The Fifth Elemental - Shepisode 1 - The Coming Storm Read online

  That’s why it was a surprise when Nadia said, “Where are we going?”

  “His name is Ethan Allen,” Calliope said, taking a file off the desk and handing it to Nadia. “He’s been researching a lot into events of break outs, including yours. Our research shows that he has had a few anomalies surrounding him, too.”

  “Is he one of us?” Eric asked, suddenly interested.

  “If I’m right,” Calliope said, “he might just be more than that.”

  Ethan couldn’t break free of the firefighters’ hold.

  When he had first seen the fire burning in his apartment, he had been a block away from his building, still reminiscing about the past and running through research in his mind. He had heard sirens and had watched the brigade race past him earlier, but it wasn’t an unusual account. Over the years, he and Alicia had grown accustomed to the sounds of the city around them. There was usually a little apprehension and curiosity, but that died quickly when the mind found other things to worry about.

  When he had gotten closer to home, his casual pace had become a full-on run. His initial shock at seeing the fire had been quickly overrun by a surge of adrenaline that pushed him past terror and more towards urgency. He had raced down the last block like a man running for his life, dropping his bag with his laptop and notes in the street without a second thought. All he had been thinking about was Alicia.

  By the time he had reached his building, it had seemed like all hell had broken loose. The fire had started to spread to adjacent apartments and the tenants had been streaming out of the building like ants. He had tried to cross the barricade line put up by the fire department, but had been stopped almost immediately and pushed strongly back.

  The firefighter holding him was yelling something, but Ethan couldn’t hear him over the sounds of the sirens and screams. He scanned the crowd. Alicia was nowhere in sight.

  “My girlfriend’s up there!” Ethan screamed, but he knew that it was too late. He could hear cracking and collapsing from within, and even the firefighters had stopped trying to run in.

  “No one’s going in there!” the firefighter yelled back, pushing harder against Ethan’s incessant attempts to break free. Soon a second firefighter joined them and Ethan found himself pulled roughly away from the flames that were slowly engulfing the entire building.

  Ethan’s mind raced, wondering if maybe Alicia had gotten out before the disaster that was unfolding in front of him. He scanned the crowd again, and when he couldn’t find her, began to panic. Static sounded near him, someone from within relaying how the top floors were collapsing in on themselves and that everyone was getting out. Ethan watched as windows blew out, showering everyone below with glass as firefighters pushed the crowd further away.

  “Get this guy out of here!”

  “There are still people in there!”

  “It’s too late, get out now!”

  Ethan felt his legs tremble and weaken, bringing him down on his knees as he watched the flames engulf his entire life. He started to believe more and more that Alicia was still inside, and felt incredibly helpless. His entire body began to shiver, and he hugged his shoulders to stop the shock he was definitely going into.

  That’s when it started to rain.

  Not a weak drizzle, but a torrent of water falling from the sky as if someone had opened a faucet over the world. The rain came hard, followed by a wind that blew it in every direction, droplets hitting skin like knives. Ethan shielded his eyes, the sudden storm a strong contrast against the flames that had suddenly gained even more strength and rose through the windows like fingers groping for the stars.

  And just as suddenly, the earth began to shake. It threw people to the ground, blew out windows from the surrounding buildings, and caused a frenzy that even the firefighters couldn’t control.

  Ethan tried to get up, eager to get out of the way, but was picked up off his feet by the winds and thrown against the side of a car. He felt something in his shoulder crack, pain searing through his arm as he fell limp to the ground. He could see his neighbors running in various directions as parts of his building broke free and crashed onto the pavement below.

  Through half open eyes, he saw a woman charge towards him, hands outstretched as if reaching for him. Her hair was blowing in different directions, barely hiding the sneer on her face as she moved her hands. He felt himself lifted off the ground again and thrown to a side. He screamed out in pain, his agony muffled in the midst of the storm around him. He tried to get up, accidently pushing up with the wrong arm, and fell back to the pavement. He looked up and saw the woman coming in closer, pulling a gun out of her belt, raising it in his direction.

