Gods From the Machine (23 page)

“
Your parents sound amazing,” Nick said.

“
They were the best. And I’m grateful to still have their memories. What about you? What do you remember from your childhood?”

“
Nothing I say can top that.” Nick felt the tension in his chest as he plucked some grass off the ground.

“
You’ve got to be more specific. Come on, I know you’re adopted, but I hardly know anything about young Nick Emberson’s time in the Garrison.”

“
You really don’t want to know,” Nick said.

“
Try me.”

When it was evident that only a proper answer would satisfy her curiosity,
Nick gave in.

“
If you insist.” Nick cleared his throat. “Growing up in the Garrison I was treated differently. I never knew my parents and I didn’t come from wealth, so naturally everyone who saw me had a weird reaction—like I was a poison to avoid. Peter tried his best, but he couldn’t always protect me. They wouldn’t tell me outright, but I instinctively knew they saw me as something less than what they were, and it hurt me to the point that…that I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror because I started to see what they saw. Peter reassured me, kept telling me that I was ‘special,’ but the truth was, I didn’t want to be ‘special,’ I just wanted to belong.

“
Eventually I gave up. I grew distant from people because I thought that trusting them would only end up hurting me. Then I met Matt, the first person other than Peter who looked at me as a person and not just some ‘thing’ to put up with. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

“
I’m sorry that happened to you. People can be so cruel,” Alyssa said. He could have just let that be the end of the story, but something urged him to continue, to release the valve that had been wound so tightly for so long.

“
I deserved all of it.” Suddenly Nick was short on breath and his heart was racing.

“
What do you mean? Is everything okay, Nick?”

“
There’s another reason I was treated the way I was and why Peter never allowed me to get my hands dirty.” Nick had a hard time mustering the strength to say it, but he had to tell her. “I-I killed someone. Susan Stillwell.”

“
Susan Stillwell—the legendary cleric?” Alyssa said with surprise. “But that’s not possible. She died in a fire.”

He felt queasy just hearing the name said aloud. The memories poured into hi
s head and he once again relived the pain.

Nick nodded.
“It was because of me that she died.”

“
This must be eating you up inside.”

“
Peter tried to cover the whole story in order to protect me, but people talk. It wasn’t as if it’d make a difference.  Nothing could get rid of the images in my head. Like you and the night terrors, there are things I’m afraid of—things I can’t explain, but they torture me. Unlike them I know exactly what keeps me up at night. For years, every time I closed my eyes I saw her there, suffering because of me. I can’t even count the nights that scene played over and over…the agonizing pain she felt as I watched her die.”

“
Tell me.” Alyssa rested her hand on his arm.

“
It’s funny, I think on some level I knew I was a monster even before Peter told me the truth. No matter how much I tried to believe differently, the looks on the people’s faces never let me forget. No matter how much Peter tried to conceal, the looks of disgust from those who remember is too much to bear.”

Alyssa gazed into his eyes
. “Let me help you, the way you helped me.”

Nick
had all this pent-up inside for such a long time. Would it be so bad to let her—the girl who he’d fallen so madly in love with—into his world? Before he wished to take this secret to the grave, let the burden die with him. But she cared for him and he could see that she wanted to help him, and he so desperately wanted to tell her everything.

“
I’m here for you no matter what Nick.” She squeezed his hand. “If you’re not ready to tell me, then don’t, and I’ll understand. But I just can’t stand by and watch you suffer like this.”

“
No, if I had to tell anyone it would be you,” Nick said. “Let me find a place to begin.” Where to start? Where did it all begin? Nick thought hard, and a rush of memories resurfaced. Like always, he didn’t like backtracking through his mind, but it was time he did for himself.

“
Six years ago, when I was twelve, I was sent with Matt and a group of others to stop a disturbance in Fyria. The city was under siege in what was one of the biggest assaults in recent history. Our commanding officer at the time was Susan Stillwell.” Nick paused to clear his throat. It was getting harder to speak.

“
During the attack, Susan broke away from the other soldiers to find and kill a group of five or six renegade demons that were fleeing. We followed them into the abandoned offshore oil-rig.

“
When we finally cornered them, it turned out that had been led straight into a horde. Susan fought bravely, but she wasn’t equipped to defend herself against a small army. She told me to run, but I panicked and dropped the lantern I was carrying. A fire started, and the building came down between us, which trapped the demons and Susan. She was crushed by the ceiling, barely alive. I was too scared to run. I watched as demons tear her apart and the entire building engulfed in flames. I was only saved when Matt and the others got there.” Nick turned away; he couldn’t face her now. He had to let her know the truth, but couldn’t bear to see the look of disgust.

But t
o his surprise, he was taken into a warm embrace. “Nick…I never knew. I never knew how much you had to bear alone. It must have killed you.”

“
Wh-what are you doing? I’m a terrible person. I deserved to die that day, and instead I was given a full pardon by Peter.”

She shook her head, and her fragrant hair tickled his nose.
“My grandpa saw the good in you, just like I do. You’re not a terrible person, and it’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself for something like that, something out of your control. Susan Stillwell’s death wasn’t vain. In saving you, she gave the world a chance at survival.”

Nick wrapped his arms around her. Instead of being
scorned, or treated with contempt, she’d accepted him. Without judgment and without hatred. He held this in for so long; he never knew how great it felt to share a piece of himself to someone.

