Liberty took a seat, her eyes on Bogle. “We only attacked because we do not want to be used as chattel or our land as a bargaining chip. Our intent was not to kill. Our intent was to keep peace within our society.”
Bogle kept her eyes trained to the floor. Her words came out as a whisper, anger rising from her belly. “Then why did you kill if that wasn’t your intent?”
“We ceased fire the moment your admiral decided to retreat. We re-opened fire when he wanted to end all life on our portion of Atlantis Alta, Flood of Dawn.” She spoke matter of factually, her face calm and serene, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
Grenik took a sip of tea, but remained quiet.
Bogle wiped away a tear and spoke through gritted teeth. “I tried to stop the admiral.”
Liberty pressed her cup to her lips, glancing over at Bogle, then pushed a cup of tea toward her. “We know. Our heart is with you.” She put her cup down, clasping her hands together. “You must understand that a nuclear explosion would lay waste not only to our people here in Flood of Dawn, but to the millions in other cities on our moon. We weren’t willing to suffer another people’s nuclear misdeed.”
Bogle stiffened. This wasn’t the only city on Callisto? There must be more pyramids, obelisks, farms, domes, biospheres, and coliseums all over the moon. How could the Secret Space Program have missed them for all these years?
Liberty straightened. “Because we wanted you to overlook our civilization. We wanted every Being to overlook us. It wasn’t time to be seen yet. In fact, if we had it our way, we would have closed our doors forever and remained a closed society, happy in our solitude and glad of our own company. But, the soothsayer spoke.” Liberty looked out over the gardens. There was no doubt that her eyes had seen a thousand-thousand sunsets and for a moment, she stiffened, as if the weight of her duty swam into focus. She blinked it away and eased. “We are here to fulfill our prophecies and wake up those in the Galaxy that have fallen into darkness.”
Bogle touched the crystallo fabrica on her chest. “Does this transmit my thoughts to you?”
Liberty tapped her head with her finger. “We are Atlantean, not Human. There’s a difference. We can hear thoughts. I can turn my psychic dial down for you, if you’d like.”
Bogle combed her fingers through her hair. “Yeah, don’t just turn it down. Turn it off.” To Bogle, mind-reading, soothsayers, and prophesy were all part of the same demonic bundle: heresy. She couldn’t listen, but not hear; hear, but not believe. They could talk all they liked, but she knew the word of the One True God and she planned to do right by Him.
For a fleeting instant, there was silence, and Bogle took a good look around. She was in a sanctuary. Trees, much like blue atlas cedars, their needles hued differently with a tint of blue, pink and orange, reached toward the top of the dome, along with reddish, gold palm trees, bearing an orange fruit the size of coconuts.
A butterfly, twice the normal height and width, dropped from a branch and fluttered past her. Its wings fanned Bogle’s face. She jerked back and stifled a soft yelp.
“We have many animals and insects here that are now extinct from where we came from.” Liberty reached inside her dress and pulled out a piece of what looked to be hard, white bread. “The last great deluge on Earth caused a mass end of life for many species.”
Liberty dropped the piece on the floor, then whistled. The bushes stirred and a cat—its body as big as a grizzly, fangs as long as her forearm—emerged. The creature padded up to Liberty and bumped its head against her outstretched hand, then gave her fingers a quick lick. A purr rose from the cat’s throat and it bent down, whisking the food into its mouth. It sat on its hind legs, sitting contently next to Liberty. “Meet Dakin.”
Bogle leaned as far back in her chair as her spine would allow without snapping her in two. “I...uh...those are called sabretooth tigers.”
Liberty leaned forward, cupping her hands. “I see. I call her only ‘Dakin.’ You may pet her, if it pleases you.”
“It doesn’t please me. In fact, it would please me if she were further from me.”
Liberty nodded and Dakin ambled around the back of her chair and stretched out, licking her paws. “Now, to why I summoned you and why Grenik Star saved you.” She gave Bogle a long, hard stare. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Bogle didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.
