What's in a Name? Ch. 02

Many thanks to my hard-working and supporting editor LissaSue! Enjoy!

***

The Rivers building, seat of the board of directors of the Rivers company, dominated the city's skyline. The intricately designed building towered over the city, dominating the view.

The company had been founded when the city was still a little village with no more than 3000 inhabitants. One hundred years later it had brought growth and prosperity to the city until it now was the pivot in the state's economy.

The company was led by Alexander De L'Ile and Dominic Orion, two previously unknown young men who had moved into the city the same time they had taken over the company. Nobody knew how the succession of power in the company was arranged but as the two had managed to increase the company's revenue significantly in the last few years, no-one really cared.

They were both handsome, and extremely so. Single too, cheered by the female population of the city while their husbands and boyfriends grieved the fact. Although they frequented the more expensive bars and restaurants they did not really mingle with the city's inhabitants nor did they date.

A fact lamented by the female population, the male half heaving a relieved sigh.

The men were somewhat of a mystery to the city's inhabitants. Although they always were kind and polite, they exuded an air of maturity and something like power not really fitting their young age. Still, nothing unusual happened and over the years everyone had grown accustomed to the handsome friends, heads no longer turning curiously as they walked by.

This morning they had started working early, both in their offices of the top floor of the Rivers building. The view from this floor was the best in the city: even the mountain range in the far distance was visible from its height.

Alexander was sitting at his sun poured desk, surrounded by the quiet hum of his computer. The stack of papers with finished work was growing steadily as he worked his way through the pile of files his secretary had presented him with this morning.

He looked up as Dominic walked into the office with a mischievous grin on his face. "I've got the representatives of the computer suppliers in my office."

Alexander rolled his eyes wearily. "What did they want this time? Coffee-makers with their name engraved in it or just a Caribbean vacation with a personal man-servant?"

Dominic grinned at his friend. He was not far of the truth. "The last time I spoke them they again had a new contract specifying the most ridiculous demands. They actually wanted ten thousand pounds of computer shaped candy with their brand on it."

Alexander looked at him unbelievingly. "They really are stark raving mad."

"Yep," Dominic cheerfully answered, "but I convinced them that I had an even better contract and they signed it last week. Today they're actually coming over to start replacing the computers."

"Oh!" Alexander said surprised. "How did you ever manage that?"

"I promised the corporate directors a drive-ready Mercedes in their favorite color."

"That's generous!" he answered a bit grudgingly.

"Well yeah, it would have been... But I've got them to sign a contract specifying miniature cars." Dominic said snickering.

Alexander could not contain his laugh. He nodded approvingly at his friend who just exited his office with a last wink. Grinning he returned to face the pile of files that was still staring at him. Sifting through it he choose one of the older files to work on.

He sat like that for some time, working slowly but steadily through the file. Suddenly he looked up from the papers on his desk, startled by the sudden wave of... of what exactly?

His brows furrowed as he felt a jittery consuming feeling course through him, crashing against his insides. The scorching heat pulsing from it hollowed out his energy until some seconds later it abated as sudden as it had hit him, leaving him with a strange exhaustion.

For a few seconds he felt like he had run a marathon, or rather, like he had run to the moon. Breathing heavily he tried to shake the feelings off but suddenly it all passed, leaving him as if nothing had happened.

He looked around his office, seeing nothing out of the ordinary and heard the wary mental call of Dominic, his fellow director and close friend.

"Alex," he called, "felt that too?"

"Yeah," he answered affirmatively, "you ever felt something like that before?"

"No, does feel disturbing though. Man, I feel like I've been hit by a battering ram."

Alexander sent a mental nod to his friend, shortly followed by his mental gasp. "It's starting again."

A few seconds later Alexander picked up the sensations too. This time they weren't uncomfortable though. They felt like a tropic sea gently rocking the cliffs, subtly tickling his mind.

He waited until the gentle warmth abated again, but to this surprise it didn't. It just kept pulsing softly through his body, accompanied by a subtle sense of direction to somewhere in the city.

