Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14)

by Siegel, Alex

  "They're extremely busy."

  "With the firewall project?"

  "Of course," he said. "They're less than a week away from finishing. I should also mention the cannibal situation is getting exponentially worse. The military is preparing to take control of the entire Chicago area to quell the chaos. And the damn snowstorm just won't stop."

  "Aaron, please, this is important."

  "Did you hear me? We can't deal with any more distractions right now!"

  "Don't yell at me," Marina said.

  Aaron paused. "Sorry. I'm under a lot of stress."

  "I'm only asking for three minutes. That's not a ridiculous request."

  He growled. "OK, but only because I love you. Hold on."

  She heard movement. A minute later, she heard a distant female voice, but it was obviously computer generated. It was made of pure hums, clicks, and tones.

  "What's that sound?" Marina said. "Are you talking to a computer?"

  "Never mind about that," Aaron said quickly. "Bethany is looking at the book now."

  She waited patiently for an answer. She hadn't seen Bethany in several months and wondered what she looked like.

  After less than a minute, Aaron said, "She finished. She'll send a report by text."

  "Huh?" Marina said. "How much did she read?"

  "The whole thing."

  "How is that possible? It took me an hour just to get through one chapter!"

  "She's a quick reader," he said. "Is that it? Are we done?"

  She furrowed her brow. "I guess so."

  "Great. Bye." He hung up.

  She stared at her phone. Her lover had never been so curt with her before. He must be having a really hard time, she thought.

  A text message arrived on her phone. It read, "Commander Marina, I have thoroughly examined Symbology of the Divine and have determined it contains nothing of significance. The text is poorly written and self-contradictory. The conclusions are almost entirely erroneous. The so-called language is a childish combination of numerical trickery, geometry, and simplified English. I recommend you delete the book and give it no more of your time. Sincerely, Bethany."

  Marina raised her eyebrows. That's a pretty definitive answer, she thought.

  She realized in some ways, it didn't matter if the book had any truth in it. People were taking it seriously, and it was already causing trouble.

  Somebody knocked on the closed door of her office.

  "Yes?" she said.

  "There is something you should see, ma'am," Min Ho replied.

  Marina immediately got up and opened the door. She followed the hacker back to his workstation.

  "What?" she said.

  He pointed at his screen. "This was just posted on the internet. Somebody used the book to decode the writing on the walls."

  She leaned in. A page of densely written text explained how to apply the messy rules described in Symbology of the Divine. The presentation was tight and coherent. It had obviously been written by somebody with strong mathematical abilities.

  The conclusion at the bottom read, "The correct translation is 'the rapture is two days from now.'"

  "The angels appeared yesterday," Min Ho said, "which means the rapture is tomorrow."

  Marina straightened. "Oh. That's not good."

  * * *

  Iris sipped her coffee. She was eating breakfast on the private outdoor patio of her hotel suite. She had a magnificent view of San Francisco, and she was high enough that she couldn't hear the traffic. Painted tiles on the patio gleamed in the sunlight. It was a cool morning, but a portable gas heater was keeping her warm. Her breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs with ham, berry salad, and vanilla yogurt.

  She smiled. Everything was going according to plan. She had arranged things to minimize her direct involvement in the operation. The less she had to do, the safer she would be. There was only one point where she had to participate, and it would happen tomorrow. Until then, she could stand back and enjoy the show.

  Somebody knocked on the door of her suite. She got up and walked through the main room which was luxuriously furnished in a classic colonial style. Clear lacquer covered elegant, wooden furniture. Concealed fixtures cast light on paintings, and they were a couple of notches nicer than the usual industrial art found in hotels. The room was big enough for two Persian rugs.

  Iris opened the door and found Laurence standing there. He was wearing his usual black suit and cape. His face had a little more color than usual, but perhaps, it was just a result of the lighting. She let him in, checked to make sure nobody else was in the hallway, and closed the door.

