Atman Duo! Issue #1: The Auction, Pt. 1
The Atman Case
It was a chilly day, the wind blew through the empty London streets. The sun barely rose, and yet John was running in the boulevard. His footsteps rhythmic and even, his breath shallow and calculated, and although he was focused on his run, his mind wandered, troubled from the events of recent days. The almost-threat the Atman group leader in the UK rang clear and true in his head. “I hope you will reconsider joining us and continuing the Alphego lineage John, otherwise the situation will be… less than desirable”. He knew he had to do something about him, and making another enemy was not in his wish list.
He was torn between the different worlds he was a part of, on one hand, his dedication to his country, his patriotic desire to save the country and save the Queen, on the other hand, his lineage as a recipient of an Atman, but a lineage that was as much of him that he was of it, and no one gets to dictate how he will preserve it, and of course he had to take into consideration his greatest asset, his friends, who showed him that empathy is much of part of his life as his skills in combat and interrogation.
He ran forward, not caring about time and place, although mentally noting the turns and streets he had run through. “You must find a path, where you both win, and do it correctly, young John”. Kastor was talking to John. He was quite surprised hearing him without calling him beforehand. “To impress me further, I want you to solve the situation, but you will have to do so without any detriment to any of your goals, whether informing your superiors, endangering your friends and without dishonoring my, I mean, our lineage by doing anything underhanded” Kastor continued.
John had pondered upon this assignment, how shall he resolve this threat? He has not the resources he needed, not the personnel to help him do that. He looked at the streets, and he realised he was in Haringey, he could talk to Daybreak, last time Sento had a lot of tech that could help him, and he was quite hotheaded, so it will be easy to make him accept the offer if some fighting will be promised, especially if some fighting will be promised.
He jogged through the streets, heading to Sento’s location (MI6 had been tracking him ever since they landed an alien warship in the Thames, for obvious reasons),eventually arriving at the basement. The sound of loud clanking and an electrical saw told John he had reached the right place, he heard the smelting of metal and the grinding of tubes, fusing of electronics and hammering of plates. Running through the gates John found Sento, in his imposing figure and welding goggles, tinkering with some sort of… Weapon, or at least something that looked like it. A piece of shrapnel flew through the air, John barely dodged it with a quick crouch.
“Is that any way of greeting a friend, Sento?” John exclaimed, surprised at this reckless construction from his almost robot friend. "well if it isn't 007" Sento said with a rough smile "what brings you to this side of town? not exactly your style" "I was in the neighborhood and thought i'd drop by, what're you working on?" "New system, still have to iron out some bugs though, and find an Atman of course, but that's gonna take a while, if ever" he said while taking off his goggles "Anyways, I'm surprised you found this place, it's not like I'm legally renting this place you know" "I've got my sources"
"The carrier of the Alvir atman I presume?" Kastor said, his voice booming inside John’s mind. "It is another hurdle I put upon you John, the Alvir are a cruel and destructive species, you are to make sure no unnecessary harm to be done"
"Hello? Planet Earth to john" He snapped back into reality, his vision fixed on Sento. "Jeez man, don't scare me like that" "What do you mean?" "You just spaced out for like a minute, kind of reminds me of talking to dartz" "Oh, sorry, a lot on my mind right now" He shouldn't reveal his atman yet, it will be better used later. "What's wrong?" Sento asked, no one really comes here, let alone mi6. "Well, rumors are there is an illegal atman auction happening in town, and I was tasked with finding it, infiltrating and stopping it,but so far my sources haven’t returned any actionable intel" He replied, not wanting to reveal this is a mission given to him by himself and not by his agency. "Well if you want, i can ask jack" "Who's jack?" "Don't even worry about it," sento smirked.
The wind howled around them, the breeze carried with it the smell of salt and brimstone.
The moon shined above, hiding periodically behind the thick clouds that frequented the skies above London. John and Sento braved the mild cold, each in his own way.
