I made it to where the hovercraft was sitting with plenty of time left. They had just started occupying the town when I slipped through the hatch. As I made it inside, I realized I should probably let everyone know that there was an invading force outside and opened up the team chat.

  Being rather high was not helping with my problem-solving skills. But it felt amazing, so who gave a damn.

  I leaned against the doorway, scratching my nose as I shot off a message.

  Ren: Hey! Did you guys notice… uhh… what's the member of the Tiānlǜ called that deals with anomalous object research and sales?

  Now that I understood Mandarin, I realized just how silly that name was. Who would seriously call themselves the “Heaven's Law Group?” Sure, it had precedent in the Mandate of Heaven back in the ancient country of China, but… Ah, right, I was in the middle of something.

  Aisling: I believe you are talking about Eightfold Solutions.

  Right! That was their logo! The Bagua or whatever. I knew the symbol and its meaning from the language I stole, but the guy didn't really know much about Taoism. Which was kind of odd, given I was fairly sure it was the state religion.

  Ren: Yes! Eightfold Solutions is occupying the village at the moment. Should we move or kick them out? I'm down for either.

  I kind of really wanted to try out the gun Aisling gave me, but I could be convinced to leave. Given that they had a tank, I was kind of outclassed here. It was hard to control people's minds through a foot of steel.

  I could manage maybe half an inch at most before I lost sight, and even then, I needed to press my face up against it and for the person I was attempting to alter the mind of to be touching the other side.

  Atlas tried to use full-body suits that covered every inch of skin to prevent my Aspect from working. They learned not to trust that pretty fast. I might have been a little overzealous on tearing people's minds apart when I first got there.

  Oh! Fuck I keep forgetting we were in the middle of something.

  Should I use Narcan?

  After a moment of spirited debate with myself, I decided against it. I was going to see if I could get Makesi to lock my System so I couldn't buy any more. Which meant I needed to enjoy this as long as I could, decision-making be damned.

  Makesi: We can't move. This is the best entry point. Unless you'd like to walk for years just to reach the second trial. This is likely why Eightfold Solutions chose to come here as well.

  Makesi: At this point, it may be best to wait and observe. Wholesale slaughter is typically a weapon of last resort. Perhaps they would even be amicable to working together. Who's to say? We even have a translator if you're willing to act as one.

  It was interesting that they chose wholesale slaughter in Atlas’ case. Did every other option not work out with them?

  Well, they did nuke their own city out of spite…

  Vivi: I'm down to smoke them. We got here first, and none of them even have access to Stats. Everyone in this dimension is so weak, I bet it wouldn't even take all that long.

  Makesi: You know, after the disaster in Velgrait, I thought you would have learned that violence isn't always the answer to every problem. What if they have Dusttouched weapons?

  Vivi: Lalalalala, I can't hear you, but even if I could, I would have no idea what you're talking about.

  Alright, whatever. Makesi would figure this out. The chat continued on as they discussed options, but I just walked back to my room. If they needed me, they would let me know.

  Arriving there, I opened the door and stared inside. Immediately, I could tell that this wasn't quite right. It felt like I was forgetting something important, but I couldn't…

  Shit, wait, where's Aurin?

  Ren: Hey, did anyone see Aurin come in?

  There was silence for a little bit while I tapped my finger on the doorway.

  Makesi: I don’t see her on the security logs. Aisling, can you find the girl?

  Aisling: No… I'm sorry, something is blocking my Aspect. I can confirm she's not anywhere in or within one hundred metres of the Modular Transport Habitat. Sorry.

  Ren: Be right back, I'm gonna go kill some people until someone tells me where she is.

  I turned around, walking calmly towards the exit. Ignoring the message pings I was getting from the rest of the team on the way.

  When I arrived, I found Makesi standing in the doorway.

  “We can figure this out without resorting to wanton violence. Just because Aisling can't find her doesn't mean anyone took her. Another factor may be in play here,” he said, but I wasn't in the mood to listen and went to walk past.

