Jezzien screamed when Rav punched the streetlight, breaking it from its base and sending it careening across the alley. The glass shattered and showered over Kalimis and Vance.
Slayven sheltered Nemo from the bombardment, but continued calling out to Rav. "Why are you doing this? I have your son! Don't hurt Nemo!"
Another heavy streetlight fell, crashing into the back of the bar. The neon sign from the roof broke free, causing Slayven to dive out of the way to avoid it.
Rav shouted a primal howl as he lifted the solid steel dumpster with one hand and sent it flying.
Jezzien, Kalimis, and Slayven fell to the pavement as the steel slammed into them. Vance was thrown five feet down the alley where he rolled to a stop against the wall of the bar. He remained motionless. Slayven picked himself up, holding his left hip. His ears rang from where the clanging metal collided with the side of his head. Dizzy and with blood dripping from his busted nose, he locked eyes with Rav. Slayven felt lighter. He gasped when he realized his arms were empty.
Where was Nemo?
Slayven screamed as he watched Rav stomp up to the boy in a growing puddle of blue coolant that glittered in the orange glow from the lights on the roof of the apartment building nearby. "No! Don't hurt him!"
Kalimis held onto his left horn that was broken in half as he held the injured Jezzien in his arms. He shouted at the crazed man feet away from him. "For space's sake, Rav. He's your son!"
Rav bent over to snatch Nemo up. His hand clenched tighter around Nemo's delicate neck as he lifted him high in the air. He drew his arm back and swung the young boy at the brick wall.
"Daddy, no!"
Chapter 8
With the cold Elysian winds rushing past him, Visht fell through the lower levels of the atmosphere, his eyes trained on the green signal flare in the darkness of the wheat field below. He waited until the ground grew closer before pulling the cord on his backpack. The parachute flew open behind him, slowing his descent.
He hit the ground running, unlatching the buckles on his bag and dropping it as he slid to a stop beside a concrete bunker entrance a few yards away from the flare that began to die. The teenage warbringer stayed prone on the sandy ground, watching the glow above the mountain range on the horizon from the ongoing battles on the other side. He waited until Krisharn landed as well before getting up and following him down the hidden stairs into the underground bunker.
"Turn your night vision off. There's a bunker of supplies and vehicles that I've had my agents collect over the past four years for just this occasion. I knew it was coming, so I had to be ready."
Visht pulled the goggles off to blink a few times in the darkness before the florescent lights snapped to life along the ceiling. Rows of metal lockers and gun cabinets lined the walls, a movable circular elevator in the middle of the room was covered with hoverbikes, and protective equipment including radiation suits, gas masks, and Geiger counters were piled on tables.
Krisharn flashed a smile and held out his arms. "Well, what do you think?"
"Vehicles."
"Hoverbikes. They're great at getting across the Elysian sands at high speeds. These have been modified to be nearly silent. We'll be able to get through the security checkpoints without issue. Well, go grab some guns and whatever explosives you think you'll be using. Remember, look scary. This is going to be filmed and broadcast live across all the human colonies to stir up fear. We're terrorists now, son. We're about to go kill hundreds of people. Are you ready for this?"
Visht stepped over to the nearest wire basket to look through the pile of hand grenades and landmines. "Do I even get a choice in that? I have to be ready. If I'm not ready, you'll beat me until I am. That's what you've always told me."
"I'm not going to beat you. All those years, I did what I did in order to shape you into a ferocious warbringer. You needed to be a warrior."
"I'm not a warrior, Father! I'm not. I've never been a violent person. I hate confrontations. I hate watching people get hurt. It's not me."
"I realize that. It's for that reason that I want you to be my strategic general. You will be removed from the battlefield, but you will have a vital hand in planning it all. You can use your brain and your intuition that you value so highly."
He stopped, letting his father's words sink in. "You actually want my help?"
"Of course I do. I understand why you and your sister hate me so much, but I've learned some things. You've grown up to be a wonderful young warbringer with a bright future ahead of you."
