James Winter: Beginnings

  Chapter Seven: Behind the Masks.

  Singar sat in his room, wearing matching blue pyjamas. He rested his elbow on his desk, clenching his fists so painfully. He wished James Winter’s neck was in them.

  James Winter. The name tasted like rotten egg liquid in his mouth. The little boy had managed to ruin everything. Why not kill him like that! But no, he needed him. That boy was his insurance, his ticket out of here.

  But he was going to die, anyway. They were all going to die.

  In a fury of explosion. Tomorrow.

  Bang.

  BANG.

  James didn’t realize he had climbed out of the bathroom into his bed, but he had. He didn’t even remember it.

  There was a department in the Brain’s Cerebellum that monitored the human- Nemo- and watched him for any signs of danger. In situations like putting a finger in fire or stepping on a nail, the cells even found a way to control him, anything to get away from the danger or destruction of the Inside. It was quite a fascinating department, but the head Leukocyte had shooed James and Leo out of the room after they had shouted “AWESOME!” when the Leukocytes had pulled Nemo’s arm away from an electrical circuit that was electrocuting him as he was fixing it.

  Apparently, shouting in that room would echo in Nemo’s head and make him think the word., and there was nothing awesome about 50 volts of power running down your spine. The Leukocytes in that room never spoke about their job. Nobody apart from specifically hired and trusted and really quiet Leukocytes was allowed to enter that room. No one else knew about the room. James and Leo finding it was just as a result of adventurous nosing around.

  Anyway, James was wondering if his cells had controlled him into bed. Suddenly, he wondered if someone had carried him out of the bathroom, but that was impossible, both doors had been locked yester night.

  James wondered how they knew, or what aspect of the battle they were judging on. He shrugged inwardly. Somewhere downstairs, he heard clanking of utensils. Leo and Seli must be up already. What time was it anyway?

  Bang. Oh. That was what woke him up. Someone was knocking on the door.

  He sat up slowly, expecting to feel pain shooting through his veins at any moment. But none of that came. Actually, he was feeling quite healthy and energetic. Eating breakfast would top the whole show.

  He unlocked the door and saw Seli standing there, looking as pretty as ever. Suddenly, he was self-conscious about himself. He tended to look like a zombie when he woke up. Why couldn’t Seli have come after not before he had bathed? She was in an auburn top with blue jeans(the girl loved jeans)

  “Oh, you’re awake,” she said.

  “Yeah, just now,” James replied.

  “Well, um, a representative from the Brain came here earlier and said you and Leo had the day off. He also said to congratulate you two.

  “Oh? Thanks.” That was a major relief. James absolutely did not want to go to work. Or go to anywhere for that matter.

  “And breakfast is ready downstairs, so you could get your lazy butt there.” Seli said more strictly.

  James smiled. “Yes, mum.”

  He showered, dressed and went downstairs .

  He met Leo first, in the kitchen. He was whistling a tune James remembered from a cartoon they had both watched together, whilst shaking his butt. He poured himself a cup of chocolate stuff from the flask on the kitchen counter and spread some muffins on his small plate.

  “What’s sup, bro?” he said, looking up at James with a bright smile. Maybe today was going to be a wonderful day for everybody.

  “Okay.” James answered with an equal smile as he remembered how the cartoon creature had danced the same way. “Want some?” Leo asked, pointing to the flask with the drink. James said yes, and proceeded into the living room, seeking to watch some cell TV.

  Seli was already in her favourite seat, looking small and tough but pretty in her blue jeans and auburn t-shirt. She was writing in a big notebook rapidly. She merely gave James a quick nod at the sight of him and continued.

  “What are you writing all the time these days?” James asked as he slumped himself into a seat opposite her. “Surely it’s not Heart homework.”

  Seli looked at James eagerly, like she itched to tell someone what she was doing for a long time.

  “No it’s not,” She said. “I’m writing a book-“

  “A book?” James repeated.

