by R. D. Brady
“That wasn’t me. That was Shremp.”
Laney met the President’s gaze and did not let her look away. “He was a tool, your tool. You wielded him to keep your own hands clean. To have plausible deniability. You could have put anyone in charge of the CEI, but you chose someone with unchecked ambition and loose moral restraints. So I’m sorry, Madame President, but you are responsible, more so than Shremp.”
The President studied Laney. “I see you like to shoot straight.”
“Shooting crooked is a waste of ammo.”
“All right, then. I don’t trust you enhanced people. I don’t trust your ambitions. So yes, I looked for weaknesses with the tools at my disposal. I don’t apologize for protecting my citizens.”
“The people you hurt were your citizens, too.” Laney took a breath, trying to rein in her temper. While she wanted to take the President to task for all she had done, now wasn’t the time. As much as she hated to admit, there were larger concerns. “Will you honor the deal you made?”
“I will. If you succeed in your mission.”
“I will. As long as you get your people to fall in line.”
“General Rockefeller is at times difficult. But there is no one better. He’ll follow your lead.”
Laney studied her. “You had him push me to see what I would do.”
The President stood. “I needed to make sure you wouldn’t lash out when things got difficult.”
Laney swallowed down her anger. “You’re playing games when lives are at stake.”
“No, I am making sure the person I put in charge of saving those lives is up to the task. You will have everything you need. Forty-eight hours, and we will be ready to go.”
“All right. I’ll need to arrange for my team to join us.”
“Give me names, and I’ll make sure they are cleared. Let Nancy know if there is anything else you need.” The President moved to the door. Her hand on the doorknob, she stopped and looked back at Laney. “I’d wish you luck, Dr. McPhearson, but I don’t believe in it. I hope you succeed, because the world needs you to.”
Chapter 51
Rome, Italy
Cardinal John Moretti disconnected the call, sitting back heavily in his chair and staring out the window. His villa offered a beautiful view of the Tiber. From here, he could even see the top of the Castel Sant’Angelo, and of course, Michael on top of his perch.
Right now, though, Moretti took in none of that as his mind raced. The Americans were backing McPhearson. His informant inside the government had just called with the information. No doubt similar calls were going out to other countries across the globe. There would be a race to stop her. In all likelihood, they would succeed.
But what if they didn’t? She had proven to be amazingly resourceful. Each time she had been counted out, she had come back stronger than before.
And this time, this time she was trying to remove all the powers of the Fallen. He shook his head. Who did she think she was, trying to subvert God’s plan? The time of judgment was upon them. As the Fallen gained in numbers, the devout would flock to the Church for protection. And the Church would protect them. They would stand as a bastion against this blight, staying true to His words. And God would judge them accordingly.
But if Delaney McPhearson succeeded, if by some miracle she managed to remove the Fallen’s powers, then none of that would happen. The glory of the Church would not be revealed. His role in protecting the Church would slip by. He knew his role in this drama. He was a herald of the end of days. He was a soldier on the front lines.
No, not a soldier. A general. And his job was to make the tough calls. To ignore base considerations for the loftier considerations of humanity’s soul. Humanity needed to be judged. Humanity needed to be humbled. Humanity needed to turn back to their God. And the rise of the Fallen would usher in that era.
And it was Moretti’s job to hold that door open. He turned to his computer, pulling up the file he had drafted a few weeks ago in case this day ever came. He read it over, made a few changes consistent with current events, and then sent it to the Pope. He picked up his phone and dialed the Pope’s assistant.
Father Gregory answered. “Yes?”
“I have sent a press release for the Pope to read tomorrow morning.”
“He has nothing scheduled.”
“I am aware. But I have it on good authority that the countries of the world are mobilizing. It is important that we have his voice heard.”
“I have heard nothing of it.”
“You will. And when you do, the Pope will need to get in front of it.”
Gregory sighed. “Very well. I will review it and have it ready for the Pope when he awakens. Is there anything else, Your Eminence?”
“No. That is all. Have a good night, Gregory.”
“You as well.”
Moretti sat back again, his phone resting against his chin. Delaney would face down the countries of the world. A formidable enemy.
But he would make sure that she would face one even more formidable. He smiled.
Your time is at an end, Ms. McPhearson.
Chapter 52
Washington, D.C.
After the President left, the meeting went much smoother. General Rockefeller became much more agreeable. Within three hours, they had most of the details locked down. The sheer scope of the forces involved was mind-boggling. The military representatives talked about number of boots on the ground as well as air, sea, and satellite-driven drone strikes. It was terrifying. All these people and weapons were being put into play.
Laney could not get a sense of what the military leaders truly felt. They were playing those cards close to the vest, so she couldn’t tell if they truly believed she would be able to undo the Omni or if they thought these preparations were for the first true battle of World War III. She’d caught more than one of them looking at her speculatively during the intense conversations.
