by Frank Morin
“I’m sorry I waited so long,” he said. “I couldn’t infiltrate Alterego looking like this. Even if they had bought the lie that a simple technician really liked to work out, my runes would’ve tipped them off.”
“Runes? You mean like that healing rune?” She grimaced at the memory of cutting into his skin, at how nearly she had lost him.
“Sort of. These are better.”
He lifted his forest-green t-shirt. The first thing she noticed was his fantastic set of abs. He also sported half a dozen runes inked across his torso. She reached out to trace the healing rune he wore right where she’d carved the new one into his last body. There were some slight differences and she sensed that the rune he wore on his real body was more powerful.
“Not bad,” Alter said. He approached, still looking upset by Tomas’ change. “For basic enhancements anyway.”
“These aren’t basic,” Tomas insisted. “This is top of the line work.”
Alter shook his head. “Top of someone’s line, maybe.”
He pulled off his own shirt with a flourish and pointed at his gorgeous torso. “This is why you came to me for help with runes.”
He was not as heavily muscled as Tomas, but every muscle stood out, sharply defined. He could easily have made the cover of a men’s health magazine. Well, he could if his torso and upper arms weren’t covered with runes. Tomas’ runes were more advanced than the crude one she had helped carve into his side, but Alter’s runes were an entirely different level of sophistication. The runes were far more elegant and intricate, works of art that made Tomas’ runes look like the crude constructs of a child.
“Wow.” Sarah could not help but reach out and trace one along his bicep. It was beautiful and its power seemed so apparent. She didn’t know the characters but she felt she understood the overall rune.
“This one increases strength, doesn’t it?”
“How could you possibly know that?” Alter demanded. He had been grinning openly at her attention, but his smile faded. “You said you were new to runes.”
“I am, but it just makes sense.”
“I was right about you,” Eirene said as she too approached Alter. “You have a natural sensitivity to runes.” She touched an intricate rune just below Alter’s sternum. “These are masterpieces, Alter.”
“Thank you,” he said, blushing under the scrutiny.
To Sarah she said, “Runes are like anything. There are levels of expertise, different levels of craft.”
Eirene gestured at Tomas. “The ones he wears are tried and effective, proven over the centuries.”
“Unimaginative,” Alter said.
“Standard,” Tomas countered. He was doing a decent job of trying to conceal his displeasure at how interested Sarah was in Alter’s runes. “They work on anyone with the strength of soul to handle the drain.”
“What do you mean? I thought you had to have some kind of natural gift to wear a rune.”
“No,” Alter said. “The rune must be etched and activated by one possessing at least the equivalent of a channeler rounon gift. But to actually bond to a soul is all the responsibility of the person wearing the rune. If their soul, the force of their life, is sufficient to fuel the rune they can bond to it.”
“Most people can’t,” Tomas added. “One of the tests to become an enforcer is for a soldier to prove they can handle at least one rune. If they can’t, they don’t have the inner strength to face the heka.”
“Your runes are personalized,” Eirene said to Alter.
“So no one else has runes just like that?” Sarah asked.
“Perhaps,” Alter said. “But perhaps not.” He put his shirt back on before continuing. “Remember how we discussed the ability to search memories for powerful moments in a person’s life? Training and strength of soul, coupled with the right memory can reveal personalized runes that reflect pieces of a person’s character, their strengths. Those runes are built upon some of the basic power runes. The resulting rune can become a personalized soul map that taps deeper into the power of that individual soul. With it they can access far greater power.”
“So they’re super enhancements?”
“In a way. They draw from the power of that soul and also from the power of the inner truths revealed through those memories, which serves as a multiplier. The greater the purity of soul, the clearer the self-knowledge, the greater the effect.”
“How do you build them?” Sarah felt a hunger to understand. The power of that interest startled her.
Alter lifted his shirt again to show his own healing rune.
Sarah could look at those abs all day. She needed to get a photo of him and Tomas standing together shirtless.
He took her hand and traced her finger along the inner markings of the rune. Tomas shuffled his feet, a little frown on his face, but didn’t voice his opposition.
“Look closely. We start with the same fundamental symbols used to construct the standard runes used by the enforcers and the heka.” With his guidance, she isolated the basic strokes of the same healing rune within the outer marks built upon them.
“I see it,” she said with a grin.
“Very good.” He traced her finger along some of the other marks. “I’ve incorporated a couple other symbols into this rune and wrapped it all inside a powerful personal memory rune. The final product increases my healing rate ten times over what the standard rune might accomplish.”
“Impressive,” Gregorios said. “That’s a significant memory you’re drawing from.”
Sarah noticed for the first time that Alter’s nose had not only stopped bleeding, but looked completely normal. There was no indication she had smashed it flat barely half an hour ago.
“Can I get one?” she asked.
“Perhaps,” Alter said. “I’m a leading runesmith, and you have an amazing natural sensitivity to runes. With a little study, we can fashion a rune specific to you. Then we can see if you have the strength for it.”