  “Yeah. A book about my experiences in the Inside. It’s quite fascinanting, really-“ she looked out of breath, though she hadn’t said that much. She paused and stared at James, who was glad she wasn’t that close to him like yester night. “And it’s all because of you.”

  James was about to question her, but then he remembered himself telling Seli she would be a great book writer as he rushed out of the house for his date with Cornie. He had said it partly to evade her, but he had meant it also.

  “Thank you, James,” Leo interrupted, handing James a cup full of chocolate drink. “Now she’s talking less, and writing more-“

  “Oh shut up, Leo,” Seli chided. Leo grinned at her. Footsteps echoed on wooden stairs as Rognard climbed down with his black briefcase in his right hand. He was wearing a black shirt and trousers with highly polished shoes.

  He paused in the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, drinking it in one gulp, then he set it down and proceeded to the sitting room. He didn’t say good morning. He had stopped saying that weeks ago. He gave a small grunt with a tiny nod and continued walking to the front door.

  “You’re going to work?” Leo asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” Rognard replied after a minute. “I haven’t done anything brave to receive a leave.”

  A nasty smirk at that and evil emphasis on the word brave. What was his problem?

  James woudn’t look at him. He turned away in disgust and fixated his eyes on the TV screen. He must either be hallucinating or he needed glasses, because his name was written in bold white at the bottom of the screen on a blue banner.

  A female reporter in a neat black coat was speaking rapidly into a microphone in front of the screen. Behind her, James could see the unmistakable semi ruins of the Liver.

  Leo turned up the volume, saying, “You made it to cell TV, bro,”

  Seli looked up and even Rognard paused at the door to watch.

  “Last night,” the reporter was saying in a clear voice. “On the 25th of March, a devastating event occurred on the premises of the Organ, the Liver. “ Germs managed to break into the place, even with its Guardians guarding the place, and massacred everything. As to whether they were being their usual rotty self or they were looking for something, it is uncertain, but they managed to turn the place into a wreck.”

  “A batch of Guardians from the Brain was sent here to take care of the problem. The battle was tough, and the Phagocytes seemed to be losing, according to witnesses. In fact, it seemed they were actually retreating from the Germs, which brings Singar in mind to be the master mind of the operation. Anyway, it was a young Phagocyte named James Winter who put an end to this apocalypse, authorities say. The Inside Investigation Authority for Nemo is yet to release the full footage on the case, as caught by the hidden cameras- some were not totally disengaged.”

  “Anyway, this James Winter is said to be very brave, but he saved our lives by blowing up half of the Liver? That does not seem like a wise decision. Why not let the Germs destroy the Liver and collapse Nemo city if you’re going to blow it up yourself...”

  “What!” Seli exclaimed. “That’s not fair. He didn’t blow it up!”

  “The reporter’s a Germ!” Leo said.

  “Juust perfect,” Rognard grunted. And what did that mean, James wanted to ask, but he wanted to finish hearing the news on him.

  “... I think we should set our brave but ristaking James Winter’s priority straight. Oh! And that’s the name people are giving him now- the Risktaker! Genet Rebel, reporting from-“

  The TV screen sudde
nly blackened, Leo had turned it off. “You’re a rebel, alright,” he was saying.

  “Don’t mind them, James,” Seli said. That’s how reporters are; they say something good about you and then add in some spices of lies and false telling to keep the gossip trending.”

  “Yeah,” Leo agreed. “You didn’t blow up that building. You just happened to be in it.”

  James smiled thinly. He hadn’t told them about the fight between Zichorophenax and him. But no need to now. If the Leukocytes were going to release a footage of it, they’ just watch it from there.

  “I’m off to work, then!” Rognard said with nonchalance, as if the whole thing was nonsense to him. Of course, it wouldn’t really matter to him, but James thought he saw a streak of anger on his face.

  He paused and the door again, this time clutching the handle, and groped around his torso, like was trying to catch something moving around his ribs. “ I forgot my vest,” he said finally. “Nobody knows what would happen these days...” he gave James another despicable, ugly smile that James could have matched to evil Zichorophenax’s.

