We must have passed the test, because the man nodded again, then set to patting the boys down for weapons, which they took surprisingly well. He removed one weapon from Gunther, three from Xavier, and seven from Clark, including the sword at his hip, a few small knives, and even a throwing star. Clark's face was a little too satisfied, and I suspected the man had missed one or two somewhere.
Now that we had better lighting, I could see that Clark's square jaw had the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow. He had swarthy skin and a smirking mouth above his arrogant chin. His cobalt eyes were probing as they returned my inquiry. On another man, I might have been flattered by the appraisal, but he looked at me as though he were solving a puzzle. I turned away from his scrutiny.
Then the brutish guard focused on me, and I dared him with my eyes to touch me in the manner he had been searching the men. He took me in from my disheveled hair to my bare feet and came no closer. I chose to believe it was because I had warned him away, not because he didn't see me as a possible threat. Finally, he searched the bags, which held even more weapons, before clearing us to head into the room. As soon as we were past the doors, they clanged shut ominously behind us.
I'm not sure what I had been expecting, but I never could have imagined the scene in front of me. The massive square room looked like something from the future. The walls were metal, but they were lined entirely with glass cases. Some held objects I couldn't identify. Others were filled with brightly colored fluids. The ceilings were high, likely reaching almost to ground level. There were smaller doors placed at the center of each of the other three walls, and what appeared to be work tables with half-finished projects took up most of the room's substantial space.
The most unusual thing in the room, though, had to be the man standing in front of us, silently watching me take the room in. His hair was a solid white swoop, though his skin was completely smooth and unwrinkled. His eyes were probing black, in stark contrast to his hair. Keeping with that theme, he wore an immaculate white leather suit and tie with a black shirt. The most unsettling thing about him, though, was the calculated look with which he watched us, like a panther watching its prey. The man outside hadn't fazed me, but I'd be lying if I said the same of the man before me.
"Well, look who we have here," he said with a flourish.
Gunther let out a snort.
"What's that, Gunther? I can't quite hear you." He emphasized the word "hear," though I wasn't sure why. Next, he turned to Clark, who looked irritated. "Ah, and Mister…" he paused pointedly, eyes flitting over to me, then finished up simply with "… Clark."
Clark narrowed his eyes at Wesley. I felt like we had picked up in the middle of a play, and I didn't know the lines. Then Wesley turned the full force of his attention to me, and I lifted my chin higher, letting the heiress take over.
"You're Wesley, I presume?" I asked unnecessarily, refusing to let him speak first and unnerve me. He shot me an amused glance, and I got the feeling he knew exactly why I'd spoken.
"Of course. Where are my manners? Wesley Rufus Cornelius Jameson III, at your service, Madame. But no need to introduce yourself." He looked between the three boys and myself and let out a high-pitched giggle. "Oh, the irony. But could it be, you do not know? This is too delicious."
He recognizes me. Merde. I shuffled backward toward the door we had come through, for all the good it would do me.
Clark was back to assessing me. His eyes honed in on my features, and he didn't avert his gaze when he spoke to Wesley. "Wonderful to see you, too, you creepy bastard. Can we get on with this? You know we didn't come here for fun."
If Wesley was affronted, he didn't show it. He merely cocked his eyebrow. "No, I don't imagine you would bring me the Tear of Hila, and on such a charming young lady, for a mere diversion. Allow me to introduce her, since you all apparently have no qualms about bringing strangers into my highly classified dwelling. Or would you like to do the honors, Miss—"
"—Kensington." It was Clark who said it, disbelief in his voice. "Addie. Adelaide Kensington. I knew you looked familiar as soon as I saw you in the light. I've only ever seen one other person manage an expression with that level of arrogance." His jaw clenched.
I’m arrogant? Funny, he used the same word I ascribed to him only minutes ago. I gave him that look now, no small amount of anger flooding my veins. It must be nice to not have to live your entire life under the weight of someone else's reputation, to be in a position to judge as he so clearly felt he was.
