The Guardians - The Collapsing of the Wall (Book 3)

Leonor takes out from her bag a tablet, which he hands over to Dean. Ray is surprised, and he approaches to see what are the plans of the woman who seems to have different intentions with Dean. There, Dean sees the answers of a lot of Bases to Leonor. Answers that are in their favor, which won’t help him at all in his future plans for the Base.

“All of them have replied?” asks Ray surprised.

“Yes. We have them on our side. I’m waiting for the rest to reply.”

Dean remains still, holding the tablet. He’s thinking that his Base doesn’t stand a chance against all those Bases that are ready to start a war to keep the chips implanted in the Guardians, and he can’t be sure if the other Bases will stand by him. Shortly, he hasn’t got anything for sure.

“What do you want from me?” he asks looking at Leonor.

“I want you to come with us.”

“And why would I do that?”

“For, if you don’t do it, I will call my Guardians who are waiting for my signal and we will blow up this Base, but not before I kill Lily right in front of you.”

“You wouldn’t dare…”

“Do you really want to try me after what you’ve seen and what you did to me?”

Dean gulps hopeless. It’s a decision that will make the others hate him, but it’s better this way than to be killed. While he will stay near Leonor he will have time to think about his next move, but he has some conditions as well.

“I’m coming.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“But why do you want me?”

“Because, if you leave, I know that Lily won’t accept this Base to turn against us, as long as you are with us.”

“I wonder why do you need so badly this Base to stay put if you have so many Bases on your side.”

“You will learn all the details when the time comes.”

“I’m coming, but I have one condition.”

“I don’t think you’re in the position to demand something”, says Ray.

“Let him speak”, Leonor interrupts him.

“If I come with you, you will never touch this Base. You will not hurt the Guardians in it.”

Leonor smiles because she knows that she owes Dean, now that he had let his guard down.

“Fine.”

“You will not touch Lily”, says Dean in a tough voice.

“Fine”, she continues.

“Then it’s settled. You will come with us.”

Dean nods and prepares to stand up.

“But I want you to make her believe you that you will come with us for good. Be careful, because if I see a sign or a wrong move I will blow you all up”, continues Leonor.

He knows that he will break Lily’s heart, but it’s better with a broken heart and alive, than dead, so he runs out of options and accepts Leonor’s words. They all step out from the office, and when he quickly passes by the Guardians and he sees Lily, he struggles hard not to change his cold facial expressions.

It’s so painful as well when he shocks his mother, and the moment when he publicly humiliates and insults Lily makes him feel like he is the last man left in the Universe. He sees her shock, the disappointment from her eyes, her tears, reactions, and he prefers to walk away in order not to give himself away. He doesn’t break only her heart, but also his, for this is one of those moments when something inside him hurts like his soul is smashed into a thousand pieces.

He had looked her in the eyes and had spoken to her coldly, he had pushed her away and didn’t even give her the smallest sign that he would have wanted to do something else before he left. Lily had believed him for real, and that was the major shock for him. He had been too convincing, even if he had wished deep down for her to read his mind or to have some doubt. But he couldn’t risk it, so he blocked his thoughts, feelings, and played a part that saved all the Guardians from Base R by the end of that day.

The days had passed too slowly for Dean, who had entered a nostalgic and demoralizing state. Leonor had insisted on his presence in the office during some talks with Ray, and he had become soon one of the leader’s close, being controlled by the Guardians controlled by the chips.

The night when Leonor found out about the confirmations from the rest of the Bases was the night that Dean realized that there was no hope for him anymore. So, he had found out that his leaving was part of a very elaborated plan made by Leonor, but also of a big fat lie. Ray had no idea either until that night that they didn’t have all those Bases on their side. Also, the Guardians who were supposed to blow up the Base R in case Dean would have refused Leonor hadn’t existed at all. And Leonor was so proud that she had managed to buy some time and to bring Dean there through a huge lie. She had made it all through simple words, without having anything else. Maybe a little too much self-confidence and knowledge about the relationship between Dean and Lily.

The difference between Dean, Leonor, and Ray, was that he was respected among the Guardians there, and not feared. So, he was talking with them in a friendly matter, as long as he could have done that as an undercover prisoner of Leonor’s and, finally, he had befriended one of the Magicians from Leonor’s inner circle.

