtown; my phone is on emergency contact if I'm needed. Find them!"

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The loading screen art just keeps getting worse.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

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Chapter 55.

Rogue Islands, Saturday pre-dawn

Silver Spyder stood on the walls of Grandville, watching the throngs of people in the square below her. Even at three a.m., petitioners and sycophants approached the great tower in the middle of the island, vendors hawked small gadgets or quick food, construction crews hurried to and from their assignments, and, over everything, the never-ending propaganda blared forth from the huge screens that hung over the promenade approach. Glancing back impatiently, she saw Toby unplugging from the access terminal secreted in this alcove and stepped back from the ledge. "Well? Any clues on why Papa Legs wants to see us?"

"You mostly, and no, not really." Toby grunted softly as the last of his equipment retracted into his armor and his crab-arms settled into place. "All I could find was the usual rumors that he's wound up about something, probably Statesman, and he's picked a lucky Destined One to do his errand running this time. Some of the Soldiers are relieved, some are insulted. I'll make sure to point out the insulted ones so you can pick them in case we can actually put together a team."

"Ha. Maybe I'll get some of the relieved ones, too, teach them not to be quite so quick to sit back." Spyder checked her uniform in a reflective pane of glass - white spotless, spider gleaming, and hair neatly tucked up. She actually looked like a proper Widow, even if the colors were technically wrong - but she'd earned the right to wear Arbiter's whites, and she wasn't going to hide that. "Are you sure you don't want to show off some of your flash? It might impress him - definitely way more than a standard uniform and helmet."

"I think I'd rather play dumb aide and go unnoticed. Being overlooked could be an advantage for both of us, and in that nest, any advantage is all to the good. Besides, any information we can bring out can only help Banestar's current plans, and if they're looking at your shining self, they won't notice me as much."

"I'm not entirely sure that'll work, Toby - this is Arachnos. They've had a complete file on you since you were sixteen and smaller than I am. I don't think they'll buy you getting stupider under Banestar, and I doubt they'll believe I'd come in with anyone else. You can try, though." Spyder shrugged, and started down the wall, nimbly leaping and flipping from one small purchase point to the next until she reached the steps at the base of the tower. Ignoring the people in line, she and Toby strode up the stairs and through the doors into the poorly lit bureaucratic lobby. Here, the petitioners were stymied by incomprehensible forms and perpetually closed counters; the 'next assisting' number was regularly a hundred behind the next ticket to be given out. An aura of helplessness and despair permeated the room, and Spyder was just as pleased to pass through it into the hallway beyond.

As they moved toward the elevator that would take them to the top of the tower, Spyder noted the alcoves and support beams that she would put the bombs on if she were here to bring the structure down. Same sort of building as all of the bases that are scattered over the Isles and on the shores around Paragon. Stupid. If people can take those down, they can take this one down, too. Too much dependence on the mind readers and foretellers to stop things before it happens, but it only takes one last minute decision during a time of chaos by one person with a good block to change things.

She glanced back at Toby as they rode up. "I hate that helmet on you," she muttered.

"I know," he rumbled back. "I think I'll wear it more often."

"Do it and I'll pour sand in your sock drawer. We're here." Spyder pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin, then stepped out into the dimly lit chamber at the very top of the tower. She could just make out the immense figure on the other side of the space, staring out through the windows overlooking the city below. She moved to the center of the room and stopped, waiting, Toby a comforting, solid presence behind her. It's no worse than being called up before Endaruta when he was in a mood, and probably better. I couldn't escape Endaruta back then; I'm pretty sure I can get out of here in one piece if I have to. I'd miss Toby, though.

"Silver Spyder." The voice that issued from the dark, hulking figure was like rolling gravel, deep and rough. "I never expected you to survive this long, to be truthful. You put yourself on my list, and then made it conform to your will." He turned to face her, and his eyes glowed dimly, red in the black shadows of his face. "I am pleased with your success - it shows strength and cunning, qualities that will serve you well in the years to come."

"Thank you, sir." Spyder clasped her hands behind her back and tried not to fidget. What does he want? Nobody praises without wanting something, he's got to want something, what does he want, where's the catch?

The silhouette motioned with one of his extra appendages, and a monitor snapped on above and to the right of Spyder's head, causing her to start with surprise. A blurry picture, some sort of headshot, hung in the field of view and peering at it, she gave an internal groan of recognition and annoyance. The pictures on the monitor began to change to long-distance shots of Cende and a blond man in company at different times and locations, progressing as if through a vacation slide show.

"Your sister, I believe?" Recluse inquired. Spyder nodded in annoyed confirmation, and he continued, his voice dropping into menacing tones, "I want her brought to me. You will arrange this."

