Chapter Twenty-Two
Gabriel jerked his face up. The stale smell of the musty old mattress filled his nose. His head was clouded and heavy. Where was he? Two men stood on either side of a door. His blurry vision slowly focused on them as the strangers chatted in a language he didn’t know. They were obviously guards of some kind, dressed in casual clothing but with automatic weapons at their sides. Each had the same strange Asian-looking characters tattooed across their hands and throat.
As quietly as possible, he pushed himself up and gently swung his feet down onto the dirty cement floor. He kept his eyes on the two chatting guards, trying not to make a sound. His concentration broke as a sudden loud clang of metal banged through the room. Gabriel’s head snapped towards the sound.
In the corner of the room, a chair sat behind a grey steel desk. From it, a stern looking man glared at him. He wore an open-collar dress shirt that revealed the same tattoos traveling down his neck to disappear beneath his clothes. He shouted something at the two guards. They hung their heads in shame during the reprimand then resumed a vigilant post on either side of the door. The boss never took his gaze off of Gabriel as he rose up slowly from his chair. He leaned two heavy fists on the desk and smiled like a lion baring his teeth.
“So, you’re awake.” The voice was deep and echoed through the concrete room, thick with an Asian accent. “Fun night at the club?” he mocked.
Gabriel swallowed hard, still feeling dazed. Who had taken him?
The large man stepped out from behind the desk. A strong, athletic-looking physique contradicted the expensive watch covered in rare stones on his wrist. Each fist was lined with glitzy rings, though the hardened, scarred knuckles looked as if they belonged to a cage fighter.
“It is no problem if you do not speak. At this point it is best you listen. I would give you my name, but I do not think you would care. All you need to know is that you are now the property of the Horsemen.”
Gabriel’s mind flashed to an image he remembered seeing on the news. The newscaster had spoken of a criminal group of the same name. They were stealing ore and material on a global scale. They were the ones responsible for the attack on TERA’s Chinese transport.
“At least, you will belong to them, once I’m paid. I’m a collector of interesting things. Things like your kind.” The man stared smugly down at Gabriel. “I thought to cut the crystal out of your chest until the crazy scientist from the Horsemen showed up." He shrugged. "After all, the white ore is rare but useless. I doubt it would fetch a high price on the black market.” He laughed. “But scientist thinks you’re important, so I guess you’re safe. If he’s happy with the tests – I get paid.”
Gabriel spit on the ground. “You’re just a human trafficker!”
“Human, ore, weapons. I don’t care – they ask and I find it.” The man snapped his fingers and spoke to the guards. They ran over, grabbed Gabriel, and forced him face down on the floor. The rough concrete scraped his face. They yanked his arms painfully behind him, handcuffing his wrists to his ankles. The sharp steel around his wrists cut into his skin.
“You see,” the boss continued, gently rolling up the sleeves on his expensive shirt, “the Horsemen are not a den of thieves like us. They’re a society of enlightened individuals and we live by their rules.” He kept talking, but Gabriel ignored him, trying to focus on breaking his bonds with the strength lying in his chest. Nothing happened. His head was still clouded and the crystal seemed asleep in his chest. He couldn’t manage to summon any of its strength. Wake up! His thoughts broke as the man’s loud voice increased with passion.
“… and so they will rebuild this world. A paradise where the strong will rule and the weak will die! And we will be princes in a new kingdom.”
“You think I care about them?” Gabriel twisted his neck off the floor to look up at him.
“You should!” The man nodded and the guards hauled him to his knees, his back arched as the handcuffs cut into his wrists. The man leaned down and slapped him across the face, leaving a searing pain in his hand’s wake. He walked away from Gabriel, removed several rings from his hands and dropped them onto the desk, one echoing thud after another.
“I want everyone who meets me to understand that we will not be opposed. I don’t care if they are men, women or children …” The man turned, clenching fists and teeth. “Oppose me and you will feel no more! No happiness, no joy, or comfort!” The man marched towards Gabriel and struck his face again, toppling him to the ground.
Gabriel’s left eye burned like fire and swelled shut. Blood dripped down his face. “Son of a bitch!” The pain was immense.
