He did his best to keep his voice steady.
"Physically, she was just like you—same laugh, same smile. She was kind, confident, and courageous. The terrible thing is, I didn't even realize how much she was all those things until it was too late."
"How did she die?"
She slapped her hands in front of her mouth, too late to prevent the thought escaping her lips.
"I'm sorry. Oh God, just forget I even said that." It came out muffled from behind her two hands.
Gwynn felt a tremor pass through him. He saw her smile, the one that the living girl in front of him also wore, and her brutal end. She told him, 'Somewhere, there is a place where we are in love and together. You need to protect them.' Now, that seemed like a lie. He'd found another Sophia—perhaps the only other one, and she didn't know him at all. He bit his tongue, trying to draw some moisture so that his tongue could form the words.
"She died during a battle. She…saved me. In some ways she saved everyone on my world."
"Because of what she saw, or because she saved you?"
He laughed a little. Life was funny in its tragedies.
"A bit of both, I suppose."
He closed his eyes for a moment, and took a breath. It went deep, and as he let it out, he imagined all the dreams of his Sophia going out with it. She was gone, and he had to accept it. If he didn't, he'd never be able to treat this girl as anything other than an impostor. She deserved better.
He opened his eyes, and tried to see this girl for the first time. He didn't know if anyone else in the world would agree, but he found her beautiful. The blueness of her eyes and golden hair seemed so much brighter in this drab, concrete world. He extended his hand to her.
"My friend is gone. You're not her, you are your own person, and I'd like to get to know you. My name's Gwynn Dormath."
She gave him a puzzled look that gradually crept into a smile as she realized his meaning.
I am not the boy from your dream. You are not the Sophia I loved. Let's put those people aside and know who we are.
She shook his hand.
"Sophia Murray. Pleased to meet you, Gwynn Dormath."
In that moment, the endless worlds felt like they had endless possibilities.
§
Gwynn was shown to a shower, which turned out to be on the cold side of freezing. His hosts also managed to find a pair of plain, cotton, clothes that fit him. He took a deep breath, enjoying the sensation of having washed the day before away.
After a breakfast of some white, lumpy, mush with the consistency and taste of wet cardboard—which they assured him contained all the necessary vitamins and proteins—he was summoned to a room where a number of others had already assembled. Pridament was there, as was Sophia, even Jason was escorted in soon after. Gwynn wondered if Jason had finally decided to join them, or if he was there for some other reason.
A large table, which looked made of metal sheets welded together and then sanded, dominated the center of the room, surrounded by a number of chairs Gwynn figured were not equal to the number of people. At its head, Katsuro stood pouring over a number of maps. He conferred quietly with a small group of men. They seemed oblivious to everyone else.
After ten minutes of uncomfortable silence, Katsuro finally lifted his eyes to the rest of the room.
"Thank you for waiting everyone. We've received information which requires us to move up our timetable, so we've been ironing out the details. I know the timing of this operation has always been a bit uncertain," he glanced toward Sophia, not favourably, "so we had warned you all to be prepared. Well, when this briefing is over, you need to get your people ready, as we'll be moving in the next two hours."
Murmuring filled the room, not all of it happy or excited.
Gwynn shuffled through the crowd to Pridament.
"What's he talking about?" Gwynn whispered.
"It's the operation we planned based on Sophia's visions. Once we had you, we knew it was coming close. An informant on the inside passed along that it needs to happen today."
"What exactly do I—"
"Ah, Gwynn," Katsuro said, seeming only to notice Gwynn for the first time. "And your friend, Jason. I'm glad you could join us. In the commotion last night, I never had a chance to even explain exactly what Sophia's vision was, or how you might help us."
"We're interested to hear," Jason said. He looked to Gwynn for confirmation, who provided a nod of yes.
"Good."
Katsuro shuffled through the maps on the table, lifted one up and, with some tape he'd grabbed from the table, taped it to the wall. It was a schematic drawing of a large building. Based on a frontal rendition, it looked like a large cathedral.
"This is Valhalla," Katsuro said. "It is the seat of power in Asgard and the home of Woten's elite warriors, the Einherjar. It is also where our target resides." He tapped a spot on the floor plan. "The Bifrost. Initially, we were led to believe it was a bridge allowing the Aesir to cross the Veil without any of the usual dangers. Based on our intelligence, and Sophia's visions, we believe it poses a much greater threat. Our intelligence suggested it was somehow a weapon meant for conquest of other worlds. Sophia has seen it will create calamity, the deaths of billions, and a shift in power. We can't allow what happened here to befall others. Gwynn, Sophia's vision was of you destroying the Bifrost, so I'm hoping that means if you come, our mission will become successful. Jason, while there aren't any specific visions of you, Pridament tells me Suture trains its people very well, and I hoped you would accompany us and help to protect Sophia."
"Sophia's coming?" Gwynn blurted out. He turned to Pridament. "You can't let that happen. I can't…"
He looked around the room at the questioning faces. Sophia's expression reminded him so much of that fateful night at the Cameron house—determined, maybe angry, but sad and understanding all the same.
