Ch. 3 The TO

Orion sat in the library, staring at his brother as he sat in front of him and drank coffee from a flask. 

"I don't get it, how can you drink stuff if you're just a mental projection?" Orion asked as he watched his brother.

"I don't know, maybe the coffee isn't real?" Jack answered before shaking his head. "Wait wait, I'm presumed dead, showing up as a mental projection, and you're worried about how I'm drinking?" He asked confusedly.

Orion shrugged. "Well considering you are able to talk to me, I don't have anything to worry about except the coffee thing."

Jack shook his head, sighing at his brother's reasoning. "You're right… I'm not dead yet, but I will be soon."

Jack looked at Orion seriously, searching for the slightest change in his expression, but there was nothing.

"I see… Well we're not doing a second funeral," Orion said bluntly, wanting to laugh at Jack's expression but deciding against it.

"There's that nonchalant attitude I missed…" Jack said quietly. "We found it."

Orion gave Jack a confused look. "Found what? Your will to live? Kind of late for that buddy," He said, this time actually laughing.

"The Nexus," Jack said, his tone ice cold as he looked at Orion with a serious expression.

Orion's laughter faded, replaced by an unbelieving stare. He leaned forward, studying the holographic projection of his presumed-dead brother with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.

"The Nexus? You're telling me you found the mythical origin of the universe?" Orion's skepticism was palpable, but a flicker of curiosity crossed his face.

Jack nodded, his gaze unwavering. "It's real, Orion. I know because… I'm trapped by it. The Nexus is more than just a legend, it's a holding cell for incredible power."

Orion leaned back, crossing his arms. "And why should I believe you now? You show up out of nowhere, declare you're not dead, and drop this bullshit. For all I know, you're just a figment of my imagination. Perhaps I'm going crazy due to grief."

Jack sighed, frustration etched on his features. "Orion," He said, rubbing his temple, "I know this is hard to grasp, but I need your help. The Nexus is a source of unimaginable power, and it's in danger of falling into the wrong hands. Since I'm trapped here I can't stop them."

Orion raised an eyebrow. "Unimaginable power? That sounds like the prelude to every catastrophic event in history. What's so special about the Nexus?"

Jack's projection flickered for a moment, as if struggling to find words. "It's uhh… A cosmic anchor, Orion. It's pretty dangerous. It holds the power to reshape reality. Create great things…"

Orion's eyes widened, his earlier skepticism replaced by a sense of awe. "Reshape reality? You're not serious."

Jack's holographic form remained serious. "Deadly serious. But we're not the only ones who know about it. There are forces out there,some new, some old, seeking to exploit the Nexus for their own purposes. Which I promise won't be good for anyone."

Orion sat there for a while, silent, not sure what to say. "What about Aria? Is she trapped-" Orion stopped his words, seeing the change in his brother's demeanor. 

Jack looked as if he was about to cry. "She's dead."

"Sorry… Uh, I know you liked her," Orion said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Situations like this always managed to feel awkward to him, they were the only times he felt his unique personality wasn't a help to people.

"Yeah… But nevermind that, you need to find the nexus first, I can't remember where it is but-" Jack stopped talking, looking behind Orion as his eyes widened. "Crap, they found you, I thought they would, get out of here Orion."

Orion looked behind him, seeing two men in suits before he looked back, seeing no sign of his brother. 

"Seriously? What kind of movie is this supposed to be," Orion said as he rolled his eyes, standing up only to meet the eyes of one of the suited men. 

"Orion Jenson?" The dark haired man asked with a hand on the boy's chest. "Me and my partner need to speak with you about some things your brother was doing for the academy?" 

Orion glanced down at the hand on his chest, looking back and seeing the "Partner" standing behind him, close enough to Orion to hit him if need be.

"Speak to me about some things… Does that require two ACS-300'S? Not to mention those PB gauntlet's you both have on. So let's restart this, why are you both here?" Orion asked, looking back up at the man with a slight smile.

"Get him Andrews, we can ask more questions at the facility," The taller man said, reaching into his waistband and pulling out a silver pistol with a glowing purple core.

