Death's Twilight

by A. J. Leavens

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The College, Eastern UT, December 7, 2308 12:17:38 (T-Minus 05:17:42:22)

  Slade was in total darkness. Apparently his neighbor, being absent from her dwelling, had decided to do the ecologically sound thing, and turn off all the lights. As his eyes adjusted to the extremely low level of light, he was thankful that all dwellings were laid out identically, allowing him to navigate to her sleeping quarters with ease. He was about to turn the knob on the bedroom door when a thought struck him, and he changed course to the living room.

  Reaching the viewing screen, he removed the Tablet from its slot underneath the screen. She's not on assignment. Slade thought to himself as he powered it up. He touched a few buttons on his chronometer and was rewarded with a double chirp and the open communication line to Sarah in his ear.

  "Sarah, can you isolate the IP address of this Tablet, and reload my old Tablet's information? I want secure access, but I need my information portable."

  "I believe so, Slade, but it will take some time. I suggest you bring it with you."

  "Acknowledged." He said, stowing the Tablet in his jacket. "Can you see anyone in my dwelling?"

  "Scanning. One moment, please."

  Slade walked back to the bedroom door, and twisted the handle, pushing it inward into the room. The blinds had been half-drawn, and the afternoon sunlight shone through, partially blinding Slade after the total darkness of the previous room. Looking around the bedroom, he noticed that everything was neat, and there was not one thing out of place. Alexandra had even labelled where things went. On an impulse, Slade opened the top drawer, and was not shocked to see socks and undergarments neatly ordered by color and pattern, each in their own individual cubicle within the drawer.

  Shutting the drawer, he made his way to the window at the back of the room. As he did, he caught a glimpse of himself in her dressing mirror. His guise as Beta York was still holding up. Slade paused, looking at the youthful features, remembering when he was that young. He was envious of York's youth, though he knew it would fade quickly enough when he ascended to Alpha status.

  Refocussing on the task at had, Slade walked to the window and slid it open. A blast of cold air assaulted him, causing his eyes to water. He quickly wiped them, and then poked his head out the window glancing quickly left and right to assess his footing and potential problems. Seeing no immediate threats, he pulled himself back into Alexandra's dwelling. A voice in his ear: Sarah.

  "Your dwelling is clear, Slade. You may proceed. Tablet reconfiguration at thirty-three percent and working."

  "Thank you, Sarah."

  Slade crawled through the open window, placing his feet sideways on the narrow ledge. Though he was only on the second floor, he didn't want to explain to the administrative pool below why he was suddenly in the winter denuded rose bushes. He stood, flattening himself against the wall to avoid being buffeted by the icy December wind. Only one dwelling away, it took Slade nearly five minutes of shimmying and crawling before he was close enough to his dwelling to risk opening his bedroom window.

  Holding tightly to the brick wall with his right hand, he reached forward with his left hand, and grabbed hold of the sliding window. He tugged it gently toward him, but it wouldn't budge. Slade tried again, pulling harder at the window with no result. It was frozen shut. He considered breaking the window, but feared the loud sound might bring sentries running. Slade squatted on the ledge, thinking. He could try and kick the window, but he would need to be on the other side, risking the wind again.

  No matter how he sliced it, though, he needed to get into his dwelling, and fast. There was no telling how close the Emissary was to The College. He also needed to get back through Alexandra's room and out past the sentries before she got back. It would be very messy if she arrived and there was no one in her dwelling. Slade cautiously made his way past his window and clung fast to the brick abutment on the other side. He first tried pushing his window open, but the weather had it solid.

  He reared back with his right foot, aiming at the edge of the frame. He launched his foot forward, connecting with the frame, and freeing it from its frozen footing. The window slid open, small chunks of ice in the sill aiding the window in its travels. Not expecting the large amount of movement, Slade lost his balance, and began to fall.

  Slade reached for the window sill as gravity took hold, pulling his body down toward the ground. Both hands grabbed and clung tightly, his right foot still hooked in the sill. Reaching up with his left hand, Slade pushed the inner window open, and pulled himself through the window and onto his bed. He stayed there for a few long moments catching his breath before walking to his MKIII and ordering a glass of cold water.

  He sipped at the water while he rummaged through his closet to find the small box he had hidden his key in. After removing a bowling ball, two pairs of skis, a tennis racket, a golf bag full of golf clubs and a baseball bat, Slade finally saw the nondescript brown box that had the iCorps logo on the side. It was the box his first chronometer came in. He quickly removed the key, putting it in his pants pocket before hastily repacking the sporting world and the box back into the closet.

  Slade quickly finished the water, setting the glass down on his dresser before remaking his bed. He hopped up on the headboard to gain access to the window, and headed out, closing the windows behind him. It was easier going on the way back as the wind was behind him, almost urging him on. Double checking his footing, Slade crossed the distance in half the time, and was back in Alexandra’s dwelling in record time. He was just shutting the interior window when he heard the sound of the door lock disengaging.

  Slade froze. The sentries knew he was here, but Alexandra surely didn't. Had the sentries tipped her off as she walked down the hallway? He heard the door open, and then close. Then there was a sound that Slade thought was groceries, but he couldn't be sure. Didn't Alexandra use her MKIII? There were footsteps, and he heard the door to the washroom shut.

  Wasting no time, Slade bolted from the bedroom, closing the door silently behind him. Lacking a clear exit, he paused in the hallway between the living room and the bedroom. If he walked out the front door, there were bound to be some questions that led to a place Slade didn't want to go. If he waited it out hidden in Alexandra's dwelling, he could be here for who knew how long. He contemplated going back out her window and dropping to the ground at a corner where there would be less windows.

