Convergence

by Alex Albrinck

  Arthur looked at Fil. “You defend your father’s honor at the merest hint of a negative comment, and yet you don’t stand in defense of your mother?”

  “I’m an obedient son,” Fil replied. “She doesn’t need my help. Dad’s not here—not yet.” He shrugged. “Why am I explaining myself to you?”

  “A curious group, indeed,” Arthur replied. “One with misguided priorities. Perhaps that’s what encouraged this woman”—he offered a half-nod in Eva’s direction—“to reach out to me, rather than staying behind in your undersea lair to fight on your behalf. Even now, one of my Hunters and his troops are devastating the fools you’ve left there.”

  Porthos applauded the news.

  Fil stared at Eva. This woman had acted as almost a second mother to him at a time in his life when Hope had been too ill or completely absent to fill the role on her own. He couldn’t believe she’d gone to Arthur; clearly, he must be lying, must be hiding the truth that he’d captured her and forced from her every truth she’d told him. He searched her battered face, but he didn’t find the answers he’d sought. “Why, Eva?” he whispered. “Why would you do such a thing? Why would you tell this man—?”

  Eva’s eyes filled with greater pain and a deep sadness. “I did what needed doing, Joshua Phillip Stark.” She took a deep breath. “Loyalty… it is something… not everyone learns.”

  Hope’s face fell in bewilderment at Eva’s words. “That’s why you did this? That’s why you betrayed my husband, the man who saved your life? That’s why you betrayed my children? That’s why you helped that monster?”

  “Hey, he can hear you, you know,” Porthos hissed.

  “My reasons are deeper and more complex than you will ever know or understand,” Eva replied. Her voice was laced with tension and strain, but her eyes were firm in her conviction that she’d done the right thing.

  “But you told him everything!” Hope shouted. “How much did you tell him, Eva?” Hope was shaking in her anger. “How many died because of what you’ve done?”

  “None have died due to my actions,” Eva replied.

  “Eva?” Will called from the communicator. “When did you arrive?”

  “She betrayed us, Will!” Hope snapped. “Told him everything about who you are and where you came from. And who knows how long she’s been working with him?” She wheeled on Eva again. “I trusted you like you were my own mother!”

  Porthos gripped Rand by the shoulder. “Don’t shoot anyone. You can’t buy entertainment like this. It’s like television… but real!”

  “Yet you chose to leave me behind, all alone, and to explore the world without me,” Eva replied. Her eyes filled with pain, and flicked once more to Fil, softening as the image of the son replaced that of the mother.

  “You know perfectly well why I did that!” Hope shouted.

  Arthur had moved back toward his desk and cleared his throat. All eyes in the room turned to him. The Assassin lifted Eva effortlessly and turned her to face the Leader. “I’m enjoying this argument; truly, I am. But… as I recall… there is the minor matter of a war going on. I suppose we must deal with that issue at some point.” He leaned back against his desk, turning his gaze upon Fil. “Young man, I believe you demanded my surrender.”

  “I did indeed,” Fil replied, folding his arms.

  “I believe I shall decline, and counter with a demand for your surrender.”

  He slid his hand behind the desk and pushed an unseen button.

  Nets fell from the ceiling, nestling over Fil and Hope. A surge of Energy from the Leader pulled Porthos clear just before a net fell over him.

  Hope sighed. “Daddy dearest, this isn’t the eleventh century.”

  Fil felt the net sap at his Energy, much like he’d sensed during the pre-Outside training he’d undergone to familiarize himself with the effects of Aramis’ power. He remembered that he’d broken the machine when he’d surged his Energy just slightly. He turned his mocking smirk at the Aliomenti Leader and laughed. “Grandfather, you don’t really think this will work, do you?”

  Arthur sneered at him. “Oh, I rather think it will.” He rose from the desk and stalked toward Fil. “Correction. I know it will.”

  Fil rolled his eyes and began to surge his Energy, willing the fire to burn through the netting. He knew that his mother, standing at his side, did so as well.

