The Phoenix and the Flames, page 1
part #1 of Prometheus Series
The Phoenix and the Flames
The Phoenix and the Flames
Brendan Landry
Acknowledgements
It feels unreal that I’m writing this part of the book right now, but I wouldn’t be writing it if it weren’t for those who helped me along the way.
I would like to thank my family for everything they did throughout the entire process. Mom, Dad, Chris, Dylan, Kaitlyn, and Allie: I love you all. Thank you for the snaps, calls, texts, random sushi dates, and those times we came together and enjoyed each other’s company. It may not seem like much, but every little thing you guys have done has kept the fire in my heart going strong. Thank you Mom and Dad for teaching me the values of patience and persistence. If it weren’t for you guys, I would have given up on this dream a long time ago.
A huge thank you to Chris Moloney, Corinne Ferguson, Cameron Castillo, Danielle Garabo, and Zack Moore for being there for me through my ups and downs, and giving me the strength to stay motivated through the end. There were times I thought you guys were more excited about the book than I was, and I can’t tell you how much that really kept me going.
Thank you to my editor, Michael Waitz, for the fine polishing and tuning.
Thank you Mark ‘Mapo’ Moran, and Mike ‘Callie’ Callahan for all the support and guidance. Next round is on me, fellas.
Last, but not least, I would also like to thank all those who showed me love, support, and guidance along the way. Whether I knew you or not, every little bit of encouragement or insight was appreciated. To name a few: Jennifer Sassano, Maria Schiaffo, Kristen Lange, Kevin Bottini, James Higgins, Tommy Gavin, Brett Bernard, Leonard Gjeloshi, Christina Hart, Alexxa Vanderbeek, and Samantha Kiernan.
Contents
Chapter 1: A Light in the Dark
Chapter 2: Walking Old Paths
Chapter 3: Entering The Hive
Chapter 4: The Twisting of Fates
Chapter 5: The Midnight Ride
Chapter 6: The Final Countdown
Chapter 7: The Wrong Side of the Tracks
Chapter 8: The Third Option
Chapter 9: The Man Behind the Coat
Chapter 10: Old World Blues
Chapter 11: The Ghost Ship
Chapter 12: The Order Revealed
Chapter 13: Trouble in Paradise
Chapter 14: Tales of Ghosts
Chapter 15: Finding Hope
Chapter 16: A Secret Kept
Chapter 17: The Russian Collusion
Chapter 18: Through Feast and Famine
Chapter 19: The Flight of the Phoenix
Chapter 20: A Spark in the Kindling
Chapter 21: The Flames Ignite
Chapter 22: The Third Step
Epilogue
Chapter 1: A Light in the Dark
The void was deep and dark; black as the night. A shuffle of feet, and the scraping of a cloth bag on a rough stone floor reverberated off empty walls. The pattering of a steady rain paired with the occasional thunder penetrated the enclosed space. A man muttered to himself, fidgeting through the contents of the bag. The fidgeting soon stopped, but the inaudible muttering continued.
The rough sound of metal scraping upon flint created the first signs of light. Sparks followed each rhythmic flick until one found a home in the kindling on the ground. The tiny ember waned as it levitated from its spot, but grew larger with every whoosh of the man’s breath. It caught the kindling and erupted into a small, but life-giving flame. It fell back down to the ground where the twigs piled on top of it lost their battle to smother its existence. And now the tiny little ember, contagious in its actions, created a light for the world to see.
“Let there be light,” spoke the man in a raspy voice.
His faint outline flickered in the glow of the fire, but his features and surroundings became clearer with every passing second. His wavy, unkempt hair fell over a set of broad shoulders. The animal-skin coat draped over his back cast a fearsome shadow against the tall stone walls of the enclosure. Large stone slabs surrounded the well-used campfire, acting as makeshift seats.
The man reached into his sack once more and pulled out a freshly killed rabbit. He skinned the rabbit with ease before mounting it on a stick.
“I’m going to eat well tonight,” he chuckled as he rested the meat above the fire.
Without warning, the door behind him burst open. The man pulled a pistol from inside his coat and directed his attention towards the door. A figure stood in the doorway, his silhouette outlined by a perfectly timed bolt of lightning. “Don’t move, or this will be the last thing you see,” said the man by the fire.
“Relax, Robbie!” the other figure replied. “You wouldn’t shoot an old friend, would ya?”
Robert recognized the owner of that voice.
“Depends on how many times they’ve tried to kill me.”
Robert returned his pistol to his coat and turned back towards the fire.
“What about over old bets?” the figure replied again. “A pack of smokes and 3 beers is what you owe if I remember correctly.”
Robert grinned, remembering the game of chess he’d lost those years ago.
“A debt I can settle right now. Now get in here and close that damn door. It’s coming down heavy out there.”
The man pressed the door hard against the wind before finally managing to close it. He pulled the fedora off his head, shaking off the excess rain before walking over and taking a seat next to Robert.
He was a tall man in his mid-forties, with a gray streak running through his combed brown hair. His clean-shaven face held a set of light brown eyes which Robert could now see in the dancing light of the fire.
