Octave of Stars Official Theme Song:
Welcome to the cereal serial version of Octave of Stars! Episodes will release every Monday and Thursday. If you’re finding this story for the first time, be sure to start at Episode 01 for maximum comprehension, or check out The Index for all available Episodes.
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"I'm on the corner of the block," Ash said into the receiver. "About to go inside. Keep praying for me, alright?"
"Certainly, dear. We are doing the right thing, believe me. Just remember what I taught you, and all will be well."
"Thanks, talk to you soon."
Ash hung up the payphone, listening as the quarter dropped into the bottom of the device. He looked up at the sky and exhaled, letting some of his fear out with his breath. The rain from the previous day had finally blown through, making way for a calm spring morning.
As he started toward the crosswalk at the other end of the street, he said a prayer of gratitude he got to see such nice weather, and another, that he would get to share it with someone in particular very soon. He had dressed comfortably and casually for the day, dark pants and a shirt, along with a firefighter's turnout coat. He didn't get as many stares as he thought he would have, but downtown was home to people far more odd than him. The street was fairly busy even this early in the morning, both foot and car traffic, but he didn't wait long at the crosswalk before entering the imposing edifice that was the center of Frost Enterprises.
From the exterior, the building was just a massive wall of glass stretching upward. Inside, it was appropriately fancy, with soft carpeting and leather on every chair and seat. Most of the walls of the bottom floor were also windows, so the light of the bright morning shone in and cheered those who worked there.
Ash checked out the potted plants, wall sconces, and decorative pieces of art. There was only one television, far off in the other corner by a sitting area, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't get close enough to it. Near the middle of the room was a rich oak-fronted desk, behind which sat a young lady, heavily made up with her straight blonde hair curled at the tips. The plate on the front of the desk said her name was Chloe.
"Hey, good morning," Ash said, approaching her as casually as possible.
"Good morning, sir," she said brightly, addressing him formally despite appearing slightly younger than Ash. She turned away from the computer in front of her. "How can I help you today?"
"Well," Ash said, hesitating. He'd reached the final moment of decision. "I need to speak to Mr. Frost."
Chloe examined him again. Most of the people who said that wore considerably more expensive clothing, and weren't nearly as scruffy. "Um, alright, do you have an appointment?"
"Nope," Ash answered. "Trust me, I don't need one. Just tell him Ash Grisarco wants to talk to him." He spelled out his last name for her as she wrote it on a notepad.
"I see, well I'll call up to his secretary then." She picked up the phone on her desk.
Ash thanked her, but kept standing by the desk. He didn't want to lose his nerve, not while he was so close.
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High in the lofty parts of the building, Rand stepped off the elevator and walked down the brightly lit hallway toward the security suite. His clothing today consisted of a cheery lemon-yellow shirt, perhaps to celebrate the nice weather outside, along with a dark gray vest and similar slacks. Several name plates were affixed beside the doors he passed, but none of them read 'R. Stonearm.' So much of his work was out in the field that he didn't really have an office of his own, but he and Yin had carved out their own space in an unused section of cubicles. There was a window, a water cooler, and a TV, and around the corner was the break room shared by the rest of the security staff. Today, he didn't need to worry about microwaving anything for his breakfast, as he had stopped on the way for the aromatic pizza he now held in his hands.
Yin was reclining in one of the chairs around their favorite table, his feet up on the surface. His shoes were black, but the rest of his suit was a silvery gray, nearly matching the color of the ponytail that dangled down his back. "Hey big guy, enjoy your day off?"
Rand nodded faintly. "I suppose so, yes."
"Good. Nothing happened, by the way." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, wait, there was that whole thing where the Boss tried to stuff the girl into the Engine and she broke it open to get out." Yin grinned. "That was actually kind of fun."
"What?" Rand exclaimed, and Yin happily filled him in on the escapade.
"I don't know what to say," Rand said finally. "I guess I'm glad no one was hurt."
"Yeah, me too," Yin said, although he rolled his eyes while did. He then sat forward, hands on his knees. "Anyway, is that for both of us? Are you making up for poisoning me yesterday?"
Rand frowned. "I didn't make you eat it, you know."
"Well, you didn't tell me not to, either."
He shook his head. "Whatever. Yes, you can have half of this one."
"Great!" Yin rubbed his hands together. "I'm hungry already."
Rand opened the pizza box to reveal the mass of cheese, meat, and bread within. He tried to lift out a slice, but failed. "They forgot to cut it."
