Shadow Rising (Shadow Born Trilogy Book 2) Page 8

  “No, good and evil exist everywhere,” Aldron said distantly. “The main difference is that here, evil rules openly. The good are subjugated and enslaved. They are treated cruelly and driven from their homes. Here, the good are hopelessly overwhelmed. They have no hope.”

  “How did it happen?” Gabriel said. “If the world was once whole, how did it break apart?”

  “I will explain this as we walk,” Aldron said. “I have many things to show you.”

  Aldron led Gabriel across the mountainside and along a steep ridge, until they came to a broad plateau. “This area is so strange,” Gabriel said. “It’s so flat.”

  “In your world, this is an airport. The government’s flying ships come and go from your mountain base in this way.”

  “So the land wasn’t always like this?”

  “No, as I’ve already explained, the changes in your world affect this one, and vice-versa. The effect is gradual, however. You would not have noticed it happening. Ah… here we are!”

  Aldron stood at the edge of the plateau, gazing out over the hilltops towards a broad plain. Gabriel saw the lights of bonfires scattered across the plain and shadows moving in the darkness. In the middle of it all, a square column thrust up out of the earth. It tilted awkwardly against the landscape, seemingly crooked, yet the longer Gabriel stared, the more certain he was that the lines of the structure were perfectly straight. A gasp of wonder escaped his lips as he stared at the ominous shape.

  “What is it?” he said breathlessly.

  “That is the Black Palace. It is the home of the Shadowlords. It is from there that their dark reach spreads out across the land, enslaving the poor and destroying the weak. The fires you see are the encampments of the army. And those shapes in the sky are the Shadow’s warships.”

  Gabriel hadn’t even noticed the warships until Aldron mentioned them. He drew his eyes upwards and saw large dark shapes against the sky. They looked like dirigibles of some sort; like ships made of wood and metal that hung suspended from enormous black balloons. There were dozens of them, maybe even hundreds.

  He glanced back down and discerned other dark shapes. “Are those machines?” he said in disbelief.

  “Yes,” Aldron said. His voice was a sigh. “The Shadowlords know that until the change is complete, their magic will not help them in your world. So they build machines powered by fire and steam, and they make weapons and bombs. I assure you Gabriel, the Shadow will stop at nothing this time. They are on a schedule, and time is growing short.”

  “Speaking of time,” Gabriel said, glancing at his watch. “I should really get back to my room, if we don’t want anyone to find out about this.”

  “Indeed,” said Aldron. “Let’s get back to the cave and then I will help you.”

  Chapter 17

  Exactly twenty minutes later, Starling got to her feet. “It’s time,” she announced. “I’ll go wake Gabriel.”

  “No!” Jodi said desperately. Then, in a pleasant voice she added, “I’ll do it. I think it’d be better if he wakes to a familiar face, don’t you?”

  Starling pursed her lips. “Okay, fine. Just hurry up, please.”

  Jodi rushed up to Gabriel’s room. It was still empty. Pete appeared in the doorway behind her, and she jumped. “You scared me,” she whispered, punching him in the shoulder.

  “Ouch! Sorry. Is he still gone?”

  Jodi nodded, her face desperate. “What are we going to do?”

  “About what?” Commander Starling’s voice said behind them. They both spun around to see her standing in the hallway. She glared at them as she entered the room. “Where is Gabriel?”

  Jodi and Pete stared at each other, unable to answer. Starling knelt down, peeking under Gabriel’s bed. “Where’d he go?” she said. “What’s going on here?”

  At that moment, the closet door swung open and Gabriel stepped out. “I’m right here,” he announced cheerfully.

  Jodi’s jaw dropped and she shot Pete a confused look. He was equally mystified. Gabriel smiled brightly. “I was uh, looking for something to wear.”

  “Rrright,” said Jodi. “And you got lost in the closet?”

  “Something like that,” Gabriel said.

  Starling looked him up and down then shook her head. “Whatever,” she said. “Look, we’ve got stuff to do. Come on.”

