City of Twilight Part II: The Fallen (The Vanguard Chronicles Book 2)

by Donald Stephenson III

  ​Something was happening, something unusual. The patrols of Civic Protection had started behaving irregularly, in a manner that made him even more suspicious. He suspected that they were trying to throw him and others off with the unusual patrols. He wondered what the council, and what Father were planning. What Michael was planning. He corrected himself in his own mind.

  ​Before long however, it was over. The patrols started behaving the way they did before. Whatever was happening had passed.

  ​He reached the facility’s entrance, the metal tile with the ‘x’. Upon entering the pass code, the door opened. He walked through and entered the facility. The hallway was much less dusty, it having been cleaned by Anna who spent her day there taking care of the children. Alicia had grieved for her Elijah, and the people there had been very concerned for her. Her father was killed in front of her, but she was handling it surprisingly well. She was finally starting to be social again. She even would talk to and play with Luke’s two daughters, Jennifer and Kayla. They were near her age, and they got along pretty well.

  ​James still worried though. Elijah would be missed. He hoped he could be there for his sister. He was one of the few people she’d been able to talk to, and it surprised him that she had deduced that they were siblings. It made him sad in a way. She lost her father at a very young age, and he was just starting to get to know Elijah. He regretted not telling Elijah immediately after he’d found out, but he didn’t know how the man would have taken it.

  ​Alicia had surprised him in another way, as well.

  ​She had the mind’s eye connection. She’d already awakened to it, he could tell. He couldn’t tell how long she’d been able to use it, but it had forged a connection between them. It was not as strong as his was, but it was there. She was developing the same abilities he was, with the exception of course of what abilities the xeno gave him.

  ​He’d realized that he had the mind’s eye connection his entire life, but he just now had access to it. Somehow Dr. Shepherd and his mother, Callista, had developed a chemical that suppressed his awakening to that connection. His foster parents had always told him it was an allergy shot they were regularly giving him. The suppression kept him from being noticed by the others like him. Now that he’d been without the injections, his connections to the mind’s eye realm were accelerating at a pace with which he could barely keep up. It was a parallel realm filled with untapped potential, unlimited power that he could channel with concentration.

  ​Initially it felt like he was entering a dark pool of energy. The longer he dwelt in it, the brighter it felt. The more powerful his senses were, and the further he could see. He could see small elements in the realm. Beings of life that existing in this sub universe that floated along, oblivious to him and everyone else. He’d never seen or noticed them at first, but the stronger he became, the more he was aware of them.

  ​“I take it all went well?” Luke said. It surprised James, and he realized he was already in the lobby of the underground facility.

  ​“Yes, extremely. Nice job with that piece of hardware.”

  ​“I’m sure they’ll redesign the system to try to prevent this from happening again.”

  ​“No doubt,” James said as he sat down in a chair next to Luke. "How is she today?” Before Luke could answer, James heard a voice inside his head, “I’m fine.” It startled him a little, but he recognized her immediately.

  ​“Alicia,” James said out loud, “was that you?” Luke looked at James with an odd expression, like he thought James might be going crazy.

  ​He heard the voice again, “Yes, it’s me. I can talk to you like this. I think you can talk to me like this too, if you try. You use your mind’s eye to do it.”

  ​“Communicate to each other through our minds,” James said to her through his thoughts, “do you think the others like us, our enemies, that they can do this?”

  ​“Yes,” she answered. Luke was watching James, and could tell something was going on from the slight smile on James’s face.

  ​“All right,” Luke said, “what’s going on? I can see that the wheels are turning in your head by the look on your face. It’s the same look Elijah would have when he had an idea.”

  ​“No,” James said, “I’m fine. Alicia and I can communicate with each other through our thoughts.” James watched her with his mind’s eye as she walked into the big lobby from the hallway that led to the cafeteria. She had a satisfied grin. James turned to her direction and stood up. “Alicia,” he said, “do you think we could talk to normal people like this?”

  ​“We could try,” she answered through her mind’s eye.

  ​James then turned to Luke, and focused on the man’s presence with his ability. He saw him through the mind’s eye realm, a blot of different colors swirling around. Thoughts and emotions; Luke’s aura. He then focused on the words the way he’d done it with Alicia. Luke’s eyes got really large, and he looked around the room.

  ​“What was that?” Luke said loudly, “a voice in my head said I’m going crazy.” He turned to James, “It sounded like you.” James smiled a little as he walked across the room slowly. His expression on his face said he was deep in thought.

  ​“That was me,” James said, “but I bet you can’t talk back. Only people like Alicia and I can communicate like this. It will be useful though.” Luke shook his head.

  ​“Useful,” Luke said, “it’s downright creepy. Don’t do that again to me.” He stood up shaking his head; Alicia was chuckling at him. “There’s something wrong with this,” Luke said as he went to the hallway that Alicia had come from. The man was going to the cafeteria to get a drink. Alicia walked over to James.

  ​“Come here,” she said, “I want to show you something.” She took James’s hand and led him into the cafeteria as well. On one of the tables there was a stack of data screens. She ran over to them and picked one up. "Anna and I found these.”

