Freya turned to the soldier holding a satellite phone. “Yes?”
“It’s the President,” the soldier replied holding out the device.
Melissa acknowledged the conversation was over and meandered off to the column again.
Freya took the phone and wheeled back just a couple of paces. “Madam President.”
“Freya, I have... news.”
“Good news?”
There was a lasting silence before the president spoke. “Freya you have to know... since perhaps your work there may yield results before ours does. The Nine Veils they... they hijacked a NASA defense system designed to deflect near Earth objects that may collide with us and turned it against us. We believe that an asteroid called Apophis will impact Earth in the very near future.”
Freya’s lungs faltered, and the room began to spin. She blinked away the nausea and tried to focus. “How... how bad?”
“If we don’t stop it, we’re looking at seventy percent of all life gone.”
“Seventy percent?”
“Yes. But ... there’s more.”
“More?”
“A second system has been compromised. A top-secret military operation designed to fight the Nine Veils. Project Zeus. We had considered that the nuclear power stations would explode at the same time as the asteroid hit, to maximize the devastation. We managed to regain control, but intelligence suggests that they’ll use Zeus, a space to Earth weapon, to target the power stations. We’ve been chasing our tails.”
Silence engulfed Freya, the darkness of the subglacial temple closing in. “And something like that, a weapon, would need to be triggered manually. Couldn’t risk automation. So, the Nine Veils have the trigger?”
“We believe so.”
“When? If they’re maximizing destruction, when does the asteroid hit?”
“We’re trying to track it and consider any contingency plans. But you might beat us to it. If you can contact the Nine Veils through the broadcasting station, perhaps they have the information. Perhaps, you can even make them stop.”
Freya sat in her chair, silent and deflated, the phone held limp in her hand.
“Freya? Are you there?”
“I’m here. I understand,” Freya said, her voice weak.
“You know if we don’t manage to stop it, I’ll have to keep the biomes closed to save some of us... and hope they find a way out eventually.”
Freya nodded, even though the president obviously couldn’t see.
“Good luck, Freya. I’m sure you’ll do your best. God save us all.”
The call ended.
For a moment, all sounds within the temple melded into white noise. Freya’s mind spun with endless possibilities, but they all culminated in the same conclusion: she’d never see KJ, Nikolaj, or Jonathan again. Freya clenched her jaw and cleared her throat. “I have an announcement.” Her voice echoed off the temple walls.
The hustle and bustle faded, workers maintaining the lighting system in the back halted, Melissa froze to the spot, Koa looked down from his ladder and Allison narrowed her eyes from across the courtyard. Even the Stratum seemed to break their bond to listen, the blue miasma fading, and their glassy blue eyes focused on her.
“That was the President of the United States,” Freya said in the most commanding tone she could muster, though her hands still shook. “I have good news, and bad news. And given the nature of the information, I think you all deserve to know.”
“What’s up?” Koa called down from above.
“I’ll start with the good news,” she continued. “We’ve probably got the power stations back. They won’t go critical. Allison, that’s largely thanks to you. Good catch on the Jiahu symbols.”
Allison gave a curt nod, but a blush belied her collected response.
“Is that so?” Koa said.
The Stratum murmured amongst themselves.
Freya could almost feel the relief wave throughout them. “But,” she said, holding up her hands to quiet them. “The biomes are still locked down... and may need to stay that way.”
“What do you mean?” Melissa asked.
Freya swallowed hard. “The Nine Veils, they hijacked a NASA system. It’s a long story, but they have managed to manipulate a large asteroid to impact Earth.”
“Jesus,” said the soldier next to Freya.
“How bad and when?” Melissa’s beauty seemed sucked away, her features drawn and worried in the harsh spotlights.
“It’s bad. A global killer,” Freya said, masking as much of the quiver in her voice as possible. “We don’t know when, but soon. And... they have found a way to make the stations explode, whether we take them back or not. Asteroid plus nuclear winter equals one fucked up Earth.” Freya couldn’t help but think that’s how Kelly would have summed it up. “So, our work just became unbelievably important. We may be the only hope. Connecting with the Huahuqui in the Nine Veils may be the last chance to stop all of this.”
