Eden's Ore - Secrets

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Gabriel sat up and looked around. The room wasn’t familiar to him. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was an immense pain – as if his chest was splitting open. He slid his hand under his shirt. Pulses of heat radiated across his palm as he touched the ore. It had worked! The two pieces of ore had forged into a single larger piece. He leapt from the old cot he was on, feeling especially alert.  His ears twitched at the muffled voices coming from behind the door. All of his senses were keener than normal.

  His eyes picked up the details of everything in the room.  The cot was old and smelled – a touch of mould was growing in the fibers. It had patches of army emblems sewn over the torn cloth. They listed different platoons and companies from across the last fifty years. Nate wasn’t that old.

  On the wall next to him was a tall dresser that looked like it had been discarded on the street in some rundown neighborhood. Half the varnish had been eaten away by time and the whole thing stood at a slight slant. The top of it was covered in dust and he guessed the drawers would be much the same – empty and forgotten. The room was more of a closet, no bigger than ten by ten. It was dimly lit by a glass light bulb. He was surprised it even worked. Turning to the only door in the room, he grabbed the handle and pushed it open.

  Nate was bare-chested and hunched over the back of a small wooden chair. A large bald man wearing blue surgical gloves pulled a thin black thread as he sutured the back of Nate’s shoulder. His hands were steady as they worked the hooked needle and thread through the skin.

  “Hurry up, Marlin. Just another scar to add to the collection.” Nate laughed, failing to notice Gabriel’s entrance to the room.

  “Quit your belly aching … I’m almost done here.” The bald man took notice of Gabriel through his narrowed eyes. “You feeling alright, soldier?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Gabriel nodded quickly, hoping to avoid an examination.

  “Told you that bed would be fine!” Marlin slapped Nate’s wound, causing Nate to grunt as he gritted his teeth.

  “Glad to see you’re up.” Nate twisted to face Gabriel.

  “I told you he was fine, nothing wrong with him.” The old man finished his last stitch and slapped a large piece of strange colored tape over the wound, making Nate grunt in pain once again.

  “And I promise this is the last time.”

  “Sure, sure … keep those patches on for a few days and you should be all healed up.” Marlin took off his gloves and tossed them on the table with the rest of the medical supplies.

  “Sarge, this is Gabri –” Nate’s words were cut off by the grumpy surgeon’s roar.

  “I don’t want to know his name! Or what you two are up to! I am old and retired. I lead a quiet life now and don’t need none of your crazy crusades messing that up. Now get out of my house!” The man glared at Nate through squinted eyes.

  Nate rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “You grumpy old bastard! Never going to change, are you?”

  Gabriel couldn’t help but grin at the remark as Nate began gathering their things.

  “Well, Reinhart, if you’re done being a pain in my ass, I’ll get back to my day.” The old sergeant huffed and left the room.

  Nate looked Gabriel up and down as he finished stuffing some things into his black bag. “What happened with you, anyways? You glowed like a match head and burned me when I tried to touch you.”

  “They merged.” He tapped his chest.

  Nate stared at him with an odd expression. “What are you talking about?”

  “The ore combined!” Gabriel smiled. “I knew it.”

  “Combined!” Nate was shocked. “What does that mean?”

   “No idea!” He laughed.

  Nate paused for a moment. “Ah, forget it. I’ll wait for Osho to explain it. Grab the strongbox and let’s go before that old dinosaur comes back in here and yells again.” Nate leaned over, looking down the hallway where the Sergeant had disappeared.

  Gabriel picked up the steel box. “Please tell me we can get rid of this thing soon. I am really tired of carrying it.”

  “One more stop. Got a new vehicle out back. Courtesy of Bishop Riley. He thought we would be safe here.” Nate nodded at him. “You seem to be a hot commodity.”

  “So, he let us go?” Riley was from the Church, and the Church wanted him. It didn’t make any sense to him.

