Primordial (Lilitu Trilogy Book 2)

by Toby Tate

  Lisa stroked her hair. “Me too.”

  “So, who’s going where?” Hunter asked.

  “We’ll charter flights from the Souda Air Base,” Gabe said. “Hunter, I think that you and Mac should go to the site in Sicily, and I’ll go to the one near Bucarest. I think those will be the easiest places to access. I’ll let Jade’s university know what’s going on so they can give her a temporary leave of absence. Lisa, you and Jade stay at my hotel in case you go into labor. I’ll give you the number of the local emergency room. We can be back within a couple of hours if we need to.”

  Lisa nodded and Hunter let out a deep sigh.

  “What’s wrong? You don’t like the plan?” Gabe asked.

  “The plan is fine,” he said. “It’s just—why does it always have to involve airplanes?”

  Forty-five

  Hendricks picked himself up out of the dirt, his head still reeling from the pain. With his enhanced eyesight, thanks to a dose of radiation he had received months ago aboard the USS Gerald R Ford, he could see better than a cat within the nearly pitch black inner chamber. He was feeling lucky to have survived the meeting with the outsiders. A moment longer and he would have been a raving maniac.

  He put his feet under him and stood up slowly. He took a deep breath, then turned and walked out into the passageway leading to the main cavern. There, he saw what was left of his army. Some of the beasts had third degree burns that covered much of their bodies, their white fur singed away to reveal blackened, charred skin; some were blood soaked, with broken or mangled limbs. Yet the impossible was happening before his eyes—limbs straightening and new skin replacing damaged tissue in less time than it would take to bandage a wound. By tomorrow, it would be as if they had never been injured. But many of them had been destroyed on the beach and most of his men had been killed in the boats and in the helicopter explosion. Unfortunately, even the Lilitu couldn’t bring the dead back to life.

  Tears of rage and frustration welled up in his eyes, but he fought it down with all of his willpower. Hendricks raised his arms up to the cave ceiling, like a preacher about to give thanks to God.

  “My brothers and sisters, it is time to take back what was once ours!” His voice reverberated off the cavern walls like a priest reciting mass in a cathedral.

  “Soon, the gate will be opened. The outsiders will take their place as the rightful rulers of this world, and we will serve them gladly!”

  The cave nearly shook with the sound of fervent bellowing and howling, and Hendricks felt the blood running hot through his veins, his heart pulsating with power.

  “Only a few short days and the sun will send forth its flares, the stones will be in place, then humankind and all the creatures on this planet will know their true masters. They will understand the meaning of fear and reverence.”

  More howling.

  Hendricks glanced at the rows of gleaming, gelatinous ovals that would soon burst forth with life.

  “When the young ones are born, they will begin their journey in a new world, a world ruled by the outsiders; a world where they will be the enforcers, the law keepers, the judge, jury and executioners of all those who fail to serve. It will be a perfect world, a world where only the strong rule, and the weak die. And we, the Lilitu, are the strong!”

  He shot his fists into the air like a football player who had just scored a touchdown as the cavern erupted in frenzy, the beasts leaping and roaring like caged lions ready to tear their handlers apart. Hendricks knew that soon, the savagery would be directed at those who defied him and his followers, and there was nothing that any of them could do to stop it.

  Part two: The Outsiders

  Forty-six

  Mac and Gabe stood in the darkness outside Gabe’s hotel, gazing into each other’s eyes, as she contemplated the implications of being in love with a man who wasn’t completely human. Was it something that could work, or would it end as her other relationships had—in heartbreak? Did she dare put herself out there and bare her soul to this man? It seemed like the right thing to do, like something she wanted to do. But there was an uneasy feeling of foreboding, a feeling she couldn’t explain, as if a dark cloud hung over them, the lightning waiting to strike.

  Gabe put it out of her mind. Right now, it was time to bask in the moment and enjoy Mac’s company before they went their separate ways tomorrow. She slipped her arms around his waist.

  “So, ready to go to Sicily?” she said.

  “I wish you were going with me. I hear it’s very romantic this time of year.”

  “I think it’s better if the girls stick together. Besides, you and Hunter make a great team.”

  “Yeah, but he’s not really my type.”

  She kissed him. “Another good reason to travel separately—we’d never get anything done.”

  “You’re probably right about that. I would be completely distracted.”

  “Maybe when we get back, we can talk about things.”

  “Things?”

  “Yeah, you know—things.”

  Mac laughed. “I’ll give it a try. I’ll have to warn you, though. I’m not much of a talker.”

  “Could have fooled me. You seem to be doing pretty well so far.”

  “I have a good teacher.”

  Before Gabe could respond, Mac reached out and shoved her off to one side, sending her sprawling across the parking lot.

  “Get down!” he shouted as she saw a figure lunge at him from out of the darkness. Whoever it was, he was wielding a large hunting blade.

  “Mac, look out—he has a knife!”

  The man wore khaki shorts and a dirty white t-shirt, like the diggers from Jade’s camp. As she thought about it she realized who it was—the same man who had been spying on them just before Jensen was murdered—Panos.

