The Resurrection Key

by Andy McDermott

  ‘I do not know,’ she replied. Her face hardened. ‘But for Turel, for all our people who died at the hands of the beasts, I will find out.’

  She closed her eyes, then touched her hands to the qi tracker’s core – and the vimana-kal’s crystal heart.

  The helicopter landed. Major Wu sprinted to it, vaulting through the hatch and crouching behind the pilot. ‘It went south!’ she shouted as the Z-20 took off again. ‘Get after it, full speed!’

  The aircraft came about, the city dropping away. ‘There!’ said the co-pilot, pointing. A golden dot was visible in the sky.

  ‘It’s a long way ahead,’ the pilot warned.

  ‘Follow it,’ Wu snapped, hiding her worry. The smaller UFO was travelling at the speed of a plane rather than a helicopter. But if it had the same radar immunity as its parent, she couldn’t allow it to be lost to sight.

  The Z-20 picked up speed, Xinengyuan sweeping past below. But it became clear after a couple of minutes that her quarry was outpacing her. The dot shrank, becoming fainter. She cursed—

  A flash, buildings casting new shadows for a split second. ‘Shit!’ said the pilot. ‘Major, they’re shooting at us – they’ll blow us up just like the jets!’

  ‘It’s not us,’ she said. The burst of light had come from behind them. She scrambled to the hatch and looked back towards the city’s centre. Were more fighters under attack?

  None were in sight – but the realisation of what was happening was even more terrifying.

  Another flash came from amongst the skyscrapers, then a third. Bolts of unnatural lightning squirmed and writhed between the towers. Even from this distance, she saw the walls of mirrored glass shatter. Dust rose as buildings shook, more and more bursts of light erupting amongst them—

  A dazzling, silent flare. She jerked back into the cabin, shielding her eyes. For a moment, even the helicopter’s clamour seemed to fade to nothingness . . .

  A monstrous roar – and the Z-20 lurched as a shock wave pounded it.

  Wu clung desperately to the seats as the aircraft spun. Her ears popped: it was falling, fast. She opened her eyes, seeing the city whirl past, getting ever closer—

  The helicopter swayed sickeningly . . . then stabilised.

  Panting, Wu looked out at Xinengyuan as the Z-20’s turn slowed. Its centre came back into view.

  Or rather, it would have . . . had it still been there.

  Where glass towers had stretched towards the sky, now she saw nothing but a hideous, boiling mass of dust and smoke. At the city’s heart was a crater at least a kilometre wide. Buildings far beyond it had been scythed into rubble. Countless fires burned amongst the wreckage.

  She stared at the appalling sight, speechless. The qi weapon worked, exactly as predicted . . . but it had been turned against its creators. Xinengyuan had been devastated. Even though the city’s population was only a fraction of its potential, thousands must have been killed.

  She turned to look through the opposite window. The tiny golden mote of the Nephilim craft shrank to nothing amongst the haze on the distant horizon. ‘You bastards,’ she hissed after it. ‘You bastards. I’ll kill you all . . .’

  The same shock wave also struck Nina and Eddie’s helicopter. They were farther from ground zero than Wu, but the impact was still terrifying, their Z-20 falling several hundred feet before the pilots regained control.

  ‘Oh my God,’ Nina gasped, seeing the destruction behind them. ‘They blew up the city!’ Macy, too frightened to speak, clung tightly to her.

  Eddie regarded the sight with grim dismay. ‘Jesus. Knocking down some skyscrapers was bad enough, but that? The Chinese’ll kick someone’s arse in revenge. Terminally.’

  ‘Let’s make sure it’s not ours,’ said Nina.

  Dr Hui nodded. ‘We must get you out of here as quickly as possible.’ She spoke to the pilot.

  He increased power, the helicopter gaining speed as it fled the cataclysm.

  38

  Dr Hui led the group into the research facility. They were met by a young lieutenant, who it quickly became clear was the senior officer present; most of the other soldiers had been recalled to face the threat in the city. He reacted in nervous bewilderment to the civilian director’s arrival. Hui gave him a brisk, firm explanation. The young man was clearly unsure how to take it, but settled for accepting the word of an authority figure, letting them pass.

