After Nigel completed his task, giving you what I asked him to, and because he had yet to receive the serum and have the ability to travel to other realities, I helped him stage his own death as well. While everyone thought we had shuffled off this mortal coil, we joined Mark and the rest of the team at this location. Stationed here, Nigel and I continued executing my plan. It wasn’t long before you took the notebooks and necklace from my office, allowing us to keep close tabs and track you while you joined the Searcher division. As we monitored your status, the plan to rescue your mother was underway. Just like Nigel and I, we traded her for another version of herself in a reality where she also prematurely passed away. She was beyond distraught to see me for the first time since my funeral, especially since I was carrying her lifeless body from another reality. I had some explaining to do, to say the least. I brought her to safety and told her the whole story, down to every last detail.
The final piece of the puzzle was you, Jack. We thought we would capture you at the Austrian monastery, but we didn’t plan on you having the ability to control minds so soon after receiving your exo. When we tracked you in the Catacombs, we knew there was a warp crystal in our possession, anchored there, that we had yet to use. Taking a chance, we tasked Seb and Freya to perform the rescue operation. I wanted to rescue you myself, but couldn’t take the chance of Division 1042 finding out I was still alive. Before I knew it, I got the call that you were in our possession, so Nigel and I made haste to finish what we were doing and warp back as soon as possible. I was anxious and restless to see you again, but it gave me such joy when I finally did.
Jack held his face in disbelief as the cognitive link with his father dissolved. “I was happy to see you too, Dad. But this, everything around me, is going to take some . . . adjusting, I think.”
“You can have some time to digest everything I’ve told you, Son. I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“Can I ask something of you—a favor?” said Jack, still having trouble believing he was talking to his father.
“Go ahead, Son,” he said, placing his hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“I know there’s probably other things I should be focusing on, but I think you should let me talk to the Searchers that are still back at the facility. I may be able to tell them about what you’ve told me and get them to join us. I know I’m still figuring it all out, myself, but I don’t want them to wind up in any sort of trouble or danger.”
“I can understand why you want to do that, but I’m sorry,” said James. “You’ll have to leave any ties you developed with the Searchers behind you. Time is of the essence and it’s important we hit the ground running now that you’re here.”
Jack look at him in disbelief, waving his hands in protest.
“We can’t just do nothing, Dad! THEY’RE GOOD PEOPLE! We could bring them here, like you did with me and Marcel. Back at the monastery, Mark clearly stated that he wanted the Searchers to join his cause and defect from the division.”
“There’s still too great a chance for them to be too far gone. You never know how deep the Archon’s hooks may have sunk in. I’ll talk to Mark and let him know it’s too risky to bring the Searchers here and vet them. He’ll understand the risk.”
“But wouldn’t it be careless to leave them in the hands of a sociopath!” said Jack. “I assumed Marcel was the only true lost cause in the group. But before you and the rogues stole us away, it seemed to me like some redeemable qualities were starting to show. Mark may understand the risk you’re talking about, but I don’t.”
“Jack, this is an idea you need to let go of.”
“It’s not that easy for me to do! I . . . I left someone behind—someone I care for.”
“Someone you care for?” said James. “I’m urging you, don’t let an infatuation get in the way of what we have to do here. The world may change in terrible ways if we don’t put an end to what Rakiten and the Archon are trying to accomplish.”
Jack remained silent, looking off in the distance.
“Who is it that you care about so much?” said James, using a more hushed tone.
“Alexie. And it’s not a simple infatuation with her.”
“Ah, I remember her being very strong-willed the short time I knew her . . . I’ll tell you what, Jack, after you hear more about what we’re trying to achieve, and you receive the serum so we can see what you can really do with your exo, we can talk more about rescuing Alexie and the rest of your Searcher friends. Does that sound fair to you?”
Jack thought for a moment. “Do you promise that will happen?”
“You have my word, Son.”
“I suppose it’s the only choice I’ve got,” he said, trying to stay hopeful while looking defeated.
“That’s my boy,” said James, patting him on the back. “Now, let’s head back inside. I’d like you to meet everyone else on the team.”
John received a notification from the Harbin facility stating the gear and citizen chips collected in Mongolia were in their possession. With the necessary warp crystals in hand, he acted fast to send a message to all Searchers and requested they meet in the common room. Everyone gathered downstairs and, upon hearing the news, prepared to depart.
“Obviously, we all don’t need to go to Harbin to retrieve the items,” said John, “but I’d rather not separate us again, for the time being.”
“Good idea,” said Bridgett. “So when do we head that way?”
“Right now,” said John, handing the warp crystals to Alexie, one of them anchored to the Searcher facility. “The crystal to get there should open a portal about three miles from the AEB building we want to get to. I’ll hail a shuttle for us to take once we’re all on the other side.”
“Got it,” said Alexie, holding the crystal aloft to form a portal.
