Test. Test. You didn’t think I was going to punk out on you, did ya? My brother’s voice echoed between my ears.
So you knew this would work. Did you do this with Faith before? Why didn’t you say something earlier? I thought hard at my brother.
Faith is already mad that I gave you the medal. Didn’t you see that glare she gave you when I handed it over? If I told everyone we did this all the time, she’d be hella pissed. She’s just crazy like that.
Ilya’s voice ended and I steadied myself. The process of hearing someone inside your own mind was disorienting. It was a wonder he didn’t lose his balance on a regular basis.
This telepathy thing is freaking me out. But we’re going to do one last check when we find Ivan, okay?
You got it, sis. Just don’t lose my medallion. I had to carry that thing for years to charge it with enough mental energy.
I rubbed my temples and sighed at Jonah. He reached out to support my shoulder. “This thing works after all. We just have to hope it’ll still work once that demon jumps from Ivan to Ilya.”
We walked and walked as the sun crept toward the horizon. The intensity of the heat did not relent. We darted in and out of pockets where rooftops and the sun’s angle created respites of shade. I didn’t have the distant view of Kibera’s ceiling that would allow me to see the ring of razor wire that marked the end of our road.
The telltale subdermal heat of sunburned flesh radiated from my back and shoulders even in the shade. My burn kept me from braving the sun for a better glimpse at the top of the structures next to us.
Out of nowhere, Ilya’s hand shot out in a halt gesture and we froze. Each of us stayed silent. I begged Fate to show Ilya some sign of where our next footsteps should take us. My brother beckoned us forward. “We’ll turn in at the next opening. I can hear him, it, the creature. It’s not far now.”
We turned in where Ilya pointed and followed his lead. He took us around the corner onto the first inner street we found.
Two tall, toned men stood guarding a metal gate that led to a corridor. The end of the corridor was the crown of razor wire surrounded by fiberglass rooftops exactly as I’d seen in my vision. My heart leapt up and I gasped. Ilya wasted no time in approaching.
“Hi there, how are ya? We’re here to see my father, Ivan. Aunt Tat’s in there too. Can you go get them? We’ll wait.” Ilya’s calm assurance impressed me.
My heart pounded in my chest. I watched the man closest to us slowly reach for the latch on the gate, not breaking eye contact with Ilya until the last moment. He said nothing as he turned and went into the compound. Faith vibrated with anger and anxiety, turning my skin to gooseflesh as the other guardsman bore into her with his eyes. The guard shifted his glare to Ilya and I actually relaxed a little.
“Come. Just Ilya and Irina,” said a familiar female voice.
I peered past Gemma’s shoulder down the gated corridor. Rose and Sage stood in the doorway ahead.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this. It’s all way too casual,” I said.
“Cole is coming with us. Irina needs protection,” Ilya called through the gate. I knew Ilya meant for Cole and me to leave without him. Panic surged in my gut.
Rose whispered in Sage’s ear. Sage whispered back.
“Okay, Ilya, Irina, and Cole. No one else,” said Rose.
I followed Ilya in through the gate and Cole was on my heels. The first guardsman passed us on his way back to the entrance. I had to trust that my friends were safe out on the street. I proceeded into a far more dangerous place than run-of-the-mill Kibera.
Rose and Sage led us down a narrow hallway open to the sky at the top. The hallway soon opened to a courtyard which bordered on opulent, given our surroundings.
Ivan and Tatiana sprawled on reclined patio chairs under a blue fabric sunshade suspended about ten feet above them. A table of fruit and bread and cheese with pitchers of orange and pink juices stretched along the far wall. Only the razor-lined roof on the other side of the courtyard reminded us all where we were. Rose and Sage walked over to the snack table and helped themselves each to a plate of food. They stretched out their wings and sat cross-legged on the ground to eat. Ilya ignored them and approached Ivan.
