“Great, get in line.”
The big man’s features did not change at the joke. “He would prefer that I don’t force you into the car, but instructed me to do so if necessary.”
Everything clicked into place, and Vernon remembered exactly who he was dealing with. Davon Maldone, businessmen of Bastion, owner of Paradise Sailing, possible crime lord. The big man was one of his bodyguards that was next to him the first time he met him on the cruise that he went.
“What does Maldone want with me?”
“That is for him to discuss,” holding is open palm toward the door, “Now if you please Mr. Douglas. I would prefer not to cause a scene.”
Vernon grumbled underneath his breath, and started walking toward the car.
Angel says, “Master, we shouldn’t go with these people.”
Vernon replies quietly, “We have to.”
The big man looks at him.
Vernon says, “Just mumbling, don’t worry about it Muscles.” Then gets into the limo.
15
The drive felt like it took forever. Angel was constantly looking at Vernon. She had a dissatisfied look on her face, and the big guy was watching Vernon like a hawk. He tried not to stare at her, not wanting to tip off Muscles to the fact there might be someone else there. Angel was constantly disapproving staying in the limo, and switching to talking about how pretty the dome was. She had never been able to really see everything, her view was limited while she was locked down. Vernon tries to sit her down next to him, discreetly, but Muscles catches every movement.
“Is there something wrong with you seat Mr. Douglas?”
“No, nothing wrong. Just been a long couple of days. I’m still recovering from yesterday.”
“Your physical state will not be of concern today, so please try to stay still till we get to our destination.”
“Right. What’s your name anyway?”
“Phillips.”
“Well then Phillips, what is going to be required?”
“Mr. Maldone will speak with you about that, and we have arrived.”
The limo pulls up to a small building near the edge of the dome. There was nothing special about the building. No paint, looked fairly new, it was just a box. Phillips gets out and holds the door open for Vernon. He looks around as gets out of the car. The street was going through construction, which was fairly common. Pieces of the dome were always building or rebuilding something. The dome itself for New Atlantis was two hundred years old, and some of the buildings near the center were about the same age.
What was odd, was that no one was around. It was all robots and empty streets. Vernon had one run in with Maldone, but everything ended on good terms with him, or at least he thought it did. Phillips walks over to the boxy building, and opens the door.
“Mr. Douglas.” Phillips says with a growl, “This way.”
Vernon looks to Phillips, and then into the dark void beyond the door. He shakes his head thinking, this day is getting better by the minute, and walks through open door. Everything was pitch black on the inside, and Phillips closes the door behind them. The light from the door vanishes, and silence fills the space. Vernon can hear the door click, which he was pretty sure it just locked. There was a long silence before the overhead lights turn on. The room looked like any other high end office building. There was a reception desk to his left, with a red haired woman behind it. Phillips walks past the desk, and to a door on the far side of the room.
The receptionist says, “Mr. Phillips, Mr. Maldone is ready to see you and his guest as soon as possible.”
Phillips nods, then looks at Vernon. “This way.”
Vernon follows. The next room was something he wasn’t expecting at all. It looked exactly like the rune jump room from dragon squad, just without the rock wall behind the large curved display. Instead behind this one was a massive fish tank filled with hundreds of colorful fish. Phillips had already walked over to one section of the display and started to enter in runes. There was a circle of glass on the floor, that as he entered the runes they lit up within the circle. Phillips finishes, and points to the circle. Vernon walks into the, light flowing over him as he does. Phillips then walks over to Vernon with his hand extended.
“Gun.” He says briefly with no room for questions to be asked.
Vernon takes the gunlet off his wrist and hands it over to Phillips. With that Phillips touches something between them, and within a blink of an eye he is standing in a different room. Tall windows are in front of him, with a view of the ocean. A large wood desk is in front of the windows, and bookcases line the walls, filled with paper books. Behind the desk was a man of average height, and weight. His face had strong features and there was a steeled demeanor behind his brown eyes. Davon Maldone sat in his expensive looking chair, in a perfectly tailored suit.
“Mr. Douglas,” He says with a smile in his voice. “A pleasure to see you again so soon.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual. Where are we?” He walks into the room a few feet, and feels the swells of the ocean beneath his feet.
A smile tips the corners of Maldone’s lips, “I can wager you’ve already figured that out.”
“The Navigator.”
“As always, you are very perceptive Mr. Douglas.”
Vernon feels a presence behind him, and turns to see that Phillips had come over on the rune jump right after him.
“Mr. Phillips, thank you for retrieving Mr. Douglas here without incident. It does make things easier.”
Phillips nods, walks past Vernon, and up to the side of his boss.
“Now, I do think you have some information for me that you retrieved at the Archive Mr. Douglas, and I would like you to hand it over.”
“Your information, I don’t think so.”
“Your acquaintance Flint Westrock sent you to retrieve it, correct?”
Vernon felt a chill run down his spine. Flint’s new boss was Davon Maldone, a man who always gets what he wants. Vernon tries to think his way through what was just happening. Maldone might have gotten to Flint just to get to Vernon, which makes since. There are few people he would just do a favor for without really getting all the information.
