Chapter 16

Reuben

“Let me hold him,” Reuben begged. “C’mon, Perry. He’s a cute kid. Destined for some great things.” He bent over and hoisted the toddler onto his knees. “How’s his training going these days?”

“Okay,” Peregrine replied. “He’s still a little too young for the Gorge.”

“Can’t start ’em young enough.”

“Yeah, I think you can. Joe’s only two. Another couple of years, then he’ll be ready. I’ve taken him to the forest an’ shown him the Gorge. Taking him over the bridge .. it’s too soon. Besides, Miranda would kill me.”

“Is she protective?” Reuben frowned.

Peregrine angled his head. “How am I supposed to answer that? If I say yes, it’s the wrong answer cos Joe’s a Flamefall, an’, if I say no, it makes her sound like a bad Mom.”

Reuben laughed. “So .. what you are saying is that she’s somewhere in the middle an’ right where she should be.”

“Exactly,” Peregrine agreed.

Joe was squirming and wriggling to get back on the floor. Reuben began to tickle him and the boy squirmed harder.

“He sure has a mind of his own,” Reuben remarked, letting the boy go.

“For sure. He takes after Ox in a lotta ways, an’ I can see his Mom in there, the way he looks at things. For a kid, he has a real solemn stare, y’know?”

“Not really, but .. looking at Joe, kinda makes me wish I could be a father. I know how not to do it.”

“What’s stopping you?” Peregrine frowned.

“I’m forty two. A little too set in my ways now to make room for a partner. You were lucky. Miranda came along at the right time and everything fell into place. Good luck to you, man. An’ this little fella is gonna grow up in a totally new world. You heard that new music? I say new but it’s been a few years. Rock an’ roll. Elvis Presley. Different to what we had in the Twenties! That was syncopation. Remember?” He shook his head. “Brave new world, my friend.”

“You are making me feel ancient!” Peregrine complained. “An’ I’m only thirty eight.”

“An’ a ten year vet of the marriage game.”

“Rube, you do not look forty two. There are some nice women out there.”

“I know that. I’m not living like a monk. I have women friends.”

“Well, what about Kate? She’s one of us. You wouldn’t have to do the ritual with her, an’ she’s not too old to start a family.”

“Kate … ” Reuben frowned. “I can’t place her. What she look like?”

“You know Kate! Dark brown hair. Hazel eyes. Lives .. Asia way. Got the codename Delphinus.”

“Oh. That Kate. Yeah, she’s quite a catch.”

Peregrine watched him. “But not for you.”

“No. No, I figure I’m on my own now. At the time .. I could’ve hit him but I think my Dad got it right. The name dies with me.”

“You could prove him wrong,” Peregrine suggested, picking up Joe and settling him in his arms for a nap.

“I could but .. it’s too much effort. I meant it when I said I’m a little too set in my ways. I get up at ten, eat, shower, dress if I have to go out but, otherwise, I stay in my bathrobe. I sit by the phone an’ read. Sometimes, I go out for dinner an’ a beer. I’m a staid, respectable, middle aged guy, Perry.”

“So why let the name die out? You’ve got a long history.”

“Not as long as yours,” Reuben commented. “I don’t know. Maybe there comes a time when you just run outta steam. That .. all the good juice had been sucked out an’ there’s only the dregs left. Only a handful of hot coals an’ even they’re starting to cool. The fire in my family line is dying out. I don’t think I have enough left to share with a partner. Sad .. but fact of life.”

“According to you.”

“Well .. obviously, you don’t understand what I’m saying,” he grinned. “The Gabrielli fire is still burning bright. All I can tell you is that .. fighting takes it outta me. I go to the Gorge and I wake up next morning an’ can’t face getting outta bed. I’d like one night each week just to sleep. The Meyer name’s come to the end of its particular road.”

Peregrine glanced at him. Reuben didn’t look his age. He looked ten years younger, but there was a weariness in his eyes which Peregrine hadn’t noticed before. His body was in great shape, but his eyes were those of an old man.

“Miranda’s gonna be back soon. I should go,” Reuben said, hoisting himself from the sofa. “I’ll see myself out. Don’t wanna disturb the boy.”

“Mira’s taking Joe training tonight. You wanna meet up over there? I’ll go easy on you.”

“How about we try an’ find some new moves, huh? Ones an older guy can cope with.”

“Deal,” Peregrine smiled.

“Midnight then. Catch you later.”

