Chapter 8

Read from the start here: Chapter One


The morning air was crisp, with not so much as a breeze to disturb it. Yet gliding effortlessly through the sky as it was born to do was a wispy, eggshell tinted bird who skimmed over the rooftops around Grazen Market, looking for a place to rest. The creature was a rare sight. Avian species had always been on the very edge of extinction, long before such information had been recorded and there were people who had born and died a lifetime later who had never even sighted one. Such was the intricate and natural beauty of them, it was a tragic thought, yet this little bird continued on, unobserved, as it soared across the horizon, way above the inhabitants of Calcon who continued about their routine lives on the ground.


As it approached a gravelled surface atop a particular building, the bird swooped low and bore right to avoid a small, local transformer; a stout, metal pylon that channelled the natural magical energy flowing in the atmosphere, to a usable form that generated power. In doing so however, the bird had unknowingly steered itself right into an unseen wall, knocking the innocent thing unconscious. The graceful creature bounced off the invisible seal and onto the gravel covered roof of the Rusty Tower, the scene of an earlier crime.


At the exact moment of impact, two miles away an out of breath Dane unlocked a second gate from within the tunnels and emerged from the squalid darkness, finding himself blinded by the unexpectedly brilliant sunlight. He raised his free arm to shield his eyes, and slowly began to take stock of where he was.


A dilapidated building formed in front of him, that stood barely held together by the few pieces of timber and slate that still clung to the naked frame. Part of Dane’s duty as the Den leader was to maintain their secrecy, and a falling down building that had already attracted the attentions of greedy, opportunist building developers was a major concern of his. He knew that this ramshackle habitat wouldn’t last long, and the only obstacle that had given him any ounce of breathing room had been a stubborn, traditional councillor who had decreed the site as a place of heritage. For what though, the group had never cared enough to learn.


Nevertheless, nothing could be further from his mind right now than how best to keep the Den hidden. His priority was in finding his daughter and making sure she was safe and despite Dane’s hatred of the man, Cam had inarguably come close to succeeding with his plan. It wouldn’t take him long to work out that not all had gone as expected, however, Dane had a head start and that was all he would need.


Slowly the shape of the room began to materialise and as his pupils adjusted, he realised he was in what once was the basement, except now there was very little roof above him so it appeared more like an empty indoor pool. A set of stairs stood opposite him, still intact but with a waxen tone that had been a result of the peeling paint and cheap wood that they had been built with. With a heavy case and thus only one free hand, he would only end up falling through them and so the only potential ascent would be from a deeply rooted vegetation growth that rose up from the basement to the first floor.


Heaving it as high as he could into the air, the encased rifle sailed up in a heavy arc and landed with a dull thud on the next level, settling down without smashing back through the floor. ‘Success’ He thought. Next, Dane took a hold of one of the thickest bundle of roots and tugged at it. A few granules of earth loosened and fell to his feet, while the sound of the vines tightening greeted his ears. No tearing, no loosening and no sounds to indicate the building falling down around him followed it. Dane had found his way up.


Using both of his now empty hands, he gripped tightly onto the wall and heaved himself skywards. Slowly but surely, he pulled his way up the uneven surface, careful not to misplace his hands and always testing the next move before committing to it. The overgrowth had truly embedded itself into the structure, and it set Dane thinking how long it had been since he’d been here last.


The house definitely had a roof then, and while windows and furniture were still long gone, his last footsteps down the stairs he had avoided earlier were at the very least sturdy and safe. The memories suddenly enveloped him and he found he had transported himself back to the day when he and his predecessor, Linden, had walked through here.


It was an autumn afternoon, the trees around the building had started losing their emerald covering and the ground was overlaid with a crunchy bronze carpet. Linden was an old croak of a man, as short as his young self at only sixteen years of age but with a full head of greying hair and a methodical look in his eyes. They had already met on several occasions, but this was the first time that Dane had been led somewhere of the old guy’s choosing. Even though Dane hadn’t really suspected Linden of any malice, he was still very wary.


“This house has a history y’know.” He spoke in his local drawl, particularly emphasised on the last word. The elderly man ran his wrinkled hand along the nearby windowsill and brought it up to his eyes, studying the dust he had gathered. “I’m sure one day in the near future I’ll tell you all about-“


“Why am I here?” Dane interjected, becoming increasingly nervous of the old mans’ intentions. “Will you give me some food or am I going to have to call the Owsla on your ass?”


“You and I both know you ain’t going to call them Owsla.” Linden reached around and clipped young Dane round the head, to which Dane automatically leapt back and smacked into a collapsing bookshelf knocking a book to the floor. “And don’t speak to your elders like that, ya rude and ig’nant boy!”


Dane held his tongue. Linden continued to look out of the window.