Oh, hell. Spyder drew a deep breath. "My Lord, that... will be difficult at the immediate moment, and may prove impossible in the long term."

"Explain."

"Di... That is, Cende has returned to Nepal to... er. Fight off a forced marriage. Literally. She is unreachable for the next few days, and if the fight doesn't go her way, she'll be dead."

Spyder heard a cracking noise, followed a moment later by the sounds of something dropping onto the floor in multiple pieces. Eventually, the voice rumbled back out of the darkness, "I want him devastated."

"Oh, well, that's easy," she found herself saying cheerfully, "I want her devastated, too, so I planned for it, and I think we'll get them both, and the timing's great! Even if she might miss it. And it'll totally screw with Longbow as a plus!"

She was never entirely certain afterwards how he'd gotten across the space between them, but he was suddenly there, looming over her, his extra spider-legs spread to cage her - or impale her - his hands crushing her shoulders as he nearly lifted her off the floor. "Longbow is a valid target. My grandniece is not, is that clear? And the Statesman is mine to kill, mine and mine alone."

"No, no, your grand-niece is being left out, it's just a newspaper story, it's making Longbow and Wyvern look bad, that's all, and providing consternation to our enemies! Nobody's dying, I'm just sowing confusion and discord. It'll upset everybody, especially Dina and Statesman, and if everything goes right, they should be off balance for a while. Well, him, anyway. Her once she gets back. And everyone will be pointing fingers at everyone else." Long practice allowed Spyder to keep her voice light and airy, but inside she was seething at this treatment.

His eyes bored into her for a long moment while he held her uncomfortably close. She had time to reflect that this was an old man she didn't want to get any more intimate with before he finally let her go and moved back to his window. "It will suffice. You have my permission to continue with that form of harassment - for now. If it proves unsuccessful, and your sister returns from Nepal intact, you will bring her to me. If she does not return, I will find another use for you." He turned away, once again only visible as a silhouette against the night-lit window. "Go now."

Spyder, carefully projecting an aura of confidence, strode from the room. Only her hands, tightly clenched into fists at her side, gave away her agitation until they reached the elevator. She punched the button for the main floor, then turned on Toby as the doors closed. "That... he... I... argh!"

Toby reached out and pressed Spyder's shoulders to face the door again. "Not here. You don't know who's watching, or listening. Keep cool until you're at home."

Spyder, still spluttering incoherently, gritted her teeth and finished turning around just as the doors opened. Stepping out, she came to a quick halt as a pair of Bane Spiders stepped up in front of her, flanking a stern-looking man in Arbiter white. She could feel Toby's hand on her back, steadying her as he stepped up behind her.

"Arbiter Hawk." She thought that was polite enough, and it was about as much as she could manage just now without spitting.

"Silver Spyder," Hawk responded with a slight nod. "I won't detain you long. I wanted, however, to thank Crab Stevenson here for his assistance in our unscheduled ICE testing and training session this morning. His back-door placements and information worms were well executed, and provided exactly what we needed to test our new systems against." The Arbiter smiled frostily and nodded to Toby before stepping back and waving the Bane soldiers back as well.

Toby cleared his throat. "I am, of course, happy to serve Arachnos. And I'll make sure to run a complete systems check as soon as I'm home - I'll send anything left behind back to you."

"You do that. Remember, Stevenson, you may be good enough to get into the outer systems, but if you were capable of getting into the Tower systems, you'd be working in the Tower. Dismissed, soldier."

Without a word, Toby saluted and gently urged Spyder out through the lobby and to the plaza beyond. Finding an empty corner, he removed his helmet and began to quietly swear.

"Did they really close all your back doors?"

"Maybe." Toby opened the control panel on his gauntlet and began to punch in commands. "I put in five that I documented in my personal notes, and two more than I didn't document before we left. I'm not testing any of them just yet, and especially not before I run that internal check. I did get some information off a trickle feed that I don't think they discovered, but the entire system locked down when my info worms got caught. I got distracted by your suicide attempt back there." He sighed and shook his head. "C'mon. We need to get back to the base."

"Why the base?" Spyder grumped. "I want to go home. I have a bottle of very good whiskey at home, and I want to drink it. I can't drink anything at the base."

"The base because I want Dr. Jackson's help in running this system check, and because you need to tell the Boss what Recluse said - before he finds out some other way. And then you need to get some sort of exercise before you explode. I'd rather not tranq you; you'll never forgive me if you're knocked out when the papers hit the stands tomorrow."

