Proven part III
The silence was a thick presence in the air, one that was suffocating me. Nic broke it.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Around," I said, "I've been trying to keep low since Cadmus."
"Did you get the Weapon?" Alek asked eagerly, "Do you have it with you know?" He looked at my backpack as if he actually expected I was lugging it around. I thought over my words carefully before answering.
"The Weapon is in a secure location," I said. Not a lie, just not the full truth.
"A secure location?" Jasper repeated. I nodded, then noticed the flashing screen of the laptop out of the corner of my eye.
"What were you doing?" I said, striding over to the computer. Alek sat in the chair and I leaned on the back of it.
A document was pulled up on one half of the screen. As Alek typed, more popped up while others disappeared.The other half of the screen was divided again. The lower and upper halves both showed a hallway; the same one only from different angles. The view changed again and again, showing corridors, lab rooms, and offices. I recognized them.
"Just cleaning up the mess you made," Jasper said from behind me. I whirled around about to contradict him, but he held up a hand in defense.
"I know it's not your fault that the operation went soth," he said. "But we still have to get rid of the evidence. We're erasing the security footage and deleting reports."
I nodded before turning back to the screens. "Almost done," Alek reported.
"Why did you need to be here to do that?" I asked.
"After you disappeared," Jasper said, "we called you and searched the footage. All we could find were a few glimpses of you getting in, getting out, and then the whole building erupting in chaos." "That's my girl," Nic cut in, "ghosting and disapearing."
"When you didn't answer our calls," Jasper continued, "we figured you had been caught. But we decided to wait here until in case you had some how escaped."
I nodded. Since my bedroom had techniquely been our current HQ, they all had access to the apartment. I couldn't help but compare Mt. Justice and my small room. Seeing that I wasn't needed, I went out into the hall. The others didn't notice as they argued over how far back to erase the footage.
I stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a glass of orange juice, then went to the window.
The scene had only changed slightly. More people were out; restaurants began to open. I watched as a group of school kids ran down the street. Their uniforms matched my own.
"What's up, Aryess?" I didn't turn as Nic came up behind me.
"Nothing," I said.
"Is that why you changed the subject?" I tried to ignore him, instead watching Gotham City come to life.
"Where have you been, kiddo?" I turned to remind him that he was only a year and a half older than me, but forgot my snide comment when I realized how close we were. For a moment I was trapped in the 20,000 leages that made up his deep blue eyes.
"I better get to school," I said. I walked back to the hallway and stopped outside my brother's door. I took a breath and touched the angel charm around my neck before going in.
Daemian's room was simpler than mine. A bed bordered one wall, a nightstand next to it, a dresser, and a desk. It lacked the bright color scheme of mine, and it was much more scholarly. I ran my fingers over the mahogany of the desk, leaving a trail through the dust.
Even before Daemian's disappearance, he hadn't been home much, and even then he almost never sat at his desk. He often came home late, especially over the last year. I hadn't known anything about the Weapon, though from the evidence I had found his office at Cadmus, that was what he had been spending so many hours working on.
I rubbed the mist from my eyes, trying to keep the thought that I would never see my brother again from my mind. To distract myself, I crouched next to the bed and brushed my hand under the bed until my fingers struck something hard. Grappling for the edge, I slid out a small jewelry box.
An elegant design of intertwining flowers was etched into the oak wood, highlighted by gold paint. The sides of it were charred slightly. I ran a land over the familiar lines, stopping at the brass padlock. This is what I had come for.
"I'll give you a ride," Alek said, leaning in the doorway. I took the case off the pillow on the bed and wrapped the box in it. Then I stuffed it in my backpack.
"I can walk," I said, zipping my pack. As I got up to leave, Alek moved to block the opening. "Are you going to make me beat you up again?" I asked. I sighed when he didn't budge. "You don't even have a license."
Alek pulled out his wallet and handed me a card. Plain as day was his full name, his height, and his photo. The birthday on the license stated that he was almost 17.
"Impressive," I said, handing him back his I.D. "But it doesn't change my mind."
"You're so stubborn," he said, moving aside, but his eyes were full of longing and hope. I sighed. He would never force me to go, which only made it worse. He was Nic's opposite.
"Ok," I said, trying to sound defeated, "let's go before I'm late. Where'd you park the car?"
The michevious gleam in Alek's eye made me question my decision.
