Country of Champions 35

The next morning, up before everyone, the young mage made a big breakfast. He hadn't made one in awhile and he liked to pop out a happy surprise, especially when he was feeling low himself. Still, happy surprises needed to be doled out sparingly to retain their power. As long as he could see a genuine smile on someone's face, he felt like maybe he could reflect a little of that in his own until it was real enough to stand on its own.

Roy and Stag came walking in still slightly hung over, smelling of women's perfume, alcohol and deeper, muskier scents. Gritting his teeth to keep from ruining the morning pace mood he was trying to set, Orison hit them both with a healing and a presto before throwing down a large plate in front of both of them. It was gratifying that they had the appetite to clear out the daunting culinary mountain in front of them, however.

When Garret and Gurrut came down to the kitchen sharing wide grins filled with secrets, Orison didn't pry. The brothers might not ever see each other again and if they wanted to bend or even break a few house rules, as long as there wasn't any lingering consequences, he was glad they had those shared memories. Remembering his own with Venito, side by side watching the sun rise, was one of his most cherished and allowed the ghost of a smile to flit across his own face for a time.

Once Gan had made his way down, Orison managed to hold ease of expression well enough to fool everybody but Stag. The same couldn't be said for Gan but everyone thought that the Northlander had just cut loose a little too hard like Stag and Roy had. The Nunos man had the tact to keep said observations to himself.

The rest of the day world side became a numb blur. Paperwork, procedures and Roy's checks of the equipment rentals took up most of it. Julia Bisk, the center of their escort mission, came with her own series of issues to deal with.

"So, this will be my home for the next week?" she said, looking over the 'Gerbil Ball' after Roy's breakdown of it's functions.

The equipment specialist said, "Finest piece of gyroscope tech ever produced by Avalon. It won't be as bad as you imagine. The 360 platform has a bit of treadmill jerkiness but you'll get used to it pretty quick. Orison even dug deep in his pockets to get the upgrade model.

"Start feeling stir crazy when we're stopped somewhere? Turn on the VR device. Use it for privacy any time you like too. You can see out but we can't see in.

"It's got a smart chip that will cart you back along the safest rout possible if there's any concerns. Low water, food or power will trigger it. And if you get sick... Let me say goodbye in advance because you'll be back at camp long before we will."

Julia looked at Orison and said, "Why can't I just do what the others did? Couldn't I have reported my findings and then all of this wouldn't be necessary."

The young mage shook his head. "Telling you what you would have found in a possible future isn't the same as showing you. If you don't see it for yourself, chances of mistakes on your first try are high and the materials you'll be working with are very expensive. Since you'll be taking a portion of the collected samples back with you as your own property, no one will have to pay for them and you can afford a mistake or two."

Julia had lots of questions but seeing how she was enjoying Roy's self depreciating humor he seemed to reserve for women and therefor directing most of her attention and curiosity his way, Orison left him to it. It wasn't the only thing he was leaving in the hands of others. Once they stepped through the rip stabilizer into the Plague Barrens, the entire operation went into a kind of auto-pilot from the young mage's perspective.

Gan was handling the things that needed handling with Captain Rogers. Roy was handling the operations info and prep checks. That only left the meet and greet with the proctor to Orison.

Upon being introduced by the Summit instructor who would have been the proctor to the Core Administration replacement, the rest of the young mage's frailly built positive mood shattered. Greeting him with a slightly predatory grin was Mr Firebrand. Being that the man was offering a handshake, he took it but was on guard for a foul play that didn't happen.

"Don't be so defensive. After checking my daughter and grandson through every medical device possible, everything was as you said and we finally cleared up all the misunderstandings," Mr Firebrand said with the ugliest grin Orison had ever seen.

He thought, "Am I speaking to a person or a villain from a straight to video supernatural thriller?"

Orison shrugged and said, "Then it's a pleasure to be working under your observation, Mr Firebrand."

"The pleasure's all mine, Young Mr Cantrip," the man said as a light case of goosebumps broke out on the young mage.

Internally, he checked to make sure instincts weren't sending warnings. There was no possible prediction the young mage could make that had him and Adena's father in the same place for more than a few minutes without drama, pain or collateral damage. Contrary to expectations, the man was making things easier for his team by cutting through unnecessary red tape and secondary briefings to insure no vital information was forgotten.

With their planar intake day streamlined to maximum efficiency and minimum waiting, they had a good portion of evening to burn before the last night of freedom from air filtration devices and around the clock suit wear, Gerbil Ball in Julia's case. With that knowledge in mind, the woman was having as much fun and freedom as she could.

Due to the hungry, wolf-like eyes of the stationed personnel, she had Roy glued to her side. He certainly wasn't complaining and the several dozen jealous death glares he was getting were getting treated like air. Luckily, Captain Rogers ran a good fort or some horrible 'accident' may have befallen the happily oblivious equipment specialist. There were plenty of 'gentlemen' who would have loved to take his place.

