by J Gaines
Amias got up and took a deep breath. He saw Virgil in his mind and heard his words. You must learn control. He closed his eyes and shut out the now angry voices of Jasmine and Max, concentrating on his breathing and searching for the strength he needed: the strength he’d found before. Slowly the pain subsided, and he let out a long slow breath, feeling his flow return. A final image flashed into his mind, startling him: the heart again, still beating strongly. His eyes flicked open.
“I’m ready.”
Max and Jasmine stopped arguing and exchanged anxious looks.
“Max, let’s go.”
Max turned and led them across deep mud, which sucked and pulled at their ankles as torrents of water careered towards them from an unknown source. Amias felt Jasmine clasp his arm and allowed her to guide him, suspecting it was as much to keep her balance as help with his. Her touch reignited the yearning he felt for her.
“This is it.” Max pulled at some branches, freeing them and revealing a large metal grate. “It’s a storm drain for Kaden’s compound. It leads into the heart of his buildings. The problem is, it’s only big enough for us to crawl through one at a time, and in this weather, it’s going to get pretty hairy in there. It’s about a mile of concrete pipe, but we can’t go in a straight line.” He turned to Amias. “Can you do it?”
Amias nodded, freeing himself of Jasmine’s grip. “I’ll make it.”
“Good.” Max turned his attention to the grate, grasping it and testing its strength. He finally decided on a place to rest his hands, and Amias saw his knuckles whiten as he gripped the wet metal tightly. Rushing water from the drain collided with him, and he lowered his chin and growled as the metal hinges creaked. His large, muscular shoulders trembled as he wrestled with the rigid barrier, until finally he unleashed a cry of exertion and pulled the grate from its hinges. He threw it aside and turned to Amias. “Let’s go.”
Max went into the darkness first, followed by Jasmine. As Amias climbed into the pipe he found there was barely enough room to crawl, and the water cascading into their faces made it difficult to breathe without raising their necks and heads. He remembered the test Virgil had given him and realised he hadn’t eliminated his claustrophobia in overcoming that challenge. Max was crawling as fast as he could, but his large frame was making it difficult to manoeuvre as quickly as he wanted to. Amias heard him curse loudly, and he began to wish they hadn’t let him go first. In the darkness of the pipe, he could only see Jasmine’s feet in front of him.
He used his forearms, elbows and knees to propel himself along and into the oncoming water, but with every movement his shoulder ached, and he could see a discoloured patch appearing over his wound through his already soaking wet t-shirt. Jasmine stopped, and he sensed her looking back at him; he was about to speak when a large surge of water smashed into his face. He spluttered and spat as he lifted his upper body to avoid the rest of the oncoming swell and felt a hand grab his. He and Jasmine waited until the water had subsided slightly, but when they turned to continue they could no longer see Max in front of them. They continued on for a few hundred metres as quickly as they could, hoping to see his feet appear ahead of them, before Jasmine stopped at an opening into three different pipes, all much larger than theirs. She dropped into a small passage filled with water, and helped drag Amias over the edge, treading water as he crashed into the water next to her. She shouted something to him but her voice was drowned out by the water that careered into them. He felt her grip slip away and he pulled himself to the other side of the passage, falling into the darkness as he struggled to find something to hold onto. Suddenly Jasmine arose from the water beside him.
“Where is he?” she shouted urgently. “Which pipe do we take?”
“I don’t know,” he screamed back, as water smashed into his face again, choking him. Jasmine shouted something, and then he felt her clasp his hand again and pull him towards the three pipes. He kicked and bobbed behind her as the water seemed to hit them all at once. They lost contact again, and Amias found himself fighting against the full force of the flood. His head dropped below the surface and he fought desperately to locate Jasmine again as his lungs began to feel as if they were going to burst. Suddenly he felt a hand in front of him once more, and he quickly grabbed hold of it. The hand and arm jerked backwards, and he was pulled through the water and into the small amount of air left in the passage. Max was inches from his face, smiling at him, before heaving him into the larger of the three pipes. Jasmine was also there and as Amias coughed up the water he’d swallowed, Max slapped him on the back.
