Entry Eight:

Entry Eight:

            Gavin awoke to find himself confused about his whereabouts. He had been dreaming of flying, as he had the last three nights since staying at the palace. His ship was taking him through the stars, but space had grown ever blacker until he could no longer see. He had imagined being swallowed whole by something that was darkness itself. He assured himself that no such thing existed, but he wasn’t entirely convincing. It was still late. Nights lasted long on New Gaia, and his frame of reference was still changing. He found he could go without sleep for extensive periods of time without feeling tired, and did so more as a formality. He had spent the previous night mostly reading up on New Gaia’s history and culture.

            He was particularly interested in Jackie’s lineage as an easy means of understanding more of his surroundings. She was unique in that her family tree ended with Victor on the one half because of his status as a Generate and stretched back millennia on the other. Changes in history between the Earth of his reality and hers first appeared to change back in 1066 A.D. in the Battle of Hastings, when William the Conqueror was killed by an arrow to the eye. Good King Harold went on to defeat France and grow his Empire. Jackie’s royal heritage was shorter than that. Her ancestors were listed in the Book of Doom, but as common Lords. Little was to be found of them after that and it was believed their holdings were gambled away. Her royal family first came to tangible power after America was crushed in the Revolutionary War. Her many-time great grandfather had been a red coat General and made the Duke of Virginia by King Gregory II. Three generations of her family ruled as such until hereditary disease took the last of the proper Kings and a Revolutionary war broke out in France. Her ancestor was summoned back to England to stem the tide of rebellion washing over Europe. A power-struggle for the Throne ensued and King Jack I became the first in the long line of Allums. Her royal blood became somewhat diluted over time with numerous marriages to commoners, but she remained a direct descendant. Her Great-Grandmother, Queen Nadine II, was second in line to the Earth Throne and was given dominion over New Gaia. The title was largely ceremonial, as it was on Earth. Her family was the richest landowners on New Gaia, ruling over much of the greener territories of the planet, however, the family has no authority in matters of state. New Gaia was a democracy with the President as the Head of State. The royal family served as figureheads, appearing in parades, ceremonies, charitable functions, and in Jackie’s case, the tabloids.

            Jackie’s exploits, while legendary, were nothing compared to her mother, Queen Nancy marrying a Generate. In their culture, Generates were below Commoners. They were treated with a small measure of respect, but held no official rights. Victor had never served the Arms, but fought along side them in their war against the Terrorists. He had earned several condemnations and was considered one of their greatest war heroes. His books on the subject, and on alternate history had sold millions. He had also attempted an athletic career, but was disallowed due to being a Generate. In their world, he was the King of celebrities, and cast a large shadow over Jackie. He had only mellowed as of late as the Queen took on more charitable roles.

            The war was surging, as it had in waves since it began over a hundred and eight years ago. The perpetrators were a desert-dwelling people who desired autonomy and religious freedom. They were among the first settlers of New Gaia, and saw themselves as the true rulers. They claimed an affinity with the land that was steadily being encroached upon by the corporations that mined New Gaia for its resources. From that perspective, there was nothing outwardly wrong with their desires. Their methods and their religious beliefs clashed with more civilized society. They were painted as cultists, although their numbers were too great for that simplicity. They revelled in the deaths of their opponents and gave no thought to their own lives. They believed their corporeal forms as merely weapons to be used in their Holy struggle, and sacrificed themselves willingly. They traditionally did not have the firepower to openly defend themselves and preferred to sabotage their enemies with tactical bombings. They had been in decline for years, until seven years ago in an event know as the Hidden Knife.

            Gavin had been given Conner’s room across the hall from Jackie, although he was well aware that the hall was patrolled by Moriss. He had been confronted by her several times when he tried to leave during the night with vague threats on his person. His intentions were innocent enough and usually involved heading downstairs to watch holovideos or to talk with the rest of his crew who shared his night-owl habits, but she never believed him. He had come to understand she was a semi-retired high-ranking member of the Arms as well as Jackie’s personal bodyguard. She kept Jackie’s door locked at all hours of the night, although Jackie frequently exited her rooms, often coming to talk to him. She refused to stay long in Conner’s room because of their history together. At first he had pondered as to why they kept the room in the state it was if it caused her so much consternation, but he found out that it was how the Queen preferred it.

