"Unfortunately, our immediate requests for assistance from Origin Council Authorities have gone unanswered. In light of this, we request cautious behavior from our citizens as we continue to investigate the causes and other potential effects of this phenomenon."
"Any information related to this phenomenon should be reported to your local law enforcement authorities. If you experience any suicidal thoughts, or require assistance, please contact..."
Leo stopped reading there and closed his eyes, which were still exhausted in spite of the few hours of sleep he had gotten. He massaged his eyelids with his palm, trying to provide some relief to the profound fatigue he felt. His body had nearly been destroyed, and he was lucky to be alive.
He nearly fell back to sleep then, but caught himself and snapped his eyes back open. Instead of reading another article, he turned to check on Annabelle and was surprised to see that she was now awake.
She was leaning forward and staring at the screen in front of him as her eyes flitted back and forth.
Leo watched her silently as she read. Annabelle looked like Alice now, but he still found her profoundly beautiful. When she was finished, she turned to him.
It was then that he noticed a change in her eyes. They weren't filled with humor, and there wasn't love for him within them. Respect, yes. Admiration, yes, but not love. They were sad and guilty, and they sent a shiver up Leo's spine.
"Leo..." she whispered. "It's me... I'm still here..."
========================================== Read on for a special sneak peak at the 2nd entry of the Origin Chronicles
Goddess of the Void
Origin Chronicles Book 2
By Alex Bonesteel
Prologue
Zary gazed at Director Grouse as he nervously answered her questions. She wasn't sure she could trust him to tell her the truth, but it didn't matter. Nothing could stop her from learning all she wanted to know.
"I-I'm sorry, miss... I mean, ma'am! Councilwoman Zary! Please, forgive my ignorance, but even my best science officers have been unable to discover the cause..."
Zary looked around the elegant, white-walled office and tapped her foot with impatience. She had heard enough of his pointless rambling. It was not the time for silly Council theatrics, nor dull, tiresome protocol. Even agreeing to come to the Director's office had turned out to be a pointless waste of time.
"Enough! Director Grouse, I am aware that the recent events on your station are a mystery to you, just as they are to me. So, allow me to ask you a question you can answer. How many people on this station died during the incident?"
"Twenty-seven thousand, two hundred and fifty-two..." Director Grouse nervously revealed.
Zary's eyes narrowed. She had expected Exony's agent to cause many more casualties, but curiously, it hadn't. "And all were cases of suicide?"
"Yes... Based on what we can tell..." Grouse stammered.
Zary turned to the other man who stood next to her. He was dressed in a white nano-suit, just like hers, and they both shared the same waist-length brown hair. "Mir. You have pressing questions!"
"Yes," Mir replied as he took a step forward and crossed his arms behind his back. "Director, have there been any odd occurrences related to Ceres' primary systems? Life support, and the like?"
"Only a few hiccups with our scanners, but nothing too noteworthy..." Grouse revealed.
"We can't afford to waste any more time." Zary suddenly declared. It was clear to her that the Executive Director of Ceres station was almost wholly ignorant of what had occurred there. "Director, I assume you have preserved a few of the bodies... We need to see them."
Grouse looked around nervously... "I'm sorry, ma'am... It's been over a week. Most of the bodies have been incinerated..."
"Are there any left?" Mir interjected.
"Yes," Grouse reluctantly revealed. "But, I'm not sure they will be of any use to you... We only kept them for a small program my science officers have been running here... It's just for scientific research... And..."
"And what?" Zary demanded.
"And I'm sorry... But, what happened to the Council? There have been some strange rumors going around. Why have my communications to the Ark been shut down? I've heard nothing from the Council for over a week, and then you suddenly show up here without warning. Why are you here, exactly?"
Grouse's demeanor had suddenly changed. Instead of repentance, he was now exhibiting apparent stubbornness and anger.
