THEY LOADED UP ON THE Silvertooth and headed back to New York. The group didn't say much, just did their parts to get the ship back in the air. As James set the autopilot they all went their separate ways trying to process what they had witnessed. Lucy was in her cabin tracing the details of the key with her finger when a knock at her door brought her back to reality. She placed the key inside the back pouch of Conrad's diary, placed it inside her backpack and tossed it into a chair.
"Come in, it's open," she said.
The door opened to reveal Micah holding two glasses and a bottle of sparkling apple water. "Care to celebrate with me?" he asked. He sat on the side of the bed next to Lucy and handed her a glass. "I saw that this was your favorite, so I stashed a bottle on here... just in case."
Lucy held her glass as he filled it about halfway. Micah raised his glass, "A toast."
"A toast to what?"
"What do you mean, ‘to what?’ Our first successful mission together. To finding the first key... and to finding us," he told her.
Lucy's cheeks began to flush a bright shade of pink. "To us?" she asked as she took a long sip from her glass trying to hide her smile. The bubbles tickled her nose, and she giggled. She never took her eyes from his.
"Yes, us," he said. "I can't hide how I feel about you. I don't even want to try and hide it." He took Lucy's glass from her and set both glasses down on the table. Then he took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "And it seems you feel the same? At least, I'm hoping you do."
Lucy bit her bottom lip to hide her excitement. She thought she would scream at any moment, but that would ruin the moment, and she definitely did not want this moment to stop.
"When we were on that mountain peak, all I could think about was keeping you safe," Micah said. "Not the key, not the mission, just you. I promised you that I would have your back..."
Lucy placed her finger this time on his lips and leaned in close to him. "You did have my back," she said softly in his ear. "And now I want you to have all of me." She placed her hand behind his head and pulled him to her, and their bodies tangled together with him above her. "I will always have your six," Lucy said.
18 A Warrior Falls
As they touched down on the roof of the Met in New York, Jaso's voice rang out through the ship.
"Great job, everyone. Get cleaned up and grab some rest. Let's meet back in the lounge in two hours."
Micah closed the door to Lucy's room behind him to see Stan looking back at him harshly.
"Did you? Did she? Why were you... "
Micah laughed a little and said, "Shhhh. See you in the lounge." He gave her a wink, and walked past her.
She watched as he walked out of the sleeping quarters. "Oh, I know that boy did not just shush me!" She shook her head and knocked on Lucy's door.
"Door's open, come in," Lucy said almost singing.
When Stan walked in, she saw Lucy smiling bigger than she had ever seen.
"First thing, be careful. I know I'm not your mother and I know you are an adult, but just be careful," Stan said glancing away. "Believe me, I know. Second thing, I am so proud of you. I wanted to talk, just us, before we all get together to debrief the mission. You are an extremely special person; Conrad would be so proud, I know I am." She leaned in and gave Lucy a tight hug, "See you in a bit, hun. You did good."
"Thank you, Stan. It really does make me feel better to actually have a purpose, to belong. I don't remember much about my mom, but what I do remember is how she loved me," Lucy said with a huge smile. "I am honored to have you stand in her absence."
Lucy sat there and watched Stan go through the door, closing it behind her. She grabbed the diary from her backpack and opened it to a random page. "What words of wisdom do you have for me today, Gramps?"
'23 December 1998; I have met so many good people here in New York. So many that are dedicated to proving that Ruina Baxter is not what she claims to be. We just need to find proof! My days have been filled with friendship. Gerard and Alyssa are great friends, and Emily is the cutest. I have longed to have what they have many times. Today, I have found the answer to my prayers. I don't even know her name... yet. She is so beautiful, so electric, so out of my league. Do I dare try to live a normal life? Do I bring someone else into this crazy world I’m in? I know as time goes on, and we fight against Ruina, things could get dangerous, and being a member of the Synod, it will be worse. I must talk to her. I need to at least tell her how I feel. What am I saying? She will think I'm a lunatic! For now, I will admire the gorgeous brunette with the piercing green eyes from afar. So, until I get the nerve, or next time, whichever comes first, good night.'