Matt was part of the group of Magicians who were doing the dirty work for Leonor and Ray, and he was among the few who weren’t wearing the chip. Days continued to pass, and he got closer and closer to him.

“Did you find out?” Matt asks Dean the evening they meet up in the hallway.

“About the rumors.”

“No. What rumors?”

“Lily Hunt and the dragons. She had killed demons and dragons by herself. Dozens of them. Can it possibly be true? You knew her, from what I know, and the rumor is that you knew her well.”

Dean puts his head on the ground and asks a question that he was afraid to speak out loud. Because he was afraid of the answer, but also because he was afraid that Matt might have run to Leonor and tell her that he was getting sentimental.

“Is she okay?”

Matt turns out pretty surprised at first, but then he touches Dean’s shoulder. He wants to pull back, but something makes him stay.

“She’s fine. I told you, I don’t know if it’s true.”

Dean breathes out released, a thing that Matt can’t close his eyes too.

“So it’s true that you were something more?”

“It is.”

“Dean, you seem different than Leonor and Ray. Why did you choose to come with them? Why haven’t you stayed back at your Base if your Guardians didn’t agree to their terms?”

“I think you know the answer.”

“I think that I don’t understand you. I’m not the sentimental type because I have lived here in the Base with Ray since I was a child, but something tells me that you want to be there now.”

“That’s not true”, says Dean afraid that the situation may turn against him.

“You can lie to me because you may think that I will tell everything, but you can’t lie to yourself.”

Dean turns his back at him because he doesn’t want to continue this conversation that would bring him more harm than good. He doesn’t know Matt for a long time, and he doesn’t know if he can or can’t be trusted, especially that he was one of the Guardians without a chip from Ray’s circle.

The days pass, and he starts wondering more and more how Lily was, what had happened to her and if the stories with the dragons were true. The curiosity makes him anxious and doesn’t let him sleep, so he starts walking through the building. He has nowhere to run, neither how, and he knows that he can’t stand up to them by himself.

He hears voices arguing at the upper floor, and when he goes up he notices an argument between Matt and the other two Magicians from Ray’s circle. He takes a step back for he doesn’t want to be seen, and then he goes back on the hallway he has been passing on. He can see well the windows and the view from outside, but he remembers sadly that the other Guardians see only metallic walls. They don’t really know how the world looks like. They are robots ready to be turned into killing machines, and the ones who are about to join them won’t be there from their own will, but from their leader’s will.

The Guardians were going to be controlled, turned into killing robots, and manipulated without their will, and he couldn’t do more than stand by and watch the disaster repeating all over again.

The night catches him thoughtfully in front of the window from the hall, and Matt’s steps on the metallic floor make him wince. Without any words, he comes next to him, stays still, and looks out the window. He can’t see anything though because it’s too dark out there, and the next few minutes of silence make the two of them understand that they have met for a reason.

“You are a person who trusts only the closest ones. You seem to be. You love your people. I don’t love anyone because I don’t have anyone. My family has died in the training on the field or in the training room. They were not strong enough to pass certain tests. But you must know how it works, so I don’t have to explain to you those details.”

Dean looks at him with the corner of his eye, surprised that he had started talking without being asked. He doesn’t contradict him, but he doesn’t answer him either, and he waits for the rest of his monologue.

“My two colleagues seem to be set on helping Ray, what is a normal thing to do here, but I think that they don’t have a personal thinking, but only a blind submission. I have never submitted to something I didn’t agree to, and I have given him good and useful advice.”

“Why…”

“Don’t say anything. Just listen.”

Matt reminds Dean of Isaac in a certain way. Maybe his appearance, his blonde hair, his way of moving, these all make him think of Lily’s brother. He finds it so strange to call him that way, considering the circumstances they had met.

“I heard that they want to start a war against the ones who are not with them. I don’t agree with killing the Guardians. I am with the splitting of sides. But not mass killing. If I tell them this, I risk being killed too. Only now I have learned about their cruel plan. I had no idea that they will go so far. It’s about your Base too, Redfeed. I heard rumors that Lily Hunt is starting a revolt. She’s gathering the remaining leaders to convince them to join her.”

“Lily?” asks Dean shocked. “But I left Tamara to lead the Base.”

