Super Genetics

Marlon Ockers wove his considerable bulk through the labyrinth of shelves. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t agile, but he eventually made it to the front of his shop.

More than a few tugs on his aura were indicative of his passage, vases and mugs and pots knocked down by his gut, then returned to their rightful positions through small portals.

Small tugs, minor, easily ignored.

His feet carried him right to the edge of the door, in front of the familiar threshold he hadn’t crossed in decades. He swayed there, his head feeling light as he considered the alleyway beyond.

With his senses, he tracked the boy further down the street, a conflicted feeling lodged in his mind.

On the one hand, he enjoyed watching the kid awaken to the possibilities of his aura; this wasn’t something he’d ever considered teaching to others. And he had to admit, the lad had a knack for it.

On the other hand, he’d somehow found a way to pry back the layers calcified over Marlon’s past; dredged up pain and hurt that he hadn’t felt in years. Like an old scab getting caught on an edge, ripped back, exposed and bleeding.

The feeling was unwelcome.

His System nudged him at that moment. It did that every few years, when he was feeling particularly melancholic. It sensed his vulnerability and tried to whittle away at his resolve.

Midmark Quest Given: [Leave the Shop]

Simply leave your shop.

Reward: C-rank

“Don’t make me cut you out,” he grunted. But his heart wasn’t in it. His System had good intentions and wasn’t too annoying in the grand scheme of things.

As if making his point, the notification dismissed on its own. He could’ve sworn he felt a disappointed sensation as it did so. The System equivalent of puppy eyes.

He ignored it, furling his nose at the smell of the alleyway beyond his doorway. It smelled fresh, clean; circulated by the Air Elementalists who kept the air breathable and at a tolerant temperature.

He retreated back into his shop, the comforting mixture of cat and wet clay wrapping him in a familiar blanket of sensations.

The inkling that had taken him, that little fancy to see the rest of the Market, dissipated as he meandered his way back through the shelving.

No, this was his home. He didn’t see any need, nor did he have any desire, to advance in rank or explore the Market.

He had his cats and his experiments. And that was enough.

Terry waited just past Marlon’s alley for the others to find him. He’d suggested they give directions at first, but Katie had indicated that the Market was difficult to navigate.

As he waited, he examined Marmalade’s aura snapshot. Already, he felt like he was identifying sections that seemed off, manipulated in some fashion. Actually understanding the purpose of each altered section was a different matter entirely.

But progress was progress.

It was only ten minutes of waiting later when he spotted Peter’s head above the crowd. A moment later, Katie and Tania came into sight, leading the group toward Terry. He was a bit surprised to find the whole gang present—excluding Sol, who must have been in his therapy session still.

When they spotted him, Katie looked back toward Peter and lightly slapped his arm.

“Told you!”

Terry tilted his head, a smile forming at the sight of them.

“What?”

Peter shrugged toward Katie, who turned back with a twinkle in her eye. He hadn’t seen her this full of energy in the year he had known her. Something about returning home had inspired her with a youthful energy.

“Your directions,” Katie said. “I told Peter you were at Midmark Marlon’s, but he didn’t believe me.”

Terry arched a brow.

“Midmark Marlon?”

Katie flushed, an embarrassed look on her face. “It’s pretty common knowledge he’s been stuck at D-rank for twenty years. Market’s a small place and everyone gets in everyone’s business one way or another.”

“Speaking of everyone’s business.” Alan had a confusing expression on his face—almost mischievous. “You gonna tell him?”

He directed that at Tania, who shifted uncomfortably.

Terry looked between the five of them in confusion. “Tell me what?”

The others were staring at Tania, though she seemed reluctant to say. Then, she caved under the pressure of their gazes.

“We…we booked a professional Awakening service. I’m going to try things the Market’s way,” Tania finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Terry blinked. “That’s... that’s great, Tania.”

“Yeah,” she muttered, looking at the ground. “I hope so.”

For a moment, he couldn’t understand the contrast between the news and her mood. But then he realized that she was afraid, worried she would fail again.

Katie stepped up, putting a comforting arm around Tania’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine. We’ve got it down to a science in the Market. None of that barbaric crap they do above—” She turned to Terry. “—No offense.”

He waved it away. Remembering back to his own Awakening, he couldn’t blame her—it had been a pretty terrible introduction to becoming Awakened.

Katie led the way as they meandered through the Services sector. It was a cacophony of sound and overwhelming sights as they moved deeper. And he couldn’t help but notice the strange juxtaposition of modern technology and homemade decorations. On one side of the street, he spotted a stall with colorful cloth draping along four wooden poles anchored into the ground. And on the other, a flashing holographic sign pulled at his attention. He might have assumed the disparity in decorations were due to income inequality, but the cloth stall advertised expensive B-rank Artifacts, while the fancy looking shop was a simple bed and breakfast establishment.

It spoke more of an eccentricity than a culture of haves and have-nots, which he appreciated.

As they strode deeper into the sector, Terry couldn’t help but notice Tania’s energy. Her aura was erratic, shifting wildly to his senses. But more than that, she seemed jittery, on edge, constantly glancing around at every vendor hawking their wares or passerby brushing against her in passing.