A kick to his side left Gabriel gasping for air, sucking in mouthfuls of dust from the filthy floor. He coughed and spit as he tried to regain control of his lungs. The guards hoisted him up by his collar and the next blow split his lips against his teeth. Blood filled his mouth, choking his breath. They set him back on his knees again. Gabriel teetered from side to side trying to keep his balance as he vomited out the blood. The crystal lay heavy and inactive in his chest. Why wasn’t it working? The boss walked away from him, wiping his hands on a silk cloth.
“This is what will happen if you fight! I will take everything from you, and lastly – just before you die – I will cut that ore out of your chest myself! Take him and put him with the others!” the boss barked at the guards.
The two guards rushed over and removed the steel handcuffs that had cut their way into his wrists, taking chunks of skin with them. They hauled Gabriel up by his arms and dragged him out of the room.
The hallway was dark and musty. Fluorescent bulbs flickered high overhead, casting shadows everywhere. Gabriel hung helplessly between the two guards. Pain throbbed across his face and side. They forced him to walk down a set of metal stairs. He lost his balance near the bottom and tumbled down the last several steps. The guards didn’t care. They hauled him upright again, hard hands digging into his muscles as they dragged him into a dark room. A single red bulb glowed to life as they entered. Between the poor lighting and swollen eye, Gabriel didn’t see much in the room, except the steel cage he was tossed into. He lay face down, motionless on the cold, wet floor, his head still ringing. He heard the door clang shut, the light went out, and he surrendered to unconsciousness.
He was unsure how much time had passed. He rolled onto his back. If his pain was a good indicator, it couldn’t have been long. Even the shallowest breath sent excruciating pain through his ribs. Opening his eyes, he could only see darkness. He reached a hand up and felt the low, cold steel roof of his cage – it was barely tall enough to fit a large dog. He ran his hand along each of the bars that formed the walls that caged him. The space was no bigger than four feet by three feet, certainly not enough room to stretch out his cramped legs. He also found a small slimy dish of what felt like water and another with some kind of slop. A foul smelling rag hung on the edge of a bucket in the corner. The odor told him what the bucket was for. He rolled onto his knees, careful not to knock anything over and strained his eyes to see around the room.
A little light seeped in through a large round wall vent. It hummed and squealed continually as it cycled the stale, stinking air. He licked his lips, and the still-open cut stung. All he could taste was blood. He was in rough shape. The fuzziness had left him and he replayed the events that had happened to him. He cursed himself silently for trusting the bouncer – a complete stranger. How could he have been so stupid?
“Hello?” A soft, high-pitched voice came from several feet away.
Startled, he turned his head and peered past his own bars and through another set to a blurry movement in the next cage.
“Who’s there?” he whispered into the darkness.
“Lots of us." The soft voice whispered back. "You aren’t alone in this horrible place.”
Grunts and other words of affirmation sounded as a multitude of people suddenly came to life in the dark room.
“What is
going on? Why are they doing this!”
“Shhh!” She warned him. “Quiet! The guards will come back and be angry.”
“Sorry.” Gabriel lowered his voice to a whisper again. “Why are they keeping us all?”
“They’re just waiting to sell us off to the Horsemen. Their leader, Shiro, works for them – he and his thugs hunt down anything they ask for.” The soft whisper moved closer to his ear.
He leaned his head against the steel bars, trying hard not to miss any of her explanation.
“Everyone in this room is carrying ore, or is connected to it.”
Were any of them from the Sphere? His heart quickened, his mind going into overdrive. Was Celes here as well? Was the club a setup? “Are you with the Sphere?”
“No. Maybe some of these people are, but not me. Sorry,” she whispered back. “I’m Kyrie.”
“I’m Gabriel.”
“Nice to meet –” Her words were interrupted as the steel door of the room swung open.
The dirty light from the hallway shone into the room, momentarily blinding him. He squinted hard to focus as two guards walked into the room, casting towering shadows across the floor. For the first time he could make out most of the room; it was larger than he had expected, holding about two dozen cages filled with ragged people clutching the bars with frail fingers. The guards headed in his direction.
His heart quickened as they moved closer. The beam of their flashlight focused on Kyrie’s cage beside him. She scooted to the back of the cage. Her pale face was framed by long, tangled black hair. Her dark brown, oval-shaped eyes were filled with anger. Her nostrils flared as she bit her cracked, lower lip, her hands in fists. Her tiny frame was badly scarred and her clothes were ripped and ragged. The guards opened her cage and gestured for her to step out. When she refused they reached in, each catching hold of a wrist. She fought hard to stay in the cage, but one guard slapped her across the face several times before finally pulling her free.
