by Chris Fox
He paused in Larkspur, stopping in the parking lot where he’d battled against Irakesh, Trevor, and Cyntia. The place was even more ruined—every window shattered and the roof sagging inwards. Rust covered everything, even the weights inside the gym. Behind the gym was the bay, and dominating the bay was his Ark.
Blair closed his eyes, connecting to the Ark. He willed it to light-walk him directly into the Nexus, and the Ark thrummed in response. A familiar flash carried him into a moment of vertigo, then he was standing on the light bridge in the Nexus.
“Ah, Ark Lord Blair.” Ka’s pleasant voice came from the far side of the room. The green hologram gave a jerky bow, polite as always. “You are the first to arrive. I am awaiting your companions. If you’d like to wait in the central chamber, that’s where your friends will go after arrival.”
Blair nodded his thanks, then started walking in that direction. It didn’t take long to reach the large, round chamber. He tried to stop himself, but he looked up anyway.
The cracks in the glass dome were no worse than they had been five years ago, but they were still just as alarming. Above that glass lay the entire weight of the ocean, so deep that it was pure, inky blackness.
A lifelike hologram flared into existence a few feet away, and Blair was surprised to realize it was Jordan, not Ka. Jordan started to offer him a transparent hand, then stopped. “I almost forgot I can’t touch you.”
“You couldn’t come in person?” Blair asked.
“It would have been a hassle,” Jordan explained. “There’s a lot to catch up on, but I’m down in Lima helping Doctor Roberts. They’ve elected him president.” He gave an affectionate smile. “That guy is exactly what this country needed.”
“Tell him I said hey.” Blair returned the smile. He missed the bristly-bearded geologist. “Looks like Trevor’s the last to arrive.”
“Pardon me, Ark Lords.” Ka cocked its bulbous head. “The readings I received from the Ark of the Cradle when the light bridge was activated are quite alarming. The Ark’s reserves are at critical levels. It is approaching total failure. Given that state, he may not be able to activate his Ark’s communication array.”
“Ka, can you record our conversation?” Blair asked.
Ka bowed again. “Of course. I am already doing so. I hope this is acceptable.”
“If Trevor arrives after we leave,” Blair said, “I want you to play the conversation Jordan and I are about to have. That will catch him up on our news.”
“Of course. I’m happy to comply,” Ka replied—happily, of course.
“So what did you and Liz find?” Jordan asked. He folded those tree trunk arms against his chest.
“Angel Island was blitzed by a settlement of deathless,” Blair explained. “The survivors fled north, to Santa Rosa. I don’t know if you remember—”
“Stop talking,” a new voice said. “Right now.”
A new hologram appeared, this one a young man in his mid-twenties. He had tousled hair, a little too artfully arranged to be accidental. A thin beard ran along his jawline.
“Yes,” he said, “you heard me right. Shut up. The Nexus’s communications network isn’t private. All the Arks can tap into it. The grey men are listening, and so are a couple Ark Lords.”
“Who the hell are you?” Blair asked. He shifted to warform, prepared to summon the staff if needed.
“And who the hell are the grey men?” Jordan added.
“We’ve got to make this fast, so please try to keep up. My name is David. I can save you, but you’re going to have to work with me, all right?”
“Why should we do anything you say?” Jordan asked. His right hand wrapped around a holographic side arm. “You want cooperation. Start talking.”
“Like I said, we don’t have time. The grey men will already be on their way. Listen, I’ve got your friend Trevor. How do you think I knew to be here? He told me about your meeting. I realize trust is in short supply, but you’ve got to give me a little. Like I said, I can save you, but I need your help to do that. Are you with me?”
“Okay, I’m on board,” Blair said.
Jordan looked askance at him, then turned and nodded to David. “What do you need us to do?”
“It’s best that you get off the line, Jordan. Then we can close the communications array. I’m going to come down to the Nexus. I’ll bring Trevor with me. We’re going to appear in the chamber you’re standing in, so don’t freak out. Give us a couple minutes to get our gear together.”