            After his nightmare, he decided to head downstairs once more see who was still awake. He peeked out of his room cautiously, but Moriss was not to be seen. He knew that could be misleading. He was under the impression she had set her own motion sensors on his door, but she was still human and required sleep. Jackie’s door, he saw, was open. He creeped out carefully and looked inside. His nightvision was particularly sharp, and he saw her unmade bed was empty. He thought it odd, as she would typically sneak inside his room when she was up. She had no respect as to his privacy and he had been awakened twice by her entering his room unannounced.

            He went downstairs to the study where Victor would often be found. The man rarely slept for more than a few hours and was up for hours before the sun. Sure enough, he found Victor inside with the light turned low. He saw through the open door that he was in deep conversation with Kylie.

            Gavin immediately pressed himself against the wall. Neither had seen him. He suspected if there was something illicit about their encounter that they would have taken more precautions. Gavin listened in to their conversation for a few minutes, but they were talking about their old co-workers. Victor was clearly homesick and despite his years away the memories of his friends aboard Last Point were still fresh in his mind. Discovering that most of the people he had known had passed on depressed him. He’d taken to drinking a little more at dinner and at night. It never seemed to affect him, however, as Gavin learnt that Generates had a higher metabolism.

            “She’s coming back tomorrow,” Victor told Kylie as he sipped at his wine.

            “Who is?” Kylie played dumb.

            “You know well enough,” Victor told her as he leaned back further into his chair. “She said she wanted to meet you.”

            “She wants to compare?” Kylie said wryly.

            “You know she can’t compare with you,” Victor winked at her.

            “Flirting now? A married man like you?” Kylie’s smile deepened.

            “I have to keep in practice,” Victor told her jokingly. “In all seriousness, though, I’m concerned about where such a meeting will put you.” Gavin was worried for Kylie. Staying true to her claim to be his mentor, she had never turned off the upload feed from her unit. Over the past three days she had obsessively studied everything she could find on Queen Nancy. She had also forgone sleep for two nights and read everything Victor had written in the past twenty years. She had devoured thousands of pages in her spare time. More alarming, she had studied the aerial layouts of every known military base, although he assumed she was looking for the Aurora.

            “You want me out of the house?” Kylie surmised.

“You were the one eager to leave,” Victor replied. “Have you given any thought to my proposal?”

“You want to set me up with a job with Kevin,” her smile had faded as the conversation steered away from levity.

“Kevin’s been trying to adapt our technology for use in the Arms,” Victor told her. “He’s their top man in R&D. He could use your expertise to advance his program.”

“Does he have the Aurora?” Kylie asked urgently.

“I haven’t been able to find out where they’ve taken her,” Victor claimed, “but Kevin claimed to have no knowledge about it. That’s not unusual for Kevin. He doesn’t pay much attention to the going-ons of others.”

“Sounds like a fun guy. What woman doesn’t want to be ignored? Victor, why are you so eager to have me gone?” Kylie asked him. She sat on the couch opposite him. Her boot was extended so that it was touching his foot, and she coyly played with it. “Is the Queen going to be jealous?”

“If you had kept things casual, you could have stayed,” Victor noticed her foot, but did not retract his own. “No one else had to know about our past.”

“You would have kept me as your dirty secret?” Kylie got more bold with her foot and inched it up his leg. Victor merely watched it advanced.

“Who’s to say?” Victor admitted.

“When did you stop loving me?” Kylie demanded and shed some of her playful tone. “Was it the first year? The first month? Or was it when you met her?”

            Victor looked off into the distance. “I never really stopped loving you,” he told her. “I found I had more room in my heart than I first supposed. At first it felt like I was cheating on you, but you were gone from me.”

            “I read your books. Not one mention of me in all your adventures,” Kylie was disappointed with him.

            “I had to edit you out,” he explained. “Nancy knows about you, of course, but it would hurt her reputation for the public to know I had another lover before her.”

            “Why would it? You’re her silver trophy, after all,” she chided him.

