| |
Aaron met Katerina and Noah at the door of the house, hugely relieved to see them. “Where have you been?” he demanded, “Where is everyone? I’ve been looking everywhere...”
“Alice? Have you found her?” Noah interrupted urgently.
“Where is she?”
“Josiah said Madeleine killed her,” Noah returned, already running to the next room to search for his sister. He was trying desperately to contain his panic.
“What’s happened?” Aaron demanded.
“Josiah’s what happened. He nearly killed us! He has a gun, he forced me to go with him, said he was taking me to meet someone. Do you think it could be Zeus?”
“Zeus! It must have been.” He was thinking rapidly, asked her, “Where’s Josiah now?”
“We left him a few blocks from here, unconscious.”
“Were you followed back?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“We have to assume Zeus will soon know where we are if he doesn’t already. It’s time to move. I’ll help look for Alice; you go pack your stuff then start on Noah’s. Quickly! Come down as soon as you’re ready and help us look.” When she started to object, he said, “If she’s already dead it’s too late. If she’s fine, we’ll find her. I need you to get ready to leave.”
It took far too long to find Alice. It was only the smashed lock on the pantry door that revealed her whereabouts, for she was not responding to their calls. It took more precious minutes to locate tools that could get them through the door. When they finally got it open, she was slumped against the far wall, dazed, woken by the sound of the door being broken down. Her throat was so swollen from Madeleine’s assault she could barely talk but otherwise, to Noah’s relief, she was alright.
Aaron rushed them through getting ready to leave, ordering them to save their stories for later. In the midst of the chaos, they did manage to determine that he planned to get them to a new safe house where the thief would meet them. Despite only Madeleine having seen her all day, he also somehow succeeded in locating the house-owner, debriefing her on what was happening.
It was Noah, glancing out the window, who saw the gate open and the men start pouring into the property. “Aaron, they’ve found us!” he warned.
Aaron joined him for a second, muttered grimly, “Zeus! Come on!” Again he hurried them, down the trapdoor they had originally entered through. Aaron delayed a moment, asking the owner of the house to come with them but she refused.
“I’m not afraid of Zeus.”
“You should be, you know how dangerous he is,” Aaron was harsh.
Their host shrugged, dismissively. “What can he do?”
“He can kill you!”
“He may kill my body but he can do nothing to my soul and that’s all that really matters. Now go. Quickly.” Aaron nodded with resignation. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before climbing down and helping her close the trapdoor over them.
In the darkness, Aaron pulled out lights and distributed them. He delayed a moment longer, setting a small box to the trapdoor base. Then he waved them on down the tunnel, pausing just around the first corner. He activated a detonator and a tiny muffled boom resulted. When they peered back around the corner a puff of smoke was drifting from the trapdoor. As it cleared, they saw the trapdoor had changed color to clear white like solid ice. It slowly deepened in texture until they could no longer see the door’s outline. “They won’t get through that in a hurry,” Aaron muttered and waved them on.
But the sound of a crash and a muffled scream above them made them all freeze in horror.
“There’s nothing we can do for her,” Aaron said quietly. “We have to go. She’s bought us time...GO!”
Aaron took the lead through the tunnel system, choosing their direction confidently at every turn. The only time he paused was to read his phone and comment, “The thief’s early. She’s waiting for us.”
Another fifteen minutes and they were knocking on another trapdoor. This time it opened into the back room of a bakery full of delicious smells but no customers. As they climbed up into the warm room, they were greeted one by one by a gorgeous red-head with chestnut brown eyes and light, cute freckles. She introduced herself as, “I’m Sybilla, I’m your thief.”
Once all introductions were completed, Sybilla took a seat without asking and studied Aaron. “I understand we have little time. They will be expecting us?”
“Yes, we may be too late already.”
“I have good news for you then. Your co-ordinates were wrong. The treasure you seek is to the north not the south. It was moved as soon as Zeus heard you had killed his brother Alexandre.”
