Chapter Text
Vanishing Point
The brightly lit corridor was eerily quiet, every tap of Kaz’s cane against the linoleum floor echoing throughout the empty hall. He’d grown so attuned to the chattering of his crew aboard his ship that the silence of the Time Masters’ base of operations was disquieting to his ears. Or maybe it was because he was back in a place he thought he’d never lay eyes on again, let alone be summoned to a meeting with Time Master Jan Van Eck.
At first Kaz had believed the video call to be a trick from one of his many enemies, a lure to kill him and slaughter his entire gang, but Specht had double and triple-checked the source of the message and confirmed it had indeed been sent by Van Eck from the Vanishing Point. He’d avoided crossing paths with the Time Council for years, so if Van Eck truly wanted to chat with him in person he must have been desperate for something from him. It was for that sole reason that Kaz had ordered Rotty to contact Van Eck and tell the Time Master that he would fly to meet him as soon as possible.
In the meantime, he’d worked out a plan to quickly escape the Vanishing Point in case his meeting with Van Eck went sour or turned out to be a trap. Every possible incident, every unexpected obstacle, he’d come up with a dozen fail-safes to counter them. He may not have been to the Vanishing Point in years, but he could still map out the layout of the place in his head; every nook and cranny. Even as a child, he’d automatically catalogued the shortcuts and hidden passages in his head for future use while he explored the place at night.
Van Eck’s office was tucked away in the west side of the Vanishing Point, far away from where the classes and simulations were held. It was a long walk to there from the landing bay where Kaz had docked his ship, and Kaz counted at least a dozen security cameras tracking his every moment as he slowly made his way through the twisting halls. Finding the door to the office already open, Kaz strode inside the familiar room without knocking.
Van Eck was sitting at his desk in the centre of the room, sifting through a towering stack of papers. He looked up at Kaz with a neutral look, as if criminals wandering into his office were a regular occurrence. Judging by the flash of barely disguised revulsion on his face, Kaz was almost certain that was not the case.
“Kaz Brekker,” Van Eck greeted, inclining his head at the empty seat in front of the desk. Kaz eyed the chair suspiciously, but the long trek from his ship to the office had aggravated his bad leg and collapsing before Van Eck was something he definitely wanted to avoid. Reluctantly sitting on the proffered seat, he lay his cane across his lap but curled his gloved fingers around its crow’s head handle in an iron grip.
“Time Master Van Eck,” he returned coolly. “Long time no see. You asked me to come here?”
“I did.”
“Funny, because if I recall correctly, you were the one who convinced the Time Council to ban me from ever returning to the Vanishing Point.”
“These are special circumstances. Believe me, asking you for help was a last resort.”
“Good to know your opinion of me hasn’t changed in the past six years,” Kaz said dryly.
He couldn’t deny that he was very interested in the reason why Van Eck needed his help. The man was an high-ranking member of the Time Council, with complete access to their extensive resources and dozens of junior Time Masters at his beck and call. He’d kept the details in the video message sparse in case the call was intercepted, as per protocol, so Kaz knew next to nothing about whatever was troubling him.
Van Eck leaned forward, lacing his fingers together atop his desk. “Tell me, Brekker. When was the last time you checked the stability of the timeline during your illegal crusades throughout time?”
Kaz pretended to think over his answer. “As a matter of fact, it was right before I flew back to the Vanishing Point,” he said. “I may no longer be a Time Master, but I’m not planning on destroying the timeline and ruining history. At least, not while I’m still living in it. I have my AI check over the important events in history after every ‘illegal crusade’.”
“You were never a Time Master,” said Van Eck, his face the perfect mask of civility, but Kaz detected the hint of disdain creeping into his voice. His old instructor sounded much more like himself when he used that tone. It reminded Kaz of all of times he’d been scolded in that very same voice, especially after Jordie’s death. “No Time Master would have done what you did –”
Kaz waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, you already delivered your impressive speech about my lack of morality when I was expelled from the Time Masters. You don’t need to repeat it. I’m here because you said you needed my help, and because you mentioned something about a monetary reward if I’m successful, not because I wanted another humanity lecture.”
Van Eck swallowed what was no doubt a stinging remark on Kaz’s inordinate interests and picked up the topmost paper from the pile, handing it to Kaz.
“Do you recognize this man?”
