Episode Twelve: It was our destiny to be together... I believe that with all my heart!
I'm back!
Well, I've finally gotten to the point where Homeworld 3 is no longer dominating every waking moment of my free time. I had an epic week finally getting to play the game I've waited over twenty years for. The game also gave me several ideas for my next Stellaris story that are now safely stashed away in my notebook.
Some housekeeping notes before we start:
This chapter contains a brief discussion about events in one of my other fanfictions called Finding Love Under the Winter Star. It is a short story based on Stardew Valley. The story is not located on the Paradox Forums and can only be found on my Ao3 page. (Archive of Our Own Link here) I do know that some people might be curious about the full details, so you will find a SPOILER button at the very end of this chapter.
Hidden behind the SPOILER button will be Chapter 6 of Finding Love Under the Winter Star. This chapter contains the events that will be referenced and discussed during today's post.
The Broken Gates
Episode Twelve: It was our destiny to be together... I believe that with all my heart!
Aisling
Creation
The bAAR, Paradox Interactive Forums
Aisling’s curiosity got the best of her. When Cali gave the order to hide, she refused.
Still in the form of a mouse, Aisling extricated herself from Marisol’s grip and scampered down one of her pant legs, causing the unsuspecting young woman to yelp in surprise. In seconds, Aisling managed to conceal herself beneath a forgotten napkin with a good view of the door… and what happened next.
The men and women of Cali’s team quickly escorted everyone out of the room. In moments, Cali and four of her teammates were the only people in the bAAR, save for the old caretaker of the Inkwell, who totally ignored the proceedings and carried on with his own work as though nothing interesting was happening at all. A moment later, the heavy oak door was pushed open and three people entered.
Two of them were members of Cali’s team, and they were escorting a woman.
Is it that Tenna girl? Aisling asked herself. She definitely looks like a Creation.
Aisling sniffed the air. Something about this new woman was just a little off. Aisling had shapeshifted into several animals by this point and discovered that Creations like herself had a very distinct scent that she could recognize. It was not a conventional odor or a strong smell, but rather… a general atmosphere of un-belonging that all Creations carried with them. Even Cali emitted this strange aura.
The newcomer was an adult woman wearing a red dress. Her messy bright blue hair stood out in the dim light, causing Aisling to mistake her for Tenna for the second time in as many minutes. The fairy was not alone in her mistake.
“Is that Tenna Annora? From Song of the Solitaire?” One of Cali’s men asked.
“Don’t think so.” A female trooper replied. “Her color palette is reversed: Red dress, blue hair. Tenna has red hair and a blue dress.”
Cali raised a hand.
“That’s close enough. Tell me your name before we do anything else.”
The woman put her fingers together and fidgeted nervously before speaking in a soft but unexpectedly mature voice:
“My name is Emily. I’m Hayley’s sister. I’m looking for my boyfriend, Blake. Someone told me he was here… and that… he’s… uh… a Creator… My Creator.”
From her hiding place, Aisling had to suppress a squeak of confused surprise. In her own world, the term “boyfriend” did not exist, so she was momentarily lost until one of Cali’s teammates let out a laugh and said:
“Wait… hold on a second, can you say that again? I just… I need to hear it again.”
He was fiddling with his smartphone, trying to set up audio recording app. Emily’s face seemed to light up with emotion.
“Blake and I are in love.” Emily said. “I heard he was going to propose to me after the Feast of the Winter Star, but then I met the woman in the military uniform. She told me that this was where Blake comes from, and… and she said…”
Emily trailed off, her face turning as red as her outfit. When Cali spoke, her voice trembled from suppressed emotion.
“Get that idiotic writer in here. Now.” Cali hissed.
Blake was pulled out of the Inkwell. Marisol followed closely behind, looking curious. Aisling briefly lost her sense of self, transforming into a swirling red vapor before reforming as a young girl, seated on a barstool and looking extremely interested. Emily saw this and clapped her hands with an excited smile on her face.
