by Nathan Wall
“Do you plan on sparing all of them the feelings of a gruesome end, or just those you care about?” Maya stepped into the cell and walked behind Lian. “Or do you plan to use our alliance for your own gain and just free the ones who have been put under lock and key by your captors?”
“No, of course not.” Lian turned slightly, looking over her shoulder and up into Maya’s eyes. “It is just my hope that the suffering be limited and contained as much as possible. I want it all to be over as quick as it can be...”
“You and I share the same sentiment.” Maya pointed at Austin and two guards picked him up. She then motioned over to the dingy bed that sat draped on the wall and they laid him down. “But in order to move quickly and get what we both want we need to know who the key figures that stand in our way are, and how to remove them from our path as quickly as possible.”
“That sounds reasonable enough to me,” Lian replied, standing up and still looking at Austin. He groaned as he rolled to his other side in order to face the wall. “But I don’t know what that has to do with Austin or how I could help you there.”
“It has everything to do with the both of you.” Maya took Lian’s petite hand into hers and rubbed it with her fingertips. “Empires are quick to crumble without an ideal to guide them, or a hero to inspire them.”
“You’re talking about removing the heads of state for each country.” Lian looked at the ground. “That could take some time.”
“I am talking more about an acquaintance you and this battered man both have in common.” Maya’s grip wound tighter around Lian’s hand as she pulled her in close. “The blue remake you helped infiltrate my fortress, kill my people, and free the other prisoners. If I am to believe your intentions with me are pure, then you must help me bring him down.”
“I don’t know anything about him...”
“Nonsense. Your sight into others’ minds is beyond compare.”
“It’s true. However, when I look inside him all I hear are the screams of millions of other voices clamoring to get out.” Lian shook her head, pulling her arms free. “Honestly, it’s like there’s a void inside him where his soul should be.”
“They all have souls.” Maya’s brows lowered in a contemplative manner. She looked up to Charon who shrugged his shoulders and then back to Lian. “It is an innate trait shared by all humans and half-blood immortals like me as well.”
“I don’t know what else to say.”
“Who is he? Where is he from?” Maya knelt next to Austin and rubbed his forehead with the back of her hand. “His friend and the blue remake. Are they the same person?”
“Yes, that much I do know.” Lian nodded, kneeling as well. “And I do know that he was a close match to the catalyst, but not perfect. The man who created our program… he seemed spooked by Jarrod... the blue remake.”
“How so?”
“I’m not sure. I was ever only able to gain access to glimpses inside his head. But I do know he would have done anything to keep the program running. That was, until Jarrod arrived.” Lian sat on the bed next to Austin and rolled him onto his back. “All signs should have pointed to Jarrod being the savior of Sanderson’s work, the man who took me in as a young girl and trained me to be his psychic guard. But he tried his hardest to stop Jarrod from going through with it.”
“But why did the remake go through with it?” Maya stood.
“Because of a promise.” Lian tightly held Austin’s hand and then closed her eyes as she entered his thoughts.
As Lian’s mind melded with Austin’s, she was sucked into his memories, landing on a summer day several years prior. Standing as a third person observer hovering on the surface of the water, she looked on as Austin and Jarrod swam quickly through a large lake toward a capsized boat; the other one, which had rammed through it, was also sinking.
“I’m going under to get her.” Jarrod’s voice sounded like it was bouncing through a bare corridor. The tail end of the boat lifted into the air and quickly fell to the bottom.
“No, you’ll kill yourself,” Austin yelled, grabbing his friend before swimming away in order to help guide a few of the lesser swimmers to another boat which had pulled up alongside to help.
Time seemed to blur. Suddenly, Lian stood at a scene on a boat which sped toward the beach. Jarrod lay unconscious while a woman frantically tried CPR on him. Austin sat down, resting his elbows on his knees with his palms pressed on his forehead.
When they got to the shore, everyone—except an older woman—had their eyes on Jarrod. She stood, staring back at Lian as if she could see her. Lian prodded further into Austin’s mind, searching for the name of this woman, until she found it.
