“He is right, Stephen. We should focus on our training and our original tasks.” Vincent took the darts from Stephen. “Agreed?”
Stephen grinned. He thought about the conversation he and the David had shared the night before. “I’ll concede.” Stephen stood there looking at the two of them, both with arms crossed. The sight of it made him chuckle. “You realize you two agreed, right?”
Vincent cut his eyes to Alistair and back to Stephen and changed his stance. “Maybe I should reconsider.”
“Wait a tick, you know you like me. After all, ye and I could be in a triune. How guid would that be?” Alistair laughed as Vincent turned and began throwing darts, without another word.
Stephen couldn’t help but think, if no one had known about Anthony, just like no one previously knew about Bernard, how many others could there be? The thought that Mighty could be willingly changing sides made him wonder why.
Chapter 8
The first day back after the Thanksgiving break was filled with anticipation and excitement, even for Colvin. For the trainees, it was a free day of sorts. Leadership encouraged students to go over schedules and settle into living units. For the staff at Enclave, it became a day of meetings and planning. Many worked on training schedules and prepared lessons. Others, however, worked on more important things.
Team leaders and elders discussed upcoming missions. Stephen wasn’t the only one who felt things were changing. Stephen had once thought that his fight with Bernard in Metropolis, Illinois, would have slowed down Fallen. Stephen had changed part of Bernard’s mind, taking away his ability to generate a powerful copy of himself. The man in the shadows that helped Bernard escape must be a key part in Fallen pushing forward.
Instead of diminishing, the frequency of reports being made accelerated. Scout teams, the intel of Enclave, reported on a church hit list and a young boy in Germany making bombs—the most notable in a long list requiring investigation. There was little doubt that the Fallen were involved in most, if not all, to some degree.
Colvin walked down the hall toward the council chambers. Rounding a corner, he noticed Cassandra just ahead. “Cassandra,” he called out. She turned and waited as Colvin jogged to catch up.
Although Cassandra was a generation older than Colvin, he always felt at ease around her, like an equal. Perhaps it was because she was a healer priest, but her presence always made him feel serene and restful. “Thanks for waiting for me.”
I would like to know what your thoughts are about the training assessment. Did it seem odd to you that those three were tested so soon?”
“I’m guessing you’re asking about Alistair’s group,” she replied.
Colvin nodded as they continued down the hall.
“I was impressed. We don’t put many through that particular assessment. Of those we do, most don’t make it nearly as far. In fact, I can’t think of any three who have made it as far since Waltz, Sam, and Elizabeth went through it. And that was after their triune solidified.”
“Did anything seem off to you?” Colvin asked of his wiser counterpart.
“The expansion of Alistair’s skill is to be expected. You might even say when he pulled Stephen out of the way of an attack, as opposed to simply warning him, it was the result of him beginning to feel a link to a priest. Stephen also acted as a priest when he protected others and submitted in the end, to keep Vincent from getting hurt further. In all, Stephen showed more connection to Vincent than Alistair did. I’d say that’s expected though, considering how close they are.”
“I agree. And Vincent did have a moment where he sensed the end of the battle was near, even before Alistair did. He began drawing from Alistair’s ability.” Colvin considered her words before expressing his doubt. “It’s just that only Stephen displayed warrior abilities. Shouldn’t Alistair or Vincent have shown some warrior trait?”
Colvin reached forward and pressed his palm against the Mighty emblem on the wall. The door in front of him opened and the two walked in. Commander Brahms and Aidan were already inside, standing at a taller table and talking with each other. A tablet for each person lay spread across the surface, except for the commander, who still used a paper file.
“It doesn’t always work that way so soon, Colvin. Be patient.” Cassandra smiled, making him feel peaceful again.
Commander Brahms began in his usual bold voice. “Are they ready for an outing?”
“As long as they are supervised, I say yes. Stephen will be a great warrior. But he is still impetuous and a little cocky.” Aidan turned to face Colvin and Cassandra, making a bruise on the far side of his face more visible.
