by T. C. Edge
Then, the Baron’s voice reaches over the throng.
“Now now, soldier, let’s not get premature,” he says, raising his arm to calm the killer’s itchy trigger finger.
The man nods obediently and swings the gun back to the crowd, who duck from its path and shut their eyes. Their looks of fear bring a smile to his hateful face. I make a note in my head to kill him first should I somehow get out of this.
The Baron’s voice rises again in the sudden silence, echoing a little around the city square.
“You know why you are all here,” he says. “You were all given the chance to swear allegiance to your one true ruler, Augustus Knight. You chose not to do so. For that, you are sentenced to death.”
“I’ll never swear allegiance to him!” shouts a brave man, elderly and unbowed by fear. “Knight is dead…and good riddance.”
The Baron’s eyes sharpen as he stares at the man. He looks to his left, where one of the Seekers is standing guard, and then to his right at another. His eyes find the final two, before a smile rises on his face. At once, they all slowly peel back their hoods revealing their faces to the crowd. The people look in shock, seeing the young spectres of evil rising up once more.
“As you can see, ladies and gentlemen,” says the Baron. “Augustus Knight is far from dead…”
I look from one Seeker to the next, seeing their faces clearly for the first time. They all look identical, older versions of the boys we saw in the tubes down in the cloning facility. One, however, carries a lighter tone to his hair, his eyes flashing with a dash of blue amid the grey. I recognise him immediately as the one I sparred with in New Atlantis. The one, perhaps, that Knight’s Terror said was ‘truly special’.
But not to me. I stare at him with a deepening scowl as his eyes swing to mine, locking for a few long seconds. I don’t deviate, unwilling to turn away before he does. But he, too, continues to stare right into me, a strange look to him that is both familiar and yet unnerving.
“Ah…Theo,” comes the Baron’s voice. My staring contest is broken as I’m drawn to his face. “I’m so glad you could make it…and is that Ajax and Velia I see. Oh, and your mother, too. We’re yet to meet, Mrs Drayton. It’s a real pleasure.”
“Save your words, Reinhold. I don’t care for them,” cuts Cyra’s voice. “You try to come off sounding like Augustus, but really you’re just a second rate imitator.”
“Oh…I have no desire to sound like or emulate Augustus,” he retorts. “There will never be another man like him. His mind was a work of art, a thing of beauty. The things he did for this country will never be forgotten by those who truly understand him. All of you here…you’re nothing but a blip in his history. And his history will go on…”
“It won’t go on,” shouts Cyra. “You have your clones, but they’re just low quality copies of the man. Augustus Knight is long dead, and he will never be coming back.”
Again, my mother’s words don’t cause the reaction I’d expect. The Baron merely smiles gently.
“Cyra…the Golden Girl,” he says, sighing. “A simple hero of the people…who truly knows nothing. You think his death was the end? You think he didn’t foresee it all? You think he didn’t put plans in place for when it came? None of you here know the full depths of him or what he was capable of. And none of you will…”
He looks around the city, at the tall towers surrounding the square, and takes a deep breath, sucking in the air that was once so familiar to him.
“I used to love this place,” he says. “I thought I’d live here forever. But I’ve learned all too well that things change, and not everything is meant to last forever. And like your lives, Eden is about to come to an end…”
A see people among the crowd looking at each other. A few words and whispers begin to chatter. I look at my allies and they, too, appear confused.
And yet it’s President Alber’s voice that rings out loudest.
“But, Baron Reinhold…I was told that I’d continue as President. What do you mean this city will come to an end?”
“Oh, I mean exactly that, Mr President,” says the Baron, smiling. He clips his fingers and two soldiers swing their weapons at Alber’s chest and head, one aiming at each.
“But…what is this?!” bleats Alber. “I did everything I was asked to do…I got you access to the city…”
“And for that, I thank you,” says the Baron coldly.
