by Travis Brett
It was nothing like Roman had imagined. Just a solid tower of metal and thick black wires. He let his gaze quickly pass over it — he could study it later, first he had to find Juliette. He moved to the side, keeping his back to the wall as he searched the shadows for her. She could have been anywhere; the light from the Adrenalite didn’t reach any of the walls, so Roman had no way of knowing just how big this place was.
His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. On the other side of the machine, a figure knelt on the floor, just on the very edge of the light. Someone small, with their hands bound together on their lap. At some unseen signal, the kneeling man shuffled forward into the light.
Not a man, but a boy. With scruffy black fair and unnaturally long arms.
Sparks.
He was bound and gagged. Blood dripped from his nose. Half his face was dark with bruises. He wore nothing but his trousers, which were in tatters. A dark line ran down his chest — a cut, held closed by steel staples. A strangely precise cut. Why would . . .
Roman’s gaze moved to the Adrenalite on the table, whose chest was cut open and had two black wires coming out of it.
. . .Oh, that’s why.
Sparks looked around the room, not seeing Roman. He looked confused.
A sharp click came from the machine. Roman flinched. The Adrenalite tied to the table stopped his thrashing as the machine’s rumble went quiet, leaving an eerie silence in the room.
Another figure stepped out from behind the machine. Juliette.
“Hello, Roman.”
She looked as though she had aged years since Roman had seen her at the power station. Her hair was even more of a mess than usual, and her eyes were sunken and hollow looking. Still, she held her frail, thin frame with an air of arrogant confidence. She had a pistol pointed at the back of Sparks’ head.
At the sight of her, a fierce rage burst into flame within Roman. The same fury he had felt when he first decided he had to kill her — only stronger now that she was right in front of him. He strode forward into the light, his pistol aimed between her eyes. His finger itched to pull the trigger.
“I don’t know what your game is, Roman,” Juliette said, “but this insane.”
“I warned you, didn’t I?” Roman spat. “I told you that if you lied to me, I would come for you. Well, you did more than lie to me. You killed Tan!”
“And how many of my men have you killed to get here? Why did they deserve to die? Don’t pretend you care about anyone’s life, Roman. I know the only thing you care about.”
“Right now I care very deeply about your life and how good it’s going to feel to end it.”
Juliette pressed the barrel of her gun against Sparks’ neck. “And what about his life?”
Sparks was trying to say something, but the words came out muffled through his gag.
Roman looked away. “You really think I care about saving him, more than I care about killing you?”
“If you didn’t, you would have shot me already.”
Roman scowled.
“Tell me one thing, Roman. A week ago, you told me that I should kill every Adrenalite we captured, that they were all monsters. And now look at what you’ve done: you’ve kept Candle from me, and you’ve attacked the Ministry. I thought you at least pretended to care about this city, so why the hell are you trying to bring down the one thing that is protecting it? What the hell turned you into this lunatic?”
“You don’t protect shit. You’re a cowardly—”
“I am not a coward.”
“Yes, you are. You knew I was coming for you, so you hid here, behind all your guards, and let them die. Their deaths are on your hands.”
“You’re the one who killed them! Why?”
“Because you killed Tan!”
A flash of terror passed over Juliette’s face, quickly vanishing back into her usual scowl. It made Roman feel good to know that, no matter how much she tried to hide it, she was scared of him. She deserved to be.
“It always comes back to revenge with you,” she said.
“It’s my one flaw.”
“And what if I could offer you real revenge, as well as a way to help this city.”
“You are offering me revenge. All you have to do is die.”
She stepped to the side, putting Sparks directly between her and Roman. A reminder of why he hadn’t shot her yet. Why he couldn’t. The boy hadn’t taken his eyes off Roman. He was still trying to say something, but the gag kept him mute.
“Listen to me, Roman,” Juliette said. “I could’ve shot you as you came through the door, but I didn’t. Because there’s still a way we can put this madness behind us. I’ve got a deal to offer.”
Roman almost laughed. Did she really expect to be able to just pay him off, after all this? “I’m done with your deals. You lied to me once, and I’m not giving you another chance.” He took a step forward. Now they were only a couple paces from each other. “You don’t get it, do you? Candle’s here, right now, freeing half a dozen Adrenalites.”
“He might manage it. I’ve still got a surprise waiting below — I’ve always got one last card to play.”
Roman frowned. After he had seen Candle in action, he doubted that anyone could stop him. But Candle was pretty beat up after the fight outside the elevator. Maybe he wouldn’t make it, and in that case . . .
Either way, Roman had to get Juliette to move her gun away from Sparks. Just for a second. “So, humour me, what’s your deal?”
Juliette’s lip curled into the thinnest of smiles. “The way I see it, the fact that you’re here means you’ve left a trail of dead militia behind you. That leaves me needing . . . replacements. Yourself, Ruby, and that giant who works for you. I’ll even release the boy—” she tilted her head towards Sparks “—if you promise to simply go back to doing what you do best: hunting rogues.”
“You would let us roam free, after what we’ve done today?”
