Estranged [Completed]

Progress

Downstairs, Kalei pulled out her phone and dialed Marley.

He answered, "Hey, perfect timing! I just found Xamic's Grunt House."

Kalei almost dropped the phone. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's a great location too. He used the Luxury Grove Condos in the heart of Tech Town. That puts him right in the middle of everything. The Celan Bank, the State Supreme Court, the Trade Building. He can have guys at any one of those places in under five minutes if someone gives him trouble. It's ingenious, really."

"Not sure I'd call it that." Kalei was only mildly pleased to discover that her guess about the barracks being in T-Town was correct.

"Eh, call it what you will. I'll let SWORDE take over from here." Kalei heard Marley's chair rolling and squeaking as he stood up. "So, anyways, what were you calling about?"

Kalei stepped out onto the sidewalk, watching the end of the street where she knew the truck would be coming from. "It's about Lecia. We found her."

"Seriously? Alive, I hope."

"Depends on your definition."

"Then define it for me."

Kalei sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "She's a fucking Estranged."

Marley sighed. "Damn. Well, we knew this would happen one day. She couldn't play with fire forever."

"Yeah." Kalei heard an engine approaching. "Listen, she's here. I'll call you later, alright?"

"Alright."

Kalei hung up as the van pulled around the corner. She took a step back from the curb in case Jarmel was driving.

Luckily, it wasn't Jarmel, because the van stopped neatly alongside the curb. The driver, still in full Warden black, got out, and Kalei asked, "How's she doing?"

"A bit shaken, to say the least. She— well, come see for yourself." Kalei recognized Usha's voice and followed her to the back of the van.

As they arrived, a second Warden opened the door. There was Lecia, hunched over on one of the bench seats. Her usual plethora of layers were absent in lieu of a simple yellow T-shirt over a pair of jeans. She looked a bit dirty, a bit dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Lecia blinked against the light as Kalei carefully took her arm and led her out of the van. As she stepped onto the street, the woman slowly raised her head, staring at the crumbling skyscrapers, turning her head as she tried to take them all in.

Kalei asked, "Lecia? How you feeling?"

Lecia pulled away from the sky and looked at Kalei. "Kalei?" Her voice sounded dreamy. Her eyebrows came together, and then relaxed when she recognized Kalei's face. "It's you."

Seeing Lecia so disconnected bothered Kalei. She wasn't sure if Lecia was just high, or if she was seriously hurt like Josh had been. Kalei calmly persisted, "How are you feeling?"

Lecia's eyebrows puckered again, perplexed. "Feeling?"

The knot of concern in Kalei's gut tightened. She took Lecia's hand into her own gloved one and said, "Come on. Let's go find Erit and get you all sorted out." She waved off the other two Wardens and they peeled away to return to their other duties.

"Okay." Lecia followed, her gait measured and softly rolling as though she were walking on a cloud.

Inside, Kalei asked the Warden at the front desk where Erit was. She replied, "Just saw him go into the elevator not two minutes ago."

Kalei thanked her and led Lecia up to the decrepit, golden doors, pressing the "up" button a couple times. As they waited, Kalei realized that this was Lecia's first time in SWORDE HQ. The woman should be ecstatic, jumping with joy at this opportunity. She had wanted to see the inside of HQ for ages. But Lecia just stood quietly beside her, her mouth slightly open as her eyes lazily traced the trajectory of some invisible sprite. Kalei jabbed the button a few more times.

At last, the elevator dinged and the doors dragged open. A few uneasy moments later, the pair stepped out into the computer room.

"Hey, Erit, can you check Lecia out for me?"

Erit turned around. "Sure. What seems to be the problem?"

Kalei looked at Lecia, whose eyes still lazily danced around the room, heedless to its occupants. "I don't know. She just seems... out of it."

Erit stood up and walked over to them. "It's possible she is simply adjusting to her new... state. But, nonetheless, I will take a look." He looked into one eye, then the other. He gently picked up one hand and looked at her solid black nails. Lecia was oblivious to the inspection. Her eyes had finally focused on something behind Erit, and a crooked grin crept along her face, as though she had discovered a hidden paradise.

Erit asked, "Lecia? My name is Erit. Nice to make your acquaintance."

Lecia's head slowly cocked to one side, her eyes still gazing in the distance. "Funny."

Erit raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your words are funny."

Erit laughed. "Well, it seems you have noticed my accent."

Lecia ignored him.

Erit released her hand and faced Kalei. "I am sure she is fine. I recommend we take her to a recovery room, allow her a few hours to adjust, and then check in to see if we can help her become acquainted with her new life."

Kalei replied, "But this doesn't seem normal. Lecia may be stupid, but not like this. How do we know she— How do we know she isn't like Josh?"

"We cannot be certain. Everyone adjusts to the transition differently, and it is quite possible she will snap out of this. All we can do is give her time."

Lecia muttered, "I... have something to do."

Kalei looked up and found that Lecia had wandered over to Erit's terminal. She held something small in her hand, something like... a thumb drive. The same thumb drive Landen had confronted Xamic with. Kalei recognized it by the Tusic logo on the front, and a small chip missing out of the side of the plastic case.

Kalei sprang for the terminal. "Lecia! No!"

Before she could make it across the room, Lecia plugged it in.