The Damned

by L. A. Banks

  The team watched as the two seemingly startled men bowed politely but didn’t immediately speak. Damali wasn’t buying the general’s smooth act. It wasn’t an oversight. Clearly he didn’t want lower-ranking officers to be in on whatever he’d cooked up or was about to present. She watched Monk Lin nod at them, his gaze warm and supportive, as the first, younger professor moved forward nervously to address the group.

  “Your work with energies is renowned,” Professor Huang said to Carlos, but shared his gaze with Damali to include her. “Our scientists once worked with Dr. Zeitloff,” he said with halting words, “and there are others that escaped the unfortunate accidents that befell the advanced team.”

  “You worked with Zeitloff?” Carlos said, surveying both scientists, and then the general.

  Damali shot Carlos a look. Okay, now they were getting somewhere.

  “Yes,” Monk Lin confirmed. “These two are part of a larger organization that the world governments are now aware of.”

  The older of the two professors stepped forward, bowed gracefully, and spoke in a low, eloquent tone. “Let me be direct,” Professor Nam Lee said. “The energies that Dr. Zeitloff’s group discovered have been disturbed, just as Monk Lin alluded to earlier.” His gaze temporarily captured the monk’s before returning to the Guardian team. “We have always known world struggle. We have always endured despotic leaders filled with negative energies and imperialistic desires,” he added with a gentle smile as his eyes slid away from the general’s hot glare. “All countries have known them during lengthy histories,” he then corrected, and waited until the general relaxed. “I am not, of course, speaking of China.”

  Damali nodded. “Yes, the world had seen its share of this. We understand.”

  “Good,” the general said tensely. “We are not concerned about China, as our leaders are above such corruption, but there are other nations with leaders that possess weak minds.”

  Carlos nodded. “Yes, and China cannot be impacted by negative energies that may have escaped.”

  “Mr. Rivera, you understand our position very well,” the general said, releasing a long, slow breath. He gave the professors a sidelong glance. “Every nation has nuclear capability. Every nation also has a black market, where weapons of mass destruction can be easily obtained…. Human error or human treachery are only averted by people of conscience, no matter how rigorous any nation’s checks and balances are.”

  The general removed his hard-brim cap and dabbed at the building perspiration on his forehead. Damali and Carlos glanced at each other. The team remained motionless behind them as Monk Lin’s voice dropped to a near whisper.

  “Possession is rampant,” Monk Lin said. “Madness abounds. The contagion is happening to humans at every level of society in every country, even here. The professors noticed the dark energies, and continued the work of Dr. Zeitloff after his demise. They tracked down this team through Rabbi Zeitloff in Israel, when the Covenant members met for a very quiet world summit on the issue.” Monk Lin paused to allow Damali and Carlos time to absorb the fact that the Covenant had not spilled all the beans to various governments, therefore he was restating the obvious and the team needed to act surprised, accordingly.

  Monk Lin continued only after his intense eye contact generated a nod of understanding from the team’s leaders. “This is why they had to leave you in Arizona. They’d been called away for the Last Days Summit in Jerusalem. There was a truce, a pact, formed among the world leaders, and the major governments agreed that, in order to keep things from going to the next level, it was in each military’s best interest to have these energies sealed away.”

  “Are you saying you’re hiring us to do a world hit on negative energy?” Rider said in a feigned incredulous voice, playing along to further draw necessary information out. “Oh, shit …”

  The general nodded and didn’t bristle from the affront as murmurs rippled through the team. “We have all formed a very quiet coalition and coinvested in the most state-of-the-art weaponry to assist you in your mission. Your accomplishments as demon hunters are now legendary, and the Covenant gave expert testimony that held the presidents and the religious world leaders of many nations rapt as they spoke. You will have worldwide, top-secret clearances while you hunt the darkness, and no local police or media interference in any country. Shortly, our professors will take you into a room and show you the items at your disposal. If you need something that is not present, you have but to tell our top engineers and they will design what you require.”

  Damali and Carlos stared at each other for a moment, and then at their hang-jawed team. Oh, yeah. This was very bad, if it had come to this.

