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

by Venessa Kimball

  Sebastian interrupts, “But, Ezra and I knew that the ancient, Native American mound-builders had created an entire city beneath those mounds. One that could be used by our fellowship. ”

  Sebastian adds his two cents, “The pushing finally worked and the state agreed, with a hefty donation from the Onoch Estate, to allow Sebastian privatized ownership, of the historical site. The more involvement we had in the protection of the site, the easier it would be to utilize the infrastructure once we were the sole executives of maintaining the site.”

  Xander asks, “Why the mounds? What made you chose that site, I mean other than the fact that it was a useable infrastructure? Something else drew you there.”

  Sebastian looks at Balthazar and Caleb, then back at Xander before glancing at me. “Our family’s roots run deep in Georgia. We had to protect and guard this important part of our history for the sake of our fellowship.”

  Okay, that was a little too vague for my liking. I want to probe and ask more questions, but Caleb continues speaking and I lose my chance. “After Sebastian and Daniel contacted me about you and Ezra, the Sondians tracking so close to the Etowah mounds, and the impending intersection of Andromeda and our galaxy, I knew I had to help.”

  Caleb looks at Sebastian briefly, then at his wife. “Eve wouldn’t think of staying in London without me. And with the knowledge Sebastian and Daniel had imparted to me about the coming intersection, I wasn’t about to leave my wife and child.” Caleb runs his palm along Eve’s cheek tenderly.

  “The facility was vacant and unstructured prior to Caleb and Eve’s taking residency in Marietta. Now, the facility beneath the mounds is fully functioning. Caleb staffed the facility months ago with a full-time crew of workers to get it up to speed. Water access was easy with the Etowah River nearby,” Daniel says scratching the back of his head.

  I think about the tourists that have been visiting the mounds for the past year and wonder if any of them had seen any strange activities going on as our fellowship moved in and around the site. I guess it didn’t really matter anymore since something like that could be easily overlooked after the galactic event our world just encountered.

  “The last call I got from Balthazar was two days ago,” Caleb says, interrupting my thoughts. “He told me what happened to Ezra and your partner, Nathaniel Sera. We came out as soon as we could.”

  Balthazar puts his hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “I know what my brother is capable of. He is a brilliant scientist, Jesca. If anyone can work quickly and efficiently to get us access to where Nate and Ezra are, it’s Caleb. We are going to have him look for the coded calibration in the Sondian devices.”

  Caleb nods and looks at each of us. “I understand time is of the essence to access them.”

  I start to answer him, but Xander speaks over me. “Yes, Jesca and I leave tomorrow.”

  I look at Xander sideways. He’s not letting up on going with me. “I need to figure out a way to seal the veil while I’m there, so if any of you have ideas before I leave, I would appreciate it.”

  My emphasis on my doing this solo isn’t dismissed by Xander as he glares straight at me, then faces Caleb once again as he points at me. “She’s not leaving without me, just so we’re all clear.”

  Xander turns and starts to the door. I want to hold my tongue, not wanting to start another fight about this, but him storming off has me worried damn it. “Just so we’re clear, you don’t speak for me or anyone else here! Where are you going?”

  He’s through the doorway without a word, leaving me standing there with all eyes on me.

  I turn back to Caleb and cross my arms, expecting him to have something to say. He looks at me warily then exchanges a glance with Sebastian. “We should get started. titanium and helium in our atmosphere have risen just within the last twenty-four hours. As the levels increase and accrue, both can cause changes in the way our lungs function along with other problems associated with our capacity to breathe the air. At high levels, helium will silently suffocate us. Magnesium is beginning to decrease also. If the levels get too low, the synthesizing of our DNA will be compromised and the reproduction of cells will cease; death will be eminent.”

