“Don't talk to me about Purdue,” Nina said. “You didn't know him.”
Sasha gave a thin smile. “What would he think about the friends you’re making? Would he understand you getting cozy in here? You don't belong here, Dr. Gould. Pretend all you want but try to remember that.”
Nina wanted to punch Sasha in the face. She had no right to judge her. Even as Sasha walked away and the large metal door closed shut, Nina stared at the exit. She didn't want to join the Order of the Black Sun, but was it really so wrong to want to try to find glimmers of peace during her captivity?
“Bunch of brutes, aren't they?” Elijah asked, bringing her attention back to the job at hand. “Always making a mess wherever they go. It's people like them who have given this order a bad name ... that have made people like you see us as nothing but murderers and monsters.”
“It's only going to get worse now that one of those people is leader. Julian is just like them. You have to know that.”
“Of course I do,” Elijah said, barely paying attention. “But it is what it is. Like I said before, we all have our roles to play. Do I wish we had leadership that respected the order's true mission? Yes. Have I accepted that we don't have that? Yes. You should too.”
“Why?” Nina said. “I don't plan on staying here much longer...”
“Planning an escape? I do hope you have something clever in your pocket. The defenses of this place are not cheap.”
“I. ... I don't...” Nina felt so helpless. “I just ... I can't stay here. I don't belong here.”
“I said the same thing when I was first imprisoned here.”
“You?” Nina thought she heard wrong at first. “You were imprisoned?”
“Of course I was,” Elijah said casually, still looking at his work like this conversation and his revelations were barely worth the time. “Did you really think I joined the order willingly?”
“You seem so... I don't know, like you're a real believer in the Black Sun's mission.”
“I wasn't always,” Elijah explained. “There was a time when I was a skeptic just like you. Us ... the people who study and respect the history of the world ... we know that it’s smart to be cautious when it comes to people making grand plans for the rest of the world. I had knowledge about something the order needed and they didn't ask nicely if I would share it with them. They threw me in that same room you've been living in. I was there for weeks ... months, maybe ... it was hard to keep track of the time ... and then they showed me this place.”
It all sounded very familiar to Nina's own time as a prisoner of the Order of the Black Sun.
“So that's what won you over?” Nina asked, still trying to process what she was hearing. “That's what made you change your mind?”
“Where else am I going to see something like this?” Elijah waved his arm around to gesture to the whole enormous room around them. “In my short time as curator, I have held things that most people don't even believe exist. Not only that, but I have made sure that those things will never be lost again. It's more than just being a lover of history. This role is something of a gatekeeper and a guardian. Some of the things that happen in the order are ... questionable ... but not here. Not in this room. It's just you, your eyes, and history unfolded before you.”
Elijah's words seemed to be laced with enchantment and wonder. It was like she was a child again, being slowly introduced to how fascinating the history of the world was. The thousands of years of human history that held so many secrets to be discovered. When Elijah talked about it, she heard her own passion in his voice. This vault of the Black Sun's seemed like it was a treasure in its own right, and maybe it was ... it did contain some of the Earth's most sacred treasures. Elijah hadn't been seduced by power like Galen or given an excuse for inflicting violence like Julian. Elijah Dane had been convinced to join the Black Sun through sheer desire to make sure that the things that he loved were safe.
“So you just turn a blind eye to all of the horrible things they do to get these?” Nina said, feeling tears creeping into her eyes. Some of those things had hit her harder than she realized, and just picturing Purdue's face filled her with so much sadness. “You just stick your head in the sand and let it happen, because at least you're happy down here, right?”
Elijah took off his glasses like he was about to give her a lecture. “Let's not pretend that atrocities are new. So much of this world has been forged from bloodshed and bad deeds. Because, where there are horrible acts, there always comes justice and punishment eventually, and through that conflict, comes change.”
Nina was starting to understand. Elijah Dane was content with his place in the order, and he was grateful for the duty he had been given, but he didn't have complete, blind loyalty to the Black Sun. If what he was saying was how he really felt, then Elijah might just be making the best of his circumstances, and waiting for something better to come along and remove all of the toxic tendencies that ran through the order. He was letting events play out, keeping his head down and doing his job, learning what he could until an alternative arrived.
He was quickly earning her respect. His insights into history were already extremely impressive but the more she learned about the order's curator, the more she understood why he was different from the other Black Sun operatives she'd met.
Elijah put his glasses back on, pushed them up the bridge of his nose like usual, and got back to his quiet work. He didn't look quite the same as he had only moments before. Everything he'd shown her, everything he had shown, was effecting Nina—even if she didn't want to admit it.
8
CHAPTER EIGHT – SEA VOYAGES
Purdue leaned over the railing of the ship, staring down in to the glistening blue sea. Soon enough, he would be down there; far, far below the surface they were sailing on now. It would be like being on a different planet altogether down there.
Sam passed by and looked a bit pale and unsteady.
“You good?” Purdue asked.
Sam nodded. “I'll be fine. Just have to strap on my sea legs, I guess.”