“Oh! Oh! Forest magic!” Emily declared, looking at Aisling. “Are you one of the Junimos I’ve heard about?”
“What?” Was all Aisling could say.
Unlike all of Blake’s other Creations, Aisling found this Emily person very hard to read. There was something off about her… Emily’s very nature as a Creation did not match that of everyone else.
When Blake entered the main dining area, he saw Emily and the color seemed to drain out of his face. He tried to back off, to hide, but Cali would not allow it. As soon as she saw him, Emily reacted with a very strong show of affection.
“Blake! I found you!” Emily cried. “I’m so happy.”
“Hello, Emily.” Blake said.
Cali rounded on Blake, grabbed him by the front of his jacket and spoke in an angry rumble:
“So, that’s one of the characters you made up as a love interest for yourself. Listen up: now that she’s here, she’s an individual with human rights that must be respected. If I get word that you’ve done or said anything to her that-”
“You don’t have to tell me.” Blake interrupted. “I’m way ahead of you there.”
“So you wrote a story where she fell in love with you?” Aisling asked, pointing at Emily.
Emily was now blushing so furiously that her face resembled a tomato.
“Wait…” Emily said slowly. “You know about us?”
“I do!” Marisol said, raising her hand and failing to realize that she was not being helpful. “Finding Love Under the Winter Star is such a sweet little story. I thought your love scene with Blake in the sleeping bag was so cute!”
Emily began to lose her composure. She held her hands to her mouth, eyes wide and starting to fill with tears. She was hyperaware of the SWAT team members snickering and laughing. Then one of the troopers said:
“Robinson hit that? Nice!”
Cali reached across and smacked the man in the face.
“Use your brain for once!” Cali snapped. “From her point of view, this is like her secret diary being exposed to the whole damn world! Have some fucking courtesy!”
Then Cali turned to Emily.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
Emily shook her head, and then tried to approach Blake. Cali blocked her.
“But it makes so much sense… Blake being my author.” Emily said. “It was our destiny to be together... I believe that with all my heart!”
Aisling looked over Emily’s shoulder and realized that Blake was extremely uncomfortable. He mouthed the words “don’t have the guts to tell her.” Marisol picked up on this and tried to run interference.
“Ah… Emily. A lot of characters Blake created have been popping up in the real world lately. You’re not the first, and we’re planning to move all of you somewhere else for your own safety. Why don’t you go upstairs and meet everyone else?”
Aisling hopped down from the barstool and approached Emily. The new Creation was significantly taller than the fairy, so Aisling pulled at the hem of Emily’s dress to get her attention.
“Come on. Come with me.” Aisling said.
“Yes, go with Aisling.” Blake said. “We’ll deal with all of this when we get to Stockholm.”
Aisling started to gently pull Emily toward the outside door and staircase. Emily held out her hand as though begging Blake to touch her just once. Aisling tugged harder.
“Very well, little forest spirit. Lead on.” Emily sighed in a resigned tone.
The last thing Aisling heard as she pulled Emily out of the room was the custodian of the Inkwell speaking to Blake and Cali:
“Just so you know, we’re taking that intrusion into the SolAARium very seriously. Security has been tightened. Forum users and Paradox employees are still permitted to use the passageway to Stockholm, but all Creations are going to be banned starting tonight. They’ll have to get to Paradox HQ another way.”
…
Upstairs, Aisling led Emily to the apartment where the female Creations were confined. To her surprise, she discovered that the room was full to capacity. At some point, all of the male creations had joined their female counterparts in the apartment.
“So, who’s the new girl?” Varian asked.
Aisling felt a wave of Psionic energy cross the room. Sebakhira and Kanti were both trying to read Emily’s mind. Emily herself was staring hard at the sight of the lion and peahen, her mouth agape.
“What a beautiful bird!” Emily exclaimed.
“Oh, you flatter me.” Kanti said. “It’s the males of my species who are beautiful. We hens are rather dull.”
“You’re taking all of this pretty well.” Trig commented.
