Chapter 25: Frustration

  I…couldn’t do it.

  The blade’s tip pressed lightly against my chest, but my hand wouldn’t move. Wouldn’t let me move.

  I stood frozen, breathing hard.

  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  I couldn’t – wouldn’t – kill myself.

  And then I dropped the sword.

  It clanked sharply against the metal floor, the sound echoing around me.

  I doubled over, palms on my knees, panting.

  Talking big game about my will…How pathetic…

  What in the world was I thinking?

  That…was so wrong.

  This person – the other looper. He got into my head so deeply, so quickly, I was ready to kill myself just to get the upper hand thanks to Checkpoint.

  Yes, I’m in a time loop. Yes, I know nothing would be set in stone unless it was my final run – one-twenty-three.

  But still…

  This? This was just a tantrum.

  And what if I was wrong? What if I made it to the COMM-ANNEX only to find it empty? Or find a terminal there manned by some clueless decoy the bastard paid to sit there and send me messages?

  Then in the next run, I’d forget all of this and waste time chasing the wrong shadow. Again.

  No. I needed to be smarter than that.

  What the fuck is wrong with you, Viktor? You were never the impulsive type.

  …Well, except for that night.

  I exhaled slowly.

  Then I bent down, picked the sword back up, and returned it to the Inventory.

  Still burning with quiet frustration, I turned away and began climbing the stairs, back toward the first floor, feeling only slightly defeated.

  Whoever the marked staff member was, he was working with the other looper. That much felt certain. He had led me down here for a reason – to get me as far away as possible from the COMM-ANNEX while he sent me those messages.

  Or maybe…he was the other looper, and there was a messaging terminal behind those golden doors downstairs.

  Or maybe I was overthinking everything again, and Dolos’ Champion was lounging somewhere else in Solvane, sipping on his afternoon coffee and laughing at me.

  I couldn’t know for sure. But my gut told me the one I was looking for is here, inside the Divine.

  With no means to open those golden, sealed doors, I decided to pursue my first suspicion.

  Back on the first floor, I found the nearest staff member and asked where the COMM-ANNEX was.

  I didn’t expect much, but I had to check – if only to convince myself I was making some progress.

  “You’ll have to pay two Steamcrowns per word.” The Staffer told me.

  Daylight robbery. Especially considering that participating inventors should have free access to such services. That’s how it worked in Orlinth at least.

  I shrugged. “Sure.”

  It’s not like I was going there to spend anything.

  As I followed the directions, another thought surfaced.

  Mr. Stanford – the only person on the Committee for Mechanized Advancement who had pushed to include my invention in the Expo despite me being from Orlinth – had said to find him when I arrived. But I didn’t see him anywhere. I figured his presence would command attention and so I would notice him. But that wasn’t the case. Maybe he was hiding. Or maybe…he simply hadn’t arrived yet. Too bad…I could’ve used his help here. He seemed to like the Chrono Quill enough to maybe help me here.

  Eventually, I reached the COMM-ANNEX. It was located on the second floor.

  Inside, the room was empty – save for one female staff worker seated at a side desk, flipping through paperwork.

  Figures.

  Well. Might as well see if I can get anything from her.

  I walked up. She raised her gaze lazily.

  “Yes?”

  “Was there anyone suspicious around here in the past twenty minutes?” I asked, immediately regretting it.

  She blinked. “You mean other than you?”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  She yawned. “You’re the only one who stood out. People usually just come in, send their message, and leave. No one goes around asking if anyone looked suspicious. You see where I’m going with this?”

  Oof, her smugness was getting on my already-faltering nerves.

  Still, I pressed on. “But did anyone linger? Sent a lot of messages?”

  She shrugged and narrowed her eyes. “Why would I even tell you? You’re not Ironwatch.”

  Right…Well at least compared to them, I’m actually trying to save your life right now.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I dug into my pocket and placed all of my coins on her desk.

  “I’m just asking for a favor.” I said calmly, hoping the measly sum would be enough to appease her.

  Oh, boy, was I wrong…

  She glanced at the pitiful handful of coins like it was an insult.

  “Oh, please,” she scoffed. “You think that gets you anything here? So not only you’re poor, you’re apparently stupid too.”

  She pushed the coins back, making them fall to the floor beside me. “Now get the fuck out of here before I get an Enforcer on your ass!”

  I picked up the coins and stepped outside quickly, still not feeling completely defeated.

  But then, as if that wasn’t enough, my COG beeped with a Déjà vu System notification.

  [Checkpoint: Anchor Point had expired]

  [You won’t be able to set a new Anchor Point during this loop]

  Fucking perfect…

  Now...now I was done.

  ***

  “Why the long face?” Trent asked as I walked up to our exhibit after…whatever it was I tried to pull out at the COMM-ANNEX.

  He was still calibrating the Chrono Quill.

  I shook my head. “Eh, it’s nothing. Just saw the competition downstairs. It's not looking good."

  “Well, we both know the Dragonfly’s winning,” Trent said, smirking. “But don’t count the Chrono Quill out just yet. I mean you only need to hit what? The top ten? That gets you into Skyhaven, right?”

  If it was that easy, Trent…

  I sighed. “I don’t want to get into Skyhaven, Trent.” I glanced around us. “If this is what’s waiting for me up here, then I don’t want it.” I shook my head again. “I never did.”

  Trent frowned. “Vik, I know you only wanted to become an inventor so you could meet you Mom in Skyhaven, but…well, whatever happened, happened. Maybe it’s time you thought about yourself for once. Truly thought about yourself. There’s nothing for you in Orlinth. That place is weighing you down.”

