by T. C. Edge
She nods again. “I understand.”
Then he turns to me.
“The same goes for you, Theo. I don’t want you talking to your friends about this…”
“But dad, they can be trusted. And they can help. The girls, they know the Deadlands well. Maybe they can help with these names?”
He considers it a moment.
“They have a right to know,” I add. “We got this file, remember. You wouldn’t even have it if it wasn’t for us.”
He looks at me and nods. “Fine. But it goes no further than them, OK?”
I nod. “And mum?”
“I don’t see the need to worry her, or Ellie. Not right now. They have enough on their plates, and won’t be able to contribute anything that the others can’t. Until we have something more concrete, you all need to keep looking for this new attack.”
“OK, got it.”
We don’t stay there much longer, leaving Professor Lane in her lab, and returning to the surface. I go back to my room to find Ajax still sleeping quietly, but struggle to drop off myself. By the time I do, it’s already growing early, the first light of dawn arriving outside.
I only get a couple of hours in the end, but wake feeling completely alert. With no training to go to, I gather the twins and Ajax in our room, and fill them in on what happened the previous night. They listen closely, before coming to a similar conclusion to Jackson.
“This is bad,” says Velia, her eyes narrowing.
“Real bad,” adds Vesuvia, her visage identical.
“Do you have names?” asks Velia.
I draw out a scribbled note from my pocket, on which I’d quickly written down the list of names before we left the lab. Ajax scans it and, like me, appears to recognise none of them. The girls, however, nod at a couple.
“You know one?”
“A few,” says Velia. “This one, Lord Kendrik…”
“And that one, Count Lopez,” adds Vesuvia, pointing to another.
“You know them both?” I ask. “Professor Lane and dad didn’t recognise them.”
“God, why do these people have such stupid titles,” mutters Ajax. “Baron this, Count that…”
“Because,” says Velia, “they’re fake names. These people are criminals like the Baron. But they probably have real identities over in the regions. I don’t know, maybe they’re legitimate businessmen?”
“There’s more,” says Vesuvia. “They were at the Watcher Wars.”
I think back, and an image rushes into my mind. That of two well dressed men emerging from the Baron’s residence with him. I guess it’s no surprise that they’re part of all of this too.
“Those guys we saw,” says Ajax, putting words to my thoughts. “Those two guys with the Baron…”
“Yep, Lord Kendrik and Count Lopez,” says Vesuvia. “Maybe the Baron’s gone to one of their secret hideaways?”
A thought strikes at me, and my words rush out.
“When we found Link, his car had come from the regions,” I say, thinking quickly. “And you say these two men might lead double lives, on the regions and Deadlands?”
“It’s possible,” says Velia.
“OK…so if that’s true, then maybe they do have a secret hideout, like Vesuvia says, some place in the regions where Link had come from. Maybe Drake and Link had tracked them there, and that’s when they were attacked?”
The girls nod.
“Makes sense. But that doesn’t help us find it.”
“Well, if we can find out who these men really are, then maybe we can?” I say. “There’s gotta be a database of information that we can look at, old photos and stuff. We know what they look like, right? We saw them at the Watcher Wars. Maybe that’ll help us track them down?”
“Yeah…” says Velia, nodding. “I like it. At least it’s something, right? A lead to follow.”
“Exactly.”
The trick, of course, is finding this database and looking through it without alerting anyone as to what we’re up to. Naturally, Jackson is my point of call when seeking aid on this matter, so that evening when I next see him, I take him to one side and update him on what the girls have found. I tell him my theory, and watch as he nods along to my words.
“That’s a good idea, Theo,” he says. “If we can find anything, an old residence or something, then we can have Athena go check it out. All we have to do is find out who these men are, and then work from there.”
Once more, my father’s security clearance is extremely helpful. That same evening, he takes us all down to the archives on Underwater Level 2, leading us towards rooms of cabinets filled with files and vast networks of information. Sifting through all of that, however, would take weeks, so we quickly find ourselves gathering around a computer and searching the online database.
The question is, where to start.
“Known Knight sympathisers,” I suggest.
“The search field is too large. We need to narrow it down,” says Jackson. “And, in any case, aren’t we looking for men who we think are loyal to this regime?”
“Yeah…you’re right,” I say. “Can you search by wealth? These men are all rich, aren’t they?”
Jackson begins typing away, and soon enough a list of several hundred men and women appear, the richest and most powerful people across the country.
“OK, that’ll do. Girls, over to you.”
Jackson moves to one side, and the twins step in closer, with Ajax and me on either side. One by one, they click through the pictures, passing dozens of them without stopping. Occasionally, one of us will say ‘stop’, and we’ll peer closer at the man in question, before agreeing that we don’t recognise him and move on.
That goes on for quite some time, before we finally pass by a face that has us all saying ‘stop’ simultaneously. We stare forward at the man and smile.
“That’s him,” says Velia. “That’s Count Lopez.”
“Are you certain?” asks Jackson.
Both the girls nod.
We look at the man’s real name. Ricardo Alvarez.