  "Any news?" she said.

  "A copy of Symbology of the Divine was auctioned off this morning, ma'am. It went for three million dollars."

  She snorted with amusement. "It's a pity we didn't obtain several copies before we started. We could've paid for a good chunk of this operation."

  "We discussed it, but you decided it was better to keep a low profile."

  "That's true, and this was never about the money, anyway. Has the writing been decoded yet?"

  "Yes, ma'am," Laurence said. "A mathematician at Stanford did it this morning."

  "That's impressive. He must've been up all night."

  Iris went back to finish her breakfast. He followed her outside and eyed a basket of croissants.

  "Go ahead," she said.

  He grabbed a croissant and took a big bite.

  After she finished her breakfast, she decided to check on the status of her operation. She leaned back, relaxed, and closed her eyes.

  She sent her consciousness to a compound high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She looked through the eyes of Walfred again. He was observing the Warriors of Dagda as they prepared for the day's activities.

  A line of delivery trucks was parked near a tall wire fence which surrounded the compound. The trucks were lime-green but had no markings. The back door of one was open, and Iris could see it was full of high-tech equipment. There were computers, power generators, and large lasers on gimbals.

  Everything seemed to be in order, so she pulled her consciousness back to San Francisco and opened her eyes.

  "Is everything OK, ma'am?" Laurence said.

  "As far as I can tell," Iris said. "It looks like the Warriors are on schedule."

  "I'm still not enthusiastic about given them so much responsibility. That equipment is extremely sophisticated."

  "They've successfully created the illusion twice. Why do you still doubt them?"

  "They're Neanderthals," he said, "and violent ones at that."

  "They received intensive training, and they're not as stupid as you think. I don't employ morons."

  Laurence frowned. "Yes, ma'am."

  "Let's see what's on the news."

  Iris went back into the main room and turned on the television. She flipped to a news channel.

  The local Catholic archbishop was giving a news conference, and the sight made Iris smile. He was wearing a hot pink vestment which seemed to glow on television. A gold cross hung from a braided rope around his neck. Iris turned up the volume.

  "It is tempting to rush to conclusions," the archbishop said in a serious tone. "I admit the evidence appears compelling at first. Many saw the angels, and their existence is beyond question. The writing has been analyzed ad nauseam, and now, some claim it has been successfully translated. The 'rapture' is coming, supposedly." He rolled his eyes. "I'm begging everybody to calm down, please. The world won't end tomorrow. To every Catholic, I say, don't do anything rash. Wait for the Church to render an official opinion."

  Iris chuckled. The archbishop was right, of course, but his pathetic pleas wouldn't stop the chaos that was coming.

  "Is all this really necessary, ma'am?" Laurence said. "The whole thing seems excessively elaborate."

  "The Gray Spear Society is like a pet cat. If you give them shiny baubles to chase, they'll forget about everything else. At the moment when protecting Olivia is the last
thing on their minds, and they believe they have the upper hand, we'll make our move." She frowned. "That's the second time you've questioned me."

  "I'm sorry. I'm just very concerned. It's not too late to back out."

  "Are you kidding?" Iris said. "I will not give up the reward promised by the benefactor. I could become the most powerful Pythagorean on Earth, and you'll be at my side. Where is your courage?"

  He sighed. "I'll find it, ma'am. Don't worry about me."

  * * *

  Marina, Ipo, Hanley, Yang, and Katie were sitting around the coffee table in the living room area. They had a big pile of printed reports in front of them. Some reports had come from the police, some from federal agencies, and some from scientific institutions. The investigations of both angelic appearances had been thorough. Marina and her legionnaires were sifting through the reports in hope of finding a new lead.

  Marina was currently looking through a compilation of witness testimonies. The basic story was pretty much the same in all cases. Some of the descriptions were more elaborate, and those were usually inconsistent with each other. Marina assumed the witnesses had made up the extraneous details. It was human nature to impose personal assumptions and desires on every experience, particularly emotionally powerful ones.

