Dancing In the Shadows
-Original Fiction-
555
by Shuuki and Pookie
Nathan opened the door and entered the silent lobby, waving to the doorman stationed there. As they made their way into the elevator, he commented over his shoulder, “I’ll let you know for next time I don’t drink beer.” He punched in the number to his floor and leaned against the wall, absently watching the ascending numbers. The boy’s eyes were hidden under the brim of his hat. A slight intake of breath suggested a retort but none came. The elevator made its abrupt stop on the 25th floor and the pair silently stepped into the hall. Nathan rummaged through his pockets for his keys and opened the door. He tossed his keys on the coffee table and made his way to the kitchen. Moments later he came out with a bottle of whiskey and a glass. With a weary grunt he sat down on the couch and filled it. He let the glass sit on the table and took a drink directly from the bottle. His eyes turned to Sophe and he started waiting.
Sophe didn’t stop to remove his coat or hat. He headed for the bathroom and after a few moments of rummaging he reappeared with an armful of medical items. Nathan raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. Sophe seated himself beside the man and deftly began unbuttoning Nathan’s shirt. He pulled Nathan’s sleeve down off his shoulder and tenderly examined the nasty bruise that covered the upper half of his arm. Nathan glanced at the bruise and sighed. He grabbed Sophe’s arm and shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Worry about your own wounds.”
Those red eyes looked shaken as they met Nathan’s. He cast them quickly to the side and murmured, “I don’t have any.”
“Good.” Nathan smiled in relief. “At least I was useful for something tonight.”
Sophe turned his head back to his work, a determined look warring with others on his little face. He scooped some pain gel from a jar and massaged it lightly into the injured skin. He worked steadily, avoiding the man’s kind eyes. Nathan winced as Sophe started massaging his arm relaxing after a moment as the cool gel starting taking effect. He studied Sophe’s grim expression as he worked in silence. “Sophe,” he gently called out. The boy continued dispersing the blood with his delicate fingers, eyes riveted to Nathan’s injury. “Sophe.” He reached for the kid’s face with his good arm, gently tilting it up. “Look at me, Sophe.” Lovely red orbs shone in the light sifting through the windows of the unlit apartment. Tears shivered at their edges as Sophe reluctantly met Nathan’s gaze. Nathan smiled as their eyes finally met, shifting his injured arm away from the boy. “Thank you. My arm feels better now.”
“...I... I’ve never met anyone like you here.”
“Oh really? What makes me the special one here?”
Sophe was suddenly on his feet, medicines and bandages falling from his lap to the floor with a clatter. “Why? Why aren’t you angry?” he cried.
“Would it make things easier?”
Sophe could only stand there in the stripes of city light, looking like a lost child before this confounding man. Nathan felt his heart clench at the picture before him: this strange boy, always hidden under his hat, his red eyes wide and lost. He heaved himself to his feet and lifted the boy’s chin. “Sophe,” he whispered. He reached for Sophe’s ever-present hat and looked into his eyes, silently asking permission to take it off. A dozen emotions shocked across the youth’s face. His eyes lit with something like panic and an instinctive hand clamped down on his cap. He took half a step backward and stopped himself. He relaxed and took a moment to calm his racing heart. He then closed his eyes and bowed his head, inviting Nathan to proceed.
A smile spread over Nathan’s face as Sophe allowed him to continue. He slowly pulled the hat off, revealing what Sophe had been hiding so intently. Cascades of chestnut hair fell down about Sophe’s bowed shoulders. The waves fell almost to his waist, curling and bouncing at the ends. The kid raised his head to meet Nathan’s expression, tendrils curling in and framing his pensive face. An instant of surprise flickered across Nathan’s eyes before he smiled and brushed away a strand of hair with his fingers. “Why do you hide such beautiful hair? Does this city judge you so harshly?”
The boy was sure he was dreaming now, dreaming the brush of this man’s fingers, and the way it tickled his skin and heated his cheek. He could only be dreaming this kind response, these soft words. He stared wordlessly up at the dream and willed himself not to wake up. “Sophe?” Nathan called out in a whisper. “Yes?” he heard himself breathe.
