Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14)

by Siegel, Alex

  She understood that part clearly. An immortal Society was very vulnerable to laziness, corruption, and disinterest. Something had to keep the legionnaires on the straight and narrow path for all eternity. The threat of annihilation would be the ultimate incentive. If a legionnaire's performance displeased Aaron or Marina, a replacement would be found.

  "And if Aaron or I forget our purpose?" Marina said.

  "God will replace you," Wesley said. "It won't be hard for Him to find loving couples eager to take your place. I think everybody understands now. The aperture will open tomorrow night. Make your choice based on your own feelings. Don't worry about what other people will think. There is no dishonor in saying 'no.' Now, let's go to sleep."

  The crowd began to disperse. Some went back out to the trucks to fetch the bedding.

  Marina went to Wesley. "How long have you known?" she demanded.

  He smiled at her. "I began to see the truth the morning after we first met. We were eating breakfast in a house by the lake."

  "I remember."

  "I realized the love between you and Aaron will be extremely important. You'll be married for an eternity, and some days it will feel like an eternity. You won't get along all the time. No matter how much you bicker, you can't forget you love each other. If your marriage falls apart, and the Society becomes divided, all life in the universe will suffer. Your relationship is a bond that holds everything else together."

  Marina furrowed her brow. Being stuck with Aaron forever didn't seem like a bad thing now, but she could imagine it wearing on her eventually. When it came to long-term relationships with men, her track record wasn't great.

  Wesley continued, "I understood more after I met the twins. I saw the journey they would take and where it would end. I knew the Society would have to change. That's when I saw how you and Aaron would fit in. You can't just give extraordinary powers to people and hope they use them wisely. There has to be checks and balances. A sadistic bitch like you and a relentless killer like Aaron will inspire discipline."

  The words were ugly, but she saw the truth in them. Nobody would dare to cross Aaron and Marina. Slaughter and cruelty came naturally to both of them, and with their new powers, they would eventually become the most feared creatures in the universe.

  The Lady of the Night, Marina thought. The Lady of Desolation. The Lady of Sorrow. It was a grim vision.

  Wesley yawned. "I have to go to sleep."

  "Me, too... if I can. Was that finally the last of the secrets?"

  "Now you know everything." He wandered off.

  She frowned. It had been an extremely tiring day, and she needed rest, but she couldn't quite settle down. She thought about calling Aaron, but she knew he was very busy at the moment. The battle between the United States Army and the Society had commenced. The last thing he needed was a long, distracting conversation about immortality and guarding the universe. Guarding the Rosemont Tower Hotel was enough of a problem at the moment.

  Marina decided to call her team in San Francisco instead. She took out her phone and dialed Min Ho.

  "Ma'am?" he answered.

  "What's happening?"

  "We survived the first wave of enemies, but we don't expect it to be the last."

  "You're still in headquarters?" She raised her eyebrows. "I told you to get out of there!"

  "We're working on it, ma'am. We're preparing an armored car."

  Marina gritted her teeth. The idea of building a car in the middle of a battle was preposterous, but it was the kind of thing her assistants would do. They fought with their hands and minds, not guns.

  "Just hurry!" she said.

  "We're going as fast as we can."

  "Then I'll stop distracting you. Bye." She hung up.

  Ipo, Hanley, Katie, and Yang came over, and they were still wearing full battle gear. All the participants in the convoy had been prepared for a fight, but thankfully, the precaution had been unnecessary.

  Hanley had already briefed the others, and Marina updated them on the latest news. The legionnaires looked stricken. Their friends were in desperate trouble while they were stuck in a basement in Chicago. Promises of immortality weren't much use at the moment. Yang in particular had an expression of panic, and Marina worried he would do something desperate and stupid.

  "Olivia must be terrified," Yang said.

  Marina nodded. "At least Jia is with her."

  "Is there anything we can do, ma'am?" Hanley said. "Could you call somebody?"