“Are we here then?” Dane asked, calmly and politely this time. “Is this where you wanted to show me?”


“You need to trust me son, or else you’ll never be able to accept the rewards I can offer.”


“What rewards?” His tone was inquisitive.


“A fulfilling lifestyle for one.”


“I have one of those.” Dane retorted.


“Don’t you be lyin’ now. You and I have had enough such run ins that I know that ain’t true.”


Dane didn’t know what to say. The old man was right.


“Come along now. I want to show you something.” Linden turned away from the window and made his way to the downwards staircase, making his way cautiously down the steps.


“I don’t think I should. I want to go back... I want to go.”


“Then go along.” Linden let the words hang in the air for a moment. “But believe you me, at some point in your life you’re gonna have to put your trust in somebody. Ain’t no life worth living if all you got to trust is yourself.”


Both of them stood there, fixed in the same spots, for a good thirty seconds or so. The only sound to be heard was the breeze wafting the piles of dead leaves around the garden and the distant chatter of everyday life beyond it. It was Dane that eventually broke the silence.


“How do I know that I can trust you?”


“You can’t. And if you want to waste your time working out why or why not, it’ll be too late. So, you comin’ or what?”


A nod was his response, and gripping the knife that was stealthily tucked into his belt loop on his rear, Dane followed Linden down into the dank basement.


Meanwhile, in the present, Dane had just about climbed his way back out of the very same place. Beside him, about a metre away, was all that remained of the ground floor. As he pulled himself onto it, he noticed the beams that ran along the entire length of the room appeared weak, with cracks running throughout them and a couple already fully split.


Even before he had time to brush the debris off his clammy hands, something captured his immediate attention. The next few seconds were a blur; a loud snap suddenly filled the room and through instinct Dane immediately reached for the briefcase. As he took a step forward to do so, he realised his balance was off which led to him mis-stepping and completely fumbling the pickup. The wall to his right had begun to tilt inwards, as if about to cave in on itself, but apparently short of actually doing so.


The case began to slide towards the basement and Dane knew if that were to happen, he would never see it again. Knowing this, Dane steadied himself and threw himself towards it, hoping to land on top of the heavy case and by some miracle avoid going straight through the rotting floorboards and end up entombed here.


Landing right on the pit of his stomach, both man and object careened closer to the edge in a frenzied bundle, meanwhile one of the support beams somewhere underneath had now fully broken off and a huge chunk of the remaining floor fell into the darkness below. The wall groaned again.


Using all the strength he had, Dane dug his boots and the palms of his hands to grasp any friction he could in order to prevent himself from further sliding across, and as the muscles in his legs began to pinch from the enormous pressure being imposed upon them, they did their job and somehow brought him to a halt.


‘It’ll only be a temporary lull’ Dane suspected. The whole place started to grumble and moan and a brick shot down from above and missed his head by an inch, going straight through and into the basement. Loosening the grip of his feet, Dane now pushed himself back up with his arms towards the corner of the floorspace, which had lost approximately one third of whatever was there to begin with. Still careful not to lose grip through his feet, he cautiously but hastily shimmied back into the corner, and slunk up the wall to a standing position. Another chunk of wall or roof crashed nearby, and from somewhere nearby he could make out more groaning, this time with the tinkling of shards of glass from a broken window pane.


Dane was trapped. To his right, the path to the front door was blocked by a bulging wall that would give way at any point, and to his left, the path led to nothing except the pit and the gate below. The decision to risk going back through the tunnels crossed his mind, but with the closest alternative exit at least five minutes out and the risk of running into one of the Nomags a clear and present possibility, it was quickly discarded.


“Fuck this.” Dane yelled in an aggressive manner. He picked up the case from beside his feet and, without even hesitating, swung it round to his side and ploughed it straight into the heart of the weakening wall behind him. Without stopping to breathe, he instantly brought it back round to his shoulder side and swung it round again, smashing it into the same spot on the damaged brickwork. He did this again and again, repeatedly hammering it at the same spot with an anger now permeating through his expression as well as the roars he made each time it hit the wall.


To his relief of his aching shoulder, the sixth time it made impact the wall give way and the briefcase went straight through the newly formed hole. It still wasn’t big enough for his body to get through, so immediately he started tearing away the rotting bricks from each side of it with his bare hands, tossing them aside, all the while dreading the imminent collapsing of the entire building. It was a matter of precious seconds before he had ripped apart an escape route he could make it through and straight away he plunged himself right into it in an almost panicky fashion.


Squeezing himself out into the bright sunlight of the garden, Dane felt every part of him brush hard against the solid walls as he contorted himself into the gap, but it was only a few seconds before he was out, landing on his posterior. He wasted no time, and dug his heels into the grass desperately scrambling to push himself as far away from the death-trap as he could before it imploded. With no time to spare, he had made it out.


