Promethean Shadows

by Patrick Jean-Jacques

  “About damn time!” said Maya, as she reclined silently on the sofa.

  Alannah went over to the fire, grabbed the poker and stoked-up the flames. The flames roared and crackled, as it fed more heat around the room. Neither person spoke, as they shared the warmth in mutual silence.

  Alannah poured two more large glasses of wine and looked over at Maya’s sullen face. Carefully, she placed both glasses on the table, put her arms tenderly around Maya and cradled her as a mother would a daughter. Tears streamed from Maya’s eyes and ran down her face as she let her emotions go.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The Rising Son

  Chapelsfield, East Anglia, present day… As the mist seeped slowly from the ground, it rose upward and merged with the chilly evening air. In the aftermath of the nuclear catastrophe, an eerie haze lingered around the debris of the old laundry room.

  Several men walked around in garish yellow protective suits, identifiable by the circular black and yellow hazard symbol. Meticulously, they trudged around in formation, checking every square inch of the area.

  A thin silver needle swept wildly from left-to-right inside its black box, as it detected levels of radiation in the atmosphere. Some of the men had instruments, which resembled metal detectors and swept them in wide arcs over the ground. While others collected, examined and tested samples of earth.

  It’d been hours since the Chapelsfield-A site had been cordoned-off. Access was restricted to essential personnel only, with the relevant clearance. Charred remains of the burnt-out van still sat in front of the building. The entire wall, where the fire exit doors once stood was gone and the remains of Maya’s body removed.

  Meters away from the main building, a Hazmat Team had set up their contamination reduction area or ‘warm zone’. A man in a white protective suit was scrubbing away methodically with a soft-bristled broom. As water fell onto the figure underneath the shower, the man cleared all traces of radioactive materials and other hazardous organisms.

  Unfortunately, the chill in the air had increased by the time Will had removed all of his irradiated clothes. Vapours of heat escaped profusely from his pores, as he worked the bar of soap vigorously into his hair, face and body. At one point, Will even had to raise the broom back above waist height, as the man unintentionally scrubbed too low for comfort.

  After finally receiving the all clear, two unknown men took Will to the nearest Police Station. To his surprise, Will’s treatment was he was hospitable and he even received a meal. By now, the incident was all over the evening news and the national papers were frantically getting their presses ready for the early morning editions.

  Will remained tight-lipped and refused to say anything. However, when he made his entitled phone call, he surprised both himself and the Duty Sergeant. Within the next couple of hours, the two people that Will thought he could trust arrived.

  “DCI Limberg, DI Hannah,” said Will, as he looked from one to the other. “You did say I could call you if I thought of anything.”

  “What the hell’s going on Will?” asked DI Hannah, concerned.

  “I do hope that you’re not caught up in that nuclear thing,” said DCI Limberg.

  Will looked sheepish, “Um, unfortunately, I was slap-bang in the middle of it!” he replied. “I need your help! I have to stop someone from doing something really bad and I can’t do it alone.”

  “You’re not alone,” said DI Hannah compassionately. “You can tell us everything on the way back.”

  Sitting in the back, Will immediately began from the beginning and recounted everything. The adrenaline made him excitable, which caused him to talk quickly. At one point, a confused DCI Limberg prompted him to ‘take a breath and start again’.

  Will began again but slower. He started with the violence at the rally and his initial encounter with the Prometheans. Then he summarised what he’d unearthed during his energy research and what it meant. After that, Will told them the truth about his near-death experience at the hands of Mr Bruce. At one point, DI Hannah chastised him for not being upfront, when they first interviewed him.

  After swallowing half a litre of water, Will continued. He picked up his story from the tragic events at the Killiecrankie Hotel where Anthony Wilson and his mother died. He omitted the part where his mother worked for Clive Baldwin-Jones but confided how he buried his mother.

