If there were any doubts before, Katie Leigh’s findings squashed them. Landon was now not only certain that Susano-o Industries was one of the companies in the Triumvirate of Titans, but that Ymir Technologies was the other. Landon now wondered if the world governments realized the irony that they had facilitated the creation of their greatest threat and enemy. When they asked the Pallas Corporation, Ymir Technologies, and Susano-o Industries to collaborate for the world’s benefit, they probably didn’t expect they’d instead create the premier criminal organization that actively fought against their national interests.
Landon sifted through the remaining papers: “Harper and Yomi Point Fingers at Each Other Concerning Nitranos Break-In”; “Susano-o Requests Injunction Requiring Pallas Corp. to Release Research”; and “Ymir Tech. Hires Away Another Top-Level Exec from Rival Pallas Corp.”
Each sheet contained another copy of a news article concerning Pallas Corporation, Susano-o Industries, Ymir Technologies, and their obvious connection. Katie Leigh had even underlined particular portions of the articles to ensure Landon had the same insight. By the time he’d finished them all, Landon couldn’t believe how enormous the deception ran. Pallas Corporation was only a piece of the threat. He wanted to run and find Celia right away, tell her everything Katie Leigh had discovered, but he knew that was impossible. She still wouldn’t even entertain the thought of speaking to him.
Landon turned each page over as a final check to make sure he’d read everything. He found a small note jotted in her messy handwriting on the back of the last page.
In Chemistry, a stabilizer is a compound intended to inhibit the reaction between chemicals. It’s basically the opposite of a catalyst. Rather than facilitating the reaction, a stabilizer makes sure the bonds that were created by a reaction don’t degrade. That was all I could find, I’m unsure of their intention with the stabilizer. Will continue digging.
Landon wracked his brain, trying to think up some reason why the stabilizer formula would be important, but he failed to come up with anything. Even though it didn’t help him now, he took mental note of what it did and committed himself to paying close attention to anything else he might uncover to piece together a feasible reason why the Pallas Corporation needed such a compound.
Landon reread the pages one final time, intent on committing every word to memory before rising from the sandy shore. He waded into the lake up to mid-calf and submerged the papers in the water. He massaged them until they were nothing but a moist glob of fibrous pulp, and then worked the ball until the entire thing broke up and dispersed into the lake. With that, Katie Leigh’s tireless work faded away, just a foggy cloud slowly carried off by the gentle current.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BATTLE TO THE
DEATH
The air tingled with bloodthirsty anticipation. Disappointment over some of yesterday’s matches left the mob itching for action, and the quarterfinal lineup showed signs of promise. The hoped-for Xavier-Brock contest coupled with the Celia-Joshua showdown was only the beginning of what the students expected to be a day of excitement. Today was the quarterfinals of the Qualifiers, and the people couldn’t wait.
Students and staff emerged from the Gymnasium and headed to the fighting arena, eager chatter and last-minute bets taking place all the way to the spectators’ stands. The afternoon sun baked the ground, filling the air with the scent of grass and scorching earth. Undulating waves of heat wafted up in the distance, distorting the ground and giving it a strange watery look.
Sweat began to drip down Landon’s brow as he careened through the stream of people; he doubted it was only due to the heat. Celia was in the quarterfinals; Katie Leigh had uncovered evidence that confirmed the identities of all the partners in the Triumvirate of Titans; Washington had refrained from any additional efforts to prove Landon’s duplicitous life—the puzzle pieces were falling into place. But Celia was matched up against Joshua Crane, not a best-case scenario in Landon’s mind. Nerves still shook him. Katie Leigh, and Celia for that matter, was still unaware of his plan, and even though he had the utmost confidence in Celia’s abilities, it would take only one slip for Joshua to gain the advantage and beat her. There was a reason he had been recruited to the Pantheon.