            “Her relationship with Sen was never the fairytale marriage everyone thinks it is,” Victor sipped at his wine. From what Kylie had read and Gavin had absorbed, Nancy had been married before, and had a son. Sen had been the former Vice-President and their marriage had brought new influence to somewhat diminished royal family. Sen was assassinated shortly after Victor arrived on New Gaia in a terrorist attack. Victor had been on the scene and managed to save Nancy’s life, leading some to speculate he was the one behind it. The tabloids were full of conspiracy theories.

            “And what about her relationship with you?” Kylie asked.

            “It’s rockier these days,” Victor admitted. “I hardly ever see her. She thinks she has a higher calling in trying to work out a peace treaty between the two sides in this war, but it’ll never happen.”

            “Have you given any thought to leaving her?” Kylie asked hopefully.

            “It’s not that rocky,” Victor admitted. “I love her, Kylie.”

            “You love me too,” Kylie reminded him.

            “I’m married,” Victor insisted. “I shouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

            “You’re use to sneaking around, Victor,” Kylie pried him. “Don’t you remember our time on Asura?”

            “I…” Victor shook his head. “I’m King now, Kylie. That might be just a title, but I’m supposed to stand for something. People look up to me for guidance. I can’t allow myself to be a disappointment. Besides, I have Jackie, now.”

            “She’s a grown woman, that much I’m sure of,” Kylie told him. “She doesn’t need her daddy anymore, and your wife doesn’t seem to want a husband.”

            Victor stood up briskly. “You have no idea what my life is, Kylie,” he said with more anger than he’d shown before. “When Nancy returns tomorrow, you’ll understand what we have together. My suggestion, though, is not to be here when that happens. Go and work with Kevin. It’s the only way you’ll find any freedom on this world.”

            Gavin drew further into the shadows as Victor passed him by. He was too preoccupied to notice him. He made his way upstairs and down the long corridor to his bedroom. Only when Gavin heard the faint slam of the door did he dare move. He slowly crept back out of the shadows, whereupon he saw he was being observed. At the top of the stairs he saw Jackie, leaning on the railing. Their eyes met and they stood silent for a moment. Then Jackie nodded for him to follow her. Gavin eyed the door cautiously. He caught a glimpse of Kylie sitting in the darkness, chewing on her fingers and looking at nothing in particular. She was more composed than he would have imagined. He wondered if she had wanted to tell him her secret.

            Gavin inched his way up the stairs to Jackie. She drew him a ways down the hall and whispered to him, “That woman needs to go. Tonight.”

            “She might leave on her own now,” Gavin said. “Do you know Kevin at all?”

            “He’s the nerd my dad worked with before his group disbanded,” Jackie told him. “No one really knows where he is now.”

            “I do,” Gavin said. Jackie still wore his wrist unit. He tapped at the interface until he drew up the tracking system for A-6. Five dots appeared over the image of the globe. “This one is Kevin,” he told her as he tapped one of the dots. Kevin appeared to be on a military base nestled in the flatlands approaching the desert terrain of the main continent where most of the war was taking place.

            “Who are the others?” Jackie asked curiously as she tried the app.

            “This next one here in Donovan. He was the Navigator on your father’s ship,” he explained as he pointed to the second closest blip to them.

            “What?” Jackie was alarmed. “That’s can’t be right.” She tried to enlarge the image.

            “Why, what’s wrong?” Gavin was confused.

            “He’s right here in the city,” Jackie panicked. “He’s only two miles out. Dad!” she called out and bolted down the hallway.

            Moriss poked her head out of the room as Jackie ran past her down the hall. She saw Gavin standing dumbstruck at the other end, and glowered at him. “What did you do?” she accused. She disappeared back in her room and rummaged around for something while Jackie hammered on the door to the master bedroom. Victor had locked it behind him.

            A second passed and Victor unlocked and threw open the door. In the meantime, Moriss emerged with her truncheon and advanced on Gavin. He had no idea what she was thinking he did. He raised his hands helplessly and backed away as she drew near. Kylie had heard the commotion as well and bounded up the stairs. She put herself between Moriss and Gavin and took a defensive stance.

            Down the hall, Jackie hastily showed Victor the wrist unit and explained, “It’s Donovan. He’s here!”

