by Phillip Shaw
The weight of despair that fell on Pamela was crushing, she couldn't lose him not now, not after all he had set free in her. The doors shut again and her eyes adjusted to the difference in light, the brief moment of sunlight had revealed two men in the van with them, now there was only one and he sat on a small seat to her left. Deep breaths Pamela, you can do this. You will not fail.
Kane followed behind Virgil and Ding as they pushed the hooded man at gunpoint. Kane couldn't believe the resolve he had; he needed to push him to get something out of him. The feeling in his head still remained only now he recognised it. Prestige. He could have been standing on the top rope about to hit the elbow. He felt like he was on top of the world, the further they walked out the stronger it got until he stopped. ‘Here will do, turn him round and take his hood off.'
Kane looked at the man before him. Kane had been here before; you didn't start a revolution without having a few doubters. He had seen it all, the things men do when the gun is on them, some plead, some threaten but most importantly all of them lie. The easiest thing to do when your life was on the line was not to tell the truth. It was time to test the man in front.
‘Before I kill you, you're going to tell me who you are.'
‘I think you know already.'
‘I know that you have guts, but unless you want them to be the last thing you see…'
‘I also know that if you could kill me then you would have in the arena.'
‘Maybe I didn't want to give the world another martyr, there are enough of those already. The age of the false prophet is gone my friend, now there are false martyrs.'
‘There have always been false martyrs. What you need to know is why?'
‘And you're going to tell me I suppose? You a man who thought they were a hero, one who now sees the truth in this world. The truth is at the end of this gun, the truth is the finality of the gunshot. The truth is… I'm doing you a favour.'
‘I know.'
Kane stopped with the revolver pressed against the man's temple. The emotions of the night when it was all taken from him were back. That night he shouldn't have jumped, his opponent shouldn't have moved, Avery did that to him. But now what was the right decision, pulling the trigger is jumping, pulling the trigger is wrong. He cocked the safety back on and turned away. He had made the right choice.
‘Untie him, now. He comes with us.'
The man stood feeling his wrists. He walked over to Kane and set a hand on his shoulder. ‘Brother, there's so much we need to tell each other. You will know the answers you seek.'
Kane couldn't explain what was happening now, he fell in beside the man, it was natural, the feeling of his greatest desire flooded through him, I can achieve it.
Libero walked towards the van, things had gone better than expected. There were denouncers, he would have to find more, there would never be enough, not for what was ahead. Suddenly the van door burst open and a hooded Pamela fell from the back. Libero walked over to her struggling on the ground and removed the hood. The laughter of Kane and his men became infectious.
36. Barracks
The atmosphere in the back of the van had changed dramatically since they started off again. Libero sat looking at their captor turned ally. The guards left in the back had left down their weapons and only just stopped laughing at Pamela's attempted escape. To her credit, she had taken the abuse well with only a small pout early on. The surreal situation was still hanging in the back of the van like a bad smell. Libero had to diffuse it.
‘We have much to discuss Jenson. I have the answers you need, the answers that you have been seeking for many years. What you have to do now is ask me the questions. My friend Pamela here will no doubt have similar questions. Please take this opportunity as things will move quickly from here on in.'
Sitting back Libero noticed the strained silence that had descended, Kane had stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. Libero could feel the fear in him, his authority has been challenged.
‘I'm sorry, I have let you live. I have not become subservient to you. For all I know you could be one of them, you could be the only one powerful enough to affect me. So I will ask you some questions, but I am not your follower.'
‘As you wish, you are a free man. A man who inspires freedom in others, look around you, I am not here to take control of you or your men. I am here to show you the real enemy, to tell you why you are here. You will be subservient to no one.'
Kane eased from his offensive riposte. He ran his fingers through his bleached white hair and without warning smashed his hand into the side of the van leaving a huge dent. He stood looking at his feet still pushing out the dent and his shoulders began to tremble, slowly at first but then into full blown convulsions. When his maniacal laughter stopped he raised his head and stared deeply at Libero.
‘The first thing I ask of you is simple. Who are they? It is the question that led me to seek mental help, I doubted my own mind. So now Mr. Oracle, please tell me I am not mad.'
Pamela who had been quiet up until this point spoke. ‘From what I have seen so far, madness is the least of your worries. You killed a whole arena full of people back there.' Libero couldn't afford a confrontation this early and shot a glance across at her. She looked chastised but sat back in her seat. Kane stared at her as well before shrugging his shoulders. ‘My dear if those people were dead I would have left you and your boyfriend with them to rot. That was just an announcement. We have many more plans afoot. If you want to see death, you will need to be patient. Now if you would kindly answer my question. Who are the ones we speak of?'
‘Magisters, in your native tongue, they have the power to restrict the minds of everyone on earth.'
‘Why do they do it?'
‘They feel they have the just cause. They are a creation of this earth, there to provide a balance against free will.'
‘But I can see them, they cannot control my mind. Can they?'