“Well shit,” Koa said.
“I know,” Freya replied.
“We can’t have that can we?” Koa continued, then pulled a pistol from the back of his pants.
“What the hell are you doing?” Allison yelled.
The two soldiers in the room aimed their weapons at Koa, who pointed the weapon at the orb.
Freya waved the soldiers down. “If he destroys that we’re fucked.”
They relaxed their fix on him; but kept the weapons ready.
“You had to figure it out, didn’t you Allison?” Koa said, shaking his head. “Jiahu symbols? Really? You know how long it took us to find a writing system obscure enough to hide the code?”
“You’re with them?” Freya exclaimed.
“You always were an egotistical asshole, now I know why,” Allison said, shaking a fist at him. “And you always underestimated me.”
Koa bobbed his head in agreement, a smug grin on his face. “You’re right. Won’t be making that mistake again.” He leveled the pistol at Allison and pulled the trigger. The blast ripped through her shoulder, sending her sprawling to the stony floor.
Koa retrained the weapon on the orb.
“You sick bastard!” Melissa screamed, dashing to the fallen Allison.
Koa just laughed. “I’m not sick, I see clearly. I pierced most of the Veils before I was ten.”
“I don’t get it,” Freya said. “You were the one who found this place and helped us get it up and running.”
“For us! Once it’s connected the Doyen and Victoria will have complete control of all Huahuqui all over the world!”
“Who?” Freya barked, her limbs jerking.
“The Doyen, the master of the Nine Veils and his right hand, Victoria,” he replied while using his spare hand to type a message on a cellular device.
Freya’s heart stopped beating. He couldn’t mean Victoria McKenzie, could he? Had Victoria been recruited by the Nine Veils? Had she been twisted beyond belief? No one had heard from her after Teotihuacan. Guilt crept into Freya’s chest. Was all this because they hadn’t bothered to care for Victoria afterward?
“You won’t get away with this,” Melissa said, eyes glassy. “We’ll stop you.”
“How quaint,” Koa replied with a cruel smile. He slipped the communication device into his pocket and slid his now free hand toward the orb. “You can’t stop all of them.” His stare fell on the Stratum below.
The soldiers edged forward, weapons locked on the crazed Australian. Again, Freya waved them down.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Freya called up to Koa. “I’ve seen what happens.”
“Well, of course you wouldn’t do it. You’re a dying cripple. You don’t have the mental power for it.”
A shot rang out and pinged off the crucible, barely missing Koa’s face.
The soldier beside her gasped at his mistake.
“No!” Freya yelled.
Koa snarled, then clamped his hand around the orb.
The Stratum squirmed and writhed in pain as
an intellect not meant to be bonded to them surged into their collective consciousness. They warbled and squealed, dropping to the stony floor, clasping at their heads. Above, Koa arched his spine and pushed out his chest as the raw power of so many minds entered his. The veins in his necked bulged and the blue haze from the Stratum crept its way up the column to him.
The soldiers readied their rifles again, eyes wide and full of panic.
“Don’t!” Melissa yelped. “If you kill him and break the link suddenly it could hurt them all.”
The two men looked to Freya, who shook her head. “She’s right.”
Freya’s heart beat so fast it felt as if it would explode through her ribcage. There was no telling what would happen. The Shan Chu had been driven mad trying to take Wak from Victoria, clawing at his own face and head until Jonathan and Sasha could kill him. But, this was different. A whole hive of Huahuqui, and a natural amplifier.
A spotlight crashed into the floor as one of the Huahuqui blindly fell into its base.
“Yes!” Koa screamed. “I feel them all!”
“What do we do?” Melissa cried.
Freya looked from Koa to the writhing Stratum and to Dacey who stared back at her. She’s not connected, Freya thought, and in that moment knew what to do. She placed a hand on Dacey’s head and gazed into the little creature’s cobalt eyes. “You gonna help me?”
