The Seekers of Knight (The Seekers Trilogy, Book Two) (The Watchers Series 5)

by T. C. Edge

  “Where are these locations?” I ask. “Anything near Knight’s Wall where we found Link?”

  “I don’t believe so,” he says. “But it’s early days. Perhaps she’ll catch a break and find a better lead.”

  Staying in that apartment, I begin to get cabin fever. With everything building up, bubbling to the surface, I begin to feel useless being locked up on the eighth floor of the Senate building, just waiting for things to happen. The following day, I accompany Ajax on his visit to Link in a bid to find out if he knows anything else.

  I ask a few more questions of him, and he seems even more frustrated than I am that his memory is so hazy. For such a great warrior, who’s dedicated his life to helping people, simply sitting and recovering in that hospital bed is tantamount to torture. Unlike when I saw him the other night, there’s a palpable frustration inside him that’s clear to see. No longer does he look tired and weak. His face has morphed back into that of the relentless warrior I know, his body quickly regaining its strength.

  As we sit there with him, he looks to the corridor outside.

  “OK boys, I need to stretch my legs…”

  For the first time in weeks, he plants his feet to the floor and slips from his bed. Gingerly at first, we help him out into the corridor. When a nurse sees him, she quickly attempts to guide him back to the room. He waves her away and continues, his posture gradually rising and growing stronger with every step.

  When we step out onto the streets, he takes in a long breath of fresh air and looks up to the large domed roof above us, the sky shining bright and blue beyond.

  “It’s odd, seeing this place after so many years away,” he says, looking around. “I never liked it much.”

  “Well, hopefully you’ll be back out there soon,” I say, delighted to see him on his feet again. Then I broach a topic that I know hasn’t been mentioned to him yet, a sensitive subject to say the least. “Do you think…your powers will all come back?” I ask.

  His eyes slowly slide down to mine. His jaw sets, and that alone tells me his thoughts on the matter. Still, he offers a few words as well.

  “Theo…my powers will come back,” he says firmly. “I’m not going to let a few bullet holes rob me of them.”

  I look at Ajax, and we smile at each other.

  “It’s good to have you back, pops,” he says.

  Link smiles a rare smile, and looks around at the world that was so nearly taken from him. “It’s good to be back, son.”

  Seeing Link literally back on his feet helps to lift our spirits that night. It’s one thing seeing him lying in his bed. It’s another entirely watching him walk out into the street, his expression growing with resolve with each passing moment. I know that he’ll be back in fighting shape soon. The question is, will it be soon enough?

  My mother doesn’t think so, convinced as she is that the attack is imminent. And that night, when I find myself in the silence of my room, the evening late, I realise that’s she’s right.

  With my mind once more cleared and primed for the task, I drop into an uneasy sleep that brings images of fire and death and destruction to me once more. This time, there’s nothing blurred and indistinct about it. It’s real, so real I can reach out and touch it, like one of the manifestations in the Grid.

  Around me, fire rages, consuming buildings as they burst and crumble. People rush about, screaming, shot down by bullets. I see soldiers now, enemy soldiers, all dressed the same. But not soldiers of Eden. Different soldiers. Mercenaries. Bought by the Cabal. Sent to destroy.

  But they’re not alone. Among them, I see a familiar cloaked figure. Dark eyes peer from under a black hood. Skin as pale as snow shines out, stark against the dark outfit. He stands amid the carnage, completely relaxed, not reacting at all to the destruction around him.

  And then, as the world falls to chaos, the vision fades out.

  And my mind jumps wide awake.

  18

  Time Grows Short

  “Any day now…it’s happening,” I say rapidly. “And it’s not just a few people either. It’s a small army…and they’ve got a Seeker with them.”

  I stand in the kitchen with my parents alone. It’s still late, the dawn a way off, and the city below continues to sleep. But not us. As soon as I saw what I did, I had to tell them.