“Maybe she’s from a story where talking lions and peacocks are normal?” Mina suggested.
Emily put her hands together and smiled.
“Stardew Valley is a place of magic and wonder.” Emily said. “I’ve been able to talk to plants all my life. Why not animals in this place too?”
Sebakhira’s eyes widened.
“I don’t sense any Psionic aptitude in you. How is this possible?” The lioness inquired.
“Probably a quirk of her own story.” Trig replied with a shrug. “Playing by different rules than the rest of us.”
Kanti suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Everyone turned to look at her. Aisling felt the blood drain out of her own face.
“Or…” Kanti said, trying and failing to suppress a cackle, “Maybe she gets special treatment because-”
“Stop!” Aisling raised her voice.
It was so uncommon for the little fairy to shout that Kanti immediately took notice. Now all of the Creations had their eyes on Aisling.
Aisling knew that Kanti and Sebakhira were mind-readers, and had probably already found the compromising knowledge discussed downstairs.
“They already talked about that below.” Aisling said in a meek tone. “Emily doesn’t need to be tormented again.”
Emily, blushing once more, mouthed the words “Thank you.”
…
Tenna Annora
Creation
Rotholmen, Sweden
The view was so incredible that Tenna forgot about the cold. She was standing in front of the construction site, located near the center of a small forested island, and using a tablet computer to watch the video feed from a drone high above her head.
The drone itself was made up of several million microscopic nanobots, drawn directly from the Nanite Armor worn by Cassandra Espinosa, who was standing nearby as she controlled the drone.
“I’ve never seen so many islands in my life.” Tenna breathed. “It’s like the city itself has merged with the sea.”
Behind Tenna and Cassandra, Whetu Kealoha and Akira Robinson used Telekinesis to lift a heavy component into place. For the first time, the newest addition to the Broken Gates actually looked like… well… a Gate.
The ring-shaped structure was not complete. More work had to be done, more materials delivered. Akira pulled out her Return Beacon and clicked it. A Vortex Portal appeared and quickly swallowed up herself and Whetu, leaving Cassandra and Tenna alone on the island.
“Bring the drone a little further to the north.” Tenna said. “I want to take another look at that one island completely covered in cityscape.”
“The one with the disc golf park and football pitch?” Cassandra asked.
“Yeah, that one.”
The drone banked right, putting the Swedish Parliament, Royal Palace, and Nobel Prize Museum on its left and flew south.
“Wait a second.” Tenna said. “Slow down. I saw something. Come to the right by seven degrees.”
Cassandra nodded and closed her eyes. All of her nanobots were controlled via implants in her brain, so making this change was as simple as allowing an idea to come to her mind. Tenna focused hard on the screen.
“Lose some altitude. Come down to fifty meters.” Tenna said. “Camera angle down another ten degrees please. Slow down. One more degree to the right. Slow down again. Oh, holy Saida! Stop! Stop when you’re over the hospital and turn one-hundred degrees to your right!”
Tenna was breathing faster now. Cassandra was getting excited as well.
“Do you see it!?” Tenna asked. “There’s a skybridge connecting those two buildings. The south structure is right next to the hospital, the north structure is across the street. Get closer to that skybridge!”
Cassandra complied.
The skybridge had two levels, as though it was simultaneously connecting two different floors of each building to each other. On the upper level, just faintly visible in the early morning light… was a round symbol.
“Is that what I think it is?” Cassandra said. “Is that a picture of a platypus fossil?”
Cassandra decided to take a large risk. Her drone descended to just above street level. Several Swedish people, commuting to work in the early morning, noticed the drone and looked up, pointing at it. Cassandra and Tenna ignored them. They guided the drone to the entrance of the southern building.
The glass front door, at street level, had the words Stockholms Verken written in white letters just above a warning sign about closed-circuit security cameras. There was a keypad and intercom button to the left of the door. To the right was a black sign with orange letters. The black sign said this:
Magnus Ladulåsgatan 4
6.
