He buttoned his shirt.
"Well, what you gonna do... when a guy slaps a bomb directly on your neck."
"Shit!" Ethan blurted out as he took a step back.
"You seem a bit shook up," Leo chuckled. "Hey, how do you think I feel?" He brushed his hand through his dark hair, pulling it taut. "Be it as it may, I believe we can help one another." Leo braced himself against the kitchen table. He stared at Damien's limp palm.
"Hunter has it," he continued.
Ethan slowly lowered his hands.
"The orb," Ethan recalled. "Why do you want it so bad? More importantly... why should I care?"
Leo smiled a menacing grin.
"Oh, you should care Ethan. You should absolutely care." Leo sat at the table with a sobbing Damien next to him. "Have a drink, sit down."
Ethan slowly sat at the table with the canteen right in front of him. Carlos was laying on the floor in a small pool of blood, wheezing, barely holding on.
"Let me be frank with you, that orb is sentimental to me! Have you heard about the legend of the Titan War?"
Ethan paused for a moment. "You mean the fairy tale."
"Well, I was there..." Leo confessed. "...my whole life was there."
"Figures," Ethan muttered. "Another one claiming he's awoken."
"Indeed!" Leo chuckled. He grabbed the canteen and twisted the cap.
"What does that have to do with me?" Ethan insisted as he leaned back in the chair. "I'm not helping you?"
"Hell, Ethan. I don't even know if you're the right guy for the job. But seeing how you have ties to Hunter, I figured why the hell not! The same guy Hunter wants dead, I can use for my own needs, right! That and the fact that I have something you might find useful."
Leo stood up and walked towards Ethan. He put his hand on one of Ethan's shoulder.
"You will find a way to get to that orb, I have no doubt about it. A lot of people are counting on you... Ethan... Ethan, that's all I ever hear. Lately, it's been like a song to me."
He knelt down to Ethan's eye level and grabbed the water.
"Drink it!"
"No," Ethan replied unflinchingly.
"Your mother is alive..." Leo whispered, "...and she's waiting for you."
Ethan leaped from his chair.
"What did you say to me?"
Leo stepped back as the gunman pointed his gun at Ethan. Leo signaled his associate to lower his weapon.
"Yes, old boy! I believe the two of you have been separated for far too long."
"Your men killed my mother!"
"Oh, is that right?"
"What is this... some sick joke?"
"I'm not the one playing games, Ethan. I just want what I want."
"No!" Ethan rejected, staring at the bottle.
"No?" Leo said puzzled. "No what? No, you don't want to know more about you're mother's whereabouts... or no, like hell... I already know where's she's been this whole time?"
Ethan's eyes burned. He clenched his jaw as he lowered his head.
"No."
Leo lifted Ethan's head up and smacked his cheek repeatedly.
"Hey... hey, look at me! I can safely say she's not in any danger... well, at least not now from me, anyway. But you see... here is where the plot boils over. This bomb thing I've got on me here... I will blow my fucking brains out all over that cunt bitch if you don't do as I say." He paused, smiling at the floor. "I want you to know I'm serious, Ethan..." He patted Ethan's shoulder. "By the way, a wonderful woman she is."
Damien stopped crying. Leo grabbed a spoon from a drawer and held it to Damien's mouth.
"Still breathing," he uttered. He dropped the spoon on the table.
"I can easily give you her location or I can just give yours away to Hunter. Either way, I'm getting what I want. But hell, I figure... this way would be better. A win-win for the both of us."
Ethan looked at the bottle.
"The boy will be in good hands," Leo smirked. "A Kindle water for him and the old man and voila, good as new!"
Ethan shook his head then held the canteen of Kindle in his hands.
"I have a question for you?" he asked.
"Go ahead... hit me with it!"
"What's my mother's name?"
Leo and the gunman looked at each other as they broke out in laughter. "Oh, Kali Ma! My boy, you've have got a lot to learn."
