Fractured

by T. C. Edge

  Our driver slows to an immediate stop, the second jeep coming to a halt behind us. Ares immediately opens the door as the world falls to silence. He slips out into the night, listening closely for the sounds of the convoy ahead. His hearing is similarly as good as mine, I know - though if I'm being honest with myself, probably a notch or two better.

  "They're no more than a mile ahead," Ares says, still listening closely, his eyes squeezed tight as he focuses. "Sounds like they're slowing down. This may be our window."

  The others file out of the car, but Ares turns to them with a quick shake of the head. "Killian, Cassius, Antonius, stay here," he says. "Tell the others to wait for us." He turns to Max. "We shall accompany Kira and provide protection. Follow my lead. We get as close as I'll feel comfortable with. We cannot be seen."

  His gaze finds me and I nod my response. And then, within a flash, we dash away.

  I count the seconds in my head as we blaze a trail through the darkness, moving silently through the night at speed. By the time I get to just twenty, we flash quickly over a rise and, in the distance, the shadow of the convoy comes into view. The vast collection of vehicles spreads out across a wide distance, grouped together in places and spaced out in others. There's a sort of uneven uniformity to them, though those small gaps might be something we could exploit. Already, I can see figures moving from all down the line of carriages, spreading out into the fields. At the rear, I see at least a dozen or two figures being drawn out in a line, seemingly chained up together.

  Keeping low - much easier for me than for a hulking man of the size of Ares - we slow our pace and keep to the shadows. There isn't much obvious cover, though the patches of shrubbery and bushes that litter the plains are easily deep enough to conceal us if we crouch. Within only a minute or so, we're coming to within a few hundred metres of the nearest carriage, creeping like spectres through the night, our uniforms keeping us well hidden against the dark horizon behind us.

  Suddenly, Ares stops. Ahead, several soldiers move forward looking for somewhere private to answer nature's call. They remain far enough away to not be of concern, though I notice both Ares and Max reaching for their knives just in case.

  We drop to the ground. Ares looks to me with a nod.

  It's as close as we're going to get without being spotted.

  I draw a breath, shut my eyes once more, and with two veritable titans of war watching my flanks, assign my full concentration to a single goal.

  Zander, I call out, finding my 'mental' voice once more, and being quite careful not to call out for real - right now, that wouldn't be ideal. I'm nearby, Zander. I'm right here. Can you hear me?

  It takes a moment for a response to come, but when it comes, I feel my chest pounding hard. So hard, in fact, that I almost lose my focus.

  Kira, I hear my old friend say. Kira, I hear you loud and clear. It's working. It's really working...

  I smile, internally, and probably on my real face too. It's such a bizarre experience as I look ahead and see, through the strange grey and white shroud, Zander rushing towards me. He's clearer than ever now, his features defined, his presence so...real.

  I...I can't believe this, I say, calling out to him. How is this happening, Zander? I don't understand...

  You're linked with Brie, he calls to me, beaming with that smile that, sometimes, I forget how much I miss. We forged a bridge to your mind, a neural connection. That's how I can speak with you, how I can access your mind. But...it only works when you're near...

  I...I know, I say hastily. Perses...he told me.

  Perses, Zander repeats, nodding. I sense him smile. You've spoken with him? He's back with you now?

  Yes, he's with us. He's helping us. I shake my head. Zander...this makes no sense. How are you still alive...

  I'm not alive, Kira, he calls out. Not fully. It's not easy to explain...

  It's OK, I say. Perses sort of told me. I just...I can't get my head around it...

  There's no time to talk about that now, Kira, he says, cutting me off. There's something you need to know.

  Right, I say, nodding, understanding the urgency. Where is she? We're here to get her out. Tell us how to do it, Zander.

  He falls silent for a second. His features, though clear at times, fall into a blur at others. His image in my mind is constantly shifting, fading away and bursting into full clarity again.

  No, he says. His voice, like his image, is suddenly unclear. No, that isn't what she wants.

