Covenant

by James Maxey

  Sonya fell silent, looking as if she were searching for more numbers. Then, without speaking, she pulled out a calculator and started adding things up.

  “I’m making a lot of assumptions,” she said, apologetically. “I mean, we can do an actual audit if want an accurate number. I doubt I’m too far off, though. Walmart is normally considered the largest private employer, and their workforce is about two and a half million. Your assets dwarf Walmart, though not many people are aware of that. Mr. Knowbokov structured his ownership of various companies to be, um, opaque. I would say at a minimum you employ twenty million people.”

  Katrina’s mouth slowly opened.

  “You look surprised at that number,” said Sonya.

  Katrina struggled to regain her composure. “My father… before he died, he made a fortune in real estate. He once told me he employed fifty people. The number impressed me. It seemed like a giant responsibility, to have the fate of so many people resting on his decisions. Twenty million?”

  “At least,” said Sonya. “Possibly twice that many.”

  Katrina sat silently, unable to truly fathom the number.

  “Mrs. Knowbokov, you’re the richest woman in the world,” Sonya said. “Scratch that. You’re quite likely the richest person who’s ever lived on this planet, period. You remember how your husband could snap his fingers and the leaders from a dozen nations would drop everything and fly to the island? You’re an economic giant.”

  “Oh,” Katrina said, softly. Sonya studied her face and Katrina had no clue what she found there. Her ability to feel and think had been pinned beneath the heel of a monstrous fact.

  Her husband, the puppet master, had turned the entire world into his puppet theater. She’d been left holding the strings.

  Sonya looked puzzled as Katrina’s face settled into a quiet calm. From her numb grief, she awoke into sharp and awesome responsibility. Her wealth gave her the power to make the world a better place. She would do so without the ethical quandaries created by her husband’s telepathy. She’d had sufficient willpower to kill the man she’d once loved. Could remaking the world require more will than that? Nothing had been wrong with Niko’s dream of ridding the world of poverty, of pollution, of pain. Now, it was her task to see that dream fulfilled. She vowed to do so as a woman, as a mother, as a sane, reasonable, humble person, and not become a monster. Her first decision was to allow the merger. Paying the displaced employees a full year’s salary and health benefits while they found new jobs eased her conscience to some degree.

  These thoughts were front and center in Katrina’s mind as she turned from the window and walked to her private elevator. Stepping from the car in the subbasement, she was met by her closest aides. They accompanied her to a private room with one way mirrors that overlooked the newly refurbished press room. The Covenant was about to hold a press conference. She wouldn’t participate, of course. She’d never been comfortable in the spotlight. She took great care that her name seldom appeared in the press. Perhaps fifty people in the world knew that she was the person who had founded and funded the Covenant, and applied the political leverage to get her team legally sanctioned by the US government.

  Her husband had also valued his secrecy, despite refusing to allow anyone else their own. She sometimes worried that she was more like him than she wanted to admit. Her husband had turned his own daughters into warriors, and now she had persuaded Sarah to return from her exile and become leader of the Covenant. But who else could she have trusted in that role? Clint seemed sincere in his religious conversion. She had no doubt he strove mightily to be a good man. Still, he had spent his youth as a notorious supervillain, and even now his mission briefings revealed a man who sometimes seemed a bit too quick to lose his temper. App, while intelligent and charming, lacked a certain… gravitas. She found him too easily distracted by frivolous trivia.

  Sarah had been her only option. This wasn’t simply the prejudice of a mother. Indeed, her motherly instincts were to keep Sarah removed from the entire enterprise. However, the CEO within her, the calculating puppet master, knew talent when she saw it. Her daughter had what it took to lead, and she trusted her.

  Now it was time to put that trust to the test. The ballroom was packed with reporters. The stage was decked out in red, white and blue, looking like a politician was about to announce a run for president more than a setting for the formal introduction of the Covenant. The team wasn’t secret, having revealed itself to the world during the hunt for Sundancer. Still, while there had been press opportunities over the last few months, this was the first time the full team would be present for an actual press conference.

  In a carefully choreographed reveal, the lights in the pressroom were darkened for one, two, three seconds. As the lights came on again, the Covenant stood on the stage. Though stand wasn’t the precise verb for Sarah. As Skyrider, she was hanging in mid-air in front of her colleagues. Spreading her arms, she slowly descended to take her place in front of the podium. She removed her mirrored helmet. Since Sarah was still concerned about concealing her identity, and wearing an obvious mask wouldn’t engender trust, Sarah had been fitted with seamless prosthetics to alter the lines of her cheeks, and made use of a nanoparticle dye that allowed her to change her hair color to black with the press of a button in her glove. The voice modulators she’d used when first returning to action had been fine-tuned so that no one would suspect her voice was altered. Her contacts at the Department of Homeland Security had pressured her to let Servant be the team spokesman, but his few previous times speaking to the press had proven him to be less than comfortable in that role. This was Sarah’s debut as the new spokesperson.

