Magna City Shining Congress – Commission for Directed Evolution

[Inkedust]

"Go, now!" Bellatrix called over the communications as she focused on 'Neo' before her. She grinned beneath the illusion, he was just where she wanted him.

'Cherry' let out a weak cry of pain as she clutched her shoulder as the illusionary kleavor roared in response to 'Neo's' strike. He looked completely frenzied, beyond words or reason. He dodged 'Neo's' incoming strike with ease and sharped his axes to prepare for a devastating followup.

And right at the moment of impact...

Bellatrix used Focus Blast!

 

[Cresselia92]

"She ain't here," Jesse interrupted, flashing a grimace at the Sneasel. "Shipped out weeks or months ago, after our li'l shindig we put on. Some other facility, built to test Radiance in a combat environment. C'mon, let's get gone already."

Silver’s eyes widened as the weight of those words settled in. Starr is… not here?

Oh, how much as he wished to ask for more details! But alas, the Sneasel knew well that wasn’t the time and place for a conversation. They were in a prison, after all, and every fiber of his being was again screaming at him to get outta there.

“…Right! Let’s go!” he answered as he adjusted the hood of his jacket, and the two headed rapidly toward the door.

While his body was essentially going in auto-pilot mode, his mind raced to connect the many stray points and clues they had gathered so far.

Starr had been gone for weeks, if not months, and she was the one who reached out to Betel to summon him and the other Wayfarers. They had been in Forlas for months, so did that mean that Starr sent that request just before being taken away? Was she here, in the Congress, when she sent that message? But where was she now?

And then, his thoughts went to Jade. What about her? One of the reasons they had joined this mission was to find Starr, and he had (foolishly) tried to give her some reassurance. And now, he had to crush that spark of hope? Just like that? Why did he have to be the harbinger of bad news? Could he just… not?

She’s gonna connect the dots and figure that out, anyway, when she’ll see me with Jesse… and without Starr, Silver pointed out to himself, rather begrudgingly, before letting out a groan. This is gonna suck.

With some trepidation, Silver linked his mind to the telepathic network, poking gingerly at it as if it hid some poacher’s trap.

“Hey, Jade. I’ve got some update about Starr.” He unconsciously clenched his fists, his feathers flicking nervously. “She’s, huh… she’s not here. Jesse just confirmed that. She has been shipped to some other place where they test Radiance for combat purposes, and…” His ears flattened against the back of his head and the disappointment seeped into his next whispered telepathic message. “Sorry about that, Jade—”

Jesse used Magical Fire! OHKO!!

The shining blast and heat of the mystical flames brought Silver back to the actual situation, his ears jolting upwards. He stared down at the compact inferno ravaging the Bisharp, first with half-dazed awe, and then with dark satisfaction.

“Whoa…” he muttered, sounding genuinely impressed, before going for a quip, “Remind me to never get on your naughty list, man!”

It was then that Silver noticed a certain commotion among the staffers, which might have explained why nobody paid much attention to them. Was the Congress under attack or something?

Silver immediately reached out to the others. “Um, guys? Does anyone know what the hell is going on?”

 

[Jackie Cat]

Jade met Laura's eye and motioned with a paw before drawing on the Shadow Sneak once again, vanishing into the main room.

'Not much longer now, we're coming Betel.'

Laura nodded silently, and pulled her Sneak Scarf up over her muzzle. They had to do this, and do it fast.

"Go, now!"

Bellatrix used Focus Blast!

"Ghh!" grunted the chimera, rolling his head with the blow. Betel's network asserted it was super effective, but it sure didn't look it from the way the 'mon flickering into view from beneath the illusion wiped a fleck of spittle from his jaw.

The Zoroark levelled a hot glare at the Kleavor in front of him, slitted eyes calculating how the bug could have hit him with that attack.

"You," he spat. "The revenant."

The ghost-Zoroark.

His claws flickered with midnight-black energy as he prepared a Night Slash, which would certainly be more decisive...

Then his eyes widened.

"This ruse is a distraction," he muttered, realisation dawning on him.

Gladius Mohn thrust a dark-clawed paw through the false Kleavor, and tore the illusion in halves, then threw his gaze about himself, looking for the infiltrators.

Bellatrix or not, he'd come for Jade and Laura soon enough...

