Order of the Black Sun Box Set 11

by Preston William Child

  Sam watched the chaos unfold but didn't launch himself at the pearl like the others had. Instead, he took a breath to examine what was happening. The water seemed to be guarding the pearl like a defense mechanism but only within a certain radius.

  “Purdue!” Sam called to him as he was getting back up. “Go stand directly across from me on the other side of the pearl. The second it gets close, you grab it!”

  “How's it supposed to get close?” Purdue asked, but still slowly made his way across the room to get into position. He knew Sam well enough to know to follow Sam's lead when he seemed like he had a good idea of how to fix a problem. Purdue was careful to avoid getting too close to the pearl or to the spurts of water that were ready to hit him.

  “You'll see,” Sam said. He took off one of his shoes and threw it at the pearl but his throw was slightly off. The shoe plopped harmlessly down beside the pearl. He stepped down with his free foot and immediately felt the water soak through his sock as he took off his remaining shoe to try again. Both of his feet were sopping now but he ignored it and aimed his footwear carefully. He threw the shoe and it hit the pearl, sending it rolling across the floor like a marble.

  The water that swirled throughout the room tried to follow the pearl but Purdue pounced on it before its defenses could catch up. Once his hand was around the pearl, all of the water in the air spilled to the floor, like it had suddenly run out of all of the mystical energy that was causing its unrest.

  With the pearl in his grasp, Purdue could manipulate the water with nothing but mental commands. It had made the pearl a powerful weapon during Purdue's guerilla war against Julian Corvus some time back. Sam had seen the pearl's capabilities firsthand. It had done them a lot of good when they used it then—but why was it malfunctioning now?

  The water relaxed so that just weak and thin streams of liquid were coming out of the broken pipes. The pearl's power was incredible but was limited to just the water itself. It couldn't fix the plumbing issue unfortunately. Purdue held the pearl tightly and closed his eyes. The water throughout the facility settled and stopped attacking people.

  “What is that thing?” August asked, exasperated.

  Purdue kept the pearl in his clenched fist and turned to August. “It's something I found a little while ago at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “Like the very bottom?” August asked, his eyes growing wide.

  “The very bottom, aye,” Purdue said. “The Mariana Trench.”

  “Oh,” August said with a nod like it was just something to be mildly impressed about, but in reality looked stunned. “Has anyone ever told you that you are absolutely insane?”

  “Aye.”

  Sam cut in. “But why did the pearl decide to start tearing up the place?” He shifted his attention to Elijah and August. “Was anyone holding it when it happened?”

  “No one,” Elijah said. “That's the strangest part. It was in its storage unit in the deep vault. I only had it brought up with the crane once I realized what the source of all of this water could be. But once I had it up here, the water didn't let me get close to touching it.”

  “Has anything like this ever happened before?” Sam asked.

  “Not that I've seen,” Purdue said. He kept his fingers closed around the pearl like he was afraid it would go on a rampage again if he even slightly loosened his grip at all. “But we still don't know much about it. Just that it was at the bottom of the ocean and before that...it belonged to a pirate named Walton Ogden. His crew found it in a lock box. Before that...well, I'm not entirely sure.”

  “It was mine.”

  The voice echoed throughout the room. It was somehow both as quiet as a whisper and as loud as a yell at the same time. They all looked at each other uncertainly, making sure that the others heard it too. None of them had said the words.

  “It belongs to me.”

  The puddles on the floor rippled.

  “Give it back. Give it back now.”

  The water in the room started to move on its own again but with less chaotic fervor this time. The water coalesced and joined together, rising from the floor to the air. It took shape, becoming a human-like silhouette. The shape stepped toward them and stray drops of its body spilled on the floor as it moved.

  They were all paralyzed. The people in that room had collectively seen all kinds of unusual things in the world but this had to be one of the strangest.

  The water man took another step toward Purdue and the pearl. The plume of water that made up one of his legs nearly collapsed in on itself when he stepped, but the water managed to hold together in a nearly solid form. The figure reached a hand out to Purdue's own.

  “That pearl belongs to me. It is mine. Mine.”

  The shape was barely keeping itself together but more puddles moved into the vault room from the corridors outside, joining the figure’s form and making the silhouette grow in height, as it started to tower over Purdue threateningly.

  “Return what is mine or you will drown.”

  It was practically a living wave, all condensed down into the enormous shape of a man.

  “Return what is mine!”

  The giant water man exploded and his liquid body splashed over everyone in the room, instantly drenching them all. They all stood in shock, drenched and damp from all of the water.

  “What the hell was that?” August yelled out. “Like, seriously what the hell did we just see!?”

  Purdue looked at the pearl in his palm uneasily. “I have no idea.”

  The water didn't try to kill them again—so that was an improvement.

  3

  THE DAMP ONES

  A woman that Sam had only seen a few times walking through the corridors was the first one to talk to Purdue, immediately rushing over to him and talking in hushed tones.

  The Order of the Black Sun members spent the rest of the day cleaning up the mess that the pearl made. Sam mopped while others tried to patch up the damaged pipes, or at least put buckets under them to slow down the flooding. Sam continued to mop up the puddles but the entire time he looked at the water, all he could really think about was that figure walking toward them, demanding the pearl back. As August had said, what the hell was that? Who did the voice belong to? The pearl was supposed to control water and Purdue had been holding it, so how was the water even doing that against Purdue's will? Those questions jabbed at his brain, scratching away as he moved the mop along the floor. He wanted answers but it didn't seem likely that he would get any by just cleaning up the water damage.

  Sam put down the mop and went to Purdue's office to check on him. He was cleaning up all of the paperwork that he had out when the pipes burst. Purdue still had the pearl cupped in one of his hands, probably concerned that the water would erupt again if he didn't. The papers were a lost cause. They had all pretty much melted and disintegrated in the shower of water. Sam wasn't sure what exactly was on them but Purdue looked quite sullen about it. Hopefully, the identity of their mysterious new enemy wasn't on there after all. That would just be terrible.

  Purdue didn't seem to notice Sam in the doorway and looked startled when he finally did.

  “Sorry about your research.”

  Purdue gave a stifled, disappointed laugh. “The files weren't helping me much anyway. They gave me very few answers. This wasn't how I expected the day to go...”

  “Getting attacked by water?” Sam laughed. “Getting our asses kicked by puddles? Is that what you mean? Yeah, I can't say that I anticipated that either.”

  “There's always someone after our relics...” Purdue said distantly, looking at the pearl that rested on his palm. “But this wasn't just a thief, aye? Or some rival organization trying to steal from us. That thing was...well, I would safely say that I've never seen something like it.”

  “Maybe this mysterious old woman and her top secret group realized you were looking into them.” Sam said it jokingly but the paranoia probably running through Purdue's mind couldn't seem to distinguish between
seriousness and teasing. “I'm just kidding, Purdue.”

  Purdue nodded, but still seemed to be seriously considering the possibility. He probably wanted it to be this new enemy. That way, he would have more information about them. This attack might even give him insight on how the Order of the Black Sun could defend themselves against them. They both knew that it was just wishful thinking. This wasn't a manmade ambush. This—whatever that voice and shape was—was something else entirely.

  A woman came into the room and Sam was shocked to see Purdue immediately hand her the pearl. She was a pale woman with a very poor sense of fashion and large glasses that were too big for her face.

  “Sam, this is Daisy Judge.”

  Sam recognized her from around the facility. She was one of the many new recruits that had been brought on board to the Order of the Black Sun in recent months. More importantly, she was the woman who Purdue was speaking with after that water man demanded that they hand over the pearl.

  “It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cleave,” Daisy said, shaking his hand.

  Sam was still getting used to working with so many colleagues in the Order of the Black Sun. It was hard remembering what positions people had, what their strengths were, or even whether or not he had ever met them before.

  “Daisy believes she knows who was responsible for this mess,” Purdue explained. “Isn't that right, Miss Judge?”

  Daisy nodded and with complete seriousness spoke one name. “Poseidon.”

  “Huh?”

  “Poseidon. The Greek god of the sea.” Daisy said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and that he was an imbecile since he was having trouble figuring out what point she was trying to make. “That pearl belonged to him.”

  “And just how the hell do you know that?”

  “Simple deduction, especially when my mind is almost always thinking about the Greek gods. Not to mention...well...look around you. That's a lot of water, don't you think? Kind of makes it obvious. He should have left a more mysterious calling card.”

  Sam looked down at the water on the floor. “Yeah, but Poseidon is the god of the sea, not the god of plumbing. Oh, and he also doesn't exist.”

  “Sam...” Purdue said with some shame.

  “I just didn't know we were recruiting people who were specialists in fairy tales and fables. I just never thought that a myth would be much help in finding something of historical significance.”

  “Of course it would be,” Daisy said with an amused laugh. “History has always influenced mythology and some mythology has even influenced history. It's how the world works. And not all myths are just stories, they're only regarded that way because they haven't been proven to be true without any uncertainty.”

  Sam shook his head. “So you really think Poseidon himself strode up to land and paid us a visit?”

  “Not in the flesh, but that voice and that shape the water took. It could have just been some sort of manifestation of him, yes. It had to be.”

  “Or you really want it to be...you need it to be.”

  “This pearl is one of three that legend said belonged to Poseidon. They used to decorate his trident.”

  That was one of the only things that Sam really knew about the sea god—he was some tough guy with a big beard and an even bigger trident. Sam didn't really care what the legends said about tridents or these pearls. None of it proved anything. It was hard to believe that that pearl was once the property of a god.

  Purdue clapped his hands together. “You and Daisy are going to figure this pearl out.”

  Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was foolish enough to think that he would finally get a chance to work with Purdue or Nina again like the good old days. He even would have been content working with some of the new people on a team; people like Elijah Dane, August, or Riley Duda. Instead of any of those options, he was stuck working, one on one, with a woman who specialized in things that weren't even real. She could claim this was all Poseidon's doing but it would take some real, indisputable and concrete evidence that a sea god was demanding his property back to win Sam over.