“Why don’t you smile?”
Ruby eyes blinked. “Are you a dream?” the small voice asked. His typically placid tone blended with his awe.
The man smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “No, I’m very real.”
Ruby eyes blinked again, and as realization dawned in them, so did a smile over Sophe’s face. It was a broad childlike smile, bright and full of warmth. “When was the last time?” he wondered.
Nathan almost laughed with joy when he saw Sophe smile. “That look suits you so much better.” He watched Sophe’s smiling face, his gaze lingering on the long chestnut hair, dozens of questions boiling in him. The two stood together in his quiet apartment, oblivious to the world around them. Nathan returned the warm smile. “Thank you for showing me, Sophe.”
The boy couldn’t express the thanks he wanted to give this man, this man who had asked for nothing in return, who looked at him and saw nothing to despise or dismiss. He stood in that midnight apartment, high above the trouble of the city and grasped Nathan’s hand.
Nathan regarded the fingers that wrapped around his with surprise. He looked back into those red eyes and smiled again, squeezing the small hand lightly while his own eyes grew serious. “Sophe? I need to know...” He held Sophe’s hand in his, not about to let the kid evade him any further.
The boy’s eyes reflected that same seriousness but his smile only lessened slightly. He nodded and sat back down on the couch, hand in hand with Nathan. As they sat down, Nathan reached for the whiskey bottle and took a pull. He settled the bottle back on the table next to the full glass, waiting for Sophe to talk. The boy sat in silence for a few minutes as if he’d no intention to speak, when suddenly he began. “We were chased by two groups this evening. The men following me up the stairs were Laseric’s men. The five at the theater doors were from the Triumph. Adrienne Laseric is an old... acquaintance of mine. He’s part of the wealthy elite here. You may have heard of him.”
Nathan’s jaw clenched grimly as he repeated the two names. “Laseric and the Triumph?” he muttered, almost to himself. He returned his attention to Sophe and waited for him to continue.
“I wasn’t apprehensive about being seen in a large public space like the Ceridann, though I kept an eye peeled anyway. I didn’t notice Laseric in the boxed seats but he must have noticed me. His men caught me at the restroom. Anything Laseric’s men would know the Triumph knows. But I can’t believe how quickly they responded,” Sophe shook his head, “moreover, the amount of force they used. Which brings me to the incident in the alley.” Sophe pulled out the vial he had revealed in the alley, the blue substance inside no longer glowing. He held it up to Nathan.
Nathan looked from the vial back to Sophe. “You were going to pour that on that metallic thing in the alley.” He paused for a second, remembering how the red glow had intensified. “What was it? It came from Triumph, didn’t it?”
Sophe nodded and lowered the vial into his lap. “They don’t name such things, and as you could see, they don’t leave any trace of them. I call them NONAS, or No Names.”
“Silent spies and assassins,” Nathan commented to himself.
The boy looked at him sharply and continued, “Usually they only send small ones, no larger than the head I shot from the NONAS’s body. I’ve never seen a unit as big as that one tonight.” He sighed. “I’ve been trying to get a piece of one for a while now, but I’ve only been able to recover a single component so far. I was able to extract and modify the substance that causes them to self-destruct: this.” He tapped on the vial.
Nathan eyes grew wide. “You did what? We’re not talking simple chemistry here!” His eyes darted again from vial to boy, an impressed sound escaping his lips. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
Sophe almost flushed with pride at the compliment. He suppressed most of a wide grin as he continued. “I didn’t have a lot to work with and no real way to test it. Tonight would have been a true test of the substance if it’d only been a small NONAS.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t understand why they would send such a large unit. They avoid public exposure religiously.”
Nathan smiled to himself as he observed Sophe’s reaction to his compliment, but his eyes wandered past the kid as he pondered own his concerns. “Why indeed?” he wondered. He returned his focus to the young man. “That’s not the ‘why’ that concerns me right now, Sophe. Why they are after you in the first place interests me.”
Sophe’s eyes fell to the floor. “That’s a long story,” was his quiet reply.