            “What?” Victor grabbed her gently by the wrist so he could get a better look “How did he get this close? Moriss!” he shouted at her. Moriss swivelled around and Kylie took a more aggressive stance as if she intended to pounce on the woman in her moment of diversion. “We need to call the Arms. Donovan somehow found his way into the city. I doubt he’ll be by himself.” Victor went to a cabinet in his room and removed a wooden box. From inside that, he drew his service pistol from Corporate and tucked it into his belt.

            “What are you going to do?” Jackie saw what he was doing and was shocked.

            “I’m going to kill him myself,” Victor told her bluntly.

            “You can’t go out there by yourself!” Jackie insisted, grabbing him by the arm.

            “You think your dad’s gotten rusty?” Victor swept her off. “I’ve waited nine years for this. I’m not letting him slip away again.” He reached out and took the unit from her wrist and attached it to his own.

            “I’m coming with you,” Jackie insisted.

            “You’re not ready for this,” he told her as he marched down the hall. Moriss had already scrambled for her pocket phone and was calling in her report to her superiors.

            “I’m a soldier!” Jackie screamed at him.

            “You’re injured,” Victor snapped back. “You think I’d let you walk into a trap with me, my own daughter?”

            “You’re not leaving me behind,” Jackie insisted.

            “Watch me,” Victor was already on his way to the garage as he checked the charge on his pistol.

            “What the hell is this?” Kylie was racing after him on foot.

            “Donovan killed my men!” Victor explained as he kicked open the door. “He turned traitor years ago, like my no-good son. Now he’s here in the city. That means he must be planning an attack. He’s probably been watching us for months, waiting for the moment to strike. I’m not letting him have another second to prepare. I’m going over there and I’m shoving his gun down his throat.”

            Jackie had caught up with Victor and she tried to wrestle the gun from him. “I’m not letting you do this!” she told him. While her bare arms flexed, her strength was no match for her father. He was in peak physical condition even after his years of leisure. He picked her up off the ground and tossed her aside. Jackie fell onto the floor and gave an immediate cry of pain. She clutched at her side where she had shown Gavin her scars.

            Victor realized what he had done and drew back. He looked at his gun then down at the pyjamas he wore. He let the pistol fall to the floor and rushed over to Jackie. Gavin was already beside her, offering his support. “I’m sorry,” he said desperately.

            Jackie got to her feet with Gavin helping her. She was still doubled-over in pain. “You were about to get yourself killed,” Jackie spat at him. “What are you thinking?”

            “I…” Victor looked at his hand. “I don’t know. It’s been so many years. I’ve hated him for so long. He killed Shaundice and Linda and Johnny… all of them. His friends, his family. I never understood. How could a man do that?”

            Jackie was frightened for her father. “The Arms will take care of him,” Jackie reassured him. “You don’t have to do anything.”

            “How can I do nothing?” Victor demanded. “How did I become so passive? All of this is my fault. I let myself become complacent and it took my friends from me. My own son!”

            “What happened with Conner wasn’t your fault, dad!” Jackie was in tears.

            Moriss picked up the pistol off of the ground. “The Black Gate are already preparing to launch, sir. Can you provide me with the coordinates?” she asked in a professional manner.

            “An industrial complex on the corner of Forty-Second Ave and  Howell Street,” Victor muttered. “I’m not familiar with the area.”

            “The Power Station?” Jackie looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “That’s a night club owned by the Nowell Gang.”

            “A criminal hangout?” Victor pondered. “I assume you’ve been there?”

            “I’ve been to all the clubs,” Jackie said dismissively. “Moriss, what are you still doing here?” Jackie demanded, snapping a little too harshly.

            “At once, my lady,” Moriss saluted and raced back into the palace.

            Once she was out of sight, Victor looked at Jackie and told her, “We don’t have to get involved, but I have to see this. I have to be there and watch him face justice.”

            “We can take the bikes,” Jackie prompted him. “Come on, Gavin,” Jackie still needed support and leaned on him heavily.

            “Here, let me,” Victor offered his arm and took Jackie from him. “You should stay here.”