  *

  Gabriel’s appearance in the closet was no accident. As Aldron helped him transfer back from the Shadow world, Gabriel heard Starling’s voice and knew she was nearby. He didn’t know if she was in the room or not, but just to be safe he quickly moved into the closet area. Starling was literally searching Gabriel’s room the very moment that he appeared in the closet.

  Starling was in a hurry, which meant she didn’t pry too hard for an explanation. Gabriel was thankful for that. Unfortunately, it also meant that Gabriel didn’t have time to shower or change clothes. He hoped he didn’t stink too badly after all that he’d been through in the last twenty-four hours. Then again, if it was that bad, Jodi would have let him know. She was always the first to complain if Pete or Gabriel missed a shower.

  Starling led the group along the balcony outside the hotel, until they came to an elevator. From there, they went up several levels. Glancing at the buttons on the control panel, Gabriel realized that the main level was Zero. That was where the cafeteria and their hotel were located. All of the higher levels climbed in numbers from 1-100, and the lower levels went down alphabetically. So, the next level up was level one, while the level directly below them was level A.

  “So Level Z is the first floor?” he said.

  “Umm, yes, in the civilian sector,” Starling answered. “Technically there are more levels below that, but you won’t have access to them.”

  The children exchanged a glance. “How many levels are there?” Pete said.

  “That information is classified.”

  They fell silent until the elevator opened a few seconds later. As the doors parted, Starling led them to the right and into a large open area. “This is the elementary school,” Starling said. “I wanted to show you this first, so you would know not to worry about the orphans. This is where they will be spending their days. As you can see, we have a very nice playground, a soccer field, a library. The children will be monitored at all times for their safety.”

  Gabriel scanned the slides, swings, and jungle gyms that made up the playground. The adjacent area consisted of classrooms with big windows that looked out towards the field. Starling led them along, allowing the children to look into each of the rooms.

  “Well, what do you think?” she said as she wrapped up the tour.

  “It’s pretty cool,” Gabriel admitted. “I actually think the orphans will like it.”

  “I agree,” Pete said. “And the science lab is fantastic. I would’ve killed to have that in elementary school.”

  As approving as the boys were, Jodi remained skeptical. She folded her arms across her chest. “That’s all fine and dandy,” she said, “but where are all the kids? Where are the teachers? This doesn’t seem much like a normal school.”

  “It’s only seven-thirty,” Starling said. “Classes will begin in one hour. The teachers are waking the orphans right now, and taking them to breakfast. And not to worry, the orphans will get to meet lots of other children. All of the families that work in Black Mountain send their children to this school.”

  “Wait,” said Pete. “You mean the teachers are actually going to get the orphans?”

  “Yes. The teachers pay a great deal of attention to the children, so that the students will be comfortable, and so that the teachers will be able to better understand the needs of each child. They will walk them to and from school each day, as well as taking them on regular field trips to different areas of the mountain, where they can observe real science and technology in action.”

  That seemed to satisfy Jodi. There wasn’t much to argue about. Starling led them back to the elevators. On the way, Jodi a
nd Gabriel fell back just a bit. Gabriel whispered to her, “What do you think?”

  Jodi shrugged. “I have to admit it’s pretty amazing. I still don’t trust these people, though. They just don’t smell right.”

  Gabriel paused mid-step. Jodi’s words sounded familiar. He’d heard Mr. Oglesby use that same expression many times. Gabriel suddenly realized that he’d never had a chance to explain to Jodi exactly what had happened back at the mansion. He wondered if Pete had mentioned anything to Jodi about the cane….

  Jodi had gotten a few yards ahead of him, and Gabriel ran to catch up. “Jodi, I’ve got to talk to you about something,” he said.

  She glanced at him. “About what?”

  Gabriel didn’t get a chance to finish. “Children!” Starling yelled. “Let’s move!” She was standing at another elevator, holding the door.

  “Later,” he mumbled. They jogged over to the elevator and jumped in.