  DCI Limberg corroborated Will’s story about Killiecrankie, when he disclosed that they’d received inquiries from their Scottish counterparts. The MET had circulated pictures of John Bridge’s dead body, whom the detectives also identified as Mr Kent. Although, they chose not to Will about Mr Kent’s presence on the night they interrogated him.

  Will left the more complex part of his story for last, his father. He started with how Cameron placed an implant inside him, when he was a child, orphaned him and then later tortured him. When he’d reached the part about Maya, Adam and his murdered friend Ally, anger and bitterness returned to the surface.

  The detectives consoled Will and offered him an opportunity for justice, which calmed him. Therefore, he continued his story and recounted everything he’d learned about the Prometheans, dating back to his research at the Chronicle. He ended by admitting Cameron had coerced his involvement in the Chapelsfield incident and described the events leading up to it.

  Instinctively, the detectives wanted to press him further but Samantha Hannah could see Will was emotionally and physically finished. To avoid being insensitive, she made a mental note to ask him another time.

  As the adrenaline subsided, Will sat back and it went quiet inside the car. When he closed his eyes, tears dribbled from them and he deepened his breathing and tried empty his mind. After a little while, Will opened his eyes and stared blankly. When he spoke, he was more calmer.

  “My father’s planned something, something big… I know it!” speculated Will. “I’m just not sure what,” he added, as the detectives listened. “He crowed on about bringing the country, ‘to its knees’ and send it back to the dark ages.”

  “Dark ages!” repeated DI Hannah. “What does that mean?” she asked.

  Samantha Hannah and Don Limberg looked at each other. Will slouched back into his seat further. He looked at the detectives, as they mumbled away to each other inaudibly and sat up again, “What?”

  “We need to get you to a place where you’ll be safe,” said DCI Limberg.

  “I don’t want to be safe,” Will said, raising his voice. “I want to stop my father,” he demanded.

  Limberg justified why it was necessary for Will to lay low. Hannah explained, in some detail, that they needed an airtight plan for apprehending Cameron. She also explained they required more information, which meant widespread surveillance. Will became more rationale and acquiesced.

  As they neared Cambridge, Will thought about it for a while and then came up with a suggestion, “Detectives, regarding that safe place,” he said. “I have a request!”

  Will travelled under an assumed identity, arranged discreetly by the detectives. He reclined in his seat and stared out the window of the Boeing. The flight attendant handed him a drink, which he graciously accepted and immediately gulped half of the contents.

  Before he knew it, Will was staring at puffs of white clouds and blue skies, miles above the ground. As he stared out of the window, all he could see was Maya’s face and his eyes glazed. He wiped away the tears and smiled, as he imagined how romantic it might’ve been if she were with him now.

  After Will finished the rest of his drink, he closed his eyes tightly. He tried to fill his imagination with happy thoughts as his body relaxed. The flight attendant walked by to collect his glass and smiled at him. Will was purring like a kitten and had cradling himself protectively with an airline blanket.

  Silence had fallen and very few lights were on in the cabin. The passengers who were victims of insomnia either watched in-flight movies or listened to music. The only other audible noise was the low-pitched humming of the ai
r conditioning and droning of the aeroplanes’ turbine-engines.

  Will’s shoulder twitched subtly and then a second later, his arm jerked again. Minutes later, both of his arms were moving reflexively. Then his body spontaneously twisted and turned wildly. Sweat dripped down across his closed eyes and face, as he continued to toss and turn. BY the time the soft hand rested against his shoulder and gently shook him, he was mumbling, “Maya, no!” Will called out.

  “You were having a bad dream Sir,” said the flight attendant. Her expression was full of concern, “Can I get you anything?” she asked helpfully.

  “Just water please,” replied Will, as he wiped the sweat away. “Thank you!”

  Will looked out of the window and saw the landing strip for Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. As the plane approached the runway, he could see the people of Arkansas going about their day. Within the next hour, Will had picked-up his rental car and drove back to his hometown.

