No one could argue the logic.
“The temple holds the key to the creation of Arinar. It is a sacred place for the Architects, and it is beyond time and planes. It exists in every dimension, universe. A center point, if you will. It is where we can find answers to destroy Her.”
“Why didn’t you do it before?” Ray asked.
“Because the five Arinar never reacted to my race, and we did not have a Lohil to aid us. I remember telling you, Mr. Harris. You have to keep up with your interstellar knowledge if you want to overcome your enemy.”
“Mr. Harris, a word,” Admiral Conway said after a moment’s pause and moved to the opposite corner of the bunker.
“Yes,” Ray whispered, following her, although he was sure where this was going.
“He has a point. In battle, you use your assets to defeat an enemy. Right now, he is an asset.”
“He may very well be a ticking time bomb, Admiral.” Ray looked at Sim’Ra over his shoulder. The deep black eyes were focused on him. Ray felt as if he were naked and freezing. “What makes you think he’ll keep his end of the bargain? He probably has a different agenda, or five.”
Admiral Conway nodded. “True, but I prefer an enemy I know I can beat any day than that thing you showed us back on Deviator. Any day, Mr. Harris.”
Ray hated Sim’Ra, sure. But he wasn’t afraid of him. Unlike that Devourer thing, whatever that was. “What do you suggest?”
“Your gunship, Fox, is still in good shape. Form a team, take him with you to find this temple.”
“And if he turns out to be lying?”
Admiral Conway shrugged. “Toss him out of the airlock.” She touched Ray’s arm. “I will keep Ga’an here with me. With communications fixed, we can be in touch with you. I do not believe keeping fire and powder in the same room is a good idea.”
Ray agreed. Ga’an was a good friend and a formidable ally, but his anger needed to be kept in check when near the commander of a hostile alien race who had killed all he held dear. “I will take Captain Samir, Sarah, my daughter, and the old man with me. It may be better for me to stay away from the colony anyway.”
“Sounds good. We will await your word and prepare for things to come.”
The door at the other end of the bunker opened with a loud crack, and a soldier dashed into the room, falling on his knees, interrupting their exchange. “Admiral! Admiral Conway!”
“What?” Admiral Conway was near the boy in a flash. “What is it, son?”
“The infirmary,” the boy panted. “Creatures. Monsters are attacking the infirmary!”
Before anyone spoke, a burst of slow, deep laughter filled the room, getting louder and louder. “And so, it begins.” Sim’Ra’s layered voice echoed in their ears.
And hearts…
EVERYBODY RUNS
Rebecca made for the bunker door in haste. “Mr. Harris, you know the plan.”
“Yes, Admiral,” she heard Ray’s voice.
Keep it calm, girl. Keep it straight. “Marine, give the town emergency alarm and find me the quartermaster. I want the defense mechs up and running,” she said to the messenger, pushing him outside. “Security detail, escort the prisoner to Deviator, keep him under close guard.”
“Yes, ma’am,” The soldier saluted, still catching his breath, and ran for the town square to ring the emergency alarm. She saw the other marines tying off Sim’Ra from the corner of her eye.
Right call, Brother Cavil. She was happy the old man suggested installing a town alarm in case of trouble. Although he had suggested putting a big bell to ring in case of a storm or disaster—why would they need a bell when they could install a solar-powered speaker system—it was a good call. By the time she arrived at the infirmary shacks, the rhythmic alarm had woken everyone.
People poured from the buildings, gathering around Rebecca with questioning eyes, but all she could look at was the infirmary. A moving branch was slowly covering the building from window to window, rooting itself into the building like those parasitic plants that loved to wrap and hug her roses back home. Home… those roses are probably long dead.
“Mr. Ga’an,” she barked, and the tall Nucteel was near her in a flash.
“Admiral Conway.” If he was surprised by a moving plant invading their infirmary, he didn’t show it.
“Go back to the ship and organize the counterforce. I want flamethrowers, rifles, explosives—whatever you deem necessary to fight a pest invasion. Activate the mech force as well. I want those robots here, firing at anything non-human.”