Following behind Riley, Landon took his seat in the top row of the stands. Even though they were shaded by massive tarps, the steel benches were hot to the touch. Landon glanced left and right to the friends beside him and flashed them a smile. He was excited to see what the day would hold.
“I’m sorry you lost yesterday,” Katie Leigh said as she settled onto the steel bench beside him. “It’s a shame Celia pushed you out of bounds.”
Landon shot a glance at Katie Leigh, who wore a knowing expression. He should have figured that she would see right through his attempt to throw the match. She didn’t look upset, so she must have inferred his plan and was onboard with it.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
As the sound rang through the open valley, the crowd quieted. Dr. Wells rose from the staff benches. He wore his usual blue oxford shirt and khaki pants, but in the place of his horn-rimmed glasses he sported a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses with garish red frames. As he stood, he stretched his arms into the air to silence the audience.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” he said exuberantly, his deep, resonant voice cutting through the shuffles of the settling crowd. “The tournament has come to this! Four bouts, . . . each with tremendous potential—the likes of which we’ve never seen in almost thirty years of the Qualifiers! In the end, who will prevail and continue on their path to victory?”
In response, the students erupted in chants of “Dirt Devil! Dirt Devil!” Apparently they’d settled on Celia’s new nickname. And judging by the amount of cheering for her, she’d been chosen as their favorite.
“Can you believe this?” Landon screamed to his friends, fighting to be heard over the growing roar. With eyes wide and lips slightly parted, Landon peered left and right, taking in the power of the students’ support. The corners of his mouth pulled into a slight smile to show his hidden happiness fighting to be revealed.
“It’s a brave new world,” Katie Leigh said just loud enough for Landon to catch it. She didn’t look nearly as impressed by the crowd’s growing support for Celia, but more disgusted by the display. “I swear humans haven’t evolved at all since Roman times,” she added. “Even in today’s world, give them games of violent sport, and they’re like putty in your hands. . . . Epsilons,” she scoffed, looking down at everyone.
Landon glanced over to Katie Leigh with an amused smirk, catching her reference to the lower class of workers from Brave New World. “I like to consider myself an Alpha,” Landon said, loud enough to catch her attention. When she turned to him, he winked inconspicuously to let her know he’d found what she’d left him. She gave him a smile in response before turning back to the festivities as the wave of excitement overtook her. Landon wore a wide grin as he too waited for the matches to begin.
Dr. Wells waved his arms up and down in futile attempts to quiet the crowd. “All right! All right!” The crowd calmed slightly, but Dr. Wells could barely be heard over the unceasing chants. “Shall we get to it then?” At his words, the roars of excitement rose in unbelievable fashion.
Dr. Wells beamed at the response and whispered something to a man sitting beside him with thick salt-and-pepper hair and wearing a pale grey suit. Landon’s brow twitched as he suddenly realized he recognized the man. I think that’s Drake Harper! he thought, recalling a photo of him from one of Katie Leigh’s newspaper articles.
“In our first quarterfinal match,” Dr. Wells paused at the audience’s sudden quieting, “Brock Holbrooke and Xavier Alcantar!”
As the bell rung, signaling the combatants to enter the arena, Landon asked Riley, “So what happened in their matches yesterday? They were done so quickly.” Lan
don yelled to be heard over the welcoming screams of the masses as Brock and Xavier took to the field.
Riley paused from cheering with the crowd to answer Landon’s question. “It really doesn’t matter. Today’s when the fun usually starts. All the dead weight’s gone,” he added.
The starting bell chimed. Landon directed his attention to the field. Brock was pacing in a wide circle around Xavier, waiting for his moment to strike, as Xavier stood in the center looking totally agitated but waiting for Brock to make the first move.