"I understand your fears," Katsuro said. He managed to sound almost gentle. "We need her. The floor plans we have are incomplete. In her dreams, she's gone the route we need to take. She's the best guide we can have."
Gwynn hated it, but he didn't protest any further.
"Don't worry, I'll watch out for her," Jason said.
"All right, everyone," Katsuro bellowed. "You have your assignments, now get to it."
The room emptied except for Gwynn, Jason, Sophia, Pridament and Katsuro, who motioned the others to join him at the head of the table.
"I have my own tasks to attend to. Pridament knows the plan, and you can study these maps for a time until we go."
No one spoke until Katsuro had left the room.
"What are we really doing?" Jason asked. "I mean, this feels like smoke and mirrors. What's the real purpose of this?"
"I can assure you that this mission's top priority is destroying the Bifrost," Pridament said.
"That's fine, but I'd like to know exactly what her vision was—Katsuro glazed over that pretty quickly."
"I'll answer," Sophia volunteered. "I saw light coming from the Bifrost and striking multiple worlds. Each of those worlds faded and disappeared. I saw the room where the Bifrost was. Gwynn was there, reaching into it. Then it stopped and collapsed."
"What's the point?" Gwynn asked. "What does any of this accomplish? I mean, you," he indicated Pridament, "told me that the Fallen think destroying worlds is some kind of holy mission. Woten doesn't strike me as some religious fanatic. What would he have to gain from doing this? Is it possible the Bifrost is for something else and it just goes haywire?"
"I can't tell you what Woten is thinking," Pridament said.
"My vision didn't provide anything more. I just know what it does and that you do something to destroy it. I mean, I suppose it could be an accident."
"I guess there's only one way to find out," Jason said. "So, tell us the plan."
17
Minuet
Fuyuko spent her whole life in Suture, yet in a matter of hours she had seen two floors she never knew existed. The firs
t, where she'd met Woten, and now she found herself in a darkened hall with glass-faced cells lining the wall.
The first cell had its glass face slide upward into the ceiling. One of the men gave her a gentle, forward, push. Reflexively, her feet dug in at the floor. The man's push became harder.
Her first instinct was to reach for the Veil, but again, she met the impenetrable wall. Fine. To hell with the Veil. Her body became liquid, sliding inside his outstretched arm and striking his throat. Instinct brought both his hands upwards. She took the opening to strike his groin with her knee, which brought him forward where she had the perfect angle to deliver a crushing blow to his head.
It happened so fast, delivered by a girl they obviously took for being helpless, the other man didn't react until his partner lay crumpled on the ground.
He didn't come at her, instead taking on a defensive pose, which she answered.
I've trained my whole life to fight monsters. Veil or not, two men don't compare to the things I've faced.
He threw a punch, easy to avoid, and easy to spot as a feint. She rolled inside the punch, bringing her too close for his kick to connect. Instead, it gave her a perfect target to grab hold of and flip.
This wasn't a battle she'd win based on strength. But they couldn't match her speed or level of desperation.
Before the man hit the floor she drove a chopped hand into his throat, smashing his head into a satisfying Smack! on the floor.
She dragged both their unconscious forms into the cell and, relieving them of their access cards, activated the glass to slide down and lock them inside.
For the first time in months, a true, adrenaline fuelled smile, crossed her lips. The pounding of her heart, the blood rushing through her veins, and the sweat on her brow, were trophies. The Veil might be locked from her, but she could still win her battles.
Cool fingers brushed across the back of her neck.
Before she could react, a word echoed through the hall, "Sleep." It wasn't just a word, it was a call, a beckoning to oblivion. She tried to resist, but its lure proved too great.
She fell, the floor rushing toward her…
She landed in a bed of soft grass.
"What?"
Fuyuko rolled to a crouching position, pushing her human senses as far as she could.
"It's all right, Ms. Takeda, no one will harm you here."
She spun around to see a thin man, pale, and dressed in black, sitting on top of a bolder.
"You must be Morpheus," she said. Because who else could take her from sleep to an open grassy field in a matter of seconds.
His eyebrow raised. "I'm glad to see my reputation precedes me." He gave a slight bow.
"I know your daughter," Fuyuko said.
"Indeed. The very reason we're having this conversation."
Fuyuko eyed her surroundings. An open field with lush green grass left to grow wild. The only defining geographic feature was the bolder Morpheus sat on. She didn't see anything useful as a weapon. On the other hand, she didn't see anything screaming horrors and torture like Woten had promised.
"So you want to talk? About Angie? Are we skipping the whole torture thing? Or have you had your fill after spending the last eight months tormenting my father?"
Morpheus sighed and shook his head. "I hoped we could avoid the accusations and anger. I'm afraid my time with you is limited, so I'd much rather spend it productively."
Fuyuko opened her mouth to argue, but found her voice wouldn't come.
"I'm sorry, but as I control the rules here, I'm going to have to ask you to be a little patient, and keep quiet until I finish. You see, in a matter of minutes, a number of promises will be fulfilled. I'm afraid the results will destroy the life you've known forever. It's not fair for you to be pressed into that without having first made a choice to do so, but often life isn't fair. Besides, I suspect you knew when you made the choice to pursue your brother's true fate, there would be consequences."
