THE SEVENTH EVENT

by Phillip Shaw

  ‘I can only assume it's the Magisters or, at least, the modern day equivalent of them.'

  Scarlet turned taking in Pamela and Libero for the first time.

  ‘Well, we are going to have to have a little chat now aren't we?'

  She pulled a large knife with a huge hand grip from behind her back and stuck it into the wooden table, the presence of other such marks on the table suggested to Pamela that this was a familiar tactic. Libero just sat seemingly amused at the diminutive firework of a woman that had burst into the room.

  ‘Pleased to meet you, Scarlet, please take a seat, I have already heard enough unexplained occurrences from Jenson here to warrant giving you an explanation.'

  ‘Did you swallow a dictionary or something? Where's that accent from?'

  ‘I believe it's from Ulster, but I have only been self-aware for a few days.'

  ‘A few days, that's coincidental, the chatter in here has been electric the last few days. Whoever you are someone out there wants you very badly. I suppose you are lucky Jenson brought you here. Someone is looking out for you.'

  Pamela felt a bit concerned at the easing of the mood; the revelations from this girl were being ignored.

  ‘How safe are we here, what's to stop them finding us?'

  ‘Not the smartest people you have ever recruited Jenson. What drew you to them? Listen, Lady, short of a vault in an underground bank this is the safest building you could be in. All those wires and things you passed on the way in make this place like a big piece of one-way glass. We can see out, but they can't see in. so yes you're safe enough from the outside world in here, presuming you are allowed to stay.'

  Pamela, feeling rebuked enough slumped slightly in her seat. If Libero had not been beside her that could have been a fatal riposte. Libero who had been sitting beside her, head resting in one hand across his jaw, raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Is there a smoking room?'

  The tension that had been in the room now gushed out of the faux boardroom like the air in a soda bottle, both Jenson and Scarlet were bent over laughing and even Pamela cracked a smile. The two sat down across the table from Libero and Pamela and were ready to listen. Libero took the first gambit.

  ‘Where did all this come from?'

  Scarlett took this up. ‘What you are looking at Mister is the disgruntled workforce of a whole state. People aren't stupid they found us. The second we started fighting back against those in power we gained more and more followers. The problem we have is not recruiting it's picking the best people. Everyone you passed on the way in has more skill and drive than you can imagine….'

  ‘Yet they were all held back. Something stopped them achieving what their skills deserved. Let me guess, some unseen force left them despairing and dissatisfied with life so they aligned themselves to you.'

  ‘In a nutshell. The people in here have stopped believing the lies that are forced down their throats by the media. They are sick of the wrong people getting the promotions and taking their jobs, most of all they are sick of being ignored. There weren't many of us in here until Jenson joined us. After that we had more drive more focus, we had been planning for that attack on the wrestling for months.'

  ‘How did you find them all Scarlett?'

  ‘It was easy really, you don't need to look far. The people found me. I grew up here, I saw my father slave to make his gas station the best it could be then in weeks the corporations pulled their backing. My father was emotionally crippled and my mother found him hanging in the building upstairs. She followed soon after with pills. Leaving me the only child here, you're sitting in the only property I was left with on this earth.'

  ‘You have made quite a job of it? But you still haven't answered my question. How did you get all these recruits?'

  ‘Forward aren't you? As I was saying, it was easy they came to me. I started doing the normal teenage things, protesting, graffiti, viral videos and social media. All of a sudden I noticed I had thousands of people following me online. I put some feelers out and we met up. The more times we met up the more people began to come and bring friends. We started to picket big buildings when bank officials were meeting. Because I was living and holding meetings here we started to bring our own laptops and camp out down here where the fuel containers used to be. I had a contact in the community hospital where Jenson was being treated and as a big fan I wanted to meet him, the day I went to meet him I found out they were transferring him, something in me just snapped and I busted him out. When he came here everything changed. He kept talking about the power some of these big corporations had and how he had plans to bring them down.'

  Jenson took up the story. ‘When Scarlett brought me back here I was terrified. These people you see around you. They were vulnerable, they were traceable, I knew people would be trying to find me so I took it underground. They had to give up their profiles, anything that could be traced back to them had to be erased. The only thing that could be used from now on was the persona Sons of Reality. It was cheesy enough to be non-threatening and allowed us to communicate in secret. As more and more people became involved they brought their skills with them. We had to implement rules. Almost like try-outs. If you solved the cyber paper trail and found your way here then you were halfway in. Scarlett and I vetted the rest.'

  ‘What happened to those who didn't make the grade?' Pamela asked.

  ‘They aren't with us anymore.' Kane said softly.

  ‘You're insane. What gives you the right to end someone's life?'

  Libero looked round at her. ‘Pamela, they did what needed to be done. There will be more casualties before this is over. Our cause outweighs any life.'

  Scarlett looked at Kane beside her. ‘This guy is weird. Why did you bring him here?'

  ‘He is going to lead us.'

