by Unknown
“I don’t bleed.” He pulled his arm from her grasp and stormed up the steps of the deck. He slammed the door behind himself as he entered the house.
“Whatever.” Emma snatched the cigarettes off the ground and placed one between her lips. She attempted to light it but sighed when remembering the lighter was empty. The stress was getting to her, and only the soothing calm of nicotine could work out the jitters. A few footsteps walked to the edge of the deck and a stainless steel lighter landed on the grass in front of her. She smiled, finding Oreios’ charm held a certain je ne sais quoi. She shook that thought from her mind and lit the cigarette.
None of that, she thought.
Chapter 9
Jonas wheeled through the downtown headquarters of Scotland Yard, moving behind a few of his former colleagues. To his left, on the far end of the room separated by numerous cubicles, Chief Inspector Charles yelled belligerently at a few of his direct reports. He and Jonas made brief eye contact.
“I’m not sure how much time you’ll have,” Jonas’ buddy Frederic, said. Jonas looked up, nodding. Frederic whispered, “She’s still in shock. She has requested to stay here and not go home.”
“I can imagine.” Jonas nodded, reaching for the doorknob.
“You think they’re going to wipe us off the planet?” Frederic grabbed Jonas’ hand, squeezing.
“Not sure I know what you mean.”
“The aliens.” Frederic looked around and then leaned forward. “I’m sorry to say this, but I used to think you were crazy. I just couldn’t believe a monster could just shapeshift and stab you. You think maybe your monsters and those aliens, they’re like partners? Maybe one and the same?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Jonas nodded, patting Frederic on the shoulder. “Three years is a long time to plan something and then show up only once. It’s not like they were successful in their take down of Moscow.”
“You can’t really believe the Russians stopped them.”
“That’s what they’re saying.” Jonas opened the door. “If you’d excuse me, I’d like to speak with her in private.”
“Of course.” Frederic nodded.
Jonas moved into the room and rolled up to the table. Across from him was Sheila Bonnfield. She was frazzled, rocking back and forth as she bit her nails. Her hair was frizzy and standing on end. She looked at Jonas, eyes wide and extremely quiet.
“I’m just a consultant,” Jonas said, laying a folder with some papers on the table. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. Can I get you something to drink? Water, perhaps?”
“No,” she snapped back in a panic. Her voice softened. “No water. Please.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare or offend you.”
“They beamed down from their spaceship in the water.” She leaned forward, whispering. Her speech was quick and slightly slurred. She kept both hands folded in front of her mouth. “They don’t believe me. But I know. I’ve seen things, and not just what I saw a few days ago. Lots of things. I’d tell you, but I’ve signed non-disclosure agreements.”
“How long have you worked in London?”
“You know that.” Her eyes were locked on the table, scanning the surface at random. “I used to work in the States. I came here after.”
“For a private genetics firm.” Jonas nodded. “What did they need with a metallurgist?”
“Non-disclosure agreements,” she whispered, looking up in the corner of the room at the camera.
Jonas turned around and looked up at it. He grabbed the empty chair in the room, rolled backward, and swiped the wires out of the camera.
“No one can hear or see us now.” He put the chair down and moved back to the table. “You said you’ve seen things. You’ve seen aliens before?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head.
“Look, it’s just you and me...”
“I mean I don’t know what I really saw. We were never told much. This much I do know; the artifact Dr. Nambitu tried to kill me for a few days ago… I’ve seen stuff like it before.”
“Did these aliens bring it to you?”
“No.” She giggled, snorting. “I was analyzing it for the genetics firm in America. It wasn’t exactly the same as the sample we had then. That was much, much bigger. It was all covered in dirt and melted rock. Gold, iron, and many others. It was like it was sitting in a vat of molten earth core for a millennia. You do understand how hot that stuff has to be to melt together like that, right? And how far down and old for it to be together?”
“No idea.”
“Very old. Very hot,” she replied, staring at him and not blinking. “The minerals that we scraped off—the ones from the periodic table; the ones they actually teach you about in school—they were all perfectly melded together. But underneath it, much harder, denser, and smoother, was the thing we couldn’t find on the periodic table. It wasn’t mixed with any of it. Almost as if everything else hardened around it. You tell me what that’s all about.”
“I don’t know. What?”
“Aliens.”
“Aliens?” He turned his head. He understood how she came up with her conclusion, but remained silent.
“Yes.” She nodded. “What kind of element is that far in the earth, intertwined with stuff we know about, but isn’t something we’ve come across yet?”
“The kind of stuff put there by aliens.”
“Exactly.”
“So what is this element?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “We just had to find out all we could about it. Electric currents didn’t travel through it. Heat didn’t warm it. Sound waves were absorbed into it. That’s when we found it was responsive to certain signals—radio waves—like it was communicating with a mothership. When we manipulated the radio waves, sometimes it would respond and send a signal back. I think the metal was alive.”
“The metal was alive?” Jonas scribbled some notes and then looked up at Sheila. Her arms were crossed. He put the pen down, nodding. “I believe you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do.” He nodded. “This new artifact… was it alive?”
