by J. E. Swift
Declan did not need any time to think it over. “Yes. Yes I am.”
Chapter 23
Garrett walked down the jet’s stairwell after it landed on the tarmac. During the flight home, he had been told that a service car would pick him up and take him to Councilman McPherson since he was so insistent he do so.
The Councilman needed to be told that his closest ally, the person he trusted most only next to his son, was a traitor. Jonathan’s admin had insisted that he could not see him until the Tribunal was completed. But Garrett was relentless in his persistence; and if he needed to, he would wait until the Councilman walked right through that door.
He figured that he owed the Councilman that much. Jonathan had always held a soft spot for Garrett’s mother, and he fought for their asylum within the Trust when no one on else had. The rest of the Council was reluctant at best, but Jonathan upheld that it was the right thing to do. Then, when Garrett had come back from his hiatus with his tail between his legs, the Council had staunchly refused to let him back in. Garrett did not deny that he had been changed by the experiences, but the kind-hearted man then yet again convinced the Tribunal to override the Council’s ruling, giving him another shot. He had argued that Garrett had not even gone through the Awakening yet, he was still young.
So he owed the Councilman his loyalty. He may not feel that way about the Trust as a whole, but it would take a major act to make him betray someone who had shown in him so much faith.
Garrett walked through the hanger, the airport practically deserted. He said his goodbyes to the pilot as he walked towards the control tower in the opposite direction. A familiar black tinted window of a Trust sedan greeted him, without hesitation, he jumped in the cab, throwing his carry on in next to him.
“Take me directly to headquarters please.”
The doors locked as the sedan began to go down the worn road in front of them. “Of course, sir.”
Garrett froze at the sound of the voice that greeted him. Lionel. His mind buzzed, trying to figure out how Lionel could have possibly known that he was going to report his traitorousness to McPherson. The mission had not involved Councilman McPherson in any way that he had known about and Lionel would have no way of knowing. The only thing unusual was that he had advised he wanted a meeting with the Councilman but that could have been for one of a hundred reasons. He decided to pry further to determine Lionel’s intent.
Nonchalantly he inquired, “Lionel? Why are you picking me up?”
Garrett could practically feel that smirk that radiated from him. “Why to take you to see your father of course.”
At that comment, his blood ran cold. His mind raced, realizing that he did not know about his discovery after all, but at this point, it was completely irrelevant anyways, because Lionel obviously did not care, knowing that this could blow open his cover completely.
Garrett tried to open the door. Lionel tsked at the futile attempt. “I wouldn’t bother. You won’t be able to open it and do not even think about trying to use your abilities in this vehicle. First of all, I am much stronger than you and second, and more importantly, if you attempt anything, you will never find her.”
His heart stopped. His voice took on a very dangerous edge. “What did you do to Caitlyn?”
“Oh, she is fine… for now and will stay that way if you cooperate. If not, well, I cannot guarantee her safety.”
He banged against the glass that divided driver from the passenger. “If you even lay one finger on her, so help me God, I’ll decimate you.”
Lionel laughed. “I would love to see you try.”
“Trust me, Lionel. You underestimate me.”
“I know your current limitations, Garrett. I have been following you for a very, very long time.”
“What does my father want?”
“He only wants to see his son. According to your father, you left in a little bit of a hurry last time if you recall.”
Garrett recalled that fact quite well. When he had finally met his father at the age of sixteen, he was everything he had ever imagined. He was attentive, loving, and guiding. It was easy to love his father, Nathaniel Livingston always claiming that he just wanted what was best for his son. Most importantly, his father provided answers. Answers that had been missing his entire life. His mother rarely had mentioned his dad growing up, and Garrett was forbidden to talk about it in public.
His father filled in so many of the gaps, he felt like he finally understood who he was, who he was meant to be. Furthermore, he had privately held a lot of the ideals that his father had. Not all of them however, and that was the reason he had left his father.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I have another jet ready and waiting with our men. Now, once you comply and we are safely in Cine Tofa territory, I’ll have our Inquisitors release Caitlyn. She will be fine and I have seen that no harm has been done to her so long as you comply.”
“Does she know the truth?”
He could see Lionel’s eyebrows raise through the rearview mirror. “The truth?”
“About who I am?”
“Yes. I must say it was a bit shocking to her. I don’t know that she believes it.”
Garrett hung his head. He should have told her the truth when he got romantically involved with her. Caitlyn meant a great deal to him. She had been open and honest about her past this entire time, and yet he had listened to the Council’s request and not told a soul. He did not know if she would ever forgive him for that. He hoped she would. He loved her.
They pulled up to a private field, Lionel walking out of the car over to the back door. He held in his hand heavy duty plastic tie wraps. “Now, I hope you can behave. However, in case not, I am putting these bindings on you. The less damage you can attempt to do the better. I told your father I would deliver you unscathed, you see.”
Garrett complied, taking in his surroundings trying to get an idea of where he was. He tried desperately to reach out telepathically to Caitlyn, who still had her block up. He then reached out to the only other person who knew cared about her the way he did. He was surprised to find that Declan’s block was not up.