Visht scoffed as he secured a bandoleer of grenades diagonally across his chest.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Just a month ago, you took me into the square before the other warbringers. You stripped me naked, chained me to the whipping post, and flogged me. Then you had my horn banded. How has your opinion of me changed that much in such a short amount of time? You're a liar. You're playing me just like you're playing everybody else. I'm not going to fall for that."
Before Krisharn could respond to the accusation, he touched the tiny speaker in his ear. "This is Krisharn."
The call played over Visht's earpiece as well.
"Where is he?" Leah asked.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Ben. I know you had Tamir do something to him. Tell the truth, Krisharn. You paid Tamir to kill Ben then throw his body through the airlock."
Krisharn frowned, a scowl twisting his thin lips. "Hold on, pretty face. What happened to Ben? He's missing?"
"That's what I'm asking you. I have evidence against Tamir and reason to believe that he was working with you. You're the only one who has a reason to get rid of Ben."
"Get rid of him? Why would I want to get rid of him? I had plans to make him my queen after I took over the throne of Azimandia. Why do you think I would be working in any way with Tamir? He's a crazy thief from AX-97 with pockets so deep that he could get lost in them. He doesn't need any money from me, believe me. If he did do something to Ben, it wasn't for money."
"You may have a point."
"Of course I do. I may be a brute, but I'm a brute with a brain. Benjamin is more than likely on the ship somewhere. Now, if you're done accusing me of ridiculous things, I'll get back to work."
"Very well. But if you can think of anything that would help us with the investigation, please call back and let us know. Really, we're out of clues. We have Tamir locked up in the cell in the cargo hold, but he's not talking. None of us girls have the heart to torture him, except Sandra. But she's too preoccupied trying to get the ship up and running again. We can't do anything now that Ben's dead man's switch went off. We're stuck."
"I don't know where Ben is or if he's even still alive. Period. I have to get going on this mission or we won't reach the capital building before sunrise."
"Good luck. We'll be watching the television to see it all. Keep Visht safe. And Visht?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Do what you know is right."
The call ended. What did Leah mean by that? To do what he knew was right?
Krisharn slung an AK-47 onto his back as he strutted over to one of the sleek black hoverbikes. "Let's get moving. We need to get into the city before dawn. Congress will be meeting early, so we need to be in the building and ready to strike as soon as they begin their debate. The doors will be locked and guarded by snipers once President Brightman's ship lands. That means we need to be in there before that point. If you're ready, let's get moving."
* * *
A pale hand reached up to stop the screaming boy from colliding with the brick wall of the bar. In one fluid movement, Nemo was taken in the slender feminine arms and nestled against the silk and lace dress. After a few whimpers, the boy fell back into unconsciousness, cradled lovingly by the red-haired woman who had appeared out of nothing but shadows and static electricity.
The woman looked up at Rav, her powdery blue eyes stern yet loving. "Ravy boy, why are you so angry? Enough of this. You are harming the ones yo
u love. 11312."
Rav froze where he was and collapsed onto the pavement without a sound.
"Good thing those codes still work even without those computer parts in your brain." With a warm smile, she turned around to face Slayven, Kalimis, and Jezzien. "Greetings, Azimandians. Where is Warlord Aveni?"
Slayven wiped the sweat from the ends of his bangs then hesitantly pointed back into the dark alley behind him. "He's hurt. Bad. Who are you?"
"Don't speak to her, slave!" Kalimis barked at him as he stood and tried to fix his broken horn. "Forgive my rejected boy for addressing you. What business do you have with us? How do you know of Warlord Aveni Azimandi?"
"We had a deal. It is early Friday morning. He still has nearly two days to finish his plan before I collect on his debt."
"Wait. Deal?" Kalimis asked. "You made a deal with him? Who are you?"
"I believe you Azimandians call me The Great Horned Mother."
Kalimis and Jezzien turned as pale as snow. They both looked to be on the verge of either grovelling at the woman's feet or taking off running across the city to find a place to hide.