If he hadn’t been so relieved and full of adrenaline at saving his own skin, he might have enjoyed the truly incredulous sight of a two storey building sink almost perfectly into its own grave, finally resting with its own roof tiles scattered atop the dusty mound of brick and mortar that remained. Several thunderous booms made their way into the neighbouring districts and if anybody hadn’t noticed all the commotion before, they would certainly be about to now.


Taking no time to appreciate his own lucky escape, Dane leapt up and quickly started to brush off all the debris off himself and wipe the sweat off his brow. After finding a small patch of leafy weeds, he tore himself a handful and used them to clean off the dust from his jacket and shoes before discarding them to reclaim the metal case and quickly walk himself to the nearby street.


As expected, a few residents were in awe at the scene, crowding near the property’s entrance pathway, and pointing and chatting amongst themselves. Dane, who had already vaulted over the fence next door by this time, stepped quietly out towards the crowd, purposefully avoiding any eye contact with the strangers looking nearby. Instead, he chose to play the part of another shocked civilian, stepping towards the crowd with his back turned and with one hand clasped to his forehead in awe. As he took steps towards the edge of the crowd, he wondered if any of them had even questioned his entrance to the scene from the neighbours garden but in actual he fact he couldn’t care less. They would never see his face, and they would never catch him. He could elude the Owsla after a lockdown, he would damn well get away with this.


Tucking the briefcase as close to his side as he could, he shuffled quietly to the back of the crowd, turned around and made his way towards the only place he hoped could help him find his daughter; Golden Green hospital.


Next Chapter: CHAPTER NINE

New Chapter Incoming!

I haven't forgotten about this story! It will get told eventually, you'll just have to try and be patient :)

Saying that though, I am making good headway through the next chapter 8 and hope to have it finished by the end of this week at the latest, so stay tuned!

Chapter 7

Read from the start here: Chapter One

Inside the confines of the tiny room she was sat in, the unnamed woman felt very fearful. Apparently, the reason she was being held here was to make her feel completely at ease, but it was failing as all she really wanted right now was to get away from there. She had no idea where she would go, but she believed anywhere would be better than this place. The bright, white walls and the cream coloured bed and chair were making her nauseous. She hoped the mysterious man would return to her soon.

The unnamed woman couldn’t be sure if she’d ever experienced a place like this before, but feeling isolated and scared would surely remain a part of her memories, wouldn’t they? She doubted she would ever forget being here right now, unless she chose to block it out. Could she do that? The unnamed woman didn’t know.

Several minutes passed by, and she didn’t move at all during this time. There was a window nearby, but she couldn’t see out of it. There was a piece of material covering it and she didn’t think she could figure out how to move it out of the way. Besides, she didn’t really want to see out at the moment in case it frightened her more. What if she was trapped on an island in the middle of a vast ocean? She would rather assume everything was fine outside of this room and aim to find out by escaping rather than let her spirit get crushed before she even attempted it. The mysterious man would return soon, she was sure of it.

Another minute or two passed her by. As she felt herself drifting off into slumber, she wondered whether she had been forgotten about. How long had it been since she was last spoken to? Maybe she should just give in and fall asleep, even though the mysterious man had told her not to. She couldn’t really fight it any longer, so she closed her eyes...

“Wake up!” The male voice shouted, though in a worried tone rather than a demanding one. The unnamed woman opened her eyes and was now staring into the pupils of a rather older gentleman, who had his fingers on either side of her head. “I told you not to go to sleep, not until we’re sure you’re all right.”

It was indeed the mysterious man she was now looking at, though he had changed slightly. Before, he had been wearing normal clothes, a shirt and trousers, but now he was dressed in a clean white coat. What was the reason for that?

“How do you feel?” He asked, while inspecting her head closely.

“I feel fine.” She fibbed. She felt fine physically, but emotionally her head was all jumbled up and she didn’t know how to explain it, so she didn’t.

“Does any of this hurt?” He continued to enquire, while using his fingers to put pressure on certain parts of her head. “You fell down pretty hard.”

“No.” She didn’t really feel comfortable at all with all this questioning, but assumed there was no other sensible way to react other than to answer him. Maybe if she told him the right answers, he would let her go.

“Well, from what I can tell you seem pretty much good to go.” The mysterious man took a step back and looked over her. He seemed as if he was trying to avoid eye contact with her, or maybe she was just imagining it.

“I can leave?”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you go yet, but soon. I’ve spoken to your emergency contact and he should be here with you any minute now. Seeing as you don’t have any visible injuries, I think we’d be all right in letting you go home tonight. No reason to keep you here any longer than we have to.”

Emergency contact? There was a more pressing question on her mind at the moment, and as the mysterious man seemed keen on letting her go, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to ask him.

