“And hello to you too, Matilda. I’ve heard quite a lot about you as well. The infamous Scry that’s been overthrowing Kingdoms and laying waste to Neverland.”
Matilda squirms slightly in her chair but manages to smile and nod.
“It’s always great to meet an admirer, I guess. Especially one that I’ve heard so much about.” Matilda raises a querying eyebrow over the rim of her glass as she sips. Alex laughs enthusiastically.
“She’s a keeper, no doubt, James. You could have easily found a worse companion.”
Alex puts his glass on the table.
“It’s good to have you both here,” Alex continues. “Seeing you two makes me feel like we have a chance to turn the tables on Simmons.”
James smiles, but Matilda can hear the seriousness in his voice.
“Clearly, you’ve been keeping track of us. But what do you actually know?”
Alex lights a cigarette and settles back in his armchair.
“Oh, pretty much everything. I’ve been following you two since you waltzed into Babylon. Just because we lost our foothold there doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes and ears in the city. Granted, I was concerned when you somehow made it out without a trace. But when word spread that everyone in Neverland had been whacked, I started putting the pieces together.”
James lights his own cigarette.
“Is that right?”
Alex continues to smile.
“Pretty much. I mean, I had my assumptions as to what would be next. Once I heard how the Spire was tearing itself apart, I knew I was right.”
Alex glances at Matilda.
“Don’t get me wrong. I liked Hank, but let’s be honest – you put the poor bastard out of his misery.”
Alex stubs out his cigarette, lights a fresh one, and picks up his glass again.
“With two of the key holders down, I could make two predictions. First, you were on your way to Metropolis to take out Tom.”
He leans forward, with a conspiratorial grin.
“A plan I wholeheartedly approve of.”
As he leans back, the grin fades, yielding ground to his rough features.
“Second, with Donovan still alive, you’ve clearly made some sort of deal with him. Or am I wrong, James?”
Matilda’s fist clenches as she fights the urge to respond. James, unperturbed, inhales leisurely from his cigarette.
“There’s no sense in lying to you. Yeah, we made a deal with Donovan. To get the keys, to help restructure the System.”
Alex scowls at James.
“And you trust him?”
James exhales slowly,
“Fuck… no.”
The smile slowly returns to the Onikuma leader’s face as he points a finger at James.
“Ahhh. I knew it! No one would trust that snake in the grass. I just want to see the look on the smug bastard’s face when you pull a fast one on him.”
Alex reaches across the table and pours more wine into everyone’s glasses.
“But one thing at a time. First, you need to get past Simmons. You know he’s waiting for you, right?”
Matilda takes another sip of her wine before answering.
“Of course. That’s why we came to you. If anyone knows how to take him down, it’ll be the man who’s been besting him for years.”
Alex’s laugh lets Matilda know her flattery has hit precisely the right spot. He jumps out of his chair and saunters towards an equipment locker.
“Not long ago, I’d have said that what you guys are planning is impossible. But seeing what you’ve accomplished already…”
He rummages through the equipment in the locker. “Sometimes a smaller team can accomplish what an entire army cannot.”
Matilda cranes her neck, trying to see what he’s grabbing.
“Like the Fellowship.”
Alex turns around and points with a hand that holds two sets of mechanical goggles.
“Like the motherfucking Fellowship of the goddamn Ring. See, she gets it.”
Alex rejoins them and places the goggles on the table.
“Before we discuss anything else, you’re going to need these, out there.”
Matilda picks up a pair and turns it around in her hands. James whistles before picking up his own.
“Hi-tuned, FOV options, Military Grade, Deep Inhibitors. Used for walking around in the Deep.”
Alex pours more wine into his glass.
“You know how the Deep works, kid?”
Matilda places the goggles up to her eyes, trying to look through the lenses.
“Sorta. James explained the basics.”
When she puts the goggles down, the seriousness has returned to Alex’s face as he downs the rest of his drink in a single swallow.
“It’s not something you want to be in longer than you need to. It’s shadow. It’s darkness. When you move through it, it tries to smother you. You try to look past it, but it looks into your very soul. It projects the parts of you that you try to keep hidden and twists them. But the longer you’re there, the harder it is to leave. I’ve seen too many people go down that hole and never come out.”
Alex stares blankly at the desk, Matilda awkwardly looks at the goggles, and James mutely swirls the content of his glass. After a moment, Alex mutters “Fuck it,” and walks back over to the liquor cabinet, grabbing another bottle.
As he pours more of the Sonoma red into their cups, Matilda notices the same smile as before, but something seems amiss in his eyes. There’s a sudden distance in them.
“So, let’s say you take out Simmons and Donovan, and you get all of the keys. Then what?”
Matilda looks over at James, who lets out a forced cough.
“I don’t know. We fix things, I guess.”
Alex lights another cigarette.
“I can imagine a few ways I’d fix it. And you do need my help…”
James shakes his head,
“No, we don’t do it the way Donovan wants, or the way you want.”
James nods at Matilda.
“We do it our way. And if that means we don’t get your help, so be it.”
The Taciturn and the Onikuma Leader lock eyes. Abruptly, Alex slaps his hand on the desk.
“All right, you big grumpy, no harm in my trying to get a little something out of it. Any change is better than what’s happening now. But I do have one condition.”
James shakes his head again.
“Alex, I just told you, we’re—” but Matilda quickly puts a hand on James’ leg.
“What do you want?”
Alex’s charismatic smile reappears, widens.
“Well, this place is off the index. Plus, I haven’t seen someone from before the Transfer in ages. I’d prefer to be Alex for just a bit longer, before ‘Tor’ embarks on a suicide mission. So, what do you say – drink and talk tonight, and head out in the morning?”
James looks at Matilda. She smiles and shrugs.
“Save the world tomorrow?”
James lets out a small laugh.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s save the world tomorrow.”
Chapter 21: “Into the Darkness”
After a slightly hungover breakfast, James and Matilda meet the rest of the infiltration team. They’ve assembled in the entry port that acts as a transition chamber from the Onikuma base out into the Dark itself. While checking his equipment, James assesses the other members prepping to head out with them. Tor has hand-picked two of his best to accompany them. The two soldiers prepare their own gear next to the big iron hatch that grants access to the Cyberside’s shadow realm. Last night’s joviality has evaporated in the morning’s methodical seriousness. Everyone silently prepares in their own way – testing equipment, oiling rifles, loading magazines with rounds, and triple-checking that the dark goggles are working properly. The Deep is no laughing matter.