5.
4.
3. Paradox Interactive
2.
1. Trimero
Cassandra and Tenna grabbed one another, jumping and cheering for joy.
They had found it.
Day 24 of Winter, Year 1
10:30pm
Hidden away in a far corner of the forest, the dim light of a campfire illuminated the Secret Woods.
A purple tent stood in a clearing, its fabric adorned with a pattern of stars that evoked the beautiful night sky above. Emily and Blake, dressed from head to foot in heavy winter gear, huddled next to each other by the fire. A cookout kit simmered away, gently wafting steam into the air as a pot of stew brewed. One of the two sleeping bags was still rolled up beside the tent. The couple were more interested in the fire at the moment… and each other.
“Well, this is fun, isn’t it?” Emily asked, taking a sip of hot cocoa from her mug.
Blake did the same. He was happy to be away from the farm and all of his worries for a few hours, happier still to be spending that time with someone he loved. Emily looked around at the surrounding forest. The light of the campfire only went so far, and the darkness pressed in from all sides.
“Kind of spooky, actually…” Emily said, her voice a little quieter and fluttery like a bird.
There was a deep grumbling sound in the distance. Blake and Emily stood closer together and drank more cocoa. Emily took a deep breath and downed her beverage completely, setting her mug in the snow beside the fire. Her face flushed and she whispered:
“Heh… it’s chilly out here...”
There was a crunching sound in the snow.
Emily was a little closer. Blake felt his face get hot.
More crunching.
Closer still. Blake’s heart started to race.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Emily started to wrap her left arm around Blake’s right arm. Thinking quickly, he transferred his hot cocoa to his left hand and allowed Emily to continue.
Emily closed her eyes and put her head on Blake’s shoulder. He relaxed, holding onto Emily, trying to savor the moment as long as he could.
There was another crunching sound; but this time Emily had not moved. Blake and Emily opened their eyes and looked around to see what was making this new noise.
All Blake saw was a huge mass of fur and a big black nose. He and Emily both screamed and ran inside the tent, zipping the door shut behind them. As he fled, Blake dropped his mug into the fire. The campfire let out a loud hissing sound as it was doused. Then, Blake and Emily were in the tent together, huddled on top of the sleeping bag and holding onto one another for dear life. Outside, the pair could hear the sounds of the cookout kit being knocked over.
“A bear!” Emily gasped. “I hope he’s not hungry.”
Emily grabbed the corner of the sleeping bag and tried to pull it over herself, in much the same way a child hides under the bedcovers. She tugged and tugged for a moment before realizing Blake was sitting on top of it.
“Hold on…” Blake muttered, looking around.
After a moment, their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Emily and Blake could see again. They could also hear the sound of the bear moving away, deeper into the forest.
“Oh, the other sleeping bag is still outside.” Emily breathed. “No way am I going back out there!”
“Neither am I!” Blake replied. “I won’t leave you alone, not now.”
Blake and Emily held onto each other for a few minutes. Even though the campfire was extinguished and snow was falling on the tent, Blake noticed that Emily felt very warm. He did not want to let go of her. She looked up at him and said:
“Um… Blake? You don’t mind sharing a sleeping bag with me, do you?”
…
Blake and Emily stayed together most of the night, enjoying each other’s company as much as they could. But eventually, they both needed to go home. If they stayed out here, the tent would be buried in snow by sunrise. Of course, at 2 o’clock in the morning, both Blake and Emily were very tired and worn out, so certain details of the night were lost to them.
But there were two very important things Blake remembered:
First, when he extracted himself from the sleeping bag to find his sweater, he doubled back to Emily, kissed her and said: “I love you.”
Second, about an hour later, when Blake dropped Emily off at her own house in the dead of night, she had kissed him back and said: “I love you.”
By the time Blake returned to Solitaire Farm, it was three in the morning. He collapsed into his bed without so much as removing his boots. Blake knew, just before he passed out, that he would gladly suffer such intense exhaustion again if it meant another night like this one.