  His eyes widened and he cried out in surprise.

  He fell to the ground on his knees, and heard his mother drop next to him.

  Arthur walked toward them and knelt down, put his hand on Fil’s chin, and lifted it up. Fil wasn’t certain he could lift his head on his own anymore. “It seems that you’ve underestimated us yet again. You see, Eva’s supplied me with useful information for quite some time. I’ve known of your existence since your birth, before your birth, even. And I’ve known of that special level of power you alone possess.” He leaned in closer and whispered in Fil’s ear. “And I know you’re the one who brought the Cataclysm upon the world, killing billions of innocent humans by showing himself as possessed of human-like lack of self-control.” He leaned back. “Therefore, I knew a day like this would come. I knew that, one day, you’d come to my Island and try to take from me what I’ve earned. Not by cheating and going back in time against those powerless to defeat me, like certain cowards I know. With that knowledge, I was able to prepare.”

  “In total secrecy from even the Hunters.” Porthos statement was factually one of support for the Leader’s words. But his tone betrayed his frustration at the lack of sharing of information now so evident.

  He stood up and began pacing back and forth. “We’d struggled with containing the power of Will Stark using our Dampering Hunter, you see. It was clear that you—and the sister you’ve wisely hidden from me—would have power greater even than your father. The old methods wouldn’t work. We needed something more.”

  Porthos looked at the Leader, surprise and confusion etched on his face. “Why didn’t you tell—?”

  “I could scarcely have one of my Hunters reveal that I knew so much about the Alliance, now, could I?” Arthur’s tone was patronizing, and Porthos’ head, the only part of his body he could move, drooped. “No, it was best that you continue as if time was a straight line and we were all playing by the same rules until the time was right.” He looked back at Hope and Fil. “You see, we realized that we’d never be able to generate enough power of our own to damper away the Energy you possess. There’s only one energy source capable of generating the energy levels we’d need to create the impact we needed.” He knelt down once more, flicking his eyes back and forth from Hope to Fil. “You.”

  “Wait—what?” Fil gasped.

  “It’s quite simple, quite brilliant, really.” Arthur stood, folded his hands behind his back, and paced leisurely back and forth before his prisoners, his posture reflecting the control he felt over the entire situation. “It’s much like quicksand. The greater your effort to escape, the greater the suction to drag you down. The more Energy you expend to escape, the more powerfully the net will drain that Energy away. If you expend so little that you’d not notice the loss, you’ve not expended enough to destroy the net that binds you.”

  Fil snarled and summoned the Energy to teleport to freedom, the few inches that would take him beyond the net. He screamed in pain as the net burned, blistering his skin.

  “You really aren’t very bright, are you?” Arthur asked, tsking his tongue. “You must get your intelligence from your mother’s side of the family. Have I not already told you that you cannot escape? Yet you refuse to listen.” He shook his head before whirling to face them, eyes gleaming in triumph. “Now… which of you will have the honor of offering to me the surrender of the Alliance?”

  Fil looked Arthur straight in the eye. He summoned the strength to speak. “Dad,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “Time to initiate phase two.”

  Arthur stepped back, whirling around, frantically looking about.

  Seco
nds later, every human in the room vanished. Arthur’s eyes went wide in shock. Whatever he’d been expecting… it hadn’t been that.

  Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn to Porthos. The Hunter, who’d been watching the dialogue with interest inside his nano cocoon, fell to the ground clutching his right arm, screaming in pain.

  A crimson pool formed beneath him as he desperately sought to stop the blood flowing forth from the stump where his right hand used to be.

  XX

  HE COULD FEEL NOTHING BUT a chilled set of emotions emanating from her and hovered behind her, uncertain how best to help her deal with the emotional blow he’d just inflicted. Adam reached his hand toward Gena to offer whatever comfort he could, then pulled it away.

  How could he provide her comfort when he was the cause of her discomfort?

  Gena wrapped her arms around herself and walked away, head down, emotions of confusion wafting behind her.