  "This is interesting," Hanley said. "Traces of oxidized aluminum were found in the symbols on the walls."

  Marina looked up. "Aluminum?"

  "It's often used as a component in thermite. It suggests pyrotechnic chemicals were burned to make the letters." He gazed at a report in his hands. "There was also some sulfur."

  "This is sounding more diabolical than divine. Those chemicals didn't get there magically. Somebody had to paint them on the walls ahead of time."

  "It could've been days or even weeks before."

  "Still," she said, "it's a lead worth pursuing."

  He flipped through the report. "Yes, and it looks like the feds are doing exactly that. You might want to check in with your friend, Special Agent Joshua Harp, ma'am."

  "I think I'll do that."

  Jia yelled from across headquarters. "I found him! I found him!"

  "Found who?" Marina yelled back.

  "Brian Kelly."

  She stood up and hurried over to Jia. The hacker was lying back in her workstation with her arms at her sides. The huge array of monitors over her head was enough to block out the light.

  Marina looked up at a picture on one of the monitors. It showed a man with a lopsided haircut and a goatee. His black mustache was pointed at the ends. He was wearing a green shirt and blue pants, both very dirty. The picture showed him sitting on a sidewalk with many little wooden figurines in front of him. He seemed to be selling them.

  "A tourist posted this a few weeks ago," Jia said. "A facial recognition scan picked it out. That's definitely Kelly."

  "Where is he?" Marina said.

  "Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz, ma'am. At least, that's where the photo was taken."

  "That's great work." Marina faced her legionnaires. "Hanley and Katie, go to Santa Cruz. Look for Kelly there."

  "Yes, ma'am," Hanley replied.

  "And I'll visit Harp."

  * * *

  Marina walked into the office of Joshua Harp, special agent in charge of San Francisco. He was head of federal law enforcement in Northern California and beyond.

  Harp had blond hair with a bald spot on top. He was clean-shaven, and his blue suit was immaculate. The shape of his shoulders and torso indicated he had some muscles underneath the suit.

  He looked up with a surprised expression. "Ms. Pointu? How did you get in here without an appointment?"

  She smiled and sat in a chair facing his desk. He had a nice, big office for a fed. His wooden desk looked solidly built, and he had an old-fashioned lamp. The flag of the United States and the flag of the FBI hung on the wall behind him.

  "Never mind," Harp said. "I don't want to know. The answer would probably upset me. I expect you're here to talk about the angels."

  Marina nodded. "That's right, but we can chat about other things first. It's been a while. I heard El Toro is working undercover for you these days. You're running some kind of sting operation to entrap a Mexican drug lord."

  He stared at her. "That's top secret, of course."

  "I'm only mentioning it because it's good to see my old friend El Toro on the road to rehabilitation."

  "I see. As long as we're just talking, would you happen to know about a ship called the Fearless Star? It vanished a few months ago with all hands onboard."

  "Is that the one owned by Peter Zane?" Marina said.

  Harp nodded. "A group of people posing as NSA agents met with Peter Zane shortly before the ship vanished. I checked the surveillance video. A couple of them looked like your assistants. It also turns out a girl was with them. She had the wrong hair color, but otherwise, she matched the description of Olivia Bellar. El Toro mentioned he saw the girl with you at his house."

  "These are interesting facts, but I'm not at liberty to comment on them." She smiled. "I'll only say the good guys won, and the bad guys lost. The ship, I'm afraid, is gone."

  "And the girl?"

  "Safe and sound."

  This line of questioning was irritating Marina. She had thought Harp knew better. She had certainly done enough favors for him to earn the benefit of the doubt and then some. He was glaring at her very disrespectfully.

  "Maybe we should talk about the angels now," she said. "That topic is less likely to cause trouble. According to my information, the FBI analyzed the chemicals used to burn the symbols into the walls. You're trying to find out how they got there. Any progress?"

