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Chapter 8
For a while, nothing happened. No one died; there were no fights, and it was mostly quiet. Brodie and Elleda quickly got used to Sewer World. Brodie lived in a room near Trevor’s. Some nights Trevor heard him screaming. Nightmares ate at him, much like they had when Trevor first began his missions.
Trevor still had nightmares. His were less frequent than they had been. It seemed that the general’s advice had finally taken hold. Part of the pain he felt lessened, though he doubted it would ever go away.
As he promised, Trevor visited Nati and Chris in their workshop. Both of them were ecstatic that he had actually come. They threw together a party and let Trevor pick out a movie. The screen they had just installed was, indeed, huge. Halfway through the movie the sound system began to spark. Nati and Chris fixed it quickly, arguing over which pair of pliers to use to arrange wires.
One night, while Trevor was reading at the table, his mother brought out a jean jacket he had never seen before. She handed it to him.
“This was your father’s,” she explained to him. “He left it here when he went back to his planet. You lost your other jacket. I don’t want you to catch cold. And this way, we don’t have to buy a new one.”
Trevor studied the jacket. It was faded and threadbare and covered with colorful patches advertising different music groups, candy bars, or movies. The jacket had obviously been loved, though put through much abuse. There were stitches where the jacket had torn and it was frayed at the edges.
“Thank you,” Trevor said to his mother. “I like it. What’s this?” He pointed to a date written on the sleeve. It said November 15, 3132. Trevor’s birth date.
“I don’t know why he wrote that on his jacket,” Jodi confessed. “It’s probably just a coincidence. He didn’t know I was pregnant when he left. If he had known, I’m pretty sure he would have stayed.” She shrugged and left the kitchen. Trevor slipped into the jacket. It was a little too big. Had he not been so thin it would’ve been perfect. He decided to wear it to humor his mother.
Soon it was time for the mysterious Axel to arrive. Trevor, Brodie, and a pair of soldiers named Tory and Jason went to wait for him to make an appearance.
Trevor had never worked with Tory or Jason before. He knew that Tory was a demolitions specialist. According to General Charlie, Jason was an expert with artillery and heavy weaponry. To him it seemed as if it should be the other way around. Tory was tall and muscled and he had no hair, though he was no older than thirty. He wore a hat to hide the glare off his bare scalp.
Jason was smaller. Where Tory’s muscles were iron, Jason’s were wire and whipcord. He had thick brown hair and gray eyes that belied how nice he was. There was the barest hint of a beard and mustache accented a weak chin and a skinny neck.
The two were best friends. Jason was the only one who could keep Tory in some kind of order when laying explosives. General Charlie had told Trevor how Tory used four blocks of C4 to destroy a house where alien soldiers were living. Instead of just taking out the single house he had destroyed every building on that side of the block.
The four of them set up a surveillance point on the balcony of an abandoned apartment. It was infested with rats and cockroaches so none of the soldiers would live there even if ordered to. The only reason the building hadn’t already been destroyed was because no one cared enough to do so. The four Renegades did their best to keep the vermin at bay. Brodie was constantly stomping and kicking at them.
“Settle down!” Tory called from the balcony. His eyes were glued to a pair of binoculars. “Something’s coming. The landing light is flashing. I think it’s aiming for the landing pad outside of Super Dictator’s HQ.”
Trevor delicately made his way over to the balcony. He tried his best not to step on anything that moved. He finally made it to where Tory was standing. Tory handed him the binoculars and Trevor put them to his eyes.
A trio of small long-range ships was beginning to descend. Tory’s estimation seemed to be correct to Trevor. He followed their path until they became visible without the binoculars. The Renegades quickly packed up what gear they had and began to swiftly move closer to the alien headquarters. Trevor was anxious to see who Axel was and what ties he had to Dylan.
