by Alex Leopold
“We need to bury the bodies.” Cooper said when she noticed everyone readying to leave.
She made a show of planting her feet firmly on the ground too, a sign she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“We don’t have time.” Acadia said apologetically.
“Make time.” She replied through gritted teeth.
“He can’t.” Malthus told her.
“No one asked you.”
“And no one will tell you that you’re letting your childish emotions cloud your judgement, but I will.”
She reacted instantly to his jibe. Growing the spark in her hand, she reached out her arm and pointed it at his face.
“My father told me, you were a traitor. That the Torchbearers wanted you dead. So what’s to stop me from completing the job?”
She’d throw it, too, Malthus thought. She was her mother’s daughter after all.
“He’s not worth it.” Acadia grunted, pushing Cooper’s arm down so that her hand pointed to the ground.
“He’s right, I’m not worth it.” Malthus agreed, taking another tack with this young woman. “I’m not one of the good guys. I have plenty of enemies, and no one to call friend.”
He continued. “And you are right. Before you were born, the Torchbearers sentenced me to death for treason. The only reason I didn’t hang was because your father saved my life at great expense to him.
“It is a debt I’ve carried for almost twenty years, one I never thought I’d be able to repay. Now, suddenly you are here and I have a shot at redemption. But not if we stay here a moment longer.”
He held out his hand for her. “Let me help you, please.”
She didn’t take it immediately. First, she turned and gave her father a final kiss on his cheek. When she did put her hand in his, she hadn’t fully extinguished the spark and the blue flame burnt into his skin as she gripped it.
“Call me childish again, and it’ll be the last thing you say.” She told him as she watched him wince.
Then she began to walk out of the carriage-house followed by the young man.
Before she reached the exit, she paused mid-stride and cocked her head to the side as if she'd caught a whisper on the wind. Malthus noticed Riley staring at her back and realized the two sister’s were tapping to one another.
Then Cooper's head turned back to face the exit and the night that lay beyond it.
“Well, come on then. We should get going in case another of Riley's boyfriends decides to appear.”
67
“It is unlike you to fail, Varick.” The ten-year old female broadcaster’s face conveyed the extent of the Archon’s disappointment as she sat staring at him from across the small wooden desk.
“And this time you failed twice.” She added referring to the fact that he’d had the opportunity to kill the Great Inventor, and retrieve the last prophecy, and had fallen short on both.
There was something else in her tone, too. A sense of suspicion. As if the Archon had begun to question the loyalty of his right-hand man, and wanted Control to know it.
“I wonder who it was that bested you?” She asked.
The question brought forward Riley’s image into Control’s mind, and once again he heard her voice as she spoke to him. “Varick, it’s me.”
“The Watcher.” Control replied blank-faced, as he tried to push all thoughts of Riley aside. “She gave my team bad information when we were in the Borderlands. It almost jeopardized our entire mission.”
“Almost?” The girl asked with incredulity.
“I still got two of my bullets into the Great Inventor before he got away.”
“Ah yes, and where is it you think he disappeared to?”
“The snoopers have not detected the remnants of a gateway opening for over two hundred miles in any direction.” Control replied. “Which means the Great Inventor successfully used the device to transport himself further than anyone has before.”
“So he’s vanished?”
“But not for long. He’s badly wounded, which means wherever he went he’ll need friends to help fix him up.”
The girl thought about that then nodded her head in agreement.
“He’ll have to reach out to the resistance.”
Control agreed. “It’s only a matter of time before we find out where he is. When we do, I promise you, I'll bring you his head and the last prophecy with it.”
The girl mused on this for a moment before doing something that surprised Control. She shook her head.
“Right now I have other uses for you.” She began, taking on a more bureaucratic tone. “I need you to lead the men down to Metropolitan Twenty-One, their gateway is being prepared for your arrival. Once we learn the Great Inventor’s location, I’ll send the Hangman with the rest of the men to finish the job.”
“I'm no good to you in the City in the Clouds.” Control objected forcefully as he referred to the lost civilization city once known as New York.
He knew he’d made a mistake raising his voice, and the incredulous look on the girl’s face confirmed he'd crossed a line with the Archon that should never be crossed.
“Are you questioning my orders?” The girl asked with unusual firmness.
“No, Senior.”
“Good! I’ve sent the Skymen to come and escort you to Metropolitan Twenty-One. They should be with you shortly.
“Now, bring me the Hangman.” She’d added dismissing him. “He and I have things to discuss.”
That had been thirty minutes ago and as Control waited for his second to appear he stood in the old yard watching the library burn. It could’ve been mistaken for a funeral pyre, the flames danced on the roof like evil spirits as black smoke billowed out of the broken windows below.
Dashing around the building’s base two hundred guards worked to try and control the inferno. Their efforts were purely superficial of course, the blaze was too big and their tools too rudimentary to ever have a chance of saving the building. It was lost.
“Did you get your orders?” He asked when the Hangman finally joined him.
“I got what I wanted, yes.” He replied with casual vagueness.