"Do you feel like they're directing you to somewhere too?"

"Yeah," Dominic answered as he walked in his office, "to somewhere in the North-East of the city. Don't you think?" Alexander eyed the tall man walking in his office, his golden blond hear styled after the latest fashion. His shoulders were tense in the tight fitting suit that accentuated his athletic body, mirroring his own restlessness.

Frowning they turned from the center of the room, looking through the glass wall that separated them from the sky. The magnificent view covered the entire Northern half of the city, the other half visible from Dominic's office.

It was a lovely morning. The golden sun covered the city with its friendly shine, drying it of the light rain that had fallen in the night. The city was fresh and green, people walking down the streets and across the park to their work as a light breeze swept across the sidewalk.

Except for the exceptionally good weather for the time of year, nothing looked out of the ordinary.

Still Alexander felt anxious. In his long life he had never come across something like this. Although the sensations were no longer disturbing as the first crashing wave had been, they still made him somewhat uneasy and restless.

His eyes swept the city until they rested on the collection of grey concrete buildings some 20 miles out of the city's border. He located the origin of the waves somewhere there where the industrial terrains had been built. Was this something they could ignore?

Pondering the strange sensations he heard Dominic's decision as he made his own:

"I'll finish the meeting with these brand geeks. You get the car?"

***

She blinked her eyes at the blinding light surrounding her, trying to shake of the feeling of stupor she had emerged from just moments before. She felt somewhat disconnected from her body, as if she was floating some inches above her own head. A feeling quite comfortable actually she realized amused.

She recognized the energy that floated through her from the moment before oblivion had claimed her and tried to examine it more closely. Her mind couldn't catch it though, slipping through her thoughts as she tried to zone in on it. She didn't mind, it was warm and comfortable and made her feel like she was soaking in a nice hot bath.

She heaved a contented sigh and tried to turn to an even more comfortable position. Frowningly she realized her wrists were stuck somewhere. This surprised and disturbed her somewhat. How could she be comfortable and tied up at the same time?

Trying to pull her thoughts together from the light-headedness she realized she still was dangling from the ceiling. Pain radiated through her body and she was cold. Still, the sensations only mildly registered in her mind.

Fuelled by her increasing distress, the waves inside her became more intense. Living a life of their own they tried to float her back to the oblivion. A bit annoyed she found she still could not catch them, they just spiraled out of her conscious thoughts. She shrugged and luxuriated in her comfort zone for some time.

She floated there, sense of time entirely lost to her. Still, something was off. It became harder to ignore the nagging memories that surfaced on the horizon of her mind. Flashes of pain, thirst and tiredness hit her as she became more and more unable to suppress them, fear enveloping her as the memories tried to expel the comforting sea that floated inside her body.

Her breathing spiked, cold sweat running down her body. Fighting her chains she tried to escape the inevitably nearing pain, her own mind that pulled her back from her warm surroundings. Suddenly the waves surged, as if they were fighting her own anxiety.

The intense force washed away the black pools of pain. It left her comfortable again, her breath turning normal as the tension left her. Trying to keep her thoughts together she felt the warmth crashing against her mind as if it was trying to drown her too, increasing in force every time it hit her.

She lost the trail of her thoughts, the comfortable void surrounding her again. She relaxed in the oblivion. Her mind as blank as her surroundings.

***

The expensive flashy red Aston Martin emerged from the private underground garage, tires squeaking on the road as it turned on the main road to the Eastern border of the city. It sped through the streets as they headed downtown, zigzagging through the morning traffic.

Inside the car Alexander and Dominic sat quietly next to each other, both trying to zone in on the origin of the waves that rocked gently through them as they drove downtown. Alexander scowled impatiently at the traffic that prevented him from chasing his car at full speed to the city's suburbs. Domic agreed with his friend's impatience, a look of chagrin on his face.

