by T. C. Edge
“And the Consortium…that’s the queen, right?”
“Bingo. Although, to be more specific, that would be Director Cromwell. Kill the queen, and you kill the hive. Or free it. We want to see them all free, even those bees in the High Tower. Labelling everyone as guilty just because of what they are isn’t how we work. The Nameless have a lot of supporters in strange places. Adryan is just one of them.”
I have little I can say to counter him. I should really be happy for his explanation. Yet somehow, I have a hard time believing that a Savant can be so anti his own people.
Then again, couldn’t you say the same about Sophie? And all those other girls so desperate to marry up. Even Tess, always so keen on displaying this tough, uncaring façade, appears to have become obsessed with the idea of joining the ranks of Inner Haven. Although, really, her attraction to Rycard had a lot to do with that.
Mrs Carmichael pretty much called Sophie a traitor, betraying her own people by grooming girls to marry up. If that’s true – which I don’t personally believe it is – then surely the same could happen on the other side? Could a Savant become disillusioned with their place in the world and look to topple it?
Honestly, I don’t know. Yet still, it’s becoming clear that there are more moving parts in all this than I first thought. This city isn’t so black and white. It isn’t just us verses them. There’s a multitude of grey areas in between, all coloured in with different shades.
I mean, look at me. I consider myself to be an Unenhanced, a proud member of Outer Haven with a distinct aversion to the unnaturally clean and ordered world across our borders. And yet, even if I think that’s who I am, it’s certainly not what I am.
I’m part Hawk, part Dasher, and part Savant, with a particular slant towards mind manipulation. Perhaps in my bloodline somewhere there’s Unenhanced blood, but on the surface of it, I’m about as un-Unenhanced as you can get. Sure, it’s a bit of a mouthful, but I don’t care.
Yet despite my heritage, I was raised an Unenhanced, raised to be just a normal, run of the mill human. I can’t just throw that away. And I don’t think I ever will.
In a sense, I’m like a human version of this city. I’m divided and split up into different component parts. And I’m far more complicated than I ever thought I was.
And while that’s scary, it’s also pretty damn exciting.
The humdrum life was never enough for me. This mission might get me killed. But it’ll also give me life.
“You OK there? Have I convinced you?”
Zander’s voice snaps my chain of thought. I’m brought straight back into the big black cave, and the sound of rushing water once more leaks into my ears.
“Erm, yeah, I guess so. For now, at least.”
“Well, if you have any more questions, queries, conspiracy theories. Whatever. Just go ahead and ask. I’m all ears.”
“You are so kind.”
“Well, I try,” he says, skipping forward once more. “Now come on, the water’s waiting. No more delays now.”
Off into the depths of the empty cave we move. And the water rushes louder.
38
“A waterfall. I never thought I’d see a waterfall…”
I stare at the natural feature in wonder, my evolving eyes open wide and letting in as much light as they’ll allow. It’s still dark, but hardly pitch black like it would otherwise be if my vision were still merely ‘human’.
Over the course of our journey, Zander has seen fit to turn off his torch to aid in my growth. It’s amazing how quickly my vision is adapting to the changes going on in my body.
“There’s an underwater river that flows beneath the city over here on the western side,” says Zander. He points to the zenith, where the water comes pouring from a hole in the rock wall and cascading down into a pool. “You see that? The water flows southwards from the northern quarter down here to the west.”
“But what happens to it now?” I ask, stepping towards the pool and looking over the side. There’s a short drop into a small lake, frothing and writhing as the ripples from the cascading water flow across it.
“It continues on, further underground to the south,” says Zander. “You can swim it, actually, if you’re brave enough. Or mad enough! It takes you right down towards the far reaches of the southern quarter.”
“And have you?”
“What?”
“Swum it.”
“Oh, me? Erm, no. But I’ve been told you can. I, er…I don’t really like water much.”
“Ah, a chink in the armour. Is this your one weakness, brother?”
“Don’t joke,” he says coldly. “It’s a fear, OK. I can’t control it.”
I can hardly blame him. I don’t exactly have a fear of water, but then again I’ve never been exposed to it like this. Were I to jump into the torrent, I’d probably drown.
“So you do fear then?” I ask.
His look of minor embarrassment changes to one of confusion.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re half Savant. And they don’t have emotion.”
“Yeah, exactly. Half. The rest of me feels emotion just like anyone else, as with you. And, in any case, Mind-Manipulators are more sensitive than other Savants. They tend to be more emotional, relatively at least.”
“Really? How come?”
I think back to my interactions with Deputy Burns, a Mind-Manipulator himself. I suppose he carried a slightly brighter countenance than the other Savants I saw in Inner Haven. The lot of them were cold as ice, and barely even tried to express emotion.
“Well, I guess it’s because they can read thoughts and emotion in others. Perhaps they become better at mimicking it, or begin to understand it more than the rest of their kind. Think about our mother, Brie. It makes sense, right? Haven’t you wondered how she and our father fell in love? Enough to break the law and put their lives at risk.”
“Of course I have,” I tell him.