  He left a sheet of paper in an empty chair, apparently absent minded, and strode off upstairs.

  Seli, who was closest to the chair, craned her neck to read it, but it was upside down, so couldn’t really comprehend the words. She frowned at it after a few seconds and picked it up, not caring how much nosy she was being. James was shocked at her attitude. He didnt like Rognard, but Seli was crossing the privacy boundary.

  Leo went to the kitchen to get another muffin. James stared at Seli. “Put it down, Seli,” he hissed, but the girl didn’t mind him.

  She gasped almost suddenly, making James almost jump. Her eyes widened and her hands trembled a little.

  “What-“ is that? James was about to say, but Rognard was coming back down. Seli quickly shoved the paper under her butt. James could see from the awkward way she was sitting that she didn’t rest her whole weight on it.

  Rognard was now wearing his black, semi bulletproof vest. It made his torso bulge slightly larger than the rest of his body.

  He frowned at the chair h had placed the sheet on. “What the heck.” He swore sharply. “I put the thing right here.”

  Seli pretended to be searching through her scripts, and James was watching the TV, not considering the fact that it was blank and black. His heart raced fro Seli. Why would she take Rognard’s sheet?”

  Rognard searched the floor and even under the chair, then he straightened up and narrowed his eyes at James.

  Great. Way to go, James thought. Seli is sitting right next to where you left the paper and instead you look at me? James stared coolly into his eyes.

  After a few minutes he shrugged and looked away. “Must’ve put in the case,” he said and left without a word. Seli suddenly spring to her feet and opened the lovers a tad, so that she merely and almost barely saw through the window.

  Roganrd’s car ignition sounded faintly. Then the crunching of gravels rose and died away almost immediately.

  After a minute, Seli said, “He’s gone.”

  “Oh no! What a tragedy,” Leo said sarcastically.

  Seli ignored him and sat crossed legged, like she was meditating, beside James. She gave the paper to him as he asked what it was all about. “Read,” she said firmly.

  “It’s a map of Nemo city, Seli,” James said. “I don’t understand why you stole the paper because of this. There are many in the Brain’s Library-“

  Seli sighed impatiently. She tapped the bottom of the paper with her finger rapidly, as if she hoped to singe the page with it. “Read the bottom, where the signatures are...”

  “Ok. Ok,” James said. “Keep your hair on!” he began to read the words out loud.

  “Signature: Rognard,” he didn’t complete the name. Why should he read the foul man’s full name?

  Seli slapped her face in exasperation, comically. “READ-THE-WHOLE-NAME,” she said, almost shouting.

  “Fine. Rognard Lyan-“

  The last name choked in James’ mouth, so Leo, who had always said he wanted to witness James and Seli have a fight, read it for him.

  “Singar.”

  James heart froze. He stared at the name for long, as if daring his eyes to say it was a mistake. His friends had also gone mute.

  James simply didn’t understand. Why would Rognard take them in, care for them, even save them back at the Teeth, if he really was a filthy Germ? Why hadn’t he killed them? Instead, he had sent his henchman to kill James more than once.

  James even guessed that Zichorophenax’s tragic change had something to do with him. He vividly remembered the way the Germs had grabbed him from behind and dragged him into the darkness. They must have drugged him or something. The irony-drugged a Medicine- classic.

  There was only one answer- Singar needed something from James and his friends, and he still hadn’t got it. He was housing and rearing them like poultry, so that he could get eggs and discard them. Well, now those eggs had bombs in them.

  Seli asked the same question of why Singar had kept them all this time and Leo answered the same way James would have.

  “It also means one more thing,” James said, clenching his jaws. “Singar has got Jones.”

  Seli gasped, realizing the prospect of the situation. She had probably forgotten that Jones was missing, or was just shocked about it.

  Anyhow, James was reinvigorated with new strength, a determination for finding Jones no matter what. His kidnapper had been staring at James fro weeks now without him noticing it.