Juliette sighed. “You haven’t given me much of a choice. Think about it logically, Roman. If I kill you here, then I’ve lost most of my men and my best bounty hunter. If I let you live, at least I get to keep something.”
Sparks’ attempts to be heard were growing more frantic. He began to raise his hands, motioning towards Roman. Juliette shoved her pistol forward, forcing his head down. The boy went still.
“You said it yourself: with me, it always comes back to revenge,” Roman said. “So I shit on your offer. I came here to—”
“—Kill me. I know. But it’s not me that you’ve been angry at for the past three years, is it? It’s not me that inspired you to risk your life catching rogues. It’s not me who you truly hate.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m offering you the revenge you actually want.” Juliette pointed at the Adrenalite chained to the table, who began to thrash against his bonds again. “I’m offering you him.”
“Why should I care about him?”
“Because he’s the one who murdered Stevens. He’s the one who stole your best friend from you.”
Roman’s mouth was suddenly dry. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true.”
“No. No way. No fucking way!” Roman shook his head. “How dare you lie to me about this! The Adrenalite who killed Stevens was never caught. If he was, you would have told me.”
“Why would I?” Juliette said. “To keep this machine running, I needed every Adrenalite I could get. And what if I had told you I had captured Stevens’ murderer? You would have demanded to kill him.”
“Of course I would have! He—”
“Exactly my point. So I couldn’t tell you. Honestly Roman, did you not even think it was suspicious that I never tried to help you discover who killed Stevens? Did you really think I would just ignore what happened? Of course not. I got justice.”
Roman’s head was spinning. What if she was telling the truth? What if this really was the bastard he had spent the last three years wanting to kill? Now
he was right there, and Roman could finally get the revenge he had become a bounty hunter for.
Sparks looked up at Roman, his eyes pleading.
Roman ignored him. “Why tell me about this now?”
“To remind you what you really believe.” Keeping her pistol aimed at Sparks, Juliette stepped around him to stand directly in front of Roman. Her voice was earnest. “Adrenalites are a plague on this city. But this machine offers a way they can still be used to help this city. It’s the only way they can help.”
Roman kept silent. His gaze flickered between Juliette and the Adrenalite on the table.
“You called me a coward for keeping all the militia here at Reformation Square,” Juliette continued. “But they weren’t protecting me. They were protecting this machine. This is our only way to keep electricity; to keep the technology of the Ancients. It’s more important than me, or you, or your petty revenge.”
Still, Roman said nothing.
“We’re not enemies, Roman. We both want what’s best for this city. We both understand that Adrenalites are monsters. And we will both do whatever it takes to get what we want.” She smiled. “And I’m offering you what you want.”
Roman knew this was all so wrong, but Juliette was right about one thing: sparing her life and protecting the machine was best for Legacy. If the Security Ministry lost its leader, its militia, and its way of providing power to the city, then the ministries would lose the support of the people. If that happened then common thugs — men just like Gavin — would be the next to gain power.
Roman made up his mind. Truth be told, he didn’t really have a choice. He turned his pistol away from Juliette, and towards the Adrenalite on the table.
43
Ruby limped to the Security Ministry. Every step hurt like hell. But it had taken four arrows to stop Caleb, so it would take more than pain to make her give up.
She dared a glance behind. The militia weren’t in any rush to set chase, or waste any arrows on her. They saw the state she was in and were confident she wouldn’t get far.
Except one. A mercenary, not more than a kid by the look of him, sprinted forwards. He held a machete in one hand, a club in the other. Either would be enough to kill her with.
Ruby cursed and desperately quickened her pace. She looked back to the Ministry, but her hopes of Roman coming out now, leading a handful of activated Adrenalites, were painfully slim. As she passed the corpse of a mercenary she bent down and grabbed his discarded knife. At the least, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
She made it to the Ministry when the militia was no more than twenty paces behind. Pushing through the glass doors, she found herself in a chaotic mess of overturned desks and corpses. As she dashed over the bodies, she couldn’t help but look for Roman amongst them. He wasn’t here.
The elevator in the back corner of the reception hall was open. It’s bent door opened into a black void of nothing. Ruby moved to it and looked down the shaft. With her arm in the state it was, there was no way for her to climb down quick enough.
As the doors crashed open behind her, Ruby threw herself behind a desk and hid.
* * *
Candle’s entire body was coated in blood and light. He ignored the blinding pain from his wounds, made a hundred times stronger by the extra awareness that came from being activated. This is nothing compared to the pain of the metal bitch, he told himself, and I faced that for years. I can face this. Still, he was light-headed from loss of blood, and his legs weren’t moving with the same strength they normally had when he was activated.
He took the last set of stairs three steps at a time. The sight of the familiar corridor filled him with dread. His instincts told him to run, to leave this place behind, as he once had, and never come back again. But he didn’t listen. He wasn’t afraid.
He had made a promise. And Candle never broke a promise.
The corridor was void of guards. The lanterns which usually lined the wall were all snuffed out. As he strode down the corridor, the disbelieving faces of the prisoners all watched him. They were all gagged — Juliette must have finally gotten sick of the screaming from down here.
His friends would be near the end, as always. Grim; Smoke; Bristle; Light; Quake. His crew. The men who would change this city forever.
