Vigo's Lament: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 3) (17 page)

Vince rolled over and oriented himself, getting to his feet. He ran for Izzy, passing by Jonah, who was gasping for air. Trish and Alan jumped to their feet and kicked the guards who were squirming on the floor.

Vince bent down and held Izzy in his arms, carrying her like his own child. “I have her,” he said, nodding to the others. “Come on, let’s go.”

They nodded and jogged to the exit, with Vince following behind. Jonah leaped through the air and grabbed Vince’s foot. Vince nearly fell, but managed to keep his balance.

“You’re not going anywhere with that girl,” Jonah said.

Vince shook his leg, but Jonah’s grip was too tight. Alan charged back and kicked Jonah square in the jaw. Jonah let go and rolled onto his back. Alan glanced at Vince. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

They ran through the door and into the hallway. Trish seemed to know her way through the maze. She led them to the main corridor, and back to the elevators. They eagerly waited for the lift to arrive, glancing over their shoulders with a paranoid sense of urgency. The doors slid opened to the sight of Ella and Rupert, standing side by side. Ella smiled. “It’s good to see you, Vince.” They entered, and Trish pushed
Level 0
.

Alan shook his head. “Not the docks. They’re swimming with guards.” He reached out and pressed
Level 1
instead.

They rode down and came out to a deserted lobby. Vince found the emptiness disturbing. The last time he had seen the lobby, it was full of angry Crowns storming up the Spire. The stark contrast was somehow both calming and haunting at the same time.

They pushed through the front doors to the outside. The sky glowed a fiery orange as the sun began to rise. They climbed over debris to get through the walls and into the streets.

“Thank you for your help,” Trish said. “Now, would you like to explain why you’re helping this girl?”

“What do you mean?” Vince asked.

“You betrayed Greene. You stabbed him in the back and went to work for Simon. You know who this girl is, right?”

Vince reached into his bag and pulled out the monitor journal. “She’s Greene’s daughter.”

She tilted her head, now even more confused. “Right. So why did you kill Simon? Why did you save her?”

“We were never working for Simon,” he said. “We were never working for Greene, either. We were only trying to survive, and both of them wanted us dead.

“Why are you trying to save her?” Alan asked. “Jonah is continuing his work in the labs. Isn’t that what you want?”

“We didn’t want
this
. Yes, we plan on starting up the tests again, but we have limits. We follow Greene’s principles. One of those principles was no children, especially not this one.”

Alan chuckled at the idea of Greene having principles.

“He kept Izzy alive for a reason,” she continued. “We intend to do the same.”

“But you
do
wish to continue the tests,” Vince said with a stern face.

“We do. The tests are the reason the City thrives. They must go on.”

Alan opened his mouth to argue, but Vince held up his hand and spoke first. “Very well. It seems we have had a misunderstanding. I think our goals align.”

The others stared at Vince with shock. He had been so adamantly against the tests, that it was strange to hear him praise them.

Trish nodded. “Hmm. It seems so.”

Vince looked into Izzy’s face as she slept in his arms. “How long do you think she’ll be out?” he asked.

“That stuff they gave her is pretty strong,” Trish said. “And they gave her a lot. It should wear off in ten minutes or so, though she will be pretty weak. It will be a few hours before she fully recovers.”

Rupert pointed to Vince’s leg. “Vince, you’re bleeding.”

He looked down to see a scalpel sticking out of his thigh. In the chaos, he had not noticed the stray blade wedge into his skin. He handed Izzy to Rupert and grabbed the handle of the blade, yanking it out in one swift motion. Blood slowly oozed out. He untied his scarf from his neck and wrapped it around the wound. “I’ll live,” he said.

As Rupert handed her back, a voice came from down the street. “Trish?” It was a man with a familiar face.

“Warren,” Trish said, walking over to greet him.

He searched up and down her body, looking for scratches or bruises. “You got out.”

She nodded. “I didn’t do it alone. I had help.”

Warren glanced at the group behind her and leaned in. “Don’t you recognize these people?” he whispered. “They’re the traitors from Snow Peak.”

“They’re on our side. They saved me. And they saved that girl’s life.”

“Who is the girl?”

“She’s very important.” She turned around and held out her hand. “Vince, pass me the journal.”

