Theo felt his stomach lurch again. He couldn’t go in that room, the revulsion that washed over him was so strong it almost drove him to his knees. He quickly spun around, closing his eyes and putting his back to the room.
A dull red glow appeared behind his eyelids as he kept them squeezed shut and a soft fragrant breeze tugged at his hair. Wherever he was, he was no longer trapped inside in the darkness.
He ventured one eye open. Relaxing, he opened the other one and took a deep calming breath as the bone deep fear began to recede. The lake was behind him and he was looking up at the house.
‘There you are,’ a painfully familiar voice laughed, and he felt his eyes covered by two slender hands. ‘Guess who.’
‘Olivia,’ he breathed. Turning sharply, he pulled her into his arms, his lips crashed against hers as his fingers tangled in her long dark hair.
In that one moment, he didn’t care that she wasn’t real, that he was caught up in a memory. He drank in the scent of her, the feel of her mouth, the taste of her, even as he pulled her under with him.
‘Well,’ Olivia laughed breathlessly as she pulled back, ‘if that’s the welcome home I get, I should go out to get groceries more often.’
Theo pressed his forehead to hers, tangling a lock of her silky hair around his finger, not wanting to let her go.
‘You have no idea how much I miss you,’ he breathed against her lips.
‘I was only gone for an hour,’ she smiled.
‘Livy,’ he whispered painfully, ‘I will find you I swear.’
‘What are you talking about,’ she stepped back with a slightly puzzled frown. ‘I’m right here.’
‘No, you’re not,’ he released her, his eyes filled with longing. ‘You’re not real.’
‘Theo,’ she stepped toward him, reaching for him but as he turned everything shifted and he was once again standing in the corridor staring at the door.
‘NO!’ he snapped. He took a step backward, feeling his heel catch on something, and fell before he could catch his balance.
He hit the ground with a thud, knocking the air from his lungs with a whoosh. He lay there for a moment, the ground beneath him hard and rough, covered with leaves and twigs. He stared through the canopy of trees, up at the stars winking in the night sky. After a moment one of the stars fluttered down toward him and caught on his eyelashes. Another landed on his cheek and he realized it wasn’t the stars, it was ash floating down on the night air.
Pushing himself to his feet, he coughed. The woods were filling with smoke. There was a great roar and as he looked up, he saw a great dragon of multi-colored flames spread his enormous wings as he swept across the sky.
It was the night of the awakening.
‘Do you know why you’re here?’ a polished urbane voice asked.
Theo turned to find himself looking at Hades, dressed as impeccably as ever in an expertly tailored dark colored suit, leaning casually against a tree trunk examining his nails as his obsidian signet ring glinted in the darkness.
‘Hades?’
‘Do you know why you are here?’ another less familiar voice repeated.
Theo turned to find another man. His own flawless suit was white, his blonde hair sat at his shoulders like spun gold and as he raised his hand to his face, stroking his neat beard, his own signet ring, a huge white diamond, glowed brightly.
‘Zeus?’ Theo’s eyes narrowed in confusion.
‘Are all mortals this dense?’ Zeus turned to his brother distastefully.
Hades brow rose as he shrugged elegantly.
‘Why am I here?’ Theo murmured to himself, turning around and watching as the woods burned around him. ‘This was the night everything changed.’
‘Exactly,’ Hades replied.
‘This was the night Infernum awoke,’ Theo spoke softly, more to himself, ‘the night Olivia became it’s Guardian.’
‘Yes,’ Hades watched Theo, his dark eyes blazing with interest as Theo’s mind fought to grasp an elusive idea, one that kept skipping just out of his reach.
‘This is painful to endure,’ Zeus hissed.
‘Patience brother,’ Hades smiled as he watched Theo struggling to put the pieces together. ‘You have not much experience dealing with mortals, they can be a little slow, but they get there in the end… usually.’
‘This one is exceptionally slow,’ Zeus scowled. ‘The end of the world will have come and gone by the time he figures it out.’
