sector. Our membership includes politicians, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and teachers. People who are in a position to spread our message, and we have been doing so for centuries. Now you will hear our secrets and become a member; you will spread our message. You have been selected Sarah, because we believe that you can bring more people into the fold. Before now, your life has had no purpose, but we will give you purpose. Does that sound good to you?”
Hesitantly, Kayla nodded her head.
“Good, now we will start. Every Order on Pheros is actually a different aspect of the same Order, but the Order that controls the mask is the prime Order that sets the direction for the other Orders. The Head Reveler wears the mask; it ritually shields his identity and makes every Head Reveler the same from year to year. The United Order rules Pheros and is trying to expand to other planets, but as you can imagine the families on those other planets don’t want anything to do with us. It makes no difference though, year after year, generation after generation, our reach grows. We will have control over the inhabited sector in time. Does this all make sense?”
This time, Kayla nodded her head more confidently. So the voice went on. Kayla could tell that the speaker liked the sound of his own voice.
“There are Orders here on Pheros that don’t believe that we should expand, that we would lose our soul in exchange for sector domination. They have to follow our lead while we have the Reveler’s mask. We have to safe guard against them Sarah, they cannot be allowed to control the mask. Sarah, will you help us guard the Reveler’s Mask?”
“I will”, Kayla responded, but her mind was made up to guard humanity by stealing it from them. The Order of Time planned to use the united Orders on Pheros to infiltrate and control all of humanity. Kayla didn’t like the New Order, but they kept the peace. She knew that every time there was a handover in power, it was a brutal affair. The most recent one between the Confederacy and the New Order had been the cleanest by far because the New Order had throttled the Confederacy before they could react.
Of course, who the ones were that wanted the mask was of greater concern. Was it another Order that wanted to be in charge, or was it one of these Orders that didn’t want to leave Pheros? She was going to have to do some more digging.
“Then it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Order of Time, the prime of the United Order.”
The bright light in her face shut off and the overhead lights came on, revealing dozens of people that Kayla assumed were already members of the Order of Time. Seth was off on the side leading the applause that had erupted when the lights came on. He was the first to come forward and hug her.
“Congratulations, I hope that cleared a few questions that you had.”
“It did, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed now that I know that I am some sort of protector.”
“It is not as serious as all that, after all, anybody that knows about us is a member. Come; let me introduce you to the assembled members.”
The rest of the night was a blur to Kayla as she had to keep her identity focused on Sarah Edwards. There were a couple points where she thought that she gave herself away, but everybody simply assumed that it was an after effect of the drug. Kayla didn’t make it home before the sun came up.
When the taxi dropped her off at her apartment, the driver had a funny look on his face. It took Kayla a moment to realize that the taxi driver thought that she was getting home after a one night stand. She was still wearing a very nice dress that was much the worse for wear. Kayla had to smile at herself and left the driver a big tip.
She made her way inside and into her apartment before shedding her dress and leaving it on the floor. She fell into bed naked and slept like a babe.
She awoke after dark and had two messages on her data slate. The first was from Miguel saying that her sapphire was done and could be picked up in the morning. The other was from her secret employer, asking about her progress. Kayla decided to send a short message that was lacking on specifics. She said that she had made progress on the replica mask and was making inroads into the Order of Time.
After she sent the message off, she realized that it was after midnight. Feeling completely rested though, she decided to go back The Well for a drink and hear some local gossip. Leaving the dress on the floor, she put on a pair of pants and a loose-fitting sweater since there was a chill in the air.
The Well was much busier tonight than it had been previously. Carnival had just started and people were celebrating everything they could possible think of. Kayla smiled when she saw familiar faces and Mike working much harder, he wouldn’t be able to talk much with her tonight. Still he came over.
“Your usual?”
“Yes, Mike”
“Haven’t seen you in a while, was starting to get worried.”
“I got another job; it has been keeping me very busy. Hey, you don’t know where I could get my hands on a spectrum analyzer do you?”
“Not off the top of my head, who uses something like that?”
“Geologists use them, looking for rare metals and the like.”
“Geologists huh, I think I know a geologist. When do you need it?”
“Probably tomorrow night”
“Cutting it close Kayla”
“I was going to break into the University, but this way would be nicer.”
“If you stay here for a bit, I will see if I can get a hold of him. He might let you use it.”
“Thanks Mike”
Kayla sipped her drink, determined not to drink as much as she did last time, she felt as if that made her a target and got her in this mess. An hour went by, and then another before Mike returned to her with news.
“My friend is going out of town for a couple days.”
Kayla’s heart dropped, it looked like she was going to break into the University after all.
“But, he isn’t taking his analyzer with him and said that you can borrow it with the promise that you don’t break it and bring it back. I told him that your bar tab is more expensive than his machine.”
“Ha, thanks Mike, I owe you one”
“It sounds like you owe me more than one, but you’re welcome.”
Kayla left to go back home with a bounce in her step. Getting home, she was able to go back to sleep until the morning sun came through the window curtain that she had inadvertently left open.
Her errands the next day included picking up her sapphire and the spectrum analyzer. The analyzer surprised her; it was much smaller than she though it would be. It was actually portable. This helped her plans out. Instead of taking the mask out of the Order of Time’s headquarters, she could just scan it, go home to make the replica and switch the replica with the Reveler’s mask. The mask would never leave the pedestal until it was time to swap it.
During the day, Seth called her and asked her out that night. Not wanting to throw him off, she agreed. This time, he took her to another Order’s parade. They must have recognized Seth too, since they threw a multitude of favors at him. It was kind of nice to be associated with someone who could command respect from everyone he met. Kayla had to try really hard to suppress the feelings she was starting to develop for this man. Dinner afterwards was pleasant too. Seth didn’t try to brag as much this time, but he did ask more about her. Kayla had an extensive knowledge about the real Sarah’s background and gave mostly broad answers that she knew he could collaborate. At the end of the night, she even let Seth kiss her, a move that she instantly regretted. The surge of betrayal almost caused her to confess everything.
Calmly, she pulled herself together and passed off her moment of emotions as another emotion completely. Seth saw this, and smiled; think that he was making progress. Kayla let him continue thinking that. When she bid him goodnight and hailed a taxi, Seth a dumbfounded look on his face. Kayla simply gave him another quick kiss on the cheek before she got in the cab.
“I will see you soon Seth.”
“Have a go
od night”
The taxi sped away towards her apartment with Kayla fighting with herself. There was no point in telling him her ruse, he would never trust her again anyways, not that she would blame him. But he thought she was something that she wasn’t. The real Sarah Edwards was in his class of minor nobility, while she wasn’t even steadily employed. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, Kayla got out of the taxi and stomped upstairs, seemingly determined to make as much noise as possible.
Once in her apartment, she scanned her place, looking for the tools she needed that night. Her climbing gear was under her mattress and her lock picking set was in her medicine cabinet. Changing clothes and gathering her tools, she set off, on foot, back to the Order of Time headquarters.
All the lights were off at the headquarters, just as she expected them to be at this hour of the night. Kayla scaled a nearby building and climbed over the connecting roofs until she was over a skylight in the main ballroom. Tying the rope to a nearby vent stack, Kayla used the pick set to open a panel of the ballroom ceiling. Quietly, she let herself in and repelled down the wall of the ballroom.
Once inside, she recounted her steps to the room holding the Reveler’s Mask and let herself in. Not a soul was in the building, and the only alarms were seemingly on the doors. Nobody in the Order dreamed that someone would come in through the roof.
Pulling out the Spectrum analyzer, she set it up on