“Then you have your answer right there. She must have been more emotional than others. She must have felt love of our father, for us. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”
I guess he’s right. It’s nice to know that he’s put thought into it as well. Last time I saw him, he appeared to have put to bed any interest in finding out more about them. Perhaps he wasn’t being entirely truthful.
“Do you know his name?” My voice echoes across the cavern, joining the frothing roar of the tumbling waterfall. “Our father, I mean…”
In the darkness, I see his eyes draw together. He doesn’t. I can tell. I can sense it.
“It was Maxwell,” I say.
My words are swallowed by the noise. He falls silent for a moment of personal reflection.
“A strong name,” he says. “How did you find out?”
“Mrs Carmichael knew him. Your guardian must have too.”
“Linda,” he says, reminding me of her name. “Yeah, she would have known. But…she died before I ever found out about him. All I know is what I worked out for myself from the picture.”
A feel more questions bubbling, as they always do. There’s a constant flow of them, cascading like the water ahead of me. I suppose that will never change until I get used to all of this. It’s only been a week or two since my world began to morph so radically.
Zander can sense it too. Sense the multitude of questions lining up on my tongue. If they’re given a chance to flow, we’ll be here all night. He needs to plug that hole before it rips right open.
So he does so, changing the subject and drawing me further along the edge of the pool towards the rushing waterfall.
We move towards the back, where the water gallops from above, and Zander leads me through a small opening in the rock and behind the falling torrent into a cave hidden at its rear. Inside, it’s strangely calm, the water distorting any view into the main portion of the cavern beyond.
“Right. So…we’re here why exactly?”
“To test you,” he answers
. “Your abilities are developing fast. Let’s find out how fast. Come over here.”
He walks right up to the wall of water, dancing and undulating in front of us before crashing into the pool.
“I want you to reach through to the other side,” he says.
“Um…that’s all? Easy…”
I prepare to thrust my arm into the water, but he holds it back.
“I haven’t finished.”
“Oh.”
“I want you to reach through to the other side…without getting your arm wet.”
I stare at him blankly. He’s got to be kidding.
“You don’t think it’s possible? Even after all you’ve seen?”
“For me? Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how much my muscles are aching right now?”
“I can probably imagine. I’ve been there before, remember. There’s no harm in trying, Brie. Look, just do this…”
In a flash, he lifts his arm and sends it in and out of the waterfall. I prepare to look upon his drenched limb with triumph.
But his sleeve is bone dry.
I reach out and touch it to make sure. Yep. Dry as a bone.
“No way, Zander. I didn’t even see it. Are you sure you put your arm through?”
“Fairly sure.”
“OK, do it again.”
He shrugs and turns to the waterfall again. For a second he examines it, taking careful note of the flow of water and the minor gaps that appear on occasion. Then, once more, his arm zips in and out like a speeding bullet.
This time, focusing hard, I see it play out a little more clearly.
“Believe me now?” he asks.
I settle my fingers on his sleeve again for total confirmation.
“How…did you do that?”
“It’s a simple combination of your Hawk and Dasher abilities. You watch the water for breaks, then rush your arm in and out when you find one that’s suitably large. Go on, have a go.”
He turns me to the waterfall, and stands right behind me.
“Try not to look at specific spots on the water,” he says. “Let your eyes lose focus, let your natural abilities take over. Feel the water rushing down and search out a gap. Hold your arm steady, then just do what you’d naturally do. Don’t think about it too much. Just let it happen.”
I listen to his advice intently, and follow it to the letter. In the dim cave, I stand and stare and let my eyes do the rest. Slowly, I feel the world around me enlarging, my vision growing less narrow, more open. The entire waterfall takes shape, my focus not on a single element of it but the whole thing, it’s random fluctuations seeming to become more uniform, more predictable.
Soon, gaps appear. Little breaks between the hundreds, thousands, of gallons pouring from above. Most are too small to even consider fitting my hand through. Others are larger, yet pass by in little more than a millisecond.
I begin to raise my arm, my muscles sore and aching and yet coiling up and priming for a thrust. Holding my fist close to the water, and straightening my arm up so it’s parallel to the ground, I calm my breathing and prepare to strike.
Several possible gaps appear. They come and go so fast, too quick for my eyes to handle. A couple of times, my fist zips forward an inch before recoiling, the light splash of water immediately cooling my knuckles.
“Don’t think too much,” whispers Zander behind me. “Just act.”
I refocus, and hunt down another opportunity. Then, I see it, a large gap forming above me, my peripheral vision catching it early. In a split second it will come, rushing down from above at a hundred miles an hour. I need to be faster.
Without thinking, I launch my fist forward at a pace that frightens me. It stretches right out before recoiling, darting in and out with a flash.
It comes back at me with such force that it knocks me backwards, right into Zander as he stands behind me.
He laughs as he catches me.
“I know all about kickback with a gun….but with your own fist! That’s something new!”
I barely hear his words. Immediately, I turn my eyes to my arm and see that it’s partially soaked. It had moved so fast I hadn’t even felt if the water had hit, my senses seemingly dulled by the ferocious speed.