  ‘He doesn’t know what has been going on,’ she told Nina and Eddie as they headed for the control centre. ‘The military is in confusion after Colonel Wu’s death.’

  ‘What about Major Wu?’ asked Eddie. ‘She’ll cause us the most trouble when she gets back.’

  ‘He said she is still in the city. But I do not think she will stay there for long. We will have to act quickly.’

  They arrived at the control centre. The scientists hurried to greet Hui, both in relief that she was safe and to bombard her with questions, but after giving rapid reassurances, she waved them off and went to a workstation. ‘I will access the records of the qi tracker.’

  It did not take long to find what she was after. ‘That’s what Gadreel saw,’ said Nina as the screen flashed up a world map overlaid with a complex network of red lines.

  ‘The flows of qi around the earth,’ Hui said. ‘Where was he looking?’

  ‘Down here.’ The redhead indicated the lower right corner. Southeast Asia, the great sweep of the Indonesian archipelago, Australia, New Zealand . . . and down at the very bottom, Antarctica.

  ‘Lot of ground to cover,’ Eddie noted. ‘And a lot of earth energy lines over it.’

  ‘It’s not the lines that matter,’ Nina told him. ‘It’s where they meet. We’re here.’ She indicated a spot in northern China where several thicker lines intersected. ‘They hid the fortress here because it had enough power to keep them in suspended animation. But the Veteres would have put their prison in the place with the most power, to keep the Nephilim trapped in Tartarus for eternity. So that would be . . .’ Her finger hovered over the screen, then tapped a specific point. ‘Here.’

  It was in central Australia. Eddie frowned. ‘That’s a long way from where we found their settlement on the west coast. Australia’s nearly as big as the States – it’d be like walking from LA to Dallas.’

  ‘They travelled all the way from Africa to Antarctica,’ Nina reminded him, ‘and they had much longer lifespans than us.’ She took a closer look at the lines. ‘And to get that much power, they were probably pretty motivated. It must be one of the strongest confluences in the world.’

  Macy also examined the screen. ‘I know where it is,’ she piped up. ‘It’s Uluru!’

  ‘You mean Ayers Rock?’ said Eddie.

  She shook her head with more than a little condescension. ‘No, Daddy. It’s not called that any more. Uluru is the name the Aboriginal people gave it.’

  Nina laughed. ‘You just got schooled in post-colonialist nomenclature by a ten-year-old, darling.’

  Eddie shrugged. ‘I didn’t understand half those words, so I’m not surprised. But if Macy says that’s the proper name, then Uluru it is.’

  ‘Are you sure it’s the right spot?’ Nina asked Macy. ‘Like your dad said, it’s a big country.’

  ‘It is,’ Macy insisted. ‘I remember the maps from when I was reading about lost underground civilisations.’

  Her mother adopted a fixed smile. ‘That’s the stuff you remember? Not, y’know, actual archaeology?’

  It was Eddie’s turn to be mockingly patronising. ‘We just saw a spaceship full of frozen demons from the Bible blow up a city with death rays. I don’t think we need to worry about scientific accuracy any more.’

  ‘It wasn’t a spaceship,’ Nina huffed, but she took his point. ‘Okay. So Gadreel and his warriors are on their way to Uluru. We need to follow them – and warn people.’

&
nbsp; ‘You won’t be able to contact anyone until you are well clear of here,’ said Hui. ‘All civilian communications are blocked. But,’ she picked up a phone, ‘I can get you clear. The jet that brought you here is still on the runway. I can use my authority to arrange a flight to Australia. With luck, you will be out of Chinese airspace before anyone realises you are gone. It should take about two hours to cross the southern border. And,’ a knowing look at Eddie, ‘should an order to turn back come through, I am sure you will be able to persuade the pilots to disobey it.’

  He nodded, clenching his fists. ‘I’m sure I will.’

  ‘I will make the arrangements.’ She started to dial.

  ‘Okay, so we get out of here – hopefully – and go to Australia,’ said Eddie. ‘Then what?’

  ‘Tell the Australians they’re going to have some unexpected visitors, I guess,’ Nina replied. ‘I should be able to use my United Nations contacts to reach someone in their government.’

