Post by Edenecho on Jun 6, 2013 10:39:54 GMT -5
The Mystic Library
Intro
Deep in a forest of pine, there is an old compound. It's unknown to most of the world, and most of it's buildings are old and unused. There are two buildings that haven't sat around gathering dust. One was a large, house-like building with many rooms. The other was a quaint little library full of books about fantasy and dragons and all kinds of mystical creatures, but of course no one believed that stuff. It only had three rooms spread over two floors. Or so it seemed. Inside the first room of the library was a door, an invisible door, that lead to a whole other part of the library that was completely invisible from the outside. Except to one young man, who's name was Atlas Flare.
Chapter One
Atlas Flare stood in his room in the big house. It was a spacious room, with white walls with black floors and trim. The room contained a dark mahogany bed with black covers in the center of the room, a old, dark mahogany chest against the base of the bed, a matching dresser, a black sofa, two dark mahogany bedside tables, and a mirror. Atlas was standing in front of the mirror. He had short black hair that was stylishly messy, mysterious brown eyes so dark they normally looked black, and a rather interesting sense of style. He was wearing lose black leather pants over black leather boots, a white long-sleeve shirt with a black vest with a high collar over it, and a long black knee-length jacket, worn unbuttoned with the collar up.
He turned on his heel and looked at the room. It was strange being back here. It had been 20 years, though he looked 20 years old, tops. He was, in fact, 30. He was the only one who knew this. If anyone else asked about his age, he would deflect it with either a half-answer, or another question. He had come back here for a purpose, one that only he knew of. This house was the first thing he had renovated when he started the compound renovation project. The Library had never required any renovation. It looked as new as it had when he left. The books on the shelves were covered in dust and cobwebs, but the building looked as good as new. Taking a deep breath, breathing the familiar somewhat electric air, and headed out the door. Early morning light filtered through the window at the end of a long hall which was covered with doors on both sides. Out of one of the doors on the opposite side of the wall from his room came a man in his late 20s. His thick blond hair was sticking every-which way, and he was wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a gray long-sleeve shirt. “Good morning, Eric,” Atlas greeted him.
Eric responded with a smile,”Good morning, boss. What is with the air? It's so full of static. Look at my hair, it's a mess. No wonder your hair always looks like a bedhead,” He teased. He had been here for about three weeks now, and he still wasn't used to the static.
Atlas smiled in response, but didn't answer the question of why the air was so full of static. He missed the feeling. It was always like that here. “I think Kelly is making breakfast, shall we go down and see?” He asked, and Eric nodded.
Together they headed down the old mahogany stairs, now newly stained and shiny. The kitchen and dinning room was just off the entrance hall, across from the stairway, and sounds of cooking echoed from it.
Atlas and Eric headed into the kitchen. The latter stayed in the dinning room while Atlas headed into the connected kitchen. Kelly was there, standing over some pans. She glanced over her shoulder when he came in, then looked back at the pans,”We're having pancakes, eggs and bacon for breakfast,” She said. She had cute shoulder-length dark-brown, near-black hair, and wore skinny jeans, black boots and a white button up long-sleeve shirt. She was about 20, and was mostly in charge of cooking and stuff like that with the renovation project.
“Smells good. Where is everyone else?” Atlas asked, looking out the kitchen window. All it really did was give a good view of behind the church. It was probably one of the most boring windows ever, seeing as there wasn't a ton amount of room between the back of the church and the outer wall of the compound.
“They're all outside. They decided to start work early,” Kelly replied, flipping an pancake,”Ok, food's done,” She dumped the content of the three pans onto three big plates, then headed out to go ring the bell that signaled that it was time to eat. Everyone who was working put down their tools and headed in to eat.
Atlas grabbed of plate of food for himself and sat down at the long wooden table in the dinning room, where Eric was just getting up from. Atlas remembered sitting here with his teacher, eating and chatting about various things of varying importance. More and more people were piling in and taking a seat at the table. Most were men, and it was a fairly small group of workers for such a big restoration project. There were about 20 people, including Eric and Kelly.