Well, I've finally gotten to the point where Homeworld 3 is no longer dominating every waking moment of my free time. I had an epic week finally getting to play the game I've waited over twenty years for. The game also gave me several ideas for my next Stellaris story that are now safely stashed away in my notebook.
Some housekeeping notes before we start:
This chapter contains a brief discussion about events in one of my other fanfictions called Finding Love Under the Winter Star. It is a short story based on Stardew Valley. The story is not located on the Paradox Forums and can only be found on my Ao3 page. (Archive of Our Own Link here) I do know that some people might be curious about the full details, so you will find a SPOILER button at the very end of this chapter.
Hidden behind the SPOILER button will be Chapter 6 of Finding Love Under the Winter Star. This chapter contains the events that will be referenced and discussed during today's post.
The Broken Gates
Episode Twelve: It was our destiny to be together... I believe that with all my heart!
Aisling
Creation
The bAAR, Paradox Interactive Forums
Aisling’s curiosity got the best of her. When Cali gave the order to hide, she refused.
Still in the form of a mouse, Aisling extricated herself from Marisol’s grip and scampered down one of her pant legs, causing the unsuspecting young woman to yelp in surprise. In seconds, Aisling managed to conceal herself beneath a forgotten napkin with a good view of the door… and what happened next.
The men and women of Cali’s team quickly escorted everyone out of the room. In moments, Cali and four of her teammates were the only people in the bAAR, save for the old caretaker of the Inkwell, who totally ignored the proceedings and carried on with his own work as though nothing interesting was happening at all. A moment later, the heavy oak door was pushed open and three people entered.
Two of them were members of Cali’s team, and they were escorting a woman.
Is it that Tenna girl? Aisling asked herself. She definitely looks like a Creation.
Aisling sniffed the air. Something about this new woman was just a little off. Aisling had shapeshifted into several animals by this point and discovered that Creations like herself had a very distinct scent that she could recognize. It was not a conventional odor or a strong smell, but rather… a general atmosphere of un-belonging that all Creations carried with them. Even Cali emitted this strange aura.
The newcomer was an adult woman wearing a red dress. Her messy bright blue hair stood out in the dim light, causing Aisling to mistake her for Tenna for the second time in as many minutes. The fairy was not alone in her mistake.
“Is that Tenna Annora? From Song of the Solitaire?” One of Cali’s men asked.
“Don’t think so.” A female trooper replied. “Her color palette is reversed: Red dress, blue hair. Tenna has red hair and a blue dress.”
Cali raised a hand.
“That’s close enough. Tell me your name before we do anything else.”
The woman put her fingers together and fidgeted nervously before speaking in a soft but unexpectedly mature voice:
“My name is Emily. I’m Hayley’s sister. I’m looking for my boyfriend, Blake. Someone told me he was here… and that… he’s… uh… a Creator… My Creator.”
From her hiding place, Aisling had to suppress a squeak of confused surprise. In her own world, the term “boyfriend” did not exist, so she was momentarily lost until one of Cali’s teammates let out a laugh and said:
“Wait… hold on a second, can you say that again? I just… I need to hear it again.”
He was fiddling with his smartphone, trying to set up audio recording app. Emily’s face seemed to light up with emotion.
“Blake and I are in love.” Emily said. “I heard he was going to propose to me after the Feast of the Winter Star, but then I met the woman in the military uniform. She told me that this was where Blake comes from, and… and she said…”
Emily trailed off, her face turning as red as her outfit. When Cali spoke, her voice trembled from suppressed emotion.
“Get that idiotic writer in here. Now.” Cali hissed.
Blake was pulled out of the Inkwell. Marisol followed closely behind, looking curious. Aisling briefly lost her sense of self, transforming into a swirling red vapor before reforming as a young girl, seated on a barstool and looking extremely interested. Emily saw this and clapped her hands with an excited smile on her face.
“Oh! Oh! Forest magic!” Emily declared, looking at Aisling. “Are you one of the Junimos I’ve heard about?”