This whole journey felt a little like it had the last time; sailing the seas and searching for treasure. Though this time, the treasure was sunken instead of buried, making things all the more difficult to deal with. Purdue also trusted the crew much more this go-around. He didn't have to worry about Oniel and Alton being on board or being gunned down by rival Somalian pirates either. He hoped whatever waters were ahead stayed calm.
“I should have taken some pills or something,” Sam mumbled, mostly to himself. “Duck and cover if I start projectile vomiting.”
“Aye,” Purdue said with a grin. “I'll be very sure to do that. Please wait until I'm a few leagues down before you start heaving overboard, eh? Don't want to have that raining down on me, got it?”
“I'll do my best,” Sam said with a fake salute. “But with the way I'm feeling, I can't make any promises.”
“You really don't look good,” Purdue said. “You worried about me, friend? Don't look so nervous about the dive. I'm the one who has to do the bloody thing. Though I am touched by your concern. I truly am.”
Sam forced a thin smile but Purdue could see concern still etched into his expression. Whatever he was thinking about was really bothering him, and it wasn't just his sea sickness. Slowly, Sam spoke. “I know you've obviously got more pressing things on your mind right now but something's been bothering me for a while now.”
Purdue raised a brow. “What's that?”
“The fact that we shouldn't even be here,” Sam said solemnly. “You and me. We wouldn't be if Sasha didn't come to our rescue.”
That was true but still so hard for Purdue to believe. It was impossible to deny that without Sasha, Purdue would have been burned alive and Sam would be the Order of the Black Sun's prisoner. They were only free and alive because of her—someone who was their enemy, but now was a savior to both of them. And never stuck around long enough to explain exactly why. All she told Purdue th
at night when she pulled him from the fire was that he had to stay alive to bring down Julian. When she reunited him and Sam, she'd told them they were running out of time. But she'd been tight lipped about her real reasoning for saving people who she had tried to kill before.
“I wish she'd said more,” Sam said honestly. “Based on when she was working against us, I never would have thought she would turn against the Black Sun. She seemed like that loyal blind follower type of person. At least, to me.”
Purdue scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Aye, but I don't think she's going against the Black Sun. I think she's just going against Julian Corvus.”
“He's in charge, though, so is there really a difference?”
“I think there is,” Purdue surmised, clicking his tongue. “He's a loon. We all know that. She must know that too. You saw how scared she was around him. She probably wants to supplant him, make the order a bit easier to work for.”
“I guess,” Sam said uncertainly. “But if she really was trying to help us, wouldn't she just free Nina, Charles, and your other friend?”
That question raised all kinds of scenarios that neither of them wanted to consider, but both of them constantly found themselves thinking about. There was a very strong possibility that Nina and the others were dead and that was why Sasha didn't release them—because it was already too late to do so.
Sam let out a long, tired exhale. “Do you really think we can trust her?”
Purdue had thought about that a lot and every time he did, his thoughts shifted back to that night when he thought his skin was about to boil and Sasha dragged him out of the way of the flames to safety. She could have easily let him burn right then and there, left him to turn to ash with the rest of his home. Instead, she chose to spare him and task him with bringing down Julian. If she was conspiring against them, she would have no reason to save them in the first place.
“I do,” Purdue finally said. He really wanted to believe that. They needed all the help and all of the friends they could get at this point. If they had someone on the inside, that would almost be just as helpful as whatever treasure was waiting at the bottom of the ocean.
Aya walked past. “This brings back memories, don't it, captain?”
Purdue hadn't been called captain since their last trek and it still felt just as strange. This crew of former criminals were so loyal to him after he helped them out of their less than stellar life circumstances; when he freed them from the Wharf Man's tyranny.
“Memories? Aye. Good and bad ones. Hopefully it will be a safer voyage this time.”
Purdue knew that the sea was just about as unpredictable as terrain on Earth could possibly get. It could go from pleasant to deadly on a whim. There was no way of really being able to predict how well the ocean would treat you. And he was about to dive deep into its bowels, practically begging for it to swallow him.
“It's almost time,” Aya said. “They want you down with the machine.”
Purdue nodded and then gave one long look up at the sky. He didn't know when he was going to see it again. There was even a chance that this would be the last time he would ever see the sun and clouds. He was going to be going the opposite direction, so far down, away from the sky where sunlight didn't even dare reach. He made sure to take a mental snapshot of it all just in case, but hoped that he'd see it again.
He slowly made his way down to the lower decks, to the very bottom of the ship where the submersible was waiting. The engineers and scientists were hard at work preparing it for its dive. They looked like little monkeys, scurrying all over it making sure it was in good shape for its voyage. Purdue just watched them do their work in amazement. Hopefully they had it good and ready for him. If anything went wrong, he was sure it would be his fault and not these geniuses. They knew far more about the Challenger than he ever could.