Kaz looked it over. In the centre of the page was the printed photograph of an Asian man with thinning black hair and dark bags under his eyes. The man was rearing away from the camera like it had startled him. Behind him was a haphazard arrangement of white tables, the surfaces covered with bubbling beakers and vials overflowing with pure white powder. Potted plants with crimson red blossoms lined the edge of the windowsill in the background.
“Can’t say I do.”
“Then perhaps you haven’t been quite as proactive on protecting the timeline as you claim to be.”
“According to you, protecting the timeline was never my concern,” Kaz retorted. “Who is this man?”
“His name is Bo Yul-Bayur, and he is the reason why the Time Council and I are risking everything to hire your services.” Van Eck plucked the page from his grasp, forcing Kaz to meet the Time Master’s intent gaze. “I’m asking you to bring him here, to the Vanishing Point.”
Kaz frowned. “You want me to remove someone from the timeline? Last time I checked, that’s against everything the Time Masters stand for.”
“Yes, but as I said, these are special circumstances. Have you heard of jurda parem?”
“I know what jurda is. It’s a harmless chewing gum.”
“Jurda parem is from the same plant, but it is far from harmless,” said Van Eck. “It’s a powerful drug that Yul-Bayur creates during his chemical experiments in 2164. When the Fjerdan Conglomerate hears of the drug’s unbelievable properties, the head of their board of directors, Jarl Brum, has him abducted and forces him to recreate the formula. He stalls for as long as he can, but eventually gives it up. With it, Fjerda takes over the entire world in 2166.”
“Fascinating,” Kaz deadpanned. “What’s so magical about this drug?”
Van Eck’s eyes narrowed to slits, like a snake sensing a far more dangerous predator. “It’s lethal to ordinary humans, but it increases the abilities of metahumans. Any metahuman. It doesn’t matter whether they have super strength, control the weather, or possess flight powers. Once they’ve eaten a mouthful of jurda parem, their perception of the world changes drastically and they can suddenly do things that shouldn’t be possible, even for them. Speedsters can turn invisible. Water manipulators can walk through walls and other solid objects. Telekinetics can generate impenetrable force fields.”
“Let me guess. The Fjerdan Conglomerate formed an army of conscripted metahumans and force-fed them the drug?”
“That’s right. I’m sure you can imagine how many lives were lost. Not just civilian lives, either; jurda parem is intensely addicting and craving for the drug kicks in soon after the effects wear off. Metahumans become dependent on it and will do anything to get their hands on more, but repeated consumption deteriorates the user’s health until their body can no longer sustain enough energy and they die.”
“And with that kind of power loose in the world, civilization falls, all metahumans burn out, and the world ends,” Kaz murmured.
Van Eck gave a sharp nod. “A few decades later, the world population is decimated and the Fjerdan Conglomerate collapses in on itself. As much as the Time Council is reluctant to make deliberate changes to the timeline, this is an extreme event that must be avoided at all costs. It is imperative that Jarl Brum never learns the formula for jurda parem., else there will be no timeline left for the Time Council to safeguard.”
“Then all you need to do is rescue Yul-Bayur before he spills the formula to Brum,” said Kaz. “Surely any senior Time Master could accomplish such a simple task. Pick him up while he’s still a child or a teenager.”
“I’m afraid the task is not quite as simple as that,” Van Eck said heavily. “Yul-Bayur was heavily involved with important affairs in the Chinese government before the Fjerdans abducted him. The Shu Han Consortium is the second largest powerhouse after the Fjerdan Conglomerate, and the untimely removal of Yul-Bayur while he is still working for them will almost certainly destabilize the timeline.”
“...So you want me to kidnap Bo Yul-Bayur after he’s been kidnapped by Brum, but before they extract the formula from him,” Kaz said flatly.
“Exactly.”
“And where, pray tell, are the Fjerdans keeping Yul-Bayur prisoner?”
Van Eck grimaced. Kaz already suspected he knew the answer, and felt a glimmer of self-satisfaction when the Time Master admitted, “He’s being held at the Ice Court.”
Kaz leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. “Well, now I know why the Time Council picked me to save Yul-Bayur. It’s a suicide mission. They expect me to get myself killed – you expect me to get myself killed.”
“That’s not –”
“I’m sure it is. Don’t try to deny it. I hope you realize that the only reason I’m still sitting in this chair and haven’t stormed back to my ship is because you promised me money, and I always wait for the best part.”