  The tension in the room was back and threatening to boil over. The look of shock on outrage on the volatile Scarlett's face worried Pamela. Libero in any situation was like dropping a match into petrol. He broke and destroyed the situation before remaking it for his own ends. Worst of all Pamela knew inside he was right. Kane stood up.

  ‘Scarlett, there is something we need to tell you. It's not going to be easy for you to take in. But take it in you have to do. This changes everything.'

  38. Acolyte

  Libero felt the tension around the table. It had always been the same, whether in a group of settlers or some long established tribe he broke the binds that kept people together. This was no different. Time slowed around him as he felt the minds of the group.

  Pamela was growing all the time. Her confidence was a visible aura around her as she had taken a full part in these talks. There was apprehension now but that was understandable. The situation was combustible, to say the least. Her outburst when their hosts had revealed that some who didn't make it, were no longer with us had visually hit her hard. When they were out of this Libero would need to sound her out. The other two were much more interesting.

  Kane was beyond what he expected to find. An almost fully trained follower, he had been looking for the reasons for his actions. Libero had only begun to reveal the road ahead and already he was flourishing. He had a ready-made force here and, was more than willing to begin operations.

  Scarlett was the enigma; Libero could feel her motivations. She wanted to be someone and clearly had a degree of worship already for Jenson Kane but her real driving force was revenge. Revenge to Libero was like a prediction from an Oracle. People always wanted revenge but it was how they felt when that revenge was in sight that showed their true character. Libero saw nothing but complete conviction in Scarlett; she would see her cause through to the end no matter what. When compared to the swirling tempest that was Pamela's conscience, Scarlett was a simple case. Libero hoped that his presence would begin to show the way she would be. Will she inherit the curse or will she follow through faith? Libero needed to get the conversation back to the threat in hand.

  ‘Tell me, Scarlett, can we see what is going o
n with the satellites that were tracking us? When did they begin?'

  Scarlett answered sharply, ‘They picked you up not long after the operation at the arena. We were ready for them but we weren't ready for the strength of servers that came at us. They really tested our equipment but we came through. We passed our first mission.'

  ‘So what is your next mission?'

  ‘We only sent out a warning today, the next time we will send out a message. The corporations in this world don't know who they are dealing with, isn't that right Jens?'

  Kane pondered before nodding in agreement and Libero knew why. He had been introduced to the real power in this world and it wasn't the globalisation of modern society. Libero went to speak but stopped his thoughts had all converged.

  That has to be it; they are controlling this world through corporations. All they need is one in charge of a few corporations and their influence can cascade down to everyone. This girl has unwittingly been fighting my war for me.

  ‘I see, have we any targets apart from the gasoline company that ruined your life?'

  ‘We? Since when did this meeting become a planning brainstorm? I know Jens has a soft spot for you two or else you would already be on the news. Why should I reveal my plans to you? This isn't some kind of movie.'

  Libero shot her a smile. She was changing as well. His aura in this age was different. The people were smarter, more aware; they received his power like a sponge. Libero realised now that he could create his army it would be a matter of choice. It was time to release her as well.

  ‘Scarlett, I am not who you think, this world is not what you think either. I know you are driven by your thirst for revenge. I'm not going to change that, I'm going to show you what is really going on. Look at the people you have assembled outside. Was there something in common with them all? They are like the rest of this planet, they are being held back by forces they can't control. Forces that I have been woken to do battle with again. You have already started my war for me, which is why we need to move forward with your plans.'

  He focussed on her face; the seed had been sown in her mind now. It wasn't a simple case of convincing someone to part with a vehicle or to take them somewhere. This was a revelation in the truest form of the word and Scarlett was now feeling the effects of the unanswered questions in her life being resolved.

  Jenson put a hand on her shoulder; he didn't say anything but the look was enough. He had felt the same conflict when pointing a gun at his head. ‘It gets easier Scarlett.' She looked back at him. There were definitely feelings between the two that Libero didn't want to discourage, he had told her a small snippet of the truth and his presence would be enough to bring the rest out. Pamela and Jenson had been perfect examples of this. One natural denouncer and one enlightened, both were now committed to the truth. He needed to get them all focussed on the enemy, the time for action was approaching and they needed to know what lay ahead.

  ‘So tell me Scarlett, these organisations that you and your group are fighting to destabilise, do they have anything in common? Like a powerful leader or do they meet in groups? I need you to show me what you have found out so far, there must be a link to what we know already.'

  Scarlett rose from the desk, all questions or difficulties were missing from her now, and she pulled up a large computer screen from the rustic looking table. Libero marvelled at the engineering, the screen itself was thoroughly modern but like everything else in this enclave it had been augmented with numerous scavenged parts. The hinges that flipped it over looked like they had been taken from a tool cabinet; the casing it was enclosed in was definitely some kind of reinforcing bar. The metal had been welded and forged at the sides to protect the screen and allow it to blend in with the surroundings when not in use. Scarlett waited until the screen fizzed into life before them, then began drawing her fingers over it like an artist. The shapes she drew represented themselves on the screen.