  ‘What can they do?’ said Cheng. ‘They won’t be able to intercept that ship. If it’s like the fortress, it won’t show up on radar.’

  ‘What, it’s got stealth as well as a shield?’ Eddie said incredulously.

  ‘I listened to the helicopter crew on the way back. They said the fighter jets couldn’t use their missiles because they couldn’t lock on to it.’

  ‘The shield might be what makes it stealthy,’ Nina mused, before turning her mind to more immediate concerns. ‘Anyway, we have to get the Aussies to close off Uluru. There could be hundreds, even thousands of tourists there.’

  ‘And Aboriginal people live there too,’ Macy was quick to point out.

  ‘We’re trying to protect everyone – and not just at Uluru,’ said Nina. ‘The Nephilim can now destroy entire cities.’

  ‘They won’t know where they are,’ Cheng said.

  ‘Zan will. He’s helping them. He realised the only way he could save himself from being executed as a traitor was to throw his lot in with the Nephilim – and from what I saw, he’s turned into Gadreel’s own Renfield.’ Blank looks. ‘Dracula’s lackey? No?’

  ‘I know who you meant, Mom,’ said Macy.

  ‘Thanks, honey.’

  Hui finished her call. ‘Professor Wilde? The plane will be ready to leave in twenty minutes, although it will need to refuel on the way to Australia. I will try to get you anything you need.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Nina.

  Cheng spoke to his mother, drawing a look of surprise, then dismay from her. She shook her head as she replied.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Eddie asked.

  ‘I want to come with you,’ Cheng announced. ‘Mom is . . . not happy.’

  ‘I don’t blame her!’ said Nina. ‘She only just got you back safely, and you want to go right back out and face the Nephilim again?’

  ‘I can help you! I know their language – not as well as Zan, but good enough. If I can talk to them, we might be able to stop all of this before anyone else gets hurt. And if there really is a Shangdi site there, I’ll be able to read any texts we find.’

  Nina reluctantly nodded. ‘I’m afraid he has a point, Dr Hui. Being able to talk to Gadreel directly – and not through Zan – might be the only way to stop this from turning into all-out war.’

  Hui looked stricken. ‘Cheng, it could be very dangerous. Are you sure?’

  ‘I have to do it,’ he told her. ‘A lot of this, it . . . it’s my fault. People have died. If I hadn’t told Professor Wilde about the key, they’d still be alive.’

  ‘It was our plan, not yours! If anyone is to blame, it is me,’ she said, shoulders slumping. ‘I should never have let you become involved.’

  ‘But I said yes. I made the decision to do it.’ Cheng put a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘Mom, I have to set things right.’ A glance at Nina. ‘I broke all of Professor Wilde’s rules of archaeology. And,’ he added with forced levity, ‘you wouldn’t want her to give me a bad grade, would you?’

  Hui smiled sadly. ‘Very well. But,’ she added, raising a finger in motherly warning, ‘keep yourself safe.’

  He nodded. ‘I will, Mom. Don’t worry.’

  ‘Worrying about my child is my job.’

  ‘Ain’t that the truth,’ Nina said to Eddie.

  He made an mm-hmm sound in response.

  Hui hugged her son, then kissed him softly on the cheek. She said something that caused him to blush, then released him. ‘Go to the lifts, I will join you in a minute.’

  Cheng collected his belongings and headed for the exit. Nina, Eddie and Macy started after him, only for Hui to hold Nina by her arm. ‘Please take care of him,’ she whispered.

  ‘I’ll do everything I can,’ Nina assured her.

  ‘Thank you. I do not want him to go, but . . . I think he may be as safe with you as he would be here.’ A moment to let the ominous meaning sink in, then she went on: ‘Now, go, quickly. I will catch up.’

  Cheng had paused at the door to wait for them. ‘What did Mom say to you?’ he asked.

  ‘She just wants us to keep you safe,’ said Nina, dissembling a little. ‘Come on. Let’s get out of here.’

  Twenty minutes later, the Longitude taxied into take-off position. Despite the frenzied military activity at the base, the seemingly civilian plane was granted immediate clearance to depart. It powered into the sky, turning south.

