The Strays

“Ty, keep an eye on Ace up here. See if the two of you can figure out a viable plan for saving Drew once I know where he is.”

“What are you going to be doing in the meantime?” Ty’s concern was sweet, but unnecessary.

“I need to have a word with Wraith, one to one, no bullshit or assassination attempts.” I deliberately turned my gaze to Ace for that last remark and he immediately looked away, obviously embarrassed by what he’d done.

“I’m planning to stay with the guys, if you don’t mind. I know you’re doing what you think is right, but I can’t agree with this decision. He killed our friend, yet you chose to save his life. That just doesn’t sit right with me.” Leo mumbled uncomfortably.

I nodded my head. “I understand. Trust me, I do, and at some point, I hope you can understand my decision.”

With my final piece said, I headed back downstairs to my workshop that was now being used as a makeshift surgery/ recovery room.

Wraith offered me a weak smile as I entered. “What’s up Doc?”

“Let’s cut the crap, Jeremiah.”

The once cocky grin dissipated immediately, replaced by a curious stare. “It’s been a long time since anybody called me by that name. How did you find out?”

“I stole your records, remember? You compiled a census on everybody in the city, but there wasn’t anything about you, so you were either being careful or it might be because you weren’t from this city. I had a feeling the latter might be true, so I looked into nearby towns and there it was, Westlake School For Gifted Young Minds. You placed first in a robotics contest before the world turned to shit and they framed your photograph. A friend of mine recognised you from the description I gave him.”

“You’re so much smarter than I thought you’d be, yet somehow you’re still the dumbest person I know.” He criticised, shocking me. I’d been called a lot of things over the years, but my intelligence was rarely called into question.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jeremiah/Wraith rolled his eyes. “You really don’t remember? Tell me, what has your friend, the one I presume you met through The E.A.D told you about Westlake?”

“What has he told me? Nothing other than your name and how well the work to rehabilitate the city is going.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. You never questioned why it was so imperative for you to move onto the next place after you ‘helped’ the previous one. If you stuck around longer than a week, you would see The E.A.D for what they really are. They aren’t trying to free the people, or fight for justice, they’re trying to create a new world order that they can control. You ask all these questions, but none of them are the right ones, like why would I come here to begin with?” He sighed, his breathing becoming laboured due to the pain.

“Now really isn’t the proper time for this discussion, not with other people’s lives on the line.”

I rummaged around the workspace and handed him some painkillers and a cup of stale water. He batted it away dismissively.

“It’s a couple of ibuprofen, idiot, for the pain. The poultice will help prevent infection, but it doesn’t work miracles.” He looked at me sceptically. “If I were trying to kill you, I would have left you in that shop. I wouldn’t have wasted what scant medical supplies I had left saving your life.” He took the tablets and swallowed them, wincing slightly as he forced them down.

“Why did you save me and don’t give me that crap about it being what Stitch would have done?”

“Honestly, I need you to tell me where Drew is. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would’ve left you to rot. You’re a bad guy that’s done some awful shit, even if you were once the boy next door.”

Jeremiah laughed as though I’d told him a funny joke. “You really think everything is that black and white, don’t you? You think I’m a bad guy because you’ve heard about the things I’ve done, but what you heard doesn’t define me. If that were the case, I’d have you pegged as a homicidal bitch with a hero complex and a pitifully desperate desire to be validated.”

“Oh yeah? I’ve only ever killed in self defence, a point I apparently have to keep making, and I can’t believe a word you say about the E.A.D because you literally sell children off as slaves while also running security for a psychotic sadist.”

“Have you ever heard of a cover? Those kids I ‘sold’ were given to friends of mine who helped find them safe sectors with stable factions in other cities. I lied so that Delilah would enlist my services and help me take down your friends. It’s a means to an end whilst we build a real resistance that genuinely wants to help people.” He passionately argued. I studied his face, but there was no indication he was lying.

“What about Stitch?”

“I don’t know what happened there, normally The Enforcers are armed with blanks and stun guns. I don’t know why they had live ammunition or where they got it.” He seemed genuinely upset by the loss.

That’s when the realisation hit me. “Somebody wanted her dead, it can’t be a coincidence that she was the only one of us hit. I need you to tell me where Drew is, it’s imperative.”

Jeremiah fell silent for a moment as he contemplated his options.

“What about your friends staying with the E.A.D. You know the truth now. They aren’t safe.” Ace interrupted as he stepped out of the shadows.

Ty looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. “I tried to keep him up there, but it really wasn’t easy. The guy is fast.”

“Willow and the others are safer there than here, as far as Ratchet and her people know, I’m still working with them to help emancipate the city, as long as they think that, Linc and the others are safe, Drew on the other hand doesn’t have that much time.”

