by BSmith
Flicking the cigarette he was finished smoking to the pavement, Tony tracked the approaching sedan’s movement as it came to a stop and Caesar climbed out.
Caesar was worked up. Ever since he received the order to return to Alcyone and finish off the triplets, he’d done nothing but think about what he was going to say to Vasco before he killed him, and how he was going to kill him. When he saw Tony, some of his excitement began to fade. He didn’t like DeMarco much, and hated having to report to him. “Joining me, sir?”
“Change of orders.”
Caesar’s steps came to an abrupt halt. “Excuse me?”
Tony’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he took a step closer to Caesar. “Change of fucking orders.”
Caesar reined himself in. DeMarco outranked him, and that meant everything in their world. “I’m listening. Sir.”
“Integrate and observe. Keep reporting back. Allow Kayla to keep handling Olivia and Amadeo as she sees fit. Keep the body count at zero, right now.” Tony lightly slapped Caesar’s cheek. “You’ll get your chance to kill ’em soon enough.”
Caesar wanted to growl in frustration, but called upon his patience. There was little else he could do. Orders were orders. “Yes, sir. What about the scientists?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of ’em.” Tony stepped aside. “Have a nice flight.” He watched the rigid line of Caesar’s back as Caesar walked up the staircase and disappeared inside the cabin of the plane.
Tony turned around. It was a lucky fucking thing for them that not all the Anunnaki were opposed to freeing humanity. He shook out another cigarette as he climbed into his SUV. Just as the engine turned over, a low growl from the backseat made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Lifting his eyes to the rearview mirror, Tony saw the hulking, ugly Igigi. Resembling the mythical gargoyles, Igigis were the Anunnaki’s personal messengers.
“You can’t find a better way to announce yourself?” Tony scolded. He hated talking to Igigis. They spoke telepathically, and the noise that invaded his mind was hoarse, and downright eerie.
The Igigi looked at Tony with its glowing red eyes. You are being bestowed with the highest honor. Report to the Holy See the day of the Summer Solstice.
Tony slowly nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be there.”
The Igigi didn’t linger for conversation. It pushed open the door to Tony’s car and took off into the early evening. Usually, Igigis moved so quickly that people rarely saw them. If people did, they quickly brushed the sighting off as nothing.
Tony leaned his head back against the headrest and lit up his cigarette. He was a 33rd degree Illuminati, one level below his brother. Most people believed that the degrees stopped at the 33rd, but they were wrong. Once the 33rd degree of Free Masonry ended, the Seeker then became Enlightened, Illuminated, an Illuminati. Not all 33rd Masons were accepted into the real brotherhood. It was the first level of real trust, and the only one Tony needed. For a decade, now, he’d run a black ops division of the NSA, usually right out of the Blue Moon Base. With this promotion, he’d be given the security clearance needed to get Simone into the underground bases, and Vasco into the Brotherhoods party the night of the solstice.
Tony took a hard drag off his cigarette and slowly frowned. It also meant something horrific was going to happen. By his hands.
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June 14, 2012 - 10:44 AM
Alexandria, VA
SVT Think Tank
Robert Terenzio carried his mother’s features, and his father’s love of science. He was the only one— an anomaly, really—that came from Liliana Terenzio’s bloodline and had turned to neither business nor weapons, but to academia. This was not to say he didn’t know how to use a gun. He was an excellent shot, thanks to his mother’s insistence that he learn. He also loved a good chess game. He just wasn’t the violent sort.
He was slightly overweight, but smart with his wardrobe. Going to the gym twice a week was only helping slightly, because like a good Italian, when it was meal time, it was meal time. He was of average height, with his father’s thick eyebrows, and dark brown hair. His eyes were also green, not gray—another anomaly. Regardless of his few differences, his mother was proud of him, which never failed to provide him with a little-boy-like delight, and Marcello had considered him an asset. Though Marcello had been closely involved in SVT Think Tank, Robert had often come up with the more ingenious security enhancements that had allowed SVT Securities to collect information more secretively and efficiently. Maybe he wasn’t that far off the marker, after all.
Six Omega Cadre trailed Robert as he entered the SVT Think Tank. They wore full combat gear, but for propriety’s sake had left their assault rifles in the SUV. Each carried dual .40 mm handguns at their waists, and the expression on every man’s face, and the one woman’s, was hard and alert. The Omega Cadre were not simply muscled idiots that were only useful when being told what to do. Omega General Tia Kahlo was a hardass, but intelligent. Stupidity on any level was unacceptable. If a soldier couldn’t think for him- or herself, they got voted off the island real quick.
