Fragment of Destiny
Chapter - 34 Crystal Snatcher

Samuel stood at attention as Dolan put all of the new information into play. The rebel enforcers had been wiped out but the betrayal had crippled the Imperium military. Only eight dusk blades remained and a dozen battle ready skimmers. Yet Dolan seemed un-phased by it all. His focus and determination were a stark contrast to the toxic fear that radiated from all but a few veterans. Samuel was in awe of the man. He was fearless even though the odds were stacked against him and one wrong move in the impending battle could mean the difference between survival or the end. Dolan’s eyes flicked over to Tess who sat just behind his desk. Only when he looked at her did he seem to give off any vestige of fear.

“Sr. Novice Spector, I hereby promote you to the rank of Under Marshal. That will give you the requisition privileges you will need for your next assignment.” Dolan said continuing to type out orders on his terminal. “I want you to look through the records of all citizens who passed the trial of ascension but were later found to have no ability, such as we have here.” He said inclining his head toward Tess before continuing. “Find them and bring them to me immediately.”

“Yes, sir!” Samuel said and snapped off a crisp salute though Dolan never took his eyes from the viewscreen. Samuel didn’t like Dolan using Tess as his personal ward. But at least Dolan’s office was the most fortified place in the city. When things got ugly, and they would get ugly, Tess would be safe here. Samuel’s let his eyes lingered on his friend for a brief second, her head bobbed in exhaustion as she struggled to keep awake. Her icy, almost emotionless state had returned. Pulling his eyes away Samuel let the door slid shut behind him. There was nothing he could do for her now. He had thwarted the assassins, and in turn, she had driven away the mist wraiths. Now it was up to him to find anyone else who could possibly share her miraculous ability. If he could find even one more like her, then maybe they would have a chance of winning this fight.

Two enforcers stood at attention outside the office door, for what little good they would do. Samuel could sense them both jump as he joined them. Their fear was thick like a corrosive smoke clogging the air. Taking a deep breath Samuel mended the cracks in his barrier and hurried away towards the exit.

“Elroy, I need to get the names and locations of anyone who passed the Trial of Ascension but later ended up as a crystal-less, like Tess,” Samuel said using the newly available, enforcer priority channel. The link was silent for a moment before it terminated. Even so, a list of names flashed in his heads-up display before he reached the lobby. The list was short only, six names, Gladys Rena, Mac Meramoth, Seth Coramoth Sr., Arthur Sholts, Alex Teiamoth, and Nato Renkofski. Each one discharged exactly like Tess. Ability: none, status: Crystal-less. Without exception, each person was listed as deceased.

Altogether there had been three suicides, two executions, and the last one, Nato Renkofski, had been killed in combat during the Halsinion war. Suicide was not uncommon for a person who suddenly found themselves a crystal-less, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Corwin had gotten to them first. A moment later he had a link open to Dolan, even if those people were dead maybe their crystals could still be of use.

“Under Marshal Spector, what is it?”

“Six others, sir, all dead. But their crystals-”

“Do it, retrieve the crystals and report back here at once.”

“Yes, sir!” Samuel said the link terminated before the words left his mouth.

Both Mac Meramoth and Seth Coramoth Sr. had been executed so their crystals would be in the impound archive back at the detention center. It was closer than the catacombs so best to check there first. The thought drew his mind back to what Larry had said. Demetrius would be needing his crystal…

Issuing an expropriation hail Samuel rerouted the nearest low priority skimmer to the command center. In only a moment, a silver civilian skimmer came to a stop and an elderly couple was ordered out.

“Officer we haven’t done anything I promise.” The man pleaded as they stepped from the craft. His face and emotions sharing the same fear.

Ignoring the frightened couple Samuel brushed past into the waiting skimmer. Tapping the nav panel, he punched in the route to the detention center.

“What’s going on out there? I heard explosions and shooting earlier.” The driver asked, fear thick in his tone and even thicker in the air.

“Just drive.”

“Was it the malravians?”

“I said just drive!” Samuel shouted. Not the malravians, not yet.

Night was fast approaching as the skimmer pulled up to the detention center. Samuel eyed the lengthening shadow of the rim. There was a weight of urgency with each lost ray of light.

