by Mason Dakota
“Come on,” I said as I stuck out my hand to my friend, “For Chamberlain.”
A tear broke free from his eyes. He nodded, took my hand, and allowed me to hoist him up on to his feet. “For Chamberlain,” he whispered. Then he wrapped himself around the laptop attached to the device and began typing away.
“Tell me what you need from me,” I said.
“Stand by that control panel over there while I work here. Just flip the switches I tell you.”
I stumbled over toward the control panel and said, “Got it. Which do I start with?”
Michael spat off instructions while he worked on the computer. I followed every order, twisting knobs and flipping switches as he instructed. But my eyes constantly darted to the ticking clock.
Time was running out!
Come on Michael, Chamberlain’s life is at stake here!
Less than a minute remained until the world ended. Less than a minute before the machine that kept Chamberlain alive would be destroyed. Less than a minute until either we were dead or Chamberlain was.
Thirty seconds remaining.
“Um, Michael how’s it coming?” Michael didn’t reply but I saw sweat drip down his forehead. The tip of his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth in concentration.
Twenty seconds.
“Michael, we’re cutting it kind of close here. Tell me what to do!”
Fifteen seconds.
“Michael?”
“Shut up and let me work!” shouted Michael frustrated. “This is not exactly easy!”
His fingers blurred across the keyboard. I heard my heartbeat. Adrenaline and stress washed away the exhaustion in my bones. A second wind replenished me as my limited blood supply pumped out of my gashes.
Five seconds!
“Michael!”
He smashed one last key and screamed, “PULL THAT RED LEVER!”
A red lever hung connected to a circuit board on the wall a few steps away.
I lunged for it.
And everything failed me.
My legs crumbled beneath me with the evaporation of my strength. I kissed the stone cold floor. Stars burned around me. Bones cracked and snapped. Pain engulfed me. I tasted blood and concrete.
I never reached the lever.
The EMP went off.
Lightning cracked through the air. It immediately deafened all senses. The hairs on my skin shot straight up. My teeth chattered. A bright white flash blinded me. Something invisible and electrifying struck me in the chest and threw me against the wall. Electricity bound my flesh and bones together, crawling into every crook and crevice on me. The world became an endless firework show. Every machine exploded in sparks and fires.
Then everything suddenly went dark and horrifyingly quiet. Hope was sucked out of the cold air. I groaned and cried out as I saw the husk of the what once was a bomb. It resembled more of a ruptured cocoon with huge chunks missing from the side.
I was breathing. The building stood solid around me. Michael sat unscathed on the floor with his mouth hanging open. He stared at me in shock and we shared the same thought. I failed…and the bomb went off.
The world we knew was over.
Nebula won and escaped.
And Chamberlain…
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I was later told that Michael and Thomas carried me out. I don’t remember anything more than sobs before blacking out. My friends made sure Alexandra never saw my face, an easy task by their description. Apparently, recovering from the battle proved significantly detrimental to her.
Why does that make me jealous?
Alexandra lost a lot of mobsters when she broke Nebula’s lines into the courtyard to secure her own victory. People hailed her as a hero for standing up against those who sought to destroy the city. Nebula’s deception worked too well, and the blackout seemed to the public a short price paid for the Lady’s victory. In the coming months they would see how foolish they were.
We discovered something horrifying in the wake of fresh battle.
Bodies lying on the ground waited for something. Burial seemed inadequate.
Hundreds lay dead: civilians, mercenaries, and mobsters alike. After the EMP blast, many of the remaining Nebula agents and NPFC troops surrendered. They were marched away by Alexandra’s mobsters to a place and for a reason I was not sure of and didn’t want to know.
Ziavir wasn’t among them. He was gone. Nobody bothered looking for him. They would never find him.
Thomas said when he saw the blast he ran down the fire escape and found Michael trying to walk out with me. Together they half dragged, half carried, me back to Michael’s apartment. I woke up almost a day later shirtless in Michael’s recliner in his dark apartment. I was wrapped in more bloody bandages from the waist up with both of my arms in slings. Candles and kerosene lamps lit the messy room.
Across from me lay Chamberlain.
He was barely alive, unconscious, and surrounded by useless machines.
Will you ever wake again?
I groaned as I shifted my aching muscles and mumbled, “I’ve got to stop waking up like this.”
“Maybe that’s a sign of poor decisions,” said a feminine voice. I looked up startled to see Alison reading a book in a chair next to Chamberlain.
If Chamberlain died when I failed to pull that lever…
I swallowed and said, “Crazy weather we’re having lately…right?” She ducked her head slightly, just enough to hide any blush, and giggled softly. The curls of her light brown hair fell down across her face. She looked beautiful in the candlelight. Chamberlain was a lucky man.
“How is he?”
She looked at Chamberlain and sighed deeply, “He’s stable and breathing on his own. But he hasn’t woken up yet. Gabriel’s doctor isn’t sure he will. But they say he’s lucky to have survived this long.”
“Yeah…that’s Chamberlain for you.” I whispered.
A thorn prodded in my heart at the mention of Gabriel. I fought to suppress it and any visible emotions on my face.
