Chapter Eight
‘Looks cold down there,’ Brodie said.
‘It should be,’ I said. ‘It is Alaska.’
We were soaring over an endless icy wilderness broken only by patches of spruce and larch trees and the odd piece of black rock. Snow fell as we flew across the vast white plain. I dreaded to think what it would be like for someone wandering about in the snow. They wouldn’t survive for long.
No wonder they’ve got a jail out here, I thought.
Ebony and Chad were flying the Flex fighter as Dan had taken Liber8tor. Peering through the windshield, I spotted a big white block in the middle of the landscape. The driving snow made it almost invisible at first, but then I made out small windows set into the side and a car park adjoining the building. I doubted anything ever drove here; there were no roads. The car park must have been made exclusively for VTOL ships like Flex fighters.
Ebony brought us into land. We lingered for a moment, peering in silence at the white building before putting on our jackets. Opening the door, we peered out at the falling snow and the square building beyond.
‘I wonder if anyone’s ever escaped,’ Brodie said.
‘Escaped?’ Chad replied. ‘Escape where? There are hundreds of miles of snow and ice between you and civilization. A person would be lucky to make it five miles.’
Leaving the Flex fighter, we hurried through the snow to the main building. The entryway was surprisingly similar to a reception area in any typical office building. A couple of people manned the desks. They could have been working in a hotel anywhere. The only difference was the armed guards near the elevators. Not only did they have handguns at their waists, but they also held rifles.
Entering the building, Chad and Ebony slowed down as we entered.
‘We might leave you here,’ Chad said.
I looked at him quizzically. ‘You don’t want to see Ravana?’
He glanced at Ebony, who replied. ‘It’s me,’ she said. ‘I can’t stand the idea of seeing him again.’
I nodded. Ebony had been tortured by Ravana as well. Later, she’d actually killed him, but he had magically sprung back to life months later. That would be freaky for anyone. I’d been thoughtless to not consider how this would impact the others.
‘I’m sorry about this,’ I said. ‘I should have realized it would be hard.’
‘Not just for us,’ Chad said.
I got his point. The thought of seeing Ravana wasn’t something I relished either.
‘Brodie?’ I said, turning to her.
‘I’m in,’ she said. ‘I have no problems seeing Ravana in jail. Actually, it’ll set my mind at ease to see a bad guy behind bars.’
Introducing ourselves at the front desk, Chad and Ebony grabbed seats while we were shown into the building by armed guards. We were first taken to the warden’s office, a man by the name of Cole Dalton. A portly man with a walrus mustache, he gave both of us a firm handshake as he pointed us into seats.
‘This must be pretty important if you’re here to see Ravana,’ he said.
‘Does he get many visitors?’ Brodie asked.
‘You’re the first.’
‘And any correspondence?’ I asked. My double might have tried writing to the doctor. ‘Emails? Phone calls?’
‘The prisoners here don’t have access to email or phones.’
‘What about the internet?’
Dalton shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘These people are considered extremely dangerous. The worst of the worst. They don’t get privileges.’
I tried to imagine what that would be like. Living in a cell in the middle of a wasteland with no access to the outside world. Ravana was dangerous, but I wondered how someone like him spent his time.
‘Television,’ Cole Dalton replied when I asked him. ‘Lots and lots of television.’
He offered to take us to where Ravana was held. We went down in an elevator to a floor below where we were frisked for weapons and other supplies. Then we were taken to another elevator where we descended again.
‘How far down are we?’ I asked.
‘About a hundred feet,’ Dalton said. ‘We keep the lower security prisoners above ground. Creeps, like Ravana, we keep even further down.’
We crossed through more barriers. There were several layers of prisoners in cells. Some yelled things to us as we passed through the block. A few catcalled Brodie, but she ignored them. Then she clutched my arm and nodded to a cell.
‘That’s Jeremiah Stead,’ I said to Dalton.
