The Disciples of the Orb

by Marshall Cobb

  “If you accept what Orb told us then none of our actions, or our lives, matter. We’re just part of the push and pull of energy in our universe,” said Eli.

  Jenny shook her head. “That’s just it. It has to matter, doesn’t it?”

  She looked to Peter, then Eli. Neither would make eye contact. Peter finally responded, Maybe it does make sense somehow if you know which questions to ask. Orb definitely isn’t going to tell us on his own.

  Both Eli and Jenny stared ahead as they processed Peter’s thought.

  Maybe we just aren’t as important as we think we are. Back in biology class—when there was one—we learned that acorn worms share about seventy percent of human DNA. We wouldn’t bat an eyelash about squishing a worm. Peter and I used to put them on hooks all the time.

  Jenny fought back the desire to cringe as Eli continued. Ok, MOST of us wouldn’t care about the worm. Maybe we’re just so far down the food chain that we don’t register. We’re being used, like lab rats, in experiments being done by all these higher-level species.

  Peter began talking about how tired he was, and how he looked forward to resting for a while. Eli and Jenny, initially confused, joined in and added that they wanted to spend time together. In the middle of the banter, Peter sent them both a thought.

  I think this was a trap. Orb suspects us, he basically told us so, just before he announced that we were getting the day off. He wanted to see where we would go and what we would do. We’ve probably already raised alarms by coming here, but we can go back home and rest, just like we’re saying out loud, and I’ll send more ideas to both of you later.

  Jenny replied, while talking about how good her mom’s bread was with honey on it, What if Bartholomew isn’t telling the truth? What if Orb can actually hear our thoughts?

  If Orb can hear our thoughts then it’s all already over, Eli replied, before squeezing Jenny’s hand and saying aloud, “Let’s go get some of that bread.”

  Let’s not share this trip, or any of this, with the others, Peter added.

  You don’t trust them? Jenny asked.

  I like them. I trust them to help in the end, but I don’t think either Matt or Irene is the planning type, and since none of us can communicate with them telepathically it just doesn’t work.

  Jenny reached out and touched Peter’s shoulder, very much aware of the burden of responsibility placed on him. Eli watched her hand, frowned, and said, “We’ll see you back at the bank tomorrow morning. I’m going to stay at Jenny’s.”

  “On the couch,” Jenny added just before they teleported.

  Peter stood alone, watching the church, until a gust of wind gave him an unseasonal shiver. He gave a short, low wave to the church, and disappeared.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Hoover Dam

  Matt wiped at his forehead as a gust of wind whipped his long hair. His thick, yellow, official tunic barely budged. He stood in the middle of a large bridge which provided a view of a giant concrete dam set between red walls of rock on either side that betrayed no signs of life. A small amount of water trickled far below him in the bottom of the canyon, but it paled in comparison to the huge, blue mirror of water trapped behind the dam.

  Matt looked over at a plaque mounted on the railing of the walking bridge which proclaimed that it was the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.

  “That’s quite a mouthful of a name,” Matt mumbled.

  It is named after a former governor of one of the states served by the dam, as well as a player of what you called football who was also a member of your country’s army—but was accidentally killed by other members of your army.

  Matt winced at the volume of Orb’s voice in his head.

  “And that’s the famous Hoover dam?” Matt asked.

  Orb, perhaps sensing that Matt wished to have this conversation out loud, changed to that approach. “Yes, although it was originally known as Boulder Dam, which is itself odd because Boulder Canyon was deemed unsuitable for the project and the dam actually stands in what was known as The Black Canyon.”

  Matt nodded and let that information fall away. He did not care about the origins of a dam he was about to demolish. With the amount of traveling he had done he was lucky to remember his name. Teleportation was definitely easier, and quicker, than riding on a public bus, but it came at a cost—as did the work Orb tasked him to do at each of the stops.

  “Ok, Orb. I’m not going to remember any of these details so there’s no point in you going all Google on me.”

  The only sound for the next few moments was the wind, until the large, glowing circle of red light hovering above Matt pulsed and crackled. “Ah. Yes. Your humor again. I understand your point and will refrain from the delivery of information beyond what is essential for your work. I had thought you might be interested in learning more about things and places you have never seen.”

  Matt winced again, but this time it was from the edge in Orb’s voice. “I’m sorry, Orb. I’m just tired and what I’m really interested in is seeing Irene and the others.”

  “Understood,” Orb immediately replied. “Teleportation is more difficult for you than the others, but your gift for the compression of material is unrivaled.”

  Matt looked up at Orb for a moment, then back to the dam. A smile leaked onto his face. “My mother always said I was good at that too, but she called it destruction.”

  “I would argue that the demolition of this dam is not destruction but simply the removal of a hideous, selfish creation of your species which ruined a river and destroyed life that depended on it below this point. This misuse of water, which has been routinely wasted, was sold to your population as a necessary source for power, but the hydroelectric power produced here barely registered the last few decades as the water level was too low for significant generation.”

  Matt looked behind him at the puny remnant of the river that trailed off into the hot, arid distance, and he wondered what this area had looked like before humanity had decided to bottle up the water. How many animals—entire species—have been wiped out by this dam?