“So you’re telling me we can find credible info HERE?” John questioned Sento, perhaps trusting him this early was not his brightest idea.
They stood outside a warehouse near the docks, it was late, very late
“I told you, these guys are legit, you will need to show them your power though”
Sento said, walking towards the door, he knocked, and a tall man opened the door
“Sorry, were closed for business”
“Sure about that?” he said, creating a small metal object in his hand
“Oh!, come right in, the boss is expecting you”
“Thanks, let’s go”
John further questioned whether his trust in his compatriot was founded, he readied himself for action, just as Freya taught him.
He went to the tall man and assessed him, he was rugged, tough and muscular, but his mind was infantile at best, John sneered at the man. He took a stone and made it hover above his hand, a petty trick which was enough to convince he has powers.
They walked through the door, and the room changed, bright lights were shining, loud music playing, and a bunch of illegal teen supers using their powers. “Welcome to fire power!”
“Not this again…” He pointed towards a teen juggling lit knives. “A clear violation of section 12.5 of the UK’s power regulation”, he pointed again at another teen lifting and throwing heavy weights. “Section 12.7” he grumbled, each way he looked he saw illegal activities, “I hate these parties, being in one was enough for a lifetime”
“YOU went to a party?” Sento was surprised, maybe John does know how to actually have fun.
“Focus, now, where is this jack?”
“Either on stage or in the VIP lounge”
“I’ll check the stage, call if you find him”
He walked towards the stage, the room was packed, the lights were disorienting, too many threats to focus on, there’s a reason he hates places like this
“Hey fella, you ok?”
John lifted his head, from across the bar, a young woman was calling him
“Yeah, i’m fine”
“Need a drink? On the house”
"Yea, a beer would be great”
“An excellent choice” she said and started pouring him a glass from the casket behind the counter.
“So what’s your deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, usually we get either people who wanna be heroes, people who wanna be villains, and people who just don’t care. Which one are you?”
“Um, hero, i guess” John wanted to be sure of that answer.
“Well, good luck with that” She exclaimed, “another poor soul lost to the fray”, she said under her breath.
“Thanks, also, do you know where i can find jack?”
"jack? oh the boss! yeah he should be on stage, whatcha need him for?"
"I have some business with him"
"huh, and I thought he went legit"
"really?" john pointed to the many illegal things happening "doesn't really seem like it"
"what are you, a narc?"
"Oh he is" sento said, walking towards them. John looked at him and sighed deeply.
"So you found him?"
"on stage, show should be almost over"
They entered a large room, red velvet covered the walls and the floor. It was dimly lit, as if to cover something. There was a large rectangular table, behind it a large leather chair, and across from it, two simple wooden stools, as to assert dominance.
"So let me get this straight" Jack said, relaxing in his chair, he put his legs on the table, his black leather shoes shining in the light. "you're looking for an atman auction?" He sneered. "yep, pretty much" sento said, his look serious, "thought you might know something"
"Well, that depends, is your friend here looking for an atman?" He turned his attention to the newcomer, an unwelcome sight, most of the time. "hardly" John replied in a cold voice, putting up his best serious face, yet his age was a substantial hurdle when dealing with real adults.
"Well, then why look for them?" Jack asked, looking at the ceiling.
"bust them, of course!" Sento said smugly.
"aaand there goes the secrecy" John put his palm on his face, and sighed.
Jack laughed, and sat straight in his chair, staring at Sento. "You really think you can take them out? just the two of you? I thought you were supposed to be smart kid"
“Me too” John agreed, staring at Sento, wondering whether he made the right choice in inviting him.
"Would you just tell us already?!"
"Alright fine" Jack said with a sneaky smile, these fools are about to do his work for him. "To be honest they've been encroaching on my business as well, but we didn't want the cops knockin' so,we kept quiet"
"So, where are they?" Sento insisted.