The silence was a thick presence in the air, one that was suffocating me. Nic broke it.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Around," I said, "I've been trying to keep low since Cadmus."
"Did you get the Weapon?" Alek asked eagerly, "Do you have it with you know?" He looked at my backpack as if he actually expected I was lugging it around. I thought over my words carefully before answering.
"The Weapon is in a secure location," I said. Not a lie, just not the full truth.
"A secure location?" Jasper repeated. I nodded, then noticed the flashing screen of the laptop out of the corner of my eye.
"What were you doing?" I said, striding over to the computer. Alek sat in the chair and I leaned on the back of it.
A document was pulled up on one half of the screen. As Alek typed, more popped up while others disappeared.The other half of the screen was divided again. The lower and upper halves both showed a hallway; the same one only from different angles. The view changed again and again, showing corridors, lab rooms, and offices. I recognized them.
"Just cleaning up the mess you made," Jasper said from behind me. I whirled around about to contradict him, but he held up a hand in defense.
"I know it's not your fault that the operation went soth," he said. "But we still have to get rid of the evidence. We're erasing the security footage and deleting reports."
I nodded before turning back to the screens. "Almost done," Alek reported.
"Why did you need to be here to do that?" I asked.
"After you disappeared," Jasper said, "we called you and searched the footage. All we could find were a few glimpses of you getting in, getting out, and then the whole building erupting in chaos." "That's my girl," Nic cut in, "ghosting and disapearing."
"When you didn't answer our calls," Jasper continued, "we figured you had been caught. But we decided to wait here until in case you had some how escaped."
I nodded. Since my bedroom had techniquely been our current HQ, they all had access to the apartment. I couldn't help but compare Mt. Justice and my small room. Seeing that I wasn't needed, I went out into the hall. The others didn't notice as they argued over how far back to erase the footage.
I stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a glass of orange juice, then went to the window.
The scene had only changed slightly. More people were out; restaurants began to open. I watched as a group of school kids ran down the street. Their uniforms matched my own.
"What's up, Aryess?" I didn't turn as Nic came up behind me.
"Nothing," I said.
"Is that why you changed the subject?" I tried to ignore him, instead watching Gotham City come to life.
"Where have you been, kiddo?" I turned to remind him that he was only a year and a half older than me, but forgot my snide comment when I realized how close we were. For a moment I was trapped in the 20,000 leages that made up his deep blue eyes.
"I better get to school," I said. I walked back to the hallway and stopped outside my brother's door. I took a breath and touched the angel charm around my neck before going in.
Daemian's room was simpler than mine. A bed bordered one wall, a nightstand next to it, a dresser, and a desk. It lacked the bright color scheme of mine, and it was much more scholarly. I ran my fingers over the mahogany of the desk, leaving a trail through the dust.
Even before Daemian's disappearance, he hadn't been home much, and even then he almost never sat at his desk. He often came home late, especially over the last year. I hadn't known anything about the Weapon, though from the evidence I had found his office at Cadmus, that was what he had been spending so many hours working on.
I rubbed the mist from my eyes, trying to keep the thought that I would never see my brother again from my mind. To distract myself, I crouched next to the bed and brushed my hand under the bed until my fingers struck something hard. Grappling for the edge, I slid out a small jewelry box.
An elegant design of intertwining flowers was etched into the oak wood, highlighted by gold paint. The sides of it were charred slightly. I ran a land over the familiar lines, stopping at the brass padlock. This is what I had come for.
"I'll give you a ride," Alek said, leaning in the doorway. I took the case off the pillow on the bed and wrapped the box in it. Then I stuffed it in my backpack.
"I can walk," I said, zipping my pack. As I got up to leave, Alek moved to block the opening. "Are you going to make me beat you up again?" I asked. I sighed when he didn't budge. "You don't even have a license."
Alek pulled out his wallet and handed me a card. Plain as day was his full name, his height, and his photo. The birthday on the license stated that he was almost 17.
"Impressive," I said, handing him back his I.D. "But it doesn't change my mind."
"You're so stubborn," he said, moving aside, but his eyes were full of longing and hope. I sighed. He would never force me to go, which only made it worse. He was Nic's opposite.
"Ok," I said, trying to sound defeated, "let's go before I'm late. Where'd you park the car?"
The michevious gleam in Alek's eye made me question my decision.