“Declan! This is Garrett. There is not much time. Lionel is a traitor to your father and they told me they have Caitlyn. They will hurt her if I do not comply with their wishes. Your father knows that I am Nathaniel Livingston’s son, and they are taking me back to my father. I’ll go with them, but I don’t trust that they will keep Caitlyn safe even if I go without fighting. I don’t know where they are keeping her. Please, find Caitlyn. Find Caitlyn now!”
Garrett waited a moment before he received a response. “Garrett, Caitlyn is here with me. Safe. Where are you and Lionel?”
Garrett’s mind thought wildly. Lionel lied to him. Of course he lied to him. Caitlyn was his weakness. Garrett thought quickly. “I am at a large field, not even five miles from the airport. There is an old, rather large building that appears to have been abandoned.”
“Any other markers?”
“No. The building appears to be two stories tall and the entryway to the field is narrow and difficult to see off the highway.”
“Okay, we will be there as soon as possible.”
Garrett turned and spit at Lionel. “You no good fucking bastard. You lied! You never had her! She is with Declan.” Garrett struggled against his bindings.
Lionel shrugged. “Now. Now. Behave. I see that you had decided to use your telepathy. Well, since my bluff is out on the table, I guess I don’t have any choice. You are not in any position to argue here.”
Lionel grabbed onto Garrett. Within a millisecond, the young man felt paralyzed, his body only responding to the spy’s will.
Lionel quickly began to drag him through the old building. Garrett could hear Lionel’s voice reverberating through his head. “You just couldn’t obey. I am afraid that your uncle Lionel will need to make this a bit more painful to teach you a lesson. Your father will not be pleased, but I am afraid tha
t there is not much I can do to prevent that.”
Garrett’s body attempted to recoil as it reacted as if it were beset by a thousand razors, all in a desperate fury, cutting him from the inside out. He tried to react, but Lionel had somehow managed to set up blocks that Garrett could not penetrate. He could feel the metallic taste of the blood on his tongue, he felt his head become thicker, heavier; it was difficult to think.
He attempted to center himself, his Inquisitor training preparing him for an assault like the one he experienced now. He tried to remind himself that this was not real, that the pain was just an illusion, the blood was just an illusion, but it was so excruciating that he found he could not hold back the scream that ripped from the very depth of his soul.
He was not aware that two figures came running over from the distance until they were practically on top of him. He shook his head, looking around. When did Lionel move him to an upper floor in the abandoned building? He could not even recall being moved. He stood near the top of a metallic staircase and could hear the blades of a helicopter revving up above him.
He peered down at blonde hair billowing towards him about twenty feet below. “Caitlyn!” He attempted to call out, but it came out as a whisper.
“Oh my God! Garrett!” She stepped closer towards him.
Lionel gripped Garrett’s arm tightly. “Don’t come any closer or else I’ll kill him right here.”
Caitlyn, accompanied by Declan McPherson, stopped. “What do you want with him?”
“I myself want nothing with him. His father on the other hand…”
Garrett could see her grimace. She murmured. “It’s true then.”
Garrett, even in his pain, spoke as loud as he could muster. “Caitlyn… Please. I never…”
Lionel sent a new surge of pain through him. “We don’t have time for this, Garrett. As much as I enjoy talking to your girlfriend and her other boyfriend, we must be going.” Lionel reached for the hatch that led to the rooftop.
Declan spoke up then. “I don’t think either one of you are going anywhere.”
Lionel rolled his eyes. “Declan, don’t play the hero. He is going back to where he belongs and then you can get the girl as you always planned.”
Declan crossed his arms. “Fine. If you want to play it that way, Lionel.”
Lionel sent one last surging pain through Garrett before throwing him over the railing, where he landed with a hard thud on the ground, certain he had broken several bones. Garrett saw Caitlyn transport over to him, before the stars in front of him took over and the pain made him pass out.
Chapter 24
Caitlyn looked at Declan with desperation. “I’ll be back.”
His student grabbed Garrett’s unconscious form and transported out. It was just himself and Lionel now. Lionel’s usually content face contorted, his lips curving upwards into an evil grin, his face now reflecting the true nature of a sinister man. Declan barely recognized his old mentor.
Lionel’s laughter bubbled up from his chest, his voice cold as he slowly circled around Declan. “So you came to find me. I must say, Declan, it took you long enough to find out, discover who I was. It’s only been twenty years.”
Declan’s mind tried to wrap around what he was saying. Twenty years? Twenty years he had been a traitor to his people, twenty years he had shared the secrets of the Trust. His friendship with his mentor- No, not his mentor, not his friend, he was now his enemy- had been a lie. Declan was sick to his stomach.
Declan could only ask one question. “Why?”
Lionel sneered. “Why? You want to know why? Declan, you of all people should understand. I was a secret founder of the Cine Tofa. It’s in my blood. When I was presented with the opportunity to serve my people by infiltrating the Trust, so deeply, so intimately, how could I say no? My people have benefited from my loyalty, my dedication.”
“You gave up your life for this?”