He reached out and gripped her shoulder gently. She flinched, then scowled—more at her own overreaction than at the touch, he figured.

“You’re gonna be fine, Titania.”

She swatted at him and he dodged neatly out of the way. He’d found that her full name always snapped her out of whatever funk she had slipped into.

“You’re so annoying.” She smiled to soften the blow, but it drained away quickly. Her voice lowered so only he could hear. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“It’s gonna work.”

“But what if it doesn’t—”

“It’s gonna work.” He hardened his gaze, doing his best to inject his confidence into her. “The Wichitan way wasn’t for you. Not even sure it was good for me. I was just so damned pissed off at my father, I pushed through out of sheer spite.”

She snorted, peering at him with a side eye.

“If all it took was spite, I’d have Awakened ten years ago.”

He laughed, nodding along. “You could say that again.”

Her eyes widened in mock outrage. “Don’t agree with me, ass!” She tried for another swat, but he bounced away, hiding behind Tristan who cried out in surprise as a vengeful Tania tried to reach around Terry’s body shield.

“We’re here!” Katie, who had been leading the group, called out.

Tania’s expression dropped instantly, the anxiety rising back to the surface.

“Let’s…let’s reschedule. Maybe tomorrow or—”

Katie looped her arm around Tania’s and physically dragged her into the shop.

“Too late!” she said cheerfully. “Non-refundable deposit!”

Tania grumbled under her breath but otherwise let Katie lead her inside.

The others crowded in behind, and Terry found himself pressed tight into a small waiting room. There were two chairs along one wall and a small woman behind a counter on the other wall. She wore multiple pieces of jewelry on every limb, bracelets jingling at her wrists, four sets of loop earrings hanging low, and half a dozen necklaces of various metals around her neck. Her clothing was festive and bright, greens and blues like a peacock’s coloring. On the edge of her nose, a bedazzled set of reading glasses hung precariously.

When she noticed them file in, she rose from her chair with a smile.

“Ah, my afternoon appointment, I gather?” Terry noticed an accent so slight, it almost hid under the woman’s tone. He strained his ears as she spoke, trying to place it. Her eyes traced over a ledger on the counter. “Titania Polk? Which one of you is Titania?”

Tania raised her hand timidly.

“I prefer Tania.”

The woman tilted her head in surprise.

“That’s a shame, dear. Titania is a beautiful name. Queen of the fairies. Powerful, bold.”

Tania shrugged. “Just a made up character,” she muttered.

The woman’s lips puckered as if considering Tania’s words blasphemy. Then, she shrugged, her eyes twinkling as if nothing had happened.

“Well, come around here then. Let me get a look at you.”

She moved around the counter, walking through Peter and Alan as if they weren’t there. They squeezed against the wall to make room for the woman.

Katie sidled over toward Terry, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“Madame Juliette is the best in the Market,” she hissed. “Awakens half the natives.”

Terry felt a sense of doubt creeping in. She didn’t exactly seem professional.

“Did you use her?” he asked back, matching her whisper as Madame Juliette fussed over a barely tolerant Tania.

Katie shook her head. “We did it in house. My grammie does the whole family.”

Madame Juliette called over her shoulder.

“You one of Louisa’s?” She glanced back, her eye catching on Katie for a moment. “How is the old bat?”

Katie chuckled as if her grammie and Madame Juliette had a history.

“She’s slowing down, ma’am. But still as fiery as ever.”

Madame Juliette scoffed, then turned to eye Terry and the others.

“Did my apprenticeship with Louisa. Tougher than rawhide.”

“That’s grammie,” Katie replied with a laugh.

Madame Juliette pursed her lips and nodded. “Saw her get in a scrap with Terraform once. Crazy old bat started chewing on pieces of stone, just to show she was tougher than his element. Think she broke a tooth—” She leaned in conspiratorially. “—but don’t tell no one I told ya that.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Katie replied.

Madame Juliette clapped her hands, then shooed Tristan, Peter, and Alan out of the way.

“You boys, go stand outside. Too much testosterone throwing off the aura.” They each shared a confused glance, hesitating as if unclear if she was joking. She beckoned Tania to follow, then froze when she realized no one was moving. Her eyebrows rose and she pointedly glanced toward the door.

Tristan was the first to get the message and quick stepped out of the shop. Alan and Peter were close behind. Terry made to follow them, but she stopped him with an upraised hand.

“Not you, young man. The connection between you and Miss Tania is strongest. You can stay.” She nodded at Katie. “And Louisa’s girl, you can stay if you’d like, but I’ve a feeling those boys will get into some mischief without a chaperone.”

Katie laughed at that, nodding as she turned to Tania.

“You got this,” she said softly, giving the girl a hug. Then, she followed the others outside.

Leaving Tania, Madame Juliette, and Terry alone in the shop.

“Follow me into the back, kids.”

A bead curtain separated the front of the shop from the back, rattling as she passed through them.

Terry and Tania hesitated, locking eyes for a moment. He gave her a steady nod and she sucked in a deep breath.

“Here goes nothing.”

