by Elle Scott
‘Is that a door, or a wall that opens?’ Eli jokes, becoming excited, ‘this is pretty mad!’
The strong and solid door sits open about a metre, giving us unrestricted access to its internal space. We all step forward together with vigilance, intrigued and alarmed at the same time. The walls are chrome-like and reflective like a mirror. Eli, Miles and I squish our shoulders to peer in, but the walls only reflect me, I twist my head from side to side, and see no one. I scream and jump back bumping into Viv, who bumps into Ross.
‘Sorry,’ I laugh, ‘that was freaky!’
‘What?’ Xander asks.
‘Three of us leaned in and then they just disappeared beside me… did you see that too guys?’ I look at Miles and Eli.
‘Pretty trippy,’ Eli chortles.
‘We should all get in and see what it does!’ Miles suggests.
‘Are you insane Miles?’ Viv retorts, ‘We don't know the repercussions. Seriously. You were joking, right?’
‘No, I wasn't!’ he stands firm, his chin high. I've never seen him so serious.
Viv was right, he does know something. ‘NO ONE goes in!’ She runs in front of the door handle and starts pushing the door shut.
Miles steps towards her with his fists clenched beside his legs, he whispers in her ear. She pushes him away and hits something next to the handle before stepping sideways into the gap of the door, then into the cube, immediately vanishing.
‘VIV!’ I shout.
‘What are you doing?’ Xander calls.
‘Now we have to go in, right?’ Miles spins around, his face pale, his eyes darkened.
The door slowly closes with a thud.
‘Shit!’ Xander says turning to Miles with wild eyes. ‘What now?’
‘We should still go in,’ Miles persists, his hands in surrender.
‘Wait,’ Xander says to Miles. ‘You and I will go in and the rest will wait until they hear word from us. We don't know what this thing is. We don't know if it's transported Viv to god knows where. We need people here to be contactable.’
‘No!’ Miles says, before lowering his voice. ‘No. If you don't want all of us to go in, then I'll stay back here… take everyone else.’
‘I'm not going,’ Ross says. ‘I refuse to touch anything when I don't know exactly what it does!’
I look at Miles, he's shaking his head. I can see his mind ticking over. He tugs a hand through his hair, he's nervous. He glances at the soldiers. One of them is on the walkie, he motions to the others—they start to spread out, filtering away into the trees.
‘Eli! Are you coming with me?’ Xander asks.
‘Yeah man, I got your back.’
‘Nora, stay here!’ Xander commands.
‘No, she’s going in!’ Miles argues.
I feel his strong grasp on my arm, Miles brings his face nearer to mine. Close up, his blue and yellow marbled eyes show more than concern, they show fear.
‘Nora… Everyone,’ he says. ‘We have to go in, please—I can't tell you why, you need to trust me… it's not a portal, you’ll be safe, I promise.’
‘Okay,’ I smile with hesitation. ‘Alright, I’ll go.’
‘Not me,’ Ross says. ‘I will stay here and monitor. OK?’ He sits down behind his machines as though surrounding himself with metal rods and computer gizmos will protect him from the unknown.
Miles sighs. ‘Fine. You and I will stay,’ he looks at Xander. ‘Alright?”
Xander nods and then looks to me, his hand lifts up. I walk over to Ross and lower my camera beside him. He nods and gently places it in one of his backpacks.
‘What do you think that is?’ Eli points to a small keypad above the handle. Curiosity gets the better of him as he taps the green button. The keypad lights up, along with a computer screen the size of a phone. The screen reads, enter minutes. That must have been what Viv hit before she entered.
‘Oops,’ Eli says, although I'm not sure he cares that much.
‘Just leave it and open the door?’ Xander suggests.
‘Was that there when you opened the door before?’ I ask Miles as I stand next to Xander.
He shakes his head and bites his lip, worry is plastered all over his face.
Xander and Eli heave and an echoing clunk resounds from the door. The door opens itself.
‘Viv?’ Eli calls. He looks at Xander and shrugs.
‘Viv?’ I shout taking one step, two steps, a few steps away from the empty cube.