Lionel looked at him slightly surprised. “Would you not do the same? Did I not teach you loyalty above all else?”
Declan knew that he would have given up his life, taken up another to help the Trust. He would never admit that to the monster in front of him. “But if you were so loyal to the Cine Tofa, why would you train me so hard? Why not make me mediocre?”
Lionel cocked his head. “Declan, you would never have been mediocre. You had too much raw ability for that. So, I did the next best thing. Tested you again and again, learning your strengths and how to play to your weaknesses. Know thy enemy better than you know thyself. Even as a child, I knew your destiny for leadership of this group as a Descendant and would take after your father. I just needed to learn how to take you out when the proper time came.”
“But you forget, old man, that I know your strengths and weaknesses as well. I trained with you.”
Declan did not like the cackle that he produced. “Declan, for one so smart… did you really think I let you see my actual strength? Let you know what my true weaknesses were? Every fight, every training we ever had was calculated, manipulated, and planned. Let’s set the record straight. Every conversation, every handshake, every piece of advice given to you was a lie. A complete and utter lie. I have never liked you. I have always hated you. You and your father.”
Looking in the other man’s eyes, he saw the truth of what he said. There was only one thing to do and it was something Declan had never done before. Kill him.
“Enough talking, Lionel. Let’s end this now.”
Lionel sneered. “There is nothing more I would rather do at the moment.”
Declan quickly evaluated that he could not use the mental attacks that he had learned over the years. Lionel knew all of them and how to defend against them. To that end, Declan was aware now that he did not know exactly what Lionel was capable of. Declan reinforced his blocks that he had in place and added the two blocks that Caitlyn had discovered on her own that he had been able to duplicate. He prayed that would allow him a little breathing room for now. He had now set several more blocks up than was normal, making his mind as impenetrable as he could. He knew that Lionel had done the same. This was going to be a purely physical fight.
He took a steadying breath, levitating the debris that was lying immediately at his feet and throwing it at Lionel with all his strength. Lionel smirked, amused at his students actions, stopping the debris around him dead in its tracks. He set it down, stepping around it moving purposefully towards Declan. He cocked his head at him. “Really, Declan? Is that all you have? You are fighting like a Potential. I taught you better than that. At least fight me with the skill I know you have. We could do this all year if we go at this rate.”
“I would really hate to spend any more time with you than I need to.” Declan respond dryly. It bothered him that he had to acknowledge Lionel was right. He needed to be smarter, faster, quicker. This was not a fight that could be won with brute strength. He was too evenly matched with the older man for that, or at least he hoped he was. He was going to need to outwit Lionel.
Declan levitated a piece of concrete in front of him. He closed his eyes, crushing the concrete into a fine powder, pleased when it created the desired smoke shield. He noticed a piece of rebar by his feet and shredded it into ten pieces, throwing it at Lionel, blindly. With frustration, Declan heard all the metal clang against the wall. He had thought that at least one piece of metal would make its way through.
Lionel’s voice was surprisingly on the far side of the room. “I’ll give you points for creativity. Unfortunately, you missed.”
Before Declan could respond with a quip of his own, he felt the concrete beneath him giving way, finding his himself falling down to the next level below. He stopped the breaking floor underneath him, holding the pieces precariously together just enough to suspend him in mid-air between levels. He concentrated on lifting it up, returning him up to the upper floor that held his enemy. He leaped to a more secure spot, hearing the debris crash down to the level below. “Good try. But not good enough.
”
Declan noted that the dust was begging to settle around them, Lionel leaning against a pillar, his face focused on his former student. He needed an advantage. Even though there was not a lot of light to begin with, Declan looked at the line of bare bulbs that hung down throughout the floor, emitting a dull light. One by one they popped, placing the room in virtual darkness, the dirty windows the only source of light.
Before the last bulb broke, he took advantage of the quick burst of flame that emitted from the filament. He pulled the flame from the bulb into his palm, the fire coming to life in his hand, bouncing, waiting in anticipation for his next move. Declan transferred a portion of the growing blaze into his left palm before hurling it forward, his right hand to pushing its own inferno into the air towards Lionel like the rains of Hell itself.
Lionel was caught off guard by the attack, but it did not prevent him from stopping all of it, save one piece. He took a direct hit to his waist, sending him stumbling before he was bombarded by another firestorm that Declan threw towards him. Lionel stopped the next blast mere milliseconds before he was engulfed in flames.
Taking distinct advantage of the moment, Declan began throwing more debris from the floor at him, unable to see the man through the heavy curtain of smoke. His eyes widened when the only response to the attack was the distinct sound of Lionel’s laughter ringing in his ear. It was his only warning before Declan hit the ground with a heavy thud.
He coughed as he picked himself up from the concrete dust floor, in time to find that Lionel had transported easily over to him. If Declan had been standing, he would have staggered backwards.
In all their years together, Lionel had always indicated that he was never able to grasp fully the abstract thought and concentration that transporting took. Declan had always taken him at his word, knowing now that it was a lethal mistake.
Lionel used Declan’s momentary distraction to breach his student’s blocks.