And with a smile, and a tiny nod, two single shots ring out, one penetrating Alber’s heart, and the other his head.
Once more, the crowd shriek and gasp at the sight, while the members of the Cabal merely look on as if it’s nothing. I turn to my allies and in our eyes we tell each other that we have to do something…that we can’t just stand here and wait to be killed.
And yet, disarmed and surrounded by soldiers and Seekers, there’s absolutely nothing we can do…
Then, beneath my feet, I feel a deep rumbling. It comes from nowhere, an alien feeling for anyone who’s stepped foot in this city. This isn’t like the mainland, where an earthquake from miles away can cause the ground to rattle and shake. Here, nothing can impact the city’s rigid motion, not even the most violent storm or terrible tornado. There’s no feature of the natural world that can cause even the faintest of ripples through these streets.
But nothing about this rumbling is natural. It happens once, and then it happens again. And several more times, the platform rocks a little, vibrations rolling up through everyone in the square.
All eyes hunt for the Baron again, who looks down on us, watching as we react with confusion. But there’s no confusion in him, or the allies standing to his left and right.
“What is this? What’s going on?” calls out a voice from the crowd.
More voices shout with fear and bewilderment, looking for answers even with their deaths so imminent.
It’s not the Baron, however, who offers an answer. It’s Athena, wincing through the pain in her arm, sweat beading on her forehead.
“You heard what he said,” she calls out. “They’re not taking this city back…they’re going to destroy it.”
“Yes…yes we are,” laughs the Baron. “And all of you, my friends, will have front row seats.”
“And that’s what Knight wanted, is it?” I call over the growing clamour, drawing the Baron’s eyes to me. “He wanted his great city destroyed?!”
“Theo…I told you before, not so long ago when we first met. I told you, didn’t I, that if Augustus cannot have this city…then no one can. We’ll see your world burn, and build our own from the ashes.”
As he speaks, the rumbling sounds again, this time more aggressive, the ground shaking beneath us. Off in the distance, up on the deck level, the sound of explosions begins to echo down the streets, and I see the glowing flames of chaos once more appearing around us.
“And that, my friends, is my cue to leave,” says the Baron loudly. “I bid you all a fond farewell. It’s such a shame that you refused to turn…”
With those words, he begins moving away, descending from the stage with the rest of his men, his Seekers flanking him for company. I see the lighter haired one looking once more at me, his eyes then sweeping towards my mother. For a second, he stares at her before being called into the waiting hovercar, disappearing once more from sight.
From the cordon, a couple of the crowd try to rush through and escape, the soldiers momentarily distracted as the Baron and his convoy begin moving off. Their eyes are quick to see the attempt, however, several more dignitaries given the most undignified of endings.
The guns roar out, snapping bullets into innocent bodies, and I feel my arms tensing harder and harder, trying to rip open my restraints. I look at Ajax, muscles bulging beneath his bodysuit as he tries to do the same, the metal wrenching and grinding but refusing to break.
A couple more people attempt to flee in desperation, but they too feel the sting of the mercenaries’ bullets. I swing my eyes to Athena, her teeth gritted as
she watches things unfold, eyes searching for some means of escape. Then, I look to my mother, and note that she’s doing the same. She stares forward, and I see her pick something up, see her sense something coming.
She swings her view over to the side, and my eyes follow. There, standing surrounding us, a dozen soldiers point their weapons, ready to fire as the city continues to grow louder with explosions, drawing ever closer.
And as I watch, I see them suddenly drop, one after another, legs giving way as they sink to the floor. Heads click back, red dots appearing in their centre, as the rest of the soldiers begin searching the skies.
And in that moment of confusion, we all see our chance. As the dignitaries cower and duck, the Watchers stand tall, the world now filling once more with little lines of white as bullets pour from all sides.
My eyes flash left and right and I see, hidden among the streets high and low, my father’s strike force, sniping expertly as they’ve been trained to do. And among them, other figures appear.
