"Of course sir, thank you, sir." Brake replied. Cade flipped his communicator shut and looked over at Dr. Smirnov.
"Look, doctor, I cannot stay for you to examine me. There are highly urgent matters elsewhere which require my immediate attention."
Smirnov crossed his arms and raised his head, "That is indeed unfortunate. However, I cannot leave you alone. I need to monitor your progress…" Cade thought for a moment and then nodded his head.
"As you wish, but we need to leave. Right now."
"Very well," Smirnov replied, "I will meet you at your craft. Allow me a few minutes to gather my supplies."
"Be quick," Cade knelt and picked up his rifle. He turned from the doctor and began to make his way to the elevator.
As Cade walked through the hollow, his thoughts raced. He thought of the Demon, Crinnan, whom he had thought was dead, and pondered what exactly it was that the Govian Empire wanted from him. He knew the name, Jamiso, too well. It was the name of one of the terrorist Black Knight Commanders, and of the Commander's celebrity son Crinnan.
Cade shook his head at the thought of them. He had in the past lined his pockets from secret dealings with Black Knight, supplying them with weapons or tools. While he was unsure if he believed in their mission or whether they were capable of accomplishing it, he did know that they were not untrustworthy and that they had money.
Cade arrived at the elevator and pushed a button on the console beside it, calling it down. He heard it tremble and then start to descend from many hundreds of feet up. He looked around him and to his dismay, saw Ebren approaching.
"My Lord Cade!" Ebren declared as he neared, "For what reason may I ask are you compelled to leave so soon?" Cade silently sighed and tried not to appear annoyed.
"Urgent matters," Cade said dismissively as the elevator arrived, "I will be back soon."
"Perhaps the president requires company?" Ebren suggested as he stepped onto the elevator platform alongside Cade.
"I do not," Cade replied, "This is something that I need to take care of on my own…"
"I fear the other two Presidents and the board may not appreciate you going on secret missions alone," Ebren argued, "As your advisor, I must say that is in your best interest that you permit me to remain by your side until this whole terrible scandal blows over and your innocence is proven."
Cade sighed again and pushed the "ascend" button on the terminal beside him, "Very well," he reluctantly replied. Ebren smiled as the elevator began to rise.
"I do not wish for my company to burden you, my Lord," Ebren licked his lips and turned his head toward Cade, "You were highly respected by my dear late aunt Karna, and I do not wish ill upon you. We must, however, make certain that the board has no reason to question you or your actions, thus, for your own benefit I must follow through with my own board appointed orders and continue… well, do forgive me for lack of better words but I must continue keeping an eye on you."
The elevator trembled as it came to rest at ground level. Cade and Ebren immediately stepped off and into the dimly lit hollowed out mound as they headed toward the door. As the elevator gate closed behind them, it began to descend again. Cade assumed Doctor Smirnov had already gathered his things and called the elevator.
"You there," Cade called out to the young guard they had passed upon entering the mound earlier, "You, wake up!"
The guard had fallen asleep again, and it was to his great dismay that he once again awoke to find President Cade looming over him. A look of fear spread across his goateed face, and he immediately began to apologize.
"You are fired," Cade breezed past the guard, "Pick yourself up and go home."
"But sir," the young guard pleaded as he got to his feet, "Sir this is all I have!"
"Funny," Cade stopped and turned toward the guard, "That in spite of this being ‘all you have' as you say, you treat it with such disregard. Go home; find a new way." Cade turned and passed through the door that led outside.
He walked across the green grass toward the transport he had arrived in. As his feet crossed the distinct line where the grass turned into the dried and cracked dirt that the rest of Canrom was made of, he saw Nida emerge from the vehicle.
"Cade!" she shouted, as the president approached, "Sir something has happened!"
Cade hurried up to her. She looked visibly disturbed. He looked her up and down and tried to catch his breath.
"What is the matter?" He asked. Ebren squeezed past him and made his way to a seat and out of view.
"Holy Hells," Nida declared when she saw Cade up close, "That is not what I expected." Cade raised his hand and touched the leather mask where his face used to be.
