3 Dark Energy

by John O'Riley

  “In a few hours. There’s a private jet reserved for me.”

  “That’s terrific!” Josephine beamed at him. “It’s about time they hired you again.”

  “What are you making?” Mark asked.

  “Stuffed French toast,” she said.

  Mark’s warm brown eyes twinkled with delight. “Yum! Need any help?”

  “You bet.” Josephine usually didn’t accept offers of help but she wanted to spend some more time alone with him. Last night had been great. She was still a little sore from their late night gymnastics in bed but it was a good sore. She enjoyed his company immensely as they worked together to make breakfast. When Josephine filled her four large, stainless steel skillets with pieces of French toast and waited for them to finish, she remembered that Perry was still in the room. She’d completely forgotten about him. Mark stood beside her and ogled the food with anticipation. Josephine focused on the white dove which was still perched on the curtain rod.

  Perry watched her and Mark with fascination. “I think I know how you and Mark linked.”

  “You do?” Mark turned to gaze at the bird with a curious expression.

  “You have your own natural bond to each other. It’s born of a deep love at the soul level,” Perry informed them. “I think you intuitively used that as a stepping stone to create a magical link.”

  Josephine rather liked that idea. From the moment she’d met Mark, there had been a connection. She’d denied it at first but she’d always sensed the currents of energy that flowed between them. Josephine, Mark, Perry, Helen, Lucius, and Alice enjoyed a very pleasant breakfast but afterwards, Josephine could no longer put off her discovery of the latest portion of the journal that was now decoded. She read through it one more time and placed a call to Ben who insisted she stop by the station right away to write up reports. Because Jake and Alex weren’t on duty yet as it was about a quarter till seven, Josephine had to bring Lucius with her to the station. She was on edge for the entire trip but relaxed a little once the two of them were seated at her desk. Lucius sat down at the empty chair beside her where Mark used to sit when he was an intern here.

  Josephine typed up the appropriate reports and submitted them electronically to Ben. It took her over an hour to finish her preliminary analysis of the translations. She printed out a copy of her report which contained all the details of what Lucius had decoded and stuffed it in her purse so she could study it later at home. She checked in with Ben to make sure he was satisfied with the reports.

  “Josephine, come in.” Ben motioned her inside.

  Josephine closed the door behind her and sat down in the plush office chair facing her boss.

  “Excellent reports,” Ben said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had experience as a federal investigator.”

  “Thank you, sir.” A pleased smile curved her lips.

  “I’m hoping the next section he decodes will be the one with the administrator’s name. We really need to find this woman.”

  “It will be a huge break in the case.”

  “That’s for sure.” Ben clasped his hands on the desk in front of him. “He doesn’t have any of the enchantments labeled with names or the purpose for them. The Feds and MADA will have their hands full discovering what they’re used for. Whatever it is, it’s seriously advanced stuff. Good work, Josephine.”

  Josephine assigned half a dozen officers to escort her and Lucius home but again, there were no attacks. She relaxed a little once she arrived at her house even though the protection was a lot weaker here than it had been before the white magic conversion. Shortly after Jake and Alex arrived, Josephine received a call from Ben.

  “This is Josephine,” she said into her cell.

  “We’ve got Frederic. He was killed at Lori’s Breakfast House on Webber Street,” Ben informed her.

  “I know where that is. What happened?” Josephine asked.

  “His table went up in flames. There were some injuries because of the intense heat. It was like an explosion.”

  “Frederic is a category six. He should have sensed the spell before it struck. It must be the new secret weapon that was used on my team when we were searching his house,” Josephine said.

  “That’s what I was thinking as well. I need you to scan the area for clues. See if anything was left behind for a reading,” Ben ordered.

  “I’m on my way.”

  Josephine disconnected the call and had Alex go with her while Jake stayed behind to guard Lucius. It puzzled and disturbed her that the Valituras would kill one of their own. She hadn’t heard of this happening before. When they reached the breakfast restaurant, it was devoid of all customers except for the crowd in the parking lot where several police officers were guarding the entrance which was blocked with a strip of crime scene tape. Josephine and Alex nodded at the police officers and ducked under the tape on their way into the eating establishment. The scent of smoke and burnt flesh permeated the air and made Josephine’s stomach clench. The CSI team was already on site but held back about twenty feet away from the corpse. They had disgruntled expressions on their faces and Josephine could sense their unhappiness and disapproval. The table had collapsed and was burnt to a crisp along with the two chairs closest to Frederic. All that remained of his body was a skeleton blackened with soot stretched out on the floor.

  “What’s their story?” Alex nodded at the disgruntled officers.

  “Ben said everyone has to stay clear of the body until I can get a reading from it,” Josephine explained. “The forensics guys hate for anyone to get near their crime scene. They think everyone else on the force are clueless schmucks who destroy and trample over all their evidence.”

  Alex narrowed his eyes at the three forensics officers. “They’re a bunch of jerks who think they’re better than everyone else.”

  Josephine came to a halt on the opposite side of the skeletal remains from the others so their trace energies wouldn’t distract her as much. She fully opened her psychic receptors and tuned into her surroundings. There was plenty of psychometric impressions swarming around her but nothing from the Valituras except for Frederic. He’d been completely oblivious to the fact that his life was in danger. Josephine couldn’t locate the source of the magic responsible for the fire. It was exactly like the attack on Frederic’s house. She kept scanning the area for more clues for a long period of time. Frederic had been conscious for several seconds after he’d caught fire. Agony tore through his body. Josephine was horrified by the awful way he’d died. At least it had been over quickly. Finally, she turned to face Alex.

  “There’s nothing. Frederic had no clue what the weapon was all about. He had a few seconds when he caught on fire but had no idea what caused it.” Josephine shuddered at the brutal sensations she’d picked up.

  “Are you all right?” Alex asked.

  “I’m fine.” Josephine offered a shaky smile of reassurance that didn’t reach her eyes. She caught gazes with one of the forensics officers. “You guys can go ahead and do your thing.”

  “It’s about time,” he grumbled.

  Josephine and Alex watched the CSI team work over Frederic’s remains as their thoughts churned over the implications of this brutal attack.

  “I think Frederic knew too much.” Josephine’s expression was grim as she turned to face Alex. “The Valituras didn’t want us to know anything at all about their secret weapon. It must be something new because they’ve never used it before. They need time to produce more of these enchantments. If the American government doesn’t give in to their demands, they’ll not only let millions of innocents die of the DV-2 virus they created but they’ll attack en masse with this new weapon.”

  Chapter 25

  Mark stepped out of the blue rental sedan and shivered in the chilly, New Hampshire air. Excitement coursed through him as he gazed at the American Stone Henge site which was completely obscured by a huge dome made of a mysterious white, translucent composite. Mark crossed the spacious parking l
ot which contained about two dozen vehicles as he made his way toward this massive structure. Virginia had been surprisingly tight-lipped about this entire affair and hadn’t even warned him what to expect upon arrival except that everything had changed. And she hadn’t been kidding. There were four enforcers guarding the entrance to this compound and they used their walkie talkies to contact Virginia. She emerged from the building wearing brown slacks and a sports coat with a cream-colored blouse. Four enforcers trailed behind her with wands held at their sides as if expecting an attack at any moment.

  Virginia leveled a bright smile at Mark. “It’s so good to see you again. Sorry I couldn’t tell you anything over the phone but I have my orders which are supposed to safeguard high-level clearance secrets.”

  “It’s good to see you, too. What did you do to this place?” Mark asked.

  “We didn’t do this. The ruins continued to regenerate after you left. Room after room was created and this dome structure was formed last. It created quite a stir and there were some bozos in the military that recommended destroying it but luckily cool heads prevailed.”

  “Is Maggie here?” Mark asked.

  “Yes, she’s inside.”

  Virginia and Mark walked down a spacious white hallway composed of the same material as the dome structure outside.

  “This is absolutely incredible.” Mark’s gaze roved over the surface of the composite which resembled glass. He reached out and tapped the surface. “What’s this made out of?”

  “We’re calling it wizard glass for now,” Virginia advised.

  “I’m surprised you called me. It doesn’t look like you need any help restoring anything,” Mark commented.

  “You wouldn’t think so by just looking at it but nothing works except for the doors.” Virginia stopped in front of a door and tapped the small square-shaped console beside it. The door slid open to the right, disappearing into the wall. She threw Mark an exuberant grin. “Pretty slick, isn’t it?”

  “It’s incredible,” Mark said.

  They stepped inside the conference room which boasted a large, round table composed of the same material as the building with a dozen chairs. It didn’t look very comfortable.

  “Let’s have a seat,” Virginia said.

  Maggie was already at the table typing on her notebook computer. She shut the computer and smiled a greeting at her brother.

  “Hi, Mark.”

  Mark circled around the table and Maggie’s expression grew puzzled. He bent over and gave her a hug. Maggie stiffened for a second then patted him on the back in an awkward show of affection.

  “It’s good to see you, brother,” she said.

  “I’m glad we have this opportunity to work together,” Mark said.

  “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Maggie said in a crisp, business-like tone as she moved away from him to circle the table. The enforcers remained standing near the door as she paced the room. “I have several theories for the system failure. The most likely scenario is that the main power source wasn’t fully restored. Based on my knowledge of ancient technology, we can find it in the room where the main teleportation unit is located. The one that had originally been referred to as the ‘sacrificial table’ before Mark restored it.”

  “How sure are you about this theory?” Virginia asked.

  “We’ve never had a building restored like this before but with the previous data and the ancient enchantments I’ve studied over the years, I’m fairly certain.” Maggie leveled a cool smile at the director. “If I were to assign a number, I would say I’m 98% sure that my analysis is correct.”

  “I’m curious about what you are referring to when you talk about previous ancient technology,” Mark said.

