The Disruptive Intruder

Toni was worried when he arrived home. He believed Ansel's life was in danger, meaning his own life was at stake since no one knew the real Ansel already perished. The trip to the police station couldn't exactly be called a success. Yes, he gained information, but it seemed the agents were suspicious of him. He was sure they did not believe he killed Nelson; otherwise, they would not have sent him back home so easily. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of keys in the door. 

It must be Jarod.

Toni went to meet him in the living room. 

"How was your day, little brother?"

"Same as usual. You know how school is."

"Hopefully, you're learning something."

Jarod nodded.

"I bought some bear meat. Do you want to help me cook it?"

"I wish I could, but I've got tons of homework."

"I'll take care of the cooking then."

Toni went to the kitchen. In his previous life, he wasn't much of a cook. However, it seemed that Ansel was a decent cook. His memories were very helpful as they boosted Toni's confidence. He took the bear meat from the ice cooler he had placed it in and removed the paper wrapping. Ansel's memories were telling him not to wash the meat, but Toni couldn't trust it. 

He put the meat in a big glass bowl and thoroughly washed it with water. Satisfied, he cut the meat into smaller pieces. He added oil, pine needles, onions, and salt. It was all he could find. Toni arranged the pieces of meat on a tray that he put in their old oven. A couple of hours later, he started making rice. Once the rice was ready, he called Jarod over and took out the meat from the oven. They served themselves and sat down to eat.

"Do you like it?" Toni asked.

"The rice is good. The meat could have cooked for a bit longer. I like it softer."

"That's perfect. I like it that way too. So you will cook it next time." Toni said.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad. Thank you for cooking."

"I'm fine. You are a better cook than me. It's only natural that you cook." Toni said with a smile.

They both continued to exchange pleasantries while eating. Once they were done, they saved some for Jarod's father, cleaned the kitchen, and went to their room. It was already nighttime, and Toni was getting sleepy. Someone was knocking at the front door. 

"I got it," Jarod shouted.

A few seconds later, Toni heard him shout again.

"It's for you. Agents Langston and Boone."

Toni's heart quickened. He didn't expect the two agents to come to his house now. They told him they would visit in the morning. In his confusion, he quickly went to meet them. They were still waiting outside. 

"Hello, Mr. Beausejour. My apologies for the inconvenience. Would you like to accompany us? It won't take long." Langston said.

Toni could tell it wasn't a request. 

"What's wrong?" Jarod said.

"It's nothing. I'm helping them out with a case." Toni replied, attempting to reassure the teenager. 

"Indeed," Langston added.

"Let me grab my coat."

He put his coat on and followed the two agents. A car was parked outside. Boone sat in the driver's seat. Langston offered the backseat to Toni and sat next to him. The vehicle was small by Toni's standards from his homeworld. Using Ansel's memories, He discovered that Wilem Von Shroeder contributed to making the automobile the way it is currently. Wilem invented a new engine that used Ethanol as fuel replacing the steam-powered one. However, Toni had never seen a car running so slowly. Its speed never exceeded 40km/h. 

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Do you know who we are?" Langston asked.

"Agents?"

"That is how we identify ourselves to most people. It is a cover we use." Boone replied.

"We are members of the Phantasmal Guild, part of a group called the Phantasmal Knights. My name is Aaron Langston, Knight of the Phantasm."

"And I'm Trisha Boone, also a Knight of the Phantasm."

I remember now. The Bishop mentioned that group in our meeting. It's the secret force of the Phantasmal Guild. They're probably Genomers. I never imagined I'd meet their members so soon.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"We told you we would visit you."

"Yes, tomorrow. Not tonight."

"My apologies, but we prefer to act at night."

"You guys do not sleep?"

"Not sleeping is not a problem for us," Langston answered.

"Well, it is for me. I hope to get some sleep tonight. I'm rather exhausted."

"We won't take much of your time. We are going to see another Knight of Phantasm."

"Why?"

"For the case, of course." 

"What do you want from me?"

"You told us you and Mr. Semec were the only people working on that manuscript. We searched his house but did not find it."

"Search harder."

"We did. If the manuscript was there, we would have found it."

"So you think I have it?"

"We'll know soon enough."

Toni did not say anything else. He had noticed they were trying to keep him in the dark by giving him as little information as possible. He also didn't want to appear more suspicious or nervous by asking a lot of questions. So, he remained silent for the rest of the trip. 

The car stopped in front of a house that seemed abandoned and covered in moss. Boone, Langston, and Mars exited the vehicle. 

"This is a temporary accommodation for our colleague," Langston said.

Toni didn't comment on it as he followed the two Knights of Phantasm. They opened the rusty door and entered the place. The living room was lit by several candles. Toni saw an old woman sitting on a rocking chair.