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” Sam blurted out to Purdue, before Purdue could finish with his instructions. Purdue looked puzzled by the interruption. Sam put a hand on Purdue's back and started leading him toward the door. “It will only take a moment...just a personal matter...it'll be quick.”

  Daisy watched them as they left the room, awkwardly left behind. Sam made sure to close the door behind them once they were in the hallway so Daisy wouldn't hear. As much as he was skeptical of her and her qualifications, Sam didn't want her to overhear his opinions since they were justifiably harsh.

  Sam kept his voice down to a frantic whisper. “Why the two of us?”

  Purdue shrugged. “I think you two would work very well together.”

  “No, we won't. I don't think we would work together well at all actually. And why just the two of us?”

  “Because two people is all that this assignment should hopefully require.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If this is just a matter of returning that pearl to its proper place, then we need not worry about much guarding it.”

  “And the other two pearls?”

  “Use the one we have to find the others.”

  “When is it ever that easy? Why can't we send everyone to figure this out? I’m sure everyone else would jump at the chance, especially after the pearl broke all of their baths, toilets, and gave us all showers that no one asked for. Who knows? If we had given that water a few more minutes, it might have even tried to drown all of us! Everyone would want to make sure that never happens again.”

  “Just because we have close to an army now doesn't mean we should use it at the drop of a hat. We might need our resources spread out, not all crammed together in one place. That could leave us vulnerable.”

  “Vulnerable to what?” Sam asked but Purdue remained silent and didn't give an answer—but that silence was enough of one. “Oh, I see. This is about your invisible enemy again. You're worried about what they might do...that's fine. But while you're scared of people who we aren't even sure exist, we have a real visible problem here that also requires your attention, and is something that should be taken seriously.”

  “Aye,” Purdue said, letting out a sigh of annoyance. “I am taking it seriously. That is why I'm asking you to get this job done. I need someone that I trust can handle it to get this done.”

  Sam was still irritated but couldn't help feeling a little flattered for a second. However, his frustration quickly took back control.

  “But why not give me Nina to work with? Or you? You're not the only one that needs someone they trust to handle things properly.”

  “Nina is currently on another assignment and as you already know, I'm in the middle of my own investigation. Not to mention, Daisy Judge is more qualified to handle the subject of this far more than Nina or I.”

  “Is she?” Sam asked with a little laugh. “Because all she is probably going to do is regale me with old fairy tales.”

  “Just give her a chance,” Purdue said. “She may be a bit out there but she has an incredible knowledge of mythology. I know your more factually oriented mind might struggle with this but keep an open mind. After everything that you've seen—that we've seen—with our own eyes, is the existence of the Greek gods really such an impossibility for you?”

  That was a hard question. Sam had certainly seen a lot that he would never have thought possible before. He had seen things that weren't supposed to exist but had yet to fully cross into the most extreme things—like the existence of gods.

  “Fish gods are a bit more difficult to believe.”

  “Just keep an open mind, aye? I know you two can handle this together. Whether you believe it or not, Daisy knows what she's talking about. Now, let's stop being rude.”

  Sam felt a bit embarrassed when Purdue opened the door and led him back into the room to Daisy. Sam didn'
t want to be mean or petty but it just felt like nothing had been going right for him since they took over the Order of the Black Sun. He just needed a win, and so far, this didn't seem like it was going to be one. But maybe Purdue was right. Maybe Sam just needed to pry open his mind a bit more.

  Sam and Daisy sat across from each other in one of the facility's lounges. There was an unfolded map of the world on the table between them. They were trying to plan out their venture but it wasn't like the water man gave them much to go off of and he definitely hadn't given them coordinates or an address. That would have been too helpful.

  The pearl rested beside the map and Sam's attention would often drift to it during the conversation. They had to reunite the pearl with its two siblings before it triggered another watery disaster inside the facility. Or maybe next time, its power would create a much larger catastrophe somewhere else. The only problem was that they could be anywhere in the world. They could even be at the very bottom of the ocean just like the first pearl had been—and Sam wasn't keen on hopping in a tiny vehicle and venturing down that deep like Purdue had done.

  “I know a man in Greece, heavily into the old myths like myself...if anyone would have a real concrete idea of where those pearls are, it would be him.”

  Sam wasn't enthused about another myth expert. He didn't realize that they all knew each other, probably chatting about Dionysus or Persephone, or all of those convoluted stories. Daisy could definitely see the lack of enthusiasm on his face. She laughed and muttered something under her breath.

  “If we're going to find Poseidon's pearls, you are going to have to stop shaking your head at everything I say.”

  Sam shook his head just to counter that point. “We still don't even know that these are Poseidon's—”

  “I do,” Daisy said firmly. “And for the sake of this mission, let's call them that whether you believe it or not...but you really should.”

  They sat across from each other in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Sam still had no idea how this was supposed to work. They were just far too different of people. They couldn't agree on the most basic facts of life so how were they supposed to agree on the best path to take in their search?