The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 14: Antimatter

 

Antimatter?

The mission to create antimatter is still on, but for a totally different reason. It takes me two days to be sure that this is the path I want to take. I’m still working in the meantime, but I’m only putting in what is necessary.

Occasionally I think about Alice, but her situation is number two in my priorities. Keeping my family from being killed is a more important mission than helping a girl recover from a magic-induced coma.

It’s going to be difficult, but the plan involves creating a double of me and anyone else who would be part of the deal. I have been doubled before, when infiltrating the mafia base, but this time the distance between me and the apparition will be hundreds of miles. I need to figure out how that will work.

First off, the place where I will develop the antimatter. Rezolan and Jirgrar’s boat plan should work for the development process. However, the detonation is another thing. I need to get the Darks to a place where they’ll be together but also where I can create a huge explosion without harming anyone else. The ocean boat plan may work, but there’s no way that I can think of to gather all thirteen Darks in the same place that way.

I am sitting in my Esmex apartment with Rezolan and Elnor. Elnor is describing the science behind a gravity vacuum.

“I think I get it,” I say. “Do you think we’ll be able to combine my anima fluid with the vacuum in the way Rezolan proposes?”

Elnor seems to think for a minute. “I don’t know,” she says. “Honestly, nothing like this has ever been done before.”

“I know that,” I say. “What I’m asking is: can we do it?”

“I told you before,” says Rezolan. “With my current knowledge, I think we have a ten percent chance of dying in an antifireball.”

“You said it was five percent before,” I say.

Rezolan scratches the back of his head. “Well, er, I’ve reevaluated.”

I sigh. “We have no choice in the matter either way. I’ll take a week off from work so that we can head to the middle of the Atlantic to do our experiment.”

“I think it would be best if it were just us three,” says Rezolan. “In the off chance that it does go bad, the fewer casualties, the better.”

“I understand. Can we depart tomorrow?”

Rezolan stands up. “Even better. The boat is ready for us now.”

“Let me explain to my boss,” I say. I call up Crayton and wait a moment before be answers.

“Yes?” he says.

“I’m going to have to take a week off,” I say.

“Go ahead,” says Crayton. “You’ve been logging great progress. You deserve some time off.” He hangs up.

Well, that was easy. I turn to Rezolan. “Let’s get started, then.”

We leave the apartment and take the elevator to the first floor.

Esla is leaning against the wall again, her arms crossed. “I heard you’re going out to sea to perform your experiment,” she says.

I shake my head. “You don’t want to come. There’s a very real chance that you’ll go up in a ball of high energy physics.”

Esla frowns. “I’m coming. I don’t care if I die. I have to be there.”

I sigh. “Okay. You can come. Just, don’t blame me when you’re reduced to radioactive goo.”

Esla steps away. “You said there’s only a small percent of a chance, right?”

“About twenty percent,” says Rezolan.

“Wait—” I say.

Rezolan shakes his head. “I’ve reevaluated,” he says.

I bite my lip. “Okay. I trust you.” I turn to Esla. “You heard him.”

“I’m coming,” says Esla. “And that’s final.”

I sigh. “You can come.”

“Great,” says Esla. “Where are we boarding the ship?”

“There’s a port along the Thames where our ship is anchored,” says Rezolan.

We leave the Esmex building as a group. Sebastian is waiting for us with the limo.

“Sir,” he says. “I won’t be able to come with you along this voyage, but I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks,” I say, getting into the vehicle.

We drive to a riverfront port, where a medium-sized scientific vessel is tied up. After getting out of the limo, I survey the ship.

“It’s in worse condition that I thought it would be,” I say.

“It may not look great,” says Rezolan, “But it comes equipped with a laboratory and is, in fact, very sturdy.”

Rezolan, Elnor, Esla, and I climb aboard the ship. We cast off and float down the Thames towards the ocean.

When we are in open waters, we fire up the engines and start heading for the Atlantic. We need to be in a location that is far from any shipping lanes in order to try our experiment.

It takes two days for us to get to a lonely spot in the North Atlantic. We’ve made sure there are no ships within fifty miles, and though there is a possibility of government stealth subs, that possibility is low due to the fact that these waters are not strategically important.

Elnor shows me the gravity vacuum box. It’s about the size of a deep sea probe, and fits in the same space that was designed for it. We drag it out and place it on the deck.

Elnor kneels beside the box. “Mr. Red,” she says. “When I tell you to go, begin filling the container with your anima fluid.”

I kneel beside Elnor. My blood is pumping and I am shivering.

A bright light comes out of Elnor’s hand. The waters around the ship bowl as if we’re at the bottom of a sink. I can feel my hairs stand on end. At least two dozen fish—albacore—float out of the water, their fins flapping.

“Now!” says Elnor.

I fill the container with my anima fluid. Then, I switch gears and produce antimatter. It’s too easy. Just like that, it’s over. The box contains a small sphere of rotating, pulsing black energy. Elnor carefully messes with a couple of dials and then the machine stabilizes.