"Oh, let me get it." Yin stood up, grinning. Rand scooted his chair back and waited as Yin swung his arms over the table four times, flashes glinting off his wrists and hands. "Try that." He sat down.
"Not bad," Rand said, picking up a piece of the newly sliced pizza. He then moved the box and examined underneath. "You didn't even cut the table this time."
He raised one shoulder. "Of course, I'm pretty awesome, you know."
While they each had a slice, Yin shared more details of yesterday's fun, but soon the conversation took an unusual turn.
"So," Yin said, "remember that time we were trying to get that Fire Star who had holed up in the canyon? You grabbed up this big sheet of rock and he couldn't melt through it, right?
"I remember, yeah." Rand thoughtfully chewed his pizza.
Yin leaned back and twirled his fingers in the air as he spoke. "It wasn't that strong of stuff, I had sliced through some of it earlier to get down to the bottom. But when you were holding on to it, his fire didn't even scorch it."
"Okay…"
"So, if I can cut through anything, and you can defend against anything, what would happen if you and I ever fought? Could I cut through your shield, or could you stop my blades?"
"Hmm…" Rand said. After a moment, he postulated: "The universe would probably explode."
Yin nodded. "Yeah, we'd better not try that, then." He took another bite of pizza.
Rand's phone rang, he fished it out of his vest pocket. "Huh. Wonder what she needs. Hello Doreen… Yes, I remember giving you that list of names…" Rand nodded his head along as he listened. "Ash Grisarco is downstairs in the lobby now, wanting to talk to Mr. Frost…" Yin grinned feverishly. "Thank you Doreen, I'll go take care of him now. Have a good day."
Yin was out of his chair before Rand hung up the call. "I really hope you meant the fun kind of 'taking care of him', huh?"
"Don't get too excited," Rand said, closing up the pizza box. "This could be some kind of trick, so let's wait and see what happens."
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Ash was continuing to pray he would keep it together as he waited in the lobby. Behind him, Chloe was answering phone calls and directing guests to their destinations, while he kept his eyes roving around the room. The open area of the lobby reached up at least four floors, with walkways around the outer edges for inhabitants of the higher floors to get a sense of not being trapped in a building all day. The pair of elevators on the far wall ran up and down this expanse, heightening the sense of awe. Passengers on the glass-fronted cars were afforded a similar spectacle. It also let Ash know right away when a tall man with dark skin stepped on beside a fellow with a dark gray ponytail. He kept his eyes on them during the entire descent, and Yin returned the stare, a challenge in his eyes.
From Chloe's perspective, it wasn't often at all that the Chief Security Officer came down to welcome a guest, even less often that the suave Senior Security Officer was accompanying him. She quickly checked her makeup in the reflection of her monitor, making sure her hair was still in place as they approached. Yin flashed a grin that she coquettishly returned.
Rand furrowed his brow. "Mr. Grisarco."
"Hey guys," Ash said casually, betraying his anxiety. "I think it's time I had a little chat with your boss, don't you think?"
Rand visually checked him for anything overly suspicious. After a moment, he shook his head. "This way." He turned back to the elevators, Ash following. Yin gave Chloe a wink before doing the same.
While on the first floor, the elevator cars were enclosed by metal walls, so they couldn't be observed until they started to ascend. Yin pressed the button to close the doors, then turned the override key to stop the car from going anywhere.
Rand spoke to Ash. "Take off your coat and roll up your sleeves."
"Sure thing," he said, handing it to Rand then turning around to show he wasn't packing anything, flammable or otherwise.
Yin sneered at the bandage on his arm. "Did that hurt?"
Ash returned a steady glare. "Nope."
Rand checked through the pockets of the coat while Yin stared at Ash, tilting his head and turning up a corner of his mouth. After a moment he declared: "Alright, he's clean."
Ash frowned. "Clean from what? I took a shower this morning, did you notice?"
"You don't have any metal on you," Yin said confidently as Rand handed the coat back to its owner.
"Huh," Ash said as he put his armor back on. "I bet you find all the loose change in the couch, right?"
Yin glanced back and forth between Rand and Ash, unsure if it was okay for them to banter like this. "Hey, don't forget we're in charge here."
"That's right," Rand cut in, "what are we doing here? What is this? Peace talks? Surrender? Are you wanting to take me up on that deal I offered you a few days ago?"
Ash considered. "That depends, I guess, on what Mister F. has to say. Are you actually gonna take me to him, or just drop me off in a cell right away?"
"He wants to speak with you," Rand said, "He's waiting in his office." He nodded to Yin, who unlocked the car and pressed the button for the correct floor. Ash studied the rows of buttons; only twenty stories, at least that the public elevator had access to.