  They made a quick ascent, and then the doors opened into some kind of factory. Gabriel looked around as they stepped out of the elevator. Hundreds of people were busily working on a vast variety of different projects. The scientists near the front of the building were working with computers, lasers, and cameras. Others appeared to be building robots. In another area, scientists were working with vehicles. From his vantage, Gabriel saw a Hummer, two motorcycles, and an airplane. A small group of scientists were using a giant robotic arm that descended from the ceiling in the center of the room to move the vehicles around.

  “This is the tech sector,” Starling explained. “You name it, we’re working on it. Security, weaponry, transport, computers and networking, satellite technologies… the list is just about endless.”

  A scientist wearing a lab coat and special static devices on his shoes came up to them. He was average in height with dark brown hair and wore a pair of round, wire-rimmed glasses. “This is Hank Emerson,” Starling said. “He’s going to show you kids around the place. I have a meeting, but I’ll be back here in twenty minutes or so. Sound good?”

  “Sure,” Gabriel said. Jodi nodded. Pete didn’t say anything. Gabriel glanced at him. He hadn’t blinked since they’d arrived. He looked like he was about to start drooling.

  “Well, I see you’ve got a few questions,” Hank said. Gabriel nudged Pete with his elbow.

  “Huh? What? Oh, ah, yeah!”

  Hank smiled. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

  The Tech Sector stretched out for what seemed like miles. Hank led the group from one area to the next, describing the technologies that the scientists were working on, when he could. Naturally, many of the projects were classified, and the children could only guess as to what the scientists were trying to accomplish. Starling showed up half an hour later, just as the children finished their tour of the tech sector. Hank and Pete were deeply involved in a conversation about Faraday cages, radiant energy, and wi-fi networking. Gabriel and Jodi weren’t paying much attention anymore. They were watching the giant robot arm pick up a truck.

  “I can see I’m in the nick of time,” Starling said. “Are you children ready to move on?”

  Jodi nodded desperately but Pete wore a look of utter distress. “But we were going to look at the atmospheric telecommunication laser array!” he said. “Can’t we stay just a little longer?”

  “Well, we really have to move on,” Starling said. Pete groaned.

  “Hang on,” said Hank. “I have a little extra time today. Why doesn’t Pete stay here with me and I can show him around some more? We can all meet later, say lunchtime?”

  “Yes!” Pete said. “Please?”

  Gabriel grinned. He’d never seen Pete so excited. For him, this was the chance of a lifetime. Still, Gabriel couldn’t help but be a little worried. He didn’t like the idea of the three of them splitting up.

  “All right, that’s fine with me,” Starling said. Pete did a little dance and they all burst into laughter. “Come on then, Jodi and Gabriel I’ve got some stuff to show you that you’re gonna love.”

  As they turned to leave, Gabriel glanced back to see Pete wandering off with Hank, lost in conversation. Pete didn’t even glance back. He was so enrapt that he didn’t give anything else a second thought. Gabriel felt an apprehensive feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, but he didn’t know why. Perhaps it was just because he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in days.

  “Thank goodness,” Jodi mumbled as they left the room.

  “What’s the matter?” said Gabriel.

  “That place was awful,” Jodi said. “It was so stuffy, and it smelled funny.”

  “I have to agree with you,” Starling said with a laugh. “The Tech Sector is an interesting place, but I’d rather not hang out there. The computers and soldering irons make an awful stink.”

  Gabriel smiled weakly. He needed to tell Jodi about Mr. Oglesby and the cane, but he didn’t dare do it now. It was not the sort of conversation that he wanted to share with outsiders, especially someone like Starling. He bit his tongue and followed quietly as the commander led them on.

  Their next stop was Level 50. The first thing Gabriel noticed as they exited the elevator was a series of cables and pulleys rigged up overhead. The cables stretched out across the atrium, and then dangled down to the balcony on the far side. A group of trainees dressed all in black stood waiting in line, until their leader shouted something and they all went scrambling up the cables. Seconds later, the group moved out over the atrium. Gabriel approached the handrail and watched them nervously. They were thousands of feet in the air. Even though there was a lake below them, one slip would mean certain death.

