by T. C. Edge
“I doubt they will,” says Jackson. “The pattern so far has been clear. They coordinated the assassinations, and then regrouped. Now they’ve done the same, only on a far grander scale. I don’t even want to think about what they have lined up next. For now, though, we’re back into the calm before the next storm. And we need to take advantage of that.”
“He’s right, Velia,” says Vesuvia. “You’ll do much more good out there.”
“But I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know,” she says, her thumb wiping a growing tear from her sister’s eye. “But you have to. Get out there and kill the Baron for what he’s done to our people, to our father…to everyone.”
Velia begins nodding. “OK,” she says softly. “Just be safe, OK?”
Vesuvia smiles, and they hug again. “Always.”
For the next few hours, we rest and try to regain our energy. Outside, the world still moves around at a hectic pace as the dawn begins to rise, a red glow joining the blood that covers the streets. All across the country, the scene will be the same, the world alive to the threat that can seemingly come from anywhere and at any time.
I find it difficult to catch any sleep at all, and I know that it will be the same for everyone from now on. How can you rest, even dare to shut your eyes for a moment, when you know that at any time a bomb might tear through your building, or a horde of mercenaries might pour into your town, mowing people down for no reason at all?
How can you take your children to school when you have to walk through a river of blood to get there? How can you go to work, knowing that your wife or husband or son or daughter now lie dead in the dirt? How can you go on when you fear that your own life, and the lives of those you love, can be stripped away so easily, and by an enemy you never even knew existed?
Soon, though, the spectre of Augustus Knight will begin to rise before the people once more. They’ll learn that all of this violence has been conducted in his name, led by a fanatic who sees him as a God, seen through by young men who carry his very genes. And those who recall the War of the Regions two decades ago, who lived through that terror, will now have to suffer the same fate again.
As we rest, however, the comforting sight of military forces will be appearing across the regions. Major towns and cities will have their defences erected. Regular people will picks up arms and prepare to defend themselves. The capitals of Eden and Petram will close their doors and display impenetrable armaments that no force can breach. Everywhere, fear will prime the senses, and bring forth the brave. The country has had its nose bloodied by a cheap shot. Now, though, its gloves are coming up.
My father remains busy for those hours of rest. He continues to coordinate with the various leaders of the nation and, more importantly, the military commanders from the major bases, primarily Fort Warden. Cyra, too, refuses to sit inside and do nothing. She spends her time out in the field hospital patching up minor wounds and using the limited medical knowledge she possesses to do what she can.
When Ajax and I ask to help, however, we’re told that we’d be much better served regaining our strength. Velia, too, is ordered to stay inside, remaining by her sister’s side as she sleeps. Only when dawn has fully come and gone and the world is bright and sunny outside does my father return and cast his eyes upon us.
“Have you spoken with Athena?” I ask hurriedly, sitting up.
“I have,” he says. “I have ordered her to gather whatever Watchers she can and meet us South of Knight’s Wall, twenty miles from The Titan’s Hand. I have arranged for some vehicles to be ready for when we land. We’ll be journeying the final stretch on the ground in order to remain undetected.”
He looks at us, his eyes still alert despite being up all night.
“How are you all feeling?” he asks. “Have you slept?”
He sees a round of shaking heads.
“OK, I understand that it’s hard right now. But we all need to get some sleep before tonight…”
“You included, dad,” I say.
“Yes, I will try to find an hour or two later on. However, I’m used to not sleeping, Theo, and know I can function regardless. We need you all sharp, OK. Now we leave in a couple of hours. I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed. Please…get some sleep, all of you.”
He leaves the room, shutting out the sound from outside again. But still, it filters in from the distance, creating an endless jumble of different noises as the city continues to patch itself up. We do as he says, though, and try to get comfortable, blocking our ears off and calming our minds. Whether it works for the others, I can’t tell.
It doesn’t work for me.
Those two hours drag on, my mind and body feeling heavy and tired, but seemingly unwilling to shut down. Perhaps I’ll be able to unwind when we’re in the jet again, the low hum of the engines and soft sight of clouds a better tonic to help one drift off to sleep.
But right here, in this tortured city, with the scent of pain and blood everywhere, I know I’ll get no rest. So against my father’s orders, I stand and creep outside, leaving the others there, their eyes now shut and bodies at rest. I walk into the bright sunlight and see the devastation before me in full view for the first time.
Still, even now, buildings smoke and embers burn and people continue to cry and wail as they sift through the rubble, searching the dead for those they love. The scale of it is staggering, the Baron’s forces doing such damage in such a short burst of time. And it’s not just here. In New Atlantis and Piscator and all down the coast and through the regions, dozens of other places will be suffering to a greater or lesser degree.
I wander back towards the field hospital, and the smell of decay quickly reaches my nose. Within the rabble, I spy my mother, blood soaked up to her elbows and sprayed across her black bodysuit, flecks of red dotting her cheeks and blonde hair. She won’t stop working until she has to, until she’s depleted the aid she can provide or is dragged away on an even more important task.
