AEGIS EVOLUTION

by S. S. Segran

  “I am not trigger hap—okay, yes I am. But right now, as much as I like being out of the Sanctuary and mining operations, I’m tired of playing catch-up with these brats. And I really want to test out our new toys.”

  “Patience, Elias. We know they’re getting close. The redhead’s the only one we really need. He’s somehow got the nose for tracking the seeds. We can’t jump the gun and risk screwing this up. Just have to wait till nightfall.”

  A discontented rumble came from deep within Hajjar’s throat. “It’s like we’re stuck in a variation of cat-and-mouse and I hate it.”

  “Da. And this cat is hungry for a win.”

  Hajjar turned around on his stool to survey the modest space with warm lighting and glossy floors. “Is the little salamander on the move?”

  “Jesus, Elias! I don’t really care for Tony, but you need to stop name-calling. We can’t keep egging each other on like this. And I should add that he can fight a lot better than you.”

  “That remains to be seen.”

  “He broke your arm at a company gala when he first joined!”

  “I was drunk. Doesn’t count.”

  “You’re ridiculous.” Ajajdif proffered a meager smile. “But, yes, Tony’s in place.”

  “Is he going after them, then?”

  Ajajdif shrugged. “I’m not being told much, but if he is, it would be the perfect leverage against the kids. My concern right now is for us. There are only so many times you want to get in the Boss’s bad books.”

  “That’s true.” Hajjar swiped Ajajdif’s drink away and slid it to the far side of the counter. “How about we get you a proper breakfast, sir?”

  As the giant guided Ajajdif toward the tables, Tegan backed the dragonfly away from the lip of the rafter. Not good. Not good at all.

  She suddenly screamed, though without her physical body no sound was emitted. She’d been so focused on the discussion below that despite having excellent wraparound vision, she’d failed to notice a gecko creeping up behind her. Just as it made a leap for the dragonfly, Tegan propelled the winged creature into flight.

  I nearly got you killed, little guy! I think you’re better off escaping geckos on your own.

  She disengaged the mind-link and returned to her shared room in the Momella Wildlife Lodge, inhaling sharply. Dominique and Mariah sat cross-legged on the bed on either side of her while Marshall and the boys gathered around.

  “They’ve got three mercenaries currently with them and more ready to move in from who knows where, plus two choppers and a plane ready,” Tegan said, sitting straighter. “They’ve been waiting for us to find the seeds, but because we’re so close now, they’re preparing to make a move tonight. And if I heard right, they plan to, uh… eliminate… Domi and Marshall, then capture the rest of us and put Aari on a leash until he brings them to the seeds.”

  The Sentries cocked their brows at each other.

  “That’s just great.” Mariah rubbed her eyes wearily. “How do they know about the Tree of Life?”

  “Maybe Reyor knew about it,” Kody said. “Then again, the fact that they seem to know where we are at all times kinda points to the fact that there’s a snitch somewhere along the grapevine. I don’t care what the Elders say about their confrontation with him, my money’s on Hutar.”

  “I wouldn’t be so quick to discount the Elders like that,” Dominique warned.

  Tegan lifted a finger, stopping their discussion. “There might be another problem.” All attention turned to her. “Tony’s back on the field.”

  Marshall prickled. “Son of a—”

  “I’m not sure what exactly he’s doing, but from what I heard…” She addressed the other teenagers directly. “What’s our biggest weakness right now? What would get us to willingly turn ourselves in to the bad guys if they had this one thing over our heads?”

  Mariah blanched. “Our families.”

  “Exactly.”

  “There are two Sentries with them right now,” Aari said, picking fitfully at his nails. “And Victor and Gareth should be there in a matter of hours. And—”

  “I’ll warn all four of them to be on alert.” Marshall’s initial sweep of anger had thinned a little. “There’s nothing else we can do as it is. But we do need to figure out how to find the seeds without Reyor’s men following us. Before nightfall.”

  “I’ll walk around the area to see if I can find another emotional geo-marker,” Aari said. “Since the ancient village was located here, I’ll bet the lodge grounds are chock-full of them.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Dominique offered.

