‘You mean Project La Vie?’ Maude asks, tapping her masked chin with her index finger, as she contemplates the news.
Rex nods, ‘yes, indeed. The Founding Family had a top-secret weapons unit of gifted individuals, which they were funding the manufacture of. But all of a sudden it came to a grinding halt only months ago. No more funding or correspondence from The Founding Family to Monsieur and Madame Chavez.’
‘And now The Chancellor is amassing his own army with the weapons he stole and these gifted individuals,’ Justin says, more to himself.
Rex nods again, ‘exactly. And don’t expect him to stop at just what he has. He will look for the rest of them, The Mages, as they are widely known, to complete his armoury but also for the next phase of his plan.’
‘What next phase?’ Justin asks, knowing he’ll probably have to pay more for this information.
Rex taps on the table with a fluorescent yellow nailed finger. With a heavy sigh, Justin removes a smaller canister of bullion, placing it before the penny-pinching man.
‘This is all we have left,’ Justin lies, ‘five hundred thousand bullion.’
Rex contemplates this for a while before surrendering, ‘very well.’
He takes the canister in his gangly hands, circling the rim of the top with his thumb, as he speaks, ‘the next phase involves the creation of a Super-Human race.’
Justin’s eyebrows furrow as he takes in this new information.
‘He will use the genetic make up of each of these Mages to construct a new being. And he has already started,’ Rex finishes.
‘How could he have started if he hasn’t got them all yet?’ Maude asks, confused, gut turning at the thought of people like Ari and Kaley being experimented on.
‘Well,’ Rex explains, smiling at the thought of lesser people in trouble, ‘he has been extracting what he can from those he already has and is testing it out on commoners from the ghettos and those service men and women from The Weapons Factory.’
Maude feels sick to her stomach at the thought of innocent lives being tortured like this.
‘So The Chancellor is accruing an army to what? Take on The Founding Family?’ Justin asks, trying to piece together this new knowledge.
Rex shrugs, ‘if you believe it’s all true. Or he may just be a mad man with empty words.’
‘The weapons from The Factory and Madame Chavez couldn’t have just disappeared on their own,’ Maude states. ‘If you don’t believe these rumours you’re telling us, how do you explain that?’
Rex smirks, as he taps his fingers together. ‘Oh of course they had to be taken. Perhaps it was the resistance group forming beneath our feet? Why else would assassins working for The Underground Movement be here in The Republique?’
At these very words, the door to the tiny room swings open and three Elite guards storm in, phasers in hand. Before they could attempt an escape, the two assassins are in binds, falling to their knees, phasers pointed to their ribs.
‘Rex, you conniving bastard!’ Justin shouts, as his mask and hood are pulled off and a gag is shoved into his mouth.
‘What can I say?’ Rex chuckles, ‘my loyalties lie with whoever has the deeper pockets. And the deepest pockets happen to sit on The Chancellor.’
Justin and Maude are pulled out of the room and into the now empty tavern. Maude kicks out, making contact with one of the guard’s knees. In retaliation he stuns Maude, causing her to fall in a heap, paralysed. Justin head-butts another guard who is momentarily distracted by the unfolding scene, before he too is stunned with the phaser and falls, paralysed, unable to voice all the pent up curses in his throat. Thoughts of Ari swirl, as he hopes she is somewhere safe, and not a subject of The Chancellor’s experiments, and then there is only black when he receives a pistol whipping to the skull.
Chapter NINETEEN
Xavier paces in Colonel Duff’s office as he waits for further instruction on what to do next, now they know The Underground Headquarters has been breached.
Somehow, a traitor managed to infiltrate their security systems and work closely with The Colonel and had escaped the compound without a trace. On arrival to the Media Room, Guy found it empty, lights off, screens glowing a faint blue in the dark. Julie’s bed-space was also empty with all her belongings missing. Guards did not see her leave and security footage did not reveal her to be anywhere in the headquarters. She had somehow vanished without a trace.
‘I cannot get in touch with Agents Carey or Garnett,’ Colonel Duff says gruffly, as he continues to fiddle with his communicator. ‘Their locators have also gone offline.’
