“Report!” Nova called out the moment the lift doors opened.
Gar, in charge of Operations, answered. “Krystal Fae reported in. I didn’t know she was on a mission.”
“She isn’t, technically. That alone makes this odd. What else?”
“The message is weird. Something about it doesn’t seem right.”
“Play it.”
Gar pointed at a robot, and the viewscreen activated. Krystal stood in the middle of an empty field, smiling at a camera recording this. “Alex, are you ready? Good. This is Agent Krystal Fae reporting in. We have found nothing of note in the brush. I just wanted you to know that. I’ve sent you a series of coordinates which mark the area we have searched for days. There is absolutely nothing here. I will keep moving and looking. Tell EB that I’m fine and he doesn’t need to worry about me. Agent Krystal Fae out.” The video ended.
Gar said, “That was strange. Why contact us to just say nothing is wrong? And what was the part about EB?”
Nova’s expression had changed from confused to concerned. He pressed his comm. “EB, get to operations now. I need your...”
“At your service!” EB zipped up to him with a paw held up like a salute.
“...help.” Nova finished his sentence. “We have a situation, and I need you to watch a video.”
“You called me away from that cool party to just watch a video? Aw, you want to do a movie night? Hey, I can conjure up some chocolate-covered popcorn, and we can use the main theater...”
“Not that kind of video. Just watch.” Nova pointed at the robot.
Krystal Fae’s video started up. “Alex, are you ready? Good. This is Agent Krystal Fae reporting in. We have found nothing...”
“STOP!” EB yelled, and the image paused. He moved closer to the screen, gazing at it.
“What is it?” Nova asked.
“This is bad, really bad. Like, the baddest of bads.”
“WHAT?” Nova was growing impatient quicker than normal.
EB said, “Krystal told me she would have a special emergency spell ready in case something terrible happened to her. It would be imperceptible to most people, even other magic aligned people. But, since I’m so strong, I can sense it.”
“What is the spell?”
“It is in her eyes. It forces her to get my attention, even without her knowing she’s doing it. And, using a deciphering spell, I can draw the information out that she really wants me to see or hear.”
“Can you do it from this video?”
EB said, “I think so. Can you put it on one of the smaller screens? I need to get close and work on this. This is one tricky spell. Has to be. Otherwise, whoever has bewitched her could sense it.”
“Bewitched? Are you saying she is under some kind of spell?” Gar asked.
EB nodded, “Yes. I don’t know much about what’s going on with her now. But, what I can see... what you can’t see... is that it is morphon enhanced magic. Really freaking powerful, morphon magic. Wherever she is, she is in danger.”
Nova said, “Get to work on that deciphering spell. Robot 10915, get the nearest league to those coordinates that she sent us. I want that scouted yesterday. Tell all the Leagues within the area that they are on red alert status.”
“Understood.”
Gar asked, “Should we call the party off?”
Nova looked at the still image of Krystal. “No. Let them have their fun tonight. No reason to panic any of the new recruits over something that we aren’t even certain about the details. However, let Arx and Chase know what’s going on.”
“I’ll find them.” Gar left Operations.
***
Mama Pepo leaned in and put her hands on Alex’s closed eyes. She pushed them open and stared deeply into his face. He could see her, hear what was around him, but he couldn’t move.
She spoke to someone whose shadow loomed ominously over them. “This one has magic as well, but not as strong as the other. Both have morphon powers, but their true power source is not morphons.”
The deep voice of Antaeus asked, “Are you sure you can keep them under your control?”
“Yes. They were ill prepared for my attack. They cannot remove the power I have over them unless they have full control of their faculties. These two will prove useful in your new empire.”
“I don’t like that. I don’t want them to challenge me.”
“Don’t be paranoid. I will keep them obedient. Soon, they will forget they even have powers. Only when I control their bodies will their powers be of any use. Just like all the others in your army who we have taken away and brainwashed, these will think they are just humans serving a god.”
***
Adrianne sat behind the thick trunk of a tree in the arboretum. She never left, merely hid after she lost her nerve. She could clearly hear the conversation between Arx and Nova. Through a muffled crying, she forced herself to reconsider what she would do next.
“This was supposed to be so easy. Why did he have to be so cute and nice... damn it.”
Arx was still on the nearby bench, looking as glum as a lovesick puppy. If she stepped out of this shadow, he would see her. What had begun as a great evening had turned into a terrible mess.
“Maybe I should explain myself.” Her thoughts rolled around how she would try to mend this situation.
Before she could try, someone walked through. It was that strange statue hero that worked with Nova.
Gar approached Arx and said, “There’s a problem. Nova wanted you to know about it.”
“Something big?”
“Yes. But, don’t tell the others. He doesn’t want to scare the trainees right now.”
This caught her attention. She leaned in closer to the tree and focused on hearing their words.
Arx asked, “Is it something for ATLAS?”
“I don’t know. Krystal has sent a strange message that EB is magically reading. It has something to do with Africa.”
Arx said, “Africa? Wait, we’ve got a lot of random reports about something going on in Africa. Is it near Chad?”
Gar nodded. “Yeah, I think so. The place she said was around that, I think.”
“I showed Nova some early reports, but I haven’t brought up the rest. These small to medium earthquakes that ATLAS sensors keep picking up around there could be connected.”
“Come on, let’s go tell him.” Gar walked away with Arx behind him.
In order to avoid being noticed, Adrianne slid around the tree as they passed. There was a throbbing in her chest and a panic washing over her skin.
“I have to tell them.”
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