Eight
After torturing Seth, Carmen and I head back to my apartment. I crash into my bed and don’t wake up until nightfall. Carmen curled at the foot of my bed. While sleeping, I watched as she had maids bring her food directly to my room. Whenever someone would enter, she sat next to me with her knees buried in her chest and one hand on my shoulder.
During her dinner, Dennis drags me out of bed. He practically has to carry me to the car.
The dark garage looks more like a parking lot. Though almost all of the trucks are military vehicles that can park anywhere, there are a few normal cars. They’re probably Hayley’s. I don’t imagine Dennis driving anything that’s not black and bulky.
We load into a military humvee and drive to the smoggy area of downtown Los Angeles, where the clouds are so low you can nearly touch them. City officials invested a lot of money to make sure this part of the town wasn’t abandoned because of the weather and pollution. There are so many fancy-smancy buildings in this location that you must be nearly as rich as Griffith Park residents to stay here.
Of course, there are local areas where lower class citizens live, but those parts are ignored by tour guides.
Dennis gives Carmen and me an unsolicited tour of the city. We pass the Department of Water and Green Energy. The entire building floats on top of a body of water. Scientist spent so much to make the building physically possible, they nearly bankrupted the city.
We bypass several dusty courthouses, an underground library, and the original city hall that managed to survive the Great American War. I don’t know where we’re going, but there has to be an easier way to get there.
Dennis looks back at us through his rear-view mirror. Then, he presses his foot firmly against the gas and zooms directly to the red-stoned Federal Building. It was renovated after the war, and now towers as a fifty-story structure. There are three helicopter landings on top of this monster, which makes me wonder why we couldn’t simply fly here.
We park in the red zone, directly in front of the structure. Carmen and I exit the truck first. She eases her body next to mine, but I don’t feel any warmth coming from her.
Dennis steps out seconds later and marches towards the building. He holds the door for Carmen to walk in first. She coughs when the crisp air inside hits her lungs. I continue observing Dennis without moving. He finally turns to me. “Why’d you come to the arena?”
The amount of guilt I feel can’t be explained. “Where is this coming from?”
“That’s answering a question with a question. Why’d you come?”
“To make Spencer strong enough to take on Helios.”
“Was that all?” Dennis huffs air through his nose and a small smile breaks on his face. “No matter what happens, never lose who you are.” Is that fatherly advice? Would he still feel that way if he knew I hated everything about big corporations like his and wanted to destroy it?
Dennis pulls me inside. He coughs, like Carmen. The air in here is much cleaner than outside, but we haven’t entered the actual building yet.
A loud vent under our feet activates. Carmen gasps as the cape around her waist is pulled into the tiny squares. She holds on tightly until the vent turns off.
An ugly pale face projects against the door that dryly and mechanically articulates, “Welcome to the Anthony Colt Federal Building. Please breathe onto the overhead devices. Make two short breaths and one long breath for optimal readings.”
Three small microphone-looking devices lower from the ceiling. We pull them to our faces and follow the instructions. Our results appear over the ugly man or woman’s face. Carmen and Dennis both show ninety-two percent. Three white masks drop in front of us as the voice continues, “To eliminate the city’s smog from your lungs, please breathe into the masks heavily prior to entering the building. This is an uncontaminated area, and we take pride in keeping it that way. Thank you.” As they inhale, the face turns to me and asks, “Why aren’t you breathing?”
“My results say one hundred percent.”
“That’s impossible. What did you do, enter in a bubble? Just breathe.” I raise my eyebrows, and the attendant begins typing on a keyboard. “What the hell? Mike, come here and look at this blind kid.”
Dennis dashes over to me once his results reach one hundred percent and slams the mask against my face. “I’m sure he didn’t breathe on the measurement properly. Give us a second.” My results remain at one hundred percent, but Dennis leaves the mask for a bit then says, “Okay. We’re going now.”
As we enter the building with marble floors and busy military officials rushing between the hallways, I tease, “Was that your way of staying low key? You probably brought more unwarranted attention with that hysterical move.”
“Yeah. Probably. Let’s go.” He rushes to the elevators at the far end of the building.
The interior seems more massive than Dennis’ skyscraper because of the open space in the center. There are small, round lights on the high ceiling that illuminate the floor below. The ground is burgundy and the walls are white. The symbol on the black welcome counter is Spencer’s tattoo.
Dennis rushes pass a man and woman in blue suits that are saluting “Senator Colt.”
Dad swipes his key-card for the elevator to open. Then, he pushes us in the doors and plants his fist on the button for the twenty-second floor. Right before the elevator reaches the top, he pulls the stop button.