  Adam trotted after her for a moment before he spoke. “Are you… okay?”

  She said nothing.

  His pace slowed and he fell further behind, sensing he was losing her, just as he’d always feared. It was the fear of this very loss that had kept him from getting too close, from telling her the truth. And now it seemed he was proved correct in that fear. But he knew he needed to offer something, anything, to maintain any wisp of a chance at redemption in her eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you, Gena. I knew the truth would be difficult to hear. But—”

  She stopped moving, and he stopped talking. She lifted her head from the ground, then turned to face him. “How long have you known all of… that?”

  He paused. “A long time. A very, very long time.” He spoke slowly, drawing out the words. “I’ve known some of it much longer than the rest.”

  She looked at him, her face contorted with… anger? Hurt? Confusion? “Don’t you think there are other people who ought to know? Who need to know? Who perhaps need to know right now, hearing about it from you. Before someone else tells them and so emotionally imbalances them that it could lead to permanent harm? We’re in a war zone. News like that could literally lead to someone’s death.”

  He shook his head. “But nobody else knows, Gena. Nobody else could tell them.”

  Gena shook her head. “I don’t believe that.”

  She turned and stormed off, leaving him confused.

  Adam let her go.

  He slumped against the nearest wall, letting himself slide to the ground against the rough, solid surface. A cool breeze, generated by the hidden fans above, whistled through his hair. He normally found comfort in those breezes, in the fresh scents they brought. But it brought him no comfort today.

  He’d known how she’d react. He’d known the information would shock her. He’d wanted to protect her, as he always had, and didn’t want her to bear the burden he’d borne for so long.

  In the end, he’d cared for her too much. He couldn’t continue to push her away because of this secret. He couldn’t be the one to make the final decision about how she’d take the news. And so he’d risked losing her forever on the slim chance that knowing the truth would melt that slim wall between them, a wall entirely of his own creation.

  She’d known something held him back from a commitment; that he’d refused to let her associate with him because of whatever painful secrets he’d kept hidden. But her pain at his refusal to tell was his pain as well.

  He’d finally relented.

  He sighed. At least the information was out now, to at least one person, the one he trusted above all others. He didn’t have to wonder anymore, wonder how she’d react, what she’d say, what she’d do. He didn’t know how others would react either, and didn’t really care. Gena’s reaction was the only one that mattered.

  He let his head slam against the wall as the tears flowed silently, a soundless mourning of what had never been and now could never be.

  They’re free! They’ve gotten out! The Aliomenti are loose!

  Adam bolted upright, his anguish pushed aside by more pressing matters of survival. Scott’s telepathic message startled him in its intensity. He felt the confusion in the tone as well.

  How had the Aliomenti escaped their unescapable prison?

  The noise erupted from the giant prison room as Athos and his men burst forth, swords in hand, firing bursts of Energy at anything or anyone that moved. Stunned at the sight of their prisoners moving freely among them, members of the Alliance reacted slowly. Too slowly. He watched as the first half dozen Alliance the invaders encountered were cut down in a near instant, including two children under the age of six. They fell to the ground, lifeless eyes staring up at the cloudless blue sky imaged upon the artificial ceiling of the Cavern.

  Adam’s grief over the situation with Gena, combined with the sudden and shocking deaths of long-time friends, proved the kindling to stoke roaring flames of anger. He gathered his nanos and fired them at the nearest Aliomenti, willing the nanos to surround each fighter, suppressing the Energy inside as the cocoon formed.

  The nanos reached the first several men, who went still, eyes wide. Adam gave a grim smile. Technology was a beautiful thing. He saw Athos stop his advance and turn back toward the trapped fighters. The Hunter pulled something from his pocket and threw it at the men.

  They burst free from their nano cocoons and chased after Athos, prepared to resume fighting after the brief interruption.

