“Stop!” Titus yelled, stepping in front of the huge figure as he jabbed the knife out in front of him, having it stop only inches away from the yellow outer shell of the suit.
The Giant stopped so suddenly that he nearly fell forward, and both boys heard a loud gasp from behind the smooth dark faceplate.
“Don’t move or do anything unless I tell you, or I’ll pierce your suit,” Titus said loudly, keeping his voice steady despite his fear.
The Giant remained still, the only change being that the wheezing breaths increased in speed. Zane was relieved that he didn’t seem to have any kind of weapon; he was only holding a small plastic case that looked large enough to carry some papers, or something else flat, but nothing more. He heard Jay swear from somewhere high above them and looked up to see his and David’s faces peering over the top lip of the building that he and Titus were standing against.
Zane swallowed hard and looked to Titus for his next move, when the darkness was torn apart by an arc of blue lightning. It slammed into the wall of a building that was only metres from where he stood.
Zane yelled out in terror and Titus started, completely caught by surprise. He’d been so confident that no-one else had been with the Giant, but now he realised that he had been too focused on that one individual to the exclusion of anyone else. He looked in the direction of the lightning source but saw no-one, too shaken to be able to get a sense of where they might be by other means.
He clamped down on the fear broiling inside him, pushed it away from his thoughts. With his free hand, he pulled Zane close to him and took a step closer to the Giant. “They won’t risk shooting him,” Titus yelled at Zane. “Calm down!”
Zane trembled and looked wide-eyed all around him, not having the same ability to cut off his emotions as Titus did.
There was movement on the roof above them and the sound of arrows being loosed. “There!” Luthor shouted and then another volley. Their arrows slammed into a figure only made visible by the violent movement as the bolts hit. The person was dressed completely in black, impossible to see until the red-flighted arrows stuck out of him as he crumpled to the ground.
“Guardian down, Guardian down!” the Giant shouted, voice high with panic. “Hex? Hex! Guardian down!”
Titus frowned at the Giant, but then Callum was beside them, pulling Zane’s arm towards a doorway in the building.
“In here, now!” he said, “I think more are on the way.”
Titus allowed himself to be steered into the corridor of the abandoned office building once he had gone behind the Giant and ordered him to walk ahead, reminding him of the knife he held to his back.
“Zane, there are candles in my pack,” he said once they were off the street.
Zane rummaged blindly, retrieved one, and followed Titus’ direction to the matches held in his shirt pocket. The candle was quickly lit, revealing a dingy corridor with several doorways leading off it. Callum had gone ahead and appeared at the one to the first room on the right.
“In here,” he said, beckoning to them all. “There’s no window.”
Zane hurried towards Callum, Titus urging the hostage on ahead to follow him.
“Oh God, oh God.” The Giant wheezed rapidly as he entered the room after Zane, closely followed by Titus. His heavy steps were hesitant as they took in the surroundings, the suit he wore so cumbersome that he had to twist the whole of his upper body simply to be able to look from side to side. The candlelight didn’t penetrate the shadows at the edges of the room, but there was enough light to reveal a desk and chair and a dusty floor covered with yellowed pieces of paper. The smooth glass of the faceplate reflected back the candlelight, making it impossible for any of them to make out any features.
“Sit in that chair,” Titus ordered, but the Giant didn’t move.
“I can’t,” he replied, the voice tremulous and higher in pitch than Zane had expected. “There might be splinters.”
Zane gave his candle to Callum, took another from Titus’ pack, lit it, and mustered all the courage he could to approach the massive man. He held it up to the smooth front plate of the helmet and peered at the face shielded within.
“You’re a woman!” he exclaimed.
Large dark brown eyes, wide with fear, blinked at the flame and the boy. “Please, keep that candle away from me.”
Zane drew back, still surprised to find that it wasn’t someone as big as Luthor housed within the suit. Instead, the woman’s pale face suggested a slender build beneath the layers. It was mostly the helmet that added to her height, that and the thick metal soled shoes that left the familiar footprints in the dust of the room.