“Umm...” She began, before pausing to wonder about how to phrase the question. “Can you tell me something?”

“I’ll try my best, go ahead.”

“Who am I?”

The mysterious man seemed to expect the question. He reached into his pocket without even raising an eyebrow, and pulled out a tiny, folded piece of leather and handed it to her.

“We found this card holder on you after the incident as you couldn’t tell us your own name. It contains your ID.”

As she took the wallet, all other thoughts were cleared from her mind. Whatever she was about to look at was going to reveal a lot about her; who she was, where she came from, the places she frequented. It occurred to the unnamed woman that she might not like what she saw, and what then? She deduced that while it may not be too late to change all those things she would find out, her true self had clearly already chosen a path and she would be likely to return to it. It was natural, and this scared her.

“Aren’t you curious to find out?” The doctor asked, with a fleck of impatience hidden in the tone.

“I’d like some privacy please.” She responded, retaliating with a defensive attitude.

“Very well. I’ll be waiting just outside.” And with that, the doctor left.

All alone now, she wondered why she had asked him to go as she didn’t really feel like he was imposing. She ran her fingers over the leather, appreciating how cool it was and how smooth it felt. Before opening it, she tried to remember her name without help. As she ran through every letter of the alphabet, she tried to recall anything she’d ever done or said or heard, but it was useless. Each time she felt like she recognised something, it turned out to be something extremely general or something she had experienced since the incident.

“What the hell.” She said, before finally flipping open the card holder and reading aloud the name on the first card. “Freid, Pandara.”

Pandara was looking at her ID card, a standard method of identification, with their general information printed onto it. It turns out Pandara was twenty five years old, a fact that surprised her as she had not once considered finding out her age during this whole ordeal. If she had to start a new life, she decided her age wouldn’t render this such an issue.

The other cards in the wallet didn’t provide her with as much information as she’d hoped. She was a regular customer of some local coffee house, she attended a gym whose membership expired two years ago and she owned a library card but whether she had borrowed any books with it was a mystery to her. For all the fear she had initially felt about discovering herself, it seemed it was just wasted energy.

What now? She had just been given a glimpse into her old life and come away from it with nothing of use. The ID card that held so much potential for her had now become useless. She picked it up in her hand and was about to throw it away when she noticed something on the back that she hadn’t noticed yet. An address.

Now her life suddenly had a base location, a place she used to call home. Surely there would be something she could learn from inside it. She had to go there.

“Ms Freid,” It was the doctor, who had opened the door and stepped inside, without as much as a knock. He looked extremely pleased with himself, which irritated her. “Your visitor is here.”

Before she could find the time to say anything, the visitor had stepped inside the room behind the doctor and smiled at her. He was quite tall, fairly slim and had really dark brown hair which reached down to his shoulders. The extra stranger was spectacled, wearing a set of very round frames which made him appear a lot more intellectual, but whether that was true was yet to be seen. From first glance, the man seemed shy and unassuming and made no impression in her mind, though that was not surprising given her circumstances.

“Hey Pan.” The stranger called out to her, a quiet and nervous quality to his voice. “I’m here to pick you up and take you home.”

“Who are you?” She spoke emotionlessly.

“Well that’s a fair question given your circumstances, but, well, I’m your husband.”

Pandara gave the man another look, and began to wonder how she had fallen for such a person. She felt no attraction to him at all, and yet somehow he and her had been wed.

“My name’s Callum. Do you remember me even a little bit?”

“No.” She responded instantly. Callum seemed taken aback, and cleared his throat.

“Well that’s all right, I mean, you’ve been through a terrible situation.”

The doctor meanwhile was admiring the awkward conversation with a little grin on his face. Pandara noticed it and threw him an annoyed look but he didn’t even notice. He was too busy listening and staring at the floor.

“I don’t know who you are, and I’d feel uncomfortable going anywhere with you.”

It was during this moment that the doctor seemed to give himself permission to enter the conversation, as he stepped between the two of them and clasped his hands together.

“I’m afraid as the medical professional here, I would be against Ms Freid leaving this establishment alone due to fears over her wellbeing. If you cannot both work something out, I’m afraid you’ll have to spend the night here while we monitor you.”

Callum and Pandara looked at each other. In her mind, she wondered whether she could stay here a whole night. She had only minutes ago compared it to a prison and she was doubtful she could bear a whole night of staring at these blank walls, as she was sure it would drive her crazy. On the other hand, the man standing before her right now had a very off-putting quality about him and she would also worry for her safety if she had to go under his care. The choice had to be made, and made soon else the doctor would make her mind up for her.

“You are my husband, correct?” She asked Callum.

“Well, yes, of course.” His response was more nervous than before. “We’ve been married for three years now, four in May.”

“I think I can trust you enough to take me home for now.” Pandara lied. “Doctor, whoever you are, you can let me go now.”