Reuben left the house on Nob Hill. He had a rented place in Russian Hill, a little cottage five blocks from Peregrine’s imposing Victorian house. It was small by comparison but it suited a single guy in his forties. Reuben strolled north and thought about his life. He didn’t feel bitter about it but everything about his life was small. He’d started out with such big dreams and he’d dwindled into being something .. small. His mother had died a few years back. She hadn’t been old but the juice had run out. One day, she’d been baking cookies, the next her heart gave out and she just keeled over dead.

Bad energy, Reuben thought. Something sour in the mix. Red died young, Mom wasn’t that old. Hell, it’s just a matter of time before it gets me too. And what have I done with this fabulous life I was given? Be honest, Reuben. Ox tore down the veils, ripped up the masks. Don’t go hiding from the truth. What have you done?

On balance .. I’ve done more than I’ve wasted. Twelve years I was lazy and irritable. Thirteen years I’ve worked hard to make up for that, and, for six of those years, I’ve been a good Flamefall. I’ve prayed. I’ve worked on my faith. I’ve tried. I’ve killed demons and devils. I’ve rooted out evil and destroyed it. I’ve obeyed every order the Legacy’s given me and I’ve not questioned why. That’s what I’ve done. So why is my life small?

Okay, what haven’t I done? I’ve not married. Not created a child. Not done anything which will brand my name in Flamefall legend. I am just like my father. I will live and die and no one will really miss me. I’ll be forgotten.

He paused at an intersection and, in the cool, distant sun of late May, came to a startling realization.

I am bitter. I’m not happy. And I’m not happy because .. I’m not me anymore. Ox said, I remember, that he wasn’t going to make me toe the company line but that’s exactly what he has done. I used to have ideas. I used to do things no one had done before. I wanted to work outside the rules because the rules stifled me. They put me in a straitjacket of duty and obligation .. and I was a lot happier back then. I had conflict to overcome and I overcame it. I used to think really bad thoughts .. but I still did the job. And, because I’m not happy with who I’ve become, I feel old. I feel like .. saying what’s the point and giving up.

He shook his head. I was happy before. I want to be happy again. I need to want to get out of bed in the morning because the day has a challenge for me. I wish I could talk to someone about all this. But there’s only Perry and he wouldn’t understand. Why should he? He has a wife and a child, he’s achieved every one of his ambitions. He’d only say something to Ox and Ox would invite me for another session of .. residential remedial rehabilitation. Do I want that? Do I want to be a good company guy? I’ve done that. It’s boring.

Reuben arrived home and discovered he had a visitor. He seemed familiar but Reuben couldn’t put a name to the face.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“I hope so. I’m leaving the country soon to .. go on a rather dangerous mission. I need someone .. uniquely qualified to accompany me. Are you interested?”

“That depends,” Reuben answered. “There must be many uniquely qualified individuals you could ask.”

“I need someone with few ties .. just in case. I could say this is a Legacy matter. I could use the codename Gulo. If that helps you decide.”

Reuben nodded. Now he remembered the name which went with the familiar face. Winston Rayne.

“I’d be happy to go with you,” he replied.

*****

Peregrine had been waiting for an hour when Reuben eventually arrived.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

“Talking. I’m not really sorry I’m so late. It was work. Winston Rayne called by to see me today. He has a job for me to do so .. I won’t be around for a while.”

“What kinda job?” Peregrine inquired.

“Protection duty. He’s going overseas to search for some artifact an’ it could be dangerous – probably will be – so I’m going along as security.” He faced his friend. “Perry, I need to do this. I’m tired of the city. I don’t seem to be doing anything anymore. I need fresh pastures. To go away so I appreciate what I’ve left behind. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yeah, of course. I kinda envy you.”

“No, you don’t, not really. You got a wife an’ son. I envy you .. but this is almost as good for me. We ship out in a couple of days.”

“Going where? C’mon, tell me everything!”

Reuben hesitated, clearly uneasy about something. Peregrine waited, his eyebrows slowly rising in surprise.

“He said it was confidential, that I shouldn’t mention details,” Reuben at last muttered, sounding embarrassed.

“So? I’m not gonna insult you or your intelligence by saying what if you run into trouble an’ need help cos there’s nothing you can’t handle but .. we’re in the same club. You can tell me. I won’t say anything to anyone else.”

But you did once, didn’t you? The silent reply flashed into Reuben’s mind before he could block it out. You told Ox everything, Perry. And look what he did to me. Look what he did with all those private things I shared with you.