  “Riley’s trying to find out what the deal is with you and the Church. We can trust him. In the meantime we’ll have to be a lot more careful.” Nate pulled a new T-shirt over his head. “Sarge!”

  “What?” A nasty holler came from the front of the house.

  “Love you!” Nate shouted as loud as he could.

  “Shut up! And get off my property!” the old man roared back.

  Gabriel followed Nate through the back door of the old house, laughing with him. A blue SUV waited for them in the alley. It was obvious that Nate had taken care of all the details. There wasn’t much for Gabriel to do but carry that chest, until he was told to stop. As the two walked down a flight of rickety stairs he asked, “What’s the deal with him?”

  “Mr. Charming? He was the first sergeant major I served under in the Special Forces. Always there to help out when I’m in a tight spot. Not much for talking though, but a damn good field surgeon. And, despite his grumpiness, he’s a good guy. Outside of you – he’s the closest family I’ve got.” Nate stopped walking and turned. “Speaking of ‘what’s the deal’ … What were you thinking? Here I am shot and you go and do something crazy with the ore! You’re more like your dad then you know. Next time give me some warning.” Nate opened the hatch of the SUV and threw his bag on the back seat.

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” Gabriel slid the strongbox into the back then climbed into the front of the vehicle. “So, what did Riley say? He mention the Sphere at all?”

  “Don’t think so. He pulled me out of the safe house, afraid you were going to go off like a bomb.” Nate opened the driver door. “I don’t know all the details, but it sounds like they’ve run into some users just as strong as you.”

  Gabriel stayed quiet. Just as strong as him? Or stronger? Was the ore imbedded in them as well?

  “Anyhow, Riley will keep the Church at bay for now, but it’s best if we don’t draw any new attention to ourselves.” Nate checked the mirrors around the vehicle.

  “So, back to the IP?” He was eager to talk to Dr. Osho about the ore combining.

  “Actually, that’s something I need to talk to you about.” Nate paused before starting the engine. “I need to go back to the ranch – our ranch.”

  “What! Why?” Gabriel didn’t know what to think.

  “There are some things I need from there … Look, I know it isn’t the most comfortable idea going back there for you but,” Nate turned the key, “I think you should see what’s there.”

  Gabriel’s gut twisted as he thought about the wreckage of the house and the body of his mother trapped under the fallen wall, her lifeless hand covered in blood.

  Nate grabbed his shoulder. “Whether you want to go or not, one day you will need to deal with it. We will all need to deal with it. It’s our home.”

  The word “home” bounced around inside Gabriel’s head as they drove. Adin and he had never discussed what was going to happen to it. All that was left was the storage container, full of the salvageable remnants of Gabriel’s former life. It would remain there until he chose to move it. No one else could.

  Swallowing hard he nodded his head and looked at Nate. “You’re not really giving me a choice … are you?”

  Nate put the car into gear. “It’s important, Gabriel. I promise it’ll make sense when we get there.”

  They left Denver’s smoggy skyline in the distance as they headed west to the main highway. Neither of them spoke much during the drive. The trip was a somber reminder of where he had come from and where his life was now. He had been thrust into a whirlwind of life and death, trying to disco
ver his father’s secrets and a world hidden behind a veil of lies.

  Driving the highway for the first time with Adin had felt like entering a different world, leaving behind the one he loved and knew so well. Death and fear had ruled so many of his days over the last several weeks. It was a harsh reality that he wanted to run away from, but he knew he couldn’t. Too many secrets. Too many lies. He needed to know the truth. It held him on this path. A path his father had chosen to walk and now a path he would follow. As they neared the ranch, the familiar sights of broken homes and destroyed lives rolled past his window. His mounting anticipation became physically uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat. The long driveway of the ranch was just ahead of them. He breathed out loudly, pushing his emotions aside and trying to focus on the present. Nate surprised him by continuing past it, failing to slow down at all.

  “You missed the turn.” The small dirt road zipped by the driver’s side window.

