Chapter 67: The Council of the Unlikely
Joey's whispered "Okay" hung in the air, a fragile truce declared not between warring queens, but between a young man and his own overwhelming fear.
The tension in the Wheeler living room didn't vanish, but it transformed, shifting from the sharp edges of confrontation to the awkward, uncertain contours of what came next.
Clara Wheeler, demonstrating a resilience that none of the otherworldly visitors could have anticipated, seemed to decide that the best response to having her home filled with celestial beings and simmering animosity was radical hospitality.
"Well," she said, clapping her hands together with a slightly forced brightness, "that's settled then. No more running off, Joey. Now, who's hungry? I just made a pitcher of lemonade, and I think there are some cookies left."
The offer of cookies and lemonade in the face of an interdimensional war was so profoundly, beautifully human that it momentarily stunned even Erza and Hancock into silence.
"That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Wheeler," Mirajane said, her smile genuine and warm. She recognized Clara's action for what it was: an attempt to reclaim a sliver of normalcy, to mend a fractured moment with kindness.
"Yeah, Mom's cookies are epic!" Léo chimed in, his relief making him boisterous. He looked at the assembled group, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"So, what's the plan? We're gonna go find those other weirdos, right? The little green-haired chick and the spaceman? I can help! I know this town better than anyone. I know all the best places to hide, the old storm drains, the abandoned buildings…"
Himeko, who had been quietly observing the family dynamic, turned her analytical gaze to Léo. "Your local knowledge could indeed be an asset, Léo," she conceded, her tone thoughtful.
"However, this situation is… potentially hazardous. Involving another civilian, especially one so young, is not a decision to be made lightly."
"Hazardous?" Hancock drawled from her perch on the armchair, which she was still treating with the caution one might afford a venomous reptile.
"My dear Navigator, that is the understatement of the millennium. We are discussing a 'Conqueror of Worlds,' not a neighborhood bully. To involve this… excitable child… would be irresponsible to the point of criminal negligence."
"I'm not a child!" Léo protested, puffing out his chest. "I'm twenty! And I'm not scared."
"Your lack of fear stems from a profound lack of comprehension, boy," Hancock countered coolly. "A state of blissful ignorance that, I assure you, will shatter most unpleasantly upon first contact with genuine peril."
"Everyone has a role to play," Erza stated, her voice firm. Her gaze fell on Léo, then shifted to Joey. "But Miss Hancock," she said, the honorific sounding like an insult on her tongue, "is correct about the danger. We cannot willfully lead you into a battle zone, Léo."
Her own past, her experiences with seeing friends fall, made her fiercely protective of the uninitiated.
Clara returned with a tray laden with a pitcher of lemonade, glasses, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies, placing it carefully on the coffee table. She had overheard the exchange, and a worried frown creased her brow.
"Léo, maybe they're right, honey. This sounds… too dangerous." She looked at Himeko, her eyes pleading. "My boys… Joey is already so fragile, and Léo, you're brave, but you don't know what you'd be up against."
"But Mom, I can help them help Joey!" Léo insisted. "I know where he goes when he gets all weird and quiet. I can help!"
Mirajane placed a comforting hand on Clara's arm.
"Your concern is completely justified, Mrs. Wheeler. No one here wants to put your sons in any more danger than they are already in simply by being at the center of this." She then looked at Himeko and Erza.
"However, Léo's enthusiasm and local knowledge are resources. Perhaps there's a way he can assist… from a safe distance? Provide information without being on the front lines?"
Himeko nodded slowly. "A compromise. Léo, you could act as an intelligence asset. Tell us about the locations you mentioned – the industrial park where Joey's friend Pip might have gone for power, the abandoned railway, any other secluded spots. Your information could help us focus our search, minimizing risk for everyone."
Léo's face lit up. "An intelligence asset? Awesome!"
"As long as the 'intelligence' is more substantial than gossip about the high school football team," Hancock muttered, delicately selecting a cookie and inspecting it for imperfections before taking a tiny, critical bite. "Hmm. Passable."
Clara looked slightly relieved at the compromise, though her worry was still palpable. She watched as Himeko pulled out her datapad again, the holographic map of Healdsburg springing to life above the coffee table, much to Léo's delight.