  “Thank you all for coming today. For viewers at home, thank you for watching. My name is Skyrider. Behind me stands the Covenant. You’ve been seeing us in the news lately, not always in the most positive light. As you’re all aware, the world is facing new dangers. We’re here to face those dangers, while taking all possible steps to not become dangers ourselves. We thought it was time to let you know who we are and why we’re fighting to keep you safe. Let’s jump right into introductions.”

  One by one the members of the Covenant stepped forward. Servant, born with a mutation that causes his body to generate powerful force fields. App: A social media superstar with the ability to download a hundred different powers on demand. Steam-Dragon: A military veteran turned inventor who fights crime with 3-d printed armor. Chimpion, the hero of Pangea, defender of all species.

  Skyrider stepped back to the podium after Chimpion took her bow.

  “Eight years ago, in a terrible tragedy, a battle between enhanced humans destroyed the city of Jerusalem, causing the deaths of hundreds, the displacement of millions, and robbing the world of priceless cultural treasures. Those of us on this stage played no role in that tragedy. We lived quietly among our neighbors, friends, and family, hiding our abilities, content to live ordinary lives. But last year, when the superhuman terrorists Pit Geek and Sundancer went on a rampage, Servant, App, and myself approached the government with an offer to help. We’ve remained active since, and many of you are no doubt aware of how Chimpion and I recently fought a dervish in New York. The world faces threats from individuals with dangerous abilities. We have the power to stop them. That power means we have a duty to act. Unlike the previous superhumans who claimed to fight for good, Rail Blade and the Thrill, we’re acting in full cooperation with lawful authorities.”

  Katrina Knowbokov watched the conference unfold from her mirrored room. Her daughter handled the presentation well, despite her insistence on wearing her mask. Sarah had always been the rebellious daughter, and still was making choices Katrina found mystifying. But, as the formal public spokesperson for the Covenant, she was flawless. She and App were the perfect media team. App’s social media charm made him a celebrity, which was all that was needed to win over a sizable segment of the public. Sarah’s task wasn’t to be popular. It was to be serious, to face the scrutiny of a sk
eptical press. Finally, the time came for questions.

  “How can we take your stated mission of fighting terrorism seriously when you’ve included a Pangean on the team?” a reporter from Fox News asked. “Pangea openly embraced Sundancer and Pit Geek, the most dangerous terrorists the world has yet known.”

  Sarah batted the objection aside easily. “An independent commission has established that the government of Pangea had no knowledge that Sundancer and Pit Geek had been brought to their country by a criminal syndicate. Pangea is a young nation, going through many growing pains. Unfortunately, the press is always ready to report of the misdeeds of individual Pangeans, while overlooking the vast majority of peaceful Pangeans who long for better relations with the rest of the world.”

  A reporter from CNN asked, “In the wave of recent dervish attacks, members of the Covenant have responded after people are already dead. Thirteen people died in the most recent attack. How do you think they would respond to your claim that you have the power to stop these attacks?”

  Sarah looked appropriately grim. “Every one of those deaths haunts all members of this team. We’re taking every available measure to locate the source of the dervishes. In the meantime, the Knowbokov Foundation continues to provide public spaces with the latest technology to alert us to these threats the second they happen. With each attack our response time has gotten faster.”

  The CNN reporter followed up: “By use of your so-called space machine.”

  “Correct.”

  “A technology you refuse to share with law enforcement or the military.”

  “It’s still a risky technology in the early stages of development,” said Sarah.

  “A technology that could save lives in the hands of law enforcement,” said the reporter. “No matter how quickly you respond, there are only five of you. There are thousands of officers who could be on the scene if you shared this technology.”

  Katrina Knowbokov’s jaw felt tight. This again. Every conversation she had with any world leader kept coming back to the space machine. The governments of the world lusted for the technology, but also feared it. Widespread implementation would utterly disrupt the world economy. Worse, Rex Monday had proven the technology could be weaponized. Sarah needed to change the subject.

  Sarah moved on from the CNN reporter, but now the press pool had a fever. Why wasn’t the Covenant doing more? Why not share all their advanced technology? They claimed to be under the authority of the United States government, so why was their base on an island outside US jurisdiction? As the questions grew more hostile, Katrina surveyed the rest of the team. Steam-dragon, of course, was inscrutable behind her mechanical persona. Chimpion appeared unperturbed. App, however, looked anxious. Servant’s neck muscles kept growing sharper in relief as the hostile questioning stirred up his anger. Fortunately, Sarah kept her calm through all of it, and finally said, “You’ve brought up a lot of excellent issues and I hope we’ve been able to address them to your satisfaction. Right now, though I’m afraid we’ve no more time. Our press office will be glad to answer additional questions submitted in writing. Thank you all for coming.”

  As she stepped from the podium, all the reporters shouted after her, tossing out questions they hadn’t gotten to ask. Their voices were a jumble, but one question seemed to break through:

  “Servant! What’s your relationship to Sister Amy McPherson and her New Jerusalem boondoggle?”