“Something happened there. I don’t really understand what because there are a lot of rumors. The sure thing now is that she’s in charge of Base R now. And she is ready to start her revenge. I think that now is the time for you to help me stop an unnecessary war. A lot of Guardians will die if a battle starts, and we will recover very hard the numbers we need for an eventual fall of the Wall’s Portal.”

“I don’t…”

“Dean, you are not like them. And no, they didn’t put me up to this. To test you or something. It’s serious. If you don’t believe me, go to the office. I’m sure that they will fill you in. They want bloodshed. Leonor is very angry. She wants Lily killed. She had gathered the groups, the Guardians, and she found out where the meeting will take place. She has people everywhere.”

Dean takes a step back, looking suspiciously at Matt.

“If you want to see if I’m telling the truth, I suggest you go to Leonor’s office.”

He doesn’t think too much and runs up the stairs, but he stops in front of the office’s door. If Matt is right, he is obviously forced to pretend that he doesn’t know anything. He doesn’t want to get him in trouble. He takes a deep breath and walks inside. In there, Leonor and Ray are arguing.

“Oh, you came here in time!” says Ray ironically.

“Why?”

“Why?” he asks. “Leonor will tell you why!”

“You don’t agree with my plan, fine! But it was a good plan!”

“What’s happening?” asks Dean concerned.

“We do this my way now!” says Ray determined.

“Meaning?”

“We found out that your beloved Lily has planned some kind of revolt. She’s gathering the remaining Guardians to confront us. Leonor here said that it will not come to this if we take you with us, but it seems that no one can master your precious Lily Hunt! She’s doing only stupid things!”

“This makes no sense! Why would she attack us? Dean is here!”

“Maybe the way you talked to her when you left made her mad”, says Ray. “Some seem such good actors than the public takes them as the character they’re playing! And now everything has gone mad because you, Dean, have played your part too damn well! What is here left to do now?”

Dean was assisting powerless to their argument, and he felt his brain about to explode. He had ended up here to save Lily, and now things were turning not so well for her. Neither he has seen this through. He couldn’t understand what exactly had done Lily to bring all the Guardians on her side, and how was she preparing to lead a revolt.

“We have someone who told us when and where they will meet. And you, Dean, will come with us and you will have two options: you either kill Lily with your own hands, or we will kill her, and you will watch the whole thing. I am done with your bullshit and chances and detours. This is war”, says Ray determined.

“You promised that you won’t touch her! Or the Base!”

“Yes, but when she starts the war and steals our people we have a serious problem. Leonor promised you this, not me. And you have two options now. I don’t believe that you want to be pulled there against your will. You are a part of us now, either you like it or not.”

Dean opens his mouth to protest, but he realizes that he needs a plan.

“Lily had sold you out, Dean. I bet that you didn’t expect her to do this. I didn’t expect it, to be honest. Do you think that she’s gathering an army to come and save you? She’s coming here to fight, and you didn’t make things exactly easy for her”, laughs Leonor. “After how you humiliated her, I bet she’s very angry…”

“We’re leaving in two hours”, Ray cuts off her impetus. “I’m gathering a couple of Guardians.”

“A couple?” asks Leonor.

“A couple of dozens from here, and other dozens will meet us there.”

A spark appears on Leonor’s face, and she walks out of the office, not before she pushes Dean out. He remains tensioned, with his hands together, and with Ray’s words screaming inside his head. How did it come to this? How could he ask him to kill Lily? How could he watch her being killed? He has to do something, so he starts walking in the hallways of the Base, with sweaty palms, without seeing any end of what was about to happen in two hours.

Matt catches him agitated, he sees him putting his hands on his head, and when he comes near him to ask what he had found out, Dean winces with teary eyes.

“So you saw that I wasn’t lying.”

Dean can’t have a conversation anymore, so he starts stuttering nonsense.

“I… can’t… I can’t do this!” he says grabbing his hair.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t… I don’t know! I can’t do it! But I can’t do anything! You know what? You can go and tell them, you can be here just to see what I do next, but I can’t stay and watch them how they kill Lily or, worse, I can’t kill her, as Ray asked me to! This is insane! And what can I do? I am alone against a bunch of crazy people! They are mad! They want to kill everyone! I came here because they promised me they won’t start killing people, and what are they doing now?”

