19

Happiness

 

“Let me see! Let me see!”

An excited, pre-teen Melody would often pester her grandpa whenever she visited her grandparents’ house. 

“Easy there, kid! I’m not even sure how good this one will be.” 

“Everything you make is always good!”

“Heh, I can’t argue with that. I might as well give it a go.”

What laid in front of both of them was a large brick shaped machine. There was a small slot with a scanner on the front that he placed a sample of his hair in.

Thin green lights powered up around each of its corners. The rev of the motor inside became louder and louder. Steam started to brew out of it. Its vibrations made touching it a nerve wracking thought. 

“On second thought, maybe I should’ve done another maintenance check,” 

“Is it gonna explode?!”

“That’s not gonna happen. But uh…you should probably get behind that couch.”

This request was pointless as the sound and movement of the machine came to a sudden halt. It proceeded to print out of a paper that drifted onto the ground. The machine made one loud beep before shutting down completely. 

Giggling, Melody ran up and picked up the paper.

“Careful, kid! That block of metal is probably hotter than hell.”

“But look at this, pops! It shows a satellite image close-up of the area we’re in, and even lists the longitude and latitude! Your invention worked!”

“Oh really? That’s great to hear!”

“This is incredible! What are you gonna use it for now?!”

“Probably nothing much.”

“...huh?”

He dropped onto the couch as all his remaining energy depleted. 

“Yeah, I don’t really know what I’m gonna do with this thing.”

“Then…why’d you make it?”

“I thought it’d be a fun challenge. A machine that locates people by using their DNA sounds absolutely impossible, doesn’t it?”

“It does?” 

“Oh boy, I might be getting your hopes for standard technology too high…”

“Why do you make stuff like this anyways, pops?”

“You’re only asking that now?”

Melody raised her arms up, “I haven’t thought about it.”

“Hmmm, this was how I used to make a living, but nowadays, I guess it’s for myself.”

“For yourself?”

“Yeah…I guess making stuff like this makes me happy. I’m in the last quarter of my life, so I might as well spend it doing what I enjoy.”

“So creating these things makes you happy?”

“Yes, it does. Of course, that’s not all that makes me happy. You’re grandma’s been an infinite source of that.”

“Bleh! Is that a romance thing?”

“You’re not interested in that kinda stuff?”

“Nope! So many shows have dumb romances that make the boy and girl look stupid in every episode. It’s annoying!”

“Haha! I’m not about to say you’ll understand when you’re older, that’s your own decision to make. What I will say is that romance is a path towards happiness, but it’s not the only way. Find the things that make you happy, and see where it leads.”

“Hmmmm, oh! I know what would make me happy!”

“And what would that be?”

“Becoming smarter than you! One day I’m gonna cool gadgets and machines just like you!”

“Oh will you? It’s not like I’m a genius at everything, though. I’m no expert programmer or hacker. I needed to call up some of my old contacts for that machi-”

 “You’re not good at hacking?”

“Ah, well I’m certainly better at engineering-”

“Then all I have to do is become the greatest hacker ever, and I’ll be smarter than you! That’ll be easy!”

“What happened to making gadgets?”

“I want to do this now!”

“Kids really do change their mind all the time… But if that’s what you want, it can’t be helped. How about we-”

When Melody’s grandpa stood up, he abruptly began coughing uncontrollably. His throat sounded like it was getting scratched up with each cough.

“Pops! Are you okay?!”

“Gah! Yeah, I’ll be good. A little cough ain’t gonna kill me. Now, how’s about you tell me what you’ll do as a hacker?”

“Alright! First off, I’ll…”

Melody continued to ramble on about all the cool things she would do once she became a master at hacking and computers. These fantasies of hers would, in a way, become a reality when she discovered that her classmate was connected with a strange girl from outside of the city, and became a thief. All it took was a bit of snooping on her end, to which she envisioned a world completely new to her that she wanted to be a part of. 

She begged to join them, and the two never quite understood why a girl with no relation to Eterna would have any motivation to be a thief other than simple thrills. 