“According to our prophecies, you’re here to help us. A great wrong is with us now and it’s bleak. The prophecy states: ‘A pure and clear Being, a phantom of the deep, dark cosmos will fall from the stars and will bring the key to Atlantis Alta's survival. Three lords, three seeds, three contrary intentions will follow with thunder, lightning, and blood in the year 71,746. Much blood will be spilled.
“We are in the year 71,746.” Liberty gestured toward Bogle. “And here you arrive. And, here they arrive.”
“Who are they?” asked Bogle.
“To our east and west, our lands, cities, and people have been ravaged. The Kelhoons have already landed.” Liberty shook her head. “Then your race, the humans, send a forward guard in the form of their ‘Secret Space Program’ to grab our land. If these forces come down upon us, one after the other, we’re doomed. Though, if you help us, Katherine Bogle, the prophesy indicates we have a chance.”
Bogle shook her head and scratched her jaw, wondering why Grenik hadn’t spoken a word. She folded her arms across her chest. “We’re not in the year 71,746. We’re in the 21st century.” Even as she said it, she knew she sounded petulant and childish. Of course there were going to be different calendars in different planetary systems. It was just that this Liberty woman was off her rocker and she wanted to stop her talking. There were no modern prophets or invading forces or…Liberty’s words snagged in her brain. She was supposed to do something; save a people; make a difference. “Where is my name in that prophecy?”
“You are the pure and clear Being and you are the phantom, all which are meanings to your name; Katherine Bogle.”
Bogle hung her head. It was almost too much to hope for: that she would be destined for greatness. Which was how the Devil did his work. Yep. Speaking to her vanity. She’d almost been caught up in the lie. He was as cunning and conniving as Liberty was sweet and gentle.
“And,” continued Liberty. “You had a thought when you first entered these Temple Gardens. Would you like me to confirm that your crystallo fabrica is indeed working?” She held a wry smile, one that a teacher would have for a new student.
“I don’t recall. And, I told you not to read my thoughts.” Demons never keep their promises. I should have known better.
“It was before you had asked me to turn off my telepathy.” Liberty took a sip of tea. “The human body and the Atlantean body were built to withstand the diseases of aging. I am indeed two thousand years old, give or take a year or two. Your people, as in the masses, will discover the truth of long living in the near future and aging will no longer be a detriment to your society.”
Bogle waved her hand in the air, doing her best to be polite. “Okay, let’s say I’m this person you’re seeking.” She rolled her eyes, then remembered to treat others as she would like to be treated herself. “What do I need to do?”
“Convince Kaden Jaxx and Rivkah Ravenwood to join our fight. You’re their calm, you’re their leader. Kaden Jaxx is the key to all of this. He’s the reason we severed the holographic array around Atlantis Alta, or in your words, around Callisto, and let ourselves be known to the rest of the Galaxy. We’re here to teach and in order for us to spread light throughout the Galaxy, Jaxx needs to protect us first and foremost.”
“No can do, Chief.” Bogle leaned back, crossing her arms over her stomach. “I haven’t seen Rivkah since I first enlisted. From what I’ve heard, she’s dead.”
Liberty smiled. “She’s on her way, child. And if you lean forward for me, I must fulfill a prophecy.”
Bogle shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to
be rude, but I’m not here to complete prophecies. I’m here for—” Bogle’s body moved against her will, leaning forward for Liberty.
Liberty pressed her index finger against Bogle’s skin between her eyebrows. A wave of light shot through Bogle’s mind, her vision blanketed with white. She closed her eyes and ecstasy ran through her as if she’d just been shot up with some mind and body altering drug. Her extremities tingled, her cells danced, her brain flipped and twirled and swam in a tsunami of good chemicals. She soared above the treetops and snacked on stardust. She was free of cares, of pain, of all her former anguish. She was Katherine Bogle, Bringer of Light.
She drifted back to Liberty’s side. Her eyes closed and she took in a deep breath. “They’re on their way, Liberty. I can feel them.”
“Who, my child?”
“Jaxx and Rivkah, and another.”