  He tightened his grip on the sheet and straightened it out, now taking in really what the map contained.

  Now that he looked closer, it was a sort of map of a portion of Nemo city. He noticed two lines lazily drawn from one the same source to different places. One green and the other red.

  They both originated from a point marked BB in black. James assumed it to be their estate, Blazing Blossom. The green line shot from the house and crossed many roads and made many sharp turns until it stopped abruptly at a place labelled Heart.

  The red one made a comparably short journey to Kidney. James stared at the two lines, and instantly, he had an idea.

  “Here’s what we’ll do,” he begun. His friends looked attentively at him. “Seli, Leo, you follow the green line and make warn the Heart to look out for anything suspicious. Tell them to get ready for a Bacteria attack, at least. Alright?”

  James didn’t look up to see if their friends agreed. He knew they wouldn’t like the plan, but it had to be done. Something terrible was going to happen today, and the only good guys who knew where in this room.

  “Meanwhile, I’ll go to the Kidney and check what’s going on in there.”

  “What?” Leo said incredulously. “You’re going there alone? No way, amigo. Singar is the most notorious Germ in The Inside, and you’re going to face him alone?”

  “It won’t be dangerous,” James said. Why was he lying? It would be really Risk taking. “Besides, Singar will be more likely to go to the Heart, right?”

  They didn’t answer.

  “Ok,” Seli said after a few minutes. “Let’s just say we’ll allow you to go in there alone. You’re going there without any protection?”

  James knew she was right. But where would they get guns?

  He had barely begun thinking when an idea popped into his head and he rushed up the stairs. Leo and Seli followed him a little lately.

  He walked on the aisle to Singar’s room and tried the knob. He wasn’t expecting it to be locked so he crashed into it painfully. It wouldn’t budge. But of course.

  He went back a few paces and charged at the door, shoulder first. He could have testified that he heard a bone snap. The door still wouldn’t budge. He tried again and again. On the last attempt, just as Seli and Leo had found him, the door creaked.

  He went for the coup de grace and brought his foot crashing down on it. It snapped into half like a piece of cardboard, acce
pting defeat,

  Feeling sore and painful, he run into the room. Leo and Seli followed him.

  “James?” He heard Seli call. “What are you looking for?”

  “Guns. Armoury. Whatever we can get,” James said. If Singar was going to kill them sooner or later, he should have his tools, right?

  Together, they upturned the neat, blue painted room. Drawers lay on the floor, their contents pooling around them, the bedside table raised its legs in the air, the bed sheet was a dump, but still, they couldn’t find anything.

  Leo even resorted to tapping the walls and putting his ears on them for a sign of hollowness or any concealed safe, and James checked the tiles to see if one of them housed something, to no avail.

  James gave up, pacing around the room with his hands clenched. How could he save Jones without a gun? Or maybe he could borrow some from the Brain. They always collected the guns each time the Recruit Phagocytes left the Organ.

  Then suddenly, he heard Seli call out from behind him. He spun around sharply, eager for any news.

  Seli was in a crouching position next to the bed, and her hand was hidden under it. She pulled it back, clutching two black handguns.

  “Excellent work, Seli!” James exclaimed, helping her up.

  “And to think of how we massacred this place, while it was just under the bed,” Leo said, looking around the room at the mess. James was glad they had destroyed the room for nothing.

  “Wait. Two guns?” Seli said. “There are three of us.”

  “Ok. James will take one and Seli you take one, since I’m going with you,” Leo said wisely.

  So they divided the guns, slipping them into their back pockets, and headed out of the house in search for a vessel.

  The morning was clear bright, with only a few angry clouds sailing in the horizon. Nemo must be okay, then. Singar and his crooks had tried anything devastating... yet.

  The Vessel Stop was a few blocks away. At any time now, the eight o’clock vessel would have collected the cells there and moved on. When they had checked the time, it was 7:54.

  So they were running like the wind towards the vessel stop.

  By the time, the trio had got there; beads of sweat had started to snake around James face.