But the cell just ahead, to his right, caught his eye. The door was shut, but it wasn’t locked. Interesting. He stepped up to it and—
He heard the twang of a crossbow firing just as a bolt flew out of the darkness and into his right bicep. It lodged inside his muscle and bone and Candle stumbled back, cursing. He recovered his composure, stepped forward and yanked open the door to the cell. Despite the pain, he forced a grin when he stepped inside. “You’re going to regret that.”
His light illuminated the militia who shot him. A mountain of a man, nearly as tall as the cell, with short blond hair. He dropped the crossbow he was holding and pulled a machete from his belt.
Candle leapt forward. He ducked under a swing aimed at his neck, grabbed the militia — using his arm which wasn’t bleeding from the crossbow bolt still in it — and threw him against the wall, which cracked with the impact. The giant regained his posture in an instant. So, he wasn’t a bad fighter then. That wouldn’t make a difference.
The militia stepped forward, faking a swing from the right, then side-stepped and aimed a left-handed punch. Candle dodged easily. He stuck one leg out, crossing it behind the militia’s, and struck with a punch to the chest. The militia stumbled back, tripped over Candle’s leg, and fell. He managed to turn it into a roll and was quickly back on his feet.
Candle moved to strike again, but hesitated. Something was wrong.
The pounding in his chest was weakening.
Shit. The bolt in his arm — it was laced with defoxican, like the ones the militia had used at the station. He had to end this quickly. Once he was deactivated, his wounds would slow him down too much to fight.
The militia swung his machete in a wide arc as Candle charged. Candle didn’t even bother to dodge — he moved close enough to his opponent that he wasn’t hit by the machete, but rather by the arm that held it, which, as a whole, was a whole lot less effective. With a kick to the shin, he drove the militia off-balance. Then Candle slammed his elbow into the militia’s abdomen, following up with an upward punch to the jaw that snapped his opponents head back and sent him to the ground.
Candle brought his boot down on the militia’s head, cracking his skull open and killing him. Candle spat on his corpse.
Behind him, the cell door slammed shut.
Comprehension dawned, and Candle spun, throwing himself at the bars just as he heard the lock click. A militia — a young girl, she must have been hiding in one of the other cells — leapt back from the door, dropping the keys as she did. They landed just out of Candle’s reach.
“You fucker!” Candle screamed as he tried to tear the bars open. The last of his light was quickly fading, and his second heartbeat was distant. Still, he had enough strength to bend the bars, but not enough to force an opening wide enough to fit through.
The girl turned and fled, leaving the key lying on the floor, and Candle trapped in the cell.
Fucking idiot! he cursed himself. How could I fall for that?
But it was too late to do anything about it now. So he went still, and he waited, cradling his arm.
He hadn’t failed yet. He still had one hope.
He had to trust that Roman would come for him.
44
Roman pressed the barrel of his pistol against the Adrenalite’s forehead. The man stared up at him with his sunken eyes. His hands shook in their bonds.
“I want you to swear to me,” Roman said to Juliette, slowly, carefully. “That if I do this, you’ll let the boy live.”
“That’s what I said.”
“I want you to swear it.”
Juliette sighed. “If it’ll make you happy.”
“Not even close. But it’ll do.”
>
Sparks was shaking his head ever so slightly. Roman noticed that he had stuck out his index fingers and was pointing at Roman. Accusing him? It didn’t matter. The boy would thank him soon enough.
Juliette looked Roman dead in the eyes. “I swear.”
Her voice was sincere, so damn earnest. Just like it had been when she told him Spencer was working on a serum. He had believed her. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
Roman motioned to Sparks. “And I expect compensation for the damage you’ve done to him.”
“Ha! The damage I’ve done? Think about how many of my men you’ve killed. The boy will live, that’s enough.”
“Barely. He’ll freeze to death if you keep him like that.” Roman shrugged off his coat and tossed it in front of Sparks. The boy didn’t even glance at it.
Juliette snorted. “Don’t even pretend you care about him that much.”
“He’s part of my team. I look after my men.”
“But not the ones that you let die?”
Roman was tempted to shoot her right then, consequences be damned. But he couldn’t. Not while her gun was still aimed at Sparks.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked.
“It’s been three years. I’m going to take my time and enjoy this.” Roman cocked back the hammer of his pistol. The Adrenalite flinched.
“Goodbye, fucker.”
Roman fired.
The Adrenalite’s head burst open. The blue light faded and everything slipped into darkness.
That was it. If that was really him, then I finally got revenge for both myself and Ruby. It’s over. Roman had hoped it would make him feel better, somehow. But it didn’t. He stood in the darkness, feeling as angry and bitter as he ever had. Maybe he always would. After all, Ruby was right: he was a stubborn bastard.
There was a hiss as a match flared to life. Juliette lit a lantern that she had conjured up from somewhere, placing it on the floor between them. The flickering light danced across her face, reflecting in her hazel eyes. “I’m glad you finally got your head out of your arse long enough to be reasonable. You’ve finally remembered the truth: Adrenalites are the enemy. Not me.”