Nanowars: Rebirth - 14. Chapter 14: Falied Duty

Chapter Fourteen: Failed Duty

“Puggles scared. Puggles wants Talon safe. Puggles wants to go home.” It had been five day cycles since the two of them had escaped into the Maze and Puggles had moaned and complained every step of the way.

“Jeez Pugs, I don’t see what you have to complain about. You don’t have to worry about running out of food and water.”

“I do too!”

“How?”

“I worry about you. What is Puggles without his boy?”

When they heard the sound of shouting both jumped. “Umm, Pugs… are those demons?” Puggles senses were far sharper than Talons and both knew it.

“Demons Smezons… Those are not the sounds of a Demon.”

“What does it sound like to you?”

“Sounds like you and Everett fighting.”

“Even worse. Come on… let’s get out of here.”“Hang on. I want to see who they are.”“Weren’t you just saying you’re scared?”

“Scared of demons and wolves… not of two boys fighting.” Before Talon could say otherwise, Pugs darted further down the network of tunnels. What Pugs, and later Talon, found was far more shocking than a pack of spiders.
Curled into a ball was a young man who was the spitting image of Talon, only slightly older. The other one he did not recognize. He did recognize his type. He was a Centurii. Neither of the fighting boys seemed to notice them.
Puggles did not like being ignored, “Ello, ello?”

Both men jumped.

The man who had been doing his best to comfort the other pointed a shock spear at them. “Get away from us.”
Now if any other creature of the Maze had come across the pair, none would have understood them. Talon and Puggles did however, as it was the language of their father. They also noticed that whoever was holding the spear didn’t have the ability to use it.

“Unless you’re going to try and beat us with that stick I suggest you put it down.” Talon expanded his spear and charged it to full power.

“Let me. Puggles knows how to deal with his sort.” Puggles hit the Centurii with a paralyzing bolt of energy.
The attack got Talon’s twin’s attention. When he picked up the spear it clearly reacted to his touch. Puggles tried to stun him too but the lance of energy was absorbed by an invisible shield.

“Puggles thinks it would be best if we ran away now.”

“No…” Talon removed the hood of his robes, letting the stranger get a good look at him.
Where bolts of lightening had no affect, the shock of seeing his near twin left the stranger paralyzed. “Wha… what are you?”

“I want to know the same. Who are you?”

“I’m Avery. Avery Winters.”

“How can that be? I’m Talon Winters.”

“Then… then you must know my father. Where is he?”

“Uhmmm… Puggles don’t like riddles. Gives Puggles headache. Puggles let you deal with this.” The sphere of light floated away, leaving the two alone.

Talon carefully touched Ave’s face to make sure it was real. “Do we have the same father?”

“Do we?”

“My father was Dietrich Winters. My grandfather is also a Winters.”

“Your father was, your grandfather is? Does that mean your father is dead but your grandfather lives?”

“Aye.”

“How old are you?”

“23… no 24 as of 3 cycles ago.”

“You look pretty young for 23.”

“How old are you?”

“Almost 18.”

“Strange… you do look older than me.”

“I know… we’re on different worlds so we might have different calendars. On your world 24 years might be 14 on mine.”

“No… that’s not it. If you are from another world you probably don’t have Blue.”

“Blue?”

“It extends our lives and keep us young.”

“So it slows down the aging process?”

“I guess you can say that. None of that explains why we have the same family name. In the Arks no one is supposed to have one. Ours is the secret name giving to us by my grandfather.”

“Can you take me to him? I have to know if he’s my dad.”

“I wish I could but I’ve never met him. I only know what my father told me.”

“Do you know anyone by the name Labatt or Walker?”

“WALKER!” Hearing the secret name of the Segundo both shocked and terrified the lad. “You know him too?”

“Thad Labatt was my father’s best friend. Travis Walker used to be before my father trapped him here.”

“He is also the father of Talon’s future husband.” Added Puggles who had returned out of nowhere.

Talon glared at his Watcher. “I thought you hate riddles.”

“Yeah, but I was just thinking…” Puggles cut Avery off from listening in before continuing. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I think I need some Blue.”

“Who doesn’t but that wasn’t what I was thinking.”

“Which is?”