Xavier stops pacing and looks up at The Colonel. ‘For how long?’
‘Since last night,’ The Colonel admits. ‘They’ve gone off the radar.’
‘But that wasn’t part of their mission,’ Xavier contemplates, starting to become nervous. ‘Something is wrong.’
The Colonel shakes his head, ‘we must deal with the current issue at hand. We clearly have defectors in the midst. We must weed them out. Only then will we know who is truly loyal to our cause.’
‘But we need to find who Julie was working for,’ Xavier protests. ‘Only then can we find Arielle.’
‘That is not my priority,’ Colonel Duff grumbles. ‘Have all The Underground residents gather in the mess hall at zero six hundred tomorrow so that they will be subject to security and integrity checks.’
Xavier nods and salutes The Colonel before leaving his office.
Kaley meets him outside, after waiting anxiously for an update on their next move. As Kaley opens her mouth to speak, Xavier quickly silences her with a finger to his lips, and ushers her away.
‘Wait,’ he whispers, glancing around to ensure the coast is clear, ‘there’s something going on with The Colonel. He’s more interested in finding other traitors down here rather than go after Julie. And to make matters worse,’ Xavier continues, as they walk hurriedly towards the gym, ‘Justin and Maude have gone off the radar – they’re unreachable.’
‘But how are we going to find Ari?’ Kaley asks, worried her sister is going to be forgotten.
Xavier stops and places a calming hand on Kaley’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. We will find Ari,’ he reassures her. ‘But first we need to find out where Julie went. I’m sure she’ll lead us to Ari’s whereabouts.'
◆◆◆
Ari sits on the edge of a limestone fountain, set amongst manicured hedges and bushes styled into spirals. Interspersed between the greenery are marble statues from a time well before the War of the Ages. Many have missing upper limbs, with togas and robes styled to reveal their muscular and curvy physiques. The Palace Gardens do not sit under a glass dome like the vegetation of The Republique. The Palace must be outside the radiation fallout zone, Ari realises, as she gazes into the flowing fountain water.
Mei-Ling and Ai-Ling approach up the stone pathway, heads bowed together as they talk in hushed voices. Mei-Ling looks up and quiets her sister, on finding Ari at the fountain. Ari smiles and gestures for the sisters to join her. Obliging, Mei-Ling takes a seat near Ari, Ai-Ling following close behind.
‘Enjoying the outdoors?’ Mei-Ling asks, making conversation.
Ari nods, ‘I’ve always felt calmer around plant-life.’ She looks around at the hedges and statues, memories of The Restoration Unit of The Holly-Oaks Centre coming to her.
Mei-Ling smiles, ‘yes, we have always thrived in the outdoors.’
The three girls are quiet for a moment before Ari speaks again, ‘are there others here? I mean others like us?’ Mei-Ling and Ai-Ling exchange a glance but do not speak. ‘Eli mentioned other Collector’s items,’ Ari explains, ‘so I was wondering does he mean people like us?’
Ai-Ling discreetly nods to her sister before Mei-Ling speaks, ‘yes, there are more like us here. But they are currently being punished.’
‘Punished? How?’ Ari asks, intrigued.
Mei-Ling hesitates before continuing, ‘they refused to work with Eli and even t
ried to harm him. So they were.. punished.’ She quickly looks away but Ari glimpses a look of shame as she says this.
‘Did you..?’ Ari stops short, not wanting to sound accusing.
Mei-Ling and Ai-Ling exchange another look before Mei-Ling explains, embarrassment still all over her face, ‘unfortunately yes. We were forced into imprisoning them. My sister and I have the ability to manipulate the earth. We moved the earth, the trees, and buried them below the ground. Every morning, we give them nourishment.’ Mei-Ling opens her hand, revealing a syringe identical to the one she had used on Ari the first night she was captured. ‘That is where we were going, before we came across you.’
Ari smiles gently, and places her hand over Mei-Ling’s, ‘it’s not your fault. You were both forced into it.’