  Nate smiled. “No, I didn’t. We will come in on the backside. Just in case, there are any surprises waiting for us.”

  He remembered the old back road. The plan made sense. He still wasn’t used to the idea that people could be following him.

  They turned onto the beaten up country lane, full of pot holes and washed out tire tracks. Rounding the hillside on the back of the farm, Nate brought the SUV to a gentle stop. He jumped out. “Wait here. I’m just going to take a quick peek.” He ran up the side of the hill, carrying a pair of electronic optics.

  During the moments alone, Gabriel’s mind ran through different scenarios of what would happen to them if TERA was there. He imagined patches of grass coming to life with guns, helicopters roaring up over the hills towards them and him going back into a cage. He focused on calming himself. Just breathe. Who would realistically be here, anyhow?

  Nate came jogging down the hill, jumped into the car and started it up again. “Place looks empty. Let’s go.”

  They continued down the road at a slow pace. Gabriel kept his eyes open to their surroundings, mindful of any movement. It hurt to see what used to be his home was now just rubble left by a storm. The fields were still torn up, but small green shoots of wild grass had begun to fill in across the black soil. Most of the fencing lay half knocked over, the posts broken off at the ground. The old farm equipment was flipped over, littering the area with rusted steel. Parts of the house and barn were scattered all over the yard, broken and looking as if no one had been there in years.

  They coasted towards the barn and came to a stop at the edge of the wreckage, leaving just enough room for the doors of the vehicle to open. Nate stepped out first, surveying the scene before waving to Gabriel to join him. This was Nate’s home as much as it was Gabriel’s and the pain was visible on Nate’s face.

  Gabriel stepped out the other side of the SUV, tears stinging his eyes. Each piece of the wreckage was a memory about something special. Gabriel did a complete three-sixty. Everything was gone. The storm had spared nothing.

  “Gabriel! Over here!” Nate called out to him.

  The barn was a mess. He climbed over the broken walls, half-destroyed by the storm then eaten by the harsh chemicals of the rescue team. Nate had moved some of the wreckage off one of the old wooden support beams.

  “We need to lift this off.” Nate kicked at it.

  Gabriel shrugged and strolled over to the beam, placing his hands under the rough cut surface.

  Nate laughed. “It will be a nice try, but we’re going to need a lot more to move that thing than your tiny arms.”

  The sleeping giant under Gabriel’s shirt came to life at his command, sending tendrils of white strength down his arms and legs. His muscles twitched at the energy, eager to be used. He strained against the huge beam as it lurched upwards, creaking loudly as it broke free at one end. Pieces of debris slid off of the beam as he raised it in the air. He focused. The crystal flooded a new strength through his body. He thrust the beam away from him with a roar, sending it crashing to the ground like a great tree falling from a logger’s axe. As the dust cleared and the ground settled, Nate stared at him, dumfounded.

  “Tiny arms, huh?” Gabriel laughed aloud.

  “How?” Nate shook his head, joining his laugh.

  He tapped on his chest as the rush of energy raced back into the crystal, leaving him feeling refreshed and slightly buzzed.

  Nate moved over, prepared to catch him if he fell. “You okay?”

  “Yeah … I don’t feel dizzy at all!” He grinned.

  “Good. I don’t want to have to carry you again.” Nate chuckled. He moved some of the remaining rubble off the old wood floor. “Help me clear the rest of this off.”

  “Clear the floor?” He didn’t understand. “Why?”

  “Because I need to get into your dad’s lab.” Nate finished the job himself.

  “Dad’s what?”

  Nate stopped, hanging his head. “Gabriel, there are lots of things you didn’t know about. It’s why I wanted you to see it. Lots of things were hidden from you and your brother. It was for your own safety, but now... you should know about them.”

  “Did Mom know?” He crossed his arms, annoyed.

  “Probably. She was sleeping with the man,” Nate said bluntly and slid a small alloyed rod into the floor. A panel slid open and he punched in a code. “I hope this still works.”