Dacey blinked and ruffled her gills.
The connection to the hive mind swamped Freya’s consciousness. Pain, agony, fear, anguish, all seemed to overwrite her own emotions, filling her body with dread. Never had she felt this through the Huahuqui—before, only serenity and calm prevailed. Freya clenched her teeth and screwed her eyes together, trying to push back against the darkness. Deep in the jumbled mess of sensations was another consciousness, a gangrenous splinter polluting everything. Koa. That was Koa. Freya held her breath, forcing her way through the thick soup of intellects to reach him, but it was no use. This is what a poisoned mind could do to a perfect well of empathy and love. The Stratum were afraid and chaotic. His hold on the orb exaggerating his presence in the hive. She needed to calm them, to give them focus. What would give them focus? What gave her focus?
Freya exhaled slowly and concentrated on the only thing that truly made her happy.
From the dark, KJ’s tiny face as a child appeared. His half-cocked smile like his father, bright blue eyes staring out from locks of dark hair before he had bonded with K’awin and gone blond. His soft voice calling her “mommy”. The image skipped forward, and he was now sat in her lap, drinking hot chocolate from his favorite Iron Man mug. And then he was blond, K’awin by his side, playing in the snow with whatever animal had passed by and stopped to pay him attention—to bond with him in a way she never could. All too soon he was a man. A leader. Strong willed and minded, gathering the Stratum behind him. He was grown. More than a man; he was the future of mankind. A lump formed in Freya’s throat. She had to let him go to become what he was supposed to be.
The smoky darkness in her mind began to dissipate. The more she focused on thoughts of KJ, the more organized the hive consciousness became. The singular and unwavering love for her son an anchor in an angry sea of sensation. They clung to this one thought, gathering around it like a beacon. From within the dark, a blade of light appeared slicing through the smog, growing brighter and brighter.
Freya clamped her eyes closed as tightly as she could, one hand gripping the arm of her wheelchair the other firmly on Dacey’s head. She could feel the creature beside her, separate from everyone else, but herding them toward her like an ethereal sheepdog. Until, with a snap, the blade of light exploded and scorched away the dark.
Freya’s eyes snapped open just as Koa tumbled from the ladder and crashed into the stones below with a sickening crunch. A warm trickle of blood ran from Freya’s nose and dripped from her lip into her lap. She wiped it away with her sleeve, hoping that nobody saw, then wheeled awkwardly over the uneven stones. She rounded the pillar to find Koa lay on his back. He coughed up a glob of blood.
Allison hobbled over, clutching her shoulder, Melissa supporting her. “You fucking idiot.”
Koa’s gaze shifted from a point in space to Allison. “You think they’ll name this place after me now?”
“I’ll make sure no-one ever says your name again,” Allison replied through a clenched jaw.
Koa didn’t respond, his eyes now lifeless.
“Shit,” Freya said. “These bastards really are everywhere. We need to tell Jonathan. I need to reach him. If Victoria is with the Nine Veils, there is more at play here than world domination. It’s personal. She’ll be after my son.”
“I’ll get him on the sat phone,” Tribz said.
Freya bent over and fished around in Koa’s pocket for the communication device he’d used. He’d failed to lock it. She eagerly clicked through the various messaging apps until she chanced up the most recent, sent using an encrypted messaging service. It read: power stations lost. But orb secured. “Wrong about that, asshole,” Freya said aloud. He had been premature in communicating his victory. Perhaps, for a moment, they had the upper hand.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Location: Tocayōtla, Southwest Rice Terraces, China
The sun rising in the sky shone down, glaring a spotlight on them, providing no place for KJ and Catherine to hide. They slinked from small building to small building, concealed in what little shadow they could find. KJ’s wound was much more healed now, though still hurt like hell and sharp movements made him wince, the tear pulling taut. He scanned the road once more, touched Catherine’s elbow and scurried across the muddy path to the corner of the next shelter.
