by Ian Somers
‘Is that the truth?’ I asked. ‘Will you really let me leave? You promise there won’t be someone following me again?’
‘You are free, Ross. There will be no one following you.’
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘I do need to know one thing before I leave here …’
‘And that is?’
‘Hunter. Were you telling the truth when you said he was still alive?’
‘I was. After he knocked you unconscious, Burrows left you with Armitage and travelled to the Portmans’ house. There he found Hunter, unconscious, barely breathing, a broken neck, and a thousand minor injuries.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ I breathed. ‘That old bugger managed to survive.’
‘Barely,’ Sterling said. ‘Burrows got him to a hospital in time and his life was saved. He is far from healthy, though. Hunter is paralysed from the neck down. I visited him yesterday and used my gift in an attempt to heal his wounds. It was not successful. There was some improvement, yes, but the damage to his nervous system is so complex that not even I could rebuild him.’
‘Has he woken up?’
‘Not yet. We don’t know if he ever will.’
‘Maybe he shouldn’t …’
‘You can’t actually mean that, Ross.’
‘Hunter wouldn’t be capable of living life like that. Some people are strong enough to deal with physical disability, but not my old friend. He’s a man of action. He’s the type that should die in action.’
‘Perhaps you are right,’ Sterling said. ‘I for one will not give up on him just yet. I will do everything I can to restore him to the man he once was.’
‘I hope you’re successful.’ I didn’t want to remain any longer. I wanted out. I wanted fresh air. I pushed back my chair and got to my feet. ‘I wish you and the Guild the best of luck.’
‘We’ll need it,’ he smiled. ‘We’ve lost a lot of good people over the last few weeks. I am certain that now we’ve weeded out the traitors and imprisoned them we can rebuild. The Guild will survive. Oh, before you go …’ Sterling pulled open a drawer under the desktop and revealed a silver ring with two keys dangling from it. ‘Take these.’
‘What do they unlock?’
‘The larger of the two opens the door to a lock-up two blocks from here. It’s the same lock-up that you got the kinetibike from last year.’
‘And the smaller key?’
‘Some of our agents went to the Imperium yesterday to gather up any documents, equipment or weapons. They found a lot of remarkable items stored in a warehouse at the back of the main building. One of them struck me as something you would enjoy. I’d like you to have it. The lock-up is a short walk from here, no more than ten minutes. There is a hallway on the other side of that door.’ He pointed across the room. ‘In the last room on the left there are some clothes that will fit you. I also put a briefcase there. It’s full of cash – enough to get you by for a month or two.’
‘So you packed some clothes and money for me. You knew I wasn’t going to remain, didn’t you?’
‘There was always a chance that you’d refuse to stay here. I didn’t want to stand in your way if you wanted out. One last thing,’ Sterling said before I turned away. He gathered the death cards into a neat stack and pushed them towards me. ‘Take these with you. Just in case.’
‘I don’t want to bring those things with me into a new life.’
‘Indulge me. Please …’
‘I’ll see you around, Mr Sterling.’
There were no more words between us. I had enough to think over and couldn’t continue the conversation any longer. I left him in that dark, subterranean cavern and strolled to the end of the hallway where I found the clothes and money he said he had left out for me. The clothes were a good fit, although they smelled of damp. The shoes were a size too big, but I wasn’t complaining or delaying. I wasted no time in grabbing the briefcase and ascended a winding iron staircase that rose to the ground floor of the Palatium.
I climbed up into another corridor with only one door at its end. There was a surly looking man guarding it and I kept my distance from him until he unbolted the door – I was still powerless and felt very vulnerable around these people now. I walked through the doorway to yet another corridor that led to a reception area. It was bizarre to behold; it looked like any normal business premises. There were a few people fluttering about the place, and all glowered at me like I was a leper.
‘Over here!’ a woman called from a doorway on the opposite side of the room. It was Elizabeth Armitage. She watched me with her harsh eyes then motioned for me to follow her along yet another corridor. ‘I don’t want you leaving by the front door.’
‘Whatever you say.’
There were offices either side of me; some of the doors were open and I glanced in at people in suits sitting at desks, typing on keyboards and speaking on phones. No one would ever suspect this was the headquarters of an organisation of gifted people. It was the perfect disguise.
‘Your gifts will return shortly after you leave this building,’ Armitage said without looking at me. ‘I would advise you to take an hour before using them again. Sometimes people get bad nosebleeds after I have suppressed their powers.’
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
‘There,’ she said as we came to the end of the corridor. She was pointing down a short staircase. ‘There’s a door down there that will lead you out the back way.’
‘Don’t get too emotional on me,’ I joked. ‘I can’t stand long goodbyes.’
‘Get out of my sight,’ she sneered. ‘We don’t need you.’
‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’
‘The Guild has lost a lot of experienced people recently. We’re short staffed. We’re hurting. We’re in a time of need. But what we don’t need are people as strong as you who would turn their back and flee in such a time.’
‘My conscience is clear. I don’t want trouble in my life anymore.’
‘Trouble,’ she said, frowning. ‘Make sure you stay out of trouble in the future. Otherwise myself and Burrows will come visit you again.’
