Benny peered at Nat suspiciously, as though he wanted to object. He didn’t.
A moment later, Dana, the lead Tracker at Interchron, appeared and took the boy under her arm, leading him out.
He paused at the door and turned. “Doctor?”
“Just Doc, Benny,” Doc smiled. “What is it?”
Benny swallowed. “When she pushed me into the river, Téa said to tell you that the Shadow Man was coming. And that you should fight darkness with darkness.”
Maggie looked at Doc, trying to decipher whether he knew what Benny meant. Doc looked…contemplative.
“When you say, ‘fight darkness with darkness,’” Doc said. “Do you mean, as Téa did. By becoming the darkness?”
Benny shrugged. “I guess. It’s just what she said.”
Doc nodded and gave Benny a soft smile. “Thank you, Benny.”
The boy disappeared through the doorway with Dana.
“Will he be okay, Doc?” Marcus asked at Maggie’s elbow.
“Physically? He’s fine. Neurologically too. It doesn’t look like the Arachnimen managed to Drill him. I can’t speak for emotionally, though. What must seeing something like that do to a child so young?” Doc shook his head.
Joan, Karl and Marcus looked as grim as Maggie felt. A shiver moved down her spine and she took Marcus’s hand, merely for the comfort of holding it. He squeezed hers reassuringly.
“Nat,” Marcus said. “What was all that ‘important mission’ stuff about?”
Nat shrugged in an offhanded way. “When he told me what happened, I got a lot more detail than you did. A minute by minute run-down from his point of view. He said his sister always gave him ‘important missions.’ It’s how she—probably his parents too—motivated him. I thought it'd be the best way to get him to take care of himself without a fight.”
Doc nodded, looking impressed.
Marcus turned his head so his mouth hovered inches from Maggie’s ear. “What’s the Vanished One?” he asked. His voice was quiet, but not so quiet the others didn’t hear the question. All gazes focused on her.
“Justine called David that. Right before…the Canyon.” The formation of an entire canyon in a matter of minutes wasn’t something Maggie ever thought she’d see. Yet, it was the least disturbing thing she’d witnessed that day. “I don’t know what it means.”
All eyes turned to David, at the far end of the table. He glanced up as they all turned to him. Maggie hadn’t heard him say two words since they’d returned from the Canyon. Of course, most of her time had been spent solely in Marcus’s company.
“Vanished Ones are collective superstitions,” David said. “Disembodied dark phantoms that float through the collectives every now and again. The drones refer to them as Vanished, because they have no bodies. No home. No purpose. Worse than useless, and they roam listlessly, looking for a purpose, and never finding it.”
Maggie shivered. David said they were a superstition. Yet his tone stayed soft, almost nostalgic. It made the description downright haunting.
“Why would this Justine creature apply that term to you?” Karl asked, frowning.
David gave a small, humorless smile. “It can be used as a derogatory term. Every part of the collective has a function. A purpose.”
“Ah,” Karl said softly. “Because you ripped away, you’re no longer useful to them. They’ve resorted to name calling.”
David gave the barest incline of his head. Maggie wanted to know more. When Justine called him ‘the Vanished One,’ it had seemed to make David angry. She wanted to ask why, but didn’t want to put him on the spot in front of everyone. He looked uncomfortable enough already.
“Sounds like you believe in these phantoms,” Marcus said, his tone accusing.
Maggie tensed, praying they wouldn’t argue. David met Marcus’s gaze for several seconds before dropping his own to the table. “Come, brother. Science explains our universe, but we all come face to face with a few ghosts in our time. Surely you must know we aren’t the only creatures pressing against the edges of our own understanding.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe in phantoms,” Marcus said quietly. “I only wondered if you’d actually seen these Vanished Ones.”
David glanced up and back down several times, looking self-conscious. “I have…sensed them. In the collective ether. They ghost through from time to time. Observing. Mournful demons.”
“So, they’re real?” Joan asked quietly.
David glanced up at her, mild surprise in his features. “Yes.”