"’I don't know where they are, but I can tell you who does"
"Who?" John and Sento asked simultaneously.
"Jean Brooks, better known as the midnight bunny"
“So you’re telling me, your parents are forcing you to go to a GHF affiliated school and learning how to increase your lineage and keep it alive?”A female voice, a bit aged but well dictated and pronounced was heard on the radio. “That’s her,” Sento said, pointing at the radio. “I know, we are going there now, I got us an appointment” John half smiled at Sento, he still has his tricks.
“Yea, they think just because they share this lineage I am their kid, that I want to have lot of kids and learn everything there is about all of the xenolineages that exist, that’s is so much pressure and they don’t even want to hear what I want to do” A young teen’s voice was heard, she was shy, but eager to share her story.
“I see, and how did your parents react when you told them I invited you for an interview?”
“They didn’t know I was invited and I think they could be a bit frustrated if they hear this interview right now, but if you can hear me now mom and dad, do you really want me to give up my dream? Why can’t I dream differently than you guys?”
“You know that you should consider yourself to be a bit lucky, at least your parents have earned their atman, you know that people actually sell them on the black market? That’s akin to human trafficking, and just as horrible.”
“I guess I am a bit lucky to have parents that love me, but that doesn’t mean I need to be under this much stress and pressure to continue on their lineage which I didn't choose to be a part of” “I want to thank you for sharing your story, this is another part of the tapestry which has been woven by the Atmans since their arrival. In addition, I can talk to your parents about you and your dreams, I am sure we can reach a better understanding.” You could hear an audible sigh of relief from the other side.
“Join me next time for the next part of my series about Atmans: Auctions and the black market”
“We’re here” John said, the iron gate in front of them opened. John slipped something into the guards hand as they passed him.
John parked the car and they went to the elevator, Midnight Bunny, or better to call her Jean, was waiting for them on the 4th floor.
The elevator door opened, and a long hallway was presented before them, it was well lit, with pictures of past and present radio hosts hung on the walls. As they walked forward, they saw two photos, one of which depicted Silver fox, with his distinct hairstyle and jacket, his face was young in it, and you could almost feel his presence. The other one showed the Midnight Bunny, with her long black hair and an amused look on her face, giving off a calming aura. John and Sento stared at the paintings, John wondered what it would be like to fight crime using words and not action, what’s it like to hold his organization to his high standard in public.
“Planet earth to john” sento said smirking “What? Got a crush on her or something?””
“I’m merely gathering info on our next informant, don’t you know you can get a lot of information from a still image?” John replied, with as much confidence as he could muster.
Sento rolled his eyes and pushed John forward, they had a job to do.
He knocked on the door.
A light clank of a glass was heard behind the door. “Come in”. John and Sento went inside, mustering their confidence.
The room was brightly lit, and many posters and newspaper cutouts were hung on the wall, they depicted Jean in her movies and cases. She was a hero of a different caliber.
John and Sento looked with awe at the wall, understanding just a bit who they were talking to.
The woman in front of them exclaimed, the glass of red wine almost spilling from her hand from the excitement.
Jean almost ran to Sento, her eyes directed at his bright ambered jewel on his belt, his atman. She took out a pen and a notebook, and started writing frantically.
“You must be Sento, the self-made xenolineage, did you really steal this Atman? How did you connect it to yourself? What are the properties of the race you are inhibiting?”
Sento smiled smugly. “I’ll tell you all about it, but first”. He replied, pushing his glasses up “Where is the Auction?”.
“And what would you do with the information, if I have it?” Jean asked, quizzically.
“Bust them, of course!” Sento smiled from the thought of combat, his hands turned to fist and some silver metal covered his knuckles.
“Don’t you think you are a bit… young and inexperienced? How could you stop something that even G.E.A.R. have trouble stopping?” She asked, although she already knew where this was going.
“Rules are just one of the things I break” Sento’s smile widened.
