by John Corwin
He twisted the lever. Someone inside caught their breath. His hearing was still sensitive on his right. Everything in his injured ear sounded muffled.
"Stand away from the door," Lucas said in what he hoped was a commanding voice. It'd do him no good if the other prisoners mounted an escape attempt on him. He pulled the door open.
A petite blonde woman with a defeated expression on her face stared back. On one side stood a chubby male, on the other, a thin man, his face red and mottled, glared at Lucas. Almost immediately, their expressions turned to horror and concern.
"Holy shit! What'd they do to you?" asked the man.
"Lucas Fowler," the blonde said. "They tortured you?" She stood and hurried over. Extended a gentle hand toward his ear.
He jerked away. "Who are you people? Why did Martin lock you up?"
"Martin?" The thin guy raised an eyebrow. "Andre locked us up. He's got Martin and others around here somewhere too."
"Andre?"
The blonde waved a hand in the air. "We'll get to that later. I'm Lucinda." She pointed at the thin man. "Vish," she said. Pointed at the chubby man. "And Greg. Let's get out of this place first then we'll talk more."
She assumed the lead without further comment and headed for the door at the end of the corridor. Lucas checked the other rooms as they walked but they were empty.
"Where's Alexia? I have to find her."
"Andre separated us, man." Vish shrugged. "Wish I knew."
Lucinda held up a small hand and paused at the exit door. After a few seconds, she motioned the others onward. They passed through. Carpet, stained wooden doors, and glowing sconces markedly improved the atmosphere.
"Is Tollee here?" Vish asked.
"The walls are still blocking me. I've been down here a million times and never noticed this."
"Probably not the walls then. Something Andre can switch on."
Lucas reached for a door handle but Lucinda stopped him. "We need to get out of here. No telling who's waiting on the other side of one of these doors. I promise we'll come back for Alexia."
"I can't just leave her. You don't understand. I need her."
"I understand, but we'll be able to help her more effectively once I gather your supporters."
"My supporters?"
"A lot of us sympathize with you. We understand that Martin manipulated you. Your condition could be the key we've been looking for."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I promise I'll explain everything once we get out of here. There are some really disturbing things you need to know. Terrible things about your family." She shuddered and her eyes dampened. "Lucas, are you well enough to hop?"
He tried to open a scar. A thread of silver shimmered for a split second and vanished. "No. What terrible things about my family? Do you know where my sister is?" Fear of her answer choked him with dread.
Lucinda ignored him. "Vish, you take point. Once we hit the outside, Greg's gonna hop us out."
Vish blurred up the stairs. Lucas and the others huffed up after him. Lucas's legs nearly gave out. Greg, who was in the rear, saved Lucas from tumbling down.
"Thanks," Lucas said in a mutter. He felt useless.
Vish burst through the door at the top. Someone outside shouted. Vish cursed. Lucinda exited. Lucas stumbled outside after her. Greg was close behind.
Two men grappled with Vish. He grabbed one by the shirt and flung him skidding across the asphalt. The other punched Vish in the jaw. He staggered back.
"You little shit."
The other man, though larger, looked scared.
Vish roared and punched the man in the stomach. The man doubled over, gasping. Vish picked him up and flung him twenty feet. The man crunched into the side of a green car.
"Stupid seekers."
Greg raised an eyebrow. "Hey, now."
Lucinda screamed. "Watch out!"
Someone slammed into Lucas from behind. Their arms clamped around his in a vice. Someone else hit Greg. He went sprawling in the opposite direction. Vish kicked away Greg's attacker. Lucinda squinted and gritted her teeth. The air seemed to vibrate. A wall of agony disoriented Lucas and tore into his mind. His attacker's grip loosened. Lucas couldn't stay upright. He wobbled. Vish staggered backward, hands to his head. He recovered and helped Greg up.
"Christ, Luce, you nearly knocked me out."