“By the look of that bruise, he has reason to be a little cocky,” Colvin replied.
“Yes, yes, he does.” Aidan laughed. “But I think he can and should make better decisions. There’s a lot of anger still inside that he’s working through. He’s so zealous and seems to expect things to simply fall into place now.”
Colvin nodded. “In our training, I’ve been deep inside his mind. To do the things he can do and be as young as he is, it’s truly amazing. But there is still a battle going on inside him. I’ve advised him to take time out, to simply meditate and listen for the Spirit. All he wants to do is train.”
“We can’t hold that against him,” Cassandra said. “There is the same battle going on inside each of us. It never stops. You know this. Stephen is defaulting to what he knows.”
“Which is?” Aidan said.
“Force.” Colvin looked at Aidan and Commander Brahms, then back to Cassandra before continuing.
“Yes, I do know the battle we all struggle with—darkness and light, flesh against spirit, wants and desires against selflessness. I don’t believe Stephen understands it though. To him, accepting that he still wants some of the darkness means being darkness. A part of him still feels like the monster he once thought himself to be. And he believes he has to prove his worth.”
“Cassandra,” the commander said, “how is Vincent doing?”
“Honestly, he’s not what I expected. He’s a little odd, which is from having a Fallen for a parent. He worries about his father and mother. But he has an incredible peace with it. He loves them both and understands that their choices don’t define his life. Still, it’s hard for him at times. The Almighty has shielded him from a lot in his life, which reinforced his own priestly desire to shield and protect. I have little doubt that he’ll be a very strong priest, Victor.”
“Then, we’re agreed?” Commander Brahms looked around the table as the others nodded. “Good. Alistair will make a fine leader. I’ll have him pick a couple of experienced soldiers to go with them.”
“Where are they going?” Colvin asked.
The commander shuffled through his papers, as the others waited awkwardly, trying hard to conceal their snickers. “We have a lead on Bernard. Stephen and Bernard grew up together. Yes?” the commander asked.
“Yes,” Colvin replied with a straight face.
“Stephen doesn’t believe Bernard is responsible for Waltz’s death. As I understand it, he reported that Bernard is under some type of mind control. I’m guessing Stephen will want to be part of any mission that involves Bernard. So, we’ll send Alistair’s group to see if there’s anything to the report.” The commander turned to leave the room. “They head out first thing tomorrow.”
The three trainers stood staring at each other, none of them looking as certain as the commander sounded. Colvin knew the three would be powerful together. They’d already shown they can work as a team. Still, he had his doubts, though he couldn’t articulate why. It helped him to know that they would go with other, experienced Mighty.
****
Stephen peered into Bernie’s holding cell, watching him sleep. The one next to him, where Matthew had been, sat empty. He stopped a passing guard.
“Excuse me, where is the other one? Where’s Matthew?”
The guard shrugged. “I don’t know. I heard they were moving him. But I d
on’t know where to.”
“Do you know why?” Stephen pressed.
“Yeah. This is a temporary holding area. He was moved to a more permanent area to be evaluated for rehabilitation.”
“You mean they want to see if he can be Mighty again?”
“That’s right.”
Stephen burned with anger inside. He knew Matthew hadn’t been directly responsible for Waltz’s death. Still, Matthew had known Waltz and done nothing to stop his death, or even to help afterward. He slammed his fist into the wall. The loud thud echoed through the catacombs.
The guard put his hand on Stephen’s shoulder. “I knew Waltz. Well, I didn’t really know him. But I met him. He was as much a modern-day legend as Mighty have.”
Stephen turned to the guard. Despite his anger, he enjoyed hearing stories about people’s experiences with Waltz and took advantage of every opportunity to hear more.