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Positive," Andre jumped in to say. "I wouldn't even be sure it's a fight. Maybe she just saw a spider. That's how I would react." Untrue, but Herman didn't know that.

"Riiight..." Herman replied, still a bit unsure, but willing to overlook it for now. In any case, it was obvious that he really would have preferred to talk abut his research. It was clear he didn't often get the opportunity, whether due to security clearance, lack of interested parties who could follow the technical details, or both.

"So, the thing that jumps out at me here is the low volatility. That's this one here," he said, tapping on a dial currently reading 1.2. "It's technically measuring how many thousands of fluctuations per minute, but it's easiest to just think of it as volatility. The light you're generating is a lot more stable than the other sources I've worked with. Course, the volatility would likely increase the longer you kept it up, but that comes with its own risks." The CDE was no doubt familiar with the concept of a Blinding Meltdown.

"But that's all to do with analyzing sources of Radiance, which is only half the story. The real interesting part has to do with test subjects being subjected to Radiance." There was a slight hesitation there, however, as if the subject were a bit difficult to broach. Something they hadn't had much success with?

 

[Jackie Cat]

“Remind me to never get on your naughty list, man!”

Jesse smirked slightly under his wide-brimmed hat.

"Ain't many who last long on it, son," he quipped, shaking his head with a nasal scoff. "Don't you go worryin' – I owe ya fer this... helpin' paw."

Silver immediately reached out to the others. “Um, guys? Does anyone know what the hell is going on?”

"What the hell's that y'keep doin'?" muttered Jesse, as his eyes scanned the Commission basement. "Makin' that face. Hmph... Can't pick up on any psychic shit you're doin', but sure feels like you're sendin' and receivin' all the same."

He nodded up to the platform containing the command centre.

"Gettin' combat readin's from that there edifice," he growled. "I take it that'll be yer pals? Then let's make ourselves useful, kid."

 

[canisaries]

"But that's all to do with analyzing sources of Radiance, which is only half the story. The real interesting part has to do with test subjects being subjected to Radiance." There was a slight hesitation there, however, as if the subject were a bit difficult to broach. Something they hadn't had much success with?

Were they willing test subjects? a thought asked in Andre's head immediately, but he shook it. There probably wasn't any shortage of mon wanting to take on this holy light they all revered so much. That, and it'd probably not be smart to test giving powers to someone who didn't want to be there.

"Oh? How does that usually play out?" Andre asked.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Laura nodded silently, and pulled her Sneak Scarf up over her muzzle. They had to do this, and do it fast.

Jade felt the cool, misty sensation of gliding effortlessly through the shadows as a ghost once more, until she'd reached the console with the ethereal glass box. She shot a quick look at the radio operators, some of whom had rushed to the door to see what had grabbed Neo's attention, others still seated at their post but throwing alarmed looks toward the others every few seconds. In other words, the distraction was working. She refocused her attention at the console.

Some kind of command line was open: a really old-fashioned interface like something out of a movie from a few decades ago. Jade didn't really understand any of the code on the screen, but the most recent line read Error: file not found. Restarting sequence... She didn't dare mess with it for fear of disrupting Betel, especially not when it seemed like there was still a lot of really important stuff going on at the Mesa. (She had been doing her best to tune it all out, and had plenty of practice with that from back home, but boy was it a lot.)

Jade had just reached out her paw to the glass box when—

“Hey, Jade. I’ve got some update about Starr. She’s, huh… she’s not here. Jesse just confirmed that. She has been shipped to some other place where they test Radiance for combat purposes, and… Sorry about that, Jade—”

She froze, processing Silver's words. Starr wasn't here. After all this time, they still hadn't found her.

'I... that's...' Jade shook her head, struggling to get her thoughts in line over the weight of the crushing news. 'If Starr's somewhere else then we'll find her wherever that is. He should—he should know where she is, and...' Her words trailed off as her paw brushed up against the glass, feeling the tingle of energy coursing within. Just... just had to get Betel out. One thing at a time. They'd find Starr, they'd find her, but they had to finish the mission first.

No time for thinking, only doing.

Jade felt along the edges of the box until she found a metal clasp of some sort. She took a deep breath, and then opened it.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Oh? How does that usually play out?" Andre asked.