“So this is what you’ve been doing this whole time,” the new figure said, looking around the inside of the tower.
“Living the quiet life, yes,” replied Robert.
He pulled a corked glass bottle from his sack. The satisfactory pop of the cork echoed through the chamber as he tipped the bottom of the bottle towards the ceiling. The amber liquid inside raced towards the neck and into Robert’s mouth. He lowered the bottle and let out a hearty sigh of satisfaction before handing the drink to his guest. Robert then pulled two cigarettes from his pocket and lit them both in the crackling fire.
“I’m going to skip the pleasantries and cut to the chase,” said Robert, clearing his throat. “Why are you here, Joe?”
Joe took a drink and winced as the fiery liquid slid down his throat. He then grabbed the second lit cigarette from Robert, taking a quick drag before continuing.
“Why else?” he coughed. “Government business would be the only thing urgent enough to come out here during the winter.”
Robert took another drag of his cigarette and looked Joe in the eye.
“If you expect you can just walk in here and convince me to stand trial, you’re wrong. Should have sent a Ghost team instead.”
Joe took a swig and passed the bottle back to Robert.
“Who said anything about standing trial? No, we want to pull you out of retirement.”
“So go back to doing the government’s dirty work? Is that what you’re asking me to do?”
“I’m not asking you to do anything,” defended Joe. “I’m just relaying the message. But I suggest you think about it. Face it, you can’t run forever. Every time we catch up to you, you escape by the skin of your teeth. Top brass will never call off the hunt, and it’s only a matter of time before your luck runs out. They want you sentenced for treason, and for your unauthorized leave from the HIVE.”
“The first and only one to break out!” interrupted Robert. “Gotta count for something, right?”
Joe laughed.
“You know that won’t help.”
He glanced into his lap before turning his attention back at Robert.
“But Marcella would, and has. She’s kept her knowledge of your whereabouts a secret, and is willing to grant you your freedom if you cooperate.”
“So she knew where I was this whole time.”
“Well, no. Your trail went cold for quite some time, but a few months ago one of our drones caught you sleeping in a field in the Western Penns. It tagged you, and you led us here.”
Joe took another drag of his cigarette, looking at it with disgust before condemning it to the heart of the fire.
“What I don’t get,” he continued, “is why you came back here. Of all the places you could go, you still decided to come here.”
Robert laughed as he looked into the fire.
“The summers are lazy, the fall is gorgeous, and there aren’t many people or patrols out here. Especially during the rainy months. Besides, I do like to return home every now and then. Was hoping to see some beautiful fall colors before I left again, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.”
Joe grinned.
“Hiding under our noses was pretty smart. After losing track of you in the West a few years ago, the last place we would have expected to find you was here.”
He then shifted himself into a more comfortable position before continuing.
“This is your chance to end this once and for all. You don’t have to go on the run again. Do these few jobs for her, and you’ll be free to live any life you want.”
Robert leaned away from Joe and studied him for a moment.
“And what if I refuse?” he asked. “I could kill you right now and disappear again.”
“You could, but if I come back with bad news; or don’t report back a t all, the entire New Amsterdam military will be scouting these woods by daybreak. Once the word reaches the other city states, they too will send their forces.”
“They’re not holding any punches, are they?”
“Like I said, top brass has wanted you for a long time. They don’t intend to take any chances with arguably the most dangerous man on the continent. But don’t get me wrong, they will look to take you alive. That means you will stand trial and be sent to Eisenstadt. And we all know—”
“It’s a fate worse than death,” finished Robert.
Robert took a quick drag of his cigarette and weighed his options. Refusal would mean potentially ending up in Eisenstadt, not to mention an end to his quiet life. Accepting the deal meant diving head first into the world he walked away from all those years ago. It would save him from Eisenstadt, but it still wouldn’t guarantee his freedom. It was a decision Robert knew he couldn't make lightly.
“How would a disavowed enemy of the state enter the HIVE?” he asked.
“That’s where I come in,” Joe said with a grin.
He pulled a case from his pocket and opened it in front of Robert. Inside was a simple injector loaded with a tiny capsule.
“Marcella saw to it that facial and retinal scanners in New Amsterdam will no longer identify you as a high-priority target. She also gave me a rewritten tag. Level 1 and Zone 1 clearance, under the alias Captain Leonard Smeebly of the Joint HIVE Defense Force.”
Robert grunted in disgust.
“You couldn’t pick a better name?” he asked, “and since when do you guys use implanted tags?”
Joe laughed.
“Just be glad you got one. Otherwise you’d be breaking in the same way you got out.”
He cleared his throat before continuing.
“The tags are just a slight precaution. Some lower zone inhabitants learned they could hide their faces from the retinal and facial scanners, and were regularly breaching Zone 2. With this bad boy, anyone who goes where they don’t belong will get a warning shock. If they don’t comply in one minute, the tag releases cyanide into their system. Any attempt to remove it will do the same.”
Robert picked the injector out of its case and examined its sleek, metallic body.
“Hmmm. Simple, yet effective. I’m assuming this one has no cyanide?”
