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As the pair enter, Alice points a finger and shouts, “No! Not him! I said DJ, not DJ and Edric!”
“Mister Nadab goes where he likes,” one guard says firmly. He holds a plasma rifle at the low-ready - a much more intimidating one than the guards at the bridge checkpoint had - and stares at her squarely from the other side of the thick red line.
Alice fumes as the guard stares her down, but Edric places a hand on his shoulder and says placidly, “A gentleman does not go where he is not welcome. DJ, I’ll be outside when you’re done.” Edric and Phyr share a nod before he leaves.
After the door hisses shut, Alice lowers her voice and growls at Phyr, “We had a plan, asshole - and now the first fuckin’ chance you get, you stab us in the back and get us thrown in hock?”
Phyr squints as he rubs his forehead, and says calmly, “Look, we came here to undermine an empire aimed at an enmeshed - er, implanted-”
“En-TRENCHED plu-TOC-ra-cy,” Alice says.
“Yeah, that. And I don’t think that’s what this is. I think Edric’s actually doing good for the world, and you said-”
“I said for you to trust me!”
“Yeah, well, trust is a two-way street, and I’m not really feeling like-”
“GOD,” Alice screams, cutting him off. Vector looks at them briefly from the couch, then rolls his eyes and returns to his cat nap. “You were doing so good there for a minute, I was really pulling for you - but then you go and ruin everything. I should’ve known you wouldn’t change. Nobody ever changes!” She stamps her foot and slams her fists down into empty air.
Phyr folds his arms and says hotly, “This is exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve been trying so fuckin’ hard to take this seriously, to think things through, to actually plan ahead. But nothing’s ever good enough for you! You always pick, pick, pick, pick, PICK! You ever stop to think maybe other people have their own shit going on, and can’t always do everything your way?” They stare at each other for a moment, then Phyr lifts his head to look at Vector and says, “Vector, you’re a facilitator - what do you think?”
Vector heaves a sigh as he sits up, then lights a cigarette. Alice turns to stare at him expectantly, and he lets them cool their jets while he takes a couple drags. Finally, he says, “I think you’re both butt-hurt over a game, and I think I’ve paid to stay in hotels less accommodating than this. They didn’t even take our stuff.” Drag, exhale. “I think we’re in a Grey and Gray Morality situation, here: someone’s gonna rule the world, it’s already gotten ugly on the way, and we gotta help however we can.” Drag, exhale. “I think DJ has rethought his priorities a bunch in the last couple weeks. Maybe we should, too.”
Phyr looks placatingly at Alice, but she just keeps fuming. He turns with a sigh and walks out. As the door opens, he sees Edric standing a quarter of the way down the empty hall, speaking into his vest. He looks up and sees Phyr, then says hurriedly, “OK, we’re all good here - tell her I’ll be up there in five, OK?”
“Got it,” Nori says.
“How’d it go,” Edric asks Phyr.
“About as well as it could have,” Phyr says with a shrug as they walk down the empty corridor. “I think Vector’s on the fence, but leaning our way. Alice - I don’t know what her deal is.”
“She never had a sense of the bigger picture, just like Rayla: always focused on being right, even at the expense of being effective. Plus, she's always been mean."
“But isn’t she trying to purge your corruption? Seems like that’d be the time to be uncompromising.”
“Corruption,” Edric scoffs. “Is that what she told you? Corrupted by what, exactly? Greed is perfectly rational, if you just are in a world where money gets things done. This cycle of boom and bust needs to be put to a stop, and all the self-important petty tyrants who rise and fall with every turn are just embarrassing to watch. If I have to be the greediest of all to get that done, then so be it.”
Phyr thinks on this as they reenter the prison proper. As they pass the nervous man’s cell, Phyr sees him laying down on his bunk with one arm behind his head, staring at a poster of Raquel Welch from One Million Years B.C. on the wall opposite him. “Hey,” he says to Edric, after they have passed out of earshot, “Is that guy a necromancer, by any chance?”
“Who, Andy,” Edric asks. “With the chess pieces?” Phyr nods. “No, he’s an accountant. He was embezzling money, which, I don’t even get that, but whatever. Why?”
“Dunno. Just a hunch, I guess. Hey, have any books gone missing from the local magic guild? And is a necromancer running around?”
“Yes,” Edric says suspiciously as they cross the bridge. “I’m actually just about to meet with the Head Librarian from the local chapter of the magic guild to discuss the matter. How did you know?”
“Vector and I tangled with a couple necromancers before we linked up with Alice,” Phyr says, choosing his words carefully. “They were both named Stewart, they both had purple energy, and they both thought they were better than everyone else. Really entitled attitudes, thought they deserved to have the world bow down to ‘em.”
“Huh,” Edric says, stroking his chin. “Interesting. I’ll put out some feelers, see if this is happening in other towns, too.”
“Careful with that,” Phyr says hurriedly. “If one of them is in your network, it could put them all on high alert without you knowing.”
“Ooh, good thought,” Edric says, nodding. He adopts his corporate persona once more as they enter the panopticon. “Very well. I shall advise Norissiel that it’s a delicate matter. She will be able to move things forward appropriately.” After a few passing nods to the guards, they’re back in the energy-shielded archway, then in the elevator that had been waiting for them. Edric drops the persona once more and says, “Thanks for the heads-up, that’ll give me something to make Miriam’s wait worthwhile.”
“She in the guild?”
“Head Librarian,” Edric confirms with a nod. “I can’t have you sit in - I assured her this matter would be handled with utmost discretion - but this is a nice, juicy lead I can hand to her.”
They return to the surface and exit to the lobby, where Nori bids Phyr a good evening after directing him to his accommodations at an upscale inn close by. As he walks out the door, he hears Edric saying in his corporate persona, “So good to see you, Mistress Larsdottir, and thank you for your patience. An unexpected matter came up, but as I’m sure you’ll agree-” and then the glass door shuts behind him with a fumpf.
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