Nathan collapsed into the couch and raked a hand through his black hair. “A long story, huh? The world is full of them.” He sighed and looked back at Sophe, gently patting the top of his head. “Who are you, Sophe?” he asked quietly, without expecting an answer. He stood up and walked to the window, dark eyes drawn towards Triumph.
Sophe watched Nathan as he stood silhouetted against the mammoth window, the light of the air ships running over him as they passed in the night. “He seems weary,” he thought. The boy stayed where he was for a few moments before speaking again. “Is your story long too?”
Nathan chuckled lightly before falling back to silence. “Something like that.” His eyes wandered over the thick swirl of cloud cover, as if they could pierce the gloom that concealed the red light on atop Triumph.
The boy rose from his seat on the couch. “Then I’ll make some coffee.” He cast a sweet look over his shoulder as he disappeared into the kitchen. “You shouldn’t drink so much whiskey you know.”
Nathan smiled. “But something interesting always happens when I do.”
It wasn’t difficult to find what he needed in the neat kitchen. The automatic light flickered on as Sophe stepped onto the black and white tiles. In a few minutes he reappeared in the living room with two cups, a creamer, and a sugar bowl on a tray.
Nathan walked over to his desk and looked over the newspaper clippings that littered its surface. He glanced at the headlines and sighed; each of them had a link to Triumph. He gathered the articles and stashed them in a folder. He was returning to the couch just in time to see Sophe walk out with the coffee. His features brightened at the smell and he took a seat back on the couch. Sophe picked up his own cup without bothering to add anything and blew at the steam. He sipped at it slowly, watching Nathan over the rim. Nathan grabbed a cup and added some cream and sugar. After blowing on it a bit, he took a tentative sip. Satisfied, he leaned against the couch and started drinking.
“Why did you follow me?” the boy suddenly asked.
Nathan raised an eyebrow at the question. “What do you mean?”
“When I left the bar today, why did you follow me?”
Nathan shrugged “I don’t know. I felt guilty that my words had driven you out. I guess I was worried about you.”
“But why? You didn’t know me. What concern of it was yours?”
Nathan considered this for a minute before answering. “You made me remember a dream. That in itself is reason enough for me to want to help you in return.”
The boy’s smile was wistful in the faint light. “I didn’t think anyone here had dreams anymore.”
“That or we all gave up on the same dream,” Nathan mused.
A thoughtful silence settled over the two as they finished their coffees. Without the tick of a clock and too high for the hum of traffic, the apartment was heavy with quiet. The ships passed ceaselessly on silent propellers and blinking lights.
The clink of Sophe’s cup against its saucer startled the silence. He rose and made his way to the looming portal in the wall. Nathan finished his cup and set it gently on the table. He watched Sophe stand before the window; both his eyes and hair seemed to shimmer with city light as he stood with his hat clasped loosely in front of him. Nathan poured himself another cup of coffee, and after adding enough sugar and cream, got up to join his small companion.
Sophe did not turn around as he spoke. “Nathan. You invited danger to live with you this afternoon. I believe you’ve danced with her before.”
Nathan’s dark eyes never wavered from the scenery outside. “What makes you think danger and I are on such close terms?”
Sophe continued, “I never imagined you had a connection with Triumph. My only dream is to reach it. Now that you’ve seen the kind of path I’m on, may I ask… was it a connection you never wanted to make again?”
“I still don’t understand why anyone would want to go there. It’s just a big tower of metal with eyes everywhere.” Nathan sighed and looked at Sophe. “I don’t have to tell you this; you seem to know it pretty well already. Anyone who’s had a connection with Triumph will always have it. Whether I want to make it again or not doesn’t matter.”
“I can keep the connection at bay.” The fabric of the boy’s hat was stretched tightly between his fingers as he clutched it. “It doesn’t have to go any further than this.”
“Can you really do that?” Nathan finally turned to the kid, his dark eyes unreadable.
The boy kept his gaze on the ships. “Yes.”
