Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2)

by Robert Storey

  Lightning continued to flicker across the heavens and Goodwin saw her look up, perhaps marvelling at the size of the immense chamber she now traversed. He wasn’t surprised; at sixteen thousand feet high and boasting the surface area of a small country anyone could be forgiven for thinking they were on the surface instead of deep underground.

  His eyes drifted back to the pendants at her neck.

  It was almost too much for him to bear. His sanity had been returning since he’d escaped from the lake hours before – at least he’d thought it had. Now this woman had stirred everything back to the surface, sending his emotions and thoughts swirling around his mind like a seething whirlwind.

  He scratched at the rash on his wrist. But the signs are clear, he told himself. The golden cross and the pendant …

  ‘Stand to!’ Winter said, raising his rifle and pushing Goodwin and Sarah behind him.

  ♦

  The Darklight soldiers prepared for an attack and Sarah turned to see lights appear out of the ruins to the north.

  ‘Get down!’ Goodwin said, pulling her into a crouch.

  ‘On my signal—’ Winter said to his troops, as he trained his rifle.

  Sarah focused her visor and saw two familiar figures. ‘Stop, don’t shoot!’

  She shrugged off Goodwin’s hold and rushed past Winter, who made a belated grab for her.

  Running and stumbling over hidden obstacles, Sarah flew into the arms of her friends.

  She hugged Trish and Jason to her in a fierce embrace.

  ‘We didn’t think we’d be able to find you,’ Trish said, refusing to let her go.

  ‘What’s with the suit?’ Jason said.

  Sarah glanced down at her new attire. ‘I’m not quite sure. Where’s Riley,’ she said, searching their faces.

  Jason smiled and stepped aside.

  Sarah looked past him to see the tall, Deep Reach team leader walking towards her. She stood transfixed as he drew closer, unsure if he was a figment of her wishful imagination, or whether he’d changed his mind about leaving the SED for the surface in their short time apart.

  ‘Miss me?’ Riley said, stopping before her.

  She found herself smiling in relief as he reached out and dropped something heavy into her hand. She glanced down at the orb’s ridged surface before quickly slipping it inside her new suit and into her coveralls. He gave her a wink and then she noticed the blood on his jacket. ‘Your shoulder …’ she said in concern, reaching out to him.

  He grimaced and flexed his arm. ‘This one’s a bit more than a scratch.’

  ‘He’ll heal,’ a man said, in a rumbling baritone, ‘he was lucky I was there to patch him up.’ Jefferson Church gave Sarah a small nod as he emerged from the dark.

  ‘How did you escape?’ Sarah said.

  Dresden Locke appeared alongside his colleague. ‘When the fighting broke out the marines were distracted.’ He held up a large serrated knife. ‘It didn’t take much to take out the few left behind.’

  Riley’s expression hardened at the sight of his superior. ‘We tied them up,’ he said, touching Sarah’s cheek. ‘We’re not killers.’

  ‘But we are.’ Captain Winter stalked out of the dark, his rifle raised and his unit flanking him on either side. ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’

  Riley went to speak, but Locke stepped past him. ‘My name’s Dresden Locke, I’m the commander of Sanctuary’s Exploration Division, and it should be me asking you what you’re doing here. This land is United States territory, restricted United States territory, and you’re here without authorisation,’ – he pointed towards the gunfire and explosions that continued to set the subterranean skies ablaze – ‘and your hostilities are an act of war!’

  ‘And yet your soldiers are led by a man who’s a traitor to his own country,’ Richard Goodwin said, moving past Winter. ‘A man who murdered innocent civilians and led an unlawful coup against the Director General of the GMRC himself.’

  ‘Who’s that?’ Trish whispered to Sarah.

  ‘He saved my life,’ Sarah said, looking at Goodwin, ‘he saved us all. His name is Richard—’

  ‘Goodwin,’ Locke said, ‘I know who you are, Director, but this isn’t Steadfast. You have no jurisdiction here and like it or not you entered Sanctuary without clearance, which is a federal offence. Tell your mercenaries to stand down and stop this insanity.’