“So, cards on the table, Dad. Well, not Dad, I mean, who or whatever the hell you are, we know everything now,” said Ilya. Cole and I stood behind him speechless.
“Is that so?” Ivan sat up to participate in the conversation. His eyes flashed red and I felt a wave of nausea pass through me.
“We know you’re not strong enough to help Aunt Tat launch Terra Nova. We know you need my body.”
“And what do you want in exchange for your cooperation?” said Ivan.
“We’ve come to exchange me for your entire supply of Terra Nova oil. We realize you’re not going to give up the seeds Aunt Tat has already laced with the virus. We want every other drop of what you’ve got here, with your assurance that there is no more Terra Nova anywhere on Earth.”
Ivan and Tatiana both contemplated Ilya with intensity. They eyed each other.
Tatiana cocked her head, and then sat up to consider each of us. “What prompted your change of heart?”
“Don’t you understand that we have to try? Can’t you at least empathize for a moment with the entire rest of humanity?” I said, pleading with my most earnest tone.
“We’re not human.” Ivan’s sly expression suggested he knew more than we did. “You’re not going to stop us. It’s far too late for that now. Why not embrace the new world?”
“You’re right. You’re not human. You never were.” I said to Ivan, and pointed at Tatiana. “But she was.”
“My father is in there somewhere. I want to talk to him too. That’s part of the deal,” said Ilya.
Ivan eyed Ilya carefully. “We can arrange a meeting, of sorts. It’ll have to do.”
“I want to say hello and goodbye to my father,” said Ilya.
“You will,” said Ivan.
“Then I’m ready,” said Ilya.
I rubbed my face with my hands. This was the wrong time for my brother to finally meet our father, even if this was his last chance.
“For what it’s worth, I get why you want to reboot this planet. You’re from somewhere that’s either gone or you can’t get back,” Cole said to Ivan, before turning to Rose and Sage. “And you two, I get it for you guys too, but it doesn’t take much soul searching to realize you’re not more important than everyone else. Most people—most human people—are good and they don’t deserve to die. Those good people would accept and incorporate variants. I know it.”
“I don’t care what they would accept or incorporate. Those people would not survive the world we need for ourselves. Removing them now is a mercy. Witnessing the chaos that would ensue if they died slowly and painfully on New Earth would be more unpalatable, I assure you,” said Ivan.
“Then don’t change the planet!” I blurted. “We can all live here as is. Just let it be.”
Ivan opened his mouth to speak, but paused and read Tatiana’s deep frown. She shook her head and Ivan closed his mouth.
“Okay, we’re at a standstill. We don’t see eye to eye. Now are you going to make this exchange or not?” said Ilya.
“We’ll make the exchange,” said Ivan.
Tatiana shook her head and lay back down.
“Rose, Sage, would you please collect our precious Terra Nova canisters and hand them over to Cole here?” said Ivan.
“And we’ll know if you short us!” I called out.
The harpy twins set their plates down carefully and flew up and over the razor wire. They dove down into the pit.
Scratching and clanging was soon followed by the twins’ reappearance and landing in front of Cole with two sealed plastic bins. He moved
to lift the lid of the top bin.
“It’s all there. Ask your mind reader. Every drop of oil we have, anywhere,” said Rose.
Ilya observed the sisters from head to toe and nodded to Cole. I realized it was time for Cole and me to leave. I threw a panicked gawk at Ilya.
I’ve changed my mind. I can’t just leave you here!
Ilya frowned at me. Get out. You agreed. I’ll be fine.
“Come on Irina, it’s time to go.” Cole touched my arm gently. I shrugged him off angrily. He picked up the stacked bins and waited for me.
I reviewed Ilya one last time and turned back down the hall. Tears flowed. I wiped them off my cheeks, furious. Stay in touch. If I can’t hear you, I’ll . . . Just don’t lose touch!
I won’t. I promise.
Chapter 25
“That sucked.” I pushed past my friends on the other side of Ivan’s metal gate. Cole followed me closely.
