“You’re leaving?”
“Yes,” James said, “I’m going to make sure everything goes all right when they dispose of the vehicles. See you in a few hours.” The claws on James’s hands became longer, and he began climbing the nearest building. In the next few hours they would be making several stops at different outposts unloading all the supplies. He would wait for them at the parking lot.
James moved through the city with ease. He’d grown accustomed to jumping roof to roof, using his wings when he needed to. He did not want to always rely on his wings since it was easier to spot him while he was flying. The rain helped conceal him as well.
In a short amount of time he was at the location they’d designated where the others would drop off and destroy the vehicles. He huddled on the edge of a rooftop, looking over the street. Now all I need to do is wait.
57
The few hours he waited passed quickly as he monitored everyone. What he never told anyone was that the xeno somehow enabled his mind to process things faster, at a lightning pace. Using that with his mind’s eye, he could monitor everyone in his group, as well as Christina from her office. Time seemed to slow as he split his conscious mind, dividing his thoughts so many ways. He began focusing on other plans, and outcomes to issues he might encounter. The rain let up about when he had predicted, but it remained a constant drizzle. The city traffic was extremely low due to the weather and the amount of people that had dropped out of society due to the oncoming rebellion. He could see many people now sitting at home hiding; waiting for the fight to begin and hoping they could just survive it.
Finally his people arrived with the vehicles. All the cars and trucks were pulled to the side of the road, all of them rushing out of the vehicles. The last person out of the last vehicle held a remote that activated the explosives set in each car and truck. They left them running and quickly disappeared into the alleys and nearby buildings.
Exactly ninety seconds later, all the vehicles exploded. As the explosives destabilized the power cells in the vehicles, the red fire was engulfed by a larger blue explosion that was strong enough that it shattered the windows of all the nearby buildings. James was startled, he’d never truly seen a power cell explosion. It was impressive. The explosions were plenty big enough to not only destroy the vehicles and any evidence, but also make small craters below them. He noticed that walls of the buildings were cracked now. Smoke and steam surrounded the area as the rain poured around it.
He made a mental note how useful a power cell explosion could be in the future.
It took less than ten minutes for Civic Protection to arrive, circling the area with soldiers and patrol cars. James still stood over the building, watching them. He watched and listened, hoping to see another of the fallen.
There was a lot of commotion as the soldiers tried to figure out what had happened. James listened close to try to hear them. He heard one soldier report to a detective there, giving him information.
“Detective Garrett,” the young soldier said, “I’ve received a call that we’ve found the soldiers who were driving these vehicles, all of them.”
“Really?" Garrett asked. "What kind of condition are they in?”
“A few bruises, headaches and nausea from what they were attacked with, apparently tasers. They were humiliated, sir. Stripped of their weapons and incapacitated.” Garrett stopped walking and turned, looking at the soldier. He shook his head slightly.
“They’re alive though.” A smile crossed his face slightly.
“Do you really think this is funny?” the soldier asked.
“Learn to see the humor in things, private. They’re all right. Let’s just try and find out who did this. This won’t reflect well on any of us if word gets out.” The private nodded and moved to another officer to receive his next set of orders.
James was curious about detective Garrett. The man’s aura was unusual. He was human, but James had trouble seeing the man clearly. The man felt unreadable, like there was a hazy shroud around him. He seemed loyal to Civic Protection, but there had to be more to it than that. I’ll have to watch you, James thought as he continued to survey the soldiers around the wreckage.
He stood there for a moment as he stretched out his mind’s eye, looking over each individual mind that was nearby. James was hoping to see Dante, but he could not find any trace of the man. He then realized what it meant for Dante to not be here. He looked around the rooftop. It was empty, but he knew he was being watched. They’ve been waiting for me to act, he thought.
They’ve been waiting for something like this to happen. Dante isn’t here because someone stronger is coming, or is already here. They can mask their presence. I don’t know how close they are to me.
“Show yourself,” he called out as he stood up tall, ready to fight. The void approached him but he couldn’t place where it was.
He then felt a strong force strike him in the back. It felt like he was hit in the back by a truck. He fell forward, sliding on the paved rooftop until he hit the raised edge of the roof. A few of the bricks cracked when he hit the edge, but he caught himself from sliding off any further with his claws.
“I’m a much stronger opponent than Lucien,” a man’s voice said from behind him. James turned to face the stranger. The man was very tall and muscular, standing probably close to seven feet. He had blond hair like Dante, although it was cropped military short. That was where the similarities ended. He had a square jaw and a large scar that ran horizontally across his face, beginning under one eye and running over the nose, ending under his other eye. The man had the same eyes as Lucien, with the vertical slits as pupils. When he smiled, James could also see the man’s canine teeth, which were long and sharp. They were fangs. He was wearing a gray version of the Civic Protection uniform, only without any insignia or weapons of any kind.
“You’re one of the fallen,” James said with a serious look on his face, although half of it was hid in the hunter disguise.