“Michael already told me everything,” she whispered, her eyes begging me to address her. Her pain distracted me from my own.
“I’m sorry…I failed. I failed all of us…and Chamberlain could have died because of that.”
Alison turned to gaze at Chamberlain. “We almost lost him.”
“Where’s the doctor?”
“He left. He said he was needed at the hospital. I think he just didn’t want to have a dead Illegal on his hands to deal with if Chamberlain died. Then Michael and that Noble showed up with you bleeding out. I bandaged and stitched you up. You were lucky you didn’t bleed to death. You had so many cuts.”
I glanced down at the bloody bandages and said, “Yeah, I learned some difficult lessons at the edge of a knife.” I looked Alison in the eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”
She smiled and said, “I’m happy to see you made it through.”
I nodded my head towards Chamberlain and said, “I’m glad to hear he survived. Where are Michael and Thomas?” I asked.
“That Noble, Thomas, went back to his apartment saying there were some things he needed to take care of, and Michael left not long ago to get some food for us. You should get some more rest.”
I passed out before she finished speaking.
I left that apartment the moment I could walk on my own. Chamberlain was still unresponsive, and the others protested my leaving. But I had a promise to keep to Alexandra. It didn’t take much effort on my part to keep it. The people declared her a hero. When the lights weren’t coming back on, people saw her as a means of salvation and strength. They cried out against Mayor Josephus Kraine and blamed him for everything.
They weren’t wrong.
I watched from a crowd as a small squadron of soldiers escorted Kraine out of his office. The people screamed and shouted curses at Kraine as soldiers threw him into the back of an armored vehicle. I stood within that heated mob and watched the Empire’s finest es
cort the man responsible for the destruction of Chicago out of his office and into the street. Our eyes locked and I gave him my most mocking salute before they drove away from the city Kraine betrayed.
After that the people begged for a trusted replacement, one they believed stood up for them. It took minimum effort to convince people that Alexandra was that person. Within a day of Kraine’s departure, Alexandra sat in his chair and called the shots for the future of Chicago.
Her first decision as the new acting Mayor was to replace the NPFC with the surviving members of her mob. Anyone not already on The Lady’s payroll was fired and replaced by a mobster. Victor Carmichael went missing and Chicago’s police commissioner spot was filled by one of Alexandra’s top lieutenants. Agent Jeremiah Lorre, meanwhile, resigned the day after the EMP went off, before Alexandra Carline became the new Mayor.
Alexandra’s second act as Mayor was to initiate a city-wide manhunt for the masked vigilante known as Shaman. She publicized that Shaman and Ziavir worked together to destroy Chicago, and she vowed that she would do everything in her power as the new Mayor to make sure that Shaman answered for his crimes. The people believed her. They needed a bad guy and who better than the one individual who had failed to save them from their dismal fate.
It was a week and a half later before Chamberlain finally awoke, slowly and peacefully, like a baby waking from a nap. Alison, Michael, and I were all there to watch him as he started to open his eyes.
“Good morning, sleepy head,” I said, “Enjoy your nap?”
He smiled and whispered, probably the loudest he could at the moment, “Yeah…could’ve had it last a bit longer. But I’m starving. Does anyone happen to have a sandwich lying around?”
We all laughed and Michael said behind me, “Yeah I’ll go make you one.” He exited the room to go into the kitchen.
“You’ve been in a coma for almost two weeks and the first thing you say when you wake up is to ask for a sandwich?” teased Alison.
“Uh…sorry?” whispered Chamberlain.
“Classic Chamberlain, always thinking first with your stomach,” Alison teased.
By that point Michael came back carrying a tray with sandwiches, chips and a glass of lemonade. He set it down on the coffee table next to one of the lit candles. We would have a candle shortage in no time.
“Did I miss anything while I was out?” Chamberlain asked with a smile.
Alison brushed back his hair and said soothingly, “Not that much. Don’t worry, we’ll get you caught up on everything. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
I quickly chimed in, “That makes two of us. Look Chamberlain, I just want you to know how sorry—”
He lifted up his hand to stop me. I was surprised by how steady it was. “There’s nothing to apologize for. The past is the past. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I disagree with that.
I smiled. “I’m glad to see you alive, old friend. I was afraid I was going have to take care of everything myself from now on. Glad to see things can go back to the way they were supposed to…with you carrying everything and me eating the sandwiches.” I snatched up one of his sandwiches and stuffed a big bite into my mouth.
Chamberlain laughed and said, “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble. You need help.”
I winked and mumbled through a mouth full of food, “Not a chance.”
He smirked and said, “I want to know, what happened after I blacked out? Did we stop them?”
“We…um…we,” I started, hesitating when I looked at Michael, “We failed. But it wasn’t a bomb like we thought it was. It was an EMP. Chicago is fried.”
“What about Ziavir and Nebula? What happened to them?” asked Chamberlain as he bit into a sandwich.
“Police Commissioner Carmichael’s gone. Rumor is that he fled during the crisis. Nobody knows what happened to him,” said Alison.