John gave him an elbow jam to his side and took a step forward. “What my friend here means is that we have more creative ways to stop this auction and retrieve that atman” John’s face was deadpan serious.
“Let’s say you can, very theoretically, stop them and retrieve the atman, what do I get from it? I need to keep this station alive, let’s talk business” She put down her notebook and gestured to the duo to sit.
She poured them two glasses of a bubbly light liquid. John took a sip, it was sweet and tangy, apple cider, she is underestimating them.
“What can you give me for this information?” She slid a piece of paper and a pen to the pair.
John picked up the paper, it was blank. “Do you want us to write a sum of money, information, what are we talking here about?” He asked. He never dealt with a proper superhero.
Jean was frustrated, she folded her hands and looked at them. “I want to film you stopping the auction. You will wear small cameras and microphones and you will do a full interview afterwards detailing everything”
“I, I mean we, can’t do that. Our powers and identities are secret, we can’t reveal them” John answered.He paused a bit and looked at Sento, he gave him a half smile and looked back at Jean. “Sento here can give you a full interview about how he got the atman, his lineage and his plans for the future”.
That’s what you get for rattling about me to Jack Sento felt a small pang in his mind.
“I am supposed to give you super dangerous information for an interview with an atman-carrying teen? You must be joking” Jean laughed, “I’m going to need something much better than that” She emphasized every word. Sento and John looked at each other.
The room around them transformed, Jean faded away, and now they stood near a large oaken table, lacquered to perfection, smooth and reflective. There was a single light, just strong enough to barely cover a bit over the table. There were two heavy chairs on each side of the table.
John and Sento sat across each other.
What now? I was sure that that story would have bought her information.
First of all, not cool, secondly, maybe tell her what really happened at the spaceship? I still have footage
I shouldn’t, this is a super important piece of information, I’ll get killed if the organization finds out about this.
So you are ok with letting an Atman get sold to some gold hoarding villain?
Kastor, any ideas?
Kastor faded-in to the side of John. He was an Alphego, a tall creature, with black horns. His skin fully covered with black and gray lines with different patterns and shapes, not revealing a shred of unpainted skin underneath.He wore a red-orange robe and had golden necklaces around his neck in various sizes.
He inspected Sento, his face scowled for a quick moment, he then turned to John.
I have told you what I expected of you, young one, you must succeed at this without compromise.
Kastor faded-out before John could even ask him a question
Wait? You have an Atman, and this is your great sage? Sento started laughing, what a perfect pair you are! At least mine is somewhat friendly, even if a bit explosive. And not a know-it-all dick
I know, but what can I do when I have one of the smartest races trying to teach me stuff, I can only try to comprehend and show my competence. John sighed, he sometimes wished for an easier race to talk to.
John paused and looked at the table, his reflection staring right back at him, he saw a young agent, trying to do good in this world, trying to better it. How can he better it if he lets some villain steal and capture an Atman, a great sage with a great lineage, one which was most probably taken from someone truly deserving. Can he really let that happen? The room’s lighting changed color, the warm yellow lamp above them turned to a cold blue shade. He finished his calculations.
I’ll reveal my Atman, I’m doing this for the good of others and I will deal with the consequences if any will arise.
The room transformed back to Jean’s office. He looked again at Sento, determined.
John pulled down his shirt collar to reveal his Atman. His atman lit up a bit as though expecting this. Jean’s face brightened as her jaw dropped.John smirked, he knew he had this in the bag.
“How about an interview with 2 atman-carrying teens who are working towards being superheroes, we can also talk about the auction and how we stopped it and some of our powers, but no revealing details with full voice distortion and we record in secret location of my choosing”
Jean looked at them both, her eyes darting between their atmans.
She paused, the thought of having a cyborg atman carrier and a young hero atman carrier was too intriguing to give up, and if they fail, well… G.E.A.R. will save them.
