Alliance

  “I thought Haxley would be coming to see me,” said Will, tearing his eyes away from the box.

  “Ah, yes,” said Elliot, looking down at him, amused. “I can certainly understand how you might have reached that conclusion.”

  “But it’s not him at all. It’s you. You’re in charge. You’re the Old Gentleman.”

  All Elliot did was shrug modestly and smile. Relaxed and untroubled.

  “Tell me what I’m doing here. What do you want from me?”

  “It’s not so much a case of what I want from you, Will. It’s what I want for you. Will you walk with me for a moment?”

  Will nodded, then followed Elliot into the hallway. Elliot indicated Will should turn left, and they moved along a windowed passage. Will caught glimpses of the island and other parts of the castle as they proceeded. Sharp beams of sunlight angled down through the windows, bathing the creamy marble with deep rays that seemed to carry an almost palpable weight.

  “I certainly have my regrets about how we’ve come to this pass,” said Elliot, eyes ahead. “Apologies are in order, sincerely, no question about that, for lapses in judgment that should never have occurred.”

  “I’m listening,” said Will.

  “The late Lyle Ogilvy, for one. Lyle’s treatment of you was uncalled for, from the beginning. He was spoken to, reprimanded, warned repeatedly. A severely unstable young man. One always holds out hope you can guide troubled souls back into the full light of their being. Promising as he was, sadly that was not the case with Master Ogilvy.”

  “What wasn’t he supposed to do?” said Will.

  Elliot led him up a curving flight of marble stairs, their footsteps echoing.

  “He wasn’t supposed to try to kill you,” said Elliot more plainly. “Heavens no, Will. We gave him a simple supervisory and observational responsibility. Lyle was expressly forbidden, more than once, from resorting to violence. He was never authorized to attack you in any way, far from it. But the person in charge of Lyle failed to interpret the severity of his derangement.”

  “That would have been Mr. Hobbes?”

  “Exactly so, Will,” said Elliot, seeming pleased. “You comprehend that situation precisely as it is. As if one needed any further confirmation of the acuity of your mind.”

  “Lyle wasn’t the only one who tried,” said Will. “Even before I got here, they came after me in the hills outside my house and attacked my plane in midair.”

  “Tremendously regrettable. How shall I explain?” Elliot looked up, searching for words. “We have associates in this enterprise, Will. Distant partners, or independent contractors, if you will. They’re unpredictable and not entirely ours to control.”

  “Because they’re not human,” said Will.

  Elliot looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected Will to know so much.

  The Other Team. So Dave was right about them. And if he was right about that, maybe he was right about everything.

  “So these ‘independent contractors’ weren’t supposed to kill me either?”

  “Heavens no. And once you arrived, believe me, that was immediately corrected.”

  “So why am I here?” asked Will.

  As they reached the top of the staircase, Elliot held up a hand, asking for patience. “Allow me to address that more fully in a moment, but let me say just this much and I hope you’ll accept it with a certain amount of faith: Because you belong here.”

  Elliot walked to a nearby door, pausing with his hand on the knob.

  “So much happened, Will, before we realized how truly special you were. You see, we needed your father. That’s why we were looking for you and your family. Needed him so desperately, we were willing to go to any lengths to bring him back.”

  “You’ve been looking for him all my life,” said Will.

  “Indeed.”

  “Because he and my mother went on the run, before I was even born.”

  “Sadly, yes.”

  “Needed him for what?”

  “His work, of course,” said Elliot, and opened the door.

  Will followed him out onto a spacious roof garden, a surprisingly open space perched on the roof of the gallery they’d been in below. Between the towers, high above the island, was a serene oasis of flowing shade trees, exotic flowers, stands of bamboo, and wild grasses, all possessing an uncommon beauty, bursting with a wild abundance of life. A koi pond bisected the garden, crossed by a filigreed bridge. Colorful songbirds flitted from branch to branch, their musical trills adding graceful notes to the mild breeze modifying the summer heat. Classical statuary had been installed throughout the garden—large Buddhist heads, busts of gods from a dozen ancient cultures. Elliot led them along a grassy path embedded with smooth paving stones.

  “Your father is a very proud and extremely stubborn man,” said Elliot. “We decided that having you here would be the best way to persuade him to return.”