“Erikson is here. He’s working with the Mayor to rebuild…and making a fortune doing it. His career is soaring after all this. Now he owns and runs multiple businesses and enterprises across Chicago. It seems he aided Nebula for that outcome. Yet the people love him and trust him more than ever before,” said Michael.
“And Ziavir?” asked Chamberlain. I looked away and said, “He…got away…as well as the rest of his men.”
“Kraine?”
“Given a military escort out of the city. Griffon says that he’s been reassigned to be the new acting warden of some prison,” said Alison.
“Then the new Mayor is?”
“Alexandra Carline,” said Michael.
Chamberlain whistled and said, “That’s the last time I take any time off.”
Chamberlain reached out for Alison’s hand and said, “Last I recall your engagement ring was in my pocket.”
White teeth split her bright red shining face and her eyes sparkled with tears. Her hands fluttered with excitement and her breathing became heightened. She covered her mouth, hiding a gasp before she moved her hands to his and asked, “Is that your form of a proposal?”
Her question was one part teasing and every part serious. Chamberlain winked and said, “Depends on your answer.”
She leaned forward and kissed him slowly and passionately. It was just long enough to make Michael and me uncomfortable. She pulled away and said, “Nothing would make me happier.”
Chamberlain looked toward me and I knew what he wanted. I took out the ring that I had been keeping in my pocket for over a week and gave it to Chamberlain. He opened it and took out the beautiful diamond ring. It wasn’t the ring he was expecting. Chamberlain’s ring had been small, cheap, and likely used a number of times before. This ring was big. Beautiful. Jaw-dropping. And it was the ring I stole from Alexandra’s safe deposit box during our bank heist.
“Oh, Chamberlain, it’s beautiful!” shouted Alison as she stuck her left hand out toward him.
Chamberlain, shocked to see a different and much more beautiful ring, struggled to speak as he repeatedly looked from the ring to Alison to me several times. Our eyes locked and I winked, encouraging him to continue. He mouthed thanks and gently put it on Alison’s waiting finger as he said, “It looks rather dull compared to you.”
She stared at the ring, her eyes glistening in its reflection as a joyous smile spread across her face. She flung herself suddenly at Chamberlain and kissed him again and again. Suddenly there was a popping sound like a silenced pistol being fired.
Ziavir!
I spun around looking for the nearest weapon. But there was no Ziavir and no danger. Michael had popped open a bottle of champagne.
“Let’s celebrate!” he shouted as he started pouring drinks for everyone.
What the hell? We deserve it.
Nothing changed in the Stinks, our neighborhood was as dark and depressing as always. At least nothing seemed worse…yet. I supposed the Stinks couldn’t get worse.
I’d avoided going there for a month. Nobody had been down there since Michael and I dragged Thomas there to recruit him. Since then I don’t believe any of us had the courage to visit the rough area of town. Chamberlain still recovered, his body was left crippled and Alison had to take care of him. They were too preoccupied to even think of the Stinks. Thomas, a Noble, had no connection there. Michael showed the most fearful signs, though for once he never spoke of his feelings and thoughts on the matter.
I think we were all afraid of what awaited us if we did go back.
I most of all.
However, a month had passed. No one had heard from Gabriel since he’d left me handcuffed to that hospital bed. Everyone else thought him dead. I knew better, but never corrected them. Everyone else believed my close connection to him was my reason for not returning. They didn’t know the truth.
I descended those steps and entered into our old hideout. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised by the lack of change. Gabriel probably never returned there either.
He had spun a web of lies since the day he walked into our lives. He had us
ed us, and yet at the same time made us believe we’d always followed our own ideas. He knew our flaws and strengths and manipulated us. He conned us from the beginning and we trusted him.
No blade could cut as deep.
I strode deeper into the hideout; I was cautious of what awaited me. My fingers left trails of dust on every surface I touched. Either Gabriel hadn’t been there, or he was smart enough not to disturb anything. I turned toward the corner with the changing screen and said, “Gabriel’s good.”
A new dark brown leather duster and a black fedora hat hung on a coat rack.
Those weren’t there last time.
Moving towards the coat hanger, I stopped while passing the table in the center of the room. There lay a single white envelope with my name handwritten across it. I quickly scooped it up, pulled out my pocket knife and sliced the envelope open to yank out a letter. I began to read it.
Dear, Griffon,
By now you are aware of who I am. I always dreaded this inevitable day. You may be questioning why I did this or why I lied to you for years. As hard as it is to imagine, I always thought of you like a son. It made my job more difficult. My motives were pure and for the greater good, but they were by no means easy to bear. There are matters at play around you that you don’t yet understand, but I wish you did. Maybe then you would understand why I betrayed you and why I could never tell you the truth. I hope to reconcile that one day.
I did the things I did to create a better world. Sometimes good men are called to make hard choices. It would have been easy to tell you the truth and abandon my mission. Nobody would think ill of me. But I made my decision long ago about what sort of man I would be. It was the decision that created Shaman and led to passing that role on to you. You have lived by the same morals, but with boundaries I could no longer bear to share. That is why it is time you finally knew the truth about me and about your past.