She reached out her hand. “You got yourself a deal, but I suggest you come up with a really good plan, both G.E.A.R. and ZAIA know about this auction” John shook her hand. “Thanks for the heads up, we will be prepared”
John and Sento overlooked one of the large estates of London, the atman auction will be held here in 2 hours, and they came prepared.
The estate had a large double door entrance and was 3 stories tall. There were guards stationed in front of the doors.
"All right, brute force?" Sento asked, some liquid metal already pouring over his fists.
"I've got a better plan" John replied, with a cocky half smile as he looked at the tall bell tower of the estate.
He ran forward, not caring about time and place, although mentally noting the turns and streets he had run through. “You must find a path, where you both win, and do it correctly, young John”. Kastor was talking to John. He was quite surprised hearing him without calling him beforehand. “To impress me further, I want you to solve the situation, but you will have to do so without any detriment to any of your goals, whether informing your superiors, endangering your friends and without dishonoring my, I mean, our lineage by doing anything underhanded” Kastor continued.
John had pondered upon this assignment, how shall he resolve this threat? He has not the resources he needed, not the personnel to help him do that. He looked at the streets, and he realised he was in Haringey, he could talk to Daybreak, last time Sento had a lot of tech that could help him, and he was quite hotheaded, so it will be easy to make him accept the offer if some fighting will be promised, especially if some fighting will be promised.
He jogged through the streets, heading to Sento’s location (MI6 had been tracking him ever since they landed an alien warship in the Thames, for obvious reasons),eventually arriving at the basement. The sound of loud clanking and an electrical saw told John he had reached the right place, he heard the smelting of metal and the grinding of tubes, fusing of electronics and hammering of plates. Running through the gates John found Sento, in his imposing figure and welding goggles, tinkering with some sort of… Weapon, or at least something that looked like it. A piece of shrapnel flew through the air, John barely dodged it with a quick crouch.
“Is that any way of greeting a friend, Sento?” John exclaimed, surprised at this reckless construction from his almost robot friend. "well if it isn't 007" Sento said with a rough smile "what brings you to this side of town? not exactly your style" "I was in the neighborhood and thought i'd drop by, what're you working on?" "New system, still have to iron out some bugs though, and find an Atman of course, but that's gonna take a while, if ever" he said while taking off his goggles "Anyways, I'm surprised you found this place, it's not like I'm legally renting this place you know" "I've got my sources"
"The carrier of the Alvir atman I presume?" Kastor said, his voice booming inside John’s mind. "It is another hurdle I put upon you John, the Alvir are a cruel and destructive species, you are to make sure no unnecessary harm to be done"
"Hello? Planet Earth to john" He snapped back into reality, his vision fixed on Sento. "Jeez man, don't scare me like that" "What do you mean?" "You just spaced out for like a minute, kind of reminds me of talking to dartz" "Oh, sorry, a lot on my mind right now" He shouldn't reveal his atman yet, it will be better used later. "What's wrong?" Sento asked, no one really comes here, let alone mi6. "Well, rumors are there is an illegal atman auction happening in town, and I was tasked with finding it, infiltrating and stopping it,but so far my sources haven’t returned any actionable intel" He replied, not wanting to reveal this is a mission given to him by himself and not by his agency. "Well if you want, i can ask jack" "Who's jack?" "Don't even worry about it," sento smirked.
The wind howled around them, the breeze carried with it the smell of salt and brimstone.
The moon shined above, hiding periodically behind the thick clouds that frequented the skies above London. John and Sento braved the mild cold, each in his own way.
“So you’re telling me we can find credible info HERE?” John questioned Sento, perhaps trusting him this early was not his brightest idea.
They stood outside a warehouse near the docks, it was late, very late
“I told you, these guys are legit, you will need to show them your power though”
Sento said, walking towards the door, he knocked, and a tall man opened the door
“Sorry, were closed for business”
“Sure about that?” he said, creating a small metal object in his hand
“Oh!, come right in, the boss is expecting you”
“Thanks, let’s go”
John further questioned whether his trust in his compatriot was founded, he readied himself for action, just as Freya taught him.