Then Brock charged. The force of their bodies colliding could be heard all the way up where Landon sat, and judging by the audience’s reaction, they were finally getting the match they’d been waiting for. Brock and Xavier fought each other with a ferocity and physicality that baffled many, each one foregoing the use of his psychokinetic abilities to fight with utter disregard for physical safety. Words were exchanged. Punches thrown. Bodies tossed. Of all the matches in the lineup, this was the one fight where something like this could happen. Xavier and Brock were similar in build and weight, so it was a relatively even matchup. What vendetta did they have toward one another that Landon wasn’t aware of? Perhaps Xavier had said something to Brock in the tent. That would have been a masterful idea on Xavier’s part if it were truly what happened before the fight. Toying with Brock’s pride was a sure way to get him to forego his obvious psychokinetic advantage and level the playing field, giving Xavier a fighting chance. Landon, and everyone else, knew his roommate was unable to resist a challenge, especially if it concerned his physical superiority.
As each one gained the advantage, the roars of the crowd escalated. People cheered for Brock, then for Xavier, and then for Brock again. They neared the edge of the playing field multiple times, forcing gasps from the people as they anticipated a victor, but then the other would fight back, allowing the battle to continue. But with every passing moment, the fighting got more and more brutal. Even from the highest bench of the bleachers, the blood tricking down the side of Brock’s face and Xavier’s busted lip were visible. This couldn’t have been what the Gymnasium wanted from their “friendly” contest.
After another five minutes of fighting, the match finally ended with Brock inevitably defeating Xavier. It happened in spectacular style. Xavier charged to tackle Brock to the ground, but Brock reacted faster. Grabbing hold of Xavier’s collar, and then dropping to the floor and rolling backward, he set his foot against Xavier’s abdomen and launched him overhead. Xavier did a full flip in the air before landing on his back a foot beyond the edge of the border.
Even with Landon and Brock’s differences, Landon had to give him credit. He had won the match fair and square and had done so with an amazing show of athleticism and toughness.
“Well, that was awesome! I hope the rest are like that!” Riley said as he took his seat again.
The next pairing was Cortland and a rather muscular, athletic girl named Courtney Lambert. The day before, Jeremiah wasn’t very lucky against Courtney. Apparently, as Jeremiah goofed off, Courtney managed to grab him and force him to submit. Word among the students was that Courtney’s dad was some kind of famous mixed martial arts fighter who’d trained her since she was a little girl. She didn’t even need her abilities to beat him.
This time, before the starting bell chimed, Cortland called out from his starting position. “I am sorry, everyone, but I must forfeit!” The audience went slack-jawed at his announcement. Landon was equally confused. “Even though I know Courtney would wish to be treated as an equal. And I don’t doubt her ability to kick the snot out of me. But I cannot fight a woman, even in a friendly competition like the Qualifiers.” Cortland proceeded to walk across the grass to where Courtney stood looking none too happy at being denied a chance to show her quality, and he raised her arm into the air, solidifying her win.
“Is it like this every year?” Landon asked Riley, who turned to him with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
“No,” he said with a pout.
Landon could hear the whispers in the crowd as Cortland took to the stands, but there wasn’t a single boo that passed a student’s lips. Landon imagined the spectators, although disappointed at to being denied a fight, understood the position from which Cortland, who was known as a well-mannered and friendly guy, was coming. Landon, however, wondered what Cortland was playing at. Landon had seen him spar with Parker numerous times during Pantheon training—he had never seemed to have a problem fighting a girl then.
Dr. Wells again rose from the stands to announce the next match. “In our next quarterfinal match”—Dr. Wells paused—“Celia Jackson and Joshua Crane!”
Chants of “Dirt Devil” returned with increased fervor, completely drowning out the announcement of Joshua Crane’s name. With the chime of the first bell, they both emerged from the white contestants’ tent and were led into the playing field by Dr. Brighton. As they were placed on their starting circles, Landon felt unease brewing in his stomach. He felt more nervous now than when he faced Celia himself.
Even from his vantage point at the top of the stands, Landon could see a smile creep across Celia’s face. She would never admit it, but she was clearly finding a bit of pleasure in the admiration. Playing to the crowd, Celia turned to the students and waved, which only incited them more, before directing her attention back to Joshua and adopting a focused expression, her resolve unwavering with the finals in her sights.