Turning back to us, he commands, “Carmen wait directly outside of the elevator door. Stand on the left side, not the right. Which side did I just say?”
“Left side, Mr. Colt.”
“Excellent. And you. I want you to do one thing for me.”
“Nothing,” I answer.
“How’d you know?”
“That’s the only thing anyone would request from me so desperately.”
“Good. Stand in the center of the room. But understand something, if they begin charging you, I want you to grab Carmen and run. You can’t access the elevator, but I want you to avoid their attacks. They shouldn’t come towards you if you’re with her.”
“Whatever. Who are the seven blondes at the desk?”
The men and women are sitting on a high wooden platform. The largest and most threatening looking guy has a monstrous tattoo hidden underneath his armor. There’s a very detailed human heart across his chest with seven swords piercing through it. I have heard of the barcode. He hosts the power of Cronus.
“From right to left, Miranda Colt. The short demon hates everything about me. She always wanted Vincent to have control of the school. She also wanted to have a baby by my father, but she’s not his type.”
“Too ugly.”
“In short, yes. But she’s also his cousin. Only the extremists in our family are that serious about breeding powerful gladiators. Next is her husband, Nicholas Colt. He took our surname to have more prestige, but he’s a Jefferson. You know the one on his right.”
“Casey.”
“Perry’s a very eccentric guy, he sits in the president’s chair. That’s my grandfather, but don’t let the age aid you in underestimating his strength. If he’s still training, he could possibly kill me.”
As Dennis talks, he switches between mouthing the words and speaking clearly. That’s when I notice that each Colt has a barcode on different body parts. They’re covering all of the senses. Miranda has her codes on her ears and is trying to translate the conversation for the others, but she can’t read lips.
“Then, there’s Lewis Colt. That’s Casey’s brother. They’re nothing alike, but he’s not a bad guy. Very dry and boring. A coward, in my personal opinion. Vincent and I are destined to hold the final seats, but neither of us are interested. We decided to do things differently, so the last two are Moreno-Colt. A very secretive group of purebred gladiators.”
As I glance at Carmen, Dennis nods his head. Her eyes venture into a corner.
“But the two at the table don’t look European. I thought the Moreno were Spanish.
”
“The Morenos are of various Spanish decent. Seth’s parents are from Spain. They’re seen as the purest and most powerful. Those that aren’t as respected in the bloodline often form relationships with stronger families to create a more honorable genealogy. Stacy’s a Colt, also of Spanish decent, and Joshua’s Moreno’s from Puerto Rico.”
“Do both of the Moreno and Colt family run the world?” I ask jokingly.
“Yes.”
“The Payne, Bevel, Gonzales, Yang, Jefferson, and Kennedy families would be the leaders if it weren’t for our monopolization of military exportation.”
“That’s why Gonzales hates your family.”
“Writer, no. There are so many issues there. I hardly have enough time to list them all.”
An elevator stops on the floor above us and Vincent exits. He doesn’t greet the members at the table or say a word. Instead, he steps to the left side and folds his hands neatly behind his back.
I’ve never witnessed him wear such armor. It’s big and bulky, like the kind Blake dresses in. The purple and gold make him look like a king or a pimp. I don’t know which. His shoulder pads are sharp and larger than his head.
The gear has two layers of machinery that hide some serious explosives. His helmet makes him look like some ancient samurai warrior from space.
I push the stop button back in. “Chill. I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”
Dennis straightens his black tie, and Carmen dusts lint off his gray suit. He rests his hand on her shoulder as a sign of thanks, but keeps his eyes on me. “I don’t.”
The elevator opens as he takes a huge gulp. Carmen steps to the side, just like Vincent. She keeps her eyes focused on the table ahead, as though she knows the rules.
Vincent, however, darts his eyes in her direction. Lewis dryly hisses, “Vincent.” The bald pimp straightens himself more upright and refocuses his eyes to the front of the room.
Though Dennis never said so directly, I’m sure the area he wants me to stand on is in the center of Spencer’s barcode—a red cross of Saint James. I decide to place my feet on the tip of the blade for a bit of meaningless symbolism.
The group begins clamoring. I assume this isn’t natural because of the shocked expression on Dennis’ face. He raises his head up high to get a good look at everyone.
Each member of the committee has on gear similar to Vincent’s, but their armor is a lot more subtle, professional. Instead of the bright purple, they’re wearing a dark gray almost the exact color of Dennis’ suit.