A man in his 50s with a large graying beard and short hair sat down across from Atlas. “The work is going good, boss. Most of these buildings only need cleaning and a few repairs, perhaps some repainting, we're making good progress,” He said,”We should have the southern warehouse complete within the day.”
A tomboyish girl with spiky red hair sat down next to the bearded man,”So, I was thinking of some possible ideas for the patch of grass and trees in the center of the central courtyard-”
“Don't worry about that, I'll supervise all that myself,” Atlas cut her off,”I'll supervise the second western warehouse as well, the one with the logs in it.”
The girl gave a nod,”Suit yourself, you're the boss,” she said, sitting back and picking at her food.
Atlas ate in silence for a while, listening to conversations of the workers. They were a somewhat small group, but they were loyal and hard working, he wouldn't trade them for anyone else. Not to mention the fact that they worked as fast as any larger group. They were expensive, but money certainly wasn't an issue with him, and many people wondered where he had gotten so much money, and those were inquiries that he never answered. He was pretty sure some people believed he stole it.
He sat silently through the rest of breakfast, and before to long people started to file out, getting back to work. Atlas finished his meal and stood up as Kelly started going around picking up people's plates and taking them to wash. “Thank you for the breakfast, Kelly,” He said, and she gave him a warm smile.
Adjusting his coat, he headed for the front door, which was straight down the hall if you turn left out of the kitchen. He pulled open the mahogany door and stepped outside. His breath lingered in the crisp winter air, and the pines were swaying in a gentle breeze. Most people found days like this cold and uncomfortable, but he loved them. Heat made you hot and tired, while the cold awoke your senses. Take a deep breath of cold, electric air, Atlas looked around the courtyard. There were five buildings in the compound. Three big warehouses: Two along the west wall, and one on the southeast wall. Then there was the house, which was positioned in the northwest corner, with the library on it's eastern side. In the very center of the compound was a long rectangle patch of grass. It had a single tree in it and was covered in weeds.
He headed across the courtyard and to the southeast warehouse, where most of the workers were at. It was looking a lot nicer. It used to be dull, gray and dirty, now it was freshly painted and clean, with new wooden floors and instructed. Everyone called it a warehouse, but really it was small for a warehouse, and wasn't planned to be used as storage. Atlas had other plans for it. As he thought about said ideas, he heard the crunch of tires against the gravel driveway, and turned on his heel to see a car driving through the gate in the center of the southern wall. As he watched it pull to a stop, followed by three large black vans, Atlas knew that these guests weren't here to play nice.
Chapter two
The work around the compound came to a halt as the cars came to a stop in the driveway. Everyone gathered around to stare at the newcomers. None of them have seen even a hint of someone new since they had come here, so these people coming in so purposefully was strange. Especially for Atlas, who hadn't known that anyone else even knew this place existed.
He straightened his coat and strode over to the lead car and someone hopped out of the passenger seat. He felt an immediate distaste for the man. He wore casual clothes, but his hair was slicked back and he were a look on his face that gave the impression that he thought he could just do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
“Excuse me, but this is private property,” Atlas said, flicking his coat back and shoving his hands in his pants pockets. It was a habit he had when he was annoyed. The man regarded him with the expression one would use looking at a cockroach, even though he was a good three inches shorter then Atlas, and said,”I am very much aware of that. You must be Atlas Flare, the rich youth with mysterious amounts of money for someone with no real business stature. I am Drake Dracone,” He gave a wave of his hand and men with guns jumped out and aimed at the workers,”And this compound is mine now.”
Atlas's mind reeled, and he took a step back. “What the hell is this?!” He shouted, his eyes seeming to flash in the cold winter sun. He raised his hand as if to hit the man, but Drake merely pulled a gun out of the back of his pants and pointed it at Atlas' stomach. “I don't know who you really are, 'Atlas', but one thing I do know is that you'll respond to a bullet just like everyone else,” Drake said. Atlas slowly lowered his hand, cursing his helpless inability to do anything.