“Aunt Liv,” Austin groaned as Lian was pulled out of his mind.
“What did you see?” Maya asked.
“Nothing that tells us anything.” Lian rubbed her arms, trying to push the numbness away. “Can you heal Austin? His injuries are severe. I don’t want to see him like this.”
“That depends on what you can tell me.”
“I can tell you where he’s from, the people closest to him, and when he’ll be at his most vulnerable.” Lian stood, adamant about her one condition, giving Maya an unrelenting glare. “Heal him.”
Maya nodded. Charon picked Austin up and disappeared from the room. When he returned several seconds later, Austin was fast asleep, but perfectly healed.
“His home.” Lian’s breathing stuttered as she struggled to control herself. “The people who are closest to him, two in particular, are waiting for him to return. A small town and a festival in which Jarrod and Austin are meant to be the guests of honor.”
“Then we should not keep the people waiting.” Maya smiled, breathing heavily. Her body trembled as if reaching sexual climax.
Episode 7
Six Years Ago
The lake water splashed into the air and rained down on Jarrod’s face. His jet-ski slammed into wave after wave created by the many speedboats and fishing boats which littered the area. He let out a joyous yell as his jet-ski propelled off another tiny wave and crashed into the water, making a loud flopping noise. He pulled a handlebar back, turning the reverse jets on in order to stop his momentum.
He looked back and Austin was doing a pattern of eights. Jarrod sped off toward his friend to join him. He entered the pattern at the opposite end of the figure and joined in the circular motion. Each of them created a rut-like formation in the water that made it easier for the other one to follow along. They looked at each other and nodded, allowing their jet-skis to come to a slow stop.
“What is it?” Jarrod asked, smiling. His dark hair hung over his face and water trickled down his boyishly exuberant cheeks. Austin sighed contently and leaned back to let the sun warm his face. “Race you back to the check in?”
“I kind of want to take it for another lap around the lake,” Austin replied, sitting forward and using his right hand to shield the sun from his eyes.
“We’re gonna be late if we do that,” Jarrod said, his words and demeanor in conflict.
“What are they going to do? Send the cops after us? No, we’re not stealing them. Charge us more? Screw that—we paid with cash.” Austin revved up his engine. “Race you to the other side.”
The two scurried through the center of the lake, in and out of the paths of the many other boats and people who took leisurely rides along the lake. Jarrod saw a boat hurdling on a collision course with him. Instead of slowing he decided to speed up in order to cross its path. He pushed his jet-ski to its top speed, causing him to start plopping up and down on his seat as the jet-ski kept losing contact with the water.
Jarrod smashed forcefully into four sizable waves and was thrown from the jet-ski. He sank into the water while the jet-ski skidded to a stop into the path of the oncoming boat. The driver of the boat swerved to avoid the jet-ski, but went straight into the path of a slow moving pontoon boat and sliced through it. The loud crash shook through the water and grated Jarrod’s sen
ses. When he returned to the surface, he saw Austin swimming toward him, yelling.
“Are you alright?” Austin called, grabbing hold of Jarrod.
“I’m fine.” Jarrod looked over to the wreckage and the overturned boat. Several other boats glided up alongside the two sinking vessels. Jarrod held onto the side of the pontoon boat and ducked his head under the water. Barely able to make out anything below, he saw what he thought was an unconscious girl with long hair. He pulled his face out of the water, gasping. “I think I see someone.”
“Over here,” Austin yelled, but his voice wasn’t loud enough to get over the racket and screams coming from everyone else. “We need help.”
“I’m going under to get her,” Jarrod said, removing his life vest. The suction from the boat as it went under the surface was noticeable and effortlessly pulled him under along with it, tugging at his feet.
“No, you’ll kill yourself.” Austin grabbed Jarrod’s arm, but his friend slipped through the wet grasp. An elderly man floated to the surface. Jarrod shoved his life vest into Austin’s hands and glanced over at the man. Austin nodded and proceeded to swim over to the senior, strapping Jarrod’s vest on him.