That knowledge help put Robert’s safety concerns at ease, because two of the Cadre carried a thick, closed container. It contained a very powerful weapon that had been stolen, over a century ago, from the Brotherhood by Stefano’s sister, Liliana, at her brother’s request. The weapon had been built by Nikola Tesla himself, and in a briefcase handcuffed to Robert’s arm were the blueprints that the Terenzios needed to make more of them. For Robert, working on a design by Nikola Tesla was like writing a bestselling novel or winning the Super Bowl; amazing and damn near surreal. Considering how solid their team of scientists was, building five more was going to be a lot of fun.
§
Abe threw open the door to the accumulator, sweating. “Holy fucking shit.”
Shirley and Derek looked up from where they were monitoring Abe’s meditation session on the computers. “I’ve got to hear this,” Shirley said.
“What happened, Abe?”
“I don’t know.” Abe walked quickly over to the water cooler, and drained three paper cups before he could speak. “I felt… I felt this explosion. A surge of energy racing up my spine, and it exploded from the top of my head, and I could pretty much see it, but my eyes were closed.”
Shirley smiled reassuringly and walked over to him, rubbing his back comfortably. “Easy there, big fella.”
“Was it uncomfortable?” Derek asked, watching him closely.
“No.” Abe frowned. “I laughed at first, it felt so good. But then it just kept going, and I felt like I was going to float away or something. The energy just kept coming, and it finally freaked me out a little.” He turned back to the cooler and filled up the paper cup again, draining the water in a quick gulp.
“I think you just had a Kundalini activation,” Shirley said.
Derek grinned faintly. “That’s pretty funny that the skeptic out of the group gets one of those.”
Abe eyed Shirley. “What the hell is a Kundalini activation?”
“The medical symbol, the caduceus, is actually a representation of a Kundalini awakening. Kundalini energy is said to coil like a serpent at the base of the spine, and when awakened it spirals upwards, and merges with the crown chakra. Supposedly it’s a very powerful form of awakening,” Shirley said.
“Potentially dangerous, too, from the few things I just read, because the energy is so powerful. You’re going to want to meditate pretty frequently now, Abe,” Derek cautioned.
“I bet him being in the accumulator helped eased some of the physical symptoms.” Shirley looked at the machine, then back at Abe. “You’d probably be really freaking out right about now if not for the accumulator.”
Abe rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Great. I’ve officially lost it.”
Derek chuckled. “Or finally gotten it.”
“I’m jealous. I didn’t have a Kundalini activation when I went,” Shirley huffed.
Just then, the elevator doors din
ged opened. Robert and his Cadre came crowding into the lab. He smiled warmly and excitedly. “Geek squad.” It was his affectionate term for the three scientists. “Ready for the mother of all projects?”
“Does it come with a raise?” Shirley teased as she stepped forward to kiss Robert’s cheek.
“You bet we are.” Derek said, rubbing his hands together. Abe nodded at the group and got himself another cup of water.
“If you can build it, I’ll definitely consider it.” Robert directed the Cadre to set the container on one of the empty tables, and then put the briefcase, still chained to his wrist, next to it. It took Robert a few moments to get himself detached, and then pull out Tesla’s blueprints and spread them across an empty table.
Derek slid his glasses on, and Shirley and Abe stood next to him, looking down at the intricate drawings and instructions.
“What do you think?” Robert asked after a few minutes.
“This is amazing,” Shirley said, barely above a whisper.
“It can really do that?” Abe looked over at the container that was still closed, and then back at the blueprints.
Derek rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at Robert. “Once we get the nomenclature down, and with a working model to follow, this shouldn’t be too hard, actually.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” Robert smiled and took off his blazer. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter 8
“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”
-Victor Hugo
June 20, 2012 - 10:11 AM
Alcyone Island
Dion Corporation Board Room
Vasco stood in front of the long window that exposed a calm ocean from the 47th floor of the Dion Corporation building. It was time to shake things up, plant a few seeds, and pull back the curtain on a few motives. It was time to let the entire family know what direction it would be taking over the next six months.
“I like this first order of business. Dear Family, for a few decades, we’ve been secretly at war with this race of aliens that controls the world. We’re about to put the smack down. In or out.” Lucien sat to the right of Vasco’s chair, which was at the head of the table, and lit up a cigarette.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Amadeo’s and Olivia’s faces.” Simone’s dark gray eyes glittered with the hard edge of anticipation.
“Think Kayla will crack? I’m betting she doesn’t even blink,” Lucien said.
“I’m a lot more curious as to who they contact first,” Vasco said, turning away from the window. The three of them would have to tread carefully, but they had decided it would be impossible to move the family in the direction they needed to while they were under the cover of shadow. They didn’t have a lot of time, and things would move a lot faster if they could operate out in the open. The only reason they were not going to take Olivia, Amadeo and Kayla out of play was because doing so would lead to questions as to how they knew, and that might point a finger back at DeMarco. It was imperative that they keep their relations with that family secret, so DeMarco could continue to operate from the inside.