“Wait outside, and keep the skimmer ready,” Samuel said as he flung himself from the craft the moment the hatch opened.

Darkness shrouded the entrance to the detention center. Fear prickled through Samuel, and his barrier wavered. His HUD automatically switched to night vision as he stepped over the body of a fallen enforcer. Inside emergency lighting shone like fireballs at the edges of his vision. The building must have been knocked off the power grid during the fighting. In the eerie light of the night vision, the scene before him looked like it had been ripped straight from a horror story. Bullet holes marred the landscape, and patches of dark blood sprayed the walls and floor alike. Men's dead eyes glistened as they stared up at him, their faces still showing the shock of their final moments. In the distance, the grinding hum of the backup generators rumbled like a bestial growl.

His barrier shattered as terror gripped him, but still, he pressed on. By the time he reached the elevator to the archive room he was sprinting, heedless of any threat that could be waiting in the shadows. Without thought, Samuel punched the access code into the elevators control panel, and for a wonder, it opened. During the brief ride to the archive room, Samuel did his best to regain his composure. He had not felt anyone, it was just him, and he willed himself to believe it.

The elevator stopped and the door opened directly into the dark archive room, no emergency lighting here. Reaching for a light panel near the entrance Samuel tried his luck, nothing. Locating the main archive terminal Samuel breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the faint flicker from this screen indicating standby mode. When the terminal was ready, he tried his login. Normally he would not have been able to access this system at all but with the new rank of under marshal it worked. Quickly he typed the names of the two criminals. Seth Coramoth Sr. # 08741 executed for drug trafficking and arson. Mac Meramoth # 09852 executed for six counts of petty theft and one count murder.

Samuel typed in the retrieval command for the first crystal number, but nothing happened. Turning to the far wall he eyed the rows of inset lockboxes. Entry, 08741 would be in lockbox A76. Finding the box Samuel tried the door. It was still locked though he could feel it give a little as he tried. Not enough that he could hope to force the lock, not without a strength ability, but he wagered the lock was not rated to stop a bullet. Sighting the lock with his v-2 Samuel’s dampeners flared as bits of shrapnel pinged off his armor.

The lockbox door swung open at Samuel’s touch, nothing, save the tortured metal fragments from the lock. Quickly Samuel found the next lockbox and shot it open, empty.

Samuel returned to the archive terminal and pulled up the movement log. Crystal one count, status: retained. It was the same for each with nothing about having the crystals moved to the catacombs along with their ashes. Clearing the list Samuel entered a new name, Demetrius Cross.

Demetrius Cross #09873 execution pending, illegal genetic experimentation and treason. Quickly Samuel scrolled to the movement records for confiscated items. One crystal, status retained. Taking a deep breath Samuel located Demetrius’s lockbox. His dampeners flared again and the door swung on its hinges. Relief crashed over him like a flood as he saw the pristine aqua crystal. Samuel hesitated a moment his hand lingering over the crystal. A small thrill of fear pulsed through him as he scooped it up and quickly placed it in an empty ammunition pouch.

Clearing the search registry Samuel headed for the exit. Again he sprinted down the halls not wishing to spend even an extra second in this forsaken place. Outside the skimmer idled its silver frame blazing with the days last light.

The relief he felt upon seeing the skimmer was washed away by a wave of priority reports. The malravians were attacking, just not in Central. Scattered settlements and townships across the Imperium were being wiped out. Worst of all fleeing refugees had been turned back from the Halsinion border and slaughtered. Leaving Central and the port city of Shale as the only remaining safe havens. Even before Samuel reached the skimmer waves of panic from the driver bounced off his barrier. Sliding inside Samuel leaned forward and quickly touched the back of the man’s neck willing him to calm down. In a moment the cabin was still, the crashing waves of panic replaced by ice.

“Where to sir?” The driver asked.

“The Sector Five Catacombs,” Samuel said and turned his attention back to the stream of reports.

By the time they arrived the sun had set below the lip of the rim shrouding the thirty-foot stone doors in threatening darkness. The sight of the massive doors made Samuel’s skin crawl. He had no desire to enter the catacombs or to take anything from them. The keeper, a tall man in a plain black uniform stood like a sentinel, and he did not look pleased.