"Well, you definitely do not want to see what is underneath. Now, what is wrong?" Nida crossed her arms and looked away from Cade.
"There have been reports coming in; everyone seems to have had some kind of strange…"
"Vision?" Cade interrupted his secret lover.
"Well, yes," She returned her gaze to him and cocked her head, "How did you know?"
"You were not the only one," Cade placed his hand on her shoulder, "It seems this… vision was widespread, maybe covering every NaNe user on the planet."
"NaNe," Nida repeated, shaking her head, "You know that stuff is beyond me. Anyway, what does it mean then? This… demon?"
"We are about to find out," Cade raised his single eyebrow. He turned his head just in time to see Doctor Smirnov stepping out of the door beneath the Lithaani Sentinel, "We… well, apparently all of us, are going to Belhaas."
"That is not what I wanted to hear today," Nida groaned. She stepped into Cade's transport and sighed dramatically. Cade followed, his boots once again clanking against the metal stairs.
"Oh come now," Cade reassured her, "I am not asking you to march through the Weald at my side. I simply ask that you do for me what you do best."
Nida smirked and shook her head, "I don't think that's appropriate right now." She poked him in the chest playfully, "But maybe when it's all over."
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Cade was unable to keep his smile at bay, "And let's get going, we will want to arrive before Sym and Syl set." Nida sighed and turned toward the cockpit.
"I want a raise," she exclaimed as Cade joined her side. The two hurried into the cockpit, closing the sound-proof door behind them. Nida plopped down into the pilot's seat and began the preparations to take off.
"Seriously, what is going on with you?" she inquired as she flipped a few switches. The engines of the craft roared to life, and Cade waited for the noise to stabilize before speaking.
"The vision," Cade finally answered, "The Demon. I have to get to him before the Govians do."
"Why on Duraan would you need to do such a thing?" A bewildered Nida asked, "What is compelling you to do something so dangerously stupid?"
Cade turned his head and looked out the window to his right. His eye was becoming dry like Smirnov had told him, and he fished the vial of saline from his pocket. After moistening his eye, he turned to Nida.
"I need to take him back to headquarters," Cade explained, trying to be vague, "He undoubtedly has answers to questions I have pondered my entire life. Answers that could change everything we know that could break the chains of fear that the Empire has wrapped around all of our necks."
Nida glanced at Cade and took in a deep breath. She felt like he was being erratic as if he were coming to conclusions too quickly and acting on them without thinking. His father's side was showing; he was acting very much like a Humaan.
"Have you thought this through?" She ventured, "Before putting everyone in harm's way I want you to make sure that you are certain of what you are chasing."
Cade grit his teeth and turned toward Nida. She did not know what she was talking about and while he knew that she was afraid and trying to be helpful, he could not help but feel irritated.
"Crinnan… the Demon is a member of Century Squad In Black Knight," Cade explained, "He is a Jamiso."
Nida glanced over at Cade and then back to her instrument panel. She gave the throttle a push, and the craft lifted off the ground.
Cade sighed. He did not want to reveal too much information, but he needed his lover to be on his side, he needed her to understand why he felt so strongly about getting to the Demon. He bit his scarred lower lip and spoke again.
"One month… almost exactly ninety days ago, the Demon was on a mission with his squad in the Belhaasi Weald. They were camped in the Izla'Axi Caverns, an Ancient tourist site that has long been abandoned. At some point, the Demon was separated from his squad and… and he was murdered."
"Murdered?" Nida repeated, "If he was murdered then what does the vision mean? Why would the Govian Empire be looking for a dead guy?"
"It means he somehow became un-murdered," Cade answered shortly. He scratched his beard anxiously and pursed his lips together, "I, of course, have my theories on it, they are ideas I could not begin to explain to you… Somehow the Demon escaped the Hells."
"Escaped the Hells?" Nida blurted, "Cade are you fucking insane?"
"Maybe," Cade snickered and shook his head, "We are about to find out." He pulled a small handheld touch screen computer from a pouch at his side and powered it on. As he waited for it to boot up, he looked over at Nida who wore an agitated expression.
