Delmar's Storyline part 38 - Brenner

Even though the chimneys of Brenner was burning something couldn't a living soul be seen. The houses were empty and some of them were dilapidated due to the vegetation growing in the cracks. Some black commercial screens had fallen of the buildings and some still hung in the wires and rusted iron stands. Brenner had been abandoned fifty years ago but it were enough for the nature to reclaim the streets. Trees grow in the cracks and most houses were covered in ivy. In the summer could this place probably be a bit cozy with all the green vegetation but the late winter made the place gray and ominous. The tree's branches were bare and the ivy’s leaves were all brown. The thin ice cracked when they stepped in the puddles. They had shifted to their human forms in case there were still any humans there.

Even though no living being could be sighed did the town not seem dead nor abandoned. The streets was not crowded with humans but with industrial robots all hurrying up and down the streets minding their own business. It all seemed like it was taken from a post-apocalyptic adventure film where the robots had taken over the world. A horrible smell from the factories filled the streets like a poisonous gas. Delmar, Reed and Ramsey moved very carefully along the streets, even though the streets seemed abandoned by all human life didn't they want to risk running into someone unprepared.
There’s no smoke without a fire and robots don't appear out of nowhere and start working on their own without human impact.

“I thought this town was supposed to be abandoned?” Reed said confused as they moved aside for a big two legged transportation robot loaded with timber heading for one of the factories. The ground rustled with every step it took.
“It was.” Delmar answered confused as well. “It was deserted in Antimatter’s memories as well, so this must be new.”
“What did they produce in this town?” Ramsey asked. He had constantly been asking questions about the robots and the factories since they got there.
“Paper, but they shut it down when the digital screens took over everything.” Delmar answered. “The town has been deserted since.”
“Why would the humans suddenly need paper?” Reed asked.
“Maybe a shifter set this up?” Ramsey suggested.
“No, why would a shifter set this up? Have you ever seen any robots in the shifter districts?”
“I never seen a robot before.” Ramsey said.
“We have no use for them and no interest. In fact most shifters dislike them.” Reed explained
“Why?” Ramsey asked curious.
“Maybe it's because they are so much like us?” Delmar said with a mean smile. “Big things programmed to do one thing, and one thing only. But they are programmed to do necessary things, not fighting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Reed grunted. “Robots are nothing like shifters, they have no souls, no mind, they are just a big machinery.”
“Yet some say the first demons acted just like them, mindless beings only programmed to fight…”
“Okay kid,” Reed said to Ramsey. “So today's lesson is: Don't listen to Delmar. Everything he says is bullshit.”
“Whatever you say...” Delmar rolled his eyes.
“And why would a shifter need paper….?” Reed mumbled doubtingly.
“You need paper for making posters?” Ramsey said.
“You don't need to take down half of the forest for a couple of posters.”

Delmar walked a bit faster to put some distance between him and the fire shifters. He had enough of them for the time being. Instead he concentrated at trying to find any living souls in the nearest area. It was a neat little trick he had used a lot as scout. He used his psychic powers to scan the area around him for soul lights. It was easier to feel them if he closed his eyes but then he had trouble to see where he was going. It was like a second vision where he saw every living being as a light, the lights size depended on the creature. An ant was so small an insufficient it was barely visible but a shifter soul were a blazing star impossible to miss. The size of a shifters soul light depended on their elemental strength. Delmar sighed as he searched the area, there wasn't much of interest around him, a couple of birds, bugs and smaller mammals. There was only robots running up and down the streets minding their own business. The town seemed dead.

Suddenly he stopped. In front of one of the factories he could feel the presence of a massive soul light. But no matter how hard he looked at it with his normal vision there was nothing to be seen. He held up an arm to signal to the others to stop as well.
“Stop, there's someone standing over there.” he whispered.
“No there is not.” Reed continued just as before and walked past Delmar.
“No seriously! There is someone there!” Delmar grabbed his arm to force him to stop. Reed looked disturbed at him but stopped finally.
“Where are they?” he asked and looked around at the empty street.
“In front of the factory gate.” Delmar whispered and stared at the empty place.
“You can see as well as I do that there is nothing whatsoever standing over there. I guess you didn't joke about that ‘I've gone mad as hell’ thing you said in the prison.” Reed stated. Delmar ignored his last comment.
“No, and that's what’s bothering me! I can't see the person standing over there, but I can feel him...” He closed his eyes to get a better vision of the soul light, it was definitely someone standing over there. He opened his eyes again and hoped the person would appear, but no, nothing. Judging on the size of the soul light was this probably a black shifter but it was neither Wilfred’s nor Cameron’s soul he felt.
“Oh, right. The psychic thing.” Reed rolled his eyes doubtingly. “You’re probably just seeing ghosts.”
“Yes I'm seeing ghosts, dangerous ghosts...” no it was definitely a black shifter.
“Are you scared dog? There’s nothing over there!” Reed mocked him.
“I'm sure it's a black shifter. I've seen what they can do, they are extremely dangerous.”
“Have you seen them become invisible?” Reed asked casually.
“No but…” Delmar started but Reed interrupted him.
“Of course you haven't! It’s because it's impossible!”
“Will you be quiet?”
Delmar wasn’t sure what was the biggest problem right now, the invisible person or Reeds attitude.
“Isn’t entire Norfolk invisible?” Ramsey asked.
“Norfolk still smells like shit. But I can't smell anyone in front of me.” Reed said, crossed his arms and studied Delmar who stared obsessed and focused at the empty spot in front of the gate.
“Besides, Norfolk isn't really invisible, the light shifters have created a light bending sphere around the town. If you look closely you see there's something fishy, the air looks distorted and if you get close enough you'll see the city. Light bending is a difficult art form. Not even radiation herself would be able to create a light bending that good.” he pointed at the place Delmar claimed the person was standing at.