A light rap came on the conference room doors, before Caleb pushed one open and stepped inside. He walked up to the table and updated them without preamble. “We’ve run the preliminaries on what you’re looking at from your army, and it’s good. They’re not so loyal to Amadeo alone that you’ll lose all of them should it go that route. Half, at most. The air force is utterly loyal to Archer, Isabella and Christopher.”
Involuntarily, the faintest trace of a smile sneaked onto Simone’s mouth when Caleb came into the room. It faded away in the next breath, replaced by the more serious expression from the news he was feeding them. He was proving his worth a thousand times over, and she wondered where the hell she’d been that she hadn’t noticed what an asset he obviously had been to Grandfather. Plus she just generally liked him. “What about the Omega Cadre?”
Caleb looked over at Simone. “Yours without question.” There was double meaning in that sentence, but she wouldn’t know that. Yet.
“And Olivia’s sector of SVT Sec?” Vasco asked, moving to sit down.
“Trickier to quietly get information on. At this point, we have to assume that the agents she’s in direct contact with will follow her lead. The others will do as you say,” Caleb said.
“So, unless they bring in outside forces, if it goes down like that, they’re out numbered,” Lucien said blowing a thick cloud of smoke into the well ventilated air.
“Exactly.” Caleb looked over at Lucien, then spread his gaze between the three of them. “The Worthington twins, your best spies, will be split up. One on Olivia, the other on Amadeo.”
“We’re about to find out how good our spies really are,” Vasco said, sipping from his coffee mug. “Taps in place at Amadeo’s and Olivia’s houses?”
“They will be while they’re in this meeting. We’ve got to assume that they have their own people watching out. We’ve identified a few point guards, but I suspect there may be more. If everything goes as planned, they’ll be fully bugged by the time they walk out of here,” Caleb said.
“Which means something will go wrong and they’ll be halfway bugged, at most.” Vasco set his elbow on the arm of the chair and pressed his fingers against his temples. “Make sure they don’t risk exposure.”
“You’re such a wet dream killer, V,” Lucien said good naturedly, though he agreed with his brother; nothing ever went according to plan.
“Half is better than nothing. DeMarco and Xavier will fill in the gaps as need be. And don’t forget we’ve got Nicholas, too,” Simone said as she reached out and stole Vasco’s coffee mug. She eyed Caleb over the rim. “You look tired.”
Caleb smiled lightly at her. “Never.” He sobered quickly and looked at the two brothers. “I’m going to go make sure everything is in place for the hundredth time. I’ll update you all after your meeting.”
“Thank you Caleb,” Vasco said.
“I second that. You’re a good man, Kincade.” Lucien gave him a little salute, then crushed his cigarette.
“Just doing my job. But you’re right, I am.” Caleb smiled again, allowed it to briefly linger in Simone’s direction, and left the room.
There was a small tinge of arrogance in that smile of his, and Simone noticed it. She hid her own answering smile behind another stolen sip of her brother’s coffee. She’d loved that about Kyle, too, once upon a time; that cockiness that he had worn so well. And she needed to stop making those comparisons, immediately, Simone mentally scolded herself. That was a chapter in a lifetime she wasn’t living in anymore. There was no time for that in this.
Vasco didn’t miss the subtleties between his sister and Caleb. He had come to a quiet understanding, too, about why Marcello had left it in his hands when Caleb should reveal himself to Simone. He was a little surprised, frankly, that Simone had not made the connection herself. But as much as he wanted to throw her that line and give her that brief bit of happiness, he couldn’t. Not yet. They needed to move a few more things into play. They needed to be focused, centered, and utterly committed to what they were about to undertake before he let that kind of emotion wreak havoc on her sensibilities. It was an utterly Stefano-like call. Marcello had turned out to be anything but a disappointment.
Pulling back into the present, Vasco looked over at his siblings. “Lets go over these topics again. And try not to get into a fight with Amadeo, Lucien.”
Lucien stacked his feet up onto the table and pulled the laptop into his lap, grinning faintly. “I’ll give it my best.”
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June 20, 2012 - 10:50 AM
Alcyone Island
Dion Corporation Headquarters
Kayla Terenzio never understood the concept of loss; until the day her mother died. She could describe it in no terms other than a heavy, aching weight in her heart; the same she felt today, standing in her deceased pseudo-father’s office. She leane
d against one of the full glass windows that overlooked the tropical city of Alcyone. Memories plagued her, not just of Marcello, but her mother, too. Their voices haunted her. The letter Marcello had left her, that she had read once and knew every word of, made the strike of emotion flare up with more frequency.
Kayla turned from the window, pressing her fingers to her mouth as her dark eyes traveled over his space. A fond memory came to her, insignificant in the grand scheme of the world, but important to her.
Marcello was perched on the end of the round table, next to Kayla’s chair. He said something that caused what appeared to be full, genuine laughter to take over Kayla’s face. Marcello’s eyes visibly gentled, and sadness came to mingle with his clear affection for her. “You look so much like your mother.”