Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy

by Venessa Kimball

  I walk the halls and let the sound of my father’s and Nate’s voices fill my head. I know what I’m doing. I don’t give a shit about the risk. Look at all of the risks I’ve taken so far.

  The sound of a man speaking English ahead brings me out of my head. The fuzzy and choppy voice sounds like that of a news anchor. Walking on, the sound gets louder and I see an open door ahead on the left. Stepping in, I shut the door behind me before taking in the glow of the two computer screens in front of me. A small desk lamp illuminates a stack of papers, a newspaper and an empty coffee mug next to one of the computers. The choppy voice speaks again as the electric waves pass over one of the computers. It’s a radio feed.

  Wait, the news is still running? What about all the chaos that was erupting days ago? People running in the streets, looting, law enforcement and military taking control of the streets, militant factions beginning to form. After the intersection, I thought our world would be a war zone, all lines of communication destroyed by the enemy invaders. I sit down on the chair in front of the second computer, screen blank with only the desktop showing. My hand bumps one of the keys and the screen fills with an image of a news anchor, the voice coming through the other computer matching his moving lips. “It has been over forty-eight hours since citizens all over the world simultaneously witnessed and reported the ominous flash of light paired with a sonic boom that shook the earth. It has been confirmed by scientists that it was in fact the galactic intersection of our galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. We are just now learning that the team of scientists that initially leaked the reports of the impending collision were in fact incorrect in their assessment of the collected data of what results the intersection would produce. Scientist Collin Sweeney and his colleagues had reported that our world would experience changes of apocalyptic proportions. Scientist Gabriel Griffin, recently introduced by the President of the United States as his right hand man in regards to the assessment of this galactic situation, says that we were misled and that this galactic intersection will not have apocalyptic changes on us or our environment. This is what Gabriel Griffin had to report today.”

  The screenshot switches to a man surrounded by other men and women. “Good afternoon. I am Gabriel Griffin and I am honored to be a part of this coalition of the greatest minds and bravest servants in the world.”

  The newscaster announces each of their names along with their titles. Scientists, investigators with the FBI, doctors, specialists; in all I am counting about twelve or so people standing behind Gabriel. The newscaster quiets as Gabriel answers one of the reporter’s questions.

  “We have determined that this galactic intersection has brought about some environmental changes that can be contained as long as our governments globally work together to maintain order among the population.”

  Griffin points at someone in the sea of reporters beyond the camera. A reporter asks, “Mr. Griffin, you said environmental changes. Do you foresee anything life threatening to the population in the near future?”

  Gabriel responds, “No, not in the foreseen future. The changes in our environment have already taken place. The changes will not bear any more influence on the environment or the population. Alongside the state departments in our country, as well in collaboration with the United Nations committee, we are monitoring any irregularities in the environment and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue to report any citizens that show symptoms of illness out of the ordinary or unexplainable casualties.”

  Voices rise beyond the camera as the reporters vie for Gabriel’s attention to answer their question. Gabriel points at another reporter. He listens intently, but the question is inaudible to me. Gabriel looks back at the team.

  One of the women steps forward and approaches the microphone. “We have heard a handful of reports in regards to sightings of beings that are not human.” The woman shakes her head. “As the head of this investigation, my colleagues and I have not found a single one of these sightings producing anything inhuman. I can say the same for other agencies around the world who have been in constant communication.” The woman looks straight at the camera now, obviously talking directly to the citizens beyond the screen. “I want every citizen to know that we are taking every report and lead in regards to these sightings very seriously. We are working closely with agencies globally to formulate a uniform protocol for every report and we will not leave any stone unturned.” The woman steps back in line with the other members of the team.

  A voice comes from behind me, “They are all Sondians.”

  I turn to see Balthazar standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He comes closer as I look back at computer screen. The camera has panned to the president as he addresses the reporters.

  “This coalition behind me is united to help maintain order, safety and peace. My administration and I trust their research, judgment and recommendations completely. I want to thank personally our military as well as law enforcement here in the US as well as the military and law enforcement agencies internationally for establishing curfews in order to alleviate the initial scare and chaos after the intersection. However, many citizens died due to the initial chaos and we mourn them. Please remember that we are not under attack and do not need to fear further effects from this event. We need to try to get back to normalcy. That is what our country and the entire world needs right now. Thank you and may God bless us all.”

  The president leaves the podium and the newscaster is back on giving commentary on the address.

  “Is this a recording or is this live?”

  Balthazar is standing next to me watching the screen. “It has been looping for the past few hours, but it took place earlier today. See the date?”

  I nod and notice the date at the bottom of the feed. Earlier today? What time was it? One thing about being in a facility, you never know what time of day or night it is.

  Balthazar pulls out the chair next to me and sits. He closes the feed and opens up another site.

  “We are in the middle of a fucking apocalypse and you are able to surf the internet?”