  “Right. But you still don’t know where?” asks Jackson.

  I scrunch my face up. “If I’d travelled a bit more, maybe I would. If it was one of you, maybe you would,” I say. “But no, I have no idea. All the buildings were engulfed in fire and were being destroyed. It was carnage, dad…chaos.”

  “OK, but we know it’s a major city, right? The streets around you suggest that? And the number of people?”

  I nod, and so does Cyra. “It’s definitely a major city,” she says. “And most likely near enough to us for it to be clear. One of the coastal cities, perhaps, or another sea city…”

  “Or here?” I ask. “What about here?”

  Jackson quickly shakes his head. “No. We’re too well guarded here. No one can get in.”

  “Are you sure about that? Didn’t you manage to infiltrate the place back during the war with just a few people?” I say, looking at my mum.

  Cyra nods. “That’s true…”

  “But the city has changed a lot since then,” says Jackson. “There are no weak entry points, certainly not enough for an army to infiltrate. In any case, you’d both recognise it if it were Eden. The place has a unique structure, and the people dress in a unique way. By the sounds of it, these people in your visions were dressed in less formal attire?”

  Again, both my mother and I agree on that point.

  “Fine. Then we need to send out warnings to all the major urban areas along the coast and out to sea. We’ll redirect soldiers to them as protection and to offer us some forewarning of any attack. Until we know exactly where the strike will occur, that’s the best we can do. I’ll speak with President Alber immediately.”

  Jackson doesn’t like to wait around. Within minutes, he’s dialling Alber’s secure line. I hear the urgency in his voice down the phone as he speaks with the President’s new Chief Secretary who we all know well.

  “Leeta, I need you to wake him immediately. Tell him I’ll be down in five minutes.”

  He slams the phone down, apparently not giving Leeta a chance to respond, and sets about getting himself dressed.

  “Can we come?” I ask as he prepares to leave.

  “No, stay here,” he says. “This is a matter of security and it’ll be easier with just me. We know how Alber feels about you both right now.”

  Begrudgingly, we watch him leave without being able to contribute.

  “He’s right you know,” says Cyra. “We’re walking a fine line with Alber. It’s best we stay out of his way.”

  “I guess. Do you know what happened to the Watchers in the end? The ones sent back to Petram?”

  “I spoke to Markus. He didn’t exactly like what was happening here, but sounded happy to have his people back. I suppose they’ll be useful for Athena if she wants to use them, or just in protecting Petram. Honestly, I’ve half a mind to go and join them. I’m getting a bad feeling about being here...”

  “Me too, mum. Maybe we should, now that Link’s on the mend? You hate it here anyway. And you know, I’m kinda starting to feel suffocated here as well. Have you mentioned this to dad?”

  She shakes her head. “He’s head of security now. And he’s committed to keeping a stable government in place.”

  “I don’t see why. Now that Alber’s taken charge I’d say we just leave them to it. We’ll have a better chance linking up with Athena and her Watchers. I don’t like how we’re divided like this. It weakens us.”

  “You’re right,” she says, nodding. “Perhaps that was Baron Reinhold’s design all along. Maybe that’s just what Knight wanted. Divide and conquer. He tried exactly the same thing during the war. Luckily, it didn’t pay off. He was too blinded by his
arrogance to see his death coming.”

  “And now…he’s living again,” I say. “Through these clones.”

  “They have his strength, perhaps…but they can’t have his mind. That was twisted over many years. These clones, they’re just kids really.”

  “Yeah, kids bred to be just as twisted, mum. You didn’t see what I saw over there. The Baron had a shrine to Knight. He worshipped him. Those clones would have been fed nothing but hate for years, living down in that dungeon. They won’t know anything else but to do what they’ve been taught.”

  “To create chaos…” she whispers.

  I nod. “To bring this world to its knees. It starts with this attack.”

  As we talk, we hear footsteps coming back down the hall, storming forward. Jackson comes through the door, his face thunderous.