  Nearly another hour passed before a helicopter landed at the bunker. Major Wu Shun climbed out, exhausted. The sun was only just setting, but she felt as if she had been awake for days. She composed herself, straightening both her body and her mind. Grief and pain and rage had to be put aside. There was too much to do.

  All trace of the golden pod had been lost once it was out of sight. Like its parent craft, it was invisible to radar, slipping through China’s defences like a ghost. It could be going anywhere – but she had a shrewd idea of who could narrow down the possibilities. Nina Wilde, she had learned, had somehow escaped from the fortress and been brought back to the base. Whatever she knew, Wu was going to find out.

  The moment she entered the control centre, she sensed something was wrong. It was not merely because of the city’s destruction; the scientists reacted to her appearance with nervousness, even fear. ‘Where is Dr Hui?’ she demanded.

  ‘In . . . in her office,’ one of the team replied.

  ‘And the American? Professor Wilde?’

  The man couldn’t hold her gaze. ‘I don’t know.’

  Wu gave him a hard glare. He shrank into his seat, but said nothing. Anger rising, she strode to Hui’s office and entered without knocking.

  The former director was alone at her desk, drinking tea. The scene’s casual appearance was belied by her hand’s slight tremble as she raised the cup. Wu knew from Hui’s medical records that she had no debilitating illnesses. She was as afraid as the rest of her team.

  The major stood before her, hands held imperiously behind her back. ‘Where is Professor Wilde?’

  ‘Welcome back, Major,’ said Hui, putting down the cup. Its base rattled faintly as her hand shook again. ‘I’m glad you’re okay. My . . . my condolences.’

  Wu had no time for fake pleasantries. ‘Something’s going on. Where is she?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  An almost subconscious flicker of Hui’s eyes towards the clock in the corner of her computer’s screen told Wu she was stalling for time. ‘This isn’t the day to test me, Doctor,’ she snarled. ‘Tell me where she is, or I will have you arrested – and then I will make you tell me.’

  Hui drew in a slow, deep breath, summoning courage. Even before she spoke, Wu knew she would have to get the information the hard way. ‘I’m afraid I can’t help you, Major.’

  ‘Your choice.’ She swept items on the desk aside to reach the phone, and called the security station. ‘This is Major Wu. I n
eed armed guards to Dr Hui’s office, immediately. She is under arrest for treason!’

  39

  India

  ‘So let me get this straight,’ said Australian Prime Minister Bruce Sainsbury, voice thick with sarcasm. ‘You’re telling me there’s a UFO full of fallen angels on its way to Uluru?’

  Nina gritted her teeth. ‘Well, when you put it that way, of course it sounds ridiculous!’

  The plane was three hours into its flight, now clear of China and crossing eastern India. The first two had been the most tense; while the jet was still in Chinese airspace, it could be intercepted and forced to turn back. The passengers’ worries had not eased once they crossed the Indian border. Even though Dr Hui had given Eddie a pistol, he was far from certain he would be able to force the pilots to disobey orders to return to Cangliang.

  But the plane continued southwards. The pilots left the cockpit door open at Cheng’s request, ostensibly so he could watch the plane’s operations, but in reality so the compass was visible and any radio exchanges could be overheard. All so far had been mundane dialogues with air traffic controllers.

  Nina held off from using the jet’s satellite phone until they were out of China, partly because she didn’t want to alert eavesdroppers from Chinese spy agencies to their escape, and partly to plan the best way to warn the Australian government what they were facing. Unfortunately, when boiled down to the basics, her story did indeed sound less than plausible. ‘But I’m telling the truth,’ she pressed on. ‘The Chinese woke the Nephilim, and it was not a successful first meeting. You only have to look at what’s left of Xinengyuan to see that!’

  ‘I’m looking at my computer right now,’ drawled Sainsbury, ‘and the only news out of that part of China is that a gas main blew up and wrecked some buildings. Lucky for them, it was one of those ghost cities in the middle of nowhere, so nobody was in them. There’s even a picture. No UFOs hovering over it, though.’ That last was said with a little chuckle.

  Nina struggled to control her irritation. ‘They imposed a media blackout, and made up a cover story. The last thing they want is for the world to know they’ve not only woken up an ancient threat, but also let the Nephilim escape with their new superweapon!’