Derailed - 14. War Drums

Chapter 13

War Drums

It only took about five minutes for the realization of what we were doing to sink in and with every passing second another opportunity to turn back was ignored. Mark had immediately made himself busy by going over an old map Adrian had stored away. It showed every possible exit point available to us and he began trying to determine the best choice. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, having him here was about the only comfort I found in our position. No matter what we were facing, he always seemed to have some kind of a plan in mind. Without him there, I wouldn’t have even known where to begin. I wanted so much to tell him this, but every time I opened my mouth, the words seemed to fail to form. Instead I just ended up remaining silent for an uncomfortably long time.

I wanted him to say something, anything, to break the silence, but he never did. But what could he say? We both knew I may have just sent us hurtling toward our death. To be honest, not even Mark had any idea what to expect up there. We had no idea how serious Melbourne’s threats were. It was strange we only wanted to help those who needed it, but instead, our actions may have damned them all. And then there was Corbin. Did he truly expect us to just pack up and leave, to cause a war and then run when it came time to fight it?

I leaned back and continued to let my thoughts stew in my head while the awkward silence continued. The air between us had become so quiet that if I focused I could hear my own heart beat as it picked up speed. The closer and closer we got, it began to sound almost like war drums going off in my head.

It was Mark who finally broke the madding silence between us, and not a moment too soon. Much more of that and I would have blurted out anything just to have it end. “Tell me, about how much combat training have you had with Magashi? We may really be needing it.” He was right, but without my powers, we really had no line of defense. Mark had opted out of hand-to-hand training and instead elected to focus more on marksmanship. But with his pistols being left behind, this wasn’t going to be much help.

“Not as much as I wish I had now,” I said, now wishing I had paid more attention to his teachings. Not that it would really matter, not up against the guns that the military had. Even if Mark could use his ability to disable 99% of them, the one percent would be dangerous enough. There really is nothing anyone can say or teach you that can truly prepare you for the moments when your entire world, when everything you've ever known, is yanked out from under your feet. Because in reality, it’s all they've ever known as well. “I've had some hand-to-hand training, but really, as far as combat goes, we’ve focused mostly on developing my power and swordsmanship.” As much as I know, it would probably do me no good in actual combat situations. Years ago I had walked in on Magashi as he was practicing with a blade I had only seen once. I stood there in awe as he moved around so fluidly, back and forth; it was as if he was dancing with the katana. After that I had begged him for months on end to teach me, but he would give me the same argument; he would tell me that I need to focus on more practical aspects of combat. Finally, on the day of my 11^th birthday, he gave me a training blade. My persistence paid off and he had agreed to teach me.

Mark’s eyes grew wide as I informed him of the extent of my skills and without saying another word he ran to the front of the train. He reached under Adrian’s seat and began digging around for something.

“Here, I think this belongs to you,” he said when he finally came back up. “You were wearing it on the day...” but he caught himself before he finished the sentence, and instead let his voice trail off.

My heart gave a jump when he placed the leather gauntlet in front of me. Seth had given it to me, it was identical to the one he had worn and used to save my life from the VCU agent. I had completely forgotten about it until now.

“It got damaged during the fight. Adrian had taken it to repair it. It’s not exactly a sword like you and Magashi use, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.”

I slipped the gauntlet onto my forearm and laced it up the same way Seth had shown me. I gave a quick flick of my wrist and sure enough in the blink of an eye the steel blade shot out. I studied it for a moment while Mark went back to the controls.

“So what’s the plan?” I could see it in his eyes before I even finished the sentence. This was the question he had hoped to avoid. The answer became obvious when he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just looked down at his feet.

“There isn’t one; it's impossible to even know where to begin. There are any number of exits Corbin and Adrian could have used. It’s most likely that they would have chosen one within the city limits. But even so, they still gave us at least seven possibilities.”

“So which one are we headed to?” I asked.