Jackson. Ellie. Link.
Heroes, together again. Fighting once more for freedom.
31
The City Falls
The world roars with the sound of battle. Explosions. Gunshots. Screaming.
Burning buildings glow around us, the ground beneath us continuing to rumble and shake. And in that moment, I see the flash of one of the visions I had many days and weeks ago. Eden was going to burn all along.
Taking cover from the sudden attack, the Baron’s mercenaries start firing back, their attention no longer on the crowd. I see one, however, who’s got an eye for the kill, a look that tells me he’s desperate to take as many lives as possible before his own is lost. He’s the one who mowed down the innocent men and women only minutes ago. One of the Baron’s fanatics, a worshipper of Knight, keen to be rewarded in the next life.
I promised myself I’d kill him first…I won’t let myself down.
As he hides from fire, I refuse to let him act out his egregious intentions. With my hands bound, I begin stepping through the mess of cowering bodies, making a beeline towards him.
I see the white lines of bullets cross ahead of me, firing at the mercenaries, about to slash through and seek them out. I see one right ahead, but don’t duck under it. Instead, I lift my restraints ahead of me, place the connecting chain in front of the white trail, and wait.
A moment later, the errant bullet comes cruising, cutting straight through the chain and setting my hands free. A smile of freedom lights on my face as my pace now quickens, the murderer ahead about to spray a clip into the crouching crowd.
I don’t let him. Bounding ahead, he sees me coming, but has no chance at all. Lifting his machine gun to my chest, he opens fire. But I’m no longer there, sliding left and reaching him in a flash. I take a grip of his head and twist, turning his neck backwards with a loud crack. I drop him to the earth, and feel nothing as I glance at his broken frame.
Instead, I lean down and scoop up his weapon, running from mercenary to mercenary as I take them out. From the shadows, Link does the same, his many wounds heavily taped, but his body tightly bound in a supportive suit similar to what we’re wearing. As he marches through, terminating the remaining mercs, Ellie and Jackson arrive from other alleys, releasing the others from their bounds.
Soon enough, the chattering gunfire has been subdued, the Baron’s soldiers taken out.
I rush over to the others, words already pouring out.
“What the hell happened?” shouts Cyra over the din, looking at Jackson.
“It was Link and Ellie,” he says. “They’d seen this coming, and managed to save me and my strike force back in the hanger. There’s no time to explain. We have to get these people out of here…”
“Right,” says Cyra, looking around. “What’s the best way?”
“The docks,” calls Ellie, running to join us with Link and Ajax. “The hangers are crawling…we’ll never escape that way.”
“OK, make for the docks right away,” says Jackson. Then he turns to me. “Professor Lane,” he says. “We have to get her.”
“Where is she?!”
“Down in her lab,” shouts my father, the city growing ever louder. “I won’t let her stay here and die…”
“OK dad…OK.”
He turns to Cyra once more, working to usher the leaders out of the square. “Cy, we’ll meet you at the docks. Get as many there safely as you can.”
She looks to her husband and son. “Where are you going?”
“I have to get Winifred.”
“It’s too late, Jack. The city is dead.”
“And I won’t let her die along with it. I need Theo’s eyes. We’ll be safe, I promise.”
They kiss, briefly, a moment of tenderness amidst the madness, before she lets his hands slip from hers.
“Be safe,” she says, hugging me tight, before moving off to help the others.
Alone with my father, we begin running from the square, diving inside a waiting hovercar. I push my father away and get behind the wheel, my ability to see into the Void essential. It proves to be so as we spin around streets, crumbling bits of debris raining down from on high. Around us, people pour out of buildings, waking as the city is besieged from within.
We call out as we go, shouting out of the windows.
“GET TO THE DOCKS! GET OUT OF EDEN!”
Those who hear us turn in the right direction, moving North to the city docks. Those who don’t continue to panic, not knowing what to do or where to go.