  My concern for Xander is put aside as my mind flashes back to the moment we landed in Tokyo and headed toward the safe house. I could never forget the image. A child, a little girl, is pointing up at the sky. Her mother looks up and then she glances off into the sea of cars and others running haphazardly around them. The little girl is yanking her hand, but the mother doesn’t respond right away. Her concerned expression and lost eyes say it all. She was lost and didn’t know what to say or do. That is when Balthazar told us about him and Sebastian offering the Copula implantation to civilians. Without hesitation, I supported it and wanted to know when they would begin. I was happy to know they already had, but had they had a chance to increase the implantation since the intersection?

  I imagine average people outside of the facility not yet implanted suffocating, collapsing, and dying in their loved ones arms. Children, those who are ill, and the elderly would be the first to go. The image of the children filtering in the schools from earlier on the television alter in my mind now as images of suffocating, dying children in classrooms.

  Still seeing the altered image in my head, I ask, “Have we started implanting civilians yet?”

  Monica, heading the cause, speaks up. “We have a limited number, but it has begun.”

  Balthazar nods in agreement. “Our engineers are producing them as quickly as they can with quickly dwindling resources. Guardians are being sent out on global missions to recruit civilians not siding with the Sondians.”

  Monica adds, “We bring them into the facilities and safe houses for shelter and offer implantation.”

  Sebastian adds, “With the modified Copula, modifying levels of trace elements directly into the devices reservoir can counteract the changing elements in our world. The shift within them will almost be immediate.”

  “If their body accepts the alteration. If they adapt,” I say remembering what Balthazar had said.

  Caleb, Ezra, Balthazar, and Daniel are talking about the world above us, which Dobrian guardians are being targeted by the Sondians, and how Gabriel Griffin has taken over the Sondian fellowship flawlessly since Michael Sanderson’s disappearance while I stare at the open doorway, the one Xander went through a half hour ago. All of the other guardians, except Siobhan, Jake, and I have left.

  “Jesca, you okay?” Siobhan asks.

  “Yeah. Caleb, you?”

  What about my parents? Were they being targeted? “Roan, Delilah, Bethany, are they okay?”

  Caleb interrupts my thoughts. “You okay?”

  I nod, keeping my mental block up. “Hey, your parents, Bethany, they’re safe.”

  I suppose he thinks my mind is on them, when it’s on Xander. I wonder how much he knows about my parent’s whereabouts since the intersection. “Are they still in Colorado?”

  He shakes his head. “When the intersection was days away from its apex, we opened the Georgia facility up to the guardians in the area. Your adoptive sister, Bethany, came in with the family she was staying with. She was panicked, wanting to know if you were safe and if we could track down her parents. At that point, Balthazar and Sebastian had been in contact and told me that you were among the other guardians preparing to stop Sam Crest and the other Sondians from opening the wormhole. I told her you were safe, leaving out all of the details, and tracked your parents down in Boulder, Colorado. They made their way back to Marietta knowing that they would be safer within the facility with Bethany.”

  Part of me wishes I could see them, just to make sure they are safe for myself. Caleb continues, “When I got the call from Balthazar about Nate and Ezra, your parents had just arrived. Roan and Delilah wanted to come. Bethany was ready to come as well. They didn’t realize that I was the only one th
at could come for the sake of decoding the devices. They don’t know about you going after Nate and Ezra.”

  “It would only panic them,” Daniel adds.

  They lose me as they start talking in terms beyond my capacity and I zone out thinking about what will happen after we traverse. Will we make it? Was it a fluke for Sam, Ezra and Nate to cross the event horizon of a black hole? Did they astral project beyond the event horizon? The realm they are in, it is like ours. I’m sure the beings made it so as a trick, just like Ezra said to Nate. When we get there, we will be targeted as well. We need to find them quickly and get out of there. They will try to draw us into the illusions. We can’t let that happen. If Nate hadn’t snapped out of the illusion that the beings had created for him, would he have really died? Would I have died here?

  “Jesca?”

  I turn to Sebastian’s call and notice him staring at me like he’s waiting for a response. “Where did you go just then?”

