Tethered Twins Saga: Complete Trilogy (Twins, Souls and Hearts)

by Mike Essex

  THIRTY EIGHT

  As Eli sat cross legged and bound on the floor I thought about how close we were to bringing him to justice. All we had to do now was get him out safely. We were almost home dry.

  Yet, a part of me wanted to kill him there and then. Seeing him give the order to kill Tom and knowing how he’d used March to deceive me time and time again, I didn’t want him to spend another second on this earth.

  Killing him wouldn’t give me any justice but it would put an end to everything.

  “I was going to let you live,” I told him. “You ruined it, just like you ruin everything.”

  Rex guarded the door, keeping an eye out for any soldiers that were approaching our floor. Meanwhile, Rufus kept guard looking out of the window, sniping those who came close to the building.

  “I remember the faces of everyone you made me control in the machine. I remember everything you made me do to them and worst of all I remember every single feeling they had. They were just pawns to you weren’t they?”

  He looked towards the window at the dark cloud that was building in the sky.

  “Weren’t they!” I shouted.

  “You can still stop this,” said Eli.

  The sound of fighting was growing louder outside of the Palace. Although Jacobi’s forces had stunned many of Eli’s soldiers the battled continued to rage on. Whatever was happening out there seemed to be growing more heated by the minute.

  “That dark cloud. The bright light. What were they?” I asked.

  “You know what they are, you were there,” he replied.

  The visions I’d had whilst in the snatcher’s body had mentioned an attack. That had to be what Eli meant.

  “Why would you attack your own country?” I asked.

  “You think I did this?” he laughed.

  “Make it quick!” shouted Rex firing out into the hallway.

  “There are plans in place that you can’t even comprehend,” said Eli. “When you left the machine you set about a chain reaction of events that led to this attack. Had you just stayed where you should have this could have all been avoided.”

  “Don’t play games with me. I know you were planning an attack.”

  “That was a necessary evil. What’s happening now, well without you in the machine there’s no way this attack can be stopped."

  “You’re sick!”

  “This can end. All you need to do is get back in the machine.”

  “Never.”

  “Then I’m afraid that…” he stopped talking and started to cough. First softly and then in a wave that grew and grew. After a deep exhale he slumped down his neck fully rotated forwards.

  “Dad? Dad!”

  I took his head in my hands and lifted it up. His eyes were wide open but devoid of movement. I placed my hand in front of his mouth but couldn’t feel any breath escaping.

  “No, no, no! You’re not getting off this easily,” I said as I laid his body onto the floor. I pushed down on his chest to try and get it going again and then checked his breathing again.

  “Emmie?” said Rufus.

  I ignored him and kept trying to get Eli’s heart to start again. Five times I repeated the process until my fists were practically bursting through his rib cage. Nothing did the trick.

  “It’s Evan,” said Rufus but I already knew what he was going to say.

  Slowly I walked towards Rufus and looked through the sniper rifle. Directly in the sights lay Evan, a bullet hole deep within his chest. It was over, Evan was dead and so was Eli.

  I sunk to the floor resting my head in my heads and started to cry. As my world went dark it was illuminated again by a bright light and the sound of a fresh wave of explosions crushing their way through London.

  PART THREE

  THIRTY NINE

  For a long time I’d known that Eli was a narcissistic sociopath but what I’d witnessed now went far beyond anything he’d done before; causing an attack on his own country in order to get me back in his machine. The horrors he’d unleashed didn’t bear thinking about.

  His body lay twisted on the floor, the only man who could stop the attacks now gone from this world. He’d caused so much damage in order to restore order to the world and yet his final desperate act had driven it further towards chaos.

  “We have to get out of here,” said Rex, pulling at my arm.

  I sat down next to Eli’s body, hoping he’d come back to life. Not because I missed him, or because of some misplaced family loyalty, but because he was the only one who could easily stop this.

  The bombs continued to fall around us, exploding their way through London, destroying all of the efforts that had been made to fix this once great capital city. I didn’t want to but I knew I had to move. Eli wasn’t done with me yet, he had one last test for me to see through, then I’d be free of him. I had to be.

  I checked through his pockets for anything useful and found a wallet and mobile phone which I pocketed. As Prime Minister of Britain I figured he had to have something that could come in handy.

  Together with Rex and Rufus I made my way out of the building and back to the grounds outside. The soldiers on both sides had long since left with only the bodies of the fallen remaining. Gabe and March were nowhere to be seen, something I was thankful for. If I ever saw them again I’d put a bullet in both of their brains for all they’d done. No second chances.

  “Where do you think they went?” asked Rex

  “Probably helping the people of London,” said Rufus.

  He was right, the ever escalating devastation around us was a much bigger problem than our stand-off had been. QWS and the British army had both sworn to protect the people of this country and I had no doubt that Jacobi would have to be the one to resolve their disputes and get them to work together for the common good.