"I know how you felt, Gramps," Lucy said. She held the diary to her chest. "I'm glad you finally got the nerve to ask her out." She put the diary back into the backpack and headed to get a shower and a change of clothes. The cabins of the Silvertooth were great, but she wanted to be back in the Met in her own room deep inside Gallery 305. Lucy walked down the ramp to the rooftop and saw Jaso and Stan talking to the house bot Walter. Jaso placed his hands behind his head and leaned forward. Stan covered her face and ran inside weeping with Jaso close behind.
"Is everything all right, Walter?" she asked.
"I'm afraid not, Miss Ducit," Walter said. "It's Dr. Hamilton. I'm afraid his condition has taken a turn for the worse."
Lucy quickly ran for the med bays. Jaso and Stan were already at Gerard's bedside. He was awake, but barely hanging on to life. He motioned for Jaso to come closer, and the young Hamilton leaned down to his father; tears streamed down his face as Gerard whispered something in his ear.
"I understand, father," Jaso assured him. "We have the first key. We actually have the upper hand on the Countess this time. We will finish the work you started," Jaso told him, his body quivering and his voice shaky, as he struggled to stay strong.
"Wait. Why will we finish it?" Lucy exclaimed. "He will be there with us to help and finish this himself." Lucy pulled the diary from the backpack, and the key from the pouch, "We have the key! Gerard, look! We have the Key of Knowledge, and I can now find the others. We, as a team, will beat her."
Gerard strained to form a satisfied smile as he looked to Lucy.
"I am now complete. I leave you with the knowledge to make this world whole again," Gerard said to her. Turning to Stan, "You were the love that could have been. I am so sorry for not embracing you," he said as a single tear rolled down his face. "Take care of him."
Stan placed her hand on his cheeks trying not to shake too much, "You were always the one." She kissed him softly on the forehead, "It's okay if you want to go to them. Go find Alyssa and Emily; rest, my love, you deserve it."
"No, not yet!" Lucy exclaimed. "I have so many more questions."
Gerard closed his eyes and laid his head back on the pillow still holding on to Stan's hand. The air in the room became still and silent. Lucy saw Azrael once more come into the room, no one else could see him.
"Come, brave Reaper, your time is now," he said softly. "You fought long and hard. Your rewards await."
Stan and Jaso were still on either side of his bed, oblivious to the angel claiming his prize. Lucy watched as Gerard's spirit rose from his body. Not the elderly, broken body of the man she grew to love, but a younger self. Before her stood, a tall, muscular young man who reminded her of Jaso. Broad shoulders looming above her, wearing a black vest with silver buttons in the front. A black rimmed derby with his flight goggles on his forehead. The bright orange scarf around his neck was gently waving, even though there was no air moving.
He held out his hand, and a young ebony skinned girl with bouncy curls came running in and held tight to his arm. She was so young, so innocent, not much younger than Lucy. Behind her was a beautiful woman with caramel skin dressed in a gorgeous Victorian style, long dress coat with brass buttons running the length of the lapel all the way up to her neck. As their hands touched, she smiled warmly. Gerard looked happier than she had ever see
n him as he held his wife tightly then looked to Lucy.
"Fight the fight, no matter what’s lost. No matter the sacrifice," he said to her.
With that, Azrael opened his cloak and said, "It's time." He shrouded the trio, and in an instant, they were gone. Lucy heard Jaso calling for his father.
"Dad! Please don't go! I need you; stay with me," Jaso pleaded.
Tears falling from her eyes, "He's gone," Lucy told them. "I saw him go."
"You saw him leave?" Stan asked. "How?"
Lucy had a blank stare on her face; eyes fixed on her friend laying in the bed. "I saw Azrael come into the room. Gerard's spirit left his body, but it was a younger him. Alyssa and Emily came to show him the way."
"You saw them come to take him? How is that possible?" asked Jaso.