  Adam was stunned. The nanos had been their trump card, the technology that never failed in combat with Energy or with the Aliomenti. Athos had erased his nano hold on the fighters with something other than Energy. He realized that Athos had not only shattered the cocoon, he’d destroyed the devices. Adam could no longer sense the nanos used to surround the now-free fights.

  He sucked in his breath. There was a pattern here, both to the manner in which they’d escaped the makeshift prison and in the way Athos freed those Adam had trapped.

  Adam ran after them, shouting to the Aliomenti he passed already engaged in combat. Adam ducked Energy bolts and swinging swords, using his own Energy to amplify his voice. “The invaders are able to neutralize the nanos! Stick to physical weapons and Energy! Remember, first try to disable them, rather than kill them!” He added a telepathic repeat of the message throughout the Cavern.

  He heard Athos laugh in the distance as the message arrived, and a mocking burst of emotion slammed into Athos. He knew that the Hunter would provide no such call for restraint to his own men.

  With the reality of the full invasion now evident, and with the once-trapped Aliomenti now running free among them, swinging swords and firing blasts of Energy, the Alliance began to fight back and rally. Steel clanged against steel, and Energy bursts flashed as the air crackled around them. Many bursts of Energy were poorly aimed or deflected, and those hit the unsuspecting—often friend instead of enemy—and crashed into freestanding trees and structures. Several shops and residences crumbled under the assault. An errant burst of Energy ricocheted to the ceiling of the Cavern, shattering a water pipe used for the scheduled rainstorms. Water coursed down from above, drenching a pile of Aliomenti who’d not realized there were water pipes hidden in the ceiling above. The nearby Alliance members were able to render the men unconscious with well-placed Energy bursts to the control centers of their brains.

  Adam raced into thickest and most intense portions of the fighting, leaping between two Aliomenti who snickered as they rained blows down upon two four-year-old girls. Adam’s blood boiled. How could they attack children? His fury ignited, his training took over, and he had both men disarmed and unconscious on the ground seconds later.

  He turned to check on the girls. They seemed unhurt. “Are you okay?”

  One giggled. “That was so cool, Mr. Adam!”

  Adam sighed inwardly.

  The other girl raised her hand. “Can I… kick them? Because they’re mean?”

  Adam looked around to see if any other Aliomenti were nearby. He saw nothing. “Only once
,” he whispered. “And then hide yourselves, okay? I think there a lot of mean people left running loose around here.”

  The girls giggled and kicked their attackers in the shins before teleporting from his sight. He blinked, impressed. Few children could teleport at that age. But with the growing numbers of second- and third- generation Energy users, it was certainly inevitable. He suspected Fil ran the risk of teleporting from the womb.

  He looked around and didn’t notice any additional Aliomenti. He listened intently, zeroing in on the loudest noises, before racing off in that direction.

  The fighting had moved farther into the Cavern, away from the prison they’d built near the Beach. Adam sensed strengthening emotions and thoughts from the invaders as he moved further into the Cavern. That was understandable. Though the invaders had arrived with a mandate to kill all members of the Alliance—as evidenced by the thwarted attack on the two children—the men were curious. They’d never before known of the Cavern’s existence and had never experienced the marvel beneath the polar ice cap. It was a reaction similar to that he’d seen with each new Alliance recruit during their first visit to this space.

  The Aliomenti intended to fulfill their mandate. But it might take just a bit longer than Arthur Lowell would prefer for them to finish the job. After all, they had no idea what portions of the Cavern would remain standing after their genocidal mission.

  If Adam had his way, though, they’d fail to complete that mission in spectacular fashion.

  Then he’d give the survivors a tour.

  He followed the crackling sounds and sensations of Energy, the agonized screams as fiery bursts and sharp metal collided with flesh, and grimaced. His people weren’t trying to hurt the Aliomenti invaders, just render them unconscious.

  That meant the odds were quite high that every scream he heard, every emotion of pain that shot through his empathic senses, came from somebody he knew.

  He heard her voice surge above the din. “Everyone! Stop fighting!” Gena shouted. “There’s no need to fight!”