“I was in a tough spot myself. I had a friend that stole my girl. I know it’s not the same, but it hurt real bad. She and I were in love—at least I was. My buddy knew it and didn’t care. What’s worse, he didn’t love her. Waltz ran into me in one of the training rooms. I was working out my anger with a couple sparring partners when he pulled me aside. Like many priests, he could sense when something wasn’t right.”
The guard paused for a moment. A slight smile crossed his face.
“What did he do?” Stephen hurried the moment.
“Do? He didn’t do anything. It’s what he said. ‘Seventy times seven.’”
Stephen looked to the empty cell. He knew exactly what the guard meant. He had heard Waltz tell him that many times when he was younger and his anger had gotten the best of him. In fact, he thought he heard Waltz’s words echo through the hall. But he faced each day knowing Waltz wasn’t there. This day was no different.
Stephen smiled up at the guard. “That sounds like him.” He looked back to the empty cell. “I’ll work on it.”
The guard gave him a stout pat on the back and walked away.
After a moment, Stephen turned to leave, but heard stirring in the cell.
“Does dat mean you’ll forgive me someday?”
Looking back in the cell, Stephen saw Bernie sitting on the edge of his cot. “Uncle Bernie, I’ve already forgiven you. I know you did what you did to protect Bernard. I don’t agree with it, but I understand it.”
Bernie smiled. “The others haven’t made up their minds about me. Have you talked to them about it?”
“I have. Some are really hurt. This will take some time. It struck a lot of people hard. You understand?”
“Yeah, I do. I really do. It’s gonna be a while. I guess da fact I’m still here and not in the permanent inmate population is a good thing. It means they’re still considering it—forgiveness.” Bernie approached the barred door. “Has there been news about Bernard? I’ll ask the guards occasionally, but they won’t tell me anything. I just want to know dat he’s all right.”
“I wish I knew too. They keep looking for him. It’s odd, actually. I’ve heard about various Mighty that have gone over to Fallen in recent years. But Mighty don’t seem to go looking for them. Yet there does seem to be specific interest in Bernard. Do you know what dat’s about?”
“I think so. I’m guessing they want to know more about whoever Bernard is workin’ with. Mighty usually focuses on events, ya know? They try to stop Fallen from doing bad things, swaying normal people, and from drowning society with ideas—which are like a cancer, slowly eating away at the world.” Bernie took a deep breath, as though smelling an apple pie fresh out of the oven. “There’s something different in the air though. This guy Bernard is working for, he’s changing things somehow. I’ve never known Fallen to be this secretive and powerful.”
Stephen placed his hand on Bernie’s, which rested on the bars. “That’s why it is so important that I finish my training and find him. Whatever Fallen is planning, I’ve got to get Bernard out before it’s too late.”
Stephen turned to walk away and felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped.
“Stephen, it may already be too late. You need to be prepared for dat. I can’t lose you both.” Bernie’s eyes gleamed with tears.
Stephen walked away, knowing there may be some truth to what his Uncle Bernie had told him. He also realized that he didn’t have to accept it. He wouldn’t.
He went straight to the training room where Colvin waited with the other trainers and the team.
Stephen greeted his friends with pats on the shoulder. “Hey, guys. We ready?” Vincent appeared only slightly nervous.
“Not quite yet. We’re still waiting on a couple of people,” Alistair said.
“Who?” Vincent scanned the room. “This looks like everyone.”
“We’re taking some experienced soldiers with us, just in case. We don’t expect there to be trouble. But it’s a smart precaution.”
The door opened and two figures stepped through. At first, the light coming in from behind the figures made it hard to see their faces. When the door closed, Stephen recognized Shannon. Walking just behind her was a middle-aged man he had only met in passing.
“Gents,” Alistair began, “this is the rest of our team. You both know Shannon. And this happy looking fellow is Rex.”
Rex looked just as rough around the edges as he did when Stephen had seen him before. Now that he could get a better look, Stephen noted a couple scars on Rex’s face and a couple more on his arm. He scowled and glared at the newcomers before taking out a knife to fidget with it.