He went to the tall man and assessed him, he was rugged, tough and muscular, but his mind was infantile at best, John sneered at the man. He took a stone and made it hover above his hand, a petty trick which was enough to convince he has powers.
They walked through the door, and the room changed, bright lights were shining, loud music playing, and a bunch of illegal teen supers using their powers. “Welcome to fire power!”
“Not this again…” He pointed towards a teen juggling lit knives. “A clear violation of section 12.5 of the UK’s power regulation”, he pointed again at another teen lifting and throwing heavy weights. “Section 12.7” he grumbled, each way he looked he saw illegal activities, “I hate these parties, being in one was enough for a lifetime”
“YOU went to a party?” Sento was surprised, maybe John does know how to actually have fun.
“Focus, now, where is this jack?”
“Either on stage or in the VIP lounge”
“I’ll check the stage, call if you find him”
He walked towards the stage, the room was packed, the lights were disorienting, too many threats to focus on, there’s a reason he hates places like this
“Hey fella, you ok?”
John lifted his head, from across the bar, a young woman was calling him
“Yeah, i’m fine”
“Need a drink? On the house”
"Yea, a beer would be great”
“An excellent choice” she said and started pouring him a glass from the casket behind the counter.
“So what’s your deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, usually we get either people who wanna be heroes, people who wanna be villains, and people who just don’t care. Which one are you?”
“Um, hero, i guess” John wanted to be sure of that answer.
“Well, good luck with that” She exclaimed, “another poor soul lost to the fray”, she said under her breath.
“Thanks, also, do you know where i can find jack?”
"jack? oh the boss! yeah he should be on stage, whatcha need him for?"
"I have some business with him"
"huh, and I thought he went legit"
"really?" john pointed to the many illegal things happening "doesn't really seem like it"
"what are you, a narc?"
"Oh he is" sento said, walking towards them. John looked at him and sighed deeply.
"So you found him?"
"on stage, show should be almost over"
They entered a large room, red velvet covered the walls and the floor. It was dimly lit, as if to cover something. There was a large rectangular table, behind it a large leather chair, and across from it, two simple wooden stools, as to assert dominance.
"So let me get this straight" Jack said, relaxing in his chair, he put his legs on the table, his black leather shoes shining in the light. "you're looking for an atman auction?" He sneered. "yep, pretty much" sento said, his look serious, "thought you might know something"
"Well, that depends, is your friend here looking for an atman?" He turned his attention to the newcomer, an unwelcome sight, most of the time. "hardly" John replied in a cold voice, putting up his best serious face, yet his age was a substantial hurdle when dealing with real adults.
"Well, then why look for them?" Jack asked, looking at the ceiling.
"bust them, of course!" Sento said smugly.
"aaand there goes the secrecy" John put his palm on his face, and sighed.
Jack laughed, and sat straight in his chair, staring at Sento. "You really think you can take them out? just the two of you? I thought you were supposed to be smart kid"
“Me too” John agreed, staring at Sento, wondering whether he made the right choice in inviting him.
"Would you just tell us already?!"
"Alright fine" Jack said with a sneaky smile, these fools are about to do his work for him. "To be honest they've been encroaching on my business as well, but we didn't want the cops knockin' so,we kept quiet"
"So, where are they?" Sento insisted.
"’I don't know where they are, but I can tell you who does"
"Who?" John and Sento asked simultaneously.
"Jean Brooks, better known as the midnight bunny"
“So you’re telling me, your parents are forcing you to go to a GHF affiliated school and learning how to increase your lineage and keep it alive?”A female voice, a bit aged but well dictated and pronounced was heard on the radio. “That’s her,” Sento said, pointing at the radio. “I know, we are going there now, I got us an appointment” John half smiled at Sento, he still has his tricks.