“What is their purpose, David?” Doc asked.
David shrugged. “Things without physical bodies…want physical bodies. They want to inhabit something. Sometimes, in the collective, they succeeded. But the drones are all controlled by the collective mind, so when the phantoms took someone, it didn’t last long. They want the freedom to control the bodies they inhabit. With drones, they get bored after a time. They’re more likely to go after individuals.”
“Perhaps,” Doc said. “But strong-minded individuals, as we all are, are harder to control than drones, because we insist on making our own decisions. Most of us wouldn’t dream of letting a phantom in, much less letting it make our choices. These phantoms will have less success here with us than they do with the drones, and yet the drones are unsatisfactory to them.” Doc sat back in his chair, looking thoughtful. “Fascinating,” he said quietly. “I have always believed in a non-physical world, but never thought to look for it among the collectives. Truly fascinating, David. I'd like to speak more with you about this when time permits. For now, I suppose we should return to the matter at hand.” Doc sounded truly disappointed at the notion.
Maggie couldn’t have agreed more. These Vanished Ones sounded frightening, but she wouldn’t have minded learning more.
“Thank you for explaining the term to us,” Doc added.
David inclined his head again.
“Did I understand Benny right?” Karl ventured. “Or did he see people being Drilled without being touched?”
“That’s what it sounded like,” Marcus murmured.
Doc heaved a deep sigh. “And if it’s so, it presents a whole new set of problems for us.”
“Like what?” Maggie asked.
Doc took a deep breath. “Every individual is different, with different abilities. Up until now, only B could enter a person’s mind. Invade their thoughts. Now, it seems the Arachnimen can do it.”
"It's not quite the same thing, though, is it?" Joan asked. "Seems like the Arachnimen have learned to Drill without touch. We don't know that it has anything to do with memory."
"True," Doc inclined his head. "But the two things aren't so different. The ability to do one may make it possible to do the other."
“Do you think it’s a collective-wide discovery?” Joan asked, frowning. Maggie could see the gears turning behind Joan’s eyes. “Or does it have something to do with this Shadow Man Benny described?”
Karl snorted. “Yeah, he sounded like a monster out of a nightmare, didn’t he?”
Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. “And the Arachnimen aren’t?”
Karl shrugged off-handedly.
Maggie chuckled softly. Easy for him to do. He roughly equaled most Arachnimen in size. Maggie, on the other hand…
“That would be my guess, Joan,” Doc said, nodding. “This Shadow Man seemed to be directing things. If the squad of Arachnimen were tied to him, as they’re normally tied to their Trepid commanders, he can probably lend them his neurological abilities. Chances are, he has the same ability as B—or a similar one—and he’s out using it to force people into the collective hive.”
“So,” Maggie said. “Theoretically, what problems will this cause for us, other than the obvious?”
Doc looked tired. “My biggest worry is, if they can invade thoughts to such a large extent, they may be able to dig through a person’s thoughts to find information. The process isn’t terribly different. If they capture anyone
who’s ever been to or even heard of Interchron, and extract their memories, they could find us.”
Doc’s voice was soft, yet the final clause fell like a boom in the silent cavern. Maggie leaned her arm against Marcus’s, turning her head slightly toward him. He let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“So, what do we do?” Joan asked.
Doc shook himself, looking every inch the resolute scientist once more. “We do what we’ve always done. Keep moving forward. No reason to worry over what may or may not happen.”
Karl snorted again. Maggie agreed with the snort. Not worrying always proved easier said than done.
“What’s a Cimerian?” Lila asked quietly.
Doc sighed. “I have not heard talk of such beings for a long time. Back when the collectives first formed, they appeared. From what we know, they were beings that wanted to live in the collectives—they turned away from individualistic lives—but once there, they fell into apathy, and refused to do as the collectives instructed them.
“So, they’re rebels?” Maggie asked, feeling a glimmer of hope.