  A hand found my shoulder, clutching it like a vice. I instinctively went to lash out at his mind, only stopping at the last second when I reminded myself how much I owed them. It would be improper to repay their kindness with violence.

  “I just want to make sure she's safe. It's my fault she's missing, I shouldn't have left her alone out there,” I said, letting out a shuddering breath. “I just needed… I don't want to leave her behind.”

  “Then we look for her. Wait for Aisling to get here, then we do a coordinated search of the town,” he said, his voice was calm, but his hand never left my shoulder.

  I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me as I untensed. Why was I rushing off on my own when I had a team to help me now? A group of people who understood what I was going through.

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  Looking at him, I knew he'd had to make the hard choice before and leave people he cared about to die on worlds he would never even set foot on again. He didn’t even have an out with them like Aurin and I did, where I could potentially bring her along.

  “Why do you guys act so weird about her? You all basically treat her like she doesn’t exist. The only person who has spoken to her aside from me is Vivi, and I think that’s just because she’s Vivi,” I asked. He removed his hand, and I leaned in on one of his shoulders in return.

  I couldn't even be mad that he was taller than me, despite being fourteen. Vivi was basically my height, and she was biologically twelve.

  He seized up at my touch, which was hilarious. The dude was a team leader of an interdimensional group dedicated to saving worlds from annihilation, but he froze the moment someone made contact with him.

  It felt like the dude needed a hug and for someone to tell him everything was going to be okay. But not right now, and not while I was blitzed.

  “Well?” I asked again, only for him to gently push me away with one hand. As he did, I saw his face. “OH! Wait, you’re going through puberty again, aren’t you? Damn dude, I should have been more mindful, sorry. You know I wouldn't mean it like that, you aren't really my type. Too young for one.”

  “Your pupils are basically pinpoints. Are you high right now?” He was staring directly at me.

  Ah, damn, he got me.

  “Yeah… I was gonna ask about that. Is there a way to lock my System so I can't buy painkillers unless I'm in a situation that requires painkillers?” I scratched the side of my neck as I spoke; it was a good itch.

  “Like Vivi all over again… We really don't need another Velgrait,” Makesi muttered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Alright, give me a moment, I can add purchasing restrictions on addictive pharmacological substances unless they provide a benefit to the Contract. I am required to let you know that if you leave the team, these restrictions will be removed and that the REB is open to continuing doing business unimpeded with you in the future.”

  I shivered as I recalled Vivi's memory. I was a fan of bloodshed now and then, like any normal person, but even I had my limits.

  A window popped up, and I accepted the equivalent of parental mode for drug purchases.

  Wait, was he dodging the question I asked?

  “You never answered my question. Why the fuck are you people so weird around her!” I demanded.

  Makesi let out a sigh and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. His throat warbled a bit when he stuck it out in that way lizards do when stressed.

  I added another point to the ‘used to be a lizard’ tally.

  “It is not uncommon for new Whisperers to unconsciously use their Aspects on another person without realizing they're doing it. If this goes on long enough, the Whisperer and their Second effectively become the same person wearing different skins. The Second becomes devoted to the Whisperer to the point of mania, and their personality is shaped perfectly so that exactly the same thing happens to the Whisperer in return. This leads to the Whisperer effectively brainwashing themselves into loving the person that they created.” Makesi said, as he laid out the issue, my stomach sank. They were weirded out by Aurin’s existence, weren’t they? They’ve been weird around her this whole time, which means they’ve been judging me. Did they see me as a monster for what I did—

  My thought spiral was interrupted when Makesi jabbed my sternum hard, “Ow.”

  “You, however, are not a Whisperer and Aurin may not even be the equivalent of your Second. So the catastrophic consequences of co-dependence with someone you fundamentally cannot afford to bring with you may not even be a problem here. Perhaps it's just that you two trauma-bonded during your time at Atlas? This is still an issue because you’re going to have to let her go at some point, but it isn’t the same problem that Whisperers have. I apologize if we have not been respectful of your relationship partner simply due to the appearance of what it could have been,” Makesi said, but now he was getting the wrong idea. Aurin wasn't a mistake, nor was she just a regular person I trauma-bonded with.