  Suddenly Ethan felt arms grab him from his waist and pull him to his feet.

  “We need to go, Ethan!” he heard someone shout in his ear.

  The rain fell harder, and Ethan found himself wrapped in a blanket of water he couldn’t see through. He heard the gunshot a second before he felt something graze his temple, and if not for the adrenaline racing through his blood, he would have passed out. He felt himself being pushed roughly, a second set of arms grabbing him as he was shoved into the backseat of a car. Another gunshot shattered the glass above him, and he rolled into the rear deck.

  Ethan heard doors close and felt the car lunge forward, racing away from the burning building.

  Ethan woke up with a gasp, the breath caught in his throat, sitting up drenched in sweat. It took him a minute to realize that he wasn’t in his own bed. He looked around the small room, barren except for a desk and a chair where his clothes were neatly folded, the only sound coming from water dripping out of a faucet in an adjacent bathroom. He waited for his mind to adjust, a dizziness rising from the back of his head and quickly washing over his entire skull. He pressed down on his temples, and only then noticed the bandage where the bullet had grazed him.

  He slowly climbed out of bed, making a mental note of the sling around his neck and the arm it held hanging near his chest. He walked slowly to the bathroom and switched on the fluorescents, immediately closing his eyes against the bright white light. Turning the faucet, he splashed his face and hung his head while he let the sound of the water soothe him.

  He had been dreaming.

  In his dream, he had been surrounded by fire and water. He had been standing at the edge of a cliff, wind blowing hard against his tunic, while his eyes had rested on the sight of burning huts. He could hear the screaming of women and children, and could see the figures of men running back and forth, trying to put out the flames. Behind him, the sound of the ocean and waves crashing against the cliff added to the mayhem that was going on around him. A woman had run to him, pulled at him, spoke to him in a language he hadn’t understood, and when it was apparent he would not help, had abandoned her efforts and run off.

  The feeling of absolute helplessness scared him. In a rush, all the times he had stood by as the world around him crumbled to pieces started to flash before his eyes, and when he looked at himself in the mirror, Ethan could see the frightened boy hiding behind the face of a man.

  He turned off the water and walked back into the room. He tested the sling around his neck, and when he realized that he could move his arm without too much pain, abandoned it completely and got dressed. He took his time, looking out the only window in the room as he pulled on his shirt. He saw two cars parked outside, a motorcycle beside them in the driveway. The front lawn seemed forgotten, its demise apparent even in the darkness. The street was quiet.

  Ethan tested the window, hoping it would open and he could crawl out, but it was locked. He didn’t know where he was, but leaving through the window seemed a better option than the front door at the moment. He didn’t know who was waiting outside his room, and there was no part of him that actually wanted to find out. He tried the window again, only confirming what he already knew.

  Sighing, he sat on the edge of the bed and felt his temple again, running his fingers across the rough surface of the
bandage. It hurt, but he was more concerned with the headache that seemed to emanate from that exact area. He took another look around, weighing his options, and when he realized there was no other choice, got up and stepped out of his room.

  He could hear people talking down the hall, hushed voices deep in discussion, barely audible even in the otherwise silent house. The hall was just as scarcely decorated as his room, the only light coming from an open doorway a few feet away. He walked slowly, running his hands across the wallpaper that hung from places where it decided it was too tired to stay stuck, grinning despite himself at the thought of ‘walking towards the light’. He wondered if he could nudge past the door without anyone noticing, then decided it probably wouldn’t be wise.

  There were three of them.

  All eyes turned towards him when he walked into the small office. A redhead stood in one corner, looking out a window as she leaned against its pane, lost in thoughts he could only guess about. The other two, a man with pale blue eyes and a brunette who looked like she had just massacred an entire village, were seated across from each other, their discussion halted as soon as he entered. They looked at him expectantly.