‘Like I said, patience brother,’ Hades replied easily. ‘This one has had a particularly sheltered upbringing; he is struggling with concepts far beyond his experience.’
Theo ignored the two bickering Gods behind him. They were right, there was something about this night, about Olivia becoming the Guardian… ‘It didn’t just change her that night…. You told Olivia that her powers as a Guardian changed me too,’ Theo turned back to Hades. ‘We are bound to each other, soulmates. Her powers amped up my visions, what should have been the ordinary gift of a seer mutated into something else. Something I can’t control.’
‘Not quite,’ Hades hedged, ‘but you’re on the right path.’
‘The right path?’ Zeus scoffed, ‘he’s not even in the general vicinity.’
Hades ignored his brother and kept his penetrating gaze on Theo. ‘I told her that your powers were boosted by her own, that you are both bound to each other which is true, but not entirely accurate.’
‘What do you mean?’ Theo frowned.
‘Oh, for the might of Olympus,’ Zeus swore, ‘there are always two.’
Theo blinked as he stared at the impatient God.
‘Two of what?’
‘It’s like trying to explain why the cosmos exists to a mule,’ Zeus replied in exasperation.
‘Theo,’ Hades interceded sending his brother a warning glance, to which Zeus threw up his hands in disgust. ‘Theo,’ Hades began again, ‘there are always two, a Guardian and a Protector. It is true Olivia was always destined to be Infernum’s Guardian. It chose her, but it also chose you to protect her.’
‘Me?’ Theo frowned, ‘that sounds an awful lot like destiny.’
‘That’s the question isn’t it?’ Zeus smiled slowly. ‘Do you feel that way about her because you were chosen just as she was? It’s the age old, chicken and the egg.’
‘You mean, do I love her because I protect her, or do I protect her because I love her?’ Theo scowled. ‘Is any of it real?’
‘Does it matter?’ Hades asked. ‘Forget everything else but her and answer me this, honestly. Do you love her?’
‘Yes,’ Theo answered.
‘Does it feel right?’
‘Yes,’ he whispered.
‘Then what does it matter if it’s free will or destiny?’ Hades replied. ‘The fact is you are chosen, you are her equal, you matter as much as she does. You don’t just have these powers because she’s the Guardian and some of her gift has accidentally transferred to you. There are no accidents when it comes to the books of power. You are unique Theo, there will never be anyone like you again. Your gift is as singular as you are. You are far more than just a seer, but you need to choose to embrace what you have been given. This isn’t a mistake; your gift isn’t faulty. You are stopping yourself. You are the reason you have no control over your power.’
‘Why?’
‘Only you can answer that question Theo,’ Hades shook his head. ‘You need to look deep inside yourself. The answers are there… if you’re brave enough to look.’
Theo turned away from the two powerful Gods, the burning forest faded away and he found himself once again staring at the door in the dark passageway.
‘Why do you keep coming back here?’ a female voice asked curiously.
Theo glanced in the direction of the voice and found Scarlett standing propped against the wall, watching him.
‘What’s beyond the door?’
‘Nothing,’ Theo replied harshly, turning his back once again.
‘You’r
e the one bringing yourself back here,’ Scarlett told him. ‘Until you deal with whatever is beyond the door, you’ll just keep arriving back here.’
‘Why are you here Scarlett?’ he stared at her.
‘You tell me?’ she shrugged, ‘this is your subconscious.’
‘I don’t know,’ Theo frowned.
‘Maybe I should jog your memory then,’ she tilted her head, studying him carefully before turning on her heel and striding purposefully for the door. She reached out, her hand pressing against the door as he lunged forward in panic.
‘SCARLETT NO!’
Theo gasped painfully, the stark white room roaring back into blinding clarity, too bright, too loud. His body seized, his muscles locking. His back arched, snapping the leather restraints across his chest and biceps, as his body began to shake and convulse.
He could vaguely hear a crashing sound and the violent beeping of the monitors. Nate’s voice echoed in his ears and he felt a sharp scratch against his neck, a cool trickling sensation traveled down his neck and spread across his chest. After a couple of seconds his muscles began to relax, and he slumped back into the chair in exhaustion.