“C’mon!” Peregrine exclaimed into the growing silence. “Look, this is between you an’ me. I promise. He probably means not to say anything to the other people in the San Francisco house. They always go to see Ox. He won’t know so he can’t say something he shouldn’t.”

A promise was a promise.

“Okay,” Reuben agreed soberly. “It’s South East Asia. Jungle. Totally different to the city.”

“Korea?”

Reuben shook his head.

“Vietnam? Hey, watch yourself. That is looking set to run for a while. North versus south, and this country may get dragged in. Whatever, they’re not gonna look kindly on foreigners.”

“No, I think it’s Indonesia. Maybe Malaysia. Maybe flitting between the two. He isn’t sure exactly where this thing is and the map isn’t that clear. But he thinks Indonesia.”

“Wow. What’s the artifact?”

“Some kind of casket. He says there’s five of ’em and he’s trying to track down the first. Seems pretty keen to get them all.”

“What’s so dangerous about a casket?” Peregrine frowned.

“He says all five, placed in the right positions, will open a gateway to Hell.”

“Whoa,” Peregrine breathed. “I can see why he’d want you along .. but that’s all five. Is one dangerous on its own?”

“He says there’s a demon inside each one. If the seal’s a little rusty … ”

“Taking an Enforcer makes sense. Plus, if he’s tempted to see for himself, you can stop him and destroy the casket before any harm’s done. Nice job, Rube.”

“Yeah,” Reuben nodded and smiled. “I can tell Winston Rayne, Legacy member, what to do. I like that idea.”

“It’s part of the agreement between us an’ them. Keep ’em on the straight an’ narrow.” Peregrine shrugged. “Ox is over at the Paris house right now, dealing with a little bit of straying too near the edge.”

“Your Dad? No way! He’s too lenient, Perry.”

“You don't know him if you think that,” Peregrine laughed. “My Dad is not entirely old school and he is one of those guys who says if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But, if it is broke, or seriously malfunctioning, it’s time to strip it down an’ rebuild it from scratch.”

Reuben nodded. That explained a lot …

*****

Reuben flew part of the way then embarked on a tramp steamer for the remainder of the journey. Passenger travel was increasing but not many people were flying around the world in fifty seven. It was the first time Reuben Meyer had physically left the United States and he was as excited as a child on Christmas Eve. Winston Rayne, however, was all business, brisk and matter of fact, accustomed to traveling, so Reuben hid his reaction at being on a seaplane and then on a ship. He was starved for new experiences, and he soaked this up like a dry sponge soaks up water. This wasn’t quite normal, everyday life, except for the very rich, but it was a different life to that which he’d always known. To Reuben, this was real freedom.

The voyage took a week. The accommodation on board was rough and ready, the meals rather basic; it was a commercial freighter after all and not a passenger liner. Winston spent much of his time alone in his cramped cabin, working on God only knew what. Reuben was merely the muscle on this trip, he didn’t need to be involved in the intellectual activity of what was, in essence, a treasure hunt. So he was free those seven days and nights to watch the crew and the sea, feel the deck rolling beneath his feet, smell the salt in the air and taste it on his lips. His senses were flooded with all new information and he was overwhelmed.

Those of us who have to travel to the US for training week .. they are so lucky! Do they know how blessed they are to be able to .. explore the world around them? I’ve never left the West Coast before. Apart from River Sands, Nevada, I’ve not left California before. And .. I don’t feel old. I feel young again. I’m really living .. for the first time in my life.

He leaned on the rail and watched the sea foam past. It was so many colors. Blue, both dark and light, then green. Sometimes there was a film of soapy bubbles, sometimes little crests of white, often just a gentle heaving like some immense beast below the surface was flexing its muscles.

“Not seasick then,” Winston commented, coming to stand beside him.

“I don’t get sick,” Reuben replied.

“Lucky for you.” Winston watched the sea as well. “We’ll start in Indonesia. Land in Jakarta. Stay one night, just long enough for me to hire a local guide and get supplies. Then we trek inland.”

Reuben nodded. “How long will it take, do you think?”

“In a hurry to get home?”

“I’m just curious. I have no ties, no one to demand I rush back. What about you?”

“Wife, two children. A daughter Ingrid and a son Derek.” Winston paused, his face animated. “But they’re used to me going away.”

“You think you’ll find this casket?” Reuben changed the subject because he sensed the younger man’s buried pain. Somewhere deep inside Winston Rayne a war was being fought between duty to the Legacy and love for his family.