  “Advanced tactical training,” Starling said. “Those soldiers are some of the best we have.”

  They watched for a few more minutes as the group converged on a spot at the center. As they swarmed over the area, they began to fight. They produced steel batons, swords, and chains and they used these to attack each other. It wasn’t long before one of the soldiers lost his grip and fell. Jodi let out a shriek as they watched him plummet helplessly towards his death. To their surprise, about halfway down a net shot out and caught him. He bounced there for a moment like a fly caught in a spider’s web, and then quickly crawled out of sight. A few seconds later, the net vanished. Jodi’s eyes were wide, her hand placed over her mouth. Gabriel took a deep, relieved breath.

  “We take safety precautions,” Starling said. “Still, accidents do happen.”

  Gabriel and Jodi exchanged a glance. That sounded ominous. “Has anyone ever died doing that?” Jodi said.

  “Not since I’ve been here,” Starling said.

  Gabriel couldn’t help but notice that wasn’t exactly a truthful answer. “How long have you been here?” he said.

  Starling eyed him. “That’s classified.”

  She led the children into an adjoining room with an extensive obstacle course. “This is our basic training area,” she said. “Further down the hall we’ll take a look at the firing range. But first, I’d like to show you this.” She turned and walked through the wall.

  Gabriel and Jodi blinked. “Well, come on!” Starling’s voice said from out of nowhere. “Just walk through, it won’t hurt!”

  Gabriel stepped forward and reached out to touch the wall. His hand moved right through it. He felt Starling grab him by the wrist, and she yanked him forward. Gabriel blinked as he found himself standing in a small, dark room. A faintly glowing circle filled the far wall. Gabriel heard a noise behind him and turned around to see Jodi come plowing through. She hit him going full speed, and they both went down in a heap. Starling burst into laughter.

  “Well, that’s one way to do it,” she said. She helped them to their feet.

  “Sorry,” Jodi said meekly. “Figured I’d better take the plunge all at once.”

  “What is this place?” Gabriel said.

  “This is the X Room.” Starling reached up and tapped the wall, and a computer panel covered with buttons and blinking lights appeared.
She touched the display panel, scrolled through a menu, and then pressed a button. The large circle of light vanished, and Gabriel suddenly found himself standing at the edge of a vast yawning abyss. Wind rushed up from the darkness, filling his ears.

  “What the…!”

  “Don’t be afraid,” Starling said. “Come on!” With that, she jumped off the ledge. Jodi screamed.

  Starling disappeared from view for a moment and then reappeared, floating on air. She hovered there for a moment and then angled her arms and legs in such a way that she spun around to face the children. Starling’s face looked oddly distorted from the heavy wind, and her hair whipped up over her head. She smiled and waved them forward.

  Gabriel smiled at Jodi. “Indoor skydiving,” he said, raising his voice so she could hear him over the noise. “There’s a fan down there somewhere. A big one.”

  Jodi looked skeptical. “Down where?”

  Gabriel shrugged, glancing at the dark abyss below. “It’s safe,” he said confidently. It had to be. Starling wouldn’t be out there if it wasn’t. He gave Jodi a smile and then jumped.

  The air was warm. That was the first thing Gabriel noticed. Every time he’d jumped from a real plane, the air had been ice cold. Even wearing a flight suit, it had still chilled him to the bone. This time the air was warm, like a breeze on a sunny day. He laughed wildly. “This is better than the real thing!” he shouted.

  Gabriel turned so he could see Jodi. She was at the edge of the abyss, pressed up against the wall. He could tell from the look on her face that she wasn’t going to join them. He sighed and twisted his body so that he moved towards her. A moment later, he drifted over the edge and dropped to the floor, landing gently like a panther. Starling followed him. After she landed, she reached up and touched the wall, turning off the hologram.