"Nida…" Cade sighed, "Come on, I know what I am talking about. Why do you doubt me?"
Nida was silent. She looked at Cade and sneered. Cade reached over and ran his hand through her hair, but she huffed and shook her head, showing Cade that his touch was not wanted at that moment. Cade rolled his eyes and looked down at his computer.
"Just wait," he mumbled as he pulled out his communicator. He flipped it open and punched in Brakes number, promptly lifting the device to his ear.
"Yes, Mister President?" Brake's voice was heard immediately, and Cade wasted no time speaking.
"I need the Demon's NPin again, can you relay that to me?"
"One moment Sir." Brake replied as he loaded up his files. Cade waited, and Brake read aloud Crinnan's NaNe address character by character. As he did, Cade punched them into his computer and when Brake was finished Cade closed his communicator and waited.
"It is processing," Cade explained as he looked over to Nida. She raised her eyebrows and faked a smile in an act of artificial enthusiasm. Cade, sensing her lack of interest and general disbelief, looked back down at the screen.
An airframe image of the country of Izla'Axi with a gridded overlay appeared on Cade's screen. The computer automatically zoomed into the western region of the country, nearly forty miles from the western coast and about 200 miles south of the Canrom-Izla'Axi border. A red blip flashed on three screens, and Cade grinned.
"There he is!" Cade declared as he turned the computer for Nida to look. She glanced over and briefly, looked at the image before glaring up at Cade.
"What?" He was befuddled by her expression. "He's alive; do you not see?"
"I see, Cade," Nida replied sorely, "I see that you are sending this personal transport into a potential war zone filled with Govian soldiers and fighters. You are putting our lives at risk."
Cade turned his computer off and huffed, "The knowledge at stake is worth the risk." He seethed, standing up from the co-pilot' s chair, "It is enough to topple the very foundation of the Govian Empire's campaign of fear, to loosen the clutches they have over our lives. They killed Leonic for being an Ancient, for knowing too much. That is not the kind of world I want for my children."
Nida placed her hand on her swollen belly and stared forward, not saying a word.
"Don't you want our child to live a life of freedom?" Cade asked almost frantically, trying to reason with her, "Don't you want it to know a different world?"
"I want it to survive long enough to be born!" Nida shouted, snapping her head in Cade's direction, "Not to be killed on one of its father's stupid adventures before it even has a chance to grow!"
Cade was silent. He stared at Nida for a moment with no clue what to say. How could she have not seen what he saw, it was clear as day to him. Finally, he sighed and turned toward the door.
"Stay the course," He said coldly, "That's a fucking order." He slammed the door shut behind him leaving Nida alone in the cockpit. As she stared out into the sky, she felt a small kick in her belly, and though she tried to stay strong and hold it back, she eventually burst into tears.
Chapter Eleven
Crinnan VI
22nd of Ramlia – 346AG
17:00 – Belhaasi Weald
Crinnan sprinted down the ancient staircase and into the main room where Sage and the children were waiting. Having seen Jeph's bloated and decaying head hanging from the ceiling, he knew he had to find answers. He carried the rifle in hand and stopped as he approached Sage.
"See this?" Crinnan vehemently hissed as he stood before the Elf. Sage surprisedly turned to look at what Crinnan was holding and nodded his head.
"A rifle," he observed, "A fortunate find I should say."
"Yeah," Crinnan growled, "Jeph Scaven's rifle."
"I do not know him," Sage admitted with a hint of disinterest in his voice, "What is troubling you Crinnan?"
"Jeph is… was a member of my squad. He was patrolling with me when I was ambushed," Crinnan threw the rifle on the ground and stepped closer to Sage, "Last night, right?"
"Last night…" Sage stood silently for a moment; it appeared as if he were thinking, "I do not… I should say I thought I recalled you saying you were captured this morning? That was when I found you. "
"I don't…" Crinnan stepped back. He was dissatisfied by Sage's response, "It might have been past midnight… I don't fully remember, but…" He was beginning to feel foolish, for Sage was giving him a look of bewilderment.
