The Isdïra Complex

Fire and smoke

He stumbled a few steps over the floor before Evan took hold of his shoulders. What lay in his hand?

Charles opened his eyes and wanted to look at it, but for now it was too dark to see anything. Whatever he held in his hand was made of metal and had a few sharp ends like spikes. It had the size of a tennis ball, but a totally different shape.

Thats all you needed to see, the young man heard Evan say. Lets get out of here. He walked along one of the innumberable hallways of the Complex.

Out of where? Charles asked and followed him.

Well leave this unholy place tonight, if Alec succeeds at removing the locks from the building.

Who is Alec? It wasnt the first time the suspected Vengeant was confused since he was here, as well as not the first time he had more than one question to ask to understand what the other man was talking about.

The latter made a derogatory gesture. Ill explain it to you later. Whats more important is that you tell me about your vision of the past.

Why should I do that?

The Isdrad want to make you look into your past to figure out whether or not your one of the Vengeants so that they can kill you, Evan tried to explain. Im here to help you, but for that you have to tell me what you saw.

Why should I trust you? Charles asked and had a hard time to keep pace with the ominous man. He wanted to know what that piece of metal was which he by now carried in his pocket, but that wasnt all that important in the moment. Where is Miranda? What did you do to her?

Shes with Jessa and thats exactly the place were going to in this very moment, Evan responded while his impatience slowly grew. What did you see in your vision? he insisted to find out about.

Charles would have sighed if he werent distracted by walking that fast, even though they went straight ahead all the time. He told Evan of the desert and Britta and how Eduardo helped her to get to a hospital. The doctor Terra reminded Charles of one of his sisters of his last life because they were namesakes.

After listening to the short tale, Evan slowed down a bit, turned to the right where there was another hallway and told Charles what he knew: If that was your first vision you had in this Complex, that unfortunately means youve been involved in the history of the Isdrad from the beginning. Because everything began with Britta – she was the first with the blood of the immortal which the Isdrad still seek nowadays. Thats why that woman survived in the desert. And for all I know Eduardo was the name of the one who somehow knew that Britta had this peculiarity. He was the first one who extracted the blood of an Isdrad.

Charles needed a short while to understand what Evan told him – he was too exhausted to concentrate. Whats that supposed to have to do with me? Im not related to any of those people at the desert, am I? As I said, everything that sounded familiar to me there was the name Terra.

Evan merely shrugged his shoulders. Maybe Jessa, Cobb or Alec have the answer to whatever connects you with your past. I dont and I guess you have to figure that out by yourself. He fell silent, went to a door which led them to a huge hall with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and opened it. Its time to prepare ourselves for our escape, Charles.

What are you talking about?

Whatever the suspected Vengeant asked from now on, Evan ignored him.

★★★

When Miranda and Jessa walked to the Middle North Tower to meet Cobb, they werent quite as happy as they could have been when he told them about urgent plans.

Miranda found out about Alec and that he and at least two dozen other people wanted to help him to make them escape. Didnt you say that would kill us? the girl asked and turned to Jessa who again looked at Cobb, hoping that hed have a good explanation for what was going on.

The man frowned. Did you really tell her that? Im absolutely sure thats not gonna happen.

Where is Charles? Miranda wanted to know. I came to the Complex with him more or less, so dont we want to take him along?

Cobb nodded. Alec said theres someone bringing him along. Apparently, he finally had his first vision of the past. He paused for a second and looked at the stairs the two others had just climbed. Then his gaze moved back to Miranda. You wont need any weapons to defend yourself. As soon as we leave this place once and for all, youll run until youre in the forest. Cobb pointed at the trees that were behind him in the distance. Once youre there, youll keep movin until youre in the next town.

Miranda sighed, not knowing how to respond to Cobbs sudden plan which on the other hand couldnt have been that sudden if Alec and a bunch of other people knew about it. Will I be safe there? she asked.

Safer than here, thats for sure, Cobb said. To set an end to all of this you have to find out more about your past so that the Isdrad stop chasin you.

Cobb looked up at the tower because hed seen something from the corner of his eye. It was smoke.

The soft breeze that blew here suddenly changed its temperature from warm to displeasingly cold.

Jessa stared at Cobb as if shed witnessed his death. She shook her head. Thats not you, Cobb. Why didnt you tell me about your plan?

The man in hs fifties did a good job at staying calm. Because it wasnt my plan. Alec appeared here yesterday and told me about it.

And you plainly agreed?

Cobb nodded. Because he didnt give me a choice. Some sort of a feeling of pain covered his face for a moment, but he hid it before Jessa could tell for sure what shed seen. Well have to go down the stairs, there well meet Alec and Charles hopefully. That last word the two others could bearly hear as they walked down the stairs.

Meanwhile, a bald man walked up and turned around halfway when he saw Miranda, Jessa and Cobb. We brought thirty Isdrad in a room where we lit fire, the man said. They probably will die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Miranda saw one of the men – to all appearances an Isdrad – leave the room, his whole body caught by fire. It was one of the moments when the girl thought she wanted to leave the Isdïra Complex. Not because she didnt know what was going on but because, for a change, she didnt want to know.

There were lots of people standing at the bottom of the bottom of the stairs, all of them fighting the Isdrad, it seemed. Charles was there, too, and Miranda felt the urge to him and run away together. They didnt know each other that much, but he seemed to be the one he could trust the most.

Then Alec appeared in her sight field. He talked to her with a loud voice so that she could understand him and said she was ought to go through a secret passage next to the stairs to escape with Charles and a few other Vengeants. Miranda simply listened to him and obeyed, looked at the stairs and saw a hardly visible door which probably would lead them to that secret passage Alec had talked about.

Charles was right behind her, but except for him she didnt see anyone else following her.

She didnt understand, but she didnt care either.