Nathan smiled and looked out the window, the thought dancing in his mind. After a few drawn out minutes of silence he finally spoke, his voice calm. “Thanks for the offer kid, but I’ll pass this time.”
Long lashes rested over wide eyes for a moment as Sophe let out an inaudible breath. He released his cap from one hand and turned to face Nathan. “In that case, you’re going to need information.” His young face was set, and though he was offering information, his tone was that of command.
Nathan smiled in surprise at the little one’s tone. But his smiled rapidly faded as he crossed his arms and nodded, his features tensing with a rare seriousness.
“Laseric’s men are good, almost comparable to Triumph’s. I would never have fallen in with them if it weren’t for Jr.” Sophe’s tone colored with annoyance as he spoke the name.
Nathan raised an eyebrow “Jr.?”
“It’s not Adrienne Laseric I have the problem with; it’s his son.” Sophe cocked his head to the side and sighed. “He’s around twelve and sharp as his father, but nearly not so cautious. Remarkably Laseric has no ties with Triumph; his family has always remained outside like the rest of us. Adrienne Jr. on the other hand has ideas for when he becomes top man of the Laseric Empire.”
“What is it with your generation and being so smart?” Nathan said with a sigh. “So little Jr. has big plans for when he gets all the power? He’s planning on getting involved with Triumph?”
“It’s the source of friction between the two, when they’re together anyway. Jr. prefers to isolate himself from his clan as much as possible. His eyes are everywhere though, and one day they happened upon me.” The boy’s red eyes turned on Nathan sharply. “Do you know what Triumph is?” Sophe’s glance darted over Nathan’s mountain of newspapers before returning to him.
Nathan followed Sophe’s glance over his collection. “So you’ve noticed them. Nothing escapes you does it?” He returned his eyes to the pair of rubies staring at him. “I know of Triumph. I’ve even seen parts of it. As for what exactly that pile of metal really is, I cannot say for certain.”
Sophe turned back to the window. “Knowing is the first key. Jr. is obsessed with it. To him, I’m a key too.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “So you’re a key, are you? Is because of what you know, or is there something else?”
“Like I said, his eyes are everywhere. He knows about my research and my skills and he never gives up.” Sophe’s eyebrow quirked with what seemed more like irritation than warning.
“Smart, all-knowing, and stubborn. I’m liking him even more now.” Nathan smirked. “I take your research involves the NONAS. What else Sophe?”
“Penetration,” the boy stated.
“Of Triumph?”
“You’ve seen the interior of Triumph; you’ve at least glimpsed its architecture.”
“Yes, it’s quite an interesting design. At first glance that place is just an immense maze. I was able to see a bit more than your average visitor, but not much. They are very good at showing you just what you need to know.”
Sophe gave Nathan a weighty glance and went on, “Indeed. One must know exactly what one is looking for to make the effort worthwhile. Such scale would normally denote weakness in security due to an inability to keep track of each square foot at every moment. Triumph doesn’t possess that problem does it, Nathan?”
The man could have almost laughed at that. “No, it doesn’t. Apart from your standard visible security, such as cameras, access cards linked to a retina scan and your occasional armed guards, Triumph possesses an even deeper network of security. From the moment you set foot inside the building, you are marked with a small transmitter. Since the very structure of the building is electronic in nature, the transmitter can locate your position anywhere, anytime. Naturally a presence detected with the scanners that does not have a transmitter will immediately be seized. The public of course has no knowledge of these little transmitters, and in any case, the first level transmitters are simply recycled when they exit the building.”
Sophe nodded gravely. “But if you make it to another level the transmitter is amalgamated into the body. Like you said, no one gets away from Triumph.”
Nathan just nodded silently at that.
“And now you’ve become my key, Nathan.” The small boy returned his gaze to the man once again. His lovely voice still rang of command, but his eyes were full of longing.
Nathan looked at Sophe as though he was seeing the boy for the very first time. After a few seconds, his eyes softened and he smiled. “You just keep surprising me,” he uttered in a low voice. He placed a hand on Sophe’s shoulder and said, “I shall be your key then, Sophe… and I feel you will become mine.” The thought finished his promise.