Chapter Text
Forty Eight
Eventually she received water. A woman in a lab coat gave her the small cup, using a slim device soon after to scan her body. The green light that glowed from it switched to a striking red as soon as it reached the crown of her head. She was allowed to stand during the process, temporarily relieving the soreness in her glutes. Once her task was complete, the woman took her empty cup then wordlessly left; it felt as if she was actively avoiding Mina’s questioning eyes.
With the exception of relieving herself in the tiny commode in the corner, she wasn’t allowed to pace around the room. The enforcers placed their restrictive metal arms in front of her the minute she tried to advance towards the tinted glass window. Mina grumbled curses to herself as she slowly spun around for the sake of her muscles and feet before sitting back down.
She thought back to when Caleb walked in- before the scientist scanned her- with his signature stiff posture and unfriendly gaze. Their exchange was more brief than the first.
“A bet was placed on you,” he had said to her. Mina tilted her head for further clarification. “It was whether you’d take the bait in Charon or change your plans. Seems to be that they were right about you.”
“Quite cryptic,” Mina commented, the lack of clarification making her patience wane. “What are you hoping to gain from me, then?” The tiniest uptilt in the leftmost corner of his mouth was the equivalent of a muscle twitch.
“I ask the questions here,” he reminded sharply. “But I’m starting to see the bigger picture.”
He left soon after, leaving Mina in contemplation for another set of hours. The fluorescent lights made it difficult to properly rest which nearly made her wish that she had a bit more of that serum until something eventful happened.
Long gaps of time passed before Caleb entered once more. He typically walked the purpose of a man on an itinerary, but she noticed a drastic change. He entered with careful steps, taking his time to slide a metal chair across from her. He sat down, the motion careful like a practiced soldier.
He only had interest in staring into her eyes, and she wordlessly returned the favor. It was eerie how she could only throw out baseless theories for what could be going through his head. She wondered if he was ever punished for smiling or showing discomfort during his conditioning that could have led to the offputting gaze she held with Mina’s.
“You don’t have an Aether Core.” He said with a level voice.
It must have been what the scan was for. She remained quiet, wondering where he was going with the topic.
“You knew this. That is why you are quiet.”
Mina’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t know what an Aether Core is,” she lied. “I would have known if I had one otherwise.”
If he was not convinced, he didn’t show it. He placed his hands on his knees to hoist himself up, making a swift motion with his hand. The Deepspace Enforcers immediately moved to stand on each side of the chair he once sat in. With his hands behind his back, he circled her, peering into every nook and cranny for any evidence of her identity. Mina’s gut screamed with uneasiness, using all of her consciousness to focus on the glass in front of her while circled. Each step felt like a threat to her safety.
“The person who has it…” he trailed. There was a significant change in his voice— the detached tone replaced with a thoughtful enunciation. “…looks just like you. Were you aware of that?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not aware of this person, either.”
“Your level of surveillance on them says otherwise.”
“Oh?” She said, layering the thick levels of anxiety with an apathetic tone. It didn’t surprise her that they knew of her antics, but the premise of what was happening began to dawn on her. “Then it should be her in my place. I offer nothing. I resemble her, but that doesn’t mean much. Unless…the ‘bet’ was to see who would come to Charon.”
That seemed to land, scoring faltered footsteps behind her.
“For all we know,” Caleb said slowly. “You could be trying to be her.”
“Which is why I'm here. You see me as a threat to this supposed Aether Core. To her.” It was unclear what they planned to do with it, but what she verbalized made the most sense. M.C. was involved in a complex situation as the bearer of a source of power. What she held within her was enough to alter, create, and destroy realms with the will of her EVOL. M.C. was powerful, but it a grave cost; stability and normalcy.
When it came to Caleb, she wondered if he- or EVER- wanted that power for themselves. Her understanding of the group was admittedly vague, but this was her chance to dive into why they cared enough about M.C. to kidnap her. A huge mystery still revolved around his meeting with Natalia— a woman that held more secrets than answers.
“And if you were to accomplish your goal, what would go in your favor?” He asked. There was a subtle tightness in his voice that could be mistaken as a harsh interrogator’s demand.
“My goal,” She began, tapering off as she thought of a way to respond. Her mission was not to steal the Aether Core, but to utilize it. There was something wrong with her body; the antagonistic voices were eerily quiet, and her Vapor was significantly weaker. Hunger pangs were replaced with a biting chill felt deep in her bones. The gun Sylus gifted her offered temporary relief but was not the answer. When she laid at night, it was as if her body yearned to join the spirits she left behind.
Mina’s lack of control over the changes scared her for what was to come.
“My goal is to keep her safe.”
Her answer echoed and settled into nothingness. She couldn’t hear a singular breath behind her, but her own felt too loud. Too noticeable. Slowly, Mina turned her head to look at Caleb.
She could finally read something in his expression. The slight arch in both brows. Pupils showcasing full roundness. The neutral plane of his mouth morphing into a frown. It all screamed one feeling: shock.
It wiped from his face once his eyes briefly closed. The security camera could only see the back of his head, unable to film the critical moment in its entirety.
“They were right: you’re gullible.”
He disappeared from the room, the retreating sound of his brisk footsteps gradually being overpowered by the fluorescent light’s hum.