Titans: Revelation (Book 4 of the Titans Saga)

by C. J. Lloyd

  “Thanks,” he said. He went over to the two Titans, who still looked astonished by what he just did. “Get your hoodies up. We’re heading to Brussels.”

  They followed the man’s instructions to a poorly constructed train station. Caution tape, orange plastic fencing, and concrete barriers made up a section of it. The rest was reused construction wood for framing. A bunch of responders and other people in regular clothes waited for the train masked in a shroud of cigarette smoke.

  Enzo took a deep breath. “You know it’s crazy. Ever since I joined up with you, I haven’t had a single cigarette. I don’t even have the urge.”

  Rai raked her fingers through the swoop of hair that hung down one side of her face. “You’ve found yourself addicted to something else, that’s why.”

  “Oh yeah, and what’s that?” he replied smugly.

  Elric met the shrewd gaze she gave him.

  She smirked. “Elric is way more powerful than you’ll ever be.”

  “Bullshit!” Enzo stood tall. The group of smokers looked over at the three of them. “I can take Elric on any time I want. Before you fools get up in the morning, I’ve been training and meditating.”

  “Calm down,” Elric growled. “You’re attracting too much attention.”

  The temperature in the air climbed ten degrees the moment those words left Rai’s lips. She cackled, slapping her thigh and holding her sides.

  Enzo shook his head and took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

  “See? You found something to substitute the addiction for cigarette smoking. I’m just trying to be helpful, that’s all.” She giggled.

  As the temperature adjusted to a brisk wetness, a metallic shriek broke up the concerned whispers of the people around them. A train blew in with a humid hiss, bringing with it a thick, chalky smoke that forced Elric and the others to cover their faces. A wrinkled wet newspaper rolled across the platform, showing the picture of the three of them.

  Rai snatched the paper and flattened it out as best as she could to get a better look. The pictures showed a forgotten history of the three of them. Rai with long unkempt black hair. She was much younger and looked like she had been through hell. Enzo was much skinnier than he was now. An old school photo, maybe high school? He still had that cocky smile, reminding Elric of the first time they met in that factory a few weeks ago.

  The train doors hissed open, and the three of them took their seats in the far back. The headlines read: International terrorists wanted for London and Boston bombings. Countless dead.

  Elric sneered as he read over the names beneath their pictures. Elric Blake, Rai Tsu, Casey Jones. He whispered, “They know everything about us.”

  Rai sat back in her seat. “I hope Uncle can handle the storm that’s to come on this. He’s good with the political shit, but Japan’s about to get a lot of attention if the press finds out I have so much influence there.”

  “Damn, they couldn’t have found a better picture of me?” Enzo whispered, burying his face in his hands. “I look like a scrub. My hair’s a mess; my lips look dry and ashy .… Damn,” he continued, shaking his head.

  A jolt of excitement panged Elric’s insides as he thought about their next steps.

  “After NATO, we’re going to change the world,” he whispered, looking down at the newspaper. “No more hoodies, no more hiding. We’re going to be gods among them. Understood?”

  Rai nodded as Enzo gave a greedy sneer.

  From the yellow smog that clung to an apocalyptic London to a beautiful cloudless sky, the passing scenery from within the high-speed rail would have been an enjoyable ride for anyone else. Rolling green hills that humbled with each glimpse between tunnels and the sun encasing the trees and fields with a golden aura was calendar perfect. But, for Elric, this train ride meant so much more.

  For two hours, they sat in a train that reeked of stale cigarettes and sweat, and for two hours, they whispered their plan of action for once they got to Brussels. Based on the information Rai gathered, the NATO headquarters was a nineteen-minute taxi ride from the Brussels terminal.

  Once there, Elric would get a good picture of the structure, then via umbraportation, travel to the roof of the building with Rai and Enzo and enter the meeting from the ceiling. That was the plan. And if things didn’t go accordingly, Elric already thought of multiple contingencies. The worst-case scenario being he leveled NATO and half of Brussels, but he didn’t share that tidbit with Rai and Enzo.