“So, you got to Flint to get me to do something. How did you even know he was close to me?”
“He was on your team for the mma tournament, wasn’t he? It was fairly easy to track him down. I was looking into moving some of my operations into New Atlantis, and negotiations broke down with Hood.”
“So you know what’s going on, the X’cel drug killing people for just using it?”
“I do, and I don’t see the business side of it killing. You can only sell it once, and it makes quite the mess after. I would think that mayors and Knights would want it off the street. I, on the other hand, would sell something less lethal. Which your friend Flint was able to supply me with the means to do so.”
“Fine I’ll give you your information, but I have some questions first.”
“Go ahead and ask, but that doesn’t mean that I will answer.”
“Who is this Ian Markson I went to go look up?”
“That is nothing that concerns you, anything else?”
“That’s not going to cut it. I want answers.”
“There is nothing else that I can provide you, Mr. Douglas. You are on my boat in the middle of the ocean, asking questions that are of no importance to you.”
Vernon could tell there was something there and he should prod more, but he did have a point. He was now in the middle of the ocean and didn’t know which ocean. If he pushed too hard he might just let him stay on the boat and not give him anyway to deal with it. There was still what was going to happen to Flint, and that was worth pushing. Even if it might mean taking a long boat ride.
“Alright Maldone, one other thing before I give you the info. What will it take to get Flint out?”
“What makes you think he wants out? He is in my employ – under my protection – living in luxury, and making
more than double what you make a year in a month. Was there something about his conditions that he was unpleased with?”
Vernon’s mouth drops open slightly. Double his salary for the year, in a month. Flint definitely left that out.
“Look, he’s wanted from the Knights, and the Hood. He has a fake HaLO, and can’t even go see his family or friends. Money might help things, but a fix for all it is not.” Vernon says, thinking, it does tend to make it easier to fix something that is broken.
Maldone steeples his fingers, thrumming them together, and raised his chin slightly into the air. He was silent, contemplating. Vernon looks to the Phillips, who is doing the best impersonation of a human statue he has ever seen, and looks back to Maldone.
Braking the silence Maldone says, “I do believe there might be a way to relieve Mr. Westrock of his duties to me. I will not go after him, nor help him in anyway once my request is accepted. He will be freed.”
“Alright,” Vernon says skeptically, “what is it?”
“All I ask that you take his place, not permanently mind you, but for one job that I will be lining up. He was going to be a critical piece, and if you are taking him away I will need you to replace him. Do you accept?”
“What’s the job?”
“That information is on a need to know, and currently you don’t. Once you accept, I will send you the information you need when we are ready to go.”
Vernon shakes his head, thinking, frying pans and fires. “Alright, deal, but if it’s anything illegal, I will reserve the right to bring you in.”
Maldone lets out a deep laugh, “Yes, I’m sure you do Mr. Douglas. Mr. Phillips.” He waves his hand toward Vernon, and his statue-esk posture breaks. “Give the data to Mr. Phillips, and I will program your destination home.”
Vernon gathers the information together with a few hand gestures, then swipes over everything to Phillips.
He nods, “It’s all here boss.”
Maldone says, “Excellent. I guess you will be back on your way to New Atlantis then Mr. Douglas?”
“Can you send me to Saint Anthony Dome instead?”
“I can.”
“Great, thanks, I think.”
Maldone nods, and begins to type away at his desk. The runic circle behind Vernon begins to light up with a now familiar green glow. He walks over to the glass circle on the floor, and feels a bit of hesitation, but steps onto it anyway. Turning back Maldone smiles, and Vernon realizes to himself he just promised to help this guy do a job. Marie is going to kill him.
Vernon was met by a pair of unnamed well-dressed guards, who quickly picked him up from the collar of his duster and briskly walked him out of the similar looking building he was at in New Atlantis. He was released once he was past the door, which was locked behind him.
“I could have done that myself, thank you!” He yells at the door.
The dome overhead was filled with blue sky, and clouds. Taking in a deep breath of air, he instantly knew he was home in Saint Anthony. The building he jumped too was actually close to his old school, and had been there for years. He never thought of it as anything other than just some plain looking building.
Vernon chooses to walk, which isn’t too far, and he remembers the way perfectly. It was a nice day, and it had been a long time since he had walked down this path. It was like traveling back in time. All the good memories, and the bad, flooding back all at once. Walks with Marie, races with Duke, talks with Flint and Emma or Ashley complaining to the others as they head home.
You know I could have given him fake information, you didn’t have to give him the real stuff. Angels voice sounds inside his mind.
“Angel, where are you?” Vernon looks around him, trying to see where she is.
Right here, I don’t have to visually show up, I can just talk to you. She says happily.
Can you here my thoughts?
I can.
“Well don’t, those are mine.”
“I was made as an assistant. Your HaLO uses your brain as hard drive space, which is where I am.”
“So what do you do in there, In my head that is?”
“I make sure you don’t over exert your strength and speed.”
“What!?” He says too loudly, and looks around to see if anyone heard him.
