Finding Sage (The Rogue Book 1) (23 page)

              Eli did not attempt to lecture him, or to tell him of his brother’s virtue.  Instead, he sat down next to him and waited.  After five minutes of silence, Tariq spoke.

              “You know my father disowned me when I was a teenager,” he said.  “I killed a man.  That was what set Ishmael against me.  I swore after that I would always protect them.  Look where it’s gotten me.”

              “They will pay for this,” Eli said.

              Tariq chuckled sarcastically.

              “Vengeance is what got my brothers killed, Eli,” he said.  “Salah was always insisting on peace and doing the right thing.  Instead I wanted revenge.  I wanted to change the world through revolution.  All it’s done is gotten one of my brothers killed and the other captured.  I won’t live that way anymore.”

              “Then what are you going to do?” Eli asked.

              “What you used to do before you became this,” Tariq said.

              Eli knew what he meant.

              “You were different, weren’t you? Before they killed all those kids you saved?”

              Eli nodded.

              “You never talk about them,” Tariq said.

              “I can’t,” Eli said.  “I gave up on therapy a long time ago, bro.  But if their spirits want me around, I think they’d like for me to fight for ‘em, ya know what I’m sayin’?.”

              Several seconds passed in silence.

              “What are you gonna do now?” Eli asked.

              “I’m going to make sure the world remembers his name.”

              “I thought you said no more violence.”

              “I don’t need violence,” Tariq said. 

              He slowly stood up and leaned against the brick wall for support.

              “Where you goin?” Eli asked.

              “To find Silas.  You coming?”

              Eli jammed his left leg into position, cringing from the pain, and waited for it to heal.

              “You got a plan?”

              “You could say that,” Tariq said.  “Ishmael told me that he had faith in me, that I could find a way to be a better person.  So I’m going to find Silas, and I’m going to get my brother back.”

41.

              The blue ocean extended for as far as Silas could see.  He sat in the cockpit, mesmerized by the sight.  He had traveled all across Europe, but the only time he had come across the ocean was when he was captured.  A good view of the ocean wasn’t high on the priority list for his captors.

              When they first took off, he watched Lilly carefully, nervous that she would make a fatal mistake.  She recognized his concern and was slightly offended at the notion that she couldn’t handle it.  Every hour that went by he became a little more confident in her flying ability.  He eventually just stared at the ocean, enthralled at the beauty of it all.  That’s when he began to entertain a thought.

             
Do we really have to go back?

              If Australia really was inhabitable, why not stay?  They would be free, safe, away from the constant running and fighting.  Lilly would never have to know the pain of taking a man’s life to save your own.  She would never have to know the worry of not knowing where your next meal would come from.  She could live a peaceful, normal life away from everything else.  She could just be Lilly, not a hunted piece of government property.  There was nothing to stop Alice from staying with them; Lilly would like having her around. 

              Then he remembered the others.

              Eli, Tariq, and Salah.  What would happen to them?  On the other hand, how would they even find them?  The chances of them ever meeting again were slim at best; it’s not like they could call them up and announce a meeting place.

              Then again, if Sage could contact Eli from Australia, he could probably find the three of them again. 

              Silas tried to put his speculation off, waiting until a more appropriate time to make a decision.  Little did he know that Alice had the exact same idea floating around in her head; only for her, it was more about asylum and less about the future.  She tried not to think about the future, because when she did, things often took a turn for the worst.  Being with Silas did make her feel safe and secure, but not enough for her to start thinking about one, consistent future.  Not yet, anyway.

              Her contemplation was brought to an abrupt halt when she heard Silas’ surprised exclamation.

              “Is that land?”

              Alice squinted and looked out of the cockpit.  She was about to say he was mistaken when the tan scene of a sandy beach teased her eye. 

              “Yeah.  Yeah, I think it is.”  