“I don’t know. The map came from a rather dubious source,” Winston admitted, his mood brightening, “but these sepulchers are too dangerous to be left for someone else to fall over. I have to follow up every report.”

Reuben turned to lean one elbow on the rail and study the other man. For someone in their early thirties, Winston looked older. “Why do you want them?” he asked quietly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Winston challenged, his dark eyes bright.

“To me, the obvious is that you want to open the gateway.”

“Never,” Winston growled. “I suppose that’s the difference between you and me. You see the worst in everyone.”

Reuben was mildly offended by that but he said nothing. “The obvious course of action, if you find the casket, is for me to destroy it. Then the gateway can never be made and thus impossible to open. But that is the difference between you and me. You like to investigate things which are patently evil. I remove them permanently.”

Winston regarded him. “You’re not to touch the sepulcher. It’s mine.”

“I don’t know if I can obey that order, not if it’s genuinely evil. And you won’t be able to stop me. I’m not just someone who enforces Legacy rules. I have a duty to act independently .. if there’s a need.”

Winston drew in a measured breath. “I suppose it would save a lot of anxiety if the sepulcher were to be destroyed .. but I’d like a chance to study it first .. with you present, of course. A little time is not so much to ask, is it?”

“Study it how?” Reuben frowned. “Open it? See if there is a demon inside?”

Winston shook his head. “That’s too risky. There are certain tests to determine the answer to that particular question, but they can’t be done in the field. That’s why I need time.”

“Very well. And .. if it isn’t ultimately destroyed, what do you intend to do with it? Give it to the Legacy for safe keeping? I’d recommend separating them, storing them in different locations.”

“No. They’re mine. I researched them. This is .. my project.”

Reuben smiled thinly. “You told me it was a Legacy matter. You activated my codename. But they don’t know about this, do they? I could refuse to go another step. You brought me here under false pretences.”

Winston straightened, not afraid to go one on one with an Enforcer. “I’m a Legacy member. I’m entitled to demand protection. You’re obliged to give it. Those are the rules.”

Reuben turned away to watch the sea again. “The rules aren’t everything.”

Winston’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying there’s a way around them?”

“It depends on what the rules actually are. First you have to know them, then you can invariably find a way .. between them. What you’re asking me to do isn’t in the rulebook.”

Winston paused. “So .. with you there as my shield .. I could open the sepulcher and come to no harm.”

“You could, yes.”

Winston’s mind clicked onto a new train of thought. “It would take a strong man to resist that kind of temptation,” he mused quietly.

“Are you strong enough?” Reuben asked, smiling.

“Are you?” Winston countered.

*****

The jungle was hot, damp, steamy. The guide led them to a place known locally as the plague pit. There were mosquitoes buzzing around and leeches in the streams. It didn’t seem an unreasonable name in the circumstances. They walked for five days until they came to the big, rather steep depression in the ground. Before Winston began to study the area, he glanced at Reuben.

“I’m not getting anything,” Reuben reported. “But look anyway. This place was called the plague pit for a reason. It’s most likely just something bad. Right up your street.”

“Nothing at all?” Winston demanded. “Are you sure you can sense pure evil?”

“If you insult me again, I’ll leave you to whatever suspect mercies are in this area.”

Reuben went and sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree at the lip of the depression. Their guide was waiting back down the trail, too fearful to come any closer. Reuben watched Winston poke and prod at the ground and grow increasingly dispirited. He’d come a long way on dubious information and his doubts were being confirmed. Reuben, however, was enjoying a marvelous adventure, free of the usual restrictions. This was just the first of several places to search. He had plenty of time.

And Winston’s question had given him a lot to think about.

Am I strong enough to resist temptation ..? I have weapons. I have armor. I am anonymous but I am part of something greater than anything the world has known in a very long time, since before the birth of Christ .. and, even then, the world did not know about us or what we do to protect them. I am strong enough, yes. Of course I am. I resist temptation every day. I can resist it because I always keep it away. But .. what would it feel like to deliberately court temptation? To let it get really close ..? What would it feel like to .. just wait a while?

Reuben was quite comfortable thinking thoughts like this. Thinking didn’t hurt anyone. It was acting on thoughts which could be dangerous. He considered himself to be typical in this respect. All Flamefalls wondered at some point in their lives what ‘it’ would be like. None of them had ever acted on those mental ramblings. He suspected everyone thought wicked things, considered doing some evil act or wishing evil on others. Then they forgot about it. It was the way the human mind worked. Thinking bad or even evil made people feel better. A bad day at work, visions of carnage on a grand scale, shrug it off and enjoy the evening. It was rare indeed that someone turned the vision into reality.

Reuben didn’t know it but he was very wrong. He was definitely not typical. Flamefalls knew what ‘it’ would be like. They knew every time they sent a demon to Hell. It was a constant reminder not to abuse the power they’d been given. Flamefalls did think bad thoughts because they were human, but they never wondered about ‘it’.

Winston found nothing except some buried bones. By the scoring on them, they belonged to one or more individuals who had not met a pleasant end. There were also some kind of tribal fetishes nailed to a tree, most likely as a warning. This wasn’t a place of history, it was a murder pit.

“You were right. It isn’t here,” he said as he toiled up the slope.

“There must be other places. You said maybe Malaysia. Don’t give up just yet, Winston.”

“It’s five days back to any kind of civilization. A week at sea before we can get on a plane to anywhere. You may have no ties but I have a family. I don’t see enough of them as it is.”

Reuben watched him slap at a mosquito. “Your father was in the Legacy, wasn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Was he always home?”

“Why do you want to know?” Winston demanded irritably, slapping at his neck again.

“Only to make the point that you knew what would happen if you followed in his footsteps. The Legacy isn’t like us. We’re family units. The Legacy is individuals and families suffer the consequences.” Reuben rose to his feet. “You have to decide, Winston. Your first love and your first priority is either the Legacy or your family. You can’t split yourself in two, no matter how much you wish you could.” He angled his head. “If you thought it would be possible to balance the two, you were deliberately forgetting your own childhood. It’s been this way for your people since the start. A difficult choice .. unless you are truly dedicated to the Legacy’s mission.”

Winston was silent for a moment. “Malaysia then,” he remarked.

“Let’s go,” Reuben smiled.

*****

Malaysia wasn’t a complete waste of time. Winston didn’t find the sepulcher but he did find the mostly buried ruins of an ancient temple. Again, the area had a dismal sounding name and, from the almost obliterated carvings on the few exposed stone columns, Winston reasoned the temple had been dedicated to some dark god in antiquity. The discovery led to a lot of local excitement and Winston was feted as a hero. The government was notified and Winston and Reuben had to wait until a team of archeologists had been assembled to meet them.

Reuben found this work – outside any area of expertise he possessed – to be fascinating. He grubbed around in the dirt with the others, digging where he was told to dig and never thinking to ask why. This was a real job. He didn’t sense any evil left in the place, it was purely an exercise in uncovering the past. He shared the excitement of each new find. He posed for photographs with the native workers. He was having the time of his life.

Eventually, after a month, Winston decided to leave. There was one other place he could try looking. If that failed too, well, it would be time to head home. He could successfully mark three areas as searched. His family was waiting, and he had Legacy work to do.

Reuben didn’t protest or request a longer stay. He’d left San Francisco in late May and it was now the middle of July. He packed his bag and made his farewells, then set off with his Legacy companion on a five day trek back to decent accommodation and hot showers.

Winston decided to stay twenty four hours in the hotel. He had to organize transport to the next, and last, area plus supplies for the journey. Reuben felt Winston was perfectly capable of doing this alone so he remained in the hotel to enjoy the relative luxury of his surroundings after a month in the jungle.

The next morning, Reuben sat beside Winston Rayne in a battered, dented jeep with no suspension worth talking about. They bounced and rattled all that day and into the evening before arriving at the point where they had to leave the road and head off cross country on foot.

“What’s this last place called?” Reuben asked.

“The Devil’s Folly,” Winston replied, unloading their bags. “A rough translation from the local dialect.”

“The Devil’s Folly … Intriguing name.”

Winston grunted.

“Did it lose something in the translation?” Reuben inquired.

“It’s supposed to be the place where Lucifer bounced on his way from Heaven into Hell.” Winston glanced round. “You ever met him?”

Reuben laughed. “No. Nor would I want to. Nor will I.”

“You sound sure of that.”

“I am. Would you?”

Winston paused, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “It might be interesting to ask why he thought it would be better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”

“That’s fiction.”

“It has a ring of truth to it, nonetheless. I suppose it’s a good example of what pride can do to you. Inflate all your standards, ideals, and, eventually, you come to believe them. You think you’re better than what you actually are. Early night, early start in the morning.”

“Changing the subject?” Reuben mildly queried.

“Being practical,” Winston corrected. “The Enforcers may debate on the nature of evil and be happy to waste hours on doing it. The Legacy is more realistic.”

“I think you have that the wrong way around. We know the nature of evil. It’s you who likes to debate the facets and nuances, and the reasons why. It’s how you’ve always been, right from the start. Why does one particular demon kill in one way, yet another in a different way? To me .. it makes no difference. They kill, that’s all that matters.”

Winston paused, his chin rising. “I’m not the Legacy.”

“I’m not the Enforcers,” Reuben responded. “But, here, we are alone and, therefore, must be the sole representative of our respective organizations. I am the realistic one. You are the scholar. My vision is narrow. Yours is more far ranging. Each to his own specialty.” He bowed slightly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, early.”

Winston watched him go. Then he said something which halted Reuben in his tracks.

“You’re no typical Enforcer. I’ll call you in the morning.”

*****

There followed a two day hike thru dense jungle, an intense search of the area and a final disappointment, one long miserable night sweating in the humidity, then a two day hike back to the road. Reuben was, by now, looking forward to going home. He had lots to share with Peregrine and he missed his friend. The trip with Winston Rayne had done exactly what he wanted – made him appreciate what he’d left behind. Going out to dinner, a cold beer. Decent roads. Hot water. A comfortable bed. Friends who understood. His conversations with Winston were always interesting but he didn’t understand the Flamefall mind. Reuben had to explain things which Peregrine felt to his bones. But Reuben had learned that not all Legacy members were typical, not if Winston was any example.

Perhaps this is the way of the future, he mused during the road trip back to the port where they’d pick up the ship. Maybe I’m the Flamefall of the future, maybe that’s why he said it, that I’m not typical. I’ve always known that, deep inside. I mean, the rules are restrictions to me, not stringently helpful regulations. I’ve always seen them as guidelines and, in a pinch, can’t guidelines be ignored or modified? But Ox and the others .. they say I have to conform to the standard. They haven’t realized yet that the standard isn’t good enough! Times have moved on. We’ve changed .. or I have. I’m in the twentieth century. Their minds are still working like they live in the time before the birth of Christ. They say the job’s the same, but it isn’t. The evil in the world today is different. Subtle. Sly. Underhand. It doesn’t confront, it bribes, tempts, seduces. How can they dictate that the methods we use stay the same? They can’t. We have to deal with evil as it is now, today, not how it used to manifest itself way back when. My father tried that an’ got himself killed. I’m not gonna let that happen to me.

Winston noticed Reuben was unusually quiet during the voyage to Australia, and on the flight back to the US. He regretted that. He found Reuben – or Gulo, as he knew him – to be an interesting guy with some strange ideas. Some unique ideas which, coming from an Enforcer, sat just a little uncomfortably in his mind. Winston should have requested contact thru the London house but he hadn’t. He’d known that his Precept went to a big house on Paradise Drive in Tiburon so Winston had watched that, seen Reuben leaving a couple of times and had followed him home. He hadn’t regretted the subterfuge but he did regret the silence during the ten days it took to get back to San Francisco. Once there, Winston would sink into his work and Reuben would vanish back into the shadows.

“When we land, I could use some help getting all my bags back to the island.”

Reuben nodded. “You asked me along as security. I’ll see you safely home.”

“It’s been an interesting expedition. Not productive in that I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I learned a lot. Thank you.”

Reuben smiled. “I learned a lot too. At times .. I’ve found the distance between the Legacy and the Enforcers to be not great enough and, yet, too great at others. I’ve enjoyed working with you.”

And, he silently added, unlike you, I did find what I was looking for – a reason why I’m here.

It was August when they arrived back in the city. In total, Reuben had been gone seventy seven days. He accompanied Winston home to Angel Island and discovered there, in the heart of the Legacy, the one thing he hadn’t found in all his travels in Asia – evil.

Barbara Rayne was frantic with worry. A child had arrived at the house, lost, possibly abandoned, and she couldn’t leave to take the little stray to the police on the mainland, not with two children of her own.

Reuben put down the bags he was carrying as Winston calmed his wife. He fixed his gaze on the child and, without warning, killed it. Winston’s mouth gaped open and Barbara fainted.

“That’s the difference between us,” Reuben said quietly. “You want to study it. I just remove it permanently. Your vision is far ranging. Mine is narrow but very clear in its focus.” He smiled. “Good day.”

He inclined his head and walked out.

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