“What do the enforcers want with the catacombs? Let the dead be.” The old keeper said.

“I wish I could. But unfortunately, they still have answers we need.”

“The dead will share nothing with you. Let them be.”

“This is an order from the high inquisitor, please open the door so we can both get this over with.”

Hate filled the keeper’s eyes and he radiated disgust even as he placed a wrinkled hand on the first of the two massive draw cables. Unlike everything else in Central, the entrance to the catacombs had never been updated. Those solid doors still had to be opened the old fashion way, and Samuel did not have the strength to do it. The keeper threw the draw cable over his shoulder and in a few powerful strides got the massive door moving. Coiling the cable, the keeper turned and braced himself against the massive swinging weight. With a powerful arm, he brought the door to a halt. There was a majesty to the art of strength the keepers possessed. Even if a person was strong enough to move the doors, without using the proper form they could still be crushed.

“Thank you, keeper. I need to find the shelf of Gladys Rena, Arthur Sholts, and Alex Teiamoth. Can you lead me to them?” Samuel asked.

“This way.” The keeper said waving him inside to a small terminal. With a single finger, one key at a time, the keeper searched the three names. Reaching into the pocket of his uniform he retrieved an old fashion pen and paper with which to jot down the shelf numbers.

The process was agonizingly slow and Samuel began to wonder if the keeper was being deliberate in his sluggishness. The keeper pressed something on the terminal and a single line of old-style lights warmed overhead. A gold tinge filled the air as light reflected off rows of nameplates each affixed with a two-prong crystal setting.

Samuel followed the keeper’s casual pace all the while debating whether or not to just zap the old man into more crisp compliance. The closer they got to the first name the more frequently the keeper stopped to check their progress. Pulling out his slip of paper and squinting at the nearest nameplate before continuing on.

“Impossible…” The keeper mumbled and a wave of shock filled the hall. The keeper ran a trembling hand over two deep gashes in the stone where a setting had been forcibly removed.

“I…I don’t understand. Who would dare do such a thing?” The keeper stammered radiating despair and outrage. “You don’t seem nearly that surprised to find this one empty. What do the enforcers have to do with this?” The keeper asked rounding on Samuel in a fury.

“We believe that someone has found a way to use crystals that are not their own and have been targeting a specific crystal type. Please, we need to check the other two right away.”

The keeper nodded and led the way as fast as his old legs would take him. No longer did the old man radiate hostility but instead Samuel could feel a growing worry akin to a mother who has lost her child in a crowd of strangers. The other two plates had both been violated in the same fashion. At least now Samuel would be spared the defilement of taking the crystals himself. He doubted that the keeper would have just let him take them without forced persuasion, and despite his earlier impatience, it was something he was glad to avoid.

“How! How could this be? I have never neglected my duties in the slightest. Not once has anyone come into these hallowed chambers unattended. Ever!” The keeper said covering his face with his hands.

“Our suspect has the ability to phase through walls keeper. We do not hold you responsible.” Samuel said stopping himself just short of placing a hand on the keeper to comfort him. “All the same, thank you for your cooperation tonight. I must report this to the high inquisitor immediately.”

Samuel sent a comlink to Dolan as he ran for the exit. The connection timed out before he reached the waiting skimmer. A moment later a link came in from Elroy.

“Dolan is tied up right now. I can relay your report. Also, I have new orders for you from up the chain.”

“Is Tess alright?” Samuel asked.

“She’s fine. Dolan just has a lot to deal with right now.”

“Tell Dolan all six were missing. Tess has the only one,” Samuel said.

“Right I’ll relay a recording of this, but right now you need to hurry to the armory and get combat ready. Then report back to Dolan for further instructions.”

“Got it. Elroy, have all the civilians been evacuated?”

“No, most have been taken to the rim, there just aren’t enough skimmers to get everyone to shale. But even so, I am not sure it would be any safer than here.”

“I need you to find someone for me if you can-”

“Ju?”

“Yes, please Elroy, keep her safe.”

“Everything within my power, I promise.”

“Thank you,” Samuel said but the link was already disconnected. “Ju, keep yourself safe,” Samuel whispered. He felt his will waver as stood looking out over the darkening sky. This was really happening.

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