Orion smiled as his eyes glowed blue. "Man… Thank God for evolution, if it were the old days those weapons might be a threat."

The pistol's purple core turned black as it shut off, even if it was switched to stun it'd definitely put Orion down for a while. 

"Fuck, a technomancer," Andrews, the tall man's partner, whispered under his breath, lunging at Orion.

"Bureau!" A voice shouted from the cafe entrance, a man dressed similarly to the other two. Bureau stopped with his hand an inch from Orion's face.

"Sir, we were just-" Bureau began as Orion watched the three men, confused as to what was going on.

"I don't give a fuck! You were supposed to bring him in quietly for questioning! Look at all these people who are staring now!" The new arrival declared, a stern expression etched across his face. He wore the insignia of a government agency on the right chest of his suit, though Orion forgot which one the eagle with a spear through it was for.

Orion raised an eyebrow, his eyes returning to their normal color. "Questioning? About what? And who the hell are you people?"

The man in charge sighed. "Look, kid, we don't have time for explanations. Your brother was involved in some classified and illegal operations for the Thorne Academy, and we need to know what he uncovered and if he told you anything before his death."

Orion chuckled, crossing his arms. "Classified operations? My brother? You've got to be kidding me. He couldn't keep a secret to save his life."

The man named Andrews shot a glance at his companions. "We're not kidding, Mr. Jenson. Now, are you coming willingly, or do we have to do this the hard way?"

Orion made a show of thinking for a moment, putting his hand to his chin. "Ehhh… Neither," He said, suddenly phasing past the three men and walking out of the cafe.

"Alright now you can use force," The man in charge said. Almost Immediately, Andrews and Bureau shot after Orion.

"Kids, I fucking hate em," The man who stayed back said, sighing as he pulled out a gun-looking device and pulled the trigger. An orange light flooded the cafe, and the customers who had been staring blinked in confusion, sitting back down in their seats as if nothing had happened.

Orion landed in his apartment, more like crashed really. The agents were stupid sure, but turned out they were pretty good at their job.

"Yo what the hell?!" Zephyr yelled, seeing Orion crash onto the kitchen table, his leg bleeding from several punctures.

"You didn't say shit about secret agencies Zephyr," Orion said in an annoyed tone, reaching under his bed and stabbing his leg with a needle. 

His leg healed instantly, and he jumped up.

"Secret agencies? First I'm hearing about them…" Zephyr said, his tone suddenly serious. "Ah… The TO, they're not exactly a secret, in fact it makes sense they're coming after you…" \

"Wanna fill me in? Or should I take a nap? They're right outside, why aren't you helping me pack!" Orion yelled, pressing on his forearm. The entire room collapsed into it, and what was left was a barren room that looked like no one had touched it in years.

"The TO are a branch of the government who deal with forbidden objects… That means Jack must have found the Nexus!"

Orion rolled his eyes, feeling his traps get tripped. "Way ahead of that reveal… They're here."

"Orion Jenson! Come out with your hands up, you are being detained for withholding information and vandalizing government equipment!"

"Holocopters? We in the 2800's or what?" Orion said with a sigh as he looked out the window, the entire building was surrounded and he could see Andrews and Bureau in the leading copter."

"First time being surrounded?" Zephyr asked behind Orion, smiling wildly.

Orion watched as Zephyr jumped through the glass, soaring toward the TO. Right before he hit the first plane, two huge swords appeared in his hands, one purple, and one gold. 

"Shadows embrace," Zephyr said, slashing the purple sword. The first plane disappeared from Orion's sight. Not in a stealth way either, he tried to search for it, but it had simply stopped existing.

"Aurora's embrace," Zephyr said again, swinging the gold sword, a beam of golden energy swept through the Holocopters, slashing through them and sending them tumbling toward the ground.

"Holy fuck…" Orion heard from one of the further copters. "Is that Zephyr? The Dark Tempest! Why is he here?!" 

Orion watched as Zephyr flashed by each Holocopter, destroying them quickly before landing back right next to him. "So… You're probably wanted by the government after this, you up for my offer from earlier?" Zephyr asked, smirking as Orion rolled his eyes.

"Well… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. Let's go find my brother…"