“No,” Doc said firmly. “They weren’t rebelling. They supported the collectives whole-heartedly. For some reason we never fully understood, they couldn’t handle the lifestyle. They became like dead limbs to the collectives. Completely useless and a drain on resources, refusing to even eat or drink. So, the collectives cut them off. I remember hearing of sightings of small groups simply breaking away from the collectives and walking into the mountains. No one ever heard from them again. Most people assumed, because they couldn’t be bothered to see to their own bodily needs, they simply walked until they died. An unfortunate side effect of collective living. Sometime later, the Cimerians appeared. Far fewer in number than those who left, they appeared with unnaturally gray skin and came to do the collective’s bidding. The collectives made use of them, but we never figured out exactly how.”
“We don’t know what they actually do?” Marcus asked.
“Not really,” Nat chimed in. “They did odd jobs for the collectives, but mundane things. Jobs others could have done. The B.C.O. suspected the collectives gave them convenient tasks to cover for something bigger. We never deciphered their endgame. I thought the Cimerian were extinct.”
“Okay, but what are they?” Lila asked. “What makes their skin gray? What do they do? Are they drones?”
Doc shook his head. “We know little of them. It was interesting, the way Benny described him. As though the man absorbed darkness like a vapor. I can tell you, they aren’t drones. That’s what makes them unique, I suppose. They couldn’t handle collective living, as I said, so they were cut off. Some of them…evolved somehow. In a way we’ve never understood. They are individuals, to be sure. They do the bidding of the collective, because it’s the lifestyle they supported to begin with.”
“Can they…manipulate dark matter, as this Shadow Man suggested to Benny?” Karl asked, sounding skeptical.
Doc shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. I’ve never heard of any creature who could do that. Dark matter is so…undefinable. I can’t imagine anyone knowing enough about it to consider trying to manipulate it. Where would you even begin?”
“What did Benny mean, then?” Joan asked.
“I don’t know,” Doc admitted. “Once he’s had some down time, I intend to speak with him again. If he truly did come face to face with a living Cimerian, I ought to pick his brain some more anyway.”
“It is believed in the collectives,” David said quietly from down the table, “that the Cimerian are inhabited by the Vanished.”
A heavy silence descended. Doc let his head fall back, eyes studying the ceiling in thought.
“Do you…think it’s possible, Johann?” Nat asked after several seconds.
Doc raised his head again. “Think about what we said. These creatures want individuals, but we’re all too strong-willed to be controlled. One of these Cimerians, though, who’ve left the collective, but refuses to make decisions on their own behalf…they’d be perfect for what these phantoms want. Cimerians. Inhabited by creatures of another plane. Phantoms who will do the will of the collectives in exchange for being granted a body. Is that what you believe is happening, David?”
David arched an eyebrow at Doc. It was more surprise than he’d ever shown. “I…” He frowned down at his hands. “I’ve never been face to face with a Cimerian. And I’ve only ever felt traces of these phantoms. Residues that shiver down the spine long after they’ve been and gone.”
David didn’t speak for a time, and Maggie wondered if he meant to say anything else. Even Doc looked unsure of how to proceed.
David finally raised his head. “I couldn’t say.”
Doc nodded. “Fair enough. This is all conjecture. Collective superstition doesn’t equal fact. It’s something to keep in mind as we move forward, though.”
Maggie cleared her throat. “Um, Doc? What if it is true, though? If we’re talking a demon from another dimension, inhabiting a former collective drone…how are we supposed to fight it?”
Doc shook his head. “Don’t put this thing on a pedestal, Maggie. The drone itself still is—or was at some point—human. It’s still subject to humanity’s weaknesses. Bottom line, this thing is still evil. It’s doing violence and murder and forcing people into slavery. Good will always overcome evil because the energy of it vibrates at a higher frequency. There is always a way. Always. We must simply take action. Be determined, vigilant, until we figure out how.”
Maggie nodded, feeling encouraged.
“When did all that happen with the Cimerians, Doc?” Joan asked. “Back when you and your…brothers were young?”