“This guy might be our ticket home.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Since you don’t want to marry Everett, we could offer this guy as a replacement.”

“That’s mean!”

“You never know… the two might hit it off. I hate to say it but he is more handsome than you.”

“Geeze thanks Pugs.”

“Only saying. Face it. What other options do we have? How much longer can we survive out here? It’s only a matter of time before a spiderwolf Walker catches your scent. When it does, it would be best if we were safe behind the walls of the Ark rather than out here in the Maze.”

“What about Walker?”

“No, not him. Never him. I don’t care what he promised you but his father is our family’s worst enemy. I will not let you go to him.”

“But….”

“No… Puggles swore to protect his big brother and Puggles will!”

“Who’s going to protect him? That Centurii doesn’t know one end of a shock spear from another.” Talon said gesturing at Lanyon.

“He’ll learn. So do we agree… we’ll go back and let this Winters take our place?”

“Better him than us I guess.”

While the telepathic conversation seemed to have lasted several minutes to the pair, it took fewer than three seconds in reality. Avery, therefore, was not fazed by the short silence.
“We’re taking you home with us.”

“Home? I guess that’s better than being out here in the Maze.”

“Best place to start looking for your father.” Puggles agreed.

While there were more mouths to feed, the two strangers had left their world far more prepared than Talon and Puggles had. During the long hike back, Talon did his best to avoid Avery. He felt too much like he was lying to himself each time they talked.
Puggles, on the other hand, had no problem lying. He especially liked teasing the gullible Centurii. “You really eat spiderwolves?” Lanyon asked

“All the time. It’s even better with phem.”

“What’s phem?”

“Why it’s the most popular dish in the world. Once you taste it, you’ll want it all the time.”

Talon could only roll his eyes. Phem was indeed the most popular dish. For most it was the only food source they had. Being one of the elite, Talon had only eaten it while on military exercises. Knowing its source, it was all he could do to keep it down.

Avery was not fooled. He was gaining far more insight watching Talon’s reaction to what Puggles said than the Watcher.
It was Avery’s eyes, those rare green eyes that only a true Legate was born with. But there was more to them than that. They also possessed the authority of an Imperator.

Since they were no longer attempting to avoid the Ark patrols, they found themselves surrounded the second day in. While the Ark’s cybernetic sCybernoids had to restrain the one called Lanyon, Avery offered no resistance.
While Avery was treated with a certain level of respect, Talon’s arrest was not as gentle. Puggles would have been arrested as well but the Personas needed him to act as a translator for the off-worlders
That cycle Talon dined on phem.

***

Karl looked down at what was left of the spidergrubs. Around their corpses was a man size black cocoon. “Tell me Ave is not inside it. I want your best experts working on this Cal.”

“Only the best. We have little to go on however. If there is anything more you can tell us about this place, it would help.”

“Out of me, Avery, and Tom, I know the least. These things took my father arrived with the meteor that created this crater.”

“There has to be more to it than that for bring Avery here.”

“He’s looking for clues to find our dads. He probably figured this was the best place to start.”

Cal called for the section head of black ops to give his report. He was the newest member of the Dozens.

“Sir… we believe there were three people here before us. They killed one, and wounded another of these… things.” Captain Ryan Gains reported.

“When?”

“Eighteen hours before we arrived.”

Karl squeezed his fists so tight his knuckles cracks. “Damn… we were so close. “

Feeling the rage boiling in his lover’s blood, Cal took over the questioning. “Where are they now?

“That’s what we don’t understand. Their tracks end at a hole in the center of that rock.” Ryan pointed to the formation at the bottom of the crater.

“They couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.”

A realization pierced through his anger. “The Eye… That is what this is. Another Eye.”

“Karl?” Feeling the lessening of their master’s frustration, Cal and the captain both let out a sign of relief.

“That archway is a gate to another world. Avery must be there. Get your men together. We’re going through.”

“Your pardon master but we cannot let you do that.”

“Let?” Karl was shocked and angered by the captain’s refusal. “Explain.”

“You are but one of the Dozen. Yes, its head but not the entire body. What will happen to us if you were to leave?”

“Our bond with you is strong but will it snap when stretched between worlds.”