“Yea, they think just because they share this lineage I am their kid, that I want to have lot of kids and learn everything there is about all of the xenolineages that exist, that’s is so much pressure and they don’t even want to hear what I want to do” A young teen’s voice was heard, she was shy, but eager to share her story.
“I see, and how did your parents react when you told them I invited you for an interview?”
“They didn’t know I was invited and I think they could be a bit frustrated if they hear this interview right now, but if you can hear me now mom and dad, do you really want me to give up my dream? Why can’t I dream differently than you guys?”
“You know that you should consider yourself to be a bit lucky, at least your parents have earned their atman, you know that people actually sell them on the black market? That’s akin to human trafficking, and just as horrible.”
“I guess I am a bit lucky to have parents that love me, but that doesn’t mean I need to be under this much stress and pressure to continue on their lineage which I didn't choose to be a part of” “I want to thank you for sharing your story, this is another part of the tapestry which has been woven by the Atmans since their arrival. In addition, I can talk to your parents about you and your dreams, I am sure we can reach a better understanding.” You could hear an audible sigh of relief from the other side.
“Join me next time for the next part of my series about Atmans: Auctions and the black market”
“We’re here” John said, the iron gate in front of them opened. John slipped something into the guards hand as they passed him.
John parked the car and they went to the elevator, Midnight Bunny, or better to call her Jean, was waiting for them on the 4th floor.
The elevator door opened, and a long hallway was presented before them, it was well lit, with pictures of past and present radio hosts hung on the walls. As they walked forward, they saw two photos, one of which depicted Silver fox, with his distinct hairstyle and jacket, his face was young in it, and you could almost feel his presence. The other one showed the Midnight Bunny, with her long black hair and an amused look on her face, giving off a calming aura. John and Sento stared at the paintings, John wondered what it would be like to fight crime using words and not action, what’s it like to hold his organization to his high standard in public.
“Planet earth to john” sento said smirking “What? Got a crush on her or something?””
“I’m merely gathering info on our next informant, don’t you know you can get a lot of information from a still image?” John replied, with as much confidence as he could muster.
Sento rolled his eyes and pushed John forward, they had a job to do.
He knocked on the door.
A light clank of a glass was heard behind the door. “Come in”. John and Sento went inside, mustering their confidence.
The room was brightly lit, and many posters and newspaper cutouts were hung on the wall, they depicted Jean in her movies and cases. She was a hero of a different caliber.
John and Sento looked with awe at the wall, understanding just a bit who they were talking to.
The woman in front of them exclaimed, the glass of red wine almost spilling from her hand from the excitement.
Jean almost ran to Sento, her eyes directed at his bright ambered jewel on his belt, his atman. She took out a pen and a notebook, and started writing frantically.
“You must be Sento, the self-made xenolineage, did you really steal this Atman? How did you connect it to yourself? What are the properties of the race you are inhibiting?”
Sento smiled smugly. “I’ll tell you all about it, but first”. He replied, pushing his glasses up “Where is the Auction?”.
“And what would you do with the information, if I have it?” Jean asked, quizzically.
“Bust them, of course!” Sento smiled from the thought of combat, his hands turned to fist and some silver metal covered his knuckles.
“Don’t you think you are a bit… young and inexperienced? How could you stop something that even G.E.A.R. have trouble stopping?” She asked, although she already knew where this was going.
“Rules are just one of the things I break” Sento’s smile widened.
John gave him an elbow jam to his side and took a step forward. “What my friend here means is that we have more creative ways to stop this auction and retrieve that atman” John’s face was deadpan serious.
“Let’s say you can, very theoretically, stop them and retrieve the atman, what do I get from it? I need to keep this station alive, let’s talk business” She put down her notebook and gestured to the duo to sit.
She poured them two glasses of a bubbly light liquid. John took a sip, it was sweet and tangy, apple cider, she is underestimating them.
“What can you give me for this information?” She slid a piece of paper and a pen to the pair.