  The ground was stained with Evan’s blood, the uncle I’d never really known now taken from me. As I looked at his body it was clear the killer had used a precision weapon, so small were the three impact and exit wounds, so close they looked like a small ‘V’.

  Whoever had killed Evan, the carefully positioned shots indicated to me their intent was clear. This was no case of friendly fire; Evan had always been their target.

  “Did you see who did this?” I asked Rufus.

  “No. I was watching the palace entrance. It was only when I heard three shots that sounded like thunder that I moved around to see what had happened. It was then I saw Evan,” he replied, still holding the sniper rifle in his hands.

  “Whoever it was, they’re still out here somewhere,” said Rex.

  “Emmie? Do you read me?” said Jill’s crackled voice over my headset.

  “Jill, what the hell is going on?” I asked.

  “Four missiles have landed across London, targeting Big Ben’s tower, Trafalgar Square, Heathrow Airport and Oxford Street. It’s anarchy on the streets; you have to get out of there.”

  “How?”

  “Get back to the tunnels,” said Jill. “There’s looters and mobs already out in force so be careful.”

  As I walked out of the gates of Buckingham Palace I looked towards the horizon where Big Ben’s tower had once been standing. It was now nothing more than a broken stump, the entire clock face now smashed into the ground, the bodies of innocent people trapped beneath it.

  Deep below that tower sat the secret base where this had all began over twenty five years ago. That was where my father had changed from a loving father-to-be into a twisted, righteous crusader obsessed with putting the world right. His city of birth may have been many miles away but he’d truly been born in the depths beneath the houses of parliament.

  This was his legacy now; bloodied streets filled with broken promises. Without his power to authorise more attacks I hoped this would be the end of it. The people of London just had to make it through this day, then they could rebuild their city like they’d done many times before.

  Despite the chaos there were some people on the streets who s
eemed to revel in the carnage. As we made our way towards the tunnels we passed looters raiding shops as if this was a once in a lifetime 100% off sale. No matter how much our world was on the edge there were always those wanting to push it over. I kept my head down as we walked past them.

  It was only when I saw a mugger attacking two innocent children that something clicked in my mind. I lost it. As R&R walked towards the sewer entrance I turned and marched directly towards the mugger. I pulled the knife from my belt and held it towards the mugger’s neck.

  “Don’t move,” I told him.

  “Woah, we was just playin’” he replied.

  “Get a new game,” I removed the knife and pushed him down with a great deal of force. His face smashed against the ground and a tooth went flying out. He didn’t try and get up again.

  “Are you ok?” I asked the children.

  They were two twin boys, no older than seven and they looked terrified. There was no way I could go back into the sewers now, not whilst there were so many innocent people suffering the effects of Eli’s attack. In a way I felt like it was all my fault. If I had stayed in the machine then none of this would have happened. I’d have lost my life but I would have saved countless others.

  “Get them to safety,” I said to R&R who each picked up one of the boys.

  “What about you?” asked Rex.

  “I’m staying out here.”

  “I’m not leaving you, not again,” said Rex.

  “I’m not asking. Those boys need you more than I do. Now go!”

  I knew Rex would want to follow me but protecting the children was more important. I ran away from them and towards the remains of Big Ben’s tower as fast as my legs could carry me. I could think of nowhere more fitting to protect than the place where all of this had begun.

  FORTY

  For the first time in a long time it occurred to me that I was free. My father couldn’t control me and the monster in my mind had been silenced. It should have felt like a victory and yet I felt very alone.

  The bright midday sun did everything it could to highlight the horrors that had befallen London. So many buildings had been turned to rubble, homes and businesses gone in an instant. The dead bodies that lined the street ranged from slightly burned to completely charred from head to toe the closer I got to the scene of the impact.

  Although the explosion had passed there was an intense heat in the air around Big Ben’s tower. As I made my way through the shrapnel lined streets I saw a woman trapped beneath an overturned car. Two others had chosen not to abandon her in the chaos and were propping the car up so she could escape. There were still some good people left.

  Although the car had been raised she didn’t have the strength to get herself out. I ran over and slowly helped her work her way out whilst the car was lifted up by the other Londoners. She looked overjoyed when her foot came free and the car was placed back down again.

  “How can I thank all of you?” she said to the three of us.

  “Survive,” said the man whilst the other member of his small group ran towards a minibus that they reversed towards us. I worked with the couple, who I suspected were husband and wife, to place the stranger onto the bus. Inside I was amazed to see countless others who had been injured taking up the remaining seats.

  “Did you save all of these people?” I asked the couple.

  “Why wouldn’t we?” replied the man.

  “It’s just a shame we can’t fit any more in now,” said the woman.

  “We can always come back,” he said.

  “We should,” she replied.

  I waved goodbye as they drove their convoy full of the injured to the nearest hospital. They were the kindest people I’d met in a long time and I’d forgotten to ask for their names. I hoped that they made it there safely, although I knew the hospital would have been in absolute chaos with just a few staff trying to care for all of the injured.

