Sanctuary 2 (The Foliage Series Book 4)

by Aline Riva

  He heard a couple of voices calling to him, asking if he was okay, and he glanced back to see several of his colleagues from back stage, along with a couple of the acts planning to appear at the show, watching as he stood there, for a moment barely able to keep his balance.

  “I'm fine,” he said, and then he focussed on the distant hillside and pictured the crowd in front of him.

  “...And we have quite a line up this year,” he said, “This is the biggest and best ever Firelight Festival! And...” Jekel stopped, leaning over the stand as he stopped speaking into the microphone as his head swam and weakness and pain washed over him. He looked down at the stage and reasoned at least he wasn't so close to the edge that he had a steep drop – he would hit the deck for sure but not fall to the ground below if he did faint... Suddenly, as he thought back to the previous years he had hosted the show and he recalled how much energy he had ended to perform, he wondered if it would even be possible to run about this stage to call to the crowds ever again. And he knew he was going, the world around him was fading out as weakness washed over him.

  Just as he slumped forward, suddenly an arm was around him to steady him.

  “Ash, stay with it, don't pass out.”

  He focussed on the voice, then he turned his head, blinked and his vision cleared and he saw that Kade had run to his side.

  “I'm okay...” he said weakly, knowing it was a lie as more pain ran through his body.

  “No you're not,” Kade told him, “I know you said you was okay and you told me you didn't need my help out here but you do – even if only to get you back home.”

  “I don't want to give up,” Jekel said as Kade helped him towards the steps that led down from the stage.

  “You're not giving up,” he replied, holding him steady as Jekel reached for the handrail, leaning on it heavily as he negotiated steps that had previously been no hazard at all.

  “And you've asked me twice today if we can do a double act...the answer's still no!” Jekel insisted as he looked across the field towards the mansion house of King Steel.

  “For the last time,” Kade said as he helped him across the field, “I am not out to steal your job! I admire you, yes - you're someone I aspire to be like one day - but I wouldn't want to steal your job! And you're seriously ill, do you really think I'd take advantage of that?”

  Jekel paused, turned his head and met his gaze.

  “Maybe.”

  Kade looked genuinely hurt.

  “Well I won't!” he insisted.

  “You can let go now, I can walk on my own,” Jekel told him.

  Kade looked at him doubtfully.

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Just let go of me!”

  “Okay... But I don't think its a good idea,” Kade replied, and as he let go he watched as the man whose build was slightly more slender than his own swayed in his elegant suit, and as he staggered forward and almost fell, Kade grabbed hold of him again, keeping him on his feet.

  “I'll just confirm that was a bad idea...Come on, no arguments about this – I'm taking you straight to Riley.”

  “No, I just need to lie down for a while,” Jekel said weakly, suddenly glad of Kade's support as they went down the hillside, taking the path towards the med centre instead of the house, “I just need to rest...”

  “I'm taking no chances with you. Let's get you checked over, you look terrible, my friend.”

  As they made their way down the path, Jekel gave up on protesting because pain and weakness had started to take over, as suddenly he was very glad of the support of Kade Silk.

  As Elise stepped through the open doorway of Blake Riley's office, she stopped abruptly, staring at the strange man with the odd, almost non human features who looked back at her politely.

  “What are you?” she said in a hushed voice.

  The man with the strange skin and features smiled, as Riley turned from closing an old fashioned filing cabinet and looked rather startled to see that Elise had just walked in without knocking.

  “This is a new friend of mine,” Riley said, “Del – Jones...Well, this used to be the Welsh Valley so I gave him a Welsh name. He's not Welsh, though...”

  Del stepped forward as Elise looked at him in fascination. She too stepped closer, looking him up and down taking in the sight of everything from his dark clothing to the white jacket he wore which clearly, had been given to him by Riley, because the jacket was embroidered on the cuffs in the fancy style the man known as King Steel often wore.

  “I am human,” Del stated in a well spoken English accent, “However, I hold little memory of my past but I do know I am the only survivor of the Howler virus who did not mutate the way I should have done. I'm thankful for that.”

  “Of course!” Elise exclaimed, “Yes, there was always a possibility that a fluke could occur...I recall that possibility in the days when I was linked to the mind hive and Astral shared that passing thought...I'm a human-android hybrid. Long story. But I guess you're a Human-Howler hybrid now. And...I should apologise for the virus because once, I was a UNA android, which makes me a part of the problem not the solution, at one time we were all linked to Astral, all one. Felix always told me if I ever have to speak about it, that's the best thing to say...I think that's right...Yes, that's what he said...” then she paused for thought and looked to Riley, “I need to speak with you about Felix. I want to see him via the communications link.”

  “So do I,”Riley said as he sat down and gestured to the seat opposite his desk.

  As Elise sat down, Del left the room, nodding politely to Riley on his way out.

  “Nice bloke,” Riley remarked as Del closed the door, “Shame about what the virus did to him, but in time I'll introduce him to the Valley. I wanted to do it as soon as possible – but with Lynch in the situation he's in and the bombings in Freedom...Oh, bloody hell what a mess...”