  ‘Stand down.’ Goodwin gave a chilling laugh, the sound muffled by his transparent helmet. ‘Have Samson arrested and then we’ll talk about standing down. Tell me who rules in USSB Sanctuary? Who would put a madman in charge?’

  Locke shifted uneasily and a look of realisation stole over Goodwin’s face.

  ‘The USSB is a military run installation, is it not?’ Goodwin said. ‘Let me guess, have you heard the name Joiner?’

  ‘Intelligence Director Malcolm Joiner?’ Riley said. ‘How did you know?’

  Goodwin shook his head in disbelief. ‘Of course Joiner is involved. Which leaves the question, where’s Professor Steiner?’ He looked from Locke to Riley.

  ‘Isn’t Steiner the man from the induction video?’ Jason murmured to Sarah.

  Goodwin grew angry. ‘What’s happened to Steadfast? Tell me what you know!’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Locke said, ‘the Director General was taken ill. I don’t know anything about Steadfa—’

  ‘Ill?’ Goodwin grasped Locke’s jacket. ‘And you believed that?!’

  Winter moved to intervene. ‘Sir, we need to secure these civilians and return to camp.’

  Goodwin looked at the Darklight officer. ‘What?’

  ‘Sir, I just received a communication from Dr. Vandervoort, she told me to escort you to camp. She was quite clear; you’re not to enter the lake under any circumstances.’

  Goodwin looked shocked. ‘Even after I convinced her and the major to come north? Without me they’d never have known Terra Force were here. They wouldn’t have been ready.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Director, perhaps when this is over they’ll reinstall you to lead, but—’

  ‘You told her, didn’t you?’ Goodwin pushed the man’s arm away and gestured to the storm clouds above. ‘Don’t you see what’s happening, Captain?’ He strode forward and pointed beyond the fighting. ‘Look, look at the tower!’

  Sarah turned to look into the distance and her eyes widened as she gazed upon a massive city with towers soaring to the heavens.

  ‘The spires,’ Trish said, ‘it’s what we saw in the parchment.’

  More lightning flickered over the Anakim metropolis before a surge of purple energy engulfed the tallest peak in a dazzle of energy.

  ‘Can’t you see? I have to go back.’ Goodwin grasped Sarah’s arm and pulled her forward. ‘Look at her pendant. It’s a sign, a pentagon!’

  Sarah could see Captain Winter wasn’t convinced and she saw the same look of fervour in the director’s eyes she’d glimpsed before.

  ‘A pentagon,’ Goodwin said again, as if that explained everything, ‘it matches the map that led me to the lake,’ – he released her arm and pointed at the emblem of USSB Sanctuary on their Deep Reach uniforms – ‘the same shape that’s hidden inside Sanctuary’s badge. The same shape that lies at the heart of the pentagram on the map and under the lake!’ He turned and looked to the sky. ‘How could I have let myself be distracted so easily?’

  Sarah swapped a look with Riley. ‘We need to get out of here,’ he said under his breath.

  Sarah nodded as she eyed the Darklight soldiers. But how? was the unspoken question.

  ‘The land, through which we have gone to spy it out,’ Goodwin said, raising his arms as he launched into oratory, ‘is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim, and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.’ He pointed at Sarah and then to the city. ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortif
ied up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.’

  ‘He’s lost the plot,’ Jason said.

  Sarah frowned at the references. She’d heard them before. Anyone that hunted for traces of giants had scoured the biblical passages, and she was no different. She glanced back to the city.

  ‘Sir,’ – Captain Winter grasped Goodwin’s arm – ‘we need to go.’

  Goodwin shook him off. ‘And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgement of the great day—’

  ‘The great day has come and gone, Director,’ Locke said, sounding amused, ‘and we’re still here.’

  Goodwin turned his gaze on the SED commander. ‘Has it?’ He turned to look at each of them in turn. ‘None of you know, do you? You all think we’ve survived the fall, you all think AG5 was the end.’ He moved back to Sarah and held up her cross. ‘God has spoken and I’ve seen through the Devil’s deception.’ He pulled Sarah over to a worried Captain Winter. ‘Look at the pentagon; it has the same constellation as those in the Sphinx – the same as the carvings in the city.’

