Volumes of the Vemreaux Complete Collection: A Dystopian Adventure Trilogy, page 145
After a thorough check and loading of the flatbed truck with his supplies, Baird hot-wired the massive vehicle – a task that took many hours for Alec to explain. The moon was beginning to peek its head out in the sky when Baird drove to the gate, bashed the lock with a sledgehammer until it broke, and drove away with the most significant contraband of his life.
Gloves. That had been one of the things Alec insisted upon. Work gloves on top of plastic gloves that clung to Baird’s palms uncomfortably as he drove. Alec explained the importance of leaving no trace of them behind. While Baird did not anticipate living through the ordeal, he submitted to whatever would make his accomplice less jittery.
He met Alec a kilometer from their destination and parked the truck. The two did not speak, but Baird did nod at Alec’s raised eyebrow, indicating everything had gone smoothly. Lawrence would not be involved, other than reporting a theft in the morning when he would notice his equipment missing. The broken lock would tell the police Lawrence had nothing to do with the crime that would shake the world.
Baird wished for Blue for many reasons as he and Alec moved stealthily toward the guarded Fountain. There were only three men on duty, but they all had means of alerting their superiors if there was a crisis. Blue was the perfect person for the situation, but Baird knew this last fight did not belong to her.
Alec assured him there was no one even close to the area. Everyone was watching the funeral in their homes or at mass viewing areas set up for congregating and conducting their own wakes in the king’s honor.
Alec held up his hand to stop their progression and fished around in the brush for the suitcase he buried. With a lust-filled smile Baird had never seen on the man, Alec unsealed the case and pulled out with reverent hands something Baird was not expecting.
A gun, shining and deadly, greeted Baird from Alec’s capable hands. “Nothing better,” Alec whispered. “Nicked it off the guys what killed Brody. Knew it’d come in handy.”
Baird’s eyes were wide with caution. “Well, if we’re going down, might as well do it right. Do you even know how to shoot that thing?”
Alec paused his admiration of the weapon to toss Baird a withering look. “Do you think I’ve always fought with knives? This? This is my first love.”
“Alright. Um, the noise?”
Alec tapped the nose. “Silencer. This isn’t the same one what killed Brody. This was in their torture cabinet. With Blue shot and Killian all emaciated, Sam had his hands full. Didn’t notice me rummaging for the good stuff. That’s how they killed so many and got away with it. They had a good selection there, but I only took the ones I could use without being found out.”
Baird’s hand found his mouth to stave off any more questions. “Okay. You first, then.” This time, he followed Alec, keeping a healthy distance behind the weapon he did not fully understand.
It was easy. Far too easy. Picking them off one by one in the dark without a fight felt like cheating to Baird. He had not earned the victory, but it came to him anyway. Every shot Alec fired brought about bliss in the guard’s face that Baird felt uncomfortable looking upon. He had done his fair share of killing, but rarely did he take the time to enjoy it. What was there to relish about being a monster? But Alec’s face changed, and Baird could not tell which one was the mask – the composed face that watched over his sister, or the greedy, almost sexual hunger that flared up in Alec as he pulled the trigger to end the last man’s life.
When it was over, Alec did not put the gun down, but latched the safety and shoved it in his pants, not willing to part with the power. Baird volunteered to bring around the truck, glad to put some distance between himself and the deadly instrument he was pretty sure could end him.
Baird had never seen the Fountain of Youth, except for a picture in his Vemreaux Studies textbook. The bathing area was pure marble, with ornately carved steps leading up to the massive pool. Enormous statues of Francis David Vemreaux and his beloved Lucinda stood above the pool with their hands cupped. Alec explained that when a person was scheduled to bathe, he or she would turn on the fountain, and the water would pour from the founding father’s hands down on the Vemreaux, blessing the recipient with his gift of elongated life.
The actual well was a few meters away. That was the target.
Alec’s suitcase contained all the makings of homemade bombs. For all the hope everyone put in the Fountain, no one suspected there were those who would see its demise. The guards were posted there to keep teenagers from loitering around and possibly falling in and changing too young. Of course, there were always those who tried to sneak in that had been denied the privilege. Criminals without expunged records were kept from bathing. The guards served as glorified secretaries.