“How do you know that? It took us months to find it in the first place!”
“Once you know the general area, the details can be discovered merely by blending in. The locals know far more than you would expect.”
“But will that really help? Josiah knows we are going after Zeus’s treasure, not where we thought it was. That’s what he’ll tell Zeus,” Noah objected.
“Actually, earlier today I caught him looking at blueprints,” Katerina interjected. “And he had a photo of an old house by the lake.”
“It was there,” Sybilla agreed. “But they moved it to an abandoned prison complex just a few days ago, away from the lake. Let’s hope Zeus thinks he can trap us by focusing on the original location.”
“How long do you need before you’re ready to leave?” Aaron asked.
“It’s nearly dark enough and the guards change in one hour so we’ll aim for then.”
“We?” Katerina asked.
“Yes, I will need some help.” She looked at them all for a moment then said, “You’ll do,” pointing at Noah.
“Okay, Noah you’d better get some rest,” Aaron suggested. “Leaving in thirty minutes?”
“Yes, that will be fine. It will take us around twenty to get there.”
Although they sent him to a small cozy room with a comfortable bed, Noah did not rest. Instead he went straight to his sister to talk about what had happened. “I really am okay,” she croaked. “It was awful, but I’m just glad I caught her — you could have been poisoned!”
“You saved my life little sister,” he agreed. “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you and take what you said seriously.”
“I’m kind of used to it,” she smiled wryly.
“Well, I’ve learnt my lesson. I’ll be a much better listener from now on.”
“Good. Because I have some advice for you now — you should go talk with Kat before you leave. She’s had a pretty rough time too.”
“Okay little sister, I’ll take your advice,” he teased, amused, giving her a kiss on the forehead as he left.
He found Katerina sitting by a picture window, staring out at the lake. He sat by her and asked, “You okay?”
“I’m not sure. I just feel numb. It’s weird because I feel like I shouldn’t be coping and yet I seem to be...I don’t know how.” She turned her gaze on him. He thought he saw pain in their depths despite her words. “Why didn’t I know something was off about Josiah?”
“He was trying to charm you, to fool you — how could you know?”
“But I was fooled by Patrick too...am I that naïve? Am I really that stupid? I should have known better with Josiah,” she said impatiently. “How will I ever know I can trust a man? When I thought Josiah was genuine...”
“Maybe it takes more time than you’d had with Josiah?”
“I had more than a year with Patrick.”
“Maybe you weren’t looking for anything wrong?”
“Well, I will be now,” she said grimly and turned back to the window.
Noah sat in silence a few moments, wondering if her comment was meant for him. Then he shrugged mentally and asked, “Maybe the question is, how do you know someone is trustworthy? What should you look for? What would it take for you to trust me again for example?”
She sat in silence awhile, mulling over his question. “Consistency,” she said eventually. “I think maybe that’s the key. That someone is consistently kind, supportive, faithful, moral, so I know they’ll always be on my side, believing the best of me. So I don’t need to fear them turning against me for any reason. Even when I do dumb stuff.” She paused, still not looking at him. “And that I know their secrets. Because I don’t think I really knew any of Patrick’s. I mean we talked but we never talked. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it does.”
They were silent a while then Noah offered, “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
She turned back to him, but there was distance in her eyes. “Noah, I can’t...”
“Kat I’m truly sorry...”
“Noah where are you?” a voice from the hallway interrupted. “It’s time to go. We can’t delay any longer.”
They studied each other for long moments, then he said softly, “I’ll see you soon,” and left.
Sybilla and Noah walked because it was not far. The streets were still empty but it was getting dark now with no stars out, so Noah felt far less exposed. “Most people will ignore us,” Sybilla commented, noticing his nervous glances at the houses they were passing.
“It’s so strange; I don’t think I’ve seen anyone here except the people we’ve stayed with and Zeus’s men.”