The man was sitting forlornly, reading a book in a cell. He was a religious fanatic who had planned to release a virus to wipe out Earth's entire population. It was strange to see him sitting so despondently alone.
‘Sure is,’ Dalton said. ‘We’ve got a few here nabbed by The Agency.’
There was another cell holding a man named Solomon Wolff. We’d encountered him as well during our adventures. There’d been two versions of him at one point, but the cell actually held three of him.
‘He’s a modified human,’ Dalton explained, as we entered another elevator and started down. ‘He can split into three people. That’s why we keep him in the one cell. It means we can keep track of him.’
‘That’s amazing,’ Brodie said.
‘Apparently, it was a lab accident that made him that way.’
I was glad he mentioned that; otherwise, I might have suspected that I was the same, and Glen was simply another version of me. It sounded like Solomon Wolff was a unique case. Whatever the truth was surrounding Glen Johnson, I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with being able to split into multiple people.
My heart beat a little faster as we descended further into the bowels of the Earth. I imagined the cold ground surrounding the prison. A person would never escape this place. Whoever ended up here was imprisoned forever.
Finally, the elevator stopped, and we got out. There was another security checkpoint here and more barriers to pass through. Our credentials were rechecked before we headed down another corridor. There was no sign of cells here, only doors with peepholes. We finally stopped at a door near the end.
‘He’s in a cell through there,’ Dalton said. ‘Everything is recorded through a camera in the wall. There’s a slot where things can be passed to Ravana, but at no time are you to give or accept anything from him. I know you’re both modified, but we consider Ravana to be extremely dangerous. More so now that he’s down here.’
‘Why more so?’ Brodie asked.
‘Because he has nothing to lose,’ Dalton said, meeting her eye. ‘He’ll never see the light of day again. The rest of his life will be spent in that cell.’
Nodding, we promised to follow the rules. I peered through the peephole and spotted a television with something showing. However, it was impossible to see what was on.
‘Two seats face the cell,’ Dalton explained. ‘The cell wall looks like glass, but it’s a new kind of transparent carbon titanium. Like I’ve said, don’t pass anything to him. You’ll be immediately ejected from the building if you do.’
‘Okay.’ I said.
‘Just leave the room and close the door behind you when you’re finished.’
The warden unlocked the door. Brodie and I stepped through, and the door clicked shut behind us. We were in an area six feet square facing a transparent screen. Beyond it was an equally tiny cell where Ravana sat watching the television. His eyes shifted to us as we entered.
‘Ah,’ he said. ‘It is Axel and Brodie. Welcome to my domain.’
Chapter Nine
As domains went, Ravana’s was particularly unimpressive.
His cell was a little bigger than I’d first thought. Probably about nine feet square. There was a small area behind him for toileting, but otherwise, everything was on display. All the fixtures were built of metal and secured to the ground—even the chair at his tiny desk. The chair could swivel between the desk and the television, but it seemed to be the only movable thing in the cel
l. Even the bed looked to have a solid metal base with a thin mattress.
This is where evil gets you.
The thought gave me no pleasure. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since I’d first met this man. And it was, in a way, a lifetime. For me, at least. What had he said when we first met?
My name is Doctor Ravana. As they often say on television shows, I will be your host for the evening.
I shuddered.
My eyes focused on him. He was still skinny and his face narrow, but that face was scarred now. Chad had set him on fire as we escaped from him. All his hair was gone, barring a few stray strands that still grew from his scalp. Most of both ears were gone too. Later, Ebony had turned him to zinc, seemingly killing him, but somehow he had returned from the dead.
Of course, returning from the dead had not fixed his face. He blamed and hated us for his appearance. Now he had to live with that appearance.
What had he said later?
I cannot die. That explanation will suffice—for now.
Maybe he could live forever. I wasn’t sure if that were a blessing or a curse. He had eternal life, but he would forever look like that.
‘This is quite a place you’ve got here,’ Brodie said. ‘A few cushions and a tapestry on the wall might brighten it up. Maybe even a couple of paintings.’