Lucas heard feet scuffling behind him. He turned to see a group of people approaching. Someone slammed into him from the side. He hit the asphalt and rolled a few feet.
"Help him," Greg said from somewhere behind.
"Too many," Lucinda said.
Lucas turned in time to see Lucinda, Vish, and Greg blip out as they hopped. An attacker grabbed each of his arms. He tried to squirm away. His strength was gone. He had nothing else in him. A familiar brown-haired woman walked over and punched him in the stomach. His breath whooshed out in a hoarse gasp.
"Murderer," she said. She looked at someone behind Lucas. "We've secured him Andre."
He realized it was Kate, Phillip's arbiter. What was she doing here?
Another familiar face filled his view. Lucas remembered the man from the cemetery. Andre.
"Martin didn't do your mind in after all," he said. "Good." He turned to the woman. "Find out how he escaped. Chain him in his cell if you have to." He swept his eyes over the bloody side of Lucas's face. "And someone clean him up. I don't want him looking like this for his execution."
Chapter 40
Mikhail clenched his fists and stared at the stained oak door. His attempts at outside communications had failed. Andre had apparently fashioned a means to block mind probes. Something in the walls? Perhaps an electronic field of some sort? Mikhail couldn't believe that even with a steady stream of electronic intelligence, he'd never heard of this. Not once had Andre mentioned it in his executive meetings. That meant he'd purposefully kept it secret from his top people. That meant he might have more hidden threats.
The significance could be devastating to the Statists. If Andre fashioned protective devices whatever blocked the probes, Statist arbiters would be nullified. The Statists had far more arbiters than the Transcendists. That was the only advantage the Statists had over their counterparts. Andre had more executors, more muscle at his disposal. Both sides had roughly the same number of seekers. The raw numbers advantage still went to Andre. Yet Mikhail knew in the advent of attack, his arbiters could make the difference and turn the tide.
Not any more.
Swain punched the oak paneling on the wall. It split. He punched it again and again until the wood pulped. He ripped a panel off the wall. Behind it was a thin layer of blue foam. Under the foam, concrete. Swain kicked the concrete. It didn't crack.
"I don't think I can get through it," he said.
"Try the door," Mikhail said.
Swain rammed it with his shoulder. The wood splintered. He rammed it again. Beneath the thick oak, gray metal appeared. Swain rubbed his shoulder. "This is ridiculous."
"Maybe it's the metal," Anne-Marie said.
Mikhail shook his head. "No. Too obvious. Probes can penetrate solid rock."
"An electronic grid?"
"Perhaps. I have never seen anything electronic, magnetic, or otherwise stop probes." Mikhail sighed and held up a hand to stop Swain. The metal was too thick. Swain was exhausted from the night's activities. Andre had not fed them. Besides, he had seen the thick titanium bar securing the door from the outside. Brute force was not the answer.
"Will it be war?" Swain asked.
Mikhail pursed his lips. "What else is possible?"
Anne-Marie shook her head. "But what if he's already perfected whatever's blocking you?"
"We lay down in defeat?" Mikhail narrowed his eyes. "I think not."
Something grated against the door. It swung outward, creaking on its warped hinges. Andre stepped in and clucked his tongue.
"Really, Grand Arbiter, you should be more respectful of your host's belongin
gs."
Mikhail decided not to bring up whatever blocked his probes. Andre might be reluctant to free them with such knowledge. "Every moment you hold us, you risk war."
"Really, now, this is for your own safety. Lucas and his cohorts will go on trial soon and we can put this sordid mess behind us."
"Then release us."
Andre chuckled. "You sly dog. You're not going to bring it up are you?"
"What would that be?"
"Why your special accommodations, of course." Andre flicked his hand around the room. "Surely you noticed its unusual properties."
"The oak is nice touch."
"Right. Don't play ignorant with me. We both know you tried to send probes. You couldn't though, could you?"
Mikhail held back a curse. Andre planned to flaunt his weapon. It was a warning. Should Mikhail return the hostilities, Andre would be ready.
