Accidental Hero (Jack Blank Adventure) (27 page)

“Impossible,” Jack’s Rüstov replied. “Our agent would not lie to us. Our agent
could
not lie to us.”

Jack got that cold feeling in his stomach again. He didn’t like what he was hearing. Their agent? Another Collaborator? He also didn’t like that there were five Left-Behinds on the roof. That was four more than he expected, and none of them seemed to think he was Rüstov royalty anymore. He decided to go back and get the others.

As Jack backed away toward the fire escape, he heard a sound from behind. He turned just as a Ronin’s blade
was about to descend on him. When the blade reached its highest point, Jack watched as at least a dozen arrows struck the Ronin’s back, dropping him where he stood. The Ronin fell like a one-hundred-pound sandbag right on top of Jack. The Left-Behinds looked up in surprise. Chi’s ninjas had saved Jack’s life, but also had given away his position. “The child!” one of the Left-Behinds exclaimed, taking a step toward Jack. “He’s come to us!”

“Stand fast,” the head Left-Behind said to them, pointing across the rooftops. “Their numbers are too great,” it added, eyeing the dozens of ninjas that were now running toward them, having finished off most of the Ronin assassins. “Fall back. Scatter and regroup at Location 12. Follow Omega Protocols if captured.”

The Left-Behinds split up and ran off, all in different directions. Climbing out from under the fallen Ronin fighter, Jack was grossed out by the black sand all over him. He frantically beat the sand out of his clothes and struggled to untangle himself from the lifeless white suit. By the time he got clear of it, most of the Left-Behinds were already out of sight. One, however, was still within reach. Jack summoned his powers and asked it to stop
where it was. Not surprisingly, it had no interest in complying with that request. That was fine, Jack thought. It was headed for the MagLev road. He waited until it was underneath the overpass and, with a simple thought, Jack reversed the polarity of the road. The forces of magnetic attraction pulled the Left-Behind’s metal frame up to the underside of the highway and held him there. He couldn’t have been locked down any tighter if he were tied with a thousand chains.

“Gotcha!” Jack said.

Jack started running across the roof toward the helpless Rüstov. Chi’s ninjas followed. They were still a building or two behind Jack, but as he reached the MagLev overpass, Jack heard the hum of the AirSkimmer above him. He looked up to see Skerren driving it along an erratic, swerving path to reach the Left-Behind at the same time he did. Skerren dismounted on the roof next to Jack, and the two boys stared up at the trapped enemy.

“You caught it,” Skerren said, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah,” Jack replied. “It’s not the same one as before, though. There were more of them here tonight. Five of them.”

“Five?” Skerren repeated, looking up at the Rüstov. It wasn’t struggling to free itself. The Left-Behind didn’t seem to be paying him or Jack any real attention at all. It was grunting something to itself in Rüstov-speak. “Can you understand it?” Skerren asked. “What’s that it’s saying?”

“I don’t know,” Jack said. “I’m trying, but it’s weird. It almost feels like half of it is turned off, and the other half is just… counting down.”

Jack drew in a sharp breath, suddenly realizing what was going to happen. He prayed he wasn’t too late and dove headlong into Skerren, taking them both over the side of the roof as the Left-Behind exploded. The blast carried with it enough force to blow the MagLev road apart and take out the roof of the building Jack and Skerren had just been standing on. They were in the air for only a brief second when the shockwave rocked them from behind. Smoke and dust from the explosion blinded Jack instantly. He held on to Skerren as tight as he could to keep them from being separated. Completely disoriented and falling through the air, he reached for help from anywhere. It was fight-or-flight instinct, not a conscious
thought. Jack heard a loud hum and took a harsh blow to his entire body as he and Skerren both hit hard against a flat surface. It hurt, but Jack knew it should have hurt more. As the smoke cleared, the surface beneath Jack and Skerren started to rise up in the air. Jack and Skerren had been caught by the AirSkimmer. Jack had pulled it in with his powers just in time.

“You… you saved me,” Skerren said, rubbing his head. He had a dazed look in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Jack responded as the AirSkimmer brought them back to safe ground. “I’m just as surprised as you are.