  Sebastian, Balthazar and Caleb watch me carefully, concerned.

  “Um, I was just thinking about what it would be like when we,” I correct myself, “I mean, when I get over there. That’s all.”

  I feel them trying to get in my head, but I hold my block firm. Sebastian senses he’s not getting in and looks down as he says, “You should rest while you can. We will come to get you when we have something.”

  I nod and start to rise, when Monica enters. Concerned about Corinna, I ask, “Is Corinna doing okay?”

  Monica hesitates. “She’s healing quickly and accepting the new implant. She’s still somewhat unstable psychologically.”

  She directs her comment to the Onochs. “It may be side effects that will fade as she continues to heal herself. Her memory is returning now, so that is a good sign.”

  Unstable psychologically. Side effects of the Sondian Copula and the brainwashing and torture that son of a bitch Michael put her through. Sebastian asks, “What symptoms is she showing?”

  Monica shifts her stance as she explains. “I have caught her talking to herself. When I confronted her about possibly hearing voices, she became withdrawn and skittish. I asked her if she was experiencing anything out of the ordinary. She told me she felt nauseous and dizzy, but nothing else. I gave her something to help with the vertigo and I have a staff member sitting with her around the clock, monitoring her for any other symptoms that could be dangerous to her or others.”

  I think back to my experience in Corinna’s mind. Everything revolved around Sam. Her memories of him, the way he looked at her, the emotions he stirred in her. “It could be Sam.”

  I look at Sebastian. “She and Sam are linked, well, were linked before her implant was removed and modified. Maybe their bond is stronger than the manufactured link, like you said earlier. Maybe some of her side effects are him.”

  Sebastian nods. “Yes, it could be possible that he is influencing her.” He looks at Monica. “Let us know if her condition worsens.”

  Monica starts to leave and I call after her, “Wait, let me walk with you.”

  Once we’re out in the hallway, she asks, “So, where are you headed?”

  I look at her out of the corner of my eye as we walk and lie through my teeth. “My room. Going to try and get some rest.”

  Monica looks at me and snickers. “Liar.

  I avoid her eyes and focus on the white floor tiles. “What, are you getting into my head now too?”

  Monica ignores my sarcasm and rolls her eyes. “You need to talk to him.”

  “Who?”

  My playing ignorant doesn’t faze her as she takes hold of my arm, bringing us to a halt in the middle of the hallway. “I have not tried to pry into that pretty little head of yours, but I do have eyes and ears. The tension between you and Xander is thicker than molasses.”

  I can’t look at her as she analyzes what I know is true. “Yeah, I know.”

  She crosses her arms over her chest and looks down the hallway. “You need to talk to him before you leave. Unless you are going to let him help, which he obviously wants to do.”

  I shake my head and start to walk away from her. “I can’t let him do that. He’s safer here.” She calls after me, “Says who?”

  I know he’s safer here. “Me.”

  As I slowly walk, I wonder if I am going in the right direction. The halls all look the same.

  Her words ring in my mind, “—find your own way.”

  I have not attempted finding my own path since before the facility in Nevada. With Ezra and Nate gone, the intersection causing a global evolution, finding my own path is no longer an option I can stall on. To make finding my path more complicated, two men are wedged smack dab in the middle of it. When Nate and I met in the facility, our connection was undeniable. When we found out we were linked, we chalked our connection up to just that, a link. The more time we spent with each other, the more Nate and I questioned our unique bond, wondering if it could be something raw and organic rather than manufactured. What did we do when the pressure of the possibility became too much? We denied it and distanced ourselves from each other. Even after we agreed to keep our intensifying attraction in check, our hearts continued to fight and forge for a much deeper bond. A bond that not even the farthest distance can break.

