Relentless (51 page)

Grant started breathing fast again.

‘‘Where is my father?’’ he asked, barely able to find his voice.

‘‘Long dead,’’ the Keeper replied calmly.

‘‘
You
killed him,’’ Grant spat, the whirlwind around him surging.

‘‘Didn’t you?’’

‘‘No,’’ the Keeper replied without deceit. ‘‘The coward took his own life. To keep you from
me
.’’

‘‘What?’’

‘‘When he found out what I believed about you—what I believed you would
become
—your father had your mental acuity tested to see if it was true. Or even possible. The results were precisely as I told him they would be. With your mother dead, he knew that alone, he would never be able to keep you from me forever. But he also knew that with him dead and gone, I couldn’t take custody of you and your sister without exposing the Secretum. So he killed himself and cut me off. You and your sister were declared wards of the state. You know the rest.’’

Grant looked down, staggering backward a few uneasy steps. The fury around him built once more, objects and debris again swirling about the corridor . . .

‘‘You’re the reason . . .’’ he said, ‘‘that they’re gone. The reason they’re dead. The reason I had to grow up in that awful place . . .’’

‘‘Your father believed he was shielding you by taking his own life,’’ the Keeper said, still perfectly calm. ‘‘The fool had no idea how far I was willing to go to ensure that you met your destiny. Outside of my influence, you grew up and chose for yourself a life of solitude—a life you were never meant to have. Steps had to be taken to correct this.’’

Grant shook his head through a cascade of tears, eyes locked on his grandfather. The insanity of it all . . . that someone could presume to predetermine the entire course of his life and manipulate it to that end . . .

‘‘I’m going to kill you now,’’ Grant said, barely audible among the cacophony. He balled his fists and bore down, closing his eyes.

The Keeper did not react. He merely watched in silence.

The ground trembled as Grant prepared to let out another primordial surge of energy . . .

But something struck his head from behind, and the havoc around him ended as everything faded to black.

‘‘I think he’s coming around, sir.’’

Grant tried to blink.

But something was covering his eyes.

He couldn’t move.

And he was dizzy.

Very
dizzy.

‘‘Sorry about all this,’’ said the Keeper, his voice oddly swirling all around Grant.

That’s when Grant realized that he was strapped in a standing position to something upright that was
spinning
in place.

And the Keeper was his grandfather.

His grandfather! His father’s father . . .

How was it possible?

All he remembered of this old man was a handful of visits as a young boy and old pictures he had seen once of his grandparents together. He’d never even heard from the old man after his parents died, and assumed him to be dead as well.

‘‘What’s going on? Why am I . . . going in circles?’’ Grant stammered.

‘‘I know it’s uncomfortable. It won’t last any longer than necessary, I assure you,’’ the old man said. ‘‘But you could destroy this entire structure with a single thought, if you laid eyes on it. Which is the precise reason for the blindfold. Your friend Hannah told you her abilities only worked on line-of-sight. She was partially right.
Awareness
is the real key. You could destroy an object behind you right now if you knew where it was.’’

Grant didn’t reply, absorbing this.

His grandfather pressed on. ‘‘It’s the same for all of you. Morgan can only remember facts that she’s directly exposed to. Payton can only enact his super-burst of speed against opponents that he can
see
. Likewise, if you’re disoriented, your powers are useless.’’

‘‘I could still let out a blast of energy in all directions,’’ Grant said, his jaw rigid, his teeth grinding.

‘‘Of course you could,’’ the Keeper replied. ‘‘But if you did, Alex would no doubt suffer the consequences as well.’’

‘‘What did you do with her?’’ Grant asked in as much of a menacing tone as he could muster.

‘‘She’s here. She’s fine. For the moment.’’

Alex watched.

Strapped to a stationary table of her own in the structure’s colossal inner chamber, she watched as across the room, the table holding Grant slowly spun.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Tape covered her mouth.

Three armed guards surrounded her, watching her every move.

Which seemed like overkill.

After all, what could she do in this position?

Let’s hope they’re thinking that, too . . .
she mused.

Meanwhile, she kept her eyes trained on Grant.

Waiting for an opportunity, an opening, to put her plan into motion . . .