All but the rotor of the boat was now underwater. Jarrod pulled himself along the boat’s side rail and down toward the figure which bobbled back and forth. When he got to her, the bow of the boat was running perpendicular to the lake bed. He grabbed hold of her chair and pulled himself close to her, holding onto her headrest and straddling her sides.
Her long hair was all over the place and when he moved it from his view, he looked to see a very pretty girl about his age. He grabbed her buckle, pulled, and her eyes opened. She let out a panic filled scream, clawing at Jarrod as she tried to escape. A large mesh of bubbles clouded his eyes as the girl dug at his arms, scratching his skin.
She looked at him, franticly pulling at the strap that criss-crossed over her shoulders and lap. The fabric of the buckle had swollen in the water, keeping the mechanism from unlatching. Two more men swam down to help and together they gave a huge pull on the buckle.
Jarrod pressed his foot down and it slid between the seat and the frame of the boat. As he pulled, along with the other men, pushing down on the floor of the boat, his ankle became lodged. The girl came free and swam to the surface with the two other rescuers. They held their arms around her, kicking their legs and pulling her to the surface.
Jarrod attempted to follow, but couldn’t as his foot was stuck. Every time he attempted to pull it out, it felt like his ankle was going to snap. His body numbed as he felt the urge to exhale and then breathe again. His face turned red and his neck veins bulged out. He tugged and pulled on the seat, trying to create enough wiggle room to get out, but couldn’t budge. Everything around him went dark as his chest convulsed and his arms and body shook uncontrollably.
The girl and two men returned from under the water. The whole area erupted in applause. Austin smiled, clapping along, until his eyes looked around, not seeing his friend.
“Jarrod,” he yelled, barely loud enough to break the commotion. He swam over to one of the men who helped save the girl and put a hand on his shoulder. “Excuse me, my friend, the one who went down there first to save her… did you see him?”
“Yes, he helped break the buckle.” The man smiled, looking around. “He came up with us, I thought.”
A minute passed and Jarrod’s eyes shot open, glowing a faint powder-blue color. His hands shimmered the same color blue as he extended them out. The entire area around that part of the lake lit up, shining up through to the surface where several people looked on. Suddenly, a large blast erupted and a massive blowout exploded to the surface, throwing many of the swimmers out of the water. Tidal waves ripped throughout the entire lake.
After regaining their composure, Austin and the men who rescued the girl looked at each other and swam down as fast as they could to catch up with the sinking boat. When they got several feet down, they found Jarrod floating amongst the debris from the ship.
They returned to the surface, pulling Jarrod aboard a boat, and quickly jetted toward the shoreline. A woman knelt next to Jarrod and pushed firmly on his chest. She put her lips to his and breathed into his mouth. Austin sat down and pressed his back against the side of the boat, resting his elbows on his knees. His face was shielded by his hands so no one could see him cry. He looked over to the girl wrapped up in a towel and they locked eyes with one another.
“One, two, three,” a man counted as he continuously pressed in on Jarrod’s rib cage, only relenting to let a woman that sat near Jarrod’s head attempt to breathe life into him.
Jarrod coughed and a spurt of water jumped out of his mouth. They turned him to his side, facing Austin, and patted his back. Austin smiled when Jarrod opened his eyes. He gave Austin a big thumbs-up and smiled back before letting out a shriek. The pain in his ankle was demanding attention. The girl walked over to Jarrod and knelt beside him. He tried to broaden his shoulders and flex his muscles as she put a hand on his shoulder.
“Claire, get over here,” her mother called. The girl stood and walked over to her family.
“This is what it’s like to be a hero?” Jarrod said, grunting from the pain in his foot. “Save the day, earn the affections of the girl.”
“If by being a hero, you mean saving people from our own screw-up, then yeah.” Austin nodded, pointing over at several authorities who were waiting for them on the shore. “They don’t look too happy.”
