Vengeance Is Mine

by Katherine Elizabeth Curtis

  Nathan's legs still felt trembly from his close escape, but he followed Dylan out. He wondered if he should tell any of them what he'd seen.

  :::::

  Nathan soon found that Hunter was a good friend, the best he'd ever had. He didn't let their age difference mean anything in the grand scheme of things, and was always ready to listen to whatever Nathan – or, Nate, as he now called him constantly – had to say. But still Nathan was leery over sharing what he had seen in the two rooms, mostly because he wasn't sure he wanted to remind himself of that again, let alone put it on Hunter's mind. And he didn't tell anyone about his escapade in the upper level of the first house they had gone to.

  One day, he decided to try and find those two rooms again and find out whatever else he could. Information, and lots of it was vital for a successful mission and only by facing his fears again would he be able to gather it. Obviously, he told no one of what he planned to do, but when most of the training was over for the day, and the other boys were enjoying the one hour of free time they had every day, he took the journey to the dull white room as best he could remember it.

  He had only been that way once before but the route was burned into the back of his mind, so he had little difficulty bringing it up again. He entered the room, and there was the door to one side. He went over, opened it and, once again, he was confronted with three doors. He didn't even try the first one since that had nothing of importance, but when he opened the second, he was greeted with the unwelcome sight of...nothing. Absolutely nothing. The room was the same, but now it was featureless, just as the first room was. No control panel, no chairs, and certainly no binder.

  “What on earth?” he wondered aloud, and then stopped himself. As far as he knew, anything could still trigger an alarm in this room, even voice waves. He waited for a moment, but heard no pealing bells, hurried footsteps, shouts, or anything else that might show he was discovered, so he went on to the next room. This time he wasn't as surprised to find it empty as well. Just puzzled and a little angry. Now where would his plan for rescuing the children and babies go?

  He marvelled at the hugeness of the room for a moment and then left, going back to the recreation room that his dormitory had sole control of. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't engage his mind in the games of skill and dexterity he normally loved. For now he felt that this needed to be talked over with Hunter, just to assure himself he hadn't been dreaming the first time he saw the rooms.

  “Hey, don't forget that training is one hour earlier tomorrow,” Hunter called out to Aaron. The other boy merely rolled his eyes and turned away as if Hunter had insulted him just by talking to him. Hunter felt a deep heaviness fall over him, something akin to a real burden for the boy. He had serious attitude issues, and every attempt Hunter made at friendship was always rudely rebuffed. He tried to make each boy feel welcomed and friendly but it simply wasn't working with Aaron. Still, he'd keep trying until something happened. He didn't want to leave Aaron alone, not with the way he was acting. He could do something risky if his attitude didn't change.

  Hunter sighed and ran his hands over the smooth, safe part of his favorite knife. It wasn't his favorite for any fancy jewels on his hilt, although he had seen and envied other boys knives like those. It was his favorite because he loved the plain and simple in weapons, and this knife was certainly that, if nothing else. It had a plain, dark wood hilt, but it was highly useful.

  He liked to imagine that, at times, his choice of knife reflected upon his own character. Simple. Unpretentious. But useful. Of course, it was presumptuous just to think such things, so most of the time Hunter pushed that aside and focused on training his great task. Fighting for his queen. He could think of no other task that would satisfy him in quite that way – only the training of other boys to do the same filled him with the same sort of satisfaction. He had never seen the queen, although he would have given almost anything to do so, but if he ever had to fight for her, he would make sure to at least catch a glimpse of her.

  Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Nate sauntering over to him, trying so hard to appear casual that he didn't. Hunter wondered if Nate would trust him with whatever he had on his mind. It was likely – the boy had latched on to him from their very first meeting, something that Hunter had liked. He had few actual friends, although almost all of the boys were friendly to him, and even though he was just three years older than Nate, he felt protective, almost fatherly toward him. He had heard about Nate's explosive bursts of temper, particularly the one concerning Dylan and he wanted to help him change, if he could. And maybe teach him a few new techniques if possible.

