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

by Robert Storey

  ‘Which is?’

  The release of grief. The release of anger. The release of fear and hate. These, and only these, are the cause of all disease, war, violence and suffering in your physical world. The greatest minds have told you this throughout the ages and yet many of you have ignored them.

  You destroy nature, as you fear to be without gadgets and fashions, which you use to suppress your emotional dis-ease. You over-eat, gorge on unnatural foods, fill your bodies with drugs, legal and illegal. You drown yourselves in lustful images of sex and pornography. You sexualise and objectify young adults in music videos and in the mass media and let your children copy and idolise them – in their MOST IMPRESSIONABLE YEARS. You then grow angry when the young rape and abuse each other, and get even angrier when they become adults and do the same. You do know children become adults, don’t you? It’s not rocket science. Due to the nature of denial, this is difficult for some to accept, but when you let a child watch such things, you’re encouraging the very things you hate. WAKE UP! Make change. Some of your elders are wise enough to raise your young; let them help, have fun, be young, stay free, take responsibility for your actions, learn from the wise and do not teach what you don’t know.

  ‘You’re talking about Steiner and my daughter, aren’t you? You think he’s the wise elder, capable of schooling my child.’

  Your daughter is not, nor ever was, your possession. People are not things to own. Partners, spouses and children are not things. They’re divine beings to be respected, honoured and loved. To cling to and smother another is not love, it is born of fear. To run away from and abuse another is not love, it is born of fear.

  ‘And what about violence and war?’

  You watch and encourage violence in your films, television shows, and games, and give your children pretend weapons, again, in their MOST IMPRESSIONABLE YEARS and wonder why you breed violent adults and a lust for war. You mindlessly follow those who lead you and murder upon order, as you are told serving your country brings you respect, when it only wounds your soul. Let those that lead you fight, if that’s what they wish, but never fight for them as you are killing for their failure and greed. Everything is connected and your belief “it will always be this way” is as false as your belief you are being punished by God, when you are only being punished by yourselves. You, and only you, create your reality. If you think things can never change, they won’t. If you believe those that tell you, “that’s just the way it is”, it will be. The truth is: anything you wish to create is possible – ANYTHING – which includes a world without war and disease.

  ‘Why are you telling me this?’

  Because you have no fear of death, or physical pain. You have no fear of any man alive. You fear only the grief and anger that rages within and the light and love that lies beyond. I can lead you into the light, but you must ask me to do so and you must also choose to believe to know what I say is true. So, I ask you now, do you wish to enter the light?

  Samson’s brow furrowed and he looked down at the helmet in his hands and his distorted reflection within the shattered visor. Images of violence and death from his past filled his mind, along with the sight of his daughter lying dead in his arms. ‘I do.’

  Do you choose to believe the world can be changed?

  ‘I do.’

  Then it will be so, for as you believe, so it becomes, but you must wish for it with all your heart. You must align all your thoughts, words and actions to achieve your goal. Is this something you can do?

  Samson thought about it and knew it was something he’d always been able to do. ‘It is.’

  Good. Very good. Then I have a mission for you.

  ‘A mission,’ – something recently familiar trickled down Samson’s cheek – ‘for me?’ He touched his face and held up the tear, which glistened in the half-light. ‘From God?’

  Yes. Someone is coming. Someone important, and they will need your protection.

  ‘Who?’

  Does it matter?

  ‘No,’ Samson said, knowing it was so.

  Then be ready, soldier, as you are now mine, as I am yours.

  ‘Be ready?’ Samson said. ‘For what?’

  ‘My call, of course.’

  Samson whirled round as the voice had come from right behind him, but once again there was nothing there except for the empty rooftop and swirling winds. He thought about replying, but knew the voice had gone.

  Finally, despite everything that had happened to him – all the pain and suffering in his life – it now made perfect sense. He’d been in training all his years. He was being made ready for what was to come and that time was now. And, somehow he knew, that time had always been now, for it could be no other.