Ten minutes later Trevor was in position. He had managed to sneak himself and Brodie close enough to the landing pad to hear what was being said, and he had his translator on. Crouched in the shadows, he muffled his power so no one would sense him. They couldn’t see anything, but Jason and Tory could.
The ships landed, making hardly a noise. Trevor barely felt the vibrations in the ground. He wondered how the Mespians got their technology to be so stealthy.
It’s about time you came, Dylan sneered.
I apologize, a new voice, presumably Axel’s, said with quiet dignity. There was a matter that would not wait. I can only do one thing at a time, Father.
“Oh, my God, there’s two of them!” Brodie hissed. “We’re doomed.” Trevor shushed him. Dylan had begun to speak again.
At least you’re here he sighed. We have an extermination problem. There’s a rebel group that refuses to give up and die. They call themselves ‘The Renegades’ They are more like akimi bugs.
They’re humans, Axel retorted. Surely they cannot be that hard to kill.
Normally, they are not. But these particular humans have some kind of a half-blood among their ranks, Dylan explained. Enough talk out here. Let us go inside and talk in private.
Trevor listened for more talk, but there was none. Dylan and Axel had gone into the headquarters. Brodie let out a breath. Trevor removed his translator.
The words had hit Trevor like a hammer blow. Dylan had another son. Trevor had another brother. Was Axel the same as Dylan?
“Let’s get out of here!” Brodie rasped, not giving Trevor any more time to think. “We’re too close to the headquarters for my comfort level.”
Trevor and Brodie managed to get away without being seen by any soldiers. Tory and Jason were waiting for them outside the building they had used to hide in before. Jason had a grenade launcher slung across his shoulders. Tory held a backpack, but he handled it as if it were gold.
“I wanted something to blow up,” he complained, jostling the backpack lightly.
“Don’t do that,” Jason ordered, eyeing the backpack suspiciously. “Knowing you, you’ve got twice what you need in there and it’ll blow at the smallest bump.”
“No, it won’t,” Tory scoffed. “See?” He prepared to toss the bag at Jason.
“Don’t you dare!” Jason nearly shouted. Trevor shushed them both.
“Let’s go!” Brodie reminded everyone. “We need to report to the general.”
“I still say he should have come to see for himself,” Tory muttered. Jason rolled his eyes. Trevor said nothing, trying not to lose himself in his thoughts. Brodie seemed to notice his discomfort, but didn’t comment.
The four of them returned to Sewer World and reported to Charlie what they had heard and seen. Tory made quite a few embellishments, which Jason quickly corrected. A half an hour later, Trevor was free. He went to visit Elleda and her friends in the nursery.
“Shadow!” the children exclaimed when they saw him. Five or six leapt to hug him. Trevor tried to catch them all without injuring anyone. The others quietly waited their turn.
“Shadow, Shadow!” a seven-year-old boy named Dominic quipped. “Will you read to us? Please?”
The other children joined in. Trevor agreed and a little girl gave him the book. He went over to a corner and sat in a rocking chair. Elleda claimed the place on his lap, and the others crowded around his feet. Trevor opened the book. Someone had left a copy of Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH in the nursery. One of the older children started reading it to the others, but they soon found out that Trevor was ‘better at it’. They wouldn’t let anyone else read to them after that.
“Chapter four,” Trevor began. They read for hours. Each child was captivated by the story. Books had long ago gone out of fashion. Everything was put on data discs now. It was almost like a DVD, but there was a voice that read instead of anyone actually reading it. Trevor thought it was a shame. He liked turning the pages and creating his own voices for each character.
Seven chapters and eight pages later, the children began to yawn. Trevor decreed that it was time for bed for all of them. The children groaned, but didn’t offer further protest. The orphans lived in the nursery all the time, so they each went to their own beds. None of them wanted Trevor to leave, so he sat in the rocking chair, Elleda still curled in his lap.
Trevor was tired as well. He closed his eyes, not planning on actually sleeping. Sleep disagreed. It pulled him into its depths along with the children.