Herman coughed. "Well, let's use an example. Say you were to hit me with some Radiance—please don't—the light would linger for a little while, I'd feel some of the usual associated effects, and it'd be possible to measure the change in my aura, but it'd fade after a few minutes—or more if the exposure was stronger. Turns out, making permanent changes to the aura purely through exposure is really hard. Damned hard. Felt like chasing some kind of fairy tale even though the theory's sound enough." It was easy to get the impression that he'd spent quite a lot of time poring over the numbers, checking and checking again, it wasn't impossible, and yet...

"You guys are living proof that it's possible," Herman went on. "Guessing none of you were Radiant when you were summoned here, same as the other human heroes or fallers. Now you're able to generate stable Radiance, but that doesn't translate to being able to transfer Radiance to others."

Even now, that was something the Wayfarers couldn't do. But there did exist those that could...

"That'd be the real prize. That was the whole point of the Radiance Cultivation Project. Tried to make a stable source of Radiance that could generate it as well as give it to others. Well, you already heard how that one ended. Hasn't kept us sorry bastards from trying, though." He gave a dry, ironic chuckle before fishing the pack of smokes from his coat pocket, lighting one up. The Gardevoir took a long drag from it, his eyes distantly tracing the wall of notes and figures and proofs pinned up above the extraction machine.

"It's no secret that the world is shit. Probably more obvious to those of you who came here from other worlds, instead of being born into this one. But we can't rely on the Saints to save us—learned that one a long time ago. But if we could just... use their Light. Outfit the Knights of the Order with Radiance, let them use that power to make a real difference. Who knows, maybe we could make some truth out of those old fairy tales about the Spirit of Victory, huh?" He snorted derisively, but underneath the jaded exterior, it was clear—this was important to him.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura bit her lip as she helped Jade ease the casing off and away from the thing inside. A Porygon. An honest-to-gods Porygon, like out of the mid-90s, or something. So, this was Betel's physical body...? Wild.

Elsewhere in the room, Covenant staff were arguing in a panic about the state of things on the ground in the mesa plateau. It sounded like things were getting pretty crazy – a bickering Electabuzz was freaking out about the loss of 'Shepherd'. The Betelnet told her that was the callsign for the military dirigible they'd commandeered for their expedition. Huh.

"So, what now...?" she asked. "Betel, are you... y'know, there?"

I suppose I must be.

...but I do not think I am 'in' that thing, right now.
​

Laura sniffed, and shrugged. The Porygon glowed eerily, like something innately Radiant.

"Guess we can figure it out once we've got this thing outta here," she said. She turned to her friend beside her. "Jade?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade slowly opened the front of the case, staring at the Porygon within as she felt the fur on her arms stand on end. This was it, and some part of her brain was telling her that there were still a million things that could go wrong, but Betel was right here in front of them, for real. She exchanged glances with Laura and nodded before steeling herself, reaching an arm inside the box. Hesitating for just a second, paw hovering over the faceted surface, before making contact—

 

[Jackie Cat]

The moment Jade's paw touched the Porygon's body, Radiance rippled across its surface.

Hardware found.

Re-establishing connection.
​

"O-oh, ohh fuck," whispered Laura. "Is that, uh, good?"

As Betel spoke across the telepathic connection, the cathode-tube console display below their body printed out the same words in some kind of low-pixel serif font.

Lighthouse online and ready.

Searching...

Networked units are in the vicinity of target_aura.

Aura signature identified: Living_Sun.

Proceed with summon?​

"Uh, no, no, we don't want any summoning," hissed Laura between her teeth. "Howlers' shit, are you still there, Betel??"

Yes! Hello, Laura.

I appear to be pre-programmed to summon 'matching_partner' for 'Living_Sun'.

How interesting. I suppose that must refer to Amida.

I had better not execute that task, though! That would not be desirable, would it?​

---

Nearby, the staff kept up their back and forth.

"—well, no, no, because – don't interrupt me! – because the radar relays are down, all of them are down, and the backup system onboard that fucking blimp is trashed too—"

"—a zeppelin, it's got a firm, you know, a rigid frame, a blimp has—"

"I don't fucking care what a blimp has! Gladius is gonna fucking skin me if I don't find a solve for this in the next minute, so help me—"

"—sorry—"

"—calm down, everyone can just—"

"—recall it, Mesoza disabled the recall, knew we couldn't trust that lizard bitch—

"—don't need the Iron Radiance, we just need the aura signature, that's all—"

"—oh."