  “The sling was supposed to stay on for a while,” the brunette said, getting up and crossing the room towards him. She reached for his shoulder, and withdrew when he flinched away. “Easy,” she said softly. “I’m only going to look at it.”

  Ethan watched her as she rotated his arm in different directions, eyeing him for any signs of pain. When it was apparent that he was fine, she let go and stepped back.

  “It dislocated,” she said. “Nothing serious.”

  “Thanks,” Ethan said, looking from her to the other two. “Were you the ones who pulled me out of whatever that was back there?”

  The man nodded. “You were lucky,” he said. “The storm and the fire were the least of your worries.”

  “There was a woman,” Ethan started.

  “Sure,” the redhead mouthed. “If you want to call her that.”

  Ethan frowned, but let himself be led by the brunette to a couch. He sat down slowly, the pain in his temple throbbing and making his eyes water.

  “You’re safe here,” the man said. “At least for now. We’re going to have to move soon, though.”

  Ethan nodded without really registering anything. “Who are you people?” he asked.

  “My name’s Rick,” the man introduced himself, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “The redhead there is Leah, and my girlfriend Patricia is the one who patched you up.” Rick pointed at the bandage on Ethan’s head. “It’s good we got to you before that was closer to the center of your face.”

  Ethan reached up absent mindedly to touch the bandage, and dropped his hand again. “Alicia?” he almost whispered.

  Rick looked at Patricia, a quick glance that Ethan wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been staring right at him. It told him everything he needed to know. He felt a knot in his stomach that quickly rose to his throat, and he gagged. Patricia reached for him, but Ethan pushed her hands away, coughing as he felt the tears collect in his eyes. He suddenly felt terribly lost.

  “Maybe you should take him back to his room,” Leah told Rick, her head cocked to one side.

  “I’m fine,” Ethan lied, coughing again and pressing his eyes shut as a tear rolled down one cheek.

  “You’re far from fine,” Leah said. “And you won’t be fine for a while.”

  “Easy, Leah,” Patricia whispered.

  Leah sighed. “Fine, treat him like a baby. It won’t change things.”

  “That’s enough, Leah,” Rick frowned at her. He turned back to Ethan. “This is going to be a bit confusing for some time, but I want you to believe that we’re on your side. You’re probably going to have a lot of questions, but trust me; you’ll get the answers soon.”

  “Trust you?” Ethan barked, looking at Rick through tears, his lips pulled back in a snarl. “I don’t even know you. I don’t know where I am, or why I’m even here. I don’t have a clue as to anything that’s going on right now. You’ve got some nerve asking me to trust you.”

  Rick didn’t answer. He looked at Ethan for a few seconds, then sighed and sat back. “The door’s open, and we won’t stop you if you want to leave. But for now, at least until we find the people who just tried to kill you, your safest bet is right here.”

  Ethan stared at Rick a while longer, weighing his options. He looked at the other two women, and when he realized that the man was probably right, he got up and walked back to his room.

  Calliope answered her phone after the second ring. She had been searching Ethan’s building from top to bottom, learning nothing more than what she had already feared. Standing in the remains of Ethan’s apartment, she cursed the fact that her intel hadn’t warned her about Alicia. Knowing about her would have made her act sooner, going in herself if the need had arose. Still, she counted bringing Ethan in as a win, despite everything.

  “Is he awake?”

  Nadia’s voice came back irritated and tired. “This was a complete disaster, Cali.”

  “Watch your tone, little girl,” Calliope answered. “Don’t forget your place.”

  There was silence on the other line. Calliope waited.

  “He’s awake, but he’s obviously an emotional wreck,” Nadia finally said. “I don’t know if we can actually force him to stay if he wants to leave. You need to get back here.”

  Calliope was about to answer when one of the Guard appeared. Calliope raised an eyebrow in question and received the nod she was hoping to get. “There’s work to do here,” she finally said. “I’m sure you can persuade him to leave with you.”