‘‘What is all this about?’’ Grant cried. ‘‘What have you done to me?
What do you want?
’’

‘‘I want to stack the deck in your favor. Rig the game so you win. I want
the Bringer
,’’ the Keeper replied, as if it were obvious. ‘‘Events are unfolding very quickly, so time is short. But I’ll try to explain as best I can. Let me begin at the beginning . . .

‘‘As I told you on the phone, the Rings of Dominion—as well as the Dominion Stone itself—were hidden for millennia. Buried and sealed in a place shrouded in utmost secrecy, they were entombed. Sealed beneath the earth by the Secretum of Six. The Dominion Stone covered their hiding place.’’

‘‘What
is
the Stone?’’ Grant asked as he continued to quietly spin.

‘‘A marker, pointing to both the past and the future. They say it cannot be destroyed. But somehow, it was broken centuries ago by the enemies of the Secretum. Wars were fought for centuries for possession of the Stone and the rings—most especially
your
ring, the Seal of Dominion. Legend has it that the Seal was sought by dictators and rulers the world over, including the likes of Napoleon, Hitler, and Alexander. But thanks to the efforts of the Secretum, the Seal has been kept safe throughout history, and no one was permitted to wear it. Until
you
.’’

‘‘Was it the ring that caused the Shift?’’ Grant asked.

‘‘No,’’ the Keeper replied. ‘‘
I
caused the Shift. You see—or well, I suppose you don’t at the moment, but if you could—I’m wearing a ring myself, a ring almost as special as yours. Not gold in color but silver, with a blue stone. And the talent it gives me is the transfer of consciousness from one living being to another.’’

‘‘How can you be one of the Loci if I can’t feel you?’’

‘‘There has always been a Keeper to lead the Secretum, and the Keeper has worn the ring I now wear since the Secretum was formed. They say that it was stolen—
taken
—from the opposite number of he who once owned
your
ring. The one this ring was taken from—‘He alone knows the soul of man,’’’ the Keeper quoted knowingly. ‘‘And as the Secretum came to realize, if you can
see
a thing, then you can
change
it.’’

‘‘Why do all this?’’ Grant said, trying not to shout. His rage was resurfacing in the form of impatience. ‘‘Why bother Shifting us, if it’s not necessary for using the rings?’’

‘‘Now you’re disappointing me,’’ the Keeper said edgily. ‘‘There is only
one
practical application of this:
anonymity
. Think of it, Grant. You are the most powerful being on the planet, yet for all intents and purposes,
you do not exist
. Untrackable. Untraceable. A member of society, yet completely unknown by it. You’re the perfect soldier. You can do
anything
by simply thinking it, and no one need ever know who you are.’’

Tears formed behind Grant’s eyes once again, soaking into the cloth over his eyes.

‘‘This body I’m wearing, these people you put us inside of . . . who were they before?’’

‘‘Husks. Vessels,’’ the Keeper said with a hint of disgust. ‘‘Yours was a soldier who worked in covert ops, which is why you’re able to fight so well. His instincts remain in you. But they were volunteers, all of them. For them, it was the highest calling.’’

‘‘You’ve killed so many. You’re responsible for
everything
that’s happened to me, aren’t you?’’

‘‘Of course.’’

‘‘But why send Konrad and Drexel to try and kill me? How does that help you?’’

‘‘All part of the process. The apartment, the money, the car—it all came from me. Resources you needed to fulfill your role. If you hadn’t been through everything you’ve gone through, if you hadn’t learned, adapted, and grown with each new experience . . . if you hadn’t
survived
, then you wouldn’t have been worthy of your destiny. But I never doubted it.’’

Grant was reminded of something Daniel had told him the day they met.

‘‘Where you see random occurrences, I see a
purpose
,’’
Daniel had said.

Alex tensed.

Whatever else may have been happening here, this man was starting to get through to Grant. She could see it. She could practically feel the wheels turning in Grant’s head.

And there was no time . . .

High above them, reality itself was rending at the seams, falling apart. Plunging the world into ruin.

Come on, Grant . . . make a move!

‘‘So now you know the truth about how you were made. Above us is the
why
,’’ the Keeper said simply. ‘‘Aboveground, the surface is crumbling. A cataclysm like nothing the earth has ever seen is taking place.’’