  “Um...Hunter,” Nate said, obviously uncomfortable, although Hunter had no idea why. Had he done something?

  “Yes?”

  “Could I...um...talk to you for a sec?”

  Hunter laid aside his knife on his bench and cast a sharp eye around the room. To no one in particular, but everyone generally, he said, “No one touch my knife while I'm gone.” He didn't expect anyone to, but it was just something he always said from habit. The others were too intent on their own, fancier blades and training right now to care. Hardly anyone looked up.

  “Okay. I'm free now,” he said to Nate. “Want to go somewhere else?”

  Nate's relieved look was answer enough, so Hunter led the way to his room. It was tiny – just big enough for a bed, a small stool, and the door opening – and Spartan by anyone's standards, but he liked it. He had hated sleeping with nineteen other boys in the big dormitory, so becoming a trainer was an exciting experience for him in more ways than one.

  “Wow. You have your own room.” Nate looked around the place appreciatively, despite its bare accoutrements and Hunter found himself smiling. The boy's reaction was the exact same as his had been.

  “Privilege of being a trainer, you know.”

  Nate nodded.

  “Sit down, if you want,” Hunter offered, pointing to the stool. He sat down on the bed, and Nate took the stool. Good. It was better to have a serious talk face to face and eye to eye than one standing and the other sitting. “So,” he began, making sure to tread carefully, “you wanted to talk with me about something?”

  “Yeah.” Nate twisted his hands together and Hunter let him take his time. His mind ran over their past few encounters and he could think of nothing that would bring this kind of reaction.

  “I wanted to ask you something, actually,” he finally said.

  “Sure. Go ahead.” Hunter provided all the encouragement he could, but he knew it was up to Nate to take the step of faith and confide in him.

  “Do you know what's going on here?” Nate asked the question all in a big rush and then sat slightly back, at least as much as he could in a seat with no back, and waited Hunter's response. He was puzzled. What did Nate mean by that?

  “You mean besides training, eating, sleeping, and scrapping between boys?” Hunter decided to inject a little humour into the situation and see what came of it. He hoped it would put Nate at ease. It seemed to work. He offered a half smile and then nodded. “Other than that,” Hunter said, “no, I don't.”

  Nate bit his lip. “They're doing...something to the little guys and the babies.”

  “What?” Hunter asked, surprised. He hadn't a clue what Nate was talking about, and he needed more details.

  “I don't know what it is, I just know that I went into a room a few days ago and there was a lot of babies and little ones lying in beds and cribs with wires attached to their heads and it was like they were dead, but they were still alive and it was horrible. I can't get it out of my mind.” He rested his head in his hands, and for a moment Hunter thought he was crying. But when he raised his head, he wasn't crying. His eyes were burning with a quiet fire, even though he looked completely traumatized by what he'd seen, if indeed he had seen it.

  Hunter had never heard such a weird, horrible thing in his life. But was it true, or was it merely a nightmare or vision Nate had had a while
back and never fully recovered from? Surely he and others would know about such a thing if it was really true. “Are you sure of what you saw?” he said after a moment's pause.

  Nate nodded weakly.

  “Why'd you tell me?”

  “I'm sorry,” Nate said, “but I had to tell someone and you seemed the best person. All the others are just...you know.”

  Now it was Hunter's turn to nod. He did know. “Can you take me there?”

  “It's not there anymore,” Nate said, his tone of voice discouraged and tired. “That's why I had to tell you. If I said the words out loud, it makes them seem more real. But I know what I saw,” he said, his voice turning fierce. “I know it, and I won't rest till I find them again and rescue them.”

  Hunter was surprised by the fiery passion he saw in Nate's eyes. He never imagined that one so young could feel so strongly, but he believed the boy was sincere. He knew it. But what he was about to say next could plunge both of them into more trouble than they could even imagine. For that reason he hesitated, but only for a moment.