“That’s because they knew he was coming here. You don’t make yourself conspicuous when Zeus is around. He’s a frightening man.”
“How will we ever get close to him then?”
“He loves his treasure — he pays dearly to keep it safe. Whatever it is, it means a great deal to him so it will lure him out. And he’s arrogant. He won’t imagine you could really harm him.”
“How do you know that?”
“I spent some years in his household. My mother worked for him so I was around him a bit — at a distance of course. But I’m observant. I watch and I notice a lot. It didn’t take long to understand him and what motivates him.”
“How about Diana?”
“She’s a strange one,” she said flatly. “Sometimes she‘s so discerning, so frighteningly aware you would think she had eyes in the back of her head. Other times she seems barely able to remember who she is.”
“It sounds like she’s medicated.”
“Or mad. I haven’t been able to work out which.”
“Wasn’t her mother quite strange too?”
“Yes...but not like Diana. Diana is something else. How do you plan to get to her?”
“I have no idea. I think we’re just focusing on getting to Zeus first.”
“Yes, take him out and Diana will be much more isolated. She relies on his strength a lot. We’re nearly there,” she added. “Go quietly now.”
They were reaching the end of the houses. Up ahead he saw a huge wall rimming a giant compound. “Ardon Prison,” she mouthed, pointing at it. He could barely see it in the increasing darkness. It was huge, solid and foreboding, more like an abandoned psychiatric hospital than a prison. He could just imagine insane ghosts moving across the huge courtyard and peering out the barred windows.
Sybilla led the way to the corner of the wall then they hugged its length, moving around it quietly. When they neared a small gate she signaled a halt, pulling several devices from her bag. One she used to spray the surveillance camera with and the second she attached to the gate lock. The third was a small box with several wires protruding from it. She spent a few minutes unwiring the cover of a box on the side of the gate then disentangling the wires within it. She clipped her wires to these, carefully and methodically, then spent a further few minutes doing something to the box itself. Noah occupied himself with checking for any sign of movement, but all was as still and quiet as before.
Finally satisfied, Sybilla pushed a button on her second device. It began to smoke and the door lock slowly melted as they watched. Within moments it was completely disintegrated and she pushed the gate open quickly, starting across the courtyard.
Feeling totally exposed Noah hurried after her. Again guessing at his thoughts, she murmured, “Don’t worry I’ve looped the feed so they can’t see us and I’ve de-activated the alarms. There’ll be no one physically watching because their alarm system is so good they only rely on that.”
“It can’t be that good if you could dismantle it just like that,” Noah muttered.
“Actually, I’m the only person on Kainnan who could because I designed it. It was in the beginning stages when I left but I had a colleague keep me informed on its progress. I always keep my hand in with these things because you never know when it could be useful.”
“How will we find the treasure when we get inside?”
“That’s when we’ll be relying on some luck and my little tracker.” She held up another device. “I’m tapped into their surveillance so I can see what they can’t — what’s really happening.”
They were across the compound now and Sybilla stopped for a few moments to study her tracker. Then, silently, she led the way further around the building to a side door. Here she worked her magic on the lock again and the door opened obediently for them.
Ardon Prison was only dimly lit and freezing cold. They made their way down a long corridor heading into the bowels of the building. Sybilla showed no fear, apparently reassured by her surveillance, so Noah tried to relax too. But his heart wouldn’t stop racing regardless of what he told himself.
A few minutes in, Sybilla stopped and whispered, “There are guards ahead so we’ll be doing a bit of a dance to avoid them. But if necessary,” she was pulling something from her bag as she spoke and handed a small glistening handgun to him, “use this to wound, not kill. Aim for their kneecaps.”
“Really? I’ve only fired a gun a few times.”
“Just remember that if you don’t, they will. And they won’t hesitate to kill.”
Noah took it reluctantly, his fear increasing.