“Where did you guys go?”
Jasmine eyed him suspiciously. “You might think that the most important thing to focus on whilst you’re leading us through this rat-run is to make sure we’re with you?”
Max turned to her angrily, losing his jovial demeanour for a second before quickly regaining his self-control. “I said it would be hairy. Try to keep up in this one; there are a lot more pipes adjoining it. If you take a wrong turn, we might not find you again.” There was a threatening tone in his voice, and Amias stepped in.
“How much further?”
“Not long now.” Max squeezed past Jasmine and hurried along the pipe.
Amias found he could almost stand in this pipe, and although the water still flowed through it at an alarming rate, it only reached his knees. Now he followed Max, feeling it was probably better that he travelled between them, and Jasmine was happy to take her position at their rear. He’d noticed a change in Max since they’d reached Kaden’s facility. His humour and usually calm manner now seemed to mask a simmering tension. He sensed that Jasmine had noticed it as well.
Their progress was much quicker in this pipeline, and although it twisted and turned, Amias got the feeling they were getting closer to their destination. He watched Max from behind and could see he was concentrating hard on their route. He was always counting as he passed openings to other passages and pipes, sometimes stopping as if he were unsure, and then seeming to remember and exploding into a run to the next turning. They reached a fork in the pipeline and Max stopped, peering down both outlets.
“How long has it been since you last came through these pipes?”
He looked at Amias distractedly. “I was with Andre, and it was about a year ago.”
“Andre?” Jasmine asked the question Amias was about to.
“One of Kaden’s captains wanted out. He knew what the cost of that would be, and he decided he’d rather try and escape… and live. Andre and I followed him through here. He’d made it to the grate when we caught him… and now he’s part of Andre’s hunting necklace.”
“Are there others who may turn against him?” Amias asked hopefully.
Max was silent for a few moments, and Amias was unsure if he’d heard his question, before he turned to him. Water ran down his forehead and glistened on his shaven head. “If you’re hoping we’re going to have any help in there, you can forget it. There’s nobody in their right mind who’ll help us.”
“You are?” replied Amias.
Max laughed. “I said nobody in their right mind.” He turned and suddenly seemed to decide which pipe to take. “Come on, we don’t have long.”
They made their way as quickly as possible behind Max, who now appeared to be in no doubt of their route. He raced ahead of them and stopped at a concrete wall with metal rungs running up it. Peering upwards, Amias saw that they ran above them for about thirty feet, and then stopped.
“This is it. We need to climb up and wait for Sophia’s diversion, then we’ll make our way through the manhole cover. With luck, there’ll be nobody up there when we come through. If we make it out, then we’re in Kaden’s grounds. We’ll need to fight our way to him and hope he’s home.” Max began to climb, and Amias and Jasmine followed. When they reached the manhole cover, he looped his arm through the final rung and checked his watch. “Not lo
ng now.” As he finished his sentence, they heard an explosion and the wall on which they were balanced shook slightly. “They’re early.” He looked down at Amias with a worried look before arching his back and pushing against the large manhole cover; it creaked and lifted a few inches. He closed his eyes and growled as he pushed harder, and the cover lifted and flipped backwards. Max instantly leapt from the metal rungs and disappeared into the night. Amias took a breath, readying himself before he climbed the last few rungs, using the last one as a platform to propel himself out of the pipe and after Max. It was still raining, and as he crouched on the wet concrete, another explosion lit up the night. The ground trembled, and as he looked around him, he saw they were in a courtyard, which was surrounded by large four-wheel drive vehicles. He pulled his sword as Max joined him.
“Something’s wrong.” He held his rifle close to his cheek and glanced around nervously.
