David stayed silent for a time. “I’m not sure if this will make any difference, Maggie, but I think it must be more complicated. At the very least, it might explain the memory echoes you saw, even after they’d gone.”
“What do you mean?” Maggie asked.
“Your memories were good. Positive. You didn’t want to let them go. I think it made all the difference. Bad memories, those with negative emotions attached, are uncomfortable. Unpleasant. People give them away. And with them, their free will. I witnessed it countless times in the collective. People with good, positive memories to cherish are stronger. Even the weak cling tenaciously to good memories. Warm emotions. They seem more real to humans than miserable reality. Good memories are cemented in us. Perhaps that’s why traces of yours were left behind, despite them being torn away. Bad memories are more fluid, because people want to be rid of them.”
Maggie wondered which memories David dwelt on: the bad or the good.
“Marcus truly is coming around, David. I know he is. He's angry and stressed out. Sad. We all are."
David did turn his head to look at her then. "I know, Maggie. Truly I do."
Maggie felt surprise. David sounded so calm. So sure. "You do?” She glanced back toward Interchron. “Despite what he just said, do you think he’s forgiven you?”
David’s face remained tranquil, but she thought she detected sadness in his eyes as he raised them skyward. "Almost."
Maggie felt a swell of relief. David’s hope increased hers. If only they had more time. The eclipse was upon them. "I appreciate you being so patient with him, David. More than I can say. Most people would've gotten far more frustrated with his stubbornness than you have."
David didn't answer.
"Why is that?" she asked. "How do you stay so calm about everything?"
"My brother isn’t wrong," David said softly. “I have much to atone for."
Maggie wanted to ask questions. Something told her if she listened, David would explain.
"I stand here, in the in-between, Maggie. Between sin and forgiveness. Between hate and love. Between brothers and enemies. Between ‘almost’ and certainty.”
“Marcus doesn’t hate you,” Maggie objected.
David shrugged. “He doesn’t love me, either,” he said. “So, I am in between. Here," he turned his head to look at her again, "I make my atonement." He gazed back to the stars, the finality of his tone telling her he’d finished speaking.
She stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "You won't be in between forever. Don't forget, change happens in the in between, too."
He turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"You’re in the space between the wrong you did to Marcus, and time when he'll forgive you for it. Somewhere in that space, change will happen that will lead to his forgiveness. It's not a bad place to be. I get that it's one of waiting, which is frustrating. It's also necessary for the two of you to fix your relationship.”
David nodded. "You’re right. In the in-between lies both the change and the atonement. So here I stand, waiting."
His eyes reflected the colorful sky once more. Maggie followed his gaze. In a few hours, the energy wriggling through that sky would try to take their freedom, their individuality, their very identities. It swirled above them, coming at them with every breath they took. Perhaps they all stood in the in-between. Waiting.
Chapter 30: Plans and Suspicions
"Small problem," Maggie said sarcastically. "I have no idea how to interrupt the corridor of energy. How I do that, Tenessa?"
Tenessa shrugged off-handedly, and Maggie vaguely considered punching her.
"I cannot teach you how, Executioner, except to say you must employ dark matter. The Cimerian will use it, and so you must counter him in order to disrupt the corridor."
Maggie jumped to her feet and began pacing the length of the conference room. Jonah and Lila weren’t in attendance, but nearly everyone else sat or stood around the room. Doc had said Jonah and Lila would be desperately needed during the eclipse—less than twenty-four hours away, now—so the two of them were training. Jonah needed as much experience and learning as possible before it happened.
Doc sat in his normal spot at the head of the table. Maggie had wanted him along for this conversation because, well, he was Doc. He always had a great deal of insight into things. Yet, so far he’d only sat there, looking despondent. He hadn’t said two words since the meeting began.
Karl stood beside Tenessa, near the door. Marcus, as usual, had taken a seat beside Maggie. Tristan sat down the table, with Joan opposite him. David lounged against the far wall. They all watched Maggie pace in silence.