  He was in the lead, but his friends were speeding closely behind.

  The huge red blood had started to make its way out of the blood stop. The last passenger had climbed aboard. James doubled his pace, if that was possible at his current speed.

  He and his friends screamed.

  “Hey! Stop! We’re here!”

  “C’mon!”

  A man looked out the back window and spotted them running. James thought they were saved. But instead of reporting to the driver, the man grinned and popped earpieces in his ears, turning away.

  James wasn’t giving up. He put on a last effort of speed, as the bus too continued to pick up speed.

  At the last moment James leaped in the air and grabbed the door handle of the bus, heaving himself into it. Seli and Leo were almost too late. It was like the road was an escalator, dragging them backwards even though they tried very hard.

  Then the bus slowed down as the driver saw James on the door frame, and James was able to heave his friends into the bus, panting and heaving heavily.

  Once in, the driver raised his eyebrows and chuckled happily. “Ya mus’ be in one ‘eck of an ‘urry, eh lads?” he said.

  “Yeah,” James gave him a small smile in return. He and his friends walked down the aisle. The bus was packed very much this morning. James wanted to stick his tongue at the man who had ignored him back there, but there was no space, so he stood where he was, Seli and Leo in front of him.

  James clutched the handles on the ceiling of the bus as it gained more speed again and swerved and jostled.

  Everybody’s eyes were glued to the TV ahead of them on the dashboard of the bus. Suddenly, murmurs and whispers broke out. One man shouted. “Yo! Turn the volume up!”

  The volume was turned to its maximum. James also turned to the TV to see what the fuss was all about.

  In black, at the bottom of the small TV screen, were the words, THE RISKTAKER, sprawled across. Didn’t that Rebel reporter say something about people calling James that?

  He watched a rather familiar scene, though he was not sure why it was familiar. He hardly ever watched cell TV.

  The video was smoky and foggy, but he could distinctly make out the sharp outline of a bulky figure clutching a skinny boy by the neck. Then it hit him. This was the footage of him and Zichorophenax’s battle the IIA had promised to release.

  There must’ve been an untouched camera somewhere. Good thing he didn’t have to watch the part where the Medicine took Commander Josh and chucked him away. Watching it in reality the first time was enough. He couldn’t relive it.

  There was no sound, James realized, and then he saw small captioned words at the bottom of the risktaker banner.

  Our sound detectors were broken due to the explosion; therefore you would not hear any sound feed. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.

  He looked back on the screen and saw himself smack an elbow on the Medicine’s hard face. He could remember the pain he felt at that time. Virtual James Winter was thrown into the fog, and the screen froze for a moment with obtrusive lines of static.

  Then the video came alive with CAM 721 written on the top left corner. And the action continued.

  James watched himself doge and duck missiles and bullets and make a comeback of action himself a few times.

  Then he was suddenly on the floor, speaking words to trick Phenax, though the cells wouldn’t hear it.

  The missile met the green virus as fire circled James, and then there was an explosion of white. The screen froze again.

  All around James, cells applauded loudly and whistled. Though they didn’t know James Winter was standing in the middle of them.

  “And that, folks,” said a male reporter who had taken the screen now. “Is the footage of James Winter versus Zichorophenax who mysteriously went evil. The sound may be fried but...”

  Seli turned to James with that bright loving smile that James found unbearable. “You were so brave,” she said softly. James smiled at her. They stared at each other for a while.

  Then the driver suddenly called out. “Alrigh’ anyone goin’ to the Kidney?”

  “And we need you to be brave right now, too,” Leo said, breaking James out of his reverie. He patted James back as the latter moved through to the door.

  “Good luck,” they called back. James nodded and secured his gun tightly, just to make sure it was there. A group of women in long white lab coats stood up and headed for the door.

  James had to act fast. Something sinister was going to happen in the Kidney, or was already happening. H couldn’t guarantee the lives of these cells. He couldn’t let them pass.

  He quickly walked to the driver, who was nodding away to some music, with earpieces attached to his ear. James gently removed one of them.