I look at the product of my spirit. If this stuff were to be released into the world, it would make the Tsar Bomba look like a sparkler.

And that’s what I’m hoping will happen to the members of the Darks.

Esla sighs, sliding down the wall of the lab room. “Seriously,” she says. “That was nerve wracking.”

I can see that even Elnor and Rezolan are sweating.

Elnor wipes her forehead with a fancy handkerchief. “Sir, I believe we have made a major scientific breakthrough.”

“And we’re going to use this to destroy the dark Silverbones.” I shake my head.

Rezolan appears to be deep in thought.

“Is there something wrong?” I place my hand on his shoulder.

Rezolan frowns. “I believe there may be a hole in our plan.”

“You’re telling me now?”

“Yes. I have been thinking. How are we going to kill all of the Dark Silverbones in one shot? If even one of them survives, their wrath would be terrible.”

I feel a bit like an idiot. “Well, um …”

Rezolan sits down on a bench next to the anchor. “This may be our best shot, but it’s not a very good one.”

Esla turns to look over the ocean. “Maybe we should go with what Markus was originally going to do.”

“Wait.” I have struck something. “Instead of doing the trade in a remote real location, how about we do it in a dungeon?”

Rezolan snaps his fingers. “Yes. If we can get them all into the same dungeon at the same time, even if they’re not close to each other, they will all disappear with the dungeon when it collapses.”

“So all we need to do is lure all thirteen of them into the same dungeon at the same time.” I cross my arms. “That, in and of itself, is going to be difficult.”

Rezolan shrugs. “No one ever said it would be easy.”

“I think if we discuss this with Mandrake and the other Brights we can figure out a way to do this.” I look off into the distance at the ocean’s horizon. “Now that we have the antimatter we can get started.”

We pilot the boat back to the shores of England and ditch the craft on a closed-off beach. Two devils are waiting for us and climb aboard to take it who knows where—after all, we may need it again.

We walk to the nearest road where Sebastian picks us up in the limo.

When I get in, I give Sebastian his directions. “Take us to the manor where the Brights are.”

“Of course.” Sebastian starts the limo and begins taking us there. He is following a smartphone’s GPS—a fact that I just now notice. I suppose even devils with supernatural powers still find modern technology convenient. We arrive there in an hour.

I get out of the limo and see no one in the garden. The house looks silent, ghostly almost. I walk up to the door and use the shaped door knocker. It clangs, emptily.

The door opens. Az, the Bright with the power of lanthanum, opens the door. He appears sleep-deprived, with large bags underneath his eyes. “Yes?”

“I’d like to speak with Mandrake.”

Az looks behind himself, into the foyer. “I, ah, I don’t think this is a good time.”

“When will be a good time?”

Az shies away from me. “I don’t know. Here, I’ll contact you when we are, ah, finished with what we’re doing.” He stares at me for a moment.

“Right, my phone number.”

Sebastian bows. “If you will.” He hands Az a business card.

Nice one, my butler! I give him a thumbs-up.

Sebastian bows again.

Az retreats into the manor and closes the door behind himself. I stand there for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

“I mean, I have the antimatter …” I look to Rezolan, who has come with us.

He shakes his head. “We may have to continue with the plan without their involvement.”

“That would be horrible!” I put my fist in my palm. “I mean, ah, I don’t even know where to start.”

Rezolan’s lips curl up. “We have plenty of strategic support on our end. Would you like to see?” He turns from the manor’s door and begins to walk down the manicured garden.

I follow, and Sebastian follows me. A portal opens right in front of Rezolan. He steps into it without hesitation.

Whoa. I stop walking. Sebastian stops beside me.

“Um …”

Sebastian nods once. “It is safe.”

I take a hesitant step towards the portal, and it seems to be made of the same stuff dungeon portals are made of.

“So, is this how you guys are always able to pop into existence whenever I want you to?”

Sebastian looks at me, head tilted. “Yes.”

“Then why couldn’t I see it before?”

“We have allowed this one to stay open for much longer than usual. The portal generally exists for less time than it takes for you to blink.”

“Oh. Is it safe?”

“You have been there before. In your dreams.”

“Ah, yeah.” I remember seeing something like this shimmering portal underneath the mammoth and the golem when I summoned them. I wish I had paid more attention. “Welp.” I stride forward and into the portal.

I stand in the middle of an office building. Cubicles are stacked against each other, filling most of the room. A couple of people, who I can tell are devils, are standing around the water cooler. Others are sitting at their desks, typing. There is a slight drone of conversation. I feel many eyes on me, though I can tell the devils are trying not to let me notice the staring.

“Whoa.” I look around. “This is a lot more …” I pause. “Well, it’s not what I was expecting.”

“No better lawhell has ever been created.” Sebastian’s eyes glint. “In any case, it is time for you to meet the team.”