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

by Donald Stephenson III

  ​“Then I’ll stay.”

  55

  ​The next day around early afternoon James stood in a large open floor on the eighth level of an abandoned apartment building in Old District. It was being currently being converted into one of several outposts for the resistance. Khaleel Lott, whom James had met previously from Anna, was working with him in setting up this particular outpost. At the moment Khaleel was standing near James, checking over some information on a data screen. James had gotten to know Khaleel a little more, and had found out that he’d been on the run for several years with Elijah’s help from Civic Protection. Apparently they’d identified him as a candidate for their soldier training. They attempted to force him into the training, which he escaped from by going into hiding.

  ​He hoped Khaleel would do well in a leadership role. The man appeared quiet in nature, but James could see inside him. Khaleel was thoughtful, intelligent. He was also loyal. So far, he was doing well now that he had a goal and a mission.

  ​Khaleel handed the data screen to James, who looked it over for a moment. Khaleel was not Civic Protection, but he would have made a good soldier. He had an athletic build, and dark skin that was almost as dark as his short black hair. Khaleel was constantly observing everything around him.

  ​James lowered the data screen as he looked over the large group of people in the room before him. This particular floor of the building had been renovated into one large room, with support beams littered throughout. Well over two hundred people filled it, standing and waiting. James made sure all of them could see his face, not just him as the hunter. He knew they would trust him more if they saw him.

  ​“Is this everyone?” James said glancing over to Khaleel.

  ​“No,” Khaleel said as he nodded, “I haven’t got all the final lists from all the outposts in the city, but in Old District alone it looks like we’ve recruited several thousand already. They’ll be sleepers at this point until we can get them armed, but everyone’s willing and ready to join the Hunter. Everyone in this room is someone who can do something now, either because of training or circumstances. These will be the ones we will start with.”

  ​“Good job,” James said as he handed the data screen back to Khaleel, “I’d like to meet them.”

  ​“Well,” Khaleel said as he smiled a little, “they’ve all wanted to meet you. I was told by Luke that you have some sort of sixth sense. You can see people’s souls or something like that. Is that true?” James stopped, and looked at him.

  ​“Something like that,” James said. Khaleel hesitated for a moment, and spoke again.

  ​“So what do you see when you look at me?”

  ​“Someone I can trust,” James said. He turned to the large group in the room. People grew quiet as he looked at them.

  ​James walked through the room, allowing the group of people to part as he moved through them. His arms were at his sides casually as he walked through the group, individually examining each person with his mind’s eye. The people were eyeing them, and he felt the anxiety and trepidation as he walked through them.

  ​His face was uncovered, but he was still recognizable. Especially with the coat on him. There were whispers among the group as he passed them.

  ​“Is that the Hunter...?”

  ​“I heard he’s killed all CP soldiers that have tried to stop him...”

  ​“He’s supposed to be the son of Elijah Vanguard...”

  ​“Is he human...?”

  ​“Tell me,” James said, “how did most of these people know to join?”

  ​“Well, mostly word of mouth,” Khaleel said as he walked beside James, “I found a few people I knew and trusted. People I knew would want to join us. They brought in people they trusted, and so on and on. What’s going on here is what people have always talked about. Doing something important with our lives. We’ve all felt trapped in this city for our whole lives. Those who’ve tried to leave only make it close enough to the wall just see the hundreds of soldiers protecting it.”

  ​“You’ve seen what we might have to face then?” James said. He was aware that everyone was hearing their conversation.

  ​“Yes,” Khaleel said, “I’ve been to the wall several times. The easiest way to avoid the guards is to go through the cabbage fields. I heard a rumor that the wall wraps around the city in a perfect circle. It looks like that’s probably true from what I’ve seen. What do you think?”

  ​“It is a circle,” James said, “perfectly round. I’m curious too at what lies outside of Dirge though.” Khaleel chuckled at James.

  ​“Many people are scared,” Khaleel said, “scared of what lies outside the walls. Scared of the unknown. Just as scared of that as they are Civic Protection.” James was quiet, pondering what Khaleel had said.

  ​“There is plenty that’s unknown,” James said, “many secrets still inside the walls of Dirge. What we can get is the truth, and then people will have the choice. They can act on the truth, or not, but they will be accountable for their fates at that point.”

  ​James stopped as he looked around at all of them. He could see their minds and souls. There were one or two that were still questioning whether or not they should be there, but no one in the room was looking to betray him or the resistance. James made eye contact with individuals as he began to speak.

  ​“There are some of you,” James said, “that are questioning whether or not you should be here. You all should know from the beginning; what we’re planning to do is dangerous. There may be situations where stealth and non-lethal action can be used, but we’re at war. That being the case, I know Civic Protection will not hesitate to use lethal action against us. We will do what we must for the sake of everyone, and we all know the consequences. We’ve all faced the consequences.” He paused for a moment as his thoughts turned to Elijah.

