Caleb knocked a few times on the door to Nicholas Barnes’s room. No answer came, and then Caleb scanned his keycard on the reader beside the door. The lock released, and he pulled the door open for Rachel and Tom. They both entered, followed by Caleb, who closed the door behind them.

  Barnes was just as Caleb had described him. Seated in an old recliner, positioned in front of a closed window. He wore sunglasses and dark pajamas covered by a black robe. Barnes’s hair was as white as snow, with most of it on the sides of his head, and only a few stray hairs on top.

  Rachel knew Barnes’s age was seventy, but just like Caleb, he seemed older. She’d never considered the effects this kind of job had on a person. But now she thought about how both Caleb and Barnes, and she thought of her grandfather. Rachel had always wished she could have met him. Rachel had seen photos of her grandfather, and he always seemed far older than he really was. She wondered if it was just the stress of the job that aged Knights, much like the presidency.

  “Hey Nick, it’s Caleb.” He circled around and knelt down in front of Barnes. “Now, I know you’ve got a busy day of focusing on the window, but some friends of mine have stopped by to pay you a visit.”

  Barnes should no reaction to Caleb’s voice or presence. No movement of his lips or fingers.

  “I’d like you to meet them, Nick. This is Tom and Rachel. They’re both Knights, just like we used to be,” Caleb continued. “As a matter of fact, I helped train them both. I’ve known Rachel since she was a kid, and Tom’s my successor.”

  “You’ve talked to him before?” asked Tom.

  “More like talked at him. Our conversations tend to be pretty one-sided.” Caleb looked at Barnes again. “Hey Nick, you wanna hear something interesting? You and Rachel have a connection. Remember John Kim? That’s her grandfather.”

  Rachel stared at Barnes’s face, hoping for some kind of a reaction. But he remained so still, she wondered if he was even alive.

  “Rachel has some things she’d like to talk to you about,” said Caleb. “I’ll let her take it from here, okay?”

  He stood and backed away, allowing room for Rachel to come in. She pulled up a chair from a nearby desk and dragged it in front of Barnes. Rachel sat down and leaned forward, looking at her reflection in the lenses of Barnes’s sunglasses.

  “Hi, Nick. Hope you don’t mind if I call you that. But I’m Rachel,” she said. “And Caleb was telling the truth, I’m John’s granddaughter. I never got to meet him, though. He died when my dad was just a baby.”

  No reaction. Rachel looked back at Caleb and Tom, but they didn’t provide any insight. Tom could only shrug, while Caleb gave her an “I told you so” look. She focused on Barnes once again.

  “But I didn’t come here today to talk to you about my grandfather,” said Rachel. “You see, Nick, you and I have another thing in common. Seems we’re the only living people who tried to interface with our Titans.”

  She noticed Barnes’s finger twitched. Was it because of what she said or just an involuntary movement?

  “I wanted to talk to you about what I saw. Because to be honest, I’m not quite sure what it was,” she said. “I remember battles, though. Lots of battles. And people who…I don’t know what they were. It didn’t seem like it was Earth. What I really want to know is—”

  Barnes sat up straight. He turned his head and focused on Rachel. His lips moved, but instead of speaking, he coughed.

  “Do you know what I’m talking about?” she asked. “What did you see, Nick? Do you know anything about the symbol in the crystal?”

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  Nick reached his hands for his sunglasses and pulled them off. Rachel stared right into the dark cavities where his eyes had once been. She felt as if he were staring at her, even though he no longer had that capability.

  “You’ve seen it…” said Barnes. “Do you know the truth?”

  “What truth?” asked Rachel. “Fifty years ago, you said something about it all being the Tribunal’s fault. What did you mean?”

  Barnes’s head jerked in random directions. As if he were trying to catch sight of something, but it always remained just out of view. His mouth continued moving, though no sound emerged.

  “Nick, can you hear me?” asked Rachel, speaking at a louder volume. “What did the Tribunal do?”

  Barnes began to ramble. “It’s not what they said…none of it is what they said…”

  “What did they say?” asked Rachel.

