Anthony DeCosmo - Parallels

See what your friend saw. Go alone.

Do it for your son.

A memory burst into his head so hard and so clear that he raised a hand to his temple.

"Father, could you promise me that while you’re gone you’ll think of me every day."

"Oh, Jorgie, I think of you every day anyway. You know that. But yes, I promise."

When was the last time he thought about his son?

You broke your promise.

"Stop it!" Trevor shouted.

One of the guards hurried to the bedroom.

"Sir? You okay?"

Trevor stood, pushed aside the guard, and hurried into the living room.

"Sir? You okay?" This time the question came from both men.

"I’m fine," he said even though he trembled. "You men stay here."

"Um, sir, our orders are to stick with you everywhere."

"Oh?" His head cocked. "Whose orders?"

"Director Snowe's…um, sir."

"And who gives Snowe his orders? Who?"

The other guard spoke fast, apparently worried the wrong answer might mean getting thrown out the penthouse window.

"That would be you, sir."

"Good. Don’t forget that. It’s important you don’t forget that, understand?"

He grabbed a jacket, slipped it over his battle suit, and headed for the elevator. His hands fidgeted as he moved. Part of him screamed that he should burn the note and throw away the key card and forget he had ever seen the phantom of Ashley Trump in this universe.

Once he reached the lobby he told the guard there, "I need ground transportation."

"Yes, sir. To where?"

Trevor snarled, "None of your damn business!"

The sentry gulped and meekly pointed out, "Sir, I, um, need to have a general idea so I can hand the job off to the appropriate transportation hub."

Stone huffed, "Okay. I need a ride to the…to the industrial sector," Stone studied the man’s reaction. As far as the guard was concerned, Trevor might as well have said Third Legion HQ or the Ops Center. It seemed to make no difference.

Five minutes later a car arrived. Trevor gave the driver the exact directions.

"Do you know where one-dash-one in the industrial sector is?"

Again, the driver showed no concern. Apparently the Ashley of this world was the only one who thought any of this was a big deal.

Trevor relaxed. Why so anxious? This was his world now. It belonged to him.

I own it.

– Minutes after Trevor Stone departed, Major Forest parked at the curb in front of the skyscraper hotel. She slipped out of the sleek coupe and entered the tall building, rode the elevator to the penthouse, and entered the suite she shared with the Emperor, walking in on the two body guards in the midst of a conversation.

"Should we call someone?"

"Yeah, well, Snowe might be pissed if we don’t."

"Director Snowe might be pissed if you don’t do what?" She surprised them.

They did not have to speak, their wide-eyes and pale complexions told the story.

She nearly screamed, "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"I don’t know. Some girl started bothering him outside and gave him something. Really freaked him out. Next thing we know he’s telling us to stay put and heading out the door."

"What? What lady?"

"Don’t know. We just told her to get off, figured she was a crazed fan or something. Never saw her before. She was wearing techies, dark hair. She acted like she knew him but I've never seen her around him before."

Nina’s eyes worked side to side as her mind calculated. As she found one potential, terrifying answer, she raced out of the room and down the elevator to the sentry in the lobby.

"Trevor. Did he come down here a few minutes ago? Did he leave again?"

"Yes, he asked for ground transportation."

She leaned in close to his face.

"To where?"

"Industrial Sector. That’s all he said."

That was enough. Nina put the puzzle pieces together. Panic sprouted in the center of her stomach and spread through her entire body. If she hurried, if she were fast, maybe she could keep everything from tumbling down.

Nina bolted out the front door knowing that the race was on.

–

Twilight turned into darkness. With nightfall came a sharp chill, part of a moist wind that suggested a rainstorm approached.

Trevor’s taxi pulled away, leaving him on a street to the south of the wide, long building that resembled an industrial cathedral made from metal.

A dusty taste of soot and a sour smell of combustible fuels filled the air. He heard a steady drone; the drone of machinery at work, machinery producing the supplies keeping Thebes alive and fighting.

He avoided the front of the building where he noticed activity on what appeared to be loading docks. Besides, markings on the key card he possessed pointed to the south side entrance. At the same time, he could not shake the feeling that he should avoid drawing attention.

His nerves trembled anxiously. A part of him-a very big part-wanted to turn around, forget the place, and go back to killing aliens by day and partying by night. He found he preferred that simple approach.

Still, he managed to subdue the urge to retreat, squashing it with bravado.

I’m the Emperor! I can go wherever I want!

Trevor approached the side door.

Go back! Turn around!

A security camera focused on the person who approached the side door, slipped a key card into the lock, and followed Reverend Johnny's footsteps into the heart of Thebes.

– Director Jakob Snowe sat in a windowless office inside the Operations Center scribbling another signature on another set of orders, this one approving the promotion of a junior officer who had served him well; one of his many friends well-positioned in the military, manufacturing, and administrative sectors.

One of those friends walked in to his office after a quick knock. Snowe did not look up from his paper.

"Mr. Director, security called. You wanted to be notified if The Emperor went to building one-dash-one. He was spotted on an exterior camera entering the building alone."

Snowe jumped up and moved around the desk for the exit first at a walk and then at a slow jog.

"Muster the men and warm up my Skipper."

The Director joined the race.

–

The room smelled of grease and cleaning chemicals. An eclectic collection of maintenance items-from mops to spare electronic parts-lay about the area in lockers and on tables, in corners and on shelves.

He spied the trio of passages leading away from the room and felt as if he had accessed a sort of backstage entrance to the place. Those passages looked less like typical corridors and more like maintenance tunnels, resembling the type of hallways one might find running through a shopping mall behind the retail spaces.

Of course, Trevor did not know which way to go. Thankfully, the sound of approaching footstep from behind a set of double doors directly in front of him made the decision easy: he pushed through a metal door and proceeded along a tunnel cutting behind offices and workshops. He walked in silent steps, moving fast but hiding all the same.

Why am I hiding? I'm The Emperor! I own this place! Everything here is mine!

Funny how petty that sounded when trying to convince himself. Yet he knew it to be true. From staked aliens to murdered Committeemen, Trevor Stone had purchased Thebes and all its people. Somewhere ahead waited another piece of that inheritance.

– A light drizzle fell, causing the black-topped boulevard to glisten in the street lights.

Nina's car screamed around a corner, fish-tailing through an intersection in a fit of over steer. The squeal of the slipping tires bounced off the tall, empty buildings surrounding the lonely street. As she pushed the throttle, the roar of the engine sounded even louder.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel. She bit her lower lip to the point of nearly drawing blood. The buildings on either side became one constant, ugly blur.