“Hmm,” KJ mumbled.
“What?” Catherine asked.
“This doesn’t bother you?” he said nodding out into the open.
Catherine glanced around, peering through a small slit-like window of the abode next to her, and searched the street once more. “There’s no one here,” she said finally.
“Exactly,” KJ agreed. “Not a damn one. Where the hell is everyone?”
“Nutflies,” Catherine offered.
KJ smirked. “You got that right.”
“So, we wait?”
“No time,” he said, shaking his head. We have to get to the Phalanx.”
“Where are they? Can’t you feel them?”
KJ froze and stared down at K’awin. “You haven’t been trying, have you girl?”
“Hey, don’t blame her,” Catherine scolded.
His sheepish gaze raised to meet Catherine’s. “Yeah, okay. My bad.”
“Geniuses. Zero common sense.”
Without responding, KJ knelt next to K’awin, placed a hand on her broad forehead and closed his eyes. His consciousness intermingled with hers and together they reached out into the world around them. Through the rice pools, over the muddy flats teeming with insects until, eventually, a swarm of minds slipping and sliding over each other emerged from the fog. They were not focused, not coherent. Instead, they seemed to bump and shuffle into one another waiting for something, someone, to give them direction. Both human and Huahuqui were conscious but not awake, not aware. KJ could only consider them zombies. He pushed a little further, entering the mind of a young woman.
Through her confused eyes KJ could make out the stone courtyard, surrounded by short stacked buildings, and filled with what seemed to be the entirety of the Phalanx. Dominating the skyline was an enormous step pyramid—the Temple of the Sun. Atop the enormous structure was a podium and a sacrificial table. The Phalanx shuffled like sheep, all staring up at the pyramid’s pinnacle. As the young woman’s gaze floated from person to person and back to the pyramid, KJ could make out that each member of the Phalanx held something in their hand. A syringe.
High atop the pyramid of the Sun, four figures appeared. The first was clearly Victoria, her sharp angles and thin body made a distinctive silhouette against the blazing sun. Beside her a young man, stiff and aw
kward, waddled on the spot. KJ didn’t recognize him. But the third and fourth he did: Svetlana and Ribka. He strained his mind to keep a hold over the human window into the unfolding scene. Svetlana looked different—she was blue. Actually, naked and painted blue, a pointed feather headdress her only attire. Ribka was similarly painted.
“Oh shit,” Kelly said aloud. The link was lost, and he tumbled out of the young woman’s mind and back to his own reality. He crashed to the ground. The lasting image of Victoria holding high a glowing orb burned into his brain.
Catherine slipped her hands under his armpits to steady him. “Are you okay? What did you see?”
KJ shook his head but the images remained. “The Phalanx, they’re... they’re in the courtyard of the sun Pyramid. All of them.” He pointed down the Avenue of the Dead. “But, they aren’t themselves. I mean, they feel zombified. Victoria has an orb... and... Svetlana...”
“What about her?”
“It’s a ritual. I think that British witch is gonna kill her.”
“Then we need to move,” Catherine said.
“Maybe if I can get the orb,” KJ said. “I can help them.”
Catherine nodded.
KJ pushed off the ground only to be shoved back down again. “Hey what the fu—” He looked up to see a familiar shadow staring down at him, the white sun giving his brother a sort of halo. “Nikolaj?”
“What the hell are you doing up here?” Nikolaj hissed through gnashed teeth, then dropped to his haunches.
“Looking for the Phalanx,” KJ snapped back. “I thought you went for the shield transmitter?”
“We did a quick survey, it’s up there I think. On top of the biggest temple.” He nodded at the replica of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
“Great then you head for that. I gotta get to the pyramid of the sun.”
“Why,” Merry said
“There?” Lex finished.
The young women knelt down beside him, their Huahuqui equally attentive.
KJ scanned for the monk brothers. Sure enough, they were there too—both studying KJ and Catherine. “The Phalanx is there. All of them. Svetlana too,” he said.
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