Work Trip

The morning sun shone through Cody's window as he gathered up clothes for his 'work trip.' Little did they know, Cody's true destination was shrouded in secrecy, hidden behind the mundane facade of camping supplies and haphazardly folded clothes.

The last few days had been unsettling. He had spent some time searching the internet, piecing together a pretty grim puzzle. Cody remembered the red dots on the FBI's map and he had found news articles of residents meeting mysterious fates near those locations. {Mark was right, the government won't be able to stay in front of this for long.}

Cody used the one life-line he had to get some answers, and dialed the number that Mark had programmed into his new phone. The phone rang for a few moments before a familiar voice answered on the other end, "Hello Cody, I figured I'd be hearing from you." Mark sounded exhausted.

Cody wasted no time, "You pulled me out of the Lich dungeon?" 

There was a brief pause before Mark responded, "Yeah, we extracted you. You are lucky we arrived when we did, you were in pretty rough shape. You might have pulled through on your own, but we helped you along a bit. You need to be more careful, you aren't the only Enabled in town anymore."

Cody's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The Breaches are occurring more often, there are more individuals who have discovered their abilities." Mark explained patiently. "The situation is evolving. With more people becoming Enabled, we need to coordinate efforts. The Enabled will have to band together to face the escalating threat. We can't afford to work in isolation much longer. Regardless of what my boss thinks."

Cody's mind raced, processing the revelation. "So, what's the plan? We work together now?"

Mark exhaled a long breath, "Not yet. I'll be in touch soon, we're formulating a strategy to expose the truth about the dungeons and also protect the population. Cody, you're not alone in this fight. But be cautious. The dungeons are unpredictable, and the creatures within are becoming more aggressive, but it's not just the dungeons and the monsters anymore. Trust no one, and stay vigilant. I'll be in touch soon."

His conversation with Mark had left him with more questions than before, and he had used that unease to fuel his efforts. He was going to go train in dungeons for as long as he felt was necessary.

Papers laid strewn out around Cody's room, the bulk of which seemed to be maps. If his phone got fried in dungeons, he needed to go a little old school with his record keeping. He had marked places he remembered seeing on the government maps, but made a few large circles of his own. He could feel the tug on his senses that he recognized as the pull of a nearby Breach, and though he didn't know exactly where it was, he had a sense of what direction and could guess at the distance. Over the weekend he had made a few such circles, and it seemed like more were popping into his consciousness all the time. {The Breaches are accelerating.}

Cody would have been able to come to that conclusion even without Mark's warning or the magic, tingling compass-sense. His mom had even commented about a new, large influenza outbreak, it was all over the news. Thousands of people across the country were sick, hundreds were hospitalized. Cody knew the truth of it: More Breaches were infecting people in an effort to give them a 'boost' up the evolutionary ladder. {Well, for the lucky ones at least.}

He didn't have much time before word got out about what was on the other side of those portals, about monsters, or people with superhuman abilities. Cody knew there was a timer on having a first-mover advantage. He needed to clear as many Breaches as possible, he needed to get stronger. Fast. Cody was running with his video-game theory, and he knew that most games rewarded time played more heavily than any other factor.

Though he wasn't planning to go to work any time in the foreseeable future, Cody was still dressed in his normal work attire—safety orange shirt, blue jeans, and work boots. A deliberate choice to maintain the illusion, but it was convenient, too. The one thing you gather a lot of while working in construction is sturdy clothing. 

Settled on the edge of Cody's bed were a couple of big duffel bags, each one containing a carefully curated selection of equipment. Food, a sleeping bag, and more work clothing created an illusion of an average work trip. 

Beneath the sleeping bag, Cody concealed his small arsenal, the 'Tools of the Trade' for his new career. The morning after he woke up from his ordeal in the Lich dungeon, Cody had found what Mark left in his car, his 'stuff' Mark called it. It turned out to be a large black duffel bag containing loot from the Lich dungeon: a sword, a small cardboard box, and an envelope.

It was not the enormous sword that Cody had been carrying since his first dungeon, {Mark probably wasn't able to get it out of the dungeon}, but it seemed well made, sharp, and, importantly, deadly. It would be an adjustment, but probably a worthwhile one. 

The cardboard box only contained one item, a miniature skull, about the size of a baseball, with ruby eyes. Its ivory surface was intricately detailed, and the crimson gems gleamed eerily as if reflecting an otherworldly glow.

Cody's breath caught in his throat as he inspected the unsettling object, thoughts of the fight against the Lich surged unbidden into his mind. And the longer he started at the item, the more an intense sense of foreboding settled on him. The tiny skull held an inexplicable allure, and its presence exuded an ominous energy that sent shivers down Cody's spine. He shut the box and tucked it back into the bag. Cody didn't want to touch it, but he was too worried about his mom finding it to leave it behind.

The last item in the duffle was an envelope, containing a check from the FBI for $3,600, stating 'Data Breach Consulting Fee.' Cody couldn't help but smirk, {Seems low for the effort involved}, but was grateful just the same. It'd be a lot easier to convince his mom he was working out of town if he was still bringing in money.

As mundane as it seemed, money was becoming Cody's largest stressor. He wouldn't be able to work while subduing Breaches. He helped his mother with bills, and he still had to provide supplies to sustain himself as he trained. Maybe he could still call and get a job with the government, get on the payroll, but even as he thought it he knew he would have to be prepared to give up his freedom and his plans.

As he stood in the center of his room, Cody closed his eyes and focused on that peculiar sixth sense that had guided him towards Breaches—the mysterious tug that seemed to pull him in the direction of undiscovered dungeons. 

It was time to go. 

Cody made hurried goodbyes to his mother, promising to check in during the week, and lugged his bags out to his black Honda Accord. He fired off a text to Mark telling him he'd be out of range for a few days, then stowed his phone under his seat, and started the drive into the city.

The sensation was subtle but undeniable. It started as a gentle pull, like an invisible thread leading him in a specific direction. Cody trusted this instinct, it hadn't failed him yet. With a determined expression, he followed the thread, navigating through the streets and alleys of the city.

Cody moved with purpose, the tug becoming more pronounced. It wasn't a compass or a map, but an internal guide that resonated with the hidden energies of the Breaches themselves. 

Turning down a narrow alley, Cody felt the pull intensify. His senses heightened as he approached an old building with a weathered facade. A sense of anticipation filled the air as he pushed open a creaky door, revealing a dimly lit interior. The tug led him deeper, and Cody's excitement grew with every step. He felt like he knew what to expect, and instead of anxiety or dread, Cody was looking forward to entering this dungeon, he wanted to explore and he wanted to gain strength.

As he descended a set of stairs, the atmosphere changed. The air became cooler, and a soft hum of energy surrounded him. Cody could see the Breach, a black portal hovering inches off the ground. He readjusted his backpack straps, making sure they were snug on his shoulders, and then stepped through the portal.