To Melody however, this was her way of fulfilling the dreams she told her grandpa about. This conversation they had together would be the last one they’d ever have like it. If she knew this, she would’ve savored this time more when she was younger. 

***

 

“Melody? Is the machine ready?” Luna said.

“...”

“Melody?”

“Wha-? Oh, sorry about that. I ended up spacing out. It’s ready to accept the DNA sample. Can I have it?”

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

It was a little before noon. After getting proper rest, the two girls were refreshed and went to Melody’s grandparent’s house while Serene would prepare all their gear at her place. While they were at it, Melody used her bubbles on Luna’s remaining bruises and cuts. With how her cuts healed it, it didn’t seem to reverse the damage like Dominic’s Curse, rather it isolated those parts of her body and began a restorative process. The marks from each cut still remained, but they were sure to fade on their own over time. 

 “My pops never actually repaired this thing after he first used it, so I did my best to fix up what I could.”

“It should still be able to function, correct?” 

“You bet it will! My pops was a genius after all! Now, here goes!”

Melody inserted the sample of Dominic’s hair, to which the green lights on the machine lit up. She then scurried towards the couch and hid behind. 

“What are you doing?”

Luna’s question answered itself when the machine started vibrating violently.

“Oh I see,” she said before joining Melody behind the couch. “It’s not gonna explode, is it?”

“That’s not gonna happen! But uh…we’re probably safer behind this couch.”

As the machine finished processing the DNA, the bolts on the exterior flew straight off, causing the plates covering it to fall apart. Melody saw that one of the bolts would’ve hit Luna directly in the face if she hadn’t joined her behind the couch. She kept this information to herself.

The paper fell out of the dispenser, and Melody ran up to pick it up. Before looking at it, she saw how broken the machine had become. Without her Grandpa’s expertise, this thing would never be usable again. Melody chose not to sulk about this. Instead, she prayed that this paper gave the results they needed.

“With this, we’ll know where Dominic is. And…what?”

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked.

“Look at this.”

What Luna saw was a map off the coast of Everfall. The dot that’s meant to represent Dominic’s location was in the ocean. The coordinate numbers aligned with this placement too.

Luna was baffled. “Is this telling us he’s in the ocean? Maybe that hunk of junk didn’t work right.”

Despite Luna’s doubts, the cogs were turning in Melody’s brain. It took only a few seconds for a light bulb to flash above her head.

“Wait a second! No way it was actually real!”

While yelling this to herself, she opened up her laptop and plugged in the USB device Luna had stolen data on over a week ago.

“We only needed this for the blueprints of the library, but when looking at the blueprints of some other Eterna buildings, I saw something that caught my eye!”

Presenting the laptop screen to Luna, she saw a 3D blueprint of the main business building belonging to Eterna in the center of Everfall. Melody pointed specifically to one of the elevator systems, which not only connected to the different floors of the building, but could also go underground into an area not shown in the blueprint. Along with this was a separate tab on the screen that showed a code for a number pad that was reminiscent of elevator buttons.

“You know what this means, don’t you…?!” Melody asked with excitement soaring through the roof.

“That one guess Chloe made about a secret underwater lab may have been on the nose.”

“Exactly!”

“That elevator likely connects to some sort of tunnel system that’ll take us straight there.”

“Yes!”

“Okay then.”

“Wha-? This isn’t shocking you at all?”

“After my dream last night, I’m starting to believe just about anything.” Besides, this sounds like it’s going to be a pain to infiltrate. “Dominic is probably keeping them in some sort of lab because of their Curses. The less I think about what could be happening to them, the more composed I’ll be. Let’s head back to my place.”

“Roger that!”

 

***

 

They made sure to give thanks and say goodbye to Melody’s grandma before leaving. Melody’s grandma was as kind as she described. She didn’t have a clue of Melody’s double life. Luna wondered if Melody felt any anxiety from keeping this a secret from her.

