by Greig Beck
“We met a brave man in Syria – a Dr Hussein ben Albadi, the former Doctor of Anthropology at the University of Damascus. He gave his life to impart certain information about the location of an ancient book that foretells the events we are now experiencing.” Matt looked down and saw the words, but then lifted his head, not needing to read, as each of the letters, words and syllables, was imprinted on his mind forever.
“From the darkest core, they will rise. From beneath the rock, beneath the soft earth and slime, they will come. The Great Old One and its armies. Where man rules, sure of himself and comfortable in his vanity, they know we are but caretakers for the true master. It sleeps, powerful, all knowing, and patient beyond time itself. Cthulhu shall rule again.”
Matt felt the same heady rush when reading or speaking the words, and he licked his dry lips before continuing. “This book, written nearly one thousand, three hundred years ago, originally known as the Al Azif, and also as The Necronomicon, or The Book of the Dead, or even The Book of Old Ones, contains a prophecy, and all the signs we are seeing bear out the fulfillment of this prophecy…and that is, the Great Old One, Cthulhu, is once again awakening.” He rubbed his eyes then looked along the faces in front of him – they displayed a mix of alert concentration and disbelief.
“This thing is an ancient being of immense power. From what I can decipher, this Cthulhu and its…minions…are currently sleeping beneath the earth, and beneath the sea. When they first ruled, it was for billions of years, and it was even before the primordial ooze. But something happened, some sort of great cataclysm that made the world unsuitable for them. Some died, some left, and some, like Cthulhu the Great Old One, hibernated.”
“Cu-what? Is this a joke?” McAllister’s features seemed to have screwed themselves into a knot on his face.
Decker held up a hand, and nodded to Matt to continue. He did.
“According to the Book, and to Dr Albadi’s research, there have been five appearances of the Old Ones in Earth’s past. These appearances correspond exactly to the five mass extinction events throughout Earth’s history.” Matt looked along the line of faces again. “When this thing rises, nearly all life on Earth vanishes.”
“Bullshit.” McAllister turned to Decker, his jaw thrust out. “That’s what we’re working with now; fucking voodoo?”
“Voodoo?” Matt’s brows went up. “Are you shitting–?”
Decker leaned forward. There were cords standing out on his neck as he glared at McAllister. “You think we’re making this up?” He jerked a thumb at the image of the long-legged creature frozen on the screen behind him. “Maybe that’s just a lot of Russians in a big fucking suit?” His head seemed to extend on his neck even further. “You got better intel, thoughts or theories, then why don’t you impress us with your own insights? Come on up, and take the floor, General.”
The silence hung thickly. McAllister sat stunned, his face reddening. “It’s just…”
Decker continued to glare, and Abrams leaned forward.
“Thank you, Matt.” He looked McAllister in the eyes. “That’s what I thought at first, General; that it can’t be real. I didn’t want it to be real.” Abrams raised a hand to the rear of the room. “But it is.” Once more the screen behind them came to life. “This may help us understand what we are dealing with. We have determined that the nearest Earth point of the celestial convergence is approximately over the state of Kentucky. We rerouted one of our VELA satellites and used ground-penetrating radar at maximum over the area – this is what we came up with…”
Images flashed on the screen one after the other – the first showed a high-altitude shot of Mammoth Cave National Park, then each successive shot peeled another surface layer – soil, limestone, sandstone, and then, deeper, there appeared a dark stain. Even more layers were stripped away, and the dark stain seemed to shift, and pulse with life.
“What in goddamn hell is that? Is it a lake, oil or something?” General McAllister asked, his forehead folded into deep clefts over his brows.
Abrams looked from the screen. “We’re not sure what it is. But it’s about ten miles down, for now, and seems to be coming to the surface.”
“That thing is enormous – what the hell size is that mass?” Don Mancino asked.
Abrams exhaled and looked at the screen. “It covers a distance of approximately five miles.”