  Thinking the window the best course of action, he turned back toward the bedroom. He was a step away from the door when the bathroom door opened and Alexandra walked out. She froze, but only for a split second before her training kicked in and she rushed at Slade, perceiving him as an intruder, which, in fact he was. Slade, for his part, put his hands in the air in surrender.

  "Please! Wait! I can explain!" Slade said quietly, backing toward the living room.

  "Why should I even let you?" Alexandra advanced on him, driving him back toward the table that was in the center of the room. As Slade passed under the light, she paused again. "Wait. Aren't you from The College?"

  Slade nodded. "0247893. My name is Sla-Mack." He quickly remembered he was supposed to be Mack.

  "You don't sound too sure of yourself. Perhaps I should have my friends outside join us."

  "Can you please just let me explain? I am Mack, but I am known as Slade."

  "Well, Slade, you have thirty seconds to explain why you're in my dwelling."

  "It will take longer than thirty seconds. Can we sit?"

  "No."

  She jumped quickly toward him, pushing his shoulders toward the couch behind him as she stepped on the toes of his right boot, knocking him off balance. Slade hit the ground hard, and he felt immense pain as his right ankle stayed where it was when the rest of his body didn't. Alexandra wasted no time, following up with a blow to his midsection, knocking the wind out of him. As he struggled to rise and catch his breath at the same time, Alexandra kept her weight on him, using her knee to put pressure on Slade's alrea
dy sore ankle.

  "I'm being set up!" Slade wheezed. "Will you listen to me? Just listen!"

  "Then start talking. Now." She moved slightly, her new position sending a fresh wave of pain shooting through his ankle. He winced, and tried to push her into a different position. She replied by putting both knees on his ankle. She wasn't taking any chances.

  "Okay! Okay! I know you're relatively new to the Alpha designation. Have you Delivered many Letters?"

  "Two." She replied.

  "So you know what happens if you fail?"

  "Punishment, Six weeks imprisonment."

  "If that was only the case," Slade said wryly. "While I was Delivering my last Letter, I found out some information that Principal McDonald doesn't want the rest of the world to know."

  "Why haven't you told Control?"

  "Because I failed my Delivery, and killed four people getting the information."

  "So I'm harboring a fugitive? Maybe I should call the sentries..."

  "No! I told you, I'm being set up. I was one second off."

  "But there's the fifteen second after time."

  Slade nodded. "I was plus sixteen seconds."

  "You should be imprisoned then, and put on trial for the murders."

  "But instead, Control's sent an Emissary after me. Does that make sense?"

  "Not really." She let up on the pressure on Slade's ankle.

  Slade pushed himself up to a sitting position. Alexandra moved to a spot on the couch.

  "And if someone's out to get you, you need to get to your dwelling, but you can't because they'd be looking for you. So how did you get into my dwelling?"

  Slade tapped his chronometer. "Lock pick algorithm"

  "I see. You didn't touch anything, did you?"

  "No. Except this." He pulled her Tablet from his coat. "I had to destroy mine so they couldn't track me. I'll replace yours once I get where I'm going."

  She didn't have much of a choice, so she simply nodded.

  "You're very organized." Slade said, changing the subject. "I was marveling at the dressing table in your bedroom. Labeled for easy placement. Even your sock drawer was organized."

  "You WHAT?" She jumped off the couch, landing on him. She began hitting his chest. "How dare you! That's my private space! I can't believe you would-"

  The front door burst in, followed by a group of four sentries. Slade froze, one hand holding Alexandra's wrist, and the other covering his face from her progressively harder blows. The sentries hadn't seen them yet, but they were heading their way, Boom Sticks crackling with blue energy. She took one quick look over her shoulder, realizing that her raised voice was the reason they were here.

  She bent forward, and quickly whispered into Slade's ear.

  "If you want to live, follow my lead. But remember you owe me."

  He nodded.

  She lowered her head, and kissed him, her hands going to the sides of his face in a tender embrace. Slade wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She was twenty years his junior, but she clearly saw danger when it presented itself. She was going to make an amazing Alpha.

  "Everything ok, Alexandra?" It was the sentry whom Slade had talked with. "Is Beta York bothering you?"

  "Does it look like he's bothering me, Paul?" she said, kissing Slade again.

  "I thought I heard yelling."

  "A heated moment of passion.  Surely you remember what that was like. You're not that old yet, are you?"

  The sentry opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he spun on his heel, and walked out of the dwelling, dragging the other three sentries behind him. The door shut with a click. Alexandra got off of Slade and took her place once again on the couch.

  "I'm only going to tell you this once, Slade." Alexandra said, all previous emotion gone, pointing a finger in his direction to emphasize her point. "If you're slated for a Letter, then Control thinks you deserve it. I don't know the whole story, and I don't want to."

  "But," Slade interrupted.

  "But, nothing. If I ever catch you in my dwelling again, I will report you to Control and watch with glee as you are carted away to whatever fate they have for you. Now get out."

  Slade rose, heading for the front door.

  "Not that way." She pointed to her bedroom. "That way." I'm sure you can make it the few meters to the ground. Sentry shift change is in..." Alexandra glanced at her chronometer. "Sixty-five minutes. Obviously you must have left during shift change. This is the only break you'll get from me."

  Slade nodded his thanks, and headed toward the bedroom and the window that would help guarantee his safety.