  Colonel Samson gazed out into the night and let his helmet fall to the ground. He detached his armoured breastplate and gazed at the emblems upon it and knew they represented him no longer. He was beyond the laws and allegiances of man, religion and country. He threw the armoured panel off the building and watched it disappear into the darkness below. He turned to look up and saw a single star gleaming through cloudy skies and, for the first time in his life, felt at peace.

  Who am I? he thought to himself, the fear of the unknown a sudden terror. The military is all I know. It’s all I am!

  Have faith, he told himself, you’re a soldier still, but now you’re a soldier for the only cause that matters. Samson felt a smile spread across his face and he raised his arms aloft as once again tears flowed down his cheeks. ‘What am I?!’ he shouted and then laughed with joy. ‘I’m a soldier of truth!’ Samson’s expression grew defiant as he looked at the city. ‘I’m yours no longer!’ Thunder rumbled overhead and the pitter patter of rain fell around him. ‘Do you hear me, America? GMRC?! I’m yours no longer!!’ Lightning lanced down onto the rooftop and Samson raised his arms higher and clenched his fists. ‘I’M A SOLDIER OF GOD!!’

  Chapter Two Hundred Seventy-Seven

  Professor Steiner worked his way down into the GMRC skyscraper, with two of Samson’s marines following behind as chaperones. Once he’d located the central communications hub, he told the two men to wait outside and entered alone.

  He activated a keyboard and re-established the severed link with the GMRC’s mainframe. It was simple when you knew how and even simpler when you were someone who’d helped design the system. Steiner entered two dozen lines of code, harnessed a snoozing artificial intelligence, and breached the underground firewall in less than ten minutes. No system was fully secure and it was never meant to be; various scenarios meant contact with the surface might still be a necessity and, as such, relevant procedures had been installed to ensure just that.

  A large wallscreen powered up and Steiner waited as the transmission attempted to connect to his intended destination.

  Sixty seconds later the dark screen faded from view and live footage from an office in USSB Haven displayed on screen.

  A tall figure moved in front of the camera and Steiner said, ‘We need to speak.’

  Malcolm Joiner peered at him with his single eye. ‘Haven’t you done enough?’

  ‘It doesn’t need to be this way.’

  ‘No,’ Joiner said, ‘it doesn’t. Are you proud of yourself? You’ve endangered our entire species, for what?’

  ‘The surface can still be saved. You know this.’

  ‘The surface, why bother? No one will thank you. They’re more likely to kill you than help you. It’s as I’ve always said, they’re blind, dumb sheep, incapable of their own thoughts, and for that they’ll walk blindly into oblivion, where they belong.’ Joiner’s lip curled into a cruel smile. ‘Like those that lead them.’

  ‘You think you’ve won?’ Steiner said. ‘When all you do is serve like everyone else. I know of the Committee.’

  ‘You know nothing,’ Joiner said. ‘I am the power now and if you seek my help you’re more stupid than I thought.’

  ‘I’m warning you, Malcolm, do not escalate this war.’

 
Joiner gave a derisive snort. ‘Or you’ll do what?’

  Steiner hesitated. ‘There’s more going on here than you know.’

  ‘Yes,’ Joiner said, ‘and you don’t know the half of it. Goodbye, Professor.’ Joiner reached out to the screen. ‘I’ll see you in hell.’

  ‘Wait!’ Steiner swore as the connection ended and the screen went blank. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’

  Steiner rubbed his tired eyes and sat down on a chair. He’d been hoping to get Joiner to listen to reason, but it seemed he was to be disappointed. He wasn’t surprised, the man hated him and the feeling had become mutual.

  ‘I had to try,’ he said to himself. He tapped the keyboard and a computer-generated voice said, ‘Warning, these files are high-level quantum encrypted. Access requires authorisation from all twelve senior Directorate members.’

  Steiner entered a code and overrode the system, as only he knew how. ‘This is Director General George Steiner. Override code delta, seven, seven, two, five, niner. Confirm.’