Brodie
Brodie couldn’t sleep. He walked around Sewer World, not going anywhere in particular. When he passed the nursery, he noticed that the door was open. He peeked inside and was surprised to see Shadow asleep in a chair with Elleda in his arms.
“So that’s why you didn’t come home tonight,” Brodie muttered, more to himself than to Trevor.
“Killer there loves kids,” a voice behind him chuckled. Brodie jumped and whirled around to face the speaker. It was General Charlie. Brodie didn’t bother to salute, knowing that Charlie didn’t like it. Even if he had liked it, Brodie still wouldn’t have saluted. He wasn’t a soldier.
“The kiddies always cheer him up,” Charlie went on. “They love him and he loves them. They refer to him as ‘Big Brother’ to each other.”
“I thought there was something bothering him earlier,” Brodie sighed. “I didn’t ask him about it. I doubt he would have told me.”
“I can guess what it is,” Charlie laughed. “It’s probably about Dylan’s son.”
“I’m curious, too, but I didn’t get depressed about it,” Brodie snapped.
“Yeah, but you aren’t Dylan’s other son finding out you have a brother, are you?” Charlie shot back. Brodie stopped, wondering what Charlie meant. It finally dawned on him.
“You mean he’s...” he began. ANo way. You’re high.’
“I am not!’ Charlie protested. AI gave all that up years ago. His full name is Trevor Rossbach.’
“So why is he fighting against Super Dictator?’ Brodie demanded, using the general term given to Dylan.
‘Trevor was raised on Earth,’ Charlie explained. He pulled out a packet of gum and offered it to Brodie. Brodie shook his head. Charlie shrugged and popped a piece into his mouth. AHe didn’t meet his father until Dylan decided to conquer the world. They didn’t exactly have the greatest first impressions of each other, either.” He paused to shift his gum to the other side of his mouth. “Do you know why Shadow’s hair covers the right side of his face?’”
“Because he’s emo1?” Brodie asked, completely serious.
“No, although he does look like an emo like that,” Charlie laughed. “But seriously, he has a scar at the corner of his right eye. Dylan put it there when they first met. His mother calls it an angel kiss. If you ask Shadow what happened to him, he will tell you that a demon bit him.
‘It doesn’t help that Dylan has repeatedly tried to kill him. I’m surprised he still goes on missions. I’ve never fought Dylan and I’m still afraid to go out because I’m scared I’ll meet up with him. I know that Dylan could splatter me all over the wall with a glance.”
“I’ve never actually seen Dylan do much,” Brodie countered half-heartedly. “He usually lets his lackeys take care of the dirty work.”
“Well, when you’re in charge, it’s a luxury you’re allowed,’” Charlie snorted. Brodie folded his arms over his chest and stared at Shadow.
“I still say he’s emo,” he muttered.
“No matter how you put it, Shadow is emo,” Charlie agreed. AIt’s not just the hair, either. Although, I’m thankful that he lacks the tight pants.” He suddenly broke into quiet laughter. “My best friend in high school wore a tie once, and this emo kid walked up to her and said, Why are you wearing a tie? It makes you look like a dude.’ She calmly retorted with, ’Are those your sister’s pants?’”
Brodie laughed. Charlie spit out his gum and stood up.
“Shadow wasn’t a fighter, always, you know,” he sighed. AHe wasn’t always like this. Before the invasion started, he was a real wimp.”
“Okay, now I know you’re high,” Brodie scoffed.
“Ask Joey to show you the movies,” Charlie went on. AShadow wasn’t a tough kid. He met Dylan and turned into this. Don’t ask him about it, though. It’s a touchy subject.”
“Must be nice to the emo,” Brodie said sarcastically.
“I heard that,” Shadow’s voice lofted out from the nursery. AI am not emo!”
“You are, too,” Brodie snapped. AYou are so emo!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“I’ll leave you to your argument, then,” Charlie told them. “Don’t kill each other.”
