Next thing she knew, Christine was hugging her father, hugging him tightly, and for a few seconds it was just the two of them, reunited the way they’d never been, the way they should have been, and everything was all right. She cried on his shoulder and he told her everything would be all right, and she accepted the lie because it was his lie to tell.
“Okay,” Christine said after a while, stepping away and wiping her eyes. “This isn’t just a family reunion, is it? Because out there in the real world I’m in deep doo-doo.”
“I know,” Dad said. “In fact, that’s the reason I was able to reach you. Your defenses make it almost impossible for anybody to communicate with you, but they are at their lowest ebb right now.”
“The First managed to do it just fine, though. Messed with my head, almost got me killed, and now sold me out to the bad guys.”
“The First was able to do that through your link to the Source, and as soon as you fought him back you shut off the connection. When the disruptors wear off, your defenses will come back online and I won’t be able to speak with you. We have some time, though.”
“Time enough to tell me what happened at your island?”
“Mr. Night and I fought to a draw. We destroyed each other, more or less. I fragmented. One piece is trying to reconstitute itself. I don’t know where the Tainted fragment went, but I fear it’s still around. This piece sought you out. I’ve been following you for a while now, hoping for a chance to speak with you.”
“Following me for a while? For how long? Have you been playing Peeping Tom on me and Mark, Dad? Oh, God, that’s so messed up!”
“It doesn’t work like that, Christine. I don’t see things the way a living being does. I have seen you experience joy and sorrow, pain and love. But I’ve been spared any gory or embarrassing details. Which I’m sure is for the best, for everyone concerned.”
Phew.
“So, tell me about this Mark fellow,” he continued. I met him briefly, yes, but I wasn’t in a good state of mind at the time.”
First real father-daughter talk, and that was the subject matter? Yikes. “He’s a good guy. He really loves me.” And right about now he’s probably fighting the entire Ukrainian Army. Unless he’s already lost. Unless he’s already dead. No, she wasn’t going to think about that. “And I love him. Weird, since I’ve only known him for like a week, but I do.”
“That’s good, I think. I’m glad you found someone.”
“Do you know if he’s okay? Do you know what’s going on outside my head?”
“You and Mark were captured and are being taken somewhere within the Dominion. That is all I can tell from my perspective.”
That didn’t sound very good at all, but at least he was alive. “How about Father Alex?”
Dad’s smile was gone. He shook his head.
Christine closed her eyes tightly but a tear still squeezed out and ran down her face. Mark had been afraid that would happen. First Cassandra, and now this.
She felt her father’s hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Christine.”
“He was a good man. Mark’s going to be devastated.”
“And you’ll help him when you can. For now, you have more pressing worries.”
“Sure, like worrying about what the Ukrainians are planning to do with us.”
“With you, mostly. You know they want to use you to take control over the Source.”
“The First told me they will fail. They’ll only manage to kill me while trying to do it.” She was pretty sure she wouldn’t survive if they succeeded, either.
“The First doesn’t know half as much as he thinks he does. His connection with the Source warped and diminished him.”
“You’ve met him?”
“In a manner of speaking, mostly through visions. I know what he became after the Source came into this world. In any case, when you are trying to divine the actions of beings of your power level, it’s almost impossible to see clearly: even a tiny change in mood, a slightly delayed action or even a random thought can lead to vastly different outcomes. That’s why he sent you to an alternate time, to try to get a look at the most likely future. But even that future is one possibility. It’s probable, but not inevitable.”
“Nice. So maybe things are going to be more like Terminator II than Terminator III. But there are no guarantees, are there? I could die in the next few days.” Or be tortured. These were the evil, horrible people, and they had her now. Their minions had already tortured Kestrel. After everything, after all the fighting and running, they had her now. Christine fought off a surge of panic. Come on, don’t punk out, she told herself. She could handle this. Maybe.
“Yes. But defeat is only a certainty if you give up. You have enormous power, Christine,” Dad said. “The Iron Tsar has captured you, but he’s riding a tiger. If he makes one mistake, you can turn the tables on him.”
And if he doesn’t, I’m effed.
“Use your wits, Christine. They are as likely to trick you as to beat you into submission. They will also try to take the Codex from you; they can’t, not unless you willingly give it to them, or they kill you.”