  “You two get on that,” Tegan said. “The rest of us will find a way to get out of here.”

  She saw Kody peering out of the window, the side of his head resting on his shoulder. “Kody?”

  The other teenager didn’t turn to her. “I thought I wasn’t able to hear the men at the other resort last night because they were too far away.” His throat worked. “But I just tried again, and… my range has decreased since then. Significantly.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I think the virus has started to take effect.”

  * * *

  “Are you alright, Aari?”

  Aari strode between the numerous bandas, one of Lucius’s letters in both hands, feeling the historical weight of the lodge grounds with every footfall. Dominique kept pace with him, having to shorten the steps of her longer legs to match his gait.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “Just peachy. One of my best friends is dying, our families are most likely in danger, we’re being tailed by nutjobs who get orders from a bigger nutjob bent on destroying humanity… Yeah, life’s fan-freakin’-tastic.”

  The laughter that escaped Dominique surprised him. “I’ve never understood these snide answers the youth of today seem so fond of,” she said. “A straight ‘no’ would suffice, I think.”

  “It might be our defense mechanism when things aren’t going well.”

  A silence hung between them. Aari felt guilt poking at him like a cattle prod. “I’m sorry, Domi. I know you’re just trying to be here for us.”

  “It’s alright. I get it.”

  As they traversed over the pale green grass, he said, “So... you know Marshall well?”

  The Sentry relaxed. “Well enough. He and my cousin used to work closely in the States. She introduced us when I was visiting her about ten years ago. I look up to him as a brother, but I think she might have seen him in a different light. He was completely oblivious, though. He usually is.” A soft smile graced her face. “He was a good friend to Gwen when I couldn’t be around, which was often, as my home base is Africa. For that, I am forever thankful.”

  The name sounded an alarm in Aari’s head. “Gwen?” he repeated. “She—”

  Dominique met his eyes, delicate understanding in her own. “Yes.”

  Aari didn’t know what to say. Gwen gave her life trying to save Tegan and Mariah when they were kidnapped. And now I’m talking to her cousin and no one thought to mention a word about this? I get that relationships aren’t relevant given what the world’s going through right now, but… Gwen died. For us. And we never even got to meet her.

  Before Aari could push out a flimsy condolence, a flash erupted behind his eyes.

  His last memory of the tribe who’d taken Lucius and Carmel in was of diseased villagers lying on the ground, dying or in pain. Now they danced around a fire pit bigger than anything he’d ever seen. They hollered into the night, sang at the top of their lungs and feasted like there was no tomorrow.

  Lucius’s sight fell upon the radiant woman swaying around the glowing flames with the others, her blonde hair in a braid that encircled her head like a crown. Her laughter echoed above the other voices, and Aari couldn’t stop a wave of strong emotion that tugged at every fiber of his being nor the bliss that fueled the beating of his heart.

  Is this what love feels like? Aari thought, bewildered. Jeez, how can people stand being this happy
all the time? I feel like I’m gonna explode!

  Carmel caught Lucius’s gaze and skipped over. Despite his weak protests, she pulled him closer to the fire and they danced in the flickering light, the heat pressing against their bodies.

  Lucius leaned in to catch her lips between his but a sudden prodding made him look down. A little boy with a big afro—Aari recognized him as the one Carmel had been playing a game of twigs with from an earlier memory—beamed up at the two of them.

  Lucius scooped the boy up and nuzzled him. The boy proudly turned his head and pushed the top of his ear forward, displaying a fresh tattoo of three small triangles behind it, then pointed at an old, hunched-over woman with a toothless smile on the opposite side of the fire giving similar tattoos to others. Lucius nodded, approving. “Looks good!”

  The boy held the Roman’s face between his hands, squirming happily. Lucius spun around several times, eliciting dizzied giggles from the child when he put him down. As the boy worked on regaining his bearings, Lucius drew Carmel to him.

