Lanza was not feeling the love. OK, granted he had gotten a bit off the rocker on the Sakyo case, but come on! He was Lanza Cipher! Playboy Extraordinaire! Captain Cool! He was supposed to be surrounded by his fan girls, screaming out confessions. He was supposed to ace everything ! Instead he was here, stuck with a burly healer old enough to be her grandma.
" Keep still.", she grudged.
" Its just a cut! What could happen, Martha?", Lanza groaned.
" Tetanus.", Martha deadpanned as she wrapped another butt load of bandages round his arm.
Damn. This is why he hated smart asses. Lanza was pretty much convinced that if the cuts didn't kill him, the nurse would.
Lanza's eyes drifted as he rested his head on the makeshift chairs the Heal Squad had brought in. He was always surprised by the aura of fake peace after a battle. People laughed as if they were out of danger. As if there would be no more battles.
His eyelids drooped. Why didn't they understand? Revenge was the only way. They had to fight back.
Perhaps it was the stress of the battle, perhaps it was because he hadn't sept well for days, Lanza slowly drifted off to sleep.
It was the same nightmare every time.
Lanza found himself on the top a mound, a crimson moon shedding a blood red hue behind him. Raven stood at his shoulder, whispering, " Why wait? We all have to die anyway. Kill everything! Wash everything in blood!"
" NO! ", Lanza gritted his teeth. But a booming laughter drowned his voice. Sakyo's laugh.
" Listen to what she says, kid. Bring the girl. Do you like chopped heads? We can play together!"
Lanza shouted with rage, but his voice didn't click. His feet started to sink slowly into the ground. To his horror, Lanza realised he was standing upon a heap of bones.
Skeletal hands clawed at him.
" Join us! You will die anyway.", they groaned in agony.
Lanza tried to scramble out, but the bones weaved a chain round his neck, choking him, pulling him in.
Wallace stood at the top, casting a familiar silhouette on the ground.
" Help! ", Lanza shouted.
" 32 days left.", Wallace smiled.
And he brought down the scythe.
Lanza woke up with a start. His orange T-shirt completely soaked with sweat. A light brush on his neck assured him he was alive. His heart, which was thumping at one hundred, gradually slowed as he took in his new surroundings.
Lanza's eyes adjusted to the mild darkness around him.A soft neon glow. The smell of naphthalene. He was in the infirmary.
Lanza brushed the pendant wrapped around his arm. Metal. Hard, cold, real. It was too similar to the skeletal hands in his nightmare to provide any comfort.
He plucked out the pendant from the chain. It morphed into the familiar shape of a spear. His weapon. Extinto.
Lanza studied his weapon. It was hard to believe that this stick, no bigger than himself, could actually extinguish any life form. The power of sure-kill. Its tip, honed to a point looked sharp enough to slice a diamond. The holding, a few centimetres away from the tip ,was cushioned with black leather. A purple orb glowed warm in a transparent vase below the holding. The main staff, adorned with stunning splendour of gold and silver, was inscribed with tiny letters. An incantation etched in Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas. Lanza had heard the story too many times to not know. It read-
" Manifest, O mighty wrath of Thunder. Let thou strength flow into this mighty warrior, unmatched in valour and wit. Grant thou the power of divine judgement through my endless carnage."
Lanza laughed at himself. He was supposedly reading a language which was effectively dead. Damn parents. Who teaches their kids Sanskrit instead of Calculus?
A tear rolled down his cheeks, leaving a streak of moisture on his face.
" I haven't seen a cry-baby like you in ages.", a female voice whispered, snuffing air into his ears.
Raven.
Lanza knew that she wasn't really there. But that didn't prevent his temper from rising.
" Get out of here, Raven. I am not in the mood.", he growled.
" Oh my. Such an angry face. You really do make me feel masochistic, Lanza.", soft hands twirled around with his hair.
" I said..."
" Come on. We both know what you want.", her persuasive voice tugged at his edge of self-control.
" Good try, Raven. But if you think I am going to release you, you are wrong", Lanza gestured to her shackles.
Lanza knew, that even with all the illusions she screwed up, her power was severely limited. The moment he gave in however, there would be no turning back.
" Evil, aren't you?", she whimpered.
" Maybe. ", Lanza cut back.
" Too bad. You could have had your revenge Lanza. We could have reduced Sakyo to ashes. If only you had given me control,......"
" I would have died .", Lanza completed her words.
" Of course.", she shrugged, " But that's not the point. You could have had a glorious victory!"
" I wouldn't live to see it.", Lanza's tongue tasted bitter.
" You are missing the point.", she snapped, " If you just let me....."
The sudden sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation. The noise of slippers, complete with their familiar flip-flops.
Raven vanished into thin air.
Lanza sighed. Over ten thousand weapons and he had to get stuck with one having a no-good AI. Either he was unusually unlucky or he had one wacky weapon.