Mir stepped forward and placed his hand on the Director's shoulder. "Nothing has occurred that requires you to do anything other than obey our commands. Please, direct us to any remaining bodies from the incident in question."
Zary watched Grouse carefully and took note when the muscles of his neck began to twitch.
"Okay, okay..." Grouse suddenly agreed. "Follow me..."
Grouse began to turn away from them. But then, with a blur of motion, he reached toward the sidearm holstered at his hip. He drew his weapon with admirable speed, then spun around and pointed it at Mir.
Zary watched Grouse's move with light surprise. She had not imagined he would display such reckless stupidity, and yet he still had.
"Don't move!" Grouse ordered as beads of sweat built on his pale forehead.
Mir stared down the barrel of Grouse's pearly-white gun. "Director Grouse, might I ask what we did to inspire such idiotic and reckless action on your part?"
Grouse gritted his teeth. "You don't understand! I need to figure this out!"
Zary took a step toward Grouse, which caused him to train the weapon directly on her.
"I said don't move!" Grouse roared as he tightened his grip on the pistol.
Zary took another step forward. "Director Adam Grouse, you were born on this very station, 32 years ago. You were the youngest Executive Director in our history. Your leadership has been second to none, and never have you made a decision that has proven to be harmful to humanity..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Grouse shrieked. "You don't get it! You were gone! We thought you were gone! I sent ships to the Ark, and it was gone!"
Zary took another step forward. "We are here, Director, standing in front of you..."
"I know what happened! I saw all the recall directives!" Grouse screamed. "You took my best people, and then you left! You left when that thing got in my station, whatever the fuck it was! You knew it was coming, but you didn't warn us!"
Zary took another step forward. There were now only two paces between her and Grouse. "We did what we had to..."
"And I'm doing what I have to!" Grouse screamed. "How stupid are you, anyway? Coming here like this? Do you have any idea how many people hate you? Do you have any idea how many people want you dead?"
Zary took a deep breath, then stepped forward yet again. Just as her foot landed, she saw Grouse's finger move to the trigger of his pistol.
But then, Grouse's eyes suddenly rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the floor. The pistol fell harmlessly from his hand, then skittered across the floor towards Zary.
She picked it up absentmindedly as she spoke. "Thank you, brother. Did you kill him?"
"No," Mir replied as he moved to stand next to her.
"Good," Zary said approvingly as she inspected the gun. "Ceres has seen enough death."
"I've downloaded all the information from Director Grouse's reference implant," Mir revealed. "We will find the deceased victims of Exony's agent on Deck 32, Quadrant B."
"Is there any update from Director Redden?" Zary inquired.
"He has tracked Alice to the Jupiter colonies. He will reach Osiris within the hour. We will rendezvous with him once we investigate the possibility of acquiring a sample here."
Suddenly, the door to Director Grouse's office slid open, and six people with plasma rifles rapidly entered the room.
"Don't move!" one of them ordered as they stormed forward and raised their rifles.
Zary inspected their new guests. They were wearing the pearly white u
niforms of Ceres security. If they were loyal to Grouse, they would have to be dealt with.
Immediately, three members of the security team slumped over and collapsed to the ground. Unfortunately, three remained standing.
"I can't find all of them..." Mir whispered.
"What the hell?" the leader of the security team shouted as his comrades fell around him. "Goddamnit! Open fire!"
Zary felt immense regret at what she was about to do, but she still raised Grouse's pistol and fired three times in quick succession. The most advanced technology in existence allowed her to move with inhuman speed, and the three remaining members of the security team didn't stand a chance.
Within a tenth of a second, small holes opened in their foreheads, a fine mist of blood bloomed from the back of their heads, and they fell on top of one another into a clumsy heap.
After taking a deep breath, Zary stepped forward and surveyed the three people she had just killed. Their eyes were still open, and deep puddles of crimson blood were quickly pooling beneath them.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't find them," Mir whispered.
"That was unfortunate," Zary replied. "They are not the first we have been unable to reach."