He could no longer contain his annoyance: "What's the point of driving a car when it's faster to crawl?"

Alexander snorted. "It was your idea to invest in the local economy when we founded the company. I wanted to start a business in Africa."

"Still no traffic there" he cynically added.

Dominic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we we're still driving horses at that time. How was I to know those idiotic humans would develop new transportation this fast? One day you're still feeding sugar cubes to your horse, the other day you find a fancy car in your stables."

Alexander smiled. He hadn't expected that either when they had hit the continent of the United States more than a century ago. A car behind them hit the horn as he tried to turn left and the tension inside the Aston Martin rose again. Scowling in his rear mirror Alexander imagined turning the tiny black car in a Ford pretzel, sending a murderous look to the gangly youth behind the wheel.

They grew quiet again, the quiet drumming of Alexander's fingers against the wheel the only sound as the car slowly neared the city's border. Finally the traffic dispersed, leaving the road free to hit the gas.

They only had five miles ahead of them before they would reach the industrial zone and Alexander tried to zone in on the origin of the rocking waves. It felt like it was coming from somewhere in the more sparsely built-up area at the far North of the site.

The sensations made him feel more uncomfortable by the minute. They were completely alien to him, feeling as if they could spiral out of control any time. They had already become more intense as they came nearer its origin and now they started to feel like they had early in the morning. Crashing, consuming and overpowering, feeling as if they could evaporate him any moment.

Dominic seemed as edgy he was. Shifting in his seat his eyes darted from building to building restlessly. "Do you know any of the companies that are located at the Northern border?"

"Some of our suppliers are seated there. Also Robert Mason has had his headquarters and research facilities moved there last year. I actually visited him two weeks ago". Alexander answered, sending a mental picture of the modern building and its surroundings he had seen only shortly before.

Dominic grimaced at the mention of Mason's name. "That man really is one big pain in the ass."

"He is, but"

His sentence cut of as the energy suddenly surged again, sending a wave of nausea through him that cut of all his other senses. As his abdomen finished its double summersault, he was no longer able to keep his breakfast down. Parking the car in the grass next to the road, he stumbled from it to empty his stomach in the grass.

"Damn, that was my double mocha morning cappuccino." He shakily complained.

Dominic uttered a soft moan. "Morning coffee or not, that was really nasty."

Alexander crashed next to him as he sat with his back against the car, looking as pale as a ghost. "Man, I'm starting to wonder whether I still want to find out what's causing this."

Dominic nodded slowly, trying to sit as still as possible. Breathing deeply through his nose he still was trying to tame his stomach. It did not take long for his organs to find their original spot again. Some minutes later they both were in reasonable shape.

Alexander was the first to get up. "Okay, I'm up for it again."

He rose from his seat, turning to step in the car again.

"Alex,"

Alexander looked up surprised hearing the uncertain tone his friend spoke with.

Dominic hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I don't feel anything anymore, do you?"

He realized he felt normal as well. No crashing waves, no gently rocking waves either, no warmness on his insides, just plain normality. This was getting more frustrating every moment.

He kicked his tire in his frustration, swinging his arms at his sides. Counting to one hundred and back he tried to regain his patience.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" He looked questioningly at his friend.

Dominic thought about that for a moment. "Whatever it is that's causing this, I think it's better if we at least know what's behind it. Let's just continue to the Northern border and see if we can find anything unusual there. We're almost there now anyway."

Alexander nodded. Maybe they'd find something. Hopefully, because this really was working on his nerves. And his stomach, he wryly added.

They stepped in the car, continuing the last mile to their destination. Slowly they entered the less built-up area, scanning the buildings and its surroundings for anything unusual. At the less visible buildings they would get out of the car to examine the terrain more closely. Nothing looked out of the ordinary though.

After examining the area like that for over an hour, they still had not encountered anything unusual. On every terrain they would see the usual activity of staff at work without a sign of the origin of the energy they had felt. These people didn't even look shaken.