Trevor
“Did you know that...Dylan has another son?” Trevor asked his mother the next morning.
“I didn’t know that, but it makes sense,” Jodi replied. She was trying to scrub rust from the floor with soapy water. “He was the heir to the throne of his race. He would have to have an heir for himself. He didn’t like to talk about it much. Whenever I asked about it, he became quiet and almost sad. I stopped asking because I didn’t like seeing him like that.” She sat back on her heels. “Do you know what he looks like? The other son?”
“I didn’t...didn’t see him,” Trevor replied. AI was...crouched closer to them...trying to hear what they were...saying.”
“What’s his name?” Jodi questioned. She wiped a hand across her forehead.
“Axel,” Trevor answered. “Axel Rossbach.”
“I wonder if he’s anything like Dylan,” Jodi mumbled, seeming to forget Trevor was there.
“Do you think he’s...older or younger...than me?” Trevor inquired.
“I think he’s older,” Jodi sighed. “Whenever I asked whether anyone was waiting for Dylan back home, he would go off by himself. Sometimes I followed and heard him muttering about a son.” She shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll have a chance to meet him.”
“And hopefully he won’t be trying to kill me,” Trevor added. Jodi smiled. It seemed to Trevor that she had aged a little more over the past few weeks. Lines creased her once smooth face. Perhaps they were worry lines. Trevor had been doing things that would cause a mother to worry. Joey wasn’t making anything easier by fooling around with the paint-gun he’d found.
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll be best friends and end the war together,” Jodi voiced. Trevor snorted quietly. “I can hope! And maybe if that happens, they’ll all decide to stay here with us, anyway.”
“Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of beating them?” Joey wanted to know, sauntering into the kitchen.
“Not necessarily,” Trevor answered. “I gotta go. The general…wanted to see me. He…probably has another mission…for me.”
“Be careful,” Jodi called as he left. Trevor pulled the door shut behind him. He wondered what the general wanted him to do this time.
“Dude, Shadow!” Chris’ voice shouted to him. Chris ambled over to him in his special ‘Chris Style’. “Goin’ to like...see the new dude, Bruh?”
“New ‘dude’?” Trevor echoed. “I didn’t know…there was someone new. Is that why the general wants to see me?”
Chris was dressed strangely, like always. He wore baggy chain pants and a T-shirt that said, ‘Of course I’m talking to myself. Who else can I trust?” Both were black, and a pair of black fingerless gloves adorned his hands. He also wore black lipstick and gobs of eyeliner. Chris had gone from hippie to goth² overnight.
“Probably, dude,” Chris said with a nod. “He looks a lot like you, Bruh. Bothers me, dude. He’s even got the, like...scary green eyes, Bruh. Like yours.” Chris shuddered dramatically. “Y’know who you both remind me of? Super Dictator...you wouldn’t happen to be, like...related, would you?”
“I’m his son,” Trevor replied reluctantly. “I’m a half-blood, though. He doesn’t know I’m his kid.”
“I thought you were related!” Chris crowed triumphantly. “This new dude looks like him, too. Y’think it’s the dude Axel you were talkin’ about?”
“I hope not,” Trevor sighed. A red flag went up in his mind.
“If you need, like...help...with watchin’ the dude, you can make him my, like...roomate, Bruh,” Chris offered. Trevor thought that was a good idea.
“I think we just might do that,” Trevor muttered, thinking. "Thanks, Chris. I need to go.”
“See ya later, dude!” Chris yelled, turning and dancing away. Trevor shook his head and continued towards the general’s office. Once there he knocked.
“Come on in, Killer!” Charlie told him. “Good of you to finally join us.”
“If you had waited until afternoon, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to get here,” Trevor retorted. His eyes slid to the trembling person sitting in a chair in front of Charlie. It was a young man with black hair and green eyes, just as Chris had said. He didn’t look as thin as some of the other people who had come into Sewer World as refugees. His eyes also held something other than fear.