But I can tell that her presence is uplifting for the people. Any time someone lays eyes on her for the first time, they stare for a moment in wonder, amazed to see Cyra Drayton among them, helping them, drawn out of retirement once again.
They look at her and think: she did it before, and she can do it again.
As long as she’s around, and other heroes remain, they will always have hope. And though they don’t yet know me, or Ajax, or the twins as they do my parents and Ajax’s parents and Athena, I know that soon they will.
Because together our generations will unite.
And together, we will destroy Knight’s legacy.
25
Preparations
Before morning has turned to afternoon, we find ourselves gathering once more on a military jet, ready to be shipped out of the city and towards the westernmost edge of the regions.
To my great relief, we don’t climb aboard the same aircraft that brought us out here, with the basic interior lined with benches. Instead, Jackson has sensibly opted for a more comfortable and less conspicuous jet, more like those we have been travelling in up until now on our trips to Petram and Eden.
We climb in and I move straight for the rear with Ajax and Velia, all three of us finding pairs of chairs to ourselves against the windows. Despite the fact that I haven’t slept and they have, they appear even drowsier that I am, having just been woken from an all too brief slumber. Immediately, they settle into their respective seats and begin to drop off again.
My mind, meanwhile, is still fairly active. Ahead, my parents talk with the pilot, giving him his instructions. And on the plane, too, are about a dozen of my father’s most potent soldiers, men drawn from his strike force and tasked with offering us support. Before we boarded, they’d set about filling the storage compartments of the plane with various weapons and armaments. As far as I know it, they’re going to create a cordon around the entrance to the base and make sure that no one is able to escape.
Athena, meanwhile, has reported in, telling us that
she’s currently en route and will be there waiting for us when we arrive. I haven’t yet heard how many Watchers she’ll have with her, but I can only assume that she’ll have all that Petram can spare.
The thought excites me as we lift off, making it even harder for my mind to shut down and let me sleep. I just wish that we had Link and Drake with us too. I can only imagine what it would be like to witness the two of them, plus my mother and Athena, do battle with the four Seekers.
Of course, we don’t have Link and Drake, but we do have Ajax and Velia and me, as well as those that Athena has trained. Whether that will be enough is anyone’s guess. At the moment, none of us truly know how strong these Seekers are.
So far, the evidence is limited. We’ve seen one do battle with Link in the woods, and while the exchange was brief, they looked fairly even. Then again, from that distance, most Watchers would be able to avoid the incoming bullets they were sending at each other. I didn’t know it then, but now I do; it wasn’t a good indicator of strength.
We’ve heard Knight’s Terror speak of these boys as if they’re truly something special, especially one. Coming from a man who, for the most part, happily dealt with all four of us down in that training room, that’s quite the compliment.
And now, I’ve seen up close just how fast these clones are. Only last night, I faced off with one and came up short, unable to inflict even the mildest of damage on him. Had the others not come running, he might have ended me right and there.
I hate the thought. Hate the idea that this boy has been bred for this very purpose and dealt with me so easily. I know I lost focus when he killed that girl, and I know I attacked in a manic and uncontrolled fashion, but still…it aggrieves me that I was so impotent against him.
I drift away into the recesses of my mind and stew on that thought for a while. Soon enough, my thoughts are tumbling elsewhere, sending me down a spiral as my eyes close and my brain begins to finally shut down. I blink and stare out at the fluffy white clouds, and let the hum of the engine vibrate through me, drifting off with a thought that I was quite right about this particular tonic.
So busy is my mind behind my closed eyes, however, that I keep waking at various intervals, before drifting off again. Each time I wake, I look to the side and see that Ajax, and Velia sitting ahead of him, remain in the same position. My parents, on the other hand, appear to be spending most of their time discussing their plans, sometimes alone, sometimes with the soldiers, and occasionally I wake to find them up in the cockpit, speaking on the radio. I don’t know who they’re talking to, but imagine it’s probably Athena.
A couple of hours pass by in that fashion, my sleep broken so frequently that I hardly feel I get a stretch of more than five minutes without interruption. And before I know it, Jackson is addressing the entire group as the sun continues to slip across the sky, indicating that the afternoon is getting into full swing.
“We’ll be landing in about 30 minutes,” he tells us, his voice loud enough to bring Ajax and Velia out of their slumber. “If any of you are still tired, we will have an opportunity to rest once we hit the ground. Should we locate the base at the expected location, we will spend time scouting it first, and will not consider making a move until nightfall.”
Nightfall, I know, won’t be for at least another five or six hours, and even then I assume that Jackson will want to wait a little longer before making his move. The news is welcome, given my current state of mental alertness. Strangely, I felt a lot better before I dropped of at all. After teasing my body with the odd bout of stolen sleep, it’s grown hungry a whole lot more.
Once more, I find my mind shutting down after my father’s announcement, only waking when the shift of the plane is noticeable enough to toss me from my dreams. I open my eyes and see that the ground is much closer now, the stretch of earth known as no man’s land spread out before us. And there, waiting on the outskirts of an old abandoned town, I see the sight of two cars and a large truck parked in the dirt. And around it, stand at least a dozen figures.