“It was not just these two but all of them, the originals included. He may be the head but he could not go where the body would not take him. That left only the Eye. “Very well but I want this place secured against anything that might come out.”

“It’s for the best master.” Ryan replied. “The threats against us here must be dealt with first.”

“That means Lordon and Walker.” Cal added.

“But we know so little about them.”

“It will just take some time.”

“Time Avery might not have.”

***

Julian was not the only man of consequence in Lordon. There were five others who kept to the shadows and whose continued support Julian was dependent on. Given recent events, Julian had expected to be brought before the Board far sooner. Having received their summons, he did not delay in facing their questions.
“Report Julian” Though there were four of them, only Number One ever spoke.

“It appears the test subjects found a way to break their Omega conditioning.”

“Was that not the purpose of the Omega Project?”

“Yes but our concern is how it occurred. They did more than master their Symbionts. They are now able to spread their condition to others.”

“Is that not similar to the technique we are using?”

“Ours is based on drug therapy and mind conditioning which takes time. Their conditioning is near instantaneous.”

“Are you saying they could convert even your people?”

“The Blue should prevent that from happening ”

“You should experiment and find out.”

“They are a gestalt. What one knows is known to all. To bring one into the organization would put Lordon at too much risk.”

“Then let our allies in NSA deal with them.”

“That too would prove problematic. Cal Fisher…”

“As in Fisher Industries?” One asked.

“Yes… he has been converted. Lately, the company has taken an increased interest in our affairs. Fisher Industries is our greatest competitor in obtaining military contracts. They have nearly as many contacts in the government as we do.”

“We must act before they move against us.”

“What of the bloodlines?” For the first time the speaker was not One but Three.

“Madam?”

“Was your use of the Winters and Labatt bloodlines as innocent as you’ve claimed?”

Julian didn’t know what led to Three directly questioning him but he didn’t like it. “As I’ve explained, the only reason for their selection was their past history with the Maze.”

“But you had thousands to choose from. Why those two? Was it due to your former pupil?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting nothing. You picked those two knowing their ties to Walker. You saw binding their children to the Symbionts as a means of gaining revenge. But it didn’t work did it? The Symbiont failed to bind to Winters and yet he remained one of the Dozens. Could his ability spread to the other Dozens? Did your selfish need for revenge risk the total failure of the project? Did you doom us…”

One cut Three off. “Enough, you have made your point. Do you have any defense Julian or will you accept our judgment.”

“My only defense is the Board’s failure to let me kill Travis when I had the chance.”

“The Treaty of Rome and the peace it bought is more important. Need we remind you that your life would have been forfeit without it?”

“His life should still be forfeit for his betrayal.” Once again the speaker was Three.

“For the sake of the peace, what will you demand to not break the treaty?”

“I want Winters.”

“Why?”

“Julian once took someone very dear to me. I want to take away someone just as dear to him.”

“I fail to see the connection. How does taking away one of his specimens make up for the loss of your son.”

“Winters ruined his experiment so he wants him dead. To deny him that, I will haveWinters live.”

“You want more than that. If I give you the Winters blood line, I will have to give you the rest of the Dozens as well.”

“Yes, you would.”

“Are you mad? Haven’t you listened to a word I’ve said? The Dozens are the greatest threat to us and all mankind in over a hundred years.”

“What is the saying… ah, yes. They will be my ace in the hole against any future betrayal on your part.”

“Three, are you sure this is what you want?” One asked.

“In return for not breaking the Rome Treaty, I will accept nothing less.”

“Then you will be the one the Board will hold responsible should you fail to contain the situation.”

“It is a burden I take upon myself gladly.”

There was a silent pause as the members of the board voted. “They are now yours.”

“But…” Julian was shocked the Board was willing to take such a risk.

“Losing the Dozens will be your punishment Julian. That does not mean you are no longer responsible for cleaning up this mess. Short of killing, you are to find a way of regaining control of the Project. This will require you to work closely with Number Three.”

“I look forward to it.” Julian had to regain control of his anger. The more he seethed, the more pleasure Three would take from the situation. Out of pure spite, it had been her who had convinced the Board to spare Walker’s life. Now he would not only have to worry about Walker killing him but the Dozens as well. “Damn you Amanda…”