"I knew that girl was trouble," Xavier said.
Gunther was the only one who looked neither surprised nor angry. In fact, if I wasn't mistaken, the expression on his face was very much like sympathy. I looked away, preferring Wesley's openly-gleeful expression or even Clark's murderous one.
"You can extoll on your endless hatred for my father and me later, Clark. Can we just focus on the necklace?" I said.
Xavier cut in. "While the four of you work on that, I need to try to reach base." He gestured toward a room questioningly. Wesley nodded, and Xavier disappeared behind a steel door to the left, where I assumed a radio or some communication device was housed.
"Of course. Come, sit, discuss." Wesley gestured toward a corner of the room with a white couch and a black chaise lounge. I chose the chaise, Clark the couch, and Wesley and Gunther remained standing. Gunther came tentatively to the chaise.
"May I?" He asked gently, pointing at the necklace.
I was somewhat surprised at actually being asked something. But, not so surprised that the gentle request came from the only considerate person in the room. I nodded my head and tilted to give him better access. Most of my hair was still out of the way, but I re-pinned a small part that had come loose. The cushion beneath me sank with Gunther's weight as he settled in behind me and started fiddling with the necklace. Meanwhile, Clark was studiously ignoring me while he grilled Wesley.
"As much as it pains me to admit, I have no real expertise in this area beyond knowing the history and power of the necklace itself," Wesley said. Clark's face fell, but Wesley wasn't finished. "I do know of a couple of people who may be able to help, however. One of them should be near. Have you spoken with Henry Trauman?" he asked.
My head turned at the name. Wasn't he the one who found the necklace? Come to think of it, why didn't we go to him first?
If it was possible, Clark's face darkened further. "That won’t be an option," Clark said shortly. "He's dead."
"That is very grave news indeed. In that case, there is only one other person I know of who may understand the power of that stone. He worked with Professor Trauman some years ago. His name is Ignatius Langston. There was said to be a third at one point, but no one has ever been able to identify him."
"Where can we find Langston?" Clark asked.
"Well, now. That information will cost you."
"What do you want?"
"A favor, of my choosing, at whatever time I desire it."
"Absolutely not." Clark tapped Gunther on the shoulder. "Any luck?"
"None. It's like there was never a clasp at all." Gunther sounded frustrated, bewildered.
Clark turned back to Wesley. "Fine. A favor. Anything you want, within reason, at a time that's not too inconvenient."
"If that's how you want to think of it." Wesley smiled, and they shook hands. "The man lives on Alpina Island in the Paloma Village." Alpina Island was only a couple of hours away by Sea Train, but these guys had another thing coming if they thought I was leaving Central with them.
I had expected to come here, remove the necklace, and go home. My father wouldn't even know I was alive. I still didn't understand what was so important about this necklace, but I felt sure my father could take care of it.
I looked directly at Wesley when I spoke, since he had recognized the necklace straight away. "Am I in danger wearing this necklace? Is it poisonous? Lethal? Is there some reason it needs to be immediately removed?"
"Interesting choice of words. The
necklace can harness a great deal of power. Left alone, it is neither poisonous nor lethal, to my knowledge. Whether you're in danger wearing it, though—"
And with perfect timing, there was a bang at the door. We all looked at each other. Clark locked eyes with Gunther. He pointed to his ear and then the door. Gunther nodded.
Clark got to his feet, pulling out what looked like only the hilt of a sword. He motioned for Gunther to do the same. There was a short pause and another boom. Xavier came rushing into the room.
"Back way out?" Clark asked Wesley.
"No need," Wesley responded. "Nothing can get through that door." But the next boom was louder and dented the frame inward. Wesley's face went slack with shock. He pointed wordlessly toward the side door. Xavier headed for it, Gunther and me at his heels. Clark waited until we had passed to follow, but there was a final boom, and the door shattered.
