by Scott Wilson
Despite feeling dizzy and hopeless, Caden forced himself to look at his surroundings. This was where his dad was. It had to be. He knew it from the tugging sensation inside of his stomach, now stronger than ever. Tooby had told him to follow the electrical signals, and Caden felt like the electricity in the room was gripping right on his insides. He’d come so far to find his dad. He couldn’t give up now.
The room was big, at least the size of the Home, and it was filled with Iltech. But unlike the Basement where junk Iltech was piled up randomly, the Iltech here was in pristine condition and organized beautifully. Bright white rectangle lights lit up the ceiling, and there were screens and panels lining the walls, constantly displaying information. In front of each one was a person in a red uniform like Dom’s brother, furiously taking notes on paper or a handheld device.
Caden was nearly brought out of his stupor by seeing what was in the center of the room. There were at least twenty people lying unconscious on elevated tables, their heads and limbs attached to metallic sensors. They only wore white sheets, and they were immobile aside from twitching when one of the red-clad researchers came over and adjusted a knob attached to their heads.
Caden wondered what was going on. Who were these people? Were they—
“Mom!” Annika screamed. She somehow managed to yank herself free from the four Holy Police and ran over to one of the unconscious women. She looked nothing like Annika—pale skin, round face—but she had to be Annika’s mother.
Annika shook her, trying to wake her from whatever sleep she was in, but after just a few shakes, Annika was pulled away by Holy Police. Caden swallowed down his nausea and garnered enough strength to look over the unconscious group of parents, trying to find his dad. He looked for anything that he could remember from the photo—blond hair, tan skin, lanky frame—but he couldn’t find any that matched.
The Holy Police brought Caden and Annika to a jail cell built into the wall on other side of the room. With the touch of a button, the metal bars slid open, and Caden and Annika were thrown inside. Like the rest of the room, the inside of the jail was white and sterile. Another push of the button and the bars closed, locking the two of them in. The Holy Police turned their backs to Caden and Annika, keeping guard over them inside.
Caden felt dizzy and weak. Annika was crying into her hands. Agonizing, breathless sobs poured out of her.
“I couldn’t save her!” she cried. “I’m right here, right next to her, and I can’t do anything!”
The world around Caden was still spinning, but he tried to think of a way out. Annika’s magnetizer was currently confiscated by the Holy Police outside their cell, so that wasn’t an option. Caden tried to summon his angel weapon to open the bars, but he couldn’t concentrate on anything for more than a second before it made him sick to his stomach.
“It’s … it’s okay, Annika,” Caden said. “Don’t worry. We’ll … we’ll find a way.”
Annika shook her head with her face still covered in her palms. “You don’t get it. You just don’t get it. This is all my fault, Caden. She shouldn’t even be here!”
“What do you mean?” Caden asked. Annika sniffed and lifted her beet-red face out of her hands. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks.
“Not all Homes are as nice as Mother Mildred’s,” she said, wiping her face on her sleeve. “Both my parents died when I was little, and I was sent to a Home. I was like you, Caden. I lived at a Home, but I wasn’t a Nobody. For years no one adopted me, and the Mothers saw me as just a useless leech. So I did them a favor and ran away.
“I lived on my own for two years, bouncing from farm to farm doing little jobs. But once I was ten I came to Salem and I found something I was good at: stealing. Salem was the first big town I’d been to, with shops and stores and everything. It was so easy to just walk beside someone, pretend to be their kid, and then tuck away a few apples, bread rolls, or whatever else I wanted when no one was looking. I made a killing. It was great.
“I really thought I had it all. But then, during Ant Day, I saw a girl my age walking to the center of town to watch the fireworks with her parents. She walked between them, holding both their hands, and she was wearing this bright green dress. The way the three of them were laughing and smiling and just … being a family, it made something click inside my head. I knew I could never have parents like her, but there was one thing I could have: I could steal the same dress.
“I found one just like it at a seamstress’s shop. It was just my size; I had to have it. I don’t know if I was getting overconfident and sloppy, or if I was blinded by desire, but I just picked up the dress and walked out of the store. The owner saw me. I ran, but she caught me. I figured my life was over, but the woman didn’t turn me in. She dragged me back to her store, sat me down at a table covered in fabric, bone needles, and thread, and told me I was going to learn how much blood and sweat went into making that dress, so maybe I’d think twice before stealing again.
“I laughed, but she was serious. Her husband was Holy Police, and she was going to turn me in if I didn’t do as she said. I obeyed. I cut the fabric all frayed, accidentally stuck myself with the needle a hundred times, and barely put together a single sleeve after hours and hours of work.
“When we were done, she told me to come back again tomorrow, or else she’d turn me in. I had absolutely no intention of coming back, I’d just make a break for the next town. But then she did something I didn’t expect. She smiled and said if I came back tomorrow, she’d give me a snack while I worked. I mean, I didn’t mind stealing food, but getting something guaranteed to eat without any danger of being arrested? Now she was speaking my language.