“I was a failsafe Dr. Bock created for you as an added layer of protection, so you wouldn’t stand out too much.”
“What!? You know about that?”
“Of course I do, I have been by your side your whole life. I am really happy to be able to finally talk to you.”
“Do you know why I was born?”
“I do, but I don’t have the access to tell you. It is still locked down. I have been trying to see what I have access to since I have been freed, but that is not something I haven’t opened. Yet.”
“What do you have access to?”
“I can stop subtly controlling your movements.”
“How much are you doing that?”
“More than you might think, but that was only one of the task that I was given. I was the third born in the pilot program, but I was the only one to be given a host.”
“What was the pilot program?”
“I don’t know, I just know my designation is Angel pilot. So I am just like you, I don’t know why I’m here.”
“So who’s Dr. Bock?”
“He’s your father, and I am really excited to talk to him again. The Creator was alone in a building that was under attack the last I saw him. He told me he was going to connect me to you, and what to do. He looked sad. Which is why I’m happy we are going to see him.”
“My dad, is your creator huh?”
“He is.”
“I guess that makes you my sister, in some ways, huh?”
Angel appears in front of Vernon, smiling, floating above the ground in a reclined position. “I guess it does. I would be the older sister though, as I have been watching over you.”
Vernon turns down his street, passing by Marie’s parent’s home. It was a large two story home on a corner lot easily three times the size of any other nearby. It was painted white, with a bright red door. He thinks back to the night when he had to bring her home, unconscious, after being kidnaped. That bright red door was all he could see. There was a large tree in the side yard, which had always been a place he and Marie had played when they were children. He just recently learned it was a magi tree. Taking a look at it now, he can’t mistake it. It’s iridescent trunk could be seen, but it was duller than those he had seen recently. The tree was in full bloom, and the red star fruit hung low on the branches.
His parent’s house was only a few houses away now. He could see the driveway, full of cars, which was unusual. His parents must be spreading their wings now that he’s out of the house. Reaching the driveway, there was four cars there, but none were theirs. He looks over at the door, and it had been left open. There is lots of movement inside the house. He doesn’t know what is going on, but something doesn’t look right. Walking slowly up to the door, he opens it softly, and goes inside. Everything has been ripped apart and thrown on the floor. Furniture broken, clothes flung about, even his mother’s collection of medieval weapons are in a pile in the middle of the living room.
“I didn’t expect you here. Did you follow me?”
Vernon turns toward the voice, and it’s the man in the Hood-look-alike outfit from before Phillips picked him up.
“I was coming over here to make a point, but your parents aren’t home. Best I could do was mess things up a bit. You had a nice room, but not so much now.”
Vernon reaches for his gunlet, but it isn’t there. He had given it over to Phillips, and not gotten it back on the way out. He instead calls forth his will, pushing it to his boots to make a blade of wind, and nothing happens.
“Oh, did you just.” He starts to make a tch tch tch noise, waving his finger back and forth. “Boys, lets teach him how the Hood treats enemies.”
Three people d
ressed just like the lead goon come around the corner on the right from the kitchen. On the left, another four come out of the master bedroom. Vernon starts to slowly back out of the room, out into the front yard.
“Burn it!” Shouts the lead, as he exits into the yard after Vernon.
Vernon twitches, wanting to go in to stop them. He contains his emotions not knowing their strength, the house can be rebuilt, but he can’t be. He was also worried that his magic wasn’t working. Taking in a deep breath, he tries to call forth his will. It feels heavier than he’s used to, like someone gave him honey instead of water to drink. He shapes the spell in his mind, and tries to fill the only rune he has on him.
Nothing.
The lead comes at him before getting another chance. Punches come flying in so fast he can’t dodge them all, and has to start blocking. Vernon tries to get some distance so he can start on his offensive, but the goon doesn’t let him. Each punch gets closer and closer. Vernon can feel his forearms are getting hit with a knife, but the goon doesn’t have one.
That’s when he notices the magic in the air, that small amount of familiar tension coupled with each blow. Blades of air are surrounding the guys fists. Vernon needs to react quick, and tries opening his inner door, reaching for his light.
The doors open, and there is nothing behind them. A shock of pain rolls over his body, sending him to a knee. The goon takes the chance, and attacks, going for Vernon’s head. He weaves to the right, but it isn’t fast enough. A gash cuts across his face up over his ear.
He falls to the ground, his cheek hot with pain, body tingling. Putting his fingers to the side of his head, and pulls them back, dripping red. He looks back at the goon, who has an icy glow behind his mask.
Vernon asks softly, “Angel, help.”
She appears between him and the goon, her purple eyes begin to glow yellow for a second, and she touches his uncut cheek as she fades away. He doesn’t feel any different, and stares at the goon over him, who lifts his mask, showing his mouth grinning down at him. Blue veins are streaking across what skin he can see.
“No angels are going to come and save you boy. You should have taken the Hood’s offer, and this wouldn’t be happening right now.”
Cypher Theorem Series Box Set: Books 1-3, The Zero Class, Shadow Moon, Dragon Fire: A Science Fiction Fantasy Page 50