  “You mean to tell us, like some Double-O Seven gadgetry and—”

  “Yes, Rider,” Monk Lin said with an admonishing glare. “England’s best, Germany’s best, France’s best; the very best from the United States, China, Japan—”

  “Every part of the world with nuclear capacity is involved; and many that are troubled by splinter cells and terrorism, such as Eastern Europe, Russia, much of Africa, South America, the Middle East; all are concerned that no one nation should have a lapse in presidential judgment and begin the end of time. Your team was identified as the most effective to these ends.” The general removed his cap from beneath his arm and placed it back on his head with crisp precision. “This is not subject to debate. Were you on U.S. soil when the summit concluded, you would have been approached by agents from your own government’s Area Fifty-one.”

  “You all know about Area Fifty-one?” Damali said in disbelief. “The whole alien thing is not—”

  “Of course we all know about Area Fifty-one,” the general snapped, losing patience. “It is no secret that we all monitor each other’s activities. Until recently, until Dr. Zeitloff’s work, we thought our only concern was the potential of extraterrestrial species and that fueled space exploration.” He began to pace with his hands behind his back. “That is another matter. We are not so concerned about that now.”

  “Until now,” Monk Lin said, his voice as smooth as a silk noose, “many in positions of authority discounted the spiritual dimensions and felt there was only science. Then Jewish scientists like Dr. Zeitloff worked with others and broke the Bible code. They found that the code was mathematic, based on complex algorithms and hard science. Before that, they did not believe other realms and dimensions existed, and did not believe that these unseen realms could have any influence upon life as we know it. It is all numeric, math as the basis of truth, and creates unending fractals that spire in equations that unlock hidden doors—or close them. Many scientists, from Leonardo da Vinci and throughout the ages, have been trying to quantify the mystical, that which mere religious men have always known to be true.” He smiled and bowed toward the general. “But they are becoming wiser, now that they have witnessed the unspeakable.”

  “Sir?” Damali said quietly, needing to know exactly what had manifested over here, and wondering if it had morphed in any way from what they’d seen in the States. “The unspeakable?”

  “In a lab,” Professor Huang said, his nervous gaze darting between Damali and the general. “One of our top cabinet ministers fell ill. The military thought he’d been poisoned. His family called for the support of monks. Because of his rank—”

  “Spirits walked out of the man’s chest right before my eyes,” the general said in a tense whisper. “Initially we thought it was human foul play that had turned his eyes black and his behavior schizophrenic. Drugs. Poison. Some new biological weapon. That is why he was quarantined to hospitalization in the lab compound, rather than a regular facility with civilians, until we knew what this was.”

  The general wiped a new sheen of sweat off his brow, his voice and gaze distant as he spoke. “But we witnessed a dark force exit his body, split his chest open like a can of mackerel! His body died … but whatever was in him destroyed his room, shattered windows, and fled. A rain of machine-gun fire didn’t stop it. Many men
were killed. Only a few of us survived the lab attack. We caught it on surveillance monitors in his highly guarded room. Then we watched his body decay and turn to ash right in front of us. We kept this sensitive information veiled from the media, and have buried the man according to the dignity of his office. But it gave us impetus to agree to join the summit, and our Russian counterparts said they have also seen this type of inexplicable phenomenon. Murmurs are everywhere. We all have presidents and important cabinet ministers being kept under religious vigil. These professors have developed weapons, but …”

  “Why Tibet?” Carlos said, holding the room for ransom with his simple question. “I know why us, but why this region?” He looked at Monk Lin to offer the most coherent and honest answer in the room.

  “Tibet is called the Roof of the World, where Heaven meets earth, and has an interesting history,” Monk Lin said in a calm tone. “When Genghis Khan’s Mongolian hordes terrorized and conquered all of central Asia, he came to Tibet, note, in the thirteenth century to a place founded in the seventh century, and stopped at our gates.”