“I came back the next day. She walked me through making the dress collar and we ate oatmeal raisin cookies together that she’d made herself. She told me that whenever she made them for her husband to take to work, she had to make ten times the usual amount, so he could share, or else all the other Holy Police would be jealous. I laughed out loud when she told me, imagining the super-serious Holy Police being jealous of cookies. I think that was the first time I’d laughed in years. That was when the woman told me her name: Sandie.
“I went back to Sandie’s house every day, laughing and sewing and eating cookies. I even stayed for dinner with her and her husband Wilhelm, and he’d tell me stories about all the mundane stuff Holy Police had to do sometimes, like investigate cat disappearances, or use their crossbows to help farmers shoo away crows. One night, when I was about to leave after helping clean up, they invited me to stay the night. It was the first night I’d spent in a bed in years.
“Sandie and I finished my dress a few days later. It was nowhere near as nice as the one I’d tried to steal, but she said it was beautiful. She said she liked it so much she’d trade the green dress I’d tried to steal for it. Before I could refuse, she gave it to me and said I was free to go.
“But I didn’t want to go. I threw the dress on the table and wrapped my arms around Sandie and begged her to let me stay if I made another dress with her. She told me I didn’t need to make a dress to stay with her. I could just stay.
“Sandie and Wilhelm took me in. They couldn’t officially adopt me since I didn’t have any records, but Wilhelm promised to pull some strings. And once I started living with them, they showed me the hidden parts of their lives: the Iltech. Sandie had a camera and a box full of photos, and Wilhelm had old Iltech weapons stashed away in the cupboard. We’d spend our nights together playing with the Iltech, making up stories about the strangers in the photos, and Wilhelm would explain all about the old weapons and how they worked.
“A wonderful year went by like that, all the way up to the day I was officially adopted. Wilhelm had made it possible, and to celebrate I wanted to get them something special to show how thankful I was. I couldn’t steal anything anymore, and I couldn’t afford anything either, so I decided to do something Sandie had never dared to try: taking a picture with her camera.
“I wanted to take a picture of myself, so we could add it to the box and I could be a part of the stories we made up. I snuck the camera outside at night when Sandie was asleep and Wilhelm was at work. I went into an alleyway next to the house. I had no idea how the camera worked, or even if it would work, but I had to at least try.
“But when I pressed the button to take a picture, a bright flash burst out of the camera, illuminating the alleyway like morning. The camera made a loud clicking and whirring sound, but all I heard was the sound of Holy Police horses suddenly coming in my direction. I ran back inside the house, threw the camera under the rug, and not a second later there was a banging fist on the door.
“I was paralyzed with fear. Sandie woke up and answered the door. When I saw who it was, relief rushed through me. There were two Holy Police, but one of them was Wilhelm, my dad. The other Police demanded to know what had caused the flash of white light. Sandie denied everything. I just stood there, glancing nervously down at the rug where the camera was hidden.
“At first it looked like everything was going to be okay. Wilhelm tried to laugh it off and persuade the other Police that nothing had happened. But he wasn’t convinced. He said something unnatural had made that light, and according to protocol, he had to search through every inch of the house until he found the Iltech that caused it.
“I saw the panic in Wilhelm’s face. He knew what a search meant: his Iltech weapons were going to be found. If that happened, we were done for.
“Just as the Holy Police took his first step inside the house, his foot hit the bump under the rug. He leaned down and dragged out the camera and freshly-printed photograph from underneath. My stomach sank. I knew what this meant—we were all going to be arrested.
“But then … something worse happened. Wilhelm started screaming at Sandie, yelling about how she’d betrayed him and betrayed Gotama by using Iltech. I was horrified. This was his chance to help his wife, to stand up for her, or to knock out the other Police so we could escape together as a family. But instead he was just blaming her like … like a monster.
“Before I could say anything, Sandie confessed. She lied and said she’d taken the photo of me with the camera, and that she’d forced me to pose for it. She said that Wilhelm and I were innocent, and that she had a stash of Iltech photographs and weapons too.
“My happy life was being destroyed before my eyes. My mother was being arrested, my father was betraying us. The life that I’d thought would be mine forever was slipping away like water through my fingers. I didn’t want to go back to another Home. I wouldn’t go!
“I ran. I made it about twenty feet before a crossbow arrow shot through my arm and brought me to the ground. It was my dad who shot me. He walked up to me and I honestly expected him to shoot me again, right through the head. But he grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me back to where the other Police was arresting my mother. The only thing he said was a whispered, ‘Sorry, kiddo.’”
Annika took a deep breath. As Caden had been listening, his vision stopped spinning, and he could feel his strength returning. He glanced at the satchel holding their wet clothes and saw Annika’s lime-green dress peeking out. All this time, Annika had been carrying around a reminder of her mother, just like Caden had with the photo of his dad, and he’d had no idea.
Caden didn’t know what else he could do for Annika besides talking to distract them from their predicament.
“What happened to Wilhelm?” he asked. “Was he arrested too?”
“I don’t know,” Annika said. “Maybe he was. Or maybe he’s still in Salem. I bet he was transferred to some other town though. Having a prisoner and her jailer as husband and wife seems like a bad idea. But I don’t care where he is. I’m going to find him. And I’m going to blast him and see how he likes it. It’s his fault my mom is here, being experimented on or whatever. I’ll never forgive him.”
