The fraught walk down the brassy steps was not easy to commit to, but Joaquim followed the swaying trench coat silhouette of the supersoldier below. Darkness cloaked Joaquim and Iker until they reached the steps illuminated by skylight. On display were rows of skylines, surfaces of clouds, and pieces of sky peeking through the cracks of skyscrapers and platform bottoms while it all encircled the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hangar-like basement. While wondering why he would be brought down here, Joaquim stopped midway.

  "... are you coming?" Iker asked, stopping by a wall with a computer terminal and power tools. The terminal appeared to be built by him. "You've been here before."

  Wait... is that true?

  More adventitious memories poured in. Iker, as the leader of two platoon, was able to afford a flying platform of his own and the tour that he apparently gave Joaquim came back to the forefront of his mind's eye. With the additional basement floor his unorthodox house had four floors, and Joaquim realized the basement was actually inside of the platform itself.

  "That's a lie," Joaquim said. "Why are you testing me?"

  Joaquim wondered about the mysterious voice from earlier. None of the memories that poured in had the unforgettable view of Ember City below Iker's home, and his intuition told him that these sporadic memories and the voice from earlier were connected. As Joaquim was trying to figure out what the hell was going on, he came back to the present to realize that Iker was taking his sweet time answering the question.

  "I have three contradicting memories of how your flux got awakened, and all of them feel extremely real. As if I actually experienced all those three contradicting memories rather than any of them being a dream," Iker explained. This time after he finished speaking, he did not choose to leave any kind of pause. He stopped facing the window and staunchly marched within arm's distance of Joaquim. "Tell me, do you know an esper?"

  It was obvious why the supersoldier got so close. His usual aloofness vanished and his unblinking stare was trying to parse out any fibs or lies.

  "No," Joaquim lied. He only found out recently that Farouq is an esper, but did he have any kind of flux abilities that manipulated memories? How long ago was he able to tap into his anagami form?

  After Joaquim's reply, Iker took a couple of backward steps and looked away.

  "Well, to be frank... I haven't been sleeping much. Perhaps I dreamt about all three. So you never been down here?"

  Joaquim shook his head. However, Joaquim believed that Iker was faking his self-doubt. Either way, other than having to hide his allegiance to Ameen and his motivation to bring down the flying city Iker called his home, something extremely bizarre was happening. However, Iker's aloof smile returned.

  Am I still on Prophet Ameen's side? What do I actually believe in?

  "Perhaps I am just really eager to train you. You did really well in the bootcamp. But then again, kids your age shouldn't be recruited. Don't let Ember Comsa know I said that."

  Those memories at the bootcamp felt as if someone else was in Joaquim's body. He got the urge to tremble, but he restrained himself. Then, the memory of Camilo shapeshifted as Dalia coming to the bootcamp to kill him replayed in his mind.

  "Anyways, I feel awful," Iker added. "Yes, there are Alkrezian extremists, but I can't help but feel the army is trying to make me profile people. I hope I am right about you and you're not on Ameen's side or something. I had someone... really close to me get radicalized. I haven't really gotten over it, which is why I tested you."

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Joaquim forced himself to nod.

  "Anyways, the real reason we're here is that I do have a fluxtrode machine down here, but there's another method I prefer to awaken flux with."

  It was for the best that he was already tense because Joaquim had to block a friendly-tempered punch from Iker, who's kaya form was so fast that he might as well have jaunted to Joaquim's side. Another test.

  "It's hard to teach reflex so I have to test for it for anyone that wants to join two platoon," Iker explained, withdrawing his fist. "Even though I apparently adopted you... I would not let you take my test to join two platoon if you failed to block that slow punch. Say... you told that cop that I adopted you. Were you just trying to save your brother? How did you know of me as Trickster? Did you being trans have anything to do that?"

  Now more memories flooded in with past conversations Joaquim had with Iker. He realized that Iker had a penchant for talking fast in random rambles like the one he just did, and they had more mutual fondness now that Iker was not the only one that remembered any kind of bonding experience they had. Even though Lucia was gone from home, Joaquim remembered the nights Lucia slept at the foot of his bed too.

  "Sorry... I think I overwhelmed you with all the questions I asked," Iker said, this time smiling with his teeth. He scratched his military haircut in embarrassment while walking away. "It seems it was all just a bunch of dreams. Your flux was latent, but you should be able to awaken it now."

  "Huh?" Joaquim asked, scratching his own head in confusion.

  "I sent some of my own flux into your nervous system with that punch," Iker explained. "Try to focus on your spine while we talk about the history of flux."

  "You're... you're weird bro," Joaquim said, causing Iker to laugh.

  "Trust me it helps," Iker said. "I am going to show you this earthplexus app after we are done that will teach you how to tap into kaya form. Since you know about me... I assume you know what that is. Right?"

  Joaquim nodded. "During the twenty-first century it didn't have a name... supersoldiers in general just had enhanced speed, endurance... strength... etcetera. However, the form got a name after scientists realized supersoldiers can get further abilities."

  "Well, obviously I know what it is. No need to explain it."

  Joaquim smiled. Iker's a smartass alright.

  "I am joking," Iker said. "This is good. Keep talking about it while focusing what you can into your spine. Keep it up."

  Is Ameen a flux user... or did he actually get his powers from God?

  Joaquim did feel a numinous warmth in his back at first, but he lost it.

  "Stay focused."

  The memory of Prophet Ameen making him vanish inside the dream in the desert assaulted Joaquim's mind.

  "Hey Joaquim. You had it just now."

  Joaquim came back to the present. Iker was now standing right in front of him.

  "Hey. You alright Joaquim?"

  Joaquim gulped and returned to thinking about the gifted flux, wherever it was within his nervous system.

  "Do you know how flux got discovered?" Iker asked. "You have to trust me on this. Talking about it helps a lot."

  Joaquim was having a hard time focusing on talking and harnessing flux, but he gulped and tried to make it work.

  "Yea... with everything going wrong in the twenty-first century... nuclear annihilation came dangerously close to happening, until Imogen somehow got into nirvana form without knowing about it. She somehow changed the laws of physics... or the magic system... whatever you want to call it... to cause all the nuclear warheads to explode rose petals instead of radiation."

  Iker was onto something. Joaquim's sweater and jeans swayed as if magical air was rhythmically passing under them.

  "Focus into your fist! You didn't tell me how they discovered flux though!" Iker yelled, raising both of own arms to guard.

  "After all that crazy shit happened... scientists were curious and they were to Chernobyl to find out what happened to the radiation there. They came across some kind of energy that behaved like radiation... but healed cancer instead of causing cancer," Joaquim explained.

  "And what did they call it?"

  Joaquim leaped forward while answering the question. "Flux."

  Iker was out of sight and one of the windows shattered after Joaquim landed a punch. With utter terror, Joaquim jogged to the shattered window.

  However, Iker did not fall down. Joaquim spotted Iker's fingers on the edge, pulling himself up before Joaquim could help. He hopped and landed right beside Joaquim.

  "Jesus Christ. You did not have to punch that hard."