“Now, I'm looking for a book,” Drake said, pacing in front of the workers,”A special book that is said to bring power to anyone who reads it,” He paused in front of Atlas and looked at him intently,”If someone tells me where this book is, I'll just take it and leave,” He looked around at the workers. Most looked terrified, and he figured they didn't know anything or they would have said something, but Atlas, he was staring at him with cold defiance. Everyone remained silent.
“No one? Ok, how about this. I know that the book is here, and that it is well hidden. I don't know exactly where it's hidden, but I'm going to find it. So, here's the deal. Anyone who joins me will be rewarded, and anyone who doesn't will be kept under heavy watch until I find the book. Or until I deem them no longer useful,” The last sentence rang out with an ominous threat, and it was backed with the cocking of guns. “Any resistance to this will be dealt with swiftly and carefully.” Still, there was silence, then people started slowly filing over to Drake's side. Atlas watched this with calm composure, but inside he was seething. How dare this man come into his home and treat his people this way! Using fear to force them to help him. He wouldn't get away with this. For now there was nothing Atlas could do to stop him, but that would change.
About 13 people filed over to Drake's side, and they were all the most terrified. After a minute of silence, the spiky red haired girl stepped forward. “We don't work for bullies,” She said, her voice full of venom,”Lock us up, whatever, but we won't help you.”
The man in his 50's gave a nod,”We don't help psychos, either. How could a book give you power?” He gave his head a shake. Eric and Kelly were both on Atlas' side, along with 7 other people. He was grateful for their loyalty, but worried that it would put them in danger.
Drake looked at the small group who defied him, then at the warehouse behind them. “Does this thing have a lock on the door?” He asked. No one said a word, but it was as good as an answer. “Good. Men, take them into the warehouse and lock them up,” He said,”The rest of you, go into the house and stay there until I have orders for you.” The men with guns ushered the prisoners into the warehouse while the rest of the workers headed into the house. Atlas followed the rest into the warehouse. Turning around once he was inside, he said,”You'll never find that book.”
Drake merely laughed,”That sounded like a threat,” He gestured to his men to close the big sliding doors, and they did so.
“It was,” Atlas said just before the doors closed.
Chapter Three
Intro
Deep in a forest of pine, there is an old compound. It's unknown to most of the world, and most of it's buildings are old and unused. There are two buildings that haven't sat around gathering dust. One was a large, house-like building with many rooms. The other was a quaint little library full of books about fantasy and dragons and all kinds of mystical creatures, but of course no one believed that stuff. It only had three rooms spread over two floors. Or so it seemed. Inside the first room of the library was a door, an invisible door, that lead to a whole other part of the library that was completely invisible from the outside. Except to one young man, who's name was Atlas Flare.
Chapter One
Atlas Flare stood in his room in the big house. It was a spacious room, with white walls with black floors and trim. The room contained a dark mahogany bed with black covers in the center of the room, a old, dark mahogany chest against the base of the bed, a matching dresser, a black sofa, two dark mahogany bedside tables, and a mirror. Atlas was standing in front of the mirror. He had short black hair that was stylishly messy, mysterious brown eyes so dark they normally looked black, and a rather interesting sense of style. He was wearing lose black leather pants over black leather boots, a white long-sleeve shirt with a black vest with a high collar over it, and a long black knee-length jacket, worn unbuttoned with the collar up.
He turned on his heel and looked at the room. It was strange being back here. It had been 20 years, though he looked 20 years old, tops. He was, in fact, 30. He was the only one who knew this. If anyone else asked about his age, he would deflect it with either a half-answer, or another question. He had come back here for a purpose, one that only he knew of. This house was the first thing he had renovated when he started the compound renovation project. The Library had never required any renovation. It looked as new as it had when he left. The books on the shelves were covered in dust and cobwebs, but the building looked as good as new. Taking a deep breath, breathing the familiar somewhat electric air, and headed out the door. Early morning light filtered through the window at the end of a long hall which was covered with doors on both sides. Out of one of the doors on the opposite side of the wall from his room came a man in his late 20s. His thick blond hair was sticking every-which way, and he was wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a gray long-sleeve shirt. “Good morning, Eric,” Atlas greeted him.