“She has the strength,” Eirene said with confidence.
“Later,” Gregorios said. “Right now, we need Alter studying this machine.”
Some truths are eternal. Others last a lifetime. Know the difference.
~Gregorios
Chapter Forty-Five
“How’d you get this?” Sarah asked again, turning to the shining steel machine. The rune discussion had distracted her from Tomas’ startling accomplishment. He’d stolen Mai Luan’s machine!
The gleaming stainless steel base of the machine was identical to the one used at Alterego. The main difference were the helmets and their thick cable umbilicals. The machines at Alterego had sported an articulating arm like those found in most medical offices, but it had connected to bulky life support units placed over the heads of faceless bodies awaiting new souls. Mai Luan’s machine, with its cable-linked helmets sporting jagged faceplates looked more menacing.
“She couldn’t have been stupid enough to leave it unattended,” Eirene added.
“She wasn’t, and it wasn’t,” Tomas said. “It was locked in the vault.”
Gregorios and Eirene exchanged a surprised look.
Sarah asked, “So that’s supposed to be pretty secure, right? Like a bank vault?”
“Exactly,” Tomas said. “No one gets in there without the code or the key. I got both from Carl.”
“Carl?” Sarah asked.
“The old me. He’s thrilled with that rune you carved.”
“I’m glad he liked it.”
She tried not to think about how she had hugged Carl’s body, held his hand. She didn’t even know who he was. He might be a weirdo. He might be ...
“Carl’s not married is he?”
“No,” Tomas said quickly. “He’s just a single guy. Doesn’t even date much.”
That was a relief. The thought of what renters might have been doing with her body had been one of the reasons she had longed to get it back and leave Alterego. She didn’t want to face the same worries abo
ut Tomas.
“Regardless of how you got in, the council will figure out it was you,” Gregorios said.
“Eventually,” Tomas conceded with a slow shake of his head. “And right after getting that big promotion too.”
“What are you talking about?” Sarah asked.
Tomas explained about his meeting with Shahrokh and appointment as captain of the task force hunting Gregorios. Sarah expected Gregorios to look worried, but he actually laughed.
“You’re captain of the Tenth again? Just brilliant.”
“What’s the Tenth?” Sarah asked.
Tomas explained a little about the elite enforcer unit and their ties back to the original, famous Tenth Legion of Julius Caesar.
“You’re kidding.”
They weren’t.
Although Tomas had warned her about how old they were, it still came as a shock to think they had lived in the times of ancient Rome. To think, Shahrokh had spent time with Caesar. Hearing them speak of events from over two thousand years ago with such casual acceptance drove home the wonder of it all.
“Were you in the legion too?”
Gregorios shook his head. “I was usually busy elsewhere. Never liked the legions.”
She glanced at Tomas but he shook his head. “I wasn’t born yet.”
Sarah still didn’t know how old Tomas might be, but she didn’t trust herself to ask yet. Finding out she was dating an old man would be one too many truths for a single day.
Eirene glanced up from her work with Alter. “Shahrokh didn’t say anything about me?”
“No,” Tomas said. “Sorry. The entire mission is focused on Gregorios.”
“Pity. You’ll have to correct that oversight. I’m at least as much of a threat as he is.”
“I’ll make sure to add you to the hit list.”
“Thank you, dear.”
“This isn’t the time for levity,” Quentin said as he entered the room and joined them. “I just got off the office network. The alert’s already been generated and spread to all forces. Tomas has been labeled a rogue and his capture ordered.”
Tomas sighed, looking depressed, so Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist.
“It’ll be all right,” she whispered.
“I knew it’d happen,” Tomas said. “But I had hoped they wouldn’t figure it out yet.”
“What were you thinking?” Quentin asked, looking from Tomas to the machine. “You’ve compromised your position.”
“I had to do something,” Tomas snapped. “Mai Luan held every advantage. She was going to use it on the council and enslave them. I can’t let that happen.”
“Don’t be too hard on him,” Eirene urged. “If I’d thought we could get to the machine, I’d have voted to steal it too. We’ve got her now.”
“Don’t break out the bubbly yet,” Quentin said. “It was a bold move, but you accomplished less than you expected.”
“What do you mean?” Tomas asked.
“She has more machines,” Quentin said.
“When did you learn this?” Gregorios demanded.
“Just now,” Quentin said. “Security’s been tightened throughout the headquarters and enforcers stationed inside the vault. I need to head into the office shortly to open the magic shop and distribute some of the bigger toys.”
“They’re taking it badly,” Tomas said.
“What did you expect?” Quentin asked. “This is the promise of salvation, and you stole it. To them, this is worse than if you had tried to shoot up the council chamber.”
“I did it to protect them,” Tomas said. “I swore an oath.”
“That I understand,” Quentin said. “And if there had only been one machine, it would’ve been a good idea.”
“Tell me about the other machines,” Gregorios said.
