Children of the Virus

11: The Elder

Toshiro braced himself against the cold metal wall of the truck bed. Kura was gone, stolen from him by Juno, and a blindfold now hindered his vision while a tinfoil hat clung to his head. He felt the truck bouncing over rocky ground, the electric hum of the engine mixing with the sound of pebbles being flicked up by the tires.

Jeremy, Ren, and Juno sat in the cab, leaving Baz to watch Toshiro. A half hour had passed since they'd crossed the border into Syria, and with the danger of Zo now behind them, Toshiro was curious what kind of rebel hideout awaited them.

"You're pointing a gun at me, aren't you?" Toshiro asked.

Baz said nothing.

"You realize I can't go anywhere, right?"

"Shut up!" came Baz's reply, his voice tense. "Just sit there and keep quiet."

Ren called from the passenger seat. "Everything okay back there?"

"We're fine," Baz grunted.

Toshiro adjusted his weight on the truck bed. His mind churned with thoughts of the elder. How would this enigma verify Toshiro's identity?

He decided to take a chance and ask about him. "Ren," he began cautiously, not wanting to push her away even further. "This elder...how will he verify who I am? Is he going to hack my brain network?"

"Whoa, slow down there," Ren replied. "I don't know all the details, but I've never heard of him doing anything like that."

Toshiro knew that brain network hacking was no joke—it could leave a person's mind in pieces. Was it naïve to hope that the elder wouldn't resort to such methods?

"Okay, but Ren—"

"Quiet!" Baz snapped.

Toshiro kept his mouth shut for the rest of their drive.

The truck screeched to a halt, the sudden motion almost throwing Toshiro off balance. Footsteps approached, heavy and purposeful, and then a hand grabbed his shoulder. Baz's voice was low and serious. "Alright, we're here."

He felt the leather of his restraints loosen and then, with a firm shove from Baz, he was on the ground. Almost immediately, Toshiro felt gentle hands reach out to him and slowly peel away his blindfold from beneath his tinfoil hat. As he opened his eyes, the harsh sunlight took him by surprise. It was Ren who had come to save him.

Toshiro's gaze was drawn to an extraordinary sight: a majestic eagle perched atop a nearby rock formation. Its wingspan stretched to an unreal length.

"Wow," Toshiro breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the creature. "What is it?"

"Her name is Ikira," Ren said, admiration glinting in her eyes. "She's engineered to carry a person through the sky. We use a remote viral interface to guide her flight. The pilot's mind connects directly with the eagle, allowing for unparalleled maneuverability."

Toshiro gazed at Ikira in wonder as Ren pointed past the creature to an entire group of them in the distance. "That's our squadron."

"Enough!" Baz cut in sharply, his expression tense. "We're not here to gawk at eagles. We're here so Toshiro can meet the elder."

Toshiro nodded, trying to focus on the matter at hand. Still, he couldn't help but steal one last glance at the awe-inspiring bird, its fierce gaze meeting his own before it spread its wings and soared effortlessly above them.

As they approached a cave entrance, its depths shrouded in darkness, Baz warned, "Remember, you're meeting the elder, not just some old man. Show respect."