Zander’s fingers grip my sleeve, cold and wet.
I pull it away angrily.
“I thought I had it,” I grumble. “That’s impossible.”
“Brie, trust me, for a first try that was pretty impressive. Your body will only get faster. And your eyes will only get keener. It’s a lethal combination when it clicks.”
I feel a throb in my arm as he speaks. It feels suddenly weak, like I can hardly even lift it.
“Should I feel this drained?” I ask him.
“Yeah, that’s to be expected. It’s a problem Dashers have. Putting so much force through your muscles tends to tire you out quite quickly. And since this is so new to you, it’s going to take its toll faster. You’ll get used to it. But it’s important to remember that using your Dasher powers drains your energy reserves fairly rapidly. You have to use them sparingly whenever you can.”
“OK, good to know. Should I try again?”
I turn to the waterfall once more, my latest nemesis. I will beat you, one day…
“To be honest, there’d be no point. Perhaps if you used your other arm, maybe. But mostly, this was just a test. There are other parts of your development that are far more important.”
“I assume you’re talking about my Mind-Manipulator powers?”
“Exactly. Being a Hawk and a Dasher will help you sneak around unnoticed. And should you get into a tight spot, they’re pretty useful at getting you the hell out of there pretty quickly too. But really, those aren’t the powers that Lady Orlando is interested in. They’re not why you were chosen for this mission.”
He begins moving back towards the little gap in the rock, slipping through it and out of the cave. I have one more look at the waterfall before following, whispering a silent vow to defeat it the next time I’m here.
We move through the wide cavern, the sound of the rushing water fading as we step into narrower passages. My eyes continue to take in more of my surroundings as we go, gradually relegating the old burden of darkness to little more than a minor hindrance.
I can see the walls more clearly, make out the shapes of the vines and plant life sprouting from the rocks. I can see the little critters creeping around at our feet, bugs and rats scuttling between stones and hiding in cracks and crevices.
From the ceiling, droplets of condensation gather, dripping down into little puddles and pools. I can see them too, even from a distance, building and falling and splashing into the water.
Minute by minute, my eyesight improves, not only taking in the light but seeking further details in the distance too. Without even knowing it, I’m able to clearly make out the form of the passages a long way into the darkness. And when we emerge into a large cavern once more, details that would otherwise be nothing but a blur stick out, clearly defined as if they’re right before my eyes.
Down here in the darkness is where my eyesight will develop fastest. Without the burden of bright light to deal with, my eyes are now forced to suck in every morsel of illumination they can find. They seek it out, hungry after being held back for so long, barred from achieving their full potential by the drugs that Mrs Carmichael fed me.
No longer.
Now, they’re stretching their legs, testing their limits, evolving into what they should always have been.
The world grows quieter as we continue. The rush of the waterfall fades into nothing, leaving behind the light tapping of our feet and the occasional dripping of water from above. Soon, we’re moving into a place of total silence and calm, a small cave with narrow walls and a low ceiling and two small boulders planted in its centre.
Zander moves towards them, and takes a seat on one.
“Sit down, Brie,” he orders.
I do so, taking a seat on the other righ
t in front of him. Face to face, we sit a few feet from each other, his body no longer just an outline. Now, his features are clear, his expression easy to gauge even in the pitch black of this deep, dark place.
“Why are we here?” I ask him.
He stares at me for a few long moments without answering. I find it oddly unnerving. Then, in the back of my mind, I hear the clouded, blurred sounds of a voice forming once more.
We’re here to train your mind…
His lips don’t move. His eyes stare intensely. His voice seems to come from inside, not out, barely distinct but just about audible.
Then, his lips do move, drawing into a smile.
“You heard me?” he asks.
I nod silently, and in awe.
“Our connection is stronger than I thought it would be,” he muses to himself. “Do you feel it?”
In the quiet darkness of the cave, I lightly shut my eyes, a hum of something, an energy of some kind, buzzing in the depths of my mind. I don’t understand it, I can’t explain it, but it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt.
“I feel…something,” I whisper.
It reminds me somewhat of when Deputy Burns entered my mind. That was invasive, unpleasant. It sent the hairs on my neck standing on end, a shiver climbing up my spine, one vertebra at a time.
This is different. I don’t feel as if there’s someone rooting around my memories, as if they’re searching through books in a library. More like I’m in a dark room with someone, hearing their voice coming from the shadows.
“Good. That’s good. We have a telepathic link, Brie. But this is me, talking to you. I want you to try to do the same. Shut your eyes, close everything off. Think of me, and think hard, and then imagine what you want to say. Think of the words, and fix them firmly in your mind. Let’s see if I can hear them.”
“But, you said before that you needed to look into someone’s eyes to read their thoughts? How can I shut my eyes if…”
“No,” he cuts in, shaking his head. “That isn’t true of this. Yes, if you want to read someone’s thoughts, search their memories, or manipulate them somehow, you need to look into their eyes. But this is different. You can project words from anywhere, and if our bond is strong, I’ll be able to hear them. And vice versa.”