"Alright," Himeko said, her focus shifting back to strategy.
"Our priorities are twofold: first, ascertain the status and location of the other known displaced individuals – Pip and Zylar. Pip is a technological scavenger of unknown origin, and Zylar is an engineer who recently escaped detention. Both could be valuable allies, or unpredictable variables."
She looked at Joey. "Joey, Pip was in your shed. Did she say anything about her objectives?"
Joey, who had been quietly sipping lemonade, startled at being addressed.
"N-no," he stammered. "She just seemed… desperate. For parts, for power. She left this, though." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the strange gear and the fragment of leather with the symbol he'd found.
Himeko took the items, her eyes lighting up with scientific curiosity. "Fascinating. The alloy of this gear is unknown to me, and this symbol… it's not a script, it's a circuit diagram. A very elegant, very compact one."
She scanned it with her device. "It seems to be part of a short-range translocation device. A personal portal generator. That would explain her interest in the power substation."
"And Zylar, the spaceman?" Léo piped up. "The news said he was recaptured, but then there were rumors he got away again."
"Our information suggests he did escape and took a data tablet with him," Erza confirmed. "He will likely be seeking technology and a way to communicate with his own people."
"The old electronics scrapyard off the 99," Léo and Joey said in near unison. They looked at each other, a rare moment of shared thought.
"It's full of old computers, radios… stuff from decades ago," Léo elaborated. "If you wanted to build something weird, that's where you'd go."
"An excellent lead," Himeko noted, marking the location on her map.
"Our second, more overarching priority, is to prepare for this 'Conqueror'. This involves understanding the nature of these dimensional arrivals and consolidating our strength." She glanced at Erza and Hancock. "Which means we need to function as a cohesive unit."
"A 'unit' that includes a woman who believes 'cohesion' is everyone agreeing with her," Erza said, her gaze fixed on Hancock.
"Naturally," Hancock replied without missing a beat. "Unanimity is easily achieved when one is presented with a course of action that is flawless and aesthetically pleasing. It is only when brutish, impractical notions are introduced that dissension arises."
She took another delicate sip of her lemonade. "This lemonade, for instance. It is perfectly sweet. We are all in cohesion about its quality. See? Simple."
Erza looked as though she was about to launch the coffee table into orbit. Mirajane quickly intervened, "What an interesting way to put it, Miss Hancock. Perhaps we can find a 'perfectly sweet' plan of action, then."
"It's settled," Himeko said, stepping in before the fragile peace shattered completely. "Our first move will be to investigate the scrapyard and the industrial park. A reconnaissance mission. We need to know who and what we're dealing with before we make direct contact."
"So, we're going back to the Little Express?" Joey asked, a hint of his earlier anxiety returning.
"Yes," Himeko confirmed. "It is our most secure base of operations, and its technology is essential. You will all return with us." She looked at Clara.
"Mrs. Wheeler, I know this is difficult, but for now, it is the safest place for Joey. And for Lyra."
Clara looked at her son, then at the assembled women. She saw the danger in their eyes, but also a fierce protectiveness. She didn't understand any of it, but she understood that her son's quiet life was over.
"Just… bring him home safe," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"We will," Erza said, and the conviction in her voice was absolute.
As the group prepared to leave, collecting Lyra and thanking Clara for her hospitality, Hancock paused at the door.
"This… dwelling," she said to Clara, who looked up in surprise. "The cookies were adequate. And your maternal devotion, while excessive, is… noted."
It was the closest the Pirate Empress could come to a compliment, a bizarre and stilted acknowledgment of a strength she didn't possess but was forced to recognize.
Clara simply blinked, unsure of how to respond.
They walked out into the fading afternoon light, a strange and unlikely fellowship. Joey felt a new, tentative resolve solidifying in his chest. He was still scared, still felt out of his depth, but for the first time, he wasn't just being swept along by events. He had made a choice.
He had stayed. And as he walked beside Lyra, with his brother chattering excitedly to a navigator from the stars, a gentle soul-mage, a legendary knight, and a haughty pirate empress, he felt a flicker of something he hadn't felt in a very long time.
It wasn't quite hope. Not yet. But it was a start.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 40 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/c/JoeyLean