  ✽✽✽

  Cherokee County, Oklahoma… Will spent the next few days reacquainting himself with the geography, culture and smells of Tahlequah. He was so preoccupied with his homecoming he failed to notice the short, dark-haired woman paying attention to him. Will sauntered over to Sequoya Park and sat by the creek. He smiled fondly, as he remembered all the moments he’d spent there with Billy. He could almost hear their giggles and cheeriness, as they splashed and thrashed about in the water.

  All the trailer homes were gone and replaced by apartments. As he lingered around the site, where his old home burnt down, he acknowledged the change. Yet, even though it no longer resembled anything he’d remembered, it still felt like home.

  Feeling hungry, Will ambled into a diner and sat by the window. At first, he still hadn’t seen the woman on the opposite side of the road. Then in the corner of his eye, someone moving caught his attention. Will was no staring directly out of the window, waiting.

  From their silhouette, Will could tell that the person watching him was a woman. She wasn’t really trying to hide, which told him she wanted him to be see her. He took a mental note and turned his attention to the stack of pancakes topped with fresh fruit, which was set in front of him.

  After Will finished his food, he went for a walk. He headed for the Doc Wadley Stadium and sat high up in the stands. Will stared down and admired the finely clipped lawn with its freshly painted lines. His eyes slowly started to move upwards the stands on the opposite side of the field.

  Halfway up, he saw the same woman who’d been watching him earlier. She was standing directly in his eye line and beckoning him towards the exit. Will got up instantly and headed towards the West Stand. When he reached the exit directly beneath the stands, the woman approached him slowly.

  By the time she’d gotten to Will, she was breathing heavily and excitedly. Will stared into her eyes analytically, sensed that he knew this woman and hoped it would come to him sooner than he expected.

  “Mrs Johnson!” said Will, surprised. Ella-May Johnson nodded silently. “Why’ve you been following me?” asked Will, slightly bemused.

  “When I saw you walking around town, I thought you were Billy at first,” Ella-May said softly. “Then I looked again and thought you were...” her voice faded.

  Will considered at her meaningfully and saw the expectation mixed with disappointment in her eyes. “You thought that I was my father,” he said. Will knew there weren’t too many people with whom he shared a physical resemblance.

  Ella-May Johnson looked down, “Yes!” she replied simply.

  “C’mon, let’s go somewhere else and talk,” said Will. He took her by the arm and they walked out of the stadium to a nearby café.

  The fan whirred vigorously above their heads, working hard to keep the air around the diner cool. As the silence dragged on, Will became a little apprehensive and automatically started drumming his fingers on the table. Then suddenly, Ella-May Johnson began speaking and he stopped.

  She gave Will a detailed and frank account of her relationship with Cameron and didn’t hold back. Ella-May explained to Will how she’d come to believe that Cameron and her would be together forever. Will saw the vulnerability in her eyes when she described how Cameron’s travelling had impacted on them.

  He saw Ella-May’s mood change when she described how their relationship broke down. She explained how Cameron changed after one particular business trip and eventually, become more detached.

  “What did you do?” asked Will sympathetically.

  “I was naïve and desperate,” replied Ella-May. “I’d have said anything to make him stay. I even told him that I was pregnant!”

  “I expect he thought you were lying?” said Will perceptively.

  Ella-May nodded, “Until nine months later, when I gave birth,” she said. She looked long and dep into Will’s eyes, as he thought about her last statement.

  ‘Gave birth,’ thought Will. After a few seconds, the penny dropped, hard. “Wait a second, are you saying BJ’s… my brother…?” asked Will, completely gobsmacked.

  “Half-brother, yes,” confirmed Ella-May. Will took a huge gulp of iced coffee and hoped the brain-freeze would counteract shock. “My only comfort was knowing that Billy always had you,” she said fondly. “It always pleased me to see you two playing together by the creek.”