  ​“Where did you find them?”

  ​“In the city below us,” Alicia said, “we found them in a small store. They still work, and they all have stories in them that none of us have ever heard of.”

  ​“You found them in the city in the caves?” he said.

  ​“Yes,” she said, “it was a little creepy at first, but no one was there. It was kind of neat also.” James focused his mind on hers.

  ​“I don’t want you going back there,” he told her through his thoughts, “it’s not safe.” He said it resolutely, with a tone that said not to question him. A little deterred, she nodded her head. After a moment though, she moved back to her original thought.

  ​“Look at these books, James.” He glanced over them, and she was right. He’d never heard of any of them either. Catcher in the Rye, William Shakespeare's Four Tragedies, and The Holy Bible, none of the titles sounded familiar. There were several others, all just as foreign.

  ​“What does ‘holy’ mean?" Alicia asked as she pointed to one. James shook his head.

  ​“I don’t know; I don’t recognize any of these. I wonder who William Shakespeare was. I’ll have to read them some time. Right now though, it’s time for you to go to bed.”

  ​“No,” she said, “it’s not time yet.” She had an obstinate look on her face, crossing her arms.

  ​“What are you talking about,” James said, “it’s after midnight. Go to bed. I’ll be here all night, you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to leave you.” She looked a little relieved at hearing him say that, uncrossing her arms. She hugged him and he kneeled down to kiss her on the forehead. “If you need me, just call out to me with your mind’s eye. I’ll find you.”

  ​“Good night, brother,” she told him through her mind’s eye. He smiled, and watched her with his mind’s eye, making sure she did go to bed. Even though she’d acted like she wasn’t tired, her eyes closed immediately when she laid down. The xeno pulsed on his back as he worried for her. His anxiety caused it to grow. His thoughts of protecting Alicia a
nd Christina, the two most important people in his life, caused it to try to take a hold. He forced it back into the recesses of his mind. It shrank back again.

  Elijah, his father was dead. Dr. Shepherd, a man who had secretly fought to protect him, was dead. His mother, Callista, was dead so long ago he never had a change to get to know her at all. So many lives lost already, and relationships he’d missed out on. How many more would die before this ended? He knew he had to do everything he could to protect them, to keep them from being among the lost.

  48

  ​It was early morning by the time Anna had arrived back at the facility. She had been gone all night, but James wasn’t worried. She could take care of herself. He just wondered where she went, and also wanted to talk to her about her taking Alicia into the abandoned city below them. She’d just arrived in the front entrance. There were other people with her. James didn’t know who they were, but he could see their auras. There was no betrayal or deceit in them.

  ​She brought them through the main doors, leading them through the hallway into the main lobby, where they all looked around awestruck. There were ten of them with her. They all saw James standing there, and one of them spoke.

  ​“Is he the Hunter?” James smiled to himself as he saw their reactions to everything. He then let the creature cover his mouth and nose, and make his eyes look silver as the Hunter guise. The whole group gasped, not expecting a change like that.

  ​“Yes, I am the Hunter,” he said, letting the creature go back to the form on his back and long coat. He looked at Anna. "May I speak with you a moment?” He turned to the others, “Don't touch anything; I’ll be with you all in just one second.” Anna met him in one corner of the room, with all the other people near the entrance to the lobby.

  ​“Who are these people?” James spoke in a whisper.

  ​“These people,” Anna said, “are the beginning of the resistance. These people were trusted by Elijah. He’d worked with them before, and when they found out you were his son they sought me out. They wanted to join the Vanguards. They want to fight with the Hunter.” James nodded his head, expecting this. It was happening fast.

  ​“Alright,” he said, “what about taking Alicia down to the city below us? I’m not completely convinced it’s safe down there, and there are remnants of technology none of us have ever seen before. Some of it might not be safe. She’s seen enough for right now.”

  Anna nodded.

  ​“I understand your concern,” she said, “but I needed to see if for myself. We all needed to see it. Luke went with his daughters too. Their mother was killed in front of them. It’s becoming rare in this day and age for people to not witness something of that kind. We all needed to know where we might have come from.” James stared. She was very old, yet she still had much strength in her. There was also desperation. He nodded, moving along-side her while facing the newcomers.

  ​“All right,” he said, “but next time you all want to take a little trip down to the abandoned city, I’m coming with you. At least I can protect you.”

  ​“I understand,” she said, “you are the leader now.” That struck him, in a way he hadn’t thought of before. I’m the leader. The weight seemed to grow heavier on his shoulders. He focused on the xeno for a moment, controlling his anxiety and making sure it stayed back. He looked straight at the newcomers, the people Anna had brought in.

  ​“What are you all doing here?” James asked.

  ​“We’ve come to help,” said one man said who’d stepped up. He looked like he was only a few years older than James, with dark brown skin and very short black hair. He was tall and very built. James could see strength in the man, strength and resolution. There was something else James noticed. This man had fierce intelligence. Potential. This man could be a leader, like James. The man continued, “None of us want to be afraid anymore. The Vanguards fought the city, fought Civic Protection and the High Council. Elijah wanted to save all of us. I think I speak for all of us in saying that if you weren’t here, we’d probably have given up hope after he was killed.” James nodded.