  “Is she dead?” Nadia asked, the hesitance in her voice apparent.

  “They wheeled her out an hour ago, burnt beyond recognition,” Calliope answered. “Just make sure Ethan leaves with you. Now that Sebastian knows about him, we have to move quickly.”

  Calliope hung up. She pocketed her phone, took one last look around the apartment, and followed the Guard out.

  She knew Sebastian was behind this latest abduction attempt. She respected her adversaries, never underestimating them, but she hated this one. Sebastian was arrogant, overconfident and took risks the Order would never have let one of their generals take. His soldiers were disposable, the promise of power a good enough motivator to keep his recruits coming in. With the resources the Renegades had, Sebastian had his own little army at his disposal. Being a remarkable strategist made him more of a threat than Rakel or any of the other Renegades.

  But, he was getting sloppy.

  His last few attempts at recruiting had ended pretty much the same way this one had. Instead of bringing in new Renegades, they were ending up dead, which neither made Calliope happy nor bothered her. The Order might be losing the war, but Sebastian was giving them ample opportunities to turn the tides. They just needed a break, and Calliope believed that one had just been left at their doorstep.

  She turned a corner, the Guard close to her side, and stopped at the sight of her second Guard standing over a gasping body. She recognized Surage immediately, one hand holding a wound in his side and the other playing with his lighter. He smiled when he saw Calliope, his blood-stained teeth greeting her as she stepped closer to him.

  “You know, I always had a feeling you’d be the last one I saw,” Surage said between gasps.

  Calliope bent down on one knee next to him and snatched the lighter from his hands. “You won’t need this where you’re going.”

  Surage chuckled. “Enough fire down there to keep me busy for eternity, eh?” His laugh was interrupted by choking as Calliope watched his wound seep more blood than his hand could keep in.

  “You’re bleeding out.”

  “Sure I am,” Surage coughed again. “That girl sure had some fight in her.”

  “You didn’t have to kill her.”

  Surage chuckled again. “Tell me, little sister, when this war is over
, do you think the elementals are all going to live happily ever after?”

  “The Order never wanted another war,” Calliope said. “Rakel started this.”

  “The Ancients started this,” Surage sighed. “The first war never ended.”

  Calliope shook her head. “How much time do you think it will take before Rakel follows in the footsteps of Lam?”

  “You’re naïve, Calliope,” Surage whispered. “That’s why you’re losing.”

  Calliope didn’t reply. She stared long and hard at her dying brother, then got up, pocketing the lighter she had taken off him.

  “Good bye, Surage,” she said, nodding at her Guard. Without a second look, she turned and walked away.

  Sebastian slid his card key across the scanner and waited for the door’s locks to roll out of place. He pushed into a narrow hallway, the soles of his shoes echoing as he walked towards the double doors at the end. Without missing a stride, he pushed through and started down the stairs to the observatory below.

  The fire had been all over the news, experts calling it a freak accident that had to do with faulty wiring in old buildings. Conversation quickly turned to the earthquake, an obvious coincidence in many viewers’ books. Sebastian had watched in amusement as one official started throwing punches at another, each blaming the other for the lack of adequacy in dealing with disasters of this magnitude. It was a game he had never grown tired of. Coincidences were often the easy explanation.

  Sebastian knew better.

  “I would love to say that you handled today with the finesse I expected of one of your talents,” Sebastian said as he reached the bottom rung and walked towards Sarah. She was standing near one of the observation room windows, looking inside, lost in thought. “However, I’d be lying, and giving you credit for a botched up job.”

  “She was stronger than we thought,” Sarah sneered. “Surage obviously knew nothing about how far her training had come.” She was about to say something else when she stopped.

  Sebastian smiled. “And her boyfriend?” He seemed to be reading her mind.

  “The Order has him,” Sarah whispered, looking at the ground.

  Sebastian took in a deep breath and walked towards the observatory window. “This is definitely going to be interesting,” he said.