            “With all due respect, I was sent to this planet to bring back Donovan dead or alive, with the emphasis on him being alive,” Gavin reminded him. “I need to go.”

            “Your mission was over the second you came here,” Victor told him as he picked a set of keys off of a rack on the wall.

            “I haven’t abandoned my mission yet,” Gavin explained. “I’m still with Corporate, even if they think I’m dead.”

            “That’s nonsense,” Victor told him. “You’re just looking for an excuse to tag along.”

            “He’s right, Victor,” Kylie seemed proud of his decision.

            “I want Gavin to come,” Jackie mounted the hoverbike she had first brought him to the palace with. She donned a pair of goggles that were strung over the handlebars. She was still favouring her side.

            Without waiting for an answer, Gavin hopped onto the bike behind her. Victor didn’t say anything further in protest, but put on a helmet. His helmet was black and adorned with a silver horn decal, much like his ornate bike itself. Kylie moved beside Victor, ready to join him.

            “Stay here,” he insisted.

            “Forget that,” Kylie said. “I’m riding with you.”

            “I’m not having a photo of me riding with a strange woman splattered all over the tabloids. Sorry, Kylie, but you have to stay.” With that, he revved up the bike and it rose off of the ground on a current of air. Rudders shifted and he steadily pulled forward. Knowing her side to still be tender, Gavin chose instead to grab onto the bike itself.

            The two drivers tore out of the garage and over the walled perimeter. They guided themselves by the street lights as they sailed over the ground traffic. “The club should be closed this time of night,” Jackie shouted to her father as she pulled dangerous close beside him.

            “Do you know of any good vantage points?” Victor asked her.

            “There’s an overpass nearby,” Jackie suggested. “We can hang out there and watch the show.”

            “Look,” Victor didn’t point, but his gaze indicated a pair of black and imposing hovercopters sailing over the city. Five smaller vessels followed it. The ships were heading in the same direction as they were. Victor pressed down with his heels and sped up, leaving Jackie to chase him down narrow streets. Victor checked with his wrist unit for the location and then saw the overpass Jackie had mentioned. At this time in the early morning, it was unoccupied by traffic. He eased his bike down on the sidewalk by the railing, and Jackie set herself behind him. The ships were just beginning their descent and they turned on their floodlights. The entire street below was illuminated as if it were broad daylight. From their perch, Gavin could see that the club in question was nestled in an industrial area. The building looked older than the ones surrounding it, but taller as well. It had about fiver stories, the first and broadest being occupied by the night club. The upper space looked to apartments and office space, although there were no signs advertising this. There were only a few vehicles parked in the lot beside the building, and the only lights in the building were on the upper floor.

            While the two hovercopters flanked opposite sides of the buildings, two of the smaller vessels swooped over the roof in turns. Groups of ten soldiers each, all dressed in black, descended on ropes thrown down and then moved to the side. Another vessel hovered low over the street. It touched down briefly and then detached it’s middle section, which separated into an armoured ground vehicle. The last two vessels parked themselves on the street and soldiers came swarming out the back to surround the ground level.

            In unison, the fire escapes and the front doors were blown in and the soldiers piled into the building. Smoke began pouring out of the windows and Gavin could hear faint shouting.

            Victor leaned over the railing, gripping the rail tightly with his fists. His knuckles turned white.

            Jackie watched in rapt silence, but grew agitated after a while. “It’s taking too long,” she muttered. Soon after, four soldiers led a man and a woman outside the front entrance at gunpoint. Victor looked down at them, but shook his head. Apparently they were ordinary citizens who occupied the building. Five more people were led out the same way and held by one of the parked vessels by armed guards. They were forced to lie flat on the ground with their heads down.

            Eventually, a pair of men were led out of the building and Jackie told him, “Those are the Nowell brothers.” Over the distance Gavin could faintly hear them shouting about their rights and lawyers until one of the soldier butted one of them in the back of his head with a rifle. The bald man went down in a heap while his brother panicked, and they were both forcefully dragged to the lineup.