  He continued to glare. "It's not fair that you know all my secrets, and I don't know any of yours."

  "Life isn't fair."

  "Regarding the chemicals, the walls were repainted a couple of weeks before the angel incidents. We're having a lot of difficulty finding the painters."

  "Ah," Marina said. "Perhaps..."

  Her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and saw Min Ho's code number. She was putting her phone to her ear when the phone on Harp's desk also rang.

  "Yes?" Marina said into her phone.

  "The angels are flying again. Union Square."

  "I'm on my way. Send the boys. I'll meet them there."

  "Yes, ma'am," Min Ho said.

  Marina hung up and looked at Harp.

  "Union Square?" he said.

  "Exactly. Mind giving me a ride?"

  "Sure. Why not? I should keep an eye on you anyway."

  They stood up and hurried out. They rushed past rows of desks where ordinary FBI agents worked. Harp pointed at people and called them out by name. They stood up immediately and joined the growing party. The agents gave Marina curious looks but kept quiet.

  The FBI office was located in the massive Philip Burton Federal Building. The group took an elevator down to a private garage in the basement reserved for government vehicles. The agents quickly loaded into cars and SUVs which were mostly black, four agents per vehicle. Marina sat in a back seat next to Harp, and that position of honor earned her more questioning looks.

  The caravan hit the road. Sirens and flashing lights cleared traffic out of the way, and they made good time across the city. This is the way to travel, Marina thought. Union Square was only ten blocks away, so it just took a few minutes to reach it. For once, she had beaten the crowd.

  Union Square was a public park which occupied a city block in Lower Nob Hill. It was south of Chinatown, and Marina reflected that all the angel sightings had happened in the same general area. The park was a mix of grass lawns and paved plazas. A few unimpressive trees provided limited shade. It was popular with tourists because of the large number of department stores, boutiques, gift shops, art galleries, and beauty salons surrounding it. An underground parking garage also made Union Square a prime destination. A tall war monument stood in the center.

  The federal agents parked wherever there w
as open space, and several cars ended up on the sidewalk. Everybody spilled out. Harp ordered his people to secure the area and establish a perimeter. Some police officers had already arrived, but the FBI took control immediately.

  Marina looked around. Ipo and Yang would have to fight traffic, so she would be on her own for a while. She knew the first few minutes of any investigation were the most critical. The evidence and the memories of the witnesses were still fresh.

  Marina picked out one man who had a dazed expression. He was wearing a purple shirt with the words "Too Much Rock & Roll" printed on it. His blue jeans were patched in several places, but she guessed that was a stylistic choice. She went over to him.

  "What happened?" she said.

  He pointed at the sky. "Angels were everywhere. They had flaming wings. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

  Marina spotted more symbols burned into the side of a department store. They were up high and big enough to see from far away. Circles and squares of various sizes formed intriguing patterns, and the message was quite a bit longer than the first two times. It was clearly the type of writing described in Symbology of the Divine. She expected somebody would decode it within the hour and post the translation on the internet.

  "How did they behave?" Marina said. "They just floated in the air?"

  "Yes," the man said. "They reminded me of a school of swimming fish."

  "And how did you feel?"

  "Warm and wonderful. Almost sleepy. I wanted to rise up and fly with the angels. I wish I could've talked to them. I'll never forget their beauty for as long as I live. It was like a window into Heaven."

  Marina lost interest and stepped away. The witnesses at the other angel sightings had reported similar experiences.

  Harp came over. "I assume you're a trained investigator in addition to your other remarkable skills."

  "Yes." She nodded.

  "What's your recommendation? How would you proceed?"

  She took another long look at her surroundings. The federal agents and the police were keeping Union Square itself under control, but the surrounding streets were quickly filling up. Once again, everybody wanted to see the place where the angels had appeared. The crowd was pointing and staring at the writing on the wall.