We drop fast now, performing the standard vertical landing, anyone still sleeping thrust straight back to the land of the living by the sudden jolt as we hit the earth. When the doors open, the humid air flows in, bringing with it a swirl of dust. I achingly stand to my feet and move to the exit, and there, standing right outside the plane, see my mentor.
“I hear those telescopic goggles came in handy,” she says with a knowing smile.
I step off and give her a brief hug, as my parents descend and do the same. Behind us, Ajax and Velia come out rubbing their eyes and blinking at the sudden bright light.
Athena scans our rabble, clearly noting the weariness in our eyes.
“Are you sure you’re all ready for this?” she asks.
“We’ll be ready,” says Jackson firmly. “How many Watchers do you have?”
“There are thirteen,” she says. “The same six chucked out of Eden, and another seven who I’ve been working with.”
I look behind, and see them all standing around by the trucks and cars, far enough away for our words to be out of reach.
“How strong are they?” asks Cyra.
“They’re all good soldiers,” says Athena. “A couple are more gifted than the others, but all will do a job, and all are loyal.”
“Good,” says Jackson. “Now let’s get moving.”
His own strike force step off the plane, and immediately begin unpacking their weaponry and transferring it over to the truck. It’s clear that these guys are incredibly well equipped, loaded with the most high tech weaponry Eden currently has going. Thankfully, they’ve brought plenty for everyone, and Athena’s Watchers are quickly provided with the most powerful automatic rifles available, as well as some stronger and more durable body armour than they’re currently wearing.
Once the truck has been loaded with weapons and people, the little convoy begins grinding along an old broken road leading away from the ruins of the town. In the truck, my father’s strike force gets an opportunity to bond with the Watchers. The jeeps, meanwhile, are populated with the rest of us from the plane, as well as Athena. I sit in the front car with Jackson and Velia. Behind, Athena drives with Cyra and Ajax.
I watch the world pass by as we go, these lands once more different to what I’ve experienced so far. They’re dusty and plain, and yet not as stark as the Deadlands. Here and there, old relics of towns and cities dot the horizon, remnants of a world from many decades ago when the rebels and the regions fought for supremacy. Ever since, these lands have been known as no man’s land, unsettled by anyone, and with the more flourishing regions to the East, and the Deadlands to the West.
Knight’s Wall, of course, was the dividing line, once visible from many miles away as one approached it from either side. Now, however, the vast majority of it has been dismantled, leaving an open run for anyone wishing to travel from one side of the country to the other. Only the natural barriers of the earth now create a need for anyone to deviate their path, craggy peaks and ranges of mountains and impassable hills appearing in the distance as we go.
One such formation, however, is quick to catch the eye. As we roll through a valley, peppered with old trees and withered shrubbery, the sight of five colossal peaks come into view ahead, the thumb and four fingers of The Titan’s Hand reaching out from the earth, hundreds of metres into the sky. I give a sleeping Velia a nudge, lifting her from her dreams, and draw her eyes to the peaks. She spends the next few moments as I do, staring at them in wonder.
Soon, however, we’re slowing once again, my dad guiding the convoy into an area of rocks that tower above us on all sides. Hidden from the sun, we move in and come to a halt, still half a mile or more from the base of the thumb.
Outside of the cars, we all gather in the shade of the peaks above us, the air close in this little canyon. Jackson addresses us, going over the brief once more. His directives are primarily aimed at his own strike force, trained as they are in scouting and gatheri
ng intel. The rest of us are trained for another purpose, and will get to do our part later on.
Right now, however, Ajax, Velia and I are issued with the order to stay in the canyon and get some more rest. None of us have much argument about that. We search for a quiet spot beneath some overhanging rocks, the constant shade making the air cool enough to be comfortable. We take up our positions and set about getting some more sleep as the others go to work.
I watch for a little while as my father and his strike force prepare themselves for a recce, before silently moving off in formation towards The Titan’s Hand. The rest are, like us, tasked with doing little but waiting, giving Cyra a chance to recover from the gruelling exertions of the last twenty four hours.
And in that quiet space, I slowly drift off to sleep once more.
Unlike on the flight, however, this time I don’t wake for an extended period, my ears pricking up to the sound of my father and his team returning several hours later. With a flutter of the eyelids, I look upon them and notice that their numbers are now depleted, several of them having not returned.
My initial thought is that they must have been caught in a firefight. I stand, my head feeling less heavy and body refreshed, and rush over to them.
“What happened?” I ask, looking around. “Where are the others?”
“We left a few of them out there at lookout points,” says Jackson, unwrapping himself from his body armour. He lays his bionic hand on my shoulder and smiles. “You were right, son. There are armed men there. It looks like the place…”
My eyes light up. “Are you sure?!”
“It’s a base of some kind, that’s for certain. However, we don’t know who’s down there. Our thermal imaging equipment could only penetrate so deep, and picked up several bodies around the entrance and on the upper level. We did, however, see the same insignia as the mercenaries were wearing on their uniforms above the entrance. The Baron is hardly being subtle.”