Vince handed it over, and she gave it to Warren. He flipped through the pages. “Project Monika?”

“Read through it and you’ll know why she’s so important.”

He clamped the book shut. “Later. There’s no time right now. We’re about to charge into the Spire.”

She furrowed her brow. “You’re attacking?”

He nodded. “Ever since you were taken, more and more people have gone missing. Simon has them.”

“Simon’s dead,” she said.

“What?”

She pointed to Vince. “He killed him. He’s gone. Now Jonah’s in charge.”

“Jonah? Simon’s grunt?”

“That’s right,” she said. “He turned on Simon and has been gathering labbies and test subjects.”

Alan slapped his forehead. “We’re idiots,” he said. “Jonah was on the ground. Incapacitated. We could have killed him and ended it all.”

Vince smiled.

“What are you grinning about?” Alan asked. He saw Vince’s hand press against his empty pocket and figured it out on him own. “Ha! Vince, you sneaky bastard. You slipped that pill into his tea, didn’t you? That fool’s a sucker for tea. He probably took a big sip the second he got up.”

Vince answered with an even wider grin.

“What does that mean?” Warren asked.

Vince finally broke his silence. “He will be dead by the time you get up there.”

“That will make it easier for your attack,” Trish said. “They have no leader. They’ll be lost in confusion.”

Warren nodded. “Good. We’ll need all the help we can get. Rumor has it the Crowns are charging the Spire as well. We thought that perhaps they were preparing for our attack. We wanted to make our move before they could get back, but now it’s clear they’re not after us. They want Jonah.”

“Man,” Alan said, “it’s going to be a mess up there. Jonah’s men, Simon’s men, and now you guys?”

“At least they’ll be occupied,” Rupert said, looking down at Izzy. “Jonah’s men will be too busy to come after her.”

“Leave her with me,” Trish said. “I’ll bring her back to our base. She’ll be safe there.”

Rupert shook his head. “She’ll be safest in Snow Peak, away from the City.”

Vince nodded. “Yes. She comes with us.”

“But the people need to know about her. You read the journal. It’s what Greene wanted.”

“That may be true,” Vince said, “but it’s not what’s best for her. She doesn’t belong here. She never chose this life. She deserves a level of safety that you can’t offer.”

“But—”

“Take the monitor journal,” he interrupted. “Show the people his last written words. Show them the miracle that Izzy represents. Do whatever you want with that journal, but do not tell them where we are. Doing so will only make things worse.”

“So what do I say happened to her? They are going to want to see her.”

Alan stepped forward, growing impatient with her questions. “You could tell them she’s dead for all I care. Make something up. They don’t need to know. Greene’s word will still get to the people. Hell, you can turn her into a martyr. Make her the face of your resistance. The people will eat that up.”

She pondered the idea of creating an image for the resistance. “I suppose that’s an option, but you don’t have to leave. Stay and help us fight. Your presence will inspire them even more. You’re the ones responsible for Simon and Jonah’s deaths, after all.”

“No,” Vince said. “We’re done with this place. It’s time for us to go home.”

“But you could help. You could make such a big difference. Don’t you want the world to be a better place?”

“I’ve spent my whole life making the world a better place,” he said. “Now it’s time for me to rest. We’ve all earned a little rest.”

Trish looked sternly in his eyes and saw she would not persuade him. “Very well. Good luck to all of you.”

They exchanged one last look and parted ways. Trish and Warren walked towards the Spire. Vince, Ella, Alan, and Rupert walked towards the Western Gate.

“What you said back there,” Alan said, “you didn’t really mean it, did you? You don’t want the tests to continue.”

“Of course not, but it’s no longer our business. We’re together and safe. That’s all that matters.”

“You’re not going to try to stop them anymore?”

“No.”

Alan’s face held puzzled curiosity. “But that was the reason we came here in the first place.”

“Do you think they’ll succeed?” Ella asked. People ran past them on both sides, following Warren’s lead. “Do you think they can take back the Spire?”

“They have a good chance,” Rupert said. “There may be a lot of troops up there, but with Simon and Jonah gone, they’ll be disorganized.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Ella said. “For us, anyway. Soon we’ll be back in Snow Peak, away from this whole mess.”