‘Here,’ Miles says keeping his eyes on me as he types on the keypad. ‘Put in 5. Hurry. Go.’
I take another step backwards, shaking my head at him. Maybe I won’t go in.
Xander turns to me and notices the locked stare—a silent appeal—between Miles and I, I can hear the strain in his voice. ‘You coming?’
‘I, uhh…’ Heat flushes my cheeks and they twitch with uncertainty, my gaze flits between Xander and Miles.
Xander holds his hand out again, his face relaxing into a tentative smile.
Miles eyes widen as his brows fall in on them. ‘Please,’ he mouths to me.
It seems the decision is already made for me. My legs feel as though they have weights on them as I drag my feet up to the colossal door alongside Xander and Eli. The door stands wide open and the ominous empty room waits patiently for us.
Three of us take a step into the room and suddenly I'm all alone. I'm alone with two other people, I cannot begin to explain how disarming this is. I'm standing in the middle of a large silver box, mirrors covering each wall. My heart is beating so fast—what am I doing? Something is not right. We shouldn't separate the team. I feel it from the top of my frizzed-up hair to the bottom of my aching toes. I turn and see the river bank, the trees climbing up the mountain, Ross and Miles standing there—nervous and equally uncertain as I am. I can hear nothing from the outside as Miles hits a button on the keypad and the door starts to close. I watch their faces as they look around startled by something, both spinning to look across the river. Their arms slowly raise above their heads.
My lungs inhale the fresh air in haste and I jolt where I stand… The door is one metre from closing when I see Eli appear and run out towards them, then… nothing. Nothing but my own reflection.
‘Xander?’ I exhale.
Nothing.
‘Xander?’ I call.
I’ve changed my mind I don't want to be in here anymore. I want out. I push on the door as hard as I can, it won't move.
‘XANDER!’ Each time I speak his name, my voice escalates in fear.
I catch my reflection in the wall, I look so different to what I did a year ago. Before, I looked fresh and innocent. Now I look tired. Worn. My hair is a mess. I look so much more like her—my mother—just before she left me. I grimace at myself and watch my chest expand and collapse in acceleration. I pull the hair tie out of my dishevelled mop and try to restyle the unrepairable. My hands shake, I can't get it right. Just fix it, would you? Look different! I rip the hair tie out and throw it across the room.
Slow down Nora, I tell myself, calm down.
I run towards the hair tie, but as I go to pick it up I fall to the ground.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
My tangled hair falls over my face as I try not to break apart right here on the hard metal floor. Ugh, even the floor is reflective, I can't escape myself. The older I get, the more of her I see. For someone who thought I would be better off without her, she sure left a lot of herself here. A tear forms in the corner of my eye, I see nothing but a cold void.
EIGHT
Vivian
The door shuts behind me… I must either be completely crazy or care for our team infinitely. Well most of our team anyway, the ones who can be trusted. There was no other way, I had to do this. I couldn't just outright tell them I knew what this thing was—I can't look like the suspicious one, especially when there is a more corrupt team member who needs to be accountable. If I show them what this thing is, then maybe they'll be more hesitant
to do what he tells them to do.
Before I ran in here Miles whispered to me, ‘I knew you’d be the hardest to convince Viv, please, don’t mess up this plan! It’s for your own good. We need to all go in.’ His whisper sounded like a hiss reflecting the kind of snake he is. If it was for our own good, then why didn’t he come out and tell us? Tell us what it was, what it does. It’s a stupid vault for god’s sake, it doesn’t do anything extra fancy except hide whatever is inside. Sneaky tactics I’m sure. He knows what is happening just as much as I do.
OK, heck, this is long enough. I lean on the door with all I have but it doesn’t oblige. I only pressed 0.10 on the keypad, that’s only ten seconds!
‘Guys?’ I knock. ‘Can you let me out?’
The door clicks. It's barely ajar but I jump out as fast as I can.
‘Viv!’ Eli exudes.