Lucy held up the key of knowledge that was still in her hand. She looked at the sparkling gem and realized, "I'm connected to death now. Gerard spoke to me before he left. He told me to fight the fight ..."
Jaso turned back to his father's body trying to fight back more tears. "No matter what’s lost. No matter the sacrifice. He told me that more times than I can count."
"I believe he told us all that at one time or another," said James from the back of the room.
"We will prepare his resting place. He has fought a good fight. His body just couldn't take the pressure from the atomic armor anymore," said Stan. She put her arms around Jaso. "We are here if you need us, son."
"Please, don't call me that." Jaso pulled away from her, "I'm sorry. I have a lot to process right now. Just please don't call me that." He lowered his head and walked from the room.
"His heart is heavy right now; he'll come around," Lucy told her.
Stan smiled, "I hope so, kiddo. I just lost his father, I don't want to lose him as well."
19 The Key Comes Home
That evening in the lounge, all were gathered around with Jaso at the head of the table where Gerard had been for over five decades. You could feel the sadness radiating from every member there. Even Billy, the kid Lucy thought didn't have a heart, was in the corner alone, sobbing.
"This is a time of great sadness, yet we have cause to celebrate. We lost a powerful force from within the Synod of Reaping. A loyal warrior to the cause. My father dedicated his life to the brotherhood because he recognized he had a chance to make a difference. He gave a voice to those who had been stricken silent by the cold grasp of the Countess." Jaso took a second to compose himself. "I had the honor of telling him we had finally found and recovered the first key of Lazarus in his lifetime. He died knowing we had struck a blow to the Countess, and for the first time, and not the last, she felt fear!"
Everyone in the room gave a cheer. Jaso, whether he wanted it or not, just stepped into his father's shoes as leader of the Synod of Reaping.
"We faced the Countess and her army, and I am proud to say we sent her running back to the shadows," Jaso said while pounding his fist onto the table in front of him. "Everyone in this room is a part of something bigger, something better than we can ever be on our own; we are family. My father would not want us to mourn him, but to celebrate him."
Stan stepped to the front as Jaso stepped down. "We will lay Gerard Hamilton to rest next to his wife and daughter. He gave instructions on where and how to say goodbye. I urge you to fill your minds with what he meant to you, this organization, and to know we will prevail."
Each one stood and said what Gerard had done for them. From the newest to the veterans, not a dry eye was left. To Lucy's surprise, she heard a voice in the back that caught her attention.
"Drr. Hamilton vas life-line to me as I kame to zis kountrry. He saved me. I needed help when voices inside dis head shouted too loud. To be RReaper vas a rresponsibility and honorr. He showed me ver my place vas. I vill miss him grreatly. хорошо путешествуй, мой друг."
After the vigil, Lucy found Jemison. "Why didn't you tell me you were a Reaper?"
Jemison smiled and wrung his hat in his hands, "I have my place in da kab. I help zose who help da vorld. I am not varrior, tinkerr, orr medic, but I kan watch out for oders that arre."
Lucy hugged him tight and whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Jemison, you do your job perfectly. You should be proud."
"If you ever need rride, you kall Jemison," he said with a huge smile.
Lucy gave a nod, "Yes, sir."
Micah walked up to Lucy. "You okay?"
"I will be," she said. "We all will be. We are a family. And this family always has each other’s six."
"Yes, ma'am we do." He put his arm around her shoulder. "I'm thinking because of you; this family can see the end; and the possibility of a new future."
"I hope so, Micah. I don't think my heart could take losing loved ones and it be for nothing."
LATER THAT EVENING, Jaso, Stan, and Lucy joined James in the workshop.
"We need to make sure the key is safe and secure," said Jaso.
James placed a beautiful box onto the table. The design was simple yet complex, rustic and futuristic at the same time.
"This is not as unique as the enigma boxes Conrad made, but I believe it will serve its purpose," James told them.
The box was the size of a book, and had gears of all sizes lining the face. Small piston rods pushed by the gears formed a tooth like grid along the edges. The pistons shone like highly polished mirror.
