"And you, standing there like you had no idea, no idea who I was…or what…" he broke off, panting.
"I don't understand why Desmond didn't tell me about you earlier, Zeke." He said softly. Zeke closed his eyes, letting the anger wash over him. He couldn't let it control him like this. He had to let go. These people, whoever the hell they might be, were his only allies in this fight to regain his mother's freedom, and he had to trust them.
"When did he tell you?" Zeke asked; his fists still clenched. But his curiosity about his father's life was like a tonic, replacing his anger. His grandfather took a step back. A cold wind was blowing across the top of the building now, despite the summer heat. He buried his fists in his jacket, his teeth chattering. Rebecca moved towards him, and despite knowing she was friendly, instinctively moved away.
"Let's get down from here. It's freezing and I think you need a break." He nodded, but part him didn't want to rest. He needed to find his mom. She was still out there. Rebecca read his mind. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she whispered "Hey, I know you want to run after the assholes who took your mom, but you have to rest. Trust me, you passed your granddads test, alright?"
"So he was testing me then?" Zeke sighed, shrugging her hand off his shoulder and glowering at the back of his grandfather. They were all heading towards the utility storage at the top of the building, ready to take the elevator down.
"Yeah…he was. I don't see why."
"Did he make my dad do this shit?" He asked as they passed into the cool dampness of the building. She shook her head.
"Your father was in a coma when Will came onto the scene. After that, I guess he didn't need to know anything. Besides, he already knew what…" She broke off, and looked at him.
"Honestly, I didn't know why he decided to make you climb up here. Maybe to see if you had the blood in you. The makings of what your father was. Doesn't matter, complete bullshit." She scowled at his grandfathers back as they descended down a musty stair case. Zeke kept tripping over details in his mind. Everything was so odd and distorted, and HE still didn't know who or what or how about his father.
"The blood?" He asked, rather louder then he meant too. A hurried shush from Shaun made him growl.
"Be quiet, will you? We're not exactly supposed to be up here."
"Then why make me climb all this way?"
"Had to do it. Wasn't just because of you." Shaun remarked. As he said it, Zeke saw his fingers close around a pouch slung around his waist. Zeke knew then that he wasn't the reason they had climbed this giant building in the middle of Minneapolis.
They managed to reach the ground floor of the massive building easier then Zeke had figured. They crossed the lobby, and Zeke was struck by how confident they were. They could almost pass for employees of the place. Zeke straightened his shoulders as they passed by a few sleepy security guards, who nodded at his grandfather. He noted that Will didn't so much as move a muscle in return. Clearly he wasn't one for formalities or greetings.
"Figures…" He thought, as they descended the steps.
"My family would be the one with assholes." Still, questions pressed at his windpipe, fighting to break free and escape from his lips the world large. But he repressed them. He knew, at least now, that he needed to be silent while they got where they were going.
As they reached the street corner, Rebecca motioned to him.
"There is someone you have yet to meet. She's our only contact in America who works for the same organization as we do."
"Yes, tell the boy everything, Rebecca. So he can explain in detail to our-."
"Shut up, Shaun."
Zeke chuckled slightly as the man broke off, looking slightly meek.
"Anyways, she's who's going to help get your mom back." They had been standing still for a bit, while Will looked something up on what looked like and Iphone, but somehow, he knew it was a bit different. It had a larger screen, and more buttons for one. Perplexed, he drew closer, but they were moving.
"Ok, she's currently in a shelter near the south side of town. We'll have to take the rail to get there in time." Will called, gesticulating with the device. Shaun tightened his grip around the pouch he carried.
"You know the crime rate in Minneapolis is sky high right? If we get mugged…"
"Who are we Shaun? Dainty little businessman? Nah, I think we'll be alright." Will responded, not looking at him. Zeke smiled inwardly. Despite all the trouble, despite everything that had happened, he knew that, somehow, these were the good guys. He could feel it.
They set off at a light pace towards the nearest light rail station. Zeke craned his neck to look at all the buildings around him. He couldn't keep his mind from his mother, or the trouble he was in, or even Darion. Where was he? But still, he had to look at the majestic skyscrapers. He only ever got to see them from a foggy distance.
"I need a coffee." Shaun excused himself quickly, entering a nearby café. Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"It's his code for taking a shit. We may be here awhile." She popped her gum she was chewing, looking at him intently. He stared back.
"You look just like him, ya know? I knew your dad for awhile. Worked with him closely."
"On what?" He asked. Just one question that reared up and broke free from his tight reins.
"Hush. I promise you, Zeke, we will tell you everything later." Will explained, his eyes never leaving the coffee shop.
"Shit faster, you idiot."
"Why not leave him?" He joked, looking at the two.
Rebecca laughed. "Honestly, I wish we could sometimes. But despite his character, Shaun is a necessity. No one is better at cracking codes and understanding puzzles then he is."
"Ah, the daisy has finally come out. Have a good coffee?"
Shaun grumbled something unintelligible, jingling a coffee cup in his hands. "American coffee is shit."
"It's imported." Zeke explained, a smile creasing his lips. Shaun ignored him.
"Let's be on our merry way, shall we? I'm tired of standing in the open. I've gotten quite used to caves and smelly places, lets go back!"
"What?" Zeke asked, as they trekked to the station, eyeing Rebecca.
"Later." She whispered, looking around.
