The Shadow Connection
Page 22
Fifteen minutes later, Jake’s ship landed.
Evaran addressed the group while facing Zed. “So we are all aware, please let me do the speaking.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” said Zed.
“We shall see.”
The tension was thick. Apparently, Zed was still defiant, and a part of her believed that he blamed Evaran indirectly for his father’s death. She doubted she would ever know, because as far as she was concerned, Zed was not someone she trusted.
They exited the ship and assembled outside.
She was not sure what to expect. The last time they met the Ollikrin Nation, they had landed on the edge of a forest. This base looked like someone had cleared a perfect square out of the forest. Concrete landing pads peppered the immediate area, and in the distance, a small set of buildings resided. The majority of the base was probably underground, something that seemed to be common among nonhumans trying to hide away. How they hid from satellites was a mystery.
A four-wheeled shuttle pulled up next to them. A six-foot male with tan skin walked out. He wore a brown-and-green mesh suit with padding on the major body parts. A weapon resided on his back, while his sides had a pistol on the left and a knife on the right. The man waved them in. “I’m Agent Tellus. Mary Everoak is expecting you.”
Everyone boarded the shuttle.
As they traveled toward the buildings on the opposite side of the landing area, Emily noticed the turrets hidden in the trees. She could also see that there were people that blended into the forest’s edge. These were things she did not think she would have been able to see before. When they got to the buildings, she realized it was just one structure with different colored section heights.
Tellus exited the bus and talked into his wrist. After everyone had exited the shuttle, he gestured toward a set of doors. “This way, please.”
Emily expected it to be secure, and so far her expectations had been met. Once inside the building, she surveyed the medium-sized room they were in. It had a set of benches on the edges and a desk opposite them. To the sides of the desk were two doors. It was the heavily armed men behind the desk that caught her attention. They wore a suit similar to Tellus’s, except their version looked much heavier, and their weapons were larger. From what she had studied before, she knew they were assault rifles.
Tellus nodded at the men and opened the right door. He motioned for everyone to go in.
As they walked down the long, wide hallway, she noticed there were no side doors. Just the one they came in from and the one ahead of them. Her eyes caught the light beams that had been scanning them. They probably were not aware that she could see them.
“We are unarmed,” said Evaran.
Tellus smiled. “It’s just a precaution. Besides … you have a manager with you.”
“We have our issues, but I don’t recall being on bad terms with the Ollikrin,” said Zed.
“Well, managers in general tend to be reckless and judgmental, usually not in the good way. They also have this bad habit of causing more issues than they resolve,” said Tellus.
“Interesting,” said Evaran.
Zed snorted and looked away.
When they got to the end of the hallway, Tellus opened the door.
Emily’s eyes widened at the downward-angled shaft ahead of them. The amount of room between the shaft and the door they had just opened was small, roughly ten feet. Where the shaft began sat a platform with a control console.
“We’re going down?” asked Dr. Snowden, ducking in and peering around.
“Of course,” said Tellus. “It doesn’t take too long and it’s perfectly safe, unless you decide to jump out while we’re moving.”
Dr. Snowden licked his lips. “No need to worry about that from me.”
Tellus smiled as he walked onto the platform.
“This is pretty cool,” said Jake. “Dad woulda wanted to see this.”
“Very few people outside the Ollikrin Nation come here, but a visit from Evaran is an exception,” said Tellus.
“I figured. Still woulda been cool for him to see it.”
Emily joined the others as they followed Tellus.
He interacted with the control console, and the platform began to descend.
After twenty minutes of silence, they reached the bottom.
Emily thought it was interesting that there were several places they could have stopped. Each landing area had the same small pad and then a door, even the one they were at now.
Tellus disembarked from the platform and talked into his wrist. After a moment, he had the door open and waved them in.
As Emily stepped through the door, her jaw dropped. A massive city had been carved out of the ground, forming a large cavern. Rocky pillars were everywhere, with walkways between them and buildings spanning several of them. The pillar lights illuminated the space, giving the feeling it was daytime.
She could hear the large vents in the ceiling sucking in air. There was probably a place for the air to come in, but she could neither see nor hear it. Large trees were interspersed between the pillars. It was like a forest and a temple had been combined. She caught sight of people hustling from place to place. The flora scent caressed her nose, while the sounds of the city reverberated throughout. “This is … beautiful.”
“Not quite what you expected, huh?” asked Tellus.
“Definitely not what I expected,” said Dr. Snowden.
“Me either,” said Jake.
“Likewise,” said V.
“C’mon. Mary is waiting for you at her residence,” said Tellus.
As they walked, Dr. Snowden hustled up to Tellus. “This is a very interesting place. How does it not just cave in?”
Tellus pointed at several pillars. “They took care to stabilize it as it was carved out of the ground. Took a long time. The biggest issue outside of stabilizing it was moving all the removed dirt and rock.”
“Huh,” said Dr. Snowden. “So we’re meeting in a residence, you said?”
Tellus nodded as they walked down a main street. “The Everoak and Maurath Clans live together in a large residence. Although it is slightly bigger than other places down here, they live like the people they represent.”