‘No you are their binary opposite; you are what is known as a denouncer. You can see the Magisters in all their glory. You can see the people they have under their influence and it sickens you. I can feel great strength in you, normally when a denouncer sees a magister for the first time it ends in death.'
‘I can see that the first time I saw one, I felt the pain in my head and a burning hatred, it was like a drug, I needed to kill them. I … I … still don't know how I didn't.'
‘You didn't because you are strong. Weaker than you have failed and killed the magister. You may have heard of a prison in the last few days.' Kane nodded.
‘We escaped from that prison because the magister controlling it was killed. When the magister is killed the reaction of those under his control is unpredictable.'
‘What do you mean unpredictable?' Both Pamela and Jenson spoke in unison. Libero caught a glance between the pair as Pamela looked away. Kane slowly moved round to him again.
‘Unpredictable. In the prison, it drove the inmates and guards under his control into a bloody frenzy. They destroyed the prison and killed everyone they could. In the past, I have seen whole groups of soldiers under control just fall to the ground dead. There is no way to tell what can happen.'
‘You said I was their binary opposite. What can I do to people?'
‘Nothing, except show them the truth. Look at those who follow you, how did you convince them to join you?'
‘I just told them what I could see; I guess I appealed to the sense of frustration in their lives.'
‘You are a force of nature. They follow because they believe.'
‘When you say you have seen what happens when one of them are killed. When did you see this?'
‘I was the leader on the battlefield. I have always been the leader. Unlike you Jenson, I can affect people. I can release them from the trappings of the Magisters. What happens after that varies. Pamela here is a perfect example; I released her simply by being in her presence. I expected her to go back to a normal life but she has become like you. She is a denouncer.
In this age, I seem to have the power to create others. I know this is a lot to take in but you know it's true don't you Jenson?'
The man looked at the floor again; Libero could feel the conflict raging within him. He would be lying if he didn't feel the same way himself. He had been born again into this world and was playing catch-up. The Magisters seemed to be everywhere and so far he had only met this one natural denouncer. The man looked up again.
‘So you are to be my leader?'
‘You will lead yourself, but if we are to defeat the enemy then you will need me.'
‘The enemy is the Magisters, we can defeat them.'
‘The Magisters are simply his servants. The enemy is known as Arbitan. He has defeated me each time we have met and the world has continued on its path, restricted by his rules.'
An uneasy silence now permeated the van. Pamela sat staring at a focal point on the van wall while Kane just stood with his forearm resting on the dent he had made earlier. The guards were staring blankly at the two titans who had been conversing.
‘Did you seek me out?'
‘No, your kind are drawn to me. That is my purpose; I am here to gather the army that will fight for the future. I need to gather others like you. The time for the next battle is fast approaching and our enemies are everywhere.'
The conversation was interrupted as the window between driver and rear slid open. ‘Kane, we're five minutes out.' Virgil slid the window back across.
‘I need time to take this all in. you will join us in our encampment. Today was our first strike against Avery. We have others already in motion. We will discuss this later.'
‘As you wish Jenson, remember, you asked the questions now you must deal with the answers.'
Kane sat down again on his seat; mind awash with the story the man was spinning in front of him. To his men around him, the conversation must have sounded ridiculous. The problem for Kane was much more serious. He believed every word. He knew there was some other force at work in this world the moment he saw Avery. His own descent into alcohol and drug addiction had been his attempt at running from the truth that was staring straight at him. Now there was someone else who shared his visions. The feeling that he was no longer alone was so elating that he struggled to contain his happiness, a happiness that in truth had existed since he first held the gun to the man's head in the ring. If this is how I feel around him, how will the others feel?
‘When we go inside, you will see what we have been driven to by people like Avery. It's time to strike back.'
Kane hoped that rousing statement had sounded more like the man his people had chosen to follow. He was shaken to the core and there were people inside the camp who already doubted his leadership. Bringing in someone like this was going to push things to breaking point. The van stopped and Kane went to the back doors. A cold sweat broke across his brow as he anticipated the questioning within. He left the two to follow with the men and he stepped out of the van.
His camp served its purpose well. Jenson envisaged it as a barracks where he could train his soldiers but in reality, it had become a community. He stopped to take a quick look up the road at the old abandoned gas stations and convenience stores before stepping through the huge, thick iron doors. Originally the building had been one of a number of storage houses in this drive thru town. The town itself may as well have been a service stop, highway ran right through the middle of it but the economic climate had hit hard. It had been easier for the people here to relocate than commute to some of the bigger cities for jobs. It was perfect the infrastructure was modern enough to support their needs and it was derelict to the passer-by. The storage house had a huge ceiling which was part of its magic. Jenson looked up as they passed through at the multitude of wires and devices built into the rafters of the roof. The audible hum from them comforted Jenson, they had been the first thing worked on. His experts had installed numerous homemade satellite and radio jammers all through the ceiling. Because the rest of the town was a blackspot their base must remain the same. They reached the curved opening in the floor and he turned to his guests.