Chapter 20- Meetings
Trevor rose to his feet as Yuri re-entered the central room with a new figure in tow. He blinked in surprised, shocked to realize he knew the woman David had referred to as Anna. “Anput?”
“By Ra, you’re right,” Irakesh said. He gave a warm laugh. “Aunt Anput, it’s good to see you. Surely you can convince David that we’re no threat, and should be released.”
“Why would I do that, nephew?” Anput asked. Her hair fell in artfully coifed waves, and she wore a pair of glasses highlighting gorgeous brown eyes. “You are one of the largest threats I have ever encountered. Your reckless actions put Isis and Ra at odds, and nearly cost us everything.”
She approached their makeshift cell, stopping just outside the energy barrier, then delivered a warm smile to Trevor. “You, on the other hand, I am most definitely willing to vouch for. David, you should let Trevor out immediately. He’s a capable ally, one that I trust.”
“I was already planning on it.” David waved a hand, and the wall before Trevor fell away.
He stepped through, offering Anput a hand. She ignored it, sweeping him into a hug. He could feel her pressed against him, triggering that odd feeling of lust. Given that he was basically a walking corpse, it was damned odd. It was part of her vampire heritage, something she’d inherited from Osiris.
“Thank you,” Irakesh said. He stepped forward, but David waved a hand and the energy field reappeared. Irakesh bumped nose-first into it, falling back with a curse. “Are you really going to keep me imprisoned? I serve Trevor. Anput, surely you recognize the Collar of Shi-Dun.”
Anput gave a musical laugh as she inspected Trevor’s wrist. “You’ve enslaved him. This might be the single most beautiful thing I have ever seen—Irakesh forced to serve a man he detests.”
“Collar of Shi-Dun? Explain,” Yuri asked. He stood near the back of the room, a near-silent shadow until he spoke.
“The collar controls the actions of the person wearing it,” Anput said. She gestured at Trevor. “Whoever wears the bracelet is in control. Trevor can force Irakesh to do just about anything.”
“Explains situation,” Yuri said. He gave a grim smile. “Glad to see Trevor still ally. More glad to see Irakesh wear collar. Like dog.”
“Trevor,” David said, “are you okay with leaving Irakesh here? No offense, but I don’t want him in my backfield. The rest of us will head to the Nexus.” He wiped a lock of hair from his eyes, eyes hardening. “There’s a high likelihood that the grey men will respond in force. If they do, you’re going to want one of these.”
He reached inside his coat, withdrawing a small golden boomerang, and handing it to Trevor.
Trevor hefted it experimentally. It was heavy, and just a little larger than his hand. When he wrapped his hand around the center portion, the two tips jutted out on either side. “It’s warm, and I can feel power within it. Is it sunsteel?”
“Near enough. You supply the energy. The weapon enhances it, firing a beam that disintegrates anything it touches. The more energy you supply, the more powerful the beam.” David aimed his weapon at the wall, and twin beams of green shot from it. They converged just past his hand, slamming into the wall in waves. “That was the lowest intensity, which would still kill an un-enhanced human. A full blast can disintegrate just about everything I’ve shot at. There are some defenses, but not many.”
“Got it. I assume our opponents will be using something similar?”
“Stole from them. G
rey men use same,” Yuri confirmed. “David, should alert Jillian?”
“No time. We’ll have to go with who we have. Everyone get close,” David ordered. Trevor stepped closer, as did the others. “Okay, hang on. We’re going.”
A familiar white flash emanated from David, the same type Trevor had seen when using a light bridge. There was the instant of vertigo, then he was standing in the Nexus’s central chamber. Blair was there, but there was no sign of Jordan.
“You said you can save us. Start talking,” Blair said. He was still in human form, but his voice carried even more authority than it had just a few days ago. Trevor had rarely been as glad to see anyone.
“Wait a minute. Professor Smith?” David asked. His eyes widened. “It is you. Oh my god. You’re Ark Lord Blair?”
“Do I know you?” Blair seemed unmoved, shrugging at Trevor. “What’s he talking about?