Perry’s voice booms, “What is the meaning of this?”
The patternless barcode patch over Stacy’s heart shines a bright blue. Then, she whispers to Joshua, “Spencer’s blood is written over the child’s body. A lot of it is on his wristbands.”
Joshua stands up to relay the message to the others. With all of their barcodes shining brightly, Perry shouts, “Where is my great grandson?”
Without hesitation, Dennis replies, “Dead. He fought my adopted son and was killed.”
Vincent grumbles, “Adopted,” as Lewis leaps from his seat. The short and stout man converts a tiny marble into a gigantic cannon that he carries on his shoulder. Dennis stops the massive projectile with his bare hand. His barcodes have stretched from his fingernails and are completely covering his right hand, which is now a solid black.
The smoking hot stone ball falls to the ground.
The next attacker doesn’t take more than a second to begin their assault. My dad protects me from the near invisible daggers that Stacy releases without moving an inch from her seat.
Nicholas and Miranda rage towards me, but Dennis rushes between them. He wraps Nicholas’ right arm with his left and swings both legs around Miranda’s neck. Using her momentum, he breaks her husband’s arm. Then he rolls himself and Miranda over. He maliciously punches her in the stomach with his right hand.
Perry capitalizes on the moment by charging me. He’s strong. The ground cracks below his seven foot, four hundred pound frame.
Brass knuckles, the size of another fist, appear on Perry’s hand. A centimeter before they disfigure my face, Dennis darts in front of me in a flash. He slings his right arm across Perry’s face.
Damn that must have hurt.
Perry flies through the podium, causing a ferocious rumbling sound. The big man’s body leaves a bear-sized hole directly in front of his seat.
No one moves an inch. I’m guessing the head of the family rarely goes down, especially like that. I want to compliment my dad, but he said I can’t do anything besides run.
Dennis’ entire right torso and face look possessed by darkness. The light and glow are removed from his skin and his eye is gold. When he speaks, there are two voices coming from him. One is high pitched and demonic. The other is deep and even more evil sounding.
“You all will sit and listen to the meeting as planned or discover personally why there is only a legend of the black hand and no mention of the genocides that this body has committed.”
Upon closer inspection, I notice that the barcode I created over Dennis’ heart prevents the darkness from completely taking over.
Perry leaps up and points at Dennis. “Stand down. You are a mere peasant compared to the power at this table and don’t you forget it.”
“Peasant?” Dennis’ voice still creeps me out in a good way. “I am the one that owns America. Whatever happens for this family from here on out is because of me. You are at my mercy. The only reason I’ve tolerated you all up until this point is because of Spencer. I should have ended this pseudo-democracy the first time Helios slipped through your grips. You blamed John for the mess our family created and you begged Vincent and I to have children in order to take over this corrupt government. I slaved day and night, only to watch my son die.”
Miranda screams while holding her throat and stomach, “Because of that boy. His death has nothing to do with us.”
“This boy risked his life to help Spencer fend off Helios. Though Spencer died at Kay’s hands, it was not Kay that killed him. Spencer killed himself by submitting to the darkness in his heart. I told him to choose his path and he chose Tartarus. Spencer was too weak. He depended on others to survive. Like this worthless organization, his life had no meaning.”
Casey, still sitting neatly at his seat, says, “Calm down, son. There’s no need to insult your family. Everyone, let’s hear him out.”
The council members that just had their old asses handed to them by one man dust their wounds and find their seats. Lewis folds his hands on the counter and speaks in a monotonous tone, “I’m not ready to enter this argument yet. Vincent.”
Vinny-boy takes one controlled and militant step forward. Casey shakes his head and mutters, “Relax.”
Lowering his arms and inflated chest, Vincent breathes a sigh of relief.
Lewis asks, “Why is the murderer wearing an unapproved seal?”
Vincent clears his throat three times. He recognizes how irritated the others seem. Rapidly, he professes, “I did not know that it was unapproved. Dennis informed me...he said that it was confirmed by the council and that I had permission to seal him with Level One.”
Perry strains his voice to yell, “Level One? That is meant only for Colt men. No others. You should know better. You begged for that runt, Malik, to have it and we only approved under the condition that he’d marry Angie next year.”
Casey waves his hand. “Calm down Perry. He’s not wearing the Level One. Look.”
Their eyes focus on me. A simple barcode tattooed on Joshua’s forehead glows dimly. Not long after he activates his codes, he declares, “It seems to have more power than the one Spencer was wrapped with. Let me access my records.” The lines on the barcode glow various colors as he closes his eyes. “There is no documentation of ceremonial bandages of that caliber. There are only legends of the ring restraining the Spirits of War. If that mythology is true, Kay is wrapped with Hysminai.”