Delmar stopped listening to Reed's lectures. Why had he even brought the kid along to a dangerous mission like this? He probably underestimated the black shifters abilities. While Reed explained the finer details of why Norfolk wasn't really invisible Delmar took the opportunity to look into the stranger's mind.

The stranger's mind was divided into long narrow endless tunnels. It was a maze to find his way around. Alongside the walls were the memories stored, some into shelves and some lying on the floor. This was without a doubt a black shifter considering the twisted memories stuffed in between the normal ones. He started to get the same nauseous feeling he had in Wilfred’s mind as well. Delmar picked up a memory to have a look at it.

A small striped polecat ran through a dark narrow tunnel. The tunnel looked artificially made like it was a ventilation shaft. The polecat came out into a big round underground hall. A giant spider web of railways transported robots in and out of the hall through smaller tunnels. In the top of the hall could a white light be seen like he was standing at the bottom of a well. The polecat transformed into a tall, bitter looking man. Delmar recognized him as the black shifter Dark Matter. What was his name again? Edgar? He held up an electronic device and studied it. A red light flashed on a grid on the touchscreen.
“Number 36 again?” he looked up into the railways. “It’s always 36.”

“Hey dog! Are you listening?” came Reed’s voice from the real world. Delmar frowned but didn't open his eyes.
“Yes?” he said irritated. What did the cat want now?
“Were they standing in front of the doors?” Reed asked.
“Yes.” he answered and tried to keep his concentration.
“Look at this.” Reed said. Delmar opened an eye and peeked at the fire shifter. Reed picked up a rock and threw it at the place the black shifter was standing. Edgar’s mind suddenly focused all his attention onto them, hostile attention. If he hadn't noticed them before this he certainly did it now.
“What the hell do you think you're doing?!” Delmar snarled almost in panic since he didn't know what dark matter’s ability was except for obviously being invisible.
“See, there's nothing there. Otherwise the rock would have bounced right of.” Reed said like he proved some stupid point.

Reed didn't believe his eyes when the man suddenly appeared in front of him with a katana held high above his head ready to cut him. But right before it hit him a familiar dark staff blocked the sword.
“Get back!” Delmar said stressed as he blocked the sword. The man disappeared into the thin air again. Delmar ran forward and swung his staff, Edgar appeared a half second later, one meter right from the place Delmar tried to hit him.
“Damn it, miss.” he took a step backwards and elegantly avoided the slash from Edgar’s sword before he disappeared again. Delmar ran forward again and tried to hit him where he felt his presence but there was nothing there. His staff just hit in the air.

He could sense Edgars soul light flickering around where he moved, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where he was. He sent away a couple of ice blades to the position the man would probably appear at. The man appeared and then disappeared again as soon as he saw the danger. The ice blades went straight through the air where he had been standing. This man didn't just become invisible, he seemed to cease to exist. The only thing left to interact with was his mind.

“What the hell is that guy?” Reed asked still a little bit shocked that he had been wrong.
“He's the fourth black shifter! He’s Dark Matter!” Delmar shouted as he jumped around and tried to hit in the air. After a while he stopped and stood staring, concentrating at sensing Edgar’s next move and ready to attack again.
“It seems like you can't touch him when he's invisible.” Delmar said in a low voice. The next time Edgar appeared again Delmar was ready, he managed to hit the end of his staff right into Edgar’s stomach. Edgar lost his breath stumbled a couple of steps backwards and disappeared again.
“Damn it…”
Next time he appeared Delmar quickly used the ice in the puddles on the ground to grab his foot in an ice fetter to keep him from moving around. But Edgar just disappeared again and left a foot shaped hole behind him in the ice. His soul light moved rapidly, it went straight through the factory wall, just like a ghost.

“He's trying to hide in the building.” Delmar gnarled and ran forward to the factory port and tried to open it. It was locked. He kicked at the door frustrated.
“move aside" Reed said, he had collected himself and the fighting spirit shined in his red glowing eyes. He wasn't going to let Delmar have all the fun by himself. “We can't let him get away that easy.” between his hands he created a massive fireball. Delmar jumped backwards a couple of steps as he realized Reed was going to burn the whole wooden gate down. With both hands he threw the fireball at the gate. When it hit the doors it blew up into a big inferno. The flames quickly became three meters high as it rapidly consumed the doors. Delmar had to stumble a few more steps backwards to escape the heat. When the doors was nothing more than a pile of coal Reed extinguished the flames. The doors had burnt down in just a few seconds. Delmar quickly ran into the building as soon as the fire was gone.
“Stay out here Ramsey!” Reed said, summoned a giant red battle-axe and followed Delmar into the old factory.