“Killer, this is Derek,” Charlie stated, gesturing to the young man. “Levi and Jennings found him under a bridge. They brought him here, but I thought you should take a look at him, first.” He turned to Derek. “This is my personal assistant. His name’s Killer.”
“No, it’s not,” Trevor argued. “That’s just your nickname for me. And I’m more like your personal hit-man than an assistant.”
“But my personal hit-man is my personal assistant!” Charlie informed him. Trevor sighed and shook his head. “Anyway, I know you like to check out new arrivals before we actually let them in. Have at him!”
There was a spark of alarm in Derek’s eyes. Trevor took a chair opposite him and sighed again.
“This won’t hurt,” he assured Derek. “Well...it won’t as long as you don’t fight me.” He took Derek by the chin and forced their eyes to meet. Trevor looked deep into Derek’s eyes, past the surface and into his mind.
Why are you having me do this? Derek was asking. Someone turned away from the wall to glare at him. It was Dylan. Why not use a normal soldier? This is grunt work.
Because you are the only one smart enough for something like this with people like these Renegades, Dylan replied. You are one of the best when it comes to infiltrating the enemy. I trust you know what will happen if you fail, Axel.
Trevor released Axel. The face before him was his brother’s face. He looked back at Charlie.
“He should be okay,” he whispered. Charlie must have seen something on Trevor’s face because his brow furrowed. “I already have a place in mind for him. Chris, the techie, just put in a request for a roommate. We can put Derek there.”
“Will you take him to the right tunnel?” Charlie inquired. “Then come back. You have a mission to handle.”
“Another one?” Trevor sighed. “Dammit...quit planning things one right after the other. I may have great stamina...but this is ridiculous.”
“But you’re the best I have!” Charlie protested.
“Why don’t you go out and do something, then?” Trevor demanded.
“Hey, I’m like most generals,” Charlie answered with a shrug. “Practically useless, but for some reason they put me in charge anyway.” Trevor chuckled and turned to leave the office, motioning for Axel to follow him.
Axel followed his guide through a maze of sewer tunnels. He was amazed at how easy it had been to get in to the Renegades’ hideout. How had his father over-looked the sewers as a possibility?
“Is he...always like that?” Axel asked in a timid voice, referring to the general.
“Most of the time,” Trevor answered quietly. “He usually teases whoever is in the room with him. His real personal assistant claims he’s going to go insane. I don’t blame him.”
“He doesn’t seem like someone who would be a general,” Axel muttered.
“No, he doesn’t,” his guide agreed. “I wonder which crackpot decided to put him in charge.”
His guide was a few inches taller than Axel. He wore a faded jacket made of denim that was covered in patches. He had chin-length, ebony black hair that covered the right side of his face. The one visible eye was green; as green a Axel’s own, but there was an undertone of sadness in it. He moved as if gliding. Axel wondered if this man was the Renegade his father was chasing. He fit the description perfectly. The only thing that Axel hadn’t seen yet was the scar. His father had told him it was hidden under the hair.
Axel wondered what his guide had done when he looked at Axel’s eyes. Whenever his cousin had done that, she was trying to get into his mind. Was his guide psychic? If so, he must have seen who Axel really was and what he was there to do. But if he had gone in and found out, why had he said nothing? Surely he wasn’t stupid. He had evaded Axel’s father for so long; he couldn’t be stupid.
“I will warn you now,” his guide began, making Axel tense. “Your roommate, Chris, is a little unorthodox. He’s a genius...he’s also insane. Just don’t touch any of the electronic gizmos lying on the floor and you should be fine.”
“Dude, Shadow!” a very loud voice called. Axel looked up and saw a boy with bright orange hair drop from a catwalk about six feet above them. He landed gracefully on his feet, the chains on his pants making a loud clattering noise. His guide, presumably Shadow, applauded quietly.