  ‘Here we have the companies that Jenson has outlined as our targets. Avery's wrestling corporation, the Superstore chains and, of course, the petroleum company. So far Jenson's experience with Avery is the only leading face we can put to a name. The other C.E.Os are referred to through the internet but not seen. The grocery store magnate David West's family has run stores all across America since frontier times but he is just a name, he has store managers and corporate people in each state. One of the guys outside used to work in store office for them, he filled us in on the structure of the business but he hasn't even seen West. The petroleum company AG, is our next target, we have been working round the clock to hack into low-level employees, email and social accounts to see if we can get a meeting or something to strike at. The meeting is this weekend. All their bosses are meeting for their yearly strategy talk from their leader Brady Johnson.'

  Libero saw the research that had already been done by the group and he was impressed. He knew Avery was a Magister, he had witnessed that himself, the others could likely be the same, it would do no harm to take one of them out. In the end, the more they took out the weaker their leader became. But he needed to draw them together, the companies lying before him didn't even have a tenuous link according to the notes below each one.

  ‘Is there a link between them or have you just singled them out?

  ‘We have tried but the only links we can see are the private security they use. They all have the same mannerisms and vehicles; from their guard patterns, I'd say they were the same company.'

  ‘Do you have any images?'

  Scarlett's nimble fingers danced over the touchscreen again and a collection of images appeared each of varying quality of a strange group of guards. Mostly in black they favoured long coats and carried a multitude of weapons, Libero noticed pistols, shotguns, rifles and many other firearms all on clear display. As he watched the zoomed in footage he paused.

  ‘Stop the footage, zoom in on that woman.'

  The image focussed on a shapely female guard with sunglasses on as she reached her hand to her ear to speak into some communication device on her wrist. The device itself was magnified on the screen.

  ‘That's it.' He said. ‘The link is there.'

  ‘It's only a security radio. We even have them here.'

  Pamela spoke up, ‘He means the mark behind it, we have seen it before, in the prison, we escaped from. The two guards we found dead both had it on their inner arms. That prison had one of those demons in charge of us all.'

  Scarlett began searching through all the images they had of the security firm until they began popping up in front of them all, every image of the tattoo appeared on the guards. They all shared the same triangle pattern in red. Pamela maintained her cool demeanour but the stress of the situation was beginning to tell on Scarlett. She took her head in her hands and began crying. ‘It's all true!' was all that could be made out in between sobs. Jenson put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. Pamela just watched and Libero turned to her, ‘It never gets easier to find out the truth does it?'

  ‘We need to know your plan; you can't try something as audacious as the arena stunt. What was the purpose of it anyway?' Pamela said.

  Scarlett composed herself and began. ‘It was a trial run; I needed to see the lengths that the guards around these people would go to before I sent in any of my people to be put at risk. Jenson already knew that organisation inside out and assured me of success, the only hitch in the plan was you two. From that, we saw if you threaten these people at all then they remove themselves and quickly. Avery was gone from that building within three minutes. Whatever we try on the petroleum company needs to be done fast and without mercy.'

  ‘We have the meeting place; a small team are going to break in after we disable the security systems of the building. Once they go down we have three minutes. Three minutes to take my revenge. We're going to kill them all. The media coverage of the wrestling event will have announced us as another terrorist group. A simple group of people sick of the globalisation of society, sick of the money
being distributed among the few. They think we are only here to cause disruption like the other groups already out there. They know nothing; you have shown me what's going on. It's like you wiped a mist away from my eyes. I don't know why I believe you but I do and I can tell Jenson does or else you would already be dead. Help me do this.'

  Libero felt her mind growing as she spoke, those tears had washed away any doubts, she had fallen in behind the others, another acolyte, another denouncer. His army was growing just like always.

  39. Brother

  Nolan sat sipping a dry sherry. His surroundings as always were impeccable, the drawing room chair was made of the finest waxed leather, hand stitched to provide the obviousness of superior craftsmanship. The table made of the darkest grain mahogany had a green leather insert for his study, two books sat in front of him leather-bound and marked at the specific paragraphs that he had spent the day musing over. The library ladder needed oiling; it was a minor chore that he would carry out in due course. He lifted his quill from the inkpot and scratched a few notes in impeccable penmanship down on the paper. He preferred the quill at home over the expensive fountain pen he used in public, it forced him to take his time and craft his script. Too many people were in a hurry in this world and handwriting was the first thing to suffer. Nolan's handwriting would give nothing away about his life, except the fact that it was gloriously crafted.

  He paused at his next pen stroke as he heard the door to the apartment slam shut. His brother as always managed to draw a sneer of irritation from Nolan. Frederick while his intellectual equal was far more at home with the common folk. It made him an invaluable tool. The door to the study opened and Frederick walked in. Nolan looked at him closely and shook his head. ‘Brother, the red neck look certainly suits you. I hope you will be keeping that attire in your collection.'

  Frederick in a checked shirt and stonewash denim walked into the room. ‘Only if it meant I could annoy you mon frère.'