Lanza willed his weapon back into a pendant. Just in time though. Martha poked his head in through the curtains.
" I can see you are up and about.", she smiled.
" Thanks to you. I had enough of that horribly bitter syrup last time.", Lanza reminded her.
Martha rubbed some of the paste in the grinder on Lanza's wounds. A soothing warmth spread through his screen. Martha knew her herbs.
" Is that some kind of a new ointment?"
Martha snorted, " I wish. This is the power of the Sanjeevani Herb, mentioned in ancient Indian texts. It is said to be found on the slopes of the Himalayas."
Lanza decided to keep mum on the fact that magical herbs didn't naturally bloom six kilometres below the surface of a metropolis.
" If you have the time to gape at the atmosphere, you should be better off at the meeting."
Lanza felt way out of track.
" Meeting?"
Martha grumbled, " This is why sleeping boys are a pain. The squad leaders and the second-in-commands are having a meeting with Wallace to decide the best course of action. I say, they should just go and beat up that whatshisname's bones."
When Martha got angry on someone, you could almost be sure that he was a bad guy. Almost.
" I can really go?", Lanza asked, his own ears rebelling against his common sense.
Martha snapped, " Well you can get out in five seconds or stay in bed for five months."
Lanza didn't need to be told twice. He jumped off his bed and ran towards the corridor. Martha had once kept an initiate confined in bed for a light knee scrap. He couldn't believe his luck.
Lanza rushed past the Hall of Eden, bursting with life and noise.
" Fred, you jerk! You got a Soul Gate?"
Lanza ran past two kids arguing over something, taking the central corridor. The middle corridor held the respect of the Ancient times with its Victorian architecture, wooden panels in sharp contrast to the electric lights of Eden.
The hallway ended abruptly in a single door. The door to the elevator.
Lanza shuddered, remembering his first ride. It had taken him weeks to get used to the free-fall. There was a normal panel to operate the elevator, but he doubted if anyone ever used it. The elevator was risky, but it was also the fastest.
Lanza punched the red button. Any normal person, would have labelled it dangerous. But, Lanza Cipher was definitely not normal.
The elevator lurched down with its usual groan. The zero-g sequence had started. The floors whizzed by, causing Lanza's adrenaline to reach a new high. ( Oh, that rhymed.)
The elevator headed towards the end of its journey, Lanza readied himself. It was all a matter of timing and weight distribution. As the Elevator hit the bottom, Lanza countered the inevitable recoil through a series of jumps. Kai had spent three whole days teaching him the landing procedure. There was no way he was gonna screw this up. It was one of the many training obstacles the scorch squad was meant to ace. But the Elevator thingy hadn't been much help against Sakyo.
Sakyo. The man with the mask. The killer of his parents.
Lanza curled his fists as the metal doors of the elevator opened, revealing a corridor featuring magnificent pillars.
The Latin spell glittered in the dim darkness- NON PLUS ULTRA.
Lanza himself passed unharmed through the bronze frame. But he knew unauthorised personnel would have a hard time finding a way in. This was ancient magic, and there were layers and layers of security.
Stepping in through the door, Lanza expected the Illusions of Maya to kick in. But, it was dark, save for the lone glow in Wallace's office. Lanza cautiously pushed the door open. He had collided with a hippo before, and being immersed in fat was not his favourite pass time.
".....only possible for a squad leader!", Arden was shaking his hands vigorously, trying to make his point.
" I dunno what's going on, but would some one put Arden's hands off vibrate?", he yawned, a but forcefully.
The tension in the air stung him like prickles. Ever seen the sky before a storm? It was the same deadly calm.
Wallace was seated at his chair, his eyes tired and wrinkles pronounced by worry. Kai stood at the other end of the room, absent- mindedly rotating what seemed like a boomerang to him. Zola was seated on a wooden stool, her facial features carved into a frown. Teta, stood as still as a rock by Kai. Sometimes Lanza wondered if she ever had any emotion. The new guy, Reno, fidgeted awkwardly at a corner, his purple eyes trying to assign some value to the people around him. Keir stood in front of him. Her red hair looked as if she had been through a battle, which she probably had. And beside her was.......Elisa. Elisa Garcia.
A wave of guilt and regret slammed into Lanza. Sakyo's escape hadn't been her fault. In fact her Sin Vada had probably saved his life. But here she was, being depressed just because of his big mouth. Lanza wanted to slap himself, but he had too much pride to do that. He wished he could think of something good, maybe a joke or something. Anything that would make her smile again.
" There we go, the Last Straw is here! Lanza the saviour!", Arden sounded irritated. But then again, he was always irritated.
" Arden.", Wallace warned., " Welcome Lanza. We were just discussing about what should be done."
Lanza noticed how Wallace had phrased his words. Apparently, something serious was going on.