“You started that rumor, that name,” the man sneered. He had a look of disdain on his face from the word James had said. “We are the chosen, the exalted. You’ve insulted us.”
“I’m glad it’s stuck,” James said. "What do I call you, personally?”
“Wolfgang is what my father named me,” the man said, “and I am the greatest of us.” A great sense of pride echoed from his words. Pride and arrogance. James cocked his head slightly as he watched him.
“Well, Wolfgang,” James said, “if you’re the strongest then I don’t know why Civic Protection doesn’t surrender right now, along with the rest of the fallen.” James was sure to emphasize the last word of his sentence.
“You have no authority, no right.” Wolfgang’s pride was turning to anger as he spoke, “You're weak compared to us. You’re just a half-blood, a hybrid.”
“Yet I’m just as much of a monster as you,” James said. He knew immediately that Wolfgang had just referenced James's mother Callista, and her union with his father Elijah Vanguard. James felt fury as the xeno begin to push against the prison he'd built for it in his mind.
“You are a monster,” Wolfgang said, “and I will put you down like you deserve.” He braced himself to charge James.
“Do you have weapons like Lucien,” James said as he still stood casually with his arms crossed, “glowing blue swords?”
“No, I don’t have any knives, swords, or anything like that. Just me. That’ll be enough, I think.” The man chuckled to himself as he cracked his own knuckles, turning to his side and beckoning James to come at him.
James accepted the invitation without hesitation, his claws grew longer and he charged at Wolfgang. He was a few yards from reaching Wolfgang when he felt the force hit him. It was just like the force that had knocked into him before from behind. This knocked him back just as far. James was surprised and caught off guard. He flew backward, but dragged himself to a
stop with his arms, clawing into the stone below him. His silver eyes never left Wolfgang, containing a silver fury mixed with momentary surprise.
Wolfgang wore a sharp closed mouth grin. “I’m sure you’re wondering how I’m doing that. You have no idea what the mind's eye can access. It's wasted on you.”
“Is it?" James asked. He focused on Wolfgang using his mind’s eye, looking into the man’s aura. It was bright crimson red, but different from both Lucien’s and Dante’s. Wolfgang was obviously stronger than the others. James realized he hadn't noticed this moments earlier, and he wondered if his abilities were becoming more acute without him even noticing.
Without warning, Wolfgang ran towards James. He was at least as fast as Lucien had been, probably faster. James prepared to block the man using his long claws. The invisible force of telekinesis struck him hard in the face. As he flew backwards, Wolfgang struck James on the other side of his face with the same force, this time it came from the man’s fist.
James had already been on the edge of the building, and the two blows knocked him off the edge. He was stunned for a moment, but regained himself quickly. He landed on the street below on his hands and feet, all of his limbs absorbing the impact in a crouched position. They easily held him together, but he still felt the pain of an impact that would have otherwise broken him. The concrete below him was now severely cracked.
All the soldiers already in the area started running towards him. James stood up and looked up to the building from which he'd fallen. Wolfgang was up there, looking downward at him with the same grin. The man then jumped off the edge. He landed on the ground seemingly harder than James, except Wolfgang was still on his two feet. The street below him had cracked to an even larger degree than where James had landed.
How can he do this? James wondered as he let the image of the man landing play over in his mind. He then realized. This man’s telekinesis was somehow an extension of his mind’s eye. That and somehow he was using the mind's eye realm to enhance himself. That was why when Wolfgang had struck James with his fist, it felt the same as when the man had just used his telekinesis to strike him. That was why the man landed without being injured. He could tap into the power of this other realm, not just peer into it to enhance his senses the way James used it.
If Wolfgang could do this, then James realized he might be able to learn to do it as well. He then thought back to when he'd torn the roof off of a car to save Alicia. There was no strain at all. Maybe I’m doing that subconsciously, James thought, and I just need to learn how I'm doing it. The thought would have excited him if he hadn't been facing off with Wolfgang and dozens of soldiers that were now circling them both.
The sky was growing darker again, and thunder could be heard in the distance. James stared at Wolfgang, who seemed amused.
“I think you’re beginning to understand,” Wolfgang said, “what you’re up against. I'm not the only one, and we’ll never stop until you're dead. You're just a pup going up against a pack of wolves.” Some of the soldiers grinned as they stared at them, believing that they had won.
“I accept the challenge,” James said with a grin, “because I will also never stop.” His silver eyes reflected confidence. “I'll need a head start though, so be sure to close your eyes.” The pins from the three flash grenades had already been pulled, and James let them roll out in front of him. He'd pulled it from his coat while he'd been crouched on the ground, and they'd been hidden up his sleeve until they were close enough. Wolfgang had an expression of surprise that became bright from the explosion. The xeno had made the silver covering James’ eyes opaque, causing the explosion and light not to harm his vision.
Wolfgang’s vision was stunned enough that it gave James a chance to mask his appearance from any others who had the mind’s eye ability. He sprinted away on all fours, leaping over cars and appearing like an animal to the soldiers that were far enough away to not be harmed by the flash. He ran to the nearest alley and quickly scaled a building. He leapt from building to building until he found a suitable manhole on the street, and dived for it. He quickly opened it and went under, just as a light rain was beginning to fall. He was safe, for now anyway.