  Servant whirled back to the podium, his face red. The edges of the metal podium bent as he grabbed it and leaned into the mic. “What is wrong with you people? We aren’t the bad guys here.”

  “Why should we believe you’re the good guys?” someone shouted. “Care to respond to the allegations that you used to be the supervillain known as Ogre?”

  “I won’t dignify that with a response,” said Servant. “You’re like a pack of hungry dogs, looking to tear into someone. Why aren’t you hunting down the dervishes? See if they bother answering your questions.”

  “So your moral standard is simply to be better than the dervishes?” someone else called out.

  Servant trembled, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He took a deep breath. “We all know what part of this press conference you’re going to be leading with tonight,” he said. “So as long as you plan to broadcast my words, broadcast these: To whoever is behind the dervishes, you’re a coward. Attacking shopping malls? Amusement parks? This is your holy war, killing unarmed women and children? You want war? Fight a warrior. You know where the Covenant’s headquarters is. Let’s see you attack this place. Think of the propaganda battle you’d win if you caused even one death. But you won’t attack us, because you’re cowards. With every day that you refuse to face us the whole world will know.”

  Without another word, Servant spun and disappeared in a white blur.

  Katrina Knowbokov pressed her hand against the glass of the booth to steady herself. What a debacle.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Intentionally Cryptic

  “What the fuck was that?” Sarah screamed at Servant the second they left the stage.

  “Watch your language,” said Servant.

  “Oh, you’re going to hear much worse that that before I’m done with you. That press conference was meant to make the world trust us. How does you acting like a madman— ”

  “It’s Sister Amy,” said App. “That’s what set you off, isn’t it?”

  “No. They were hostile the whole time. They were determined to crucify us when they came into the room.”

  “But it wasn’t until they mentioned New Jerusalem that you snapped,” said Sarah. “Look, it’s never been great PR that you’re worshiping a woman some people think is a cult leader.”

  “You’re embarrassing yourself,” said Servant. “Christianity isn’t a cult. My association with Sister Amy is probably the best PR this team has.”

  “Oh lord,” said App. “Look, I try to live and let live, but how on earth can you not see that she’s a fraud? She’s raking in millions with this New Jerusalem scam.”

  “That money is feeding refugees,” said Clint. “I’ve been there, working the bread lines. That money pays for buildings, which I know, since I’m helping build them. If you ever left your social media bubble and went out into real world maybe you’d know what you’re talking about.”

  “Guys,” said Steam-Dragon, “Maybe y’all should take a deep breath.”

  “This might not have been a complete disaster,” said Chimpion. “Lashing out at the press isn’t exactly an unpopular position.”

  “Forget the fucking press,” said Sarah.

  “Language,” said Clint.

  Sarah poked her finger into the middle of Servant’s chest. “You issued a direct challenge for the goddamned dervishes to attack us in our headquarters.”

  “We should have done this weeks ago,” said Clint.

  Sarah threw her hands into the air. “We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the Knowbokov Foundation. These are the last people in the world you should be drawing a target around! How do you think they are going to feel hearing that you’re using them as bait?”

  “You’d prefer to trade the lives of strangers for the lives of the people we work with?” asked Clint.

  “I’d rather not have anyone being attacked.”

  “Good,” said Clint. “I agree. I’m sick of playing defense. We don’t know who’s behind these attacks. We don’t know how the dervishes stay under the radar of law enforcement, how they get armed, or how they get their inhuman strength and speed. We’re always fighting them in situations where we have to kill them in order to defend innocents. We need to take one alive if we ever hope to get answers. Fighting them on our home turf is our best hope of doing this.”

  “You really think they’d be dumb enough to take the bait?” asked Steam-Dragon.

  “I mean… whoever is behind this has to be pretty suspicious about you practically inviting them to attack,” said App.

&nb
sp; “It would be high risk to attack us,” said Chimpion, “but also high reward. Now that Servant has issued his challenge, it they attack us on our turf and kill even a single person, they’ll prove there really is no defense against them.”

  “How can we even know that’s something they want to prove?” asked Sarah. “We don’t know their motives.”

  “We know their motives,” said Clint. “Islamic terrorism. Holy war.”

  “The dervishes haven’t been Muslims,” Sarah said, exasperated.

  “Why waste Muslim lives when they can brainwash infidels?” asked Clint.

  “It doesn’t matter what their ultimate motivation is,” said Chimpion. “They’re terrorists. No matter their underlying mission, the goal of every attack is to spread fear.”

  “Then it’s up to us to be whatever the exact opposite of a terrorist is,” said App. “They spread fear, we spread hope. We’re hopists.”

  Steam-Dragon gave a low chuckle. “If you’re right, then damaging us is a double win for them. Great idea, Servant.”

  “I can’t tell if that’s sarcasm,” said App.

  “I honestly don’t know,” said Steam-Dragon. “I mean, if they do attack and kill people, I think Clint will go down as one of the dumbest motherfuckers ever to breath. But if we actually captured one before they hurt anyone… I dunno. Maybe he’s a genius.”