“Oh, it's good that you're safe!” She said it with an agitated and cheerful voice. “I was afraid that the pyxis had reached them. What are you doing here alone?” She looked at the sides with a frown.
Evelyn imitated her.
“Professor Kerr was here... a moment ago,” she stammered. In effect, the professor was not. “He’s gone.”
“Yes, he usually does that,” Rhys said. “It's a bit creepy. You must not distract yourself.”
“That will be difficult,” Eve was about to say.
“I'm a little tired,” she said instead. “I would like to sleep a little.”
Rhys smiled at her from ear to ear. There, under the intense white light, Eve could visualize it better. She was as beautiful as a Barbie doll, although her eyes were dark and not blue, typically. Her blond hair fell in slings on the sides of the white face; her nose was small and her lips, although miniatures, were sufficiently proportional to her face. She wore black from the feet to the neck, like her companions, and the dark color highlighted the clarity of her complexion. There was something in her gaze, in the sparkle of her eyes on Evelyn that touched her in the depths.
“Come,” Rhys said, without taking her eyes and her smile from Evelyn, and took her hand. At that moment their eyes met; Eve could not say for how long; and she saw something... something really prominent in her coppery eyes that caught her attention, as if she already knew those eyes from elsewhere. Apparently, Rhys noticed her fixity, as he added awkwardly, “I'll take you to... to your room.”
The room was small: a single bed, a bedside table and chair, and a small wooden cabinet covered in bone white paint. The walls were gray, almost white; the lighting was dim, and the atmosphere cold. Evelyn noticed the air duct, square and sealed by a metal grid, last; then she turned to Rhys, who had not moved from the door. She did not stop smiling, in that way as if she knew a joke that she keeps with suspicion for herself. Evelyn was beginning to make me uncomfortable.
“What time is it?” She asked, partly to break the silence, partly because he did want to know.
“Five and half,” she said. “I know it's not very comfortable, but you'll find it cozy with time.”
Belatedly he understood that she was referring to the room.
“How long will I be here?”
“The time you want to be protected.” Rhys raised an eyebrow and her smile faded. “Remember: you are not our prisoner, we just want to protect you to safeguard our future and yours, do you understand, Evelyn?”
She nodded.
A part of her wanted to take advantage of that moment with Rhys and make her, not one, but many questions. But she was sure that she would get more answers from one of Professor Kerr's devices than from one of the agents of the future. She resigned herself. Tomorrow —today— would be another day, and then she could ask all the questions she wanted, and receive all the answers that the stupid laws of the agency would let her know.
For now she felt deeply tired. She noticed Rhys again and noticed that she had not taken her eyes off her all the time. She smiled again. She had taken a nonchalant posture as she leaned against the back of the door and crossed her arms before her chest. Eve felt a strange apprehension in her chest every time she noticed her eyes. She had had the same sensation when she noticed Tadhg's features the first time she saw him without the hood open.
“I cannot believe it's you,” Rhys murmured in a very low voice. Eve heard her. “During all these years my only wish was to see you again, and here you are.” She smiled, though Evelyn seemed to notice that it contained a sob. Rhys took a deep breath, straightened, and composed another smile. “Goodnights, Evelyn.”
“Goodnights,” she replied with a yawn.
CHAPTER FIVE
She met everyone after ten hours of rest. Evelyn had thought they were more, given the excellent conditions she was in. The entire agency —no less a dozen people— was gathered in the dining room to welcome her. She, however, would have settled for the reception a few hours ago. But she did not want to be rude, not if she wanted to get a little more information from the agents.
Tadhg went to the first one she saw. Her first impression of him, she remembered, was of a tall and terribly attractive man. Somber, mysterious, and a little stern when he wanted to. And seeing him once again that day, her idea did not change. Tadhg was a little apart from the rest, barely glanced at her from the corner when she entered the dining room. Rhys, his equally attractive sister, was with him. They spoke in whispers. Before being able to pay attention to what was being said, Eve was approached by Dr. Claire.