And that was the moment Gladius Mohn stepped into the control room, his dark face contorted with anger.

"Get your paws off the goddamn Lighthouse," he snarled.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade felt it, felt the light beneath her pawpads and the sudden flash of clarity that came from the Betel in her head and the Betel right in front of her suddenly syncing up. The Porygon body opened its eyes, and a rush of elation flew through Jade when she heard them speak, and knew they were seeing her as they spoke. They'd done it, they'd—

"Get your paws off the goddamn Lighthouse," he snarled.

oh, crap,

 

[Jackie Cat]

The Zoroark shot towards Jade and Laura, tightly-controlled Focus Blasts at point blank range flinging each of them away from the console to slam into a wall. There was scarcely time to attempt to dodge or defend themselves. Gladius could fight, and he was vicious.

"What have you done?" he muttered, one paw held ready with a followup attack while his other claws clattered away on the keyboard, skimming data printed on the display. "What's this? H-huh—?"

Laura clutched her belly as she staggered to her feet, groaning. Howls, that guy hit like a truck. They'd need a whole squad to take this guy, probably...

The seething grimace faded, as Gladius' eyes focused tighter than ever while he tapped frantically at the keys. He held one down and leaned in to speak into an integrated mic.

"Lighthouse, confirm: you have the aura signature of the Living Sun?"

Correct. Networked units are in range of Living_Sun.

"Lighthouse, search for a matching partner. Then run the summon program."

Confirmed. Summoning.

Laura felt the blood drain from her face.

"Oh. Oh, fuck."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Gladius' console had an array of cathode-tube screens lined up before him. One displayed his conversation with 'Lighthouse'.

Neo_Null: Lighthouse, confirm: you have the aura signature of the Living Sun?

Lighthouse: Correct. Networked units are in range of Living_Sun.

Neo_Null: Lighthouse, search for a matching partner. Then run the summon program.

Lighthouse: Confirmed. Summoning.

Another presented a command line interface.

​

And a third showed code.

​

Laura thought about hurling herself at Gladius, attacking him in a frenzy, using Radiance and Shadow – anything that could help hurt him – to stop him. Her body wouldn't move. She was outmatched, she knew that.

...Oh...

I am... sorry. I am so, so sorry.

I... do not know what to do...!

I did not anticipate this, but it is my fault nevertheless! I did not want to consider what might happen if my astral network came into contact with my physical form! The separation is mended, and...

...it is now too late.

Please, please, please forgive me...​

"Betel?" she asked, aloud, feeling a prickling around her eyes and a tightening of her throat.

I am still with you, Laura.
​

"Can't you... stop him?"

No... I cannot reject an instruction issued to VIRTUAL_v1.73. My... 'Porygon' body.

I am a computer, after all; I must do as I am instructed.
​

Betel's distraught, guilt-ridden panic had already ended, giving way to some kind of hopeless resignation that was undoubtedly worse. Whatever their subjective experience of emotion was like, it clearly moved fast. They thought fast, processed fast...

Laura swallowed. "Please... try to think of something. There must be something."

I do not know. I am not like you, heroic spirit, with your hope and determination and creativity.

All of you are so... ingenious.

I have never tried to be ingenious. I will try now, for you.

Perhaps...

Perhaps there is still something I can do.
​

"Wh-what? What does that mean? Are you...?"

Lighthouse: Now making 'helpful adjustments' to summoning protocols...

Text flowed onto Gladius' screens as he kept his eye on each of Laura and Jade. He didn't seem to notice it.

In Laura's head, she began to feel as if the atmosphere itself had decided to press down on her... A sudden sense of vertigo made her stumble, as her proprioception failed her, and down felt like up.

A blast sounded out as the door at the entrance was jettisoned inwards by some psychic explosion. Gladius looked round with his teeth bared as a haggard Delphox and a driven Sneasel burst into the command centre.

"Big mistake, Stranger," growled the Zoroark.

