Secrets - [Stardust Crossing Episode 3]

Episode 3 - Secrets Subject 004, or rather, Vega Astrid the part-time fortune teller, sat across the table musing over her elaborate and rather ostentatious set-up. SC had visited several times by now, under the guise of a standard customer of course, and every time the interior of the tent looked a little different and the tabletop display even more so. Vega had been shuffling her deck of tarot cards with that same smug smile on her face for what felt like minutes. Lucky for her, SC was patient. But this was starting to feel like an intentional distraction. Runie and Valerie would be long out of sight by the time this was done. “So…” SC started, but Vega shushed her. “You can’t rush a proper reading.” “I thought you already knew what to tell me?” “Did I say that?” Vega’s smile widened. “Here, cut the deck.” She set the cards on the table and SC did as she asked, picked where she felt the halfway point of the deck was. She knew enough about these things to know getting the customer to cut was supposed to be a way to reassure them there was no trickery afoot. But Vega wasn’t given a subject number just because she was eccentric. The blue robed fortune teller took the cards and carefully flipped the first. “The Devil. You have made a pact with something, haven't you miss? Something oppressive, but helpful.” SC couldn't deny it. “You could say that. I do have work to complete. And it's quite important.” Vega tapped the deck. “Its not about the work, dear. It's about the boss.” She flipped the next card. “The Hermit. You’re all alone here, aren't you? A lone pawn braving enemy territory? A single guiding light, a mission, to drive you forward. But… to what end?” SC bit her lip. It wasn't her job to know the ends. Only the tasks that would get there. “I don't know.” Card three. She paused dramatically, the card almost but not quite revealed. “Do you want to?” Yes. And that bothered her. She wasn't supposed to want to. She wasn't supposed to want at all. But she couldn't stop herself. “Tell me.” “The Star.” Vega laughed as the final card was revealed. “You already know what this means, right?” SC nodded. “Hope, guidance, aspirations, that sort of thing.” A comically exaggerated pout took over Vega’s face. “That's not what I mean. You heard it too. You know the voice of the wishing star.” The wishing star? 117-A? That was the voice? “How do you know that was the star?” SC asked carefully. “Because, it's spoken to me before. And last night, we all heard it. All of us who have been granted our wish. Well, all of us, and you. I could tell the moment I saw you on the bench that it was true.” “I don't understand, does that mean I’m affected already?” Vega laughed again and SC almost felt like she was being toyed with. That too was a novel feeling. “Affected? Dear, the star spoke to you. It's taken an interest in you. And whatever it tells you is for your ears alone.” A dozen different contingencies were tearing through SC’s mind. She was already under the spell. That meant she could fall under its extended effects at any time. Had she already? Is that why her geas conditioning was failing her? Was she going to document the extended effects by falling victim to them in real time? Was that the real purpose of her mission? She was nearing the end of her service contract… no, that couldn't be it. “You seem troubled.” Vega had moved the cards aside and dropped the theatrics. She looked at her from across the table like a therapist concerned for her patient. “I’m… worried that I might be in trouble.” “Don't be. I’ve seen your future.” Vega leaned in. “The star chose you for a reason. All you have to do now is believe.” SC tried to get more information out of the fortune teller, but her lips were sealed from that point on. “You’ll know when the time comes.” she said in lieu of a goodbye as she closed the tent behind SC. And sure enough, 001 and 002 were nowhere to be seen. --- That night, SC decided to take matters into her own hands. Her access privileges might get revoked for this, but she had to know if there was something she wasn't being told. Her secure terminal cast a pale glow through her hotel room as it connected to the satellite network. Her login credentials worked without issue. But why wouldn't they? Site 117. Relevant data files. The full list loaded in front of her. Subject notes, locations, anomaly info, nothing new. Nothing hidden. But… something had to be here. Something more had to be going on with this assignment. Something caught her eye. A reference to a prime subject. That couldn't be right, Site 117 had no prime suspect. That's what made it so unique… unless. The star chose you. There was only one designation for prime subjects. She typed “Subject Zero” into the search tool. The encrypted file stared back at her. Access Denied. SC sighed. There was a Subject in town that could help. She had already broken protocol, what was one more violation?