Blacksmith vs. the System

For a moment, silence ruled the cave. She was tense, but not surprised. No, she expected that question to arrive the moment I mentioned Wisdom.

"So, you want that discussion to happen now," she asked.

"It makes sense, before we decide on exactly what you'll be responsible for here," I said. A simple statement, but a loaded one. A threat, and a promise at the same time. If she skirted around the issue, or I caught too many lies, I would do my best to ice her out.

And, the reverse was equally true. I had no problems giving her the full support I could afford, as long as I trusted her intentions. That, and providing the most valuable asset I required.

Information.

Was I comfortable with it moving this fast? No. Absolutely not. But one thing was clear: She had been around me for the last three years, and with the power she had, she could have been far more heavy-handed to get what she wanted — assuming it was something she could have gotten in the first place.

As far as dubious alliances went, that was by far the best one on the board. Especially with Wisdom helping me. I didn't think it was some kind of omnipotent lie detector, but it helped to contextualize a lot of smaller things and general intent, which was the best I could hope under the circumstances.

She sighed. "Before Cataclysm, I was working for Interpol," she said, which, as far as I could sense, was the truth, and not a deflection. Then, she paused. "You're not surprised."

That earned a shrug. "Not much. I guessed you were from one of the alphabet agencies, or someone would have interfered with you," I said. "Admittedly, I expected the CIA."

"Really?" she asked.

"Peripheral they might be, but my projects were technically relevant to national security, so it's not too surprising. Several of my coworkers had dealt with them, just because they talked to the wrong pretty girl who had too much interest in their subject or such. But, since you're not CIA, or Homeland Security, it's not one of the projects I did for my government. So, I'm guessing it was my collaboration with the universities in Saudi Arabia, about their changing socio-demographic structure," I commented.

She shook her head. "No, it was not," she said.

I shrugged. "Fair. What's the thing that triggered the spooks, then?" I asked dismissively. Ultimately, it was mere curiosity. It wasn't like anything that happened before the Cataclysm had any kind of significance.

I expected her to simply answer, or dismiss it as irrelevant, so I was surprised when she was tense. "Don't tell me I was in some kind of black book of assassination," I joked. It didn't feel good to watch her tense even more.

She took a deep breath before delivering one statement. "Horizon Institute."

My eyes widened as I processed the information. Horizon Institute, a toy of a spoiled rich man, or so I assumed at the time. The fact that it triggered some kind of spy alert wasn't surprising. Back then, I had detected enough weird vibes to stay away, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were some kind of dangerous cult.

Yet, she hesitated before saying their name, which didn't make sense if that had been the case, meaning there was something greater that was in question.

My eyes widened at a very dangerous realization. So-called peace wards, a tool that had been very similar to the research they had asked me to complete. "I think I understand," I managed to say in the calmest tone I could manage. "But, why don't you give me the full picture, just to be sure."

"Always so sharp, professor," she said with a sardonic smile. "It all started when I received an assignment." She paused, sighing. "It was my first field assignment, actually, more of a test than anything else. After all, the target was a weird genius professor that contained no risk."

"And, I'm guessing that Horizon Institute wasn't too big of a target either?"

Surprisingly, she shook her head. "No, they were the biggest case that we have been dealing with. A weird organization with seemingly unlimited funding, making contacts with many different people, with little rhyme and reason that we could discern. They were a priority case, but they had too many politician friends to prevent us from a raid. So, Interpol decided to cast a wide net."

"Enough to assign a full-time spy on little old me," I said, trying to process what I had just heard. I was starting to have a very bad feeling, but I didn't want to interrupt her with theories, so I nodded to her to continue.

"Yes," she said. "Unfortunately, you were squeaky clean, so it was starting to be a very boring assignment. Even your computer had nothing weird, with your internet history being clean … well, mostly," she said.

I couldn't help but blush. Even after three years, that particular blow hurt. "Low blow. A man's internet history is sacred."

