Chapter XXIV: Leery Vibes (Pt. 1)

Trik and I had been waiting for over an hour until Tymon returned. Judging from the location he subconsciously traveled to, it was clear that he was stressed out about Za'Fia being taken. Hopefully, Viraa was right about us figuring something out today.

Trik and I were walking through the forest near HQ while waiting for Tymon. We needed some fresh air as we tried – and failed – to come up with ways to find Za'Fia.

"We know your sensor's radius is 500 miles, so we could get Tymon to fly you around the country until you pick up on her signal," I suggested.

Trik frowned at the idea.

"I'm against that," he said as we stopped near a bunch of rocks. "Searching the entire country isn't practical. Besides, for all we know, she could be anywhere in the world."

"Ughh," I groaned in frustration. "Then, how are we supposed to find her?"

"Maybe we can track her c-chip," Trik stated.

"Considering TekTra controls them, I doubt we can do that," I rebutted.

"Well, short of kidnapping one of his High Gods, I'm not seeing a better solution," Trik commented.

"I wouldn't do that," said a voice behind us.

Trik and I jumped as we turned to see V standing there.

"V! What are you doing here," I asked in surprise.

Tymon suddenly appeared floating above us.

"I'm more curious about how you obtained your power," he said as he softly landed beside us.

Vicki observed us silently before speaking.

"I came here to check on you, Lisa. But, I suppose now's as good a time as any to come clean. My name is Vicki...and I'm one of Avarice's Sub Deities," she told us.

"What," Tymon said in a low voice. It may have been just me, but I could almost hear hostility in his tone.

"The small group of people who saved me 200 years ago – that was Avarice, the Despair Primordial Verin, and one of their High Gods. They offered me power when I was at my lowest, and I accepted it. Now, I'm one of the five most powerful humans on Earth," she continued.

She said that last part proudly.

"So, you've been our enemy this entire time," I asked in disbelief.

"Not exactly. I'm part of Avarice's forces, but I'm not blind to what kind of people they are. None of us are. Of Avarice's entire force, it seems I'm the only one who doesn't revel in the corruption Avarice and Verin spreads—the only one who wants to take him down. Apart from the personal reasons against my family, that's the main reason I'm helping you," Vicki said as we watched her.

Her tone sounded sincere to me.

"So, what can you tell us," Trik and Tymon said at the same time. They both were quick to take advantage of the situation.

"Well, as I've said before, three High Gods rank above me. Thankfully, I haven't had the displeasure to see them in action, but that means I don't know anything about their abilities. However, I know there are old rumors about two new High Gods still developing, but that's been a rumor since I joined," she informed us.

"Developing? So, he creates them," I asked. I didn't know what I expected, but I never thought he created them. They didn't seem artificially made in the video.

"I don't know," Vicki replied. "As I said, it's just a rumor, and the other High Gods were around centuries before the rest of us."

"What about Verin," Trik asked.

"Verin is Avarice's second-in-command. Only the High Gods have ever seen her or Avarice's spirit energy, so I don't know anything about either of their abilities," Vicki told us.

Vicki's c-chip began to beep.

"Looks like I have to go," she said as she silenced the beeping.

"Wait, do you know where Za'Fia could be," I asked her.

"You mean the Primordial who was pretending to be human the last time I saw you?"

"Yeah, you knew," I asked.

"Of course. I used to be a Watcher too, remember," Vicki remarked. "But, no, I haven't heard anything about her. I can't promise anything since something like that would be above my level, but if I learn anything, I'll give you a heads-up."

After Vicki left, I beamed at Trik and Tymon.

"This is great! Now we have someone on the inside," I said ecstatically.

Tymon looked off in the direction Vicki had walked in.

"I don't trust her or anything involving Avarice," he said solemnly. "But I agree that we can use her to get information on him."

The look in Tymon's eyes was like he'd found his goose and couldn't wait to squeeze out its golden egg.

I looked at Tymon, then at Trik, who shrugged.

"I get that Avarice is a bad guy, but why did that sound...personal," I inquired.

There was a dramatic pause before he answered.

Tymon then told us he remembered how he died and spent the next ten minutes informing us of his harrowing experience with Avarice and the others that ultimately led to his death two centuries ago.

He then held out a tube of red tablets.

"I think Avarice used the blood he took from me to create this. The 'power' he offers to his Holders and Sub Deities. It goes by the name JANUS," he said.

He placed the tube on a nearby rock and told us to use omni-vision to look at them. When I did, I saw dark energy similar to Tymon's emitting from them.

"It seems likely, considering the energy coming from them," Trik said. "Where'd you get them?"

"I got them while saving a girl from being assaulted a couple of nights ago," Tymon answered.

Trik's head tilted.

"A couple of nights ago? A guy and a girl came forward yesterday about a guy who wasn't hurt by bullets saving her," he mentioned.

"That was me," Tymon confirmed.

"They said a man died," Trik added.

"The man they were referring to died by overdosing on those tablets. There deteriorated his body," Tymon said, motioning to the vial of red tablets.

"Right, there was mention of human remains by officers who went to see went to the scene, but there was also mention of a decomposed body being there too," Trik said, insinuating Tymon was responsible.

I looked at Tymon incredulously.