The Renegade
My brothers and I rounded another corner, wheezing. This chase had gone on too long. I looked behind us. The man was still advancing.
"We need a new plan," I said.
Gunther's eyes lit up. He took a gadget out of his pocket and hurled it around the corner. A tiny pop, then a bang sounded, followed by a man's surprised yell.
"Gunther!" the man roared.
Gunther's eyes widened at the man’s expression, and he shuffled to where our father was splayed out on the ground.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Father asked him.
"Well, Father, you said to play to our strengths, and—"
But he was cut off by our father's laugh.
"Because it was bloody brilliant. I think I must be running out of things to teach you boys. You're turning the tables on me." He smiled good-naturedly and took the hand I offered to pull him up. Gunther, breath still coming fast, blushed to the roots of his hair at the praise.
"I think you've earned yourselves an early night, and maybe a stop by the bakery. Let's go clean up for dinner." He put an arm around Gunther and patted Xav and me on the shoulder. Together, we walked back to the country house we had called home in the years since the war ended.
Chapter Fourteen
Clark
Father had trained us endlessly, tutored us relentlessly. He was determined that we would be prepared for whatever the world saw fit to throw at us. So, when the thing that stepped through the demolished door was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard of, even in Father's vast array of literature and encyclopedias, I knew enough to be afraid.
But, I was trained not to show fear, so I faced it without so much as a flinch.
It was a solid eight feet tall, and twice as wide as Xavier. With its roughly human shape, it was almost like a soldier in advanced armor, but no human was that size. I had no idea how it was made or what powered it. Even Gunther couldn't have created the being made of interlocking gray and bronze metal that was coming for us now.
Worse still, it seemed to be somewhat sentient. It zeroed in on the girl, heading straight for her.
I stepped in front of Addie in one swift motion. Adelaide, I reminded myself. I’d deal with the revelation of her true identity later. Whoever she was, I couldn't just let her die, and I suspected this enormous metal humanoid thing was out to do just that. I was also trying to block her view of the blood seeping in from behind the thing, the lifeless arm of the guard fallen into the makeshift doorway.
I looked to Xav in time to see Wesley disappearing behind the door he had pointed to. He shut it behind him and the click of a lock turning made my stomach flop.
Bastard. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I still shook my head in disbelief. The only other exit I knew of was the one currently being blocked by this monster.
"Gunther." I waved to get his attention. "Xav and I will take care of it. You take Kensington." I stumbled over the name of the man I had spent years hating, but it was good to keep in mind who I was dealing with. Gunther nodded, pulling her back. She looked confused and curious, but not nearly as terrified as she should have. I saw the moment her huge eyes snagged on the evidence of the fallen guard. They widened in terror.
Good. Fear will keep her safe. Not that I cared. Much. I pulled my eyes away from her, willing them to focus on the issue at hand, the metal giant which was advancing on us with cold determination.
Xavier had always excelled at hand-to-hand combat. I hadn't managed to beat him once in over a decade of sparring, so it made sense that he went for the thing head-on while I rolled behind it to obtain my other weapons. The retractable sword was made with unparalleled skill, but the broadsword I had taken off the Red Son was invariably stronger.
The monster wasn't far enough from the door for the other two to escape yet, so I prepared to lure it in the other direction. I had no sooner closed my hand around the hilt of my borrowed sword than I saw Xavier go flying across the room. Undeterred, the thing headed for Kensington and my youngest brother. It wasn't all that fast, which was my only advantage. Alone, I probably could have outrun it, but there was no way the girl could. Even with the injection, her ankle was still injured. Plus, she was barefoot and in that ridiculous dress.
I have to distract it to give them a chance. My heart pounded in my chest, an audible thump I used to keep me grounded.
"Run!" I shouted while I jumped in between them and the mechanical monster. I charged it with my sword, hoping for any kind of weak spot to exploit, but it bounced off the solid metal frame. The thing was completely unaffected.