“Oh, Evelyn, we're very excited to have you among us,” she said after she wrapped her arm around the girl. Claire was a woman who was probably in her forties, and she was pretty well maintained. She was tall, slender, with a graceful face and reserved smile; her hair was light brown and she wore it in an elegant bun. “As you well know, we have waited for this moment for a long time.”
“That's right,” said Dawit, who took his place on one of the two rectangular dining tables. He carried a shiny brass tray where he had his lunch: a mountain of spaghetti and meatballs. “Welcome.”
Eve did not know what else to say.
“Thank you.”
And smiled, disturbed.
The dining room was a small and spacious space at the same time, the ceiling was low and, naturally, there were no windows; everything was very white: the tables, the walls, the light. Perhaps that is because the scarce space was also considered wide. The only thing that broke the white pattern was the blue water bottle, from the dispenser at one end, and the snack machine that was attached to it. The rest was all white. She was already getting used to the lack of colors.
Also the people who were there had their own colors. For Evelyn it was easy to distinguish the agents from the rest thanks to their black clothes: shirts, jackets, pants and boots. The doctor and the professor wore their white coats. Instead the others —a girl a little older than Eve and two youngsters sitting at the same table as the professor— wore casual clothes and more colors.
“Evelyn,” she heard Claire say. “I would like you to meet our shelters.”
She looked at her intently as if waiting for an answer. Could it be denied?
Evelyn nodded.
The doctor took her arm to the table chaired by Professor Kerr, accompanied, as she had noticed, by three of the younger people, in addition to Eve, who were in the place. The professor greeted her very happy. Then Dr. Claire proceeded to present her to each of the shelters: Rebecca was the oldest, older even than Eve, and had a green-fire look that went through you; Jim, eleven years old, who insisted kindly not to wave with his hand to avoid spreading his flu; and finally, nine-year-old Hailee was a shy child who avoided looking Evelyn in the eye at all costs.
Claire only said the essential thing about them as she introduced them to Eve one by one: their names; she did not tell her since when they were in the Agency or why they had taken them out of their homes, or how important they were to avoid the apocalyptic future promised by the invasion of the Pyxis. Evelyn could hardly believe that everything that had happened just a few hours ago was true. She sighed deeply and smiled his best smile.
After the brief presentation, she sat at the table where Dawit was gobbling his mountain of spaghetti, and his mouth watered. The last thing she had eaten was a piece of pizza reheated in the microwave. Her stomach roared. Dawit looked at it milestone, and then burst out laughing. Eve blushed. She cast a sideways glance at the brothers, Tadhg and Rhys, who were still talking in whispers in the corner.
“They,” she asked Dawit and cast a quick glance at the table of the shelters, “how long have they been here?”
Dawit slurped a spaghetti and replied:
“Becca has been with us for a year.” He glanced at the quick look Eve had cast earlier. “She insists that he wants to be an agent, but Tadhg has flatly refused. It was Tadhg who rescued her at the exact m
oment when she was attacked by pyxis'olrut, so he is the one who decides what to do to keep her safe, it's like ...” he thought for a moment, “her tutor.”
“Do you mean that since Tadhg saved me, I must obey him?” Eve said.
“Yes,” said Dawit, with tense lips, and continued, “I rescued Jim, three months ago. A pyxi entered his family's house while everyone slept; Jim left his room when he heard a noise, which led him to his parents' room. They were dead. The pyxi made a move to attack him and I went into action. We took care to make it seem that the whole family, the parents and the little boy, disappeared as if by magic, leaving only a note that said they were tired of life in the city and of people in general and blablabla. So far no missing persons have been reported. Jim only trusts me and the doctor, sometimes Tadhg is also to his liking. Sometimes.”
—“Rhys, on the other hand, saved Hailee when a pyxis'avalh, posing as the girl's mother, tried to throw her into the East River from the Brooklyn Bridge. Rhys arrived on time, of course. Hailee does not speak and does not see anyone in the eye except Rhys.”
