Author's note: I'm back with my new story! Phoenix, this is the one you've been waiting for. :D
This story is a lot, lot darker than my others; people die in here, people are evil, people get hurt. Read at your own risk, ok? If you don't like this one, there'll be another new one in a month or so.
Dark is the Day
Zhalia Moon took a deep breath – although, this far underground, taking a deep breath was more likely to leave her choking on the damp than actually calm her down. Of all her duties in the new regime, she hated this one the most.
Shifting the tray so she could hold it with one hand, she pressed her thumb against the lock, waiting patiently until it beeped. The door hissed open; she caught it easily with one foot, movements well practised by now, nudging it open and sliding through the gap.
Sophie ignored her. That wasn't new; Sophie had been ignoring her for months, and had stopped responding to anything else days ago, when Zhalia had confirmed Santiago's death. Dante was missing-presumed-dead; Lok had been captured with Sophie, and LeBlanche was in the Casterwill home in Venice when it was destroyed. Santiago's death left Sophie all but alone, and her hopes of escape had faded almost to nothing.
"Morning, Cherit." Zhalia slid the tray onto the table.
"Is it?" Cherit asked.
"No," she admitted. "It's early afternoon. I couldn't get down here this morning."
Klaus told me not to, she didn't add. He's trying to screw with her sense of time.
Zhalia could have told him that was pointless; Sophie had no idea where she was, let alone what time it was, and didn't seem to care.
"How's the Princess?" She turned back to the tray, beginning to offload the plate and cups.
"Where is Lok?"
"He's with Klaus. You know that. Klaus is trying to figure out what makes the Lamberts so special." Zhalia piled yesterday's dishes onto the tray – Sophie still wasn't eating enough. "Rassimov sent operatives yesterday to retrieve Sandra and Cathy."
"Cathy's not a Seeker," Cherit protested.
"She should be. They want to know why Lok got so much power from their parents and Cathy got none."
"So you can breed stronger Seekers?" Sophie asked abruptly.
"Yeah." Zhalia didn't bother hiding her surprise; she'd known Sophie would see through the story, that's what she did, but she hadn't been sure how much the other girl was absorbing. "Rassimov needs Seekers strong enough to enforce his laws."
"But not strong enough that they could overthrow him, of course."
Zhalia flicked her eyes upwards as she answered. "There is no one left who can challenge Rassimov."
"Which is why you switched sides."
"I didn't switch sides, Sophie. I was never really with the Foundation, you know that."
"Where is Lok?"
"He's with Klaus, Princess. He's fine. You know that, and you know how to keep him that way." She flicked her eyes upwards again; Sophie scowled, but she jerked her chin in what might have been an acknowledgement.
"Eat your lunch," Zhalia said, turning away.
"Does it have hallucinogens in it today?" Sophie asked sweetly.
Zhalia hesitated at the door, caught in the memory of an afternoon spent in Klaus' lab. She'd spent most of it holding Lok down while they watched Sophie scream and try to rip her own hair out, convinced she was being attacked by snakes.
"No. Lok has behaved himself this week."
She closed the door on Cherit's outraged yell, waiting for the beep of the lock before heading away.
She paused in the security room, logging her visit out of habit. No one would be checking up on her; no one would dare. Only two people could give her orders or question her.
The monitor was set to Sophie's cell; on screen, she was picking unenthusiastically at the meal. "Cherit, explain something to me."
The microphone left their voices tinny but perfectly understandable. "Aye?"
"How did Rassimov become the leader? I don't…I know I missed a lot, but the Professor was still in charge last thing I knew."
Zhalia grimaced, flicking off the mike. Cherit was not likely to guard his tongue, and she didn't much feel like supervising another punishment today.
She knew what Cherit would be saying, anyway. Zhalia stood two steps from the centre of power; she'd watched the new Organization rise, she knew all its' secrets.
She'd left Dante for dead among the towers of Vlad's castle. Two Suits had found Lok and Sophie in the dungeons and she'd protected them long enough to present them to the Professor; he'd gifted them straight back to Klaus, but the move raised her in both his eyes and Klaus' and she'd been lifted quickly through the ranks.