They continued rapidly on, stopping, starting, hiding, running, pausing and moving on again — all under Sybilla’s directions and the guidance of her tracker. Eventually she stopped him again and whispered, “It’s two rooms away and there are four guards.”
“What do we do?”
“We create a diversion.” She was already reaching into her bag for something, pulling out a cylinder shaped like a mini submarine. “Wait here,” she instructed and ran ahead. She was around the corner and out of sight in a moment.
He waited nervously, feeling painfully exposed with her gone. Five minutes passed and he began fearing something had happened. He was debating whether to look for her when she reappeared abruptly, running frantically towards him and hissing, “Get down!” He dropped instantly and she threw herself down beside him. Seconds later an explosion went off followed by thunderous shock waves rolling over them. A wall of dust blew their way, then Sybilla was up, tugging on his arm, “Come on, let’s go!”
They rounded the corner cautiously, guns drawn. But there was so much dust it was impossible to see anything. “I’ll get him,” a voice was calling.
“Murray?”
“He’s out cold. Leave him — we’ll come back for him.”
“I’ll call Zeus.” That voice sounded nervous.
That was what Sybilla seemed to have been waiting for, for she launched herself in that guard’s direction abruptly. Noah followed into the dust and smoke and dimly discerned that Sybilla had somehow knocked out the one with the phone, an impressive feat considering the man’s bulk. They kept going, still half blind. The voices had moved off and Sybilla followed. Then abruptly the smoke and dust started to clear with the opening of a door. Wordlessly they followed the two remaining guards into the next room.
It was huge, clearly belonging to the warden originally because it was decorated and fitted out with couches, tables and chairs and a range of monitors displaying scenes of the prison. At its far end was a second door that the guards were racing towards. Sybilla grabbed Noah’s arm and mouthed, “Him!” pointing at the one on the right. Noah took a deep breath and launched himself at his man as Sybilla went for hers.
It was nothing like tackling Josiah. The guard was over-poweringly huge, well-built and trained to fight. He went sprawling under Noah’s attack but was up again within moments and charging Noah like an enraged bull. Noah tried to prepare himself, but nothing could ready him for an attack that was like a freight train running him down at full speed. He went down, winded, the man on top already pulling his fist back to swing it at his face.
The explosion of a gun saved Noah. The man froze then turned to face Sybilla. She had managed to take her guard out and stepped forward to press her gun into the temple of Noah’s man.
“No sudden moves,” she said fiercely. “Get up. Open that door over there.”
“There are others on the way,” he threatened, getting off Noah and standing to his huge, full height.
“No, there’s not,” she held up the other guard’s phone. “Nobody’s rung for help.”
“The alarm...”
“...is disabled. What’s your name?”
The guard stared belligerently at her and she pushed the gun into his forehead so hard it broke the skin. “Dirk,” he said, heavy defiance in his tone as a delicate trickle of blood made its way down past his eyebrow.
“Okay Dirk. Well I’m Sybilla. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.” To Noah’s surprise Dirk looked like he indeed had, paling at her name. “I’m giving you a chance to help us. We can do this without you but then I would have to knock you out, maybe shoot you, perhaps cut your fingers off. Or you can get over there and open that door. Make a decision now, quickly, before I decide to go ahead and shoot you or your buddy there.”
Dirk moved slowly, reluctantly towards the door, obviously trying to think of another option. He put his hand to the fingerprint recognition panel but paused before ducking for the retina scan. “Look, Zeus will kill me if he knows I let you in.”
“Then I suggest you get out of here when we’re gone.” She waved at the retina scan.
Dirk tried one last time, “Please, don’t hurt him. He’s a good kid, really...”
For the first time Sybilla looked caught off guard. As understanding slowly dawned on her, she grabbed Dirk’s head and pushed him down towards the scanner. It read his eyes and the door slid back slowly.
And there, standing right in the doorway staring straight at them and looking remarkably like his father, was Zeus’s young son.