  ​“What’s your name?" James asked the man.

  ​“Khaleel, sir,” he answered.

  ​“Well Khaleel,” James said, “you’ve come to the right place.” James walked over to him and grabbed Khaleel’s hand. He shook it, but it felt like the handshake of two brothers-in-arms. They’d never known each other before, but had a kinship that would transcend the lack of history. James smiled. One of the women approached him.

  ​“Are you really their son,” she said, “the boy Elijah and his wife lost all those years ago?” James nodded with seriousness in his eyes. The woman stared at him for a moment. "You have your mother’s eyes, and her height. Your father’s hair though, and his mouth.”

  ​“How did you know them?” James asked.

  ​“I was the doctor that delivered you,” she said, “and Alicia.”

  ​“You’re a doctor? That’s good.” James looked at them all and said, “We'll need all the doctors we can get, as well as many other skilled people. As of right now, we’re at war. This will start small, but we can grow it quickly. Elijah won’t have been the only casualty before this is all over.”

  ​“We’ve all lost someone,” Khaleel said, “we can now finally avenge those we lost.” He grinned sharply.

  ​“Good,” James looked around for a moment, and, seeing they all had bags and suitcases, said, “bunks are over in that hallway. Make yourselves at home. Anyone who lives here will be civil to each other. Move in your things and meet me out here in the lobby. We’ll then discuss how all of you can help.”

  49

  ​James had mixed feelings about having the new people in the facility. Most just had random skills that wouldn’t really be required in a situation like a rebellion. There were three doctors, whose roles would be important. A few others, such as Khaleel, he’d already sent back out into the city as recruiters.

  ​He needed them to create outposts in the city, in all of the districts. They would create a network, and they needed to have more than one location if they were going to be effective. They were to find places where people could live and train. They also needed to find more recruits. They were going to organize some raids to steal supplies and weapons from Civic Protection. I’ll worry about that later though, he thought, one step at a time.

  ​Two hours had passed since he’d first met all the newcomers, and it was probably close to eight in the morning now. If Luke or Alicia had gotten up that night, they would have noticed that he’d not slept at all. He did sleep when he needed it, but that was much less now. His body and mind required very little sleep now. Only a few hours every week. He hardly ever felt tired anyway. He just hoped no one ever questioned him about it. He could tell Christina had noticed, though she had never said anything about it.

  ​After she had seen the video recorded by Dr. Shepherd so many years ago, they'd had a long talk. There was still a lot that he didn’t know, but they discussed what he’d learned about himself and his past. He detailed the majority of his abilities to her, including his mind’s eye connection.

  It had been a lot for her to take in, but she handled it well. Her opinion of him hadn’t changed, nor had her love. I’m half human, he thought, half something else. He wondered what his mother had been like and where she and her brother, Michael, had come from. Elijah had called her Callie. James remembered the notes in the abandoned observation room, how they mentioned his mother and uncle developing faster than a normal human would have. Information they’d received from Carl Smith, a now deceased survivor of the collapse. It might have been difficult for him to believe at one time, but it was all too easy for him to understand it all now.

  ​Elijah had told him that Callista had been killed by the same people that had killed him. The council. James understood that the woman, Medea, had shot him. She was just a pawn, though. There were other members of the council, and Michael was above them. There was mu
ch more he needed to learn about the council. Their relation to him, and to Michael, the one they called father.

  ​He looked around the lobby from the chair he sat in. Eventually this place would be full of people, he thought, and busier than it has ever been. He glanced over at all the small data screens on the desk. The one that displayed the network vids from the city was a blank screen. It’s still down, he thought, smiling slightly.

  ​Dr. Shepherd had intended for James to use the facility as a base for the resistance. James still had trouble figuring out how the man knew James would use it, inherit it. If his mother had worked with Dr. Shepherd, and she could use the mind’s eye, then maybe she built some clues that James had followed subconsciously.

  He suddenly felt the abruptness of a mind waking up in the barracks, his sister Alicia. She called to him with her mind’s eye.

  ​“James, you’re here still?”

  ​“Yes,” he thought back to her, “I’m still here. I’ll have to leave soon though. There’s still a lot of work that I have to do.”

  ​“I understand. Be careful. You can still get hurt.” He smiled when he heard her words in his mind. The girl was intelligent and insightful for a seven-year-old.

  ​“I will.” He stood up from the chair, stretching for a moment. He then headed for the door. “Let them know I’ll be back in a little while.”

  ​“All right.” Her reply was cheerful, and he was impressed by how strong she was. She’s definitely a Vanguard, he thought to himself.

  ​He moved through the hallway and the locked entrance as quickly as the machinery could allow. He didn’t glance at any of the rooms, but he knew what they all contained. He’d been in all of them. Christina was the first that he’d allowed to look through the other laboratories. He was a little sensitive about letting others view the records of his past. His true origins. His sister’s as well.