Games of Chance

Thirty Three- I

Yes, this book takes place in the same universe as the Books of Lessaenes, just hundreds of years before the humans and the Lessaenites discover each other. Yes, that fact will eventually become relevant. (And they said Infinity War was the biggest crossover event... pshh).

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"Juliana!" Chase called as loudly as he believed the other Order members would find acceptable, walking briskly down a spacious hallway. He'd rushed out of the boardroom almost as soon as the meeting was dismissed, hoping to find Juliana before she ran off and did something drastic. 

Stepping into a cylindrical elevator, he was about to return to ground level when realization struck him. There was only one place Juliana could've gone. Pressing the button for floor -45, he grabbed a steel railing for support as he plummeted deeper and deeper into the earth. 

As the elevator came to a halt and its doors slid open, Chase stepped out into a now-deserted passageway that ended in the door to Juliana's lab. He could hear her faint sighs, getting louder as he approached the door. Typing in the password on the keypad, he rushed into the room to find Juliana sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of her lab, staring silently up at the Crimson Angel drawing taped to the ceiling. Her eyes were vacant, her consciousness clearly far away from this place, and Chase automatically quieted his steps so as not to disturb her. 

Part of him had expected her to be crying- in fact, he had prepared himself to console her- but somehow, her silence was more heartbreaking than her tears ever could've been. There was an emptiness in her expression that he had never seen in her before, like the life had been sucked out of her with a vacuum. Too fearful to speak first, Chase waited patiently for her to notice his presence. 

"You know what that was?" Juliana continued to stare up at the Crimson Angel drawing, her voice cracking from the tension in her neck. 

"It was a dream. A vision for a future in which we combined our artistic skills with our technological and military prowess to create defenses that would keep us all safe forever. Ever since my mother died, that drawing has been nothing more than a piece of paper on the ceiling. But when you showed up and Project PROB was created, I saw a glimmer of hope that it could become something more. All my life I've been a perfect agent- loved, respected, honored. But the second I act on that hope, the second I dare to chase my own vision instead of the Order's, I become 'arrogant'. I become a liability." Hesitating for a moment, Juliana added one final statement. "I'm not even an Heir. Do you know what that feels like, Chase? To live your life believing you're entitled to something and then finding out it's all a lie." 

"You didn't draw that because you were an Heir," Chase responded softly, slowly approaching Juliana before sitting down beside her, putting his arm gingerly around her quivering shoulders. "You drew that because you had an imagination. And guess what? You're probably the only person in this stupid, stuck-up Order who does. You didn't follow their rules. So what? You know you did the right thing, and so do Hayley, Roy, Meg and I. When they took you to the hospital for your ankle, even Chu said some nice things about you." 

"Honestly, if the Raven tries to kill me again, I'm not sure I would try to stop her," Juliana mused. "She deserves that much... my sister deserves that much after all we've put her though."

"You know what," Chase jumped in, scared for where their conversation seemed to be going. "I see that you've made some changes around here. What's back there?" he gestured to one of Juliana's glass showcases, the contents of which were hidden behind a thick, black curtain. 

"A secret project. Something special," Juliana replied perfunctorily. "I was going to reveal it when the time is right. But now, I'm not sure it ever will be." 

Chase looked from the showcase to Juliana, thinking. In her current state, everything in the lab- everything in the base- could only cause her pain. "You know what? We should really get out of here." 

"And go where?" Juliana let out a cynical laugh. "I can't work in my lab- my project accounts are frozen. I can't go to the training gym- I don't have my PW. I can't even work on my prob analysis homework because my Power is gone!" 

"You know there's non-Order related ways to pass one's time," Chase offered. 

Juliana stared blankly. 

"Come on," he grabbed her hand, standing up. She resisted for a moment, but silently gave in, following Chase meekly out the door. 

"You'd better know where you're going," she commented as Chase led her into an elevator. 

"Oh, I do. I'm just not quite sure how we'll get there since my car is back at the Academy." 

Juliana smiled cryptically in response, pressing the button for the -2nd floor. After continuing to rise for a few moments, the elevator doors opened to what appeared to be a massive underground garage filled with a variety of vehicles that would put any car dealership to shame. A collection of white Order vans was flanked by two rows of sleek sedans, sorted in alphabetical order by license plate. 

"Wow, this place is huge," Chase chuckled, stepping out into the garage. "If I parked here, I'd never be able to remember where my car was... oh, you've got a spot reserved. That's convenient." He paused before a sign reading 'Vehicles belonging to Her Royal Highness, Princess Juliana Charlotte VanderSchee II only. All others will be towed at owner's expense.' In front of it stood a sleek maroon car. 

"Not a spot," Juliana approached him from behind, gesturing to the arrows on the sign that pointed in both directions. "A row." 

"Wow okay, princess, you didn't need to flex on me like that," Chase laughed, turning around to see that Juliana had taken off her coat and slung it over her arm, revealing an elegant sea green blouse that complemented her vibrant hazel eyes.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that at all! It's just that... there's something I've been wanting to show you." Stepping in front of Chase, Juliana took the lead, walking past a few nondescript cars before pausing in front of a garishly red minivan whose license plate simply read 'CRIMSON'. "I didn't pick the color," she added in self defense when she noticed Chase staring. 

"Well, come on," Juliana pressed her thumb to the car's door handle and Chase heard a faint click as the door unlocked. 

"I was going to ask how you carried all those car keys around, but of course the Order's come up with a solution for that," he remarked as he stepped inside. For an older-looking vehicle, the inside of the van was surprisingly modern, with heated leather seats and a touchscreen as big as that of a small laptop. 

"Wow, this is kinda cool," Chase crossed his legs, leaning back in his seat. 

"It was my mother's dream to design a flying car... this was as close as she ever got. It's mostly just a really nice van that hovers occasionally. When it wants to, that is." 

"See? You aren't the first Arcanese princess to have crazy dreams." 

"Except Mom knew where to stop." For a few moments, Juliana drove in silence up a long ramp that probably led up to the surface, rubbing the small, black ring on her index finger in irritation. 

"Hey, watch out!" Chase exclaimed, pointing frantically at the brick wall looming in front of them. A nonchalant Juliana refused to slow down, driving straight through the wall and out onto a deserted nighttime street. 

"Hologram," she explained simply. "We can't have just anyone strolling down into our base." 

"That's crazy!" Chase looked over his shoulder, watching as the wall receded into the distance. "Here- turn right." 

"Why are we going to east city? That's about as far as you can get from the palace, the Academy, and the Order and still be in Arcana city," Juliana asked as she made the turn. 

"Yes, that's the point. Just keep driving." 

"Okay, I'm trusting you on this one..." Juliana rolled her shoulders back, and Chase could see her beginning to relax a little. So far, so good.