Dominic heaved a mental sigh. "Only the Mason's terrain left. You think we'll find something there?" He asked, his tone doubtful.

"I don't know. Mason is known for his unorthodox experiments and he's smart enough to pull of something big, or stupid. I've been here two weeks ago though and anything looked normal at that time. He gave me a tour of his research facilities."

As they were speaking of the terrain the approached the gate separating the driveway from the companies terrains. The site was built some 100 yards from the road, enclosed by high fencing and barb wire, many cameras surveying anything both in and outside the fencing. Alexander got out of the car and walked to the gate, Dominic following closely.

Looking through the gate Alexander sucked in a sharp breath. They had found something for sure.

It was a warzone.

The big concrete building once consisted of three wings: one wing was at the middle of the building, six stories high, the two flanking wings three stories high. Little remained of the left wing. It had collapsed and a chaos of smoke, pulverized concrete and bent steel was all that was left.

No window was intact, the glass lying more than 20 yards away from its frames. In front of the building were many lifeless bodies, looking like instant death had befallen them.

The two men stared at the chaos in shock.

"This looks like Tsjernobyl after the melt-down." Alexander muttered.

Dominic shook his head unbelievingly. "That actually looked better, considerably less bodies and no complete collapse." He answered, frowning at the sight in front of him. "Let's look inside."

They jumped over the gate easily, gaining access to the terrain. Slowly they walked to the main entrance of the building, carefully eyeing the situation around them. There was no other sound in the eerie silence than the soft scraping of their shoes on the pavement, undetectable to human ears.

Inside the building things were in a similar state of chaos. Many ceilings had crashed, burying employees beneath the dirt. Everything they encountered was either damaged or dead, even the plants and occasional fish. Seeing the upside down fish Dominic couldn't contain himself. "Something is fishy here."

Alexander just rolled his eyes, ignoring the private joke.

Behind the cubicles they entered some sort of private area closed off by a vaulted badge protected door. The hallway behind it smelt of blood and decay, dents in the steel covered walls. Dominic inspected the rooms flanking the hallway. Most rooms were empty, in some lay unfortunate humans who had breathed there last breath.

One room seemed to be some kind of cell, an emaciated girl hanging from the ceiling, dead too. A naked dead man laying at her feet. He grimaced at the sight of the tortured girl. "This Mason really has issues." Shaking his head he continued to the next room, finding nothing new there as well.

Alexander entered the cell where the tortured girl hang, investigating the poor girl. They had not spared her. She was covered in bruises varying in color and size and various types of wounds, probably inflicted whips, belts and who knows what more they had used on her. And she was emaciated, little more than bones covered with skin.

Suddenly the girl moved, breathing in. Alexander felt his heart take a leap at her sudden movement. Startled he called his friend. "Fuck, Dominic! Get over here!"

"What?!" Dominic raced in the room the moment he'd heard his friends startled call.

"She's still alive."

Incredously Dominic turned his eyes to the girl. He saw it too then. Very subtly the girls chest rose as she breathed in and he could hear her heart beat, albeit slowly. "Man, how in the world did she survive this inferno? Do you want to put her out of her misery or should we just let her hang here?"

Alexander looked doubtful. "I don't think I'll just let her hang here."

Dominic shrugged. "She's human, let the humans solve their own mess."

Alexander hesitated. "This is not exactly a human problem, Mason is kin. Besides, something's strange about this girl. How did she survive this fall-out?"

Dominic shrugged again. "Luck? Or maybe really bad fortune? She's human and will die in five minutes or something. Pity, but don't waste your energy on the dead."

Alexander eyed the girl, resolve forming on his face. "I'm going to get her down." He grabbed the chains above the girl's hands, pulling them from the ceiling in one swift motion. He caught the girl as she fell to the floor, her weight no longer carried by the bindings at her wrists.

In a second move he released her wrists from the chains, revealing red bloody skin from where the joints had carried her weight. He frowned at the light weight she was in his arms, even less than he had anticipated from her emaciated form.