Bleed a man, a clock begins to run. When it reaches zero, it’s over. Anders lifted the rebar. He could still take me with him.
And he tried damned hard. I was too messed up to even dodge. All I could do was make sure it hit my shoulder instead of my head. But Anders was weakening, slowing, and his next shot only broke the surface of the water. He fell to his knees. We were face to face, breathing hard, as he shifted the rebar so he could try to stab me in the throat with it. I shoved it away. He fell on his face with a splash.
Anders was still struggling. He got his hands beneath his body and pushed himself out of the water. Give him an inch and he’d find a way to kill me with it. He’d remain deadly until his heart quit beating. So I climbed onto his back and wrapped my arms around his face.
But I wasn’t going to try to choke him. Oh no.
I clamped down with all the strength I had left. The tough son of a bitch still tried to bite a chunk out of my bicep. But I twisted hard, straining against his thick neck, craning his head around until his chin was pointed at his shoulder. Then I put all my weight into it and flung myself back.
SNAP.
I lay there against the muddy bank. Gasping for air as my chest filled with fire instead of air. Anders floated to the top of the yellow water, face down, but with his head at a horribly unnatural angle. I got to my feet as Anders’ body slowly began to float away. I was pretty sure there was a bone sticking into my lung, but the horrible choking noise I made right then was actually supposed to be a laugh. I was in so much pain that I wasn’t sure if I was going to die or not, but for just a moment, I was triumphant. The darkness had come to take me away again, but I’d won.
There was light on the horizon.
I looked toward the sunrise.
It was in the wrong direction.
Chapter 17: The New World Order
VALENTINE
Location Unknown
Date Unknown
The first thing I remember was a muted rattling sound. After a while, I realized it was rain on a window. It took some doing, but I forced my eyes open. After a few moments, things came into focus, and I found myself surrounded by medical equipment.
“I’m not dead,” I said, my voice little more than a raspy croak. “How about that?”
I tried to sit up, but it only brought me pain, so relaxed and stayed down. I wasn’t in a hospital. It seemed like a bedroom in a nice house somewhere. I had IV tubes running into my arms, and my body had been bandaged. I remembered the train, I remembered shooting Kat, and I remembered pushing the bomb off. Somehow, I had survived, but I had no idea where I was.
My leg ached with a dull, but relentless throb. I remembered how badly it had been mangled. I was scared to look, but forced myself to sit up enough to see. There was an empty flat spot beneath the sheets where my right leg should have been. My leg was gone from just below the knee.
My leg is gone. I laid back down, surprisingly calm about the whole thing. I guess it hadn’t really sunk in yet.
There was a TV on the wall. It was on BBC news, but it had been muted. A tired-looking anchor had a grim look on his face. The crawl along the bottom of the screen said something about thousands still missing. The screen changed, and it was a picture of a mushroom cloud.
My heart dropped into my stomach. I was dizzy. I felt like I was going to throw up. We’d failed. God forgive me, we’d failed.
“Hey,” someone said then, startling me. It was Tailor. I hadn’t noticed him sitting in a chair in the corner. He looked exhausted, his clothes wrinkly, with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, and was smoking a cigarette. He dragged his chair over and parked himself at the edge of my bed. “How you feeling, man?”
How the fuck do you think I’m feeling? I pointed at the TV screen. “Is that London?”
“No. London is safe. You stopped the bomb.”
“Where is that, then? What happened?” I tried to sit up.
“Just relax, man. I’ll catch you up.”
“What about Ling? Is Ling okay?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t been able to contact anyone from Exodus, or your buddy Lorenzo.” He nodded at the TV; now the video was of buildings in flames. “We got three out of four. The London one detonated at the English end of the Chunnel. It’s gone. The Chunnel, I mean. It collapsed and flooded. But the explosion was underground and the radiation was mostly contained. Casualties were, well, minimal, all things considered. A lot of traffic had been stopped because of the cyber-attack. The normal trains weren’t running. It could’ve been a lot worse. Anyway, you were found passed out on the train at a station in London. The thing blew right through the stops it would have made under normal circumstances and went straight to the city. It was a miracle you survived that long. You lost a lot of blood.”