One by one, John and the Searchers went through. On the other side, they stepped onto a side street. A small group of young men and women stared at them with astonished expressions from a short distance away, mouths agape.
“Just a little magic trick!” Butch yelled out.
“That was incredible! How did you do that!” one responded.
“A magician never reveals his secret!” said Butch.
The Searchers began walking in the opposite direction of the amazed civilians. As they made it to the first intersection, the shuttle John called for them was in route to pick them up.
“It’s so freakin’ cold here” said Garnet, huddling close to Ferra for warmth.
“Yes, I think we can all agree to that,” said Bridgett, using Alexie to shield herself from the wind.
“Sorry everyone, I didn’t know how the weather would be before we departed,” said John. “Our shuttle is right around the corner, so it won’t be much longer in the cold.”
Upon the transport’s arrival, the group piled in for the drive to Harbin’s AEB headquarters.
“So what’s the deal with this city?” said Garnet, feeling much better in the warm air of the vehicle.
“What do you mean ‘what’s the deal?’ Are you asking about what the city is known for or the economy?” said John.
“I guess both. I don’t know. I’ve just never been anywhere in China that’s this cold. Why do people want to be here?”
“Hm, let’s see,” said John, recalling the little information he knew about the city. “The soil here is great for agriculture. And there’s a good bit of manufacturing in the area. Besides that, I think the winter tourism industry is pretty big here.”
“Are you kidding me? People want to come here and be cold!” said Garnet.
“No, no, John’s right,” said Richard. “I think they do snow sculptures here and other things during this time of year.”
“Huh, good for them, I think I’ll stick to a sunny day at the beach or something else along those lines for a vacation.”
The speakers inside the shuttle’s cabin announced its arrival at the AEB headquarters. John led the way through the front entrance and guided the
team to the floor where they’d find the items they came for. He opened the final set of doors to a room sprawling with agents moving about and a large collection of screens spread around the walls, monitoring the citizens of the surrounding area. There was a man walking by who caught sight of John in his periphery, causing him to double back and walk toward the Searchers.
“You must be Agent White,” the man said, nervously shaking John’s hand. “And you brought some members of your team with you, it seems. Are they . . . some of the agents from Division 1042?”
“That’s correct,” said John. “They were anxious, as am I, to get the items left behind from our agents who went missing in Mongolia.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll have them brought to you right away.”
The man looked around the room, waving down another agent and asking her to bring the bag in question back to him.
“She’ll be right back with what you’re looking for.”
“I didn’t catch your name or title,” said John.
“Oh, certainly, it’s Assistant Commander Vincent. And, I must say, it’s so thrilling to meet you and members from your division.”
“What exactly do you know about our division?” said Richard.
“W-well, not much, really. There’s just a lot of hype about it that I sometimes hear from the higher-ups. They say it’s important, but its purpose is still kept secret. Does your division deal with anti-AEB countries?”
“You know better than to ask that,” said John.
“It wouldn’t be much of a secret anymore, if we told you, would it?” said Bridgett.
“N-no, ma’am, you’re right,” he said, taking a nervous gulp.
He looked around the room, pleased to see the agent coming back with the bag he asked her to find.
“Thank you,” he said, taking it from her.
Alexie reflexively stepped forward and grabbed the clear bag with a biohazard sticker placed on the outside. She noticed the citizen chips within covered in a layer of dried blood. Her eyes began welling up with tears as the painful thought of the chip being fished from Jack’s forearm entered her mind.
“We should get going now,” said Garnet, grabbing Alexie’s shoulders and guiding her back into the group of Searchers behind John.
“That’s quite correct,” said John. “Assistant Commander Vincent, is there a vacant room we can use for a moment? We need one with absolute privacy—no windows, no cameras, you get the picture.”
“Yes! Yes, sir. Of course. I have the perfect room. It’s just around the corner. Please follow me.”
He held the door open as they entered. John grabbed the inside handle, turning to the young commander before closing the door behind him.
“It would serve you well to not gossip about anyone from Division 1042 coming here. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, sir. I won’t tell anyone who doesn’t need to know.”
“Good. That will be all, Vincent,” said John, shutting the door.
Alexie had the warp crystal for traveling back to the Searcher facility at the ready. She opened the portal and they all filed through. Assistant Commander Vincent was only a few paces away when he heard a sizzling sound coming from the room and saw a dull blue light shining from a thin crack at the bottom of the door. Knowing he should continue walking away, but too curious to do so, he crept back and placed his ear to the door. Hearing nothing from within, he slowly cracked it open and didn’t see a single person from his narrow vantage. Bewildered, he swung the door wide open and stared in disbelief as he looked upon a vacant room.
Once back at the Searcher facility, Richard placed a pair of examination gloves on his hands to grab Jack’s and Marcel’s citizen chips from the bag to be further analyzed. Scanning each one for the data of the satellites or devices tracking the chip’s location, he looked for any anomalies. Everyone stood by as he performed the task, hoping the effort would yield results.