They'd found the Titan of Body, Behemoth; Zhalia herself had taken it from Hippolyta, the young Amazon Queen. But without Eathon Lambert's notes, they hadn't been able to track down the Amulet of Will, nor the Titan of Spirit, Tao. The Professor died, raving, in the Prague headquarters of the Organization, less than a month after receiving Behemoth.
There was never any question who would lead the Organization in the wake of Simon Judeau's death. Klaus had no interest in leading; he wanted only the freedom to conduct his experiments. Rassimov promised him that and let him keep Zhalia, Lok and Sophie. Officially Zhalia served as his second in command, his enforcer; unofficially she was expected to report on him to Rassimov, to keep track of his experiments and to make sure he didn't kill anyone useful.
With Dante's team dead or captured, Metz on his deathbed, and Zhalia in possession of all the Foundation's secrets, there was no hope of them standing up to the Organization. With Behemoth and Araknos under his control, and no curse to worry about, Rassimov currently controlled mainland Europe, huge swathes of Russia, and most of Central America.
Zhalia flicked the mike back on but left the recording off. With any luck, Cherit would have talked himself out before anyone realised.
***
Back at ground level she headed for her room to clean up before reporting to Klaus. Being in the underground levels, even when she didn't touch anything, always left her feeling vaguely dirty.
"Zhalia!"
Klaus was crossing the main lobby towards her. Zhalia halted, glancing at the corridor he'd come from. Lok was lurking there, pretending he hadn't noticed her.
In theory Lok had the run of the base whenever he wasn't actively taking part in one of Klaus' experiments. In practise he'd learned very quickly not to go too far from Klaus at any point. Hallucinogens weren't the worst things Sophie had endured to keep him under control.
"I see the young Casterwill girl is awake at last," Klaus said as he reached Zhalia.
She glanced at Lok again, but if he'd heard he hadn't reacted. "Yes."
"Good. Rassimov wants me to start examining her. We'll begin tomorrow."
Zhalia nodded. "In the morning?"
"Yes. You can take the Lambert boy away. I won't need him for a few days."
"And the other two?"
He frowned, thinking. "Ah, the other two. That was your idea, yes? They should arrive…"
"Late tonight."
"I won't want them for a few days, either. You can leave them all together. Make sure the woman's Titans are taken from her."
Zhalia nodded, turning away and heading straight for Lok. He scowled when he saw her coming, but he didn't move.
"Come on, Lok, you're done for today."
"My master has spoken, huh?" Lok threw off the hand she tried to rest on his shoulder. "I know the way."
"Not the lab. He's got a new project, he won't want you for a few days. You're to go to your room."
"Are we calling it a room now?"
"Lok…"
"Save it. I don't need excuses from you." He turned away, heading down the corridor. Zhalia scowled, following him.
Lok's room was an actual room, rather than a cell like Sophie, but he rarely got to use it; Klaus' experiments happened whenever he thought of them, even the middle of the night, and Lok was usually an integral part of them. Zhalia unlocked the door for him, blocking the entrance when he went to enter. "Have you eaten today?"
"No food today or yesterday. Part of the experiment." He smirked at the look on her face.
"Experiment's over. I'll get you something." She gestured him in, locking the door behind her and heading away.
***
Lok dropped onto the bed, scratching absently at the mark on his arm from the last blood sample Klaus had drawn. A day or two to himself might be nice, and if Klaus was ignoring him he couldn't blame Sophie for anything. She'd be safe for a day or two as well.
Lok had no doubts about who'd suggested that little system of checks and balances. He was just glad that Cherit was allowed to stay with Sophie; with her magic blocked by Klaus' device, he couldn't help her in any way and so Zhalia had never bothered to get rid of him.
The lock on his door beeped; he sat up to see Zhalia shove it open, balancing a tray. "Here." She slid it onto the dresser. "Someone will be coming with a camp bed. You're getting a roommate tonight."