“How? How did you find me?”
“London was in chaos. A nuclear bomb just went off in the Chunnel, man. They were trying to evacuate the city and they hadn’t realized where that train had come from yet. Our people knew where it was going, though, and snatched you up before the British authorities found you. Probably did you a favor, since they’d think you were the terrorist who blew up the Chunnel.”
“What about the other bombs?”
“You guys caught the one headed to Paris. The other was intercepted on the way to Brussels, and a NATO special ops team took care of it. We can thank your little girl for reasoning out that target and putting us on it. She saved a lot of lives.”
I was staring at the TV, lost. Now they were showing video of the wounded, people badly burned, and children crying for their parents. “Where is that?”
“It detonated on the rail line between Saint-Omer and Calais.” Tailor sounded incredibly weary just then. “It’s bad, but it could have been way worse. The government is saying that the terrorists had probably intended it to go off in a different city, but it detonated prematurely.”
That wasn’t true. The bomb had gone off right when it was supposed to. The cities weren’t the main targets. They were secondary targets, intended to sow chaos, clean up loose ends, and further damage Kat’s rivals. The primary objective had always been to cut the head off the snake. “That was where the Illuminati meeting was, wasn’t it?”
Tailor nodded slowly.
“What happened? We warned you! I thought you warned your boss?”
“I did. I don’t know what happened. The estate they were meeting at was wiped off the map. They’re all dead. The leadership of the other families is gone.”
“What about Romefeller?”
Tailor took a long drag off his cigarette. His hands were shaking badly. “Romefeller got held up. He hadn’t arrived yet. He’s the only one left.”
That son of a bitch. “You told him, but he didn’t warn his associates to get out in time. He didn’t find some way to stop the train like they did in Brussels. You don’t find that suspicious?”
Tailor took a deep breath. “Listen, you need to stow that line of thinking for now. Romefeller wanted to talk to you when you woke up. Don’t go pointing fingers. It’ll just make this harder on you.”
“Am I a prisoner?”
“No, Val. You’re a hero.”
I sure as hell didn’t feel like a hero. “I need to rest now.”
“Hey, listen . . .”
I didn’t let him finish. “Just get out.”
“Okay, man. Get some rest. I’ll talk to you later.” He left the room and closed the door behind him. The TV continued to show images of horror and destruction. I closed my eyes and tried not to cry.
The next time I woke up, Alistair Romefeller was sitting next to the bed. Tailor was wearing a fresh suit and standing in the corner like a dutiful toady. He looked like worn out shit. Romefeller seemed as cool and collected as ever. Why not? Everything had worked out for him, and he hadn’t gotten his hands dirty.
“Welcome back, Mr. Valentine. I apologize for the loss of your leg. I promise you’ll get the best prosthetic available.
I owe you a great deal, and millions of people owe you their lives.”
“We didn’t stop all the bombs.” Tailor was standing behind Romefeller, so his boss couldn’t see him. He quietly shook his head in the negative, like I should shut up.
Romefeller sighed. “What happened was a dreadful tragedy, simply dreadful. We did the best we could, but Katarina was too well prepared. Her disruptions of communications and emergency response protocols were just too thorough. I, personally, lost many friends and colleagues to her madness. But we are still here, and we will rebuild, and together we can manage real global problems. Resource inequality, climate change, overpopulation, conflict, poverty . . . these are real problems that are causing real suffering. My peers talked about building a better world, but they were little more than a . . . how did you put it? Model United Nations? A debate club. No more. Things will start to change, now, and I owe all of this to you and your friends. In the end, the whole world will owe you a debt of gratitude.”