Leo took another canteen of Kindle from the gunmen's belt and pressed it against Damien's lips. Suddenly, Leo stopped laughing.
“You really don’t have a clue, son, do you?” he continued. “Well, rest assured my friend, Sophia is fine.”
She's alive! After all this time... Dr. Belmont, did you know? You said she was dead... that Chaos killed her in the fire. You forced me to join Apex.
"What do you know about my father?"
As the gunman and Leo sat Carlos up against the front of the bottom cabinets, Leo looked up at Ethan. "To that, I can't say I know anything."
Why would you lie, Doc?
Ethan picked up the canteen, pressed it to his lips and took a swig. Overcome with drowsiness, he banged his head on the table and passed out.
Mother...
HUNTSMEN
Sprout
Near the edge of the Abyss, Ethan and Angela reached their destination. As they knelt upon the rocky terrain, Ethan pulled out a hand trowel from his jacket. Digging a hole below the rocky surface, he continued to dig until he found dirt. He put his hand in the hole and felt around inside. Moist and cold, he thought. Taking his hand out, Ethan continued to dig.
"Thanks for inviting me out here-"
"You invited yourself..." Ethan replied. "You found me while I was heading out the door." He looked into her brown eyes and smiled. "Lucky for you, I was too impatient to stop you."
Angela hit him on his shoulder and smiled.
"That was nice what you did for your mother, Grim... she would have been proud of you."
Sweat dripped from Ethan's eyebrow, falling deep into the man-made hole.
"Me and my mother, we had our problems, but..." Ethan paused, hesitating to continue his thought. Glancing around the vast canyon, he let the next following words escape his mind then continued. "I remember growing up with her... she would always have these flowers around in her shop. She called them her special bouquet. I don't remember much else about them, except that Dr. Belmont wanted them.
Angela touched his hand.
"You may not believe so, but you did an invaluable service to me by working with the doctor. You've saved my life."
Ethan nodded his head still digging his hole.
"Cheer up, Grim... plenty of people feel the same way. My mom is actually quite fond of you."
Pulling back another small layer of dirt, Ethan signaled for Angela to press the seeds in.
"You know I'm doing all the work here, right?" he uttered, passing the trowel to Angela. She took the tool and started to fill the hole with dirt.
"Well, tell your mom," Ethan continued. "It's not me she should be fond of... she should be worried about that husband of yours."
As Ethan stood up, Angela dropped the trowel. His eyes widen as she slowly took off her sunglasses. Noticing a small purple and blue bruise below her left eye, Ethan knelt back down.
"Is that from Hunter?" he uttered.
Angela rose to her feet. Dropping the trowel next to Ethan, she proceeded to walk back towards the bike. Ethan immediately stood up. "Why do you keep letting him do this?"
Angela turned around.
"I left Advent with you, right... just leave it at that."
Ethan approached her. He guided his hand down her bruised face. "You're nobody's punching bag," he uttered. She touched his hand.
"He's not you, Ethan... but he's my husband."
She put her glasses back on and continued walking towards the motorcycle.
"I am who I am, Ethan," she continued as she walked away. "I'm the daughter of Hera and I'm married to the richest family in New Gate. Wit
hout those resources, the disease we both share would have killed us both."
"Then why come all the way out here with me?" he yelled back.
Angela stopped.
"I'm pregnant," she uttered.
Looking at her lips move, Ethan noticed she said something. "What?" he yelled.
She turned around again.
"I'm pregnant!" she screamed back.
Hopping on Ethan's bike, Angela fixed her hair in the mirror.
"You're gonna hurry up and bring me back home or do I have to wreck this thing of yours?"
Ethan ran towards her. He jumped in the front of the bike and started the engine.
"You're pregnant, huh?" he smiled. "Have you told Hunter yet?"
"I was hoping too... I don't know. I just thought this would be the piece that would make us whole again. He didn't believe I could carry, and his father is always on him about 'their' legacy... but when I saw him, together again with another woman. We fought...." Touching her face, she continued. "That's when this happened."