  "The entire Society is here. Getting outsiders involved will make a messy situation messier, and it's against the rules. Let's not forget what happened to Joshua Harp. The assistants will just have to escape on their own and hide for a day. That task should be within their capabilities. We'll be able to rescue them after we go through the aperture."

  Mention of the aperture made everybody thoughtful. Marina was still trying to wrap her mind around the concept.

  "Wesley was right," she said. "You don't have to go through. You can stay human."

  "I want to go," Hanley said, "but it's a big deal. I can't imagine what it will be like to have so much power and responsibility. No offense, but I'm not looking forward to living under the thumb of both you and Aaron, ma'am. I mean, you're scary right now, and you're not an immortal entity with extreme powers. An eternity spent serving you might not be much fun."

  "The point is to protect all life in the universe, not have fun. I think a little unhappiness comes with the job, and that goes for me and Aaron too. We'll be under as much pressure as anybody else. God will demand the same dedication from us as what we demand from you. But I promise Aaron and I will try to maintain some kind of balance. Nobody wants an eternity of misery." Marina sighed. "Let's try to get some sleep. We may not ever rest again."

  * * *

  "Hurry up," Jia whispered.

  She was using the surveillance system inside headquarters to keep an eye on the machine shop. Imelda, Corrie, and Min Ho were still frantically working on the new armored car.

  The thing looked like it had come straight from a zombie movie. Oddly shaped chunks of steel plate were welded, bolted, or chained crudely in place. Spare body armor was tied together and draped over the roof. The car bristled with hastily added weapons such as rocket launchers, machine guns, grenades, and smoke canisters. They were controlled by ropes running through holes.

  The car was an ugly mess, but Jia had to admit it might do the job. A very impressive amount of construction had been accomplished in a short time. It was almost a miracle.

  She heard a loud bang. The monitors showed an explosion on the back side of headquarters.

  The security system automatically highlighted where the attack had originated. A wave of soldiers was coming over the hills. There were at least a hundred of them, and they were moving as fast as they could across rough terrain in darkness. They were firing RPG's and tossing smoke grenades. Heavy machine gun emplacements were laying down continuous fire.

  Two more blasts rattled Jia. Olivia screamed and huddled against her chest.

  "I recommend immediate evacuation," the computer said calmly. "There is a significant likelihood that my defenses will be overrun."

  Jia wasn't going to argue. "You'll blow up the building when we're gone?"

  "I will follow final defense protocol."

  Holding Olivia by the hand, Jia ran out of the security booth. Rockets had already punched holes in the walls and ceiling. Smoke was starting to fill the interior of the building.

  "We're leaving!" Jia yelled.

  "But the car isn't ready!" Imelda replied.

  "It's ready enough! Let's go!"

  Everybody climbed into the modified Land Rover. Imelda took the driver's seat, and Min Ho rode up front with her. Corrie, Jia, and Olivia sat in the back. Ropes were taped to the ceiling, but Jia didn't know which ropes controlled which weapons.

  In their panic, they had forgotten to open the garage door. Corrie jumped out, slapped the button, and climbed
back in.

  As soon as the way was clear, Imelda drove off. She immediately turned and headed for the main road out of Pacifica. Going another way wasn't an option. Steep terrain, forests, dense brush, and buildings blocked all other routes. The car might get stuck if Imelda was too adventurous.

  The suspension sloshed from side to side as the car went over bumps. All the extra mass was weighing it down. Jia held onto straps with both hands. Imelda picked up speed when she reached the flat, smooth road, but the transition didn't ease Jia's terror.

  Bullets started plinking off the armor and bulletproof glass. The enemy wasn't going to let them go without a fight.

  "Hang on!" Imelda yelled.

  Jia saw a barricade up ahead. Four soldiers and two armored cars were blocking the narrow road.

  Imelda pulled on one of the overhead ropes, and Jia heard a series of dull thumps. Several explosions destroyed the cars and the men, but the wreckage was still in the way. Imelda veered off the road into somebody's front yard. The Land Rover crashed through two wooden fences and bounced over a bush. Olivia screamed in fright. Imelda steered back onto the road and accelerated.