‘Humor,’ Ravana said. ‘Good. I like humor.’
I doubted he had much cause for laughing down here.
‘As you can imagine, in this place, one day bleeds into the next,’ he said. ‘Nothing changes here, but looking at you both, I am reminded of how much things have changed. Our positions are reversed.’ His eyes focused on me. ‘You were my prisoner once, and I was the jailer. Now I am the prisoner, and you are in charge. How strange life can be. And there will be questions. Yes, I am sure there will be questions.’
‘There will be questions,’ I said, speaking to him for the first time. ‘Whether we’ll get any useful answers will be a different matter.’
‘I am happy to comply,’ Ravana said. ‘I like to help people.’
Fury bubbled up inside me. I like to help people. He had tortured me for information I didn’t have and would have murdered me without hesitation. This man was truly living in his own sick world.
‘Then tell us about The Swan,’ I said.
‘The Swan?’ Ravana said, feigning confusion. ‘I like birds. Many different kinds of birds. Hawks. Eagles. Doves—’
‘You know what I mean. The man you threw off the building.’
‘Ah yes,’ Ravana said, nodding. ‘I know you man you mean, but I was not responsible for his death. He had an accident. He strayed too close to the edge, became dizzy and fell.’
He was lying, of course. I’d seen him peering over the edge of the building immediately after the man fell.
‘This is a waste of time,’ Brodie said. ‘We don’t like our time wasted.’
‘I know you’re busy,’ Ravana said. ‘I’ve been following your little adventures with interest. Oh,’ he gave a dismissive wave of his hand, ‘I don’t know everything you’ve done. Only what the television tells me. It’s clear, however, that you’ve made quite an impact in a short time.’ He sighed. ‘Fighting the good fight, as they say.’
‘Tell us about The Swan,’ I said.
‘He was part of The Agency,’ Ravana said, unexpectedly. ‘But he had a special connection with that Bakari friend of yours—what did he call himself—Twelve?’
Twelve had been the Bakari in charge of the South Carolina branch of The Agency.
‘They were working together?’ I said. ‘On what?’
‘Why,’ Ravana said airily. ‘The Alpha Project, of course.’
‘And what was so special about The Alpha Project?’
Ravana smiled, displaying a thin line of teeth. Yes, I remembered that smile. It was like watching a grinning corpse.
‘There are so many things I could say about The Alpha Project,’ Ravana said. ‘But nothing is free in this world. You are young, but surely you know that everything has a price. A cost.’
‘What do you want?’ I asked, sighing. ‘Mind you, we’re not in charge. We have no power to do anything here.’
‘And why would we anyway?’ Brodie added.
‘Because I have the key,’ Doctor Ravana said. ‘I have the key to your past. Through me, you can discover your true identities.’
‘So what is it you want?’ I asked.
Ravana glanced about, and for the first time, I saw something like dismay in his eyes. It was the first time I’d ever sensed anything remotely human about him in all our dealings.
‘This place,’ he said. ‘It has no window.’
I almost burst out laughing, but then I thought again about what the future held for him. He was sentenced to remain in jail forever. That meant he would never see outside his cell for as long as he lived. If he were eternal, as he claimed to be, that was a very long time indeed.
‘You want a window?’ I said.
‘There’s not much to see out there,’ Brodie added. ‘There’s just snow.’
‘And sky,’ Ravana said. ‘And trees. Birds. Possibly even the occasional bear.’ He indicated his cell. ‘But anything is an improvement on my current circumstances.’
Brodie continued. ‘Why should we do anything for you?’ she said. ‘You never gave any of your victims the slightest bit of mercy.’ She glared at him. ‘We’ve seen your file. You’ve been a monster for centuries. You don’t deserve—’
‘Brodie,’ I interrupted. ‘That’s enough.’ I turned back to Ravana. ‘I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to get you what you want: a room with a view. I’ll try whether you help us or not.’
‘Axel—’ Brodie started.
I cut her off. ‘Doctor Ravana,’ I said. ‘What can you tell us about The Swan?’