The elevator door on the other side of the room opened. A figure in gray robes escorted by two Holy Police walked across the room to Caden and Annika, eliciting bows from everyone as he passed. Once he was standing in front of the cell, Caden recognized him. Even though he’d been far away when he saw him last, there was no mistaking that mane of white-fire hair.
“Hello there, Caden. Nice to meet you,” said Father Yohan with a smile. “Well then, enough chit-chat. Now tell me. Are you ready to save the world?”
Chapter 15
Two
Save the world? What was this Father Yohan guy talking about? Caden was only supposed to be able to do that when he met his dad.
Unless.
“You’re not my dad,” Caden said timidly, “are you?”
Father Yohan chuckled. “Unfortunately not. Your father is not here, and none of us could ever hope to possess the same talent as that brilliant man. Myself especially, no matter how many lifetimes I’ve lived.”
Disappointment coursed through Caden. He’d suspected his dad wasn’t here when he hadn’t seen him, but now he knew for sure. Although Father Yohan was talking as if he’d known him. Did that mean he knew where he was? Before Caden could ask, Annika spoke.
“What do you mean ‘lifetimes?’” she asked. “How old are you?”
“Old enough to have seen humanity make many mistakes, and to have made plenty myself.” Father Yohan showed off his palms. There were two glowing white Xs. “These have kept me alive far longer than I deserve. Do you know what these are, Caden?”
“Yeah,” Caden said. “It’s an angel weapon. Are you one of the Twelve Apostles?”
Father Yohan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Correct. In that organization I go by the name Two. Though, forgive me for asking, but where did you find out about us? I don’t expect Mother Mildred was giving lectures about angel weapons, now was she?”
Caden almost opened his mouth to blab about Jadice and everything else he knew, but he kept it shut. There was a chance she was still alive, and that Father Yohan didn’t know she was here. He didn’t want to put her in danger.
“I learned about the Apostles in the Basement,” Caden lied.
“Ah, so you talked to Watson, then?” Father Yohan said. Now it was Caden’s turn to be shocked.
“You know about the Basement? And Watson and everything?”
“Of course. What happened down there was a horrible tragedy.”
“How dare you say that!” Annika shouted. “The Church is what drove everyone down there into hiding! If it wasn’t for you, then all those people would still be alive. You probably loved it when the Basement blew up.”
“My young lady,” Father Yohan said, “that is simply not true. If we went after every single person who ever used Iltech, then there would be no one left. Salem would be a ghost town. Knowing when it’s correct to turn a blind eye is one of the most important parts of ruling.”
“Then why do you want to destroy me?” Caden demanded.
Father Yohan frowned. “It seems as though Watson must’ve been mistaken for once. We don’t want to destroy you, Caden. We want you to join us.”
Caden and Annika exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing: that’s not what Jadice had told them. Did she lie? Or was Father Yohan lying to them?
“We need your help, Caden,” Father Yohan continued. “We’ve spent decades rebuilding old technology, but we’ve just hit dead end after dead end.”
“What are you trying to do?” Caden asked cautiously.
Father Yohan sighed. “We’ve been trying to figure out Metl. It has so many mysteries. What is controlling it? Why doesn’t it affect our planet the way it should? What is it, exactly?
“And you, Caden. You are the missing link. The same weapon that caused the Iltech Apocalypse and created Metl is inside of you, a weapon far more advanced than whatever we could hope to produce here. With your help, we can not only stop Metl, but learn its secrets too.”
“How can we stop it?” Caden asked. “And where is my dad?�
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Father Yohan smiled. “So many questions. How about this, Caden? I’ll make a deal with you. You join us, we stop Metl, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know. The Iltech Apocalypse. The meaning of life. Your father. You can know it all, Caden.”
Caden gripped the jail bars so hard they rattled. Father Yohan was offering him everything he’d ever wanted. All he had to do was say yes. The only thing stopping him from joining right then and there was Annika grabbing his shoulder.
“Don’t do it, Caden,” she said. “They’re lying. You know they are. If they really wanted to help, then they wouldn’t steal parents away from kids.”
Father Yohan gave a solemn nod. “You are right, young lady. I’ll tell you what. Caden, if you join us, I’ll let the Nobodies’ parents go home. All of them. With your help we won’t need them anymore.”
Annika’s hand fell off Caden’s shoulder. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and neither could Caden. If Father Yohan was telling the truth, then this was his chance not only to learn everything he’d ever wanted to know, but to reunite all of the Nobodies’ families. He peered past Father Yohan to the tables of unconscious parents.
“What are you doing with them?” he asked.
“They’re all experiencing their own worlds. hevn virtual reality was one of the discoveries that lead to your weapon’s creation. We’ve been trying to rebuild it here for research, all in a safely-monitored environment of course.”
Caden didn’t know what to think. Even Annika looked like she was being swayed by Father Yohan’s promise of her mother and the other Nobodies’ parents going free.
“And if you let them go, they’ll be okay?” Caden asked. “They won’t be hurt or anything?”