‘From here on in you stay close to me. I may be in charge down here but there are a lot of people down here who like to keep our numbers small.'
Kane's men opened the doors revealing a man-made staircase. Pamela noticed the walls were coated with aluminium foil the whole way down, the temperature began to dip noticeably suggesting that this underground complex had been used for some cold storage. Libero walked in front of her not taking in the surroundings just focussing straight ahead as they went deeper. Her queries over the complex were answered by Kane.
‘Impressive isn't it. The space you are winding towards now used to house some of the biggest underground fuel storage containers in the state. Now it's the perfect base for our operations. One of the group you will meet soon, lived and worked in this town until the money ran out, then the big corporations came in and took the fuel containers away leaving an underground expanse almost the size of the town. You don't make buildings like this anymore, too expensive and unnecessary, the whole world wants renewable energy. If only they knew.'
Pamela had heard of these deserted gas station towns but never anything on the scale of this, they continued down the strangely shining corridor until they reached another heavy door. Clearly added recently Kane knocked the door. An old fashioned slit scraped back and two eyes looked at the visitors. A deep growling voice said ‘More lost souls Kane? We can't save everyone.'
‘I'm sure Scarlet will be happy to see me.'
Pamela watched closely as bolts were loosed from behind the door. The groan of the opening echoed down the artificial corridor before revealing a new world to Pamela. The echoed groan of the door was a relief as it drowned out the expression of shock that had risen in her throat.
‘Welcome….'
37. Enclave
Pamela had seen enough movies, to know what an underground rebel base was meant to look like but the scene in front of her left her staggered. The whole area was arranged into perpendicular cubicles that were teaming with technology. As they passed more and more cubicles the number of people involved grew and grew. At each station, Pamela noticed them beavering away at a collection of cannibalised computers, the screens didn't match, the keyboards looked ancient but the figures and news feeds were interchanging quicker than a smartphone. The workers barely raised an eye to the newcomers so focussed they were on their screens.
They continued walking through the grid until they came to what Pamela could only think was a boardroom, glass walls had been hastily erected to provide some form of privacy but they didn't work, she could hear the constant tap of keys and chatter between workers outside like she was one of them. The table in the middle looked like it had been made from old railway sleepers. The wooden effect certainly was not the boardroom environment she had been used to. The seats were simple bar stools and office furniture no materials had been wasted. Kane beckoned them to sit down while he took off his hooded coat.
‘Well, what do you think?' He asked expectantly.
Pamela took a seat around the table unsure if the question was meant for her. Her positivity was still pushing her to be the conversation leader, to probe for the answers. If only I had this confidence earlier in my career. She caught Libero smiling at her before turning back to Kane. He spoke with confidence.
‘I am relieved this exists, please show me more.'
Kane pulled up a seat at the table facing his two guests.
‘It began slowly, after my experiences I went into therapy. Seeing those sights, I... I doubted my sanity. That was until I was rescued. I was receiving treatment in the local community hospital when I was transferred. I had been talking about what I could see, these demons forcing their will on normal people. I couldn't control my rage and I ended up lashing out at one of the guards. The day after these men in dark coats showed up. I thought when you went mad that the coats were meant to be white.'
Pamela sniggered
at the obvious joke; libero remained fixated on the conversation. I wish he would lighten up.
‘They arrived to say that my assault had been a criminal act and that I was going to be taken to the treatment wing of a prison. They advised I had been tried and sentenced when I was under sedation. The day came for my transfer and I was strapped to my bed. Just then I met the most important person in my life.'
Pamela spoke up, ‘I take it you met this Scarlet that the guard at the door mentioned?'
‘You are certainly sharp. But yes she saved me. I was sitting strapped to a transportation bed with my whole body bound up when I noticed this girl walk in with hair that was like fire. The nurses' uniform she was wearing didn't look like the others, I could see she had tattoos up her arms and when I saw her face it was pierced in a number of places. No healthcare professional would be allowed to work with those. She walked over and cut me loose, told me to get out whatever way I could and to meet me out back. The orderlies weren't much of a problem to a former wrestler so I made my way out back. She was waiting with a small van and that was that. She was the one who brought me here. Back then there weren't so many of us but back then we didn't have a purpose…'
With that, the door to the boardroom slammed open and a diminutive red-haired woman with what looked like an old flight cap on her head stormed in. Pamela didn't need any introduction to know that this was Scarlet.
‘What the hell do you think you are doing meat head?'
‘I'm glad to see you too Scar. If you calm down I think you will want to hear about these two.'
‘Hear about them, you have no idea do you, there is a secret manhunt going on for the both of them, it's all over the covert channels. Hell someone had all our vans on satellite tracking until we hacked them. Whoever it was, they were smarter than local law, I had to invert the subnet mask and redirect them to follow three indistinct black vans. Some workmen or concert roadies are in for a shock.'
Kane turned in rage to Libero, ‘Did you know about this, who is following you?'