In the moment he looked at her face, Zane immediately felt guilty. She was clearly terrified; her breathing was rapid and left a little patch of condensation on the glass between her and the world. He couldn’t help but imagine how it would feel to be her, and he tried his best to smile reassuringly.
“We don’t want to hurt you,” he said gently and then Titus stepped in front of him, taking the candle from his hand to hold it up to her face again.
“But we will if you don’t help us,” Titus said in a flat voice that was somehow more frightening than one modulated by anger.
“I don’t have much air. It was only going to be a short trip,” the woman replied shakily.
“Don’t waste it then,” Titus replied unsympathetically. “Where’s Lyssa?”
The skin above the bridge of her nose wrinkled as she frowned. “Lyssa? Who’s that?”
“The one you took from Jay’s territory!”
Zane watched a droplet of sweat run down between that furrow on her face. “I don’t know anyone called Lyssa. I don’t know where that territory is. Please, just let me go back–they’ll be sending Guardians out right now. There’s no need for there to be any more bloodshed.”
Titus didn’t flinch. “One month, three weeks and four days ago, some of your gang took my … took a young woman and killed some of the Boys in Jay’s gang. We want her back. If you don’t give her back, we’ll keep you here until your air runs out.”
Zane fidgeted, not wanting it to come to that at all.
“Please, you have to understand that I don’t have clearance to do what you’re asking.”
Titus frowned. “Who were you talking to outside?”
“She probably has a radio link back to her people,” Callum said quietly.
“What does that mean?”
“It means they can hear what she says and they’ll be able to talk back to her.”
Titus scowled at her. “Is that true?”
She looked at the knife point and nodded slightly. She looked away briefly, clearly thinking as fast as possible. “Look, if you want this Lyssa, you’ll have to let me go back to get her for you.”
Titus took a step forward, looking like a small child next to the suited woman. His voice, however, was far from childlike; it was cold and measured. “Don’t try to trick me or I will puncture your suit and watch you die.”
“Titus!” Zane exclaimed, appalled at his friend’s words.
Titus turned, fixing Zane with such a fearsome glare that he was silenced. He then looked back at the woman. “Speak to your gang. Tell them what we want–tell them if she’s released, you’ll be returned unhurt. She’s called Lyssa, she’s got violet eyes and brown hair and is a head taller than me. If you say anything else, you won’t leave this room.” He watched her glance down nervously at something strapped to her wrist. “You’d better hurry,” he added, noting the dial and the one hand on it moving towards an amber segment.
She cleared her throat and said in a louder voice, “Hex? This is Radley. Do you copy, over?”
Then there was a pause, her eyes flicking up at the ceiling as she seemed to hear a response that was inaudible to anyone but her.
“No, the situation has worsened and … and they’re making a demand in return for my release.” She proceeded to give the details as Titus had said and then listened intently. Zane noted how much she was sweating, how her eyes darted from a spot on the ceiling to the knife held in Titus’ hand. Then she looked at him. “They’re … checking on her status. It may be a few minutes.”
Titus simply stared back at her. “I’m not the one who has to worry about the time,” he replied coldly, and then went to lean against the wall.
Zane swallowed hard, his stomach twisting with tension. “Um … is your name Radley, then?” He asked in as friendly a voice as he could muster, making the question seem ridiculous in such a situation.
The woman blinked at him and then swallowed. “Yes … Dr Radley.”
“Doctor!” Zane exclaimed. “You heal people too?”
“Zane.” Titus’ voice was lowered to a warning tone. “Don’t talk to her.”
Zane threw an annoyed glance at his friend and then looked back at Radley.
“I … I’m a doctor of microbiology,” she replied nervously, blinking away a droplet of sweat that had slid into the corner of her eye. She then frowned at Zane. “You look familiar,” she mumbled and Zane was filled by a heady mixture of excitement and dread.
“Zane!” Titus said his name so forcefully that he moved away from Radley, shaken by her comment.
Titus moved swiftly to take his place in front of her helmet. “Why did you take her? What have you done to her?”
Radley spread her hands, looking desperately confused. “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about,” she said shakily. “Please believe me.”
