Chapter Twenty Two: Fulfillment

Marcus motioned for Silas and Scalpel to sit down and said, "Made it back when I could...or rather...needed to."

Though Ronin looked fine, Marcus seemed...older somehow...more tired, sadder. His eyes had deep rings as though he hadn't slept in months, his voice tired and weary.

Ronin looked at Silas and Scalpel and said, "I'm sorry about before. I'm not sure what came over me."

They both nodded and Silas said, "I think it has something to do with the Aether, but a full examination will probably have to wait."

Marcus sank into his chair and said, "Someone else is dead….aren't they."

Silas cocked her head at Marcus suspiciously, remembering the government belief that he was a traitor and he said, "I'm not a traitor, don't worry. I just...I know how he works."

Keeping her concerns to herself, Silas said, "Just to be sure...do you have any weapons?"

 Marcus nodded and pointed to the table nearest Silas and said, "I've already done the honors of disarming myself. I don't want to kill anyone here."

 Looking up at the ceiling he said, "Ronin, you know what alchemy is, right?"

Nodding, Ronin said, "I understand the basic concept...combining seemingly random factors to reach some kind of result."

Marcus stared at the ceiling without blinking he said, "What if I told you that the reason that Alchemy works consistently is because that very idea is drastically incorrect."

Ronin watched Marcus intently as Silas walked and sat on the bed next to him and said, "What do you mean, drastically incorrect?"

 Marcus looked at the two of them sitting close together and felt a pain in his chest, though he knew the pain was strictly an emotional one.

"To the outside eye looking in, you are absolutely correct. Combine what appears to be a random group of ingredients, mix with some Aether and you get a product, right? Think about it though, if that were actually what's happening, how would ANY Alchemist be able to reproduce their results?"

Silas shook her head and said, "Marcus...this is all well and good...and I'm sure you believe it's important...but right now I NEED you to tell me what's going on."

Looking at her curiously, he said, "What do you mean?

 Silas looked at Ronin and then at Marcus and said, "Director Vren was killed...and at the same time, Ronin experienced some kind of problem that forced us to sedate him...and now….you're back...after four years of absence and no communication...it's just...it's weird."

Ronin and Marcus looked at each other and sighed sadly, Ronin speaking first, "That's pretty terrible...Vren was...well...he was a good man, as good as any of us get."

Marcus nodded and said, "He truly believed in trying to better humanity, to push us all forward to new and amazing heights."

Silas nodded and said, "He's dead now, and you're here Marcus, stop dancing around this."

Marcus looked at her, heartbroken, and said, "I'm not sure what happened with Ronin...but I do know who killed Director Vren. Let me guess...his room showed no sign of forced entry, no sign of a struggle...just poor old Vren's body torn up and thrown all over the place, right?"

Silas nodded and said, "That's what Director Jerald told us at the meeting."

Sighing, Marcus said, "If what I think is happening, is happening, the man who's doing this won't stop at just Vren. He'll be taking all of the Directors and probably anyone affiliated with the Bureau."

Scalpel walked and put her hand on Marcus's shoulder, her wide smile disconcerting as she asked, "How do you know?"

Raising an eyebrow at her smile, he said, "This is the way he does things. He kills and slaughters everyone and then takes credit for their successes when he puts a new system in place under his control.

He and I...we're not from around here, we're from somewhere far away. He infiltrated a major company in the place we're from and slowly began to kill his way to the top of the company...then when he was running it, he used it to wage war on everyone he hated or had a grudge against. Where we're from, companies held power tantamount to government control, wealth and advancements being the only commodities necessary to make leaders out of sociopaths wearing corporate masks."

Silas watched as Marcus seemed to break down, holding his head in his hands as he finished, "He...was eventually stopped...but the damage was done. He'd killed so many good people in his personal vendetta...but now he's here, and I have no idea how to stop him."

Ronin's eyes hardened and he said, "It sounds like we just need to kill him. If you're right and it is...this person, he's killed Vren, one of the best men I know...and we can't let that stand."

Marcus shook his head and said, "I've only met one person strong enough to do that, and he's nowhere near here."

Ronin sat up more and said, "I'm much stronger now than I used to be, Marcus, and I was pretty formidable even when you left."

Looking at Ronin, Silas and Scalpel one at a time, Marcus said, "You are all stronger...but...he's powerful beyond conception, Ronin. I've seen what he's capable of and I can barely comprehend it...you? He could kill all of us with only the barest effort, like using your finger to squash an ant."

Silas said, "You think that highly of his strength?"

Marcus nodded and said, "The last time I watched him fight, just being near the battle almost killed everyone around it."

Scalpel listened and thought for a moment before she asked, "If he's that strong...why hasn't he just wiped us all out yet? Surely he could just do it in one fell swoop."

Marcus smiled and looked at Scalpel as he said, "You're asking the right question. When he took over the last time, he was gathering power, building new and more powerful skills and learning to control his power and the vast wealth that came with his new positions...but this time...it seems like he's doing the same thing, which doesn't make any sense."

Ronin watched Marcus get up and start to pace, slowly walking around his chair and he said, "You keep talking about his power being...beyond comprehension...what do you mean by that?"

 Looking at Ronin quietly, Marcus said, "There is literally no way I can explain it that will make acceptable sense to you. On this, I need you to just take my word."

Ronin asked, "Does it have to do with Alchemy?"

Marcus nodded and said, "Yes, you could say something like that."

The skittering sound began to ring in Ronin's ears again and Marcus said, "Jesus, how are we getting bugs all the way up here?"

Ronin's eyes shot to Marcus and he said, "You can hear that too!?"

Marcus nodded and looked at Silas and Scalpel as he asked, "Can you two not hear that?"

Silas and Scalpel looked at each other and shook their heads as the skittering got louder and louder in Ronin and Marcus's ears to the point of blocking out all other sound.

Ronin clasped his hands over his ears as Marcus did the same and just as Silas moved to hold Ronin, the sound suddenly stopped.

In the absence of the noise, Ronin and Marcus looked at each other, both getting an unbearable sense of foreboding.

Before either of them could speak, there was the sound of a massive explosion and the school's emergency alarms went off, blaring loudly.

"Attention all students and faculty, please report to your rooms and stay there until further notice. Any student with an outdoor porch, it is vital that you close the door, lock it and stay as far away from it as possible. Finally, all students found on the verandas will be subject to expulsion."

The emergency message began to repeat itself and Ronin looked at Marcus and said, "I guess I know where we need to go."

The school was shaped like a massive tiered diamond, with verandas on every floor, decorated with gardens and countless other decorations to enrich and bolster the minds and spirits of its inhabitants.

Ronin jumped out of his bed and Marcus grabbed his arm and said "Ronin, if we find a man wearing a white hooded cloak, you NEED to leave, no matter what!"

Ronin stopped and looked Marcus in the eye and seeing how serious he was, said, "I can't make any promises, but I'll keep my eyes open."

Knowing this was probably the best answer he'd get from Ronin, he followed him as he ran.

Silas and Scalpel followed close behind, as Ronin sent a message to the team, "Prepare to evacuate, everybody needs to be ready to go within the next ten minutes, no matter what it takes to do that."

 The affirmatives came in immediately as Ronin ran for the nearest veranda, opening the door down the hall to see glittering sunlight.