Alan kicked a pebble along the road. “What about you, Vince? Do you think they’ll succeed?”

Vince kept his gaze straight ahead as he spoke. “I don’t know, and I suppose I don’t care. Ella is right. It’s no longer our business.”

“If they take it back, they’ll start up the tests again,” Alan said. “You’re okay with that?”

“There’s one thing I’ve learned from our time in the City. There will always be a bad guy. Whether it’s Barnabus, or Greene, or Simon, or Jonah, it will never stop. If we eliminate one, another will rise in his spot. I once thought it was my job to stop them, but now I realize that chasing the cycle is not a job for one man. There will always be monsters in the world, but there will always be someone to fight them, as well. Someone will rise up in Jonah’s place. And someone will rise up in mine. Someone who will stand up for those who can’t defend themselves and resist the evil that plagues this world. Just like the cycle for bad, there is a cycle for good. I’ve done my part in the world. Now it’s time to pass it off to whoever is next.”

“Tag team,” Izzy said, her eyes barely opening as she slowly regained consciousness.

Vince looked down at her face and smiled. “Yes. Tag team.”

Dozens of Spire workers ran past them, towards the Spire, as part of a movement to take back what was theirs. The new rebels in a chaotic age. The age of Greene had ended, the age of Simon was gone, and the short-lived age of Jonah would soon perish as well. In its place, a new age would rise, and just like everything else, it would eventually end. It was a cycle. An age of end.

EPILOGUE

ELLA GRABBED THE mug of hot tea and touched the rim to her lips. The liquid was still scalding hot, so she placed it back down to cool. Her aged face was still vibrant and beautiful. She tapped her finger against her knee, waiting for the last of their party to arrive.

Rupert sat across from her, stroking his thick beard, which was sprinkled with flecks of white. His shoulder stood absent of Snow Peak’s beloved falcon. Fred had passed on years ago. Rupert gazed out the window at the neighbors trudging through the snow. It had been a tough ten-year transition, but the Spire folk had finally adapted to their new home. They had built a community that was just as strong as before.

Alan entered the cabin, bundled up in a large coat and scarf. He stomped the snow from his feet and stripped off his layers, hanging his wet clothes on the hook by the door. “It sure is cold out there,” he said. “Izzy will be here soon. She said to give her five minutes.” He gazed down at Vince, who was lying peacefully in bed, covers pulled up to his chin, with his eyes closed. “How is he doing?” he asked.

“He’s still with us,” Ella said. “He’s just resting his eyes.”

Alan took a seat by the bed, taking Vince’s hand and glancing into his face. It was pale and full of wrinkles. “She’s on her way, buddy,” he said and looked to Ella. “How long has he been out?”

“Not long,” she said. “Only a few minutes.” She reached for her tea to take a bigger sip this time.

Rupert raised his own mug to find that it was empty. “I could use some more tea. Alan, do you want some? You look cold.”

Alan nodded. “Please.”

Rupert got up and exited to the kitchen.

“How’s the kid?” Alan asked.

“He’s a handful, but I love every minute of it. He’s growing up so fast. It feels like just yesterday I was rocking him in my arms. Now he’s always running about. He’s a little ball of energy.”

“Time does fly, doesn’t it?”

She nodded. “It sure does. What about you? I haven’t seen you in a while. How are things?”

“Things are good. Trevor’s a handful, but the man sure can hunt. It’s funny. He was the laziest guy in the Spire, and now he’s one of the hardest workers in Snow Peak. He’s really changed.”

“I think we’ve all changed.”

Alan looked down at Vince’s pale skin. “How do you think she’ll handle, you know, seeing him like this?”

“It will be hard on her, for sure, but she’s a tough girl. She’ll be okay.”

“Vince brought her up well. She speaks just like him. She’s a little reserved, but has a strong will. She’s grown into a woman who can handle herself. But even the strongest of us have weak moments.”

“Of course, she’ll be shaken,” Ella said, “but so will I. All of us will be shaken. He is a great man who has done great things in his life. That will never change. I will miss him dearly, but in time, we will all learn to live without him, her included.”

Rupert reentered from the kitchen with a full cup of tea in each hand. He passed one to Alan and sat back down. “Careful,” he said. “It’s hot.” He blew on the surface, watching the steam dance away.