by Martin, CJ
Sam nodded. He understood.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Vered, within you lies a dangerous trust.
It was a voice echoing in a sudden darkness. Vered was experiencing a vision. She had had visions before, but never this powerful.
A temporal trust...
It had completely overtaken her senses, replacing her eyesight with an unseeing blackness. She could hear only the voice. She had been reviewing the dossier Marcus had given her on Kaileen’s history and the Nephloc abominations. In the space of a second, printed words jumped from the page and danced before her eyes. Darkness swiftly followed. It was a soothing darkness enveloping and warm like a mother’s hug. And then there was nothing but that voice.
A most dangerous trust.
The voice seemed to originate from all directions around her. It was a woman’s voice. Soft and courteous but a voice unknown to Vered.
You must take care with whom you speak. There are spies in places overlooked.
Vered nodded her head gently.
“Now! Waste no time! Come to speak with me—now.”
As suddenly as it had come, the black gave way to a flash of white. Her eyes cleared and saw the scattered papers that she had dropped unknowingly.
Vered stood up and, in an instant, she was out the door. She had a suspicion, but did not know. And yet the closer she came to Catherine’s room the more her suspicion was confirmed to be true knowledge.
There have been no visage in her vision and although she had never heard Catherine speak, she knew it was her voice. Who else could it be? It was a personal message and one she could not ignore.
She hurried through the common area oblivious to Marcus’ look of concern. As she reached Catherine’s room and placed her hand on the doorknob, Vered stopped.
She had been told of Catherine’s condition. Catherine was sick, bedridden, and delirious. Suteko had spent most of her time at Catherine’s bedside tending to her needs. Vered had heard the story and could almost feel Suteko’s guilt. She momentarily wondered of the propriety of entering unannounced.
But fearing to disobey the vision, Vered’s hand slowly turned the knob. Stepping inside, she saw Catherine on her bed, still and unresponsive to her intrusion. They were alone. Suteko was not present.
As Vered approach the bed, Catherine squirmed.
“You sent for me?” Vered’s voice was squeaky and uncertain.
Catherine was moving aimlessly in bed, but her eyes were closed and seemingly unaware of Vered’s presence. Vered moved closer to the side of the bed and took Catherine’s hand.
“Dear Catherine, we’ve never met, but I’m here now.”
Vered felt her hand suddenly squeezed by Catherine’s grip. It was tighter than expected and surprised Vered, causing her eyes to draw down to their hands. They were pale, but strong.
“That’s quite a grip…”
As her eyes return to Catherine’s face, she noticed the sleeping Temporal’s eyes were wide-open and staring at her.
“Time is short,” said Catherine in clear and precise words. It was the same voice Vered had heard in her vision. “Short even for the Temporal.”
Vered tried to pull away but Catherine’s grip tightened. Vered relented and stopped trying.
“There is danger nearby—beware!”
Vered felt prompted to ask a question. “Is it Kaileen? Is she nearby?”
“Greater than she hunts the Temporal.”
“Speak plainly—who is it?”
Catherine closed her eyes, settled her head into the pillow, and relaxed her grip. Vered casually pulled her hand away and massaged her wrist. It had been painful, but no amount of pain could quell her curiosity.
Vered drew in close to Catherine’s right ear. “Is it Dr. Bracker?”
Once again Catherine’s eyes shot open.
“Yes.”
Catherine’s eyes closed and Vered somehow knew their conversation was over.
“I’ll be back. Rest well, Catherine.”
Vered turned to rush out the room, but ran into Marcus instead.
“Calm, my child. Come with me.”
Marcus had already turned and was swiftly heading out the door.
“Did you hear?” Vered said as she tried to catch up with him.
“I apologize for listening in,” Marcus said once they were in the hallway with Catherine’s door closed, “but I expected something like this might happen.”
“Marcus, she warned of Dr. Bracker.”
“That too I feared. Sam has been unable to read him at all. This is very unusual and concerning. The Nephloc have learned to mask themselves from Sam. But masking and not existing are two very different things altogether.”
“Marcus, I felt something too upon meeting him—or rather, I lost feeling upon meeting him. At the airport.”
“Yes, when you first saw Dr. Bracker, you fainted.”
“Catherine said he was more powerful than even Kaileen. Marcus, we need to talk to the president.”
“No. I won’t go so far as to say that the president is in with them, but Dr. Bracker—or whoever he is—has his ear and can bend it according to his desire. It was Bracker who prevented Lieutenant Harrison and me from contacting the president before. I will go to General Gordon first.”
Vered felt exhausted. Before the vision, she had been wide awake and strong. But now her head ached and her body felt as though she had labored in the heat all day. Marcus saw it immediately.
“My child, go to your room and rest. Listen in case Catherine speaks to you more. She has found in you a receptacle of sorts. Stay, listen, and report. It is as if Catherine has a direct link to the echoes. I sense she will have a greater part to play before all this is finished.”
After watching Vered disappear into her room, Marcus grabbed his cell phone.