  “What the-“the driver began.

  “Sorry,” James said quickly. “But this is urgent. Listen, you see those Kidney workers?” A nod. “They can’t be allowed to go into the Kidney. I think something bad is gonna happen there right now, and I’m on undercover to stop it. Please do not let them get out.”

  The driver surveyed him. “Yeah? How do I know you are not going to do anything bad?”

  James thought for a moment.

  “Because I’m the Risk taker.”

  The driver frowned, and then suddenly lightened like Christmas. “I knew I saw you tha’ night. But you were wearin’ the dark clothes and it was dark an’ all!”

  He almost shouted, like he had seen some celebrity. He agreed not to let the Kidney workers off.

  “Goodluck James Winter.”

  James gave him one last smile and crossed the wide vein. The bus was gone by that time. He was now standing in front of a wide bronze gate, behind it, towered
a yellow glistening Organ.

  As he neared the gates, he saw a Guardian lying right in front of the gate, colorless blood oozing out of his side.

  James swallowed fear and extracted his gun. Then he kicked the gates open, with his gun stretched before him.

  The Transformat heated.

  Seli and Leo had just stepped of the bus when the driver called them back, whispering. “Psst. I know your friend’s that James Winter dude. Practically told me ‘imself.”

  He looked genuinely pleased with himself, like knowing James Winter meant being a billionaire.

  “Uhh, good for you?” Leo said impatiently and pulled Seli away from the bus. The bus door hissed and drove away, with the driver waving with a huge smile.

  “James has fans,” Leo said, sounding impressed.

  “Yeah,” Seli agreed, though she sounded quite distant. “Well, we’ve got to hurry and warn the Heart. Germs might be here at any moment.”

  They were standing in front of the magnificent Heart’s gates again, which was dubbed ‘The Ribs’. For Leo, it was his second time being here, so the glory of the Heart hit him unexpectedly.

  The Ribs were broad, white barriers that protruded from the wide Gates like great metallic, skeleton wings and surrounded the looming Organ inside. It reached about five or eight meters into the sky, so that all that could be seen from of the Heart from outside would be just the apex of its roof, shining in the mid-morning sun.

  It was quite unlike the Brain’s own Gates, the Skull which covered almost the entire area of the Brain some giant helmet, from the way Leo saw it. But you had to admit, the Heart was far more beautiful than the Brain, though Leo would never tell Seli that.

  Two Guardians in thick white vests stood at either side of the Gates, clutching heavy looking long guns to their chests. They tensed a little when they saw Leo and Seli approach, but immediately relaxed when they recognized Seli.

  “Hey, Selina,” a Guardian with red hair greeted, ignoring Leo completely.

  “Hi there, Billy,” Seli replied.

  The Guardian now took notice of Leo, surveying him sharply. “Is this your boyfriend?” he asked, like it was any of his business if Leo was.

  “No. Actually, he’s my brother.”

  The Guardian seemed to be relieved. “Oh, good, coz I didn’t want any competition.”

  Seli smiled thinly. She pulled Leo through the Gates, which had a shield sprayed with glamorous gold embedded in the middle. The shield symbol broke into two when the Gates were opened by the other Guardian, like a broken heart, on either side of the Gates.

  “James is in trouble...” Leo sand teasingly.

  “Where he is now,” Seli said, ignoring Leo’s taunt completely. “I’d say you’re right.”

  They entered the huge magnificent building that was the Heart. Before Leo entered the building, with Seli in the lead, he saw two small sized airplanes shoot out of the huge long towers on top of the building with extraordinary speed. They vanished into the horizon before you could clap.

  “Those are the erythrocytes,” Seli explained. Leave it to Seli to give you a lecture even in the midst of crisis. But Leo appreciated this lesson, at least. “They supply oxygen to all the cells in the Inside. The Liver gets their oxygen to make juices from the Erythrocytes. And since the Inside really needs oxygen for everything, they have to be very fast. They also collect oxygen from the Lun-

  ‘“Seli,” Leo said, now bored with Seli’s lecture. “We have a task at hand.”