  Headlights made Jia look back. Two more cars were in pursuit, and soldiers were leaning out the windows with guns in hand. They were firing wildly. One bullet chipped the thick glass in back but failed to penetrate.

  "Use the caltrops!" Imelda yelled.

  Jia looked up at the ropes. "Which one is that?"

  "The third, I think."

  Jia yanked on the third rope and looked back. She heard a machine gun firing, and bullets chewed up the scenery. She immediately let go of the rope. Wrong one.

  She pulled another rope with a much better result. Caltrops spilled out of the back of the Land Rover and covered the road. Each had four spikes which could puncture any tire.

  The caltrops also had small explosives attached, and as the enemy drove over them, it sounded like firecrackers on the Fourth of July. Tires were shredded down to the rims, and the pursuit ended.

  Civilians were standing by the road and watching. The noise had drawn them out of their homes.

  "Morons!" Jia yelled. "Get back inside!"

  She noticed one particularly brave woman standing so close she was almost struck by the car. Headlights illuminated the woman's very pale, boney face and silvery hair. She was wearing a red gown and a diamond necklace which struck Jia as an odd choice. Perhaps the woman was planning to go to a formal dinner party.

  Jia and the woman locked gazes as the Land Rover flew past. The exchange was very brief, but it gave Jia a funny feeling. There was something creepy about that woman.

  Imelda drove on.

  * * *

  Iris smiled. I got you now, she thought.

  She had locked onto a small, Chinese woman in the car. Iris closed her eyes and sent her consciousness flying outwards into space. She quickly located the Chinese woman, and suddenly, Iris was inside the car. She couldn't hear anything, but she could see perfectly well.

  The woman turned to a girl riding in the back with her. Iris immediately recognized Olivia.

  "Yes!" Iris pumped her fist in victory.

  She stayed inside the Chinese woman's eyes. Iris had to figure out where the car was going.

  * * *

  Jia relaxed a little. It appeared the initial danger had passed, but she knew she wasn't safe yet. It wouldn't be over until Marina and the legionnaires returned, and the enemy was destroyed.

  "Good job, guys," Jia said. "Great work on the car."

  Everybody else nodded and murmured in agreement.

  She looked out the window. Highway 1 was the quickest escape route, but it was always busy. The weapons on the car would attract too much attention even at night. Min Ho had arranged for a solution.

  Imelda drove up to the highway intersection and waited for the light. When it turned green, she shot across to a small road on the other side. It was an entrance to a water treatment plant. She drove around to an unlit parking lot where a black van was waiting.

  A young man in a black T-shirt stood beside the van. His head was shaved, but there was a little dark fuzz. He was wearing old tennis shoes and jeans with patches on the knees. Jia knew he was a car thief.

  Imelda parked next to the van, and everybody got out.

  "What the fuck is that?" the thief said, staring at the modified Land Rover.

  "It's yours to keep," Min Ho said, "and here is your cash. Give me the key to the van."

  He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it over. The thief counted the money eagerly and then gave a key to Min Ho.

  The team transferred their luggage to the black van. They had brought suitcases that had been packed ahead of time in case of an emergency evacuation. The luggage contained cash, identification, gold, weapons, clothes, laptop computers, and other items they might need to survive. The San Francisco team had unexpectedly lost their headquarters a year ago, and this time, they were better prepared.

  Even though Jia had worked in the new place for only a year, she was grieving the loss. She had left a lot of nice computers behind. Poor Marina had lost all of her possessions.

  A flash of light made Jia look east. A fireball floated up to the sky, illuminating the surrounding hills. A second later, she heard the boom. There it goes, she thought.

  The thief stared at the fireball. "What's going on? Who the fuck are you people?"

  Nobody answered him. Imelda, Min Ho, Jia, Corrie, and Olivia climbed into the black van and drove off.

  * * *

  The concussion from the explosion knocked Iris out of her trance. She opened her eyes and looked at the rising fireball with some dismay. She had hoped the Society would leave some informative evidence behind, but apparently, that wasn't to be.