“Is that it? Did you get it all?” said Jonah, craning his neck to see the bins in Cole’s arms.
“Everything but the seeds Tatiana laced with oil. Ilya made that concession when he made the deal. He also made them promise this was everything, period, but I think if they have more oil off site, we can’t know for sure.” I marched angrily in the direction of the van, not caring for my surroundings any longer.
“We should set up camp somewhere nearby. I saw a cluster of trees on the edge of the slum just before we entered here. It’s like a no-man’s-land between the apartment towers in the city and Kibera’s border.” Josh’s spiky hair fell limp with sweat and his exhaustion returned with a vengeance.
“I can go back to the Mojave for your camping gear.” Melissa emitted fatigue, more dirty, beaten, and ragged than I’d ever seen her.
Jonah put a strong arm around my shoulder and I felt a brief second of security. “Are we going to get hassled? I’m sure there’s a reason nobody else is camping in a patch of urban Nairobi woodland.”
“We’ll have to take our chances. We are not leaving Ilya here. I’m not. None of you are either.” Faith’s voice had gone cold. Visibly sticky and uncomfortable, her face dripped with more than sweat. She stretched her tank top down for relief inadvertently accentuating her mix of muscles and curves. She massaged her face, stopping to rub her eyes, wiping them with her fingertips. Faith relied on her armor of stoicism, so I knew better than to comfort her.
We left the trash-lined street behind and were back outside Kibera. Jonah and I led the way toward the patch of forest Josh had suggested. As we closed the distance, I saw it was nowhere near as dense as I’d hoped. Trash covered the ground where underbrush would normally grow. It was a far cry from the kind of urban woodlands I’d been used to in Canada.
I dropped my backpack and sat down on an old wooden box. “Who says nobody’s camping here. People could be sleeping in here. These woods might get much more interesting at night. If Ilya was here, he’d just throw up an illusion and keep us covered perfectly.”
“We can manage without him for a few nights. We’ll get him back soon. And anybody who bothers us is going to quickly become sorry they did, day or night.” Cole set the two bins of canisters down on the ground.
“We can’t start a war with that slum. You can bet there is a system of power and politics in this place. We just don’t know what the system includes. Ivan won’t share his secrets. We’re better off to make friends than enemies.” Josh removed his hiking boots and socks to wiggle his toes in fresh air.
“I’m sure that takes money, which we no longer have.” Faith drew a water bottle from her bag as she sat down on the ground. She drank and then splashed her face.
“I’ll bring back some tradable valuables and more water when I grab the camping gear,” said Melissa.
My eyebrows lifted as I considered her proposition.
“Hey, don’t ask and I won’t tell,” said Melissa, hands raised defensively.
“In the meantime, I’m going to try to have a vision about this place. If we can get an ally or two, and if we can find where that hedge is going to grow, we’ll be in a position to actually fight Ivan and Tatiana.”
“Be careful. If we connect with the wrong people, anyone already working with or for Ivan, the gesture could backfire,” said Josh.
“We should be on our guard for other Compendium factions as well,” said Melissa.
“You’re the only one who knows anything about Evonatura. And this Jinhua business is a gaping black hole in our knowledge of personnel,” Jonah said to Melissa. She gave a deep sigh as her shoulders dropped. It was too much for now.
“I should get on with my trip to the Mojave.” Melissa swept her arm and opened a portal. She stepped inside without a word and closed it again after herself.
“Well, I think it’s time for a bonfire! How about you guys?” Faith eyed the shining canisters of Terra Nova.
“Wait until we’ve got the camp arranged. If the canister you burned back in Chester was any indication, these things won’t go quietly. If bees are going to fly out, burning and frantic, we should do them one at a time, at night,” I said.
I noticed a man walking out of the slum headed our direction. He had a head of tight black curls with a speckling of gray. He wore a weathered striped collared shirt and simple slacks. A leather cord around his neck had a single large tooth suspended from it.