I looked him in the eye. “Right. Tell me, when did you figure out that Blue was intended to target an Illuminati council meeting? Because it seems mighty convenient that that’s the one bomb that got through, and even more so that you’re the only one left. Things really broke your way, huh?”
Romefeller was quiet for a long time. The billionaire bit his lip as he mulled that over. Tailor was distressed, but didn’t say anything. “That is a serious allegation, young man, especially after my surgeons saved your life. You are here, enjoying my hospitality as a guest, rather than being turned over to the British government for questioning. You have to know that had that happened, your own government would take you back into custody, and your former employers would undoubtedly acquire you again. You should feel grateful.”
Grateful. “You’re a cold son of a bitch, I’ll give you that. You told me you people liked to pull strings, and you sure as hell played me. Your rivals are gone, you’re in charge, European governments will be panicked and vulnerable. Either a rogue American organization or one of your dead rivals planned and set up the whole thing, depending on who you care to blame. A few thousand people had to die, but you won, didn’t you? You got your new world order, and you come out looking squeaky clean.”
Romefeller leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his face with both hands. “Ah, I see. Very well.” Tailor looked crestfallen, like I had just signed my own death warrant. “I was worried it would come to this.” Romefeller finally lowered his hands and looked me in the eye. “You’re reckless, but you’re no fool. So let’s dispense with the pleasantries and get down to it, shall we? Your survival depends on your cooperation, so I suggest you consider your words very carefully before you speak.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Two things, Mr. Valentine. First, what did those Exodus fanatics do with the nuclear weapon intended for Paris?”
“It was still at the train station, last time I saw it.” That much was true. “What, you couldn’t even take care of that without me? I left the bomb sitting there and it disappeared?” I shook my head. “Unbelievable.”
Romefeller scowled, but ignored my defiant sarcasm. “Enough. Tell me about the Oracle.”
I laughed at him. “I don’t know enough to tell you anything. Besides that, fuck you.”
Tailor looked aghast, silently pleading with me to keep my mouth shut, but his boss also ignored my insult. “She is special, isn’t she? After the bombings, I sent someone to collect her. She was alone in the residence we’d provided for you, after all, and in danger. She’s much too valuable to be left alone like that. I sent one of my best, someone who I knew would see her to me safely.” Romefeller reached into his breast pocket and removed a folded, yellow piece of paper. “Later, a second team found her, my operative, I mean. She was alive, but in a coma. She’d had an aneurism. The girl was nowhere to be found.”
“What’s that?” I asked, nodding at the piece of paper.
“We also found this. It’s a note from the Oracle herself, addressed to you. Would you like to read it?”
I lurched up. “Give it to me, you son of a bitch!”
Romefeller actually smirked and tossed the folded piece of paper onto the bed. I snatched it up and opened it. It was written in neat cursive, with a purple ink pen. The I’s were dotted with little circles.
Michael,
For better or for worse, it’s done. By the time you get this, I’ll be long gone. Please, don’t worry about me, and don’t try to find me. It’s not safe for either one of us. Too many bad people are looking for you and me both for us to stay together. I know you’d die to protect me, but I don’t want you to ever been in that position. You’ve done enough for me. You deserve to be free of all these burdens, and to live a happy life.
I have to follow my own path now. I don’t belong anywhere now. I need time. I need to find myself. I need to find out who I really am, what I really am, and where I really belong. There are so many things I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn’t, and I’m sorry about that. I was afraid you wouldn’t understand, and I guess I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. I know better, now. I know you’d stay with me no matter what, and that’s why I have to go. They’re coming for me, and I’m done being a pawn in someone else’s game.
I don’t know what the future holds now. The old constants are gone, leaving only variables like you. I can make guesses, but there is no certainty anymore, just probabilities. I guess this means humanity is on its own now. No more puppet masters, but that’s for the best. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Those who want to force a certain order on the world have brought more death and suffering than anything else. Now the world has a fresh start, and a chance to do better.
