Nikolai agreed. “Indeed. So what is your question, Denning?”
Archie frowned, frustrated. “My question is, why not just leave the Guard to do their duties? It's almost as though you're purposely trying to remind everyone of how much authority you carry here.” He did his best to restrain himself, knowing that his outbursts did not sit well with this group.
“An astute observation. And it is something that I can answer quite simply, Your Excellency.” He sauntered across to the armchair by the window and made himself comfortable. “Why do I not just transport myself into the room, you ask?” he continued. “I could actually go one further than that. By your logic, why attempt to do anything at all in life? Why bother attending an event, knowing that it will surely end? Why bother living a happy and fulfilling life, only to know that one will inevitably cease living?”
Archie struggled to grasp the meaning behind the comparison. “What are you talking about?”
“Think harder, Archibald. You ask me why I bother to use the door, when I clearly do not have to. There's more to life than you realise. If you indeed had have realised what life is truly about, then you would be an enlightened individual, like myself. I don't have to do certain tasks, because I am above them. A classic example is the use of this door, or any other door for that matter. I have no use for it, but I do it for the sake of not declaring myself a god.
“I could just as easily apply the same meaning to Skye and Ren, and White Shadow,” the rambling continued. “I could have them killed at any time, but I choose not to. If I did, what would I live for? I choose to do things because they give life meaning, Your Excellency. Without meaning or purpose, life is inconsequential.”
Archie's face contorted even further, his mind desperately attempting to unravel the logic behind the conversation. “What?”
Nikolai let out a loud and obvious groan. “You don't understand. Oh, how I wish Skye was here. His mind is sharp enough to grasp my meaning. Instead I'm stuck here with you, having this painful discussion.” He paused for a moment, before laughing loudly to himself. “Of course, the conversation is also rather ironic. By having this dialogue, I am passing the time and giving my life meaning, yet meaning eludes me when I discuss such important things with you of all people. Perhaps we should change the topic,” he suggested.
Archie placed his head in his hands, confused as always. Nikolai's bizarre mood swings caused him a great deal of anxiety. He turned his head to Sabina and Aurelius, who just glared back at him with their typically morose eyes.
“Fear not,” Nikolai said, seeing the president turn his gaze, “I can't exactly converse with them either.” He looked at the ominous duo, who showed no signs of being offended by the remark.
He reached for his newspaper, which sat idly on the nearby table. He opened it, and casually started reading it.
Archie stared at him for several moments, trying to comprehend how Nikolai could possibly read with the absence of eyes. The conflicting image was a peculiar one.
“I can sense your confusion, Archibald,” Nikolai spoke before a question could be raised. “Are you vexed by my ability to read?”
The president nodded, dumbfounded.
“The mind is a powerful thing,” he raved once again. “Eyes are merely a gateway. With a mind advanced enough, one can sense all that is around him.” He turned the page and studied the articles. “However, I will admit that it took me quite a while to be able to sense the fine print present on the paper. And digital displays are indeed quite challenging. I've managed to make some progress, but not without laborious persistence.”
Archibald was surprised and amazed upon hearing the news. What seemed impossible to him appeared to be entirely achievable by one with enough determination and resolve. Despite all that he had seen and achieved in his long life, he couldn't help but wonder there was so much more to learn about the world.
“Night, I simply cannot bear that odour any longer,” he said as he put the newspaper down and stared at the bizarre man on his chaise.
Night laughed smugly. “Well what would you have me do?”
“Well, first of all, I'm surprised to see that you're even here. I thought we agreed that you would be stationing yourself in the forest.”
“I was there all morning,” he said. “The forest's safe.”
Nikolai shook his head. “Safe for you, obviously. But what about my bunker?”
Night's neck cracked as he twisted his head to face his leader. “What of it?”
“Ren and Skye know of my involvement with Archibald. I wouldn't be surprised if they discovered it. I need you to go back there and guard it for me.”