They were to meet again in the morning to finish things up. Now Laney let out a yawn as David drove through the city toward his townhome. Laney doubted any of them would be getting a good night’s sleep. Laney, Matt, and Drake would all bunk at David’s place tonight. It was the closest to the Pentagon, and there was safety in numbers. So far, the government appeared to be working with them in good faith. But Laney was well aware that could change at any moment.
David’s townhome was in a quiet section of Georgetown. Trees framed the street where gray stone homes with large wooden doors stood with a stately elegance. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior with a marble entryway leading to dark wood floors throughout the rest of the home. Large doorways and tall ceilings made the space seem larger. The pale gray walls and crisp white trim were a great backdrop for the neutral furniture with blue, white, and black accents. All in all, it was stylish yet comfortable.
The guest room David showed Laney and Drake to had a large, heavy wooden-framed bed with a plush white carpet. A loveseat sat across from the bed, near the windows, imploring someone to curl up and read or nap. Laney was tempted to do just that, but David invited Laney for a run.
Laney was tired but agreed. The idea was simply too appealing to resist. While she’d been able to run in Bolivia, running in a city, around people—she’d missed that.
Matt and Drake elected to stay behind. Matt was getting the communications set up so they could contact Danny tonight and relay the plans. Drake was already taking a nap.
Laney and David had run two miles, getting their breathing under control, enjoying the rhythm of the run, when David spoke. “So, how are you feeling?”
“Glad the details are finally getting ironed out. I think we should be ready.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Laney flicked a gaze at him, seeing the concern on his face. “I’m all right. I think somewhere down deep, I knew it had to come to an end. That once the world realized what was happening underneath their noses, it was only a matter of time.”
“And the prophecy?”
Laney snorted. “Which one?”
David smiled. “Touché. The one from your dream. The one about the sacrifice.”
“How did you know about that?”
“Spy, remember?”
She looked at him incredulously. “No, seriously, how?”
“I might have overheard you two talking.”
Sarah’s words ran through her mind. Sacrifice and death will lead you, and sacrifice and death will follow. Blood will lead the way.
“I’ve accepted it. It is what it is. There’s no need to worry about something that is a certainty. All it does is stress you out.”
“Have you figured out what the sacrifice will be?”
Laney shook her head. Like with all prophecies, there seemed so many possible interpretations. Was the writer talking about sacrifice on a global scale? Was the sacrifice the Fallen’s powers? Was the sacrifice more personal? It could be anything. “No. But I know it will be painful, whatever it is.”
“And if you’re asked to do something painful? Will you be able to do it?”
“I’ve accepted I will in all likelihood not survive this, David.”
“But if you do, Laney? What if you’re not the sacrifice? What if you’re asked to sacrifice someone else?”
“You mean Drake?”
He nodded.
“Drake’s fine. He’s just himself. He’s not Michael.”
David was quiet for a moment. “But what if you are asked to sacrifice someone else?”
She wanted to say she would do it. After all, the world truly hung in the balance. But she wasn’t sure that was truthful. “You mean sacrifice someone I love? I don’t know, David. I mean, sacrifice myself for the world? I could do that. But sacrifice someone else? I don’t know if I have that in me.”
“For all our sakes, we better hope you can.”
Laney swallowed, lengthening her stride. I know.
Chapter 53
Later that night after a quiet dinner, everyone turned in early. They all needed a good night’s sleep. But the images from the meeting earlier kept rolling around and around in Laney’s brain. Even as she closed her eyes and tried to block them out, they refused to disappear. The militaries of all the countries of the world seemed to be on the move, some to their borders to strengthen defenses, some moving into parts of the world they would never have dreamed of treading on just a few short weeks ago.
Elisabeta’s plan had been to remake the world. And now, after her death, that was exactly what was happening.
Next to Laney, Drake’s breath evened out as he slipped into sleep. Laney waited a few more minutes and then silently climbed from the bed. She moved to the loveseat by the window. Turning so she faced the window, she curled up on it, tucking her legs underneath her and resting her arms and chin on the back of the loveseat. Streetlights were on, giving off a faint glow on the street below. A few cars were parked on opposite sides of the street. There was no litter, no vagrants, no foot traffic. It looked like a movie set, no movement, perfectly still, just waiting for the director to call action.
D.C. was under martial law. No one was allowed out after dark except for law enforcement. A few hours ago, the President had declared martial law in all major cities, leaving it up to smaller cities and towns to decide if they wanted to institute a curfew. About half had done so. The President worried that when word got out about the mission in Egypt, the country would react badly.
Or if things went wrong, other countries would react badly and retaliate against the United States. It was a huge gamble. But the President was putting her trust in Laney, hoping she could accomplish the impossible. That she could end this entire global nightmare.
Laney sat back, pulling her legs to her chest as she went over all that they knew. She was looking for something, anything that told her she was on the wrong path. But she didn’t think she was.