  Monk Lin looked at everyone in the room with a long, sweeping gaze. “He stopped. He could not rape, pillage, burn, or raze Tibet—which had a strong cooperative relationship between the Bonpo shamans and Buddhist monks. Rather than continue his rampage, Khan came to an epiphany and formed an agreement between himself, who was known as the Great Khan, the emperor of China, and the monks of Sakya monastery in southwest Tibet.” He closed his eyes and bowed in the four cardinal directions to some unseen force, and then continued. “A trinity of alliances.”

  “The Lamas of Sakya were appointed as spiritual guides even to a man such as Genghis Khan, who clearly understood the use of force, and energies, but who also apparently had the wisdom to not go beyond certain realms without spiritual mediation. The title, Dalai Lama, actually comes from Mongol origins, meaning ocean.” Monk Lin smiled at Damali and Carlos. “Oceans bear salt, much like tears,” he added with weighted subtlety. “We have already had our experiences with the power of water and the sea. It is time for you to elevate your learning with an old Bonpo master, his title is the Naksong—which means had been in darkness, what is in shadow, or forest. The Naksong masters are in touch with the energies of nature; they purify the impure, are herbal healers, but most important, they cure the true roots of evil.”

  “Carlos said we know why us,” Damali said, quietly. “I don’t think we do.” She looked around the room, her gaze briefly touching each person as she spoke. Something else was going on; it was the way Monk Lin stared at Carlos. “The general clearly has more manpower than we’ll ever have.” She looked over toward the professors. “These gentlemen have more technology than anything J.L. and Krissy can rig up on their own—no offense guys.” Damali ran her hands through her hair. “And a very old Naksong with serious monks flanking him are probably more psychically and spiritually grounded than anybody on our team.” She glanced around. “I’m not trying to put down anybody’s abilities in our ranks. But hey, let’s be real, there’s not a monk among us.”

  “That ain’t no lie,” Shabazz finally muttered.

  Rider pounded his fist. “But we will take you fellas up on the new weaponry. Momma ain’t raised no fool.”

  “It’s the bloodlines, isn’t it?” Marlene asked in a calm tone. “It’s something in the DNA.”

  Monk Lin nodded and glanced at the two nervous professors and the general.

  “We are told that your team has a predominance of people on it that have walked from Asiatic tribes over the Iberian Peninsula and down to North America,” Professor Huang said, his eyes filled with hope. “All scientists currently agree that the Native American has roots in Asiatic DNA. Native American DNA is linked to the peoples of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Any U.S.-born African-Americans that share biological lineage links with Native Americans are also able to tap into the energies traditionally taught in the Bonpo belief system.”

  Jose glanced at his more seasoned teammates. “Me, Juanita, J.L., Carlos, Damali, Mar, Shabazz, all have Native American in us. Maybe Inez, too.” He looked at Big Mike. “Yo, man, what about you?”

  “Got some Blackfoot and Cherokee in there, my grandma said, not sure how it runs in the family, but it’s in there from around plantation days.” Big Mike nodded. “That makes at least eight of us from the squad, if Inez don’t have it, with two members of the team in the shadow lands, Tara and Yonnie.”

  “Ten,” Damali said flatly, “which mathematically condenses down into one—one team.” She nodded. “We got it.”

  “With three, members, uh …” the younger professor said, seeming unsure of how to word his assessment, “that have actually died, at one point. Were in the shadow lands.”

  “Make it four,” Damali said calmly. “I went there for a moment myself. Four is the number of balance, harmony, and represents the four elements of the universe.” She smiled when the professors and the general backed up. “But we’re all cool now. Those you see here do daylight and don’t have the hunger, but we know how hard it can be and how to fight it.” She slapped Carlos five. “Guess we just signed on for this mission, huh, bro?” she added, keeping up with the ruse of her and the team being surprised. “Now does Arizona, and being under the protection of the Thunderbird totem for a few, make sense to you?”

  Carlos smiled. Yeah, he got it loud and clear, and could have kicked himself for not going with the flow before. He should have known there was always an underlying reason for anything Damali and Marlene concocted.

