Symphony of Descension: Echo Effect book 2

by Robert D. Armstrong

  “Vala,” Michael said.

  “No! Don’t you dare, Mike! You’ve got nothing to say, especially if you already knew about this.” She squinted. “Did you?”

  “No, Vala, I just found out.” Michael sat up, showing Vala his palms. “Look, let’s just—

  Garza yanked out her sidearm, pointing the plasma pistol at Vala. “Put it down, now!” Garza ordered.

  “Everybody, just calm down,” Lucas said.

  Mia was frozen behind Keith, Michael could sense her heart pounding over everyone else’s. Keith appeared surprisingly calm, but then again, he’d had a gun in his face before.

  Vala stared a hole through Keith, her red eyes streaming red tears. “You’re not taking him, he’s been through enough. You two put him through the ECHO program, and I’ll be damned if you kill him after all that. You two made the mistake of bringing that fucking alien here, not us! You should have left that artifact alone! We agreed to help, now you’re telling me it will probably injure him. To me, that really means it might kill him. Mike, get up, we’re leaving,” Vala said.

  “Vala, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave,” Garza said.

  “Then we have a serious problem, don’t we?” Vala cut her eyes at her.

  “Look at the big picture here, Vala, who else can do this? Michael’s the only one. We go trying to hand the device over to the creature ourselves, we’ll be killed by the government before we even reach it. We’re on the run, we’re fugitives, blamed for this. We have to turn on the artifact, and Michael’s the only one who can do it,” Garza explained.

  “Not our problem. We didn’t bring this on anyone.” Vala shook her head.

  “Vala, listen, every minute we wait, people are dying, probably thousands. This is not the time. I understand you both have been through a lot but—”

  “Oh? You understand? How is that you understand what we’ve been through? I don’t even fucking know you, bitch, so don’t come here telling me you can relate. You can’t!” Vala aimed the gun at Garza and shook it furiously.

  “Val, please, stop,” Michael said, showing her his palms. “Just—”

  “No!” Vala shouted.

  “Drop the weapon! I won’t ask you again! The stakes are too high!” Garza yelled back.

  Vala shook her head, glancing at Michael she gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry.” Vala squeezed the trigger, firing the weapon, but as it discharged, Vala and Garza’s weapons were yanked upward, pulled from their grip. The guns were sucked to the ceiling, slamming against it. Mia screamed as the bullet struck the ceiling. Garza and Vala stood there with their arms in the air, staring at the ceiling.

  Everyone’s attention shifted to the opposite side of the room. Iris peeked through the door. “I don’t like fighting, and I really don’t like guns,” she said.

  Vala glanced at Garza and turned her back, marching toward the door. “Mike, Iris, let’s go.”

  “I can’t.” He stood up.

  “W-what?” Vala muttered snapping around toward him. “What did you say?” she asked.

  He reached out for her, but she smacked his hand away. “Val, if I don’t, if I don’t do this, then we risk everything. Everyone. It’s that simple.”

  “Mike, they’re lying to us. They probably know it’ll kill you but they won’t say anything,” she replied.

  Michael stepped closed to her, staring her in the eyes. “Even if it does kill me, you have to know it’s worth it,” he whispered.

  “No. What? H-how do we know it’ll even work, Mike? It sounds like a theory more than anything. It could literally kill you and still not work. Have you considered that?” Her eyes watered up. “You’re willing to do this over a t-theory?” she asked. He stared at her without a word, his ghoulish green eyes were unable to communicate his answer, but his silence did.

  Vala dropped her head in submission, closing her eyes. “S-so long w-we waited to be together. So much, pain,” she said. Michael attempted to embrace her, but she pushed him away. “No! you stay away from me! Don’t ever touch me again!” She turned toward the door, storming out of the house with Iris in tow.

  “Vala?” Iris yelled in confusion.

  Michael’s glowing eyes dimmed as he began to crumple backward on the couch, but Keith and Garza shot in to catch him.

  “Michael!” Keith flashed Mia a grim glare as they ushered him back to the couch. Michael’s glowing eyes turned black as he laid lifelessly.