Ethan turned off the engine.
"I knew I made a bad decision,” she uttered, sighing with frustration. “Everybody knows that we're not in love. It's my duty to be his wife. All this time being wasted... just to make other people happy."
She wrapped her arms around Ethan and dropped her head on his shoulder.
"I should listen to my heart more. I've denied myself falling for too long."
Ethan remained silent.
"Nothing to say, Grim! I know how you feel about me... You had those feelings for a long time, now. When I was nine and Dr. Belmont introduced us, I saw a kindness in you that was different from everyone else. You came into my room, held my hand as I was sick, and grimaced your face. Oh, it made me laugh so hard."
Ethan turned around. He peeled away the shades that hid Angela’s face and gazed into her dark brown eyes. Angela’s smile crept from the side of her mouth.
“This baby...” she spoke, lingering on to her own words, “...I want it to have your legacy-”
"You should tell Hunter," Ethan interrupted.
"No!" Angela cried out. "So his family can acquire my family's power through lineage. I'm not letting me or my child be a pawn to them anymore. Hunter can cheat all he wants but cheating my baby will never happen."
Ethan turned around and started the engine.
"If you want this to be between us..." Ethan replied. "Just promise me-"
"Promise me..." Angela interrupted. "That you will protect me. Even if it's from myself, Ethan. I don't want you fighting my battles. I just want you to be there for me when I need you..." Angela put Ethan's hand on her stomach. "For us!"
Bait
While staring at the photograph of Angela, Ethan looked up and noticed Leo staring back at him from the rearview mirror.
"Memories..." Leo uttered. "Precious aren’t they."
Ethan looked away. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and put the picture back into his coat pocket.
"I have memories I hold dear, too..." Leo continued. "My wife Neoma, my daughter Jubilee-"
"So you want me to believe that a superior race of titans waged war over a meaningless piece of stone?" Ethan injected. "It doesn't seem the kind of thing I should be handing over to you."
Leo smirked.
"That war destroyed this planet, eradicated all life. It may be hard to imagine, but we're not alone in the universe."
Ethan looked over at Carlos. The old man stared out the window as he held on to his grandson. Damien held on to his left arm in a makeshift bandage.
"The first disaster was a great flood. It purified the world. Those worthy of my wife's sacrifice were promised everlasting life and were reborn as the Awoken. The humans made a covenant with the Titan mother, Gaia. The second disaster happened during a war among those titans.
"Titans?" Ethan exclaimed, still rejecting the idea.
"Pangaea exploded in an inferno of fire and rage. On that same night, I was possessed by one. I can still feel it’s soul tormenting me. That day, I returned to my home... but it was too late. I was surrounded by demons."
"Shadows?" Ethan inquired, recollecting his last mission with Apex.
"Yes..." Leo replied. "Among other things. I assume you've encountered one."
"A few..." Ethan said. "In the Abyss."
"Are you fools listening to yourself!" Carlos exclaimed. "Titans, demons and shadows... have you boys been drinking that Micheal Blind."
"Carlos..." Ethan hollered. "I've seen the shadows... they're real."
Ethan noticed the device still bounded around Leo's neck.
"If what you say about Pangaea is true... why are the shadows here now? Where are the Titans?"
"Many rumors have circulated around the Abyss," Leo laughed. "A few members of Chaos have their suspicions on what may lurk. I assume you've met Christian Shade, he called himself 'The Gatherer'."
Ethan shook his head.
"I'm guessing he gathered orphan boys," Ethan recalled.
"He's a serial killer and a rapist... a real nut job."
Ethan turned towards Carlos as he held Damien.
"The dumb son of a bitch..." Leo resumed, "...thought sacrificing young boys would give him eternal life."
"Didn't you say Gaia gave the Awoken immortality?"
"For their souls, yes! The Awoken have the ability to remember events, secrets from their past life. But I... I just so have happened to been given much more."
"Is Christian an Awoken?"
"He's just another guy that found some book," Leo concluded.