"I have no idea,” Maggie railed. “No idea how to manipulate dark matter. How am I supposed to learn in a few hours?"
No one answered. Maggie looked to Marcus for help. He seemed at a loss.
The next words came in Doc’s soft voice. "I don't know, Maggie. If you don't, we'll all be dead or enslaved by this time tomorrow."
Maggie didn’t want to snap at Doc in his condition, but was that supposed to make her feel better?
Finally, Karl stepped forward. “Let’s try and handle this logically. We need some information, Tenessa.”
He turned to gaze directly at her. Tenesssa stared unflinchingly back.
“Basic scientific information I know you have in your head. We didn’t obtain the orb, so the agreement still stands. You help us, by telling us everything we need to know, until we get it. Right?”
Tenessa pressed her lips together. After a brief pause, she gave a single bob of her head.
“Good.” Karl straightened up. “Let’s start with exactly how dark matter will assist with the assimilation.”
Tenessa spoke slowly, obviously choosing her words carefully. “Dark matter makes up the very fabric of our universe. Most humans—especially Separatists—” she cast accusing glares around the room, “believe science, the physical world, is completely separate from the metaphysical.”
“What do you mean by metaphysical?” Marcus asked. “Define it.”
“Belief. Ethics. Morality.”
“You’ll find,” Doc said, surprising Maggie, “most of us believe the physical and non-physical are related. What’s that got to do with dark matter, or this weapon?” As he spoke, his eyes remained on the sand-covered floor, his voice completely monotone.
Tenessa scowled at Doc. “The Orb is a tool,” she said firmly.
“It’s a weapon,” Karl snapped. “Stop trying to pretend otherwise.”
She glared at him, but didn’t argue. “Because the Orb interacts with the fabric of the universe, anyone attached to the Orb can manipulate that fabric, bending the universe to their will. Up until now, the mergings—from many collectives down to four large ones, then again to two—have only been physical and neurochemical. The members of the collectives come together to exist in a physical, unified group, and their neurochemical links were all interwoven. Now, using the Orb, the fabric of the universe will change to unify all human beings on earth.”
“There won’t be any way to undo it, will there?” Marcus asked softly.
“The Council says not,” Tenessa answered.
“Well of course they would say that,” Maggie muttered.
“It wouldn’t matter anyway,” Karl said. “If they succeed in this, we’ll all be slaves, without the free will to counter them. That’s the whole point.”
Maggie nodded. The information was disturbing, to be sure, but also basically what they’d figured. She was more interested in something else Tenessa had said. “What’s all this got to do with the ‘metaphysical.’ What did you mean?”
“Free will.” The quiet words came from Doc.
“What do you mean, Doc?” Joan asked gently when Doc didn’t go on.
Doc looked up in in surprise, as though he’d forgotten they were all there. He shook himself. “Our universe has free will built into its very nature. You can enslave someone, try to fo
rce them to do something they don’t want to do, or force something upon them they can’t control, but they still have free will. Individual choice is our original inheritance. The collectives plan to alter the fabric of the universe. That’s what she means about the physical and the metaphysical not being separate. Free will is woven into the building blocks of our universe, contained, somehow, in this dark matter. If the collectives succeed in this endeavor, our universe will no longer be our own. Our primary state will be one of slavery and robotics, not thinking for ourselves.”
“Not progressing,” Karl said quietly. “Or capable of beauty any longer.”
Doc nodded.
Fear crept into Maggie’s middle as Doc spoke. It expanded, until it filled her entire being. She felt it seeping out the spaces between her skin cells.
“So how do we stop it?” Maggie asked firmly. What will it take?”
Doc straightened his spine and looked at Tenessa directly. Maggie felt relief that this conversation seemed to be getting his mind off Nat. “Tenessa,” he said. “Can you give us more detail about how and why you believe Maggie can bring down the Cimerian?”
Tenessa shrugged. “She matches him in the Executioner ability, particularly in the ability to manipulate dark matter.”