“Rex and Shannon are both experienced soldiers. Rex has the most experience on our crew. We’ll do well to listen to his advice. He’ll take point. Shannon will secure the rear. We truly don’t expect to find anything, but must be prepared. In the event that something does happen and things go south, it is their job to get us out first.”
“Wait!” Stephen stepped in front of Alistair and pointed toward Shannon and Rex. “They don’t have any abilities. Why are they responsible for getting us out? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“You don’t think we can handle ourselves, boy?” Rex grabbed hold of Stephen and spun him around.
Stephen turned and looked at Rex, looking beyond the flesh into the man’s very depths. Rex let go of Stephen and took a couple steps back before falling to one knee. In an instant, Stephen had found Rex’s strongest fear and pulled it from its hiding place, nearly paralyzing him. Color drained from Rex’s face.
Stephen turned away and released his grip on Rex’s mind, allowing him to regain his composure.
“Perhaps,” Vincent said, “you could have chosen a couple different team members.”
“Aye. It would seem there might have been better choices.”
“Wait a minute!” Shannon stepped forward, all but yelling. “We’ve been doing this a long time. We’re the best at this. For your first run as a team, you need us.”
Up to this point, the trainers had stood to the side watching and saying nothing. They approached the group, and Colvin interceded.
“Alistair, you are the team lead. While the final decision is yours, you should consider the cohesiveness of the group as well as their individual opinions on the matter.”
“That’s true,” Aidan interjected. “These two are the best. You have to decide if that’s the most important thing.”
The group looked to Cassandra, waiting for her input.
“Aidan and Colvin covered it. I have nothing to add.”
“Vincent? Stephen?” Alistair looked at the two of them.
Stephen looked back at Rex, whose grin looked more like a snarl. “I’m good with Rex. All he wanted was to test me, to see how quickly I’d respond and with what measure. He still doesn’t like me much, but he’s a little more comfortable going on this expedition now.”
They looked at Vincent. He looked at Shannon, who stood with her arms crossed, eyebrow raised, and jaw clenched.
“Yes, I suppose I am good too.
”
“Uh-huh,” Shannon muttered.
Cassandra patted Vincent on the back. “I told you that you’re a fast learner.”
Vincent rolled his eyes.
“If we’re all settled . . .” Alistair looked around the group grinning. “We’ll be off then.”
Just then, the commander walked through the door with a large wooden box under his arm. He approached them and stood in the middle of the group looking at the three, smiling.
“Colvin, give me a hand, will you?”
Colvin stepped forward and took the box. Commander Brahms opened it and pulled out three long chains, each having a medallion of the Mighty hanging from it. He turned and looked at the three.
“Hold out a hand,” he bellowed.
Alistair, Vincent, and Stephen did so. The commander then placed a medallion in each of their hands, one medallion for each of the men.
“Listen carefully. Each of you has been given a medallion, a symbol of what we Mighty represent. Not only does this signify that you are one of us, but it also is a tool to get you wherever you want to be. With this medallion, you no longer need a vanishing point, as each of you can be spirited away to where you need to be. However, should you need to bring someone with you, they must be taken to a vanishing point. The medallion can help guide you there.”
He turned to Alistair. “Alistair, I know you already have a medallion, but not like this. As a team leader, when you are out with your team, you will have the ability to vanish and take others with you. This medallion will also let you know when other medallions are near. With it, you can identify Mighty and even Fallen.”
Commander Brahms closed the box and tucked it under his arm. “God bless and may God speed you on your way.” The commander smiled and hurried out the door.
The men put on their medallions and tucked them away inside their shirts.
Alistair faced the team. “Ye heard him. Let’s get moving. And, lang may yer lum reek.”
The others looked around at each, shaking heads and shrugging until Stephen spoke up.
“He means to say, ‘Live long and prosper.’” He grinned as he held his hand up giving the familiar Vulcan greeting.
Chronicles of Stephen BoxSet Page 37