  The two men crouched and faced each other like prize fighters in a boxing ring, Panos circling, waving the blade back and forth, as if daring Mac to make the first move. If anyone inside the hotel saw what was happening, they didn’t try to stop it.

  Gabe wished she had one of her sidearms, and then suddenly had an idea.

  “Mac, try to keep him here as long as you can. I need to get to my hotel room.”

  Mac held his gaze on his opponent. “Where the hell am I gonna go?”

  Gabe raced through the glass doors of the hotel and across the lobby. She glanced at the check-in desk on the way by. No one there. She wasn’t surprised.

  She bypassed the elevators and instead took the stairs, bounding up three at a time until she reached the third floor. She fumbled with her key card, got inside the room and found what she was looking for, then raced out, not bothering to close the door to her room.

  When she got back outside, the two men were locked together in mortal combat. Luckily, it didn’t look as if Mac had been cut yet.

  “Mac, I need you to try and pin him to the ground. Can you do that?”

  He grimaced. “Easier said than done. This guy is stronger than a horse.”

  She waited to make her move as Mac grabbed both of the man’s wrists, then bent the one with the knife back until the blade fell from his grip and clattered to the pavement. He swivelled, put one leg behind Panos’s leg, and threw him backwards to the ground. Mac put a knee atop the man’s chest and held both arms down.

  Gabe knew that was her cue and ran forward. She glanced at Panos’s face—his eyes were wild and unfocused, and she wondered if he had possibly gone insane. If so, she knew why—he was being controlled by one of Hendricks’s parasites, and she had the remedy—a mixture of garlic vinegar and other chemicals the CIA had helped create to fight the parasites. It was like giving Kryptonite to Superman. She raised the hypo of yellow liquid, yanked off the cap with her teeth, and then plunged it deep into his shoulder.

  Mac released Panos and jumped away as the man screamed in pain. Suddenly, a white, milky substance began oozing from his pores as if his body was leaking white corpuscles. They watched as it gathered into a puddle and s
tarted to undulate and morph from one bizarre shape to the next, reaching out with liquid tentacles, as if searching for another host.

  Finding none, the creature evaporated into nothing as Panos lay unmoving on the concrete.

  Forty-seven

  Mac and Gabe had spent most of the night in her hotel room interrogating Panos, but to no avail—he couldn’t remember a thing. Gabe believed him. She had seen the effects that the parasites had on their hosts once before, when she had rescued Hunter. The Lilitu created the parasites within their own bodies, and then transferred them via sexual intercourse, kissing, or even through sweat glands. They were liquid creatures that immediately took over the brain and motor functions, causing the host to do the will of the parasite’s specific creator via some sort of extra sensory perception, leaving them with no memory of the events upon release. That is, if they were released.

  Though they were almost positive he had murdered Jensen, they had no proof. They eventually took Panos home and tried to get as much sleep as they could, which amounted to about four hours. Gabe was still exhausted and was hoping she could sleep on the plane.

  Hunter arrived at Gabe and Mac’s hotel around eight a.m. They piled into her black SUV and drove to the air base to catch their respective flights.

  “What exactly is it we’re looking for, anyway?” Hunter asked.

  “Mainly, we want pictures of the obelisks, of any symbols or markings on the structure,” Gabe said. “Look it over and try to remember everything, like the area around the obelisk, or anything out of the ordinary. Try to get inside it if you can. If not, don’t risk any unnecessary danger. If there are any people around, you can try to ask them what they remember about the builders, or what they know about its real purpose. Maybe someone has some insight.”

  “I doubt if anyone knows its real purpose. If they do, they’ll probably steer clear of the whole area.”

  “Well, whatever those things are for, I have a feeling we’d better find out quick, because after last night, Hendricks is probably going to step up the timetable,” Gabe said.

  Mac shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think he’s waiting for something and he won’t be able to act until it happens, a major event of some kind, probably celestial in nature, maybe a meteor shower.”

  Gabe suddenly had a thought. “Or a solar flare.”

  * * *

  Hendricks opened the case that held the five stones, which were now ready for transfer to their specially made containers. They were smooth, about sixteen inches long by eight inches wide, oblong in shape and glowed with a strange, blue light. While meteorites are usually magnetic, heavier than Earth rocks, and non-radioactive, these were extremely light and more radioactive than enriched uranium. The radiation had turned his eyes silver, like the radiation aboard the navy ship had some months before. It gave him strange new abilities. He could see through solid objects, hear things only a dog could hear. But to touch a stone with his bare hands would transform him into a beast, like those in the cave, and he wasn’t ready for that—not yet. He had to handle the stones with special tongs and place them into the containers, each one bound for its specific destination, to be carried and placed by his own men, all under his parasitic control. He would place the final stone himself, at the top of the obelisk in Crete. Then, once the storm came, the gate would be opened.

  He could hardly wait for that day. What a surprise the human race was in for. The looks on their faces would be priceless when they realized what was happening. His ex-friends, his own human so-called parents, brothers and sisters, would all scream for mercy. It almost made him wish he could take pictures.