“Five fucking miles?” McAllister said, his face turning beet red all over again. “What happens when it gets to the surface?”
Matt felt like he was going to black out, and felt Abrams hand still grip his forearm. He closed his eyes. “Have you not been listening? When they rise, it will be the end of us all.”
“How much time?” Mancino asked.
Matt opened tired eyes. “The peak planetary convergence is tonight – in about twelve hours.” He smiled sadly. “It will be a new dawn for Cthulhu…and the last for humanity.” He slipped out of consciousness.
Chapter 18
Adira Senesh sat in the hard wood and plastic chair, staring straight ahead, and with one wrist handcuffed to the armrest. The two police guards, Deck and Bill, she had learned, stood a dozen feet back against the opposite wall, facing her. Both had grown tired of trying to eyeball the tall woman, and now spent their time chatting, while occasionally glancing in her direction. Time passed at a glacial speed.
She focused, thinking through what needed to be done. Drummond had eluded them and was in the possession of the original Book. The traitor Captain Tania Kovitz had been worried that Matt Kearns had read it – whatever it still contained, and whatever it was that Kearns could not yet understand, must have extreme value to them. They had traversed oceans and countries to maim and kill to ensure they took it from them…just so they couldn’t read it – bottom line, if they wanted it, then she wanted it more.
Major Abrams had dealt her out of the game – she’d expected that. Now it was time to change things up. She looked up, her eyes half lidded. “Water.”
“What?” The guard closest to her, the one called Deck, turned to frown at her.
“Water. Thirsty.”
Deck looked at his partner after a moment and shrugged.
“Please, I’m thirsty.” She stared straight ahead again.
Bill shook his head. “Forget it. She’s not leaving the room, and neither are you. You want to give her something, then she can have the rest of yours.” He turned to stare hard at Adira.
Okay, she thought. So you are the tough one then. She looked up, her expression one of defeat and fatigue. She slumped, making herself small in the chair.
“So thirsty,” she pleaded.
Deck reached into his pocket and pulled out a half-full plastic bottle of Mountain Lake Water, and unscrewed the cap. He held it out.
Adira looked at the bottle hanging just two feet from her face. A Spec Ops soldier would not have even engaged with her. An experienced soldier would have put the bottle down and just kicked it over. Her eyes flicked from the bottle to the hand – only an inexperienced soldier would allow any part of his body to come within reach of an enemy opponent – especially one who was extremely well trained.
Adira exploded forward, dragging the chair with her. She grabbed Deck’s wrist with her unchained hand, and forced it back. The big man bent backward, and she shoved him hard into his more alert companion. Both collided with the wall, and by the time they had regained their feet, she was ready.
She swung the chair into Bill, and rounded on Deck, punching him twice rapidly in a two-knuckle blow to his temple. Bill went for his gun, but by then she was close enough to launch a vicious kick up under his chin, which caused him to bounce into the wall, and then pinball back toward her. She hit him again – a flat strike to the bridge of his nose. She could have killed them both, but it was enough that they would be unconscious for hours.
Adira stood silently, not even breathing hard, just listening – no sounds from outside the room. She kneeled quickly, finding the handcuff key
s and freeing herself. She then stripped the men of their guns, money, both their two-way radios, heavy torches, concealed weapons and anything else she could fit in her pockets. She then tied their hands and legs behind their backs.
She picked up Deck’s water and sipped as she got to her feet, cracking the door a fraction and looking out and down the empty corridor. She eased out and moved quickly to an exit – escape from airport security would be simple. She was already on the inside of the secured area. US security provisions were extremely tough and effective against people trying to get into airports, not break out.
In another ten minutes she found the carpark, and jacked a small sedan. The parking card was in the glovebox.
“I love this country.” She shot out into the street, and turned hard onto the main boulevard. In a few minutes she was moving toward the city center. She knew the town, and knew there was a Mossad safe house nearby.
She needed to find Drummond, and for that she needed a connection to him – she needed Matt Kearns.