The back of the shop was darker and Tania hesitated at the bead curtain for a moment while her eyes adjusted. With Terry’s Attributes and his Master of Light ability, the transition was less jarring.

As he followed her in, there was a chaise lounge along the far wall. Shelves filled with various ingredients lined the other walls, giving the shop more of a witch’s aesthetic than a professional Awakener.

Madame Juliette was standing by one of those shelves, pulling down a series of vials and depositing them on a small work table in the center of the room.

Tania eyed the multicolored liquids in the vials and Terry felt her emotions peak through her aura.

Madame Juliette didn’t seem to notice as she continued collecting ingredients.

“Take a seat, dear,” she said, indicating the lounge with a wave. “Gotta mix the tonic up. Won’t take more than a few minutes. Start doing some deep breaths in the meantime.”

Tania slowly walked toward the lounge, casting a desperate look back toward Terry as if asking him to save her. He flashed her a thumbs up and she rolled her eyes, though he noticed her aura ease just a bit.

They waited in complete silence as Madame Juliette combined half a dozen vials seemingly at random. After a few minutes, she held the final result up and gave it a swirl. It glowed iridescent, and Terry was surprised to sense a bit of aura infused into the, for lack of a better word, potion.

She strode toward Tania and held out the vial.

“Drink up, dear.”

Tania eyed it cynically.

“What is it?”

“Homebrew of my own design. Eases the nerves, opens the senses, primes the aura.” She pushed it toward the girl. “Won’t hurt. Might taste ripe going down, but harmless otherwise.”

Tania hesitantly took the vial, casting one more desperate look toward Terry before taking a deep breath and downing it in one gulp.

Madame Juliette took the vial and deposited it on the work table while Tania furled her nose at the taste.

“What now?” she asked.

“Lay back and relax. I’ll guide you through the process.”

Tania’s energy was peaked and judging by the scowl on her face, laying down was the last thing she wanted to do. But she listened, leaning her head back against a pillow.

Madame Juliette pulled up a stool and leaned over Tania.

“Close your eyes and slow your breathing. Deep inhales, hold, yes, three seconds. Now…out. Slower this time.”

Terry watched with curiosity as Madame Juliette walked her through breathing exercises for a minute. He opened his senses, studying Tania’s aura for any change. Experience and anecdotes told him that an Awakening was generally short—a few minutes max. But his had involved a near-death experience, so a few minutes was a practical limit. He wondered if Madame Juliette’s method would be different.

“Now, visualize a role model of some sort. Someone you aspire to be, perhaps. Think of their Class, their powers.” Madame Juliette grabbed a nearby hand towel and folded it in half before gently draping it over Tania’s eyes. Then, she held her hands above Tania. “Good, I see it.”

“You do?” Tania blurted out.

“No talking,” the woman chided.

Tania clamped her mouth shut.

“Now…begin counting back from one hundred slowly.”

“One hundred…ninety-nine…”

Tania barely reached ninety when she drifted off. Suddenly, her aura shifted and he gasped in surprise.

There was a visible connection trailing off—not physically, but magically. It was subtle, but he could see it with his senses as clear as day.

Was that her Waker’s connection?

He reached his senses forward. What would he feel if he touched its aura? Would it be like his own Awakening or—

Madame Juliette swatted his aura down with a contemptuous flick.

“Don’t interrupt, silly boy,” she hissed.

Heat rushed to his face and he rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

He settled on observing from a distance. The connection to her Waker began to pulse, and her aura matched the rhythm.

Then, it began to shift, morphing before his senses. There was an injection of power along the connection, joining seamlessly with her aura, coursing through it, shaping it.

The process went on for a minute and he mentally cataloged the ongoing changes—not in the way he’d catalog a Skill, but more out of academic interest. When the shifts seemed to finish, the connection pulled away, as if returning up into the heavens or the stars or wherever the Wakers existed.

Madame Juliette reached out now, her own aura enveloping Tania’s, running it over the girl’s like one might run their hand over a rough surface.

“She’s accepted the bargain,” the woman said softly. She glanced over her shoulder at Terry. “But her emotions are erratic. It was not what she had hoped for.”

Terry furrowed his brow.

“You can tell that—”

Tania suddenly bolted up into a sit, her eyes flitting around wildly, her breathing ragged, panicked.

“Watch out!” Tania screamed, her voice cracking from the sheer panic. “They’re coming—”

The entire room shuddered, like a small quake had hit the Market.

Then, an even more violent shaking rocked them, sending Tania rolling to the floor and Terry staggering against the table.

In the stunned silence that followed, a siren started blaring, eerily reminiscent of the air raid siren that had signaled Sol’s attack once upon a time.

A moment later, Terraform’s familiar voice echoed in the room.

“All Market citizens. We are under attack. Head to the nearest shelter in an orderly fashion. I repeat: head to the nearest shelter in an orderly fashion.”

A ripple played across Terry’s senses, the feeling of a restricting presence dissipating suddenly. The now-absent feeling was one he was all too familiar with—had felt it in Topeka, Wichita, and the Market.

The spatial-locking Artifact controlling Traveler passage to and from the Market was down.