“What?” Was all Aisling could say.
Unlike all of Blake’s other Creations, Aisling found this Emily person very hard to read. There was something off about her… Emily’s very nature as a Creation did not match that of everyone else.
When Blake entered the main dining area, he saw Emily and the color seemed to drain out of his face. He tried to back off, to hide, but Cali would not allow it. As soon as she saw him, Emily reacted with a very strong show of affection.
“Blake! I found you!” Emily cried. “I’m so happy.”
“Hello, Emily.” Blake said.
Cali rounded on Blake, grabbed him by the front of his jacket and spoke in an angry rumble:
“So, that’s one of the characters you made up as a love interest for yourself. Listen up: now that she’s here, she’s an individual with human rights that must be respected. If I get word that you’ve done or said anything to her that-”
“You don’t have to tell me.” Blake interrupted. “I’m way ahead of you there.”
“So you wrote a story where she fell in love with you?” Aisling asked, pointing at Emily.
Emily was now blushing so furiously that her face resembled a tomato.
“Wait…” Emily said slowly. “You know about us?”
“I do!” Marisol said, raising her hand and failing to realize that she was not being helpful. “Finding Love Under the Winter Star is such a sweet little story. I thought your love scene with Blake in the sleeping bag was so cute!”
Emily began to lose her composure. She held her hands to her mouth, eyes wide and starting to fill with tears. She was hyperaware of the SWAT team members snickering and laughing. Then one of the troopers said:
“Robinson hit that? Nice!”
Cali reached across and smacked the man in the face.
“Use your brain for once!” Cali snapped. “From her point of view, this is like her secret diary being exposed to the whole damn world! Have some fucking courtesy!”
Then Cali turned to Emily.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
Emily shook her head, and then tried to approach Blake. Cali blocked her.
“But it makes so much sense… Blake being my author.” Emily said. “It was our destiny to be together... I believe that with all my heart!”
Aisling looked over Emily’s shoulder and realized that Blake was extremely uncomfortable. He mouthed the words “don’t have the guts to tell her.” Marisol picked up on this and tried to run interference.
“Ah… Emily. A lot of characters Blake created have been popping up in the real world lately. You’re not the first, and we’re planning to move all of you somewhere else for your own safety. Why don’t you go upstairs and meet everyone else?”
Aisling hopped down from the barstool and approached Emily. The new Creation was significantly taller than the fairy, so Aisling pulled at the hem of Emily’s dress to get her attention.
“Come on. Come with me.” Aisling said.
“Yes, go with Aisling.” Blake said. “We’ll deal with all of this when we get to Stockholm.”
Aisling started to gently pull Emily toward the outside door and staircase. Emily held out her hand as though begging Blake to touch her just once. Aisling tugged harder.
“Very well, little forest spirit. Lead on.” Emily sighed in a resigned tone.
The last thing Aisling heard as she pulled Emily out of the room was the custodian of the Inkwell speaking to Blake and Cali:
“Just so you know, we’re taking that intrusion into the SolAARium very seriously. Security has been tightened. Forum users and Paradox employees are still permitted to use the passageway to Stockholm, but all Creations are going to be banned starting tonight. They’ll have to get to Paradox HQ another way.”
…
Upstairs, Aisling led Emily to the apartment where the female Creations were confined. To her surprise, she discovered that the room was full to capacity. At some point, all of the male creations had joined their female counterparts in the apartment.
“So, who’s the new girl?” Varian asked.
Aisling felt a wave of Psionic energy cross the room. Sebakhira and Kanti were both trying to read Emily’s mind. Emily herself was staring hard at the sight of the lion and peahen, her mouth agape.
“What a beautiful bird!” Emily exclaimed.
“Oh, you flatter me.” Kanti said. “It’s the males of my species who are beautiful. We hens are rather dull.”
“You’re taking all of this pretty well.” Trig commented.
“Maybe she’s from a story where talking lions and peacocks are normal?” Mina suggested.