“It sounds like there are at least three more,” Quentin said. “Due to arrive by secret courier in the next few days.”
“Three?” Eirene echoed.
“She plans to submit the council to them after one final test,” Quentin said.
“She’s done testing,” Gregorios said. “Who’s the subject of the next session?”
“Asoka.”
“Not good.” Gregorios’ expression turned grave. “Asoka was there with me in Berlin.”
“That’s the memory she’s after,” Alter said. “The fall of Berlin definitely qualifies as a pivotal moment in history.”
“She’s not wasting time,” Gregorios agreed. “She tested the concept with Eirene, and proved she could access Berlin with me. She’s ready to move on the master rune, and Asoka won’t resist her like I did. If there’s a master rune, she’ll get it.”
Eirene frowned. “Then why call it a test?”
“She must want the master rune first,” Alter offered. “Then she can submit the council members to the machines and, with the power of that master rune, she can enslave them all.”
“She’s launching a coup and they’re helping her do it,” Gregorios growled.
Alter added, “With so many machines, she’ll have many more people in her team.”
“All the excuse she’ll need,” Tomas said. “She can bring in a strike force and remove anyone who objects to new management.”
“That’s it, then,” Gregorios said. “Once she controls the council, she’ll be ready to move against world leaders.”
“Not to mention, hunting us down,” Sarah added.
Eirene grimaced. “We can’t let this happen. Our lives hang in the balance, along with the future world order.”
“She really wants a rune tied to the fall of Berlin?” Sarah asked. “That was such a terrible time.”
Alter nodded. “From such a pivotal moment she can hope to command a particularly destructive master rune.”
“We need to review our options,” Eirene said. “We have to devise a plan to block her before she can get into that memory.”
“Agreed,” Gregorios said. “I always think best on a full stomach. Let’s eat.”
Sarah couldn’t believe her eyes when most of the group headed for the table. Alter ignored everyone else and crouched over the machine, studying the many runes engraved on the helmet.
Tomas stood close beside her, holding her hand in his new, strong one. She felt powerfully attracted to the new Tomas and relieved to know his secret, but couldn’t deny the change also made her uncomfortable.
He was right to have worried. What she thought she knew of him now rested on a shaky foundation. How much was true? How much of the Tomas she cared about was just part of his undercover persona?
He had saved her life more than once. That should be enough.
Was it?
The little doubt implanted into her mind from Alter eroded her confidence. She needed to figure it out, but she needed time to understand her own heart too.
He squeezed her hand. “Ready for dinner?”
“I don’t know if I can eat,” she admitted as he drew her toward the table.
“Eat,” he insisted as he held her chair out for her. “You’re going to need your strength when we face Mai Luan.”
She’d bring along her grenade launcher too.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We are not without runes of our own, and the strength of our souls will prevail. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
~Winston Churchill
Chapter Forty-Six
“The central fact to all this trouble is Mai Luan,” Gregorios said around a mouthful of fillet mignon. “We need to isolate and remove her.”
“Ideally,” Eirene agreed. While Gregorios set to the feast with more gusto than good manners, Eirene ate with poised dignity. She looked like she’d feel just as comfortable eating a fancy meal in the presence of European royalty, with all their rules of etiquette.
Sarah realized she probably had done just that on many
occasions. She’d have to ask Eirene about it. Did she know Queen Elizabeth personally?
She had selected only a fruit salad and small piece of marinated chicken, not expecting to each much. The first bite changed her mind. The chicken fell off the bone, and was soaked in a delicious sauce that tasted like heaven. She still felt nervous about the situation, but her stomach rumbled and she served another, much larger helping.
“Isolating her will be difficult,” Tomas said. “The only place we know her location is at Suntara.”
“We could tail her when she leaves,” Gregorios offered. “Find her main base of operations and take her there.”
“More difficult than it sounds,” Quentin said. “The council provides full screening service for her. Enforcers monitor all traffic patterns around her vehicle for several blocks. They pull back eventually, but she takes a different route through the city each time. We’d never keep her under surveillance without being spotted.”
“For the first time, I wish my team wasn’t so good at what we do,” Tomas said.
“We have the machine,” Sarah reminded them. “That should count for something.”
“It does,” Eirene agreed. “If we could remove Mai Luan, we could use this machine to restore the council. Once their mental faculty is restored, they’ll understand the danger.”
“We don’t even need to kill Mai Luan right off,” Gregorios added. “If we can drive her off and restore the council, they’d bring their full resources to bear.”
“Even she wouldn’t last long then,” Tomas agreed, spearing a slice of roast pork harder than necessary.
“We could call in my family,” Alter called from where he crouched beside the machine, studying the runes and copying them onto a pad of paper.
“Perhaps,” Gregorios said, “But I still consider them a last resort.”
“We could make it a family affair,” Eirene said.
“I’ve considered that,” Gregorios said. “But most of our resources are positioned poorly for a quick response.”