"What, you trust me to talk to people now?"
"Some people. Just don't give them any trouble. Klaus has finally got something else on his mind, you don't want to remind him you're here."
"Yeah, you're really worried about that."
Zhalia scowled, turning away. "I have better things to do than punish you. Behave. Or you know what'll happen."
"Coward."
She hesitated so briefly he almost missed it, locking the door before he could say anything else.
"I don't get it," he said quietly. "Which side are you on, Zhalia?"
She'd protected them from Klaus and his Suits in Vlad's castle. She'd suggested they be used as hostages against each other – which meant they had to be kept alive. She'd left Cherit with Sophie to help her, and she'd made it a point to ensure they were both fed and looked after as well as possible.
She'd killed Dante. She'd killed Hipployta. She'd led raids against the Foundation, against safe houses and against the homes of the Foundation's operatives. She'd forced Sophie to watch footage of Santiago's death, rather than leave her with any hope of rescue.
She kept them both safe from the Suits. No one was allowed to touch them; no one went near Sophie except Zhalia, and as long as Lok stayed away from the outer walls he was similarly untouchable. They were as safe as it was possible to be, here at the heart of the Organization.
She'd killed Dante.
She'd stopped Klaus, several times, from running experiments that would have hurt or killed him or other subjects.
She'd killed.
He couldn't get away from that.
Two Suits arrived, both carrying bed rolls; they didn't bother laying them out, just dumped them on the floor and left. Lok sat up, staring at them; he was sure Zhalia had said a roommate, so why two rolls?
Zhalia came back a little later, frowning at the sight of the rolls. "They were supposed to lay them out," she muttered, glancing at the window. Lok automatically followed her gaze; his room was buried in the centre of the castle, but through the bars and surrounding turrets he could see enough to tell the sun was going down.
"Why two?" he asked, watching her untie the first roll.
"Because two people are coming." She threw the second roll at him; he didn't move, and it bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. "Lok…"
He started untying it, moving as slowly as he dared. "Who's coming?"
Zhalia stood, watching him, but she didn't answer until he slid off the bed to lay out the roll. "Sandra and Cathy Lambert."
For a moment he didn't register it; then he sank back very slowly on his heels, staring at her. "Liar."
There was no conviction in his tone. Lok knew better than anyone how far Klaus would go to satisfy his curiosity.
"They'll be here in a couple of hours. Maybe less."
"Zhalia, you can't let them…"
"It wasn't my idea. It's not my project, there's nothing I can do."
"Cathy's not even a Seeker."
"That's why Klaus wants her. He wants to know why she has no power – you have the same parents. He'll try and Bond her with a Titan, and then…"
Lok shuddered, trying not to think of the tests and experiments he'd endured over the past months. "You can't let that happen."
"It's too late, Lok. Listen to me. Klaus has his other project right now. The more fuss you make, the faster he remembers you're here, understand?"
He lowered his head, drawing in a shaky breath. "I wish you'd pick a side."
"I've chosen my side. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it not true." Her headset beeped; she listened to it for a moment before nodding. "They'll be here in about an hour."
"What's the other project?"
"What?"
He looked up. "That project that's distracting Klaus from me."
"Sophie started talking again today."
Lok grimaced, grinding the heel of one hand into his eye. "You want me to choose between Sophie and my family."
"There's no choice, Lok. Klaus won't leave Sophie alone now no matter what. He's been desperate to get his hands on her for months. Rassimov forbade it while she was withdrawn. If you kick up a fuss now he'll start on all of you. Including Cathy." Her headset beeped again and she turned away impatiently. "Think about it, ok?"
"What else do I have to do?" Lok muttered. Zhalia locked the door without answering; he pushed slowly to his feet, wandering to the window and staring unseeingly out.
***
Zhalia sent a Suit to get Lok an hour later. Rassimov's jet, borrowed for this mission, was on approach when he reached the roof, squinting against the backwash.
"Behave," Zhalia warned him as the plane touched down. Lok glared at her, but he stood watching in silence as the doors opened.