“I’m sure no one is more pissed off than Aunt Liv.” Jarrod crawled over to the side of the boat. He looked out to see Aunt Liv staring back his direction, but not at him… almost as if she was looking beyond him. Jarrod turned around to see what was behind him, but nothing was there.
“Well, they can’t really punish a cripple or a hero and you’re both.” Austin smiled, digging his fingers into Jarrod’s shoulders. “You’ll be fine.”
* * *
The gray starstone half emerged from Oreios’ hand, pushing its way through the skin and into the grasp of his fingers. He looked at it, smiling at the thought of Maya being naive enough to give it to him. Though it was of no use to him as he couldn’t harness its power, Oreios thought of how it’d make for a nice bargaining chip in the right circumstance.
He quickly reabsorbed it into his body and stood. It’d been a few hours since he’d last been fed, and he didn’t want anyone else to see he had it. His collar beeped, letting him know to stand clear of the door.
“Right on schedule.” He smirked, stepping into the corner and turning his back to the door. The large clanging sounds subsided. “Can’t wait to see what sort of dribble I get to eat today.”
Standing there was Elliot, his hands folded along his stomach. Down on the bed was a full tray of goodies. Packed on top were all sorts of cakes, ice creams, Twinkies, and other types of sweet foods. Oreios smiled and shoved a whole slice of pie into his mouth.
“That is the epitome of gluttony.” Elliot scowled in disgust, shaking his head. “None of that is healthy, you know?”
“You would know the seven sins when you see them.” Oreios winked at Elliot, shoving two caramel drizzled Twinkies into his mouth. He kept talking as food flew out from between his lips. “It’s not like I really need to eat for sustenance. This stuff goes right through me.” A blob of waste fell out from under Oreios as he grunted, landing on the floor hard as a rock.
“That is delightful.” Elliot removed a handkerchief from inside his sports coat, shook it open, and placed it over his nose. “Incredibly vile.”
“Coming from you, that’s a compliment.” Oreios licked his plate clean and then flung it to the side. “So, I take it I am free to go.”
“Good Lord, no.” Elliot laughed, rocking back and forth and leaning forward to shake Oreios’ knee. “I need you here. Can’t have you gallivanting about and ruining things.”
“Listen, ‘Bub. We had a deal.” Oreios’ smile vanished from his face. His voice b
ecame stern and his fist morphed into a blade. “That’s how deals work. You make a contract, you shake on it, and then you fulfill the requirements. I should be at an all-inclusive in Thailand right now, being sucked on by dime store whores.”
“What are you going to do with that thing?” Elliot grinned, pointing at the blade Oreios formed with his hand. “Gonna kill me with it? Go ahead, stab me through the heart. It stopped ticking years ago.”
“I could cut the head off that meat suit of yours and make it difficult for you to explain why it’s still walking around,” Oreios replied, still serious.
“Kill this meat suit and I’ll find another.” Elliot crossed his legs and hummed. “That’s how we roll. Been working good this way since my kind was born.”
“No. I know your kind.” Oreios shook his head, speaking at a whisper.
“Oh, do you?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “You jump from host to host, living it up until the meat suit wears out or loses its usefulness. I can see death all over yours, so the only reason you’re still in it is because you need it.”
“I never understood why Zeus gifted your kind with the angelic sight.” Elliot sat forward, looking Oreios over carefully. “I get why he tried to fashion you out of dirt, much like Father did his fleshy pets. That much is obvious. I guess he thought he was going to create a more enlightened version of mankind. He got the breath of life thing all figured out, but he didn’t quite master the whole soul portion of it, did he?”
“It’s really not a good idea to prod at an angry dog when it’s backed into a corner,” Oreios said out of the side of his mouth. “If you’re not going to let me out of here, why did you come? To gloat? Another one of the legionnaires has come to rub my face in my own misfortune?”
“I guess I want to know what happened when you went to the other side.” Elliot pulled his chair up next to Oreios and patted his shoulder. “You don’t understand how hard it was for me to let you go out there. I thought for sure you’d never make it back.”