Maggie frowned. She’d never known Doc had brothers.
Doc gave Joan a somewhat annoyed look. “Yes, Joan. Me and my brothers. Myself, Nat….” Doc took a deep breath. “And B.”
A series of gasps rang out around the table, and Maggie’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t help it. “B is your brother?” she burst out.
Doc merely nodded, face still. “Mine and Nat’s.” Doc’s gaze sought out Nat.
“You and Nat are brothers?” Karl practically shouted. When Doc merely bobbed his head once, Karl studied his hands, visibly taking hold of himself. “Doc,” his voice sounded marginally calmer, “why didn’t we know that?”
Doc held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Because of our history. I will give you the brief version. We’ve been bombarded with information already today.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers. “When Nat and I and our brother—he went by Bartholomew back then—were all young men, we entertained vastly different ideas about what the world should be. We were young, foolish, passionate.” He smiled down at the table, a light of reminiscence in his eyes. “Even fought over a woman at one point, if you can believe it.”
“Wait,” Lila said. “All three of you?”
Maggie glanced down the table to see the same fond reminiscence in Nat’s eyes.
Doc waved his hand dismissively, rather than answering Lila’s question. “It doesn’t matter. It happened many years ago. The short version is, the three of us quarreled. Our relationship deteriorated.”
“I don’t understand, Doc,” Maggie broke in quickly. “You quarreled about what?”
He looked up at her in surprise. “Freedom, of course. Nat and I stood against the collectives. We believe in individuality. Bartholomew, unfortunately, agreed with the collectives. Back then, they were still relatively small entities, but growing rapidly. As things became worse around us in society, so did our brotherly relationship. Eventually, the leaders of the rebellion against the collective—the B.C.O. at large—were hunted. Our brother disappeared into the collective ether, and Nat and I went into hiding. It happened…more years ago than I’d care to remember.”
A gong of sadness for Doc sounded in Maggie's chest. She couldn’t imagine ending up on the opposite end of this conflict from J
onah. Didn't want to imagine losing him, of his own free will, to a cause that enslaved others. “I’m so sorry, Doc,” she said softly.
Every muscle in Marcus’s body had gone rigid. Maggie didn’t know what it felt like to lose a brother to the collective, but Marcus did. She placed a hand over both of Marcus’s, which were clasped tightly on the table in front of him. She leaned her arm fully against his and laid her head on his shoulder, willing calm and tranquility into him.
It worked after a fashion. Lacing his fingers through hers, he took a shaky breath. A moment later, his left arm snaked around her, his hand resting gently on the back of her hair as he leaned his cheek against her forehead.
Glancing beyond Marcus, Maggie saw David at the far end of the table. He studied his hands in his lap harder than ever, and though he hadn’t moved in any perceivable way, his body now angled away from the group.
Doc, pretending not to notice Marcus and Maggie’s exchange, gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Maggie. You must all understand, I no longer see this man as my brother. The man I knew, the boy Nat and I grew up with, is gone. He voluntarily gave up his identity to become a part of the collective world. Now, he’s become one of their leaders. He’s dangerous to each of us as individuals, and to our cause at large. He’d kill any of us without blinking an eye. This man is no longer my family. He is my enemy.”
“Did,” Lila’s voice faltered. “Did you always know…B was your brother?” Maggie wanted to take Lila’s hand, but Lila sat on the other side of Marcus. Marcus did take her hand, though—Lila was like a little sister to him—and on her other side, Joan put an arm around her.
On the other side of Joan, Jonah watched Lila with a frown. Maggie doubted Jonah knew the story of when B invaded Lila’s mind. It understandably traumatized her. She still talked about it only with difficulty.
Doc gave Lila a pained look. “When he first attacked you, I suspected, but couldn’t be certain. When he communicated with me on the Pacific island, I knew. He spoke to us again in the cavern when I spied on the collective. Joan heard some things, and guessed the rest. I promised to tell everyone the truth.”
Dark Matter (Interchron Book 3) Page 7