  “Our full scale attack will be soon, for I know the Council is planning something. I don’t know what, but we only have a limited amount of time. Until then, we will be making strategic attacks at different points around the city to better equip ourselves and weaken Civic Protection for that final battle. Any of you who think you can’t handle this, leave now. I’ll only ask that you don’t betray us, for I know since you’re here you want the same end result we do.” James paused for a few moments, watching. No one budged. He smiled inside, but kept on a serious face.

  ​“There are outposts like this one forming all over the city. Obviously the majority will be in Old and Lower District, but we also have some cells forming in East and Capital. We have some people on the inside, working for us, although their number is limited. Our priority is to equip and prepare. Learn what you can, but I don’t have the time to train you into an army like Civic Protection, but that’s all right. We won’t fight like a traditional army.

  ​“Civic Protection has two strengths. The first is obviously their strong military presence. The other is their secret police. The secret police are really the cause of all the disappearances and the lack of a voice crying out our grievances. Whenever rumors arise of someone questioning the High Council, those people disappear. The secret police has already been weakened, but we will continue to strike at them, to flaunt them. I will draw their attention, so they will focus on trying to capture and kill me while all of you gain power and means.

  ​“As you all have heard and might have seen, I have some unique abilities. One of those is a sixth sense that enables me to see people without using my eyes, sort of like a radar in my head. Every one of the High Council as far as I know has the same ability. They are powerful, but they are the fallen. Be wary for them for they are powerful. Avoid them at all costs, only I can match them.

  ​“Keeping that in mind, there’s still a lot we can do. The fallen usually travel with Civic Protection, and they will now especially since they know I’m on the attack. Of most importance, don’t ever lead any of them to any of our outposts. You would basically be sentencing everyone in that outpost to death.


  ​“There will be a small group that will be assigned as couriers for messages between the outposts and our main base. We can’t rely on the phone systems since those can be easily monitored.” James looked around and watched them a moment, letting it all sink in.

  ​“Khaleel has selected a number of you that will be going on a special mission with me this evening. I want that group to join me upstairs as soon as he calls you out. The rest follow his assignments. Most of that will be maintenance and supply gathering right now. There will be plenty of action soon enough, so we need to be ready for that.” James then turned and headed back upstairs. Everyone behind him was silent.

  ​Khaleel stepped up to the group and began calling out names, directing them upstairs. They moved slowly, one by one. James waited in the smaller room upstairs.

  ​ The room had a patched tile floor and faded walls that might have been painted yellow at some point in the past. There was no furniture except a small metal table in one corner.

  ​One young man entered the room, followed by two more, and then a woman. Soon, twenty men and women were standing before James. They were all young, and their clothing varied from patched and ragged to clean and well-kept. Their appearances varied as much as their clothes. James did not look at them when they came in. He did not have to. He was crouched on the floor, looking over some documents that were laid out before him.

  ​They stood there silently, watching him. With his mind’s eye, he could see Khaleel dividing the rest downstairs and giving each group their own assignments. He looked up at his group, smiling a little.

  ​“It’s all right to talk to me,” James said, “I’m here to help.” He crossed his arms slightly, waiting. He placed them on the small table in the corner of the room while everyone still quietly watched him. James remained quiet until finally one young man stepped forward.

  ​“Sir,” he said to James, “why is it that you chose us?” The young man looked as if he lived in Lower District, in the middle class. He was relatively clean, and his clothes were well kept; although obviously not new. James could see next to the young man was a girl his same age. He could tell from their auras that they were siblings, twins in fact. Obviously not identical, but they did look similar.

  ​“You all are here because you have the most training for what we require, and you all have histories of being very capable. That’s significant since we’ll be going on a strike tonight.” None of them looked surprised, but a few exchanged nervous glances.

  ​“Don’t worry,” James said, “I’ll be with you. If anyone is seen it will be me, because I’m going to need to conceal your presence in case anyone more powerful shows up.” James looked around at all of them and continued, “this mission is a little risky, but the chances of success are high. We’ll also give a great boost to our resources while hurting the Civic Protection.” The majority of the group had faces appearing excited, while a few others remained serious as they contemplated what the mission could be.

  ​There was a small device on the table which James picked up. It was one of several holoprojectors he’d found and was able to repair in the underground city. He activated it, and set it back down on the small table. A small orb of light elevated above it. He smiled a little as he watched their reactions to it. He waved his hand over the orb, and it instantly transformed into a map he’d created of Lower District. One person gasped slightly when it happened. The floating holographic map reacted to James as he moved his hands around; navigating to the location he wanted to show them. The group was silent as they watched him.

  ​“This as you can tell, is a section of Lower District. This is the region of the Dirge where most of the plants and facilities are located, with a few exceptions of course. The one I’ve highlighted here is the largest Civic Protection’s munitions factory. We’re going to hijack a supply shipment that will be sent to Civic Protection headquarters in Capital District. Usually, the shipment is taken to that headquarters where it is dispersed among all the other stations across the city.” He paused for a moment.