  “You mean to blackmail him,” said Will.

  Elliot smiled in an understanding way. “In time you’ll come to see there are less harsh ways to view this. However you wish to interpret it, we learned that as long as your father knew you were safe, he agreed to proceed with the work.”

  Will had to stifle his anger before he responded. “Then why did he run to begin with? What work are you talking about?”

  “You are aware of the work your father was involved with, aren’t you, Will?” Elliot looked almost puzzled.

  “He never talked about it,” said Will. “All I know is it had something to do with genetic research.”

  “I’m not talking about the insignificant drone he pretended to be for sixteen years,” said Elliot impatiently. “I’m referring to the man he was before. I believe you know who I mean.”

  Elliot loomed over him, hands on his hips, staring at him with a commanding smile.

  “His name was Hugh Greenwood,” said Will sullenly. “He used to teach here.”

  “Hugh Greenwood was the finest scientific mind of his generation, Will,” said Elliot, lifting a finger. “I’m a little disappointed you haven’t learned to appreciate this. His groundbreaking efforts made everything we’re doing—all of this—possible.”

  Will chose his words carefully. “You mean the Prophecy.”

  “Exactly right,” said Elliot, looking pleased. “No one disputes the genius of Abelson’s original idea, but his methods were fatally flawed, a disaster when implemented. That is irrefutable. Our finest minds labored for decades but couldn’t crack the problems—years of wasted time and effort—until, can you imagine, it turns out that Hugh, and only Hugh, possessed the vision, depth of knowledge, and synthesis of thought to make the breakthrough we’d waited for.”

  Will’s blood ran cold. “You’re saying Dad helped you willingly?”

  Elliot gave a surprised laugh, mildly amused. “Not to worry, Will. Your father’s integrity remains intact. Hugh’s gift is in the realm of pure research. He’s always lived in and for the theoretical. He never knew what we were using it for.”

  “So that’s why he ran,” said Will, feeling relieved. “When he found out.”

  “Perhaps.” Elliot looked inward. “Or you could say he lacked the courage to see his ideas through to their logical and most useful conclusion. When one’s given a gift that could make life better for all mankind, can he rightfully refuse to use it?”

  They’d come to a bench in the garden, on the far side of the pond. Will sat down, overcome by an immense weight that made it hard to move, struggling to incorporate what he was hearing into everything he already knew.

  “Look around you, Will,” said Elliot, spreading his arms. “Every species of life in this garden has been utterly perfected by the hand of man, not God. Each one the product and beneficiary of your father’s insights into the most intricate workings of existence.”

  He lifted
Will by the arm and led him to what looked like a wide window on the far side of the garden, darkened by a shade on the other side. The school’s crest was carved into the stone above the sill. Elliot pointed to the words on the scroll below the image.

  “Read that for me,” said Elliot.

  “ ‘Knowledge is the Path, Wisdom is the Purpose.’ ”

  “Wisdom,” said Elliot, grasping Will’s arm. “To be used for the benefit and betterment of man. This is and has always been our mission. This is why we needed your father to return, under any circumstances, to finish and perfect his work.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re running out of time! The human race as an unregulated experiment in the field has run its course. It’s over, Will. Abject failure.” He pointed out over the walls of the castle. “You’ve seen the evidence out there. It’s all around us. Look with clear eyes, objectively. Our poor world, despoiled, consumed by the base, parasitic impulses of a greedy, selfish predatory species that’s run riot, proliferated to the brink of extinction, and brought us to the dawn of ruin.”

  “Not all people are that way,” said Will.

  “People are only as good as their leaders, and only a higher quality of human being, strong and wise and enlightened, can lead us out of this darkness we’ve made. That is the kind of person we can create now, but it doesn’t stop there. We have to mold and prepare and teach them how to save this world, and our species, from destroying itself.”

  Will was terrified by the old man’s passionate zeal, by the too-bright light in his eyes. “So that makes what you’ve done all right? That justifies cutting a deal with demons that want us dead?”

  “Who have you been talking to?” asked Elliot, eyes narrowing. “One of those old fools from the Hierarchy?”

  Will tried not to show any surprise and said nothing.