But he didn't want to wait. He couldn't wait. The anxiety was bursting from his chest. He pushed forward, paid the ticket master, and entered a rail without them to the south side of town. He heard yelling and jostling, and smiled as he knew they were rushing in after him. Suddenly, someone grasped his wrist and pulled him into a vacated car, slamming the door.
"I understand how you're feeling."
"No you don't."
"No, I fucking do. Don't interrupt." Zeke quieted, looking at the steely grey eyes of his grandfather with sudden, piercing respect.
"But you will not run away, you will not go on your own, and you will not pay using this." He swiped the debit card out of Zeke's hand and snapped it in two.
"Wait, what!" Zeke cried, standing up. That was his families only way of paying for most things!
"You can't pay electronically anymore, Zeke. You're on the run. We all are, really." Rebecca said softly.
"They can track you. They can track us all. In fact, they most likely know where we are now." Shaun explained, sitting down, the pouch over his lap, and the same device Will had used in his hands.
"I…I'm sorry."
"It's because you're important, and that we care." Shaun snorted.
Zeke was taken aback. He nodded, and sat down on a seat near the back, staring out the window at the flashing buildings. Quiet descended on the car. He kept a tight rein still on the questions that floated to his mind, but he was calmer now. He cupped his head in his hand, his elbow resting against the arm of his seat, letting his mind wander.
Where was his mom now? In a cell, most likely. Starving and-. No, He wouldn't think about that. Then, where was his father? He was dead, that's what they said, but how? Who were these people. Despite their attitudes and their demeanor, he knew they were friends, at least, in a professional sense. He sighed hugely. But why? Why was his family so important.
Then he remembered something.
"Do you guys know why I can see things in the dark?" He asked suddenly. Rebecca jumped.
"You have good vision kid. That's hardly extraordinary." Shaun remarked, sliding his fingers across the touch screen. Zeke shook his head, exasperated.
"No, it's not like that. I can see things…in pitch blackness, and they glow yellow, sometimes blue! It's been happening to me since I was a kid."
"What sort of things?" Will asked, his interest pricked. Rebecca turned around in her seat. The car was thrown into sudden darkness as they passed underground.
"Like exits, windows, things on the ground… That sort of thing." Zeke explained, squinting as they reemerged.
"Ah. Eagle Vision." Will smiled. He turned back around. Zeke leaned forward, eager to learn more.
"It's hardly spectacular kid. It runs in your line. Desmond had it too." Shaun didn't even look at him, just continued playing with his phone…thing.
Zeke scowled. "What is that you're playing with, anyways?"
"Uhm…" Shaun looked for words. "Kinda like an Iphone, but without the shitty battery life or tracking concerns."
"Basically, it's something I developed to keep us in contact with one another using different wave lengths then normal cell phones or even satillites use." Rebecca explained. "They work world wide, so while we were in France, I was able to stay in contact with Miss Von Mysterious, here." Zeke cocked his head. She laughed.
"It's my name for her. She's German American and her name is Iris. At least, that's what she says it is." Zeke didn't get all this secrecy, but at the same time, he accepted it. Maybe for once, he can slip under the radar entirely instead of being seen as "That weird kid."
"Looks like this is our stop. C'mon, you might as well meet her." Will sighed, shouldering his bag as the doors slid open. They stepped out into the sunny, smelly air. Zeke wrinkled his nose. Dumpsters overflowed around them, and an air of general neglect clung to the area.
"South Minnapolis sure is a shithole." Shaun commented, sipping his coffee. "Although I have no place to complain. London is no better."
"I was going to say…" Rebecca remarked snidely. She pointed towards the river, which flowed steadily south.
"We're headed for the river. Follow us, and keep close." Zeke did as he was told, and distracted himself with people watching. Everyone here was impoverished. Many homeless people slept against buildings or benches, and panhandlers. He hurried along, keeping at the others coattails as they drew closer to the river. The Mississippi trundled along, it's grey-brown waters churning at a steady pace.
"We're lucky. Drought has kept the water down."
"Uhm, why? We're not swimming, are we?"
His grandfather smiled. "No. You'll see."
He lead the way down a flight of stairs leading to the river bank. Zeke picked his way down them, gripping the rusty rail as he avoided the crumbling concrete. He then realized how hungry he was, and rubbed his stomach absentmindedly.
"Now…we just need to find her cave."
Zeke was confused to all hell. What were they doing? She lived in a cave? This women seemed more backwards then Darions slow brother, Paul.
"She lives in a cave?" He asked, his tone sarcastic.
They ignored him. Impatient, he wandered away, forgetting what he had told his grandfather. He looked around the riverbank, kicking up shells and dirt, trying to skip stones but failing. He was lost in his thoughts. When was he getting the answers he so desperately needed? When was he getting the rest Rebecca told him he's receive. And most importantly…when was his next meal?
"I don't think someone as important as you should be wandering off alone…" An unfamiliar voice met his ears, and he whipped around.
A small, feminine figure met his eyes. She was wrapped in a hooded shirt, with long, large sleeves covering his hands. The shirt fell past her waste, almost concealing a large belt which he was sure held knives. A holster lay at her hip, but it was currently empty. He raised his hands warily.
"Oh, don't you worry. I'm Miss Von Mysterious." She held out her hand. He didn't take it.
"I'm going to help you find your mom."