The Light dissipates in almost a second and I'm lying face-first on hard pavement.
Weird. The trip here didn't last as long and hurt significantly less than when I teleported from Seattle to D.C.
Around me, I hear a collection of different voices and the shuffling of feet just like I did the first time I got beamed. But instead of the serious, formally dressed Curators, teenagers wearing stylish clothing, messy hair, panicked faces, or some mixture of the three either stare at me or hurry past. Getting up, the lush green grass, the libraries, and the faint smell of marijuana, all send a wave of nostalgia over this unknown place and make it feel familiar. Buildings intertwined with each other, metal statues and plaques dedicated to men and women fill the space.
I remember this feeling. This must be a college! Being away from my family for the first time in four years was one of the highest points of my life. But what college are we at? That Waypoint Antique could have teleported me to a college in China for all I know. High above the campus, a flag marked DCU hanging lifelessly on its pole caught my eye.
That flag means we're at the University of DC! And the reason we're here is because an unknown individual has been stealing from students around campus once every day for the past week. It's believed they're using
Antique #23: Shooting Star Sneakers:
The user gains supernatural speed when running with these sneakers on. They also gain some level of heightened reaction time to ease navigation.
Wait, why did I just exposit that? How do I know any of this, I've never been to the University of DC or even seen that Antique!? Damn it, I have memories and information about stuff I've never heard before. What's happening with my head!?
"Don't panic." A voice whispers behind me.
"Ah!" I turn to see the voice that startled me is Levi's who appears from the crowd of students like a ghost.
"You're not going insane, you were hit by,
Antique #46: Memory Bat
The user of Memory Bat may transfer any of their memories to another by striking them on the head with the Antique.
"It's what we use to brief on missions."
"I would've preferred Ghislain just tell me rather than crack my head open." The center of my head still stings.
"Fair. But, its efficiency cannot be denied. After a few hits the bat won't hurt as much."
"How much is a few?"
"I don't know, I lost count after the twentieth." So that's probably why all the Curators aren't right in the head.
"But if you don't want to get briefed that way" He continued, "you can always take it up with…" His dopey eyes shoot wide open as he rushes past me, bends down on one knee, and points his smartphone at a blackbird with red feathers peeking its head out from a tree behind me.
"What the hell are you doing Levi?"
"There's a rare ivory-billed woodpecker in that tree. These birds are thought to be extinct and only supposed to be native to Cuba. This is a rare sight. Those scarlet feathers on the back of its head, its light-yellow beak, it's perfection. Don't you just love it?"
"I don't know. It's a bird." And I can hardly tell he loves it.
"But it's not just a bird. It's a rare discovery that… It's nearly extinct Astahe, you can't kill it."
"If you like birds so much why not become a bird scientist? Bird Biologist?" I say, ignoring that he's still talking to people that aren't there.
"The correct term is an Ornithologist. And that'd be too limiting. It's not just birds, it's discoveries and strange anomalies in the world that intrigue me. That's partially why I quit my job as an Archeologist to become a Curator."
"I don't think Antiques count as strange anomalies. They've been around forever."
"Exactly. As time moves on we discover more Antiques that resemble modern tools and technology, yet historical texts state that some have existed since the Paleolithic era. Don't you think that's strange? What made them, what's making them now, or has their maker expired and we just haven't located them all? It's fascinating. Religions have been formed around these, and wars have been fought and won because of Antiques. And studying these strange artifacts reminds me of someone dear to me I used to study with."
"Cool." I might have been genuinely interested in your story if you didn't try and crush my hand a minute ago.
A sudden gust of wind roars past us, one so strong it chills my eyes close and then freezes my eyelids after that. The gale while strong, is equally as brief, probably lasting three seconds.
When my eyes open, the road's a littered mess and the birds Levi was watching have disappeared. "Shame, I still had pictures I wanted to take." Levi rises to his feet, "But that must be a sign we need to get started in retrieving the Antique."
"Just do what you normally do and I'll follow."
"What I'd normally do in a situation like this is ask any victims about what happened to get a better idea of what we could do. But, since the culprit just stole your wallet, I think I have a sufficient amount of information."
"What are you talking about my wallet's right…" I feel around my right pocket where I normally put it and feel nothing, then my left. Maybe I just missed it in my right...
I keep feeling around until my empty hands are the only part of my body that hasn't gone numb. No no no no, this can't be happening! It was right here!
"Don't worry, I'm sure that Headquarters will reimburse you for the money inside."
"It's not about the money! I need that wallet!" Victoria lost my suitcase, so the only picture I have left of Catherine is in that wallet! And I just lost it! I lost her! "When did they steal it!?"
"About three seconds ago, right when the woodpecker flew away. See?" He points down the street, where students are searching through their pockets, book bags, and purses just like I was, and panic the same way I had when they realize something's missing. "The shoes let the user run at an average of 160 miles per hour, although we've had people greatly exceed that speed if their mind is in the right place. The best a normal human eye would catch is a blur"
"So you saw everything and didn't try to stop it!?" My numb body explodes into fire, and my hands move on their own, wrapping themselves in the collar of Levi's suit.
"Please. If you grab my collar like that Astahe will…"
"I don't care about your delusions! Why didn't you do anything!?"
"I would if I could, but just because my eyes are fast enough to catch them doesn't mean my body is..."
"Then how were we ever expected to catch them in the first place!"
"In every mission, we hope that the person holding the Antique would comply and peacefully relinquish it. But in cases that they don't, the Curators sent out on each mission are hand-picked to be able to handle any potential danger. We just have to come up with a plan to catch our thief."
"Ok… We just come up with a plan and get my wallet back when the thief comes back for a second round."
I slowly release my hold on Levi's now fairly crumpled collar, and he folds to the ground the instant I do. His face looks like he's about to be sick, sweat dripping down his forehead, heavy breathing, and eyes the same as when he almost turned my hand into a paste.
He'll be alright. It'll all be alright. Levi's strong, he'll recover. And I'm supposedly a living Antique. I still don't know what my Antique does, but we'll get you back before the day ends Catherine!
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Ren was it?" He stands up and dusted the dirt off his suit. "But the information Ghislain gave us tells us the thief only comes once a day. We'll have to try again tomorrow."
"What if the bastard pawns off my wallet by then!?"
"The thief is stealing a remarkable amount of items every day. Because of this, everything besides paper money would be hard to make use of all at once, especially while trying not to get caught. So, unless they have a buyer ready to take what they've stolen the day of, whatever is in your wallet you're trying to get should be safe."
"If they don't have a buyer. Which is entirely possible when we're talking about a serial thief."
"Maybe. But it's important to have hope even in the darkest of times." Levi beat his chest with his fist while saying this.
"What children's TV show did you pull that from?"
"The Phantom said that to me a long time ago when-"
I put my hands up to keep him from going on too long. "I don't need another life story; I just need to know what we're going to do about my wallet. Do we just sit on our asses until tomorrow?"
"No, we do some metaphorical digging, so we'll be better prepared tomorrow. Most colleges are outfitted with cameras, especially on a large walkway like this. We'll check those and ask for any information from security that could help us."
"Alright, I can do that." He's a bit psychotic, but I have to say I appreciate his level-headedness. Checking the cameras might even show the thief's face and we won't have to wait till tomorrow to catch them!