It would not do to blow up the Fountain yet. It was too deep, and would cause far too much ruckus. Baird drove the excavator off the flatbed and into the area, wishing for a clearer path, or at least one that was better lit. It took a few tries to understand what all the gears were for, but between the two of them, they managed a successful dig. The hungry machine scooped mouthfuls of earth and dumped them to the side, adding to the pile easily. They were about a quarter of a kilometer out from the well, and they did not stop until they hit one of the four aquifers leading to the blessed fount.
Alec knew exactly where each of the aquifers was buried. On Baird’s advice, he inquired into surrounding property, learning which was for sale, and which plots were not. They narrowed it down to four water pathways. With Baird’s keen ear laid to the ground, the exact locations of all four were found. The metal teeth dug into the earth, uncovering each waterway that fed the Fountain.
With a holy hush, they watched the water bubble and begin to drain. The well was so deep, it would take days to fully empty. The Vemreaux would find a way to salvage a fair amount of the water, but they would not be able to fix the aquifers in time for the water to replenish itself in time to keep up with the sudden demand that would cry out from around the world. People would flock to the rumored draining and demand the pure liquid for their loved ones who had not the chance to turn yet. Alec estimated that within the month, the Fountain would be dry, cutting off the ability to extend the life of everyone who had not the chance to dip. There would be no chance of repairing all four aquifers in time.
Alec made his way to the marble pool. He turned the ornate faucet handle and held a large leak-proof jug under the trickle. When it was full, he capped it off and filled another. After he wiped them off, he dug into his suitcase and pulled out a collapsed box that was preaddressed to reach the mansion.
Baird took the car Alec had stolen and drove to the nearest mail drop, sending out the priceless package to the mansion, along with a letter of inadequate explanation. One was sent back for Blue, and the other for Liam, to be used when they were ready. He also mailed a small package from Alec addressed to a man Baird did not know.
Baird thought long and hard about what he would like to say to his sister in his last communication with her. She had been the perfect soldier, following his orders her whole life. They drew such incredible strength from each other, and now she would have to find it elsewhere.
When Baird returned, it was to silence. He looked around for Alec, but could not see him by the suitcase or the well, where he expected him to be. When Baird located the man, he found him sitting, propped up against the Fountain with a peaceful expression on his face. “We did it,” he smiled.
“Most of it,” Baird amended. They still had blowing up the ornamental pool to take care of. Alec was firm that, even though the marble pool would soon descend into the sinkhole they created, the shrine itself must be obliterated.
Alec looked over at the gruff man he had grown to respect during their time together. “You mail their packages and mine?”
Baird nodded.
Alec’s grin broadened. “Good man.” He stroked the gun that found its way back into his hand. “I hope you don’t mind, but I decided to change the plan.”
Baird quirked his eyebrow to the guard. It was already done. There was nothing for it now. Whatever Alec changed had not affected the outcome. “What’re you rambling about, old man?”
Alec chortled at the choice of words. He looked barely thirty. “That package of mine you mailed? It’s got my confession in it, along with a copy of the video of the O-bloods.”
“What?” Baird roared, forsaking the quiet nature of their exchange.
“I’ve also got that wretched video loaded in my phone, scheduled to automatically post on several sites in a few hours. World should know.”
“Alec, that wasn’t the plan! What are you thinking?”
“Needed to be done, Baird. Ending the Vemreaux rule isn’t about taking away our Fountain. Once they come to terms with mortality, they’ll also have to deal with how we’ve been treating the lesser bloods. The peace we pride ourselves on isn’t real. You know it. I know it. Frederick knows it. Now they need to understand. Might take a few years, but eventually, I’d wager a guess that they’ll allow the O-bloods out of the farms and let them live in society again.”
Baird was flabbergasted, and spluttered his shock incoherently.
“Plus, eventually, the changed Vemreaux will start to die out. Won’t be a use for drinking blood anymore.”