“General, we have a problem.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Perazim were afforded many privileges but little latitude beyond those privileges. Compared to Nephloc, Perazim lived the life of a king when not under orders or in the sight of their overlords. When on duty, however, they were mere machines to their work, cogs mindlessly moving the next cog to accomplish the work.
Their overlords, the dark ones, had taken the Perazims’ heart and, in its place, fed them desires and intentions as a programmer instructs the functions of a computer. Hatred and distrust of all but their masters was the primary instruction set.
Following these perimeters, the new Perazim, Scalias, especially enjoyed tormenting his former brothers—many of whom were older and had felt cheated when Scalias had not only been chosen but had survived the initiation ceremony.
Payback via torture was a common pastime for new Perazim. Scalias was busy doing just that when the call came. The High Lady could propel her voice through thick caverns and underground lakes resonating her thoughts within the mind of any of the dozens of Perazim or thousands of Nephloc.
He dropped the Nephloc he had been holding. It went scurrying away into the shadows.
“My Lady…”
The rock all around was lined with a phosphorus substance that gave off a faint bluish glow. For those whose eyes had acclimated to the subterranean darkness, it was more than enough to illuminate the surroundings. However, the object of Scalias’ torture had found an area not yet laced with the substance, and as a result, it clung to a rock concealed by darkness. As he turned to make the journey to his master, he made a note to have this creature apply the lightening substance to these bare walls before being sentenced to death.
Satisfied with his plans, he hobbled off to the meeting room. He wasn’t sure what the High Lady wanted of him, but if the past few days were any indication, he would be meeting with a low-ranking captain and made to do something unpleasant.
He entered an area familiar to him. The large underground expanse had been painstakingly expanded from a small natural underground opening. A legion of Nephloc had worked to excavate and smooth out the fl
ooring for months until it could accommodate a third of the army.
They had left a row of unusually tall stalagmites with sharpened points as execution stakes for the disobedient. His first act as Perazim had been to find one such Nephloc and christen the tallest point.
Smiling, he walked into the meeting room a bit too casually. Seeing the High Lady herself, he immediately straightened up before falling to the ground with a deep bow in deference.
“High Lady, forgive me.”
This was the first time he had seen her since his Ascension.
“I have been watching you. You are both ambitious and cruel.”
Her words brought to mind what he had gotten away with as a Nephloc. Few could kill with impunity as he had. He thought he had been lucky; he was being groomed.
“Normally, these two traits are not beneficial to me. But you also know your place. Continue to submit to me and you will have all that you dream of.”
“My Lady, I am at your command.”
“Good. I have a mission for you. By your recent actions, I don’t think you will have an objection.”
“What is it that you wish me to do, My Lady?”
“Kill a wayward Nephloc.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
Scalias suppressed a bubbling desire to smile. One of the privileges given to Perazim was the right to mete out judgment and settle disputes among the Nephloc. Judgment outside of death was not common. He had already exercised this right on several occasions and he relished the opportunity to do it again.
“Good. I sent this Nephloc out as a spy. Our spy has given himself wholly to the enemy. This cannot be tolerated.”
“Where is this spy and what is the signature? I will go, my Lady, to the ends of the earth, if you request it.”
“It is with the Temporal.”
As a Perazim, he had a high tolerance of pain, but it takes much practice to forget the fear of pain. The momentary slip and show of surprise on his face was quickly corrected. He was sure she had seen it, but the High Lady gave no indication that she was displeased.
“I will go, my lady.”
“My master has given me the instructions for you to enter their compound without their knowledge. Receive your instructions from the receptacle.”
He looked in the direction of her pointing finger. The blue lights in the distance ebbed and waved like smoke buffeted by a light breeze.
He approached the light and pulled up his tunic, revealing the hole in his chest. After the removal of the heart during the Ascension ceremony, the empty space was filled with a mysterious and dark fluid. In a matter of minutes, that fluid dissolved and then solidified into a series of crystalline structures. It was through these tiny crystals that the masters were able to remotely instruct and, to a large extent, control the Perazim.
The light organized itself into a horizontally spinning vortex and then launched itself into the hole, illuminating and filling each crystal with new information.
His next thought was the realization that he had the necessary knowledge. Locations, the signature of the target, the codes to get into the building—it was all in his mind. It would require a major distraction, but he understood the High Lady would provide that distraction herself.
The tornado of light ceased. He turned around with a smile, but she was no longer there.
“My Lady.” The general stood before his queen, raptured by her sense of justice and deadly beauty.
“Supply me with five of your best and that is all.”
“My Lady? We do not wait for all the Temporal to arrive? And it is uncertain if five can accomplish…”
“If you send dozens of Perazim, the remaining Temporal around the world would run and hide once they know our true strength. By now the existence of the Perazim is known to them, but our numbers must be kept hidden. We will send a small strike force to kill the traitor and collect the two Temporal of interest to us.”
Her old general that had so disappointed her was still alive. He was kept so by unnatural means to prolong his torture. He was to remain conscious even as his body rotted.
