The Light, the Dark and the Ugly (25 page)

Dhiraj held out his hand. "Are you ready?"

Jennifer took it. "I watched as many prison TV shows as I could in preparation."

Dhiraj laughed as Agent Vott came storming in through the front door. He had a half dozen other agents in tow. There wasn't a trace of amusement on his face.

"You two have certainly been busy, haven't you?"

Chapter 40

Ted expected plenty of magical and impressive things when he found himself in a completely new world. What he didn't expect was another freakin' meeting. A secret underground chamber beneath a dusty dark soul village replaced the stuffy DHS offices. Instead of Vott reading back the minutes, General Gan and Commander Ferrick argued back and forth. While their shouting match was a lot more animated than the DHS snoozers, Ted wished things were much less heated.

Gan and Ferrick traded barbs about war-related conflicts Ted had never heard of. From the apologetic look that Razellia gave Ted, the battles they discussed were likely long forgotten by most.

Ferrick paced back and forth in front of the room. "You want to make us into a village of traitors. But we'd be heroes if we presented the light soul general's head on a pike."

Razellia cleared her throat. "Ferrick, you agreed to be civil."

He smacked his hand on the rock wall behind him. "And I'm regretting that agreement more with every passing second."

Ted glanced over to his other side. Travis looked as lost as he did, but Erica and Reena appeared hopeful.

Gan grumbled from his chair. "Just try to get my head off my shoulders. Many have died in the attempt."

Ferrick's nostrils flared. "Is that a threat?"

Gan stood up quickly. "No more than suggesting my execution is!"

Reena hopped up and stood between the two men. "Boys. We agreed to talk. Not to bicker like children."

Ted watched as both men folded their arms and turned away in unison. He would've laughed if Erica hadn't given him a look to remain silent.

Razellia stood. "Ferrick, your daughter is the same age as Vella, right?"

Ferrick nodded as if he knew where this was going.

"Ted and Natalie are the only people, dark soul, light soul or otherwise, who've tried to protect our daughters. We need to help. It's the only way."

A vein began to show on Ferrick's forehead. "The General would torch this village to the ground if he found out."

Razellia put up her hand. "The raiders would've done that anyway if Ted and Natalie hadn't saved us."

Ferrick mumbled something too low for anyone to hear. He focused his attention on Gan. "If we help you, we'll be putting every man, woman and child in this village at risk. There will be no sympathy if we're found out. Everyone will be killed."

Gan's hard demeanor began to soften. He nodded. "We'll do everything in our power to keep you from being discovered."

Ted knew the general's tone was genuine, but he still had to wonder if the words were truthful.

Ferrick looked at Ted before his eyes settled on Razellia with a sigh. "I need your word that you'll only fight other dark souls in self-defense."

Gan was about to rise in his chair again, but Reena stopped him with a swift chop.

She smiled. "Of course."

Ferrick took four long steps toward the light soul general. He extended his hand. "Then we agree to help in any way we can."

Gan looked surprised, but as a man of honor, he reached out his hand as well and shook it heartily. "Thank you."

While Gan and Reena went back to the ship to prepare, the others visited Razellia's for dinner. The second that Ted went through the door, Vella nearly knocked him over backwards with her affection.

She squealed with glee. "It's been terrible without you here."

Just hearing her voice again made Ted feel warm. He took a long look at her. "Terrible? I don't believe that."

"Okay. Maybe not terrible. But definitely less fun."

Ted introduced Erica and Travis to Razellia's daughter. Vella's jaw dropped when she saw Erica. "You're so pretty! Are you a princess?"

Erica took the girl's hand. "I'm not, but that's so nice of you to say."

When Vella looked at Travis, she had a giggle fit. "I think I know who you are."

Travis crouched down. "You do?"

Vella giggled again. "Yeah. You're the big, dumb idiot, right?"

Before Travis could respond, Vella ran away from the room, leaving a trail of giggles behind her.

He gave Ted a dirty look. "What's that all about?"

Ted shrugged. "Kids say the darndest things."