“
I promise I’m never going to let anything happen to you,” Nick said on the brink of tears. “I swear I’ll protect you always.”

“
I trust you. And when you said you didn’t deserve anybody…well that’s just not true. You’re good enough for me.”

When the sun set they
realized that the “wet warrior” wouldn’t to make an appearance. They went back to the loft and found a full house. Garreth isolated himself away in his office; while Paul was eating a small meal alone at the dining table; Daniel and Matt were watching television on the couch. They all looked exhausted.

“
Where have you two been all day?” Daniel asked.

“
Searching for leads,” Alyssa said. Nick exchanged a knowing glance and he tightened his hand over hers.

“
Right.” Matt turned off the television. “We also went clue searching today. Me and Daniel decided to go back to the Den of Pain. We found bags of Dolere Flos stuffed in boxes. It looked like Astaroth was planning to ship them somewhere. We combed the place over but found no sign of the sword, which means it’s probably long gone.”

“
What would anyone want with the Dolere Flos?” Daniel asked.

Paul put his plate in the sink.
“I couldn’t find the warrior Cunningham was talking about, but I went downtown. Nobody has seen that knight, but there’s talk about a strange man with an eye patch. They say he’s farmer and he had been coming back and forth the last few months buying fertilizer and bags to store crops for shipment.” He pulled out the picture Lucius left them and waved it in the air. “I showed them this picture and they agreed that it was match. Turns out the traitor found a new hobby.”

“
What would Doctor Numerous be doing in Hyperion?” Nick said.

“
I don’t know, but this proves he has had a hand in the attacks. Astaroth’s presence and the break to the shield spell it out plainly enough,” Paul said.

“
Guys, you have to check this out!” Garreth called from the other room. Everyone hurried in. His computer monitor was a collection of pictures with times and dates labeled in the corners. “I hacked the security cameras of every farm supply store within a two hundred mile radius and used facial recognition to match Numerous’ face. He hasn’t just been in Hyperion. He’s been in just about every store at every civilian city in any country you can name: Glenhaven, Thorne, Fyria, Pailo—you name it. All were visited by a one-eyed farmer.”

“
But look at the time stamps. These areas are miles apart, yet he’s been at all these locations within minutes of each other,” Paul said. “How can this be? How can anyone travel this fast?”

“
Teleportation isn’t a demon ability…is it?” Daniel asked.

Matt shook his head.
“None that I ever heard of. He’s a wanted man. There’s no way this guy can be moving across the country and still get under the radar of every Garrison. There has to be something wrong with the facial recognition, or it must not be working correctly.”

“
I developed the system myself. It’s state of the art,” Garreth said.

“
We have to warn my grandpa somehow,” Alyssa said.

“
Where was his most recent appearance?” Nick asked.

Garreth typed
a series of keys and another screen popped up with a list.

“
Downtown Hyperion, like Paul said.” Garreth scrunched his face. “Come to think of it, most of his appearances have been sighted nearby here.”

Nick glanced around at them all.
“I was told once that he was methodical, a perfectionist when it came to everything he did. After all that’s happened these last couple of days, I have a feeling that whatever he’s planning will come into fruition soon.”

12
. Blackout

The weather reports that morning said it was to be the hottest day of the month with a high of a hundred and ten degrees. The sun was at its
peak and beating down hard on the citizens of Hyperion. Blazing, when applied to normal standards, but perfectly comfortable for Nick. He was awake, but lying with his eyes closed under the shade of a tree at Paradise Pond with his head nestled in Alyssa’s lap. She was reading a book in one hand, while playing with his hair with the other.

The gentle breeze carried her familiar fragrance and he took a deep breath. He loved the way she smelled. It was the same perfume she wore ever since they first met; a lightly scented combination of irises and jasmine. Like a trus
ty bloodhound, he had memorized this perfect scent and associated it to the comfort it gave him, the way a parent’s heartbeat gave ease to a frightened child.

It was funny, with her presence around him he felt so much more human, so much
more capable in every way. Despite the problems they’d faced in the past, their bond had grown even stronger as a result. But even though his nightmares were over, there was something else that kept him tossing and turning at night. The issue at hand was one they had yet to identify, but had to be dealt with quickly before the consequences spiraled out of control. Unfortunately, all they could do was wait for signs of the culprit’s return.

It had been just a little over a week since they had deduced Doc
tor Numerous as the instigator behind the demon activity in Hyperion. Looking back, Nick wasn’t sure why they didn’t figure it out sooner. Doctor Numerous was human which allowed him to move from city to city and get under the Holy Shield without much trouble. His longstanding time with the Garrison as an alchemist would explain why he would have a particular vendetta. Still, taking a sword enchanted by holy properties would do little to help the demons.

But
that wasn’t Nick’s main concern. Even now that they knew of his involvement, how could they hope to stop him? Nick knew how to combat demons and knights, but how could they battle someone who had mastered both sides of the spectrum? Doctor Numerous had a genius intellect and experience well beyond them under his belt. Challenging him would be even more difficult considering he had been recently become one of the Infernals, the group of powerful demon warlords that served directly under the Crowned Princes. Nick already had trouble defeating his subordinate and a few hounds, how could he hope to stop someone who was in a completely different league?

He
felt a slight thud as she dropped her novel onto the grass and let out a short, exasperated sigh.

Nick opened his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”

“
I haven’t spoken to my grandpa since he left. I can’t shake the feeling that something has happened to him,” Alyssa said.