"I designed the box to only open if two of us are present, and touching the sensors at the same time while entering a pin code with your other hand," James explained.
"What if the box is stolen?" asked Stan. "It's not too big to just grab and run."
James smiled. "The material is immune to all known acids, it can withstand a direct hit from the Delta charge, and it will not rust. This is the hardest material I have ever worked with. It is surprisingly easy to form; I'm trying to figure out a way to make armor out of it!" James's eyes flashed with excitement talking about the metal and the box.
"Where is Micah? Shouldn't he be here too?" asked Lucy.
Jaso told her, "We sent him on a supply run, he should be back by now. We will fill him in on the details later. Now, what do we do with this box?"
"I need to set our fingerprints to the sensors. Each one needs to input the same code that will open the gears. It can be numbers, letters or a combination of both," James told them. "So, what do we want it to be?"
"How about 2058 for the year we got the key?" asked Stan.
Jaso spoke up, "I like GH58 for father."
"Those are good," said James. "What about ..."
"Hope."
Everyone looked to Lucy. She was staring at the box with memories of Gerard and Conrad filling her heart and mind.
"Hope for us all. Without hope, we wouldn't be here," she said.
They looked at each other; smiles started forming all around.
"Hope it is!" exclaimed James. "I like it. Now, we will each place our hands on the corners, and I'll load in the letters."
With a turn, a twist, and some pressing of buttons, each one placed their hand as James set the code. The box opened, and a padded compartment rose to the top with five open slots, one for each key, formed into the red velvet layer. Lucy took the key from around her neck and placed it into the first slot.
"We have taken a huge step forward in the fight against the Countess. My father and all the Reapers before us would be proud," Jaso said in a solemn tone.
"I feel them rejoicing with us," Stan said as she placed her hand over her heart.
"This is for you, Gramps. We will end this," Lucy said as the tears rolled down her face once more.
James reset the locks and the key was secure.
"Where will we keep the box?" asked Stan. "The Countess may not be able to get into the box, but she could steal it. If we can't unite all five keys, it will be at a stalemate."
James smiled so big you could count his molars through the gray and black facial hair. "We have somewhere in mind that
the Countess wouldn't dare to go. Hell, I wouldn't go there myself." As he said that, he and Lucy shared a high five.
Stan searched their faces trying to make sense of it all. "Okay, I officially have no clue what you are talking about."
Lucy spoke up. "I'm asking Azrael to watch over it."
"You're doing what now?" asked Stan.
James was absolutely giddy, bouncing up and down in his chair. "It's brilliant, is it not! If she enters his domain, POOF, she will lose her power over the Shadow Gem of Lazarus, and we win anyway."
"As long as he agrees, and cooperates," Lucy said while tilting her head.
Jaso clasped his hands in from of him with a loud clap, "Well, with that, I need a drink. Care to join me, Stan? We need to discuss some things." He smiled back at her. "Family things."
Stan grabbed him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. "It makes me so happy to hear you say that!" she said. "I don't think we want to be here for this part anyway."
They left the workshop leaving James and Lucy with the key holder.
"Do you need me to, um, help with... you know, him?" James asked almost in a whisper.
"Nah, I got this. You can head upstairs with the others. Will you get Flo to fire me up a grilled cheese?" she gave a nod toward the elevator. "Ask her for two; I'm sure Micah will want one when he gets back."
James gave her a nod, "You did good, kid. You are a special young lady, but you don't know the potential that Conrad gave you. If you want, I will help you understand it all, to harness it." He wheeled up beside her and tapped her on the arm. "There is more to you than you know. Now, I'm not your grandfather, but I am a pretty good tinker, if I do say so myself."
She laughed and took his hand, "Thank you, James. I'm sure I'll need help understanding all of this. I'm going to try and take it slow to fully grasp it all."
“Good idea.” James kissed her hand and then headed toward the elevator. "We will get her. Finally get her."
The doors closed and Lucy was alone.
The Key of Knowledge Page 12