  “Think you could use some help?” he asked as casually as he could manage.

  Nate stared at him for a moment. Then, “You mean it?” His face and voice were incredulous.

  “Of course. I never say anything I don't mean. We're brothers now,” he added, his voice serious, for he meant it with every fibre of his being. Nate just stared at him. “It's true. Whenever two people embark on a mission like this, it means they're brothers.” He was making this up on the spur of the moment but he felt closer to Nate than he had ever felt to his scamp of a brother, Chad, who was always causing trouble. And he wanted it to be true.

  “Really?” Nate asked in a near whisper.

  Hunter pretended to be frustrated with him. “Like I said, I never say anything I don't mean.”

  “Oh. Right.” Then, “Does that mean we can share a last name?”

  Hunter frowned for a moment, puzzled at the question. Didn't Nate have his own last name? He said as much the next moment. Nate shook his head. “I don't belong here and it's because I don't have a last name. That's what they all say.”

  “Well, you do now. Pleased to meet you, Nathan Bordage.”

  Chapter 3 – Warnings

  “We need control over the situation.”

  “I agree.”

  Laii stood in the corner of the control room, nervously twisting her cloak in her hands. She had allowed herself to feel for Nathan, and now she would pay for that. Of course, the other two didn't know of her feelings, and if they had it would've made no difference.

  “But we also need to tread lightly,” she heard herself say.

  The other two rounded on her. “What?!” one of them, Sella, said, her tone showing she didn't understand a word of what Laii had just said. “He infiltrated the control room, and the children's ward. Reprisals should be immediate and harsh. Very harsh,” she added, mostly to herself.

  “He's young. Misguided. He probably didn't understand what he saw,” Laii said, her voice frantic, even though she tried to control what she said.

  “Oh, he understood alright,” Sella said. She flipped a switch on the control panel, and voices filled the room, though not from any of the three women standing there. Laii recognized Nathan's voice at once.

  “I don't know what it is, I just know that I went into a room a few days ago and there was a lot of babies and little ones lying in beds and cribs with wires attached to their heads and it was like they were dead, but they were still alive and it was horrible. I can't get it out of my mind.”

  It was obviously recording of a conversation he'd had with someone. “Do you know who he told this to?” Laii asked.

  “Yes. Hunter Bordage. He'll need to be silenced as well.”

  “No.” Laii could hardly believe she'd said the word, but it was out there and now she had to defend it – and herself. “I know Nathan. He's young. He's idealistic. He's had a bad scare right now, but that's all it is. A bad scare. Give him a few months – a year, or so – and he'll have forgotten all about it. I know it.”

  “What proof do you have?” Sella asked. She was sceptical, but at least she was listening.

  “None,” Laii admitted. That didn't go over well and she hastened to add more. “But give him new responsibilities, work him hard so that he falls to sleep right away, and maybe even single him out as a trainer earlier, stressing his potential, and his head will be sufficiently turned. Now, this Bordage I don't know as well, since he's not part of my dormitory, but he'll probably be the same way. And if not, you can threaten him.”

  “Why can't we just threaten Nathan?” Sella asked peevishly.

  “He's sensitive. Violence would just enhance the image in his mind. Oh, and don't forget, Abaddon has a special interest in him. His parents, you know. He wants to see if any of those tendencies crop up, and if they do to slowly but surely take them out. Nathan is the experiment to see if those kinds of babies can be trained properly and if we should mess up...” Her unspoken words spoke volumes.

  Sella admitted defeat by raising no further arguments. Laii breathed a sigh of relief. For now, Nathan was safe, but next time he might not be so lucky. Stay out of trouble, Nathan. So much depends on you. Outwardly she showed no emotion, not hard since they all wore their hoods and cloaks even in the presence of others. She made sure her voice was level and cool when she asked, “What will we do right now?”

  “Go to work on the Bordage boy,” Sella said, her voice casual as if they were discussing nothing of much importance. “We stop him, we stop the whole thing. Nathan isn't able to do anything by himself.”