  An easing of momentum and the gripping shrieks of the breaks got Elric’s blood going. He took a deep breath, focused, thought the tactics over, and rose to his feet. The goal was different than Boston and London. An attack on NATO was an attack on every nation, a nail in the heart on all mankind that said, our time is now!

  The terminal was unlike the decrepit makeshift pile they had to go through in London. It was more like an upscale airport with small stores, restaurants, and all kinds of goodies for tourists. They kept their heads down with hoodies securely over their heads. Rai yanked Enzo away from a food stand as they continued on.

  They jumped in a black vehicle, the sides checkered yellow— sleek and clean for a taxi—and Rai tossed the driver a few hundred Euros not to ask questions and to get them to the headquarters as soon as possible. He nodded, turned off his fare meter and did as she asked.

  A smile came over Elric’s face as his head hung in the backseat of the taxi, Rai on his left, Enzo on his right. He wondered how it would sound in the news. Teens with incredible powers take a train from London to Brussels, then take a taxi to the NATO headquarters just to blow it up. Yeah, pretty much.

  The vehicle stopped at a traffic light opposite a cluster of buildings, but just across the street, Elric’s eyes were set on the massive structure of the NATO headquarters.

  “Right, here’s good,” Elric said, tapping the glass.

  The man looked around and turned to look at them from over his shoulder.

  “You are sure? It’s not even another kilometer down the road,” the driver informed them with a heavy accent.

  “This is our stop,” Elric said. “Thanks for the ride.”

  Rai tossed him another hundred. “We were never here, right?”

  The man nodded enthusiastically, collecting the hundred with wrinkled hands covered in age blotches.

  Rai closed the door behind them, and they made their way close enough for Elric to scan the structure. It was nothing like anything he had seen before. He looked up to the roof of a building that wasn’t too far away.

  “Let’s check things out from above,” Elric said.

  They made their way behind a massive dumpster, and darkness blanketed their feet. Before long, they were on top of the structure, looking over at the NATO headquarters.

  Enzo scratched his chin as he stepped in front of them. “Yo. That’s a pretty crazy-looking building.”

  Below, the area was sparsely populated with men and women in business attire. Dozens of limousines and vehicles pulled up to the entrance of the structure, which was swarming with military forces of all kinds carrying rifles and armored to the teeth. The roof of the headquarters had an odd architectural build. Eight large fins peeked out from the structure, making up the entirety of the building’s glass-encased frame.

  “What do you think?” Enzo asked, looking at Elric.

  Elric watched the massive force of security and the people exiting their vehicles. He had the building etched into his brain; all he had to do now was get them there.

  He nodded, stepping forward, and in an instant, adrenaline flushed his system. This wasn’t a reaction to excitement, though, but a reaction to a threat.

  “This is where you went? Brussels, the capital of Belgium?” Calamity asked, stepping beside him. Her sickly pale skin looked even more dead under the cloudless sky, and her long black hair blew eerily in the wind.

  Allure was right beside her, wrapped in a black cloak, her long white hair spilling over her shoulders with those devilish eyes peeri
ng upon them.

  Calamity turned to Elric with a shimmering gaze that fluctuated the colors of the rainbow. “And here I thought you were dead or something after everything that happened in Boston. But it looks like you’re living your best life right now.”

  Enzo jumped back. “She comes out of nowhere sometimes.”

  Rai stepped beside Elric taking the defense as an icy blade formed in her hand, and Elric caught another glimpse of Calamity’s shimmering eyes.

  He wanted to kill her right then and there. He probably could with the third door open; she didn’t have a clue as to how much power he had access to now. But it was still flipping a coin. Calamity wasn’t stupid. Uncanny in the darkest, cruelest way, but not stupid.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  Allure pulled on her long white hair, allowing it to flow down her chest as she stepped into the conversation. “Bitter and disrespectful as ever, boy?”