  “The Omega Force…the Titans…all lies…”

  He slumped forward in his chair, remaining silent for what felt like an eternity. Rachel held up her hand, and with a great deal of caution, moved it toward Barnes’s face. She set her fingertips on his cheek, trying to get something more out of him. A new fear gripped her—what if he had just died?

  But just as her fingers were about to touch his skin, his head snapped up again. Rachel jumped and retracted her hand.

  “The shadows gather…the dragon waits…”

  “What does that mean?” asked Rachel.

  “Sylva, the prisoner,” said Tom. “She called herself the Shadowblade. Could that be what he’s talking about?”

  “Maybe, but then, what’s the dragon?” asked Rachel.

  “No, the shadows are not here yet…but they will be,” said Barnes. “Nothing is as it seems. No heroes, no villains…”

  Barnes reached forward and grabbed Rachel’s head. Caleb and Tom moved forward, but she gestured for them to hold back. Rachel stared into the vacant sockets, and she could have sworn she saw something inside them, something she couldn’t describe. Whatever it was, she felt a great sense of foreboding weigh down her thoughts.

  “From beyond the farthest star, the harbingers come,” said Barnes. “Time is in flux. The past future is gone, the present future is changing. There is no roadmap.”

  “Now he’s just talking nonsense,” said Tom.

  Barnes’s head snapped in Tom’s direction. “You have no lines in this play.”

  Rachel reached for Barnes’s hands and pulled them from her face. She held them in her grip, gentle but firm. Rachel tried to make some sense of what Barnes had said to her, but she could barely piece it together. Maybe Tom was right about “the shadows gather” being a reference to Sylva. Though her own instincts told her it held a different meaning.

  “Remember the dragon, he’ll provide you counsel,” said Barnes. “But beware who you trust. Old friends make the best enemies.”

  A beeping noise interrupted the proceedings. Both Rachel and Tom looked down to see their Omega Gauntlets flashing lights. They stood, and exchanged glances with each other, then Caleb. He gave a nod and gestured for the door.

  “You guys go.”

  “Thanks,” said Tom. “Oh, and Caleb? I hate to ask, but…”

  Caleb provided another nod. “I got it. If they ask me anything, you stopped by for a visit. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  Tom smiled at Caleb and left the room. Rachel stood and patted Barnes on the shoulder.

  “I’ll come back later, hopefully we can talk more.”

  She approached Caleb and gave him a hug. Caleb returned it without hesitation. Rachel enjoyed being in her old mentor’s presence once more.

  “Thanks, Cal,” she said. “I needed this.”

  “Don’t mention it,” said Caleb. “Now get out of here, you’ve got a job to do.”

  She nodded and left the room, joining Tom in the hallway. The pair quickly left the New Horizon facility, then found a spot away from prying eyes. Once they confirmed the coast was clear, Tom initiated the call and a holographic projection of Marcus materialized.

  “Do either of you care to explain to me what you’re doing at a retirement home?” he asked.

  “Caleb works here. We came by for a visit,” said Rachel.

  “You could have waited. We’re discussing potential dates for him to speak to the rest of the team.”

  “Maybe if we’d known that, we would’ve,” said Tom.

  “We’ll discuss this later. Right now, you’re both needed immediately.”

  “What is it?” asked Rachel.

  “We have a Level 4 threat.”

  “Level 4?” asked Tom.

  She could hear the concern in his voice. And if that weren’t enough, his eyes were wide enough to indicate his fear. That was the threat level that ended up taking out Scott and the others.

  “You see the urgency,” said Marcus. “Suit up, the Nexus will lock onto you and transport you to the breach location, where you’ll rendezvous with the others.”

  “You mean they’ve already been sent?” asked Rachel. To a Level 4? she added in her mind.

  “There wasn’t any time to lose,” said Marcus. “Get moving, now!”

  Rachel and Tom both nodded at each other. They activated their Omega Gauntlets. The nanites swarmed over them, and just as they finished locking in place, the Nexus zeroed in on their location. In a flash of light, they were gone.