Please don’t be sad. I will miss you so much, but I promise I’ll see you again. I just have a lot of things I need to do, and I need to do them on my own. Thank you for being my family. Thank you for showing me what it means to be human. Say hi to your little girl for me, when she’s born.
I love you.
—Ariel
My hands were shaking as I lowered the note. My eyes teared up as I carefully folded it back up.
“Imagine the good that I could accomplish, with a mind like that in my employ.” Romefeller said. “I’ve learned much about your young oracle, and I understand now why so many have fought for her. Tell me, where do you think she would go? You can’t tell me that she really just disappeared, a teenage girl, in an unfamiliar country.”
“Wherever she is, she’s out of your grasp.”
The smug bastard chuckled at me. “I assure you, nothing is out of my grasp. Either you’re lying, or you really don’t know. In either case, I’m afraid that makes you a liability.”
I said nothing. I clutched Ariel’s note and stared the old Illuminatus down.
Romefeller looked over shoulder. “Mr. Tailor?”
Tailor’s face was a mask as he stepped forward. Without a word, he reached under his suit jacket and drew his pistol.
I looked him in the eye. “I told you it would come to this.”
“Val . . .” he trailed off.
I shook my head, but didn’t avert my gaze. “Do what you have to do, man. You should know something, though: she told me that humanity is on its own, now. No more puppet masters.”
Tailor looked at me, but said nothing else. He looked over at Romefeller, then back down at me.
“Mr. Tailor,” Romefeller repeated, his very tone a threat.
After another couple seconds, Tailor nodded to himself. In a flash, he turned and cracked Romefeller in the mouth with the butt of his gun. I saw a tooth go flying as the billionaire stumbled backward, stunned and in pain. Tailor then grabbed him by the lapels of his expensive suit, spun him around, and pushed him down onto my bed. The old man kicked and thrashed, but my friend didn’t hesitate. Grabbing a pillow with his free hand, he stuck it over Romefeller’s face, stuck the muzzle of his pistol into it, and pulled the trigger.
&nb
sp; With a muffled pop and a puff of feathers, Romefeller stopped kicking. Tailor stood up, straightening his suit jacket as the dead billionaire slid off the bed, leaving a bloody mess on the sheets, and crumpled to the floor in an undignified heap.
It was suddenly intensely quiet in the room. Tailor and I stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything.
“Jesus Christ!” I finally blurted, breaking the silence. My heart was racing. “God damn, dude.”
Tailor crossed the room and returned with a wheelchair that had been parked against a wall. “Yeah, well, he can consider that my two weeks’ notice. Come on, Val, we’re getting the fuck out of here. We don’t have a lot of time.”
He helped me out of bed and into the wheelchair. My right leg ended at a stump, just below the knee, so it wasn’t like I was getting out on my own. “Where are we going to go?”
“Bob Lorenzo went to the U.S. embassy in Paris and gave them everything your people have collected on both Majestic and the Illuminati over the last couple years, all the evidence you’ve recorded, all the puzzle pieces that your girl put together. Here.” He dropped a Glock 26 into my lap before unlocking the brakes on the chair. “Hide that, don’t pull it out unless I tell you to. I can still talk my way out of here. The shit’s hitting the fan all over. Two nukes went off in Europe. NATO is on full alert. The U.S. is at DEFCON 2. I really don’t want to be here when the French government puts everything together.”
He started to wheel me out of the room. As he asked, I concealed the little pistol in my lap, along with Ariel’s note. “Where are we going to go?” I repeated.
“I’ve got a contact with the CIA. Don’t freak out, it’s the CIA, not Majestic. Believe me, I did some digging. Majestic has a lot of reach, but they’re not everywhere, and they’re on the run now. Things are going to change, fast. Now shut up and let me get us out of here.”
“Tailor?” I said, as he rolled me down a quiet hallway. “Thank you.”
Alliance of Shadows (Dead Six Series Book 3) Page 42