Eric responded with a smile,”Good morning, boss. What is with the air? It's so full of static. Look at my hair, it's a mess. No wonder your hair always looks like a bedhead,” He teased. He had been here for about three weeks now, and he still wasn't used to the static.
Atlas smiled in response, but didn't answer the question of why the air was so full of static. He missed the feeling. It was always like that here. “I think Kelly is making breakfast, shall we go down and see?” He asked, and Eric nodded.
Together they headed down the old mahogany stairs, now newly stained and shiny. The kitchen and dinning room was just off the entrance hall, across from the stairway, and sounds of cooking echoed from it.
Atlas and Eric headed into the kitchen. The latter stayed in the dinning room while Atlas headed into the connected kitchen. Kelly was there, standing over some pans. She glanced over her shoulder when he came in, then looked back at the pans,”We're having pancakes, eggs and bacon for breakfast,” She said. She had cute shoulder-length dark-brown, near-black hair, and wore skinny jeans, black boots and a white button up long-sleeve shirt. She was about 20, and was mostly in charge of cooking and stuff like that with the renovation project.
“Smells good. Where is everyone else?” Atlas asked, looking out the kitchen window. All it really did was give a good view of behind the church. It was probably one of the most boring windows ever, seeing as there wasn't a ton amount of room between the back of the church and the outer wall of the compound.
“They're all outside. They decided to start work early,” Kelly replied, flipping an pancake,”Ok, food's done,” She dumped the content of the three pans onto three big plates, then headed out to go ring the bell that signaled that it was time to eat. Everyone who was working put down their tools and headed in to eat.
Atlas grabbed of plate of food for himself and sat down at the long wooden table in the dinning room, where Eric was just getting up from. Atlas remembered sitting here with his teacher, eating and chatting about various things of varying importance. More and more people were piling in and taking a seat at the table. Most were men, and it was a fairly small group of workers for such a big restoration project. There were about 20 people, including Eric and Kelly.
A man in his 50s with a large graying beard and short hair sat down across from Atlas. “The work is going good, boss. Most of these buildings only need cleaning and a few repairs, perhaps some repainting, we're making good progress,” He said,”We should have the southern warehouse complete within the day.”
A tomboyish girl with spiky red hair sat down next to the bearded man,”So, I was thinking of some possible ideas for the patch of grass and trees in the center of the central courtyard-”
“Don't worry about that, I'll supervise all that myself,” Atlas cut her off,”I'll supervise the second western warehouse as well, the one with the logs in it.”
The girl gave a nod,”Suit yourself, you're the boss,” she said, sitting back and picking at her food.
Atlas ate in silence for a while, listening to conversations of the workers. They were a somewhat small group, but they were loyal and hard working, he wouldn't trade them for anyone else. Not to mention the fact that they worked as fast as any larger group. They were expensive, but money certainly wasn't an issue with him, and many people wondered where he had gotten so much money, and those were inquiries that he never answered. He was pretty sure some people believed he stole it.
He sat silently through the rest of breakfast, and before to long people started to file out, getting back to work. Atlas finished his meal and stood up as Kelly started going around picking up people's plates and taking them to wash. “Thank you for the breakfast, Kelly,” He said, and she gave him a warm smile.
Adjusting his coat, he headed for the front door, which was straight down the hall if you turn left out of the kitchen. He pulled open the mahogany door and stepped outside. His breath lingered in the crisp winter air, and the pines were swaying in a gentle breeze. Most people found days like this cold and uncomfortable, but he loved them. Heat made you hot and tired, while the cold awoke your senses. Take a deep breath of cold, electric air, Atlas looked around the courtyard. There were five buildings in the compound. Three big warehouses: Two along the west wall, and one on the southeast wall. Then there was the house, which was positioned in the northwest corner, with the library on it's eastern side. In the very center of the compound was a long rectangle patch of grass. It had a single tree in it and was covered in weeds.
