Finding Sage (The Rogue Book 1) (14 page)

              “If anyone wants out, now is the time.  I intend to begin this plan of action soon.  If you don’t want to be a part of this, you can leave now.”

              He waited, but no one moved an inch.  He smiled as he looked across the room, seeing everyone on his side.

              “Excellent.  Saddle up, boys and girls; this is going to be fun.”

23.

              “Sebastian Jefferson.”             

              The soldier typed the name into the computer behind the glass screen in his small booth.  His eyes glowed with recognition as he saw Agent Jefferson’s file and looked back up at him.  The agent’s ebony skin was glowing from the chandeliers in the grandiose hall.  Agent Jefferson waited with feigned patience.  In reality, he was annoyed by politics and wished he could continue his rogue hunts uninhibited.  He thought he should probably be intrigued, seeing as he had never been to Capitol City, but dealing with politicians always left a bad taste in his mouth, like drinking rotten milk.  An appropriate analogy, since the few Parliament members he had met were aged and smell suspiciously like mold.

              The young soldier unlocked the gate and let him through, and he walked down the hall.  He opened the doors at the end of the hall and walked into a large conference room.  There was a large wooden table and ten seats surrounded it with a large computer monitor facing the table.  He expected to see an old white-haired man in a three-piece suit and a cane waiting for him in one of the chairs, but instead he found a young man.

              The young man had sharp angular features and shaggy hair that fell in his eyes, which made him look even younger.  He guessed the young man to be twenty years old, but he suspected he might be older; he couldn’t tell for sure. 

              “Sebastian?”

              Jefferson paused, not sure how to treat this boy.  Surely they wouldn’t send a
boy
to give him orders!  He knew his superiors never truly forgave an agent for letting a high-profile rogue out of their grasp, and he still didn’t understand why he wasn’t rotting in prison after the airport shootout, but right now he’d prefer to rot in prison.  This . . . this was just plain insulting. 

              “Who are you?” he asked the boy.

              “Sorry, I should have introduced myself.  Agent Rodger Coleman.”

              He extended his hand, but Sebastian merely looked at it, refusing to play this game like a good little boy.  Rodge awkwardly withdrew his hand and moved on.

              “I’m here on behalf of the Prime Minister.  I understand that you have some experience with Silas Knight?”

              Sebastian scowled and realized that this boy wasn’t going anywhere and he had no choice but to play along.

              “I executed his initial capture, and was present at the Chicago Airport when we attempted to apprehend him after his escape.”

              “Oh, you’re the gunslinger!”

Sebastian saw the awkward youth melt away from Rodge’s demeanor.  The biting sarcasm in his voice angered Sebastian; heat radiated through his body and he clenched his fist and teeth to control himself, then after a brief moment decided against self-control.

              “Gunslingers flinch.  I don’t.” 

Sebastian held his hand on his holster as he stated his threat.  To his surprise, Rodge showed no sign of intimidation, but instead chuckled and kicked his feet up on the table.

“Please, sit.”

Sebastian sat cautiously. He was beginning to feel more unnerved than anything.  As he realized this, he became frustrated with himself.  He should not have been unnerved by a mere child!  But as he looked into the boy’s eyes, even though he wanted to see a child, he did not.  The boy’s sudden change in personality had thrown him off; he didn’t know what to expect.  He needed to tread carefully.  Sharks often dwell in unchartered waters. 

“I’m going to cut to the chase.  The Prime Minister wants your head on a silver platter.  The catastrophe in Chicago didn’t go over very well with her and she’s been excessively moody since.”

Sebastian’s heart dropped.  His fears were not irrational.  He began to fear for his life, and then remembered that he was here for a reason.  He looked up at Rodger and waited for him to continue.  He obliged.

“Lucky for you, she listens to me every once in a while and I had a suggestion.  Here’s the deal: Knight escaped with five other fugitives.  Four of them are confirmed to be rogues.  If you find them and bring them back, you’re in the clear.  If you don’t, you die.  Simple enough?”

Sebastian nodded, and Rodge slapped a manila folder packed full of crisp, white paper on the table.

“One more thing,” Rodge added.  “The brunette girl is the Prime Minister’s daughter.  Bring her in alive.  Kill the rest.  On the record that is.  Bring Knight to me.”

“You want me to take on four rogues at once and bring two alive back to you?”

“I’m giving you a special team,” Rodge responds.

“Special in what way?”

Rodge smiled.

“You can’t be serious.  They’re bloodthirsty killers.  They’re inexperienced and make a mess everywhere they go.”

“You need bloodthirsty killers, Agent Jefferson.  These people are dangerous and they will not stop until every citizen surrounding them is an unresponsive body.  I’m also giving you . . . some special recruiting privileges.  Use them well.  Don’t make me regret this.”