“Yes. When I heard it had been found I sought out Dr. Nambitu. I had to be the first to analyze it. I needed to test my theory.”
“Which was?”
“The metal reflects emotions sent out by very specific frequencies. Like strumming a single note on a guitar, but the harder, softer, or more frantic you play the note gives it a different meaning. When we went to test the theory for the genetics company, they shut us down. We were certain that the right frequency would convince the metal to be more accepting of us drilling into it.”
“You think the metal needed to be convinced to let you poke a hole in it and it would have listened?”
“Did you see the pile left behind in my lab?” she asked. Jonas nodded and she continued talking. “It wasn’t a big pile when I got it. The aliens opened it. They knew how to talk to it.”
“What was inside?”
“A diamond,” she replied.
“You think they all have diamonds in them?” He leaned across the table. “What about the big one you worked on a long time ago? That’d be some massive diamond.”
“I think that was their spaceship or a pod to carry them around in. I bet they planted themselves all over the earth ages ago and are waiting to come out and pounce on us. Like in that movie with Tom Cruise where he’s running all over with his kids. This thing in Moscow, it was just the beginning.”
“Why do you think it had a person in it?”
“Not a person. An alien,” she replied. “What does a multi-billion dollar genetics company need with a large diamond?”
“It’d be a damn big one.”
“They shut us down when we found a way inside. They were hell-bent on getting their genetic-manipulating fingers on the DNA of that alien. That’s what they wanted. Alien DNA to cure diseases. That’s why the government shut them down and they a
ll went to work for Washington. They found out aliens were real.”
“What would the U.S. government want with aliens?”
“Roswell? Think about it. It’s all connected. It makes sense. That’s why the news isn’t talking about this. The Brits are so far up the Americans’ asses, they’ll keep it quiet to keep the news of the aliens hush-hush.”
“The world knows now.” Jonas shook his head. “They saw what happened in Moscow.”
“You ever think why Moscow?”
“No.”
“Because they’re building up the fight again. Taking lands left and right and the world is letting them have the second appeasement. The Americans and Brits have an alliance with the aliens. They sent the aliens to attack. To do their dirty work before another metaphorical Poland was invaded.”
“Jonas.” Frederic leaned his head into the room, knocking as he did so. “I’m afraid your time is up.”
“Who said you could disable the feed?” Chief Inspector Ionne Charles pushed past Frederic. He pointed at Jonas’ friend. “I’m putting you on leave.”
“But, sir.” Frederic put his right hand over his chest.
“And you.” Ionne turned around and looked at Jonas. “You’ve got no right to be here. Understand? I should have you arrested for conspiracy—”
“—Conspiring to do what?” Jonas yelled back, clenching his fists. “You guys asked me for my help. Not the other way around. I need access to the witness.”
“You disabled the feed.” Ionne pointed at the camera. “A clear violation of our policies.”
“You’re right. Your policy. Not mine.” Jonas scooped up his paperwork and looked at Sheila. “Thank you for your time.”
“Everything stays between us?” she asked.
“Yes.” Jonas nodded.
“Like hell it does.” Ionne grabbed for Jonas’ work.
“Check my agreement again.” Jonas smiled, stuffing the papers into his briefcase. He pushed Ionne aside and wheeled out of the room.
“Come back here right this instance.” Ionne followed Jonas out of the room. When he turned the corner, he saw Athos and his fellow Ourea standing around.
“Stick it up your arse.” Jonas raised his middle finger in the air as he continued to wheel out of the room, unaware of the growing situation. He reached the elevator, pushing the button, and the lights all went out. “Damn it. Of course the power goes out.”
The building shook and sections of drywall and plaster fell to the floor. Jonas was thrown out of his chair. He looked up to see three men and two women, glowing. One was on fire, another consumed with electricity. A third seemed to be transparent.
“The Giver of Day will destroy you for your betrayal.” Ionne looked at Athos as the two got close to one another. “There is no going back now.”
“I know,” Athos smiled. His hand turned into water and he shoved it down Ionne’s throat. The chief inspector’s lungs filled with water as the stream came bubbling back up from his nose. Athos turned to his siblings, nodding. The Ourea began slaughtering all those in their sight. “We’re sending Ra a message. We’re not afraid.”
“No, leave me alone,” Sheila screamed, turning the table over and hiding behind it.
“Stop there.” Frederic swung a chair at Athos, but the Ourea turned into liquid form and the chair passed right through him.
Athos drove a right hook into Frederic’s face, smashing the cheekbone. He then followed with a left jab, sending a water spear protruding out the back of Frederic’s head with incredible force and pressure. Athos looked down at Sheila, smiling.
“Are you going to take me into your spaceship?” she asked, shaking.
“Sure,” Athos laughed. He smacked Sheila up aside the head, knocking her out. He slung her over his shoulder and walked back out into the main room which was completely destroyed. “Helikon. Open the rift.”
Jonas poked his head from behind a wall, looking at the Elemental Knights. Counting four of them, he snapped back before being seen. It was too late as Nysos, the Ourea of fire, snatched him up.