Landon clapped his hand onto Riley’s shoulder and squeezed it as eagerness and nerves filled him. He looked over and saw Riley wearing a similar expression of anticipation.
Ding! With the chime of the bell, the match began. Immediately Celia thrust her hands forward, shooting a wave of telekinetic energy across the field. Dirt kicked up in its wake as it blew across the field and connected squarely with Joshua, who couldn’t react quickly enough. He flew backward, but, digging his fingers into the dry earth, managed to stop himself before he was pushed out of bounds.
As he rose from the ground, his legs and arms covered in dust, his expression changed from the carefree one he’d maintained in the previous match to an agitated, almost maniacal, expression that Landon only saw from the twins when they were under Brock’s influence. If Joshua had originally intended to give Celia a break for being a woman, that courtesy was now a distant memory.
With a burst of energy, Joshua projected his own telekinetic surge toward Celia, who countered with another of her own. When they connected, dust spurted out of the seam, forced out like wind between buildings, concealing both spectator stands in a cloud.
When it cleared, Celia and Joshua were wrestling in the center of the playing field, tossing and turning, each one fighting to pin the other. Celia was strong, but Joshua’s agility and limberness were playing to his advantage. No matter what Celia tried, he managed to somehow wiggle free and go on the offensive.
After Celia broke one of his holds, they both sprung to their feet with unbelievable athleticism, panting from exhaustion, and again directed telekinetic waves at each other. Another cloud of dust flared out from the impact and bathed the audience in muck.
Landon jumped up from his seat, leaning forward in a futile attempt to see through the fog of dirt. He knew something had happened. He could sense Celia’s pain, her inevitable loss. As before, her endurance was failing her. She wasn’t at full strength, and her physical and psychokinetic energies had depleted much faster from all the exertion than those of the well-trained twin.
Celia’s desperation slowly seeped into Landon’s consciousness. She was struggling to maintain her guard. Landon forced himself from his seat and toward the action. Without diverting his attention from where he knew Celia lay, he moved down the row to the stairs. Amid raucous applause and cheers, and coughs of people clearing the dust from their throats, Landon descended the steps, a forlorn energy pulling him closer and closer.
&nbs
p; When he could see through the dust, he watched Celia as she staggered to her feet, wobbling, unsure of her footing. The scrapes on her arms and legs bled slightly. When she shot her attention back to Joshua, a foreign, uneasy feeling started to manifest in Landon’s body. He felt a strange surge of powerful energy rush through him.
Suddenly, like a seizure, Landon lost his focus on the arena and strange, flashing white light consumed his mind. A woman wreathed in fiery red hair with shimmering emerald eyes and fair skin inexplicably stood before him. She was in a forest. Light shone through the trees and shimmered off her burning hair. In a melodic, ethereal voice, she said, “Remember your family.”
She disappeared and was replaced by a family in a kitchen. It was attractive and comfortable. The walls were lined in warm, cherry cabinets, with dark granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Cookbooks with tabs and index cards marking favorite recipes were stacked at the end of the counter, and bowls, utensils, eggshells, measuring cups, and canisters filled with flour and sugar were scattered about. Landon watched as a man—tall and slender, with salt-and-pepper hair and deep crow’s feet—and his wife—short and pear-shaped, with wavy blonde hair and a kind face—laughed as they stuck five candles into a cake and lit them. They stood around a large wooden island with pots and pans dangling overhead from a wire rack, and they both wore aprons that were speckled with flour. The man even had a bit of cake batter stuck above his eyebrow. After the five candles were lit, the woman picked up the cake and carried it toward Landon. When she was close enough, he could read the words “Happy 5th Birthday Celia” piped across the top. As he blew out the candles, he experienced an inexplicable feeling of complete joy. The vision faded and the mysterious redheaded woman’s voice returned.
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