Without a word, Agent Jefferson picked up the file and walked out of the conference room.  Once he was gone, Rodge leaned back with his hands behind his head and smiled.  He smiled because the Prime Minister had no idea who Agent Jefferson was or what he had done.  He smiled because without knowing it, Agent Jefferson was playing perfectly into his hands.  And no one had the foresight to stop him.

24.

Recruiting for a rebellion was tricky.  If you weren’t careful, ignorant but loyal citizens would turn you in.  Unintelligent prospects could release some sensitive information.  Possible prospects could turn out to be decoys.   

After Eli’s unchallenged decision to strike back at the U.N., ideas about how to go about doing so seemed unending.  Tariq suggested that they stock up weapons and attack the soldiers, a plan that was immediately struck down on the basis of practicality.  Salah suggested they split up, infiltrate society and search out rogues, but that was rejected because of the frightening prospect of separation.  Eventually the group decided that they needed good information if they were going to find and rescue rogues.  Eli had a wealth of information at his fingertips due to his connections in the resistance, but now that the resistance was scattered, it remained a challenging task to regain that information. The logical choice, then, was to find someone from the resistance that might still have access to the information.  It sounded better than hacking into the U.N. network.  It was to this end that they rode in the stolen SUV toward London. 

Tariq, in the driver’s seat, uneasily took directions from Eli.  Driving on the left side of the road felt unnatural to him, and he was nervous about being seen.

“They’ll spot our ride like mold on toast,” Eli told him.  “We gotta drop it somewhere and get another.”

They drove into the outskirts of the city.  Towering skyscrapers slid into view and the grandeur of the city that they were too preoccupied to notice before now presented itself with the pride of a prestigious citadel.  Lilly’s eyes grew wide with wonder and Silas looked out of the back window with curiosity.  Salah, even though he was anxious about his brother’s driving, could not help but be impressed with the beauty of the city as compared to the small towns of Canada that he was familiar with.  Even after having been in Cairo, London still seemed different.  It felt more serene and more secure.  He tried to shake this feeling off because of how horrifying their last experience was, but the city still captivated him, despite his deep-seeded malice.  Alice, slowly coming out of her shell, briefly filled with happiness upon the sight.  The difference in scenery provided encouragement for her, a hope for the future that worked to counter some of the monstrosities that recent events had bestowed upon her. 

They drove around the outskirts of the city, away from the warehouse.  During the drive there was almost no conversation.  Despite having been through a living Hell together, there was still almost no relationship between them.  The silence created a tortuous sort of awkwardness that acted like a buffer, which grew stronger as the silence extended.  After over two hours of driving, Tariq pulled the SUV off to the side of the highway.

“What are we doing?” asked Salah.

“A red herring,” Eli responded.  “Leaving the car here sends them on a false trail.”

“So how do we get into the city, then?” Tariq responded.

“We’ll make do.”

“What does ‘make do’ mean?” Silas challenged.

“We’ll walk.  We’ll hitchhike.  Whatever it takes.  We have to get into the city undetected, ‘cause the chances of us getting out undetected are slimmer than an African kid.”

“What’s hitchhiking?” asked Lilly. 

Eli looked around and realized that everyone else was just as lost as Lilly was. 

“You guys never heard of hitchhiking?”

A couple people shook their heads.

“Unbelievable.”

They all stared at Eli with blank faces, waiting for him to explain.  Eventually the realization of an epiphany came across his face and he explained.

“When you need a ride, you stand by the highway and stick your thumb up and if you get lucky, someone will stop and give you a ride.”

Everyone stared at him like he was talking nonsense.  And who wouldn’t?  The idea of someone stopping to help someone they didn’t know sounded so absurd, they all began to wonder if Eli knew what he was talking about, or if his eccentricity was getting away from him.

“Man, I really need to get out more,” Eli said in resignation. 

They got out of the SUV and began walking along the highway.  As they did, they formulated a story in case someone actually did pick them up.  They would say that they were a group of friends from North America visiting London, their car broke down several miles back, and they needed a ride into town.  Silas felt uneasy about the cover story, seeing as no one traveled anymore except criminals, but he remained silent so as not to cause unnecessary tension. 

They walked for several minutes, but no one stopped to help them, despite Eli’s enthusiastic and colorful attempts.  Finally, Salah spoke his mind.

“Eli, you’re scaring them.”

“Wha?”

“Well, look at you.  I’d be scared too if some wide-eyed hobo was trying to flag me down.”

“Who you callin’ a hobo?”

“Just—never mind.”

“No, not never mind, I asked you a question,” Eli insisted.  “Who are you callin’ a hobo?!”

“Oh shut it, both of you!” Tariq exclaimed in frustration.  “The point is this isn’t working.  We need something more convincing than a random group of strangers.  Let’s put the girl out there!  People will stop for a kid.”