“That’s pretty cool,” said Jake. “So … are you a shifter?”
“Werecrow,” said Tellus with a smile. “I was actually in crow form outside before you landed. Lot of us out there were.”
“Oh. I didn’t even see them,” said Jake.
“Most don’t,” said Tellus.
After fifteen minutes of walking, they reached a three-story house up on one of the pillars.
Tellus pointed at a lift at the base. “Once we go up that, we’re there.”
Emily realized that the city had layers, and it looked like the residences were higher than the businesses and structures of other purpose. It seemed more like an underground capital than a headquarters to her. As she walked up to the lift behind the others, she caught Jake looking around in earnest. The feeling of wonderment that he was experiencing must be exciting for him, and she could sense it. In all the excitement of the past day, her sense of adventure had been dulled. She was in a beautiful underground city, and her focus had been elsewhere.
Jake looked over at her. “So cool, huh?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it is,” she said. “What do you think, V?”
“Analysis. It is pleasing.”
Emily nodded. Even V had taken in the environment. She focused on what lay ahead.
Jake gulped as the lift came to a stop. He tried to keep up on all the various nonhuman politics since Lord Noskov had him running errands out and about. Jake enjoyed what he did. It allowed him to meet a lot of different people, and he got to see different parts of Earth. Using Seceltor technology was second nature to him, and he was often used as an expert by others who needed information. The Ollikrin Nation was one group he had only met a few times, and mainly to either deliver a message from Lord Noskov or to pick so
mething up, but never at a facility like he was seeing.
The open patio area they entered after exiting the lift was spacious. It led up to the pillar, and it looked like the residence had been carved out of it. The smell of something cooking filled the air.
He knew that the two men walking up to them were werebears. They had on sleeveless black jean jackets, and the patches on them indicated they were from the Maurath Clan, the most powerful pack of werebear enforcers in the nonhuman world. Their neck and arm tattoos reinforced the clan marks. He had heard stories about them, and even Lord Noskov and the other ancient vampires gave them respect. They reminded him of a biker gang, one that was highly organized and could transform into humanoid bear form. He knew most werebears were solitary, but not the Maurath Clan.
The first male was fair skinned and had long dirty-blond hair. A short, bushy beard covered his lower face. The second male was older, wore a bandanna on his head, and had a long beard hanging off his lower face. The first male eyed the group, and in a deep, grizzled voice, he said. “I’m Tim.” He gestured at the other male. “That’s Nate.”
“It is good to meet you,” said Evaran with a slight bow and his left hand across his stomach. He pointed at the others in sequence. “With me is Dr. Albert Snowden, Emily Snowden, Jake Melkins, and Zed. The flying orb is V.”
Tim tilted his head at Jake. “Lord Noskov’s crew, right?”
“Umm … yeah,” said Jake. It occurred to him that he did not really know the relationship status between the Ollikrin Nation and Lord Noskov.
“How’s the old bastard doing?”
“He’s sleeping, but he’s doing all right.”
“Tell him I still owe him an ass kicking.”
Jake’s eyes widened.
Tim and Nate snickered.
“He knows what it means,” said Tim. He eyed Zed. “A manager, the Helians’ lackeys. Lucky you have Evaran here, or you wouldn’t be standing there in one piece.”
Zed began to speak, then stopped as he caught Evaran looking at him.
“Anyways, Mary’s ready to see you,” said Tim, gesturing at the doors leading into the house.
“Very well,” said Evaran.
Jake didn’t know what to expect when he entered the large room through the doors. A small kitchen sat off to the left side, and the rest of the room had couches forming a square, with tables on the inside. A middle-aged tan-skinned woman entered the room. He knew that was Mary Everoak. What surprised him were the three young women behind her. He figured they were probably in their early twenties, maybe a year apart, and around the same age as he and Emily. Two were fair skinned, and the other was tan.
Mary broke into a big smile as she saw Evaran. “You’re here. I’m honored.”
Evaran bowed slightly with his left hand across his stomach. “It is good to be here. I knew your mother well.”
“I know, I’ve heard about you all my life,” she said, gesturing at the couches. “Please sit. I’m curious as to what brought you out here, not that I’m complaining.”
Everyone took a seat.
Mary pointed at each of the young women seated next to her. “These are my daughters, Megan, Ava, and Isabella.”
The girls smiled at Evaran.
“It is good to see your family line continue,” said Evaran. He raised a finger. “An interesting note. There was an aborted timeline where we met one of Delia’s granddaughters. Her name was Shandra.”
Isabella smiled. “I like that name. Shandra.”
“I remember the story,” said Mary. “You actually showed Mom. I’d … like to see it too sometime, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.”
“So what brings you to the attention of the Ollikrin Nation?”
Evaran gestured at V.
V flew into the middle of the open area and shot down a projection of a global map zoomed out over Australia and New Zealand. A red dot flashed in the Pacific Ocean.
“These are the coordinates of an island base controlled by the one known as Caltorus. He was responsible for the recent Helian split as well the appearance of … unusual nonhumans.”