  Her tall, slender physique strutted over, her nails sharpening before his eyes.

  “The last person to call me ‘boy’ got turned to dust thanks to the person you’re always following after,” he said.

  “Well, good day to you too, Elric.” Calamity beamed a smile of joy his way, breaking up the growing tension between him and Allure. “You know I can’t leave you on your lonesome for too long. I had to make sure you’ve been eating your veggies and taking care of yourself.”

  His fists tightened, focusing on keeping his rage down. Elric didn’t want her to feel any shift in his power. Anything out of the ordinary would cause her to pry deeper. He had to keep the element of surprise. “We’re fine, and you didn’t answer my question.”

  Calamity pressed two lifeless-colored fingers onto her lips. “Well, actually, I did. I just want to see what progress you’ve made toward your dream.”

  “Well, you see it. Now go.”

  She sighed, tilted her hips, and wagged a finger like an upset mother. “Now, Elric, you know me better than that. I would like to help in some way with your endeavor.”

  “You saw what I did in Boston. Why do I need you?”

  Her head shifted to the side. “Well, that’s not fair, Elric. From what I saw that was a team effort. No I in team, right?” She looked over at Rai and Enzo.

  Elric bit his bottom lip.

  “Relax,” Erebus growled from within. “She’s obviously not going anywhere. Keep your cool and give her what she wants for now.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Before Elric could say another word, Rai broke in. “She’s right. Maybe she can take care of all the meatheads down there in Humvees and gun trucks. More chaos outside will make things easier inside.”

  Elric shot Rai a scowl. Why would you agree with her? he wondered.

  Calamity jumped, clapping her hands in excitement. “What a wonderful idea, Rai! We’ll take care of them. It’s been a while since Allure’s been out of the cave. I figured she needed to spread her wings. I don’t need my right hand getting rusty.”

  “Yes, of course.” Allure curtseyed.

  Tearing through the cloak that covered her body, thick white fur burst through the seams. The cracking and shifting of muscles and the stretching of flesh was stomach-turning. Her hands and feet became claws, and those awful u-shaped nostrils on that smooshed-in face reminded Elric of the attack in Zenith and how Allure had killed Zaroule.

  She leaped off the building, zipping across the sky. It wasn’t long before a window-shattering shriek echoed from below, followed by gunfire and screaming.

  Calamity looked over at them. “You better get going; the meeting’s surely started by now. Head for the third wing on the right side of the entrance. You’ll be right on top of them.”

  Of course, she knows. Elric rolled his eyes as the three of them sunk into the blackness. Calamity completely bogarted his plan and would somehow spin this around to benefit her in some way. He would’ve asked how she found him, but her sensory skills were unreal, especially when it came to his powers. He could never hide from her completely. She was like gum on the bottom of his sneaker. Yeah, Calamity needed to go, and soon.

  Chapter 6

  Declaration of War

  They took off toward the third wing of the building as advised. Sirens blared from within the building below, and loudspeakers outside of the structure sung with a wail. Elric hastened his stride.

  A huge burst of energy collapsed the first wing on the right, shaking everything around them. Calamity’s energy was just starting to settle. She must have gotten in on the action as well.

  Rai laughed through each breath. “Wasn’t expecting this much excitement this soon after Boston.”

  “That’s what I’m saying,” Enzo replied with a smile. “Being a Titan is the shit!”

  Elric looked below the glass panes of the ceiling.

  The room was filled with people sitting around a large circle. Two dozen or more sat around the table while others stood watching the doors. They were all dressed professionally with small flags at their desks.

  “There they are. ” Elric glared below.

  Rai pressed against the glass ceiling. “Are we doing this or what?”

  The temperature of the air spiked as a blaze formed over Enzo’s shoulders, a devilish grin etching across his face. “Mind if I have the honors?”

  “All yours,” Elric replied.

  A large crack raced across the massive sheet of glass. Before they knew it, the three of them went crashing through the ceiling, plummeting into the center of the circle. The bat-like wings ripped from Elric’s back, catching the air as he glided down.