“Then we should leave.”
“We should, but before I forget”, the Hangman paused, and Control didn’t need his abilities to sense that his second was enjoying this moment. “You should know the Archon asked me if I had any reason to doubt you.”
The Hangman’s lips turned up in a delightful sneer before he continued.
“I told him in no uncertain terms that I knew of no reason.” He paused for effect. “But I don't know how well I did at easing his concerns.”
It was a lie, but at least Control now knew the leader of the Directory had begun to lost faith in him. That was not good.
“The Skymen will be here shortly. We should get ready to leave.” Was all he cared to reply.
His mind was now fixed on ensuring he didn't fall any further in the Archon’s perception.
That meant the Great Inventor needed to die and soon.
It also meant his daughter had to go, too. She was the only one who knew his secret, and if Control was to live through this then that secret couldn’t be revealed to anyone.
68
Mayat once said when a great man dies the heavens weep for his passing. Yet, the night remained calm as they journeyed through the forest, and the morning sun rose the same as it always had. Did it mean her father was not a great man?
Riley wished she could share her thoughts as well as her grief with her sister, but Cooper wasn’t talking to her anymore. She hadn’t so much as whispered a word in her direction since they’d left the carriage-house.
“We have to stick together, Coop. That’s what father would’ve wanted.” She’d tapped last night, hoping to reconcile after so much bitterness had been said between the two of them.
“Father wanted us to go north into the Great Unknown. But we didn’t let him.” She replied icily.
“He promised Naka
no he’d get the last prophecy to the resistance. Perhaps in the resistance’s hands their deaths won’t be such a waste. Perhaps it’ll mean something?”
“Like what, Lee?” Cooper tapped irritably. “Father said the prophecy was either his or the Archon’s, remember? They were the only two Pathfinders. And now he’s gone.”
She’d added a dejected sigh. “All we’re bringing the resistance is bad news?”
Then Cooper had made that cruel comment for everyone to hear before stepping into the night.
For hours Riley had turned what she’d said over in her head. Was this really all they were left with? After coming so far and losing so much it didn’t seem fair that this was how they should find themselves.
Yet, Cooper was right. The prophecy was real, and with their father gone, the only Pathfinder left was the Archon.
Too much had happened for the prophecy not to be true. They’d escaped through the gateway, as predicted. Varick had appeared, as predicted, and he’d spoken the words Nakano had written down. These things couldn’t just be coincidence.
That Malthus wasn’t part of the resistance had been a surprise. Yet, with Nakano’s mind being the way it was toward the end it was easily possible she’d gotten her timings reversed. To Nakano, Malthus was a leader in the resistance, he just wasn’t yet for everyone else.
Unfortunately, this all meant there was a future where the Archon would come to possess a weapon powerful enough to rule the world. And everything they’d done up till now had only been to help him fulfill his destiny.
When she finally reached this conclusion, she thought she’d feel it like a knife to her gut. Yet, her first actual thought was she was too miserably tired to care. In fact, she was so utterly spent she wasn’t sure she cared about anything anymore. She didn’t even have the energy to weep for her father’s passing.
All she could do was walk.
Each step was harder than the last but she kept moving because her sister kept moving, and Riley didn’t want to give Cooper the satisfaction of seeing her break.
Cooper was fifty paces ahead and had remained that way all night and all morning, lengthening her stride whenever she sensed Riley trying to catch her. She walked quietly, almost by herself, but with that unknown renegade, Ellis close enough that he could occasionally whisper in her ear.
Most especially she kept her back to them, even when they called for her.
Riley wished she knew why. In the past, she could have read her sister like a book, knowing what she was thinking just from the tilt of her head, swing of her arms, or shape of her shoulders. Not anymore. Ever since Harvardtown, her sister seemed like a changed person.
Was Cooper still punishing her? Was she unable to forgive her? Did she now hate her? Riley couldn’t tell. All she knew was over the last twelve hours, she’d lost her father and the man she thought she loved. Had she lost her sister too?
She’d find out eventually. For now all she could do was stare at her sister’s back, and walk in the company of Acadia and the mysterious Malthus.
“So let me get this straight.” Acadia said recapping their conversation of the last few hours. He also made sure to walk a pace behind Malthus so he could keep an eye on him.
“You’ve been in Hellanta for the past eight years. Before you arrived, you spent a few years building a tolerance to sting so no one would know you’re a crink.”
“It was my only option.” He said. “If they’d known I was a snooper they’d never have let me in the city.”
Something about that made Acadia laugh.
“Only option? Come on, Malthus. You did it because you have that special crink ability of being able to break into people’s heads, and you wanted to use it to cheat in the gambling dens.”
“It had its benefits.” He admitted.
“I’m sure. Just don’t try anything like that with us though, you hear.” Acadia held up his fist so Malthus could see his retractable claws. “If you do, I’ll show you how a grizzly breaks into a man’s head.”
Malthus gave him a frank look. “Delicately put as always, Acadia.”