“Almost forgot one,” Nysos yelled, her dirty blonde hair cut off just above the browline. She looked over to Athos. “He’s cute. Are we taking prisoners now?”
“Just one,” Athos replied.
“Shame.” Nysos smiled, pulling Jonas close to smell his sweat. “Is that nerves I smell or are you just hot?”
Her body turned into flames, heating the air around Jonas several hundred degrees. The scorching air shot down his throat as he breathed in, burning his lungs. She threw him into the wall and he bounced off, rolling to a stop. His hair was all singed off and he could no longer feel his skin. He coughed up blood and his fingers became rigid as breathing was impossible.
His left eye was sealed shut. He watched the Ourea disappear in a flash of pink light as he tried to breathe. The pain was unbearable and the effort to try and fill his lungs with air was futile. His head curled back and his trembling hands slowly stopped shaking.
Chapter 10
Emma sat with her head resting on her hands. She couldn’t get the mutilated image of Jonas’ scorched face and body out of her mind. The briefcase she bought him several years ago sat charred between her feet.
“I caused this,” she mumbled, looking up at the wall. Her eyes followed the strings of yarn which sprouted up between numerous pages held in place with thumbnails. She convinced herself that the maddening way in which the graph seemed to be constructed was largely encouraged by her incessant need to prove she wasn’t crazy. In the end, she was once again left helpless as someone she cared about was murdered. It was that feeling of being useless that left her the most shaken.
I should’ve learned to move on. He would have followed, she thought
She was in Jonas’ home going through the research they had collected over the past three years. She was also there to clear out everything that his family may frown upon such as the illegally purchased firearms.
“Look at what my obsession made him do.” She pointed at the weapons. She stood up and grabbed one of his shirts, gripping it in her fists. “This was never him. I just had to solve that girl’s murder. In the end, hers meant the same as the rest of them; nothing.”
Maybe his family was right about me, she thought. He should have considered me crazy. I got him killed.
After all, he never really saw the Ourea who paralyzed him. Despite the protests of his family, she knew Jonas believed her and followed her lead to find Zari’s killer. Their mutilator.
“Emma, I know this is tough, but we need to move fast.” Harold put a hand on her shoulder. His eyes quickly scanned the room and then looked down the hallway. Several representatives from MI5 and MI6 stood frozen in place. “I can’t hold them forever. When more arrive, it’ll just get more difficult.”
“Weak.” Oreios rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen better freeze jobs performed by teenage girls.”
“Oh, really?” Harold shoved Oreios.
“Really.” Oreios smiled, nodding. “She could easily move armies. I suspect she will, one day.”
“Can you two please shut it?” Emma barked at them, pushing past them to walk down the hall.
“Madame Patricia...”
“Seriously, no one gets a brothel vibe from that name?” Oreios interrupted Harold.
“Anyway, she said to just get what you need and converge at the lounge.” Harold ignored Oreios.
“I’m done. I’m not going,” Emma replied from down the hall. “I’m stopping before I lose everything. My father still needs me. If they can do this to Jonas, what else are they capable of?”
Oreios walked into Jonas’ research closet and followed the strings around. He looked at evidence they had collected over the years. Their digging just so happen to include deep research on Ourea mythology.
“Would you look at this?” Oreios picked up some papers, pointing at a few faded lines. “This passage is about me. A little off, and they have the motives all wrong, but it�
�s definitely me. Very fascinating. What is all this?”
“Nothing fascinating about the religious killings of innocent girls.” Emma grabbed Oreios by the collar and slammed him into the wall. “None of this is funny, entertaining, or here for your general closure.”
“Jeez, I didn’t mean anything personal by it.” Oreios put his hands up.
“I already said you don’t know anything about me.” Emma scowled.
“Why are you sticking around?” Harold snarled toward Oreios.
“I have my reasons,” he replied.
“You said yourself you’re selfish beings.” Emma looked down at the mess of papers and scooped them all into a trash bag. “You need something. Perhaps it’s this.”
She held a picture of the starstone in his face. His eyes widened, grabbing hold of the picture.
“I knew it,” she said, snatching the photo back.
“I know what that is. That’s all.” Oreios looked her in the eyes, giving a sincere expression. “Tell me, what would an Ourea want with a starstone anyway? Each is only bound to their owner or like DNA. It would do them no good.”
“I don’t know.” Emma threw herself on a chair and leaned her head on the desk.
“Furthermore, we don’t take part in religious killings. So none of this makes any sense whatsoever. And out of all these murders you have here not a single one, other than the one that has you so fixated, has anything to do with the elements. You said yourself they’re multiplying their powers.”
Like a simple key that fits into its lock, the tumblers clicked and released a whole new question that would lead to a number of possibilities. The detective in her was hooked like a wolf is to the scent of meat and she couldn’t resist. She sat up, in every way graceful, except for the papers sticking to her cheek. She peeled them off and slammed them onto the desk with renewed vigor.
“And why are you just looking here in England?” Oreios asked. “We can go anywhere. We hate this shitty weather. Why not do it someplace tropical and with a less perceptive government?”
“England is beautiful,” Harold protested, puffing his chest up.