by Lisa Beeson
The Frankenstein computer and communication bank Myles and Kael had jury-rigged together from components around the hangar, sat on a desk they had dragged out of the office and placed at the end of a chain of folding tables. With Ari’s help, Myles was able to crack into the Tower’s closed systems, granting them access to all the security camera feeds in the building. Everyone at the tables had a view of the same white room from various devices.
Too bad the feeds did not come with sound. He really wanted to know what Claudia had been screaming at Anita as she slapped the crap out of the poor brain damaged woman. What a psycho.
He glanced down to where Ari sat pointing at the screen of one of the laptops and leaning over to whisper something to Eric – her MRE and heaping bowl of instant-noodles already empty and discarded to the side. Cam’s heart squeezed with jealousy and heartache. He missed that easy closeness with her. She was right there, but she felt miles away.
His eyes flicked up to Kael and Adam standing behind her, and flinched. Both of them were looking right at him. Kael with his intimidating “I could crush you” glare, and Adam, with his “I’m now a wizard-monk who knows the mysteries of the universe and I pity you” stare.
Cam immediately turned his gaze back to the monitor in front of Myles, to see Soren following Markus out of the room. He glanced over at Paloma’s station and saw that she was following them through the different feeds, and his worry lessened.
“Gregory? What’s happening?” Mara asked as she clutched onto the comm unit as if it were a lifeline. “Why has your team gone dark?”
“We’re fine,” Harper answered in Gregory’s baritone. “But we’ve been captured. They have already taken the cure to a secure place. Everything besides the Transport Hangar and the Tower has been destroyed. Every way off the island, except for what’s in the hangar, has been destroyed. There’s nothing left for us here. It’s over.” Harper looked over towards Kael. He nodded and motioned for her to continue. “But they’re giving us a way out of this with no more bloodshed. All you have to do is surrender, and no one else will be harmed.”
On the monitor Mara frowned down at the comm unit, her nostrils flared in ire. The people around the room began crowding closer to her to listen. Most of them had looks of fear and confusion on their faces. Even Anita’s little gremlins looked worried as they got up to stand near Asa and Claudia.
Brenna Laramie stood up from the piano and she and her brother, Jonah, walked over to stand near Marin. Cam couldn’t understand how they didn’t absolutely hate her after everything they’d been through. Family dynamics are crazy complicated.
As soon as Brenna had stopped playing, Anita started rocking more vigorously on the bench she was sitting on. She still seemed out of it, but she was obviously agitated about something.
Instead of answering Harper, Mara was speaking with the people around her in a heated discussion. Marin was gesturing towards Claudia and the two boys, as she brought a protective arm around Brenna, trying to debate some point Mara was making.
“I don’t think she believed me,” Harper said with an apologetic grimace. “Sorry. I’m outta practice.”
Eric walked over and put his arm around her, hugging her close to his side and rubbing her arm in comfort.
“It’s fine,” Adam said with a knowing nod as he looked down at the monitor over Ari’s shoulder. “Try again.”
Harper cleared her throat. “Mother?” she tried again. “They want to know your answer.”
Mara looked down at the comm unit as if it was a vile loathsome thing, before pressing the button. “I know that this is not my son, so you can stop pretending, Harper.”
Harper winced at the sound of her name.
“And you can tell that vile filth you’re with that I would rather reduce this whole island and everyone on it to cinders than surrender to them. This is on your heads!” With that, she threw the device into the back of the fireplace, breaking it into pieces.
There was a collective gasp of dismay from not only those on the monitor, but in the hangar as well.
“What the hell does that mean?” Cam asked, trying to mask the anxiety in his voice with outrage.
“Wait,” Ari said, still looking down at the screen. Everyone in the white room had turned their heads and was looking over at something to the left out of frame. “What are they looking at?” she asked Myles.
Myles remotely adjusted the camera to pan a little to the left. Cam heard Randall’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of Wyatt, battered and tied to a chair. He was yelling something at Mara.
Cam saw Marin’s head jerk up as if she heard something, and she looked straight at the camera. She only glanced for a second, noting the movement then tried to act as if she hadn’t noticed it. But her abrupt motion caught Mara’s attention as well, and she searched for what Marin had seen. As soon as her eyes settled on the camera, realization dawned on her face, and Cam’s blood ran cold.
Mara turned to the nearest asshat, took a gun from one of his holsters and pointed it straight at Marin.
The crowd jumped back and dispersed in dismay.
Mara said something that looked like an accusation towards Marin, then Brenna screamed something that seemed to infuriate Mara. She switched her aim to Brenna and just as she was about to pull the trigger Anita surged forward between the two and took the bullet in the chest.
Time seemed to slow as Anita fell to the ground, and Ari screamed, “NO!”
While everyone in the white room froze in shock, Mara took a small remote from her pocket. While aiming the remote at Jonah, she ushered the people around her back towards the fireplace, including Asa, Claudia, and the gremlins. She said something to Jonah and gestured towards the camera. His eyes went blank for a second before his head turned towards the camera and an opaque fog suddenly obscured the feed.
“Adam. Now,” Kael commanded.