  “Billy’s my half-brother,” said Will, still in complete shock. When it dawned on Will what Ella-May had endured over the years, he felt nothing but compassion for her. Inwardly, Will seethed but he saved all of his rage for his father. Outside, he realised he still had people he could call family and was comforted.

  “All this time, you kept all those things to yourself?” asked Will. “And you were right under our noses. You could’ve cried wolf at any time.”

  “It’s called dignity Will,” replied Ella-May. “It’s not much but it counts for everything,” she sighed sombrely. Will got up, sat beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t pity me Will!”

  “It’s not pity! I just…” he said, as his voice trailed away. “I was thinking about all the lives that my father has ruined.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Ella-May.

  “Both my mother and partner both died recently,” said Will solemnly, as he rubbed his hands together uncomfortably.

  “Alannah’s dead? How?” asked a horrified Ella-May.

  “They both died protecting me from my father,” said Will bitterly. “He didn’t directly kill them but he might as well have pulled the trigger,” he added coldly.

  Will gave Ella-May the abridged version of everything that had happened since he left Tahlequah. He started with the night his house burned down and how it was a subterfuge for faking their deaths. Then he told Ella-May about what Cameron did to him and his friends.

  Ella-May was speechless as she heard the extent of Cameron’s callousness and wondered how she could have ever loved such a man. Will also described how he’d uncovered Cameron’s overseas activities and caught himself in the middle of his dangerous feud with the British government.

  “So you see, everything he touches he inevitably destroys,” Will concluded. “And anyone near him pays the price,” he added grimly.

  Ella-May Johnson’s hands began trembling, as she sat back and grabbed her coffee. She looked terrified, as though she was somehow responsible. Will looked at her curiously as she began shaking and crying.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Will. “You can’t believe any of this is your fault?”

  “It’s not that,” said Ella-May hesitantly. “It’s Billy!”

  “What about him?” Will asked.

  “I’m certain he’ll be with Cameron,” replied Ella-May worriedly. “Or at the very least, he’d be near him.”

  “Why would Billy do that?” asked Will curiously.

  Ella-May told Will about how Cameron invested lots of time with Billy after he’d left. She also explained how Cameron mentored Billy through to college and even got him his first job in New York. Howeve
r, when Ella-May told Will about Billy meeting ‘the Walkers’ and a brief romance with Nathan’s daughter, he cracked wry smile.

  Will saw the worry in Ella-May’s eyes, “You’re worried Cameron’s going to lead him into a dangerous situation?” he asked.

  “After what you’ve just told me, nothing would surprise me,” Ella-May replied. “Billy’s all I’ve got! Can you find him, bring him home?” she asked optimistically.

  Will thought about the possibility of Billy’s involvement with the Prometheans and wondered if he’d participated in any of the recent events in the UK. He wondered where Billy was doing right now and what he was doing. Most of all, Will wished he were in Tahlequah now.

  “I’ll do everything to find him and bring him home,” Will promised. “Besides, you’re the only family I’ve got now,” he smiled warmly.

  Ella-May hugged Will tightly, as if he was her own, “Thank you!” she said.

  After saying their goodbyes, Will returned to the hotel to be alone. He wondered if Cameron also used an implant to control Billy. Then he considered the strong possibility that Billy chose to work alongside Cameron willingly. Will flopped backwards onto the bed, still mulling things over.

  Hours later, it had become dark outside and Will was still lying on his back where he’d fallen asleep. A flashing streetlight roused him, so he got up and walked over to the window. The neon signs form a nearby shop was flickering away intermittently and Will watched them, until they abruptly blacked out.

  Will continued to stare at the shop, until he had a sudden revelation. He thought about the two blackouts, which occurred in the past eight months and recalled talking to Daley about EMP’s at the Chronicle. He wondered if they could be dry runs and surmised that Cameron’s intention was to detonate something larger. Will grabbed his phone and rang DI Hannah, he informed her of his decision to return to England.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE