by The Eurostar
Edulcore Cicciotto:
Jackie hurries me out of the building, while a Giorgio follows us closely, literally pushing us toward the cars. The Neanderthal and Crasher have simply walked out of existence.
But I can't help but note the eyes of Aurochs piercing me like needles. He hates the fact that there is no excuse to kill me.
We get inside the limo. "What will happen now?" I ask Ameristar.
"I really don't know. What has happened should never have happened. You see, everyone was certain you were the killer. Reuniting all the mages and technicians in the room was their only hope to scan your mind, the thing most sought by every member of the Hoods and the Cloaks. And even by Myrddin."
"But why? Just to know if I was the killer? A paraffin glove wouldn't have been easier?"
"No, what they wanted was to read your mind. The killing was a good excuse to do that. They want the secrets buried in your mind. They want to know what the dark dwarf is. They want to know what your parents stole from the two organizations."
"And what kind of secrets can they be?"
"I don't know. But do you understand what they have sold just to try to gain those secrets?"
I look at her, puzzled.
"They have let each other know their secrets. Each of their operations, all of their knowledge carefully kept for all of this centuries... gone. They now know each other's sum of knowledge. Secret bases, operations, influx on world leaders, on world economy... They know all the ones who are playing as double agents."
"You say they put their whole existence into fire just to know what I truly am?"
"Yes. Because they FEAR you. The future says you will become the tyrant of the world, all the readable future paths."
"Don't tell me that you believe this crap?"
"I don't know. The future's path can always change, that's for sure... but this seems to be very deeply rooted. Just... just the trap didn't work. Nobody has read your mind."
"So now..."
"So now it depends on who the next leaders will be. A truce will be declared to let the two organizations reorganize. You know... killing the traitors, founding new secret bases, creating new plans. This if all goes smooth. But if one of the factions elects a new leader quickly, it could decide to send an all-out attack on the other society, to wipe it out completely... although Myrddin works to avoid exactly that. And also... with the revelation of a fourth secret organization... I don't know what to think. Maybe the Hoods and Cloaks will ally. Who knows?"
While the limousine, which has no driver, speeds up on the dirty road, I turn to see the building for a last time.
And it's just a ruin.
A week later:
Today I had been working at the new location for the company, an old fish factory found by Kit Piper in the less-ruined part of the island, when Ameristar approaches me.
I salute her, asking how the work on the hovercraft is going, because Dr. Quantos and some hired technicians are trying to adapt the UFO engine to it, especially thanks to some blueprints that the Neanderthal casually lent to Jackie.
She doesn't respond, with a face good only for a funeral. She comes closer to me and whispers in my ear after having carefully checked that no one was around to listen. "The Futurists have a new leader."
"Who is he?"
"Aurochs."
After the revelation, I go to the beach. There a Giorgio is waiting. I knew he was waiting for me.
"Aurochs is a complete fool. I don't want to have him at the heads of the Capes," I said. "Tell me how I can join your society."
The cyborg, if that is what a Giorgio is, a thing of which I am not sure, shakes his head. "You don't get it, Cicciotto. The Hoods want to make you their leader."
I freeze, taken entirely by surprise. "Leader?"
"Yes. You have inherited the power that makes you perfect for the role. You have just to perform a mission as a test."
"What mission?"
"Ah, it's simple. You have to get a little book..."
The End