  “What happened?” asks Cyra, rushing up to him.

  “He wouldn’t listen,” growls Jackson. “He’s a belligerent fool, and he’s going to get a lot of people killed.”

  “He won’t beef up security?” I ask.

  “No…he doesn’t believe in your visions. He said he doesn’t want to cause any further fear among the people. The man’s blind. He’s tying my hands behind my back here. There’s nothing I can do.”

  “Then maybe we should leave,” I say, looking at Cyra.

  “Leave?” asks Jackson.

  “Yeah, why not!” I say. “We’re getting nothing done here. We’re just hiding. Let’s gather our strength in Petram…and hunt these people down.”

  “Your son might be right, Jack,” says Cyra calmly. “What good are we doing here? Link is safe to travel. I think it’s time we moved on.”

  “But this attack? We cannot leave the people to suffer…”

  “Oh, we won’t,” says Cyra. “We’ll always defend them. When the attack comes, we’ll go and help however we can. And then…we won’t come back to this city. There’s a shadow coming back to these streets. It’s time we stepped back into the light.”

  Outside, the faintest glow begins to shine through the window, the sun bringing the world to life. Jackson walks towards the glass and looks out at the streets, yet to fully wake. He must know by now that he’s done everything he can here. That the threat is out there, and we have to face it head on.

  As he stands there, I watch him closely, and gradually see his head begin to nod.

  “OK,” he says after a period of deliberation. “I’ve had it up to here with this place.” He turns around, and looks at his wife. “Cyra, we’ll do it your way.”

  As morning continues to dawn, we inform the others of our decision. Each of them appear immediately sold on the plan.

  “I’ll speak with Link,” says Ellie. “He’ll be happy to see the back of this place too.”

  “Good,” says Jackson. “Girls?”

  He turns to Velia and Vesuvia, who share a look as they always seem to, utilising their special telepathic powers. Both nod at the same time, and turn back to him.

  “This place is boring now,” says Vesuvia.

  “Yeah, without the Grid, what’s the point in being here?” adds Velia.

  “So you’re on board?” I ask with a smirk.

  “And you, Ajax? Anything to add?” asks Cyra.

  “I think we’ve had enough talking. Now it’s time for action,” he says.

  “I guess that about sums it up,” laughs Jackson.

  We quickly consider if there’s anyone else we should take with us on departure, and one name immediately springs to mind.

  “Leeta,” I say. “She’d rather do anything than have to work for President Alber.”

  “I agree,” says Cyra. “I’ll mention it to her, and see what she says.”

  “OK, but be discreet about it,” warns Jackson. “With her proximity to the President, it’s dangerous. I don’t want him hearing about any of this. When the attack comes, we’ll ship out to do what we can. And then…we won’t be coming back. Now come on, let’s get to work.”

  For the rest of the day, we set about preparing ourselves to make a hasty retreat when the time comes. Ellie and Ajax go to the hospital. Jackson continues his duties in order to keep up appearances. Cyra sets about informing Leeta of our plan. Only the twins and me are left in the residence, little for us to do but wait.

  I go over the vision I had the previous night again in my head several times, sitting alone in my room. It’s so close I can almost touch it now. At any moment, it might be happening, the fighting suddenly breaking out under our noses.

  I know that most of these visions are impossible to identify. The number of times I’ve seen someone killed as I sleep, unable to do anything about it, has blunted my mind to such things. What once was a horrifying experience has now become the norm, my reaction rarely more than a feeling of cold impassiveness as I try to determine where and when the offence is taking place.

  And with this vision, one that has plagued us all for days, the same risk applies. If none of us can find out where it’s going to happen, and when, then we might just wake one morning to find that a city not far away has already been obliterated.

  Only this time, it won’t be a single person being killed by a thief, or a family burning in a house fire. This time, it will be an entire city that suffers the consequences of our failure.

  We cannot allow that to happen.