“Why, Alec? Why didn’t you tell me this was your plan?” Baird stormed.
Alec turned to the man sitting next to him with such resolve, it stayed Baird’s many questions. “I did nothing when they took my wife from me! Nothing! Some of the Vemreaux did protest, try to hide their loved ones, and they were killed for going against the peace. Housing war criminals, they called it. I stood back and let them take her! I protected the throne better than I did her. This?” Alec pointed to the excavator. “This is for my Christine Marie! This is what I should’ve done when they took her away.” He stroked the gun to calm himself. “When I saw that video of how she’d really been treated, that’s when I decided. I didn’t know how until I figured out what you were up to, but once I did, I knew what I had to do.” Alec took a breath to steady himself. “Oh, and my little Josephine murdered King Sinclair.”
Baird was stunned at the absurd mental image that came to him at the staggering news. “What? She could never overpower him. She’s an old woman!”
Alec snorted. “She’s only sixty-two, Baird. You’d be surprised what she can do. Just because she’s got wrinkles doesn’t mean she’s outlived her usefulness.”
“Still. Josephine?”
“She confessed it to me when we got back from the island. She knew Frederick was going to try to do it, so she killed the king to keep Frederick from getting his hands dirty. Little slow-acting poison in his tea. Smart girl.” Alec smiled with paternal pride. “I’ve taken responsibility for that, too. The manhunt will stop, and the blame will be buried with me. Everyone can move on. It’s all in the letter.” He shifted against the cold marble. “Ramblings of a heartbroken husband and all that. Secret vendetta against the tyrant king. Very believable.”
Baird churned all this over, appalled he had not seen any of it coming. “But you work for Frederick! He’ll take the heat for it!”
“No more than your Lawrence friend for ‘lending’ us his equipment.” Alec chuckled. “I haven’t been on payroll for months, Baird. I’m in the last year of my life, and Frederick insisted I take the time for myself and retire. Live a little before I die. So I did what I wanted with my last year. Took care of my family. What?” he asked of Baird’s dropped jaw. “I vowed to guard the throne till my last breath, Baird. Just because I’m getting closer to my expiration date, doesn’t mean they stop needing me. I left them letters in my room. All of them. See that they get them, yeah?”
“You’ve been working all this time for free?” Baird questioned, flummoxed at the flood of new information.
“Do you have any idea how much money I have? No, probably not. Sam manages my investments, and there’s no one better for that kind of thing. Well, except your sister, maybe. Besides, what could I possibly need that I don’t already have? You think I fancy a white picket fence and a farmhouse with a fishing pole?” Alec grimaced. “That’s not me. My life. My call.” He scoffed at the Wayward’s floored expression. “Like you would’ve done any different. You wouldn’t have a clue how to function without work to do.” Alec stared off in the distance, his gaze softening as his thoughts shifted. “Plus, your sister came into the picture. Spitfire time bomb with pigtails ripe for pulling. Couldn’t exactly walk away from that, now, could I?”
Baird shook his head. “No, Alec. No. No! This is my fight! This is my job. I’m the one built for this. It’s in the damned prophecy! The Vemreaux are the tyrants, and I’m the one who has to save them from themselves. Not you!”
“And you did, Son. You did.”
“I’m not your son,” Baird grumbled, a knee-jerk reaction.
Alec chuckled. “No. My boy was nothing like you. I was going to let you take the fall for it all until I saw you break down with Blue. Didn’t think there was any hope for you. Thought it was best you died so she could live.” He glanced over at the Wayward. “But there is hope for you, Baird. You are not beyond redemption.”
Anger flared up in the young man, and he did not bother with politeness. “I don’t want your redemption! I want to sleep! I want to finish the job I was made to do! It wasn’t your decision, Alec. There’s nothing for me here!”