‘Christ,’ Nate breathed heavily as he wiped Theo’s mouth and unstrapped the restraints holding his head in place, ‘that was intense.’
‘I hate you so much right now,’ Theo whispered hoarsely.
‘That makes two of us,’ Nate grabbed Theo’s head and stared at him.
He glanced over his shoulder as if checking to see who might be watching and leaned in closer to Theo.
‘They can’t know about her,’ Nate whispered urgently in his ear.
‘What?’ Theo replied in confusion.
‘Scarlett, you called out her name.’
‘I did?’ Theo tried to remember the last thing he’d seen before he woke up.
‘Theo, this is important,’ Nate gripped his face so tightly he winced. ‘They can’t know about Scarlett.’
‘I’m guessing we’re talking about the same red head with angelic tendencies,’ Theo spoke quietly so only Nate could hear him and when Nate’s jaw tightened dangerously Theo’s eyes narrowed. ‘Looks like you and I are playing for the same team.’
Nate released Theo and sank down onto his chair heavily.
‘Shit,’ he breathed.
‘Just tell me one thing Nate,’ Theo croaked. ‘Does he have my wife and children? Faraday? Does he really have Olivia?’
‘I don’t know man,’ Nate shook his head, ‘and that’s the truth. They have me on a pretty tight leash.’
Theo let his head drop back against the headrest, his eyes staring at the devastation. The trolleys surrounding him had upended or been pushed away. Papers with his handwriting covered the floor, his hand was covered in ink from where he’d gripped the pen so tightly in his seizure it had snapped.
‘This is getting dangerous for you,’ Nate stared down at the black ink staining Theo’s palm. ‘That was a pretty serious seizure. If they continue or last for too long, they could leave you with brain damage.’
‘I don’t really have a choice here, do I?’ Theo replied bitterly.
‘Look,’ Nate scrubbed his face tiredly. ‘I think we can both agree neither of us want to be here, neither of us want to be subjecting you to the serum, but I’m going to give you some advice and for your sake you need to pay attention. When I give you the serum and you go under… don’t fight it. If you do, it can take you to a really dark place, you need to just surf the wave. It’ll churn up everything in your subconscious, shit you didn’t even know was there. It can be painful but sometimes you can learn something important about yourself.’
Theo closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
‘I need to rest,’ he told Nate, ‘my head is killing me.’
‘Here,’ Nate handed him a couple of pills.
‘What’s this?’
‘Oxy,’ he shook his head, ‘not something I’d recommend usually but it’ll help with the pain. With what you’ve been put through these last several days, it probably feels like a semi has been driven over your head a few times.’
Theo took the pills gratefully; he wasn’t sure exactly what Oxy was but the agony in his head was intense and he was exhausted right down to his bones.
Nate helped him to his bunk and dropped him down onto the mattress, covering him with the blanket.
‘For what it’s worth Theo,’ Nate told him quietly, ‘I really am sorry.’
But Theo didn’t hear him, he’d already slipped into a deep exhausted sleep.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d slept. With no daylight visible in his glass cube he’d lost all sense of time, but as he stirred, he turned over to face the wall and let out a yelp of surprise. There was a face watching him through the glass just the other side of his bed. At his startled cry the person scrambled away.
‘Wait!’ Theo pushed the tangled blanket from his legs and jumped out of bed. He felt something squish beneath his bare feet and realized someone had left a tray of food by his bed while he slept.
Peeling the flattened sandwich from the sole of his foot he rounded the bed and pressed his hands against the wall. What had been nothing but darkness beyond the wall of his prison was now well lit and he realized that it was another room identical to his own, with a low bed and a small curtained area in the corner which no doubt concealed a small toilet as did his own.
The person who had been watching him while he slept had scuttled away and was curled up against the opposite wall staring at him warily.
‘It’s okay,’ Theo held up his hands. He wasn’t sure if they could hear him through the thick toughened glass, but he tried anyway. ‘It’s okay.’