Xavier, recovered somewhat from being tossed around like a shotput, was heading back toward us, for all the good he could do. Instead of listening to me, I heard Gunther and the girl whispering while he messed with something on the nearest lab table. I rolled away from the thing, barely.
"Can you buy us forty more seconds?" Gunther asked frantically.
The thing didn't react, confirming my suspicions that despite some menial awareness, it wasn’t intelligent. I looked at Xav creeping up on the thing from behind, and we both nodded.
There were rarely situations where the three of us together were unable to fight, but Father had drilled one lesson into us above all others. There will be off days, injuries, and people who are just plain better than you. I hadn't understood that lesson until it had hit home during my fight with the masked man years ago. Fighting was not always the best option, and right now, we were seriously outmanned by whatever this was. But we could do something to distract it long enough for whatever Gunther was cooking up. Or we’d die trying.
I attacked from an angle, thinking to distract it, but it tossed me away like a ragdoll. I landed on my good shoulder, but it still sent a throbbing pain down my arm. Shaking it off, I rolled back up.
I’m not even slowing this thing down!
Xav tried to attack again with the same result. He groaned in pain from his spot on the floor, rubbing his side. If it had actually cared enough to kill us, I had no doubt we would be dead by now.
Adelaide was backing away, but there was nowhere to go. She was boxed into a corner on the far side of the room. Gunther hadn't moved, but I knew we hadn't given him forty seconds. We hadn't even given him ten.
I cursed under my breath, seeing no options. Adelaide tried to duck under its arm, but it stuck out a leg and pinned her to the wall. Her face contorted in pain, and Xavier and I tried futilely to pull the thing off. It shoved us away with one broad sweep of its arm and turned its blank face back to the girl.
Her piercing scream was abruptly cut off by the sudden appearance of a swarm of tiny blue glowing lights. They materialized into a tall woman standing where nothing had been moments before. There was a silver streak in her straight onyx hair. I blinked my eyes furiously, wondering if I had a concussion, but my brothers were staring, too. She darted over and stuck a tiny device to the thing's arm. There was a whirring sound, and it froze.
"Nell?" Kensington choked out. "I thought you were dead."
"I’m sorry. I went to investigate the blackout and by the time I reali
zed the danger was where I had left you, you were gone,” the onyx-haired one, Nell, answered.
“But how are you here? How did you even find us? And how did you just—” Kensington made a gesture with her hands.
“No time to explain, love. The neutralizer won’t last forever, and it's the only one I had on me. Grab my arm. We need to go now." The new addition was forcibly pulling Adelaide up from the floor.
"We can't just leave them here." To my complete and utter shock, Kensington nodded toward us.
The woman, who I could now see was close to our age, looked slightly disgruntled but nodded. "Everyone, touch me." Xav raised an eyebrow at that, and she shot him a withering glare. "Or stay here and die. The choice is yours."
Her presence here with this thing was suspicious. But we were out of options, and we all knew it.
I wasn’t worried about Wesley, not only because he had ditched us, but I was sure he was long gone by now. A mechanical whir sounded, making our decision for us. Gunther was the only one to stall. He went back to his table, grabbed the vial, threw it toward the stirring mechanical thing, and shouted an order to go now. The last thing I saw before the world went fuzzy was the burgeoning orange ball of an explosion.
The Heiress
I had scarcely seen my father in the weeks since the explosion. He was at the office before the driver took me to school and didn't return until I was asleep most nights. Or in bed, anyway. Sleep was generally beyond my reach. Some nights, I would tiptoe down to Amelie's untouched room and slip under her sheets, inhaling for any residual scent of her favorite shampoo. Most of the time, it only made me lonelier.
Locke had a room in the estate now, as did our cook, maid, and driver. So I wasn't technically alone, I reminded myself. Besides, I had my cat, Shensi. She would follow me wherever I decided to sleep.
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