Chapter 79 : Hail Mary

[Author note : You know the drill by now : Patréon (e instead of é), Cathbel. Comments, reviews, stones, Yada yada yada... Enjoy the chapter !]

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Ed and Sarah stayed silent in front of the screen for a while. Ned, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled and dirty, with his shirt half-tucked in his pants, was typing away at his computer, eyes bloodshot. From time to time, he twitched or wildly swung his head as if he heard and was surprised by a noise. He also sneered or frowned at those times… Obviously, he was annoyed by the disturbance, even if there was none.

The parents were pretty sure their son was suffering from some form of dementia, or something similar. At first, he had noticed how his memories were failing him. He notified his children, since their security was at stake, especially during their crime-fighting activities, but since he didn't want to worry his sister and parents, he never told them.

It was Mel who told them behind Ned's back. At first, they had wanted Ned to consult a healer or a doctor, however, Ned's firstborn had told them that, they had used top-of-the-line medical equipment to run all kinds of tests, and consulted various specialists in order to find out what was wrong… Nobody could find anything. His cognitive functions were simply deteriorating, it seemed.

A while later, Mel had told them of a plan she and Winston had to save their father : downloading his memories, mind and soul into a phylactery. Needless to say, the parents were less than thrilled at the idea. The Wizarding world also had its fair share of dark stories about immortals, and even more dark History. What Mel told them about looked suspiciously like one such case. Granted, it didn't require any sacrifice (that they told) : no live human to cut up on an altar, no virgin to stab or people to burn alive. Also, according to Mel's explanation and Winston's theory, although they would download everything that made Ned, Ned inside the phylactery, the original Ned would still be the same. So, Sarah and Ed wondered… Would it really be Ned that they saved ? Were they content with the idea of a copy of Ned still living, even if the original were to die or wither ?

It raised quite a few ethical and philosophical questions the parents were ill-equipped to answer. Not only because it was never their vocation, but also because it concerned their son !

And in the last few days… It was terrifying for them to see their son change so much. In a way, in a frightening, terrifying way, it was amazing how much his mind and behavior changed in so little time. One day, he was their usual bright and loving son, and a couple of days later, a forgetful, irritable and singleminded individual. They couldn't find much of their son in him…

Susan hadn't been made aware of Ned's situation just yet. Her business was just taking off after a hard couple of months fighting the competition. They weren't sure whether they should distract her…

Thinking on this, Ed told his wife :

« It's time to tell Susan… »

Sarah nodded.

« Yes. » She sighed and closed her eyes, to hide the pain in them.

* * * * *

Silver Lad was feeling it. His objective was close at hand and it made him both excited and irritated. Excited because soon, he would be complete. And irritated because it still wasn't the case at the moment.

He knew that he was forgetting things, of course. He was still a genius, and not an idiot. However, those things didn't matter. Only his objective and the whispers gradually getting clearer. Those whispers… He didn't know what they were, but they were inspiring him, and so he listened.

And soon, he knew, he would know what they were…

* * * * *

Sombra teleported in silence in the workshop and watched her father for a while. She was the youngest in the family, but like her brothers and sisters, she was a Tech Spirit. The techno-magical equivalent of an artificial intelligence. So, with the data available to her and her processing power, it was like she had known about Ned his whole life. Perhaps even more…

She knew what he went through, who he was… She also could surmise what he would do, who he would become. However, now, things were uncertain. It was the same for all of them : they felt and processed how Ned was getting farther and farther away.

It wasn't just his mental health, either. Even his behavior towards them had changed in the last few weeks. He distanced himself, not only from his flesh and blood family, but from them as well. While before, he didn't mind working with other people, now he found it a chore and would rather go solo. Also, they noticed a certain… wariness towards other people.

For example, Symmetra no longer fulfilled the defense functions of the workshop. She was replaced by some AI that wasn't even a Tech Spirit. In fact, it could barely qualify as an intelligence : no personality, little in the way of learning ability, and completely subservient to its master, Ned. Or rather… Was it even Ned at this point ?

Sombra felt an uncomfortable feeling overcome her. Like a weight in her processing power comprised of overwhelming emotions of anxiousness and fear. Would she lose her father ? She couldn't bear the thought of it !

Her gaze sharpened as she raised her right hand, opened and a keyboard construct of hard light appeared. Her fingers flew over the keys… Repeatedly. As her attempts failed time and time again, her desperation grew. She also came to realize that… perhaps the reason she couldn't 'hack' her father's mind, was that it wasn't his own anymore. She cursed in a mutter :

« Shit ! Now what ? »

For a while, she stayed silent, looking at Ned working frantically, like a man possessed. Something he might truly be at this point. Was this caused by his encounter with that goddess Circe ? Maybe a side-effect of some kind or a curse ?

She shook her head and decided that, if she couldn't do anything, perhaps it was time to implement their contingency. Although the Phylactery hadn't been tested, it was mostly finished. Given Ned's current state and the speed of whatever ailed him, they had no other choice…

She portkeyed out of the house and contacted Winston.

* * * * *

Winston had just finished dealing with the rowdy kids from the Teen Army and was about to make his way to Mel when he got Sombra's call. She explained Ned's state and her belief that if they didn't act now, he would be lost forever.

Since he didn't see him himself, Winston tended to believe that she was being dramatic, letting her emotions get the best of her. However, when she told him that his mind was 'unhackable', it made him think…

If Ned had been wearing his armor, with all its defense capabilities (in this case, against the mind arts), then it could be explained. However, Ned was wearing normal clothes. If he wasn't, they wouldn't get dirty because of the self-cleaning enchantments.

Ned still had no magic of his own so… the fact that his mind was impregnable, or at least immune to the confusion spells of Sombra… It was telling.

« Maybe it's something to do with Circe's beastification spell… »

Winston shook his head :

« I doubt it. A capable, if a little obnoxious, magic user made sure there wasn't any after-effects. Unless he was lying, but I doubt it. He doesn't show any physical changes, does he ? »

« Besides the fact that he forgot how to bathe and eat ? I don't think so… » After a moment, she said : « He's barred the physical entrance to his workshop, though and I don't know how long we'll be able to access it through portals and portkeys… »

« An increased paranoia ? It's not uncommon in patients with dementia, but… Usually, they lose the means to accomplish such things by that point. They're more like confused children. »

« Yeah… I don't think children could draw or calculate the things I've seen him work on. It's… frankly it's beyond me. Maybe you'd understand it with time. »

The fact that she believed they didn't have time was left unsaid, but Winston understood it loud and clear. He looked down at the ground.

« I-I don't know… » He stuttered.

Sombra thought the Phylactery was their last hope. However, was it truly the case ? And even if it was, Winston wasn't confident that it would work. What if it didn't work ? What if it made things worse ?

« Do you have another idea ? » She asked him.

He didn't. The Phylactery was their Hail Mary to save Ned. He never truly believed they would need it. After all, until a little while ago, his memory loss and other cognitive defects were mild… It gave credence to the theory that something else was afoot, messing with Ned's mind. He sighed.

« Alright, you win. Let's hope by the end of it all, we'll all be winners… »

And he went on to notify Mel… Only she couldn't be reached.