“As you command, Admiral Conway.” Ga’an turned and ran toward the superdreadnought.
Things moved inside the building, shadows jumping from window to window. “There are people inside.” Rebecca turned to one of the guards. “Give me that rifle, soldier.” She yanked the weapon from the soldier’s hand and aimed for one of the windows, using the rifle’s scope. Something is off. “All right, I want a—” Rebecca stopped, shock taking over control.
It was a woman, all right. It had been a woman. Only the whites of her eyes showed, and her lower jaw was missing. Instead, a snake—no, a centipede—nested in the gap, slowly wriggling. The bottom of her shirt was torn apart, revealing another centipede wrapped around her solar plexus. The creature stopped after a few steps as if to get a grasp of her surroundings. The human’s head moved, but the eyes were still blank white. A screech filled the air
Monsters poured from the door and the windows of the infirmary.
“Oh my…” Rebecca covered her mouth to keep from vomiting. “Liam… Doctor Hermann…” People—her people—had been turned into abominations. Each had centipedes digging in and out at various points on their bodies. Their eyes—the ones who still had them—were hollow. Some of the bodies were mutilated beyond identification. Liam and a marine had bullet holes in their heads, but it hadn’t saved them from the travesty they were suffering.
Rebecca jumped when a mechanical hiss erupted right beside her, followed by the clicking rotation of a mini-gun. She turned just in time to see the four-meter-tall automated behemoth mech firing its devastating twin guns and stepped away to avoid the heated shells raining on her. The robot was like an avatar of its human creators, standing firm on its two metal legs, its modular arms were outfitted with the twin cannons—a death machine. In seconds, body parts flew into the air, the sheer power of the automated walker’s weapons filling the air with smoke and the smell of gunpowder.
“These machines are useful,” Ga’an’s voice boomed behind Rebecca. He stood beside the four mechs. “We will contain the situation.”
“I truly hope so,” was all Rebecca could say. Shadows were still moving inside the smoke. “They do not look like the type that gives up easily, Mr. Ga’an. Light them up!”
Ga’an grunted and signaled the mechs to fire again. This time, all four fired on the infirmary and the shadows. Rebecca was sure some of those bodies were shredded to mincemeat by now. She let the robots do their thing for another ten seconds before raising her hand and halting them.
“Soldiers, with me.”
Two officers carrying flamethrowers escorted her.
“Admiral Conway,” Ga’an interjected, but Rebecca waved his protests away. I’ll just take a quick look. “Gods…” The pieces, some as small as a third of her thumb, were moving toward one another to re-merge. “Fire… burn them,” she whispered.
The shriek was a lament of torture as the flames touched the creatures. Rebecca watched parts of her people turn to crisp ashes. The pieces stopped moving one by one as the fire washed over them. “Do you think we killed them, Mr. Ga’an?”
The Nucteel walked past her and kicked one of the pieces. “These look dead. The ones inside the building, I cannot be sure, Admiral Conway.” He turned to face Rebecca sternly. “I suggest you evacuate the immediate area, and we make sure.”
Rebecca nodded slowly, signaling the marines to push people back. It took a minute or so for them to clear the area, and Rebe
cca was sure she heard hissing or buzzing—something coming from the now collapsed building. The mini-gun fire reduced the shanty infirmary to rubble. However, she was sure they hadn’t killed the thing hugging her crude hospital.
“Send in the drone,” Ga’an said over the radio, and a black aircraft launched from Deviator moments after. The drone was a smaller replica of the Avenger fighter craft with lighter yet deadly-still armament. “The rotary guns will do the work.”
“Use the torpedoes.”
Ga’an looked at Rebecca questioningly.
“Just do it.”
Ga’an nodded and radioed in the order from his communicator. A second later, a plasma torpedo passed over their heads and hit the infirmary ruins, blowing it up with thunderous noise. The flames rose as high as fifty meters, sending debris to nearby buildings. Rebecca covered her eyes from the flames' brightness as the wind of the shockwave washed over them. This is only the beginning of things.