“I was one of your students at SRJC. I took Anthology 1A with you. Then, about six years back, I stopped by with my friend Jillian. We told you she was writing a book, remember?” David asked, clearly hopeful.
“I think so. You were asking why pyramids appeared all over the world throughout history. At the time I thought you were writing a cheap thriller. It wasn’t research for a book, was it?” Blair asked.
“Nope. Turns out we were looking for the Arks before we even knew what they were. Listen, I realize we don’t have time to catch up. We need to move quickly.” David turned to the center of the room. “Ka, get your holographic butt out here.”
Ka obligingly shimmered into view. “How can I help you, David?”
“Monitor the Antarctic light bridge and let us know the instant it activates. Track the arrivals, and give us numbers and location,” David ordered. Trevor was impressed. He sounded like an experienced battlefield commander, despite his age.
“Seven grey men have already arrived,” Ka replied cheerfully. “They are making their way toward the central chamber. At their current rate they will arrive in one minute and twelve seconds.”
“We need to decide what we want to do right now,” David said. He stared hard at Blair. “We can fight them, and we’ll probably win. Doing so will give them information about you, though—things they may not already know. They’ll transmit everything they learn back to their collective as it happens.”
“So we want to wipe them out without showing them everything we can do.” Blair shifted in the blink of an eye, suddenly becoming eight heavily-muscled feet of silver fur—with teeth. “I’m betting they’re familiar with champions by now. That means blur should be safe to use.”
“Perfect.” David nodded. “I gave Trevor one of their weapons. I’ll hang back and let you engage. I’m not bad in a fight, but I’ve heard legends of what the two of you can do.”
“Yuri melt faces, too,” Yuri said. He trotted to the far side of the room, dropping to one knee and taking aim at the doorway.
“I’ll hang back as well,” Anput said. Her body darkened, then disappeared as she slid into the shadows. “It’s better they don’t know I exist, especially if they’re working with Hades.”
Trevor slipped into the shadows as well, gliding to a position about fifteen feet from Yuri. Their fields of fire would overlap, and since Yuri couldn’t see him it was important to stay out of his line of fire.
Something was approaching. He didn’t hear anything, but Trevor could feel something with the ability to shape getting closer.
These grey men are powerful shapers, his Risen whispered. Perhaps more powerful than you. Their strength will not be easily overcome. Utilizing surprise is vital. The moment they enter, we must destroy them. Do not hesitate.
Trevor didn’t reply, though he did agree. These fuckers had to go. He gathered his weight, doing a running jump at the wall above the doorway. He grabbed the wall, sinking his claws into the marble, and hung there, suspended over the door. Aiming the strange boomerang, he waited.
He didn’t have to wait long. The first grey man leapt into the room, a golden boomerang clutched in each hand, and began firing pulses of green, walking the gunfire across the room. The first blasts zipped in Blair’s direction, but he blurred right, then lunged with his claws. The grey man crossed its arms in front of it, a golden wall of force appearing just in time to ward off Blair’s blow.
The grey man seemed completely unaware of Trevor’s presence. Trevor lined up the shot, just like his dad had taught him as a kid, then poured every bit of energy he could summon into the boomerang. The green beam was thicker and brighter than the shots the grey man had fired, but seemed otherwise unremarkable—until it struck the grey man in the back of its oblong head, vaporizing it. The body tumbled into the room, its boomerangs clattering across the floor.
Trevor had only a split second to react as another grey man appeared in the air a few feet away. Its boomerang was already firing, a stream of deadly green coming right for Trevor’s face. Time slowed, and he tumbled slowly backwards as the pulse advanced toward his face. It was still coming quickly, despite the blur.
He threw himself down, kicking off the wall to add just a bit more speed. The pulse passed millimeters from his nose, blasting into the wall behind him. Trevor jerked his boomerang into line with the new attacker, squeezing off a hasty shot. The grey man disappeared, and the shot cored the wall behind it.
Blast it. Could these things teleport? He wished David had given them more information to go on.
Trevor vanished, dropping silently to the floor. There was no sign of his attacker. No sign of any attacker.
