The Brothers Locke, page 10
***
In the twenty-four hours since Solas and The Locke Brothers successfully escaped The Crimson Corsairs, they had traveled more miles and seen more landmarks of the West than the brothers had seen during their entire lives. The journey had swept them past places they had only heard of and others they had never heard of.
Two small cities rose and fell along the horizon as they traveled towards the East. The Locke Brothers had never known they were there but both seemed to be run down dystopian areas that polluted the sky with black clouds of smoke. A few villages also served as scenery on their trek, the inhabitants going about their everyday lives and barely noticing the truck speeding past them on the dirt road just outside their homes. There were few animals that could be spotted along the roadside and even less vegetation. One forest was close enough to see as the truck climbed up a steep hill. Off to the right the dense canopy of these woods filled the ground below. It sat still in the valley, showing no signs of life beneath the withered evergreens.
As they neared their destination, the air grew thick with dust. A wicked wind picked up around them and Bulk Brown instructed everyone inside the vehicle to roll up their windows. Only moments later the wind whipped around them, covering the truck in a thick layer of dirt and debris while threatening to knock the vehicle on its side. The tapping of rock and branches hitting the metal shell of the truck continued for a half hour until it finally subsided.
“There we are,” Bulk Brown said to no one in particular as they emerged from the dust storm.
Through the dust and clouds ahead broke through a massive wall that reached high into the multi-colored sky above. Made of stone slabs that were eight times the size of a man, The Great Manacle loomed above the desolate landscape as a dividing line between the West and the East.
The wall was not intact however. Many generations prior, one of the many wars between the East and West had resulted in the barrier’s demise. It once stretched from the farthest northern point of the Dea down to the coastlines of the southern oceans. Now it was all but non-existent except for a few crumbling remnants like this, a symbol now of the Dea’s past captured in stone and mortar.
The Great Manacle did serve a purpose though. While much of the dividing line between the West and East were now clear of any such obstruction, it was even more impossible to cross where the barrier did not exist. The natural division between the two sides of the Dea was in the clouds above that swirled and stormed inconsistently. One minute would see horrendous hail storms while the next would show a purple and orange sky, swirling its colors in the air above like oil mixed with water. The energies around this natural division were too great for any person to pass through (although the Air Brigands had found ways to do so in ways only known to them). The Great Manacle provided a means to travel from the East to West, a buffer against the Dea’s inherent energies to prevent anything living from doing so.
“I didn’t know it was so big,” Kale commented as he and the others exited the vehicle. “The top of it is in the clouds, isn’t it? How did anyone ever build such a thing with all that going on up there?”
He pointed to a spot directly above the wall where a swirl of blackness mixed with a pale blue. The collision sent forks of lightning crashing in all directions. It was as if the sky itself was an oily soup being constantly stirred above their heads.
“We leave the vehicle,” Bulk Brown instructed. “On the other side we have friends waiting to take us to Pharracrop.”
‘They’re taking us to Pharracrop?’ Sharp signed to Mouth.
“Just who do you work for anyway, Bulk? You haven’t said.”
“Does it matter?” the large man grunted.
“Well, if you’re taking us to Pharracrop, the capital of the East, this whole thing is much bigger than we thought.”
“Huge,” Echo added.
‘Scary huge,’ signed Sharp to emphasize their concern.
“Look, nothing is going to happen to you there. I figured knowing you were going there would make you less concerned. Pharracrop is a far safer place than any we’ve seen,” explained Bulk Brown, his voice sounding slightly disappointed when detailing how safe Pharracrop was.
***
After the wastelands they had seen throughout the West, passing through the misty veil of The Great Manacle revealed a world that looked, smelled and felt entirely different. Just on the other side were lush fields of green, a paved road, a strikingly blue sky, and the scent of mint carried on a light breeze that cleared the mist from their view.
The Locke Brothers hadn’t been in the East for some time and their memories of the place didn’t do justice to this experience. It was a literal paradise compared to where they had spent the last few years.
Mouth looked at his brothers and the filthy state of their appearance. All three were still wearing the same clothes from days ago, now covered in dirt, sweat stains and a few splashes of mud and blood. He brushed his hoodie with his hands, trying to knock off as much dirt as he could but soon realized it was of no use.
“Don’t worry about that,” Jocelyn said as she passed by him. “When we get to Pharracrop, there will be showers and we’ll make sure we get you guys some clothes.”
Jocelyn and Kale were dragging a few boxes of equipment behind them which looked heavy. Bulk Brown and Bando were talking to a security guard at a small station off to the left. They were showing papers and exchanging names that Echo was quick to pick up on. Although he didn’t recognize any of the people Bulk was referencing, he knew it might be important to remember them later on.
“Okay, we’re good to go. Just up ahead there,” instructed Bando as he pointed to a massive building to the right of them.
“We’re in Shades Run?” asked Echo who struggled to see the distant buildings. “I hear dirigibles.”
