Project Death: Resurrection
Page 11
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I began to lose track of time. I worked so much that I didn't even pay attention to the time or the date. It didn't matter much to me anyway. I barely ate and I barely slept but at least I was helping people, doing my job. Returning from a heal I made my way to one of the lounges and collapsed onto the couch. Why I went there instead of my room, I don’t know but I did like the atmosphere of the lounge. I even reclined all the way back on the couch and closed my eyes.
Maybe I came to the lounge because it made me think of the friends I had abandoned. They had to understand why I was doing this and I felt certain that once things settled down everything would go back to normal. Our facility was too small to have everyone so upset. Of all the Resurrection facilities only one was smaller than ours and that was because they were a unique facility that housed the Resurrectors who took jobs amongst humans.
Slowly I pushed all thoughts from my mind, trying to focus on this brief moment of solitude where I didn’t have to do anything. Taking a brief moment to rest would also make me more alert for the next charge. I was actually starting to relax when the commotion started in the hallway. While they were not people whose names I knew immediately, I could recognize that they were all female and were probably my class to a couple years younger.
"Who do you think he is?"
"I don't know. A new Resurrector maybe?"
"Whoever he is, he's certainly attractive."
"We need to find out more."
Their voices faded as they walked down the hall, away from where I was. This was what I got for leaving the door open but at the same time I somewhat wondered who was here because we rarely had visitors. We weren't supposed to get any new Resurrectors-in-training for another several months so it wasn’t that. He wasn't a Resurrector or at least he wasn’t one of our Resurrectors. No Resurrector would attract that kind of attention during a crisis like this. I didn't even have to see him to know that. Still, the Leaders were very strict about who could or could not be here and that meant that this person was just another of their secrets or they had no idea that he was here.
If that were the case then perhaps just by being here this person could get the Leaders to leave their quarters. It would probably help the remaining Resurrectors if they could see the Leaders and speak to them, even if only for a few moments. Again, I didn’t need to see them; my motivation came from having the power to save my charges.
"The time has arrived for the truth." It was the whispered voice again. Over the past weeks I had grown used to the voice telling me things, hinting towards change, and eluding to a cataclysmic event, but the lack of concrete evidence left me a non-believer. I groaned but didn't move. There were very few things that would force me to get up right now and this voice definitely wasn't one of them.
"Excuse me. Do you know where I can find the Leaders? None of them were in the Center."
I sat up so suddenly that I almost ended up flying off the couch. It couldn't be, could it? But I knew it had to be him. That voice was unmistakable. I had heard it so often in my dreams since that day in that empty field and it was one of the only things I couldn’t forget. His voice was calm and composed, yet powerful. This was definitely something that would get me off the couch. He was close, only out in the hallway. It would only take a few steps and I would get to see him again in reality.
Slowly I stood up and walked over to the doorway, peeking out to see what was going on. There he was, in the middle of the hallway with a Resurrector whose back was to me, asking for directions to the Leaders. Or at least that was how it appeared. Just looking at him and how his eyes weren’t really focused on the conversation, I got the sense that he already knew where to go.
That only sparked my curiosity even more. Who was he to know about not only the Resurrectors but the Leaders as well? The Resurrector standing in front of him pointed down the hall but said nothing. I couldn't tell who the Resurrector was because his back was to me and he was a decent distance away. The man smiled at the Resurrector as if he actually appreciated the information. "Thank you." Then he started to walk away.
My heart was pounding in my chest and it only seemed to intensify as he walked farther away. One would have thought the opposite to be true but it felt as if my body was drawn to this mysterious man, like a piece of metal to a really huge magnet. "Come Resurrector," said the whispered voice, the sound seeming to come from right beside me. "This involves you as well."
I looked around, seeing no one in the room with me. What was going on? I knew I couldn't sit around any longer; I needed answers. Of course that meant I had to go see the Leaders and that I would have to tell them everything. This had gone on long enough. I moved out of the lounge and headed down the hallway, following that elusive and mysterious dark haired man.
It was only because we were both going to the same place that I followed him. Any other time and I wouldn't do this, or at least that's what I told myself. As he walked I couldn't help but notice that his black clothes fit him perfectly, probably tailored just for him. He looked completely normal except for the fact that he was uncannily perfect. I could not see one flaw in his physical features. No one, no human was that perfect. Then again, who said that he was human? Just being able to look at him like this made my dreams seem all that more realistic and somehow looking at him made me feel as if I was in the presence of a god.