The dinner conversation had far less name calling, though Razellia peppered Travis with dozens of questions about his relationship with Natalie.

"When did you know you were in love with her?"

Erica cooed and Ted felt his face turn a little pink. He hoped that Erica's attention on Travis would keep her from noticing.

Travis looked up for a second, then back toward Razellia. "It was one day in school. Usually we met after third period and I walked her to class." A wistful look came over his face. "There was this one day she couldn't make it. I felt really strange walking to class alone. Like I was missing a part of me." He looked straight ahead at Razellia. "I think that's when I knew."

Ted's emotions began to churn. It was a mix of happiness for Travis and regret for himself. He took a few bites of food and thought about his time with Natalie, both before the breakup and after the portal. He wanted her to be happy, but a part of him also wanted her back in his arms. But Ted knew that he loved Erica, too. The swirling of thoughts and feelings made Ted miss Razellia's question.

Erica nudged him.

"Hmm?"

Erica put her arm around his shoulder. "Razellia asked us what we plan on doing together when we get back to Earth."

Ted put down his utensil. "You mean before or after we take down the evil Presidential candidate?"

Razellia smiled. "After."

Ted looked straight into Erica's eyes. He'd been living so moment-to-moment, he wasn't sure what they'd do. Could they possibly go back to holding hands in the hallway and taking another semester of high school classes together? Would they go around fighting crime and spending their nights in hotel rooms? Ted wasn't sure why, but he couldn't see either of those futures for them.

He'd paused far too long, and let the answer slip out of him. "A date."

Erica pulled him closer. "How specific and romantic."

Ted took in Erica's smell. It gave him a nervous happy feeling. "Fine. How about a picnic lunch, a movie, and then a long, scenic drive?"

Ted lost himself in Erica's smile.

"I think that sounds great."

Travis was chasing Vella around the house when Ted listened in on a conversation between Erica and Razellia. They were washing the plates and chatting about him.

"I think he's on pace to be a good man."

Erica nodded. "I know."

Ted felt tiny hands grab around his leg as Vella let out an echo of a giggle. Erica and Razellia turned around and the jig was up. Before Erica could fully cast her disapproving glance on him, Ted lifted up Vella and carried her into the other room.

After saying a proper set of goodbyes to Razellia and Vella, the rest of the gang hopped on their aircraft and flew undetected toward the dark soul capital. They'd borrowed several townspeople and a dozen or so robes to blend in with the crowd. If everything went as planned, they'd fall right into line with the pilgrimage as they walked into the city. If not, then they'd be killed before they passed beyond the walls.

Erica walked up with Reena, Gan and Ferrick, as Travis and Ted brought up the rear. The outer walls of the dark soul city looked black from years of smoke and neglect. While the previous attack had caused some damage within the city, the outer walls remained completely intact. As Gan and Reena had said, the gates leading into the city were wide open as a stream of hundreds of pilgrims walked through to pay their respects to the General.

Ted scratched at his side to get at an itch beneath the brown robe. "I guess they weren't really thinking of comfort when they made these things."

Travis smirked. "I'll take a robe over a sweaty practice jersey any day." He gave Ted a probing look. "You forgive Erica yet?"

Ted almost stumbled in his robe. "What?"

"She told me you were mad that she kept some things from you."

Ted looked up from his hood as the city came further into view. It appeared much bigger than when he'd last entered it from above. "I guess."

Travis took in the answer and the city. "I guess? If you don't, I think you're the big, dumb idiot."

As they got closer to the gates, the pace picked up. At this rate, they'd be inside in under a minute. If they didn't get stopped.

Ted's nervousness came from two fronts. "You don't know what it's like to be lied to like this."

Travis nodded. "Maybe not, but I've been on the other side. Natalie forgave me for all sorts of stuff. I shot her with a rubber bullet. In the back."

Ted raised his eyebrows. "How could I forget?"

The line continued to move closer and closer to the city. The gates were huge and golden. "I'm just saying that being forgiven is a beautiful thing. It makes you appreciate someone that much more. I'm sure that giving that to Erica would be healthy for both of you."