22
Charlotte, North Carolina ~ Earth
Whapooh! Whapooh!
Two stationary tanks let loose in the city street. Drew, Mya, and Camila—with the baby bundled in her arms—leaned against a laundromat building. The cement wall shook, and smoke rose from around the corner building.
“Go,” said Drew. He prodded Mya and Camila forward. They ran, crossing the pocked road and ducking behind the next building. So far, they’d only made it a few miles from Drew’s house.
“Me cago en la madre,” said Camila. She threw her words in Drew’s direction. “Hijo de la gran puta, Drew. You brought us right in the middle of danger.”
“Keep running and follow me.” That’s all Drew could say, other than questioning her about what the hell she just called him. Drew hadn’t foreseen a military battle on his way to his friend’s business. He also didn’t believe another military force would ever invade the United States. Yet they had, so what else could be pulled out of the holy-shit hat?
There was a moment of quiet, but he knew it wouldn’t last, then Bvvvvvvv as a tank rotated its turret, readying another shot.
Whapooh!
The side of a building across the way sunk in. Cement and wood crumbled from the explosion. Soldiers ran out of the building. They let off some rounds with their rifles, then hustled around the corner.
A US tank pulled forward from behind the building.
Bvvvvvvvvv! Whapooh!
Bratatatatat Ratatatat!
US Marines emerged from another building and raced by Drew. One soldier waved them down, urgent and angry and pissed at the world. “Get the hell out of here.”
It was like they were in a war zone. The United States didn’t have war zones. This wasn’t right. This didn’t happen.
Another missile landed somewhere in the distance. An explosion. Dirt, asphalt, and parts of a car rose into the air in a small cloud. Car alarms joined the fray like a tone-deaf symphony.
He led Mya and Camila around another building. They stopped and pressed their backs against a wall. Camila held the duffel-bag tightly to her side as if it was their lifeline, her mouth drawn in a straight line. She rubbed her shoulder. “You trying to kill us?”
Drew put his hands on his knees. A drop of sweat fell from his nose. He’d carried Mya half the distance, figuring it would be faster.
It wasn’t.
He shook his head as he panted like a dog. “I didn’t know...they would be here. I thought we were running away from the fighting, not—”
“Cállate!” Camila dropped the bag. Mya came in closer and Camila kissed her on top of the head. She looked at Drew. “What now, genius? Where do we go?” Her accent was sweet, her tone harsh as a bomb striking the ground.
Drew pointed at a car dealership. “My friend Ethan works there.”
Camila put her hands on her hips. “No one’s there. All the lights are off.”
Drew gave a thumbs up. “Good. ’Cause I’m not fixing to buy a car. I’m going to steal one.”
More gun fire echoed down the street. A black pickup truck, big tires, shook back and forth. Bullets and bullet holes made their home in its side. Smoke rose toward the sky as the city rocked with several more concussion blasts. A red, brick building took a hit, perhaps from tank fire and the side wall toppled.
“Come on,” yelled Drew. They ran across the way, jumping over a road divider. Quickly striding to a sidewalk, they hurried up the car lot steps to the showroom glass doors.
Locked.
He went to grab a rock—something to break the glass—then jumped back as the glass shattered inward. Shards splashed over the entryway floor.
Camila handed the baby to Mya. “Move.” She leaned back and threw another rock, this one bigger. It bashed through the other glass door, creating a bigger hole.
Camila passed her hand through the opening and unlocked the front doors. She kicked the doors open and Mya and Drew rushed inside.
Drew hurried by desk after desk and veered toward an office. Mya and Camila followed close behind.
A high explosive shell boomed out of a nearby tank. The building shook. That was close. Too close.
Drew twisted a door knob. It was locked. He stepped a few feet back and slammed his foot near the door’s latch. The door broke open.
Machine gun fire reverberated off the walls as if it came from inside the dealership. They all instinctively ducked. The shelling was getting nearer.