  His screen fills with a feed of citizens walking in and out of buildings, children being escorted to school, no smiles, but going about life. Uniformed soldiers standing guard on street corners fill the next screen he opens, but no one seems as panicked as I would expect. “Where the hell is this? This isn’t what the streets looked like days ago in downtown Kyoto.”

  Balthazar clicks on a tab, then another. He points to the screen for me to look. “This was two days ago, hours after the intersection.”

  The same news anchor is front and center on the computer screen, face filled with terror. I don’t listen to the words, I just see the images: people breaking into stores, and then running from them carrying everything their arms can hold. Fires in the streets, abandoned cars in the streets, police trying to direct and contain the chaos, SWAT teams, soldiers, and paramedics hauling off yelling, crying, bleeding men, women, and children all over the world.

  The newscaster’s voice trembles, “Wherever you are, find shelter. Get indoors and do not leave until further notice. We do not know what effect this intersection will have on us. For your safety and the safety of your children, please seek shelter and remain there until further notice.”

  The screen switches to another feed––London. The British news anchor is panicked, just as the news anchor before her. More images of chaos fill the screen. The screen switches again to another feed––Baghdad. The news anchor is speaking quickly in Arabic.

  Balthazar stops the feed and clicks on another tab. “This is twenty-four hours after the intersection in the U.S.”

  The screen fills with the same American news anchor from before, notably more put together than the last image of him. “Once again, the President of the United States has directed the nation to be in lockdown until further notice. Associate reporters from around the world have re
ported leaders’ enforcing the same for their countries. Sources say the president, vice president, and close staff are meeting with a particular group of scientists in regards to the effect of this galactic intersection. All we know as of now is that this intersection itself has caused no harm to us. There have been reports, sightings of beings that don’t appear human in the Panama City, Florida and Seattle, Washington areas.

  Investigation teams have been deployed and are scouring the area surrounding those sightings. We will keep you informed of any updates in regards to these sightings. This further solidifies the need for everyone to remain in their homes until further notice.”

  Balthazar stops the feed, closes the tabs then opens another screen. “The wormhole we were trying to close was only one of many that night. The beings that passed through ours, easily passed through others around the world. When the veil was parted, it simultaneously opened every access to our world. This was last night in our country.”

  The American news anchor appears on the new tab he opens. “We have breaking news in regards to the sightings of the strange beings in both Panama City, Florida and Seattle, Washington. It has been confirmed that both the Florida and Washington sightings were both indeed hoaxes.”

  A handcuffed man shielding his face from the heavy lighting of the camera is being escorted by two police officers. The news anchor continues, “This man, Adam Claiborne, was arrested this evening after a tip was made to the local police department in Seattle, Washington. He is also associated with the Panama City, Florida hoax.”

  My mouth drops as I see a glimpse of his face before he shields it again. “They have Adam?”

  Balthazar pauses the feed. “Yes and six more of the most valuable scientists in our fellowship.”

  I think as I speak. “They set them up.”

  Balthazar sits back in the chair and crosses his arms over his chest. “Gabriel Griffin and his team of scientists needed them out of the way if they were going to gain the President’s trust.”

  Balthazar turns his chair to face the computer and gestures to the scene on the screen. “We are the resistance now. Not them.”

  I listen to the news anchor declare that we are safe once more. “We are not safe. How can they believe them so easily?”

  Balthazar uncrosses his arms. “Because reality is an illusion, Jesca. It is all about perception. They have created an illusion that is being perceived as their only means of salvation. The beings that have come into our world through the wormholes have camouflaged themselves among us. They are hiding until the changes in our world begin to take hold. Then, they will take over.”

  The giants, the shape shifters, the occupiers, as Daniel called them, they passed through the wormhole in the Aokigahara forest two days ago; I saw them. Xander said that when the battle had ended and he was carrying me out of the forest, the beings were scattering and going into hiding. I mumble, “They are going to keep coming through wormholes aren’t they?

  Balthazar breathes out hard through his nose. “As long as the veil is left open, they will come. Gabriel and his team do not intend to help the population. They have led everyone to believe they will be safe, buying time while more beings enter and hide among us. By the time the elemental changes in the atmosphere of our world take hold, the lies will no longer matter––death will take its toll on humanity.”

  I look at the television screen again. Images of children exiting a school bus and filtering into their schools and grown men and women walking across traffic-filled streets. “They are going to blame the deaths on everything and anything except the changes in the atmosphere. And they will blame us.”

  Balthazar closes the tab I’m watching, and the screen goes blank as he speaks, “We will be the enemy in their eyes. Our influence in the government, our interior contacts, will be picked off one by one as radicals, charlatans, terrorists and spies.”

  I stand up and start to pace. “How are we supposed to save all of these people if they think we are the enemy?”

  Balthazar stands in front of me. “There are those that do not believe that we will ever be safe. They challenge and do not trust what they are being told. Those are the people that we need to contact, gain alliance with. We will offer them a solution when the elemental changes begin: implantation. All we will want in return is their help to influence others and save as many people as we can.”

  “What if we are discovered? What if one of us approaches a mole? We will be caught.”