“Last I heard, he was being held in a warehouse in district three. It’s an off the grid safe house they use when they can’t use normal holding facilities. It’s not too far from the research and development facilities Delilah’s father owned.” Jeremiah finally answered. “You can’t go in there alone Indie, if they’re expecting you it’ll be a bloodbath.”

“Don’t worry, she isn’t going in alone. Ty and I will have her back.” Ace solemnly swore.

“No way, you’re a wild card. I can’t risk you losing it and killing someone.”

Ace looked genuinely hurt. “I’ll go in with non-lethal weapons only. Give me a few flash bangs, a taser and we’re all good, besides I know that sector just as well as you do. Whether you like it or not, you could use my help.”

I rolled my eyes and looked at Ty for solidarity. Reluctantly, he nodded his head, agreeing with Ace. “We need all the help we can get. Leo is going to have to stay here to help Wraith, who is in no condition to do anything. We’ll stake out the building for a few days, then find a way in when it’s quiet.”

“Really? Two against one.”

“I think you’ll find it’s four.” Jeremiah corrected, causing me to audibly sigh. Great.

“Sooo...” Leo awkwardly started. “What do you want me to do whilst you’re away, aside from the obvious fact that I need to take care of him?” He didn’t even attempt to conceal his displeasure at the thought of nursing Jeremiah, the guy who had killed one of his closest friends, back to health.

“Actually, I need you to go through my files to see if you can find where my dad might have hidden his work. I remember starting the blueprints for the hoverboard with him, but it wasn’t at the lab, or at my house, it was that long ago, I can’t remember where he took me. I know there was somewhere else he used to work, it’s where me and Sean spent most of our time, I just wish I knew where.”

Leo nodded his head. “Understood.”

“Oh and Wraith, I need a favour. When you’re up and about, can you arrange for a safe house for my friends, preferably somewhere away from here?”

“Of course I can.” He agreed amicably.

“How is he supposed to do that?”

“Get to know each other a bit and you’ll see. Though he won’t be able to do it alone. I left you guys the location of the E.A.D base camp, once Wraith’s able to make the arrangements, find the others and get them to safety. I’ll be in touch within the next few days.”

Leo walked over to me and hugged me tight. “I know what you’re doing. You’re putting measures in place because you don’t think you’ll be back, but you will be. Won’t you?” He whispered in my ear.

“I’ll do what I can, but we both know I can’t make any promises.” I whispered back.

I grabbed my board and left the building, not waiting around for Ace or Ty to catch up.

“She’s pissed at us. I don’t care what she says, it’s obvious.” One of them muttered to the other.

“Can we not do this?”

“Do what?” Ty asked, confused by my outburst.

“Get distracted by topics that are of zero relevance. There’s only three of us. We need to trust each other entirely if we want to help Drew, but if you two have your doubts, then you should just leave because I don’t particularly want to die today.”

“Trust isn’t the only thing we need, we need weapons, but you left before we could grab any.” Ace argued.

I sighed, irritated by his attitude. “I don’t keep weapons stashed in my safe house and the ones in The Paragon were probably seized. Luckily, my paranoia prevails, and I set up caches around the city. If we can find one that hasn’t been looted, we’ll be set.”

“How are we supposed to find them if they’re hidden? I don’t see a map.” He asked, making Ty grin.

“I have an eidetic memory when it comes to significant stuff, unless you take certain circumstances into account, like how I forgot where to find my dad’s lab with everything else occupying my mind instead.”

“So you’re a walking, talking map. Great.” He sighed unenthusiastically.

I continued on ahead, trying to make sure there weren’t any surprises waiting for us. Fortunately, there weren’t. After about fifteen minutes, we were at the first location. Ace impatiently glared at me as he took in his surroundings. We were in what used to be a block of flats. Most of the apartments were trashed, and to anyone that didn’t know the building, it looked like a bust. I headed up the crumbling staircase and wandered along the corridor until I reached the door marked 2-15.

“What is this place?” Ty asked as we stepped inside. Pictures that once lined the walls lay trashed and tarnished beneath mounds of glass. The cream paint that concealed every imperfection had been smeared with red slurs. I tried my hardest to keep a straight face as I walked into what was once the bedroom. The double bed that once took centre stage was smashed to pieces and discarded off to the side. This made it easier for me to find the loose floorboards that marked the location of my weapons.

As I leant down into the floor and pulled out a metal box, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Indie, what is this place?” Ty kept asking, wanting an answer to the question I’d avoided.

“It’s the first place I went when I found myself on the run. It was abandoned in the 80s but they couldn’t tear it down and nobody wanted to buy it, so it was just left here to rot. When everything turned to shit, I thought this would be a convenient stash spot, given how it was written off long before any of us were.”

I opened the box and dumped out its contents.

The boys took what they wanted, and I was happy with what was left.