The brothers, Stag and Orison were meanwhile enjoying some of the slightly corrupted side of long duty station entertainment. In the middle of a poker hand, with five anxiety herbal supplements rolled in rice paper and a bottle of middle shelf whiskey on the line, the young mage was forced to fold. He had been called to the Captain's office. And like some adult parody of High School, the surrounding Rowdies 'Scarecrows' they were hanging out with let out a series of 'someone's in trouble' oohs.

Before he left, Orison addressed the collection of grunts and said, "If Garret manages to win anything, which I doubt, someone lock box it for him. It's either going to stay there for four months or he can exchange to the holder for merits."

He ignored Gurrut's whispered promise to share winnings. Trying to hold back an urge to chuckle, the young mage left to a series of 'oohs' directed at Garret while he thought it'd be a cold day in the barrens before Gurrut would be able to win anything at that table. Neither one of the brothers had caught on to the game that was going on underneath it. Without Stag's card passes, even he would have only been fleeced.

As he walked to the Captain's office, the trickling merge of shadows that never really stopped was joined by a slightly stronger one. Due to the site where he predicted that particular time reversal occurred, there had been a slight delay before it had caught up with him. He resisted the urge to allow a gloating smile to spread across his face.

Wrapped in a bath robe, the Captain was battling not to show the irritation he was no doubt feeling. He couldn't afford to with a Triumvir on the other side of the line. Looking weak and almost sickly, LeStrange locked eyes with the young mage over the monitor's camera.

"You win. I cannot believe you had a trick like that up your sleeve or that you would dare to use it. I wanted to throw you into the bottom of Second Heaven but Aurora talked me out of it. After some reflection, I recognize the hypocrisy you spoke about.

"It took getting slapped in my face by it and a talking to from a more seasoned Triumvir but you win. Your original proctor will take you out on the field. I've also gotten my secretary's assistant to look through the database for possible sources of inspiration for your enchantment method. Assuming nothing's found, I'll make sure you get just reward.

"In my zealousness to fill my mentor's shoes, I failed to be a good one for you. This whole episode has rocked my confidence to hold this office or even BE a mentor. You tell me, since you knew that other me, can I? Will I get there?"

Seeing the proud man nearly broken by the humble pie Orison was ready to serve him in two weeks, his hard heart softened a little and said, "You just have to hold the fort for three years or so. Think of it as a test run with a safety net. Dr Odd isn't dead, man. I told you."

As a look of grateful relief drifted across the Frenchman's face, Orison added, "In the biometric locked cabinet in the kitchen are a couple of bottles of something to pick you up. I can't believe you jumped at least a whole two weeks back on your first 'back from the future' run. That artifact isn't nice to its holders. What did you lose, like two or three years?"

Jacques said, "I don't really know. I would ask Roy but you recruited him away... Do me a favor will you? Give Firebrand a wide birthing..."

LeStrange's secretary whispered something to him in the back ground and the man said with an agitated face, "Your original instructor will take you INTO the field and give Adena's father a wide BERTH... Ugh, f***ing English. Why couldn't Avalon make Spanish or better yet, French the common language. That would have made more sense... I don't care where the League was founded, Madam Secretary! French is the language of beauty and nobility. Barring that, Spanish is easier for people to learn!

"ANYWAY... Stay out of his way until he's gone. It was my fault for getting all this started but I don't want to give you just cause to murder him and get away with it. Believe it or not, he's done a lot of good and is a true son of Avalon. However you think of him, his accomplishments speak for themselves and the country you call home IS first and foremost, a Meritocracy."

Orison snorted. "His dead wife's medical records prior to the 'voluntary' gene 'therapy' speak for themselves but that's an argument for another day. If the merit reward for the enchanted item innovation are found in my favor, use them to set up resource independence for Adena, Madam Secretary."

After briefly getting permission from Jacques, 'Four of Seven' in strict professional lady mode took over the communication, freeing the Triumvir to pursue a raid on Orison's locked kitchen cabinet.

"Mr Cantrip, it has been my experience that a young lady in Ms Firebrand's situation can't completely escape from the control of her biological guardian. She is too young for independence and there are far too many legal stumbling blocks due to the presence of an infant," She said, not unkindly.

Orison said, "She has an aunt, a civilian UTF citizen with a PHD in psychiatry, who has experience with domestic abuse. She will not only be receptive to caring for Adena but understanding and capable of helping her deal with some of the repressed trauma she might be struggling with."

Shifty affected a sigh. "That doesn't address the infant. Mr Firebrand might be willing to let his daughter go but he will fight to retain guardianship of the child."

