A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 40: Battle Day

Today's the day. Today John and the others will face him and put an end to this. It'll be hard, but I think they're ready. I hope they are. I won't know what to do if they aren't.

I saw how they handled themselves yesterday. Nine's team pulled victorious, though he's still complaining that I cheated; I think the others are just trying not to lash out. But that's not important. They need to focus. They need to be ready and kill him, or else I'll never be truly free...

"Are you sure you'll be ok staying here?" John asks for probably the twentieth time.

"I'll be fine. I don't want to risk him getting his hands on me again."

"Right..." I think he knows the real reason why I don't want to face him though. Everyone does and I hate it. "That's what you said..."

As discussed, the Garde will face Setrákus Ra while Malcolm and Adam rescue Sam. Dulce base, New Mexico is eighteen hours away. Lexa offered to fly them there, but Henri thought it best they travel incognito, and Lexa didn't argue. Meanwhile I'll stay here with Lexa and Pixie, "as backup," as Henri told me, though I'm hoping things don't go wrong; it can't.

I watch until they're out of sight, hoping with everything I have that they come back alive.

Lexa's the first to head back inside.

It's suddenly much quieter without any of the Garde around. It's almost eerie and unsettling, especially without John or Nine. "So, what's the plan?" I ask.

"I'm going to get back behind the screen," Lexa says, "try and hack into the cameras in that place so we can see where they're at when they get there."

"You can do that?"

"I can try," she reiterates. "You said it was once a military complex, right? Chances are they'd have cameras. If I can hack into them, we'd be able to see when they arrive, where they're going, maybe even direct them on where they need to go."

"Sounds like a good idea."

She nods, takes her afternoon coffee, and heads upstairs. "What're you going to do?" she asks. I shrug. I haven't figured that part out yet. I don't want to be lying around while John and the others are battling for the fate of the world. "Maybe you could keep an eye on the news? At least in New Mexico," she suggests. "Make sure they have no surprises waiting for them."

I nod. "I can do that."

"There's a spare laptop you can use upstairs." It's grey and high-tech. I take it to my room, sit cross-legged on the bed, and boot it up. It takes a few minutes, but when it's awake, I open an internet browser to the WorldWide Web.

For the next few hours or so, it's all I do. I dig for any news-related events in New Mexico, staying clear of keywords like 'dulce base' or 'aliens' obviously. I try to find people in MogPro—FBI agents, Bud Sanderson, Arnold Jackson—I try to search for government files like what exactly Setrákus Ra's intentions are, even though I'm sure I already know. I try to find proof, though I'm not sure it'll make a difference if we showed it to anyone.

It's harder than I let on. I'm not an expert on finding stuff through the internet. I don't know how Lexa does it safely without being caught. It's frustrating.

It's almost 7:00 by the time I look up. I didn't realize I've been sitting for so long. With a yawn, I rub exhaustion from my eyes and stretch out my stiffness. Even with a worsening headache, I'll admit, this has helped keep my mind off Setrákus Ra. I leave the room and find Lexa still at her desk. "How's it going?" I ask. "Were you able to hack into the security cameras?"

"I was," she answers, not looking away from her monitor. Something has her entranced. "I'm viewing everything going on over there."

I walk around to peer at her screen; it's looped into a video feed of a dark room and a man tied to a chair. Another man's standing over him; he looks government based. I don't know who either of them are. "What is that?" I wonder aloud.