“Do you know it, dad?” I ask.
He nods slightly. “It rings a bell. He’s a wealthy landowner and industrialist,” he says.
We keep on going, searching for the second man, and soon enough we discover him too. Lord Kendrik, otherwise known as Lucius Gray, another man that my father has heard of.
“He’s a builder…” says Jackson.
“A builder?” asks Ajax, a little confused. “I thought we were searching for the super rich…”
“Oh, we are. He’s not just any builder. He’s built towns across the country. He helped us to rebuild much of the areas that were affected by Knight’s rule. I don’t understand why he’d turn against us?”
“Maybe he was never with us in the first place,” I say. “Maybe both these men have been pretending all this time, biding their time just like the Baron. We need to find out where they live. We can send Athena to find them.”
“I don’t think it’ll be that easy, Theo,” says Velia. “They’ll be off hidden somewhere with the Baron by now. They know we have the file. They must know we’ll crack it open eventually. I doubt they’re gonna just be waiting for us at home. And anyway, they’ve probably got a million addresses…”
“I agree with Velia,” says Jackson. “We’ll record the information we need and send it to Athena. It’ll give her something to hunt, at least.”
Feeling like we don’t want to outstay our welcome, we quickly extract any relevant information and begin making our way back up through the city. As we go, I feel a strange surge of excitement fill me, a sensation that I haven’t had in some time. It’s a feeling that we’re making progress. That, finally, things are starting to come together.
And that, maybe, we’ll be able to hunt these people down…
It’s quiet and late as we pass back through the central square and into the Senate building. Into the lifts we go, rising up to the eighth floor, and stepping out in
to the corridor. When we reach our residence, Jackson walks in first. Immediately, Cyra rushes forwards.
“Oh, Jack, there you are!” she says.
He moves in quick and we follow behind.
“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” asks Jackson hurriedly.
Her eyes scan us and find Ajax’s face.
“No…nothing’s wrong,” she says, stepping towards my friend. She smiles at him. “It’s your father, Ajax,” she says. “He’s woken up…”
17
A Legend Awakes
“He’s awake…” whispers Ajax.
Cyra takes his face in her palms. “Yes, he’s awake,” she says excitedly. “Your mother is down there now. I’ve been waiting for you to return.”
“Well, what are we still doing here!” says Jackson. “Let’s go see the man…”
Leaving Velia and Vesuvia in the residence, we all quickly make our way straight back out of the Senate building and towards the hospital, situated nearby. I can barely believe how the last couple of days have turned out as we rush through the city. From seeing a new president take the oath, to finding out about the Cabal, to this new revelation that Link’s awoken, so much has happened in so short a space of time. Truth be told, it’s difficult to process it all at once.
Right now, though, all other matters are pushed to one side. For the likes of Ajax and Ellie, the head of their family waking up is of huge emotional significance. And while the rest of us are similarly happy to see him come out of his coma, there are other pressing matters that we need to attend to. Finally, we’re going to find out what he knows.
When we reach the hospital, and rush towards Link’s room, we look through the window to see Ellie sitting beside his bed, holding his hand.
“You go in alone,” says Cyra to Ajax. “We’ll give you a moment.”
Ajax nods, and from the window we watch as he paces inside and moves to his father’s beside. Immediately, Link pulls him into a hug, his mountainous body clearly weak and still in pain. The grimace on his face as Ajax grips too tight makes that clear for all to see.
We stand as a family for a few minutes, watching the reunion, before Ellie waves us in from outside. In we go, Link’s dark brown eyes tracing our steps as we enter.
Jackson and Cyra step forward. My mother gives him a kiss on the cheek. My father extends a hand.
“It’s good to see you, old friend,” he says.
“We’ve all been so worried,” says Cyra.
Meanwhile, I stay quiet at the back, watching things unfold. Waiting impatiently for someone to begin the questioning.
After a few more minutes of small talk, it’s not surprising that it’s Jackson who dives in first. The change in his tone is noticeable, his body language turning more serious and business-like. He fixes Link with a stare and asks: “What happened out there?”
A silence hits the room. I can almost hear the thumping of my heart in my chest; feel the pulsing of the veins in my neck. I watch closely as Link’s eyes go cold and blank, his expression growing more severe. Then, from his lips, his deep voice sounds.
“It’s hard to remember,” he says. “There are only fragments…as if I’ve woken from a dream, and I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t.”
“Do you remember where you were?” asks Jackson. “When you were attacked.”
He shakes his head, racking his memory. “Somewhere…near the Deadlands…close to Knight’s Wall.”
“What were you doing there?”
“I…I can’t remember exactly,” he says. “Drake and I were tracking leads in the area. Then, we were attacked.” His eyes turn to Jackson, then Cyra. “Drake…is he OK?”
A fresh silence briefly swamps the room.
“We don’t know,” says Jackson. “We were hoping you might be able to tell us.”
“I…I don’t know,” he says, still struggling to recall what happened. “We were attacked. There was a flash, it seemed to come from nowhere. I don’t remember much else.”