Adam raised his ringed-hand and concentrated on the space in front of him. His silver tattoos began to glow just as a bright flash dilated out to reveal the foggy Tower room on the other side.
Ari was the first one through the portal, sifting into the dissipating mist, with Kael close behind her.
By the time Cam made it through, the fog had cleared, but Mara and half the people in the room were gone. “Where the hell did they go?” he asked.
Jonah raised a shaky hand towards the fireplace, as he and Marin hugged Brenna between them. Each of them were aware how close they’d come to losing her.
Kael had men on the fireplace in seconds, trying to find the trigger to open it. The mantel was a mosaic of small marble tiles; each one had a symbol from different ancient cultures from around the world.
“What’s she doing?” Brenna asked, looking down at Ari’s still form kneeling over Anita, eyes closed and hands putting pressure over the wound in the woman’s chest.
“I think she’s trying to heal her,” Cam answered.
“She can do that?” Marin asked, as the three of them looked anxiously at the growing pool of blood on the floor.
“She healed him,” he said, pointing his thumb over at Roche by the fireplace. “And he was shot and burned.”
They looked over at the fresh pink skin on the side of Roches face as he helped look for triggers, and nodded, hopeful.
“So you’re on our side now?” Cam asked Marin, still wary of her duplicity.
“She always has been,” Jonah answered defensively.
“Diana was my friend,” Marin explained as tears welled in her eyes. “I hated what they had done to her, to her family. But she wanted me to keep pretending I was loyal, so I could go to Scion’s Keep and watch over the twins for her. She made me promise to keep up the charade no matter what happened so I could stay close and keep her babies safe. I did my best to keep all the kids at Scion’s Keep safe, but I could only do so much while keeping the Reinhold’s trust.”
“I saw where Mara pushed,” Wyatt coughed out, through split and swollen lips, while Randall worked at the knots ty
ing him to the chair.
Cam ran over and used his knife to cut through the ropes instead.
As soon as Wyatt was free, he staggered over to the fireplace and pushed through the men.
His finger went to a symbol that looked like a less than sign on the right side of the mantel. As soon as he pushed it, the tile depressed with a click and the mantle swung away from the wall like a door. What lay beyond was a large, empty elevator shaft, the mechanism still lowering the car far below on the steel ropes.
“Well,” Cam said, looking down into the dark pit. “We’re not following them that way.”
“I had no idea this was even here,” Randall said in awe.
“It’s definitely not on the blue prints,” Wyatt mumbled.
“Doesn’t matter,” Kael said, glancing back towards the portal Adam was keeping open for them. “We need to get the assets and the cure to the farm now,” he said. “The rest of you need to secure the hangar and be ready for retaliation. Once all that is done, we’ll send a party to search the island. Copy?”
“Sir, Randall and I would like stay behind and help guard the prisoners,” Wyatt said, and Randall nodded in agreement.
Kael’s gaze could cut glass, but after a brief moment, he nodded. “Fine. Everyone else, copy?”
The rest nodded, just as Ari took in a big gasp of air. She opened her eyes then looked mournfully down at Anita’s motionless, pale body, then gently closed the woman’s eyes with her fingertips.
“What happened?” Brenna asked in a small brittle voice. “You couldn’t heal her?”
“She didn’t want me to,” Ari said with a sad shake of her head.
Kael went over and gently picked up Anita’s body, ready to take her through the portal.
“Wait,” Marin said. “What about Soren?”
Ari and Kael’s eyes met for a moment before he nodded and she sifted away.
Chapter 28
Markus said nothing as his robotic brace moved his withered legs steadily through the mansion. After meandering through hallways and cramped corridors, they went through a secret door blended into the wall that came out into the large hallway that reminded Soren of a strange museum.
Once through, Soren saw that the secret door had a bookcase on the other side. After it latched behind them, they walked just short of the spiral staircase to where a crude-looking map of an island hung on the wall behind a clear acrylic case. The map looked as if it was inked onto an ancient animal skin instead of paper, and reminded him of a pirate treasure map.
Markus’s shrewd, hooded eyes looked down at Soren. “Do you know what an archipelago is, boy?”
The word sounded familiar, but Soren wasn’t sure what it was so he shook his head no.
“An archipelago is a chain or a cluster of islands,” Markus explained. “The island we’re on now is part of one. But a long long time ago all these little islands used to be part of one big island.” He pointed to the map on the wall. The island reminded Soren of a fat crescent moon dotted with mountains. “And a long long time ago some very special beings lived here that could travel between the stars. The ancient humans that lived here recognized their superiority and worshiped them as gods. They built cities and temples in their honor, and in turn, the beings blessed them with their knowledge and the gifts of their superior abilities. They raised the humans out of the mud and their ignorance to help them unlock their potential and accomplish great achievements.
“This map is what led me to this place,” he said pointing at the animal skin, “…and to the true scope of my destiny. You see, the ruins of one of the temples the ancient humans built are right here on this island.” He looked back down at Soren. “And we are the progeny of those god-like beings they wished to honor. We are meant to be here to take up our ancestors’ mantle once more. And that is what I wished to achieve with the Cause – a better world for everyone.”