  Thankfully, Seli ceased talking. They entered the Heart’s Main Entrance, The Atrium, as a metallic sign said in the middle of the broad hall, hanging low from the tall ceiling.

  This place was busier than the Stomach. Cells walked about purposefully here and there, most clutching clipboards and documents in their armpits or to their bosoms. Another set of people stood in a long cue in front of the Reception Desk, where the woman at the desk was busy typing and writing and talking to the visitors.

  The Main Entrance glass door slid slowly shut as Leo’s foot left the threshold. The floor was highly polished, Leo wondered why people weren’t slipping and falling. The wide windows that covered evry corner of the room allowed the atrium to be bathed in daylight.

  The air was cold in here, probably due to the huge air conditioners that were affixed to the high ceiling, with a huge chandelier hanging in the middle. For the time being it was not on. The room was bright as it was.

  “This here’s the Main Atrium,” Seli said with a slight air of impatience. Then she broke into a smile. “Bet you don’t have a Department as wonderful as this in the all-powerful Brain, huh?”

  Leo immediately seized to marvel at the place, pretending as if the whole place was nonchalant, not attracting any significance. “Phhh, please. This place is not really a fuss...”

  Seli murmured something about finding an elevator and dashed off towards one that was sandwiched between two spiral staircases, leaving Leo no choice but to sprint after her.

  Bobbing and weaving between cells and Leukocytes, they were just a few steps away from the elevator as its doors started to break open, giving them a slit view of the cells inside, when Seli was stopped by a huge man.

  He placed his hand on Seli’s chest, almost knocking her on to the floor, but he brought his other hand to support her back and steadied it. Leo stopped abruptly, almost skidding onto the floor.

  “Whoa there, Seli!” the man barked. He had a large beefy face with bushy hairs growing under the chin and creating a forest of a moustache on his face. He had a huge curious smile on his lips.

  “Didn’t I give you a leave, Seli, dear?” he asked.

  Seli breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, Mr Gorgon, I was looking for you. Well, yeah, you did give me a leave, but something’s come up. Well, something is gonna come up any moment from now-

  “Yes, but introduce me to this fine young gentleman here, what do you say?” Mr Gorgon looked at Leo with curious twinkling eyes. He seemed to be a man who liked to know everything.

  Seli groaned in quietly, just so that Leo was sure he was the only one who heard it. Then she began to rap words out.

  “Leo, this is Mr. Gorgon-Mr Gorgon, this is Leo, my brother.”

  “Ah!” Mr. Gorgon barked, stretching his hand to shake Leo’s quite vigorously. “Seli has told me mucho about you, you know, but not as much as she has talked of that James Winter boy I saw on TV today. Where is he anyway?”

  Seli blushed a little, then stopped almost abruptly as if she remembered where James was and the danger he faced. “Well, that was what I wanted to tell you about-“

  “Of course!” Mr. Gorgon said. Leo wondered if he was listening to anything Seli was saying. “But surely we should talk back up in my office, get something warm into our bodies, eh?”

  So they went up the elevator, with Mr. Gorgon asking out of the nowhere questions like the names of their parents, what they did for a living and why the Brain controlled the Spine and not the Heart. According to him, it was unfair business.

  They entered Mr. Gorgon’s small office. He poured each of them, including himself a cup of warm coffee, which they didn’t drink, and finally, offered to listen to their story.

  Seli immediately took her chance and launched into a brief summarized story of the revelation of Rognard’s true identity to the marked map Seli had stolen from him, and then she ended at where James was right now.

  Mr. Gorgon put his cup on the table quietly and stroked his bushy, but strangely kempt beard. For a moment, he looked wondrous, deep in thought, analyzing the situation and forming plans and making calculations. Leo thought that he looked like a scientist suddenly.

  Then, instantly, Mr. Gorgon broke into a long wide laugh. He seemed unable to handle himself. “You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”