“You are correct,” replied Joe. “Zone 1 clearance is the ultimate clearance. You can go anywhere.”
Robert pushed the injector into his arm and depressed the plunger. The injector punched the capsule into his flesh, leaving a telltale hexagonal imprint on the skin.
“So you’re in?” asked Joe.
“Not exactly,” replied Robert as he handed back the injector. “I need to get in and discuss my terms with Marcella. If that goes well, I’m in.”
Robert rotated the stick holding the rabbit over the fire, and took another swig from the bottle.
“You’re welcome to stay for food if you want. We’ll need our strength to make our way back to the HIVE.”
Joe shook his head.
“I’m not returning with you. Have some business to attend to at another HIVE. But I will stay for some food. It has been a while since I’ve eaten something good.”
“Don’t tell me the food in there is horrible,” Robert said. “I’m too old to be living off military rations again.”
Joe shrugged.
“It’s all fresh, but something just always seems...off. Like the plants know they’ve gone their whole life without ever feeling the warmth of a real sun.”
Robert listened, but was firm with his previous judgment.
“As long as there's more instructions than 'Just add water' I’ll be fine.”
Robert held the bottle out towards Joe.
“More whiskey?”
Joe looked at it with reluctance, but grabbed it anyway. He took a swig and winced as the alcohol once again singed the inside of his throat.
“How did you get your hands on alcohol and cigarettes out here?” He coughed.
Robert smirked as he took another drag from his cigarette.
“The alcohol was easy. Spent the whole summer making it a few years back.”
Joe handed back the bottle and Robert took a long, hearty swig before continuing.
“And as for the cigarettes, I stumbled upon these by chance. Found a whole shipment in one of those end-of-the-world bunkers nearby. Guy musta thought cigarettes would be good currency.”
Joe shook his head and smiled.
“If only they’d known what the world would be now.”
“Well if they had, then I would be down a lifetime supply of cigarettes, wouldn’t I?”
They laughed as Robert took the rabbit off of the fire and laid it on a large wooden plate beside him.
“At least you only saw the aftermath, Joe,” added Robert. “Some had to watch the whole thing.”
They divided up the rabbit and ate in silence, savoring every bit as if they would never eat again. After dinner, Robert prepared a comfortable place for Joe to rest, and lay down himself before drifting into his last slumber as a free man.
Chapter 2: Walking Old Paths
Robert woke up the next day to the long-awaited absence of rain pattering on the roof. He hobbled his way over to the door and pushed it open to let the blinding radiance of the morning sun pierce the inside of the tower. Though his eyes still needed time to adjust, Robert smiled at the orange glow which penetrated his eyelids. Despite the chill of the winter wet season hanging in the surrounding air, the light warmed Robert's face like the hot fire inside the tower. He stood there for a moment to appreciate the sun’s return from its vacation behind the clouds. Once his eyes grew accustomed to the light, Robert walked out of the tower towards the edge of the old overgrown parking lot before him.
He looked out and laid his eyes on the perfect view from atop the mountain. A thick fog blanketed the valley below, sparing only the tops of the surrounding ridges from its embrace. It was a beautiful sight. The first signs of the spring revival poked out between the clusters of evergreens and bare rock outcrops on the adjacent peaks. Even a couple feet in front of him, Robert could see the trees and shrubs awakening from their slumber.
Despite the serenity of the natural beauty surrounding him, Robert could still make out the faint outline of the concrete jungle standing guard at the distant mouth of the Hudson River. He gazed at it as its gloomy outline faded in and out of the fog.
“I really have to go back,” he thought in disbelief.
He wished the memory of the night before were just a bad dream. But the note he found lying next to him when he awoke reinforced the reality of the situation.
Be at Phoenix Tower by noon tomorrow. Don’t be late. You know what is at stake.
Joe.
Robert knew exactly what was at stake. He once again thought about running. Hell, he knew those woods better than anyone alive. The prospect of running for the rest of his life, or even worse, being caught, was more than enough to deter him from turning back now. He knew striking a deal with Marcella was his only chance of living in real peace.
“I guess I’d better get moving,” he sighed to himself. “Got some things to pick up anyways.”
Robert took one last look at the surrounding valley before journeying down the driveway to the bottom of the mountain. Following the lonesome road sank him deeper and deeper into the mist-filled valley, and soon he couldn’t see but a couple yards in front of him. The dense moss blanketing the ground cushioned each step, and the red maple blossoms decorating the understory caused the fog above him to shine a magnificent red. Scant bird calls and rustling leaves broke the silence, causing Robert to grin at spring's long-awaited arrival.
The fog thinned as Robert reached the end of the driveway and found the path carved down the middle of the main road. Although bushes and grass covered most of the asphalt, the faint markings of painted lines showing through the center of the trail reminded him of a time when these stretches of pavement were in use.
“Oh, if only I could go back for one day,” he said to himself.
He reminisced about riding his motorcycle through these mountain roads all those years ago. The roar of the engine between his legs. The whirring of the tires as he carved through the twists and turns. The way her hands held him tightly from behind. But at that final memory he shook the thought out of his mind and brought himself back to the overgrown state of the present.