Orison said, "Let him keep the child. In seven or so years, they'll be two peas in a pod. If there is any snag caused by Mr. Firebrand trying to keep control of her through the child, raise that Adena is not the child's natural mother. Her spiritual fragment or 'twinner' is. She inherited it in the joining and has no legal obligations to it."

'She' replied, "And if Ms Firebrand is threatened or coerced by her father using the child? Do not forget the emotional element involved here, Mr Cantrip."

The young mage said, "She will have visitation rights that can be set up on her terms with a little help. He won't hurt that child and it will receive the same smothering attention she used to be subjected to. If she isn't aware of the nature that spurred it from that heartless prick, she'll figure it out soon enough.

"All that man cares about is an enduring legacy. If she stays with him, he'll only use her up the same way he used her mother. And now that he already has a healthy kid, he'll be more heavy handed about it.

"If she starts having to get treatments for deep tissue injuries and starts signing more bogus voluntary treatments under duress like her mother did and no one stops it, I will lose all faith in the system and exercise the same 'look at all the good he's done' loopholes that piece of sh...work did to get MY way... I'm trying to save a life, Four. Help me save a life."

Her face went completely blank for a moment and then said, "We'll do what we can, Mr Cantrip. The collective appreciates the intoxicant supplement bath you gave me. It was significantly beneficial."

Orison smiled. "I was happy to do so... Please advise Five to stop being a biological waste receptacle more than what's deemed strictly necessary. It's psychologically harmful to those who have unknowingly donated to the collective's benefit. Spending long periods of time as one in the same place increases risk of discovery, diminishing its benefit and incurring resentment against the collective.

"I've, um, sent you a list of a few who would willingly enjoy certain... leisure activities of the collective's individual personalities. To avoid misunderstandings and maximize benefit, approach with caution and patience. Some of the interests of the collective are difficult for some to readily admit enjoying. It's more of the contradictory emotional issues you've observed."

Affecting a smile, Four said, "Majority has deemed you a friend of the collective, Mr Cantrip. We desire that you have a successful trial."

After Shifty hung up, Captain Rogers said, "If you'd like to display your devious genius to someone, I have two more minutes of top security time for you to crow in."

Orison laughed. "YOU want to know how I cornered a Triumvir and didn't end up in the belly of Second Heaven? As it so happens, I do want to tell someone but don't get the wrong idea. I hated doing it... mostly. Jacques is a really good guy but we really aren't a good match as mentor and student. We're both too damn stubborn to back down.

"I abused code words to quick fix some things and I also said things that aroused his suspicions. It started out with him taking reasonable precautions that I didn't like. I didn't respond well which turned into unreasonable precautions on his behalf to display his anger and lead to the beginning of this situation that ended before it got truly started because...time travel.

"You see, he'd already stolen an innovation I made to give to someone else. Next, he planned on sending Firebrand as my proctor which was going to end with the man calling his own maverick team to claim whatever resources I find and I'd get nothing. This was going to be done with the same excuse he used to steal my thunder on the magic item I released. I know potential future information.

"Now, it's reasonable to assume that an acquisitions team leader with knowledge of the future could do a lot of selfish things but I went out of my way to give people their kudos ahead of timeline schedule and have no intentions on stealing bread from someone else's mouth. As you know, this place is pretty much played out. In another few months, it would have been shut down anyway.

"The place I'm going is more for that school teacher out there. In fact, assemble a team of Irregulars and a couple of grunts who've made your nice list. I'll have Roy mark our path. They can have fifty percent of the merit value of claimed resources if they will help the teacher do her thing and cart it all back."

The Captain was stunned for a moment but thanked him and made arrangements.

Before the young mage left, he asked, "That tells me what you're doing and what he was going to do but you didn't say how you got him to change his mind. Would have gotten? Time related issues are strange science to me."

Orison's eyes widened theatrically and he said in an exaggerated tone, "Isn't it obvious already?... Just teasing. You should have a decent idea, though... This is an assumption but I would have definitely fought the theft of my resources being taken. In court, I would have plotted a good case. Eventually it would come to light that Gan had already spotted and marked the area but no one could reach it because without certain equipment and talents it would be a death trap.

"Buuuut, once a safe path is plotted, it's a piece of cake to reach. I would know. Me and Gan have plotted it once already... Would have. You know what I mean...

"This is where it gets a little tricky because I'm not sure how it would go from there but I'm decently convinced Jacques would have used his power as a Triumvir to push a failure of defense. I would have immediately twisted that ruling to lay a claim on behalf of the Avalon Commonwealth to strip all remaining personal assets earned by past and future Triumvirs that held the artifact Jacques possesses effective from the time they started earning merits until they became a Triumvir and effective immediately after they left office til death. Why? For the same reason he was robbing me plus one that was a logical extension of that."