Page 3 of Legend of Scorpio
“Fair enough. What am I looking for?”
“I don’t know. Sage couldn’t see the actual items in question, although she did have a location for the first one. Congrats, you’re going to Antarctica.”
“Where it’s like a billion degrees below zero?” Scorpio huffed. “You know I hate the cold.” Yes, he complained. Why couldn’t his task be somewhere hot and sticky?
“One, where you’re going, it’s only minus twenty or so degrees Fahrenheit. Two, the cold can’t hurt you.” One of the quirks of being a Zodiac Warrior. “And three, you are going because Sage said it had to be you. Trust me, you weren’t my first choice because I knew you’d whine.”
“I’m just busting your balls. ’Course, I’ll go. However, if Sage doesn’t even know what I’m looking for, how the fuck am I going to find it?”
“It’s a mystic quest. It will reveal itself. And you won’t be completely without aid. You’re to locate a doctor… Hold, let me find the name.” Aries checked the notes on his computer screen. “Dr. Guthrie, who is already there studying the glaciers.”
“They have scientists analyzing giant ice cubes? Sounds absolutely scintillating.” Not. “I assume I’m not supposed to kill this doctor.”
“No.” A flat statement accompanied by a stern look.
“What about roughing them up if they don’t cooperate?”
Aries sighed. “You know, you don’t always have to use your fists—or knives—to solve problems.”
“You’re right. Guns are much more efficient, as they can be used from a distance.” Yes, Scorpio antagonized on purpose. The leader of their faction took his role very seriously.
“No hurting anyone unless your life is in peril,” snapped Aries.
“Aye, aye, bossman. So, how am I getting there? Do we have a portal I don’t know about in Antarctica?” Because, while Scorpio had been around the world using the doorways that linked theirhome base to various locations, he’d never heard of one at the South Pole. North, yes. It was shared with Claus. Yes,thatClaus.
“No portal. You’ll have to starbeam in.”
Scorpio groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That is like the most annoying way to travel.” Starbeam involved triangulating their constellation to act as a conduit that would basically disassemble a warrior and reshape them at their desired location. Uncomfortable at best, but at its worst, if they miscalculated even slightly, they’d been known to reappear with nothing. In other words, in the buff. Hard to intimidate with your dick and balls swinging around.
“I am not wasting the time or resources renting a plane to drop you. And you know, starbeaming wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t rush the calculations.”
Scorpio’s lips pinched. “I hate math.” He’d hated it when young and the teacher would show them five apples then take two away and ask them to count the remainder. She never liked his answer, which was five, because there were still five apples, just not in the same pile. Then when he ate the two and finally gave the response she wanted of three, she’d put him in time out.
“And I hate peas,” Aries replied.
“What’s little balls of green deliciousness have to do with math?” he exclaimed.
“Nothing. It’s as pointless as you arguing. Now, if you’re done, here’s the coordinates of the doctor’s camp.”
Aries handed over a printout that kindly included his constellation’s positioning for the next forty-eight hours, as well as that of a meteor travelling in the area that would require making some adjustments—AKA, more fucking math.
“Guess I’ll finally get to wrestle polar bears,” Scorpio stated as he stood to take his leave.
“The bears live in the north. South Pole is penguins and seals.”
“Bummer. Can’t exactly wrestle a cute penguin. Think a seal will provide a challenge?”
Aries once more sighed. “Don’t fuck up.”
“Who, me?”
“And don’t kill anything!”
“No promises,” Scorpio sang as he walked out the door.
He spent a few hours getting his shit together. Had a nap. Packed a knapsack—with weapons. Another with food. Played a few rounds ofCOD—and got destroyed by some kids who called him old. Then struggled with the calculations for his starbeam. By the time he finished, his brain hurt, but in good news, he was ready to go.
He went outside the tower with his gear but kept the knapsack in his lap as he plopped to the ground, cross-legged. Scorpio drew symbols in the courtyard sandbox, like, literally a sandbox. A square ringed in stones and filled with sand—not the earthly variety, but that created by grinding meteors. It provided a perfect base for the squiggles he dug with a finger, the ones at his back being the most annoying to complete. Why starbeaming couldn’t be as simple as concentrating, he never understood. After all, his tattoo gave him a direct link to home. Why couldn’t the person who created the warriors have devised a similar method for travelling elsewhere? Yes, they had portals, twelve of them scattered around the world in major areas, but in a hurry, it would have been useful to choose their exact destination.