“I’m Doctor Milne. Clayton Milne. And yes, you can both go, I’ll just need you to fill in some paperwork for me first Mr Freid. If you’d just like to wait here a few moments Ms, I mean Mrs Freid, I’ll be right back.”

Callum and Clayton left the room, leaving Pandara once again on her own. She felt a huge wave of relief at being allowed to get out of this room finally, but first there was something she wanted to do. Approaching the window, she took a hold of the blinds by either side and yanked it off the window frame.

The room instantly flooded with natural light as the glowing sun hung high over the horizon, not a cloud in sight. She was a few floors up and the view over the city was fantastic. Skyscrapers dominated the skyline in one direction while an enormous park blossomed in the other, covering a massive area in luscious green carpet. Her imagination took a hold of her, and she realised that even if she didn’t know who she was yet, she knew that her destiny would lead her to remain in this beautiful city until she figured it out. The top segment of the window had a lever attached to it, and Pandara reached up for it and pulled. The window opened, and she felt a gentle breeze flowing into the room, and for the first time that she could remember, she felt relaxed.

In her hand, the ID card still remained and she looked down at it. Her face on it looked so stressed, so bogged down, so sad.

“Whoever I was, I’m not going to be that person any more. You’re useless to me now.”

And with that, she threw the card out of the window, where it fell ever so gently onto the floor many metres below. For the first time, she felt free.

Next Chapter: CHAPTER EIGHT

Chapter 6

Read from the start here: Chapter One


The rest of the meeting breezed past in a dizzying combination of words, graphs and statistics. All the while, Susan and most of the people present had tried their best to concentrate, but it was a futile exercise considering the severity of the news. The world’s biggest killer was apparently alive and that was the only thing people seemed to take on board as the meeting wrapped up.


Crutch and Smith had tried to present the situation as a slow burner. They surmised that despite his return from the grave, he would be in no position to start attacking the populations of Natalos for a few days, if indeed that was his plan at all, which gave them plenty of opportunity to strategise how to take him down. This wasn’t to be the primary objective for everybody in this meeting though. They explained that with so much beaurocracy to progress through to officially deal with Rogan, the leak would definitely reach the public and their aim from now on was to work together in order to minimise the panic and riots that would follow. Essentially, they had already conceded this lunatics power to destroy the nation and instead of fighting it, they simply wanted to limit the damage.


The grumpy scowl on Crutch’s face as he ordered everyone to return to their departments summed it up perfectly. The crowd had begun to sift out through the single exit and Susan eventually gathered the mental prowess to join them, despite seething inside. Crutch was stood near the doorway, casting an eye over the exiting crowd, and Susan wondered if he knew how passive he was being with his whole plan. If he did, she couldn’t possibly understand why. Doesn’t the man who was responsible for murdering thousands and thousands of innocent people need to be obliterated from this planet? Maybe if he had experienced personal loss like she had, maybe he might understand, or maybe he would always choose the path of least offense. She played with the idea of running over to him and trying to convince him this wasn’t the way to go, except this would be an incredibly unprofessional move so she discarded it. Right now, whatever was going on, she was in an incredibly safe position to deal with it and losing that at such a crucial time would be suicide. As she neared the entrance back into reception, she was surprised by someone calling out to her.


“Susan” Uttered the croaky voice next to the doorway. For a second she kept on walking, unaware of any scenario in which she was needed now, but she hadn’t imagined it, so she stopped and turned to face them.


“Yes... sir?” She replied, staring at Crutch.


“Could you meet me in my office in ten minutes?” He asked, with a hint of sincerity there.


“Yes, sir.”


Leaving the boardroom behind with a silent nod, she waited quietly with the remaining throng of people for the elevator, which had to transport nearly a hundred people back to their offices. Meanwhile, all she could think about was what had caused the Director to ask for a private chat with her during a national crisis. If seconds were precious, this would certainly be an expensive time for a performance review. Could that casual glance before the meeting have had a meaningful purpose?


Before she knew it, she was walking out of the elevator and into the oblivious midst of her fellow employees, her home away from home. Something had dramatically changed since she left less than half an hour ago but these people were clueless and she had been the one authorised to tell them. In her head, she imagined how blissful it would feel being kept unaware, having no fears or worries that anything would happen, when the reality was that Rogan could be planning to strike again at any moment. Once again, she began to let her mind run wild with theories of how he could possibly have escaped the inescapable clutches of death. It made no sense.


Before revealing the truth, Susan decided to take a moment of her own.


“Fredo, I need to speak with you for a couple of minutes.”


“Sure.” With a rather energetic leap up from his seat, he strode towards the glass door of her office which Susan had kindly held open for him. “What was that meeting all about?”