‘‘You’re just going to turn me loose to go fight it?’’ Grant asked incredulously, his temperature still rising.

‘‘It’s not quite that simple,’’ the Keeper replied. ‘‘Destiny has come calling. But it’s still up to you to answer.’’

Grant frowned.

‘‘You must pass the final test.
Prove
to me that you are prepared to take this all the way. Right now, I have three armed men with semiautomatic weapons ready to fill Alex’s body with holes—’’

‘‘Leave her alone!’’ Grant screamed.

‘‘That choice is yours to make. They will obey
your
command. If you tell them to, they’ll fire, and you’ll be released to go perform your function. If you order her life spared, then countless others will lose their lives to the threat above. Prove to me that you’re willing to pay any price to get the job done, and this will end.’’

Grant was trembling.

‘‘I don’t care if you
are
my grandfather, you’re either very brave or very foolish to be making me angry,’’ he said quietly.

‘‘I have nothing to fear from you,’’ the Keeper replied matter-of-factly. ‘‘You’re powerless until
I
let you go. You can’t even save Alex in your current state.’’

Grant gave a calm, easy laugh and his body relaxed.

On his finger he felt the warm glow of his ring begin to rise.

‘‘I don’t
have
to save her,’’ Grant said. His blindfolded head slowly turned to point straight at Alex’s location across the room, and stayed fixed on her position as he continued to rotate. ‘‘I can
feel
her.’’

The tape ripped itself off of Alex’s mouth, and he heard her shout, though it seemed more in delight than pain.

‘‘
Terror
,’’ Alex said to the guards surrounding her, and Grant heard the men howl in fright and dropping to the floor.

Grant continued to whirl in place but he felt Alex next to him. And her ring.

‘‘We removed your ring,’’ the Keeper growled. ‘‘How could you possibly?’’

‘‘How quick the mighty forget,’’ she said, rising from the table. ‘‘ ‘A ring can only be removed after its wearer dies,’ ’’ she recited.

‘‘Hannah . . .
her
ring . . .’’ he whispered. He backed away.

‘‘You may not have to
fear
your grandson, bubbles,’’ she said, nodding at Grant. ‘‘But if you remember what
I
can do with one of these things’’— she held up her ring—‘‘then you should
fear me!
’’

At the word
fear,
Grant heard the man topple, screaming and begging.

‘‘By the way,’’ Alex said, her voice closer now. ‘‘
I quit
.’’

Grant heard her scuffling about him and then the sound of gears clicking into place. At once, his spinning slowed, then a few seconds later, stopped entirely. Alex pulled the cover from Grant’s eyes and he forced himself to stand, despite his dizziness.

He looked up for the first time at the vast chamber they were in. Overflowing with scientific equipment and gear, as well as computer stations and huge monitors, the room was monstrous in size, stretching several stories high. Balconies overlooked their position from above. The Dominion Stone rested on an easel nearby, a bright spotlight illuminating it from overhead.

Grant approached his grandfather, who was still cowering on the floor, shivering.

Grant, too, was shaking. But not in fear.

Alex grabbed him by the arm. ‘‘We’ve got to go—’’

They were knocked off of their feet by an explosion.

Alex lost her concentration and the Keeper sprang to his feet, fingering a remote device of some kind in his hand.

‘‘That’s more like it,’’ he said, eyeing Grant. ‘‘I’ve been waiting for you to exert yourself.’’

A contingent of over fifty soldiers—all wearing gray jumpsuits with no insignia—entered the chamber, surrounding them on every side.

‘‘Grant,’’ Alex said, grabbing his arm again, ‘‘knock these guys out and let’s just get out of here.’’

But Grant wouldn’t budge, his eyes locked on his grandfather.

‘‘Grant, forget him! Don’t listen to anything he says!’’ she exclaimed.

‘‘You really think I would
let
you escape?’’ the Keeper replied. ‘‘You think I wouldn’t be
prepared
?’’

His finger was still on the remote, even though the bomb it triggered had already gone off . . .

‘‘Consider that first blast just a warm-up. His big brother is next, more than enough force to level this entire cavern and bring the building on the surface crashing down as well.’’

‘‘You’re willing to kill yourself over this?
Why?
’’ Grant asked between hard breaths.