"I'll take your silence for a yes. I'm sure you've already considered the implications. I'm sure you know how useless your arbiters might be should you try anything uncivil."
"What is blocking me?"
"Suffice it to say the technology is portable. I want to ensure peace, Grand Arbiter. This is a precaution." Andre opened the door wider. "Please, go back to your compound. Think hard about your next steps. When it's time for the trial, I'll let you know."
Questions darted through Mikhail's mind. For the first time he felt afraid of Andre. Afraid of his own ignorance. What if Andre was bluffing? If the technology existed, he would have surely used it by now. Perhaps it had only become available recently. At this point, Mikhail had little choice but to do as the other man told him. But he couldn't show weakness. In case Andre's threat was a bluff, Mikhail had to hold some leverage.
"For every measure, there is countermeasure. I have no intention to start war. I do intend to file complaint for full council. This incident casts doubt on your ability to serve as grand arbiter."
Andre smirked. "Fair enough. Once you've had a chance to think this through, I think you'll realize that I'm right. Lucas Fowler is too dangerous to live."
"Perhaps." Mikhail shrugged. "Goodbye." He motioned Swain and Anne-Marie to follow and exited the room.
A group of scraped and bruised Transcendists stood in the hallway. Something had happened. A fight. Tired eyes said more than words could. Mikhail's mood lightened. Andre's grasp on events was tenuous. He might very well have a deterrent in the form of his secret weapon. He did not, however, have control over every situation. People within his faction were rebelling. Mikhail could stand by and let them tear each other apart.
That still wouldn't save Lucas. Mikhail needed him. With training and guidance, Lucas could unite the factions. He could then quite literally rule the world with Mikhail as his advisor. Mikhail sighed, continued through the hall as a young girl with questionable taste in clothes and hairstyle motioned them along. She climbed a flight of stairs and opened the door at the top. The group stepped outside.
"You're not really going to start a war, are you?" the girl asked. A breeze ruffled her green-streaked brown hair.
"Does that worry you, child?"
She sighed. "Yeah, like who wouldn't be bothered? Don't try acting all mysterious. I swear you grand arbiters are more childish than newbie seekers."
Mikhail stifled a laugh. He liked this girl's spirit. "Your name?"
"Dara. I'm a seeker, unattached."
"What is your opinion of Andre's actions?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Now you want me to be your little spy?"
"I ask for a simple opinion. Nothing secret."
"I think the whole mess is stupid. If you and Andre weren't so bull-headed, always trying to get the upper hand, you could've solved it a long time ago. Now he's pissed off half the faction and got the other half whipped into a patriotic frenzy."
Things were better than Mikhail had hoped for. Still, an outright Statist attack would likely unite the rebels. An outside threat often did that. On the other hand, he might woo the dissenters to his side. "I understand your frustration. I simply want justice. Do you think execution of Lucas Fowler will serve justice?"
"At this point, I don't know. Sounds like he was forced to kill people. That Martin guy did something to his brain. But what if he's crazy? He almost escaped—" She cleared her throat. "I probably shouldn't have told you that."
"Andre still has him, yes?"
"Yeah."
"He plans to execute him soon."
"I know."
"You understand he might be key to differences between chum and Scions?"
"I've heard the theory." Dara blew out her lips. "Don't know if I believe it but it's worth a shot."
"We are also interested. If theory holds water, the factions could unite. Transcendists would have proven their theory true. Would be no need for Statists to exist."
"Are you serious? Then why would Andre kill Lucas without even trying?"
Mikhail arched his brow in confusion. "I do not know. Perhaps this is why others in your faction are so upset."
"I never thought of it that way." She fixed Mikhail with her piercing green eyes. "And you don't have a problem with that?"
"I do have problem. It would be upsetting to be wrong after all this time."
"Then why are you telling me this? Why do you want Lucas alive?"