  Laii had her own ideas about that, but if that's what Sella thought, she wasn't going to dissuade her. She did have a soft spot for Nathan and a few of the other boys, in her heart, but the indoctrination of Lord Abaddon's principles had hardened the rest of her enough to not care what happened to anyone outside of her own dormitory. Nothing must disrupt the flow of things, and if roughing up a boy or two helped prevent that, then so be it.

  A thought came to her and she added it to the mix of opinions. “And even though Nathan saw the children, he doesn't know what the purpose behind it is, does he?”

  “I doubt it,” Sella said. “Doesn't mean he couldn't find out, though. That's why we have to silence his friend. He's sharp. Could figure it out.”

  Laii nodded. “Well, then, I'll be going.”

  Sella gave a dismissive flip of her hand and then turned to the other woman who had not spoken through the whole meeting. Laii didn't want to hear them discuss the further fate of one of her boys, and doubted she would've been allowed to stay anyway, so she left. She had to send Nathan some kind of warning, if at all possible. How, she had no idea, but she'd do it somehow.

  “Oh, and Laii...”

  “Yes?”

  “Don't get any ideas about warning anyone. We might start to doubt your loyalty.” The words were said casually, but they sent a shiver up Laii's spine. Still, she managed to answer in the affirmative. And that was that.

  :::::

  After telling Hunter about the ward and taking his last name, Nathan found it a lot easier to talk about other things that were smaller but that he'd been holding back on. Such as seeing the person on the second story of the first house they were sent to clean. Hunter wasn't all that surprised when he heard, but he seemed glad to have his suspicions confirmed.

  “Why are they on the Outside, and we're in here?” Nathan said. It didn't seem fair that they had to be cooped up in the facility, no matter how large it was, while others were able to live in luxurious mansions and have plenty of good food, if the state of the kitchens were any clue. They only had simple food like bread and cheese and water. Nathan didn't mind it, but it all that much but it did get tiresome.

  Hunter glanced down at his watch, something else that Nathan envied, other than the private room. “Oh, man, I've got to teach the second class,” he said, jumping up and rummaging under his bed for something which
Nathan couldn't see. It turned out to be a tight, slinky, black outfit. In response to Nathan's puzzled look, Hunter said, “I always wear this when I teach Defensive Arts.”

  “Like what?” Nathan asked. He'd always wanted to see what some of the higher martial arts were, but his dormitory's trainer just taught boring things like side kicks and punches, just the Basic Arts. But Defensive Arts were much more advanced and Nathan felt he needed to know just how to do them. He would probably never learn them staying where he was, for each trainer had their own training techniques, hardly varying from them, and if he hadn't been taught Defensive Arts yet, he probably never would be.

  “Come and watch us,” Hunter offered. “It's easier to show you than explain it all.”

  Nathan nodded. “Sure. I'll come. My training doesn't begin for another half hour, anyway.”

  “Great. I'll see you there. I've got to put this on now.”

  With a little wave, Nathan left. He went out into the main training area and sat down on Hunter's bench. His knife was still there, just as he had expected it to be, and he picked it up and examined it. He figured that his recent bond with Hunter meant that he could touch it, not like everybody else. The knife was simple, unlike others he'd seen and there were two marks in the wood that he couldn't figure out. They probably showed that the knife belonged to him.

  Hunter came out just a few moments later. Nathan set the knife down and gave his attention fully to the training floor. “Alright, guys,” Hunter called out. “Time for part two of defence.”

  A few muttered groans came up from the boys assembled in rough lines on the training room floor, but Hunter quelled them with a quick look. “Why can't you ever make it entertaining?” someone moaned from the mix.

  “This isn't entertainment,” Hunter said. “This is serious business. Training to fight for the queen.” It was obvious to Nathan that hardly any of the boys shared Hunter's passion for training and fighting and protecting the queen, but that didn't deter his friend. “We only practise for two hours every day. Let's make it count.”