  I frown and strain to hear him. What? I call out, shouting in my own mind. What did you say?

  He takes a moment, again, before speaking. Brie has made her choice, he says. She wants to be taken to Olympus. She told me to tell you not to try to rescue her...

  What! No, that's mad, Zander! You can't let her do this. It's...it's her lust for power. It's the Overseer. He must be manipulating...

  It isn't either of them, Zander says, his words bursting loudly in my mind. I understand your reservations, Kira, but she says she has to go. We have to trust her. Both of us.

  I take a breath to steady myself, trying to understand. She...wants to work from the inside? I ask.

  Zander nods. She's going to try, he says. Her powers are being suppressed right now, so I can only speak with her in windows when the drugs begin to wear off, and before she's given another dose. I can take messages between you both, Kira. I can travel the bridge between your minds even when her powers are suppressed.

  And when she's locked in Olympus? I ask. What if I can't get close enough to her so I can speak with you? How close do I have to be?

  I don't know exactly, Zander says, growing unsure. You'll have to work that out, Kira. Where are you now? You must be close.

  Very close, I say. A few hundred metres out. I could sense you a bit from a couple of miles away, but not much.

  Then that's something to work with. You should be able to extend that distant if you focus hard. This, now, is helping to strengthen the neural link. It'll be easier next time.

  I nod again, trying to keep up. So, even when Brie doesn't have her powers, you'll be able to contact me?

  Yes, he says. I can perceive the world around Brie, whatever the case. I'll be able to tell you what's happening with her so long as you can get near.

  A spy, I say. This is why you both forged the bridge? You knew this might happen...

  Sort of, he tells me. I was hoping it would help you get Brie out by now, but I guess she's got something bigger in mind. She doesn't know exactly what she'll be able to do yet, but maybe it's not about that. Maybe it's simply about her being on the inside, so I can tell you what's happening. But you have to be able to contact me, Kira. It's paramount that you make that happen.

  I'll find a way, I say, nodding forcefully. No matter what, I'll find a way.

  I know it, Red, Zander says, using Brie's nickname for me. It brings a smile to my face. I didn't like the name much at first, but now it means a great deal to me. And hearing it from Zander’s voice....it'll take a while for me to get over just how weird, and wonderful, that is.

  How is she doing? I ask softly. Is she...turning yet?

  Not yet, Zander says, shaking his head. The Overseer, he...well, I can't quite work him out. She isn't being manipulated like she was with Nestor, at least not yet anyway. It's just the drugs, that's all, keeping her powers at bay.

  But that won't last, I say, thinking ahead. If the Prime want to use her, they'll have to give her powers back.

  Yeah, that's what she said.

  Then perhaps there's hope, I say, nodding. You can help her, Zander. Like you did before.

  I'll try. I'll always try.

  There's an army coming behind, I add quickly, sensing the need for an urgent exchange of information. In moments, only, they'll be on their way again, and the connection will be lost. We have another five hundred a day or two back, and will hopefully have thousands more coming soon after. Tell Brie that, OK? But...be careful. We don't want the Overseer finding
out yet.

  I sense him nodding. I'll take care of it.

  It makes me wonder briefly just how his presence in her mind works. Does he automatically know everything she's thinking? Does he know what I'm thinking, now that he's here in my head? Or, is he merely a guest in my mind, and Brie's? Perses told me Zander travels between the spectral realm, and Brie's mind. It certainly sounds like there's an impermanence to it, as though Zander's presence and influence is limited.

  I shake the thought off, trying to think of anything else that needs to be said. As I do so, Zander speaks again.

  There's something else you should know, he tells me. Something I think your allies will want to know.

  I snap back into focus and he clears to my eyes, and ears, again. It certainly seems as though my ability to concentrate affects how I perceive him.

  What? I ask.

  She isn't alone, he says. Brie has a cellmate travelling with her.

  What do you mean? I ask. Then I nod, quickly working it out. Of course, Cromwell's with her...