“We found you near a car,” I say, stepping towards the foot of his bed. “It was riddled with bullets, pointing in the direction of Petram and away from the regions.”
“Yes,” he says, nodding a little. “I remember getting to the car, driving away. But…I don’t remember Drake being there. I wouldn’t have left him…”
“It’s OK, Link,” says Cyra. “We know you’d have done all you could.”
“I’m so sorry, Cyra,” he says. “I can’t remember much else…”
“The doctors said this might happen,” adds Ellie. “His body has suffered enormous trauma, and sometimes memory can be badly effected. It may return in time, or it may not. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“There’s more,” I say, desperate to eek out any more details. “When we first brought you to Petram, the doctors brought you out of your coma, just for a few moments. You said one word…Knight. Do you remember that?”
“No. I’m sorry, Theo. Why would I say Knight?”
We all look at each other.
“What’s been happening since I’ve been under?” he asks. “Someone, tell me…”
Where to begin, I think to myself, as Jackson once more takes the lead. With a few additions from the rest of us, my father quickly catches Link up on the main happenings of the last few weeks. The revelation of these Seekers, these clones of Knight, is naturally what hits home the hardest.
“The Watcher who attacked your home in Lignum,” he says. “He was a clone of Knight? One of these Seekers?”
“We believe so,” says Jackson. “There are four, and there were four attacks. But they’re just the tip of the iceberg. The threat is much larger than just them.”
“We think you were attacked on the Deadlands by the Seekers,” I add. “That’s why you said Knight when you woke from the coma. We thought you’d seen a face that looked like him…”
“I guess that makes sense,” he says. “But, I don’t remember the attack.”
“It must have been them,” says Ajax. “No one else could have taken you and Drake down.”
We all agree on that point. But regardless, Link’s testimony so far has proven a little underwhelming. Somehow, I thought that he’d have more to say. Perhaps he’d know where our enemies were hiding out. Something…anything to go on.
In the end, however, we don’t learn a great deal beyond what we already know, and end up leaving Link to rest some more. Returning to the residence, I update the girls on what happened. They seem equally disappointed as I am, though we don’t show that off to Ajax. For him, having his father wake up is all that matters. And while that’s important to me too, it’s frustrating that he hasn’t been able to offer any useful information.
“So, we still don’t know what happened to Drake. And we don’t know exactly where he was attacked. And we don’t know who actually attacked them. Is that all of it?” asks Velia, summing things up.
“Pretty much,” I say, sat in their room. It’s just the three of us, no Ajax this time. She probably would have chosen her words more carefully had he been with us. “But…we have a few more dots,” I continue. “Think about it, he said he was somewhere near Knight’s Wall, and they were following leads. Maybe there is a secret base in the area that they got too near to? Maybe that’s why they were attacked?”
The twins both nod. “Yeah…a hideout owned by Lord Kendrik, maybe. He’s a builder, right? Maybe he’s built a hideaway somewhere for the Baron?”
It all makes sense, but until we find information that might lead us to a possible location, it all just remains as nothing but speculation.
That night, my mind is too unfocused to pursue the vision of the attack. As I now know, when your mind is too busy and when your thoughts tumble all over the place, you’re unlikely to hunt down any specific details within a vision. The following morning, I discover that the same has happened with the girls and Ajax, the latter’s thoughts too focused on his father’s recovery to effectively search the fu
ture.
Only Cyra, experienced as she is in such things, is able to offer anything new. She looks a little more haunted that morning, dark patches around her eyes suggesting she had a rough night.
“It’s growing near,” she tells us. “Very near now. I fear we’re unprepared to do anything to stop it…”
She retreats into her own thoughts again and returns to her room.
“She was tossing and turning all night,” says Jackson. “She’s beginning to struggle again, having these visions night after night. They’re growing stronger…”
“But that’s good,” I say. “We need her strength, her foresight.”
“But at what cost?” he asks. “Her mind has suffered so much. There’s only so much it can take.”
“We have no choice, dad. None of us do. You know that.”
He nods and smiles at me. “You’re growing wise, Theo,” he says. “You’ll make a great leader one day.”
“Thanks, dad,” I say. “That’s assuming I live long enough.”
A frown settles over his eyes and he takes my shoulders in his hands. “You’ll live long enough,” he says firmly. “You’ll love long and happy once this is all over. We all will.”
I can only hope that’s true.
That day, with no ability to train or do anything much of use, we find ourselves lingering around the apartment. Jackson, busy as always, heads off, while Ellie and Ajax spend much of the day with Link. The twins and I, however, stay at home, unable to do much but continue to speculate and wait for something to happen.
Cyra mostly hovers around in the residence too. She advises that we utilise our time trying to fill our minds with the torment we’ve been seeing in our sleep. It’s an unpleasant thing to do, but it needs to be done. She knows all about that.
When evening dawns, Jackson brings up fresh news from the Deadlands.
“I’ve spoken with Athena about what we found. She has already identified a few locations owned by Lord Kendrik and Count Lopez, or Alvarez and Gray…whatever you want to call them. Hopefully she’ll have some success.”