"Ansel Beausejour, this is Daisey Chaine."

"Good evening, Madam."

"Hi, You know why you're here?" She asked.

Toni shook his head.

"Langston and Boone believe you know more than what you say. I'm here to verify their claim."

"I told them everything I know."

"Let us be the judge of that," Boone said.

"How exactly?"

"You haven't told him?" The old woman asked.

"Mr. Beausejour, you already know the true nature of our work. We are also Genomers, a group of people with special talents. Thanks to our abilities, we can deal with forces you and other normal humans are powerless against." Langston explained.

Toni simply nodded his head.

"You don't seem surprised," Boone observed.

"I had my doubts you guys aren't normal. There is obviously more to Nelson's suicide than meets the eyes… for people belonging to a secret force to investigate."

"You are correct. Mr. Semec's death is related to the manuscript you two were translating. We believe your life is also in danger. I'm actually surprised you are still alive. The odds of you dying right after Mr. Semec were very high."

"Anyway, we need to find the whereabouts of the manuscript," Boone added.

"And this is where I come in." Daisey Chaine said as she stood up.

Toni noticed she was even shorter than he had thought. 

"What are you going to do?" He asked nervously.

"Do not worry. We will not hurt you. We told you about us and the manuscript because we believe you are not the culprit. However, we do need your help to stop you and possibly others from suffering Mr. Semec's fate."

"You really believe my life is in danger? How?"

"It's safe to say your life is in danger from coming into contact with the manuscript. There are things you cannot understand even if we tell you about them unless you step into our world."

"The Genomers' World?"

Langston nodded.

"You want me to become a Genomer?"

"What I want is irrelevant. What you want to become is up to you. And becoming a Genomer isn't an easy task." Langston said.

"Let's get to it, will you?" The old woman interrupted.

"Get to what?"

"We three have chosen the same genome. Daisey Chaine possessed more codons than us. To put it in simpler words, she is more powerful than us and thus the best candidate to verify if you do know certain things."

"Codon? What is that?"

"A question for another time," Langston answered.

"Let's begin." 

"Wait. Begin what?"

"Shut your eyes

 Rid your fears

 Remain in the night

 From the cover of light

 All is night

 Nothing is light"

Toni heard the woman's words and his eyelids got so heavy he couldn't keep them open. He dozed off, but his body remained standing. 

"I will now create a dream for you." The old woman's voice echoed in his mind.

Then he saw himself, not exactly himself but Ansel Beausejour.

"Show me what you're hiding." The woman's words resonated in his head.

Toni began to panic. He was afraid the woman would find out about his true identity. The scenery in his mind started to distort. Toni had a feeling the image of Ansel was changing to reveal his true identity, the appearance of Toni Mars. He instinctively thought about the meditation techniques from the Traveler's Formula. Using the Focused Intention, he concentrated on Ansel Beausejour, on his life and memories. 

The distortion cleared out, and he saw Beausejour and Nelson Semec sitting in front of a manuscript, talking to each other and taking notes. Then, the manuscript vanished. The two men looked at each other, sadness in their eyes. Toni could feel the sadness as if he was experiencing it himself.

It's a dream. That woman made up this dream. He told himself

The two men started looking for the manuscript. Every few seconds, the scenery changed as they looked in multiple places.

"Find the manuscript." Daisey Chaine's voice echoed again.

"I'm trying." 

A few seconds turned to several which turned to minutes. Time passed by, and the two men in the dream were nowhere close to finding the precious manuscript.

"I don't know where it is," Toni said.

"Keep searching." The woman ordered.

"I don't have it. I don't know. Make it stop. I can't bear the sadness."

The anguish the men felt in the dream over the loss of the manuscript was intense. And Toni felt every bit of it.

"It will stop as soon as you find the manuscript."

"I really don't know where it is."

Toni's plea lasted several minutes before the old woman terminated the dream. Toni opened his eyes. He stood where he remembered, and everything around him looked normal. He was back to reality.

"He's innocent. He doesn't know where the manuscript is." Daisey Chaine said to the others.

"What was that? What did you do to me?" Toni asked furiously.

"My apologies, Mr. Beausejour. But we had to be sure." Langston said.

"I put you to sleep and cooked up a nice dream to trick you into revealing the whereabouts of the manuscript if you happen to know anything."

"Her Genomers abilities allow her to do that."

"That's a scary ability," Toni said.

If it wasn't for the meditative state's techniques from the Traveler's Formula, she could have easily found out he wasn't Ansel Beausejour, but someone else who inhabited his body and had inherited his memories.

"Daisey Chaine has unlocked three codons of the Genome. She's at Codon 3: Disruptive Intruder."

"Mr. Langston, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You have your answer now, Langston. It's time for you to go." She said, waving them off.

"Thank you, Daisey Chaine. We will take our leave now."