“I’ve scanned the chips twice now,” he said. “And both times it shows only AEB-related satellites accessing the real-time tracking data. I . . . I don’t know what else we can do, at this point.”
“How could the rogues have possibly known that Jack and Marcel were deep within Paris’ Catacombs?” said John.
“Could they have been tracked another way?” said Alexie.
“It’s possible. But how, I don’t know.”
As John tried to piece another conjecture together, an alarm began to resound throughout the facility to warn of a perimeter breach.
“The rogues?” said Bridgett, worried.
John had already pulled out his screen to view the live footage from the building’s surrounding cameras.
“There’s . . . there’s a body outside the front entrance!”
“Whose body!” said Alexie, her voice trembling.
“It could be a trap,” said Butch.
Richard pulled up the camera’s feed on one of the larger screens in the room.
“It’s . . . I think it’s Marcel!” said Garnet.
Breaking protocol, Alexie rushed to the main entrance and opened the door to drag Marcel in. She grabbed both of his arms and began pulling his dead weight inside. Bridgett got to the doorway next to help, easily lifting Marcel’s body off the ground.
“Alexie, run ahead of me and open the stairwell door! We need to get him upstairs right away!” she said.
John, snapping out of his state of shock, called ahead to the medical ward.
“Marcel’s back in our possession and in an unconscious state. He’s being rushed your way as you’re hearing this. Prepare for triage and treatment.”
Everyone scrambled to the elevator, hurrying to the medical ward and hoping Marcel wasn’t beyond saving. He appeared to be in a dire condition.
“He looked bad. Do you think he’ll make it?” said Richard, tapping his foot nervously as the elevator doors closed.
“I sure hope so,” said John, feeling sick to his stomach.
Ferra kept close to Garnet, doing her best to keep her sister’s face clear of the tears streaming down.
“Was it the rogues who placed him on our doorstep?” said Butch.
“I don’t know who else it could have been,” said John. “But my question is, why didn’t they give us Jack too? Why do they still have him in their possession?”
They rushed out of the elevator as the doors opened and ran to where Marcel was placed. The blood left John’s face when, as the medical staff turned Marcel’s body, he saw the voided areas around his spine, exposing raw muscle where an exo once resided. The sight of it took his memory back to when he saw the same large lesion on James’s lifeless body. John, along with the other Searchers in the room, watched helplessly, hoping Marcel would be able to hang on and make a recovery.
“I still think we should have kept the poor boy here,” said Nigel.
“Are you joking?” said Mark. “The kid practically worships Rakiten. He’s on the fast track to becoming another hopeless pawn of the Archon.”
“But don’t you believe there’s at least a small kernel of good and chance for redemption in every human being?”
“No,” said Mark. “Sometimes it’s easier to cast someone aside than try to evangelize them until they see the light and join your cause. Marcel would have been too much work and we don’t have an excess of time on our hands. There’s still a chance of convincing the other Searchers.”
“I’m not doubting we did the easiest thing, but we didn’t do what was right.”
“Geez, Nigel, would you get off it already? We took a vote. You and Takeru were against it, Wren was neutral, and Freya, Seb, and I wanted to get him out of here. We did what the majority decided on.”
Nigel remained silent for a moment, trying to not bring up the subject again.
“. . . But James, Melissa, and Jack should have also taken part in the voting.”
“They had more important issues to deal with. Let. It. Go.”
Mark was happy to have the conver
sation interrupted when Nigel’s screen buzzed from inside his pocket. On it was a notification from James.
“James wants to do a formal introduction of Jack to the whole team, so we all need to gather in the great room.”
“That’s fine. I’m just glad to be ending this nauseating talk,” said Mark.
Nigel shot him a sour look as they began to gather the team together.
Jack followed his father with trepidation back inside the building, nervous to meet the people he had come to know as his enemy. The twist of fate he experienced was still difficult for him to comprehend. As he started to become lost in thought, a voice entered his head.
I hope you’re safe, wherever you are. I’m sorry I didn’t trust the bad feeling you had about the mission. Please, if you hear this, let me know you’re okay.
Alexie! Jack thought, futilely swiveling his head back and forth to see if she was nearby.
He saw no sign of her or anyone else in sight. When he tried to locate her mind to form a cognitive link, he could tell she was nowhere close. While his dad continued to walking, Jack stood still and closed his eyes, focusing as hard as he could.
Alexie, I don’t know if you’ll get this message, but I’m all right. I’ll explain everything to you once we’re back together. I miss you so much.
“Jack, are you coming?” said James.
“Uh, yeah, right behind you,” said Jack.
“Let’s go inside, Son. Everyone should be together now for you to meet. They’ve been waiting on your arrival for quite some time.”
The Relics- The Keystone Trilogy - Part 1 Page 29