Chi and the others raced over to the blast site, relieved to see the boys were both all right. When it was all over, the ninjas escorted the children safely out of the dark alleys and back to the ZenClan dojo. Jazen and Hovarth were there waiting for them when they arrived. Hovarth was glad to hear about Skerren’s part in the recent battle, but Jazen was less than pleased about Jack’s involvement. He was understandably upset with Jack for putting himself in such danger. Seated at the edge of Chi’s stone garden, Jazen told Jack and Allegra just how lucky they
were. “What would you have done if Chi hadn’t been there tonight? You two would have had to face the Ronin alone.”

Jack apologized to Jazen and admitted that it was all his idea. He was the one who had convinced Allegra to go, and said it wasn’t her fault. He also told everyone what he’d seen and heard that night in Karateka. He said that the Rüstov were coming after him, and, to make matters worse, they had friends inside Empire City. “Someone was working with the Rüstov tonight,” Jack said. “I heard them talking about an agent.”

“Another Collaborator?” Allegra asked.

Jack shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe we got the wrong guy last time.”

“What do they want with you, Jack?” she asked.

Jack shook his head. He didn’t know. Jack didn’t know any of that because he didn’t know anything about himself. Not the way the Rüstov sure seemed to. Why was it the only people who knew anything about him were the ones who wanted to hurt him?

Chi, on the other hand, said he knew everything he needed to know about Jack. About all the children,
in fact. He told the students they had all shown skill, bravery, and selflessness that night. By working together toward a common goal, they had displayed teamwork, the asset he valued the most. With their actions they had earned not only his respect but his vote as well.

“If many can move as one, they can move mountains,” Chi told the children. “But all concerned must understand this basic truth. They must share the same goal. The same direction, focus, and discipline. It is not about the individual. We are stronger together.” Chi waved his hand out over the railing of the stone garden. “Look there,” he said. “What do you see?”

In the garden, tiny pebbles covered every inch of the ground, all raked in tight, neat rows. A small number of larger stones, half buried in moss-covered patches, were scattered about. The pebbles were raked in perfect circles around the dry-moss islands like ripples in a gravelly pond. Chi explained that the placement of every single rock was intentionally designed to produce a calming, Zen-like atmosphere. “The pebble is no more and no less important than the boulder,” Chi said. “They work together to form the beauty of this garden. Like individual brushstrokes in a
masterpiece, together they become something greater than their solitary selves. In battle it is no different.” He looked at Jack and Skerren. “Regardless of your differences… in battle you are brothers. You are family.”

“I don’t
have
any family,” Skerren said. He turned to Jack. “Don’t go thinking we’re brothers. I’m not even sure what you were really doing out there tonight.”

Jack was shocked. “You still don’t trust me after all this?” he asked. “I saved your life.”

“Sure,” Skerren said. “This time. What about next time? What if the next time I need you for something, you have a Rüstov mark on your eye?” Skerren shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if I trust you or not. You’re infected. You can’t even trust you. The parasite could be pulling your strings right now and you wouldn’t even know it. That’s how it is with the Rüstov.”

“You’re not being fair,” Allegra said to Skerren.

“Fair’s got nothing to do with it,” Skerren replied. “You think he’s your friend, Allegra, but you can’t be sure. Even
he
can’t be sure which side he’s on. He doesn’t know a thing about himself!”

“That’s the whole point!” Jack said. “That’s exactly
why we were out there tonight. Look, Skerren, I get it. You hate the Rüstov, that’s fine. But I don’t know what you want me to do about it. I can’t help what I am.”

For a moment, Skerren actually seemed to look at Jack like a real person. “I know it’s not your fault,” he said, “but the Rüstov don’t just want you. They’ve already got you. You’re worth something to them and they’ve got a hook in you already. That’s all there is to it. No matter what anyone says, you’re already lost.”

“Skerren,” Allegra began, “why do you have to be like that?” Skerren was already on his way to the door. He didn’t slow down and he didn’t look back.

“Do not worry, Jack,” Chi said, resting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Families fight all the time. What matters is what they do when they need each other. When it counts. You were there for Skerren tonight. I believe the time will come when he makes the same decision. The universe is a balanced place. The more you give, the more you receive in the end.”

“I don’t even think I care anymore,” Jack said. “I mean, if he can’t get over his issues after a night like this, what’s it gonna take? I’m just so sick of his attitude.”