  “That tree,” she breathed, “saved so many lives. I know you still have questions about my possession of it, and I am sorry that I don’t have the answers, but that tree was a blessing and because of it, our tribe has flourished. Look at what we’ve been able to do, Lucius. People near and far know of us and trust us enough to heal them.”

  Lucius pushed her hair away from her face. “I will not deny that. But we both have seen the envy and greed in the eyes of some of the other tribe leaders when they look at the tree.”

  “Sometimes those who are driven to make things better are required to take the risk of trusting others. I have faith, Lucius. You should, too.”

  “As you wish,” Lucius said, and added teasingly, “I suppose it would be unwise of me to disobey the command of someone viewed as a legendary healer by the people.”

  “Oh, stop it.”

  Lucius grinned and pulled her close. As they swayed together, a flicker of something gray emerged from the forest around the village. A herd of elephants had convened at the fringes, watching the humans serenely.

  The grin Lucius wore grew wider. “The newest additions to our family are here.”

  Carmel looked behind her and lit up when she saw the herd. “They grow more trusting every day. But this connection they have with the tribe is just in its infancy. Over time, the bond will grow stronger.”

  “Again, this is because of you. You seem to have a magical effect not just on people, but all of nature. The same way you have an effect on me.”

  She blushed fiercely as he moved closer. He held a hand to her cheek. “Carmel, I—”

  Manic shrieks erupted from the trees. Dark shapes burst through the trees, wielding spears and arrows and knives. Screams ravaged Lucius’s ears as one by one the tribespeople fell, weapons protruding from their bodies. The elephants trumpeted hysterically, galloping into the forest, but one, the matriarch, remained to help fight off the intruders. Men and women ran for safety while others stayed to fend off the attackers.

  Carmel dove into action, hurling the invaders back. Lucius frantically scanned the horde and almost yelled when he saw the little boy—his little boy—being trampled in the commotion. Like an ox on a rampage he fought his way through the masses and flung himself onto the child, using his body as a shield. A foot stomped on his back and another on his calf. He cried out but refused to move. The boy under him trembled, clutching the Roman tightly.

  Aari gasped and stumbled back a step. He could feel Lucius’s phantom pains on his lower back and his leg. Before Dominique could ask what he’d seen, he marched off in search of another geo-marker, weaving between cottages and bandas, working toward the reception building. The woman who’d checked them into their rooms watched him keenly from where she swept the entrance, her face unreadable.

  As Aari made a turn to the back of the building, another flash yanked him away from the present. If it could, a bellow would have ripped from his throat at the sight that met him.

  Lucius cradled Carmel in his arms. An arrow punctured her chest and the wound stained her clothes. Her eyes glistened as she looked up at him, her uneven breaths coming out in quiet whimpers.

  “Two weeks,” Lucius said, over and over. “Two weeks. We survived two weeks of warring over that damned tree. You will not stop now.”

  “I am sorry,” she rasped. “I should have seen the archer.”

  “Shh, shh. The tree. Its sap. It can help you. It can—”

  “The tree only cures the sick, Lucius. It does not heal a mortal wound.”

  “There has to be something. I’ll—”

  “Lucius. Listen to me. Listen!” She coughed and blood dripped from her mouth. “I can… I can remember now. The tree…”

  “Shh, don’t talk.” He wiped the tears that slid down her cheeks. “Just hold on. I’ll get the medicine man.”

  “My memory is returning, Lucius.” She coughed again. “I need you to listen.”

  He tried to sound gentle, strong, but his chest was clogged with suppressed emotion. “Carmel—”

  “No. Lucius… the tree. It is not a blessing. It is a curse. The people are not ready for it. You must destroy it. Burn that tree down. Plant no more. The seeds must be safeguarded.” She stopped, wheezing for air; the sound grated in Lucius’s ears and made Aari want to curl into himself.

  “When humankind is ready,” she managed to whisper, “the right people will come for it.”

  “Don’t. Don’t speak like that. If you want me to burn the tree, I will do it. But you have to be with me.”

  Carmel weakly rested her hand on his jaw. “I haven’t much energy left, my love.”

  With trembling lips, Lucius placed a long kiss on her forehead, shaking as he fought back the looming swell of grief.