Mary and Tim shared a look for a moment, then she faced Evaran. “We’ve seen them.”
“I got into it with one of them. He called himself Bruno,” said Tim.
“You must have held your own then,” said Evaran. “He is unusually strong.”
“It was a draw,” said Tim. “He was visiting one of our bars and acted up. He left in peace afterward, though.”
“Intriguing,” said Evaran.
This gave Jake a good measure of Tim’s power. Bruno was off-the-charts strong, and for Tim to pose a challenge was impressive.
Mary pointed at the projection. “You said island?”
“I did,” said Evaran. “The base has the second rift door and was originally a Helian installation. The base is now controlled by Caltorus and is the toehold where these powerful nonhumans are coming through. Caltorus’s influence is growing.”
“We haven’t really encountered his group, other than Tim tangling with Bruno.”
“Caltorus assaulted the Helian base where the first rift door is stored.”
“You prevented it, I bet …”
Evaran swayed his head around for a moment. “I may have helped defend it. There were casualties … on both sides.”
“Sorry to hear that, but this seems like an internal Helian fight to me.”
“One that will spill out into the world. Caltorus’s group was committing genocide on another planet we went to. His goal, as told to me directly by him, is nothing short of controlling everything on this planet, and without our intervention here, he will succeed. He has control of half of the Helian bases worldwide”
Mary’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “But you’re handling it, right?”
“Coming here and asking for your help, as I did with your mother, is one step in the right direction. The help I am requesting is in tackling the other bases while I focus on the one with the second rift door.”
Mary and Tim locked eyes for a moment. She focused on Evaran. “It sounds like there could be more casualties … on our side, if we decide to help.”
“I am sure there will be. However … if you do help, I will relocate one of the rift doors to your control.”
“You can’t do that!” said Zed, standing up.
Tim and Nate jumped up and stepped forward.
Evaran extended his hands toward both of them. “Please, sit.”
Tim and Zed eyed each other as they slowly sat back down.
Evaran cleared his throat. “It was I that initially gave the rift doors to the United General Nonhuman Assembly to be secured. How it ended up in Helian control, I do not know, but it is apparent it is not being managed. I will reallocate them once this is all over.”
“And you want us to secure it?” asked Mary.
“Actually … I have some ideas about its usage. If you are willing to help, we can go over them at a later time.”
Mary glanced at Tim. “What do you think?”
“Rift door sounds good,” he said, cracking his neck. “Be a tough fight, depending on where we go, but … I’m game, and my boys would be too. We’ll need to pull some ships in, and the logistics would need to be worked out.”
Mary chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “Okay, well, I think we can discuss more details about this, but … we’re here if you need us.”
“That is good to hear. You are wise like your mother. We can stay for a while to discuss the details, but then we have to head off to the next group,” said Evaran.
“Which is … ,” she said.
“The Daedrould Council.”
Tim growled. “Damn vampires.”
Evaran sighed. “I realize it will be difficult to work with groups you dislike, but this threat is bigger than your politics. Bear in mind, I am not offering the Daedrould Council a rift door.”
“At least there’s that,” said Tim with a shrug.
Mary snapped her fingers. “Get the grills!”
Jake watched as Megan, Ava, and Isabella hustled after Tim. Jake was hungrier than he thought. He surveyed his immediate surroundings and imagined this was what traveling with Evaran would be like. Meeting powerful groups, visiting places he knew he would never see on his own, and being with good company. He eased back into the couch as the smell of a grill being fired up wafted in the air.
Dr. Snowden scanned the stone castle around him. He stood in an open court area next to Jake’s ship. It had been about a seven-hour flight from Portland, Oregon, to a castle outside Stuttgart, Germany. It was 5:30 p.m. in Columbus and 11:30 p.m. where they were. A slight breeze brushed up against him. The eerie silence and smell of something burning added to the castle’s moody ambiance.
The travel time difference between the Torvatta and Jake’s ship was noticeable. He missed the holo room, his bed on the Torvatta, and learning more about the Torvatta after their last adventure, where the Torvatta’s schematic had been unlocked, and there was a lot to explore.
Robert stood next to Dr. Snowden. “I’m going with you this time. I think we’re safe here.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Dr. Snowden.
A small group of men wearing one-piece cloth suits with black armor padding approached them. The lead one looked the group over and then turned to the side and extended a hand forward.
Dr. Snowden noticed they definitely were not the chatty type like Tellus. His nanobots were slightly tingling, and he could tell these were vampires, although they seemed to move slightly differently than the ones he knew about.
After twenty minutes of walking through various hallways, down ramps, and across multiple rooms, they reached a large chamber.
Dr. Snowden surveyed the space. There was a long, wide-angled, V-shaped table at the end of the room. Twelve people sat at it and were staring forward intently. Shadows danced on the wall, cast by electronic torches, and a strong odor reminding him of a forest permeated the air. He rubbed the goose bumps on his arm. The way the room was set up, it seemed they were meant to stand in front of this table and make a case. An array of benches sat on the sides.