“They can’t just take it from me?”
“No. I gave it to you, and it cannot be used by anyone else until you pass it on. You might be able to access it even while imprisoned.”
“Might? I could use something definite right now, Dad.”
“I was never able to do much with it. I learned a few Words, and I don’t know the Codex’s full capabilities. You will be able to do a lot more. Bide your time until you see a chance. Be strong.”
“You almost make it sound easy.”
His expression became grim. “It won’t be.” He looked down as he went on. “I will never be able to apologize enough for what I did to you. If things had gone as I planned, you’d never have been in this situation, but you’d still have faced danger and been forced to make terrible choices. I was trying to save the world, but you didn’t deserve any of this. I am truly sorry, Christine.”
What could she say to that? I forgive you, Dad? She could say it, but it would be a lie. Her life had been ruined, she had been dragged into a war without her knowledge, let alone her consent, and now she was in the hands of some truly terrible people. No; she might understand why he’d done all of this, but she couldn’t forgive him. “I guess it could have been worse, Dad,” she finally said. Kinda lame, but kinda lame was the best she could come up with.
“I love you Christine. Be strong,” he said, and popped out of existence like a punctured balloon. Christine looked at the spot where he’d been even as the dream room began to dissolve away into nothingness.
Time to wake up and return to the real world.
Be strong.
I’ll try, Dad.
She opened her eyes.
Epilogue
The Genocide
Star System 9183, Milky Way Galaxy
THE INTRUDER IS FOUND.
The entity named Cassius-Jones had given it a name: the Genocide. That had been accurate enough that it had adopted the title as its own.
I HAVE FOUND YOU, CASSIUS-JONES.
Tracking a single being through the vastness of space should have been impossible, but one of the first lessons learned by those who attained mastery over the Power was that distance was a variable, not a fixed concept. All of spacetime had once been contained within a point smaller than a hydrogen atom: those with enough energy at their disposal could momentarily fold parts of space into something approaching that compressed state. The Genocide had the energy and – barely – enough time to focus its will to the task at hand.
Time – another variable, but one far harder to alter – was running out. The Taint Cassius-Jones had released was growing within its soul. The darkness would eventually corrode away its mind and volition, replacing them with the unceasing urge to destroy. The irony that the Taint would merely extend its hatred to include all of Creation instead of merely most of it was not lost to the Genoci
de. After all its sacrifices, it would soon become the thing it had fought. None of that mattered; oblivion would resolve everything.
Eventually, the incongruent energies – the Power and the Taint – would reach a critical stage and the Genocide would be destroyed in the ensuing conflagration. Long before that happened, however, it would reach its target and unleash untold destruction upon it. Whether that destruction was directed by its own will or by Taint-induced madness was irrelevant. The end result would be the same.
I AM COMING.
The mental message would precede its arrival to the world it sought, but only by a brief interval, no more than a few rotational cycles. Cassius-Jones would have just enough time to choose between fleeing and attempting to protect his world. Either choice would suit its purposes; either choice would be equally futile. A phrase the Genocide had plucked from the mind of its quarry seemed particularly appropriate for the circumstances; it trumpeted the words to the skies as it set off in its final journey.
NOW I AM BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS.
THE END
To Be Concluded in The Apocalypse Dance
Table of Contents
Prologue The Lurker’s Tale
Chapter One Christine Dark
Chapter Two The Invincible Man
Chapter Three The Freedom Legion
Chapter Four Hunters and Hunted
Chapter Five Christine Dark
Chapter Six The Invincible Man
Chapter Seven The Invincible Man
Chapter Eight The Freedom Legion
Chapter Nine Janus
Chapter Ten Christine Dark
Chapter Eleven The Twisted Twosome
Chapter Twelve Christine Dark
Chapter Thirteen Christine Dark
Chapter Fourteen Christine Dark
Chapter Fifteen Hunters and Hunted
Chapter Sixteen Face-Off
Chapter Seventeen The Twisted Twosome
Chapter Eighteen Face-Off
Chapter Nineteen The Twisted Twosome
Face-Off
Christine Dark
Epilogue
New Olympus Saga (Book 2): Doomsday Duet Page 38