  “I'm scared for Felix, I need to know he's okay. I don't trust them!”

  Riley noticed heavy shadows under her eyes, which surprised him considering she was part android and needed little rest.

  “You look tired,” he said.

  Elise briefly thought of the many hours of work she had locked away in the motor home – every wall was covered with paper containing row upon row of symbols, and she was sure if she dug a few more out of the back of her mind, she would find what she was looking for...

  “I'm fine, I just need to know what's happening – when are you set to negotiate his deal? I need him home and so does Fi!”

  Riley thought of Lynch as worry weighed heavy on his shoulders.

  “I can't attempt negotiation until the circle are ready to debate – right now they have the bombing to deal with and if I pushed Lynch as priority at a time like this, you can imagine how they would view that, like their tragedy didn't matter as much as the life of one cyborg. That would be very bad for his case. But...we can request a meeting with Felix over the communication link. I'm going to contact Freedom City and request that today. If I don't get a reply I shall go straight through to the Premier's personal link – and he wont like that because technology these days is rubbish, Elise – he won't be able to block me, so he will have to speak to me.”

  She nodded.

  “Thank you,”she said quietly.

  Riley looked at her kindly as he silently reasoned she had no idea how much he wanted to stroll into Freedom with that Samurai sword that currently hung over his grand fireplace and cut off the heads of every member of the ruling circle – except for the Vice President and the Culture Minister, who he knew to be pro cyborg...

  “Know that I'm doing all I can,” he promised her, “I won't stop fighting for Felix, he belongs here in the Valley and I know not every member of the circle is anti cyborg.”

  “But if to went to a vote...”

  “Elise, please leave it in my hands. I know this is hard but Felix chose to do this and I pledged to support him and I will. Don't doubt either of us, okay?”


  “I'm afraid that he won't come home again,” she said, “I keep telling Fi that everything will be alright but how can I be sure of that?”

  “Because the whole of the Valley is on his side, and others in the city too, just remember that.”

  Then Riley paused for thought, considering his own troubled past.

  “Ever since Byron Leather was defeated I've done everything in my power to make Cyborg Valley safe. I lost my only son Max in the conflict...I'm reluctant to be the one to cause another war – and I would, for Felix – if it were possible. But he knows as well as I do the way forward is through peace no matter what happens, for the sake of all our children and their futures.”

  Elise knew he was right – there could be no war against Freedom if the death penalty verdict remained to stand against him...

  “I do know Freedom used the firing squad method to execute murderers in the early days of rebuilding,” she said as deep concern filled her eyes, “If...if they don't hand him a lesser charge on a deal, will Felix be shot?”

  Lynch looked away towards the window for a moment, wishing he had not been asked this question, because Elise was clearly close to breaking point over the situation and he didn't want to make matters worse, but she had asked, and she needed to know...

  “Oh god Elise....I was expecting the deal to be on the table by now. I was expecting him to be looking at a year, maybe more behind bars or the Valley to bail him out with a very heavy fine....but now the bombing has happened I can't say if they will use that to take away any chance of a deal. They don't use firing squad any more – that was when the city guard had just taken control and they had no other method available...If Felix isn't given a reduced sentence on appeal, I'm sorry, but he's going to the gas chamber. The bastards have an execution room at Freedom City Prison. And as the theft of the cybernetic fluid is classified as a terrorist act he's not immune to the worst of treatment, either. If I find out he's been harmed in any way leading up to his appeal, of course I can act on that. But right now all I can do is request to speak to Felix and if that request is granted, you can be here to speak to him too.”

  “Of course I will be,” she said in a hushed voice.

  “And you might want to consider whether or not its wise to bring Fi with you,” he added, “I don't know what he's going to be like, I don't know if this will be too distressing for his daughter.”

  “She needs to see him – and he needs to see her, I'll handle this. I'll explain. Even if he's covered in bruises -”

  “No, he won't be. If he has been injured or badly treated in any way, it won't be where it shows.”

  Her heart ached as she thought of the man she loved, as images flickered through her part human mind of the first time she had seen him after the explosion, her Felix, his human body shattered by the blast, his flesh burnt, his hair gone, barely any of him of left because this human warrior was mortal and fragile, was wounded, and the sight of him like that had taught her the meaning of deepest pain...

  Then she thought of the nights she had spent loving Felix body and soul, from his metallic lower body to the human upper half, every part of him was loved by her, every part had been covered in kisses and if he had a single bruise on his human body or scratch on his cyborg lower half...

  The searing need to protect him that suddenly ran through her head remained silent behind her big, dark eyes that held so many secrets as Elise got up and leant on the table, meeting his gaze intently.

  “Riley, you're the one who built the first androids. You know every type and line of manufacture and there are still ex UNA androids out there -”

  “Whoa, hold up there!” he said in alarm, “UNA? What the fuck are you talking about, Elise? The UNA ended a long time ago! We are not even having a conversation about the UNA – it's bad enough Freedom thinks we're all plotting to take over the world, I will not have talk of the days of the UNA!”

