Dead Clouds

Chapter 10 (1/3): The Strings Around Our Hearts

A dramatic shift had occurred within the city over the weekend. Radius kept note of this shift as he adjusted his emergency pair of glasses on his face. They weren't as comfortable as his previous two pairs and often slid to the bridge of his nose. A city bursting with life during Gold's clean-up event now looked deflated. As he progressed down the sidewalk, the genius wondered if the initial excitement generated by the cirrus cloud had finally subsided allowing a more melancholic emotion to supplant it.

With Gold floating beside him, the two strolled through the heart of Nube City's western end. The streets were starved of people. Traffic lights switched between red and green without a single car passing through. One or two patrons sat inside of coffee shops surrounded by open tables. High-pitched chirps from birds were oddly audible. This Monday morning seemed more like a Sunday morning to the pair.

The amount of concrete stretched before Radius was an anomaly. Usually, the sheer volume of people within the city obscured much of the ground. Injuries sustained during the stratus cloud attack relegated people indoors, however. The weekend was not enough recovery time. Stores remained closed on this Monday morning, while other professions managed staff shortages. More than recovery, the closures provided time for businesses and politicians to reconsider policies and plans regarding the city. The second cloud attack in less than two weeks suggested a frightening frequency.

Taking advantage of these reconsiderations, Radius figured that it was the perfect time to contact Kiri and continue the conversation curtailed by Cameraman Stan and Reporter Wallace. He spent the entire weekend cooling a burning desire to contact the Fog sooner. Especially after his encounter with Tkese.

Radius's stomach churned as he revisited the memory. The Fog treated the conversation like a surgeon. His words were scalpels and scissors tearing away at them, pulling out lies, and stitching together woven truths. A verbal contortionist. Someone skilled enough to bend and twist words into shapes that violated geometric laws.

"You're thinking about that guy again, huh?" asked Gold, scanning half of Radius's face with concerned eyes, "We should have met up with Kiri right after he left."

Radius detected the tinge of frustration in Gold's voice. His partner drew conclusions too fast. He was skeptical of Tkese but trusted Kiri wholeheartedly. For Radius, both Fogs were objects of scrutiny. He refused to contact Kiri immediately after Tkese left because he worried that the Fogs were working in tandem. Why else would they both emerge within the same twenty-four hours? The genius needed to keep all possibilities on the table until they showed him more of their cards.

An extra day between meeting Tkese and reuniting with Kiri gave Radius time to draft his most pressing questions, anticipate responses, and prepare his next move. He needed to determine their motives. Clouds wanted to kill Gold, while Gold wanted to become human again. But what did Fogs want? What were they after?

"Gold," said Radius, stopping at an empty street corner, "I'll take the lead during our discussion with Kiri. If there's anything you want to contribute, then inform me first, and I'll decide if it's worth mentioning."

"You're kidding me right?" said Gold, angling around Radius to meet his eyes, "We're supposed to be a team! I know how to have a conversation."

"Which is my point exactly," answered Radius, "This isn't a 'conversation.' This is an opportunity for me to test multiple hypotheses regarding cloudification and our new taxonomy. We're approaching unexplored scientific shores, and I will not be thrown off course by rudimentary questions."

Gold reluctantly held his tongue. He feared that a selfish impulse guided his drive to speak with Kiri. Was he only concerned about his own fate? He conceded that it might be best for Radius to lead things. The ghost recalled the power plant and his partner's successful plan to supercharge their Thunder Blade attack. Trusting Radius worked so far. Why fix what wasn't broken?