  “And, Matt, you will return to the others after this. It’s been a month since your last break.”

  Matt turned and again looked at the dam. A light flutter of excitement coursed through him at the thought of seeing everyone, particularly Irene, again for more than just a few hours. He was also excited to see that the tops of the canyon walls on either side of the dam were crowded with Orb’s followers. Orb always enjoyed having a crowd at larger events, and it did not get much larger than the Hoover Dam.

  Matt’s hand gripped the metal railing and, for fun, squeezed. His hand slowly grew warmer and smoke leaked out from between his fingers. He pulled his hand away and saw that the railing where his hand had been was crushed to half its former diameter, with the appearance of a ball of clay after being squeezed within a powerful hand.

  “Go easy, Matt. This dam is not like the others I had you remove in the Pacific Northwest. This particular dam is over six hundred feet thick at its base. You cannot simply tear it into pieces.”

  Matt stopped flexing his hand and looked up to Orb. “So, if this is too thick for me to destroy, what do I do?”

  “This dam was built using concrete. A massive quantity of concrete. The engineers involved knew that the heat created when this concrete began to cure would weaken it if not evenly dispersed, so they built the dam in segments. Each portion had a grid of metal pipes within it. These pipes were filled with cooling ice and water. Once the curing process was close to completion and temperatures dropped, those same pipes were filled with even more concrete. More pipes were put in above and beside the existing structure and the process was repeated.”

  Matt chewed on the inside of his right cheek as he listened, still staring at the dam. “Ok. But I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do.”

  “I’ve all but spelled it out for you, Matt. You must raise the temperature of this grid of pipes to 600 degrees Celsiu
s. At that point the concrete within and around the pipes will lose its strength and load-bearing capacity—as will the steel pipes and other metal reinforcements.”

  Matt squinted as he took in the enormous structure of reinforced concrete. “That will work? Really? Just heating the pipes?”

  “I don’t believe you appreciate the energy required. This one event will take more power than I have used since Cube was defeated. I will funnel the power through you and, instead of attempting to crush the pipes, try to channel the power into them. The better your focus, and your restraint in heating instead of crushing, the quicker we can build up the heat.”

  “I didn’t know I could do this.”

  “You couldn’t, but I will now show you how.”

  Much of the detail Orb had just stated was lost on Matt, but he liked what he had understood. This was his biggest challenge yet and he would be taught an entirely new skill to handle it. Matt flexed his fingers and smiled at the dam. The distant whoops and cries of the followers gave him an added surge of adrenalin. He then followed the path of the diminished river towards the supports of the bridge he stood on. He gripped the railing again and leaned out to try and get a better look.

  “Am I safe here?” he asked after giving up. “If I’m exhausted from heating the metal I don’t know if I’ll be able to teleport.”

  Orb laughed, which was always a little disconcerting. “It will take hours for the superheated concrete to begin to crumble. Ultimately the water will prevail. The dam will fall and, over the course of a few thousand years, the concrete chunks that remain will be broken and eroded into pebbles.”

  Matt frowned. He had wanted to see the dam burst into pieces.

  “Once our work is finished, I will teleport you back to your house, where you will sleep for at least a day before you are able to join the others. I too will rest and recharge.”

  Matt’s disappointment faded as he thought about what it would feel like to have something close to Orb’s full power within him. Each time Orb channeled through him he felt a little stronger—like a weightlifter slowly able to add more weight on the bench press bar. Afterwards, he always felt sad, and diminished. He looked over at the spot of the railing he had crushed. He was definitely stronger. He shifted his gaze back to the dam and felt his fingers tapping the railing in expectation.

  “Please begin.”

  Matt nodded, still a bit unhappy that he wouldn’t see the results of his work, and, his left arm extended, pointed his left index finger at the middle of the giant dam. For a moment he felt nothing, then a flood of power greater than anything he had felt before surged through him. His mouth popped open, his hair stood on end, and an odd, wheezing noise came up from his throat.

  “Easy, Matt. Do not hold the power within you. Send it to the dam.”

  Matt, still struggling with his breath, squeezed his eyes shut and searched with his mind for the grid of metal pipes buried within the thick concrete walls—like veins within a muscle-bound arm. He involuntarily lifted up on his heels so that only the toes of his tennis shoes touched the ground, then hissed as wave upon wave of the power built up within him. This was nothing like crushing buildings. This was trying to pass a thread through the eye of a needle while driving down a bumpy road.

  Sweat rolled down his face and the droplets, caught by the wind, flew off the bridge into the canyon below.

  “You are almost there. Picture the pipes. Picture the sections of concrete.”

  Matt screamed out as his mind latched on to the system of pipes in the upper, thinner portion of the dam. The task was complicated by the fact that the pipes had also been filled with concrete. He was not looking for pipes as much as he was looking for metal sleeves buried within meters and meters of concrete.

  “Lower, Matt. You must heat the pipes within the thickest portion of the dam wall. Follow the grid.”

  Matt grimaced but did as he was asked. His hand trembled as it tracked down the wall.

  “Excellent, you are there. Begin to feel the consistency of the pipes. The width, the density. You will create the heat by breaking and flipping the bonds within the carbon portions of the steel molecule.”