As she got to her feet, her legs moved with lightning fast reflexes. She caught the guard in the crotch, and snapped her heel back along his knee. He dropped her arm and grabbed at his groin as he toppled over backwards to the ground. With her free hand, she swung at the other man. He deflected her hit, dropping her other arm as he grasped at a taser on his belt. It sparked with a blue flicker as he lunged at her with it. She side-stepped the attack and unleashed a flurry of strikes on him. It drove the guard back, but her hits were weak. Gabriel could see she was already spent – her chest rising and falling too fast. She was exhausted. The other guard on the ground grabbed at her legs, trying to drag her down with him. She fought against him, but it was too late. The distraction left her open. The taser in the second guard’s hand jabbed into her side, and she screamed in pain.
“Leave her alone!” Gabriel roared. A rage came over him.
The guards paid no attention to him. Gabriel grabbed the bars in anger and the familiar web of light began to glow brightly under his skin. He yelled as he pushed on the cage door. The steel popped and creaked, bending under his strength. The guards dropped Kyrie to the ground and stepped back, shouting loudly in their language. Kyrie didn’t move. She stared at him with wide eyes. Gabriel glared at the guards and began to rattle the door on its hinges, breaking free.
A dark image filled the lit doorway. “Gabriel!”
His concentration broke as he strained to see who called his name. The white beams of light cooled under his skin. The steel door became difficult to move as he continued to try and push it free.
“Gabriel, Gabriel.” Shiro strolled into the room.
“Leave her alone!” He spit at the man.
“Hah! Like you have any say in what I do. Kyrie is one of my favorites. A spy with an affinity for green ore. A dangerous combination. But look at you – quite impressive. I think I might need to raise my price for you. The mad scientist will have fun with you, but right now he needs Kyrie … and you need to sleep.” He produced two pills from his pocket and handed them to the guard. The guard stepped to the cage with the two blue capsules, holding them out for Gabriel to take. “Take them!” Shiro commanded.
Gabriel glared at him. “Go to hell!”
“Boy! You are stupid, aren’t you?” Shiro’s voice rose to a full yell. “You don’t get it, do you? I decide who goes to hell here. I decide who lives or dies! Now, do as I say. Or perhaps my dear Kyrie will die today! She is not as valuable as you. ” He grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to her feet as she cried out in pain. “Or perhaps I will simply hurt her, and you can watch. Listen to her scream.”
Gabriel took the pills, feeling helpless as he swallowed them. He spit at the ground and continued to stare at Shiro, hating him.
“Good boy.” Shiro sneered. “Know this: If you try anything, I will not only kill you, but every single person in this room.”
The threat echoed in his head as the medication began to take effect. He tried to fight the reaction, but collapsed on the floor of the small cage, unable to hold himself up any longer. His eyelids drooped as Shiro and the guards exited the room with Kyrie, leaving everyone in darkness once again.
Gabriel drifted in a sea of memories as the drugs took hold. He could hear his father’s voice, sharing the news about discovering the ore. “… the ore will change the world; this could save us all … enhance our ability to farm and provide clean water to the masses!”
The vision was interrupted by the image of his mother dropping to her knees and crying at the front door of the farm house. Nate stood there with her, apologizing as he knelt down to hold her. The image faded into a blur and changed to his mother’s hand flecked with blood and pinned under the wall of the house. Gabriel tried to scream, but nothing left his mouth. If only he could have saved her! If only he had left the crystal to the storm and stayed safe in the shelter with his mother.
Rage filled him, and he willed his body to move, but nothing happened. He was paralyzed, drifting in a remembrance of sorrows until a thundering crack fractured the images like glass. Gabriel opened his eyes to the steel roof of his cage. Movement beside him caught his attention and he tried to get up, but his body refused. He rolled his head to the side. In her own cage lay Kyrie, her dark eyes only half-open. She crawled towards him and stretched her thin arms through the bars. He could see the gloss of blood down her arm.
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine,” she whispered. “This won’t go on forever; they’ll find us soon.”