But Ta’Zan never did anything out of the sheer goodness of his heart, and I didn’t think Amal knew anything about it. “What’s the recipe?” I asked. “Did you make it?”
“No. He gave me the quantities and preparation instructions. He came up with the composition,” she said.
Ta’Zan was doing something with these pills for Derek. I just didn’t know what. I didn’t have his exquisite knowledge of chemistry—I knew my way around it, especially where biological and mechanical processes were concerned, but I had little to do with the medication side of things. Ta’Zan didn’t need to take Derek out on a walk under the sun, unless he was doing something with it.
I didn’t think the recipe would tell me much, unless I looked into the ingredients and quantities used. Amal would’ve picked up on it, had she known more than me. My stomach churned. I suspected, deep down, that Ta’Zan was up to something.
The mass memory wiper was our priority, though. Amal asked me to get started on the structure, while she prepared Ta’Zan’s pills. Time wasn’t on our side, and we had too much to deal with, already. We were playing the parts of the obedient assistants, but we were actively plotting our maker’s demise.
The fear of anything going wrong was permanently ticking in the back of my head, but I followed my sister’s advice and refused to let it get to me. It worked. Before I knew it, I was elbow-deep in the mass memory wiper, connecting circuits and preparing the holding hatch for the serium sticks.
Once it was done, all it needed was an awakened Hermessi to power it up. At the end of it all, I saw myself jumping in Ridan’s arms and showering him with kisses. The only ending I wanted for this story.
Herakles
Nathaniel and his crew updated us on what they’d learned on Calliope, along with how they were going to help us, as we trekked through the jungles toward the colosseum. We contacted Kallisto and the other Faulties along the way. We were due to meet on the southwest border of Ta’Zan’s fortress, according to our plan.
“I’m amazed that Raphael chose to rebel, with his memories intact,” Nathaniel said.
We were stocked up on invisibility paste and red lenses, and we’d made liberal use of them throughout the journey. We had to keep a low profile, and being completely unseen was the best way to do it.
“I don’t think we would’ve turned against Ta’Zan had our memories not been wiped,” Nathaniel added.
“I was loyal to a fault, from what I was told,” Araquiel replied.
“Hey, quit lingering on thoughts of your former selves,” I told them, constantly looking around, wary of Perfects stumbling upon us. The last thing we wanted was a fight just as we were about to infiltrate the colosseum. I could see it rising, not far from our location. Sonic booms echoed overhead—soldiers flying around, scouting the nearby islands and most likely looking for me and my people. The rebels. “Focus on what you’ll be doing from now on, with a free will and a clear mind. That’s what will define you, in the end. Not what Ta’Zan programmed you to believe.”
“Sorry,” Araquiel replied. “I’m still processing all of this.”
“I know. But we’ve got one crazy mission ahead, and we cannot fail. I really don’t want to spend the rest of my life swimming upstream against Ta’Zan,” I said.
Movement in the distance caught my eye—movement on the southwest jungle border. With my lens on, I could see the two dozen Faulties and another thirty Draenir. The former were using the invisibility spell—I’d insisted upon it, because we needed more of an edge against the Perfects. The Draenir, however, were hiding beneath makeshift bushes that mimicked the local flora, and they’d also used mud and dried leaves on their skin to help them blend in.
“There they are,” I whispered.
“The swamp witch didn’t have enough ingredients to make enough for everyone, I see,” Araquiel replied, following my gaze. “She did warn us about it, but the Draenir didn’t seem to mind that we got dibs first. We’ll need Calliope to send some more, but with the Perfects intercepting almost everything, it’ll be tough. Besides, my team needs the magic more than anyone else, given what we’re about to do.”
“No argument there,” I said, and chuckled softly. “It just makes for a pretty funny view, because the Draenir can actually pass as genuine trees and bushes. That’s top-grade camouflage. I thought only my kind could pull it off, yet here come the Draenir, putting us to shame. I guess I’ll add that to their repertoire of acquired skills.”
The Draenir had been hiding for much longer than my Faulties. Years, to be specific. We’d had maybe weeks out in the wilderness, learning to blend in. No wonder the Draenir didn’t even need invisibility magic. They’d learned to use the environment in their favor, in the absence of other artifices.
We snuck through the woods, going from tree to tree, while Perfects patrolled the areas to our left. As long as they didn’t see us, we could move freely. I led the way, with Araquiel, Nathaniel, Uriel, Deena, and Angelica right behind me.
Kallisto was waiting by one of the pink orchid trees, accompanied by my crew, all of them wearing red lenses. As soon as she saw me, she lit up like the sun and waved at me—as if I couldn’t see her already.
I motioned for her to put her arms down. “I can see you, nimrod,” I hissed.
“Took you a while,” she said, then stilled at the sound of Perfects flying overhead. The tree crowns were too rich and full for them to see through. Besides, we were invisible. That gave me a certain kind of confidence, with which I felt like I could take on the entire colosseum. As long as they couldn’t see me, I could easily go around and chop their heads off. An effortless rampage.
“We had a bunch of Perfects trying to intercept the shuttle,” I said. “But Araquiel took care of them.”
“Ah. So, they’re the wonder kids from Calliope, huh?” Kallisto replied, smiling at Nathaniel and his group. They offered a collective polite nod in return.
Araquiel introduced them, then shifted his focus back to me. “We know what we have to do, right?”
“Yup. But first, my crew here needs to go visible,” I replied, pointing a thumb at Kallisto, in particular, who rolled her eyes in response.
“I like it like this,” she moaned.
“I know, sweetie, but the Draenir will get their asses fried if the Perfects don’t see you guys around,” I replied. “And we need all of you to keep the southwest gate busy.”
The Draenir stood still, hidden beneath their waxed leaves, but they were all listening, ready to spring into action when summoned. I had to appreciate that about them. They weren’t as fast or as powerful as we were, but they sure were ready and determined to help. That gave them more value in the field than a thousand Arch-Perfects, or whatever the hell else Ta’Zan had cooked up in his labs.
Kallisto and a few other Faulties came forward and split open their satchels, which were loaded with explosive charges devised by Lumi, Amal, and Amane. Another group gave us extra weapons and hundreds of pulverizer pellets to go around.
Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena had their own weapons now, plus their backpacks filled with ammunition, while Araquiel distributed the explosive charges between them.
“We’ll infiltrate the colosseum and plant the packages,” Araquiel said, his voice low. “You’ll handle the offensive here, like we agreed, right?” he asked me.
“You bet,” I replied, then gave Kallisto a nudge. “This vicious screamer here will be my second-in-command.”
“Good. I’ll stay invisible. Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena will be seen, because the Perfects are using thermal scanners on a regular basis,” Araquiel said. “I may be able to sneak around and bypass them, but the same can’t be guaranteed for all of us. It’s better this way.”
Kallisto smiled. “It works in your favor that no one kept track of who got lost in orbit when the GASP fleet first came in. No one will care who you are or what you’re doing. Plus, you’re rocking the silk tunics. That’ll work in your favor as well.”
“It’ll be easier for us to drop the charges, for sure, if we blend in,” Nathaniel replied.
The guard was changing on the south and west gates. Judging by the sun’s position in the sky, sinking into a reddish sunset, it was about time. The night shift was coming in, and Ta’Zan was probably resting on his laurels, thinking we’d all scattered and run off—certainly not preparing to ambush his people and blow this place up.