Her eyes said much more than her lips did. A saddened, surprised and fearful mix of emotions lingered inside her, and she just didn’t know how to let them out without panicking.


“To put it simply,” Susan hesitated. “Rogan is alive.”


The reaction she got from Fredo was exactly the one she expected. His eyes widened, he stopped breathing for a moment and stood absolutely frozen for a few seconds.


“W-what did you say?”


“I know, but it’s true.” She gestured into the main part of the room. “Please come in.”


“This... this can’t be true. He was dead right? What happened to that?” Fredo’s voice shook ever so slightly, while his legs took him from one side of the room to the other. “Are you allowed to give details? Is he planning something? He is, isn’t he?”


“Look at me for a second.” She put her hand on his shoulder and swivelled his whole body around so she could see his face. Fredo stopped talking. “I know that this is a completely disarming bit of news but you’re freaking out, a bit like I did about twenty minutes ago. But you need to be yourself right now, all right?”


Fredo nodded, and then exhaled a big lungful of air. In an instant, he had transformed back into his original self again.


“I’m sorry, I lost my mind, but I mean this is huge news. What the hell happened?”


“Long story short, we managed to get a tracker on Rogan back in his heyday and it went dead eight years ago when he died. The signal returned this morning and they did some tests on it, authenticated it and it’s definitely not an error. He’s back.”


“This is awful.”


Fredo and Susan both let the words hang in the air. She hadn’t really known what she was going to say to him after revealing the news, so she remained quiet, hoping somehow he would be able to ask the right questions.


“So how are they going to kill him?”


“They’re... not going to.”


“What?!” Fredo exclaimed. “That man is pure evil responsible for massacring tens of thousands of people, what are they going to do instead, put him in jail?”


“I’m with you, I’d much rather see him fry but they’re not going to do that. At least not right now.”


“So what’s going to happen instead?”


“Our job is to prevent any large scale rioting once the news eventually gets out.”


Fredo threw his hands behind his head and clasped his fingers. He was frustrated at this, just as Susan had been, but somehow, despite her personal loss by the hands of Rogan, she hadn’t reacted as strongly to the news.


“This is ridiculous! People hate him, nobody would object if we just wiped him out before he had a chance to do anything!” He shouted. “Listen, I’m sorry Susan, it’s obviously not you I’m shouting at, I just...”


“I understand, I would personally just wipe him out for good and be done with it but I can sort of understand why they’d be careful.”


“Why?”


“This guy was dead once, and he came back to life. We don’t know how this happened, but if we just wiped him out now what’s the assurance that he’d stay dead for certain this time? And what if next time we don’t have this warning? He could wipe out the whole of Natalos before we even realise it.”


Fredo relaxed, letting his arms drop to his side and looking up to the ceiling.


“You’re right. You’re exactly right. That’s why I love you.” Fredo approached Susan and wrapped his arms around her, gently kissing her on the lips. “You’re not just a good looker are you?”


“Careful Fredo, somebody could easily walk by and see us.” She smiled, pushing him backwards.


“You worry too much.” Fredo let her go, while Susan walked around to her desk and put some papers she was holding into a draw.


“I’ve got to go to a meeting now, so can you do me a huge favour?”


“Wait a minute, a meeting? With who?”


“Crutch.”


“You just had a meeting with him.” Fredo said inquisitively.


“I know, but he wanted to speak to me in his office.”


“Did he say what it was about?”


“No, he just asked me to meet him. I’m sure it’s some red tape issue he’s determined for me to take on, you know how it is.” Susan rolled her eyes.


“Hmm.” Fredo mumbled questionably. “So what about this favour?”


Susan felt a huge wave of guilt rising in her stomach.


“I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but I can’t handle doing it myself right now.”


“Say no more.” His voice was calm and there was a definite confidence in his eyes. “I’ll tell them about what happened.”


“You’re too good to me Fredo. I just don’t think I could do it without...”


“I know. Just forget about it.”


For a brief moment, the two of them shared a peaceful harmony. Even if the worst happened today, at least she could be sure that she had been able to share the last few months of her life with somebody who she felt utterly love-struck by.


Their relationship started blooming after they first met a few months ago. He had been promoted into the Trust through his job in a public branch of the government, and had ended up in her department. She felt that it was a decision made above the directorate, rather a choice determined by destiny. It was a fickle idea, and she always hated herself for believing in such phoney ideals, but nothing else seemed to fit. He was just too perfect for her.


Keeping it between them had been the difficult part, and even now when it would be suitable to reveal they had long term plans together, they still felt uneasy at telling others. So they kept it secret, and while they were both fine about it, Fredo took every opportunity to convince Susan to make it public.


“I have to leave, I don’t want to be late for this meeting. Are you sure you’re ok with telling them?”


“Absolutely. You go and meet to your heart’s content!”