Night let out a sarcastic groan. “It's a two-hour walk. I'd rather not.”
Archibald yawned, rousing the attention of Nikolai.
“Fatigued, are we?” he asked.
The president shook his head violently, immediately realising his mistake. “No, not at all. I'm fine.”
“Perhaps lazing around in my suite is doing you more harm than good,” he said as he rose from his chair. “I can appreciate that being in Night's presence is a rather cumbersome experience. I think it best if we put you somewhere safe.”
“My office in Government House?” he asked, hopeful, but doubtful.
Nikolai let out a strangely sadistic laugh. “Far from it. I need you somewhere even safer. I have a location in mind.”
The president raised a speculative eyebrow. “Safer than Government House? There's nowhere on the island safer than there.” He knew that Nikolai was referring to the bunker, but Archie secretly prayed he wouldn't have to go there again. He had already spent most of the day in there.
“Perhaps,” his superior agreed, pacing the room. “But if I took you to Government House, it wouldn't be unlike you to skulk off and inform the other ministers that you've been held hostage, or whatnot. And then the inauguration would be delayed indefinitely.”
Archie's mood fell. “Then where? How long am I to be detained?” he asked, trying not to show his increasing frustration. The next few weeks were set to be the busiest of his life, and here he was, being forced to remain hidden in the shadows.
“Suffering from cabin fever, are we?” Nikolai asked. “I need you to remain alive so that you can be the voice of my country, remember? I'll be keeping you either here or in my bunker until it's time for the inauguration.”
The president shook his head. “Nikolai, there's so much work to be done. I need to be either in my office, or somewhere private where I can rest and liaise with my staff.”
“Out of the question,” he dismissed. “Is it not obvious that I don't trust you alone with your staff?”
Archie clenched his fists. “Fine, you can have your ... 'goons' accompany me,” he motioned his head toward Sabina and Aurelius, “but if I don't get to work, there isn't going to be an inauguration. I need to have meetings with my staff, with other ministers, with other world leaders. There are contracts and policies to review. I don't think you grasp the gravity of the situation.”
A pleased grin spread across Nikolai's face. “Stop trying to change the subject. You're going in that bunker.”
Archie leapt out of his chair and starting backing away. “No. Nikolai, please don't put me in there.”
Nikolai appeared in front of him and scooped him up. “My apologies, but I have no other choice right now.” He turned and faced Night. “And you,” he said, pointing a finger at the disgusting man, “get back to that forest at once, and stay there until further notice.”
“But I don't need to ...”
“I don't want to hear it!” Nikolai snapped. “I know you don't need to be there, but I want you there. You're obviously more effective in the forest. But above all else, you're polluting Athenia with your stench, so I want you out of the city.”
Archibald tried to wriggle out of his arms. “Please don't take me back there,” the old man begged for a final time.
“Do be quiet, Denning.”
&nb
sp; The president's eyes sunk. He knew there was no way for him to question the powerful man. He would just have to try and complete all of his preparations from whichever location Nikolai deemed to be fit for hiding him. “Fine,” he uttered, defeated.
“Fantastic!” Nikolai exclaimed with jubilation. “You shall be a fine leader yet!” He paused and rethought his words. “Well, you'll be a fine spokesperson; I'll be a fine leader!” He then started laughing to himself with excitement.
Twenty-eight
“You look tired,” Romeo said, observing Skye's absent state of mind. He was sitting at the table, staring blankly into the distance.
“I am,” he admitted. “But I don't think I'll be getting any rest this afternoon.” He couldn't shake his worried feeling that the president would be inaugurated and go back into hiding. Every passing minute brought them closer to failure.
The warehouse was quiet. The afternoon sun shone in through the windows and skylight, casting a bright glow amid the dull grey walls. Ren's eyes were glued to her computer screens, while Tango and Echo were out back training. Sierra's whereabouts were unknown, as usual.
