The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera

by Michael Robertson

  Buster shrugged.

  “Despite what Seb’s just gone through,” Sparks said, “we still don’t know any more about where Enigma is. We figured this guard might be able to answer some questions when we get him back to Moses.”

  The guard squirmed on the floor and shook its head. “I don’t know anything. We’re conditioned not to be able to talk about what we’ve seen.”

  After retrieving a dry coat from the pegs beside her, Sparks threw it at Seb and whacked her fist against the button to shut the cargo bay doors. The finality of it clearly distressed the porcupine creature. Any hope he might have had about getting out of there drew closed in front of him.

  Other than the pathetic slaver’s cries and whimpers, none of the others made a sound. The doors fully shut, Sparks turned to the wretched thing. “Well, you’d best get good at remembering what you’ve been conditioned to be quiet about. It makes no difference to us how much we hurt you to get what we need from you. It’s in there somewhere, and we’ll get it out, even if it means sawing your skull open and removing your memories with tweezers and a scalpel.”

  As Seb draped the coat Sparks had given him over himself, he shivered from where the cold had gotten into his bones. He watched the interaction between the two.

  The creature cried, snot running from his shiny black nose. “I’ve told you, I can’t speak about it, even if I wanted to.”

  Sparks moved so quickly, Seb only saw the blue bolt once it had left her computer. It grounded against the porcupine, giving off a loud buzz. The creature twisted in response to the shock, his small legs kicking out as he rolled on the ground.

  I can see into his head, SA said.

  When Seb saw Buster flinch, he assumed she’d said it to all of them.

  Narrowing her blue eyes as she concentrated, SA continued. He’s telling the truth. There’s a darkness in there. Something that’s been planted in him to stop him speaking about what he knows. She looked at Seb, sadness glazing her eyes. It’s similar to what’s inside Seb’s head, but less—she sighed—damaged.

  Seb breathed through his nose while clenching and unclenching his jaw. Streaks of thoughts ran through his mind, but they didn’t stop long enough for him to make much sense of them. Although, he felt their emotion as he cycled through rage, sadness, fear …

  Can you undo it? Sparks asked.

  I’m not sure.

  Because SA had continued to watch Seb as she spoke, it felt like she was talking about him. He returned his attention to the slaver so he didn’t have to think about it.

  “So, just because you can’t speak about what you’ve done,” Sparks said, “that doesn’t make you entirely useless. We must be able to do something with you.”

  The porcupine creature whined and whimpered but didn’t reply. He had no right to play the victim now. Not after what he’d done.

  While stroking the end of her computer—the end that fired electricity—Sparks said, “What were you doing to the slaves in that cave?”

  He whined again and shook his head. “I can’t talk about it.”

  The fury Seb had felt in the small cell came at him again. From another galaxy, it moved with the speed of light and crashed into him, propelling him towards the nasty being. He loomed over it, using all his restraint not to lash out. “Were you conditioning them?”

  The others looked at Seb, but he didn’t care. While shaking, he balled his hands into fists. “Were you breaking them so you can control them? Planting a reaction in them, that when triggered, will force them to let their rage loose?”

  The creature didn’t reply quickly enough, so Seb lunged at him, his fist raised.

  But Buster got in the way, holding him back as he stared into Seb’s eyes. “You don’t want to do this.”

  It did enough to break Seb out of it. He looked at the other two before stepping back a few steps and falling against the wall. The rage had gone, his exhaustion returning in full.

  Sparks pointed at the porcupine. “You didn’t say no, so it must be a yes. So you might not be able to tell us anything, but if we guess, you can’t deny it. Well, you could, but something about how scared you are tells me you won’t. I mean, you don’t want to be tortured, right?”

  Although his rage had settled, Seb asked the creature, “Were you making them go to their own personal hell just so you can trigger it at a later date? So you can weaponise them?”

  The porcupine didn’t answer, and Seb felt the attention of the others turn on him.

  Buster’s mouth fell open. “That’s what they did to you?”

  But Seb didn’t reply.

  Sparks took over the questioning again. “Is Enigma on this planet?”

  The creature stared at Sparks for a moment, its black eyes glazing.

  “Well?” Sparks said and waved her computer at it.

  It shook its head and looked at the floor.

  A sneer lifted Sparks’ face. “I think this thing might be of use to us after all. It might only be able to give us yes or no answers, but that might be enough. Moses and Mr. H might be able to do something with that. Although, torturing him still gets my vote.”

  But first, SA looked at Seb, we need to get whatever we can from him to help us mend Seb’s head.

  Her words robbed Seb of what little strength he had left. Were it not for the cold metal wall behind him to rest against, he would have fallen over. If only he could have denied his head needed fixing.

  Chapter 51

  Fear sat in the periphery of Seb’s mind. A constant, it reminded him of the control it had over him. It reminded him that although he might choose his reactions most of the time, it could step in whenever it saw fit. It reminded him that when triggered, he would be pushed over the brink. Despite all of that, when he looked into SA’s blue eyes, he felt calmer. If anyone could help him, she could.

