Intelligence Kills

Chapter 11

Eleven:

I felt distanced. Like I don't really belong wherever I am now. Somewhere, Athena was begging me to come back to her. I could hear her voice, a faint whisper that lurked in the back of my mind. There was a funny moment where I actually tried hard to. But the second I started to surface, the pain hit me like a ton of rocks and I dived back down. I couldn't handle the pain right now.

The place where I currently was held the familiar carvings of the Seven's motto. The figures made my head spin. I knew I was somewhere in Alithera when I heard Cathro's familiar voice. Curiosity tugged at my gut. I took a step forward and reached for the door handle in front of me. My hand passed through. I tried again and still my hand went straight through. I must have been dreaming because I took a step forward and walked through the door itself.

I was in the halls of the mansion. Across the hall was the Council Room. I could hear a few snide remarks and a few slightly familiar voices that I decided belonged to Mace's father and Accord's mother. There were a few sharp remarks that clearly came from Akithro. I slipped in through the door and froze.

The model of a boy floated in the middle of the table. I had seen blueprints that were three dimensional models but never had I seen anything like this before. This model was much more complex. The very veins were mapped out to extreme detail. I walked up and the argument started to make sense. This was about me, about whether or not they should make me.

"Alright then. Let's do the normal routine. You all know the rules, I assume. No? Don't make me go over it again. All in favor say 'aye.' All opposed say 'nay.' I think we've got the while drill down. We've only done it six billion or so times. Right I am. Now, anyone want to give the whole damn thing a try? Shlark, thank you for volunteering. Go on then," Roylar said. He sounded annoyed, like his time had been completely wasted. Akithro looked pissed at being volunteered. He cleared his throat a few times.

"Ladies and Lords, fellows of the Seven..." Akithro's voice faded and I found myself literally staring at changing scenery. The room changed to Cathro's lab.

Cathro rushed in, his whole body shaking. I couldn't tell if it was excitement or not. He walked into the center of the room announcing, "We are cleared to start Project 9073. We are to be finished by the end of August. It would be better if we're finished sooner than later. We must begin immediately. Bring the boy."

A woman left and reappeared with a small crying baby on her arms. With a feeling sort of like being punched with a two ton bag in the chest, I realized the baby was me. I shifted closer and watched as Cathro attempted a weak smile. It looked like a grimace. He leaned closer, his eyes filled with pain. "It's for the best, my boy. And it's best you don't know I'm your father." He inserted the needle.

Once again, the scenery took a dramatic shift. I was once again in the mansion's hallway. Lady McMillian was holding a very little and very innocent Accord in her arms. Akithro glared at Accord in annoyance as he walked past. He stopped and turned to face Lady McMillian.

"Lady McMillian, I received word from Lord Roylar that Cathro finished his project. He wants us all down there in about five minutes," he said. She simply nodded before returning Accord to his nurse and heading to Cathro's lab. The look on her face was one of pure disgust.

I watched as Cathro presented 'Project 9073.' He looked nervous. There was a very fine sheen of sweat that coated his upper lip. I stood next to Lady McMillian and stared down into the cradle. Her gasp was faint but I could hear it. Her fingers tightened around the edge as she gazed down at me. I felt my stomach turn. Lady McMillian resisted the urge to throw up and turned to Cathro. She asked where I was from. He lied and said he'd just found me near a corpse. There were a few more garbled words but nothing important. The rage was burning it's way up my throat. My own father lied to me and the Seven.