  ‘Warning: this code exceeds current time parameters.’

  ‘Acknowledged,’ Steiner said, and entered a second code. ‘Override and confirm.’

  ‘Override code accepted. Welcome, Director General Steiner. Access granted. Please state the nature of your interaction.’

  ‘Investigative,’ Steiner said. An image of the asteroids and their trajectories appeared as a holographic display in the centre of the room. ‘Activate your learning algorithm.’

  ‘Explain the nature of my tuition,’ said the artificial intelligence.

  ‘There’s more going on than you know,’ Steiner said. ‘More than even Joiner knows.’ He stood up and moved into the hologram, then reached out to trace the asteroids’ paths back out into space, away from Earth’s orbit around the Sun and deep into the solar system. The image changed as he manipulated its scale and zoomed in on a distant planet.

  ‘I do not understand,’ said the computer. ‘Please state the nature of your interaction.’

  ‘Revelation.’ Steiner touched the hologram and a name displayed.

  ‘Nibiru,’ the computer said. ‘The ninth planet. Discovered July tenth, twenty twenty-nine.’

  ‘Nibiru,’ Steiner said, staring at the dark planet. ‘Also known as Planet X, and the singular cause of Earth’s current circumstance.’

  ‘Explain,’ said the computer. ‘How is the ninth planet responsible for Earth’s current circumstance?’

  The image of Nibiru filled Steiner’s vision. ‘Have you not wondered how and why so many asteroids found their way towards Earth?’

  ‘It is thought an unknown object dislodged asteroids in the Kuiper belt,’ the computer said, ‘which contains the dwarf planets Pluto, Makemake and Haumea. An object you believe to be Nibiru. Do you wish for a more detailed explanation, Director General Steiner?’

  ‘The theory is sound,’ Steiner said, ‘but the chances of seven asteroids all finding their way to Earth from such a distance is remote, to say the least, don’t you think?’

  ‘There are currently thirty-five asteroids heading in Earth’s direction, Director General Steiner. Seven of these intersect Earth’s orbit. AG5 was the first, and AG5-F will be the last. According to my records, it was concluded that the configuration of the planets’ orbits and their respective gravitational forces channelled these asteroids towards Earth in an unprecedented series of unconnected events. The chances of such an amalgamation was deemed remote, but not beyond the realms of possibility.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Steiner said, ‘but what if I told you I was the only one who was privy to both detailed information on the asteroid threat and who also had knowledge that mankind was not the first intelligent race to inhabit Earth?’

  ‘I do not understand the question.’

  ‘Let me put it another way,’ Steiner said. ‘If Nibiru was responsible for putting seven asteroids on a collision course with Earth, what are the odds that those asteroids would all impact within the course of six years?’

  Lines of data appeared on the wallscreen beyond the celestial hologram, as the computer undertook its calculations.

  ‘The probability of such an occurrence,’ the computer said, ‘is approximately ten billion trillion to one.’

  ‘That’s correct, the probability is infinitesimal.’

  ‘This is an anomalous event,’ said the computer, ‘which the GMRC already concluded, and as I previously stated.’

  ‘Ignore the conclusion,’ Steiner said. ‘Think, decide for yourself. What does the data tell you?’

  ‘It tells me the event is rare.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘Very rare. A one-off cosmic event which goes against all known models of the solar system.’

  ‘Correct. Which means?’

  Quiet filled the room as the artificial intelligence grappled with the complexity of human reasoning. ‘The asteroids didn’t arrive by chance, Director General Steiner.’

  ‘No, they didn’t.’ Steiner eyed the ninth planet and its unusual orbit. ‘They were sent.’

  Chapter Two Hundred Seventy-Eight

  The computer remained silent as it computed Steiner’s answer and then said, ‘This defies all known parameters of the known solar system, universe and mankind’s position within it.’