" What happened?", Lanza frowned.
Wallace pressed another of the buttons at his disposal. Did he have one for pizza deliveries?
A hologram projected itself on the whitewashed wall. It was a small cubic object, weird designs all over the surface.
It took Lanza a moment to decipher that the designs were actually complicated circuits.
" This", Wallace began, " Is Renaissance's CORE. Computerised Optical Reversal Engine. You can very well call this Renaissance's brain."
" I am guessing its the one Sakyo snatched away?"
The name Sakyo seemed to darken the very atmosphere in the room. He wasn't someone who you would like to be your best buddy.
" Yes. But that's not the worst thing. The Core is encrypted with a password that surpasses modern hacking technology by a hundred years. It cannot be ejected without the password from Renaissance's main frame. And the only people on this planet who know it are me and the squad leaders."
That's when it struck Lanza. They had a rebel among them. Someone among the top-brass.
" Of course", Wallace cleared his throat, "Suspecting each other won't help it...., but if the person confesses............, I personally guarantee to lighten his punishment."
" Hypothetically speaking, you are a suspect too.", Reno's deep voice startled Lanza. It seemed unusually masculine for someone like him.
The guy deserved a bravery award though.
Not many people had the guts to face off against the Guild Moderator.
Kai coughed loudly, " Watch your words, initiate."
" No its okay, Kai. Tell me Reno, why would I destroy something I have built with my own hands? I have watched Guild grow from its womb. Why would I go against it now?"
" People commit darker crimes in the name of religion. Or Money.", Reno's replied in a flash, his purple eyes flashing with wit.
Suddenly, Lanza realised that the little pig packed quite a bit more than he looked.
For a moment even Wallace seemed stunned. Then he smiled-
" Indeed, Reno. It seems like I too am a suspect. Anyone else who has this question?"
Lanza found himself raising his hand. So did Keir.
" Ah, indeed. I am impressed, Reno Nevada. You claim to have no courage. Yet, standing up against authority requires so much more than just bravery. But Reno, I was personally fighting it out against Sakyo. How could I have assisted him?"
Reno fixed his purple irises on Wallace's golden ones." The other moderators were down there too. Arden, Kai and Zola. You are no exception. It means nothing. You could easily have contacted Sakyo before. The battle could have been a stage act."
Kai slammed his fists on the table, " Just what part of his wounds seems staged to you?"
Lanza quipped in," Calm down Kai. Reno has raised a valid point. It could have been an act."
Wallace's lips curled into a weird curve. Lanza couldn't quite read his emotions. Happiness? Hurt? Pride? It seemed Wallace was experiencing a Deluxe Combo of all the three.
" Very well, then. Initiate Reno Nevada has given us valid reasons to include me among the suspects.."
" That's not all.", Reno interrupted, " I think you are the most probable suspect. You don't seem to have complete control over your weapon, which as far as I have deduced is Kronos' scythe. It might as well have inspired negative emotions into your subconscious state."
" That's enough!", Kai roared.
" Yeah, right! ", Arden snapped, " I think you are the most probable suspect, Reno Nevada."
" Me?", the shock on Reno's face was nothing fake.
" Yes. You. You arrive at the Guild. You spark off against Wallace. You use unidentified magic against Keir. And then Sakyo appears. Doesn't it all seem a bit too well-planned?"
The Reno guy looked like he had seen himself in the mirror, " Are you calling me a traitor?"
" Unless you have an evil twin, you seem to be the perfect candidate for a spy."
This wasn't good. It was exactly what Sakyo had wanted. To rattle off the unity inside the guild. Suspicion can produce deep cracks in a relationship. Lanza knew that personally.
" Let's all calm down.", Zola intervened, " We are all stressed from battle. Our nerves are being overworked. Taking our time won't hurt."
" Time, my dear Zola, is something we don't have.", Wallace sighed, " None of us can rest in peace while CERO has the CORE."
" But, Wallace....."
" No, Zola. I have decided. Until the squads unanimously reach a solution on The Renaissance incident, I ask to be temporarily relieved of my duties."
Now this, Lanza thought, was interesting.
" What are you saying Wallace? ", Kai protested, " Just because of Reno......"
" Its not because of Reno, Kai. I cannot trust myself in this position. Unless the matter gets cleared, someone else has to take this chair. "
Lanza glanced at Reno. His eyes were out of focus. That traitor comment probably didn't sit right with him.
A soft murmur spread through the room. None of them seemed very eager to take the job.
" Wallace , none of us can......", Kai began his sickening loyalty speech.
Lanza stepped forward involuntarily. This was his job. He was born to lead. To stay at the front.
" Well,", he twirled the pendant in his fingers," Looks like we have a vacancy. I wouldn't mind being the alpha of you folks."
And that, thank god, finally made Elisa's lips curl into a smile.