‘You’re a wonderful woman, you know that. I wish I had someone like you to wake up next to each morning.’
‘Get out!’ she snapped. ‘You’re still the immature fool that Romand scooped up two years ago.’
‘You’re damn right I am,’ I said as I made my way down the stairs. ‘I like being an immature fool!’
I got to the bottom of the stairs and the back door of the building was in sight. I felt a surge of relief. I was almost out. Freedom was on the other side of that door. A new life awaited me. Then I heard my name being called from the top of the stairs and cursed under my breath. This was the last thing I needed.
‘Where the hell do you think you’re going, Ross Bentley?’
‘I think I’m going through this door, Cathy.’
She came stomping down the steps right to my face. She looked mighty pissed off with me. I probably looked even more pissed off with her.
‘So this is it? You’re planning on running away?’
‘No, I’m planning on walking away.’
‘Don’t.’ Her features softened a little. Her eyes glazed over with sadness and her lips trembled. ‘Don’t leave like this, Ross.’
‘Like what?’
‘Without at least talking.’
‘Why do women always want to talk?’ I moaned. ‘Talking complicates things.’
‘Things are complicated.’
‘Too right they are. That’s why I don’t want to talk!’
‘Come back upstairs. I don’t want us to part ways like this.’
‘Cathy you lied to me. It didn’t work out between us. We broke up when you left. You even lied about leaving me! There is no going back. We’re finished.’
‘I know there’s no going back for us, Ross. I just wanted to tell you that I wasn’t with you because Sterling ordered me to. I was with you because I loved you.’
&n
bsp; ‘Love? I doubt you know the meaning of the word.’
‘Don’t you dare say that to me!’ My precognitive gift was still suppressed and I didn’t sense the slap across the face that was coming. ‘You don’t have any idea of what I went through when we lived together. You can’t understand what it was like to be around you, knowing what you were. You can’t begin to imagine the pressure I was under every minute of every day in that cottage. Dealing with your depression. Watching you in agony at night with those damned headaches. I didn’t know what the hell to do. I thought you were going out of your mind! I was afraid of you by the time I decided to come back here. I allowed our relationship to die to keep the secret that I was sworn to. It cut me up inside. I’m still hurting, Ross.’
‘And you think I feel good about myself? I had to watch Hunter have his neck broken right before my eyes a couple of days ago. My best friend, Cathy. He’s paralysed from the neck down. And you people have the nerve to question me for leaving all of this!’
‘Hunter is my friend, too! What happened to him isn’t easy for me to deal with, Ross.’
‘I don’t want to end up like he has. And I definitely don’t want to end up like Sterling hiding in that basement down there. That’s not for me. I want a different life.’
‘Did he tell you everything?’
‘Oh, he told me a great deal of disturbing things.’
‘Then you know that you’re the only one who can take his place.’
‘There’s no need for me to take his place, Cathy. All Sterling needs to do is outlive those monsters he created and everything will be fine. Golding is dead. Blake is dead. There’s no more threats to the Guild now. They don’t need me. They don’t need that horrible sixteenth gift – it brings nothing but evil. All they need is a good person with a good vision. Someone like your dad.’
‘And if Sterling dies before the Orangmati?’
‘If that happens, and I doubt it will, the Guild will have to reveal itself to the rest of the world and ask for their help. I think eight billion people can deal with those four ghouls.’
‘It’s not that easy.’
‘It’s as easy as you make it.’ I reached out and ran my fingertips along her cheek. ‘I don’t hate you. I’m not leaving because of you. I just can’t take this anymore. I’m not cut out for working as an agent. I’m certainly not cut out to take Sterling’s place. I have to go my own way, Cathy. I have to leave.’
‘I’ll miss you …’
‘Cathy, you’ll only miss the time when we were happy. And I’ll miss that time, too. We’ll never be happy together again. We had our chance and it didn’t work. Go live your life and try to enjoy it.’
‘Where are you going to go?’
‘I’m not telling you. I don’t want anyone from this building knowing my destination.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I don’t want to be taking a bath some evening then discover there’s a light-tuner standing right next to me. The Guild should forget about me. I’m never coming back here again.’
‘Ross …’
‘No! I want no more of this talk. I can’t trust you anymore. I can’t trust any of you again.’
I turned my back on her and pulled open the door. The clean, cool air of December embraced me and I took a long, deep breath. It tasted of freedom. Cathy remained by the door but I didn’t turn back. I paced across a car park that was surrounded with high walls. There was one metal gate and it was opened for me by a security guard sitting in a hut in the corner of the grounds. By the time I got to the street I had regretted being so short tempered with Cathy. I kept walking, despite wanting to go back and apologise. I’d said too much. It was best that I leave and never come back. My time with the Guild was over.
I’d walked these same streets the year before when I went to collect Zalech’s kinetibike. I recognised the buildings and apartment blocks around me. This did nothing to alter my foul mood. I actually felt even more insulted that I had actually walked right past the Palatium with Cathy that morning before we left for Ireland. I’d been such a fool. How could I have been blind to it all? I certainly would not be a fool for her or them ever again.