  “Y’all math is off,” Carlos said, feeling pride expand his chest as he suddenly, for the first time since Philadelphia, felt truly useful to the team. “Four of us have taken a walk on the dark side or in shadow country, which makes the cardinal points. But don’t discount Inez; her people are from South America, and from the south in the States—gotta have some Asiatic strain in her, which is the Native American Indian strain. That brings the total to nine, add the four shadow selves, and we come back to lucky thirteen. Do the math, baby. Add in the Berkfields, Dan, and Rider, we’ve got them anchoring the four topside, natural elements—earth, air, fire, water; plus two metals—gold and silver, yin and yang energy through Krissy and Bobby, male and female children inseparably linked by blood.”

  “Sho’ you right,” Damali said, folding her arms and looking at Carlos with satisfaction and pride. “My bad. Knew you’d figure out why we were here, once we got here. It always works like that.” She was so proud of him at the moment that she could have hugged him on the spot, but held back because it just wasn’t appropriate. Later.

  Carlos’s pleased gaze slid away with a sly smile just in time for her to glimpse a slight flicker of silver in his irises, and it did something to her to watch him slowly return to his old self.

  Monk Lin bowed toward Damali and then Carlos. “Carlos is correct. The prayer flags you will see on the monasteries will have yellow to represent the earth; green, the water; red for fire; white, for the clouds; and blue for the sky.” He smiled at Rider. “And there will be always be a thangka of the sacred white yak. No matter that your definition of the elements may slightly vary, your numerology is insightful. All serve a divine purpose.”

  Carlos bowed toward Damali, and she responded in kind.

  “Neteru,” Carlos said with a smile. “Lead on, my sister.”

  “Neteru,” Damali said with a smile. “Lead on, my brother.”

  “Agreement has been reached. Respect dawns. Let the accord be unbroken.” Monk Lin’s smile drew to a placid, determined line on his face. “The Naksong works cooperatively with the Lama of the Nyingmapa sect, where I am also from. It is the oldest form of Tibetan Buddhism. I will take you there to this master, where you will learn what you must.”

  “We will convene in the next room,” the general said, motioning for the professors to lead the way. “There, you will be taught how each weapon works, and this will be sent along with your military escort.”
>
  Monk Lin looked at the professors and the general, offering them a curious gaze. “Once we debark in Lhasa, your escorts will not be needed, although your support of ammunition will be deeply appreciated. While, the Naksong is old and blind, he will not countenance a military presence while he teaches. He has even forbidden me to give the team their more conventional items until he announces they are ready.”

  He glanced at Carlos and Damali, clearly referring to Carlos’s claw of Heru and Damali’s baby Isis without actually mentioning the weapons. When they nodded quietly, Monk Lin bowed, straightened himself, and folded his arms. His stance told all in the room, he would not be moved.

  “Monk Lin,” the general warned, but there was no longer acid surety in his tone. “Do not be difficult.”

  “General,” Monk Lin said with a cool smile of sudden victory as they all watched the general stand down, “whatever these gentlemen have developed, I am sure will be helpful. But without the teachings of the Naksong, you might as well turn them on yourselves.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  It was finally official. Their cover was blown, the Covenant had sanctioned it, and they’d been made by some world scientific organization. No, correction: more than their cover was blown; her mind was blown. If the Covenant gave them up like this, the situation was beyond grim.

  “D, you don’t have to even say it,” Carlos muttered as they stepped into an all-white room and stared at row upon row of technology laid out before them.

  “Night-vision goggles, standard,” Professor Huang said proudly. But his shoulders sagged as the Guardians all glanced at one another, appearing unimpressed.

  “Might help in a tight spot,” Rider said, folding his arms. “But, in a heavy firefight, they obstruct your peripheral vision, and the added weight on your head keeps you from sensing with whatever you’ve been gifted with.” He glanced at Shabazz and Marlene, who nodded. “Maybe we’ll take a couple of those for the newbies who ain’t quite up to speed yet.” His gaze locked on several large semiautomatic rifles and snub-nosed revolvers that looked like fat, retrofitted Glocks. His smile widened as he studied the hundred-round clips. “I like the peacekeepers, though, gentlemen. Impressive.”