"Indeed," Mir agreed. "There are more now than we've ever encountered before."
"Do you believe it is due to Exony's agent?" Zary curiously inquired.
"What else could it be?" Mir answered with a slight shake of his head.
"It does not matter," Zary declared. "If we can create a counter-agent, then all of Exony's work will be undone."
"Yes," Mir agreed. "We must acquire a sample as soon as possible. We must go!"
Mir quickly stepped over the fallen security team and exited Grouse's office. Zary took one last look at the three people she had just killed, then followed.
It was regrettable, Zary thought, but perhaps Ceres had not seen enough death after all.
Part 1: Titan, Ceres, & Osiris
Chapter 1
Leo basked in the glorious sight of Titan's flat, sparsely populated farmland as it flew past him. Vibrant fields of green cut a stark contrast against the rust-colored soil of the moon. Here and there, huge white-roofed greenhouses added to the scene, and they were occasionally joined by gargantuan harvesting machines, or large trucks transporting enormous bales of grain.
Leo was currently riding on a similar truck as it silently sped across the countryside. The Samari monks owned the truck, and they had offered to let Leo and Annabelle ride in the front. However, Leo had always loved the feeling of Titan's fresh, moist air against his face, so he had elected to sit in the back, on top of a giant bin filled with watermelons.
Annabelle had chosen to join him there, and he was grateful for her company, mainly because it had been two days since he had had a chance to talk to her.
"Titan sure is beautiful..." Annabelle remarked as she stared out over the countryside. "You were right. Riding up here is amazing..."
"Titan is beautiful, but it isn't as beautiful as you..." Leo replied.
Annabelle blushed and slapped his arm. "Please, Leo. Try to lay off the cheese... Alice may be into that kind of thing, but I don't buy it..."
"Sorry..." Leo offered in a quiet voice. Annabelle's words had shaken him, but she didn't seem to notice.
They were silent for a time, but Leo had something that was eating at him, and he couldn't hold it back for long.
"I'm so glad to have you back, Annabelle..." Leo confessed. "I like Alice, but it's so hard... When I wake up, and it's her next to me, I get this feeling... I can't help but think that maybe, one time, she will take over your body, and you'll never come back."
Annabelle's expression darkened, and she began to gaze at him intently. "I can imagine..."
Leo could tell that he had touched a raw nerve. "I'm sorry... I'm sure it's harder for you. It's just... We haven't really talked about it, and we need to."
Annabelle raised her eyebrows. "What do you want to talk about, Leo? Do you want to talk about how it feels when, in one moment, we're laughing together, and when you look at me, you make me feel like the luckiest woman in the whole system? But, then, at the next moment, my body goes numb, I can't talk, and all I can do is watch while Alice takes over? You want to talk about what it feels like when you realize I'm gone, and I see the love leave your eyes, time and time again?"
A wave of pain swept through Leo's heart. He hadn't known that she could still see when Alice took over her body. That had to have been a recent change. Five days before, she had told him the switchover was like going to sleep.
"So, it's changing?" Leo gently inquired. "It was different before, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Annabelle admitted. "Now, I can watch while she has control, and she can watch when I have control..."
It was Leo's turn to blush. "So, did she see? When we... You know?"
"No!" Annabelle hissed. "It changed three days ago..."
"Ah," Leo knowingly replied. "That explains a lot..."
Annabelle frowned. "What, are you going to get upset because I haven't kissed you in three days?"
Leo's heart panged, and he felt a fresh wave of hurt wash over him. "C'mon, Annabelle! I love you! I love you with all my heart! What do you expect me to do? How do you expect me to feel about this?"
Annabelle's expression softened, and she placed her hand on Leo's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Leo. I'm not trying to be a bitch... This is just something I can't even describe. I'm sharing my body with another person, for shit's sake! There's not exactly a rulebook on how to handle this..."