  Black nubs slipped from Elric, manifesting into extremities, snatching Enzo and Rai out of the air. Screams of horror and confusion filled the room. Elric rose to his feet as his wings slipped beneath his hoodie.

  Flags of the most influential nations covered the summit meeting room; larger representations painted the walls with their colors of pride and freedom. Every single one of these ‘Great Nations’ was corrupt, built on the backs of the lesser.

  One of the men looked up with widened eyes. “Who—” He gulped. “Who are you?” he asked with a heavy accent.

  Elric glared at the whispering individuals. “We’re the new leaders of the free world.”

  In their expensive fitted suits and elegant dresses, the audience shivered. All eyes fixed on the three of them. Wiping particles of glass away from their clothing, a few of the onlookers gained their composure. Men in suits hanging out by the doorways whipped out pistols, cautiously creeping forward, whispering amongst one another.

  “You’re the ones from Boston, right?” an older white male—an American with a deep New Jersey accent asked, standing and tugging at his suit jacket. “You’re the ones who destroyed Boston and attacked London.”

  “Well, what do you know? We are getting famous.” Enzo smiled.

  “You can’t be serious,” a very dark-skinned man with a heavy accent proclaimed. “These children are responsible for the destruction? This can’t be true. This is a joke!” He slammed his fist against the table, his eyes filled with power and confidence.

  A jet-black hand lunged from the darkness that shrouded Elric and grabbed the dark-skinned man by the throat, withering the defiance in his gaze. The veins from his head bulged as he struggled to breathe. The extremity raised him high in the air and brought him closer to Elric.

  “Put the ambassador down, now!” two men yelled, their pistols focused on Elric.

  “What’s so hard to believe?” Rai asked with glowing eyes.

  The hand slung the man across the room, toppling over a few flag poles. He coughed and wheezed as three men rushed to his aide.

  “Everyone, calm down!” the man with the Jersey accent demanded. He took a deep breath and looked up at Elric. “What is it that you want from us? Money, power, fame?”

  “Power for me!” Enzo raised his hand.

  “I didn’t ask you. I asked him,” the man said, narrowing his eyes on Elric. “T
he one that attacked the president last year. You are in charge, right? Elric Blake from Lexington, Maine, found on the doorstep of the Lees? They were good people. Good American citizens. What the hell have you become to spit on their graves like this?”

  Elric’s head cocked to the side.

  “Yeah, we know all about you three. Elric Blake, Casey Jones, and Rai Tsu. You have no idea of the power the United States and its allies have. You’re nothing but a bunch of kids playing with toys you have no business possessing. But you’re going to pay for every life taken.”

  Elric formed a black marble-sized sphere in the palm of his hand. It floated to the ceiling of the room, swirling and gathering energy until it vanished through the hole they’d made when the three of them entered from above. Elric covered the entire room in a black aura.

  “What is that?” A tall, pale woman looked up, body arching under the hole in the ceiling.

  “Protection,” Rai answered.

  In an instant, everything outside became black. Tables and chairs rattled, people swayed and dove under desks as the ground rumbled from an earth-shattering crash. The building imploded as metal beams and glass scattered all around, and thick smoke enveloped them.

  Elric arched his back and spread his fingers out in front of him, popping the knuckles and joints before taking a seat on the edge of the table. He waited for them to calm down. These people, these elitists, were so detached from reality that they thought they could talk down to people with truly horrific power.

  The echoing of the explosion and a blooming cloud of smoke carried on.

  “Is everyone okay?” one of the guards called, pistol still in hand.

  Elric spoke with a calm assuring voice. “Now that we have your undivided attention …”

  Rai smiled with confidence, adding to his sentence, “Let’s get things straight. I don’t think you’re in the position to be threatening any of us. In fact, the entire human race should get ready.”

  The man with the Jersey accent glared into Elric’s eyes. “Why are you doing this?”