  “No, no, they’re so very dangerous, Will. You mustn’t listen to them,” said Elliot, quiet and sincere. “We outgrew the need for those deluded ‘babysitters’ ages ago. What have they told you? They claim to be responsible for the world’s well-being, yes? If you think they’re up to that task, look at the state they’ve left us in. They’re the ones responsible for this darkness.”

  “You’ve got it backwards,” said Will. “The Other Team wants to destroy us, and you’re helping them—”

  “No, son, listen. We’re in charge of our own destiny now—the stakes are too high—we must make alliances however we see fit. They may not be the most savory influence, but we remain in control.”

  “That’s what you think,” said Will. “How much does the school know about this?”

  “The school? Nothing,” said Elliot dismissively. “Why would we want to burden them? This is family business. They work for us, not the other way around.”

  He’s crazy, Will thought. I should just pick him up and throw him off this roof.

  “Don’t you know why you’re so important to us, Will? You’re living proof. The fact that you’re as extraordinary as you are is why we know we can succeed—”

  “How can you say that?”

  Elliot moved closer, almost whispering, his tone as soothing as a bedtime story. “Because with you on our side, Will, and your father returning to his work, everything is in balance. The Prophecy has come to pass. And that means no one needs to suffer anymore.”

  “What about my friends?”

  “All perfectly safe. Now I need you to tell them what I’ve explained to you. Tell them you’ve realized that you made a terrible mistake about us. Because we want them to thrive and prosper, every bit as much as we need you to.”

  Will said nothing, staring at him, paralyzed by the possibility of another way out. No more fighting or struggle. He could save both his family and his friends. Let someone else worry about being in charge.

  “Shall I make it easier for you?” asked Elliot kindly. “I know how challenging it is to cross this threshold. Allow me to help.”

  Elliot knocked on the thick glass of the window. A curtain or blind parted on the other side, and all at once they could see into the room.

  It was the surgical theater he’d seen on Hobbes’s screen, where he’d watched them strap Brooke to the table. All the lights were on, but someone else was lying on the table.

  Elise. Unconscious, most likely drugged. Her head tilted back at a severe angle. Prepped for surgery. Judging by the lines they’d drawn on her neck, they were about to destroy her voice.

  But there was more.

  The only doctor in the room, standing over her, holding a scalpel, took off his mask and looked toward the window, toward Will, but he didn’t react or seem to see anything. Hobbes stood just to the side, holding a pistol to the doctor’s head. The doctor wore glasses. Pale and thin, a trim bread. His hair shorter and grayer than Will remembered. The man he’d known his whole life as Jordan West.

  Will’s father, Hugh Greenwood.

  Will banged on the window, shouting his father’s name. Hugh didn’t react.

  “That’s one-way glass,” said Elliot. “He can’t see or hear you, Will. And you have my solemn word that if you just do as I ask from this point forward, no harm will come to him, or Miss Moreau, or any of your friends.”

  Will’s whole body began trembling. He wanted to cry, or kill, anything to stop living in this moment. “Why should I believe you?” he asked, stalling for time. “Why should I believe anything you say?”

  Elliot smiled down at him again, the most tender smile, and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Because, my dear boy, my name is Franklin Greenwood,” he said. “I’m your grandfather.”

  RULE #100: STAY ALIVE.

  Will didn’t hesitate and looked up at him decisively. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

  Dad’s List of Rules to Live By

  #1: THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ORDERLY MIND.

  #2: STAY FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND.

  #3: DON’T DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF.

  #4: IF YOU THINK YOU’RE DONE, YOU’VE JUST BEGUN.

  #5: TRUST NO ONE.

  #6: REMAIN ALERT AT ALL TIMES TO THE REALITY OF THE PRESENT. BECAUSE ALL WE HAVE IS RIGHT NOW.

  #7: DON’T CONFUSE GOOD LUCK WITH A GOOD PLAN.

  #8: ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO IMPROVISE.

  #9: WATCH, LOOK, AND LISTEN, OR YOU WON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE MISSING.

  #10: DON’T JUST REACT TO A SITUATION THAT TAKES YOU BY SURPRISE. RESPOND.

  #11: TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS.

  #12: LET THE OTHER GUY DO THE TALKING.

  #13: YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.