When asked about this, Melody said this on their way back to meet with Serene: “I don’t want to disturb the peaceful life she now has. My parents are barely ever around, but they still send money to her. All she needs to know is that I’m her family. I won’t abandon her.”

This caused Luna to remember her own parents. Not Serene, but the two she left back in Makewell. They’d probably flip if they learned what Luna’s been going through. Maybe it’d be easier to ignore this, but that wasn’t the approach she wanted to take anymore.

“As soon as I can…I’m gonna visit my folks.”

“Hm? I thought you were too scared to face them?”

“There are so many things to be scared of. The people who love me shouldn’t be one of them.”

Luna had a face filled with determination while saying this. She was reforming the confident and collected wall of a personality that Medloy claimed to have seen in her. How long this wall would last compared to previously, remained to be seen.

 

***

 

The three of them were getting ready to infiltrate the lab after spending some time getting fully prepared. Luna repaired her outfit with her sewing kit, and she restocked her supply of smoke bombs and rope lines. Serene covered whatever clothes she was wearing with a large jacket, and Melody washed and dried her outfit from the previous night.

“Luna, do you have any empty pockets left in your belt?” Serene asked.

“I have two empty pockets in case I find things I need to store. Why do you ask?”

“This is an older item I used every now and then. Maybe you’ll find more use out of it.”

What Serene handed Luna was a boomerang perfectly shaped as a crescent. It could fold in and out by pressing a small button on the side. 

“This may work better as a projectile than throwing your knife or launching your grappling hook. As long as you’re not reckless, this shouldn’t be lethal either.”

“I guess this would be better than those previous options. Thank you.”

“Whaaaaaaaaa?!?!” Melody’s voice echoed throughout the living room.

“Something wrong, Melody?” Luna said.

“I recognize that! My grandpa showed me a boomerang he made that looked exactly like that! How do you have one?!”

Serene scratched her head. “This is something I received from my gadget dealer way back when. He’d design all different kinds of technology and sell them in underground circles.”

“Wait, so that’s how Grandpa made all that money? You knew my Grandpa?”

“I suppose I did. That’s quite the bizarre coincidence, I must say.”

I guess a shady undercover life runs in the family, Luna thought.

Melody rushed towards Serene. “What was he like? Tell me! Tell me!” 

“Easy there! Hm, if I could say anything about him, he seemed like he was always having the time of his life.”

Melody stepped back to process that. Her only response was a subtle smile, and the words, “That’s just like him.”

“Now then,” Serene said. “Are you two girls ready?”

“You betcha!” Melody replied.

“As ready as I can be. You said you had a plan to reach the elevator, but what exactly is your plan?”

Serene forced a smirk on her face. “I’m fairly certain some persuasion will go a long way.”

“That didn’t answer my question...”

 

***

 

This still doesn’t answer my question!

Luna and Melody were both stuffed underneath a service cart that Serene was pushing forward. How Serene convinced them to do this was a blur as Luna was too busy thinking about how ridiculous this was. 

Is her plan really just to walk in as if she’s a worker, expecting them to let her into an area restricted only to workers? 

“Ma’am. That area is only for employees.” 

Luna heard the voice of who she figured was the person stationed at the front office of the building.

She could hear Serene clearing her throat, “I’m here to meet with Mr. Eterna himself. There is an urgent matter in regards to classified information.”

“But ma’am, I don’t believe-”

“There’s no need to trouble yourself. These matters are utmost private to Mr. Eterna. Now then, focus on your job!” 

Serene’s voice was colder and more imposing than Luna had ever heard her speak. There was an unbridled confidence in each word she spoke and Luna could only imagine what her face looked like during this time.

“Y-yes ma’am!”’

After that, Luna and Melody felt the movement of the cart continue.

“Was it really that easy?” Melody whispered.

“There’s no way that’s working on anyone here who’s part of the Void.”

They continued to feel the swaying and turning of the current as it went down numerous hallways. Serene herself had memorized the route, so all she needed to do was reach the elevator. Once she made one last turn, however, some security guards talking could be heard. Luna and Melody couldn’t see this for themselves, but they could hear Serene begin to speak again.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.”