By the time I’d reached the laneway where the lock-up was, I was convinced I was doing the right thing. I used the key Sterling had given me to unlock the iron door, then fumbled about in the darkness of the lock-up until I found the light switch. The overhead lamps blinked on and I took a sharp intake of breath when I saw what was in front of me.
‘Wow,’ I breathed. ‘Now that’s what I call a bike!’
Sterling had been right about it being something I would appreciate. I circled it, almost afraid to touch such a magnificent piece of engineering. It was slightly smaller than my old bike, but was more aerodynamic, sleeker and aggressive looking. Its panels were black with gold trim, the engine parts chrome, the leather of the seat unblemished. This was the Ferrari of kinetibikes. I must have circled it for half an hour before I dared climb onto the saddle, which was a lot more comfortable than the previous one. I ran my hand over the tank, the grips and the embossed name on one of the side panels: GSK20. My mood had lightened quite a bit as I wheeled the bike into the sunlight.
Now that I was out of the dimness of the lock-up I could clearly see a dial in the centre of the dashboard. There were only two settings. Turning the dial to the left initiated Drive Mode. I took a look at the second setting and grinned.
‘It can’t be …’ I said to myself, laughing. ‘I couldn’t get this lucky, could I?’
The second setting on the dial read, Flight Mode. I didn’t use the latter until I was free of the city. I’m sure there were lots of reported sightings of a UFO over the south of England that evening. There were probably even more sightings of the same mysterious craft crossing the skies over Europe in the weeks that followed. Because that’s what I did in the weeks that followed. I flew from country to country, seeing the sights, and simply enjoying myself. One night I’d be living it up on the Cote d’Azur, the next morning I’d be chilling out in the Dalmatian Islands. I travelled to so many places in such a short space of time. Then I ventured further afield, to places I’d always dreamed of going: the Bay of Kotor, the fjords of Norway, the Andes, Egypt, Tokyo, California, Antarctica. Visiting such exciting destinations was thrilling at the start. But after a few months I longed to settle in one place. Eventually I found my new home in Thailand. I rented a small house near a picturesque beach and began a rather lazy life. One couldn’t ask for a more beautiful and peaceful setting.
Two years passed before I began to seriously consider how I would spend the rest of my life. Thanks to my numerous gifts, I could have anything in life that I desired. I could have been anyone I wanted to be. There were so many places I could have gone. However, in the end I chose the most unlikely destination of all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Odd Couple
The tranquillity of morning was shattered suddenly and I leaped from the bed with fright. I looked to the far wall of my room to see the clock reading 7am. I’d barely time to curse him before he screamed again.
‘Bentley! Get in here quickly, Bentley!’
I stomped my feet into a pair of slippers, pulled open my bedroom door and plodded out into the hallway. He’d screamed my name twice more before I reached the kitchen.
‘Bentley, come in here and help me. Hurry up, would you!’
‘Hunter, is your sole purpose in life to shout my name at me all day?’
‘Get over here!’
‘Why have you woken me up so early?’
‘I want you to take that thing out of here.’ He was pointing at Nightshade, who was sitting close to his feet, staring right at him. ‘It’s trying to talk to me again.’
‘Nightshade, would you please behave yourself,’ I said to the cat as I opened the back door. ‘Out with you. There’s plenty of mice in that field that need catching.’
The cat almost smiled at Hunter, as if it enjoyed antagonisi
ng him, before it sauntered out to the back porch.
‘Close the door, damn it. I don’t want it getting back in here,’ Hunter insisted. ‘I don’t see why you had to bring that horrible creature here. You should have left it in Ireland! It doesn’t belong here.’
‘I could hardly leave the cat to starve to death.’
‘Starve?’ Hunter bawled. ‘That cat would never starve. It’s smart enough to rob a bank! I’m quite certain it could have fended for itself. It’s been tormenting me night and day for the last six months. I can’t even have my morning cigar in peace.’
‘I told you not to be smoking so early,’ I said, moving to the counter to fill the kettle. ‘You’ll need your lungs in good working order for the months ahead.’
‘Oh, stop fussing!’
Hunter jerked back one of the wheels of his wheelchair then pushed himself forward to the table where he lit a cigar. Even after six months living with him, it still saddened me to see him confined to the chair. But I tried not to let him see pity in my eyes. He hated that. It made him grouchier than he usually was. He’d always been a right grump, but his disability now made him worse than ever. Life in the cottage was far from serene.
One thing made up for all the hardship and moaning, though. Hunter was without the use of his legs, and his arms weren’t what they used to be, and that meant he depended almost entirely on me. I was the only reason he was not living in Hornsea, being tended to by Marie Canavan. She never would have allowed him to return to his cottage if I hadn’t offered to look after him. He only had freedom because I was his live-in orderly. All this meant I was now in the position of power, and that allowed me to torment him, as he once had tormented me in this very same cottage years before. I wasn’t exactly cruel to him. I simply annoyed him to make him more determined to get better so that one day he could look after himself.
‘You want some porridge?’ I asked, placing a hot cup of tea on the table for him.
‘I want a coffee.’
‘Coffee is out of the question. You remember what the doctor said about too much caffeine?’