“You’ve been practicing, I see,” he chuckled.
“Me’n Nati both!” the boy said, striking a triumphant pose. “We’re trying to like...do flips, too, Bruh!”
Axel wasn’t sure he liked this boy.
“Derek, this is your roommate,” Shadow informed him, to Axel’s horror. “His name is Chris. He’s chief-technician down here. He has a sister named Nati around here somewhere. Don’t be alarmed if a girl just lets herself in when Chris isn’t present.”
Axel looked at the strange boy, who smiled and waved crazily.
“Dude, was I right or was I, like...right?” Chris asked Shadow.
“You were right,” Shadow agreed. He turned to Axel. “Chris saw you coming in. He said you looked a lot like me, which in turn makes you look like Super Dictator.”
“Who’s that?” Axel asked, though he was sure he could guess.
“Commander Dylan,” Shadow chuckled.
“But I told you he looked like you!” Chris said again. He turned his head sideways. “You know, if you, like...turn your head like this, you two could be brothers, dude.”
Shadow laughed quietly. Axel studied him more closely. His father had said there was a half-blood among the ranks of the Renegades. Shadow had to be it. But which Mespian had sired him?
If Shadow had been born on the Home Planet, he would have been an officer in the army. Such a post was a high honor. He would have made his family proud. Perhaps he still could, with the proper training and brainwashing.
“You really look like Super Dictator,” Shadow informed him, bringing Axel out of his thoughts. “They’ll be calling you ‘Dylan Junior’ in no time.” He glanced at Chris. There was something in that glance that told Axel that Shadow knew more than he was letting on.
“Dylan Junior,” Chris chuckled. “I don’t envy you, dude. That’ll, like...follow you around for, like...ever, bruh.”
“Weirdo,” Shadow chuckled. His expression didn’t change.
“Look who’s, like, talking, dude!” Chris shot back. “You’re the one who, like, might be better off plastered to a, like, wall and following everyone around!”
“I’m called Shadow for a reason,” Shadow retorted. “And why did you change your style? Black really isn’t your color.”
“I’m, like...trying out something new!” Chris said defensively. “I’m not actually, like, goth...I’m a poser-goth!”
“Weirdo,” Shadow repeated. Chris only shrugged and laughed.
“So, Derek, dude,” the chief tech croaked. Axel turned to him. “Let me, like...show you around. Shadow probably has some, like...super, high-security mission he needs to get done. We’ll like...let the hit-man get back to work.”
“Shut up, Chris,” Shadow groaned. He turned to Axel. “I’ll leave you with Chris. You’ll get used to him in no time.”
“The mission, Bruh!” Chris teased.
“Don’t remind me,” Shadow sighed.
“Well, if I, like...don’t remind you, General will get, like, pissed at me!” Chris claimed. Shadow scoffed before turning and walking silently away. Axel had to resist the urge to run after him. He wanted to know more about Shadow.
“C’mon, Dude,” Chris ordered, cutting into Axel’s thoughts. “I’ll show you the, like, room.” He turned and began to lead the way. Axel followed reluctantly. Chris was already beginning to irritate him.
“I’ll, like, warn you now, Bruh,” Chris began again. “I’ve got a lot of, like, gizmos, gadgets, and like...do-hickeys lying all over the floor. Don’t, like, step on them, okay? Some of ‘em are, like, Nati’s, and she’ll eat me alive if they’re all, like...crushed and busted.”
“Um...okay,” Axel replied. He thought that if Chris didn’t want any of his things stepped on, he shouldn’t leave them on the floor. Chris seemed to take his answer for a promise and grinned.
“Let’s go!” he cried. Axel followed once more, trying to convince himself that the next few weeks wouldn’t be as bad as he thought.
2Goth- A lable for people who wear all-black clothing, spike bracelets, chain pants, collars, trench coats. Often associated with heavy metal, rock, and other variations of 'screamo' music.