Mark walked over to an old worn and beat up map that showed the entire subway system back when it was still in use. “This one.” He pointed to a station that looked to be right in the heart of the city. “It's right at the base of the tower. I figured it would be our best bet. It was where Dante had first set up operations. It was one of the first stations sealed off. Dante later on moved everything to Grand Central Terminal to try to keep a safer distance from the tower. But if Corbin was going to use any exit to try to get into the city, then that would be the one.”

I put my finger on the map and began tracing the line that ran back to our station. It had never occurred to me just how massive the city was. As long as we had been on the train it was still only a matter of a few inches on the map. And my stomach sank as I realized that they could be anywhere. Even if Mark was right and we were heading in the right direction, they still had a few hours on us.

What the hell are we doing here? I thought to myself as I sat back down.

I began to think about the others back at the station and how they were forced to deal with Andrea, whom I was sure was flipping out by now; a part of me began to feel sorry for them. It was somewhat comical: here Mark and I were heading for a possible war zone and any number of dangers. And I felt sorry for them!

It was at least another five minutes before I felt the train begin to slow down, the rusted and worn breaks screeched as we pulled into our destination. This only caused my heart to pound even harder still... and the war drums grew louder and louder as we got closer and closer to the surface.

The doors barely opened when the thick musty air hit us in the face like a brick wall. Mark wasn’t kidding. This place had been abandoned and neglected for years. The dust hung heavy in the air and there were cobwebs covering just about everything. Being here gave me an uneasy feeling the moment we stepped off the car. The lights hadn’t worked in years, making it almost pitch black and impossible to see. Mark handed me a flashlight, but even it offered only a limited visibility.

I covered my mouth as we stepped off into the thick dusty air. We began looking around for any signs that Corbin and Adrian had been there, but we were given no such hope. Instead, I saw what looked like a smaller version of our station, the same benches, same stairs, same stone floors. The sight sent a shudder down my spine as if I were looking at some kind of an ominous premonition.

“Hey.” I felt Mark’s hand grab my wrist. I met his gaze and he had a serious look of concern on his face. I could have almost sworn he knew what I was thinking. “Try not to get lost in the dark okay?” He waited a moment longer before finally letting go and I felt a slight twinge somewhere in the pit of my stomach, as if part of me didn’t want him to.

We wandered for what seemed like a short lifetime. We were looking for any sign of recent activity, but were only met with more dust and darkness. This place was more like a tomb than it was anything else, and with each passing moment I wanted more and more to leave. We had begun to make our way back to the car to chalk this up as a lost cause when something caught my eye. I wouldn’t have even noticed, but I had tripped over a crack in the floor and sent my flashlight rolling across the floor. I scrambled to grab it, only to notice a rather large footprint recently made in the dust. I’d recognize that size 14 shoe anywhere; it was Corbin's, without a doubt. My heart gave a jolt as I followed it back until my light hit the metallic siding of one of our train cars. It was the one they had left on. Mark’s genius had paid off again; we were on the right track.

“Well, thanks to your clumsiness, it would seem you’ve discovered a trail,” Mark said as he used his light to follow the footsteps the other way until they disappeared into the dark. “We should be able to follow these to the exit.”

It was moments later when we came to our next road block in the form of a large iron door; it was blocking what we could only hope was an exit to this abyss. To our dismay, it was locked and showed no sign of budging.

“I guess he really didn’t want any of us following him,” I said as Mark tried repeatedly to force it open.

“He must have kept a key on him all these years! I don’t suppose you could try...” he motioned toward the door and I knew right away what he meant. I raised my hand out and focused every ounce of my attention and will power on the door, wanting so desperately to see it fly open, or at least budge, but there was nothing. After a few moments of my futile attempt I finally put my hand down and just hung my head low. I felt utterly useless without my power.

“Sorry... it’s no use,” I said, unable to look Mark in the eyes.

“No matter, we’ll just have to find another way to get it open. I say we split up. We'll meet back here in a few minutes to see if we can come up with anything.” I agreed, but despite his attempt to make light of my failure, I still couldn’t bring myself to look up.