Slowly the small figure unfolded themselves from their corner and inched warily across the room. It was a she, Theo realized as she approached him on the other side of the glass. The woman was thin and wore the same clothes as he did, white scrubs and bare feet. Her hair had been shaved close to her scalp, but it looked to be fairly light and her eyes as she watched him were blue.
She kneeled on the other side of the glass, as if making herself as small and unobtrusive as possible. Theo pressed his hands against the glass and slowly slid down into a crouching position, so they were more or less the same eye level.
His gaze dropped to her neck where she wore a nasty looking demon collar, which matched the cuffs along his arm. It looked heavy and painful around her slender neck. The skin beneath the collar was livid and red, covered with layer upon layer of scar tissue, making him wonder how long she’d been forced to wear it for. As it was a demon collar, which Theo knew for a fact canceled out supernatural abilities, he could only conclude that she was gifted in some way.
He’d heard the rumors about the Veritas kidnapping people with supernatural abilities, but this was the first time he’d actually witnessed it.
‘What’s your name?’ he asked.
She blinked at him but made no move to answer.
He leaned in close to the glass and heaved out a breath, clouding the glass. He reached out with his fingertip and wrote his name backward so she could read it, watching as her gaze dipped to the letters. He tapped his fingertips against the glass to get her attention and pointed to himself.
‘Theo…Theo…’ he repeated, ‘that’s my name, what’s yours?’
She stared at him for a moment longer and just when he thought she wasn’t going to answer, she leaned in and breathed against the surface, fogging up the glass.
6342…
‘That’s it?’ Theo looked across to her, ‘a number?’
She tapped the glass the same way he had and pointed to herself.
‘You don’t have a name?’ he replied, ‘just a number?’
She glanced up, her eyes widening in alarm as she looked behind him before scuttling back across the room and curling up against the opposite wall.
‘I’m glad to see you two becoming better acquainted,’ a new and cold voice intruded.
Theo
turned to see Faraday standing behind him, alone.
His lips peeled back as he let loose an angry snarl and launched himself across the room grabbing Faraday by the throat.
‘I could kill you right now,’ Theo growled.
‘You could,’ Faraday smiled slowly, ‘but then what? There’s no way out of here Theodore, not without my consent.’
Faraday grasped Theo’s wrist and placing his hand on Theo’s chest shoved him hard. In his weakened condition Theo stumbled back against his bed.
‘Now,’ Faraday smoothed his collar and tie as if Theo hadn’t just tried to kill him. ‘Need I remind you your wife and your children’s well-being depend on your co-operation.’
‘How do I know you even have them?’ Theo hissed.
‘You don’t,’ Faraday replied easily, ‘but are you willing to take the risk?’
Theo stared at him hatefully.
‘Now then, to business,’ he continued. ‘That…’ he pointed to the woman in the opposite room. ‘… is Six. You wouldn’t know it as she’s a woman of few words but she’s incredibly gifted with languages. She is here to help you translate the prophecy.’
‘It’s impossible,’ Theo snapped, ‘the language is too old.’
‘Not for her,’ he smiled. ‘You will work with her and translate the papers. In return, to show I am not an unreasonable man, I am prepared to offer you something.’
‘What could you possibly offer me?’
‘Nate told me about your seizure. He seems concerned about damaging you further and asked that you be allowed to rest and recover. I have decided to grant his request. No more serum, for the time being, but in return you need to give me something I can work with. Otherwise I will reinstate your little sessions with the good professor and next time, I will tell him to up the dosage.’
Theo’s jaw clenched, he wanted nothing more than to dive across the room and tear the man’s throat out with his bare hands, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to. The fact Faraday had been able to break free of his grip and toss him across the room like a rag doll, did not bode well for any escape attempt. If he had any hope of leaving this place, he would have to be clever and buy some time. He needed to heal, he needed to regain his strength. There was no way he could just bust out of this place and hope for the best. He wasn’t even sure where he was being held. He needed to formulate a plan and he couldn’t do that if he was constantly being pumped full of poison.
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