“You are not alone. I made my decision. I will help you.”

“What can you do? And why? You are here for a lifetime, you are Ray’s adviser! Why would you help a stranger like me?”

“Because I can see how power is taking away his mind this time. And I see things different now. I can see what feelings can do.”

“What are they doing? They are making people crazy!”

“They make them real. I have heard some stories about feelings which had disconnected some chips. I’m starting to believe that more now. As about your situation, you love this girl, and what Ray wants to do or make you do is cruel and unfair. It’s cruel what he asks you to do. Leave it to me, but remember that you have to play your part until the very end. You need to trust me for this.”

“What are you going to do?”

“See you in the hallway ten minutes before you leave. I will explain it to you then. Don’t do anything stupid until we meet. It’s clear that they have a problem with your girl, but I have a solution. I promise you that it will be all right.”

Dean sees him walking away and he can’t believe a word he said. He starts being more agitated, and he can’t imagine how this day will end. The next hours find him wondering through the Base, as agitated and stressed as a couple of hours before, imagining things, and not ones that were healthy for him.

He finds his way at the meeting point with Matt, but earlier than they had spoken. The seconds seem an eternity, but he feels released somehow when he sees him, for he wasn’t sure if he was talking seriously or not.

“Look how it’s going to work”, he waves at him to join him away from the security cameras. “See the knife from my waist?”

“Yes.”

“You will kill Lily with it.”

“What? I thought that I can trust you, but obviously, I have hoped for too much!” says Dean and steps away.

Matt grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him back strongly.

“Listen to me. If you do as I say, everything will be okay. Ray will kill her if you don’t step in, so you have two options here, as I can see: either you let him kill her, or you kill her yourself. The difference between my plan and his is that this knife is poisoned, but not a strong poison. When you will stab her, be careful to make a clean wound. The poison will do its job, and she will seem dead. Her heartbeats will slow down, and at a check, anyone will think she is dead. This will be Ray’s proof. She will wake up in three hours, and she will be able then to use the healer on the wound you will make her. Just be careful to let her know that the others think that she will be dead. It will be her advantage. She has to use it wisely, for it will help us on our next move. Ray won’t focus on their Base anymore, and probably Lily will attack again, and will take them by surprise.”

“You want me to stab Lily with this?” asks Dean trying to touch the weapon.

Matt pulls back.

“Don’t touch it now. When we will arrive there, you will grab this from my waist so it all seem real. And then you will attack her. Make everything look real and make them believe you. And make it bloody, so you make sure that Ray doesn’t shot her in the head after that just to be sure that she is dead. It has to be perfect. It’s the only way you can save her now.”

Dean covers his head with his hands for the third time, walking around stressed.

“Damn it!”

“Are you ready?”

“No, but I have no other choice. She hates my guts anyway.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Believe me, I know her.”

“From what I heard lately, she doesn’t seem to be what she used to be. Maybe she will surprise you.”

“Maybe she will kill me before I can make a move.”

“Be careful so this won’t happen.”

“Why? Why does it matter anyway?”

“We have work to do. We have a good plan after we finish with this. I don’t want to stay here any longer, but I don’t like sitting here and looking at robots made to kill Guardians, Guardians who are supposed to protect the Wall and fight. Something is wrong, and we will do something to stop Ray.”

“But first let’s pass through this obstacle”, whispers Dean.

Leonor and Ray’s steps on the stairs make the two of them walk away from each other. Dean appears first in the hall, throwing them a serious look.

“I didn’t think I will see you here. I thought that I have to put the guards to get your ass here”, says Ray ironically.

Dean doesn’t answer anything, but he still follows them to the cars.

“So, did you think about your options?” he continues smiling.

“Not yet, but I will see there”, Dean answers seriously and concerned.

He shares the car with Ray, Leonor, Matt, and the other two Magicians. They are heading to the place their infiltrated people had told them, and he feels goosebumps the more they get close to it. It is not a difficult decision. In fact, there’s no choice to be made, for he can’t leave Lily to be killed, regardless how much she hated him.

Dean has no words for what is happening and keeps going through the toughest day of his life, with claws in his throat, sweaty palms, and nails in his stomach, for you aren’t put every day in the situation to kill the person you love the most.