“You’d be right my brother,” Mouth confirmed. “Looks like we’re going to get a ride on one of those big balloons. Now I feel even more underdressed.”
“They’re really not that concerned about appearances, you think?” asked Echo.
“Who cares?” Sharp signed. “I’m tired and look forward to sleeping in the air!”
“Speak for yourself Sharp! We can see the whole Dea from up there! I’m not going to waste a chance like that sleeping because of laziness. You two have to learn to toughen up.”
Dana covered Mouth with a light blanket as he laid across two seats on the dirigible, his limbs extended in all directions and his mouth wide open. His snores were so loud that he had to sleep in his own compartment on the ship.
“How is he?” asked Echo as he heard Dana close the door to his brother’s cabin.
“Knocked out. I’m honestly surprised you’re still awake. You all must be very tired.”
“I’m getting there,” Echo said.
Right now he was more preoccupied by what was beyond the glass of his window seat. The dirigible had taken them high into the clouds but not so high as they couldn’t observe the ground below. Bulk Brown had managed to secure them a private section on the ship where they wouldn’t be disturbed. It also had the largest windows of any other part of the ship and Echo and Sharp were taking full advantage of it.
“What do you see?” Dana asked Echo.
“Shapes, colors mostly.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“I’m not offended. Most people forget I’m legally blind. I’m listening more than I am seeing.”
Dana took a seat across from Echo. “So I guess the question is what do you hear?”
“Everything. Nothing. I’ve never been up this high before. It’s like I can hear the faint hum of everything happening below us on the ground as much as I hear the air gliding across the sides of this ship. It’s just really weird, ya know? We’re passing by so many people, so many things moving and shifting down below. They come in a split second and are gone just as fast, so I can’t focus on anything. It’s throwing me off a bit but I’m trying to figure out how to manage it.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“Trust me, it’s better than focusing on Mouth’s snoring.”
“Point taken.”
Dana started to stand but sat back down quickly. She had something she felt compelled to say.
“You’re the mature one, you know.”
Echo laughed briefly, “That’s what everyone says. I guess it’s because I’m not loud like Mouth or always jumping into danger like Sharp.”
“Well, there is that and the fact that you have so much on your mind it seems. I mean even just now, all that you just said about listening to everything and how you’re trying to focus … it’s a bit more mature than most thirteen-year-olds I’ve ever met.”
“I guess you’re right. Maybe it’s because I’m not burdened with all that visual noise, or that I’m useless in a fight, or maybe it’s just how I was wired. Who knows? I do think I’m able to handle things better than my brothers, that’s for certain.”
Echo paused and turned away from the window, his attention now directed to Sharp who was on the other side of the cabin sleeping peacefully in his chair.
“My brothers are easily hurt,” he said deliberately, letting the words hang on the air.
Dana threw a glance at Sharp, realized what Echo was implying, and nervously turned back to him with a half smile.
“Duly noted. Just know Echo, I think of your brother as a good friend. I’m sure he realizes that’s what it is, and all it really can be. If he happens to get any ideas beyond that, I’ll handle it the best way I know how.”
Without waiting for a response Dana left her seat and walked to another part of the cabin. It was clear the subject was uncomfortable for her but she wanted to deal with it and move on as quickly as possible. Echo turned his attention back to the window.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
In another part of the cabin Dana, Bando and Bulk Brown isolated themselves from the rest of the team, even their teenage tech team, to have a private discussion. It was rather obvious to everyone else that this was something they didn’t want anyone to know about but there wasn’t much of a choice in the matter. The cabins, although large, were in one single row so everyone could see what was happening in the other cabins through the glass doors.
“Everything cool back there?” Bulk Brown asked Dana as she slid the door closed behind her.
“So far. Two of them are sleeping and the other one is just deep in thought. So what’s our next play here Bulk? Do we tell them or not?”
“I vote not,” said Bando who was picking at his healing wounds along his chest.
“Not surprised there,” Dana commented.
“The less they know about why they’re here the better. It can do nothing but upset them.”
“Some might say they have a right to know.”
“Dana, we passed the stage of worrying about rights the moment you made that data cube.”
There wasn’t much of a comeback that Dana had for Bando’s comment. She was as much a catalyst for this entire situation as either Bando or Bulk Brown were. They were mercenaries, hired to do a job for people who expected results and their ability to get those results.
Bulk noticed the tension building here and decided to exert his authority as the leader of Solas. “We all signed up for this. We all agreed to this when we took the job. Our only job was to get them and what they had back over to the East.”
“Exactly,” Bando said.
“However, I do have a bit of a problem keeping these kids in the dark. They are in fact kids. Thirteen-years-old. I know they act tough and Mouth has been five seconds from me putting a boot in his behind on more than one occasion, but they’re just kids.”
“So what are you saying Bulk? You want us to tell them what’s really going on here? That we knew they had been hired to steal a Key of the Spire from The Miscellany? That we set up that whole thing with the Crimson Corsairs—”
“To be honest, they already know that,” Dana corrected.