I looked all over, but found nothing that seemed like it would be of any use. Just a broken pieces of stone that litters the ground; I picked one up, wondering if maybe we could use one to try to smash the door handle off, but in the back of my mind I knew it was a farfetched plan at best. I held it in my hand and couldn’t help but be reminded of the stones Magashi had me trying to move, the ones that had seemed to taunt me with the fact that I was powerless. And once again I had an urge to toss it as far away as I could. But I remembered that this may be our best pathetic attempt at getting past the door, and instead, I shoved it in my pocket and looked to see if I could find a bigger one.

It was then that I heard what I swore were footsteps behind me. I spun around as fast I could, only to see nothing. This place was starting to get to me; I could feel myself becoming more and more paranoid by the minute. I started to head back to meet up with Mark when I felt my foot hit something odd. It wasn’t a stone; it was too flat, and when I hit it I heard it slide across the floor a few feet. I looked down to see what looked like a notebook lying on the ground.

I bent over and picked it up. It was old and covered in a thick layer of dust, like everything else in here, and it creaked when I opened it up. I was afraid that at any moment it would fall apart in my hands. Most of the pages had been damaged to the point of being unable to be read, but by the dates at the top, I could tell that it was someone’s journal. I began reading what I could make out; most of it was just lighthearted day-to-day stories about the people down here, normal things you would expect to see in the log of someone’s personal thoughts. It wasn’t until I got to the last few entries that I noticed the tone began to change, and almost become desperate.

June 23^rd 2051

I don’t know what it is about him, but over the past few years I can’t shake the feeling that he’s planning something, something behind all our backs. And as ambitious as he’s shown himself to be, I worry about what it may possibly be. And I worry that when I do find out, it may be something I’ll want no part of. I saw the way he looks at all the newcomers we’ve been gathering, as though he’s looking for something specific, but I have no idea what it could be. Most of those we’ve managed to rescue are children, for crying out loud! One thing is absolutely certain: I’m going to have to keep a much closer eye one him. He’s been one of our greatest helps in these tough times, but at what cost?

I noticed that the entries after that became harder and harder to make out and there was still no name to connect to who owned the journal.

July 7^th 2051

Dante announced today that after we finished our move to the new station he plans on leaving to begin the final phase of our plan and try to find a home where we can live in peace. It’s what we’ve always talked about, but for some reason I cannot bring myself to be happy. I told him of my suspicions, but he refused to take me seriously. He said I’m just being paranoid and that I should be looking forward to the future. I’m not surprised; they had always been a lot closer, but I’m worried that his friendship is blinding him to what’s really going on.

The rest of that entry was, for the most part, illegible and uneventful. The next entry was the last one in the journal and seemed to be the most desperate and frantic one yet. It was also the most damaged. Out of the two pages that had been written, I could only make out a few select sentences.

-----------2051

Never could I have imagined------- if this is true---------------insanity!

---------------------------------------------------------------------. I’ve thought about warning Dante, but then I’m not sure who I can honestly trust anymore.----------------------------------------------------------no time. I have to leave------- as far away as possible! ----------------------------must regroup and try to stop it. It may already be too late. The test has been done. And he’s been pulling the strings all along! Events have already been set in motion to give him access to the woman and----------- I must find a way to warn her!--------------------------------------he'll turn him into a-------------. It may be too late for me. I fear how far his eyes and ears reach. He may already know that I know!

I sat down in the dark just rereading the last entry, but only found myself with more and more questions. Whoever wrote this had been absolutely terrified out of his mind. The last entry seemed more like the ramblings of a mad man. But as much as I wanted it to be the case, I knew that there was truth in his words. And that thought alone brought a paralyzing fear to my very core. Sweat began to pour from me as I reread those last few pages, hoping each time that it would change and give me some answers, or change completely, but that was not the case.

I began to recall the dream I had regarding the night my mother was killed and how in it the killers had known about us and everyone in the subways, which always brought me back to the conclusion that someone had betrayed us and killed my mother, no matter how I tried to find loopholes in it. And every time I thought about it, I felt an uncontrollable rage build up in my chest and I would get sick to my stomach. Finding and reading this journal only proved that I wasn’t the only one who had these thoughts before. Now I could only wonder how long it would be before I was scrawling a desperate last note for someone to find.