Titus stared at her, taking in the minutiae of her face. With frustration he realised that she was actually telling the truth.
“I don’t know much about what happens in the other spokes,” she continued. “That’s the –”
She cut off and looked up as she attended to something else. Then her eyes shut and she let out a long sigh of relief. “They have someone that fits that description, and they’re willing to make an exchange,” she paused and then a frown started to form. “I copy, Hex, stand by.”
“What is it?” Titus demanded, his tension leaking into his voice.
“They say that she’ll die if she’s brought up now,” she replied hesitantly. “They didn’t say why.”
Titus lowered his head, frowning. Could it be true? Lyssa had looked ill in the dream, but not so ill that moving her would kill her. But then, maybe she was worse now, and what did he know about that kind of thing anyway? He considered the Giant, considered Hex. They had stolen Lyssa, presumably because they wanted her for some reason. If they wanted her then, they probably wanted to keep her now and would lie to do so. Then he remembered Zane. Hex didn’t know what he could do, so even if it was true, and Lyssa was that ill, Zane would be able to help her.
“I don’t believe them,” he said steadily. “They just don’t want to let her go. Tell them you’re running out of time.”
As Radley responded Callum went to the doorway and looked out into the corridor. “I think the others are looking for us,” he said to Zane. “Wait here.” He hurried out of the room and within moments returned with Jay and Erin.
“What the hell is going on!” Jay yelled.
“They’re bringing Lyssa for the exchange,” Titus replied.
“She’ll be at the end of the street outside in eight minutes,” Radley said in a tremulous voice.
“There are other ones, wearing black, that have the lightning,” Erin reported rapidly. “We’ve killed three, and we think there are more coming but they’re hard to see.”
Titus flicked his eyes back to Radley after taking this in. “Tell them that we can kill these ‘Guardians’ and we’ll kill you if they send any more.”
Radley obeyed as Jay nodded respectfully at Titus.
“Erin, Jay, can you keep an eye on her?” Titus asked. When they nodded, Jay drew one of his knives while Titus beckoned to Callum and Zane to step outside the room with him.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Titus,” Callum said softly but Titus didn’t respond.
“Will they really bring Lyssa?” Zane asked, the fear evident on his pale face.
Titus looked at him, sharing his concern. “We have to hope so. But I don’t think they’ll want us to get away. I think we need to have Radley in view, with one of the Hunters aimed at her so that if the Unders, or Hex–or whatever they’re called– know that if they try anything, we can take her down.”
Zane grimaced. “I don’t like this,” he muttered.
Titus ignored that. “I think we should tell them to leave Lyssa where Radley is, then we collect her and go.”
Callum rubbed his chin. “I think we should exchange them near this building, seeing as we’re committed to this now. I know this block–there are routes between the offices that I’ve made that they won’t know about.” Titus nodded and Callum continued. “I’ll wait nearby to collect Lyssa. I don’t think you or Zane should be too close, and I think Jay should be with you.” When Titus looked as if he were about to object, Callum held up a hand to stop him. “No arguments, Titus. I know the fastest ways to get out of the area without going into the street any more than necessary. I’ll get her into Jay’s territory and you can meet me there.”
Titus frowned as he considered Callum’s words. “I could send Erin back up to Luthor and David to let them know the plan. They’ll be able to defend you against those Guardians from up there, won’t they?” At Callum’s nod Titus added, “I need to stay long enough to make sure it’s Lyssa, then I’ll go with Zane.”
Callum exhaled with relief. “Good. I won’t leave her behind, Titus, don’t worry.”
Titus read Callum’s face and was satisfied. “I’ll go and tell Erin and Jay the plan, then I’ll give Radley instructions.”
As he went back into the room, Zane leant towards Callum and whispered, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Minutes later, Titus stood with Radley and Callum outside of the building they had hidden within, with Zane and Jay waiting further down the street. Occasionally he could hear the creaks of bows being readied on the roof above Callum but no arrows were loosed. There was a brittle tension in the air, the only other noise being the mechanical wheeze and click of Radley’s oxygen supply. The hand on the dial worn on her wrist was now reaching the end of the amber segment and he could see from her face how terrified she was.