  Matt cried out again as the stockpile of power built up within him. “Orb! I don’t want the details. Please help me get the power out into the pipes.”

  “Very well. You will automatically recall the process when asked to repeat it. I thought it might be useful to explain the similarities of the process we are undertaking versus that of a microwave used for cooking—”

  “Orb!”

  “Ok, I will direct the flow.”

  Matt’s outstretched hand continued to tremble as the power surged, boiled through him and attacked the metal grid of pipes within the dam. A low rumbling ensued, followed by a series of vibrations, and screams from the enthusiastic crowd.

  Matt’s eyes bulged, the sweat now ran down his face in such large amounts that it defied the wind, and instead it ran down the impermeable front of his tunic and formed a pool on the concrete below.

  “Perfect, Matt. Just a few more seconds.”

  Even more power rippled through Matt’s body, his eyes rolled back in his head and he dry-heaved several times while still keeping his hand, and power, concentrated on the dam.

  “It is done,” Orb said at long last. Matt crumpled to the ground, sitting in the pool of his own sweat, and tried to find his breath. The headache he felt was worse than any he had previously experienced and, when he reached up to wipe the sweat from his nose, his hand came away bloody. The sight made him crawl back to his feet.

  “Orb, I’m bleeding.”

  “A simple rupture of some of your blood vessels. It is superficial.”

  Matt wiped his hand on his yellow tunic and watched as the sweat and blood formed small balls that slid to the concrete below while leaving no mark behind. His interest in his bodily fluids was distracted by a distant cheer from the crowds gathered on either side of the dam. He looked up to see many of the tunic-clad followers jumping up and down as the vibration within the dam increased in intensity. Matt realized that he could feel the vibration through the soles of his shoes.

  “Can we go home?”

  “Just a moment, I’m adding to the intensity of the vibration to speed the process.”

  As Matt watched, small sheets of concrete began to break away from the wall of the dam. The crowd’s cheers grew louder at the sight, and the vibration beneath was now strong enough to rattle Matt’s teeth.

  “Orb?”

  Matt’s request was cut short when the canyon wall which connected and supported the dam—the wall which also supported the many followers gathered on the right side of the canyon—let forth a tearing sound. Cheers turned to screams as a section of the cliff wall twenty feet wide and thirty feet deep ripped free and fell away. The reddish iceberg of a rock bounced and skidded as it hit the canyon wall, scores of Orb’s followers who had been standing on top falling along with it.

  Matt turned away from the awful sight, closed his eyes, and didn’t open them until the crashing sounds of rocks hitting the bottom of the canyon had stopped. The shrieks from the diminished ranks of followers atop the wall continued, as did screams from the followers on the opposite side of the canyon, who ran over each other to put distance between themselves and the vibrating edge of the canyon.

  Those noises were soon eclipsed by the sound of rushing water. Matt stood back up, held the railing and watched as gouts of water streamed into the canyon on the right side of the dam where the canyon wall had collapsed. The water pulsed as it poured through and rained down on the dust created by the rockslide.

  “Perfect,” Orb declared, “most of the dam will fall over the next few days, and you have learned a new, valuable skill.”

  Matt looked down into the canyon at all the tunic-wearing figures scattered lifeless among the rocks and floating in the river.

  “This is what you wanted?”

  “Yes. Do not concern yourself. The life s
pans in this form were short for most, and they will now move on.”

  Sickness that started in Matt’s stomach burbled up his throat. “Move on? As in they’ll be eaten by wild animals, or rot? Or both?

  “Admittedly it is not as precise a process as provided by a portal, but the end result is the same. Allow me to assist you. I did not mean to cause you distress.”

  Matt opened his mouth to ask what the assistance was when something fluttered in his brain, ran down his spinal column and poured oil on the troubled waters of his stomach.

  “What was that?” Matt asked, rubbing his stomach.

  “Nothing. I just helped you feel better.”

  Matt looked down again at the bodies below. It was true, he felt better or, to be more accurate, he felt nothing.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Paris

  Jenny looked out over the sprawl of ornate buildings that comprised the former jewel of Europe known as Paris. She shifted her feet and rose up on her toes to give her a better view of the long strip of park that extended out from the Eiffel Tower and her spot on the tower’s summit observation deck, nearly three hundred meters above the ground below. At the end of the narrow park sat a new addition to the Paris skyline, a portal whose top extended another hundred meters or so beyond Jenny’s spot on the tower.

  Crossing over to the opposite side of the deck, she looked out over the River Seine and more evidence of the sprawl of human activity in the form of buildings and houses. Another, smaller park sat on the opposing bank of the river. Except for the distant sound of birds calling to one another and the barks of the dogs that remained prowling the streets and alleys, the city was eerily quiet. Jenny had grown accustomed to this aspect of her life as a Disciple. Orb had long since commanded the human inhabitants of the city to leave. The famed restaurants and cafes sat dark, and empty.

  She moved back to her original position and said, “I think I’m ready.”

  “I have left you alone in your duties for the past several months. You have done well, but an expulsion of life of this magnitude requires my aid to complete.”