“Admiral Conway,” Ga’an’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
“What is it?” The tall man’s face was hard, and his jaw clenched even more.
“Deviator CIC reports something coming out of hyperspace at the edge of the system. The energy readings are off the charts.”
“Something?” Please, let it not be what I think it is.
“They do not know what it is, but the size of it dwarfs the planet.”
Words escaped Rebecca. She nodded acceptance.
***
“Keep up, Brother.”
“I am moving as fast as I can, young man! I am not as flexible as I was ten years ago.”
“Just be faster.”
“What did I just say?”
Ray and Brother Cavil rushed to Ray’s house located at the outer rim of town. Ray had picked the spot for planting space, but also because of its seclusion. Now, he hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision.
When the two arrived at his house, a loud explosion at the town center dropped them to their knees, and a drone fighter passed over them with a frightening whoosh.
“That thing almost got me from my hair!”
“It flew at least thirty meters above you, old man.”
Brother Cavil hmphed between his short breaths. “It was a dangerous stunt.”
“Admiral Conway’s not joking.”
“Let us hope it is a show of power and not desperation, Raymond, my boy.”
Ray couldn’t argue. Blowing up your hospital with a bomber was a big deal. “Anyway, we have our part to do.” He burst into the house, Brother Cavil following. “Sarah?”
“What’s going on?” Elaine jumped from the couch in panic. Sarah was already packing a bag, checking her sidearm. “What was that explosion?”
“It was our wake-up call. Pack your things. We’re leaving.”
“Meow,” Darty tried to crawl out of Sarah’s pack, but she hushed the cat with a firm gesture.
“Not now, girl.”
“You got the cat from your house?”
Sarah looked at Ray in disbelief, “You weren’t expecting me to leave her behind, right?”
“Of course I wasn’t, Sarah.” I must admit I miss the furry thing. “Just make sure she’s safe and sound.”
“I fetched her right after Admiral Conway sent for you. Looked like things were getting out of hand.”
“They already are.”
“Where are we going?” Elaine asked.
“Off this planet, for starters.” Ray looked around to see if he was missing anything.
Elaine looked confused and afraid. “Then what?”
“Elaine, please, just do as you’re told,” Ray said exasperatedly. “I’ll tell you when we’re safe. We need to go to Deviator.”
Sarah joined them, strapping her pack. “Another Fox ride?”
Ray nodded. “Old man,” he turned to Brother Cavil, “go into the bedroom, push the bed away from the wall. There’s a safe box under the bed. The combination is one, five, five, nine, one, echo, echo, nine, three.”
“…echo, nine, three. Got it!” Brother Cavil ran into the room and came out a moment later. “Just to be clear, you want me to take what is inside, right?”
“No, I want you to know the code to pass it on to new generations in your day class.”
“No need for sarcasm. Hmph!” Brother Cavil went inside, mumbling nastily under his breath.
Ray took an assault rifle from one of the cabinets he kept handy in case things in New Eden went south. Things are all the way at the south pole at the moment.
“Got the bag.” Brother Cavil came out of the room with a full backpack a second later.
“What’s inside?” Sarah asked.
“The stones,” Ray said, checking if they were ready to move. “The admiral and I decided it would be best to keep them close to me.”
“Wouldn’t keeping them on board the ship and under guard be the wiser choice?” Sarah asked.
Ray nodded. “That was the whole idea. There’s a guarded Arinar room onboard Deviator. They’re decoys.”
Brother Cavil’s eyes went wide. “You could have told me. I went there every week to pray!”
“The stones may have heard your prayers from afar, Brother.”
“You are a cruel man.”
“And you can’t keep your mouth shut. Gods know how many Baeal spies or Cosmon Brotherhood fanatics we have here. Anyway,” Ray waved his hand, dismissively, “we need to move.”