              She could hardly believe the hopeful tone coming from her own voice.  She knew that Australia existed; she had heard the stories growing up  as part of her schooling.  Still, it seemed one of those things that is accepted as history but never quite feels real; like the tales of Aborigines or the brief stint of the flip-phone.  The reality of what she knew intellectually was finally beginning to sink in: they were going to see Sage.  She had seen so much death and lost so much hope since the first time she heard that name; but somehow, someway, she was finally going to see him.

              “Dad?” Lilly inquired cautiously. 

              “Just keep flying,” Silas answered.  “We aren’t close enough yet.”

              He walked to a closet in the cockpit and pulled out three parachutes in forest green colored backpacks.  Vanessa handed them over to him when she handed over the plane, knowing they would probably require their use, seeing as Australia was not likely to have runways on which to land.  He handed one to Alice, tossed one next to Lilly, and held one in his lap as he sat down.

              “How do these work?” Alice asked.

              “Um, Vanessa said you pull this one, I think?” he responded, gesturing to the lower of two cords hanging from the right shoulder strap.

              “That’s the back-up,” Lilly corrected him.  “She said to pull the top one first, wait for fifteen seconds, and then pull the bottom cord if the first parachute didn’t go off.”

              “What she said,” responded Silas.

              A smile escaped the side of Lilly’s mouth, but she kept her eyes fixed on the plane’s windshield, nearly shaking with anxiousness. 

              “Is there an autopilot on that?” Silas asked Lilly.

              Lilly nodded.  She was trying to remain calm, but Silas could tell she was close to losing it.

              “Go ahead and set it.  This is going fast enough that we should be able to jump out in a couple of minutes.”

              She nodded and started pushing a few buttons and setting levers.  The plane continued at a level altitude and Lilly eased away from the pilot’s seat.  She grabbed Silas’ hand and they left the cockpit.

              The passenger seats were still in good condition, but the fake blue leather had begun to tear in some places, revealing yellow foam.  They walked down the right aisle past dozens of rows, until they came past the lavatory and into an area labeled “Hospitality Section” in large letters just below the ceiling.  It consisted of a large pantry of cabinets on walls in front and behind of them.  Facing the wall dividing the area from the passengers was a sink below the pantry cabinets, and a small locker on the right of the cabinets.  On the other side of the hospitality section was first-class, and on the right wall of the cabin was an emergency exit door.

              Silas looked out of the window, trying to get a feel for when they should jump.  He didn’t know the exact speed of the aircraft, but it looked like they were nearly over the land.  Alice closed her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths, trying to calm herself.  Silas looked at her and saw her concern.  He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.  She normally would have resisted any physical contact, but this time she didn’t.  Even beyond the connection she now shared with Silas, she needed reassurance.  She needed comfort.  Someone’s hand in her own made her feel safe.  Silas pulled Lilly close to him with his other hand.

              “We’re going to be okay,” he said to them both. 

              They stood there for about two minutes, not saying a word; just breathing silently and doing all they could to keep themselves calm.  Then Silas broke the silence with more instructions.

              “Lilly, you jump first.  Then Alice, then I’ll jump last,” he said.  “Wait about five seconds for yours,” he said to Alice.  “If we’re too close together in the air, our parachutes could get twisted or something.”

              “What if we land really far apart from each other?” Lilly asked.

              “Don’t worry,” Silas responded, gripping Lilly’s hand with his own.  “I’ll be watching you.  If we get separated, stay where you are, and I’ll find you.  You’ll be okay, I promise.”

              Silas turned the latch down and pulled the door open.  The sound of the wind was instantly deafening, and all three of them had to squint in order to keep their eyes open.  Lilly backed into Silas instinctively out of fear. 

              “You can do it,” he whispered in her ear.

              He expected her to have some sort of expression.  To nod, shake her head, or maybe even shed a tear.  She didn’t.  Without a single word or expression, she ran the five feet between her and the door and lunged outside into free fall.