I checked the dates again. It was written 13 years ago, two years before my mom and I had ever gone below surface, so surely the two events couldn’t have been connected. Right? But I knew the truth, whether I would admit it or not.

I would have sat there for hours stewing over my own thoughts if the silence hadn’t been broken by the sound of footsteps off in the distance.

“Mark, is that you?” but I got no answer and I would have definitely seen the light from his flashlight by now. My heart now began to pound harder and harder. It wasn’t paranoia. I had definitely heard something and I had felt another presence ever since we stepped off the train. Mark and I were not the only ones down here in the dark.

“Corbin, is that you?” I asked, hoping beyond all hope that they had come back. But again, no response. And I could now hear the footsteps growing closer and closer. I dropped the journal and readied myself for whomever it was who lurked beyond my sight. I spun around shining my lights in every direction, hoping to catch a glimpse, but I saw only the black emptiness before me.

My heart began pounding faster still. As the war drums were sounding off in my ears, I dug my feet in and prepared to pounce on my pursuer at a moment’s notice. I needed to try my hardest to give myself the element of surprise. I heard one last step sound behind me. I spun around and caught a quick flashing sight of someone’s shoes running past me. And without allowing myself time to think, I jumped in the direction of the foot I had seen and blindly tackled its owner. I flicked my wrist and felt the cold hard steel of the assassin’s blade slide out from its hidden position on my forearm, but before I had a chance to make my move, I felt something hit me in the gut with all the force of a semi. And I was sent shooting up at least 15 feet into the air before hitting the ceiling with enough force to crack it before falling back down to the ground. I had the wind completely knocked out of me and I was now on the ground scrambling for the flashlight. I saw it a few feet in front of me and after a few seconds of my desperate crawling, I grabbed ahold of it, and, for the first time, I saw my assailant.

“Holy Shit! I’m sorry man, I didn’t mean to hurt you, but you scared the shit outta me.” I heard his voice before I could bring my now-fuzzy mind to realize who was speaking to me. I couldn’t believe it at first.

“Bru...?” but I couldn’t catch my breath long enough to finish my sentence. It was then that I saw the light from Mark’s flashlight.

“Cameron, are you okay? I heard you screaming and...” but he stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at the figure on whom I had my light focused. “Bruiser, what the hell are you doing here?!?” He looked absolutely bewildered. I wanted to thank him for asking what I had been trying to, but couldn’t.

“I saw you and Cameron get on the train. I wanted to see what was going on, so I sneaked on. Before I knew it, the train was moving, so I just sorta came with you guys.” Mark had a look of absolute disbelief on his face and we all stood there in silence before, once again, Mark broke it.

“You’re going back right now.” But Bruiser stood his ground and refused to budge and, let’s face it, neither of us were exactly strong enough to make him.

“I’m going with you guys. You’re going to try to help Corbin and Adrian and I’m coming with you.” It was obvious that Mark had no intentions of listening to his arguments as he tried as hard as he could to drag Bruiser to the train... but it was a futile attempt.

“Besides, you guys need me. You don’t have your guns and, let’s face it, without his power, Cameron’s not much of a fighter. Besides, how else are you going to get the door open?” And with that statement, Mark realized that he was right; among the three of us, Bruiser had more fire power than both Mark and I combined. And this did solve our door issue. “Face it, you need me and you know it. Whether you’re willing to admit it or not doesn’t matter.” Mark hated being wrong and it showed on his face. But at this point we didn’t have much of a choice. This ten year old kid had us over a barrel.

“You do what I say, when I say it; if I say run, you run; if I say get down, you get down; if I say get out of there and leave us, you do it!” I could tell that Bruiser didn’t like the last stipulation much, but after a split second’s hesitation, he finally agreed.

Moments later, Bruiser was ripping the door clear off its hinges. For the first time in what seemed like forever, we saw light coming through from a staircase at the end of a long hallway. As warm and inviting as the light was, we all knew it was far more dangerous than the dark ever was. And with every step closer to the surface I could feel the war drums growing louder and louder.