He headed across the courtyard and to the southeast warehouse, where most of the workers were at. It was looking a lot nicer. It used to be dull, gray and dirty, now it was freshly painted and clean, with new wooden floors and instructed. Everyone called it a warehouse, but really it was small for a warehouse, and wasn't planned to be used as storage. Atlas had other plans for it. As he thought about said ideas, he heard the crunch of tires against the gravel driveway, and turned on his heel to see a car driving through the gate in the center of the southern wall. As he watched it pull to a stop, followed by three large black vans, Atlas knew that these guests weren't here to play nice.
Chapter two
The work around the compound came to a halt as the cars came to a stop in the driveway. Everyone gathered around to stare at the newcomers. None of them have seen even a hint of someone new since they had come here, so these people coming in so purposefully was strange. Especially for Atlas, who hadn't known that anyone else even knew this place existed.
He straightened his coat and strode over to the lead car and someone hopped out of the passenger seat. He felt an immediate distaste for the man. He wore casual clothes, but his hair was slicked back and he were a look on his face that gave the impression that he thought he could just do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
“Excuse me, but this is private property,” Atlas said, flicking his coat back and shoving his hands in his pants pockets. It was a habit he had when he was annoyed. The man regarded him with the expression one would use looking at a cockroach, even though he was a good three inches shorter then Atlas, and said,”I am very much aware of that. You must be Atlas Flare, the rich youth with mysterious amounts of money for someone with no real business stature. I am Drake Dracone,” He gave a wave of his hand and men with guns jumped out and aimed at the workers,”And this compound is mine now.”
Atlas's mind reeled, and he took a step back. “What the hell is this?!” He shouted, his eyes seeming to flash in the cold winter sun. He raised his hand as if to hit the man, but Drake merely pulled a gun out of the back of his pants and pointed it at Atlas' stomach. “I don't know who you really are, 'Atlas', but one thing I do know is that you'll respond to a bullet just like everyone else,” Drake said. Atlas slowly lowered his hand, cursing his helpless inability to do anything.
“Now, I'm looking for a book,” Drake said, pacing in front of the workers,”A special book that is said to bring power to anyone who reads it,” He paused in front of Atlas and looked at him intently,”If someone tells me where this book is, I'll just take it and leave,” He looked around at the workers. Most looked terrified, and he figured they didn't know anything or they would have said something, but Atlas, he was staring at him with cold defiance. Everyone remained silent.
“No one? Ok, how about this. I know that the book is here, and that it is well hidden. I don't know exactly where it's hidden, but I'm going to find it. So, here's the deal. Anyone who joins me will be rewarded, and anyone who doesn't will be kept under heavy watch until I find the book. Or until I deem them no longer useful,” The last sentence rang out with an ominous threat, and it was backed with the cocking of guns. “Any resistance to this will be dealt with swiftly and carefully.” Still, there was silence, then people started slowly filing over to Drake's side. Atlas watched this with calm composure, but inside he was seething. How dare this man come into his home and treat his people this way! Using fear to force them to help him. He wouldn't get away with this. For now there was nothing Atlas could do to stop him, but that would change.
About 13 people filed over to Drake's side, and they were all the most terrified. After a minute of silence, the spiky red haired girl stepped forward. “We don't work for bullies,” She said, her voice full of venom,”Lock us up, whatever, but we won't help you.”
The man in his 50's gave a nod,”We don't help psychos, either. How could a book give you power?” He gave his head a shake. Eric and Kelly were both on Atlas' side, along with 7 other people. He was grateful for their loyalty, but worried that it would put them in danger.
Drake looked at the small group who defied him, then at the warehouse behind them. “Does this thing have a lock on the door?” He asked. No one said a word, but it was as good as an answer. “Good. Men, take them into the warehouse and lock them up,” He said,”The rest of you, go into the house and stay there until I have orders for you.” The men with guns ushered the prisoners into the warehouse while the rest of the workers headed into the house. Atlas followed the rest into the warehouse. Turning around once he was inside, he said,”You'll never find that book.”
Drake merely laughed,”That sounded like a threat,” He gestured to his men to close the big sliding doors, and they did so.
“It was,” Atlas said just before the doors closed.