He's standing with Miles and Ross, they are surrounded by six people. Their leader is tall, his skin is dark like roasted coffee beans, his hair short and his jaw is square. His name is Seth. And the rest of his team? I recognise them all instantly—Janey, Michael, Robert, Simon and Felicity. Palladium guards no-where to be seen, finally something going my way. But where are Xander and Nora? Don't tell me…
Seth lowers his gun and hurries over to me, he places both his hands on my face and squeezes my cheeks. ‘It’s good to see you.’
His dark eyes glisten as they pour over my face. I smile. I breathe. Finally, a real breath.
‘You know these people, Viv?’ Miles questions.
‘I'm still not sure about where he stands,’ I whisper to Seth, before booming with exuberance. ‘Yeah—they are with me guys—lower your weapons, geez!’
‘Where have you been?’ Ross asks, pleased that he is no longer being held up.
‘Nowhere, just in there,’ I reply, playing it cool.
‘For ten minutes?’ Miles glares at me.
He did this last night, try to break me—make me confess. But why would I confide and trust him, when he is keeping the same secret from everyone.
‘Ten minutes?’ I act shocked. ‘Guys I was only in there ten seconds.’
‘We should get moving!’ Seth says.
‘Wait! Ten seconds? Is that… a time machine?’ Ross says. The only time I've seen him this excited about something was when we found the egg orb and he realised it could create a force field.
‘More like a time vault,’ Seth butts in, ‘it can only trap time, not go back and forth at leisure… I'll explain more when we get to our secure location.’
‘Just us? Don't you want the… vault?’ Miles queries.
He looks at me with suspicion… I can't look at him, I feel so betrayed. I've been paranoid sure, but I was desperately hoping he had nothing to do with his father's sinister plans. My heart drops.
‘Of course, but it's not really going anywhere is it?’ Seth laughs. ‘Come on!’
‘Well, wait!’ Ross says. ‘What about Xander and Nora? Didn't we set the timer for five minutes? If Viv’s ten seconds became ten minutes, then the door should open in… five hours? Holy crap!’
So they did go in there. It doesn’t surprise me, to be honest I was impulsive. I'm so foolish, I should have told them the truth, they would have found out now anyway.
‘We'll have to come back for them. I hate to be irritating but we need to go now, we sent the guards on a goose chase in the woods but they’ll be back any minute,’ Seth exclaims. ‘I'll tell you everything I know, and guys… it will blow your mind!’
~~~
We walk for about twenty minutes before clambering into an abandoned farm house on the outskirts of a small town. Janey, Simon and Robert spread themselves around the house, while Michael and Felicity stand guard at the front entrance. Seth leads us inside. There is no furniture except a ripped leather chair and wooden coffee table. We sit on uncomfortable floorboards that most likely hides the rodent excrement I can almost taste and most definitely smell.
Seth sits on the dusty coffee table in front of us. It is so nice to see his handsome face again, I have missed him so much. These last ten months have been so hard on us; I've seen him only twice in that time frame. Even then, it's only a few hours at a time, and never alone—always surrounded by other sleeping Uprisers. I can't complain though, it's what we signed up for.
An Upriser, that is what I am. I feel so free being around them again, I can stop acting like I’m part of Palladium. It’s what I wanted to talk to Nora about; amongst other things, like Miles being a liar and Seth being my fiancé.
‘I suppose right about now, you're all kind of wondering what the hell we are doing here. How we know about your quests and orbs and that you would be here at this spot at this time?’
I watch Seth’s mouth as he talks, I had almost forgotten what his lips felt like.
‘Well yeah!’ Eli proclaims.
‘I'll tell you something that you'll question, but it's entirely up to you whether you take what I say on-board or discard it and keep doing what you are doing. Viv has told me that you can be trusted and that you would all be beneficial to our cause. My question to you, Miles… what do you already know?’
Miles runs his fingers through his hair and exchanges an apprehensive glance with Eli.
‘Well, to be honest,’ Miles breaks his silence, ‘if I were to believe what I am told about you people, then I shouldn't say a single word.’
‘I'm curious about what story your father conjured up about us—but, I'll tell you what I know. Then you can ask your father, he knows it all anyway… My name is Seth Nichols, Ross you know of my father, I believe he was a professor at your university?’