Emily put her hands together and smiled.
“Stardew Valley is a place of magic and wonder.” Emily said. “I’ve been able to talk to plants all my life. Why not animals in this place too?”
Sebakhira’s eyes widened.
“I don’t sense any Psionic aptitude in you. How is this possible?” The lioness inquired.
“Probably a quirk of her own story.” Trig replied with a shrug. “Playing by different rules than the rest of us.”
Kanti suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Everyone turned to look at her. Aisling felt the blood drain out of her own face.
“Or…” Kanti said, trying and failing to suppress a cackle, “Maybe she gets special treatment because-”
“Stop!” Aisling raised her voice.
It was so uncommon for the little fairy to shout that Kanti immediately took notice. Now all of the Creations had their eyes on Aisling.
Aisling knew that Kanti and Sebakhira were mind-readers, and had probably already found the compromising knowledge discussed downstairs.
“They already talked about that below.” Aisling said in a meek tone. “Emily doesn’t need to be tormented again.”
Emily, blushing once more, mouthed the words “Thank you.”
…
Tenna Annora
Creation
Rotholmen, Sweden
The view was so incredible that Tenna forgot about the cold. She was standing in front of the construction site, located near the center of a small forested island, and using a tablet computer to watch the video feed from a drone high above her head.
The drone itself was made up of several million microscopic nanobots, drawn directly from the Nanite Armor worn by Cassandra Espinosa, who was standing nearby as she controlled the drone.
“I’ve never seen so many islands in my life.” Tenna breathed. “It’s like the city itself has merged with the sea.”
Behind Tenna and Cassandra, Whetu Kealoha and Akira Robinson used Telekinesis to lift a heavy component into place. For the first time, the newest addition to the Broken Gates actually looked like… well… a Gate.
The ring-shaped structure was not complete. More work had to be done, more materials delivered. Akira pulled out her Return Beacon and clicked it. A Vortex Portal appeared and quickly swallowed up herself and Whetu, leaving Cassandra and Tenna alone on the island.
“Bring the drone a little further to the north.” Tenna said. “I want to take another look at that one island completely covered in cityscape.”
“The one with the disc golf park and football pitch?” Cassandra asked.
“Yeah, that one.”
The drone banked right, putting the Swedish Parliament, Royal Palace, and Nobel Prize Museum on its left and flew south.
“Wait a second.” Tenna said. “Slow down. I saw something. Come to the right by seven degrees.”
Cassandra nodded and closed her eyes. All of her nanobots were controlled via implants in her brain, so making this change was as simple as allowing an idea to come to her mind. Tenna focused hard on the screen.
“Lose some altitude. Come down to fifty meters.” Tenna said. “Camera angle down another ten degrees please. Slow down. One more degree to the right. Slow down again. Oh, holy Saida! Stop! Stop when you’re over the hospital and turn one-hundred degrees to your right!”
Tenna was breathing faster now. Cassandra was getting excited as well.
“Do you see it!?” Tenna asked. “There’s a skybridge connecting those two buildings. The south structure is right next to the hospital, the north structure is across the street. Get closer to that skybridge!”
Cassandra complied.
The skybridge had two levels, as though it was simultaneously connecting two different floors of each building to each other. On the upper level, just faintly visible in the early morning light… was a round symbol.
“Is that what I think it is?” Cassandra said. “Is that a picture of a platypus fossil?”
Cassandra decided to take a large risk. Her drone descended to just above street level. Several Swedish people, commuting to work in the early morning, noticed the drone and looked up, pointing at it. Cassandra and Tenna ignored them. They guided the drone to the entrance of the southern building.
The glass front door, at street level, had the words Stockholms Verken written in white letters just above a warning sign about closed-circuit security cameras. There was a keypad and intercom button to the left of the door. To the right was a black sign with orange letters. The black sign said this:
Magnus Ladulåsgatan 4
6.
5.
4.
3. Paradox Interactive
2.