  She turned to the little blue house she and Laurence were borrowing. The door was open, and light spilled into the night. She ran inside.

  Laurence was sitting on the white couch with his computer, his radio headset, and his phone. He seemed to be using all three at once to gather information.

  "What's the status?" Iris said.

  He glanced up at her. "The building exploded, ma'am."

  "I saw that! What about the men?"

  "Some were caught in the explosion, and that was after we lost many during the assault. The Society raked the hills with rockets and gunfire. There were even reports of a Vulcan cannon. If I had to guess, I'd say we lost two thirds of our forces."

  "A price I'm happy to pay. I locked onto a woman in the car, and she showed me Olivia. They changed vehicles a moment ago. They're in a black GMC van, and I caught a glimpse of the license plate."

  She gave Laurence the numbers, and he typed them into his computer.

  "I found the DMV record," he announced.

  "Excellent. We need to go after them right now. I'm not going to lose the target again."

  "What about the men?"

  Iris furrowed her brow. "Tell the survivors to regroup. We may need them again tonight."

  "They're pretty badly chewed up. A lot of them require medical treatment. I don't think there will be any more fighting tonight."

  She gritted her teeth in frustration. She was so close to victory, she could almost touch it.

  "Then just you and I will go. Our soldiers will catch up to us when they can. Come on! We have to hurry!"

  Iris moved towards the door. Laurence followed her out with his laptop in hand. He took the driver's seat in a black Mercedes Benz McLaren, and she sat beside him.

  "Which way?" he said.

  "South on the highway."

  She settled back and relaxed. It was time to take another look through the eyes of the Chinese woman.

  * * *

  Jia looked out at the Pacific Ocean. At night, the waters were black, but the waves had an eerie blue glow. She knew the light was a consequence of bioluminescent plankton, but the effect was still spooky. There was no moon out tonight, and mist blocked the stars. The sky seemed covered
in black ink.

  Olivia snuggled against Jia's side. "I'm tired," the girl said.

  "I know. We're almost there." Jia petted Olivia's blonde hair. "Then we can all sleep."

  A few minutes later, Imelda turned off the highway and drove towards the ocean. She went down a one-lane road with plenty of cracks. The jostling woke everybody up, and Olivia blinked slowly.

  Imelda parked the car in front of an old house built on a cliff overlooking the water. The walls were made of blocks of real stone painted white. Slate covered the steeply angled roof. A four-story tower had a glass-enclosed room on top.

  "What is this place?" Corrie said.

  "We call it the old lighthouse," Imelda said, "but it's not a real lighthouse anymore. The San Francisco team has been using it as a safe house for at least a hundred years. Come on. You'll love the guy who lives here."

  Everybody climbed out of the black van. The adults grabbed the luggage out of the back. They went to a big front door made of redwood planks, and Imelda knocked loudly.

  After a minute, the door creaked open, and an old man looked out. He had a bristly gray mustache, tufts of gray hair on his head, and hair coming out of his ears. A pipe in his mouth shocked Jia. She didn't know people still used those things, but he was puffing away happily.

  "Can I help you?" he said.

  "We're with the travelling circus. We need a place to stay."

  His eyes widened. "Oh! Come in. Come in."

  The old man ushered everybody into a big room full of odd items. There was an antique iron stove with a coffee pot on top. A fishing net hung from the ceiling. Dozens of bottles held beautifully constructed miniature ships. A tall bookshelf was stuffed with books, and when Jia took a closer look, she saw titles like Madame Bovary, Lady Chatterley's Lover, and Nunnery Tales. She wasn't familiar with them.

  "You look tired," the old man said. "Come this way."

  Corrie whispered behind his back. "Travelling circus?"

  "It's a code phrase," Imelda replied.

  The old man led the group through the house to a door made of steel plate. It had a modern keypad on the side. Min Ho typed in 2-3-5-7-1-1 which Jia recognized as the first five prime numbers. There was a loud, metallic thunk, and he pushed open the door.