"Oh, I so wouldn't. Fine, okay, but don't glare at me if I pick some kind of exercise you don't approve of," Spyder smirked at Toby as they found the local teleport transmitter. "If I'm supposed to be doing it to relax, I'm going to relax my way."

Re: Chapter 53: Hands up if you're feeling just a smidge of sympathy to Our Poor Heroes by the end of the day there.

Chapter 54: A large Thank You to Scooter Two. The character of Helena Collins belongs to Scooter, and ST actually partially wrote some of the beginning of the chapter as a suggestion for me.

Since this story is very long, comments go into a separate comment thread. The comment thread can be found here.

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Chapter 54.

Mitanni Valley, Saturday late morning

Helena woke up to the sounds of controlled breathing and the occasional slapping noise. She opened her eyes to see Cende in a fighting stance, with her back to Helena, moving fluidly from one position to the next. Her right arm extended forward palm up and, faster than Helena could follow in a pre-caffeinated state, snapped her right hand back and lifted her left elbow, slapping her elbow with enough force that if there were a head in the intervening space, something would have been broken. Helena cringed slightly at the idea. When Cende shifted her stance and turned towards Helena, her eyes were completely black and lit with a dark glow.

Helena, a bit startled, exclaimed, "Hey, I thought that only happened when you fought!"

Cende paused for a moment and something flashed across her face. Helena could never tell what the taller woman was feeling and wasn't sure what the expression was before it was gone again. "You are not supposed to be here," Cende said as she moved into the next stance of the kata.

Helena replied, a little huffily, "I have every right to be here! Besides you need someone watching your back."

"Ratri help me, it is too dangerous for you to be here."

Helena scooted out of the bed to stand up and crossed her arms petulantly. "I am not some porcelain doll; I can take care of myself!"

Cende dropped out of the kata and turned to face the smaller woman. "I cannot guarantee your safety. I have no way of getting you out of the valley; the veil is too heavily warded. Do you have an exit plan in case something bad happens?"

"Of course I do," Helena lied. "Besides, if I wasn’t supposed to be here, why did your friend give me these nifty robes?"

Shaking her head, Cende sighed. "Because he's a fool who does what the Goddess tells him to." Crossing the small room as the glow in her eyes faded, she picked up her own set of robes. "There are a few places where it's safe to be out of those, but not many - fortunately, the baths below are one. Please stay close to me. We'll get breakfast, including tea, once we're dressed." She paused with her hand on the knob for a long moment, then spoke her next words quietly, "Thank you, Helena. You should not have come, but thank you for doing so."

Helena grinned and followed Cende out of the room.

*****

"So you grew up here? This is amazing. It's gorgeous." Helena stood in the gardens above the temple and looked across the valley below as the cold wind tugged at her grey robes. "I can make out the veil if I look in the right way, but I guess most people wouldn't be able to." She took a sip of her tea, then turned to look at Cende, "And that one room last night was the only place in the entire valley where current tech exists?"

"Only place in the valley where there's electricity, yes, so by default the only place with any technology. I know there are plans in place to slowly bring electricity in to the entire valley." Cende smiled faintly, her own dark blue robes gathered like shadows around her. "We are about a hundred years behind the times, but eventually we will catch up."

"OK, so now I see it but I still don't get it. Why?" Helena sat down and poured herself more tea, then leaned back against the planter next to the bench Cende sat on. "I mean, why go through all the trouble of locking up an entire valley and keeping it in the next best thing to the Stone Age? What's really going on here, Cende?"

Cende sighed. "While we are here, you must call me Dina."

"Dina? Why?"

"Because it's my name. Cende... is only who I am out there. She is part of me, but Dina is who I am."

Helena breathed in the scent of the tea, holding the cup tightly to warm her fingers. "Fine, I'll call you Dina, but you're avoiding the question."

Cende set aside her own cup and sighed, staring out across the valley. "What's really going on here is... complicated. Three thousand years ago, Endaruta was given warning that my ancestor's kingdom was about to fall, and he led a select group of people here, to this valley. At the same time, he was given a Prophecy." She shook her head and looked back to Helena. "He's spent the last three thousand years enforcing the decree that when the Prophecy is ready to be fulfilled, the descendants of those who came with him must be ready to fight for it. That's as simple as I can make it, and it doesn't even begin to cover everything."

"Endaruta? The same old guy from last night? He's really three thousand years old?"

Cende nodded.

Helena frowned, considering everything she'd heard so far. "You said your ancestor's kingdom. Did you mean that literally, like you're the heir to the throne or something?"