“It's horrible,” Eve snapped. Of all those extractions, she turned out to be a fairy tale compared to the rest. Dawit turned his attention back to lunch. Tadhg and Rhys approached to the table. He very serious; she smiled. “Dawit told me that you also saved Rebecca.”
Tadhg shot Dawit a withering glare. Dawit did not notice, he was concentrating on the spaghetti.
“He did, yes,” Rhys said. “Becca... well, she's not very friendly. It is difficult, rather. But it will do important things in the future, otherwise there would be no reason for the pyxis to attack it.”
“And how do you know?” Eve asked, and seeing that she had not explained herself well, she did: she was referring to how they knew when and whom the pyxis were going to attack and for what reason. Rhys and Tadhg exchanged a knowing, serious look.
“Through the professor’s machine,” Tadhg replied. “One of its first models allows us to receive messages from the future.”
“Oh yeah?” She suddenly remembered. “Sally”
“Obviously yes, otherwise you would not be here,” Tadhg said dryly.
Then Dr. Claire and Juno appeared, dragging a metal table, like the ones in a hotel room, and handed each one their plates. Once again, Evelyn's stomach roared. Rhys and Dawit laughed. Tadhg twisted his lips. Eve paid no attention; the world was reduced to her and spaghetti and meatballs.
* * *
Later, Tadhg and Rhys took Evelyn to the training room. There other colors prevailed in addition to the usual white. The front wall was completely covered by mirrors, and the sides were painted with a faint blue sky and with clouds; the floor was made of bright wood. There was a whole team of training and equipment for combat, ranging from red mats for push-ups to boxing bags, bars and weights, etc...
Evelyn was uncomfortable with the outfit Rhys had lent her for training. Her outfit consisted of a leotard as tight to her body as a second skin, with a pronounced neckline on her bust and back, all made of a shiny, dark purple material similar to latex. At least she wore her own sneakers. However, Eve could not help feeling naked. She remembered that for her self-defense lessons she had always worn comfy, baggy clothes: tracksuit pants and immense camisoles. But all those clothes had remained in their home, along with the destruction.
“You see that door?” Rhys pointed a finger at the door in question at the other side, near the wall of mirrors.
“Yes.”
“That's the weapons room.”
“Later, Rhys,” Tadhg said seriously. “Maybe after training, we'll show you our weapons. Maybe.” He gave a dry giggle.
Evelyn suppressed the urge to strike him down.
“As you say, Tadhg,” his sister said, raising an eyebrow and giving him one of her radiant smiles.
Evelyn had always wondered what it would be like to have a brother, someone to share the good and bad moments of life, whom to bother or look at with strange gestures while he was not seeing you, with whom to laugh or argue. She would never know, of course. When she gave up, she decided that if she ever had children, she would see to it that there were more than one... If possible, three.
Tadhg was staring at her and looking thoughtful.
“Rhys,” he said seriously, “I feel Evelyn wants to ask us something that we surely cannot answer.”
He was right. However, Eve lost nothing by asking.
“You,” she asked slowly, “have family... in this time?”
Tadhg and his sister exchanged a brief glance. Exchanging glances, as accomplices, was one of the things Evelyn most envied the brothers.
“I think we had this conversation before...” Tadhg began.
“Of course I do,” Rhys said.
“RHYS!” He snapped at his sister, and he glared at her with ice blue eyes. Then he turned to Eve. “Of course we have family at this time, as I had already told you. And we are forbidden to approach any of its members; it is part of the law of the Agency.” He looked at Eve with a deep fixedness that she shuddered. “We have more family in this era than in ours, I'm afraid.”
“That's not true,” Rhys objected, frowning.
“Do not say a word,” her brother warned.
He shot another hurtful look at his sister.
“It's all we can tell you. Anything else?”
“For now, no,” she lied; the truth was that Evelyn had hundreds of questions. For example, yesterday, Kerr had said that she would found the Future Agency. How was it possible that she founded something that had already been done? Apparently, she deduced, the time was more complex than he thought. He had a strong suspicion that that question would only receive his answer over time.