Mei-Ling nods, tears welling up in her eyes, ‘I sometimes think we should’ve refused and maybe we wouldn’t be where we are now.’
Shaking her head, Ari stands, ‘there is no way you could’ve predicted how all of this would turn out. But I have an idea. Perhaps if I speak to them, we can all come up with a plan to escape.’
Mei-Ling and Ai-Ling exchange another glance before Mei-Ling decides, standing too, ‘okay. We will take you to them on one condition. You must not speak of this to Eli.’
‘Of course,’ Ari agrees.
‘Shall we go,’ Mei-Ling says, as she leads Ari away from the fountain.
◆◆◆
Justin’s eyes flicker once, twice, then fly open. He sits up, hands bound behind his back, right ankle shackled by a plasma chain to the inside of a cold metal container. Sunlight streams in through two tiny slits where the opposite wall meets the roof, casting Maude in a yellowish glow. Groaning with a throbbing headache, Justin looks around the metal container. Maude lays in front of him, still unconscious, ankle also shackled to the cage. There is a sound of creaking wheels, as they are moved along the deserted roads of The Republique. Unsure how long they have been out, Justin tries to click on the communicator on Maude’s wrist with the toe of his boot. Nothing. Of course, Justin figures, whoever captured them must have taken the chip out of their communicators so they can no longer contact The Underground or be tracked.
Before long, the cage-vehicle comes to an abrupt stop. There is the sound of grating metal, shouting up ahead and then the door to the container slides open. Standing at the end of the vehicle, gun in hand, and smiling with a crazed expression, is Chancellor Andre Chvostek. He is dressed in a long double-breasted coat of deep blue, with brass buttons and matching slacks with a white stripe down the side of both legs. His white peaked cap with deep blue rim and gold wreath sits atop his greying hair. Flanking him on either side are two burley men, with similar uniforms of deep blue and white. Justin notices, however, instead of the insignia of The Founding Family that usually sits atop the chest of The Elite Guards, these guards have a brass pin of a feather-winged creature, fire breathing from its beak. The same symbol sits in the centre of The Chancellor’s cap.
Chancellor Chvostek notices Justin assessing his guards. ‘A Phoenix,’ he explains about the pin, ‘a pertinent symbol for the rebirth of our people, don’t’ you think, Agent Carey?’
Unsurprised that The Chancellor would know who he is, Justin drawls, ‘our people?’
Chancellor Chvostek beams, ‘why the people of Earth, the people of this New World of course. I am leading the charge for our world to be cleansed and purified so that the next generation of humankind can strive. Unlike the world we have inherited from our ancestors, where resources run thin whilst the fat-cat Elites hide in their palaces, counting their bullion, and people like us are left to suffer in silence.’ As if spurred on by his words, the two burley guards move forwards, dragging Justin and Maude, still unconscious, from the truck. Justin struggles against his binds and the arms of the guard, cursing them with every curse word he can muster, before he’s hit to the back of the head with a sabre. He hits the ground, face first, blood spitting from his lip.
‘What do you want with us?’ Justin demands, as he cranes his neck to check to see if Maude is still okay.
‘You two are to be my first subjects in our endeavor to the better the human race,’ Chancellor Chvostek explains, indifferently, ‘you should be honored.’ He nods to the guards before turning on his heel and leaving the undercover concrete garage.
Justin tries to rise to catch a glimpse of where he and Maude have found themselves, hoping to get any clues as to their whereabouts. But all he can see are concrete pillars, a concrete floor and ceiling. Long beams, emitting a cold white light, line the ceiling. Before he could move any further, Justin receives another hit to the back of his head and is out cold once more.
Chapter TWENTY
Walking through the greenery with the sounds of the ocean nearby, Ari recalls the dreams she had been having of the township she once lived in.
Mei-Ling and Ai-Ling walk ahead of her, leading her along the limestone path, set in rings radiating out from the central fountain. Manicured hedges and marble statues stand along all pathways, not a branch out of place. After approximately ten minutes, they come across a brick archway with a passageway leading under the earth. The sisters stop outside and gesture to the shadows beyond.