Jasmine dropped down nimbly beside them as another blast came, shooting a huge blanket of flame into the darkness. “It doesn’t matter, we have the diversion we need. Where do we go now?” Max didn’t answer, as gunfire erupted from the direction of the flames. “Max!” Jasmine grabbed him by his coat and he looked at her, his eyes wide with a fear that Amias had never seen him show. She turned to Amias and he saw a desperate urgency in her face. “It’s a trap. He’s betrayed us.”
As she finished her last word, Amias saw her body silhouetted against a flash of light and he was hit by a force that carried him off his feet and pushed him backwards. His back and head collided with one of the vehicles behind him, and the impact almost knocked him unconscious. He rolled onto his knees and placed his hand on the dented door to steady himself. Max was a few feet away, and not moving, but he couldn’t see Jasmine as he tried desperately to clear his head and concentrate on what had happened. Two of the cars were on fire, and he pulled himself over to Max. There was a high-pitched whistling in his ears, and he couldn’t hear the words he spoke. He shook Max, and then lifted him into a sitting position as he opened his eyes. Gradually the whistling subsided, and he heard the gunfire again. Max had a large cut above his eye, and blood was running down across his face. He looked at Amias and mumbled something, and then focussed on something behind him. Amias turned; an armed security force surrounded them. He turned back to Max as one of the men shouted at them to drop their weapons. Max turned away from him and closed his eyes.
Chapter 28
Amias stood up and turned around slowly. He dropped his sword and the handgun Sophia had given him, but left the knife his mother had given him hidden under his jeans, before painfully raising his hands into the air and placing them on his head. Max did the same, as the order to drop their weapons was repeated. Each of the security force had their rifles pointed at them, and Amias counted ten of them whilst assessing their slim chances of escape. He turned to see Max still had his hands in the air, but he seemed oblivious to the armed guards; instead, he looked forlornly back at Amias.
One of the guards shouted at them to start walking and pointed towards a large building nearby constructed from glass and steel. As Amias and Max slowly made their way towards the futuristic-looking structure with their hands on their heads, the guard picked up Amias’s sword and followed. Amias glanced at Max again, who kept his eyes focussed on the entrance they were being ushered towards. They only had a short period of time before they were inside the doors, and Amias searched desperately for a sign of Jasmine, expecting that at any moment she might offer them a means of escape. He could still hear gunfire and thought of Sophia and the others. Nothing had gone according to their plan, and he knew that if they were involved in a gun fight, they wouldn’t have long before they were captured or killed.
The guards shouted at them to move more quickly; they kept their distance from their prisoners, and were careful to avoid any physical contact. Smart. They are well trained. He glanced around as they approached the building: it was the last opportunity Jasmine would have to help them before they entered the doors. The last thing he heard was another explosion before they were led into a large room that reminded him of a hospital reception. People in white coats rushed past them, seemingly oblivious to the fighting outside, and ignoring the armed guards. They entered a corridor with large windows on both sides, and Amias noticed it was reinforced glass. Through the windows he could see lawns leading to other buildings similar to the one they were in. He saw more of Kaden’s security forces running in the direction they’d just come from.
They continued on down the long corridor until they reached a large pair of doors. The guards then ordered them to stop, and two of them carefully went round Max and opened the doors. As they walked through, Amias realised they were in what looked like a gigantic research centre. Row upon row of empty white tables and desks with varying equipment ringed a large circular room, which was also walled with what looked like reinforced glass. As he took in his surroundings, he noticed a huge storage tank next to the glass room. They approached the glass room, and he saw a long table with two people seated at the far end. They didn’t turn or acknowledge the approaching group, and even before he felt the familiar pain in his head he recognised who they were. The two guards stopped at a door and waited until a light above it turned green. The door then slid slowly to the side and allowed them to pass through.
Kaden watched as they advanced towards the table which was in the centre of the room, and he placed his hand on something on the table before standing. He was dressed in dark suit, and he stroked his tie as he studied them for a few moments, before nodding at the guards. One of them approached the table and placed Amias’s sword on it, before lowering his weapon and retreating back to the perimeter of the room with the others.