Slayven started to bow, but he was stopped by The Great Horned Mother's cooing voice.
"It's all right, Slayven. You do not have to bow to me. Be a dear and take this boy from me so I can wake up Rav. Poor man." She placed Nemo in Slayven's arms then stepped over to Rav, kneeling down to brush his red hair out of his soot-streaked face. "Look at him. He's falling apart with stress and worry. Wakey wakey, Ravy boy." She dug into the top of her dress to retrieve a small vial of green liquid.
With one swipe under Rav's nose, he gasped and darted up onto his knees. Wild-eyed and frantic, he glanced around with his lips quivering. As soon as he locked eyes with the red-haired woman on her knees beside him, he started bawling like a baby. "It's you. It's you. Mom!"
"You know who I am, Ravy boy. But you can call me Mom if it makes you feel better. You owe your son the largest apology you can think of. Do you realize what you've done today? You went on a rampage through this Star-World. You've slaughtered two thousand people, innocent people. On top of that, you attacked your friends here. Aveni, or Vance as you call him, was already not in very good condition. Now he's passed out over there. You threw a dumpster at them."
"I'm so sorry. I lost control. I thought Nemo died in the crash."
"Do you realize what you almost did to your son? You had him by the neck and were inches from bashing his head against the wall. You would have killed him if I had not stepped in to stop you. This has gotten out of hand, Rav. I must be going now and you must go to Kalimis's ship so Aveni's wounds can be healed and your son's as well. Things have been worked out with Warbringer Trilx and he will join the Red Sand Rebels. He took the gems, so I believe he has accepted your offer, Kalimis. As for you, Rav, can I trust you to not kill your son? Or do I need to take Nemo with me to ensure his safety?"
Rav looked up through his tears. "I'll keep him safe. I swear it. I love my son!"
* * *
Leah circled around Tamir, who was strapped down in a metal chair in the middle of the cell in the darkened cargo hold. A single bright light shone down over him. No one had laid a finger on him, yet he slightly shook with apparent fear as Leah's heels clicked on the metal floor behind him. She had everything she needed to make a formal accusation against him. The evidence had piled up to the point of eliminating any doubt she could have had in the beginning. Someone knew what happened to Ben. And that person was Tamir.
She stopped in front of her prisoner with her arms crossed on her white blouse. "I'll cut straight to the point. I know you did something to Ben. I found a roll of duct tape in Ben's room with your fingerprints clearly on it. There was also some of Ben's DNA on the floor beside the bed."
"It was his room. Of course there would be DNA there."
"Blood and saliva? On the floor?"
Tamir half chuckled. "Hey, I don't know what him and Vance did. I don't like to think about that, but they're married and can do whatever they want."
"I thought you might say that. And yes, you could have been using duct tape for something else. However, there is one more piece of evidence that I can't explain. Now, listen. I have been doing this kind of investigative work for years out of necessity. I trained under Dualictum's head detective. I know what I'm doing."
"What's the evidence you found? I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this. Why would I harm my own nephew? I care about Ben. He's family."
"Family that you haven't decided to help until now."
"I haven't been able to help until now." Tamir looked around the cell. "Can I call my wife? She must be worried sick about me."
"And we're worried sick about Ben. Until Ben is found alive, you don't get to call anyone. Now, if you want to tell us what you did with Ben or his body, then I will let you call your wife. But I need your full confession first."
"I'm not confessing to anything. If you have supposed evidence against me, then go ahead. Show me. Tell me what it is."
"It's actually a bunch of little things, all compiled together." Leah took a deep breath before spilling what she knew. "You tried to clean it up and cover it, but I found it. Tape residue was found on the headboard and some of his hairs were on the bed. Aside from the blood and saliva, it seems that Ben peed his pants while he was being strangled by a duct tape noose around the headboard of his bed. He used his fingernails to carve into the soft wood of the bedside table. It was just enough to let me know that he had been there."
"So?"