“This is where we part ways, boys.” I smiled as I put away my things.

“What does that mean Indie!?” Ty’s tone indicated he wasn’t too pleased with this surprise.

I tossed my board and helmet to Ace.

“It means Ace is going to go to the edge of the district to wait for Colt. Leo should have reached him on the radio by now, and then the two of them are set to get Drew.”

Ace held up his hands. “Wait, what are you two going to be doing, then?”

“Somebody needs to find my father’s work before Delilah and I need answers, so I plan on getting both. Ty is coming with me because I know I can trust him. We’ll meet you, Colt, and hopefully Drew at the warehouse like we agreed. All any of us have to do is stay alive long enough to make it back.”

Ace rolled his eyes. “How am I supposed to know who Colt is? I haven’t seen, heard or met him before. Anyone could say they’re him and I’d just have to take them at their word.”

“Ask them three questions. What was the last thing they said to me? Who did he think should lead the strays and who did I recommend in my place?”

“What will the answers be?” He sighed.

“He promised he would look after the strays until everything was over. He basically called me a coward when I refused his offer of leading and when he suggested Ty lead, I shut him down. I knew Ty couldn’t protect everyone by himself, not with Delilah hunting them, so I told Colt he had to step up and lead in my absence.”

“You didn’t think I could look after everyone? After everything you’ve seen me do, the months I spent protecting Willow and the kids, you still didn’t believe I could do it?” Ty was rightly wounded. I’d seen him walk through hell for the people he loved, but that didn’t make the truth any less real.

“You knew how to help everyone survive. You kept them safe from desperate people willing to do awful things, but the moment our paths crossed, those stakes changed. You weren’t hiding from desperate people anymore, you were running from people who had been trained to kill without hesitation or mercy. I knew you’d never found yourself against those odds and the pressure alone would be enough to drive anyone crazy, so I asked Colt to step up. He and I were trained by the same people in similar scenarios, so I was confident he could handle everything a lot better.”

“I wouldn’t bother getting in a pissy about it Ty, she’s right, even as an ex Hellraiser you still don’t have the skills to outwit Enforcers, she did the right thing and I’m sure deep down you understand that, why else would you have let him lead?” Ace reasoned as he tried to get everyone back on track. “Now that’s cleared up, Indie can tell me why the hell she just handed me her death trap invention.”

I glared at him, feeling slightly insulted. “It isn’t a death trap. It can reach up to fifty miles per hour on any terrain. You just have to know how to use it right. You lean forward, it speeds up, lean back to slow down. The lower your centre of gravity, the less resistance and the more stable you’ll be. It’s pretty simple, unless that’s not the issue and you’re actually just scared.”

“I AM NOT SCARED!” Ace insisted, causing Ty to chuckle alongside me. “I’ve just seen too many of its predecessors blow up. I mean let’s be real. How many of your hypothetical contraptions have you built by yourself that haven’t turned out wrong in one way or another?”

“Its predecessors were prototypes, they were basics that I built up from. As for other contraptions, the only things I’ve built aside from that are the traps in The Paragon, and my old motorbike, which now belongs to Delilah. Oh, I also made my cool collapsible bo staff that Ty so kindly returned to me.”

Ace handed me the hoverboard and shook his head. “I’ll do just fine without the death trap. I appreciate the thought, though.”

I passed it back to him. “You need the speed. We don’t, so just trust me and take it. I’ve tested it, so I know it’s safe.”

Reluctantly, Ace took it back with a sigh. “Just so you know, if this thing kills me, I’ll hold you personally responsible.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “You know I think I could live with that. Just don’t let Delilah kill you first. She’s taken enough of my toys, and I don’t want my hoverboard added to her collection.”

“I’ll try not to take that last remark too personally.”

“You can take it however you want. Just bring my board back in one piece, the same goes for Colt and Drew if it’s possible.”

Ace rolled his eyes, then left, leaving me and Ty alone together.

“There’s a lot we need to talk about, like your brother, but I think the most pressing questions are: when did you know where to find your dad’s research and how is Colt supposed to know he needs to meet Ace?” Ty asked, his confusion prominent as we started our journey.

“Didn’t you hear what I said to Ace? I have an eidetic memory. I don’t forget things. Next to the location for the base camp, I left Leo a note. I told him to use the radio to reach Colt and get him to pass on a simple message. If Colt gets it, he’ll be waiting for Ace and he won’t ask questions about us, because whilst I was being waterboarded I realised something. I can’t forget things. I always knew where to go. I just couldn’t trust Ace and I can’t be certain what we need will be there. Problem is, it’s kinda in the heart of Hellraiser territory, with Enforcer/Elite territory on surrounding sides.”

Ty shook his head. “I don’t like where this is heading. If we’re caught, we’re as good as dead.”

“Then it’s in our best interest to remain undetected.”