Cloak of the Light: Wars of the Realm, Book 1

by Black, Chuck

  Drew jerked his hand back. “How nice.” He forced a smile. Joy and anger wrestled inside him.

  “Sydney helped us earlier this summer and now wants to volunteer on a regular basis,” Nicole said as she and Shana entered the kitchen. “We are so glad to have you.”

  Drew was forced to play his “Ryan” role in a way he never wanted to, and Sydney enjoyed it way too much. He played ignorant for the rest of the evening, and despite finding himself wanting to work beside her as much as possible, an observation at which Reverend Ray and his family couldn’t help but chuckle, he couldn’t wait to berate Sydney for her foolishness.

  He got his chance when she drove to his apartment after their work at Emmanuel was finished. “What are you doing, Syd?” Drew closed the door after her.

  She looked around at the moldy walls and tattered gold curtains, ignoring his rebuke. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

  At the wry comment, Drew turned away. For all her discernment, she didn’t seem to understand at all what was at stake. He turned back, grabbed her arm. “I’m serious, what do you think you’re doing?”

  She spun to face him, eyes blazing. “I’m here to help you.” She crossed her arms. “And you need my help.”

  Drew clenched his teeth. “You don’t understand.” He turned around and walked away, partly because of his frustration, but also to give him the opportunity to do a quick scan. “Your presence could jeopardize what I’m trying to do.”

  “How so?”

  “The FBI is probably monitoring you. If they find me, the search for Ben is over, and so is any hope of finding out the truth about Dr. Waseem and his research.”

  “It’s been months. I don’t think they’re watching me anymore, and even if they are, I’m completely justified in being here.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “My mission trip earlier this summer had nothing to do with you, and I’m rooming with my cousin who has been at UIC for the past two years. But in spite of that, we’ll just have to be careful.”

  Sydney walked toward Drew. “Besides, you can’t do this alone.”

  She was right, and he knew it. The ground he needed to cover to find Ben was too much for one guy. His limited access to Master Lee’s car was not enough, and he couldn’t even register for a car of his own without showing up on the grid. Maybe … she was exactly what he needed to accomplish the mission. Then he thought of the danger to her and shook his head.

  “It’s too dangerous, Sydney.” He turned and put a hand on her shoulder. “I won’t let you. You must go back to Kansas.”

  She closed her eyes. When she opened them, he could see a peace inside her that Drew had never felt himself. Where does that come from?

  She put a hand on his arm. “Drew, I care about you … a lot. And my heart is so torn I can hardly stand it, which is why I just about didn’t come. But there is a voice inside me that would not let me stay in Kansas. Never in my life have I been so sure about hearing God’s voice and calling on my life as I am right now, even though I’m not sure why He has me here. Maybe it’s you, maybe not. But whether you accept my help or not, I am going to school at the University of Illinois, and I am going to volunteer at Emmanuel Church.” She lifted his hand from her shoulder and released it. “But you also need to know something else. I cannot love you, and I will not love you while you remain unsaved.” She squinted at him. “So don’t get any ideas.”

  Drew stood staring at the most amazing girl he had ever met. So close and yet so untouchable. For the first time in his life, he was glad for this imaginary God of hers. He took a deep breath and gave in.

  He looked down at the floor and then back up at her. “I didn’t know if you really believed me.”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. What do we need to do?”

  “Come here.” He brought her to the small table in the kitchen area. He opened up the map and began explaining his process for finding Ben. Within an hour, they had a dual attack plan for covering the computer shops. They also planned to find a cheap car that she would buy and register so that Drew could drive and cover more ground.

  Drew felt new life flowing into him as he saw the probable success of the plan increasing tenfold. When Sydney stood at the door, ready to return to her dorm on campus, Drew felt it necessary for one more warning.

  “Listen, I have become an expert at identifying”—he hesitated—“agents. You must act as though they can see you and hear you at all times. Cell phone calls between us can only be used in emergency. Whoever we are dealing with has resources and weapons beyond anything you can imagine. One wrong move, Sydney, and this all ends in a moment. Do you understand?”