            “This is taking too long,” Victor complained. Smoke cleared from the upper floors. More people were evacuated from the building, but there was no sign of Donovan. Eventually groups of soldiers began to exit and checked in with their commanding officer, who was interrogating the conscious Nowell brother. Victor made a frustrated sound and hopped on his bike. He quickly hovered down to the street level, where he was confronted by soldiers. He did not relent, however, and one of the soldiers fired a warning shot into the air before training his gun on him. As he looked down the sights, he realized who it was and quickly dropped his gun and saluted. The others lining up into a defensive position with him saluted as well.

            “At ease!” their commanding officer shouted. He was dressed the same except for a gold strip that went around his left shoulder and halfway across his chest. Jackie and Gavin were quick to follow. Jackie stopped beside the man who had fired and looked as if she were about to reprimand him. His sheepish expression made her shake her head in disgust and she continued on foot. The soldiers eyed Gavin suspiciously, as he was the only one they didn’t know and he was dressed in his X-77 uniform without his boots or jacket. He wore a disc-shaped dogtag around his neck, which would project a holograph of his credentials if pressed. He couldn’t feel the cold of the street through his insulated socks. Jackie, however, was less comfortable. She was wearing checkered pyjama pants with a sports bra and black tank top. Her feet were bare, but she still wore goggles. One of the soldiers quickly snapped a picture of her with his phone, hoping not to be noticed. The solider beside him leaned in to see, but the soldier with the camera nudged him away.

            Victor tossed his helmet on the ground and asked, “Why haven’t these men captured Donovan, yet?”

            “My King, they say there’s no sign of him.” Gavin saw by his badge that his name was Thomas, and he stood a full head taller than Victor. “They found a number of guns and drugs on the premises, but nothing else. There’s enough evidence to put the Nowells away for a long time.”

            “I don’t care about these street pushers,” Victor spat, “I want Donovan. I know he’s in there.”

            “And how can you be so sure, Captain?” Long Tom appeared to have a friendly familiarity with Victor.

            “With this,” Victor showed him his wrist unit. “Donovan has a tracking device imbedded in the base of his skull I lost the ability to follow him when I lost my own years ago, but our visitors had their own. Donovan is inside that building, waiting for us,” he insisted. Holding the device in front of him, he tuned the controls and headed towards the building. Thomas made a sound of protest, then decided against it and ordered his men to fall in.

            Victor led the slow charge back into the building. There were still soldiers milling about the club on the main level, checking the dark recesses with the lights on the end of their rifles. Gavin looked about, thinking the area was rather cramped for a proper club. It was “L” shaped with the dance floor and stage on one half and the bar on the other. He noticed, with some bemusement, an autographed photo of Jackie on the wall above the bar. She was posing with the two gangsters he had seen arrested.

            Victor went to the middle of the dance floor and slowly scanned the area. He then pointed deliberated at the DJ booth. The solider nearest it looked inside the narrow space and then shook her head. Victor went himself to inspect it. There was a black curtain separating the space from the dance floor with a workspace in front and a wall of equipment behind. An unfinished beer sat on the booth. Gavin watched through the glass as Victor peered around. He checked his wrist unit once more and then went over to the equipment. He reached behind and pulled, and the wall swung inward.

            Soldiers immediately piled down the dark flight of stairs he revealed. The one nearest the front tossed a smoke grenade and they flicked on their thermals. A soldier posted at the booth motioned for them to stay where they were, but Victor ignored him and descended. Gavin followed him and Jackie while holding his shirt sleeve against his mouth for protection. After a moment he discovered the smoke didn’t bother him so much. He found he could see fairly well while Jackie struggled, brushing smoke away with her hand as she coughed. The solidiers were protected by their masks connected to their helmets and visors.

            The stairs led to a storage area filled with a few crates and folding chairs. Everything was lit by a single red bulb on the far wall by an electrical panel. There was a table with gambling chips and a deck of cards spread across it. One of the soldiers cautiously opened a crate and found bottles of wine inside. He dug deeper pulled out a disassembled gun. He stood triumphantly with a gun in one hand and wine in the other and showed it to the others.

            At the end of the small room there was a vault door. It was circular and slightly shorter than a man was tall. Victor checked with his unit, it’s glow bathing his face. “In there,” he nodded. A solider inspected it carefully then called for one of his companions. The second rushed in and placed a small satchel next to the long handle and then stepped away. The two found cover and then shouted, “Clear!”