Juliet was alone in her room resting. It had been an especially terrifying day for her, and she felt overwhelmed when Ren told her that the news outlets were now reporting the girl single-handedly tried to kill the president.
“How are you feeling?” Skye asked, eager to know if the newcomer had made any progress with his acceptance of the unfamiliar lifestyle.
Romeo slowly nodded his head. “I think I'm okay. It's a lot to take in all at once. I'm just trying to live one hour at a time.”
“Good idea.” Skye knew all too well the sudden transition was more than enough to have an adverse effect on the newly evolved.
“I still have so many questions I want to ask, but I don't want to interrupt any of you.”
The remark brought a smile to Skye's face. While his own mood had been up and down all morning, he was more than happy to assist Romeo in any way he could. Better still, it would provide Skye with a great opportunity to escape his own mind and thoughts. The image of Nikolai standing in the same room as Archie played in his head over and over again, each time causing unnecessary stress.
“Ask away,” Skye said, not hiding the smile. He walked across to the steel kettle on the bench and turned it on. “We're here to help in any way we can. Coffee?” he asked, holding up a large jar of Athenia Kafei.
“No, thanks,” Romeo said, smiling back politely.
“Well, I think I might need one,” Skye laughed, not feeling so fatigued in quite some time.
“Does coffee even affect you?” Romeo asked.
“Of course,” Skye responded, pouring the granules into a mug. “In larger doses, it does. We've learnt that the shengxian have a higher resistance to drugs. We need to drink a lot more coffee than the average person in order for it to affect us. The same goes for alcohol.” He started laughing to himself. “Nikolai and I used to visit a bar after work and sometimes stay there all night. We became great friends with the owner, although he never knew how we could possibly drink so much and still be able to stand afterwards.”
Romeo smirked at the thought of the two men sitting in a bar. It was difficult to picture a man such as Nikolai sitting in there as though he was a normal civilian. “How close were you to Nikolai?”
“Very close,” Skye answered, sitting opposite Romeo at the table with his steaming mug. “He was like a brother to me.” He reached for the tablet that was lying nearby. He ran his fingers across the screen and revealed an image of two men wearing business shirts. Both of them had large grins on their faces.
Romeo stared at the photo, unable to take his eyes away. “Is that ...” his voice trailed off.
Skye finished his sentence. “That's us.”
Romeo looked at the picture of Nikolai and Skye. They stood side by side, arms around each other's shoulders.
“That's Nikolai?” he asked, shocked to see the towering man once had eyes.
Skye nodded. “Dr Nicholas Sweeney. The man you know as Nikolai.”
Romeo recognised the university building behind them. “That's ANU!” he gasped.
“It's a great institution,” Skye agreed. “I moved here from Daixuan to work at the university. I was Nikolai's assistant at the time.”
Romeo's gaze went back and forth between the photo and Skye. “You don't look any different in this photo. It looks like it was just taken.”
Skye laughed softly. “Remember, we don't age.”
Romeo frowned for a brief second, but quickly recalled the information. “That's right, you mentioned that yesterday. I must have forgotten.”
“Don't worry. It's a lot to take in. And we're here to help if you have other questions.”
“I do have one, actually,” he said, suddenly remembering another topic that plagued his mind. “You told me yesterday that Nikolai can see without eyes because he can sense what's around him. If I didn't have eyes, would I still be able to see?”
“No,” Skye quickly said, dismissing the notion at once, “far from it. Only a powerful telepath can see without his or her eyes. Their minds can project themselves outwards, which is how they're able to function normally. Nikolai argues that he can see more without them, but even I struggle to make sense of it sometimes.” He shuddered at the memory of when he first saw the eyeless Nikolai.
“So what about Juliet? Could she see without her eyes?”
“Possibly, but we don't know at this stage. Not all telepathy is the same,” he continued explaining. “Juliet can sense others, and she can feel nearby emotions. Tahlia can sense others too, but she's far more advanced at it. And Daye can project himself and cast illusions in others' minds.”