*
General Decker called for a break in the meeting so the group could grab coffee or food, or just generally stretch their legs.
Matt and Andy decided to walk for a bit in the huge grounds of Fort Benning. The secure grounds they were in was part of a massive complex the size of Rhode Island – offices, accommodation, restaurants, training fields, firing ranges, with huge tracts of land for field exercises and jogging tracks. In some areas, you felt you could have been in a secluded forest, and it would have been too easy to get lost.
The pair headed off for a quick head-clearing walk, and maybe a coffee and donut if they could find one. Once out in the fresh air, Matt felt better immediately.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it free, frowning down at the small screen.
“Trouble?” Andy asked.
“Nah, but more a bolt from the blue – it’s from my ex, Megan– haven’t heard from her in a year or so.” He read the message.
“What’s it say?” Andy tried to see over his shoulder.
Matt blocked him. “Urgent news. She wants me to come to the front gate; they won’t let her in.” He raised his eyebrows. “What’s that about? And how did she find me? Jesus.”
Andy snorted. “I miss you, honey…and it’s time for you to say hello to Matt Kearns Junior.”
“Oh piss off. It’s been ages…Still.” Matt grimaced at the thought Andy had planted in his head. “Nah, impossible. Something’s not right.” He looked around, seeing where he was in relation to the front gates – only about ten minutes. They only had thirty minutes, but his curiosity was overwhelming his good sense.
“Want me to come?” Andy asked with a lopsided grin.
“No way, it’s –”
“Forget it, buddy, I’m coming. Any chick who’d put up with you for more than five minutes is worth seeing.” He slapped Matt on the shoulder and pointed. “This way.”
It took them twenty minutes to pass the front gate, explain they were going for a walk, and then another ten to find the small car parked by the roadside. When they approached a hand came out and waved. Matt slowed, Andy at his side.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Andy said and snorted. “Do all your women friends look the same?”
“So, Megan?” Matt folded his arms at the car window.
Adira lowered her sunglasses. “Matt, Andy; sorry for the subterfuge, but I needed to talk…and yes, it is urgent.”
“I thought you were confined to the airport?” Matt asked, scoffing.
“I convinced them I can be of more assistance in the field. So…” She shrugged, and then looked at the military facility. “So, how’s it going in there? Have they ordered a nuclear strike yet?” She smiled. “They will, you know.”
“On home soil?” Matt shook his head. “No way.”
“Professor, Matthew, when a man has a hammer, everything needs hammering. This is the military you’re dealing with – to them, everything has a military solution.”
Matt exhaled and looked around. He knew she was probably right. He could tell the way the mood in the room was shifting toward a conclusive response.
“There is another option,” Adira said, pushing her sunglasses back up on her nose. “Get in.” She motioned to the seat next to her. She looked up at Andy. “You don’t need to come, Mr Bennet.”
“Nice one, and I missed you too,” Andy said with one brow up. “But if my buddy is going, then I go too.”
Matt got in and Andy jumped in the back, and rested his elbows on the seat between them.
Adira turned to Matt. “The Book, the Al Azif, is in your head. But the answers have not been made apparent to you…yet. Charles Drummond wanted that Book for a reason – even if it was just to make sure we didn’t have it. I want to know why.”
“I don’t have the copy I made.” Matt held out his hands.
“The copy is in your head. But what you wrote down was incomplete – you are missing many of the symbols, I remember you telling us. We need the original.” Her eyes became flint hard. “And for that, I want to talk to Charles Drummond – one on one.”
*
General Decker, Fort Benning’s Commanding General James McAllister, Major Abrams, and Sergeant Major Don Mancino shared a coffee as various teams ran some tactical response scenarios.
McAllister nodded his thanks as Decker topped up his coffee. He sipped and then looked at his officer. “No one saw this coming.”