“Brace yourself,” David roared from the back of the room. Trevor grabbed the base of Ka’s pedestal, just in time for a wave of pure force to sweep over him. Blair wasn’t as lucky, catching the full brunt of the attack. He was hurled toward the wall, sailing in Trevor’s direction.
Trevor extended a hand, and Blair caught it. Trevor swung him around, launching Blair toward the doorway. He blurred at the apex, adding to Blair’s momentum.
Blair shot forward like a supersonic missile, sailing into the hallway. Two grey men suddenly became visible, knocked to the ground like bowling pins. Blair was on the first before Trevor blurred up the corridor. He lined up a shot on the second, ending it with a blast from the boomerang.
The last grey man appeared behind Trevor, ramming a glowing blue blade through his chest. It hurt, but he had no internal organs to destroy.
The blow would slow him, though.
“Gregg, get out of way,” Yuri roared from behind.
Trevor smiled grimly, shifting his body to green mist. Two sleek black missiles shot into the grey man, a wave of fire ballooning outward. When it had cleared, the surrounding walls were covered in disgusting green residue.
“That’s the last of them,” David said. He rose from cover, trotting over to Trevor and Blair. “We’ve got to move quickly. They’ll be back soon, and in greater numbers.”
“Okay, Obi-wan,” Blair said, raising a wolfish eyebrow. “What do you propose?”
“There’s a lot I don’t have time to tell you,” David said. “You should head for the Peruvian Ark. I need to get back to the Black Knight, but I can send Anna with you. There’s something in the Amazon that’s of great interest to Hades, which means the grey men are after it, too. Anna can brief you on the entire situation once you’re safe.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Blair said. He folded his arms, staring hard at David, then at Trevor. “The grey men are a threat, sure. But they aren’t the only threat. I need to get my house in order. That means going back to Santa Rosa. You and Anput should continue to South America, meet with Jordan, and see what you can do. When I get a handle on what’s going on in Santa Rosa, I’ll come to Peru to update you.”
“We’ll miss you,” Trevor said, “but I completely understand. Take care of Liz for me.” He offered Blair a hand.
Blair shook it. “Thanks for understanding, Trev.”
“Be safe, man, and tell Liz I love her.”
Trevor turned to Anput. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 21- Up to Speed
Jordan appeared against the wall of the central chamber, spotting Elia across the room. She knelt, praying, at the feet of the statue of Isis. The bullet holes from the combat he’d instigated while still working for Mohn had been painstakingly repaired, though those spots were a slightly different shade of white.
“The real thing was much more feisty,” Jordan said. He ambled toward her, trying to be as unthreatening as possible.
“Is. The real thing is much more feisty,” Elia replied, rising gracefully. She turned to face Jordan, her entire body tense. Undisguised hatred smoldered in those eyes. “I tire of your blasphemy. I know that I cannot stop you—you have too much brute strength for that—but I do not need to listen to you profane the scriptures. What do you want, heathen?”
“I wanted to let you know I was here,” Jordan said. “I’m going to meet some friends at the light bridge, and they might be coming in hot. Keep your people away from that room until I’ve dealt with the situation.” Jordan moderated his tone, reminding himself that he couldn’t approach every interaction like this was the military.
“What? You’ve invited yet more heathens to this holiest of place? I will not allow it. I will—”
Jordan did the least confrontational thing he could think of. He teleported. He didn’t have time to deal with her shit, not right now.
He appeared next to the light bridge. They hadn’t arrived yet, so he folded his arms, settling in to wait. Waiting was, and always had been, the worst part of being a soldier; he’d learned that long before he’d worked for Mohn.
All you could do as an enlisted was wait for orders. Those orders could mean your death, or the death of your friends. Yet the orders were never the worst part. It was the damned waiting, the not knowing what you were going to have to do in order to preserve lives.
Jordan didn’t know who or what was coming across the light bridge, nor when it would happen. Would they be pursued by these grey men? What were their weaknesses? Their tactics? Jordan needed intel, but—like it or not—all he could do was wait.