He slowed and then stopped, causing me to freeze where I was. I didn't want him to think I was following him or anything. Because I wasn't. We were only walking to the same place. As he started to turn around I moved into the closest room and held my breath, hoping he hadn't noticed me. What would have happened if he had? I mean, come on, there was nothing wrong with the fact that we just happened to both be going to see the Leaders. Besides, I had every right to be walking down the halls; I was a Resurrector and this was my facility. He was the intruder here. A few moments later I heard his footsteps echoing down the hall. I let out the breath I was holding and stepped back out to continue on my way to the Leaders.
Soon enough though, I would have to reveal myself. I mean I couldn't hide until after the Leaders let him in. We would both be at the door, which means that I would have to stand near him, maybe even speak to him. But as I rounded the corner to the Leaders' quarters I saw that he wasn't waiting in the hall. That just made the whole situation even stranger. He obviously was important enough that the Leaders had not made him stand in the hall while they gathered and discussed the upcoming meeting. Who was this man? I walked over to the door and was raising my hand to knock when I noticed that the door had been left cracked open.
I moved over and looked through the crack. The Leaders always closed the door when someone walked into their chambers, and knowing that meant that this man had not waited for permission to enter and that he was the one who left the door cracked open. Did that mean that he had noticed that I was following him and he was doing this for me? Did he feel as strangely attracted to me as I did to him? Looking into the room, I saw that he was standing in front of the long table that acted as a desk of sorts for the Leaders. All the Leaders looked at him but it appeared that no one was saying anything. Who was this man to get the immediate attention of the Leaders? They hadn't said anything to us in several weeks yet he walked into Resurrector facility and they automatically allowed him in to see them.
Whatever I was watching and listening in on now, it had to be dangerously important. Though I knew that I should step away and wait until they were finished so I could have my conversation with the Leaders or I should at the very least knock on the door so they knew it was open and I was listening, I could not force myself to any action other than standing there and eavesdropping.
My gut twisted into multiple knots. This didn't feel right and I didn’t mean my sneaking around. Something was going on, though I had no idea what that could be, but I certainly hoped this meeting would give me some answers. Depending on what I learned, it could be something that helped a number of my fellow Re
surrectors, many of whom had been dying for any sort of information.
"Thanos, you have no reason for being here," stated Samuel, the head of the Leaders. He stood up from his seat at the center of the table and I could tell that they were about the same height, though this man—Thanos—was just slightly taller, maybe only half an inch. It was an interesting dynamic. "We agreed that we would disagree on our methods for handling our charges, and that we would not come where not invited."
He laughed and stared at each of the Leaders, as if what Samuel had said and whatever this agreement was meant next to nothing to him. Somehow that made him even more interesting. Who would dare to go against the Leaders like this? I could only think of an associate of Death, but there was no way that he could be such a person. Besides they also mentioned dealing with charges, so it was likely that Thanos was simply the head of another Resurrector facility when the Leaders were not there. "But I do not need to be invited when I am here on official business."
"You did not send word ahead that you were coming, nor did you state your business, as you call it."
"Now, now, Samuel. You know that there is only one reason why I would be able to come here without your invitation. A position on my staff has just opened up and it is not one that a person chooses. Rather the position chooses the person who must take over this job. And that next person happens to be right here, in this facility. I am going to need you to gather all of your Resurrectors together so that I can deduce who exactly it is."
Samuel shook his head, acting as stubborn as usual. None of us could ever make the comment that Samuel was indecisive or wishy-washy. When he made up his mind he stuck to it, though sometimes that meant that he refused to change as the times did. "No, one of our Resurrectors would never work for the likes of you."
"They will not have a choice. They must take the job."
"No. You will have to find someone else." It looked as if Samuel was fighting to keep himself from moving around the table and forcing Thanos out of the room. Whatever had happened between the two of them must have been absolutely devastating; the hatred between them seemed so thick that those in the room would choke on it.
Yet even with everything going on there, Thanos remained perfectly calm, his voice stayed neutral, devoid of any feelings he might have towards or against the Leaders. "There is no one else. Do not make me take drastic measures in order to find the Resurrector I need."
"Leave, Thanos. Your presence is not welcome here."
Thanos sighed, a deep and heavy sound. The other Leaders had not spoken and it was obvious that they would not, and clearly Samuel was not going to change his mind or even listen to what Thanos was saying. "Then you brought this on yourselves." He turned away from the Leaders and started to walk for the door. His dark blue eyes seemed even darker than I remembered them to be. Was that I sign of his mood or was it simply because I had only seen him the one time? I backed away and hid as he walked out.
The Leaders wouldn't even allow him to see the Resurrectors who were left. That didn't seem like a good decision to me. After all, he only wanted one of us. What would he do now that the Leaders had refused?
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