Maggie barely suppressed a gasp. She felt the same surprise from the rest of the room. The ‘Executioner ability?’ And dark matter again. Maggie studied her hands, wishing she could hide. She’d suspected, but now Tenessa confirmed it. Because the Cimerian had the ability, and had already used it to hurt others, Maggie having it herself felt like something shameful.
“Maggie can manipulate dark matter?” Karl asked quietly. “You know that for certain?”
Tenessa stared at him as though he’d gone insane. “Of course. The Executioner is…an Executioner. They all can.” She clucked her tongue scornfully. “The Separatists don’t understand their own prophecy.”
Maggie took a deep, shuddering breath. Marcus covered her hand with his. While she always felt comforted by his presence, it did nothing to counter the pit that had opened in her stomach.
“You’re right, Tenessa,” Doc said. “We don’t completely understand it. But we are constantly learning. You can hardly fault us for what we don’t know.”
Tenessa frowned at Doc pointedly, as if to say she would fault them any way she chose. If Doc noticed the look, he ignored it.
“So, all Executioners can manipulate dark matter?” he asked.
“Executioners manipulate all types of matter,” Tenessa said slowly. “They cause things to happen in the universe. Execute their will and judgment.”
“Can they absorb the abilities of others?” Doc asked.
Maggie’s head snapped up, and she held her breath, waiting for Tenessa’s answer.
The dark-haired woman stared at Doc with an unreadable face. “They can.”
“They execute their will,” Marcus murmured.
Maggie looked over at him.
“Perhaps that’s where the title comes from. You may not have to kill people at all.”
Maggie smiled gratefully, feeling some small measure of relief. The smile slid off her face when she glanced back at Tenessa and found her frowning at Marcus as though he’d said something totally irrelevant. It made Maggie’s stomach turn. She wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the look.
“You have something to say about this Tenessa?” Doc asked.
Tenessa’s hard gaze returned to Doc. “The Separatists assume too much.”
Maggie’s stomach dropped into her feet. What the hell did that mean?
Karl snorted, and Tenessa’s eyes flashed dangerously in his direction.
When Karl saw the others looking at him as well, he shrugged. “You preach about assumptions, but you yourself assume collective will take you back, rather than killing you. You also assume we’ll fail, because there’s no possible way we can succeed. Which one of us is assuming things, Tenessa?”
Stupid woman. Maggie didn’t care if the thought was vicious. She couldn’t find respect for a woman who begged for slavery. The team could still take advantage of Tenessa’s foolishness, though.
Tennessa shifted in her seat, looking…uncomfortable was the only word that came to Maggie’s mind. It surprised Maggie. She’d never seen Tenessa look anything but arrogant.
Doc rubbed his forehead, looking tired. “We don’t assume too much, Tenessa,” he said softly. “We hope for too much. But let’s stay on course. How does Maggie, theoretically, stop the assimilation?”
“The Executioner can disrupt the flow of the Cimerian’s power. Because she is his equal. She is the only one who can.” Tenessa heaved a deep breath. “Attempting to do so one day hence, at the height of the eclipse, has minimal chance of success. The energy of the eclipse will bolster the Cimerian’s powers too much, and the Executioner has no training.”
“And what of the other options?” David asked, speaking for the first time. “If Maggie can’t disrupt the Cimerian’s power, perhaps we could focus on simply killing him, or one of the Council.” He looked at Tenessa. “Do you know where the Cimerian is being kept? Or where the Council currently resides?”
Tenessa kept looking forward. She did not answer.
“Tenessa,” Karl nudged her arm. “Answer him.”
“Was a question asked?” Tenessa sniffed. “We heard nothing.”
Maggie remembered Justine. “I,” she gave David an apologetic look. “I think it’s because David asked the question. It seems the people of the collective have a major discrimination problem with those they consider ‘Vanished.’”