  “What’s happening?” Lucas demanded.

  “He’s shutting down.” Keith scrambled, turning him over onto his back.

  “Well, what can we do?” Garza asked.

  “I-I don’t know. It seems like he’s low on power. He’s relying solely on these solar receivers on his forearms and shoulders now.”

  “I don’t think that has anything to do with it. Vala leaving him, that might’ve just killed him, even before he gets to the artifact,” Lucas said, staring at the ceiling.

  Keith lost his train of thought for a moment as sweat beaded on his forehead. “Okay, let me see. He still has a heartbeat so let’s get him outside!” Keith said as Garza and Lucas stepped in.

  “Stay back, Lucas, you’re already injured,” Garza said.

  “Fine.”

  Mia stepped over to assist as the three of them carried Michael to the porch. “He’s really not that heavy.” Garza’s eyes widened.

  “Not really, just over two hundred pounds now. Ultra-lightweight materials. Let’s put him in the bed of your dad’s truck, Mia.”

  “Dad’s? It’s over in the barn?” she asked.

  “Yeah, pull it over here. Let’s sit Michael down here,” Keith panted as they rested his body against the porch column.

  “I know what he’s thinking. When we set off the artifact, the old truck won’t be affected. It has no computer systems or electronics. And you never know, we might need immediate transportation.” Lucas said.

  “Exactly.” Keith said as Mia backed up the old chevy and parked it. She got out and dropped the tailgate as they hoisted him up, laying him in the bed.

  “How long?” Mia asked. Keith began to strip Michael’s coat off. “To charge him? Oh, maybe fifteen minutes, tops. His solar receivers are extremely sensitive, but he’s been wearing this coat, no wonder he’s low on power.”

  “Whoa, look at his back,” Mia said as Keith pulled off his coat. The garment was riddled with gravel sized holes, and his back was seared with dings.

  “Looks like small arms fire,” Lucas said from the porch.

  “Yeah, they’ve been on the run,” Keith mumbled observing the chinks in his light armor. “Dangerous. He’s not built for this much direct fire.”

  “Can you check his vitals to see if they’re improving out here?” Lucas said.

  “Yeah, I checked them earlier. His system doesn’t show any warnings. Could have just fainted like you said, or the low power,” Keith replied. Mia’s demeanor was similar to someone witnessing a nature disaster, a distant tornado perhaps. Her hand was over her mouth, and her eyes were peeled wide open, gazing at Michael.

  Lucas panned around, nodding. “Let’s transport him over to the artifact and get set up. I hate to come off as insensitive like this, but no time to waste.”

  “Right. Garza, you don’t have to go. You can stay up here in the house. I’m only going just in case they need me. From there, I can’t do much more,” Keith said.

  “Nah, I’ve already went this far, might as well see it through,” she replied, hopping in the bed of the truck.

  “Garza,” Lucas said.

  “What?” she asked.

  Lucas stared at her intensely. “You don’t need to go. Doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I heard him fine, thanks,” she said.

  Mia got in the driver’s seat with Lucas riding shotgun. “Mia, no, where are you going?” Keith asked.

  “You go, I go,” she said.

  “Ah, stubborn as a mule, look, you can drop us off, but after that you’re lea
ving.” Keith sighed.

  “Eh, why not let her go, if we fail, we’re all toast anyway,” Garza said. Keith stared a hole through Garza.

  “Mia. Look. I’ll stay back here with Michael. Go slow across the field, probably all kinds of ruts,” Keith said.

  “And I know them all. We’re lucky my brother has kept this old truck maintained.” Mia said, confidently shifting into four-wheel drive. They headed through an open gate behind the house. Just to the right of the gate was an old white oak tree. Its leaves had fallen for the winter. Lucas stared as they passed, admiring its thick, twisting branches. “Bet that thing was huge even when you were a little girl.” He pointed up.

  She snapped over at him. “Kinda hard to make conversation, considering,” she replied.

  Lucas glanced out of the window. “Yeah, it is, but we’re at the point of no return. We know what the plan is. No reason to stress over it. We just gotta do it now,” Lucas said.