Acadia gave a nonchalant shrug, then continued.
“You use your crink abilities to con your way around every gambling den in the city. You make yourself rich. You become great buddies with King Kalahar himself. You create a nice life for yourself.”
“A very nice life.” Malthus confirmed.
“Then you get busted, and once again find yourself with a noose around your neck. Funny how that seems to be a running theme in your life.” Acadia grunted with amusement.
“Yes, hilarious.”
“Kalahar lets you live, but banishes you from his city until he can figure out how to trust you again. Do I have that about right?”
Malthus nodded.
“I guess I can see now why you were so happy to come with us, Malthus. You had no one else.”
He said nothing.
“How long had you been living like that?” Acadia asked. He seemed to enjoy needling him.
“A while.”
“Well, it looks like we’re taking in all kinds of strays these days.” He nodded toward Ellis. “Lucky us.”
Then he turned serious. “Now, tell me again what you know of the Directory’s activities in these parts?”
“Like I said, they have an arrangement with Kalahar. They keep out of Hellanta and the King doesn’t interfere with their operations in the north.”
“And what about the resistance?” Acadia winced. Varick’s spark wound to his chest was occasionally aggravating him.
“Up until last night, I wasn’t aware the resistance had a presence here of any kind.” Malthus told him “At the Stone Mountain or anywhere else.”
“Do you think Kalahar knows they’re here?”
“It’s possible. But I can tell you this, Kalahar has never been a fan of the rebels. They draw too much Directory attention. If he knew they were there, he’d have them removed. Especially, if they’d been hiding in his lands without sufficiently compensating him.”
Malthus rubbed his fingers together for emphasis, then he raised his eyebrows.
“Do you think whatever is at Stone Mountain might be a trap?”
Acadia grunted. He did not care to answer, but Riley could see it was a concern of his.
“If you told me about what your predictor saw, perhaps I could be of more help.”
Acadia sniffed loudly, clearly reluctant to talk about the prophecy.
“Last night, you mentioned a vision saw me running part of the resistance. It sounds like I play a key role in this future of yours. Surely, I should know what that role is, don’t you think?”
“Here’s what I think, Malthus. The last time you and I saw each other, I put a bullet in your back. Now, if we get through this day without me doing the same again, I’ll reconsider your request.”
They walked in silence.
“You have to help me show Acadia, I’m not a threat. Before it is too late.” Malthus secretly tapped to Riley without betraying what he was doing.
“It’s already too late.” She sighed. She felt empty inside and didn’t want to talk.
“You’re right, and I am sorry.” He corrected himself realizing his error.
“It’s funny, I hadn’t seen your father in a lifetime. Yet, now that I know he’s really gone, I’m desperate to see him again, if only for just a moment.”
“What do you think they did with his body?” Riley could still see her father laid out on the bar. He could’ve been napping.
“By now, Kalahar’s men will have him and they’ll have realized you came here through some kind of portal. They’ll be working on identifying your father. When they find out who they have, Kalahar will reach out to the Directory. At the very least he’ll want the bounty that was on your father’s head.”
Something about a man profiting from her father’s death disgusted Riley to the point where she thought she might vomit.
“This world is foul.” She
said her eyes filling with tears.
“It’s complicated.” He replied. “In order to survive it, you will need to learn how to navigate it.”
“Is that what you were doing when you became a Myrmidon and betrayed my father eighteen years ago? Navigating a complicated world?”
“You have me there.” He chuckled in her head.
“Truth is, my loyalty was tested. And it was found to be wanting.” He admitted.
She felt him open the connection for her. Wanting to be anywhere but here, she linked her mind to his and stepped into a memory of his. She found herself in an alley with a younger Malthus and a man in a gold mask, the Archon.
“Peace is coming to this nation, Malthus. A peace you fought to make possible.” The Archon said. “But while your back has been turned, powerful people have positioned themselves to reap all the riches that will come next.”
“I don’t need much.” The younger Malthus shrugged.
“They plan on leaving you nothing.” The Archon argued. “And they’re going to do the same to many others, too. I’m sorry, but I find that to be unfair.”
“So?”
The Archon removed a mirrored mask from his cloak and held it out for Malthus.
“So, join me and together we can ensure everyone gets their fair share.”
“A moment of weakness and I changed my life completely.” The older Malthus said as he watched his younger-self take the mask.
“Did you know that Bellic was the Archon?” Riley asked.
“We didn’t know who any of us were. The masks hid our identities; as much from everyone else, as from each other.”
“What did the Archon have you do?” She asked.
“Set in motion a chain of events that led to the Oracle’s death.”
Riley couldn’t hide her shock.
“I didn’t know that’s what I was doing, you must understand.” He added quickly. “Yet, by the time I realized what the Archon’s real plan was, it was already too late, and I was a wanted man.”
He took them into another memory and she saw him dressed in the mirrored-mask of the Myrmidons. He was fleeing down a narrow street as two pursuers chased him. He almost escaped, but then something struck him in his leg and back, and he was brought down.