  They’d moved out of the cargo bay into the medical area. Buster had remained below with the slaver. Before they’d gone up top, Seb made him promise he wouldn’t kill him. Although he’d been the one to step in when Seb had gone for him, he still looked reluctant when he agreed to the request with a nod. If Seb had been the one to remain down there, he would have been desperate to shoot the thing in the face too.

  When SA leaned over Seb again, peering down on him with a deep frown on her face, he said, I know you can do this.

  Her forehead wrinkled. HOW? I don’t know that I can. I’m scared, Seb.

  I trust you. You’re smart and you have skill beyond any being I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t want anyone else but you trying to help me right now. I have faith it will be okay.

  The bioluminescence of SA’s glare flicked from one of Seb’s eyes to the other as she took him in. Tears spread across them, magnifying their brilliant glow. I’m so sorry I shut you out. I was lying to myself to think I could cut my feelings off for you. I thought it was the best thing to do. It was cruel of me.

  I think it was the exact opposite of cruel.

  Huh?

  You sacrificed your own happiness for the safety of the team. You’d rather suffer than put anyone around you at risk. I get it. But know I’ll never stop loving you. Ever.

  I love you too. SA didn’t say anything else. When she frowned again to concentrate, Seb felt it.

  Psychic fingers, they probed his mind. Tendrils of inquisition, they explored what the slavers had done to him, tentative in their exploration.

  As SA dug deeper, Seb squirmed on the bed. The desire to get away twisted through him, but he fought it as best as he could.

  Then the tendrils hit it. Whatever it was. A Pandora’s box within his mind. It triggered the same rush of fury. It came from somewhere years behind him. Before it took him over, Seb noticed Sparks run off. She must have seen it coming too.

  The rage then crashed into Seb, forcing him upright as he lunged at SA. He leapt from the bed, but before he got to her, strong rocky arms caught him and gripped him around the waist.

  Seb twisted and writhed to be free of
the tight grip Owsk had on him, but he couldn’t get away. He spat and hissed. He bit down on his bottom lip with the effort of trying to donkey kick the troll behind him, but nothing worked.

  His attention on SA in front, Seb saw her pull something from the medical kit. A dart of some sort. He’d seen it a thousand times with blades. She threw the dart at him and he felt the sharp sting of it in his neck.

  A matter of seconds later, Seb’s world slowed. This time it had nothing to do with his gift. Although woozy, his heart quickened while everything else wound down, dragging him under.

  By the time Owsk laid him back on the bed, he’d lost control of his limbs. He looked up at the granite face of his friend and slurred his words when he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  The smile looked strange on Owsk’s face, a twisted version of reality from the sedative having kicked in.

  SA replaced Owsk over him. I’m sorry to do that. This will put you to sleep for a time. It’ll help you rest while I work.

  The tranquilliser felt like it had fattened Seb’s tongue. It now felt too large for his mouth and he had to focus to get his words out. “I love you, SA. I trust you.”

  If she replied, he didn’t hear it. As his world slipped away, he saw SA crying more freely than before. Then everything pulled in to the tiniest pinprick of light. Darkness followed. SA squeezed his hand as all the muscles in his body fell limp.

  Chapter 52

  It must have been the jolt of the ship landing that brought Seb around. When he sat up on the bed, he saw SA watching him, her face a twisted wreck of worry. Did it work? he said.

  It looked like SA had already been crying, and the question set her off again. She seemed to be in shock, traumatised even. Her facial expression barely changed, and her eyes were glazed and bloodshot. Tears ran rivers down her cheeks. I just don’t know. I’ve never tried to do something like this before. I don’t know.

  When Seb tried to get off the bed, his head spun. He stopped still and breathed to settle himself.

  “Just stay there; we’ll wheel you in.”

  Although Seb didn’t see who’d just spoken, he didn’t need to. “Bruke?”

  Both Bruke and Reyes appeared in front of him and folded his bed into a wheelchair. They stared pity at him when they were done.

  Seb rolled his eyes. “You’ve heard about what happened, then? I’m the team invalid now, am I?”

  Bruke looked close to tears. “Are you okay?”

  After he’d shared eye contact with SA for a few seconds, Seb nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “We’re going to wheel you in to see Moses. You shouldn’t be walking anywhere at the moment.”

  As much as Seb wanted to argue with his scaled friend, he saw the futility in it. Instead, he fell back onto the bed, grateful for the rest. It had been a long time coming.

  Both Moses and Mr. H waited for Seb and the others in the conference room. They were sat at the front when they entered, but both of them got to their feet and walked up the aisle between the chairs to meet them.

  The cold of the room’s air conditioning bit into Seb as he watched Moses come to him first. “Sparks told us you’re not in a good way,” the large shark said. He looked at SA. “Did you manage to fix him?”