  If only they knew the horror that awaits them…

  Hendricks smiled as he closed the fifth box, and then headed back to the cave to retrieve the final stone.

  Forty-eight

  In the aftermath of the hurricane, The Ford made its way into port to assist the population. Things were falling into place—that is until John MacIntyre, her own flesh and blood, alerted the captain and the CIA that she was on board. The captain alerted the crew and soon they had put a crimp in her plans. A chemical concoction had also been created that could destroy the parasites without harming the host, and soon the crew was free of her influence—they began hunting her down.

  Lilith became unhinged. She forced the chief engineer to escort her to the main reactor room, where she penetrated the reactor shield and came into direct contact with the enriched uranium that was used to power the ship. Lilith remembered the feeling of unbridled power as she stared into the light of God’s creation, bathing in gamma rays like a beachgoer would soak up the rays of the sun. Instead of killing her, it made her immensely stronger, mutating her genetic structure into a creature beyond human. But something miraculous and inexplicable also happened—spontaneous pregnancy—she was going to have a child.

  Before fleeing the ship to Manhattan Island, she kidnapped the man who she would have made the father of her children—Hunter Singleton. But Hunter only lasted as long as the parasite that infected him—his devotion wasn’t pure, as it should have been. He soon escaped with the help of one of her so-called “followers,” a bitch named Gabrielle Lincoln, who she should have killed when she had the chance.

  Then, Lilith began to change. It had been the most painful thing she had ever experienced in her life, as if her entire body was burning from the inside out. Yet it was also exhilarating. Her size and strength had increased twenty fold. She was impervious to injury and to the effects of time, yet her senses remained intact and in most cases, amplified. She could see through solid objects, could hear things only a bat could hear, smell things only a bloodhound could smell. But she also had a rage, a bloodlust that had nearly taken over her mind until she finally learned to control it.

  Soon after her metamorphosis, she had killed Lawrence, her own kind, in a fit of blind rage and fury because of her obsession with Hunter. She had torn Lawrence apart and left him on the floor of her apartment in Manhattan. She could see now that her feelings for the human were emotionally misguided, not worthy of one such as her.

  But even as the CIA black ops team chased her through the dark, abandoned streets of Manhattan, they still had no idea of her true intentions—to set off a ten megaton nuclear backpack bomb in the middle of the city, in the abandoned subway tunnels directly below Madison Square Garden.

  Forty-nine

  Hunter eyed the plane that he and Mac would be riding in—a grey Swiss Pilatus PC-12—or U-28A, as designated by the US Air Force. There was another beside it, exactly the same. The planes each had one engine and looked like they would hold about eight or ten passengers. As much as Hunter hated flying, he especially hated flying in small planes.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” he murmured, stopping on the tarmac.

  As the group followed the two pilots to their individual planes, Gabe turned to look at Hunter. “What’s the matter, mate? Don’t like the transportation?”

  Hunter grimaced and continued walking. “It’s just that I was hoping for something bigger.”

  “The US Air Force uses these for personnel and cargo transport. I managed to pull a few strings and talked them into letting us use them. Be thankful they didn’t give us choppers.”

  “Good point. I’m glad they were feeling so generous.”

  Gabe stopped in front of the first plane and grinned at him. “It’s the taxpayers that are being generous. Have a nice flight and see you back here tonight. There’ll be someone to meet you at the air base in Sicily and they will take you to the obelisk. When you’re done, they will take you back to the air base. That’s about it. Good luck.”

  Hunter shook his head. “How did you manage to do all this?”

  “It’s what they pay me for.” She glanced at Mac, and Hunter took that as his cue to get on the plane and let the two lovebirds have their moment alone.

  He took a deep breath and put a foot on the first step.

  * * *

  The rid
e was smoother than Hunter had expected for a small plane. He was still gripping the arms of the seat, but not as hard. He glanced at Mac, who sat across the aisle staring out the window. Other than the two of them, there was no one else on board.

  Hunter needed to force his brain to think of something besides flying, and talking usually helped.

  “So, what do you think we’ll find?” he asked.

  Mac glanced at him. “Hopefully, some answers. Like what the obelisks mean, how they relate to those radioactive meteorites and the Lilitu. I have a feeling that it’s something big; something we can’t even fathom.”

  “What did Hendricks mean when he said the Lilitu have been around since ‘before the beginning?’”

  “My sister used to be a member of Hendricks’s little clan, and they would have secret meetings. She used to tell me about them, tried to get me to come along, but I never did. She said that the Bible and most other ancient writings begin where the Lilitu left off. They, or we, were a race of creatures that populated the planet under the watchful eye of Tartarus.”

  “Tartarus?”

  “According to Greek legend, Tartarus was the god of a place called the Underworld. Then, some cataclysmic event happened. Maybe Tartarus was what inspired the Bible’s Satan; who knows? Whatever happened, it affected the entire planet and laid it to waste. That’s why the first chapter of Genesis says, ‘The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.’ Something happened to make it void. So, God decided to try again and create a new race, hence the beginning of the human race.”

  Hunter smirked. “Yeah, unfortunately, things aren’t working out so well for us, either.”