The sim
ple horizontal barcodes above Nicholas’ eyes flash a bright gold. “Vincent, where is the ring?”
He rubs the black area of his fingers where the ring was burned. “It was destroyed in the process, but I can still control the bandages for some reason. Even Angie can manipulate them. Plus, I’m still capable of producing level twos.”
The group openly voices their anger. A minute passes with their endless bickering, and Perry finally calms them down. He’s regained his composure. “What do you have to say for yourself, Dennis? The decisions you’re making are destroying us little-by-little. Not only have we lost Spencer, our only hope of defeating Helios, you’ve dismantled the only power that we had capable of making someone strong enough to kill him.”
“I’m handing over all my shares of the company to my brother, Vincent, and withdrawing as the chancellor of Colt Academy. I will also retire as president of Colt Arena’s GSE.”
Casey seems to be angered now. “So your purpose of coming here was to say that you’ve essentially ripped all of our power away and you’re leaving as well?”
“Yes. But you never had the power anyway.”
“What?” Perry screams.
“Arnold was my friend. He stayed to assist me towards my goals and to protect his godson, which is why he never met you. Spencer was the son that I created. Father, I let you get in my head about making a baby with Beth and keeping her protected, but that didn’t work either. The academy that you gave me was losing power to Yang until I took over because you were out shoving your penis in too many students.”
Casey holds up his hand. “Son. Know your place.”
“My place is with Kay. If you’re looking for hope to defeat Helios, believe me, he’s the only person that was ever capable.” The group grumbles again. It officially hits me, Dennis took me in to kill Helios. He had me wrapped in bandages in hopes that I would take him on one day. I try not to show the pain on my face, but knowing this hurts. There’s no way he would love me as his son. There had to be another reason. I knew that, but I didn’t want to believe it. “Yes. He is that strong, but you may not have him, so I am withdrawing my position as of now.”
Lewis whispers to the group. Three minutes pass by with Dennis’ muscles ready for action the entire time. Finally, Lewis declares, “We will allow you to leave without punishment.”
The darkness continues to spread over Dennis’ torso at an alarming rate. He wheezes as though maintaining or restraining his power were difficult. Angrily he mutters, “Allow me?”
“We only ask that you do not leave the position until finals are over. Then, we will declare your brother the new head of the arena. However, we will consider the position for the academy.”
Vincent blurts, “What? It was my birthright to have both. He should have never taken either and now I only get one? Now, you’re going to let him disrespect you and let this snot leave freely? Do you know who this boy is? He’s a Payne.”
“Vincent!” Dennis shouts so loudly he frightens everyone, including me.
“He murdered my nephew and I should let this pass?”
“None of us are satisfied with this,” Perry says while nodding his head to Vincent. That’s a signal. What are they planning? “But there’s nothing we can do with his father protecting him.”
Vincent takes a few steps out of place, but the others say nothing. Dennis tenses up. He’s on edge and ready to protect me at all cost. Perry stands up to cause a distraction and Vincent runs from one elevator to another. He yanks Carmen out of her designated area and locks his arm around her throat. While choking her, he opens a compartment in his armor, and removes a foot-long dagger.
“Hand the boy over to receive the proper punishment.”
Stacy cries, “Let go of my daughter,” but Perry snaps his fingers and motions for her to sit. She complies. Now I’m beginning to understand where Carmen’s learned her complacency.
“Don’t give me a reason to slit her throat,” Vincent threatens.
I’m still facing the committee. Even if I weren’t, I could see the smile on Perry’s face. Dennis rushes towards me, but I stop him by raising my hand slightly.
“Sorry, Dad. I know you said I can’t do anything, but she’s my responsibility,” I mutter, tilting my head and pointing at myself.
Dennis remains perfectly still as Vincent presses the knife hard enough to draw Carmen’s blood. She doesn’t budge or tense up. I’m sure she’s suffered enough wounds in training to not be bothered by something so miniscule, but it’s pissing me off. Unable to control my own anger, I release a strong force that causes the lights to flicker.
Vincent looks around the room before returning his eyes to Dennis. The committee members mumble about a demon. As their clamoring continues, Vincent notices that I’m under his arms and Carmen stands safely next to Dennis. Even if he were to chop off my head, seeing the gorgeous smile on her face puts the sight of sunset to shame.
With a smirk, I encourage Dennis, “Dad. Now your responsibility is in danger.”