  The question made SA’s eyes glaze again. The rage Seb had felt before rushed through him and he leaned forwards. “It’s not her responsibility. She didn’t screw my mind up.” The others stared at Seb, making him relax back in his seat. Whatever SA had tried hadn’t worked, but he couldn’t show them that. Not yet. A rapid pulse belied the soft tone he forced into his voice. “Whatever will be will be. She did her best; now let’s not put all the focus on her, yeah? She’s done more than anyone else to help me.”

  Moses took the reprimand with a dip of his head. He eyed Seb with caution as he said, “Of course. Sorry. Are you up for talking about what you’ve been through?”

  After he’d drawn a deep breath to try to pull himself back into the moment, Seb found he couldn’t fully do it. A part of him still wound tight, he nodded and tried to keep his impatience from his voice. “Yes.”

  Chapter 53

  When Seb had finished explaining everything he could remember about the process, Moses and Mr. H stared at one another before looking back at him.

  Mr. H hadn’t spoken until that point. “But you don’t know what the trigger words are?”

  Seb shook his head. “Or where Enigma is based. We found out what the Countess’ organisation does to slaves, but nothing else useful.”

  “You did what we asked you to do. One step at a time. Besides, you have a hostage,” Moses said.

  Sparks stepped forward. “A hostage they’re bound to notice has gone sooner or later.”

  “We’d best get what we need out of him sooner, then,” Moses said. “In the meantime, Seb, I want you to get some rest. You need it.”

  “Although I don’t know what the trigger words are,” Seb said, “what I can tell you is that when Enigma uses them, there will be total chaos. We don’t know how many slaves they’ve gotten to, but if even the smallest fraction of them have been—”

  “Spread throughout the galaxy on illegal trade routes,” Mr. H said.

  “Right.” Seb zoned out for a moment. “When they go off … well, I’m not sure any military force in the galaxy will be able to defeat them.”

  “And you?” Moses said. After glancing over Seb’s shoulder, he quickly looked back at him. “You could flip out too?”

  Although he didn’t look at her, Seb felt SA approach him from behind. A warm touch on his shoulder, he fought against his fury again. Moses had just looked at her. Whatever happened, she shouldn’t be blamed. “I don’t know. I hope—”

  But before Seb could finish, the projector came to life, showing them footage on the wall at the front of the room.

  “What the …?” Sparks said and then held her computer up. The same image had taken over her screen.

  Impossible to identify, the silhouette looked like a human woman. An angel of a woman. A white glowing figure against a jet-black background. It shone so brightly, Seb squinted against its glare. It had a female voice. “I’m the head of Enigma,” she said. “We’ve been building to this moment for years, and now it’s finally ready. The galaxy has been going the wrong way for a long time now, and we’re about to correct that. We’re about to take over.”

  “Looks like they found out about our hostage.” Mr. H said.

  Sparks shook her head. “We had no choice.”

  “Never mind that,” Owsk said as he stared at Seb. “I think we should be more worried about what we have next to us right now.”

  “… greed, control, exploitation …” the leader of Enigma said.

  When Owsk and Buster closed in on Seb, SA moved across in front of him.

  “They’re right,” Seb said, gently pushing her aside. “I need to be watched.”

  Another twist of her features, SA stepped out of the way.

  As much as Seb wanted to have faith, now the moment had come, his trust that everything would be okay had abandoned him. As he looked from Buster to Owsk, he said, “If I can’t be stopped—” he pulled a deep breath in “—do whatever you need to do, okay? I don’t want to harm anyone.”

  SA walked out of the room and Seb watched her go. He needed her by his side, but he didn’t blame her for not wanting to watch.

  Although Enigma had continued her monologue in the background, the next few words came through with a clarity that excluded everything else around him. They existed as the only sound in the galaxy at that moment, and they spoke to Seb more clearly than anything he’d ever heard before. “It’s time to wake, my army,” she said. “It’s time to rise up.”

  End of book six.

  Prophecy - Book seven of The Shadow Order

  Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

  Edited by:

  Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

  And
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  Cover Design by The Cover Collection

  Prophecy: Book Seven of The Shadow Order

  Michael Robertson

  © 2018 Michael Robertson

  Prophecy: Book Seven of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

  Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Chapter 1

  The attention of the room remained on Seb. He stared back at them, shaking from the adrenaline surging through him.

  Then the door burst open, and Seb spun around to see SA standing there. She’d only been gone a minute. Her mouth lifted in a half smile, and her eyes widened. You’re okay.

  The image of his love blurred as Seb cried freely. I am. You did it!

  We did it.

  SA ran forward, shoving Owsk and Buster aside. She kissed him so hard it hurt, his lips pressing against his teeth. Not that he cared.

  Seb breathed her in, everything else vanishing around him. When they pulled away from one another, he held onto her hands. “I’ve missed that.”