As she headed out of her office, she was overcome with an incredible thirst. Having been rushed out of the door this morning, only now realising why she had been called in so early, she remembered that she hadn’t had her routine cup of coffee. A quick detour over to the coffee maker meant she would pick one up and try and finish it before the meeting.


She took one of the paper cups from the top of the low grumbling machine and popped it into the beverage slot. She quickly pushed one of the button selections and waited. After about ten seconds, she began to wonder if the coffee maker had actually broken, as nothing was coming out of the nozzle despite it making a louder noise than usual…


Suddenly the whole metal casing started to shake. Cups began to topple as the movement became more violent, and Susan stepped back. The nearby employees had started to turn, wondering where the commotion was coming from, and were now looking at a rather convulsive machine that seemed like it was trying to tear itself away from the wall. Steam now began to billow out of the gaps in the covering, and without any warning hot, scalding liquid began to leak out.


Now the whole office had noticed it and everybody’s attention was focused on this renegade beverage dispenser. It had now started to emit a high whining sound and soon it was all that could be heard above people chattering and moving about the place. Susan hadn’t realised but she hadn’t moved for a while and was still closer to the machine that she felt comfortable with. As she stepped back, she tripped over a lump in the carpet and crashed down to the floor on her behind, just as the machine began to increase the pressure on the leaking causing it to squirt out very close to her with it getting closer every second. She tried to back away but was surrounded on two sides by some desks, and she quickly realised she had cornered herself. A panic set over her and she couldn’t do anything but to cover her face.


Susan felt the heat getting worse and her legs had now been lightly sprayed by the splashing coffee, and her mind froze up. Just as she felt she was about to be covered in boiling liquid, somebody leapt over to the machine with a refuse bag and covered it before yanking it off its place on the worktop and onto the floor, where it let out one final whine, a loud crack and subsequently died.


The whole office sighed with relief and Susan suddenly came over very weak. Adrenaline had been coursing through her up until now and she felt drained. It wasn’t until she saw an arm reach out to pick her up that she realised who her hero had been; none other than Fredo.


“Are you feeling all right?” He asked sincerely.


“Yes, I feel a bit shaken but I’m absolutely fine.” As she was helped up, she reached over for a napkin and wiped the warm coffee off her legs. “I don’t know what happened, the thing just went a bit wild and started jumping around.”
“It’s weird, but it doesn’t seem too far off what we’ve been getting reports of for the last few days. I think it’s all linked.”


Now that he’d brought it up, it seemed to fit exactly with all those strange reports they’d been getting. What in Natalos could possibly be happening? She felt relieved not to be injured but it was close. Whatever it was, she had a feeling Crutch would know something about it, which was extremely lucky because that’s just where she was heading. Hopefully he’d have some answers.


Next Chapter: CHAPTER SEVEN

Chapter 5

I wrote this during a very poor attempt to write a novel in a month. Needless to say I didn't even come close to succeeding, but here is a very quickly written draft of the the next chapter:


Read from the start here: Chapter One


In a memory from not too long ago, Dane recalled having sat down with a man named Wilhelm Lawrence, one of the Nomag people with whom he lived. It was required that each inhabitant of the Den had a job assigned to them, and his was the architect. Anything that required fixing, altering or building was done by Lawrence, and he was as knowledgeable as he was old.


Now approaching seventy, Lawrence had spent a life burying himself in books and attempting several times in his earlier days to make a business as a tradesman. Once, he erected a workshop in his garden and invited all the local population to come and admire his work, but they were none too impressed; none of his work had any magical enhancements and were deemed to be inferior as a result. They weren’t impressed by the intricate level of detail or his lavish workmanship. If it didn’t do anything special, it was just another lump of material. After trying his hand at everything from engineering to joinery to metalwork and smithing, Lawrence eventually accepted he had been wasting his life. It was during that period of self-deprecation that he was approached by the mysterious figure known as Linden, who offered him a place to stay and a place where his skills would not only be welcome, but appreciated too. Lawrence accepted, and became one of the earliest members of the group.


Many years later, Dane strode into the main hall of the Den and spied Lawrence sitting at the table by himself, drinking a mug of tea and reading a newspaper.
“Hello old friend.” Dane quipped.


“Enough of that, you’re not so young yourself y’know!” Lawrence retorted, followed by a wicked grin. Dane smiled too. “What’s up with you? You look like you just killed somebody!”


“Please, this is serious, I want to discuss an important matter with you. May we talk in my office?”


Lawrence’s grin faded away, and he raised an eyebrow.


“Yes, sure.”


Lawrence rose from his flimsy wooden seat and followed Dane into his office, a walled off section off the farther side of the main hall. Dane shut the door and invited his guest to sit on the only comfortable chair in the whole of the Den. Dane took a seat behind his desk, which was covered in photos of past targets and files full of intel on them. Lawrence immediately broke the silence.