            Gavin instinctively shielded his eyes as there was a blinding flash and explosion. Acrid smoke filled the chamber until it was virtually impossible to see. All he could make out was the bobbing of their flash lights as they aimed their guns into the vault.

            The smoke lifted, and Gavin saw a large black man tied naked to a chair. He was gagged, and there were numerous lacerations to his face and chest. Someone had clearly worked him over. Sweat dripped from him in rivulet. The were a few more crates stacked on top of one another, but nothing else inside the vault. The entire floor was a grate.

            “Donovan?” Victor was confused. He had expected to find the man, but not like this.

            Donovan couldn’t talk, but a soldier went up and removed the gag cautiously. He opened his mouth a blood poured out. He slumped over and would have fallen if he hadn’t been tied to the chair. “We have a visual confirmation,” the soldier called in to Long Tom. “Target has been captured.”

            “Who did this?” Victor looked slowly around the room, trying to find something he had missed.

            One of the soldiers let out a cry as he turned his gun around. Behind him, where there had been no one before was the figure of a man. He was dressed in something that resembled a black space suit made out of segment like an armadillo’s back. His head was encased inside a tinted domed helmet. His one gloved hand was resting on the poker table, and the other was on a gun in his lap. “Drop the weapon!” the soldier prodded the point of his rifle against the glass of his helmet. The mysterious man gave no indication of acknowledgement. “I said drop it!” he cried out one more time then fired. His rifle was blown backwards from his hands with the recoil and he collapsed on the floor. Two more soldiers ducked and opened fire while three more stood behind and above them with their guns ready. Gavin grabbed Jackie and pressed her back against the wall. Their laser blast had struck him as harmlessly as their flashlights.

            The man in the space suit slowly raised his gun, which was shaped like beak attached to a missile, and fired back. The spray from the weapon illuminate the soldiers in a flash, and then they were gone. Tattered limbs fell from torsos that were no longer there. He rose from his chair and fired in rapid succession and the three other soldiers in the room. One was completely obliterated. A section of the wall crumbled behind him and smouldering dirt fell in. Victor sought shelter over by Jackie and Gavin, as they were the only ones left. The man stood between them and the only exit.

            Gavin quickly assessed the situation. He grabbed Jackie by the shoulders and led her over to the vault, which had more protection. “Go no further,” the man said and Gavin stopped in his tracks.

            “What do you want?” Victor raised his hands in defeat.

            Before Gavin could react, Jackie snatched up a fallen rifle from the ground and levelled it at the man. She held her fire, but had her eye on the sights. Gavin tried to inch his way in front of her to protect her, but she brushed him off angrily. The man calmly observed her, nonplussed. More soldiers were lining the stairs above them. They had witnessed the chaos below, but did not know how to proceed in what looked like a hostage situation. Inside the vault, Donovan raised his head a gurgled a warning.

            “Hello, father,” the man said sarcastically as he turned his attention on Victor. A sickened expression of realization fell over Victor and he recoiled in horror.

            The man pressed a button on his helmet and the tinted hue to his helmet evaporated. Inside, Gavin recognized the young man he had seen in the photos in his room. It was Conner Allum, looking older and more haggard.

            “Conner,” Victor tried to moisten his mouth. “Why are you doing this?”

            “This was a present for you, father,” he told him. “You wanted Donovan, and so I gave him to you.”

            “You tortured him,” Victor accused. “You killed these men!”

            “And countless others,” Conner admitted.

            Jackie fired multiple times until depleting the charge of her rifle. When it was empty, she gave a battle cry and charged forward, brandishing it as a club. She struck violently across his helmet, shattering the rifle into pieces and sending her reeling from the shock. She favoured her hands as she knelt down on the floor, her teeth bared.

            Gavin saw Conner turn the gun on his half-sister, and ran up to wrestle it from him. He found Conner to be impossible strong and saw it was the suit making him that way. He couldn’t.move the gun an inch and he found the sharp barrel was being turned on him instead.