  ​Most of the faces were blank. The others had frowns. Another person stepped up, a girl. She looked to be twenty-five or so, and seemed to be from either Capital or East District. Her clothes were plain, but newer looking.

  ​“Wouldn’t they have those shipments heavily guarded,” she said, “and the factory itself?”

  ​“The plant is heavily guarded,” James said, “but the shipment won’t be. A small detachment of soldiers guards the shipment. When I say small, I mean two Civic Protection patrol cars. The shipment itself is five armored trucks. One patrol car will be traveling in front, and one behind.”

  ​“Why such a small guard,” another person asked.

  ​“Two reasons,” James said, “the first is that people have never openly resisted in Dirge, at least not the way we’re planning. Civic Protection has never had a full out fight because they rely on the secret police to root out the individuals who might plan something like that. They don’t expect it. The only person that has openly resisted Civic Protection and the High Council and has not been assassinated is me.

  ​“The other reason is that this shipment has always been a secret. They have a set of different routes they choose, and very few know the exact one that is used. Only higher ups are aware of the details. That’s where one of our sources is. We have the route, and what kind of protection the shipment will have. We just need a way to hijack it without alerting all of Civic Protection until after the fact.”

  ​“So we need to take out the soldiers,” someone else said, “and take all the shipments also. All without being caught by Civic Protection?”

  ​“Yes and that shipment happens tonight.” James smiled, showing how little fear he had. His calm was assuring to most of them, although frightening to a few of them.

  56

  ​Early that next morning it was dark with a heavy rain. James looked at Kyle and Savannah, the twins from his band of resistance fighters. They were huddled near him in an alley behind a dumpster. Kyle was looking out with his binoculars, and his sister was continually nudging him to give her a chance to look. Everyone was soaked, for there was no shelter from the storm.

  ​James was watching them, but also watching everyone else with his mind’s eye. They were all in their places. He could see the convoy in a distance, but they needed to rely on visual confirmation. There was a bright flash of lightning in the distance followed by a crack of thunder overhead. There was too much of a risk that there might be one of the fallen with the shipment. If everyone followed the plan it would go smoothly. I hope so, he thought as he watched the twins.

  ​Kyle clutched the flash grenade in one hand. He seemed a little nervous, but James could tell he had it together in his mind. Anyone about to attack a group of soldiers would be nervous. Kyle whispered to his sister that he wished it wasn’t raining. James smiled as he heard Kyle, for he enjoyed the rain. It would cloud the soldiers’ visibility, and help them with their attack. James could navigate any weather easily due to his senses, and he’d never needed to worry about wiping water from his eyes since they were covered in metal. He also had the rest of the hunter guise now over his face and body, his arms now metal claws. The xeno pulsed over his skin in anticipation.

  ​Nobody had asked how he’d become the way he was, or where the xeno had come from. It was likely no one even knew the xeno was a separate creature that had bonded with him. All of them wanted to see him change into the hunter, though. They all wanted to see his abilities. He not only could sense respect from them, but also a mixture of awe and fear. No one was actually afraid of him, but James could sense nervousness from some of them when he was near. James could see Kyle nudge his sister while looking through the binoculars across the street.

  ​“There’s the signal,” Kyle said to them, “it won’t be long until the convoy reaches us.” James could already see it with his mind’s eye, but he needed the whole group to work together. Kyle moved
to the edge of the alley, followed by James and Savannah. The rain was getting heavier, as if that were even possible. James thought about the water running into that underground filtration plant, and wondered how well it functioned in heavy weather like this. Kyle made a comment that he was glad there wasn’t much traffic out. It would be easier for them.

  ​In another sixty seconds the first Civic Protection patrol car had reached the alley, slowly passing them. The heavy rain was causing the drivers to be more cautious. In another few seconds it reached the line that James had marked to the others in their plan, which went into action quickly at that moment.

  ​Members of the group came out of the buildings and alleys from all sides of the convoy. Instead of rushing the vehicles, they all tossed flash grenades in front of every vehicle. Everyone covered their eyes as the small explosions lit up the street, blinding the drivers. James smiled as he saw it happen. Without the armory in the facility, they would not have had access to those flash bombs.

  ​While the troops were still stunned, people moved in and shattered the windows of all the vehicles. They tasered the Civic Protection soldiers, knocking them out. The soldiers were then pulled out of the vehicles and laid onto the street. Resistance members got in each of the trucks and drove away. They were all headed to Old District.

  ​The unconscious soldiers were taken by the rest of James’s group and put in the room of a nearby building that was empty. The soldiers were all disarmed and tied up, left there.

  ​The resistance group that stayed behind with James scattered; they planned to meet up in three hours with the rest back at their outpost. After they unloaded, the vehicles would be taken to a parking lot on the edges of Old and East District, where they would be set of fire. James headed for that parking lot.

  ​The rain was still heavy, but James could sense that it would let up in another hour or so. He stared at the sky for a moment, and then headed out. Kyle called after him.