  Sydney nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

  Drew closed the door behind her and lowered his head. He hoped he hadn’t just bought her a ticket to tragedy.

  23

  A DESPERATE MOVE

  Drew bought a beat-up 1999 Grand Prix for five hundred dollars from a friend of Reverend Ray’s. The car was falling apart inside and out, but the engine still purred like a kitten, and that was all that Drew needed. Mr. Lee was thrilled he didn’t have to loan Drew his car for the longer deliveries and gave him a raise.

  Drew and Sydney used Emmanuel’s soup kitchen as a rendezvous point each week to share and compare information. After their work serving in the kitchen was done, they would meet in a room in the church that Reverend Ray had converted to a small chapel for people who wanted to worship in private. For some reason, Drew felt like it was as safe from dark invaders here as in the middle of the ocean.

  It turned out to be the perfect place since Drew rarely saw a dark invader on the church grounds. After three weeks of searching for Ben, Sydney and Drew had covered more computer repair shops together than he had covered in two months. Despite their efficiency, they still had no leads.

  The Bransons all seemed delighted with the apparent friendship developing between Ryan and Sydney. However, Drew learned from Sydney that Reverend Ray had found an opportunity to counsel her to be careful because of Ryan’s mysterious background and about being in a relationship with an unbeliever. She thanked him and assured him she would be careful and not compromise her faith. She told Drew that she and Reverend Ray had agreed to pray for Drew’s protection and salvation every day.

  Had Drew not known the truth about the invaders in their world, he probably would have felt annoyed by their piety, but instead he just felt sorry for them in their foolishness.

  One week, Drew watched Sydney as she served the homeless and spent time at the tables talking with them. The joy radiating from her seemed contagious, spilling out onto each person she talked to. She was doing much more than just being cheerful, though. He overheard her telling one desperate young woman who seemed to be tripped out on crack that Jesus loved her and if she would come to Him, He would forgive her sins and create a new life for her. And on that day, in that church, Drew came to a convicting conclusion.

  Sydney really did love God and really did love people.

  He helped at Emmanuel because it felt good to do so. His reason was based in selfishness. She helped at Emmanuel because she actually loved those homeless people. It was a humbling realization because Drew knew he couldn’t be like her. There was something she had that he didn’t. Something that allowed her to function the way she did, and he marveled at it.

  Afterward, they walked down one of the church hallways toward the chapel together.

  “I feel like we are being dishonest with Reverend Ray and his family,” Sydney said.

  “I know, me too. I promise I’ll tell him as soon as I feel it’s safe for him and his family to know. Keeping them in the dark is also protection for them, okay?”

  Sydney hesitated, then nodded.

  “So, what have you got?” Drew asked.

  “I checked out twelve more this week but got nothing.” Sydney frowned.

  “Well, we still have over two hundred and fifty to go, so we won’t know until we fi
nish with the last one. How are you holding up? Any suspicious contacts?”

  “No. Although there are always some students on campus that look suspicious to me.” Sydney grinned.

  “Really?” Masquerading as a college student would be the perfect cover for an FBI agent.

  “No … I’m kidding.” Sydney’s smile faded. “This whole thing has really changed you, Drew. You hardly smile anymore.”

  She was right, but how could all this not change him? If she knew what he saw, it would change her too. “I’m sorry.” He sighed. “You’re right … I’ll try to smile more.”

  Sydney flashed a weak smile. “How about you, any contacts?”

  Drew thought about the invaders he saw every day and night. “No … No FBI, as far as I can tell. But that doesn’t mean they’re not there. Please be careful.”

  She nodded. “I guess we’d better get going.”

  Drew hated that he could spend only a few minutes with her each week, but the less they were together, the safer she would be.

  She stood and went to the door and then turned. “Hey, there is one shop that wanted to help me. The guy said he’d do it for free.”

  Drew smiled at that. He could imagine some geek in a back room happy to help a cute girl with her computer problem. “While he was looking at the disk, he asked me out.”

