Chapter 19: The Shadow Of Death

Even the air in the Sankanpalace smelled of better quality than down on the streets as Rock slowly made his way towards the end of the corridor and the room where the Lovelaces were staying. He had a lot on his mind and there were questions he had that only the young Garcia could truly answer. Hands in his pockets and head down, he lazily strolled through the corridor as the door became closer. He had all the time in the world and there was no rush, but he did want to meet with the head of the Lovelace family for some clarity. Despite his newfound disregard for the plights of others, he was not blind to the things he had done or the troubles that plagued those who came to this city. For that reason, he hoped the Lovelace boy might offer some further information.

He came to a stop in front of the door and removed his right hand from his pocket, knocking on the door gently. There was no answer, but Rock could wait. He was patient. Finally, the door opened slowly and Fabiola stuck her head out to see who was there. Her expression was not welcoming. Despite the events that had transpired after the Grey Fox team and the close proximity with which the Lovelaces had worked with Lagoon Company since then, Fabiola still held a very poor opinion of Rock for his behaviour during Roberta's rampage. His actions had put Garcia and his maid in danger and, although Rock would insist it had been done to save them, there were many lives at stake that day as a result of his manipulation. The young girl from Caracas would not soon forget that.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him rudely. He was expecting that.

"Pardon the interruption," he said by way of an apology. "I know this is unexpected. I came to see Garcia, is he in?" That was like a red rag to a bull and Fabiola glared at him.

"The Young Master is preoccupied," she told him with a tone of finality. "I'm afraid you won't be able to see him."

"Fabiola?" they heard Garcia's voice from inside the room. "Who's there?" Rock could not help but feel incredible satisfaction. His expression had smug written all over it.

"Young Master," Fabiola said, turning to face him. "Forgive me. It's the Japanese man, from the Lagoon Company. Mister Rock."

"I see," Garcia said, sounding somewhat surprised but not unpleasantly so. "Let him in, Fabiola." She reluctantly did as she was told and Rock crossed the threshold into the room. Garcia was standing on the edge of the entryway and Pius sat by the window reading a magazine which he looked up from, offering the Japanese man a wave, but there was no sign of Roberta. She must have been in here somewhere. Garcia bowed his head politely, though he must have been hit with a plethora of painful memories every time he saw Rock's face.

"It's good to see you again," he said. "Is there something I can help you with?" Polite, but eager to return to the company of his family. It was easy to tell that he was not completely comfortable in the presence of somebody he still considered a stranger. Rock cleared his throat.

"I'd hoped we could speak in private," he said, garnering several suspicious looks from the room. He stood there like an arsonist in a fire station as the boy decided how to respond.

"Of course," he answered, surprisingly. He turned to his maid. "It's alright, Fabiola," he assured her. "We won't be too long." The girl's hand twitched and Rock remembered the fact that she tended to hide guns and weapons in the folds of her maid's outfit. She nodded obediently, however, and went to join Pius by the window. Garcia gestured to the left hand side of the room and they went through one of the two doors there where they each took a seat across from one another. Garcia was still incredibly well composed considering he had no idea what Rock wanted from him, but he had seen plenty death and destruction since Lagoon Company held him hostage that day and he did not shy away from the ugliness of the world like he used to.

"Tell me why you came to see me, Mister Rock."

"I wanted to talk to you," Rock explained as best he could, even if he was not as clear or concise as he'd hoped with his words. "I've been thinking a lot recently, Garcia. Do you remember that night in Laos? When we sailed up the Mekong to find Roberta?" Garcia became a tad disconcerted.

"That has been a topic of conversation more than once today," he admitted.

"I used to think that I was immune to the darkness of this city," Rock went on. "That no matter what I did, it could never touch me. Because I was the one who stood in the twilight. I could see things from both sides, like nobody else could, and that gave me the edge when I needed it. But…I have not had a spotless record. There is blood on my hands, Garcia, even more than you know." Garcia listened attentively, but he was visibly concerned about where this conversation was leading.

"I've heard about the things you've done," he said in the interest of honesty. "I know about your dealings with that private security company. And I've seen what you can do first hand. Yes, I remember Laos, Mister Rock. I still have the gunshot wound." Rock did not punish himself for that anymore. He had spent enough time mulling over the consequences of his actions during the hunt for Grey Fox.

"The darkness touched me, Garcia," he said acceptingly. "It left its mark on me and, well…I think I left my mark on it, too. All I ever wanted to do was save people. I think it's safe to say I lost my way after a while." Garcia sighed.

"With all due respect," he interrupted, "I fail to see your point."

"I've been thinking about the past," Rock continued. "And it's apparent to me how much I endangered your family, that's all. I just wanted you to know…" Rock felt a feeling come to the boil inside him, an old feeling that filled him with warmth and enthusiasm. "I wanted you to understand that it was never for personal gain. Everything I did, I did so you could return home and live in peace. I never meant to cause any more pain. I just…" And like that, the mystery feeling within simmered down and was gone. There were a few seconds of silence as the thoroughly awestruck Garcia processed what had been said to him. "This is a bad place, Garcia. This city burns and corrupts the best of us. I don't…care anymore, about anything. I've done my time getting attached. But if I had any advice to offer, I'd tell you to get out of this city the first chance you get before the darkness touches you, too."

Rock had been looking out the window for the last few minutes and his gaze remained there after he finished speaking. Garcia rose from his seat and nodded his head at the Japanese man.

"I understand," he said. "And…I appreciate what you're trying to tell me. But we can't go home, now. The New Order are still out there and they won't stop until they've taken Roberta from me. We have nowhere else we can go, Mister Rock. For the time being, Roanapur must serve as our home, until our enemies are gone. And if that means I must walk beside the darkness, so be it." It was a fate Rock had once feared for the Lovelace boy, that he would stray too far from the light he had grown up in and become consumed by the miasma of shadow that had taken Rock, Wolf and many other helpless souls. Perhaps now, he would learn to walk in the twilight and become consumed by this world. Whatever the outcome, Rock knew he was powerless to stop it and careless to try.

Garcia went to the door and exited the room, coming to a stop only when he heard another knock on the main door. The boy himself must have went to it to greet the new arrival, but that was a grave mistake. As soon as the door was opened, there was a commotion and Fabiola cried out in protest. It was then that Rock turned away from the window to look to the doorway. Whoever had come to the room must have taken Garcia, for both Fabiola and Pius ran to the corridor outside with their weapons in hand. Rock heard the glass of the window break and when he turned to look he, too, was grabbed and taken by a stranger. He assumed it was the New Order, it had to be, but he struggled on in futility as he was restrained and carried down the wall by the men who subsequently gagged him and shoved him into the back of a van with Garcia. Where they would be taken was a mystery.