  “This isn’t the first ancient enchantment that Advantage MicroTech Corporation has consulted with the government about. They’ve actually discovered over a dozen sites over the years but of course nothing as well preserved as the American Stone Henge. They were stone relics that were uncovered during excavation. I have a technique for determining highly probable areas of finding such items. I can’t share details as this is high-level security clearance information. I would gladly tell you about it but I signed a confidential disclosure agreement with Advantage MicroTech and of course with the government as well,” Maggie advised.

  “How long did it take for this facility to regenerate?” Mark asked.

  Virginia turned to smile at him. “It took only several days. Everyone was freaked out. When the building was finished, a team of us ventured in here and tried interfacing with the computer but it’s shut down completely. I would say it doesn’t have power but the doors are all operational. Maggie is probably right. The main power isn’t restored. Everything is running on secondary or emergency power. It may just shut down at any moment. We have no way of knowing.”

  “Have you taken samples of the building?” Mark asked.

  “Yes and they’re being studied at another location. There are also scientists that are trying to scan this structure but we aren’t getting much luck. Even though it’s obvious there’s power, nothing is detected at all. It’s like we’re dead in the water but the lights and doors are working,” Virginia said.

  Mark gazed up at the ceiling now and noticed the large square-shaped lighting that was made to resemble a skylight. It was about thirty feet wide and twenty feet across. Small strips of lighting lined the walls where they met the ceiling.

  “That’s really strange,” Mark said in reference to the director’s observations about the power generation.

  “Why don’t we go to the control room?” Maggie suggested.

  “Do you think the room with the sacrificial table is the control room?” Virginia asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Maggie confirmed.

  They ventured into the hallway and began their trek with the enforcers following at a discreet distance.

  “Why didn’t you call me in sooner?” Mark asked.

  “It took a lot of convincing to get my managers to agree to this. They consider our situation volatile because of the advanced technology. Everyone is stumped but Maggie submitted a compelling business plan,” Virginia explained.

  “This place reminds me of a space ship,” Mark commented as they turned a corner and continued down the long hallway.

  “I agree.” Virginia shot him an amiable smile. “I wonder what this place is capable of.”

  “It’s filled with endless possibilities,” Maggie said.

  They reached a door that slid open to reveal the control room which was immense. It contained over five times the space as the conference room. Mark wouldn’t have recognized this place if he hadn’t already known what to look for. The teleportation unit was near the center of the room with over a dozen work stations. Each station was equipped with a seat and a flat white platform that resembled a keyboard except it was completely seamless with nothing sticking out of it but the outlines of box-shaped keys with symbols lit up in blue. Built-in consoles lined the walls in over a dozen locations. Instead of stone columns, there were white columns made of the same material as the rest of the building with control consoles built into them.

  “White Knight Apprentice acknowledged,” a male voice said. “Limited security clearance accepted.”

  Virginia and Mark exchanged puzzled looks while the enforcers lifted their wands as if ready to strike against an invisible foe. Maggie’s eyes became distant and her brows furrowed with concentration. Mark sensed the computer systems in the room coming online.

  “Are you a computer?” Virginia asked the room in general.

  “You are not authorized to use this system,” the voice responded.

  “When you said something about a White Knight Apprentice, were you talking to me?” Mark asked.

  “Affirmative,” the computer said.

  “Interesting,” Virginia murmured.

  “What exactly is a white knight?” Mark inquired.

  “Those who practice white magic. I’ve a
ccessed the primitive communications of this continent and the surrounding lands. There doesn’t seem to be any White Knight Centers. Why is that?” the computer asked.

  Mark wasn’t sure how much information he should share. They knew next to nothing about this technology. He threw Virginia a questioning look and she nodded in acknowledgment to answer the question.

  “There aren’t any. This time period is completely different than what you’re used to.”

  “I’ve noticed. It is a puzzling world.”

  “What exactly are you?” Mark asked.

  “I’m an artificial intelligence created to run this recreational facility. My designation is APU 4093.”

  “I’m Mark and this is Virginia.”

  “I’m aware of that. You are citizens of America. Much has happened since I was destroyed then restored again. I’ve never met an apprentice strong enough to restore a facility like this one.”

  Mark glanced behind him at his sister but she continued to gaze into space with an intent expression on her face as though she wanted to memorize every word of this discussion. Or maybe she was dreaming up some sort of business plan. Mark turned away from her to address the computer again.

  “Do you have the training program that instructs apprentices on how to become White Knights?” Mark asked.

  “Affirmative. Virtually all training is conducted in recreational facilities like this one.”

  “Why is that?” Virginia asked.

  “You are not authorized for that information,” the computer said.

  “Please answer her questions,” Mark said.

  “Acknowledged,” the computer said in a tone that seemed slightly disapproving. “Recreational facilities serve as training centers for all areas of expertise. This is because it is recognized that people learn better when they are allowed rest periods which are like mini vacations. It is like a mental restorative. Advanced instructional techniques are used to efficiently train students here.”

  “Would you be willing to train me on becoming a full-fledged knight?” Mark asked.

  “Of course.”