8

You turn to Katariki. "You're alive. I don't understand."

"We'll have time for explanations later," Katariki says. He hands you a long, striped bathrobe. "We'll have time to get you a proper change of clothing, too."

Masfiwi gives a long, wheezing cough, and takes a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit to dab at his mouth. "Yes, time is short. Walk with me, please."

The cave in which the three of you are standing is not dissimilar to the first cave you saw in the mental construct. Two tunnels lead away; at the end of one, you see the glimmer of daylight. But it is down the other, into pure darkness, that Masfiwi and Katariki walk, Katariki carrying a heavy electric camping lamp. You hesitate a moment, but your curiosity gets the better of you; you follow the two of them.

"I like to think I am skilled in several areas," says Masfiwi. "But my most remarkable ability is that I can glimpse the future. Only from time to time, and not with 100 percent accuracy. But still, it's a useful ability. Or a curse, depending on what you see. As a young man, Anaru Katariki was my student in sorcery—and even then, I knew that he would bring the Surgeons to this world in exchange for a cure for the tumor inside his skull. Perhaps I could have stopped him. In the end, and knowing what the consequences would have been if I did so, I didn't have the heart to intervene."

Katariki glances back at you as Masfiwi says this, his expression neutral.

"But I believe I can atone for that inaction," Masfiwi goes on. "I also saw a vision of someone who could play a pivotal role in the success or failure of the Surgeons' endeavors. That was you, Roman Halama. When I realized you had entered MetaHuman Incorporated, I asked Anaru to place you in a position of influence, so that you would best be able to fulfill your destiny when the time came. That time is now, of course." Masfiwi stops speaking then, and looks back at you. "As for whether you will prevent the Surgeons from arriving in this world, or whether you will be key in allowing them to carry out their plans…I cannot say for sure."