"I know..." Leo agreed, his hurt fading slightly, but remaining in the back of his mind. "That's kind of my point. It's been a week, and I think we should start trying to figure it out."
"Yeah..." Annabelle conceded as she looked back out over the countryside. "Well, for one thing, I'm hoping it will change so that Alice and I can block out our vision when we aren't in control. At least then, we could have some private time..."
"That would be nice..." Leo softly replied as he took in the sight of a massive harvesting machine tearing through a field of rye. "That would be a great start..."
Annabelle turned back to Leo, gave him a broad smile, and drew her eyes to his. "Maybe this doctor you're taking me to can fix my mind, as well as our hands. And, maybe he can do something about your gnarly back hair while he's at it."
Leo flashed her a grin. There she was, he thought. That was the Annabelle he loved so dearly. "Yeah, and maybe he can give you a little enhancement as well. Alice's body is nice, but I still prefer your old one..."
Annabelle threw her head back and laughed in her unique, musical way. "You're a dirty old man, you know that? How dare you!"
The sound of Annabelle's laugh lifted Leo's spirits, and he felt pure joy sing in his heart once again. "Well, you laughed, so you're partly to blame for encouraging me."
Then, Annabelle slumped her head onto Leo's shoulders and wrapped her arms around him. "You got this, Leo! You took on Exony, you took on Thrall, and you still made it. If you can handle all that, you can handle a schizophrenic nutcase like me!"
Leo grinned and returned her embrace. Then, his thoughts turned to their immediate future, for the tall, shining skyscrapers of Shojun city had just broken the horizon before him.
"We're almost to Shojun," Leo exclaimed. "Look!"
Annabelle turned to look and gasped with amazement. "Wow, they're so tall! How far away are we?"
Leo watched the magnificent skyscrapers rapidly grow from the horizon. All of them were thousands of meters tall and dwarfed everything else around them. They also glinted beautifully with the brownish-red reflection of Jupiter, which was clearly visible in the dark-purple sky above them.
"Just a few minutes, I think," Leo replied. "This truck is pretty damn fast!"
"I heard about the buildings here..." Annabelle marveled. "But, to see them on a screen and to see them for yourself are two different things. I never imagined buildings could be that big!"
&
nbsp; "Honestly, Shojun is nothing, "Leo revealed. "The buildings in Pontia City are twice as high, and there are ten times as many!"
"Wow..." was all Annabelle could manage in response.
As Leo watched the buildings grow from the horizon, the landscape around the truck quickly began to change. Cornfields morphed into blocks of small, metal-walled houses, greenhouses turned into giant factories, and everywhere, there were more people and more cars.
"It's a good thing traffic control is done right here," Leo remarked. "An A.I. controls everything when you get close to the city. If it didn't, we'd be stuck in traffic for days, like on Callisto."
"I'll take your word for it," Annabelle replied.
Sure enough, when they got closer to the city, a perceptible change in the movement of the truck suddenly occurred. Instead of lazily weaving as it zipped along the nano-polymer highway, it began to ride a rigidly straight line, only breaking its course to make the occasional severe, and precisely measured lane change.
"Jesus Christ!" Annabelle gasped as the truck suddenly swerved in a tight space between two other vehicles. "I hope this A.I. knows what it's doing!"
"Don't worry!" Leo laughed. "We're almost there anyway. The monks are gonna drop us off first, then they'll make their deliveries and pick us up once we're done."
"Sounds good..." Annabelle replied as she watched a fleet of delivery drones fly overhead. Then, she turned back to Leo. "You know, we better hope my I.D. implant keeps working. We're fortunate it didn't get damaged when my hands almost burnt off."
"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Honestly, though, I think we should be more worried about what's gonna happen to your credit balance, now that the Council is AWOL."
"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure how this whole Council credit account thing works," Annabelle revealed. "The account linked to my I.D. doesn't even show a balance. It just says 'funds available.'"
The Ganymede Legacy Page 54