The Tome spoke of a weapon that could be used against the Fallen. One that only the ring bearer could wield. She did not doubt that translation.
It was the next part she was struggling with. What if they were wrong? What if the capstone was no longer inside the Pyramid? Or what if the mechanism to bring it out no longer worked? What if she broke the Pyramid in her attempts to put the capstone in place? What if she made it impossible for the capstone to work?
The Pyramid was a marvel of engineering. Engineers across centuries had been astounded by the accuracy of the structure. But years of humans defiling it must have made some changes that made any attempts to operate it a foolish dream.
So what if I place the capstone inaccurately? What if I pull it from the Pyramid and it simply doesn’t work? Or what if Cain misinterpreted the texts? It does not specifically say the capstone is in the Pyramid. It looks like the capstone is. But what if it’s something else? What if I pin everyone’s hopes on a plan that is doomed to fail?
“Hey.”
Laney’s head jerked up as Drake knelt next to her. “Oh, hey. Did I wake you?”
He stretched, showing off a very impressive set of shoulders. “Yup. The worries and doubts wafting off you shoved away the delightful dream I was having about being a sultan with a harem of one hundred women.”
Laney raised an eyebrow. “A hundred women?”
“Yes. Strange, though, they all looked exactly like this red-haired, green-eyed woman I know.”
“Nice save.”
“I thought so . . . So, what are you thinking about?”
Laney rolled her eyes. “What do you think?”
“I think you are sitting here tying yourself in knots about our course of action.”
“You would be correct.”
He sighed. “You need to stop doubting yourself. Aren’t you the woman who faked her own death to take on the woman bent on global domination?”
“Yes, but that was different.”
“How?”
“I mean, the plane thing, it was just us.”
“I’ll try not to take that personally,” he said dryly.
She took his hand. “You know what I mean. Our actions over the next few days—there are global consequences. What if we’re wrong?”
“What if we are? What if we go through all of this and it doesn’t work? What will you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I do. You will pick yourself up. You will dust yourself off, and you will jump back into the fight. Things go wrong, Laney. You can’t prepare for everything. But you can choose to keep fighting. So even if things go wrong, you won’t quit. You’ll find another way.”
She stared into his eyes. He was right. She wasn’t a “curl up in the fetal position and pray her problems went away” kind of girl. She was a “face them head on” kind of girl. They had decided on a course of action. She would see it through. Second-guessing, doubting it, was only going to make it harder. And things were going to be tough enough without her adding extra baggage. She leaned forward and kissed him. “You’re right. Thank you.”
He smiled. “You know, being we’re both awake, maybe I could show you some of the benefits of this humanly existence.”
“Oh really? And what might they be?”
He pulled her up. “Let me show you.”
Sunlight speared through the curtains. Laney blinked against it. She’d left the curtain pulled back last night, and now she was paying the price. She rolled over, laying a hand on Drake’s chest with a smile. He had well and thoroughly exhausted her. She had slept for the rest of the night without a thought.
But now, with daylight creeping through the windows, what lay ahead of them refused to shift back into the darkness. She looked past Drake to the clock on the side of the bed. Three more hours and they would be in a meeting with joint chiefs. This time the heads of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet as well as the head of the Marine Corps Ground Combat team would be joining them in a video conference. Some equivalent military leader from the Army would also be joining in, although Laney could not for
the life of her remember their title. She was awash in military titles at this point.
The world is on the march. The weight of the responsibility of the battle ahead settled on her, but she shrugged it off. Drake was right. No point making it more difficult than it already was.
Besides, it wasn’t like she hadn’t faced a world at war before. As Helen, she’d been in the middle of a world gone mad. And she had defeated Samyaza, who’d been trying to gain back his powers.
But she’d lost Drake. She ran a hand over his bare chest. She knew in the battle to come, she would lose people. There was no way they would all survive. She was pretty sure that she herself would not survive. She had come close to dying so many times.
You can only avoid the punches for so long.
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Whatever happened would happen. She would do her best to protect all those she could. That was all she could ask of herself.
“Are you done with your morning mental gymnastics routine?”
Laney opened her eyes, smiling into Drake’s heavy-lidded eyes. “I am.”
“Good. Then let me show you—”
She shook her head, pulling the sheet with her as she sat up. “Nope. The car is coming for us in about an hour. And I want a shower and breakfast.”
Drake raised an eyebrow. “So we’re in a rush?”
“A bit.”
“Well, it would probably be more efficient then to shower together. To save time and all.”
Laney smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Chapter 54
The bathroom mirror was completely steamed over. David wiped it away, glad Rahim wasn’t here to yell at him about forgetting to turn on the fan. But that wasn’t the only reason he didn’t want him here. He wanted him as far away as possible from all this craziness. He wanted him safe.