  #14: ASK ALL QUESTIONS IN THE ORDER OF THEIR IMPORTANCE.

  #15: BE QUICK, BUT DON’T HURRY.

  #16: ALWAYS LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE. GIVE THEM A HANDSHAKE THEY’LL REMEMBER.

  #17: START EACH DAY BY SAYING IT’S GOOD TO BE ALIVE. EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL IT, SAYING IT—OUT LOUD—MAKES IT MORE LIKELY THAT YOU WILL.

  #18: IF #17 DOESN’T WORK, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

  #19: WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, TREAT DISASTER AS A WAY TO WAKE UP.

  #20: THERE MUST ALWAYS BE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EVIDENCE AND CONCLUSION.

  #21: FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD.

  #22: WHENEVER YOUR HEAD IS TOO FULL OF NOISE, MAKE A LIST.

  #23: WHEN THERE’S TROUBLE, THINK FAST AND ACT DECISIVELY.

  #24: YOU CAN’T CHANGE ANYTHING IF YOU CAN’T CHANGE YOUR MIND.

  #25: WHAT YOU’RE TOLD TO BELIEVE ISN’T IMPORTANT: IT’S WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE. IT’S NOT THE INK AND PAPER THAT MATTER, BUT THE HAND THAT HOLDS THE PEN.

  #26: ONCE IS AN ANOMALY. TWICE IS A COINCIDENCE. THREE TIMES IS A PATTERN. AND AS WE KNOW …

  #27: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A COINCIDENCE.

  #28: LET PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE YOU. THAT WAY
THEY’LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF.

  #29: YOU COULD ALSO THINK OF COINCIDENCE AS SYNCHRONICITY.

  #30: SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH A BULLY IS TO HIT FIRST. HARD.

  #31: IT’S NOT A BAD THING, SOMETIMES, IF THEY THINK YOU’RE CRAZY.

  #32: EVEN THE SLIGHTEST ADVANTAGE CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. NEVER GIVE IT AWAY.

  #34: ACT AS IF YOU’RE IN CHARGE, AND PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE YOU.

  #35: TRYING TIMES ARE NOT THE TIMES TO STOP TRYING.

  #40: NEVER MAKE EXCUSES.

  #41: SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPY. CATS TAKE NAPS SO THEY’RE ALWAYS READY FOR ANYTHING.

  #43: THE BRAVEST THING IS NOT ALWAYS THE SMARTEST THING.

  #45: COOPERATE WITH THE AUTHORITIES. BUT DON’T NAME FRIENDS.

  #46: IF STRANGERS KNOW WHAT YOU’RE FEELING, YOU GIVE THEM THE ADVANTAGE.

  #47: OUT-OF-CONTROL ANGER WILL GET YOU KILLED EVEN QUICKER THAN STUPIDITY.

  #48: NEVER START A FIGHT UNLESS YOU CAN FINISH IT. FAST.

  #49: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, JUST BREATHE.

  #50: IN TIMES OF CHAOS, STICK TO ROUTINE. BUILD ORDER ONE STEP AT A TIME.

  #51: THE ONLY THING YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE IS HOPE.

  #52: TO BREAK THE ICE, ALWAYS COMPLIMENT A MAN’S HOMETOWN.

  #53: AND ALWAYS SYMPATHIZE WITH HIS HOMETOWN’S FOOTBALL TEAM.

  #54: IF YOU CAN’T BE ON TIME, BE EARLY.

  #55: IF YOU FAIL TO PREPARE, YOU PREPARE TO FAIL.

  #56: GIVING UP IS EASY. FINISHING IS HARD.

  #57: IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON IN A SMALL TOWN, HANG AROUND THE BARBERSHOP.

  #58: FACING THE TRUTH IS A LOT EASIER, IN THE LONG RUN, THAN LYING TO YOURSELF.

  #59: SOMETIMES YOU FIND OUT MORE WHEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS TO WHICH YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER.

  #60: IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE ANSWER YOU GET, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE ASKED THE QUESTION.

  #61: IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE THE RIGHT WAY, DO IT YOURSELF.

  #62: IF YOU DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO NOTICE YOU, ACT LIKE YOU BELONG THERE AND LOOK BUSY.