This was in direct disobedience to her master’s desires. Carritos was his disciple, and her master wished him kept alive and mostly unharmed. The first she could accept; the latter was unacceptable.
To encourage appropriate behavior, her new general was shown daily video feeds of General Carritos’s deterioration. The new general was also required to daily swear that he would not fail the High Lady.
“Yes, my lady. We shall do as you command. We will capture the Temporal Ian and Samuel.”
She would spare Sam’s life. If the prophecy was true, Sam would be the downfall of her master. She had argued that sparing Sam would ensure her master’s survival if he could be turned. But she had no such intention.
The general struck out with a two-handed salute, bowed, and turned to exit. She had to plan for her master’s wrath should her plan fail, but she would take the chance. If she had any hope of becoming more powerful than her master, it would be through Sam. She had waited over 1,500 years to challenge him. Her patience was running thin, especially now so much had come together. She would chain Sam, kill all with knowledge of her disobedience, and then use him to destroy her master.
“Oh, and General, the old man Marcus is not to be killed; he will be instrumental in bringing the rest together. Leave him there, hurt and scared, but do not kill him. Once all the world’s Temporal are in one place, then you may have your legions and your war!”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Two federal agents followed close behind Ian through the woods. All three men had on body armor; Ian was carrying a flame thrower and wore night vision goggles. The goggles were seated on his head like the upright ears of a cat frightened by some noise. The three men moved quietly, constantly aware of any stray noise or sign of life.
Sam, back at the Berkshire House, tried to monitor the area, but couldn’t be sure if there were Nephloc present. He had an inkling something was there or had been there, but the signatures were shallow and faded.
After some twenty minutes of hiking from the nearest road, the path following the winding stream opened up to a twenty-foot high bluff just as Hikari had said. There in the clay wall was a hole the size of a grapefruit.
“Looks more like a snake hole than an entrance to a large underground training area,” whispered one of the agents.
“Sam,” Ian said into the microphone taped to his shoulder. “How’s that radar of yours?”
At the Berkshire House, Sam continued to monitor the world’s Temporal as well as give aid to Ian on demand.
“I still don’t sense anything definite, but they could be masking their presence somehow.” Sam’s voice came loud and clear in Ian’s earpiece.
Ian spat on the ground. He was certain Hikari had either lied about the Nephloc factory or was planning a trap. Either way, this wild Nephloc chase took Ian away from Catherine. On the other hand, it also took him away from the poison that was Suteko. He knew that, but why did he still long to drink from it?
Ian knelt down and ran his hand in a circular motion around the edges of the hole. The dried clay crumbled at his touch. After a few seconds of this, his hands had found the borders of the hole or at least a part that didn’t crumble upon contact. The hole was now large enough for a single grown man to slip inside. Grabbing the flashlight on his belt, Ian aimed it down the hole and took a look. There was little to see, but danger rarely presented itself openly in the light.
“You two, wait out here. I will take a look and come back within five minutes. If you spot any activity outside or hear anything inside the cave, call in reinforcements and get out of here.”
Once Ian slipped inside the hole, he looked around, shining his flashlight in all directions. There was a passageway directly ahead. To his sides and rear was solid rock. He then looked up and received the tank holding the pressurized fuel for the flame thrower.
Putting on the thirty-five pou
nd tank, he tested it with a one second burst. Having a modern electrical ignition system instead of a pilot light would normally give the advantage of stealth, but Ian would have preferred the constant natural light and tiny heat a pilot light would give—just in case a Nephloc was nearby.
“Sam,” he whispered into his microphone. “Anything?”
“Just a second,” came Sam’s reply. “No. You are still clear.”
“Roger that. Keep monitoring and let me know the moment you sense something,” Ian said in a whisper.
“Will do.”
Ian turned off his flashlight and snapped it to a hook on his utility belt. He brought down the night vision goggles from the top of his head. He held the nozzle of the flamethrower forward as he took a step into the now visible black. All he needed was confirmation of Nephloc presence. If this was indeed a training area, once all the world’s Temporal arrived, they could return from a position of strength and surprise.
The goggles worked well near the outside hole, but as he progressed, the ambient light from the opening behind him wasn’t enough for the goggles to penetrate the darkness ahead of him. Pressing a button on the side of the goggles, Ian turned on the infrared illuminator, a kind of flashlight that the naked eye can’t see, but the goggles can and use.
He stopped momentarily as his ears picked up some sound. His heart slowed; it was just a constant drip echoing from some unknown water source.
He continued forward for a few moments until he heard Sam’s voice in his ear.
“I sense something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. It is masked or distorted somehow. I can’t tell if it is friend of foe, but it appears to be only one signature. Whatever it is, it is directly in front of you. Ma…e a hun…d f...ahead.”
“Sam,” Ian whispered with his head turned to reduce the possibility of his voice carrying forward to the unknown thing ahead of him. “You are breaking up.”
Ian’s earpiece blasted loud pulses of static into his ear. After a few of those, he grabbed the earpiece and stuffed it into his pocket. He had lost contact, but at least he had been warned.