Decker shrugged. “Yes they did. Unfortunately, we didn’t know they did, as they’ve been dead for over a thousand years.” He exhaled. “They way I see it; we’ve got an immediate threat to the population in these goddamn creatures rising up and attacking our people. They’re hard to kill, and there are more of them by the hour. But the worst of it is, we have the greater threat in this giant…being rising to the surface of our planet. We need to break our problems down.” Decker looked to Abrams. “Major, your job is the Shoggoths – get down to the containment cell and pull that freak apart and find out what makes it tick. I want to know how we can kill or at least hurt it. Also, keep on that Kearns guy’s back – he’s the only one who’s looked at the Book, and I think there’s more we can learn from him yet.”
McAllister nodded at Don Mancino. “Don will send a team after Drummond, and this traitor, Captain Tania Kovitz – if they’re in, on, or under our country, we’ll find em.” He looked up the screen; it showed the faint image of Cthulhu underneath Mammoth Park. “That thing reminds me of some sort of giant infection under the skin. You know what we do in the field if we get a growing infection in a wound.” His eyebrows went up.
Decker nodded slowly. “We cauterize.”
“It’s a big infection, so we’ll need a big instrument.” McAllister’s face became grim. “You thinking Castle Bravo?”
Decker smiled. “Way ahead of you, Jim: we’re upgrading a B83 as we speak. It’s our best nuclear earth penetrator – big-end-of-town bunker buster. Normally, we can punch out about one point two megatons – not enough. We’re scaling it up for a twenty-megaton strike. It’ll be about a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bombs we dropped on Japan. When this thing detonates, it will form a fireball almost five miles across, and scour a crater five hundred feet deep.”
Mancino whistled. “Let’s hope that does it. What about fallout?”
Decker exhaled and his lips compressed momentarily. “We can expect a mushroom cloud rising to forty-seven thousand feet with a contamination plume expanding to a diameter of sixty-two miles within ten minutes.” He looked at each of the men, his jaw set. “Conservative estimates are that it will onward expand at more than two-twenty miles per hour, and that around a hundred miles of the state will be significantly contaminated, and a thousand square miles of land mildly contaminated.”
“Jesus Christ.” Mancino grimaced. “That’s most of Kentucky – four and a half million people. We need to get them out.”
Decker nodded slowly. “We’re
gonna do our best.” His face was grave. “But if this thing starts to break through, then either the B83 drops, or we say goodbye to everyone and everything on the planet anyway.”
McAlister blinked a few times. “Then I pray we don’t have to use it.”
Chapter 19
Charles Drummond and Tania stood in an antechamber, outside a huge door, awaiting their audience. The Father would not be rushed, would not be at anyone’s beck and call. Two of the shaven-headed priests stood up against the wall, their eyes on the floor – they didn’t move or even seem to breathe. Since the two had led them into the room, it was if they ceased to be alive.
Tania held the Al Azif under one arm and shivered despite the heat.
Drummond looked across at her and smiled. “Don’t be nervous. You are given a great honor to meet the Father; not many of our flock even know he exists. In fact, not many would even get to meet me, let alone know about me.”
She grinned nervously. “I just don’t know what to expect. Maybe I’m just overexcited to meet someone who has actually communed with the Great Old One,” she said, trying hard to stop her teeth chattering.
Drummond watched her face for a moment – he could almost smell her fear. The freckles across her nose and cheeks were more prominent against the cold pallor of her skin.
“Like I said, he asked to see you…perhaps a reward is in order. Your service as a sleeper agent, working within the military for nearly ten years, has been exemplary. We couldn’t have monitored the Americans or obtained the Book without you.” He nodded and smiled again. “Whatever you receive, it will be a gift; just remember that.”
She sucked in a deep, juddering breath.
Another thirty minutes passed before one of the priests stepped forward and opened the door, and pointed. Drummond steadied himself, and once again, was nearly overwhelmed by the rank fishy odor. He almost chortled at the thought of what the woman was experiencing, it being her first time. He half turned.