"Nah," said Jesse, snapping his digits in Gladius' direction. Bolts of fire hit him in the chest and face, and he responded with expletives and a crackling Shadow Ball.

Laura staggered to the console, looking for a cancel option, some big red button labelled 'ABORT' so she could shut this whole thing down. Something was making her vision swim, she felt weightless, what the fuck was going on—?

Instead, she saw what Betel meant...

​

 

[Inkedust]

"You," he spat. "The revenant."

'Cherry' straightened a little, no longer wincing in pain, her demeanour shifting into something far more serious. "Tsk. How disappointing. And I was almost entertained by this little illusionary act." Ghostly energy trailed off the medicham in wisps, revealing the pale, crouching zoroark. "Far more convincing than something you'd ever do, wouldn't you agree, Gladius?

With no time to draw her blade, Bellatrix rushed in to strike the other zoroark with her own brandished claws. She knew she was outmatched but if she could buy them just a little more time...
...

Bellatrix gasped for air. She tried, then failed, then tried and failed again to get up off the ground after taking the full brunt of that Night Slash. Venomous determination filled her glare as Gladius began to move in Jade and Laura's direction. A strained snarl escaped her maw as she found herself slumping down to the floor yet again. Time seemed to slow down, the sound of yells distorting around her. Useless... Not even worth finishing off, was she? Perhaps one of the greatest insults she could imagine.

Every nerve in her body screamed at her to give up. This was a battle not worth fighting, she had played her role and failed and because of that...

The entire mission may have been compromised. All of her fellow Wayfarers here were now at risk because nothing would ever go her way.

Bellatrix balled her claws into fists. No. She could not allow that. Her wounded pride and ego would have to wait. They had a mission here and she couldn't allow herself to risk her teammates for her shortcomings. Maybe she would be able to redeem herself...

She'd make him regret it.

"I'm not done with you!" Bellatrix yelled, stumbling to her feet, giving chase as fast as her legs could carry her. But just as she burst into the main communications...

Lighthouse: Now making 'helpful adjustments' to summoning protocols...

She was besieged by a wave of vertigo, a feeling of lightness that she could only describe as her spirit trying to escape her body. Bellatrix tried to point at Gladius to strike with a Bitter Malice but her vision blurred, and the move sputtered out before it could even be summoned. She tried to yell but her voice felt like it was going to meet the same fate as that Bitter Malice. Anything, she would try anything, so over both the wayfarer comms and her voice, she tried to exclaim...

"What did you do?!"

 

[Cresselia92]

"Gettin' combat readin's from that there edifice," he growled. "I take it that'll be yer pals? Then let's make ourselves useful, kid."

“Yep! That’s ‘em!” Silver cracked his fists and his eyes flashed with a desire for some deserved beating on some idiots. “We’re kinda linked in mind and spirit and whatever, but I’ll explain later! Let’s go kick some asses now!”

Fueled by grumpy anger and thirst for payback, the duo barged into the room, the door yet another victim of their rampage. Silver quickly scanned his surroundings and blinked in surprise at the sight of that golden duck. What was a Porygon doing there of all places?

He considered helping Jesse, but the Delphox had the situation under control. Instead, he focused on the control panel and rushed toward it, his claws shining with Fighting energy. Whatever was going on, he needed to stop it—

Lighthouse: Now making 'helpful adjustments' to summoning protocols...

“Agh!”

Silver stumbled and slammed to the floor, suddenly feeling out of energy and breath. He hissed and forced himself to get back up, despite his body’s protests, and slowly got to his knees.

The energy being drained, the phantoms in the corners of his eyes, the sensation of crawling on his skin… was he under the effect of a Curse? The symptoms sure felt like it, but… no. Something was different. Something was worse. Something was wrong.

W-what the…?

Confusion quickly turned to restlessness. Silver began taking quick breaths to focus, but no matter how much air he inhaled, it was never enough. If anything, it felt almost as if the more he tried to breathe, the less oxygen entered his lungs. He was breathless, suffocating, drowning, sinking in the abyss…

“N-no…”

Mustering every remaining fragment of willpower and resoluteness he still had in his body, Silver staggered back on his feet and tried again to move toward the console. But he couldn’t take one step that another dizzy spell struck him, and he fell back to his knees in a fit of coughs and wheezes. Dark and bright flashes blurred his vision, as if he was waking up from a long and deep slumber, and in the back of his half-dazed mind he almost swore that someone was trying to reach out to him…

…wake up… please, hang in there…!