“Who the hell are you?” A deep voice asked.

“I’m here to meet with Mr. Eterna. I have information stored away in this cart that he would personally find interesting.”

“Then let us see what’s inside,” another voice said.

Serene scoffed, “Sorry, but I cannot permit that.”

“And why’s that?”

“Mr. Eterna demanded that he be the only one to lay his eyes on what’s in here.”

“Sorry, but this all sounds like a load of crap. The fact that you have yet to show an ID either is already-”

Serene slammed her fist on the top of the cart, “You damned idiots! I’ve done my best to be patient, but Mr. Eterna will have all of our heads if he isn’t given this information that’ll track down the Starlight Girl!”

“T-the Starlight Girl?”

Luna could hear that the guards were sounding flustered.

“Yes! The girl that this damned group has been tasked with hunting down! The same girl Mr. Eterna was willing to burn down his own mansion in order to kill! I’ve discovered something that’ll be the key to finally cornering her, and it’s, in, this, cart!”

“What?! How do you know about the Starlight Girl and the state of the mansion?!”

Their voices were now shaky. 

“Oh my lord! How have you two not gathered that I am a close acquaintance of Dominic?! I requested to keep my identity private, but that's why I was assigned to deliver this cart to him, and the longer you morons ask pointless questions, the more impatient Dominic will become! Have I made myself clear, or must we run through this farce several more times?!”

“A-apologies, ma’am! Go right ahead!”

“Don’t let us waste anymore of your time, ma’am!”

Serene entered the elevator as the sound of footsteps indicated that the two guards stepped aside. Once it closed, she inputted the code Melody uncovered and low and behold, the elevator began its descent.

“How did that work…?!” Melody whispered.

“She’s a better talker than I realized…”

The only thing they could hear now was the rumbling of the elevator. Their stomachs felt lighter as the elevator continued to lower and lower. All that stopped the cart from moving around was Serene’s firm grip on the handles.

 

***

 

The elevator opened. What laid on the other side was a cave as open and wide as a warehouse. The walls were made of concrete with a blue tint. What immediately caught Serene’s eye was the large subway train that looked straight out of the future. Its tracks led to a tunnel towards the ocean. The doors opened, and with nobody around, Serene entered with the cart.

Inside was a button next to the door. Serene pressed on it, and all the car doors closed. The train beeped before beginning its engine.

Before Serene did anything else, with a quick glance at the security two security cameras near her and moved towards a blind spot that required hugging against the wall. She then pulled out her pistol and shot them. The cameras popped into bits of metal and wire that collapsed on the floor. 

Serene opened the doors on the cart, “It’ll be a bit before they realize why the cameras went offline. I doubt I’ll be able to talk my way through anymore guards. Prepare yourselves.”

 

***

 

Luna and Melody jumped out of the cart. Melody noticed how nice the seats looked, and she proceeded to sit down without much concern. Luna chose to continue standing. She observed her surroundings and thought of all the possible ways to ambush anyone who entered the subway once it arrived at the lab.

Serene took off her jacket to reveal a dark bodysuit with a large belt and baggy pants similar to Luna's own outfit. Her figure remained incredibly fit, with the fabric wrapping tightly around her muscles.

“Our goals are clear,” Luna said. “Discover where Aurora and Chloe are being kept, break them free, and then escape. After that, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”

Melody cleared her throat. Luna realized she had to correct herself.

“I mean, we'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”

“That’s more like it!”

“And I’ll watch over both of you, no matter what.”

“I’ll be in your debt, Serene,” Luna replied.

“Consider it repaid by leaving here alive.”

This was it. Once they reached this underwater lab, not only would the train doors open, but Luna’s most dangerous operation would begin. She could feel everything that had happened throughout the past several days weigh on her shoulders, but she chose to carry it all. She wasn’t sure if she was being confident or wreckless. This must’ve been how her closest companion felt.

Aurora… wait for me!