  Balthazar nods. “Sometimes to catch, we have to be caught. Our moles are watching theirs.”

  I realize that even though the influential Dobrian guardians were being picked off one at a time, the average Joe guardians were the ones who were going to save the masses.

  Balthazar continues explaining what he foresees happening. “Once the death toll begins to rise from the evolution our world will undergo, those that believed the leaders will panic as they watch those all around them die. With nowhere left to turn, they will turn to the ones that hold the chance for survival: us.”

  I close my eyes and shake my head. “So many will die before they are given a chance to be saved.”

  “Many will die after they are given the chance as well. Their bodies may not accept the implantation. Each human must adapt to the changes the Copula will introduce to their body. If the body doesn’t adapt, then they will die anyway.”

  “Yeah, but they will at least have had a chance.”

  My mind goes to the veil now. “You said that as long as the veil is open, the beings will come through. Does anyone know how to seal it?”

  “No, not yet,” Balthazar says.

  I cross my arms over my chest and shift my stance. “And all of these beings pouring into our world, what do we do about them? Some are not malevolent, right? The Nephilim.”

  Balthazar reaches over and turns off the computer screen in front of me. “The Nephilim are the only benevolent beings that have invaded so far, unfortunately. As Daniel said, the shape shifters and occupiers are invading to take over.”

  “So, we hunt them and kill them? Is that what you are going to tell me?”

  Balthazar nods. “Yes, but for every one we kill, one will enter our world until we find a way to seal the veil.”

  I lower my head and rub my hands over my eyes. I thought I felt hopeless in this shit storm before. This takes it to a completely new level of catastrophe.

  Following Balthazar back into the briefing room, I’m ready to face Sebastian and Daniel with my question of how to seal the veil, but am stopped by the sight of two people new to the room––a woman and man I don’t recognize. As the woman turns to me, I see an infant in her arms. The child looks like she is not much older than Marcus and seeing them side by side now as Sebastian hands Marcus to Balthazar, they look alike around the eyes. Siobhan and Elicia are hovering around the babies and Nick and Xander stand next to each other watching. Xander and me exchange a glance. “You okay?” he asks.

  I nod then focus on the two strangers with the baby.

  “Jesca, this is my other son, Caleb and his family,” Sebastian says smiling as he looks down on the infant the woman holds. “His wife Eve and their baby girl, my granddaughter, Emelia.”

  As I approach, Caleb reaches across Balthazar to offer his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jesca. Or should I say cousin.”

  From Ezra’s description of the Onoch family and the estranged relationship between Sebastian and his sons, I figured Caleb would have steered clear of any of this.

  His wife offers her hand. I take it and she warmly cups her other hand over mine. “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry we missed meeting you when we met your parents.”

  I look from Eve, to Caleb, then to the child. “Nice to meet you too. Wait, when you met my parents? Ezra?”

  Eve’s glowing smile weakens a little as she looks at Caleb, then Daniel.


  Daniel shakes his head in a forgiving nature. “It’s okay. Jesca, this is the couple that bought your parents’ house in Marietta, Georgia.”

  Delilah, said a young couple had purchased the house. That they had a child. “Why?” is the only thing I can say, knowing there must have been a method to what they orchestrated.

  Daniel explains, “You and your parents were being tracked. Marietta wasn’t safe for you any longer, not without any training. Ezra needed to get you away from the trackers and help you train. Your parents knew how detrimental it was for you to be there and needed to get out of Marietta for all of your family’s safety.”

  Caleb speaks up, “Getting you, Ezra and your family out pulled the Sondians’ out of Marietta so Daniel, Eve and I could make preparations.”

  “For what?” Xander asks, standing at my side now.

  Daniel speaks for Caleb. “The facility.”

  “Facility. In Marietta.” I know every back road, side road and landmark in Marietta. “ There is no facility in Marietta.”

  Daniel nods, “North of Marietta, near Kennesaw Battlefield National Park.”

  I shake my head, knowing that it can’t be. For some reason they are just toying with me. “The only thing north is the Etowah Indian Mounds.”

  I visited the ancient Native American civilization with Roan and Delilah as a teen. “I’ve been there. It’s just mounds and underground passages. Half of which you can’t access.”

  Daniel crosses his arms over his chest and nods. “For good reason.”

  Shit. There is a fucking facility under the mounds. “Beneath the ground,” I state realizing that’s how most facilities would be, after living in one for a few months.

  Daniel nods, “Per Sebastian’s request in the early 1980’s, Roan, Delilah, Ezra, Elicia’s parents, myself and many others had our sights on the mounds as a location of interest. In early 2000, we ‘influenced’ the state of Georgia to safeguard it from any further excavation and began our push to support the historical aspect of the site. Still pushing, in 2005, a wise archeologist took Ezra’s advice and provided the government with documentation supporting that there was nothing subterranean to be found beyond the superficial mounds and the few artifacts that had been unearthed years prior. Remote sensing and geophysical tests justified not pursuing excavation any further.”