Arc 1: Part 9

Tea

Before I get to the chapter, I would like to give a sincere apology on behalf of the writers. I know the upload schedule has been essentially non-existent, but we are trying. We've had some more unfortunate circumstances arise recently, including (but not limited to) playing Blue Lock in real life and watching the real life Vincente (the characters are based off of the three main authors if you forgot) hit Jefferson with a Kunigami Body Blow, with Jefferson subsequently getting a minor concussion as a result. After that happened, the computer that I write everything on decided to essentially kill itself and I can't use it very much until I replace the wifi adapter. We want to try to work towards one chapter a week or at least one chapter every two weeks in the future as long as nothing else like this comes up again. Also, the story from here on might take on some political undertones, but please remember this is a work of fiction, with a fictitious government so some things are exaggerated or treated as fact for the sake of the narrative. So without further ado, let's get to the chapter.

I'd never been so happy to see Jefferson in my life. At the end of this long, winding tunnel I could finally see a light. If we could just get together and figure out a plan, I'm sure we could escape. "Jefferson, over here!" I was very quickly and painfully reminded about why I shouldn't stop midway through repairing my bone. My ribs stabbed into my skin, beginning to turn inward and getting dangerously close to puncturing my lung. I quickly had to attempt to remedy my situation by finishing the repair of my ribs. I could hear Jefferson in the background trying to come closer, but the crowd amassed around me was too thick to squeeze through. Either way I couldn't pay him any more mind than I already had; things had already gone off-course enough. After another minute or two, my ribs were finally repaired, but it took a decent amount of energy. Not nearly as much as the first time, but I felt like I had run a marathon or finished a cage match. I paused for a moment, readying myself to take a deep breath. I inhaled and felt the cool air making its way down my windpipe, and making its way into my lungs. Everything was fully repaired and in working order in my body. I exhaled all of the air in my lungs, finally able to move freely again without stabbing pain in my chest. 

"Tea, is this some kind of weird fantasy? I'm not about to see someone barking, am I?" The second Jefferson finished the sentence, someone's dog started going ballistic in the background. "Now my day is complete, oh wait!" He pulled out a camera and took an obsessive amount of photos of me being propped on a throne in the middle of a random city in Texas.

"Have you had enough fun now, or do you need another picture?" I said.

"Fine, what is it?" Jefferson sighed.

"Well," I said, "I need you to join me so we can recoup and get some answers for these questions." I needed to somehow convey the urgency of this situation, and I had to get him alone somewhere so we could talk. 

I turned my head and leaned over to the mayor, practically doubling over in the throne. "Adonis, do you think we can wait in your office? I'm starting to get pretty dizzy from. . . you know."

"I don't see why not. You know the way, right Tea?" Adonis replied. It seemed like he was testing me somehow, trying to gauge whether I would try to bolt again or not. He stared me straight in the eyes, as if he was trying to analyze my soul for the answer.

"I think I should, it's just across the street, isn't it?" I replied, trying to keep the conversation as abrupt as possible so he couldn't make any conclusions.

"You're correct! I'll be in there shortly, so please make yourselves comfortable." He was still maintaining intense eye contact with me. He hadn't blinked once since he first locked eyes with me, like he was still searching for the answers.

I gingerly tried to make my way down from the throne, which was for some reason still hoisted in the air. The crowd was visibly too hyped up to understand anything I would say anyway, so it was probably better to just leave on my own. I turned back to Jefferson once I had my footing and tilted my head towards the mayor's building. 

As we were leaving the obnoxious crowd, I turned back and saw Adonis whispering something to his secretary while still looking at me. My guess was that he was asking her to follow me or try to intrude on our conversation. 

I hurried Jefferson into the mayor's office. I closed the door, and before I could even sit down, my facade of cooperation and tranquility melted. "Jefferson, we need to get out of here. There were only two things keeping me here, but now that you're with me, I only have one left. We need to get answers now, and book it as soon as humanly possible. This town gives me a constant feeling of dread, and the mayor is convinced I'm the second coming of Christ or something! On top of that, apparently there's a splinter faction of the town that thinks I need to die or something, and I'm not about to sit around having a philosophical debate with a bunch of angry Texans!" I began to pant manically, the expansion and contraction of my lungs a reflection of the thoughts in my mind. Scattered, random, too fast for me to process any of it.

"Tea, can you please just shut up? Take two seconds to just breathe instead of yapping about nothing. Right now, you said we need to get answers and leave, so why don't we just do that? Enough of the townspeople seem to like you anyways, so getting answers doesn't seem too hard." Jefferson said. His words carried the usual abruptness that came with his personality. I could tell he was trying to help, just in his own way. I can't really fault him for it, because it worked.