  As her gaze remained unwavering, the human-android hybrid was clearly not intimidated by the warning glare of King Steel as she continued, “We all knew of Astral's thoughts - at one time we were all linked to the mind hive... I know what could still be out there! There's only one line of android design that could get Felix out of that prison and back home where he belongs without starting another war!”

  His eyes widened.

  “Oh no, that would be too risky and even if I did know of one – which I don't -”

  “Find me an ESBA with full Protocol Five,” she said, “Those machines are programmed to lock on to the target and not to stop until the mission is fulfilled, a single unit total war machine!”

  His jaw dropped.

  “And where am I supposed to find an ex UNA Elite Squad Battle Android with protocol five ability?” he demanded, “The UNA are long gone!”

  “If you don't find one, I will! Now make that call and arrange for me to speak with Felix!”

  Then she turned away and left the room, leaving Riley alone and stunned at her suggestion as he guessed Elise must be feeling desperate to have thought up such an impossible task – there were no such androids left...

  And then Kade Silk entered the room as Jekel leant against him heavily, and Riley had no more time to think about Elise or Felix Lynch.

  “He needs your help!” Kade said urgently as Jekel struggled to stay conscious, “He's in a bad way...”

  Kade had arrived back at the house early without Jekel and Joy had caught the look on his face, then she had left Travis with Melissa, insisting her children stayed back at the house as she hurried off to the medical centre as Kade explained on the way. As she reached the entrance and they went inside, Joy's heart was racing. She had always thought of herself as a fighter, as a tough person who could not be broken – it had certainly been that way years before in battle.

  But there was nothing in this world that could have changed that more than watching her husband's struggle to survive – a struggle that had started the moment he had fallen from the shield control tower nine years before. Joy was not afraid to face a battle, nor was she afraid at the thought of a pack of Howlers, or of taking on an army of androids... been there, done that. But the possibility of losing Ash? That was enough to bring her to her knees...

  There had been too much loss, too much heartbreak – and she was sure she couldn't survive any more pain, not the kind that ripped at her heart. As she hurried down to the next level and went up the corridor, she caught sight of Riley and broke into a run, leaving Kade far behind as she called to the Professor.

  “He'd better be okay!” she said as she caught up with him, “If anything happens to my Ashley I'm blaming you, Riley! You and your poison!”

  Joy's hand was at her side and screwed into a fist as her eyes blazed. Riley looked back at her sadly, knowing the Joy Thorn of old who had fought alongside Lynch and Murdock to liberate the Valley – she was still a fighter, even if she looked a little more glamorous these days – and Riley guessed he was still a fighter too – but this was something no amount of battle experience could prepare either of them for, and he felt as bruised in his heart as he knew Joy would be as he delivered his news.

  “The medication I gave him was the best option to protect the wiring and the human tissue when the power boosting cable burns out. But he can't stay on it at that dosage. I was hoping he would be able to take it - but at the end of the day he's human and I'm feeding stuff into his veins that belong in cyborg parts only – and now that treatment is no longer an option. I've tried, I did my best but you're right, it will poison him. So I've stopped the therapy.”

  Joy breathed a relieved sigh.

  “It's about time!”

  “Joy...” Riley said carefully, “You don't get it...that was his only real chance.”

  As she took in those words, Joy's eyes filled with tears that she struggled to hold back.

  “No,” she said as she stepped closer to Riley and anger burned in her eyes, “You're King Steel, you're the cyborg genius, the man who built the androi
ds – you designed his wiring and his programming! You can fix him!”

  At that moment, Riley really didn't care if Joy slammed her fist into his face, because he was sure nothing could hurt as much as the pain he felt at the thought of losing his best friend.

  “Don't believe the hype, Joy,” he said as he wiped his eyes, “I can't perform miracles. Ash knows the situation. We've come up with a new plan – it's all we have left...manage the pain and give a small, manageable dose of Trizinaq with it once a week and that should see him through until the burnout happens. If he survives it he said he wants me to open him up and try and limit the damage, if that's not possible he wants me to let him go peacefully.”

  “Jekel's dying?” Kade's voice was choked up as he joined them, looking in disbelief at Riley, taking the news much harder than he had expected to, “But he said to me, he was going to get through this...No, Ash can't be dying....he can't!”

  Joy took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes.

  “I want to see him,” she said, and glanced back at Kade, “Alone,” she added.

  “This way...” said Riley, and he led the way down the corridor as Joy walked beside him, “He's in there,” he told her, indicating to a door nearby, “I want to admit him, I want to keep him monitored but he won't have it. He wants to go home.”

  “So I'll take him back to the house,” Joy replied.

  As she turned to open the door Riley spoke again.

  “He said as soon as the pain shots kick in he's doing the festival. He's determined.”

  “And why should we talk him out of it? Let's just keep him happy, he's been through enough.”

  Then she went into the room where Jekel was resting, closing the door behind her as Riley looked up the corridor to see Kade Silk had taken a seat, and was now sitting with his head in his hands as he wept quietly – clearly, learning this news about the man he so greatly admired had hit him hard. Riley went back down the corridor to speak to him, hoping that even though all he could offer would be words of comfort, at least he could still put himself to some good use to help in this time of need.