“Very good,” Tadhg snorted. “This morning a new mission has arrived for us. We never have missions so close, just yesterday I broke into your house and murdered five Pyxis. Well... four.” He grinned sideways. “It will be me who takes charge of the extraction of this... person.”
“And what do I have to do?” Eve asked. Tadhg's tone told her that she had something to do with, or maybe not.
“You? Nothing,” he replied. “What I was saying...” He acknowledged a moment. “Ah, yes, luck has favored me for the third time and I will take charge of this new extraction. Maybe you do not know, but we raffle our missions. So far Juno has been the only one who has not achieved a mission, I have three with this new and Rhys and Dawit have one each.”
“Do not presume,” Rhys said.
“I do not do it.” Tadhg smiled satisfied. “Each agent must have an auxiliary in the extraction,” he continued, telling Evelyn. “Yesterday, Rhys was my assistant. Without her, I would not have been able to kill the five pyxis'olrut who broke into your house. Each agent chosen by lot has the right to choose his assistant for the mission to fulfill.”
“Tadhg always chooses me,” Rhys said. She was close to the mirror wall looking at her hair and picking up a lock of hair and another. She was as beautiful as her handsome brother, and Evelyn could scarcely believe she was in that place, a Future Agency, and with them, and two incredibly attractive young men. “Clear. Although I was also Dawit's assistant in his only mission.”
“Well,” Tadhg cut his sister; “as I was saying. I know that your father insisted that you receive self-defense lessons, and that he himself taught you how to use a weapon.”
“How do you know?” Eve asked.
“I thought you did not have any more questions...”
“We've watched over you for years,” Rhys said. “We knew that you would be of great importance for the future, and that is why, since our arrival, we have had to ensure your survival. Of course, in the first year we did not know that your life was in danger. It was in these last twelve months when we received the first message from the Agency warning us of the danger: the pyxis have managed to communicate with their peers of this time, knowing also that we are here.”
Evelyn was absorbed. She stil
l could not believe it. She had been watched for two years and not... Of course not. Rhys and Tadhg did their job very well: killing beings from another dimension and saving young promises. Of course, she would never suspect that they were spying on her; no, until Tadhg interrupted at home in the middle of the night.
“Good,” she said, and only that.
Tadhg reproached his sister and she, making a gesture in his direction, turned to Eve.
“At least you have part of the road already traveled,” he said. “You will not receive training that is so different from the one you have already developed in your self-defense lessons. Tadhg and I will be your combat masters. Professor Kerr told us to inform you that he will teach you everything you need to know about our weapons and the devices of the future, so you must spend an hour each afternoon in your laboratory. It is understood?”
Evelyn nodded.
“All right.”
“And who will rescue?” Eve asked, unable to contain herself. “Why cannot they save him now?”
Tadhg was ahead of the answer he was about to give his sister.
“Sally, the professor's machine that receives messages from the future, only provides us with certain information about the person we must extract and where the events will take place.”
“But...” Evelyn barked. “But you can go to that place today, instead of tomorrow, right?”
“It's not that easy, Evelyn.” Rhys came forward this time. She also wore tight training clothes, and her body looked so great on it, that Eve could barely see her without feeling bad about herself. “In addition, the place where we will find our next sheltered will be inaugurated tomorrow. It is a new club on the Seventh Avenue.”
“It is not possible,” thought Eve.
“You mean edom?” She snapped, and suddenly the memory of Tabita's insistent invitation came to her head.
“Yes.” Rhys glanced at his brother; both were embarrassed, perhaps surprised that she knew that information. Tadhg remained very serious. Rhys sighed, and added, “We still do not know how to get into the opening party. From what we understand, the party will be so exclusive that you can only access it with an invitation, which we do not have.” She raised her eyebrows at her brother. “Also, we do not have credentials, not from this Time —and they will also be necessary.”
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