Titus strained his eyes looking into the darkness in the direction Radley said they would approach from. When two figures came into view, one being half carried, half dragged by the other, he took a step forward.
“It’s Lyssa!” he said to Callum after only a moment.
Callum nodded and watched their approach.
Lyssa looked barely conscious. The figure supporting her seemed to be male and one of the Guardians, judging by his black clothing that did indeed camouflage him almost perfectly in the darkness. He too appeared to be wearing some kind of helmet, but much less cumbersome than Radley’s.
“Go now,” Callum whispered to Titus.
Titus reluctantly backed off before forcing himself to turn away from his sister and run down the road to Zane and Jay. As soon as he reached them, the three of them increased their pace, Jay leading them back to safer territory.
When they reached the first crossroads, Titus paused to look behind him, noting that Radley was walking away from Callum who was now holding Lyssa and moving slowly backwards towards the door of the building. Just as Titus was about to continue, there was a yell from up on the roof, and then a volley of arrows loosed in the direction of the Guardian whom Titus could no longer see.
The night was illuminated by three arcs of lightning ripping through the air towards the roof. Titus cried out in despair as chaos erupted, blinking rapidly to try to see past the glowing afterimages left by the lightning. Jay grabbed his collar and yanked Titus round the corner, pulling him along roughly.
“C’mon, c’mon!” he was yelling, Zane sprinting alongside him.
At first Titus was dragged, but then he regained his senses and ran too, the three of them hurtling through alleyways and shadowy side streets lit by sporadic blue flashes in the distance.
Sometimes they heard shouting but it quickly faded, the loudest noise becoming that of their panting breaths. Soon they were back at Jay’s territory, a line of Boys armed with makeshift weapons and knives waiting for them. When Jay was sighted a loud cheer went up and they closed around their returned hero.
“Stay smart-sharp, lads,” Jay panted, bracing his hands on his knees to try to catch his breath. “May be more from the Unders comin’ our way. And watch out for Callum. He’ll be carrying someone–make sure he gets here safe.”
The Boys dispersed to pre-arranged positions along the edge of the territory. Jay turned to Zane, who was shaking violently, and clapped him on the back. “Safe now, Zane, s’alright now.”
Zane only nodded, also panting hard, and then noticed Titus’ face, wracked with worry as he stared out in the direction they’d just run from, desperate for any sign of Callum. Zane went over and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Callum will bring her, Titus, he will,” he said softly but Titus didn’t answer.
When they had caught their breath, Jay insisted that they moved away from the border, but Titus would only move to the end of the street they were on, eyes still scanning the darkness.
Like a distant storm, the sky was lit intermittently by flashes of bright blue, but gradually it became less frequent and didn’t seem to move much closer to where they waited.
The minutes ticked by and Titus started to pace. Zane sat on the edge of the kerb whilst Jay stayed nearby to direct wayward Boys to places where they could form a more useful defence. But none of the Guardians were sighted, and Jay began to relax.
“I reckon they’ve given up,” he said and Zane nodded.
A familiar figure emerged from the end of a row of houses across the street and Titus ran over calling “Lyssa!” to the person cradled in Callum’s arms.
Lyssa appeared to have the fragility of china, her face gaunt and white, her body painfully thin, making her skull seem larger, especially with her hair now cut very short. She was unconscious, and it was hard to make out her shallow breaths through the pale blue pyjamas that she wore. Titus took in her image wide-eyed. Even though he’d seen her in the dream, it hadn’t fully prepared him for how she looked now.
“Let’s get her into the warm,” Callum said softly and Titus merely nodded.
Lyssa was soon laid on Miri’s sofa with the fire built up and candles lit around the room. Jay hovered near the door, dividing his attention between looking out onto the garden cautiously and seeing how Lyssa fared.
Miri was boiling water for tea, leaving Zane to inspect the patient whilst Titus held his sister’s hand as if it were a delicate piece of fine crystal. Callum watched from the corner near the window, also keeping an eye outside.