Chapter Three
It was dark in the warehouse with the doors closed. Atlas fumbled along the wall until he found the light switch and flicked it up. Bright lights flickered on all along the 'warehouse', causing everyone to blink at the sudden light. As the workers started to talk in hushed, fearful voices with each other, Atlas started to pace back and forth in the large room. He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched up his shoulders, thinking. He knew exactly what book Drake was after, but he also knew there was no possible way he would find it unless he told him, which he had absolutely no intention of doing.
Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name from behind him. He turned to see the red haired girl standing there looking intently at him. He walked over to her and said,”Alice, what is it?”
Alice crossed her arms. Despite her having stood up to Drake, Atlas could see that she was afraid. “Do you know this 'Drake' guy? And what's this book he's looking for? Both Bill and I think you know more then you're saying.”
Atlas looked over at Bill, the old bearded guy, then back at Alice. He regarded her with a thoughtful gaze for a bit, before pulling his hands out of his pockets and placing them on her shoulders.”I don't know who he is, but I do know that we can not allow him to get that book,” He said. Alice opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off,”I can't tell you why. The less you know about it, the less danger you'll be in. If the time comes that we don't have another choice, I will tell you about the book.”
It was Alice's turn to regard him thoughtfully. He sure was mysterious. And 'If the time comes'? What the hell time would come that would make more sense then any other to tell them about a book? A simple book? Sure, books could be powerful in their own way. They could make you cry, or smile, or get angry. They could take you to new worlds, so to speak, but what kind of book would be powerful enough to keep such a secret? All she could think of was a book of government secrets or something weird like that. In the end she gave a shrug, said,”Fine,” and walked back over to Bill. She told him that Atlas did in fact know more then he was saying, and he apparently had no intention of sharing it unless 'the time came'. Both she and bill spent the next half an hour wondering when 'the time' would be, if it ever came at all.
The next four days passed mostly uneventfully. They would be brought food twice a day, but other then that they had no contact with the outside, nor any knowledge of what was going on out there. They passed time by talking with each other, and playing what games they could, even making up their own games using some of the building supplies that were sitting around the room. Over these four days, basically everyone had given up on trying to learn anymore about the book Drake was after.
On the fifth day, things changed.
As the prisoners huddled together, chatting and trying to keep warm, the large warehouse doors rolled open and Drake entered, followed by two men with guns. Atlas handed his jacket to Kelly to help her keep warm, then stood up and looked at Drake with cautious curiosity. “What do you want?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Drake gave a grave little smile and said,”You know what I want, before walking past Atlas and saying,”Take that one, with the red hair.” The two men with guns grabbed Alice and dragged her, kicking and yelling, to the center of the room, where they sat her down on her knees.
“What are you doing?” Atlas gasped, taking a step toward Alice. One of the men with guns hit him in the stomach with the butt of his rifle, causing Atlas to double over and fall on his knees. Drake pulled out his gun and pointed it at Alice's head, causing her to whimper. “Where's the book?” He asked, looking at Atlas.
Atlas coughed and then straightened up. “It's jut a book for Merlin's sake, is it work going to jail for?!” He shouted, his gaze fixed on Drake's gun.
“If it's just a book, why won't you just tell me where it is?” Drake asked, cocking his gun. Atlas didn't reply. He ignored Alice's frightened cries, and even as she shouted,”Just tell him, Atlas!” He closed his eyes. He couldn't tell him, he could never tell someone like Drake. He blocking out everything but one thought.
“Last chance,” Drake said in a rather sing-song way. When Atlas still didn't reply, he puled the trigger.
There was a click.
Atlas's eyes snapped open as Drake pulled the trigger again. Again the gun clicked. “What the hell is this?” Drake said, checking his clip. It was full. He checked for any jams. There weren't any. “Figure out what's wrong with it,” He snapped to his men, shoving his gun into their hands. “I guess you get to live a while longer,” He said, storming out of the room, his men trailing along behind him and locking the door.
Alice collapsed sobbing onto the floor. She glanced up at Atlas, tears streaming down her cheeks,”Why didn't you just tell him?! It's just a book! Does my life mean so little to you?!” She screamed at him.