"Crinnan, what is troubling you?" Sage placed his hand on the soldier's arm, "Do you need to rest?"
Crinnan frustratedly shook his head, "I found Jeph's body... or his head, upstairs. I have seen a lot of dead bodies, Sage. Jeph's did not look like he was killed just this morning. It… looked like he died a long time ago."
Sage seemed unfazed by what he was being told. Crinnan did not know whether it was because Sage was withholding information or if it was because Sage thought him crazy. Either way, he realized he was not going to get anywhere.
"‘Tis best not to worry your mind," Sage smiled, "While it is indeed a great mystery, I should say that at this point in our journey, we need to save our questions, or our pursuit of answers until we have reached the end."
"He is hiding something," Eshan warned, "Do not trust him."
"Tell your friend he is wrong," Sage interjected with an extended index finger. "I have nothing to hide."
"He can hear me?" Eshan sounded surprised, "How can he hear me?"
"Eshan just fucking be quiet!" Crinnan looked over to Sage, "How the Hells can you hear him?"
"Eshan is nothing but NaNe at this point," Sage answered, "Everything he once was has been condensed into data and is stored in the NaNe. He is a mere and simple computer program. I have access to him just as you do, though his information does not dwell within me. Do you understand?"
"I don't fucking understand any of this," Crinnan snapped, shaking his head, "I just want it to be over."
"Do not forget your promise," Eshan urged, "I will see my son again."
"Yeah," Crinnan replied with a sigh. "I have not forgotten… just be quiet for now; we can talk later."
Sage looked at Crinnan and smiled, "Coming to terms with the being inside you? You two seem to be friends now."
"You shut up too. Stay out of my head. I have enough in there right now."
Crinnan furiously turned away from Sage and toward the children who had been liberated from their cages. He looked down and saw their broken expressions and frowned. He thought of the cold reality that those children had been living, of the horrors that they must have endured. He tried redirecting his vision, but when he lowered his head, he
only saw their bruised feet standing on a floor covered in their own blood, tears, and excrement. The rags they had draped over their bodies were caked with the same dried fluids. They stood in silence, apathetic to the world around them.
As he tried to ignore the tragedy of life around him he could not help but wonder about the fates of the children whom he had saved. He wondered if they would ever be able to recover from what they had gone through if they would be handed over to someone who was capable of showing them love. He wondered if the children were even able to process love after having endured so much pain.
Crinnan wondered if the horrors they had survived would simply just become an unfortunate part of their lives, or if it would consume their souls completely, leaving only shells of what should have been life. He had seen it before, sometimes in refugees, other times in the children brought into his base from the streets or the Canruusi Wastes. He sighed and had to take a moment to breathe.
The world of Duraan was one stricken with the darkest sins known to mortal-kind. Many children in many instances were left to fend for themselves. The idea of family was shattered beyond recognition for the unfortunate ones. That lack of family left many to find refuge in the wastelands outside the cities where they were either taken in or eaten by any of the various tribes of Marauders or monsters.
Sexual exploitation and injustice was a fear that the young ones, unfortunately, had to live with. Within the walls of the protected cities, the forgotten children were forced to satisfy the desires of the hungry to make money. This money was in many cases taken by their sugir addicted parents or if they were able to keep it, it was barely enough to provide their next meal. Some were able to escape the variables that the world offered, or were fortunate enough to have decent, loving parents. Crinnan was among the ones lucky enough to understand the word "family."
Black Knight did what they could to ease the suffering of the forgotten children. While completely shielding them from the constant threats that the planet provided was impossible, they did have programs in place to at least make an effort to protect them.
Stationed in all of the protected cities around the continent of Redodra were strategic recruiters, or "ghosts" which they were commonly called. Ghosts sought out not only downtrodden and destitute adults but also the children who wandered the streets searching for a place to belong. The ghosts gave any who desired a home an opportunity to join the resistance. Once recruited, the adults were given either domestic or military positions, and the children were enrolled in an academy. Crinnan's home base welcomed a handful of new recruits every four to five weeks.
The Black Knight Box Set Page 14