  “I’ll bet he did,” Drew said with a smirk.

  “Yeah … when I told him I was doing this for my boyfriend, he handed the hard drive back to me and said the disks were too damaged to recover.”

  “Boyfriend, huh?” Drew raised an eyebrow.

  “Well … you are a friend and you are a boy … It gets me out of a lot of fixes.” Sydney winked, and Drew’s heart missed a beat.

  “And you are telling me this because?”

  “When I was leaving, he said that there was a shop on Thirty-Sixth that had a guy who could help me. I didn’t have time to get there today, but I thought maybe you might want to check it out.”

  “Hey, that’s promising. I’ll check it out first chance I get tomorrow.”

  Sydney reached for the door, but Drew held it closed. She looked up with eyes that melted him, and he wished for a different life.

  “I don’t know how to thank you, Syd.”

  Sydney smiled at him with her eyes. “I do.”

  “Name it—lunch … dinner … of course it would have to be private because of the—”

  “Come to church with me on Sunday. Pastor Worthington is amazing. He’s very logical, and I think you’d enjoy him.”

  Oh, great. Now he felt trapped. “Don’t you think the FBI, if they are watching you, might think that church would be a perfect place to keep an eye on you?”

  “I’ll pray for extra protection.” Sydney smiled as she turned and opened the door. She was so disarming and impossible to refuse … Still, he’d have to think that one through before he committed.

  Work was long the next day, and none of his delivery routes took him out far enough to cover any new repair shops, so he had to wait until his shift was over. He zipped to Thirty-Sixth at four thirty and asked to speak to the tech. Drew waited five hopeful minutes, but a heavyset dude with scraggily hair and thick, black-framed glasses came to the counter. Drew’s heart sank.

  “T’sup?” he said as he leaned on the counter. The smell of Dr Pepper and barbecue potato chips permeated the space between them.

  Drew put the hard drive on the counter. “I’ve got data on this that I need to get off, but the drive doesn’t work.”

  The tech picked it up and squinted as he looked it over. He removed the cover to expose the disks. “Yeah … you’ve got a problem. The heads have damaged at least one platter. Can’t help you.” He set the drive down and turned to leave.

  “But another shop told me you could help. Is there someone else that might work here who could do it?”

  “Dang it, Lenny … I told him to quit sending people here. The only dude I know of that could have helped you quit three weeks ago. Sorry, man, you’re out of luck.”

  “Someone quit? Hey, this is really, really important. Can you tell me where I can find him?” Drew struggled to curb his rising excitement.

  “Not really. Some suit walked in all mad because the tech guys at his company couldn’t fix his iPad. Two days later, Chider had it fixed.”

  “Chider?”

  “Yeah … Chider Anderson. Turns out the guy with the iPad actually owned the company. He asked Chider if he knew anything about networks and then offered him a job on the spot at double his salary … right in front me—that arrogant jerk!”

  Drew whipped out a twenty. “It’s yours if you can remember the name of the company.”

  The tech smiled. He reached for the twenty and took it. “Hey, Sherry,” he called over his shoulder at the receptionist. “The suit that stole Chider from us. What company was he with?”

  “How should I know?”

  “Look it up!” The tech rolled his eyes at Drew and mouthed the word ditz.

  She huffed and started clicking with her mouse. “Donovan Chambers.”

  “W-h-a-t c-o-m-p-a-n-y?” The tech spoke loud and slow.

  “I d-o-n’-t k-n-o-w,” the girl sassed back even louder and slower. “He paid with a personal credit card … sheesh!”

  “That’ll work.” Drew held up his hand. “Thanks, you saved my life.”

  The tech shrugged and turned to go back to his sanctuary. Through the doorway Drew saw shelves of disassembled computers, laptops, and monitors. It looked like a techno rat’s nest. To each his own …

  Drew started walking away, then paused. “Hey … just so I can recognize him, what does Chider look like?”

  “I don’t know … like every other tech geek, I guess. Straight brown hair and eyes with dark rings beneath.”