“Of course not, Alice, but there are other things at risk here, bigger then us,” Atlas said, climbing painfully to his feet. “You're alive, you're safe, and I need you to calm down, because I'm going to tell you about the book and about the Library, but I need you to pay attention, and most of all, I need you to believe me.”
Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name from behind him. He turned to see the red haired girl standing there looking intently at him. He walked over to her and said,”Alice, what is it?”
Alice crossed her arms. Despite her having stood up to Drake, Atlas could see that she was afraid. “Do you know this 'Drake' guy? And what's this book he's looking for? Both Bill and I think you know more then you're saying.”
Atlas looked over at Bill, the old bearded guy, then back at Alice. He regarded her with a thoughtful gaze for a bit, before pulling his hands out of his pockets and placing them on her shoulders.”I don't know who he is, but I do know that we can not allow him to get that book,” He said. Alice opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off,”I can't tell you why. The less you know about it, the less danger you'll be in. If the time comes that we don't have another choice, I will tell you about the book.”
It was Alice's turn to regard him thoughtfully. He sure was mysterious. And 'If the time comes'? What the hell time would come that would make more sense then any other to tell them about a book? A simple book? Sure, books could be powerful in their own way. They could make you cry, or smile, or get angry. They could take you to new worlds, so to speak, but what kind of book would be powerful enough to keep such a secret? All she could think of was a book of government secrets or something weird like that. In the end she gave a shrug, said,”Fine,” and walked back over to Bill. She told him that Atlas did in fact know more then he was saying, and he apparently had no intention of sharing it unless 'the time came'. Both she and bill spent the next half an hour wondering when 'the time' would be, if it ever came at all.
The next four days passed mostly uneventfully. They would be brought food twice a day, but other then that they had no contact with the outside, nor any knowledge of what was going on out there. They passed time by talking with each other, and playing what games they could, even making up their own games using some of the building supplies that were sitting around the room. Over these four days, basically everyone had given up on trying to learn anymore about the book Drake was after.
On the fifth day, things changed.
As the prisoners huddled together, chatting and trying to keep warm, the large warehouse doors rolled open and Drake entered, followed by two men with guns. Atlas handed his jacket to Kelly to help her keep warm, then stood up and looked at Drake with cautious curiosity. “What do you want?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Drake gave a grave little smile and said,”You know what I want, before walking past Atlas and saying,”Take that one, with the red hair.” The two men with guns grabbed Alice and dragged her, kicking and yelling, to the center of the room, where they sat her down on her knees.
“What are you doing?” Atlas gasped, taking a step toward Alice. One of the men with guns hit him in the stomach with the butt of his rifle, causing Atlas to double over and fall on his knees. Drake pulled out his gun and pointed it at Alice's head, causing her to whimper. “Where's the book?” He asked, looking at Atlas.
Atlas coughed and then straightened up. “It's jut a book for Merlin's sake, is it work going to jail for?!” He shouted, his gaze fixed on Drake's gun.
“If it's just a book, why won't you just tell me where it is?” Drake asked, cocking his gun. Atlas didn't reply. He ignored Alice's frightened cries, and even as she shouted,”Just tell him, Atlas!” He closed his eyes. He couldn't tell him, he could never tell someone like Drake. He blocking out everything but one thought.
“Last chance,” Drake said in a rather sing-song way. When Atlas still didn't reply, he puled the trigger.
There was a click.
Atlas's eyes snapped open as Drake pulled the trigger again. Again the gun clicked. “What the hell is this?” Drake said, checking his clip. It was full. He checked for any jams. There weren't any. “Figure out what's wrong with it,” He snapped to his men, shoving his gun into their hands. “I guess you get to live a while longer,” He said, storming out of the room, his men trailing along behind him and locking the door.
Alice collapsed sobbing onto the floor. She glanced up at Atlas, tears streaming down her cheeks,”Why didn't you just tell him?! It's just a book! Does my life mean so little to you?!” She screamed at him.
“Of course not, Alice, but there are other things at risk here, bigger then us,” Atlas said, climbing painfully to his feet. “You're alive, you're safe, and I need you to calm down, because I'm going to tell you about the book and about the Library, but I need you to pay attention, and most of all, I need you to believe me.”