He pinched his lip. ‘There’s a cabin in Montana,’ he said. ‘It sits at the foot of Mount Rhonan. You’ll find your answers there.’
‘That’s it?’
He nodded. ‘That’s it.’
Brodie and I turned to leave. I paused at the exit, turning back to the doctor. It was probably the last time I’d ever speak to him. ‘I don’t forgive you,’ I said. ‘Why would I? But I will do what I can to improve your situation. I’ll do that.’
‘I know you will,’ Ravana said.
Brodie glared at him. ‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because he has something I lack,’ Ravana said. ‘Compassion.’
Chapter Ten
Dan wandered down the corridor to the storage locker.
Stopping at the garage door, he inserted the key and pushed it up. He was half-expecting a monster or alien to come bursting out from the room, but there was nothing—only the same chest sitting in the middle of the room.
‘Ferdy,’ Dan said into his wristcom. ‘I’m in the room.’
‘Thank you, friend Dan,’ Ferdy said. ‘Is Dan afraid?’
‘What gives you that idea?’
‘This is the third time that you have checked in with Ferdy since leaving Liber8tor.’
Dan sighed. ‘I suppose I’m nervous about this whole thing,’ he said. ‘This might lead us to our parents and our real lives.’
‘This life isn’t real?’
‘No, I mean our lives before we got modified. I have no idea who I was or what I was doing. And what if I meet my parents and we don’t get along?’
‘Ferdy thinks that is quite common.’
An idea occurred to Dan. ‘What about you, Ferdy?’ he asked. ‘Do you ever wonder about your parents?’
‘Ferdy remembers almost nothing before he was modified,’ Ferdy said. ‘Although there are some memories of parents, a brother, sister, and a car accident.’
‘You can remember all that?’
‘Only images,’ Ferdy said. ‘Nothing more than that, but Ferdy also wonders what will happen if our families are tracked down and how that will change things.’
‘We’ll always
be friends,’ Dan said. ‘I promise.’
‘Ferdy promises too.’
Dan nodded. ‘Okay,’ he said, peering down at the chest. ‘Now to see if there’s anything exciting about this chest.’
Pushing the lid up, he gazed inside. The chest was still empty, but this time Dan felt about the interior. Lined with fabric, it was loose about the inside with what felt like thin timber struts underneath. He turned the chest over and examined the bottom. That brought no joy either. The whole thing just seemed to be an old chest.
Except…
It was pretty weird that someone would go to all this trouble to rent a storage unit to store a chest that held only a laptop. Why not just dump the laptop in here and leave it at that?
‘There’s got to be more to this,’ Dan murmured.
He ran his hands across the fabric again. There were only the same timber struts beneath. He felt the struts carefully. They all seemed to be there. His finger ran across an almost imperceptible groove in the fabric.
What’s that?
Touching it again, he thought it felt different. Maybe harder. No one was ever going to need this chest again, so he decided he may as well do some real damage. Gripping the fabric, he pulled back on it, ripping the lining free of the struts.
‘You’re kidding,’ he said.
A small piece had been cut from one of the struts. Slotting neatly into its spot was something he had only seen once before. The device was about the size of a memory card but skinnier and flashed as if made from opal. The device was some kind of reader that Axel had found in the book he’d been given. Activating it had made words visible on the otherwise blank pages of the book.
‘Wow,’ Dan said. ‘Am I good or what?’
‘You are good, friend Dan,’ Ferdy said.
‘I…well, I mean…’ He hadn’t intended that comment for Ferdy. ‘Thank you.’
We have a second reader, Dan thought. This might answer everything.
Sliding the reader into his pocket, he closed the chest again and exited the storage unit. Dan glanced down the hallway.
Floating a foot off the ground was the same robot that had attacked them back at the apartment. Its face was so smooth that it was barely a face at all. It was impossible to make out any expression. The robot’s hands were by its side as it hung motionless in the air watching Dan.
Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7 Page 99