Basil replayed the conversation over in his mind. He couldn’t grasp the concept of the device having intelligence enough to speak, let alone have knowledge of its surroundings. Sage left their make shift house in a hurry after their agreement. Basil took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
The one room house they found on the opposite end of Sector Fifteen was nothing special. If anything, it was possibly the worst place they have ever lived. Basil leaned his head back against the cold metal wall. He winced, feeling rust grind against his hair. Dust particles few in the light beams that shone through rusted holes on the walls. Basil lost his temper once learning the device was speaking to Sage and informing what to do with it.
Basil hated
himself for not having the courage to ever bring up her abilities and what
exactly she could or couldn’t do. He should know her boundaries and what her
limits where. There was a high possibility that the device was just a planted
item from the City to stop the Nyem. It could be using Sage to meet their own
ends by making it seem she was really fighting against the City. Mentioning
this to Sage she instantly turned to stone. Basil never before questioned her
judgment when it came to the Nyem technology that was unknown to him, but now
he was having his doubts. Basil pounded his head against the metal. He did not
mean to upset her more or judge her. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6LR3tsqHK
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The voices she mentioned where
a threat. They were not natural. Basil closed his eyes trying to form a plan.
Having doubts about the plan for the first time bothered him. He was always set
on his path. He felt lost and this scared him. Sage not being in control of the
power was a huge risk. Basil was betting on her learning her ability to save
her life. Now his gut was telling him there was nothing he could do to keep
from losing her.
Although, losing Sage would mean saving their world from the City’s tight grip, he did not want to sacrifice his sister. His father’s words constantly echoed in his mind about keeping her safe. Guilt flushed over him and Basil scrunched his face up. He threw his sister at the Nyem like a piece of meat, and now she was wanted by the City. Most likely he was going to be the accomplice in his own sister’s murder.
“It’s going to be ok Basil,” a quiet voice whispered next to him. Basil very slowly opened his eyes to see Sage’s bright blond hair glow in the dim light. Sage was crouched down in front of him. Basil couldn’t get himself to speak. She slowly pushed her hair behind her ear and forced a smile at him. “I promise it will be ok.” Basil opened his mouth but Sage stopped him by launching herself at him. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she whispered, “I won’t let anything happen to you, you need to continue fighting and helping the people after.”
Basil choked back a sob and held back tears. He knew his tears would not help her. All of the years spent seeing death and war hardened him. The thought of losing his sister terrified him. She was always there when he would return from an overnight mission with warm food and a bright smile. If she was lost, he would have nothing to return to. The anchor on his humanity would no longer exist. His mind started to turn. Images of what he could turn into without his sister’s guidance flashed before him. Basil knew he could become a monster, a lethal weapon of the Nyem to use.
“You should worry about saving yourself,” he said with tight hug back. Sage bounced away and shot him a smirk.
“I think I know what I am doing,” she said. Basil gave her a weak smile. She was lying. Basil would allow her this.
“Promise?” he said weakly. Sage pierced her lips together into a thin line. Rolling the device between her fingers, Basil eyed is cautiously.
“Promise,” she finally said.
“Good,” he said. Basil shouldn’t shake the feeling that the device was mocking him. He thought for a brief moment he heard a chuckle fill the room. Shaking his head and composing himself, Basil stood up stretching.
“I am going to go out for a run,” Sage said nodding her head towards the door. She averted her gaze and Basil noticed her nervous voice.
“Sure,” Basil said suspicious. She nodded her head and turned to walk out the door. Basil smiled at her when she looked over her shoulder at him. He frowned getting a glimpse of her face. Half was cast in shadow of the door frame, but the other side was clear. He blinked and she was gone.
Basil stood
frozen unable to stop her from leaving. He had the feeling that she just said
goodbye. An arm reached out to stop her and a half yell fell muffled on his
lips. His mind became fuzzy and the edges of his vision were fading. Again he regretted for not taking time over the years to learn her abilities. She was casting a spell on him from the device and the shadow haze crept closer towards the wards he held up against his mind. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqEplwPuK2
Cursing in his mind, he tried to build a wall like Willow taught him years ago. He threw up layers upon layers of metal sheets in images around his consciousness. A loud pounded resonated in his mind rattling against his wall. The pounding stopped after a few attempts and the sensation ebbed. Basil was thankful it did not take over completely. But, his body was paralyzed.
Basil closed his eyes tightly. Muscle did not respond to movement and his breathing slowed significantly. Calming himself, Basil cleared his mind while keeping the wall up. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and back of neck. They slowly dripped down his face. Slowly he inched his fingers to move as he bit by bit broke down firm grip the shadow in his mind had over his motor system.
A strong sense of urgency forced him to work faster. Sage was about to finish their mission and he needed to be beside her when it happen. His gut dropped and bile rose up his throat. The burn made his thought fumble as he continues to break the spell.
What felt like hours later, Basil collapsed onto the dirt floor in a heap. His fast pulse and rapid breathes filled his thoughts. His heart pounded drowned out all thought until he regained thought functions. His clothes stuck to him soaked in sweat and the chill of night caused uncontrollable trembling.
Shakily he forced himself onto four knees and a smirk formed on his face. If only Sage used those abilities elsewhere she would have had a much easier time in her training. Basil laughed softly to himself. There were times like this he was in awe of her abilities when she used them correctly. Pushing himself up to full height his world spun. Stumbling into the metal wall, Basil didn’t notice how a sharp corner of a rusted opening struck his skin causing a large cut into his side.
“Sage,” he mumbled. Slowly he made it out the door into the grungy street. A twilight haze fell over the City and Basil waited a moment for his eyes to adjust. It must have taken him longer to break the spell then he initially thought.
He could only pray that he was not too late to stop her. Basil knew he couldn’t prevent the event from happening, but he held hope he could stale it. He stumbled down the road heading towards the core of the sectors. In the middle of the entire City, she would be on top that building. Basil held a hand steady on the metal walls surrounding him as he quickened his pace feet dragging. All his groggy mind focused on one thing; saving his sister.
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