“All I’m saying is that it’s not our job to babysit them. We were just supposed to deliver them. I don’t know if you realize this but those big shots that pay us don’t want there to be a connection between them and the Locke Brothers. That’s part of the gig. It’s probably not a good idea to clue them in because of hurt feelings—”
He then shot a look towards Dana, “Or growing feelings.”
She clenched her fists.
“You seriously think I have feelings for a thirteen-year-old boy?”
“Not in that way,” Bando answered. “But let’s be honest. You’re getting soft because of them. You know it Dana. In our line of work, you get soft, you get killed. Or even worse, you get them killed.”
“Roll it back Bando,” Bulk interjected. “Dana is a professional. We’re all professionals here. Let me worry about telling them what’s going on.”
“Well we certainly can’t leave it up to Bando here. He’d just as soon as throw them out the window of this ship right now if he felt like it,” Dana said.
“Don’t tempt me Dana.”
“Enough!” Bulk bellowed, his voice deep but powerful enough for his two partners to know he meant business. He also noticed that their voices were carrying to passengers in the next compartment of the ship as heads were turning and eyes were glaring.
“I already said I’d handle it. This is my call. I don’t want to hear anything else about it until I make a decision.”
Dana and Bando reluctantly accepted his instructions with sighs and grunts. Dana couldn’t stand to be in her partner’s company any longer and abruptly left the compartment. Bando watched her go with another grunt of disapproval.
“Don’t mess with her like that Bando.”
The giant smirked, “Don’t you get soft on her either Bulk.”
The next compartment was sparsely occupied with high society types, all of them somewhat put off by Dana’s rough appearance. She got a few glares as she made her way to an empty seat as far away from Bulk and Bando as she could find.
As much as she hated to admit it, Bando may have a point. She did have a soft spot for the Locke Brothers, especially Sharp who had shown her something she hadn’t experienced in recent memory: concern for her. Not her as an asset, or as a business partner, or as an object, but as a person. It was charming and sweetly innocent, but at the same time she knew it could become messy if he ever took his obvious feelings for her seriously. It was a situation she knew sooner or later she had to deal with.
In our line of work, you get soft, you get killed.
It annoyed her that he was right. At the same time, she was convinced he was dead wrong about not telling the Locke Brothers that they were expendable pieces in a much larger game. In many respects, their initial thoughts about Solas were right from the very moment they saved the triplets from Von Strauss. They weren’t much better than Von Strauss. Perhaps, she thought, they were worse.
“I checked on your package sir. It seems to be secure in our storage compartment,” one of the ship’s staff said to a passenger a few feet away from Dana.
“That’s good to know. Thank you for checking. You can never be too careful these days with travel. You’ve heard about all the chaos going on in the West haven’t you,” the patron replied.
“Well, no worries here. We’re in the East. Not too much goes on over here like it does in the West.”
The words sounded so pretentious that it made Dana visibly curl her upper lip. Yes, the East was the better half of the Dea in many ways, but the downside of the lack of danger was the arrogance of some in the East. She looked over at the young boy who was talking to the patron, a skinny kid who hadn’t tucked his shirt in the back and was clearly uncomfortable in his uniform. His first real job, she thought. The patron was not what she expected either in this cabin of high society folks. While he wore the same expensive clothes as the other passengers here, they didn’t seem to suit him. Something about the way he sat, the way he twisted at the cufflinks as if he had never worn them before, the way his sports coat looked to be brand new — all of it didn’t match.
“Would you be needing anything else mister …” the ship worker asked the patron.
The passenger patted down his oily black hair against his scalp and cleared his throat before answering in a near whisper, “No One. You can call me No One.”
The Brothers Locke
Episode 5: Old Dreams, New Nightmares
Sundays had always been a sad day in the Locke household. While there were eight days on the calendar in the Dea, the seventh was meant to be a day of family gatherings and personal reflection. There was nothing religious or spiritual about it, just the connection between those closest to you.
“Can’t you do anything right?”
This phrase echoed over and over again in Mouth’s mind as a child. He had heard it from his father every single Sunday, each and every single bloody Sunday. He went to bed the night before preparing himself for what was to come the next morning. The accusations. The finger pointing. The raised voices. All of it a cacophony of auditory vileness that poisoned the day for him throughout his entire childhood.
“Can’t you do anything right?” Why did he have to hear this? He could only imagine what it was for Echo to hear, his hearing being so enhanced. Mouth was hard of hearing, and still the condemning bellowing of his father — a disappointed man who lived, it seemed, only to torment his family on Sundays — clung to the inside of his ears and refused to leave.
But the insults and the abuse were never directed towards him. It was all directed to his mother about him and his brothers.
“Miguel, you must stop this! Every weekend with you and the yelling. I have done nothing wrong to you,” Mouth’s mother pleaded while he and his brothers played in their bedroom, trying to ignore what was happening outside their door.
“You’ve done nothing wrong? You’ve done nothing wrong!” Miguel’s voice escalated.