"Right now, they think I'm supposed to perform this massive miracle for them. Something that will bring about a "Golden Age" or whatever Adonis called it. That's the problem. They think I'm some kind of legend, a god among men that's supposed to save them from a metaphorical drought," I paused to take a breath and gather my thoughts. "Somehow Eddy was here; he saved them from a literal drought/famine basically, and the townsfolk clung to him and begged him to stay, but I guess he was not dealing with that, so he gave them my picture and a prophecy about how someone "greater than him" would come along. That was me. And to top it all off Adonis won't let me leave until I perform this miracle, and he saw me use my powers. I turned a door to solid steel, and he just busted right through it. I don't think he has any powers, but he's freakishly strong. He managed to knock me out with just a tackle. I don't think we have a chance at outrunning him, which means we might have to get ready for a fight. I'd like to talk to him first and see if he can be reasoned with, but you need to be ready." I said, still trying to run through all the possible scenarios in my mind. Not many of them ended in our favor.

"Ok, I think I got that, but just let me know what we're doing before it happens, because I'm probably just gonna play DragonBall Legends." Jefferson said. I couldn't really tell if his seeming nonchalance assured me or worried me. 

Adonis walked in a little too perfectly timed. He was either listening in, or was called in by his secretary. "Have you two gotten settled in yet?" He asked. 

"Yes, I'd say so; thank you for lending us the room!" I said, trying to act as cordially as possible.

"Any time!" Adonis replied, smiling. Something about the way he smiled at me was odd. It seemed too. . . calculated. Maybe it was the way he closed his eyes, or never opened his mouth, but something about it made it seem forced. Like he had practiced that fake smile for years to the point he had forgotten the emotion that usually brings about a smile. "Now, I believe you had some more questions for me, is that correct?" he said, still keeping up that robotic smile.

"Yes I do. I'll ask the questions separately, maybe the next one will answer itself. The first one is pretty simple. What is the Krystal you mentioned in your speech?" I said. 

"I'm not exactly sure what they are or where they come from, but they appeared around the same time everyone got sick. Far more rare than diamonds, these pink krystals began popping up across the country. First it was a quiet whisper, only being something that appears on an online auction or on a blog asking what it is. Then, as the Krystal Users became more widespread, people started making theories. They say the Krystal Users got their powers from the weird krystals that were randomly appearing. There have also been reports of those same Krystal Users turning into the krystal themselves, at least that's what I've heard. It's kind of like an advanced version of Lou Gehrig's disease. Your body starts to rapidly turn to the stuff, and once it starts growing on you, you've already sealed your fate. From what I know, no medicines can cure the krystallization, and it just continues to spread. If you try to cut off the part that's infected, the krystallization just spreads anyways." Adonis said. He cast me a somewhat pitying glance. "That being said, it's different with different people from what I've heard, so maybe not all Krystal Users get it." I think he added that last bit to try to comfort me in a sense.

"I see. That was very informative, thank you. Now for the second question. Why is the government cracking down on Krystal Users?" I said.

"Well, that's hard to say. The official statement is somewhat divided. One says that it's because they can be highly dangerous, and the other says it's for their own protection. So they can make a 'cure' for the krystallization." He kind of scoffed at the second idea. He clearly didn't believe the government would just do that to help people. "Only thing is, apparently once they find a Krystal User and capture them, they aren't seen again. At least that's what I've heard about it. The cover-up they're using is that the krystal disease could be contagious, so the users are being 'quarantined'." 

It was interesting to me at first glance that Adonis really had no faith in the government, considering he was the mayor. Honestly though, if I'd been through what he had, and knowing that the government could have helped but just refused to, I'd lose faith as well. I'm already considered an outlaw, so it can't be helped that I don't think greatly of the current government. There's definitely more than a few things about this Krystal that are. . . fishy, to say the least. The government does have a long record of performing experiments on its own citizens, so Adonis's claims might not be as far-fetched as they seem. 

Another thing I found interesting was what Adonis had said about Krystal Users beginning to krystallize. I knew it was too good to be true, just suddenly getting these powers. I wondered though, if it truly wasn't reversible at all or if the government had some magical snake oil kept behind lock and key in an underground facility somewhere. If I began to krystallize too, was it really game over for me? Was there just no chance for me to survive? 

"Have you heard about anywhere they might have been taken for this quarantine? Even just a general direction would be helpful." I said.

"I do wonder, but unfortunately the stories I've heard are from all across the country. Even when I read a rare post on a forum somewhere, it's never helpful." Adonis replied.

"So you're basically telling us that we're doomed to die or get kidnapped? Man I love my magnet powers. Definitely couldn't have just bought a fridge or something and had it be just as useful." Jefferson said, clearly more than a little annoyed. 

"I'm truly sorry, but like I said, it's not officially confirmed that every Krystal User gets it. It also seems to spread at different rates, so there's a chance you'll be fine. And while you're in this town you should be relatively safe from the government. Even the police here think like I do, so they're not going to report you." Adonis tried to reassure him, but it seemed like Jefferson was just even more annoyed now. I hate it when he gets like this, you can't even try to help him because he just thinks you're pitying him.

"Thank you so much for the information, but I have something important I'd like to discuss now that we got some basic things out of the way. I still don't intend to stay here for much longer, so I have a proposition." That's when the headache hit.