She shrugged. "I was a spy on my first assignment, dealing with the world's most boring target. Which is why I decided to get creative." Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"How so?"

"Since I had already hacked your personal computer, I could easily block and intercept your emails. So, I intercepted your communication for the conference, to make sure you would leave two days early."

"You knew that I would drive there…"

"Not a difficult prediction. I followed you with my own car."

"What was the plan?"

"I was going to sabotage your car in the middle of nowhere, and try to get you to talk," she said.

I was tempted to ask her whether she was prepared to use 'enhanced interrogation' or if she had something softer in mind, but I decided against it. At this point, it wouldn't have made any difference. "But, something else sabotaged my car first."

"Yes, Cataclysm," she said.

The silence stretched for a while. I was glad that my Meditation gave me something to busy myself with.

"But, before everything went crazy, I had received one last message from my work phone. An emergency message."

"What did it say?"

She chuckled. "Nothing. Or, it might as well be nothing. It only said that Horizon had succeeded, and asked us to go deep undercover, and wait for orders."

"And, since I was a person of interest, you decided to stick around," I said.

"Yes. It was why I stuck around that little town in the middle of nowhere, observing you," she said. "That way, once Horizon inevitably came to collect you, I would be there. But, they never came. I still don't understand why. Anyone else that had been marked has been collected. Just not you."

"Marked how?" I said, then remembered the gaudy present that I was forced to wear. "That stupid watch."

"Yes," she said, then looked at me suspiciously. "When they were first distributed, we stole some and analyzed them. They had nothing extraordinary."

"Other than being enchanted, I'm guessing."

"Yes," she said. "Unfortunately, we learned that too late. I only pieced it together three months after the Cataclysm, based on testimonies. Once Cataclysm hit, it acted like a beacon, and the agents of Horizon arrived to kidnap them."

"And, were they only targeting scientists?" I asked.

"No. Their targeting, at least on the upper crust, had a certain pattern that we were able to decipher, one that only makes sense in hindsight."

"How so?"

"They almost exclusively targeted the people with exceptional achievements, in a way that didn't make sense. Athletes from sports of lesser renown, researchers who didn't fit the mold, self-made businessmen, maverick generals and politicians. It only makes sense in hindsight. They were hunting for signs of exceptional strength of soul…"

"The people that can push back against the System's brainwashing," I said, connecting it with my own observations.

She nodded. "Exactly. Once the System was activated, anyone with both the will and the authority to put some kind of order was hoisted away … and any that had been missed, they hunted and kidnapped later, leaving the world to suffer."

"Why?" I asked.

"I have no idea," she replied, sounding exhausted. "I have received some messages since then, but only as a part of some larger piece of missive that had been spread across the region, and it only carried extremely important, but very limited information, like keeping our head down. Or, just three months ago, telling us that their methods to reach our region were temporarily blocked, so we can act as we saw fit."

"Hence, my employment with Maria."

"Yes. I had thought that it was a good way to start small. Finally, establish a guild, and use it to expand my reach systematically… but, you didn't behave in the way I had expected. After three years of doing nothing, you came here … and the next thing I learned was that you somehow angered the heretics enough that they moved a dungeon to deal with you."

I closed my eyes, realizing that things had been even more chaotic than I had expected. In my defense, in all my theories, I hadn't expected humanity to be stabbed in the back.

"How did you avoid it?"

Surprisingly, her tone was more curious than suspicious. But then, she had spent three years observing me, so it made sense for her to trust me to a certain point. And, despite some questions of my own, I trusted her as well. "Simple," I said with a dark chuckle. "It was ugly, so I tossed it into the garbage the moment I received it."

"But, you were wearing it," she argued.

"No, I was wearing a copy, because the dean had annoyed me about the fragile egos of big donors to make me order a copy."

"That's … absurd," she said, with a bitter chuckle.

"Yes," I said, unable to disagree with her. "It is."

Silence lingered once more. I had many more questions, but not before I calmed down.