              The sensation of falling through the air overwhelmed her.  It was a thrilling moment that she had never experienced anything like before.  Her heart raced, thumping against her ribcage with enthusiasm and panic.  Fear welled up inside of her at a new high.  She feared for her life almost constantly, but this was new; it was different.  Adrenaline pumped through her body, compelling her to flee, but she was helpless.  All she could do was fall.

Within seconds her face became numb from the cool wind pushing against her face.  She tried to keep her eyes open but found it impossible to do so and relented to the wind forcing them closed.  A wave of panic struck her as she realized she had so impulsively jumped out of the airplane that she had forgotten to pull the cord.  She found the cord with her numb fingers, gripped it, and pulled with all her might. 

The sudden jerk from the parachute left her breathless.  She gasped and panted for air, panicking.  After a few seconds her breath returned.  As she calmed herself, she started to breathe slower and fuller, but realized her chest hurt; it was most likely bruised, she thought. 

Slowly, she opened her eyes.  She was descending on a small beach.  Just beyond the patches of sand there was what looked like a city.  As she drew closer, she could see the charred remains of skyscrapers and houses, as well as roads with numerous cracks in them. 

She hit the ground harder than she had anticipated and her legs buckled underneath her.  She lay on the ground for a couple of minutes, breathing slowly to regain her strength.  Her heart rate began to slow down and the initial pain in her legs went away.  She didn’t think anything was broken, so she tried to stand.  The ocean brought in a cool breeze and the air smelled fresh and clean, which was curious, given the fact that the whole continent was supposedly nuked.  She expected it to smell…well, like a place that had been nuked.  She had expected a smell similar to sulfur, although she had no logical reason for expecting that.

She looked around for her father and Alice.  Both of them had landed close to her and appeared unharmed.  She walked briskly to them.

“Are you okay?” Silas asked.

Lilly nodded her head.  She turned and saw something that made her cling to Silas. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“Silas—” Alice said warningly.

Silas turned his head and saw what they were looking at.  A man was standing about thirty feet from them in a dark trench coat, which was fluttering in the wind.  He slowly lifted his head, and they caught a glimpse of his eyes.  He walked toward them and removed his black fedora.  He had one blue eye and one green eye and a light scar that went from the bottom of his left eye to the right side of his chin.

“It’s good to finally see you,” the man said.  His voice was deep, but not raspy.  It was deep in a grandfatherly sort of way; a way that made you want to trust him, although you weren’t sure why.

“Who are you?” Alice asked.

“My name is Sage.”

42.

“Brandy?”

“No thank you, Sir.”

Rodge poured a small glass for himself and took a sip.  He closed his eyes as the liquor washed through his body.  He considered it a kind of cleansing process.  He held his liquor very well and never got drunk, but he drank to loosen up.  In this case, he had news to share with Jefferson.  It was not bad news from his perspective, but to Jefferson it might come as quite a shock.

He leaned against his desk with closed fists and looked out the window.  The lights of New York shone brightly in the night, as they did every night.  He smiled as he thought of the future of the city, the central location of the United Nations, who he believed would soon see their greatest hour. 

He turned his attention back to Jefferson, who was still waiting for Rodge to explain why he was here.

“We have a new weapon, Jefferson,” Rodge said.  “One I have been waiting to get my hands on for a very long time.”

Jefferson appeared interested, but refrained from saying anything.  He simply watched Rodge with piqued interest, waiting to her what he had planned.  Of course, he could also be waiting for an indication that Rodge was going to fail.  It wasn’t much of a secret; Jefferson hated him.  Rodge was okay with that; in fact he preferred it.  It made him better at his job.  They didn’t have to like Rodge; they just had to do what he said.

“As a result of this new asset, I won’t be requiring your current services anymore.”

“Sir?”

“We will no longer need to hunt them; they will come to us.  And I need you to be here when they do.”

“I’m listening,” Jefferson responded.             

“The rogues and their friends that I sent you after; the remaining five will come to us,” Rodge said.  “When they do, you must bring Silas Knight to me, unharmed.”

“What about the others?” Jefferson asked.

Rodge took another sip before answering.

“Kill them.”