Page 8 of Apocalypse
Chapter Four
Faith stared at him.“Your twin?We weren’t aware that you had one.”
The man shuffled back to his chair and sat down.“I am unsure why any of you should know me at all, my dear.Let alone who my brother is.Not many people knew of him.Hudson was always a loose cannon.Our mother let him go wild growing up.He was her golden child.Then after years of misbehaving, she found she couldn’t control him anymore.So she didn’t even try.”
“And what were you doing while this was going on?”Calegis wanted to know.
“Me?I was trying to get as far away from Hudson and my crazy mother as I could.”Conrad shook his head.“I graduated high school then went on to college into business and worked my way up the line until I was ready.I began my own company.I was doing quite well until he came around again.You see he’d spent all of mom’s money and a lot of grandpa’s money too.So he was looking for more through me.I told him to go to hell.The next thing I knew, I woke up here and he was taking over my life.He had access to my bank accounts and my business accounts.He had planned it for a long time I think.”He shook his head and said, “He took over my life so completely that no one even knew he wasn't me.”He sat back in his chair and said, “He ruined what I’d built up over the first twenty years of my life.I had a goal in mind when I first began my business.Then he ripped everything I ever worked for apart and just dragged it all through the mud.”
“What do you mean dragged it all through the mud?”Palamedes asked.
Conrad sighed hard.“Him and those whacked out friends of his are planning something that will kill this nation and its people.If you came here looking into him, you must know about his nefarious plans.”
Lancelot nodded.“Yes, we do but how do you know about them?”
Conrad stared at him as he looked disgusted.“Hudson was never mindful of my being here.He overlooked my presence a lot and I learned how to listen but not give him a reason to suspect I was listening.He and those three friends of his met here often over the last few years.Hudson always pretended I wasn’t here and told his friends not to worry about me, that I would never be free of this place so they never bothered to beware of what they said.I listened as they outlined their plot to bring the nation to its knees.I couldn’t imagine how they could be so cruel and callous.They were talking about killing hundreds of thousands of people and they didn’t seem to even care.”
“Wait a minute,” Palamedes said.“You heard what they were talking about?You know how they plan to do their nasty deeds?”
Conrad nodded.“Yes, they spelled it all out in sickening detail.”
Palamedes looked over at Lancelot.“We need to get him back to the mansion so Bastian and Bane can question him.If he can speed up the information we have, maybe we can catch these bastards unaware and have surprise on our side.”
“That would give us the advantage of being one step ahead of them, if we can get enough information,” Lancelot agreed.Then he turned to Conrad, “Would you be willing to help us stop these maniacs?”
Conrad stared at them.“You can actually stop them?You have an army to do that?”he whispered in awe.
“We don’t need an army,” Calegis told him.“Just a few well placed groups ready for battle.They don’t know anyone is out to stop them yet.”
Conrad thought about that for a moment then nodded.“Maybe you’re right.Maybe all you do need is surprise and knowing where to be at just the right time.”He looked over at Faith and said, “If I can help with this, I would be honored.”
She smiled at him, despite him looking like the man she had killed, his nature was entirely different.“Then go pack your clothes and let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
“Do they still use that phrase nowadays?”Conrad asked her.
She slowly shook her head and looked over at Cassian.“I’m not sure.I haven’t been free that long myself.”
“Free?”Conrad asked as he stared intently at her.
“Yes, Mr.Winters.I was also held captive for fifteen years.”
His eyes rounded at her.“Oh, my...”He looked stunned.“So, freedom is at hand for us both?”
Faith nodded.“It is and I was kept that long for nearly the same reasons as you were.Freedom is a wonderful thing, so come along.”
“The guards are taken care of?”Conrad asked.
She nodded.“Yeah, they aren’t going to be doing anything any time soon.”
“Good, they were on Hudson’s payroll and they were just nasty,” Conrad told her.
“What do you mean?”Faith frowned at his words.
“They often forgot to bring me food or water sometimes for days.Hudson never said anything to them about it and after the first few times, I learned to keep back part of the food I got during the day, so I wouldn’t stave.Then some nights they broke in here and smashed things up and they never replaced the things they broke.”Shaking his head he said, “Just nasty, they were.”He got up and headed toward his bedroom.“I’ll go pack my things.”
When he was gone, Palamedes looked over at the group and asked, “Are we making a mistake here?Taking him with us might not go over well with the others.I mean we don't know much about this guy.”