“Let’s cut the small talk, tell me what you need.”


“I need you to fix something.” Dane said without missing a beat.


“That’s why I’m still around son.” Lawrence seemed to relax a little, and he sat further back in the chair. “Tell me what it is that needs fixin’.”


“It’s the gates. There’s a design flaw.”


At once, Lawrence’s whole body tensed. Dane could tell he had offended him with the comment. Lawrence said nothing for a few moments, simply looking at Dane with a contempt filled glare.


“Those gates you’re talking about, the ones I built from scratch, haven’t seen a single unauthorised entry in the few decades I’ve been around this place. I checked them myself, there is nothing wrong with them, I can guarantee that. Dane, you’ve been a great leader in recent weeks, and I consider you a trusted pal of mine, but you’re wrong about the gates. Nobody is getting through them from the outside.”


“That’s the problem.”


“What?” He asked, confused. “Are you suggesting that letting people in from the outside is somehow... a problem?”


Dane remained silent.


“Look, if somebody found one of those things, there’s no way they’re getting in without the aid of heavy machinery. All the magical energy in the world isn’t gonna help you break through one of those, they’re too complex. That’s what makes them perfect.”


“I want you to imagine a scenario.” Dane’s tone was calm, his voice, deep. “One of our group is outside, and somehow the door behind them is closed without their prior knowledge. How do they get back in?”


Lawrence pondered the imaginary situation over for a few seconds.


“They wait for somebody else to come out, but that’s beside the point. Why would the door be closed? Anybody stupid enough to shut it behind them deserves to be kept out if ya ask me!”


“And what if they weren’t the one who shut it?”


“Sabotage?” Lawrence responded in surprise. “Look, I know what this is all about now. I know you and Cam have your differences but do you really think he-“


“I do.” The sheer authority in his voice had such an effect, Dane didn’t even have to raise it. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t put past that man. Besides, your job is to design, and I’m therefore giving you your instructions. I want to see a prototype as soon as possible. You may go.”


The old man in the chair got up slowly. Once he was standing, he took a long look at Dane. “You can be a real pain sometimes, y’know?”


At this, both men seemed to ease up and the tension dissipated as Lawrence smirked and Dane walked up to him and shook his hand.


“I know.”


*******


Back in the present, Dane had already ripped off the panel that hid the guts of the door mechanics. How he was thankful for Lawrence right at this moment. The underneath was an automated cacophony of gears, bolts and a black oily mess, and yet most of this didn’t really function at all. It was a decoy for any would be intruders, giving the Den dwellers more time to prepare for invaders. Dane ignored this and pushed his arm into the thick of it, scrabbling around for a tiny release switch in the corner of the newly revealed compartment. Pushing past all the gears, he scratched his arm something fierce, even drawing some blood, but if it was easy for him then it would be easy for an intruder. He began to sweat a little, knowing that any second he could get caught.


Not a moment too soon, Dane felt his fingers clasp the very tip of the plastic clip that he needed to pull. Yanking it towards him forcefully, he heard the door being opened, something he felt was the greatest possible noise he could ever hear. The clank of the bolt was pulled back, Dane then rigorously freed his worse for wear limb and used the other to grab at the door. Scooping up the case once more, he used all of his strength to heave the metal hatch towards him and only seconds later he had revealed the entrance to the tunnel.


He jumped inside and slammed down the ‘close’ button with an enormous sigh of relief. Dane rarely let himself be overwhelmed with emotion but this time he invited the colossal sense of satisfaction and safety to wash over him, smothering him. The reprieve lasted all of five seconds before he was once again overcome with the thoughts he had so carefully set aside in order to think his way out of danger.


Dane’s own flesh and blood. During his wayward youth, his younger self had experienced the risky pleasure of sex, and as a result he had gotten a casual fling pregnant. It wasn’t until the child was born that he discovered this however. During a surface trip to collect food and supplies, he had spotted a familiar woman with a young child close by, and soon concluded correctly that it was his. He was a Nomag by this time, and had no choice but to bow out of their lives for good. No way to contact them, no way to support them with the little money they brought in, just a complete dead end.


It seemed to Dane now that Cam’s evil saw no limits. If he was prepared to put his own relation on the line to pursue a petty revenge, then all bets were off. Dane was about ready to tear him to pieces right now, and if it wasn’t for one single piece of information, that is exactly what he would be doing right now. As Dane raced down the darkened tunnels, his mind was running on only one thought. How he had taken a huge gamble only a few minutes earlier, how he had been so sure he could trust his instincts, how he knew Cam just a little too well to ignore everything he said. How he had done the right thing in purposely missing his target. How his daughter was still alive.


Next Chapter: CHAPTER SIX