Soren’s fingers twisted the bottom of his shirt. He liked the thought of people traveling between the stars and being someone special. He wanted to help others and make great things, but everything the Reinholds have done was wrong. How could kidnapping and killing people make the world better?
“Everything in this hall is a clue to our great heritage and our true potential,” Markus continued as he motioned around them.
Soren looked around at all the old paintings and strange objects. They did not look so great to him, and some of the statues were downright scary.
“And did you know that Hugo found a lot of these treasures?”
Soren shook his head.
“Back when he was a young college student, I recognized his talent of finding relics for what it was – an ability passed down from his noble ancestors. So unbeknownst to him, I funded his research and archeological digs, guiding him from the sidelines, watching him ascend through the ranks and discover the links to our past.
“But then his sister and her husband died in a car accident, leaving him to raise his two young nephews. He gave up traveling the world in search of relics, and took a teaching job in Massachusetts for more stability. I tried to tempt him away with more funding, but he stubbornly refused. Family was more important to him than money. And I can understand that,” Markus admitted. “But there is nothing more important than the Cause. It is bigger than all of us. And unfortunately, sacrifices must be made to achieve true greatness.”
The sound of screams and the crack of a gunshot echoed in the distance, causing Soren to flinch in terror. “What’s happening?” he squealed.
The old man’s eyes turned sad and his shoulders slumped. He placed a gnarled hand on Soren’s shoulder. The gesture was strangely comforting. It felt easy and right.
“Come, boy. That doesn’t concern us right now.” He gently guided Soren towards the spiral staircase. “We have little time and I still have much to tell you.”
Soren hurried up the stairs away from the scary sounds, leaping two at a time. Markus followed close behind, the brace allowing him to ascend quickly and easily.
The stairs led into a room that looked like a small library with a desk by a large window, and two cushy brown leather couches on either side of a coffee table.
Markus instructed him to sit as he walked over to a bookcase across the room. Soren sat down on the couch to the right. He scrunched down into the soft, buttery leather with the sound of a foot stepping into freshly packed snow.
It reminded him of the time Hugo and Wyatt had built a giant snow igloo on the front lawn of Scion’s Keep for all the kids. Nina and Kauri had made hot chocolate and brought out mugs for everyone to drink in their very own igloo. Marin had made sure Soren had one big marshmallow instead of the handful of little ones like everyone else, because she knew that’s what he preferred. A fierce pang of homesickness twisted his heart.
“You were not part of the plan,” Markus said to Soren, as he began looking through an old wooden box on one of the shelves. It seemed as if he was searching for something that should be there, but now it was missing. “Your sister was the one we planned for – pairing the right genes in just the right way, at just the right time… you were superfluous – an unknown variable. But as most things in nature, the outliers tend to be the most important parts of a species’ evolution.”
Soren scowled as he tried to understand what Markus was saying. It sounded like the old man was being mean, but he wasn’t exactly sure.
“Ever since I was a boy,” Markus continued as he gave up searching and walked towards the other couch with the wooden box in his hands, “I knew that I was someone important – someone with a great purpose.” He placed the wooden box on the coffee table facing himself with the top closed, keeping the contents a mystery. “My mother was a very wise woman. She told me that every single one of us has a part in the great story of life. Some are born to greatness. Some rise with the appearance of greatness, but their part may only be to act as a catalyst for others – to galvanize them into action. And some serve only as a genetic stepping stone fo
r the greatness of progeny yet to come. Sometimes a person’s part is clear, but mostly, it is never truly known until long after they’re gone.”
He opened the box and stuck his hand inside. “I thought that my part was clear. But as time marched on and I grew older and older, a fear grew in me that I had been mistaken. That the destiny I saw was only a MacGuffin. For though I had seen it clear as day, some of the things I had seen myself do have not come to pass.” He took something from the box. “But the moment I saw you that day we officially met, I knew that it was not only my destiny I saw so long ago…” he placed a picture on the table in front of Soren, “…but yours as well.”
Soren looked down at the old black and white portrait of a pretty woman lounging on a fancy couch in an old-fashioned gown. Her dark hair was curled and piled on her head amidst ribbons, flowers, and strings of jewels. She had the enchanting look of a fairy queen, with eyes that stared at the camera promising both adventure and danger. Though the woman commanded the attention of the viewer, it was the little boy about Soren’s age standing behind her and leaning on the arm of the couch that made Soren’s skin prickle with chills. The boy looked exactly like him. He had the same pale blond hair, the same eyes, and even the same serious expression. But the photograph was so old and discolored with age that it couldn’t possibly be him.
Soren’s hands twisted the bottom of his shirt. “Who is that?” he rasped out of a dry throat, the absence of his two front teeth making him lisp a little.
“That is my mother and I,” Markus said with a knowing glint in his eye. “It was taken in Vienna in 1908 by one of my mother’s friends.” He picked the photo back up to examine it again. “She had many friends, my mother,” he said with a wistful look in his eye. Then he looked back at Soren and smirked as he gestured to himself. “Look upon your future, my boy.”
Soren shook his head in denial. He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to look like Markus Reinhold. He didn’t want to be anything like the evil old man. I am good. I am good. I choose to be good.