Allegra nodded. “I don’t get why he’s so angry all the time,” she said. “He’s good at everything. He’s got his power totally mastered, all this stuff comes easy for him… what’s his problem?”

Hovarth looked sadly at the gate Skerren had left by. “I wouldn’t say Skerren has it all so well,” he said. “Skerren walks a road just as hard as anyone’s.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“Well,” the mighty king began, “I’ve known Skerren since he was a baby. His father was my blood brother in combat. He and his wife were my closest friends. I’ve never known happier, prouder parents. They loved Skerren and doted on him. And then one day that all ended. Rüstov Left-Behinds, in hiding since the invasion, emerged in search of new hosts, made their way into Varagog, and infected Skerren’s parents.

“They turned before the boy’s very eyes,” Hovarth said. “It took only seconds. Taken over by Rüstov parasites, his parents tried to kill him. He had to fight them off, his own parents, just to stay alive. He couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old at the time. Just a boy. Skerren doesn’t hate you, Jack. He hates what is in you. He hates
the Rüstov, and with good reason. You think him a bully or a mean child, but in many ways he is not a child at all. He survived his parents, but his childhood died years ago. Since then, he has focused only on his training. And his anger.”

Jack and Allegra were quiet.

“Did you know any of that?” Jack asked Allegra.

“No,” Allegra said mournfully.

Jack didn’t know what to say. Skerren’s story was horrible. Really, it was much worse than his own. Life at St. Barnaby’s was nothing compared to what Skerren had gone through. Jack always thought Skerren was a jerk, but nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. Skerren wasn’t bad—he just had had to grow up too fast. Jack, like most orphans, knew exactly what that was like.

“I’m afraid this is by no means a unique tale,” Hovarth said. “Nearly everyone in Empire City has a story like this to tell, some dating back to the invasion, and others, like Skerren’s, that are more recent. Everyone here has a bad memory about the Rüstov, and that’s all they can think of when they see you. They ask why you live with the infection when their loved ones died. Why is your life spared
when theirs were lost? Sheds some light on why people look at you the way they do, eh? What they see is their pain. No doubt, Skerren sees his parents.”

Suddenly, Jack saw both Skerren and Hovarth in a whole new light. “Do you see that too?” he asked Hovarth. “Skerren’s parents, I mean? Your best friends?”

“They were already lost, Jack,” Hovarth replied. “Once the Rüstov take root in someone, that person is gone.” He reflected on that a moment, then added, “Except for you, it seems. When I voted against you in the sphere and said that sooner or later you would turn, I meant it. However, when I became Circleman of Varagog, like my father before me, I gave my word to uphold the will of the Inner Circle. It was the will of the Circle that you be tested for the School of Thought, so I gave you a chance. I gave you a chance because of Stendeval. I may not always agree with him, but I do respect him. Jonas Smart might be the smartest man in Empire City, but Stendeval is the wisest.”

“What happened to Skerren’s parents?” Allegra asked. “Did Skerren have to kill them to get away?”

“No,” Hovarth said gravely. “I’m afraid that burden fell to me.”

For the first time, Jack saw himself through everyone else’s eyes. He began to realize just how badly everyone was wronged by the Rüstov. Suddenly, the harm that the Rüstov had done to the people of Empire City had a real face on it. Oddly enough, that face was Skerren’s.

When Jack got back to the Ivory Tower, the evening took yet another unexpected turn. He and Jazen came home to find that while they were out, their apartment had been broken into and ransacked. Inside, the place was a wreck. Someone had turned the furniture over, rifled through the drawers, and kicked in the bedroom doors. A strong wind blew in from a window that had been smashed, and Anti-Gravity platforms hung down at uneven angles, blowing back and forth in the breeze. Jazen scanned the apartment for intruders before he let Jack follow him in. Once they were both inside, they sifted through the mess in stunned silence.

“I guess now I’m glad you snuck out tonight,” Jazen finally said to Jack, trying to make light of the situation.

Jack wasn’t laughing. He was well aware of what the break-in meant for him. “The Rüstov…,” he said, thinking back to what he had heard on the rooftops, just hours
before. “Jazen, the Rüstov said I wasn’t where their agent said I would be tonight. I was supposed to be here!”