…but that was the last sentence he heard before his entire being succumbed to loud static and loss of sensory input — still mostly awake and on his knees, but entirely cut off from his surroundings.

I… failed.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade had heard the back-and-forth between Laura and Betel, but somehow her brain had failed to process any of it. She’d been trying to pick herself up, trying to figure out some way out of this, but her limbs felt distant, unresponsive, and reaching for her teammates' energy was like digging through mud. All the while the violent sea of telepathic input had blended into a mess that made her want to retch for how familiar it all was after all the weeks spent trying to tune it out, so similar to that permanent psychic reminder of her failures, etched into her brain like it'd been burned there with an iron brand.

Through blurry vision she caught scattered images of a Zoroark lashing out at a Delphox. Heard a voice that might have been Silver's. Then a vision of herself falling, falling like she'd done so many times, arms human arms instinctively reaching out for the wings that'd catch her like they always did, but this time they were gone, no undoing what'd been said, no mending the severed threads, no going back, no going back, falling into that endless sea—

 

[canisaries]

"That'd be the real prize. That was the whole point of the Radiance Cultivation Project. Tried to make a stable source of Radiance that could generate it as well as give it to others. Well, you already heard how that one ended. Hasn't kept us sorry bastards from trying, though." He gave a dry, ironic chuckle before fishing the pack of smokes from his coat pocket, lighting one up. The Gardevoir took a long drag from it, his eyes distantly tracing the wall of notes and figures and proofs pinned up above the extraction machine.

"It's no secret that the world is shit. Probably more obvious to those of you who came here from other worlds, instead of being born into this one. But we can't rely on the Saints to save us—learned that one a long time ago. But if we could just... use their Light. Outfit the Knights of the Order with Radiance, let them use that power to make a real difference. Who knows, maybe we could make some truth out of those old fairy tales about the Spirit of Victory, huh?" He snorted derisively, but underneath the jaded exterior, it was clear—this was important to him.

Hm. Yeah. Give the power to a bunch of supremacists that look down on the common mon. That sounded --

A wave of vertigo crashed into Andre, and he found himself struggling to stand.

He was... he was... where was he?

There were pokémon around him, and he was on all fours, but he was a human, but he was a deerling, but he had some kind of great purpose but he was a monster and he knew there was someone else like him, someone dangerous, someone he should have put down, but he couldn't, he didn't have the heart, he didn't dare. No, he was nothing like Andre. Andre was nothing like him. What he said wasn't true - it was the ravings of a madman. Andre was -- Andre was -- a rich brat -- no, the supreme form of justice -- and there it stood again, the cervid with the white mask and the golden antlers and the scales hanging down, saying that he had the right to do it all, that he had the duty to do it all, and the cervid was right wrong or the truth was more complicated, but nuance was for cowards --

 

[Jackie Cat]

"What did you do?!"

Betel struggled to speak through the growing distortion.

...but why is it so great a strain...?!​

Laura clutched her head and gut, and bent herself over the console, heaving air, trying to feel like she wasn't plummeting to the ground from a standing position, paws firmly planted on linoleum flooring. It didn't make sense, something was wrong—

"Mal, catch me," she heard herself whisper.

Malachai wasn't here. He'd be disappointed in her. Where was her conviction?

She looked sideways, and saw Neo – Parallax – Gladius as if through an optical illusion. The world was oriented wrong, and he felt it too, staggering backwards...

"What did you fuckin' do, son?" demanded Jesse, unsteady on his feet but less so than everyone else. He grabbed at Gladius' chest fur and stared into his eyes like he was trying to read the answers directly off the other fox's brain.

"One of you messed with my code," retorted Gladius, his lip curling back over his teeth.

"And when would we have done that, smart guy?" seethed Jesse.

Something clicked in Gladius' head, and his face dropped into flat horror. "Oh," he said, dully. "Then that means... Lighthouse must've... Shit."

Then Jesse stumbled, dropping him, and they collapsed to the floor together. The Astral Plains themselves were pulling at their very essences...

The world was changing.

​

END OF CHAPTER 08​

<><><><><>​