“No,” Silas said adamantly.  “Keep her out of this.” 
             

“She
is
part of this,” Tariq responded.  “We all have to contribute.  It’s time for her to contribute, too.”

“Tariq—” Salah warned.

Lilly hid behind Silas and he took a defensive position as Tariq began to step towards them.  Eli watched with caution.  He was intrigued but feared things would go too far.

“Back off,” Silas growled threateningly.

Silas turned and saw Alice standing beside him.  None of this served to deter Tariq and he kept stepping forward.  With fire in her eyes, Alice stepped forward and grasped Tariq on the shoulders.  Unaware of what she was doing, he tried to force his way past her, but she kept a firm grip.  Tariq began to weaken and dropped to his knees.  The color began to leave his face and he gasped for air.  When he collapsed on all fours, struggling to breathe, Alice released her grip.  Tariq coughed and sputtered and his arms and legs trembled fiercely and he sobbed involuntarily as he slowly inhaled and exhaled.  Alice knelt and whispered to Tariq.

“If you ever try to lay a finger on her again, I won’t stop.”

With his head facing the ground, Tariq curled his upper lip and spat on the ground in front of Alice.  She knew that if he had the strength, he would spit in her face, but she didn’t care.  She was confident he would not risk crossing her or Lilly again. 

“Get your brother under control,” Eli whispered to Salah. 

Salah stood silently in shock.  The last several weeks had been tumultuous and chaotic, as well as inconsistent, and many things had surprised him.  Nothing, however, could have prepared him for his brother to attempt to take a man’s daughter from him and use her as bait.  Normally he would have acted, but he felt petrified.  Once upon a time, he knew Tariq.  He always believed his brother was good deep down and had simply made some bad choices.  If that was ever the case, it was no longer.  He was now erratic, irrational, and unpredictable.  Who knew what he would do next?

“Alright, children, cut it out,” Eli said.  “There’s an easier way to go about this.”

“Like what?” Tariq asked bitterly as he spat a mouthful of blood on the ground. 

“Like using the piece you brought.”

“The wha--?”

Eli hung his head.

“I have
really
got to get out more often.”

“What in the world are you talking about?!”

“Your gun, Einstein.  Use your gun.”

“Who?” Tariq asked, confused.

“JUST PULL IT OUT!!!”

“Alright alright, sheesh.”

Eli turned his attention to Silas, who was still glaring at Tariq.

“Silas, we got any company?”

Silas closed his eyes and concentrated.  He sensed nothing at first, then reached farther.  He brushed up on a single consciousness a few miles away, and then told Eli of his findings.

“Do you know which way they will come from?” Eli asked him.

Silas shook his head.

“I can feel people’s minds and about how far away they are, but there’s almost no sense of direction.”

Eli nodded, and then looked at Tariq.

“Get ready.”

Salah’s eyes grew wide as he realized what Eli planned on doing.

“What, we’re gonna car jack somebody?”

“You got a better idea, broski?”

“It’s not right!”

Eli came within inches of Salah’s face. Salah could feel the fire burning in him, the drive that was just waiting for an excuse to burst free.

“What isn’t right is that my friends Alexander and Zeke were gunned down like sick dogs.  What isn’t right is that a few weeks ago in London, a woman drowned her baby because she found out he was a rogue.  What isn’t right is that every friend I’ve ever had since I was fifteen years old has died helping me.  You wanna talk about what’s right?  What’s right is that we do something about it.  And right now that means getting a ride into the city.  You got a problem with that?”

Salah looked past Eli’s shoulder, smoldering with anger as his shoulders rose and fell with his slow, deep breaths.

“I didn’t think so.”

“They’re almost here,” said Silas.

“Alright,” Eli said.  “This highway is a straight shot so we need to stand in the middle of the road.  They’ll see us and stop.  Tariq, you pull the man out of the driver’s seat and we’ll pile in and take off.  Make sure you get his cell phone so that he can’t report the car as stolen.  Ready?”

No one answered, but everyone did as Eli asked.  The car slowly came into view.  The car was a blue SUV that showed no signs of slowing down.  Silas began to fear that the driver wouldn’t stop but then he heard the tires squeal and saw smoke rise from the road.  The driver stopped about thirty yards short of them, but by the time he came to a complete stop, Tariq was at his door.  He pulled it open and quickly threw the driver out of the car.  A crackling noise sounded as the young man struck the ground with great impact, and for a moment he didn’t move, undoubtedly stunned by the force of the impact.  Before the young man could push himself up to his knees, everyone was already in the car.  Tariq picked him up to find his phone, dropped it, and smashed it underneath his foot.  The young man looked into the stranger’s eyes with peril, petrified.  Tariq dropped him without reserve and climbed into the driver’s seat. 

“Where are we going?” Tariq asked Eli, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat.

“Just follow my directions.”