Drew crawled inside the room and dug through a drawer. No keys. He put his hands up, then scratched his head. “I swear I read that it was in that drawer.” He opened another drawer. Only pens and paper. He opened a cabinet. Not there either.
He closed his eyes.
“What are you doing? We need to hurry,” said Camila.
He put his index finger up. “Let me concentrate. I’m not thinking correctly. I have to locate the key.” He started whispering to himself, as if reading a manual. “Yes, it was on the fourth page.” He brought it to memory. For a genius, having a photographic memory had its good and its bad. The bad; you remember what everyone has said about you. The good; you remember exactly where you saw the spare keys listed on a ten-page document you once read in Ethan’s office because you were bored, waiting for Ethan to get out of a meeting.
Drew pushed Ethan’s desk chair aside and lifted the carpet mat. A shiny brass key was underneath. “There it is. Now, to the box.”
He hustled to another room. The key shined from the sun’s light through a window as he slipped the key inside the black box’s keyhole. With a twist, the box opened.
He needed an efficient, low gas mileage car. The hybrid car’s key, the thick, black and bulbous key head, hung between a dozen more keys.
“Got it. Let’s go.”
Several cars were parked on the showroom floor, though only one hybrid. He walked over to the passenger’s side door and opened it. He glanced at Camila across the room. Mya was smashed against her hip. Her mom was her comfort. “Camila, step inside to your new—”
Guns popped off.
Glass shattered, splintering toward them, and papers flew in the air. Bullets ricocheted off the ground and center showroom beams. Drew, Camila, and Mya hit the deck.
Drew covered his head, then looked up in hopes that his companions were safe.
Mya was on the floor in front of Drew. He grabbed her and crawled backwards, pulling her along with him behind a wide, steel beam.
He leaned against it and held Mya tightly. To his side, a corner wall had been splattered with bullet holes.
A squeal, sharp and intense, split the air. Was that Camila? He peeked around the beam. Camila was crawling toward them, her face full of tears. She grasped for her daughter, her mouth twisted in pain. A trail of blood was in her wake. She wasn’t holding the baby.
23
M-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Starship Atlantis
The monitor steadily beeped as Rivkah stepped forward. She touched Fox’s neck and curled her fingers. A moan vibrated between his lips and he stirred. His bandage stamped on his stomach. A small amount of blood soaked through in the center.
&nbs
p; “Slade… why did you do… that? You shot… me.” Shaky breaths slid out his nose as if pain cranked up a notch at each exhale. He rolled his head on the pillow. “You could…have killed…me.”
Rivkah cocked her head to the side. She lightened her grip around his throat. “He shot you?”
“Don’t play me the fool. You…know…exactly what you did…Slade.” Fox licked his lips. His eyes moved left and right in quick succession behind his eyelids.
Either the anti-pain meds were getting to him or he had a tendency to talk in his sleep. The man obviously thought she was Slade.
She stepped away and let her hands fall to her sides. “Why do you think I did that?”
“Because you’re a fool.”
“What would you have done if you were in my situation?”
“Nothing. And everything.”
What the hell did that mean? She cleared her throat. “As colonel, I order you to be as specific as possible. I value your thoughts.”
“Slade, you don’t value shit. That’s why you threw everything and everyone under the bus to invade.”
“Invade where?”
“Shutup.”
Rivkah pursed her lips. An invasion could take place anywhere. It could be countless planetary systems that Slade had invaded in the past, assuming Fox spoke about the past.
“What did I throw under the bus?”
“Your God damn oath. Everything that made you human. I might as well call you a Kelhoon.”
The Kelhoon, a mixed race; half lizard, half human. Rivkah scanned her memory. Did the Kelhoon have the ability to warp a themselves into humans? Did they have that technology? Was Slade a Kelhoon? She snorted. Dumb thought. “Again, be specific, soldier. What did I do that you don’t like?”
“You’re a traitor.”
It didn’t take a brain scientist to know that, and Fox knew it too. “I’m not a traitor.”
The Complete Atlantis Series, Books 1 - 5: Ascendant Saga Page 36