  So all that day, I sit alone, and I search my mind for more clues. Sitting in complete silence, I enter a state of total concentration, searching the future, dedicating every ounce of my mental capacity to the task. But as the hours go by, all I see is the same thing as before. The same destruction. The same carnage. Just memories embedded inside me of a vision that’s yet to take place.

  Eventually, I’m broken from the spell by a knock at the door. My father walks in and shuts it quietly.

  “Professor Lane has asked to see us again, Theo. We cannot wait this time. Come on.”

  I’m quickly off my bed.

  “What’s this about?”

  “She didn’t say. Now come.”

  This time, we don’t wait until the hour is late and the streets are clear. There is no need for such subterfuge now, the pieces all moving fast and furiously. With a speed to our step, we quickly descend back down towards her lab, motoring along the closer we get.

  When we enter, the place is once more alive, a number of technicians busily working away as early evening advances. Once again, the Professor waves us straight over to her computer, where she sits in her swivel chair.

  “Ah, that was very quick,” she says. “I thought you might be coming down later.”

  Jackson looks around and lowers his voice so that no one else can hear.

  “There’s no time, Professor. Things have become urgent.”

  “Urgent? What’s the rush?”

  “I’ll tell you in a moment. Now what do you have?”

  Her face crinkles into a smile. She gently dabs her glasses a little further up her nose.

  “Well, I hear you’re looking for a secret base,” she says. “And I think I might have found it.”

  19

  The Secret Base

  I look at the large screen positioned above Professor Lane, just as I did several days ago. Then, it was covered with a list of names. Now, I see a vague schematic that makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

  “We uncovered this inside the file,” she says. “From the layout and design, I can determine that it is a subterranean facility, and quite a large one at that. I have a suspicion that Baron Reinhold is basing his operation from this site.”

  “And what makes you say that?” asks Jackson.

  “I say it because it has been built by one of the names you gave me, Jackson. Lord Kendrik, or to give him his real name, Lucius Gray. He appears to be the Baron’s right hand man, and this facility is his.”

  “OK…so where exactly is it?” I ask excitedly.

  “Its location isn’t exact, but we’ve found clues that it’s situated somewhere a
long Knight’s Wall. Are you aware of Lucius Gray’s main role within our current government?” she asks.

  I certainly don’t know. My father doesn’t appear to either.

  “Well, as you are well aware, Lucius has been instrumental in helping to rebuild some of the infrastructure of the regions, in particular. Mainly, his role has been in creating towns and other settlements after the war.”

  “Yes, I know that. What’s the link?” asks my father.

  “Well, it appears that much of the brick and mortar used for the construction of these towns and settlements have come from the skeleton of Knight’s Wall. Obviously, there was a lot of raw material there going completely unused…”

  “Oh yeah!” I say, breaking the conversation. “I remember Drake telling me about that…when we came here for the first time, dad, from Petram after Troy’s funeral. Drake told me that Knight’s Wall was basically being recycled.”

  “Yes, absolutely, that’s a good way of putting it,” continues the Professor, my interruption not causing her to lose her stride. “Lucius’s primary function has been taking the wall down, and then using it to build up some more functional structures that we can actually use. And, in doing so, he’s had free reign over huge swathes of Knight’s Wall, without so much as a single government official actually monitoring his activity.”

  “And…you believe he’s taken that opportunity to build this facility somewhere along it?” asks Jackson.

  “Precisely. But not just anywhere. From what we can decipher, this facility looks to be suspiciously close to where Link was discovered. I’m not saying for certain that the Baron is there…but somewhere along that stretch, you’ll find this base.”

  As she talks, her words fade, and my mind turns back a few weeks.

  “Oh my God…” I whisper.

  It’s loud enough for the others to hear. Their eyes lift to mine as I stare forward at the schematic.

  “What is it, Theo?” asks Jackson keenly.

  “I…I think I know where it is,” I stammer.