  “Easy for you to say,” Mia said.

  “Is it?” he asked.

  “Well, I know who you are. I’ve watched the news. You were on those opinion panels as a news correspondent, the SEAL, the one with all the controversy. Seems like, to me, you’ve accepted death at some point.” She shrugged.

  Lucas chuckled. “That’s what you think? Hmm. What I’ve accepted, Mia, is that there’s worse than death. Far worse.”

  “And in your opinion, what’s that?”

  “Guilt. Living with the guilt that you made the wrong call.” He combed his beard with his fingers, staring a thousand miles away.

  “You think what we’re doing is the wrong call?” she asked.

  Lucas threw up his hand. “Shit, I have no idea. I’d like to think not, but you just never know. The scale of the implications is mind-boggling. I’m not really qualified for something like this, but who is? I’m in this position, just like yourself. You’re driving a farm truck on your dad’s ranch with the key to mankind’s survival sprawled out in the bed of your truck.” Lucas yanked his thumb behind him.

  “Please, don’t say that.”

  “It’s just the truth.” Lucas pulled back his hair. Mia glanced in the rear-view mirror at Garza and Keith as their weight shifted around slightly. Keith stared at Michael, his face full of worry.

  “Did he lie to her?” Mia asked.

  “Who?” Lucas furrowed his eyebrows forward, turning toward Mia.

  “Michael. Did he lie to Vala, tell her the artifact wouldn’t hurt him?” she asked

  “Ah, I have no idea. Not sure why it matters now, not in the grand scheme of things,” he replied.

  “Oh, it matters. Believe me, it does. Me, I don’t mind someone doing the right thing, but don’t lie to me just to get me on board. Keith at least laid it all out for me, and did I like it? Hell no, but it was the truth, no blindsiding,” she said with a fiery touch to her voice.

  Lucas glanced out of the window. “Maybe he had to do whatever it took. We’re talking about the survival of our species.”

  “Well, it couldn’t have turned out much worse for him. She’s gone.” Mia cocked her head.

  “Oh, it can get worse.”

  “What, you think the artifact will kill him?” she asked.

  “Oh, not sure about that. Your husband knows better than me. Michael’s his project.”

  “You worked on it, though.”

  “Sort of. I supplied some of the parts,” he replied, staring out at the barn ahead. “That’s it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmm. Your dad, he lived a pretty simple life, I guess. He probably wouldn’t know what to make of all this nonsense. Aliens? He would have laughed at a notion like that. I know my dad would’ve.”

  “My parents didn’t have time to think about that sort of thing, they were more worried about putting food on the table. He and my mom raised four children, myself included, so I’m not sure how simple that was.”

  “You say that like you were a handful.” Lucas grinned.

  “To say the least.”

  “Well, we can’t blame kids for being kids, can we?”

  “Guess not. But now that he’s gone, I wish I’d made his life a little easier.”

  Neither said a word for a few moments.

  “Well, part of the reason I bring it up, the simplicity of all this.” His finger whipped back and forth like a speedometer. “It was better then, in many ways. A lot better.”

  “In some ways, yeah, but there weren’t many creature comforts out here,” she said.

  “They can keep them. I’ve had experience in both worlds. The world I grew up in and the world now are two different places completely. Technology has extended itself beyond comfort now, much of it is dangerous and addictive. This Omega, it’ll change it even more. There’s no denying it anymore.” He pointed at the sky.

  “What do you mean? We’ve known about aliens for years.”

  “Yeah, but we could lie to ourselves years back when the ship crashed. No real proof of them. We didn’t know what they looked like or anything, but by now, there are thousands of hours of footage, from every camera angle possible of that creature, and this will alter the perception of where we stand as a species.”

  “I know this might sound like bullshit to you, but I think I have to put faith in God, Lucas. That’s why I’m doing this. I believe that we’re here for a reason.” She squinted over at him.

  Lucas shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t judge folks for it, but now all of us know there’s at least one species out there that’s thousands of years beyond us. Why? If we were created in God’s image, or whatever it is that you believe, why are we so low on the totem pole?”