We can’t help them, though. There’s nothing more we can do.
Soon, we’re approaching the wall, and tumbling from the car as a large chunk of debris caves in its roof. We take no notice of it, hurtling towards the lifts and praying they still work.
They do.
In we get, sinking into the fiery depths of the sea city, the entire platform still shaking and rattling as we descend. I keep my focus, searching the Void, as we step out onto Underwater 3 and begin rushing down the corridor.
As we go, the sight of water comes pouring in from the distance, cracks in the outer perimeter straining as seawater comes leaking in. Our feet splash as the lights come and go, the power threatening to go out as the entire structure groans and grinds, moaning in pain.
Ahead, in the darkness, the sight of Professor Lane’s lab appears, the security door fastened shut. As we gallop, Jackson lifts the keycard from his pocket, ready to insert it. When he does, the door flashes and lifts, but only half way, forcing us to duck under it to get inside.
Immediately, our voices fill the air.
“Winifred!” calls Jackson.
“Professor Lane!” I call.
Ahead, the room flickers, the usually glowing screens ahead cracked and broken. Machinery lies everywhere, tables and cabinets tossed about by the violent shaking. We move in, calling her name, separating as we search the lab.
And then, I see her, lying on the ground, caught under a large monitor that’s fallen to the floor. She lies there, motionless, her withered old frame crippled and broken. From her mouth, blood trickles, her eyes tightly bound shut.
“DAD! SHE’S HERE!” I shout.
Jackson’s with me in a flash, sliding to the sloshing wet floor, cupping his hand to the Professor’s cheek.
“Winifred,” he whispers softly. “Winifred, it’s me…it’s Jackson.”
As the city continues to collapse from within, everything seems to go quiet in my ears. I move forwards gently, listening as my father softly speaks to the woman who has done so much for him.
“Winifred,” he says again. “Can you hear me, Winifred?”
Slowly, I see her eyes flicker, and he speaks her name again. Then they open a crack, and then a little wider, before resting on Jackson’s face. A smile rises on her bloodied lips.
“Jackson…” her voice croaks. “You need to get out of here.”
“Not without you, Winifred. Now on your feet, soldier.”
He mak
es a move to try to lift her, but she merely shakes her head.
“My body is broken, Jack. It’s OK…I’m ready to die.”
“No, we can get you out of here. We’ll go walking in Petram, up in mountains…”
Her eyes smile at him, and a wrinkled hand lifts to his face. And for the first time in my life, I see a tear roll down my father’s cheek.
“You go walking with your wife and son. Live long for me, my dearest boy.”
Her eyes sweep over to me, and she gestures for me to come closer with her finger. I move in, leaning down, trying to stop my own tears from falling.
“I’ve found one more thing for you,” she whispers. “In the file…”
“What is it?”
“There’s no time,” she says, her voice weakening with every word. “My notes…on…the desk…go…”
I see her eyes flicker as my father calls her name again. And then, slowly, they begin to lock, half open and fading away, staring right up to the ceiling. Empty.
My father looks at her for a moment longer, the room shaking violently.
“Goodbye, Winifred,” she whispers, kissing her cheek. “And thank you…for everything.”
Up onto his feet he goes again, me along with him. His eyes firm up and he looks to me.
“Grab the notes,” he says. “We have to get to the docks…”
32
A Final Secret
I rush over to the Professor’s desk and see a little notebook sitting upon it, before sweeping it up and running to the door. My father waits for me, ushering me under as he follows. Then back down the corridor we go, our feet splashing once more as the entire level continues to fill with water. It’s deeper now, pouring harder, the leaks becoming floods as the dams threaten to burst.
We reach the lifts just in time, a wave of water rushing towards us as we rise up again through the city. When we hit the summit, and step onto the deck, we see the devastation continue to evolve before us. More buildings burn. More bodies line the streets. More booms and explosions ripple and burst, echoing around the great dome as it fills with smoke.