Looking out the window, the thought of his fallen squad members crept in Ethan's mind. He held tight on to his dog tag.
"Does the orb contain those demons," he asked.
"Probably... I don't know,"
"Have you thought about how we're going to get it away from the girl?" the driver mumbled.
Ethan and Leo both glanced at the driver.
"What girl?"
"Relax, Ethan... I have everything covered. Don't you want to be a hero again and save the world!"
Ethan stared at the device around Leo's neck.
"I just want to find my mother?"
"In due time, my boy. Get me what I need, and a mother will reunite with her son as promised."
"What exactly is your plan? You don't expect me to just walk right back into New Gate?"
"I've got a guy on the inside. Just in case things get hairy at the gate, he'll be my trump card."
"What are we up against?"
"The security outpost is heavily guarded with Apex soldiers patrolling with scanbots. My guy will deactivate the scan-bots to allow access to you three, undetected. By the way, Ethan... he's also your rendezvous for securing the orb. You can reach him on the 99th floor, research level."
"Who is he?"
"He's my brother... Bernard."
Leo reached in the middle console and passed a white mask to Ethan.
"We're approaching the checkpoint now. Here, put this on."
Ethan grabbed the mask.
"I don't get a radical name like Demon Slayer or Forsaken!"
Leo shook his head. "The mask is a tool, Ethan."
Passing a mask to Damien, Leo smiled as Carlos snatched it from him. Taking out another one, Leo threw it over his shoulder at Carlos.
"A mask can be used in many ways. You can disguise yourself, create yourself, or my favorite..." Picking up his mask, Leo covered his face. The word ‘Elohim’ laid hand etched on the top of the mask. "Put fear into those around you."
"They're integrated with an identification sensor from the Apex database. It's how Hunter keeps tabs on the crew," uttered the driver.
Ethan continued securing his headpiece. "Good to know Hunter's doing something right."
Carlos held Damien. Ethan assisted the kid with putting on his mask. The old man shook his head.
"You know..." Ethan uttered. "I could just kill you now... be done with this whole thing."
<
br /> Leo and the driver looked at each other. They both laughed.
"Why don't you, Ethan? You have the advantage. Shoot your shot!"
Ethan remained silent.
"I see... all you cowboys are the same. Don't insult me with tough talk. We both know the moment you move out that seat, your friends back there are dead. Bomb... remember?"
Turning his head, Leo looked out the window. Ethan could see the reflection of Leo's collar.
"Look alive boys, we're here! Carlos... put on the damn mask."
***
As their truck stopped at an outpost near the main entrance to New Gate, two Apex soldier flanked each side of the five truck convoy. With mirrors extended towards the undercarriage of their vehicles, both soldiers held military-grade assault rifles and were accompanied by two remote-controlled scanbots. A third soldier (stationed in the outpost booth) controlled the gate. Two snipers held their positions ready at the top of the structure.
The first three trucks of the convoy passed through the checkpoint. Opening the massive gate for entry, the guard in the control booth allowed them access into the city. As the next truck began to drive through, a crimson glow emitted from a scan-bot, alerting the patrolmen to the vehicle.
Signaling for the gate to be closed, patrolmen rushed towards the vehicle ahead and started beating on the driver's side window. They drew their weapons and opened the door.
Both men threw the driver on the ground while two more guards dealt with the passengers. With rifles erected at their faces, the supervisor to the gate approached the group. He took off the driver's mask and punched him in the face. The other two patrolmen did the same as they blunted the two passengers in their heads.
"Arrest them," the supervisor hollered.
Walking towards Leo's truck, the supervisor glared in Ethan's direction. Directing his patrolman, the supervisor commanded his men to scan the last truck.
"Everything ok, sir?" Leo smiled as the officer approached his vehicle.
"All clear sir!" A patrolman confirmed, completing his search.
The supervisor walked around the truck and approached the passenger side.
"Is there any reason you're transporting fugitives through my gate, Leo?"
Raising Sera- Lineage Page 6