Understanding came into David’s face. He didn’t look upset or embarrassed, only calm. “Maggie is right. She will not answer the question because it came from me.”
Karl rolled his eyes. “Oh for heaven’s sake.” He took Tenessa’s arm and swung her around to face him. “Answer the question, Tenessa.”
“What question?”
“Enough of this,” Karl roared. “I know you heard him and I won’t repeat it. Consider the question as coming from me if you must, but answer it.”
Maggie sighed. This wasn’t exactly productive. Karl knew the answer to the question. His anger only came because Tenessa was being stubborn. Not that she blamed him. She glanced over at David. His expression had grown dark.
Tenessa glared harder than before, and when she spoke, her voice was so soft, Maggie strained to hear it. “We already told you, we do not know the Council’s current location. But we know what it will be during the Merging.”
Maggie’s told herself to breathe. Though she already knew all this, the idea of trying to take one of these people out during the merging sounded…impossible. It would be down to the wire. If they failed at that point, they’d all be assimilated within seconds.
“What if it doesn’t work?” an acidic voice came from upwind of Maggie.
Maggie turned to look at Tristan.
“Do we have a plan B?” he asked, his tone saying he knew full well they didn’t.
“Of course we do,” Joan answered. “Although,” she turned to Doc. “I don’t think we should do one thing at a time and keep the other things in reserve. We should try to stop the assimilation on all fronts at once.”
“How do you mean?” Doc said.
Joan looked at Maggie. “I know you don’t know how, but you probably know more than you realize. You should try to disrupt that corridor of energy. Even if you can’t do it, perhaps you can at least wreak a little havoc and buy us some time. Or distract the Cimerian so the rest of us can get to our tasks.”
Maggie’s stomach twisted itself into tighter knots. At this rate, she’d have an ulcer before the eclipse even began.
Joan looked back at Doc. “Meanwhile, others of us can attack the Council. As Tenessa said, if we take down even one of them, the Merging might still happen, but the assimilation will fail.”
“Will the Cimerian have the orb in his possession for the eclipse?” Marcus asked addre
ssing Tenessa.
Maggie frowned at him, wondering what he was getting at.
Tenessa hesitated. “We are…unsure.”
“If he does, fine,” Marcus said. “If he’s not actually holding it, maybe we should try to get it again. Especially if Maggie can distract him, we might be able to swipe it.” He shifted his eyes to Tenessa. “He can’t perform the assimilation without it, right?”
Tenessa nodded. “The Healer is correct.”
Joan nodded. “Okay, so we attack on three fronts. Some of us go after the Council, some try to get the orb, and Maggie tries to disrupt the whole thing.” She gave Maggie a sympathetic look. “I’d rather have three possible chances of success than one any day.”
Maggie did her best to return the smile. She did feel better about a three-pronged attack. At least the entirety of their success wouldn’t hang on something Maggie had no idea how to do.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Tristan rolled his eyes with exaggeration. Running a hand through his dark, greasy hair, he appeared livid. “Let me get this straight. For this plan to work, we have to all pray,” he emphasized the word nastily, “that she,” he jerked his head in Maggie’s general direction, “can find some way to disrupt the flow of this man’s power, when she doesn’t even understand her own powers or how to use them? We have to pray one of us can kill one of the Council of Six, some of the most powerful people in the world, and a feat this group has never managed before. Am I the only one who recognizes a suicide mission when I see one?”
“What would you rather do?” Joan snapped. “Let them enslave us all? Yes, we could easily fail. We still have to try.”
“Well,” Tristan leaned back arrogantly in his chair, his nose pointing vaguely toward the ceiling. “It’s entirely too much praying,” he did air quotes with his fingers, “for my taste. Did I miss anything. Tenessa, is it?”
Irritation flared in Maggie’s chest. She didn’t feel particularly protective of Tenessa, but Tristan knew her name. He’d heard it plenty of times. He was just being a jerk.
“Anything else we should pray for?” the man continued.
Dark Matter (Interchron Book 3) Page 40