Cende's smile flickered briefly. "Or something, yes. My sister and I are supposed to be fulfilling the Prophecy. Supposedly, ultimately, one of us will lead the Maryanni, and the Mitanni valley, out into the world. Rata - my sister - is not well known to the people, and I fear for the fate of the valley if she takes leadership. She has never been particularly stable, and now she works with Arachnos." Cende sighed again. "The problem for me is that while most of the Mitanni people and all of the priesthood of Ratri will follow me, only some of the priests of Indra will, and the Maryanni are mostly unknown. I have to prove that I am strong enough to lead them, or they will follow where Endaruta leads as they always have."

Helena shook her head. "Wait, wait, I'm not tracking this. What's the difference between Mitanni and Maryanni? Why does your sister work for Arachnos, and does that have anything to do with why you were in Paragon? And why does Old Scary think you were there to kill Statesman? Oh, yeah, and why are there enough weapons and ammunition at the helicopter depot down below to arm a small military?"

"To answer your last question first, the arms depot has grown significantly since the last time I was through there. I'm afraid something large is planned - but that ties into your first, and obliquely, your second question. " Cende motioned across the valley below "This is Mitanni Valley. All who live here are the Mitanni people, although some of our ancestors came from Mitanni, where Syria now is, and some were here when the Mitanni arrived, and some came from across Europe and Asia as teachers, recruits, and breeding partners." Her hand moved to indicate the plantation homes on the upper slopes of the valley and the temple itself. "The nobility trace their lineage back to the Mitanni nobility that arrived with Endaruta, three thousand years ago. They, and the upper level priesthood, are the core of the Maryanni - which was another name for the old country and the people that came from it, but mostly just the nobles. Along with them are our elite fighters - men and women trained to be specialists in covert, black, and wet ops, both solo and in small-unit groups. Unless you are born to the Maryanni nobility, you must earn the status of Maryanni in the Trials. Those few who are both noble and Trial-judged are respected, and often feared. It is those that I must sway."

"But aren't you both already? I mean, nobility and trial whatever? Plus, you're a princess, that should count for something."

"I am Trial-judged, yes, but I have never been blooded outside of the Trial." Watching Helena's face, Cende gently clarified, "I've never killed anyone, Helena. I haven't proven my skills." She sighed softly, and looked at the sky. "I don't want to kill anyone, either. My goal is to lead the Maryanni to become protectors, not yet more villains - the world has enough of those. So I went to Paragon to learn about the world, and to find allies who could help me save my people from Endaruta. The only way I could escape the valley, however, was to make him believe I was going in order to assassinate Statesman, much the same as Rata is theoretically in Arachnos to assassinate Recluse."

"What?!"

"I told you it was complicated."

"So you never had any intention of killing him, but falling in love with him doesn't make it any better, you know." Helena shook her head. "And now you have to do this new Trial thing - what's that all about, anyway?"

"I was already in love with him," Cende corrected mildly, "that's part of why Paragon was possible in the first place. Ratri works in strange ways, sometimes. This Trial, however... it's a battle. It shouldn't be much of a problem for me, normally; the demons that are called up are similar in nature to the ones called by the Circle, and the information I've been able to find indicates the one used for this is a Blade and Ice demon lord equivalent to Baphomet." At Helena's nod of understanding, Cende continued, "My concern is not fighting the demon itself - I can, and will, defeat it - but of what Endaruta will do to further empower the demon, against the rules of the Trial. The rules say that no assistance or detriment shall be given to either combatant, but I know, without a doubt, he shall ignore them."

"Then why go through with it? Why not bring in Star Patrol and the Phalanx, clear out the troublemakers, and just fix the problems? This fighting to the death thing is way first century, and if you know Endy's going to cheat, then don't play his game."

Cende was silent for several moments before softly responding, "I had thought about that as a solution, but something deep inside me warns me that it would be an exceedingly bad idea, and I don't know why. Endaruta holds my people hostage, Helena, and I need to know what he's done to insure that he's going to get his way. I trust you and Davos to watch my back, to do what's necessary to keep Endaruta's cheating from killing me - but Helena, you have to be here for another reason as well. You are one of the most amazingly technically competent people I know. Davos will help you get into the control room tonight, when it's mostly empty. Get as much information out of the computers as you can - don't worry about analyzing it now, you can do that when you get back to Paragon. But find out all of Endaruta's secrets that are in there, and take them back with you. If he doesn't know we have them, maybe we can change the game."

Helena nodded in agreement and, changing the subject, began to ask more about the parts of the valley she could see from their seat in the garden. You can bet I'm cleaning out that computer, she told herself as she listened and continued to assess everything she had been told, because there's something really strange under this entire place, and I want to know what it is.