“You can remove your hands from your heads now.” Kaden smiled as he watched them slowly lowering their hands, his black eyes flashing as if something amused him. Max looked through the windows and into the room they’d just walked through. “Don’t worry, Max, you’re quite safe in here. This room is secured, and the glass is strong enough to deflect a missile.” He walked to it and tapped it lightly. “I must say, I’m surprised to see you so soon, but then you never have been one to hang around, Amias. Especially when you have an opportunity to be led into my home by a guide as worthy as your new recruit.” He approached Max and stopped a few feet away from him. “Hello, old friend.”
Max got up silently, looking at Kaden for a few moments before turning to Amias. “I’m sorry.” Amias clenched his jaw as Kaden laughed, his thoughts returning to the last words Jasmine had spoken to him before they were separated. He watched Max as he lowered his head and saw him clench his hands into tight fists. Suddenly, he leapt at Kaden, throwing a punch that Kaden avoided before launching into a combination of kicks. The guards raised their weapons, but Kaden held up his hand as he expertly dodged each attack. Finally, as Max was about to throw another punch, Kaden threw the palms of both hands into his chest; there was a loud crunch and Max was sent hurtling through the air, landing at least twenty feet from where Kaden now waited. He reeled in agony on the floor, trying to catch his breath. Amias took a step towards him.
“Stop, Amias.” The guards raised their weapons again and targeted him. He stopped and turned as Kaden approached him.
“He didn’t betray you, if that’s what you’re wondering. At least not intentionally. He was, however, as stupid as we thought he’d be. And we’ve tracked your progress most of the way here.” He looked Amias up and down with his keen eyes. “So it was you that Andre shot.”
Andre, who was still seated, laughed cruelly. “I told you, boss. I knew it was him.” He turned to Amias. “Good shot, heh?”
Kaden smiled coldly and looked deep into Amias’s eyes. “You were stupid to come here, injured and with your rag-tag bunch of fighters. What did you hope to achieve?” He picked up the sword from the table and unsheathed it slowly. He looked at the blade, raising an eyebrow as it glistened in the
light. “Where did you get this?” Amias didn’t answer, watching as Kaden examined the blade. “This is an almost identical blade to Virgil’s.” He turned and placed the point on Amias’s throat. “It’s a Mashima blade, I’d know his craftsmanship anywhere.” As Amias looked back at him defiantly, he sensed his anger. Kaden held the sword for a few moments before sheathing it quickly. “No matter, it’s a fine blade to add to my collection.” He nodded towards a mounted sword on a cabinet nearby and Amias recognised Virgil’s sword. “I promise it’ll be the one I’ll use to cut your head from your shoulders when the time arrives. But first, we’ll talk. I see you’ve brought another friend of mine back to see me. I must say, even I was surprised to hear she was alive. How she survived a fall like that is really amazing. But what a cruel twist of fate… she doesn’t remember you?” Amias did his best to hide his surprise at Kaden’s insights. “Would you like to watch me finish the job?”
“If you’d captured her, she’d be here already,” replied Amias calmly.
“Ah, he speaks. Tell me, Amias, were you honest with your friends when you brought them here. Did you tell Jasmine, at least, that you knew they would all die here today?”
“You underestimate them, Kaden.”
Kaden laughed cruelly. “And your faith in them is misplaced.” He walked closer to him. “Were you pleased to see Jasmine when she returned to you, or did you view her with the same hatred that you do me? After all, she was as responsible for Blaise’s death as I was.” Amias stiffened at the sound of Blaise’s name, and Kaden laughed again. “Are you still not over him? He betrayed you, and now you know he wasn’t even your brother.” His eyes suddenly flashed with anger. “I’m your brother, we have the same blood running through our veins.” He held up his forearm; his fist was clenched tightly, and his face twisted in anger. Amias watched as he quickly regained his composure, turning away and placing their mother’s sword carefully on the table. He took a deep breath. “As the theme of today seems to be reunions, let me reunite you with another old friend.” He pushed a button on the desk, and the doors to the room slid open.
