Silas sat on a cushioned reception bench nearby a luminescent fish tank. He gazed back and forth at the little lifeforms swimming blissfully in the glowing water. The great concourse he was in was vast and expansive, but it was so dark that it felt small. The only way he could tell how big it was was by the solitary and lonely lights that framed the invisible walls, shrouded in darkness. It seemingly went on forever, window walls of glass. Some were brightly lit, some were covered by black velvet curtains. Others were unoccupied and left ghostly black.
The navy cushioned seats were soft and plush, but still had a metallic spring to them. From the clean and shapely form of the furniture around him, to the ubiquitous presence of metal in nearly everything he saw, he knew that he was in a civilized society with considerable technological prowess.
The magical energy coursed through this place. Silas could feel it emanate through invisible cracks in the tiled floor. However, it was suppressed. It meandered through the air single file, in an orderly fashion, as opposed to the Badlands, where it had been allowed to run free.
The most magical thing that Silas could sense was sitting right next to him. Charybdis was tapping her heel against the ground, bouncing her other leg up and down as she sat crosslegged. Blue holographic screens popped up in front of her as she directed them with her eyes. She looked at one screen for half a second before flicking it away with her gaze as a new one came up.
The sound of a click and footsteps alerted Silas to a new presence nearby. The automatic door slid open without a sound as a strange-looking creature walked out in a lab coat. She had striped black-and-white hair and a furry black tail with a white striped down the center. She gave a thumbs-up to Charybdis, who blinked once as the holographic displays in front of her minimized into nothingness.
"Alright, Silas. According to our medics, your friend Evelynn hasn't sustained any grave injuries. On top of that, the radiation levels in her body are nothing to be worried about. So, she'll be fine," Charybdis said, smiling. Relief was evident in her eyes. Her mission was to get all eight of them to RimTech, unharmed. Hopefully she could cover any scars.
"Hey Ms. Charybdis! I've got a few more visitors over here," a voice called out from the darkness. Silas jumped as a pair of glowing yellow eyes emerged from the darkness. Fear surged through his veins, heightened even more when he realized that it was Jayken who those eyes belonged to.
Jayken was dressed in a sleek black suit, his giant bow nowhere to be found. He looked slim and dignified. By his side, under the hand he held at her shoulder, was Macy. Axel appeared behind Jayken, looking furious. As soon as he figured out which room Evelynn was in, he began walking briskly towards it without even stopping to say hello. Silas had been there when Charybdis had interviewed them both. Charybdis also interviewed Saya, but she was nowhere to be seen. The rest of Last Stand was still to be seen. Evelynn was Charybdis' fourth stop.
"Thank you, Mr Hial. They'll be under my care until I head off to see the other three. Then, I'll return them to you. How does that sound?"
"Wow, you're doing all of them tonight? Or, today, it seems. After all, it's just an hour past midnight. How long are you going to stay up and talk to them?"
"As long is necessary, Mr. Hial. Sorry to keep you up so late."
"Ah, no problem. I'll go the extra way for a little extra pay," the suave voxen said, chuckling to himself.
Axel walked into the room before Charybdis did. Macy followed, both her hands clasped against her chest in worry. Silas trudged in last, hands in his pockets. Her squinted his eyes as they were met with light, bracing for the awful sight he imagined.
Evelynn's face and body were mangled. She sported a black eye and several bandages. Her eyes were barely open, and she gave no sign that she was awake. Nevertheless, every limb was intact, and she wore a small peaceful smile. Axel was by her side immediately, while Silas stood uncomfortably back. Macy rushed towards the other side of the hospital bed, laying a small palm on Evelynn's fragile hand. Axel glared at her protectively before softening at the sincerity in her eyes.
"Eve, you doing alright?" Axel asked.
"Please step back. Most of our medics are great at physical examination, but magical exanimation is something that I must perform alone. I hope you'll understand."
"…fine," Axel said, drawing away reluctantly. Macy eagerly nodded her head and slunk into a seat identical to the one in Silas' room.
Axel stood anxiously as they left Charybdis to do her work. It was obvious that none of them trusted Charybdis fully, and with good reason. But they also could sense the amount of magic inside her. She was definitely powerful. Besides, from what Charybdis had told them they were inside RimOps' base. Everyone here wanted humans either dead or sold. They were lucky they weren't killed on the spot. Even if they managed to kill Charybdis and run, there was no telling who else was a part of this organization.
Powerful bounty hunters like Yona, Redd, and Jayken could easily hunt them down. Besides, they had no idea where they were and from the looks of it, nobody in the world was exactly partial to humanity.
They had to get to know the situation they were in. They needed to figure out a plan to escape and save themselves. But they couldn't act foolishly. They needed information, and as it stood, the only way they could get it was through Charybdis. Therefore, they needed to get on her good side.
Charybdis raised her hands out in front of her, her fingers twitching slightly. She closed her eyes as Silas sensed magical energy leave her hands.
This was just like what she had done with him. She'd taken control of his body, known the ins and outs of not only the plane corporeal but spiritual plane of his existence. She'd explored everything from his skin to his blood to his mind to his magic. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she dropped her chin. Her glasses slid down her small and long nose.
Suddenly, she severed all connection with Evelynn as she drew her hands back. She stumbled backwards, suddenly snapping back into reality in shock. It was as if she'd just awoken from a nightmare. Sudden panic plastered itself all over her face.
Macy caught Charybdis quickly, righting her with gentle grace, despite being so much smaller than her. Charybdis took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the leather seat behind her, catching her glasses before they fell off her face. She pushed them up and drew herself back into a standing position, smoothing out her lab coat.
"Did you see Ms. Redd bite her in any place?"
Axel shook his head. If anyone knew, it would be him.
"The bastard girl infected her with lykanthropy," Charybdis said, her voice breaking. Her face fought back tears, to Silas' surprise. Her mouth twitched and she covered it with her glove.
"Lykanthropy?"