“Is any of that stuff in her?” Titus asked nervously.
Zane nodded, staring intently at Lyssa’s left arm. “Not much, though. And it’s in her arm, not her lungs.”
Titus swallowed hard. “Is she going to die?”
The timorous quality of his friend’s normally calm voice made Zane look at him and smile. “No, Titus, but she needs lots of looking after. She’s not very well.”
Titus allowed himself to relax just a fraction, watching as Zane moved the sleeve up Lyssa’s arm, revealing a cluster of pinpricks and bruising at the inside of her elbow. He quickly lowered the sleeve again.
“There’s Erin!” Jay cried and opened the front door as Erin stumbled in, immediately followed by Luthor, who had barely broken into a sweat.
“We did it!” she cried, seeing Titus holding Lyssa’s hand. She punched the air triumphantly. “Yes! Oh Titus, you should’ve seen us. They sent loads more of those people, and there was lightning all over the place, and I got one of them right in the face, didn’t I, Dad?”
Luthor nodded, patting her shoulder. “You did well,” he said and she looked as if she might burst.
It was only then that Erin detected the sombre atmosphere in the room. “Will she be alright?” she asked quietly, trying to contain her exuberance.
Zane nodded. “Yes,” he replied, but didn’t elaborate.
When he looked back at Lyssa, his strange perception revealed the extent of her trauma. All over her body, patches of the blue aura around her were barely visible; there was extensive scarring over parts of her abdomen and evidence of healing after surgery of some kind. Zane didn’t dare lift the fabric to see with his normal sight, as he didn’t want Titus to see it. But of most concern to Zane were the black veins running through her arm. They seemed dormant, less aggressive than those that had been in the new boy’s lungs, but it still disturbed him.
Zane resolved to deal with this when people had calmed down and when Titus finally went to sleep, whenever that would be, not wanting to upset him anymore.
“I will patrol the square, at least until dawn,” Luthor said to Erin. “Stay here, in case the worst happens.”
“Could they have followed you back?” Miri asked.
“Unlikely, but possible,” he replied. “Best to be cautious. Erin, keep an eye out at the window. When David is rested he’ll relieve you.”
Erin went straight to the window and positioned herself to watch through the gap between the curtain and the wall as Luthor left the house.
“I’d better get back to the Boys,” Jay told them and slipped out quietly as Miri brewed tea, filling the room with its reassuring aroma. She handed steaming mugs to Callum and Erin, placed one next to Titus who still hadn’t looked away from his sister, and then put one into her son’s hands. After draping a blanket around Titus’ shoulders she went into the kitchen, Callum following her out of the room silently.
The three friends were left in the room with Lyssa, but no-one spoke. Erin didn’t let her attention drop from the window and Titus studied Lyssa’s features for any sign of consciousness. Zane sat in the armchair, watching Titus’ vigil. He wondered how Dr Radley was, whether she had recovered from her ordeal. Guilt twisted his stomach when he thought about how terrified she’d been. As he regarded Titus now, he tried to decide whether his actions had been right or wrong. At the time, he’d been horrified at how he spoke to Radley, how brutal his threats were. But it had worked: Lyssa was with them now, he couldn’t deny that. Did that make it alright?
Erin shifted position and sighed quietly, stealing Zane’s attention away from Titus. He still hadn’t quite come to terms with what Erin had done to that Gardner. It felt like it happened months before, but it had only been a couple of days. Luthor didn’t seem to know about Doug’s death, nor Erin’s role in it. Zane wondered how he would react if he knew his daughter had killed a Gardner. He’d probably be pleased, he realised. Jay and the Boys were pleased and Titus didn’t seem bothered by it at all, so why did it upset him so? He thought about the moment when she killed him and shuddered.
Callum’s voice was so deep that its resonance carried sound without words through the kitchen door. He wondered what he was saying to his mother, reminding him of what Doug had said to Erin that made her lose control. If someone was hurting his mum, would he kill, even though he’d sworn always to save lives?