"Curiosity. There are so many mysteries about Scions. Would be nice to solve some. Agreed?"
"I don't trust you." She pursed her lips for a moment. "But you actually sound reasonable."
"We all want answers," Anne-Marie said. "Perhaps there's nothing to this. It would be foolish to squander the chance to find out."
"Did you know Lucas found the afterlife?" Mikhail had trouble believing it. Still, he needed every incentive to get this girl and the other dissenters on his side.
Her eyes widened. "There's an afterlife? You're crazy."
"No, not crazy. Lucas knows. Alexia knows. Both have been there. Ask them."
"I can't believe it. We really will go somewhere when we die."
After hearing Alexia's description of the place, Mikhail knew that wasn't necessarily a good thing. "Will you help?"
Her body tensed. "I won't betray my friends."
"I do not ask that. I ask you to stop Lucas's execution."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Lucinda. Ask her. Andre has her."
"Not anymore. She and her posse escaped earlier. They were trying to get Lucas out but we caught him."
Better and better. "Where would she hide?"
"I don't know. I know some of the other rebels. If you can find them, they might know."
"May I take the names?"
Dara tensed again. "Fine. You better not try anything else. I passed probe blocking with flying colors."
Mikhail extended a probe and tapped into her active memory. A list of names and faces flashed into his mind. He withdrew.
"After Andre broke up their secret meeting, some of them came crawling back. You can find 'em hanging out at the Vortex or other places around here."
"Thank you."
"Sure. If I find out this is a trick…"
"I do not patronize you, Dara. We both have same goals."
She flashed her green eyes at him again, distrust still evident. Turned. Entered the stairwell and slammed the door shut behind her.
Mikhail walked through the parking lot. A rickety wooden fence with a broken gate separated it from the road. They walked through the opening and down the sidewalk. A few blocks later, they reached the Vortex. A large gaping skull with swirling vortexes for eyes served as the doorway. They walked past the bar and into the smoky interior of the restaurant best known for its wide variety of hamburgers. Mikhail was not fond of most American cuisine, but hamburgers were an exception.
Anne-Marie scanned the crowd inside and pointed to a table of four Scions. Mikhail examined their faces. Several of them were among the faces from Dara's memories. He approached the table.
Tw
o women whose seats faced his direction looked up in startled recognition. The one on the left was young and thin with dark blonde hair. The one on the right was older, probably near the end her short lifespan. Gray streaks had worked into her black hair. In chum terms she might be in her late forties. Old for a seeker.
"I'm looking for Lucinda," Mikhail said.
The other two Scions at the table, a man and a woman, turned at the sound of his voice. Their eyes widened.
"Grand Arbiter Mikhail? What are you doing here?" asked the blonde.
"Surely you know of Lucas's capture. Andre also took us prisoner."
"I thought it was a rumor," said the man. "Andre really has gone power mad."
"I know you have no reason to trust me but Andre can not be allowed to continue like this. Otherwise we will have war."
"Open war?" The gray-haired woman's jaw dropped open. "Grand Arbiter, please understand the vast majority of us don't condone Andre's current actions. We're trying to temper things. Slow it down. Let reason have a chance."
"I agree. I must speak with Lucinda. She was also captured. Apparently she escaped."
"Thank goodness. We were so worried about her. After Andre's storm troopers attacked us, we weren't sure what he'd do next."
"So you don't know where she is?"
The members of the group looked at each other, each shaking their heads in turn.
"She might have holed up at a friend's place." The graying woman thought for a moment. "She might have gone to the East Village."
"May I?" He tapped his head.
She looked uncertain. "I suppose."
He extracted the information with a delicate probe. "Thank you. Perhaps you should regroup. Together we may prevail with logic and not rash action."
"And be slammed by Andre's crazies again?" The man snorted. "Not me."
"If Andre thinks he can imprison Mikhail, what else is he gonna do?" the blonde said. "We've gotta put a stop to this nonsense now."