  Winter peered at the pendant and Sarah looked down at her artefact. ‘Libra,’ she said in realisation.

  ‘Yes,’ Goodwin said, ‘yes! The three statues with the frieze, the Anakim women, they each wore a pendant the same as this.’

  ‘Sphinx?’ Sarah said.

  Goodwin focused on her and then gave a knowing smile. ‘The Temple of the Gods.’

  ‘Temple?’ Trish looked at Sarah.

  ‘Did it have a device with a large indented circle on?’ Jason said, using his hands to act out the size.

  Goodwin stared at them and then smiled before turning to the Darklight captain. ‘Do you see now? They can help us; they can help bring back Rebecca.’

  Sarah stepped forward and held up her pendant. ‘You’ve seen this symbol elsewhere?’

  ‘Many times,’ Goodwin said.

  Sarah ran her finger over the metal surface. ‘But it only appeared recently.’

  ‘Exactly. You were brought here, like I was, like we all were.’

  ‘Brought here for what?’

  Goodwin’s expression turned unsure.

  ‘And by whom?’ Trish said.

  ‘It’s obvious, isn’t it?’ Jason said. ‘Those damn creatures.’

  ‘The Pharos,’ Locke murmured.

  Sarah glanced at him as the thunder rumbled overhead and the sound of gunfire drew nearer.

  ‘Sir, we have to go,’ Winter said to Goodwin.

  Jason pointed into the distance. ‘What’s that?’

  Sarah followed his gaze. ‘It looks like water.’

  ‘It’s the lake,’ Goodwin said.

  Jason shook his head. ‘No, further along.’

  Sarah zoomed in her visor to see a strange ethereal glow reflecting off rippling liquid and Trish gave her a worried look. ‘Is it one of those things?’

  ‘No,’ Sarah said, ‘it’s something else.’

  Riley touched her arm. ‘Sarah, you think this temple could take us to the surface?’

  She tore her gaze away from the strange phenomena. ‘Not the temple, but an Anakim device, yes.’

  ‘A way to the surface,’ – Goodwin’s face was a mask of inner torment – ‘it was there all along … I was so close.’

  ‘You can take us to this place, this temple?’ Riley asked Goodwin.

  Winter waved his unit forward. ‘He’s taking you nowhere; you’re all coming with me.’

  ‘I can take you there,’ Goodwin said, ignoring the soldiers that moved to encircle them, ‘if you help me free Rebecca.’

  ‘Free her,’ Sarah said, ‘from what?’

  Goodwin was about to reply when the sound of fighting increased in volume and Captain Winter grasped his arm. ‘Time to go, Director.’

  ‘I think there’s someone out there,’ Jason said, still looking at the strange light, ‘it looks like … a woman.’

  Sarah returned her attention to the glowing vision and adjusted her visor to see a figure moving before a small obelisk. ‘It’s Susan.’

  ‘What did you just say?’ Goodwin shrugged off Winter’s grip. ‘Susan?’

  ‘Short woman,’ Jason said, holding out a hand, ‘yay high, doesn’t say much – monsters for friends.’

  Goodwin’s expression froze as he looked at Winter.

  Lightning blazed across the heavens and the crack of thunder boomed loud.

  The captain shook his head. ‘Sir, no—’

  Goodwin leapt forward to knock aside one of the soldiers before sprinting off into the darkness.

  Winter swore and Locke and Jefferson launched into action, fists swinging.

  Riley grabbed Sarah’s hand. ‘Let’s go!’

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sarah and Riley ran after Goodwin, who sped away like a man possessed.

  Locke and Jefferson followed behind them, with Captain Winter and his unit in hot pursuit.

  An explosion made Sarah glance back to see the battle erupting from the ruins in a mass of gunfire. Stray bullets whizzed overhead and she ducked.

  Captain Winter’s unit slowed as they turned to face the threat while Trish and Jason, who’d been lagging behind, veered around them to carry on after Sarah.

  Ahead, Goodwin closed in on the glowing light while Sarah ploughed on, her eyes fixed on the man that held the key to their survival.

  Riley began to lag and Sarah dropped back beside him.