The atmosphere in the car wasn't exactly friendly. Yin went back to sneering, Rand glared and Ash tried to at least not look terrified. After another prayer, he just decided to be direct.
"Alright guys, we all know I'm not getting outta here anytime soon. So, let's just be honest. Is she here or not?"
Rand closed his eyes, then nodded.
Yin smirked. "Oh, she's here alright."
Ash's shoulders lowered. Even if everything else went completely and totally wrong, he would at least be able to see her again.
After reaching the top floor and walking down a long hallway, the unlikely trio arrived at a large wooden door. No name plate was present, because none was needed. The doors could have belonged in a church, as they were carved top to bottom with ornate images of serpents, dragons, and winged angels doing battle. Ash thought this was an odd choice, but didn't think too much more when Rand knocked on the door and a voice from within commanded them to enter.
The inside of Frost's office was just as Ash had expected, opulent and shiny, everything worth more money than he would likely make in his lifetime. The man himself was sitting in his chair behind the desk, hands on the top. Ash nearly stumbled under the force of his glare, but he willed himself to continue.
Frost looked just as furious as he felt, but even he wasn't ready to let his guard down yet. Ash could do a lot of damage before Rand and Yin could subdue him, so Frost was poised to make him afraid of the dark just as he had with the Water Star. "Well, well, Mr Grisarco. Looks like you've finally given up, eh? Ready to face the inevitability of the situation?"
Ash stopped in front of the desk, where his escorts had led him. Nobody asked him to sit, so he just kept standing. "No… well, kind of…."
Frost frowned. "What in blazes are you doing here, then?"
Ash met the old fellow's gaze as best he could. "I came to apologize, actually."
Frost's glare intensified. "Are you being serious?"
"Yeah," he said, putting his hands in the pockets of his coat but still braving the force of Frost's cold blue eyes. "I'm sorry I broke the door to your warehouse, and made a big hole in the wall, and I made a bigger mess in your hotel and ruined your gala. And… I think that's it. Oh, I broke a bunch of your little flying robots too. Sorry about those."
Frost didn't change his expression. "I accept your apology. It's the least you can do."
"I know," Ash let out a breath. "I thought that would be a good way to start things off, since I want to surrender. I'm not going to fight back or anything, you can capture me right now."
One of Frost's eyebrows raised, then the other. "Oh really?"
"Yeah, you've already got Cascadia, so…" He sighed. "This just seems like the only way."
Yin's brow was furrowed, he was itching for a fight that might never come. Rand was as impassive as ever, and Frost searched Ash's face, eyes darting back and forth briefly. After a few moments, the gentleman in charge spoke. "Hm. I see…"
Ash shrugged. "Yeah, I'm really tired of all the fighting." He sat down in the chair before Frost's desk, but gently, in case he damaged anything with his heavy coat. "So, before I go and get thrown in a freezer, I gotta know, why did you take Cascadia in the first place? And why all of a sudden?"
Rand bristled at the impertinence, while Frost relaxed, but only a bit. "I am surprised she did not tell you what I am getting at."
"Oh, Lumina's told us plenty, but, I just want to hear it from you. I mean, I've been running around for the past five days trying to keep my life together, and it's been really hard, you know?"
"Really?" Frost said. "Harder than having to live during the middle of an energy crisis? Would it be harder if you had no electricity, no petrol for your car?"
"I don't have a car," he said dismissively.
"If no one had a car," Frost continued,1 "then the world would be a much different place. But if energy was cheap and freely available, then everyone could benefit. We could make it a utopia, without want or need." He lifted his chin importantly as he spoke.
"And you stand to profit a lot, of course."
Frost nearly snarled. "Business is business, as always. Which, by the way, I am still supposed to be conducting, instead of sitting here wasting my time. Whatever the reason for this little capitulation, I'd much rather have you locked up here than out destroying more of my property. Now, do you have any other inane questions, or can I get back to work?"
"Yeah," Ash said, glancing up at the top row of windows. "Why is there a mirror up there, and pointed the wrong way?"
Frost drew himself up in his seat. "To remind us to keep vanity in its place, and focus on the future, not on ourselves."
Ash tilted his head. "It's to make it harder for Lumina to see in here, isn't it?"
"Get him out of here," Frost barked.
Octave of Stars is currently airing on Substack for free, with two of the 45 total posts per week. It’ll be fully released at the end of April 2024. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can get the entire story right now, in either Ebook or paperback. Every purchase supports the ZMT Books mission of family-friendly entertainment.
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