Hearing how powerful his foes were made Romeo feel outclassed and vulnerable. “How are they able to sense others?”
“That's a difficult question,” Skye grinned. “You might be better off asking Juliet. From what they've told me, they can detect the energy of another elite within a certain range. Nikolai's ability to locate others is not as advanced as Tahlia's, but his ability to read the intent and emotions of those nearby is far greater than Juliet's. We all possess different abilities, and the mind evolves in its own unique way.”
“They can't sense a normal person? It has to be a shengxian?”
Skye nodded. “Yes, seemingly. Otherwise we would've found Archie a year ago.”
Romeo seemed content with the answer. He sat thoughtfully, absorbing the information.
“Any other questions?” Skye asked with a smirk.
“Just one more, for the moment. Do any of you ever go to work? Or do you just stay here and talk about Nikolai all day?”
Skye laughed again, harder this time. “I wouldn't say that we talk about Nikolai all day. In fact, he would love it if we did. We spend most of our time training and planning our next move.” He looked down at the tablet and tapped the screen. “And to answer your other question—no, we don't work. We don't need to.”
Romeo sneered. “Then how can you possibly survive? This is one of the most expensive countries in the world.”
Skye turned the tablet around and offered it to the curious man. He took hold of it, and stared down at the colourful website displayed.
“Gembira Gongsi,” Romeo said, reading aloud the large words. “The Happy Corporation?”
“Nikolai's company,” Skye explained. “It's an ironic name, but it suits him well. He loves Athenia so much that he created the name by using a combination of the local languages. The company has quite a few different business ventures. This is how we survive.”
Romeo slowly lifted his eyes from the screen, even more confused now. He looked up at his elder. “Are you saying that Nikolai pays you?” he asked, astonished.
“Not quite. Ren originally helped Nikolai establish the company. I suppose you could say that her hacking abilities have proven to be quite helpful.” He grimaced, feeling awkward from what he was about to admit. �
��Together, they stole hundreds of millions of yuan from Paul Winterton's corporation.”
Romeo was aghast, unable to believe what he had just been told. “Ren stole millions of yuan?” He turned and stared at the woman on the other side of the room. He was uncertain if she was unable to hear them, or was just ignoring them.
Skye nodded sheepishly, not necessarily approving of her actions, but also not willing to part ways with White Shadow's financial freedom. “They stole it and carefully invested it elsewhere. Both of them are exceedingly wealthy, but Ren suspects that the value of Nikolai's combined assets is closer to one billion yuan by now. He occasionally gives her more money.”
Romeo's mouth shifted into a crazed grin at the mention of the obscure donation. “So ...” he slowly began, “... you're saying that Nikolai is a billionaire, and that he essentially pays you to spend your time trying to find him? Your profession is to put a stop to Nikolai?”
Skye's face became wry and cynical. As ludicrous as the matter sounded, Romeo's supposition was correct. Juliet had an almost identical reaction when she was first informed of the absurd endeavour.
“That's ridiculous,” Romeo muttered, perplexed that Nikolai could be so menacing, yet so childlike. The man condoned murder without a second thought, but was nothing more than an outlandish hedonist of sorts.
“Agreed, but these are the lives we lead. It's an eternal game of cat and mouse.”
“And neither of them have ever been caught?”
Skye shook his head while raising the mug to his lips. “Ren was very careful not to leave any incriminating evidence. So, no. Although we were almost caught when it happened.”
Romeo looked back across the room at Ren, who still didn't appear to be listening. He wondered how she and Nikolai could have possibly contrived such a scheme.
“Obviously we can't report Nikolai without also reporting Ren, so please keep that information classified,” Skye mentioned, although knowing that a warrant for Nikolai's arrest would be futile. The absurd image of the eyeless man being placed under arrest flashed in his mind. He imagined Nikolai would be quite surprised if a small army of police officers knocked on his door. It was an amusing thought, but it would also be highly dangerous for the officers involved.
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 30