The group got out of Ray’s home and made their way through New Eden's stone-paved paths. Ray realized they had achieved a lot in the past year, creating a colony from scratch that actually functioned with buildings, streets, jobs, and lighting. Admiral Conway had been a tremendous leader, not only as a military tactician but as a governor. Now, they had to abandon it. Though, I miss flying a ship.
His communicator beeped on his chest, and he attached the tiny earpiece. “Yes?”
“Raymond Harris, where are you?”
“We’re making our way to the ship, Ga’an.”
“You should hurry.”
“Did I just hear the worry in your voice, Ga’an?”
“I cannot tell what you hear, Raymond Harris. However, the creature the dark one has told about is here and closing in on us fast.”
Ray opened his mouth, but Sarah’s touch stopped him short. He looked at her with questioning eyes, then at where she pointed. A dark, brownish veil moved across the bigger moon of New Eden, covering and muting its illumination. In moments, the night sky disappeared into starless darkness, and a storm cloud swirled like an endless whirlpool. A thick blanket covered New Eden, separating the planet from the rest of space. Shapes formed inside the cloud, like eyes.
“The thousand eyes are here.”
“Ijjok?”
“We are all here.”
“Except for Mara’tthane.” Ray winced, remembering Sim’Ra destroying one of the five Arinar before the battle of Earth.
“Yes, brother.”
“Is there anything you can do to stop Her?”
“Not without Mara’tthane. We cannot fight the Destroyer of Worlds. She will tear the fabric of space and time and will attack us from everywhere. This is a battle we cannot win.”
Ray sighed helplessly. Sim’Ra, you devil!
“What will we do?” Brother Cavil whispered. The old priest’s eyes looked as if they couldn’t bulge anymore, watching apocalypse settle in on their world in effortless comfort. “Not to sound discouraging or anything, and you know I am on your side, son,” Brother Cavil turned to look at Ray, faking a smile, “but how are you supposed to fight that?”
Elaine was openly trembling though Sarah patted her shoulder. Sarah herself wasn’t doing any better.
Ray saw the loss in their faces. He wasn’t far short of letting go and surrendering. He looked at each of them one by one. I’m not losing anyone else. “We stick to the plan,” he said at last. “To the ship. We’ll take Captain Samir and that walking-bad-news alien with us.”
> “And how will we pass through that?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know, Sarah. But standing here talking about it won’t help. Now!”
I AM HERE, LOHIL.
The ground shook. Ray thought it was in his head but saw everyone else was on their knees, covering their ears like he was. He saw blood trailing from their ears and felt his own blood on his hands, its warmth leaving his body. A woman’s voice, so dry, so threatening yet soothing, rang in his head. The voice exuded a sense of serenity, wisdom, and age, perhaps even beauty. But it also felt eternal, threatening, and demanding.
The sky spoke.
I AM WAITING FOR YOU.
THE GREAT DECEIVER
“What is that!” Brother Cavil puffed between his breaths. The old man was pushing himself to the limits, and Ray knew sooner or later they would have to rest. Now’s as good a time as any.
“I have no idea. Let’s stop for a minute and catch our breath.” Ray looked at the ominous cloud hanging over the town. A tornado was forming in the middle of New Eden.
“That’s no storm,” Elaine said from behind. “I see things moving inside that.”
Ray raised the assault rifle and looked at the whirling nightmare from its scope. “Looks like birds. Lots of birds.”
“Birds?” Sarah winced, stroking a panicked Darty, the cat trying to claw its way out of the bag. “It talked.”
Ray shrugged in honesty. “I don’t know, Sarah.” He gave Sarah the rifle to look and crouched near Brother Cavil, who rested near a tree. “You all right, old man?”
“I am getting a bit old for this much action, son. From the day I met you, it was constant adventuring. Not that I don’t accept most of it with alacrity.”
“Just try to keep it up a little longer. We’ll be safe when we reach Fox.”
“And then what?”
Ray had no answer for that.
“I’ll be damned,” Sarah whispered.
“What?”
Sarah nodded at the town square. “She really is waiting for you.”
Balance of Power: The Blackened Prophecy Book 2 Page 7