            Victor leapt at his step-son and tried wrestling him to the ground, but he had no more luck than Gavin. With his arms entwined around his helmet, it served to distract him for a moment. Seeing his way was futile, Gavin looked instead to the clasps on his helmet. Letting go and diving under his arm, he was able to get closer and grab hold of a latch. He managed to flip the left one up, but the right one was still in place. Conner’s arm lashed out and caught him across the jaw, sending him hurling into the wall. He collided with a thud and then collapsed onto the floor like a rag doll. An instant later a shot blasted out and disintegrated the wall above him. If Victor hadn’t been obscuring his vision, Gavin was certain he would be dead.

            Victor had caught on to Gavin’s plan and tried the latch on the right, but Conner pried him off with his free hand. In the chunky soles of the suit Conner stood taller than his father and lifted him off of the ground by his wrist. He pressed the mouth of his gun against his father’s elbow and fired, separating half his arm. The wound had cauterized on contact, leaving no trace of blood. Victor fell onto his good arm as he howled in pain. In a moment, he was unconscious.

            “You bastard!” Jackie screamed at him, striking senselessly with her balled fists. There were tears in her eyes. Conner merely stood there and accepted the blows as he observed his gruesome prize.

            Gavin attempted to get to his feet, but the room spun out from under him and he collapsed. There was blood in his mouth and spots raced in front of his eyes. Finally, Conner seemed to notice his half-sister raging at him and put the gun against her forehead. “Listen,” he told her as he did up the latch with a spare thumb. “I could have killed you both here today. I chose not to. Don’t consider it as mercy. Your lives mean nothing to me any longer. As for Donovan,” he aimed the gun past her head and fired. Where Donovan sat was nothing but smouldering ash, “he served his purpose. I always found it distasteful to be labelled as a mere traitor, like that insect. I’m so much more significant now that your petty sides have no relevance. I stand outside of this conflict.”

            “You’re crazy,” she accused him, shaking with fear and rage.

            “Yes,” Conner admitted. “This madness is so beautiful.” He quickly drew his gun down, slicing a shallow cut along her face with the curved blade above the barrel. It cut the goggles off of her face, leaving her tearful eyes exposed. Blood pooled down her forehead and over her slight nose. Still, she did not cringe. “Do you see this?” he held up her father’s arm. “Your little friend has given me the keys to everything that comes after. Now is the time to unlock the door. Say goodbye to mother for me.”

            With that, he seemed to shimmer, and vanished. Jackie was as confused as Gavin and looked around, wondering if he had used the tendrils of smoke for cover. With her safety ensured, the soldiers swarmed in, but they too could find no trace of him.

            Gavin was helped to his feet and inspected. His vision swam before him, and his jaw was numb where he’d been struck. It was only with support that he could stand. “He has some kind of teleporter built into his suit,” Gavin slurred his words. He thought to elaborate, but it was too difficult to speak. A medic had come and was tending to Victor, but it looked beyond his skill.

            While they were arranging a means to carry him out, one of the soldiers gave a panicked cry. He had looked inside one of the crates and discovered something alarming. “It’s a bomb! Everyone out!”

            Gavin managed to move his feet up the stairs and out into the street. Jackie was somewhere in front of him in the mad rush of people. As he reached the open air, he felt the ground buckle beneath him, then the rush of hot air that threw him forward onto his face. Shards of glass rained down on him as a fireball rushed up the facade of the building into the air.

            It was practically a minute before he could raise his head again. Blood was dribbling down the sides of his face and he realized he couldn’t hear. He tried to pick himself up, but he put his palm down on broken glass. He looked at the wound and saw a shard sticking out of his hand. He calmly pulled it out and the blood ran freely. Beside him, one of the soldiers was curling up onto their side and trying to remove his helmet. Gavin could feel the heat of the flames behind him, but instead of looking back he slowly crawled forwards, trying to make out faces in the crowd. He saw Jackie beside her father as he was being loaded into an ambulance.

            Slowly, the ringing in his ears subsided and he could hear the alarms sounding and the roar of the flames. The building began to creak as it collapsed in on itself and he wondered if everyone had escaped in time.

            He looked back at the orange flame and black smoke and it dawned on him why Conner had wanted his wrist unit.