  When he told me he loved me before heading into that forest, his admittance in that moment weighed on my heart so heavily, I couldn’t bear to release him without him knowing that I loved him too and it wasn’t just the damn link. The clarity of my feelings couldn’t have been at a worse time. We were going into a battle with the Sondians, trying to save lives and seal the wormhole that Sam was going to open. I couldn’t let myself break. I got a handle on my emotions, let go of Nate, hopped out of that SUV, and headed into that forest. God, I was so fucking stupid.

  Xander––when I met him, he was an intriguing, beautiful mystery. Complicated, magnetic, challenging, and intoxicating. Then, as quick as he entered my life, he disappeared. He had good reason though. He needed to figure out who he was and how to trust again after what Sam, possibly under Michael’s control, had put him through. When Ezra told Nate and me that Xander was the other guardian we needed to bring along with us to Japan, I wondered what our reunion would be like. The reunion was emotionally charged. One night in the cabin, he opened his heart and soul to me with fearless abandon and passion that he had never shown me before. I was left speechless, unable to fully and totally open my heart and soul to him because both were torn; torn between two men, two cousins bound by blood.

  The day Xander left to meet with Sam Crest before the intersection, I felt desperation come over me. He was going to walk with the enemy in order to get us an advantage. He was sacrificing himself for our fellowship, for me. I couldn’t let him leave without him knowing that what he was doing was so selfless and that he was loved. Loved by me, but damnit I couldn’t tell him. Still haven’t. And now I’m leaving him, or trying to leave him behind, and he still doesn’t know how I feel. That even though he’s arrogant and a pain in my ass, I’ve fallen for him.

  I come to a dead stop in the middle of the hallway, put my hands on either side of my head, and rest my forehead against the cold, stone wall and I breathe out deeply letting the bottled up emotion release, tears and all.

  My body releases every emotion coursing through me––my love for Nate, love for Xander, the love they both have for me, but the need to choose between them bearing down on me. I can’t choose. I can’t lose either of them.

  A door slamming echoes down the hall and the sound of footsteps approaching end my emotional deluge as I look in the direction. Xander suddenly rounds the corner, shirtless, hair disheveled, and eyes narrowed. Shit, I don’t want him to see me crying. I pull myself up and start in the opposite direction.

  “Jes, stop!”

  I keep walking away and try to speak firmly through my thick and broken voice. “I’
m fine, just leave me alone Xander.”

  I’m in a full on run when his hand wraps around my arm and pulls me to him. Our lips almost touching, Xander’s voice is deep and low when he speaks, “No, I won’t leave you like this.”

  This closeness between us, his lips barely grazing mine, sends a surge of heat coursing through me. I put my palms on his chest and push back enough to look into his eyes, eyes that are red and blood shot. Was he crying? He slides his hands up my arms and rests them on either side of my face. His thumb slides over my damp cheek, attempting to wipe away my sorrow. “Jes, I know your torn. I know you think you’re sparing me by keeping me here. You think you’re keeping me safe, but you can’t. None of us are safe. You aren’t safe. We have to stay together. Jes, we have to stay together.”

  His entire body is pressed against mine and his heated and rapid breath saturates my face, my mouth. His face is full of sorrow and pain; emotions that I put there, evidence of my thoughts, my torture on him. He has seen my memories, been in my head. Blindly, I reach up to touch his face, comfort him. I don’t want to hurt him and I can see that I have. God, I don’t want to hurt either of them. Roughly, he catches my hand before I can touch his grinding jaw and places it in against his chest. The tears are sliding down his face, and he does nothing to hide it as he stares into my eyes and whispers between ragged breaths, “The love that you have given freely to Nate and me has been pure, Jesca. Unreserved, uninhibited, undefined. You have made me see what love is and I can’t watch your torn heart cause you all this pain.”

  As he pants between words, my breath quickens to match his––quick and out of control. Intoxicated by his presence, I can’t think straight, only feel. New, hot tears spring from my eyes and roll down my cold, damp cheeks as Xander releases my hand. I keep it on his chest over his heart, where I want to be right now––in his heart.