  He shakes his head. No...that's another matter entirely, but not something to discuss now, he says, remaining quite cryptic. But I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about a man called Marcus...

  My eyes widen. Marcus! He's there?

  Zander nods. Alive and well, for now, he says. His eyes narrow. I sense the Overseer has some sinister purpose for him, but can't be sure. He may just wish to turn him into a weapon. I'm just warning you. If Marcus ever turns up at your camp, wherever you happen to be, don't trust him. He will have been released by the enemy for a reason. You'll need a telepath to check his mind over to be sure.

  We have Secretary Burns in the advance force a day or so behind us, I say. And Dom will be coming with the main army.

  A short quiet falls within that space in my mind, as Zander, his form growing loose within the grey-white shroud, draws a little smile. Kira, in love with an Emperor, he says fondly. It's good to see you settling down. Looks like you were waiting for a suitable match. Only an Emperor would do, right?

  His words, though light-hearted, cause a small crack to open up in my heart. It is a fissure for Zander, for a life he'll never lead. He will never, now, have the chance to find love, to settle down as I am, to feel the sort of joy it brings.

  How...how lonely must he be, I wonder, living in such isolation. With only Brie's thoughts for company...

  I look at his form again, hoping that he hasn't read my thoughts. There does feel as though there's a distinct difference for my private, inner thoughts, and the internal, 'mental' voice I use to communicate with him in this strange space in my mind.

  But still, looking into his slightly blurred eyes, no longer hazel in this world, but with the same, neutral tones that surround him, I wonder if he knows anyway. Even if he cannot read my mind, he knows, by the look on my face, just what I'm thinking.

  The convoy is leaving, Kira, he says softly. It's...it's been so good to speak with you again. I...miss you. I miss a great many things. He takes a step back, slowly fading into the shroud. Find me again, he goes on. You must find me again...

  I...will, I croak, watching as he disappears. I will find you, Zander.

  And with those words, he fades away.

  When I open my eyes, they're wet, stained with tears. Looking up, I see the convoy moving off once more, a train of shadows in the dark night.

  I'm here for you Zander, I think, watching them go. As much as I'm here for Brie, I'm here for you too.

  It's something I'm just realising.

  That Zander, perhaps, needs saving too.

  22

  Kira

  "He's alive?" Ares says, showing a rare display of passion in his expression. "Marcus is alive?"

  I nod, glancing across the plains as the enemy convoy drifts away. "He's in the same carriage as Brie," I say. "He must have tried to rescue her and got himself caught. I...thought that might have been the case."

  "Foolish boy," grunts Max. "Marcus was always a wild child, ever since he entered the Imperial Guard. How could he think he'd be able to get her out on his own?"

  "We don't know the circumstances, Maximus," says Ares, his voice measured, but slightly reprimanding in tone. "I have seen first hand how much Marcus has taken to Brie. It may have been a rash decision to try to help her, but his motivations were pure. There is no need to insult the boy."

  Max dips his head into an apologetic nod. "You're right, Ares," he says. "I apologise."

  I wonder, as I look at Max, whether his mind remains on his own daughter. Someone he couldn't go back to save. Something he clearly regrets, and longs to make amends for to this day.

  "Did Zander say whether they were alone in the carriage?" Ares asks me. "It is only Brie and Marcus there?"

  I shake my head. "He didn't say, but it sounds like it, yes."

  I make a move to continue speaking but am cut off. Telling them about Marcus was the first thing I said when I returned, just now, from my conversation with Zander. I haven't yet informed them of the rest...

  "Which carriage are they in then?" Max asks. "We'll have to trail them, as planned, and break them both out when they next stop. Assuming they do so before Olympus. We'll have plenty of time to consider our strategy." He looks to Ares. "I'd suggest we stay on foot, at least for short periods, so we can get in a little closer and perform a better analysis. It'll give us more freedom outside of the cars."

  Ares nods. "A good idea, Maximus," he says. "We may even spot an opportunity to free them both while the convoy is moving." He looks again to me, requiring an answer to the original question. "So, which carriage, Kira?"