“I surmised as much,” said Van Eck, now sounding annoyed. Kaz considered it a point in his favour. “Which is why the Time Council has agreed to recompense you five million dollars upon successful deliverance of Bo Yul-Bayur.”
Kaz arched an eyebrow. “I can think of a dozen different ways to earn five million dollars that doesn’t involve attempting to break into the most secure prison of the 22nd century and shortening my lifespan by a rather significant amount.”
“All those ways are illegal,” said Van Eck with a sneer.
“I’m a criminal, remember? Illegal is my job.” He rose from his seat and flipped his cane into position. “As much as I’m enjoying our reunion, I should be getting back to my ship. Places to go, people to see, things to steal – you know, criminal stuff. Thank you ever so much for your time.”
As Kaz walked back to the door, he silently started counting. It only took Van Eck four seconds to crack and spit out, “Wait.”
Suppressing his triumphant grin, Kaz turned around and met Van Eck’s furious gaze. “Yes?”
“We can offer you ten million.”
“I think you can offer me more than that,” said Kaz, relishing the words. “I’m your only chance at getting Yul-Bayur from the Fjerdan Conglomerate. That’s why you swallowed your pride and contacted me for help. The Time Council thinks I’m disposable. You think I’m a villain. And now that’s exactly what you need; a thief who’s clever enough to break someone out of the Ice Court, but also an experienced time traveller who knows how to do the job. Successfully.”
Van Eck’s glare was harsh enough to burn through steel, but Kaz calmly stared back until he visibly relented and blew out an obviously frustrated breath. “Fine. Twenty million.”
Kaz thought about it. “I want thirty.”
“Brekker –”
“Thirty million, or you find yourself another ex-Time Master who went on to become a brilliant criminal.”
Van Eck gritted his teeth. “Very well,” he snapped. “Thirty million dollars, to be handed over once you safely bring Bo Yul-Bayur to the Vanishing Point and stop the Fjerdan Conglomerate from conquering the world.”
Kaz grinned. If the unsettled look on Van Eck’s face was any indication, the rumours were true and his smile resembled a demon baring its teeth. “It’s a deal.”
~*~
Anika and Keeg were waiting in the ship’s cargo bay when Kaz limped back aboard the Ferolind. As he shut the door hatch behind him, they leapt up from where they were playing Blackjack on the floor, inadvertently scattering their cards everywhere, and stared at him expectantly.
“How’d the meeting go, Captain?” Anika inquired.
“Well, Van Eck didn’t try to kill me,” Kaz said briskly. “So it went better than I expected.”
“But what did he want?”
“Me. Or rather, my unique skills.” Kaz started walking down the corridor, forcing Anika and Keeg to hurry after him. “I made a deal with the Time Council.”
“Really?” said Keeg, sounding bewildered. “I thought they hated you.”
“Oh, they still do,” Kaz assured him. “But this deal is beneficial to both our interests. Which reminds me – pack your things by tonight, and tell the rest of the Dregs to do the same.”
Anika and Keeg exchanged uncertain looks before Anika asked, “Are you kicking us off the ship?”
“Only temporarily. I need to do something for the Council, and I’d prefer to take care of it by myself. Think of it as an extended vacation in any place and time of your choosing. Every one of you deserve one for all the hard work you’ve done.”
Their faces lit up, as he’d expected. “Got it, Captain,” Keeg said gleefully.
The two headed back towards the crew’s quarters, presumably to share the good news with everyone else. Kaz waited until they were out of earshot before making his way into his office and settling in his chair. He always kept a clearer head when he was by himself, and as entertaining as provoking Van Eck had been, the Time Council had given him reason to think more deeply than he’d had reason to in years.
“Jordie?” he called out.
The air around him crackled and hissed for a few seconds before the voice of his AI spoke.
”Yes, Captain Brekker?”
“Bring up the list of potential initiates. The one I created several months ago.”
“I was under the impression you informed your crew you would be working alone.”
“I lied,” said Kaz, peering closer at the large screen mounted on the wall as the faces of five people flashed onto the display, accompanied by their extensive histories. “I find people tend to get offended if they know you passed them over in favour of others. And while the Dregs are good time pirates, for this mission I don’t need time pirates. I need a special team. A team of legends.”