  Well, maybe we trauma-bonded, but she wasn't a regular person.

  “Uhh, yeah, you're right, sort of. Aurin definitely wasn't unintentionally created. I spent a long time building her psyche from the ground up myself. The person who used to own her body is completely dead, and Aurin is the person I built in her place… why are you looking at me like that?” He had gone kind of bug-eyed when I started explaining Aurin to him.

  “You built her mind? From nothing?” He sounded incredulous, not scared or angry. Which was a good thing, I think.

  “Well, I mean, the body still had breathing reflexes installed when I started. I didn't erase those obviously. So, not ‘from nothing’ but effectively sure there was no mind left, and the body was catatonic. Why?” I asked, hoping he wouldn't get mad.

  “What's your Archetype called? Before you say, I want to stress that you don't have to tell me. For most Bearers, this information is incredibly sensitive. It informs whoever holds the knowledge of your key strengths and weaknesses, so I want you to—”

  “Neomemetic Architect (Eunoic),” I said in System Default just so that he would stop rambling. The name in that language was effectively a description of exactly how my ability worked, built out of what I knew of it so far, so I could see why most Bearers wouldn't want that information released.

  But I trusted Makesi. He had a good mind, and I knew he meant well.

  He went bug-eyed for another moment, but this time I was actually paying attention to his mental conceptualization. The moment I spoke, the office workers started rushing around, moving files back and forth as data was being compiled together. When it was finally brought into a folder to the big office at the end of the floor, he finally blinked.

  “Your Aspect isn't fully realized yet, so the System isn't done processing everything. But even if it were, half the information is classified.” Were the first words he spoke when he finally sorted out what he wanted to say. “I'm surprised you were able to figure out how to build an entire person by only interacting with… hmm, that part is classified.”

  I couldn't help but let a stupid grin cross my face. I was good at what I did after all.

  “Do you want me to explain how my Aspect works in detail? I don't mind letting you know.” I asked. Why would information about me be classified? I could rewrite minds, that seemed to be it, and there was already a standard Archetype that could do that in the form of Whisperers. Also, Makesi said most Bearers didn't want their Archetype names getting out. Did that mean most of their Archetypes weren’t classified?

  Makesi said I hadn't fully realized my Aspect. Did that mean there was more for me to learn how to do?

  Thinking back on it, I hadn't really ever been given a chance to work with more than a single person in a room at a time. That's how it always worked at Atlas. I should probably be thinking more creatively than they were.

  “No. If it's classified, then the System did that for a reason. If I am ever to be privy to that knowledge, the definition of your Archetype will update. Don't get a big head about this; information classification can happen to even mundane parts of the System. It's possible all it means is someone at the top of the ladder didn't want some specific implication of your Aspect circulating because it would interfere with whatever power play they're making,” he explained.

  Ugh, corporate politics. Fuck that.

  That he didn’t want to talk about my Aspect was a little disappointing. I wanted to be able to bounce ideas off someone so I could figure out how to use the full breadth of my Aspect.

  Maybe Vivi wouldn't mind doing that with me?

  “Ah, Aisling, you're ready to go?” Makesi said.

  I hadn't even heard her approach, but turning around, there she was. Instead of an anti-materiel rifle slung over her back, she had what appeared to be a submachine gun strapped to her waist.

  She was also wearing a different outfit, this one was all red with white accents, including a capelet and a beret. The stitching seemed designed to hide interlocking plates that I hoped were bulletproof. A pair of striped compression socks went up to her knees.

  “Damn Aisling, are you trying to look cute or is that all tactical somehow?” I asked, because damn it was as if she was trying to go for the E-girl cosplayer vibe with her outfit.

  “I… uh… thanks?” Aisling stuttered out.

  “Alright, let's go find your mental construct before she gets herself into trouble,” Makesi said with a sigh.

  I jabbed my elbow into his ribs to get him back for the dig, only to bend over and hiss as it felt like I slammed my funny bone into a steel wall.

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