Ted considered the point as they walked right through into the dark soul capital. Nobody even slowed the line as everybody streamed inside.

Ted let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. I'll consider it."

He looked behind him and saw that the line ended shortly after they'd entered. The creaking gate loomed large as it began to shut. Within a few moments, all of them were trapped within the city walls.

Now there's only one way out. Through the portal and back to Earth.

PART FIVE

Chapter 41

Kit Kable woke to the sound of knocks at the door. He half expected his wife to answer it before remembering that he'd stabbed her through the chest with a metal pole. The light of dawn flitted in through the blinds. He figured he should've known better than to set his alarm any later than 5 a.m.

Kable rolled out of bed and opened the door. "Good morning, Terry."

Terry's breath was erratic as he walked right past the Presidential candidate. It sounded as if he'd sprinted to Kable's house. Why would he need to make a house call this early on a Saturday morning?

Terry sat on the rumpled comforter. "Mr. Senator, I've got a few questions and I need you to answer me honestly."

Kable took a deep breath. He was prepped on every potential policy question a reporter could ask him, but he had the feeling this had nothing to do with his political platform.

"Always."

Terry coughed as he tried to collect himself. He stared right into Kable's eyes.

"Were you born and raised in Pennsylvania?"

Kable knew that Terry had seen him kill Sandra in cold blood. There was no need to keep secrets from him now.

"No."

Terry let out a tiny moan, as if he'd hoped his boss would give a different answer. He took a few seconds before asking the next question.

"Did you ever go by another name?"

Kable was wide awake now. He pressed an intercom button.

"Ruth, can you get me some coffee and an outfit for today?" Kable turned his attention back to his campaign manager. "Terry, why are you asking me this?"

Terry gripped the bedspread, his knuckles turning white. "You tell me everything, and then I'll tell you everything."

Kable put on his slippers and pulled back the curtain. The sound from outside startled him. There were news vans and protestors as far as the eye could see.

"Yes. My birth name was–"

"Adam. And you used to have powers like Ted, right?"

Kable grabbed the curtain with his mind and pulled it shut. A simmering anger inside him was starting to boil. "Where did you get this information?"

Terry swallowed hard. "Turn on YNN. Or any channel, really. It's all they're talking about."

A staff member dropped off an outfit and a latte as Kable flipped on the TV. Rudy Bolger's fat, familiar face was the first thing he was able to make out. It took a few moments of recollection until he realized the other people on the screen. Victor, his childhood friend, sat with an arm draped over an elderly woman whose very appearance tugged at his heartstrings.

"Mom?"

For a moment, Kable forgot where he was and when he was. He pictured his parents' run-down house and the tire swing he and Victor used to play on as children. The memory was well over 40 years old, but it felt as fresh as yesterday. He had a regular life then. Before the power. Before the craving for more.

He washed it all away when Bolger spoke.

"Mrs. Crammond, did you know that your son was alive?"

Kable dropped his latte, though his powers kicked in and froze it in place about an inch off the ground.

"I had a feeling, Rudy, but it was just too upsetting to even consider. If my Adam was alive, why wouldn't he come to see me for 30 years?" His mother began to cry. "What does that say about me as a mother?"

Kable's emotions were a fireball. He watched the sickly satisfied look on Bolger's face at making an octogenarian cry. Victor wept, too. Kable knew now that he should've snapped his childhood friend's neck years ago.

Bolger continued, as Kable wished all the pain in the world against him. "Victor, what did you think when you heard that your buddy was running for President?"

Smoke emanated from the now-overheating TV.

"We're proud of him. No matter what his name is now."

Bolger's face began to fizzle as the screen melted from within. "Mrs. Crammond, do you plan on voting for Kit Kable in the election?"

His mother gave Bolger an incredulous look. "Of course I will. He's my son."

Kable didn't hear anything else from the interview, as the TV literally exploded in front of him. He stopped the glass and fire from coming anywhere near him, though Terry had to duck a few shards of plastic.