  ‘Go,’ he said, ‘we can’t lose him!’

  Sarah stretched out her legs as adrenaline surged through her.

  A hundred yards away, a bolt of purple lightning struck the obelisk, followed by another and then another.

  Silhouetted against the blazing light, Goodwin raised his hands to ward off its intensity.

  The lake’s edge neared and the electrical storm sent down a wave of scything strikes that flowed out across misty waters.

  Seconds later Sarah reached the stone protrusion. The glowing runes that encrusted its surface faded back to black and she looked around for her quarry.

  Goodwin ran down a shallow slope to the lake’s edge and Sarah followed.

  Reaching the shore, she skidded to halt on the stony beach to gawp at the sight before her. Goodwin had carried on, and even as she watched, he walked across the water’s surface like the Son of God himself.

  ‘Where is he?’ Riley said, wheezing to a stop beside her.

  Still gazing at the spectacle, she raised her arm to point and his expression turned to amazement.

  Locke and Jefferson arrived, and soon after so did Captain Winter.

  ‘Director!’ the Darklight officer called out. ‘Come back!’

  Goodwin glanced round. ‘I’m not entering the lake, I’m on it!’

  ‘He’s not wrong,’ Jefferson said.

  Locke adjusted his visor and squinted. ‘How’s he doing that?’

  ‘There’s a causeway.’ Winter turned on his rifle’s torch and moved out onto the inky surface.

  Jason and Trish, who’d been struggling to catch up, appeared over the rise behind them, while Winter’s Darklight unit was a further hundred yards back fighting a rearguard action.

  Sarah glanced round at her friends to make sure they were still with her and then followed the captain onto the water.

  ♦

  Colonel Samson swung his sword left and right, cutting down Darklight soldiers in a spray of blood and bone. The images of his torture stung his mind. Each cut – each THRUST – eased his torment, each death vicious payback against those that had sought to crush his spirit. He gripped the handle tighter and cleaved another man in two.

  A rocket whooshed past his visor. He turned to bury his blade into an enemy’s chest and let go of the weapon to produce his rifle in one smooth motion and fired.

  A single shot whistled through the air and a distant soldier with a rocket launcher
toppled to the ground, dead.

  Movement to the right made Samson raise his rifle. Bullets ricocheted off the weapon and a glowing light sliced towards his head. He swayed back and dropped his gun. Spinning on his heel, he avoided a second strike and slid his sword from its human sheath to parry a killing thrust. The weapon fired again, but Samson’s blade flicked out to slice his attacker’s pistol in two.

  The Darklight officer discarded his crippled gun and retreated before circling back towards him, thermal sword in hand.

  Samson eyed the glowing weapon that mirrored his own, and glanced at his opponent’s chest armour. ‘Major Offiah – I hear you’re the leader of this rabble.’

  The Darklight officer didn’t respond.

  Samson dropped his guard and Offiah struck.

  Their swords rang as they met – once – twice – three times before Samson feinted right. Offiah ducked and Samson delivered a crunching left hook that sent the Darklight man sprawling.

  He swung his sword, but the blade bit into stone as the major rolled aside and regained his feet.

  Samson drew a knife to complement the sword in his other hand. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’ he said, advancing.

  Offiah aimed a strike at his head, but Samson blocked the blow and punched his knife into the major’s arm before pulling him into a vicious head butt, shattering his visor.

  Offiah stumbled back and Samson launched into a series of overhead blows that forced the mercenary down onto one knee.

  With a final strike, Samson powered his sword through Offiah’s defence and down through his arm.

  The Darklight officer screamed in agony as his severed limb gushed blood.

  Slapping aside a despairing thrust, Samson rammed his knife into the man’s visor, crunching it through glass and bone and on into his brain. He gritted his teeth and drove the blade deeper, twisted it for maximum damage, and then kicked the twitching body to the floor.

  A rush of exhilaration coursed through Samson’s veins as he savoured the sight. He’d never enjoyed killing in the past. He’d enjoyed the sense of power at vanquishing a foe, but he’d never lusted to kill – to feel pleasure at the thought … to savour the moment his enemy died by his hand. He wondered why when the feeling was this good.