  I looked at him, not sure if I was more confused or hurt. “How can you say that? What about Dad? You? Your Mom? You’re all family.”

  “I know,” Trent said, softer now. “But you’re also the most brilliant guy I’ve known. And I think I speak for all of us when I say – if you have a shot at Skyhaven, take it. Grab it with both hands and don’t let it slip away.”

  Right. Brilliant. I can’t even figure out who’s screwing with me. Won’t ever be able to save the world. Can’t even go through with killing myself. Brilliant. Brilliant my ass.

  Trent wasn’t finished. “Look, if you make it here, you won’t just be another cog in the machine. You’ll change everything. I know it! The whole of Solvane would prosper. With all the influence and funding you’d get, you’d be unstoppable – heck, maybe you’ll even figure out a way to make the wildlands livable, so we can finally drop this nonsensical vertical way of living.”

  I stared at him. I’d never seen him so fired up. Apparently, he had such high expectations of me.

  What a load of –

  “See, you’re doing that face again.” Trent said, snapping me out of berating myself. “Stop beating yourself up in your head and pull it together. Let’s get you into those sweet top spots! Let’s rock this Expo! Chrono Quill for the win!”

  “Can you keep it down – “ someone nearby tried to hush him.

  “Oh, put a sock in it!” Trent shot back without missing a beat.

  I couldn’t hold back the chuckle.

  Thanks for the pep talk, Trent. You didn’t even know why you were giving it really – but thanks. I needed it.

  Because when someone believes in me like that, how can I crawl away and hide like a wounded dog?

  Yeah. Not happening. You messed with the wrong guy, Champion of Dolos – whoever you might be.

  You think I’m going to be dancing to your tune?

  Think again.

  I’m taking the initiative.

  I checked the time on my COG.

  [13:07]

  Good.

  I flipped open the Chrono Quill’s paper compartment and pulled out the papers I used in the home tests, putting them inside my back pocket.

  “Trent, load the new papers in and keep calibrating.” I said. “I’ll be back soon.”

  He nodded, and I turned toward the staircase – toward the first floor, a plan already in my mind.

  Before this loop began, I knew of one marked person: Anastasia Wright.

  Now? I had three more to worry about.

  I’d spent my entire morning investigating them – turning up more question and uncertainties than answers, totally wasting my time in the process.

  And that was it.

  That was Dolos’ Champion’s plan: to waste my time.

  I’d bet my ass that next loop I’ll walk into the Divine and find five people marked. Then seven. Then ten. The Other Looper will keep marking them – preying on my memory loss – knowing I’ll waste time chasing ghosts.

  Half-amnesiac Viktor won’t know what hit him.

  He’ll overthink everything like always. Try to connect dots that don’t exist.

  He’ll investigate every marked person, hoping the Other Looper slipped up.

  He won’t find anything.

  Eventually - finally - Future Viktor will walk into the Divine one loop and just…stop. The number of marked people would overwhelm him. Then, and only then, he’ll understand that investigating them all would be physically impossible. He’ll realize the trap.

  But by then, he’ll have bled so many loops, it’ll be too little, too late.

  So, instead, allow me to help you, dear enemy. Let me speed things up for you. Let me take this game you started and introduce some chaos into it.

  Because when so many people are marked, no one is really marked.

  I'll call this move…Mark Inflation.

  I raised my COG, navigating to Temporal Trace.

  [Marks Set: (2). Marks Left: (1)]

  Two marks left…One of them was the one on my own coat. But the other…? No clue.

  [Temporal Trace Level 3: Remove all marks?]

  [YES / NO]

  I hope I’m not removing anything important, but as things stand, I must do this.

  I selected YES.

  [Temporal Trace Level 3: All marks removed]

  I reached the first floor.

  Now, who do I mark?

  They needed to be random. Completely random. Future me can’t suspect them as part of some clue.

  But they also need to be the first-floor inventors. That way, next loop, the second I step into the Divine, I’d see them all – the ones the Other Looper had marked, and the ones I had.

  I moved quickly, weaving between staff members, inventors, and hordes of their assistants, eyes scanning for targets.

  Empty your mind, Viktor. Make it random. Truly random.

  The first was a woman in her thirties, working on a large brass clock with exposed gears and sundials. As she turned to speak with one of her assistants, I tapped my COG and placed a glowing orb on the back of her coat.

  [Temporal Trace Level 3: A mark has been set]

  [Marks Set: (1). Marks Left: (2)]

  Next.

  A teenage boy manned a table with what looked like a violin – except it seemed to be made of copper, not wood. He looked nervous, receiving a shoulder massage from two assistants at once.

  I brushed past him and dropped the orb onto his back.

  [Temporal Trace Level 3: A mark has been set]

  [Marks Set: (2). Marks Left: (1)]

  One more.

  In the far corner of the floor, a large man in his fifties stood beside a quartet of pressure lamps – each one alight with a different color, shifting gently in hue as he twisted a dial mounted to a central valve.

  Perfect.

  I slipped in next to him, exchanged a few pleasantries, then placed the orb on his arm.

  [Temporal Trace Level 3: A mark has been set]

  [Marks Set: (3). Marks Left: (0)]

  Three orbs. Three lies.

  But I wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

  The second part of my plan would start after Valdemar made his move on the Divine – whatever that was going to be.

  It'll be much harder to pull off, but I'll have to try.