"So that's not the coup de grâce." Leah held out the tiny emerald in her fingers. Its polished surface glinted in the bright light. "This is. It's an emerald from the brooch on your turban. I found it under the edge of Ben's bed. I see the place it's missing from. It's yours, Tamir. According to what you told me earlier, you hadn't set foot in Ben's room the entire time you've been on this ship. Explain this. There is too much evidence of foul play. You know what happened to Ben. I don't even want to know how you did it. I just need to know if he's alive. Please. Tell me you didn't kill him."
Tamir only bowed his head.
"No . . . no, you didn't. You couldn't have. Tamir, why?" Leah covered her mouth with her hands as tears swelled in her eyes. "Ben was the kindest, gentlest man in the universe. He wouldn't hurt a spider if it bit him. He loved everyone. How could you? He was your nephew. He trusted you."
"So what now? Are you and Sandra going to kill me?"
"I don't know. I have to call Vance."
"Don't!"
"Why not? He needs to know what's happened to his husband. He deserves that."
Tamir tightened his fists and pulled against the leather straps binding him to the chair. "Please don't. You can't tell Vance. You can't tell anyone. Leah, please!"
"Why does it matter to you? It's done. It's over. Ben's gone because of you. Whatever they want to do to you will be too good. You deserve everything they hand down on your head. Ben's innocent life is gone and his blood is on your hands. You'd better start praying that we don't win this war. Because if we do and we're alive at the end of it, your execution will be public, it will be bloody, and it will be excruciatingly slow and torturous."
"Leah, don't say anything."
Leah wiped her eyes on her silk blouse before switching off the lights and rushing out of the room before she lost control of her emotions. She stopped in the doorway and called back to Tamir. "I can't call Vance anyway. He's dead. Nemo's dead. Rav is missing. Everything is falling apart. We're losing people left and right. Now to find out that one of them, the most caring one of all, was brutally killed by his own uncle on this ship that should have been our safe haven in all this? I can't deal with it. I can't deal with this anymore. I hope you burn in hell."
Chapter 9
Lucas's boots thudded along the main four-lane road winding through the very center of Odyssia's Upper City. The purple, green, and yellow neon lined the storefronts and the billboards with th
e changing images on signs, advertising products and services. Prerecorded news bulletins about daily life played over and over on the thin screens, stuck in an endless loop of monotonous information. Everything was alive and electrified like it always had been. There was only one problem.
There were no people.
The hovertrains sped by on their elevated glowing tracks, but there were no passengers or engineers. Hovercars sat abandoned in stationary traffic jams, some of them still with their headlights on, but without drivers. Lucas slowly made his way down the street that was normally bustling with crowds of citizens. An eerie feeling sunk its teeth into his chest and would not let go. He passed an outdoor cafe where chairs were overturned by the tables. Napkins blew across the patio and empty paper cups bounced down the sidewalks.
Slow jazz filled the air from an antique record player inside the glass front display of a department store where mannequins stood in the dim lights. Piles of shoppers' bags lay scattered in piles in the doorways, causing the automatic sliding doors to keep running into them over and over as they tried to close. Empty baby strollers sat abandoned in the playgrounds. In the restaurants, half-eaten plates of food were left with forks still stuck in them. A pair of women's high heels had been discarded in the middle of an intersection crosswalk.
Derek crept over to an ashtray on one of the cafe tables to stare intently at a cigarette butt that was still smoldering with an orange glow at the tip. The wisps of smoke danced in the air, an ominous signal of its owner's sudden departure.
Sudden and recent. Very recent departure.
Nothing was broken. There was no shattered glass. Nothing on fire, no riots, no bodies. The citizens simply vanished.
"This is so weird." Dallis joined Lucas's side as they stopped on the corner of the street. "Do you think they evacuated? How would they even know about Vance's plan?"
"Maybe this had to do with what Alphonso Cyrino was going to tell Rav before he was . . . you know . . . shot in the head. Either way, I really thought we would run into some sort of resistance. You don't think this is all one big trap, do you?"
The Genesis Sequence Books 6-10 Page 59