  Now, finally, I get my chance to speak. "I don't know," I say.

  They both look at me as if I'm mad. "You don't know?" asks Max. "Well, what were you discussing with this boy if not how to get them out?"

  I draw a breath, not particularly liking that I have to be the messenger of this news. I doubt they're going to like it, especially now that they know Marcus is in there with Brie. He is widely liked among the Imperial Guard, and even if he wasn't, he is one of their own. Brie may be our primary target for all the damage her powers could cause, but Marcus is a Neoroman, through and through. They do not leave their own behind.

  "Well?" presses Max, when I don't answer immediately.

  "Brie doesn't want to be rescued," I say. "Zander told me we're not to try to get her out. She...she wants to go to Olympus."

  Max's face, which rarely changes from his fairly harsh expression, displays a rare showing of shock. Ares, however, merely looks on at me as he has been, his mind ticking forward to consider the positives of what I've said.

  "She wants to work from the inside," I go on, adding some context to her decision. "I don't know what that means, exactly, and nor does Zander. They broke free of Nestor's hold, so maybe they can do it again..."

  "It's hardly the same situation, Kira," Max says. "I mean, come on, it's entirely different, isn't it? Even if she broke free of the Prime's spell - which, as we've seen with Amber and Perses - isn't easy and often takes, well, special circumstances - then she'd still be stuck in a city of countless thousands. I don't see how it would help, unless she somehow took command of this Prime for herself."

  "An unlikely prospect, from what we've heard," says Ares calmly.

  "You don't seem perturbed by this news, Ares," Max says. "We seem sure to lose both of them now."

  "We cannot be sure of that, Maximus," Ares says. "Or anything else at a time like this. It can be no bad thing to have a spy on the inside." He looks to me. "I assume that she will be able to feed intel to you, Kira, via her brother?"

  I nod. Max's eyes change a little, a little more interested in the idea. "That's what Zander said," I say. "Her powers are currently suppressed, but that doesn't stop Zander travelling along the neural bridge into my mind. We can communicate so long as I'm close enough to forge the connection."

  "And he can see what she can?" Ares asks.

  "More, I
think."

  "Then perhaps this could be to our advantage," says Ares. "What a brave young woman she is to choose this path. Self sacrifice is the stuff of heroes and heroines."

  "It...could backfire," Max warns, "if she finds she's impotent against the Prime and his more powerful subjects. She may be used to perform great evil, perhaps even against her own people."

  "That is the risk she is taking," Ares says. "But we will do all we can to make sure that doesn't happen." He looks up once more, as the convoy disappears into the far distance. "Now," he says, "we have a decision to make. We either return to Secretary Burns and the others with our report, or pursue, as we have been, and see what else we can learn."

  I don't need to even think for a second before the answer spills from my mouth. "Pursue," I say. "I need to be close to Brie for Zander to be able to access my mind. We need to see what we're up against. I vote we follow all the way to Olympus..."

  "And risk being seen?" asks Max.

  "That may not matter now," Ares says. "In a day or so, when the advance force arrives, we won't be able to hide them. And less so when Emperor Domitian comes with the main army. Our need for secrecy isn't required any longer if we're not to be staging a rescue attempt."

  "And if we're spotted, and the enemy send an army to attack us?" asks Max. "We are only a dozen, Ares."

  "A dozen Neoroman champions," the man responds, his voice rumbling like thunder. "If they send us cannon fodder, then we shall feast. I doubt they would be so foolish."

  I see Max smile at his commander's words. I've never known a people with the battle confidence of the Neoromans. The dozen we have would be enough to fight off hundreds of regular Enhanced without trouble. If a few of their own heroes arrived, however, then it wouldn't be so easy.

  "In that case," Max says, "I am in agreement too. Let us pursue, Ares. Let us be the first Neoromans to look upon Olympus."

  Ares lifts a smile. "Fetch the jeeps, Maximus," he says. "It is time for us to hunt."