  “Don’t move,” said a gruff sounding man behind me. I suspected it was one of my father’s men.

  I placed my hands up in the air and he removed the gun and knife from my belt, tossing them to the floor.

  “You are under arrest for an act of treason against the Prime Minister of Great Britain,” he said.

  “It’s over,” I replied. “You don’t have to obey him anymore.”

  “Eli Keyes was a great man. I will obey his wishes long after he is gone.”

  “He was a psychopath who controlled innocent people and took away their free will.”

  “He saved my family from a life of poverty and gave me a purpose.”

  It was pointless to argue with the soldier, he’d never seen the side of my father I had, he’d never seen the real truth. Tainting his memories of my father now wouldn’t achieve anything.

  Without a Prime Minister in charge of the country he had no-one else to take orders from now. The royal family were long gone and there was no second in command to my father. For all intents and purposes Britain was without a leader.

  “Get down on the floor,” said the soldier.

  I’d seen this scenario play out before, I just had to remember where. Somewhere jumping from body to body I’d seen someone get out of this situation. He grew tired of waiting and jabbed me in the side with the butt of his rifle. That was where I’d seen it!

  I quickly twisted to the side and pulled the trigger of the gun. It fired towards him, narrowly missing his face and he shifted out of the way from shock. As he moved I pulled tightly on the gun until he let go. I turned the gun back at him.

  “Go home and look after your family,” I said.

  He looked down at my previously discarded weapon on the floor.

  “Don’t even think it,” I told him.

  He took a step towards the gun and I fired two shots into the ground. He backed away, knowing that he’d lost.

  “If you come after me I will kill you and anyone else you send. It’s over.” I said.

  Defeated, he turned and ran away. I didn’t expect to see him again. Just in case he came back I picked up my gun and knife and attached them to my belt.

  I walked through the rubble of Big Ben and out towards the River Thames. The rifle was too large and unwieldy for me to help anyone but too much of a liability for me to leave on the ground. I took the strap off my shoulder and tossed the rifle into the river.

  Facing the river I looked at St Thomas’ Hospital on the other side of the Thames. As a building it was unremarkable - dull white facades and row upon row of windows - it could easily be mistaken for an office block. Yet the events that had happened in that building were partly to blame for all that we saw today.

  My mother had died in St Thomas’ Hospital like so many others during the events of the Siege. Officially she’d died in child birth, bringing me and my brother into this world but my father knew it had been because of the events of the Siege. He had helped to stop it but it hadn’t been in time to save her.

  I’d never made the connection before but looking at the hospital across the river I could see why my father had chosen it. The houses of parliament and St Thomas’ Hospital were facing each other and a short bridge practically ran between the two. Even when he’d been consumed by science and intent on putting things right he’d still wanted his wife and children to be as close to him as possible.

  It was no wonder her death had practically destroyed him and set him on this path. Looking out at the hospital now I wondered how different my life would have been if she’d survived. Our family would have been complete and Eli wouldn’t have blamed himself for everything. Perhaps we’d have had a normal life, or at least as normal as anyone could have following the Siege.

  I’d given up thinking about Gods, the afterlife and happy ever after a long time ago and yet a part of me hoped my mother was at peace. I’d rather she was lost in an empty void than able to see the damage Eli had done in her name. The idea of her living on in eternity feeling any sense of blame for what had happened felt like the worst po
ssible outcome.

  On the bridge I could just about make out the minibus the husband and wife were driving. They’d made it half way along the bridge before getting stuck in traffic but they were making a slow and steady place towards the other side. I hoped the hospital could help their group of survivors.

  I turned back towards the houses of parliament and thought about descending down to the lab beneath the building. It was probably long gone now, removed when the building was regenerated to its original design by Catherine McDougal and her forces. Whatever secrets my father had left down there had likely been wiped from existence.

  A warming glow surged towards me, wrapping itself around my body. I dove to the floor and felt the shockwave from the impact force itself through the air. The sound of the explosion echoed around me and I felt a sense of dread.

  I turned my head and with smoke filled eyes I watched as Westminster Bridge collapsed into the water below.

  FORTY ONE

  I took shelter in the courtyard of Big Ben’s tower as the debris rained around me. Although every part of me had wanted to rush towards the bridge I knew it was too late the second I saw it collapse. The supports on the far side of the bridge had given way and the entire structure had toppled to one side taking every car and every soul down into the water.

  The couple I’d met and all the people they’d saved would have either been crushed or drowned. For all the good I’d hoped I could do it had been futile. I couldn’t stop another attack from happening and I couldn’t save anyone.

  I sat at the bottom of the steps that had once led up to the tower and started to sob. There was every chance the remainder of the structure could collapse down on top of me but in that moment I didn’t care. The attacks had continued despite my father’s death and whatever wheels he’d set in motion I was powerless to stop them.