1. Trimero
Cassandra and Tenna grabbed one another, jumping and cheering for joy.
They had found it.
Chapter 6
Cindersap Forest
Day 24 of Winter, Year 1
10:30pm
Hidden away in a far corner of the forest, the dim light of a campfire illuminated the Secret Woods.
A purple tent stood in a clearing, its fabric adorned with a pattern of stars that evoked the beautiful night sky above. Emily and Blake, dressed from head to foot in heavy winter gear, huddled next to each other by the fire. A cookout kit simmered away, gently wafting steam into the air as a pot of stew brewed. One of the two sleeping bags was still rolled up beside the tent. The couple were more interested in the fire at the moment… and each other.
“Well, this is fun, isn’t it?” Emily asked, taking a sip of hot cocoa from her mug.
Blake did the same. He was happy to be away from the farm and all of his worries for a few hours, happier still to be spending that time with someone he loved. Emily looked around at the surrounding forest. The light of the campfire only went so far, and the darkness pressed in from all sides.
“Kind of spooky, actually…” Emily said, her voice a little quieter and fluttery like a bird.
There was a deep grumbling sound in the distance. Blake and Emily stood closer together and drank more cocoa. Emily took a deep breath and downed her beverage completely, setting her mug in the snow beside the fire. Her face flushed and she whispered:
“Heh… it’s chilly out here...”
There was a crunching sound in the snow.
Emily was a little closer. Blake felt his face get hot.
More crunching.
Closer still. Blake’s heart started to race.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Emily started to wrap her left arm around Blake’s right arm. Thinking quickly, he transferred his hot cocoa to his left hand and allowed Emily to continue.
Emily closed her eyes and put her head on Blake’s shoulder. He relaxed, holding onto Emily, trying to savor the moment as long as he could.
There was another crunching sound; but this time Emily had not moved. Blake and Emily opened their eyes and looked around to see what was making this new noise.
All Blake saw was a huge mass of fur and a big black nose. He and Emily both screamed and ran inside the tent, zipping the door shut behind them. As he fled, Blake dropped his mug into the fire. The campfire let out a loud hissing sound as it was doused. Then, Blake and Emily were in the tent together, huddled on top of the sleeping bag and holding onto one another for dear life. Outside, the pair could hear the sounds of the cookout kit being knocked over.
“A bear!” Emily gasped. “I hope he’s not hungry.”
Emily grabbed the corner of the sleeping bag and tried to pull it over herself, in much the same way a child hides under the bedcovers. She tugged and tugged for a moment before realizing Blake was sitting on top of it.
“Hold on…” Blake muttered, looking around.
After a moment, their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Emily and Blake could see again. They could also hear the sound of the bear moving away, deeper into the forest.
“Oh, the other sleeping bag is still outside.” Emily breathed. “No way am I going back out there!”
“Neither am I!” Blake replied. “I won’t leave you alone, not now.”
Blake and Emily held onto each other for a few minutes. Even though the campfire was extinguished and snow was falling on the tent, Blake noticed that Emily felt very warm. He did not want to let go of her. She looked up at him and said:
“Um… Blake? You don’t mind sharing a sleeping bag with me, do you?”
…
Blake and Emily stayed together most of the night, enjoying each other’s company as much as they could. But eventually, they both needed to go home. If they stayed out here, the tent would be buried in snow by sunrise. Of course, at 2 o’clock in the morning, both Blake and Emily were very tired and worn out, so certain details of the night were lost to them.
But there were two very important things Blake remembered:
First, when he extracted himself from the sleeping bag to find his sweater, he doubled back to Emily, kissed her and said: “I love you.”
Second, about an hour later, when Blake dropped Emily off at her own house in the dead of night, she had kissed him back and said: “I love you.”
By the time Blake returned to Solitaire Farm, it was three in the morning. He collapsed into his bed without so much as removing his boots. Blake knew, just before he passed out, that he would gladly suffer such intense exhaustion again if it meant another night like this one.
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