  ‘Yes,’ Steiner said, ‘it does, which is partly why no one accepted it as a credible cause. I tried to convince people of the threat, but no one wanted to hear it. No one wanted to believe it could be true and, because my background was in engineering, my credibility was questioned, as others tried to prove their worth in order to maintain their position of authority.’

  ‘Why has this information been withheld from my data banks?’

  ‘Because I made a mistake,’ Steiner said, ‘another terrible, unforgiveable mistake.’

  ‘You believe the other species you spoke of is returning to Earth?’

  ‘Perhaps, or something else altogether, which is why I know the Subterranean Programme might not be the one hundred per cent guarantee of survival that everyone believes it to be. Which is also why I haven’t given up on the surface.’ Steiner sighed, the guilt of his actions weighing heavy on his heart. ‘But, whatever the case, one thing is certain.’

  ‘Elaborate,’ said the computer.

  ‘Mankind,’ – Steiner gazed at the slowly rotating planet before him, the image filling his vision – ‘is alone no longer.’

  Chapter Two Hundred Seventy-Nine

  Somewhere beneath the desolate plains of Mongolia, Trish Brook waded through waist-deep freezing waters. Walking in front of her, the stranger known as Ruben led the way through the glowing mists surrounding them, his longsword held above the dark liquid.

  ‘I don’t like this,’ a voice said from behind.

  Trish glanced back at Jason, who peered into the mists with fear. ‘It’s too quiet,’ he said, looking at her. ‘Don’t you think?’

  Trish didn’t know what to say. He was right. The silence was deafening and the air crackled with static. She touched the top of her head, where a few strands of her hair raised up like antennae.

  ‘What is this place, anyway?’ Jason said. ‘We’re in the eye of a giant sphinx. Underground, God knows where. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were on our way out.’

  Trish frowned. ‘On our way out from where?’

  ‘Err, life. Where else?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘He thinks we’re dead,’ Ruben said, his husky voice sounding loud in the gloom.

  ‘We’re not dead,’ Trish said, in consternation. She looked around her, her expression changing to concern. ‘Are we?’

  ‘No,’ Ruben said, ‘but we may soon be.’

  ‘What?’ Jason said. ‘Why?’

  ‘Something’s stalking us.’

  ‘Something?’ Trish said, suddenly terrified.

  ‘Shhh.’ Ruben held up a finger to his lips and ceased his movement.

  Trish and Jason st
opped behind him and listened.

  Jason made a face. ‘I can’t hear any—’

  ‘Quiet,’ Ruben said.

  Jason glared at him and whispered to Trish, ‘Who died and made him leader?’

  Trish’s lip trembled. ‘Sarah did.’

  Ruben turned round and gave them a ferocious look. ‘I said, quiet.’

  Trish gave a timid nod and then Jason cried out.

  Ruben let out a growl and strode forward and grasped Jason’s jacket. ‘Make another sound, I dare you.’

  ‘Something just grabbed my foot!’

  ‘What?!’ Trish said.

  Jason looked down at the water in terror. ‘I felt it.’ He shuddered and then his expression changed to one of shock. ‘Tri—’

  With a splash, Jason disappeared beneath the water and Trish screamed.

  Ruben swore and searched beneath the waves now lapping at his chest.

  ‘Where is he?!’ Trish said. ‘Jason! JASON!!’

  ‘Stay here!’ Ruben dived under the water, leaving Trish standing where she was, alone and frightened.

  Something swam past her leg and a shimmering light moved beneath the water.

  Trish screamed again and staggered back as the light turned towards her; a second later, she also vanished beneath the surface, the only sign that anyone had been there, the expanding circles of water and a swirling light which descended into the depths.

  ♦

  Trish struggled against the thing clamped to her leg. Water rushed past her and her lungs burned to bursting, but try as she might she couldn’t stop herself from being hauled deeper and deeper into a seemingly bottomless ocean of water. And then, a moment later, she was free and washed up on a pebbly beach covered in more glowing, swirling mists. A splash of water from behind made her look to see the light disappearing back beneath the surface, the creature responsible remaining unseen.