It took a few minutes before Dr. Volpe waved him over. The team of scientists watched him come over with uncertain eyes. All of this was riding on him. They'd stuck their necks and careers out of the line thanks to his money and the promise that he would be finding something that would change the ocean forever. As he moved up the ladder to reach the sub, he tried to ignore how many eyes were watching his every move closely.
Purdue climbed into the cockpit of the Deepsea Challenger. It was spherical and strange to sit in. He immediately felt crammed, like he was stuck in a tube. He could see well enough through the windows but it didn't make him feel less restricted. If anything, it made him want to get out of the Challenger even more. If it felt this confining and unnerving when it was still docked, he couldn't imagine how it felt once he was down below. He'd know soon enough, he supposed.
Purdue tried to remember everything he'd been told about the vessel's controls. Admittedly, they'd tried to cram a lot in his brain at once. There hadn't been much time to learn the ins and outs of the vehicle. He was grateful for what he did remember as the basic controls didn't seem too difficult at a glance.
When he was down below though, if he pushed one wrong button or flipped one wrong toggle, that could be it for him. He might accidentally cut off the engine or flood the compartment or remove all of the oxygen inside. His life now depended on his ability to use the Deepsea Challenger, and that was a little concerning, since he was far from experienced with it.
The engineers outside motioned for him to put on his headset and he followed their leads, bringing it up over his hair and around his ears. It was going to be his only link to the people on this ship, to the world above. He prayed to God it worked.
“Can you hear me?” one of the engineers asked.
“I can,” Purdue replied. “You hear my lovely singing voice?”
The engineer gave Purdue a thumbs up. At least that was functioning properly. That was comforting. Hopefully it would be working just as well once they were submerged. The stakes were slightly higher down there.
“You been studying everything we showed you?” came Dr. Volpe's voice.
“Aye, of course,” Purdue lied, running his hands over the controls and doing his best to not make himself look like a fool. It would be horrible if he couldn't even get the vessel into the water right. “You all were wonderful teachers.”
“Sam here, will be in your headset for you. It has quite a long range but we can't guarantee it will extend all the way down. We'll keep in contact as much as we can with you until then.”
Purdue felt his hands growing slick with sweat. His nerves were rattling him, making him second guess this entire operation. If there really wasn't anything down there, then he had just spent his recovered fortune for nothing. Maybe Sam was right...
Sam appeared in front of his cockpit window and gave him a wave before putting a headset over his head. “You ready?”
Purdue took a breath, relishing the air as much as he could. This was all up to him. It wasn't just the scientists and engineers counting on him. It was Nina and Charles and even Jean. They might not know he was alive but he wouldn't let them down anyway. He was going to get his life back—and this was the next step to do that. It would just be a much damper step than the rest.
“Ready.”
9
CHAPTER NINE – THE EXPERIMENT
Nina was getting used to the quiet work she and Elijah did in the vault chamber. Elijah wasn't much for conversation and when they did talk, he gave condescending, pithy answers, so he could get back to what he was doing. The work gave Nina something to think about instead of just stewing in her own despair in her cell. While it hurt to see artifacts she and Purdue collected together, she took solace that at least she could keep an eye on the things that Purdue had worked so hard to get. He would hate that they had fallen into the hands of the Black Sun, but at least, in a way, they were in Nina's care as well.
Nina was about to open up the next container to examine its contents when the vault door came open. Julian entered with an entourage of people following him. Charles and Jean were among them, both looking around uncomfortably.
Julian looked as pompous as always, parading his prisoners into the chamber like he was in the middle of some celebration.
“Having fun?” he asked Nina as he approached. “Not so bad, working for us, is it?”
“I don't work for you,” she replied.
The leader of the Black Sun chuckled and gave a sly smirk. “Don't you?”
Julian glanced at the container on the table in front of her full of artifacts. He saw the sheets, and charts she had been filling out beside it. She may not have wanted to admit—and may not have even consciously realized it—but she was absolutely participating in the order's work. There was no denying it, especially when the evidence was in plain sight.
He looked back at Nina's fellow prisoners. “You see? Even Dr. Gould has started to come around to our side. The woman who killed me. If even she can see the light, then I'm sure you two would be willing to give us a chance.”
“You said you had something that might interest me,” Jean said, ignoring all of the taunts about Nina. He and Nina barely knew each other. Her seeming to be okay working with the Black Sun probably made no difference to him. “This isn't exactly riveting. Can I go back to New Orleans now?”
“Soon enough,” Julian said, a little taken aback by the outburst but he contained any agitation he was probably feeling. “But you're right, Mr. Gerard. I did say there was something that I wanted to show you.” He held his arms out, like he was showcasing the room. “We're standing in it. This vault is an archive of every artifact the Order of the Black Sun has ever collected. See down there?” He pointed at the hole that went down to the deep vault. “That's where all of the items themselves are stored. I'm sure Dr. Gould could attest that it is quite an impressive collection, far better than Purdue's trophy room was, I can promise you that.”
Jean didn't look impressed. “And that hole in the floor is supposed to win me over? Sorry ... but, I don't really share in your enthusiasm.”
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