‘Uh, yeah. You're Professor Nichols’ son? He is how I got to Palladium, he showed us a portal orb two years ago and they recruited us. Xander and I. That was before he quit,’ Ross enthuses.
‘Yeah? No!’ Seth is animated, like sharing the truth excites him. ‘Here are the facts. My father, along with Professor Ladlow, founded Palladium Enterprises before I was born—back then it was called Havendale Department of Applied Sciences. Corny isn't it? They were best friends you know? They had a teenage dream to grace society with highly efficient technological advances. Then twenty years ago someone discovered an egg orb and brought it to them for study. They changed their name to Palladium Enterprises, and my father stood tirelessly beside Ladlow retrieving the orbs, testing the orbs, trying to recreate them, studying every minute about them.’
‘We know all this!’ Miles says.
‘I'm talking his whole life's work,’ Seth continues ignoring Miles. ‘You can imagine his shock when a year ago he found out Professor Ladlow was in talks with the government to sell the orbs to the military. They both founded Palladium to use the orbs to find new resources for electricity, transport, enhance technology, even create possible healing tools—not to make highly volatile weapons. So, my father did only what he thought was right, he fought against it and was ultimately fired for his opposing views. That's why we are here now. He knew the orbs would stop appearing after the large Red Orbs arrived. We knew that Ladlow was going to build the time vault with elements from the portal orb—to hide all the orbs… and all of you… until he figures out a way to mute my father. That's our cue to take control. To be honest it's quite scary, when you think of someone who is willing to sell highly volatile weapons, what else are they capable of, you know?’
He pauses for a moment to let the knowledge sink in, I didn't even know all of that—I wasn't allowed to know but I also didn't want to know. When I was given the mission to be a sleeper in their base, I was more than happy to know only what was necessary, I didn't want that kind of information hanging over me. I was told that Palladium had discovered a tool that would be a threat to the entire world. Hearing this now… the danger we all face is monumental.
‘So, the vault is man-made?’ Ross asks before turning to Miles. ‘And you knew this? That's why you wanted us all to go in? To mute us until the deal was made?’
‘No!’ Miles stands up outraged. ‘That's all B.S. My father isn't that kind of man. He is definitely an egotistical self-centred jerk sure, but he's not in this for the money. It's his life's work too you know!’
Seth stands up and the two of them glare at each other in scrutiny. Their chests puff out and heads hold high—waiting for the other to flinch and cower. It is a weird sight, seeing the two sons of those who started this whole mess like this—the next generation of adversaries.
Seth breaks their stand off by laughing arrogantly, ‘You don't know anything, do you? Daddy dearest hasn't told you a thing!’
‘I don't need this,’ Miles is exasperated, he storms away in haste.
We all jump as the front door slams. Through the large cracks in the shaky house walls, I can make out a figure running into the woods.
‘Let him go guys, he's harmless,’ Seth says through his walkie. He sighs and gives a small smile to Ross and Eli. Then, he stands up and walks to a door, his black hair shimmers as a ray of light streams through the wooden cracks in the wall. He turns and looks at me. I jump to my feet—almost like an invisible string from his mind is attached to my heart. I follow him into the next room.
As soon as the door is shut he grabs my waist and pushes me against corroded wood panels. His scent is so familiar, like leather, pine needles and cigarettes all rolled into one perfect human. I breathe him in as he forces his lips onto mine and everything else that has happened in the last few days melts away. His stubble scratches my chin, but I've missed him too long to care.
I’m taken back to our home, our cats, our crazy cooking adventures, our favourite shows…
A knock on the door, he stops kissing me and I’m dragged without notice back into the real world.
‘Seth,’ Janey says, ‘we've got word that Team Charlie and Delta are about to be secured, we're waiting to hear back about Team Beta.’
‘I miss you so much Viv,’ Seth whispers, ‘we'll be home soon, okay?’
I nod and smile, pained that we aren’t there already.
He reaches for the door, but pauses to turn his head towards me, ‘I love you,’ he says, breathless.