John picked up the paper, it was blank. “Do you want us to write a sum of money, information, what are we talking here about?” He asked. He never dealt with a proper superhero.
Jean was frustrated, she folded her hands and looked at them. “I want to film you stopping the auction. You will wear small cameras and microphones and you will do a full interview afterwards detailing everything”
“I, I mean we, can’t do that. Our powers and identities are secret, we can’t reveal them” John answered.He paused a bit and looked at Sento, he gave him a half smile and looked back at Jean. “Sento here can give you a full interview about how he got the atman, his lineage and his plans for the future”.
That’s what you get for rattling about me to Jack Sento felt a small pang in his mind.
“I am supposed to give you super dangerous information for an interview with an atman-carrying teen? You must be joking” Jean laughed, “I’m going to need something much better than that” She emphasized every word. Sento and John looked at each other.
The room around them transformed, Jean faded away, and now they stood near a large oaken table, lacquered to perfection, smooth and reflective. There was a single light, just strong enough to barely cover a bit over the table. There were two heavy chairs on each side of the table.
John and Sento sat across each other.
What now? I was sure that that story would have bought her information.
First of all, not cool, secondly, maybe tell her what really happened at the spaceship? I still have footage
I shouldn’t, this is a super important piece of information, I’ll get killed if the organization finds out about this.
So you are ok with letting an Atman get sold to some gold hoarding villain?
Kastor, any ideas?
Kastor faded-in to the side of John. He was an Alphego, a tall creature, with black horns. His skin fully covered with black and gray lines with different patterns and shapes, not revealing a shred of unpainted skin underneath.He wore a red-orange robe and had golden necklaces around his neck in various sizes.
He inspected Sento, his face scowled for a quick moment, he then turned to John.
I have told you what I expected of you, young one, you must succeed at this without compromise.
Kastor faded-out before John could even ask him a question
Wait? You have an Atman, and this is your great sage? Sento started laughing, what a perfect pair you are! At least mine is somewhat friendly, even if a bit explosive. And not a know-it-all dick
I know, but what can I do when I have one of the smartest races trying to teach me stuff, I can only try to comprehend and show my competence. John sighed, he sometimes wished for an easier race to talk to.
John paused and looked at the table, his reflection staring right back at him, he saw a young agent, trying to do good in this world, trying to better it. How can he better it if he lets some villain steal and capture an Atman, a great sage with a great lineage, one which was most probably taken from someone truly deserving. Can he really let that happen? The room’s lighting changed color, the warm yellow lamp above them turned to a cold blue shade. He finished his calculations.
I’ll reveal my Atman, I’m doing this for the good of others and I will deal with the consequences if any will arise.
The room transformed back to Jean’s office. He looked again at Sento, determined.
John pulled down his shirt collar to reveal his Atman. His atman lit up a bit as though expecting this. Jean’s face brightened as her jaw dropped.John smirked, he knew he had this in the bag.
“How about an interview with 2 atman-carrying teens who are working towards being superheroes, we can also talk about the auction and how we stopped it and some of our powers, but no revealing details with full voice distortion and we record in secret location of my choosing”
Jean looked at them both, her eyes darting between their atmans.
She paused, the thought of having a cyborg atman carrier and a young hero atman carrier was too intriguing to give up, and if they fail, well… G.E.A.R. will save them.
She reached out her hand. “You got yourself a deal, but I suggest you come up with a really good plan, both G.E.A.R. and ZAIA know about this auction” John shook her hand. “Thanks for the heads up, we will be prepared”
John and Sento overlooked one of the large estates of London, the atman auction will be held here in 2 hours, and they came prepared.
The estate had a large double door entrance and was 3 stories tall. There were guards stationed in front of the doors.
"All right, brute force?" Sento asked, some liquid metal already pouring over his fists.
"I've got a better plan" John replied, with a cocky half smile as he looked at the tall bell tower of the estate.