Cathy was first off, surrounded by four Suits; they hustled her down the steps so fast she almost fell, pausing at the bottom to report to Zhalia. Lok yanked away from his guard, plunging through the group to get to his sister; throwing his arms around her in a desperate hug, he steered her carefully a few steps away.
Zhalia glanced at them, but Lok wasn't trying to get away, or to get Cathy away. He just wanted her out of reach of the guards. Zhalia was willing to give him that, but she stared at him until he looked up to meet her eyes, just so he'd know he wasn't unnoticed.
Sandra appeared at the top of the stairs, similarly surrounded by Suits. "Stop," Zhalia said before she'd made it more than two steps down.
Lok relaxed his grip on Cathy, keeping a hand on her arm as he turned to watch Zhalia climb the steps. She paused a little below Sandra, eyeing her.
"Your Titans."
"What?" Sandra instinctively lifted a hand to her amulets.
"Mom, you remember Zhalia," Lok said loudly. "Klaus' number two. You made her pie when she stayed at our home."
"Hand over your Titans," Zhalia told her. "Lunar and Solar, yes?" Sandra didn't move, and she added, "Lok, does your mother have any other Titans?"
"No. She gave them back to the Foundation."
Sandra looked down at Lok, but she still didn't let go of the amulets; in fact, her grip tightened. Zhalia took another step up, crowding her back against the Suits and lowering her voice. "Careful, Sandra. Your children are surrounded by my men, and Lok is powerless."
"Mom, do it," Lok urged her.
Zhalia took another step forward, reaching for the amulets. Sandra let her take them.
"Sorrowbond," Zhalia murmured. Sandra started to protest; Zhalia held her gaze and she changed her mind, looking away.
"You're learning. Good." Turning away, she added over her shoulder, "Not fast enough, though. Take her downstairs for the night."
Lok scowled, his grip tightening on Cathy until she protested, but he didn't try to interfere. Zhalia sauntered down the steps, standing to one side as the Suits hustled Sandra away.
"Lok, what's going on?" Cathy asked quietly.
"I'll tell you later."
"Get them back to his room," Zhalia told the nearest Suit loudly. "Make sure the cameras are on. And get all of them something to eat – something that resembles food. Klaus wants them healthy."
She saw and ignored the glance from Lok as they were pushed away. She had more important things to worry about right now.
***
By hanging onto her himself, Lok got Cathy back to his room without anyone touching him. The guards, as usual, were reluctant to touch him, apart from the now-traditional shove through the door.
Cathy stared blankly at the room as the lock beeped. "What's going on, Lok? Where are we?"
"Prague." He was watching the camera above the door; after a moment the power light came on and the camera moved to focus on Cathy. Turning his back on it, he added, "There are cameras and microphones in here. Be careful. Here." He guided her carefully to the bed. "What's happening at home?"
"Well, no one really knows what's happening over here. The head guy…Klaus?"
"Rassimov."
"He has a news blackout. Nothing gets out, just rumours. Scarlett Byrne was with us a couple days ago. She says there's some kind of resistance going on."
"Was she…"
"She was gone when those men came. They said they had you and Mom just…gave up." She eyed Lok uncertainly. "Could she have fought? She has those Titan things."
"She could have tried, but it wouldn't have helped. Mom can maybe handle two Suits. Lunar and Solar aren't really very strong fighters, and they haven't fought in a long time."
"You have Titans?"
"Klaus took them. Zhalia betrayed us to him and he took them away. Sophie's here, somewhere, but I don't know where, and if I don't cooperate…"
"I thought that was what we're for." Cathy drew up her knees, hugging them tightly.
"No." Lok leaned off the bed, picking up one of the blankets and draping it over her. "You're here because Dad was a really strong Seeker, one of the best. And Mom was pretty strong too. Klaus wants to find out why you have no power and I have so much."
"Dad's been missing for years, what does he have to do with it? And what's a Seeker?"
Lok smiled faintly. "I forgot you still don't know much about the family business. Well, hundreds of years ago there was a magician called Casterwill…"