Fuyuko nodded.
"Well, good. At least my conscience will be clear on that matter. However, there is one other favour I must ask. My daughter, your friend Angie, please take her with you."
Fuyuko attempted to say, where am I going?
Despite no sound escaping, Morpheus seemed to understand. "I can't tell you. To be honest, that has been purposely kept from me. All I know is soon, you will be going, and I want you to promise you'll take Angie."
Why?
"No organization created by beings thousands of years old, and could be considered as gods, can be constructed without its share of secrets and agendas. The agenda of one in particular has become a…concern. Haven't you wondered why, apart from the eternals, your brother was the oldest member of Suture? The majority of the children here are considerably younger than even yourself."
I'd never thought about it.
"Of course you didn't. That's the joy of humans, if a system is in place from the time of our birth, we rarely question it, as we take it for granted. Woten showed you the tubes in his little hall of souls, didn't he?"
Yes. He said they would allow him to create an army of Anunnaki.
Morpheus chuckled. "He didn't tell you he's already used that material to create an army? You're a member of it."
Fuyuko tried to gasp, scream, even curse Morpheus for what he suggested, but her remained silent. She grasped at her throat, as if the pressure might push the sound out.
"Shinji Takeda, a man who proved so brilliant, unlocked a way to manipulate unborn fetuses so they could become Anunnaki. Suture's most loyal signed up. The first one to volunteer his child was the very man who perfected the procedure. After all, who would pass up the opportunity to give birth to the next race of gods?"
Her initial disbelief and anger gave way to memory of her father's words. 'Losing your brother was my punishment for treading into the realms of God.'
Is that why the Eternal ones never age, but we still do?
"Very astute—truly your father's daughter. While the ranks of the other branches of Suture wither, Woten has ensured no one has a chance of challenging him. But not all of your teammates came from your father's experiments. Angie is my daughter, and Woten has used her as a way to maintain my services."
Couldn't Zeus help?
At this Morpheus broke into riotous laughter.
"Zeus is many things, but forgiving of transgressions isn't one of them. We had a…falling out, you might say. Well, I forced it so he wouldn't question my staying with Woten. I thought I was protecting my daughter. But that decision is exactly why I need you to swear to me you will take Angie. Zeus won't bother, but he is sworn to aid you. If you refuse to leave without Angie, he'll have no choice but to aid her."
Fuyuko nodded. Zeus? Sworn to protect me? Why?
"You will find out soon. Promise me now, you will take Angie with you.
I won't leave her behind. I swear.
Morpheus smiled. "You're indeed worthy of the high regard in which your father holds you."
He pulled back his dark sleeve and looked at a watch on his wrist.
"It appears our time is up. Thank you, Fuyuko Takeda. I hope we meet again someday."
Fuyuko gave a slight bow.
"Oh, and Fuyuko, when you have a chance, tell my daughter I never abandoned her. I've watched over her every moment of her life. Tell her I'm proud of her."
I will.
Morpheus raised his arm, and with a flourish, snapped his fingers.
§
She woke on the cool floor of the cell block. She didn't feel groggy, if anything, she felt refreshed. When she got to her feet, she had to steady herself on the wall as reality rushed at her a little too quickly. She blinked some loose sleep from her eyes. The two men in black were still unconscious, locked in the cell.
If they're still out, I couldn't have been sleeping that long.
At the end of the hall, the elevator doors slid open, revealing five more guards.
Fuyuko assumed a defensive stance.
Veil or not, her encounter with the two men before demonstrated her body still remembered its training.
Each of the men clicked open an assault baton.
Right. Every place in Suture has cameras. They're ready for me.
They came at once, using numbers to their advantage. Retreat would bring her to a dead end, so she surged forward. Her knee crushed into the solar plexus of the first man she reached. She paid for it with a baton from another crashing against her side. Her elbow reached his face, but didn't connect hard enough to put him down. Another baton smashed into her arm with a loud crack. The arm went dead. Fuyuko wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream, but she tasted blood from the effort of silence.
The men surrounded her. The smallness of the hallway pressing them closer to her, always within striking distance. She might've kept silent, but they saw her pain. They would take her alive if possible. But they wouldn't refrain from hurting her more given the opportunity. Did she drop now, surrender, and maybe avoid more fractures? Maybe she should just push them to the point of killing her. Perhaps death in battle was better than death in a cell.
The sound of the elevator doors opening drew their collective attention.
"Gentlemen," the new arrival said, his arms wide in greeting and his white suit so crisp, so spotless, it glowed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from inflicting any more injury upon this girl."
The men tensed.
"Lord Zeus," one of them said, "our orders come directly from Woten. I'm sorry, but you have no authority here."
Zeus nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, that would normally be true." A sly grin crossed his lips. "But if you've read any mythology, you should know I often interfere when it comes to matters involving women."
Lightning arced across the ceiling. The fluorescents exploded with pops like gunfire and the security cameras sizzled. Within seconds, the hall plunged into complete darkness—except for the pair of eyes where Zeus stood, blazing with white fire.
Suture (The Bleeding Worlds) Page 19