  “Not for me to understand. It’s not even worth me questioning,” she said.

  “But it’s interesting food for thought. That’s my point. People’s perspectives will change even more now, it’ll open up a whole new dialogue. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to know the secrets this thing knows? Or maybe not. Seems most of it was centered around warring.” His voice tapered off.

  Mia pulled up to the barn, throwing the truck into park. Behind the barn was an overgrown patch of brush near the forest. Most of the trees’ leaves had fallen, except from the pines.

  She glared over at Lucas. “I think I’m better off not knowing those things.”

  “No, you’re right. I think that the majority would agree and choose to live a simpler life. Like I said, it was easier in your father’s day,” he said.

  “I guess.” She shrugged.

  Lucas raised his eyebrows. “Let’s make your dad proud. I’m thinking he’d be happy knowing we saved the world on his farm and his daughter was right here in the mix.”

  Chapter Ten

  Garza dropped the tailgate as Michael began to stir. He was still groggy. “Where’s…where is Vala?” he asked as his eyes slowly illuminated.

  “She uh, needed some air, had to cool off,” Keith replied, glancing at Mia as Michael slowly sat up in the bed of the truck on his own.

  Vala was gone, and what was ahead was far too important to dwell in the past. Michael stared at Keith confused, but Lucas interrupted any follow up question he might have.

  “Sergeant Michael Keller, inside these walls is a threat to people we swore to protect. The three of us, myself and Garza included, raised our hands to protect our citizens against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Do you remember that day?” Lucas stood tall, raising his voice.

  “Yes, sir!” Garza answered immediately. Michael nodded slowly in agreement, scooting himself toward the edge of the truck bed as his metallic hamstrings screeched against the aluminum bed.

  Keith and Garza each got under his arms as he stepped off the bed. He took his time stepping forward. Suddenly, the thick white snow clouds gave way to the sun, a ray of light beaming down on him. Everyone stopped, staring up.

  “Good timing,” Keith said.

  “That’s not chance,” Mia said with confidence.

  “I’m fe
eling better. I-I think I can walk,” Michael said.

  “Just watch your step,” Lucas said.

  Garza and Keith cautiously dipped from underneath his arms, stabilizing him with their hands. “You’re okay.” Keith glanced up at the sun. “You should get a quick charge from this.”

  Michael waited a minute, soaking up energy before hobbling into the structure. His speed and coordination increased with each step. Keith unlocked the side door as the group stepped into a storage room overlooking a large area for the cattle. Along the sides were troughs for the livestock, once filled with salt blocks or feed probably, all empty now.

  The floor was dirt, and the walls were old, dried-out planks of wood. To the left, an area had been cleared for the artifact. It leaned against the wall. “There it is.” Keith gestured. Michael walked next to it, staring at the silvery device.

  The artifact was only about two feet in height, maybe one foot in width by six inches in thickness. The upper portion was circular, and it extended out beyond the rest of the rectangle. The overall shape was similar to a small windmill. It had an unearthly silvery color and hieroglyphic-like designs that pulsed faintly. In the middle of the circle was a hole about the size of a fist.

  “So, all the killing is over this piece of metal?” Michael said, glancing back at Lucas, then Keith. “Doesn’t even look that special.”

  “Hell, that’s what the last several years has been about, killing people over pieces of Star Rust. But this one, I guess it takes the cake,” Lucas said.

  Keith stepped forward. “See that?” He pointed at the artifact.

  “I haven’t seen it pulse like that before,” Lucas said.

  “Michael, all you do is insert your right hand into that indention in the middle, then a light will flash. When it does, turn it clockwise and pull. That simply emits the signal,” Keith said, staring at Michael.

  Lucas closed his eyes, biting his lip. “Keith, I hate to push this along, but people are dying by the moment.”

  “Right. Um, so when you turn it halfway clockwise, then be sure to press it back in. If you leave it out, this works as a paralysis to machines, namely, the Omega’s species. Not sure how they’re controlled from that point. My guess is the owners of this artifact can connect to this through some sort of uplink, maybe through their mind or some type of integrated operating system,” Keith explained.