‘You will find them in there,’ Mei-Ling explains to Ari, ‘we will stand guard outside and you can explain to them your plan for escape.’
Unsure yet whether she can trust the sisters in front of her, Ari decides she has no other choice and enters the passageway, taking the red brick stairs into the darkness. As she descends the stairs, she sees flickering lights up ahead. Fire torches line the walls, lighting up the dirt ground as Ari continues further underground. She hears a scratching up ahead and stops in her tracks, straining to see into the dim passage, thinking the girls aboveground have betrayed her, after all.
Suddenly, a large rat scurries past her boots, causing her to jump and hit her head on the low ceiling. Cursing and wondering why of all the creatures to survive the Old War’s nuclear fallout, it had to be rats. Shuddering, Ari composes herself and continues on.
Following the torches, she enters a round cave-like structure. There are no bricks in here, only walls of dirt and mud. Tree roots from above escape through the walls at different levels. At first Ari thinks she must not be in the right place but then she notices eyes staring at her from across the way. Ari approaches slowly, unsure if her mind is playing tricks on her or if turquoise blue eyes really are buried in the mud. The eyes blink and Ari advances towards them. A face emerges, covered in dirt, almost camouflaging into the surrounding walls.
‘Hello,’ Ari greets the half-buried face, tentatively.
The turquoise eyes blink once and the girl extends a hand towards Ari. Without thinking, Ari steps backwards and the girl’s eyes are suddenly sad.
Feeling guilty, Ari moves forwards again to the half-buried girl and introduces herself, ‘I am Arielle. I have been captured, like you, by Eli to be a part of his Collection of Gifted individuals.’
The girl stares back at Ari before slowly turning her face towards the opposite wall. Ari follows her line of vision and is shocked to see another set of eyes half buried into the cave wall. Amber eyes stare back at her. A male, perhaps slightly older than Ari is almost completely entombed in the cave wall.
Ari moves to the middle of the cave to address them both.
‘I have a plan - a plan for us all to escape back to the mainland. Escape from the clutches of the evil man above and where we can be free to live our lives away from Elites.’
The male looks back to the girl opposite and they exchange a long glance, before the girl slowly nods. Ari smiles, and bows her head in thanks, before leaving back to the gardens above.
Mei-Ling and Ai-Ling have taken up a seat on a stone bench nearby. They stand as Ari emerges from the brick passage.
‘Were you successful?’ Mei-Ling asks, hopeful.
Ari grins. ‘I was indeed. We can start the first part of our plan.’
She approaches the girl first, whispering her apology before injecting the contents of the syringe into her neck. Ai-Ling approaches the male and does the same, before stepping back.
Together, the sisters raise their hands, aiming towards the dirt of cave entombing the captives. They close their eyes in concentration as the energy flows from within and out through their fingers, cracking through the dirt confines. Piece by piece, slabs of mud and dirt fall to the ground and the two captives fall forwards onto their palms, unable to stand after months of disuse of their legs. Despite this, the prisoners grin at each other, gratified with their newfound freedom.
◆◆◆
After slowly emerging from the cave that was their prison, the two prisoners lay on a patch of grass, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun and smell of the ocean for the first time in months. Ari sits between them, hands hovering inches from their bodies, as she restored their muscles from wastage to strength, their liver and kidneys from failing to new, their lungs from dirt-clogged to unpolluted. She finally sits back on her haunches, after working on them for an hour.
The girl opens her eyes to peer at Ari, still laying on the soft grass as she says, ‘thank you.’
Ari nods her welcome back before the girl introduces herself, ‘I am Delta. I have the gift of water.’
‘And I am Malik,’ the male says, sitting up and extending a hand to Ari, which she shakes. ‘I have the gift of air and wind.’
‘You both don’t have the same power?’ Ari asks, before feeling silly, as she notices they look nothing alike.
Delta has flowing platinum hair, cascading down her lithe form, with pale skin and pink-hued cheeks. Malik, on the other hand is contrasting, with jet-black hair set in curls, caramel-coloured skin and a stocky build.
Elite Nation: Book One Page 10