  “Burn the tree, Lucius,” Carmel murmured, her words losing coherence. “Not just because… greed. It must not be planted… by… by anyone else.”

  Aari felt it.

  He felt the moment her life left her body.

  Lucius didn’t need to look down to know she was gone. He held her limp form tightly against him, rocking back and forth, sobs racking him.

  Having driven away the invaders, the surviving tribespeople surrounded him and knelt. They touched their brows to the ground, then threw their heads back and wailed to the heavens.

  Aari snapped back to the present. He was on his hands and knees in the dirt, weeping. The letter, Asa’s precious artifact, had fallen from his grasp and was speckled with soil but he didn’t care. His heart ached in a way he’d never felt before, a twisting, guttural sensation that hurt as it beat in the confines of his ribs, making him nauseous. He angrily wiped the tears away.

  A warm hand cupped his chin. Dominique, crouched beside him, turned his head toward her. The concern she wore made him feel foolish but his emotions were out of his control.

  “I don’t know what’s happening,” he stuttered. “I… I’m feeling everything he’s feeling.”

  “Are there any more memories here?” she asked gently.

  He shook his head, unable to bring himself to speak again.

  “Then let’s go back.”

  53

  The cottage door banged open and Aari staggered in, disappearing into the guys’ bedroom. Dominique followed, closing the door quietly. Kody, sitting with the others around a table, asked, “Um, is he okay?”

  “He’s shaken,” Dominique said, joining the group. “He saw Carmel die, and everything Lucius felt, he felt. I’ve never witnessed anything like it. This new ability of his… it is a gift, but a gift that I fear may take a toll if an emotional incident is too harrowing.”

  As she gave them a rundown of what had happened, Kody pulled the brim of his baseball cap low over his face and mulled. So Aari’s felt what it’s like to kill a man and what it’s like to watch a loved one die in his arms… That’s cruel.

  Aari emerged from the room, seemingly more in control of himself. Kody passed him a cup of w
ater and an apple; the other boy took them half-heartedly.

  “So much happened here,” Mariah said once Dominique had finished. “Did you manage to get a flash forward to the next marker, Aari?”

  “It came as we were walking back.” Aari’s sounded hollow, tired. “Lucius was laying a slab of stone on Carmel’s grave, and he spoke with the village’s medicine man afterward. The tribe had wanted to build a monument in honor of Carmel for the lives she saved, but Lucius didn’t think it would be appropriate. He wanted her to have a quiet, unmarked resting place. He found a spot by a stream near the foot of Mount Meru, the same place where the tribe first found her and Lucius when the leopards attacked them.”

  “That’s still a pretty wide search grid,” Marshall said.

  “And who’s to say the stone is still there?” Kody added.

  Aari bit the rim of his cup. “It’s all we have to go on. Oh, and there was this massive hunk of granite behind her grave; its shape matched the mountain’s outline, like someone had carved it that way. That’s a good landmark.”

  “It’s something,” Tegan agreed. “What did the stone slab look like?”

  “It was the size of a pillow and had tribal markings on it. Carmel’s name was etched in Hebrew at the center.”

  Dominique retrieved two bags from their rooms and pulled Aari’s laptop from one and her portable satellite modem from the other. Together she and Aari set up the devices.

  “Okay.” Aari turned the laptop so it faced the group. “Here’s a satellite image of Meru. All we need to do is find streams or dry riverbeds and follow them to where the grave should be.”

  Kody swept the screen. “I see lines winding through the greenery, so those are probably streams, but there are quite a few of them.”

  “We’re just looking for the ones on the western side of Meru,” Aari said, “where the ash cone is. That’s what I saw in Lucius’s memory.”

  “In that case, I’ve found three—here, here, and here.”

  “We’ll split up, then,” Tegan said. She looked at each member of the group and Kody noticed her eyes lingered on him a little longer than the others. He could see her deciding who best to pair him with. I may be weakening, he thought, feeling a touch of frustration, but I don’t need to be coddled, Teegs. You better not put me with a Sentry.