  Drew nodded. Could be.

  “Just a warning,” the guy called back. “Chider’s a genius, but he’s a little off and way paranoid if you know what I mean.”

  Drew nodded. That didn’t eliminate many tech geeks, but it certainly included Ben. That was something.

  That night, Drew searched the net for Donovan Chambers and came up with only three hits. One was Reliance Office Suites, a high-end office rental corporation that provided phone, Internet, tech support, computers, and even receptionists and secretaries, if needed. They were located on West Randolph. Drew closed his laptop.

  “Please let this be Ben.”

  It almost sounded like a prayer and Drew shook his head. Sydney must be rubbing off on him.

  Drew found it difficult to sleep that night. After lying with eyes wide open for two hours, he rolled out of bed, powered up his laptop, and began planning rendezvous points and alternates. At 2 a.m. anticipation gave way to fatigue, and he fell asleep for a few short hours.

  Later that morning at six, Drew drove into downtown Chicago and found an open parking spot in a pay-per-day lot five blocks from the Reliance Office Suites building. It was the next closest parking to the garage right across the street, which he felt was a little too close for comfort in case he had to make a getaway on foot. He needed his car safe and accessible.

  He walked five blocks south and then purchased a newspaper from a stand across the street from the Reliance building. A small grassy courtyard diagonal from the building made a perfect vantage point to see the building’s entrances. It was a classy twelve-story building with a balanced mix of Renaissance and modern architecture. At seven o’clock the city hummed with activity. Drew called Mr. Lee and told him he couldn’t work for the next two days. He didn’t know Korean, but he was pretty sure that some of the things Mr. Lee uttered as he hung up the phone weren’t very complimentary.

  At seven forty-five Drew saw some interesting activity … from the dark invaders. One took up a lookout position at the corner of the Reliance building while another waited across the street near a parking garage. One block to the east, a bus stopped and unloaded a crowd of people. Drew was evaluating every person who
came into view. As the crowd dispersed in three different directions, he was tasked with validating each of the men. One man stuck out, for there was a dark invader following close behind him. If his destination was the Reliance building, he would pass just across the street from Drew. Drew ignored every other person because the man’s gait was familiar. He didn’t dare hope, and yet couldn’t help it. Months of searching … months of evasion … could this be it?

  The man was walking in front of another man and two women, all headed west toward the Reliance building. The collar of the man’s coat was pulled up high around his neck, but with each step closer, Drew became more and more hopeful and yet anxious. Certainly he was a target of at least one of the dark invaders, whether for reconnaissance or assassination, he did not know.

  The man walked to the stoplight directly across the street from the courtyard Drew was in and pushed the crossing button. Then he did something most people wouldn’t do: he turned and looked all around him while he waited for the Walk signal. As his gaze passed through the courtyard, Drew saw his face—and nearly shouted.

  There stood Benjamin Berg.

  Drew bit his lip, trying hard to remain a nameless, faceless figure in the distance. Relief, joy, and fear swallowed him. He forced himself to stay calm as he watched Ben step into the street—and then a start jolted through him.

  He’d lost track of the invader in front of the building.

  Drew scanned the area and found him. He had jumped onto a car approaching the intersection Ben was now crossing. With sword drawn, the invader sliced through the roof of the vehicle and held the blade across the driver’s eyes. Another invader now buffeted Ben with his sword, shielding Ben’s eyes from the oncoming car—which was not slowing.

  Drew stood, shivers flowing up and down his body as he watched his friend’s impending death. Had he searched for so long to be just seconds too late? The oncoming car careened toward Ben, who seemed oblivious of any danger.

  Drew ran onto the sidewalk and screamed at the same time that one of the women behind Ben shrieked, but the warnings were too late. Just as Ben was about to be struck by the car, a man behind him grabbed his coat and yanked him backward. The car whizzed past Ben, missing him by fractions of an inch. Drew saw the dark invaders curse while the man and two women gathered around Ben to see if he was okay.