58
Khaleel sat in front of the group that had, earlier that day, hijacked the Civic Protection supply vehicles and had already distributed all the supplies to the new outposts littered throughout Old District. Their mission had been completed hours ago, but they still hadn't heard from the Hunter. He was supposed to meet them back at the base when this was all over.
“So,” Kyle said, “the Hunter. He said he was the son of Elijah Vanguard. Is that true?” Kyle had addressed no one in particular; he was just trying to break the awkward silence of the group.
“Seems like it,” Khaleel said to him, “the rumor was that the Vanguards had lost a son about twenty years ago or so. Apparently they thought he'd been killed.”
“How do we know he’s their son though?” Kyle said.
“Well,” Savannah said as she turned to her brother, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen lots of pictures of Elijah Vanguard from the network vids and papers. The Hunter looks like a lot like him. He looks taller and more built, but I could definitely see a resemblance in their faces.”
“How did he get those abilities?” someone else asked. A young man who looked to be eighteen or nineteen. His name was Ryan. He was looking at Khaleel when he asked the question.
“I’m not sure,” Khaleel said, “but there are rumors.”
“I heard he was an escaped experiment,” said one person.
“I thought he went outside the city, and somehow came back with those powers from some kind of radiation caused by the Collapse,” said another person.
“There isn’t any radiation outside the city,” Savannah said. “If there was, it would have dissipated years ago. The amount of time you’re supposed to stay out of an irradiated area is supposed to be around thirty or forty years. This city’s been around for longer than that.”
“Besides,” Kyle said, “how do we know the Collapse even happened? No one ever says anything about it.”
“That’s because it didn’t happen.” Everyone looked to see where the voice had come from. James was standing in the doorway. He walked slowly into the room, and sat in a crouched position in the corner of the room. His body ached. The creature held him together, even sped up his healing. It combined with the healing factor he'd learned he had. He suspected his access to the mind's eye somehow accelerated his healing. He moved to a seated position with his legs crossed, his arms over his knees. Everyone was surprised, and a little relieved to see him back.
“The Collapse didn’t happen?” Kyle asked.
“No,” James said, “at least not in the way you all have been taught. Mankind was attacked. The man who now calls himself father, who leads the fallen, he controlled an army of creatures called xenos.”
“Xenos?” Khaleel echoed.
“I don’t know where the creatures came from, but they’re hive minded and extremely powerful. They’re microscopic metal organisms that work together to form larger creatures. Father, who's actual name is Michael, used them to conquer all the humans fifty years ago. Somehow was able to erase everyone’s memories of the past, and placed them all in this city. We've been living here with permanent amnesia ever since.”
“Then,” Kyle said, “who built Dirge?”
“I don’t know. There are a lot of things I still don’t know and that I’m trying to figure out. I don’t know what happened to the sky, or even where the xenos came from. I have an idea as to how father controls them, but I don’t know how he erased everyone’s memory. There’s something, though, that will complicate everything we need to accomplish.” He paused for a moment and then continued, “I’ll be working on that issue, while all of you deal with your own assignments.” He stood and moved towards the door, but stopped.
“We're all working together here, so if any of you have any ideas for an attack; feel free to speak up at any time.” He stood quietly for a moment, but walked slowly out to think.
59
Christina sat in a chair at a table in front of an off-white mug of coffee in the cafeteria of the underground facility. It was what they'd known to be coffee, but she wondered if it even resembled what had been coffee in the past. Many things were lost and forgotten, but people were still able to piece together small bits of the fleeting memories. It was Friday evening, and she didn't have to go back to work until Monday, so she'd moved into the facility for the weekend. It felt the safest for her there. She sat across from Alicia, who was busy eating some sort of stew that was made by one of the women staying there. Christina looked around, still amazed at how the number of people in the base had grown.
The metallic walls and floors looked cleaner, and there were people who were maintaining jobs of cooking and cleaning as their part of the effort. I guess someone needs to take care of this place. She had already heard about the successful mission the hunter had led that brought the resistance a large amount of weapons and ammunition. She hadn't told anyone her part in that operation, but somehow people knew she held a high rank in the hunter’s circle. It was kind of nice; people did things for her and tried to have her do as little grunt work as possible. Most knew she was close with James, though how close they probably didn't know. She smiled to herself.
People sat around at tables talking or eating quietly. She could hear hushed mentions of James in their conversations.
“You haven’t eaten much,” Alicia said, “are you sick?” Christina realized she'd zoned out. She looked at Alicia again. The girl had already finished her meal. Christina had barely touched her drink. Alicia looked at her with concern. "Do you worry about him, too?”
“Yes,” Christina said, “when he's far away it's easy to worry.”
City of Twilight Part II: The Fallen (The Vanguard Chronicles Book 2) Page 7