“Uh, how can we help you sir?” said Cole.
Jonah stepped between me and the man.
“You are not missionaries. Polle, polle. I am come to help you.” His Swahili accent was strong.
“Thank you, but we have things under control here. We know it’s not a safe part of town,” said Cole. He took a step toward our visitor to make his point.
Faith and Josh continued scavenging the area for more wood boxes to serve as seats. Gemma moved toward me with a hint of unease on her face.
“I am Mr. Mbele. I am here for Irina.”
“What’s that?” Cole took a step toward the man. Jonah joined him.
Mr. Mbele peered around Jonah and Cole, extended his hand to me as though he expected me to recognize him. Josh and Faith stopped rummaging and fell in beside Cole and Jonah. They formed a human wall between me and Mr. Mbele.
“I am not here to hurt. She will see if she has not seen already.”
His soft-sounding voice put me at ease. He was not a large man. Even though my brother wasn’t there to verify our visitor’s truthfulness, I felt compelled to trust him.
“Stay here,” I said quietly to Gemma. I walked around my tall and highly protective boyfriend.
“Guys, it’s okay.” I made eye contact with Mr. Mbele.
“You should be aware that we’re very capable of defending ourselves,” said Cole.
“I know, strong man,” said Mr. Mbele. Cole’s eyes widened.
“I think you have me at a disadvantage. It doesn’t happen very often,” I said.
In response, Mr. Mbele shook his hand at me, reiterating his offer for me to take it. I hesitated for a moment. I examined the old, dry hand reaching out to me. I looked at Jonah, Cole, Josh, and Faith. Nobody knew what to do.
I took the man’s hand and the trash-strewn woods disappeared. I was in a dusty village of mud houses with thatched roofs.
A group of three women in bright, multicolored robes walked past me and filed into a hut with smoke wafting out a hole in the roof. I crept in behind them. The dark interior was tiny and I felt a wave of claustrophobia.
My eyes took a moment to adjust. They sat along the wall patiently waiting for a man drawing in the dirt on the floor. A few moments later, I could see that the man drawing was Mr. Mbele.
He gazed up at me and made eye contact. People rarely looked directly at me in a vision. It unnerved me every time, though it was usually a brief coinciden
ce.
“Irina, I show you this time in my village. These women have come to find out what the gods will make in their lives. The gods show me many things. The gods show me you. They show me I am to help you,” said Mr. Mbele.
I stood in shock for a moment. I had never spoken to anyone in any of my visions. I took for granted that I was an invisible invader into scenes from the past and future.
“Can you hear me?” I said. “Can you see me?”
“Yes, I hear and see you. Now, we go to Kibera.” Mr. Mbele threw his drawing stick to the ground and took my astral arm. We flashed back to Kibera and the monstrous hedge from my vision.
Tatiana had nearly finished growing it. Ilya raised his hands and shot pulses of energy into the hedge’s roots. The bees were released from the flowers and I looked away. I hadn’t wanted to watch it again.
“I see these plants grow from those people many times. It brings sickness to everyone here. It is always the same when I see this vision,” said Mr. Mbele.
The bees started hitting targets on the other side of the hedge. Cries of pain and alarm rang out.
“If you’ve seen this, have you seen how to stop it? What are we supposed to do? That’s my brother over there and he’s possessed? How do we stop this and get him back?”
No sooner than I spoke, the vision-version of Faith stepped forward and torched the hedge. Cole picked up Tatiana by her ankles and thrashed her back and forth on the ground until her bloody body was limp. Josh restrained Ilya and Faith kept burning, but the cries evolved to screaming.
I watched our plan fail in front of my eyes. Ilya gripped Josh and the demon’s power engulfed both of them in a giant flare of blinding red light. Josh fell to the ground. Ilya rounded on Melissa and shot her with the same energy pulse. She fell instantly. He shot Faith next.
Terra Nova (The Variant Conspiracy Book 3) Page 18