“You don’t get to walk away from the mess!” Alec shook his head. “You’re the Wayward Consultant. Look at the changes you’ve already made in the world! You think blowing up the Fountain’s your legacy? No, Baird. You get to stay alive and do the hard part. Work for change and wait for it. Only you can be that patient, and boy, it’ll take some true endurance on your part.” Alec shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, pressing the gun to his heart as he shifted against the marble behind him. “Once the world gets used to the idea of no more extended life and no more blood farms, they’ll need someone to expose the truth of what their ‘peace’ has cost the Waywards. You don’t need to just free the Vemreaux from tyranny, Baird. You must liberate your own people. Let that be your legacy.” Alec looked off into the moonlight peacefully. “You die for your people. I’ll die for mine.”
“Alec, no,” Baird protested, shaking his head at the revelation that was too mind-bending to grasp.
“I’ve helped look after and raise seven royal children, my own son, and my granddaughter. They’re my legacy. You still need yours. Once you get your act together, go after Suzie. Make an honest woman of her. Take her dancing and help her stand on her own. You’ve been good for her.” Alec remained steady in his instruction. “But only after you get yourself under control. No more fighting with your fists. Time you learn to fight with policy and words, the way your uncle does.” Alec stared in front of him, sorrow weighing him down at leaving behind the most honorable human being he had ever known. “Frederick’s a great man. Learn from him. It’s time you’re the student, not the teacher.”
“No,” Baird repeated. His grand plan of ending his own life and taking the fall was stolen right out from under him. “No, Alec,” he whispered, looking down at his rough fists. “I don’t belong with them. They’re good, and I’m…not. You’re wrong. There’s no redemption for someone like me.”
Alec looked on the Wayward with a token amount of compassion. “Not yet, there isn’t. And not for a while, maybe. But you’ll find it, Baird. You’ll find it. Put back together the things you broke.” He shrugged as he doled out some of the only useful parenting advice he could think of. “Watch how Frederick loves his kids, and copy that with Blue.”
“I can’t be like that. It’s…it’s weak. I can’t stand the way he coddles her.”
“Oh, Baird,” Alec chided. “It’s far harder to love someone than to not. You’re done taking the easy way out. You may not be strong enough to let go yet, but you will be.” He looked down at the gun. “I’ve got a good betting average. Exchanging my life for yours? I’m fairly certain you’ll make the trade worth it. You owe me your life now, after all. Every day, you’ll be living on time I gave you, so make me proud. Don’t waste it.”
Baird stammered a response made inconsequential by Alec rising to his feet.
“Last part’s easy, so let’s get to it before someone sees.”
“Blowing up the shrine, yeah.” Baird stood and grabbed for the suitcase of supplies. Alec was the explosives expert in this situation. Baird had done his fair share of unbeautiful fireworks, but it was mostly with scratch, which he did not have access to.
Baird waited in silence, pondering Alec’s words as he watched the guard assemble the bomb. He did not think it possible that he could do as Alec said – be different. He knew he was not worth the sacrifice the man was making, but as he watched Alec’s precise movements, he made a vow to himself that he would try.
Alec turned after a few minutes, glancing at the sky to be sure sunrise was still a ways off. “Alright, Son. It’s time for you to go.”
“Um, no. It’s not done yet.”
Alec held up his hands. “I’ll destroy the shrine, but you’ll be with plenty of witnesses when that happens. I’ll wait half an hour, so get to the airport and on the first plane out. Got that?”
“No!” Baird shouted, frustrated at being blocked again. “This is my job!”
Alec continued as if Baird had not spoken. “On Brody’s property – well, Blue’s now – under the eastern boughs of the biggest tree in the backyard, I’ve got all my assets buried. Liquidated everything when we started planning all this. Criminals don’t get their wills honored. Everything I own will get turned over to the authorities. See to it that my stuff gets where I want it to go.”
Baird shook his head over and over. “I…this…this is wrong, Alec. I’m the Light. I’m the criminal.”
Alec shrugged. “Like I said, make sure I didn’t trade my life for nothing. Don’t be a criminal anymore, Baird.” He gripped Baird’s shoulder and stared him down. “Be like Frederick. Be a good man.” Alec took off his gloves and tossed them on the ground. “I’ll blow up the Fountain, and then I’ll turn the gun on myself. One bullet’s all I need.”
