by Jacob Whaler
The sphere fades away. The odor of charred metal wafts past them.
Jerek walks to the device, reaches down and pulls out the Stones, one by one. “I’ll transfer the controls to your jax.” He hands the Stones back to Ryzaard with trembling fingers. “You should be able to use it as soon as you want.”
Ryzaard grins. “Tonight.”
CHAPTER 14
“So, where else have you gone during the past few months?” Jessica walks up the broad steps of the porch and stops below the head of the golden unicorn that looks out above the front door.
Matt avoids eye contact by looking out at the green lawn and hedge that divide the yard from the jungle.
“I’ve been careful,” Matt says. “Mostly I just came here to take a few powder runs down the mountain and build this house.”
“You’ve been careful?” Jessica grabs Matt’s chin and pulls it so he’s looking directly at her. “Ryzaard knows about this planet. I’ll bet he comes here every now and then to check on you. You’ve been putting yourself in great danger. You could have died, and we’d never know what happened to you.”
“Remember, Jess, this is my world. It’s the safest place I can be. Ryzaard can’t kill me here. He tried before and couldn’t do it. And I moved the location so Ryzaard no longer knows the way.”
“Wait, you moved the entire planet?”
“Yep.” Matt reaches down and picks up her hands, pushing the door open with his shoulder. “Come in and have a look.”
They step into a large open receiving room. A huge chandelier hangs overhead. A broad staircase extends upward directly in front of them, dividing to the right and left at the top. The sign of the unicorn is everywhere, on the wooden banister of the stairway, in the moldings on the ceiling and walls, even embedded in the large carpet under their feet. The smell of roast beef and garlic floats in from a room on their left.
Jessica sees that dinner for two is waiting on a table set with delicate china and crystal. A large German chocolate cake is placed in the middle like a great centerpiece next to red candles burning atop golden candlesticks.
“Come on.” Matt’s arm finds its way over Jessica’s shoulder, diagonally across her back to the opposite hip. “Let’s celebrate your birthday.”
“Are you sure we have time for this?” Jessica suppresses a worried look on her face. “We told Leo and Yarah that we’d hurry as fast as we could.”
“I know,” Matt says. “But I need to talk to you before we go back to Earth. We don’t know what we’ll find when we get there. We’ve only been gone for a few minutes so far. Another half hour won’t hurt. We need this time together. I need it. It may be the last—”
“Don’t say it!” Jessica shakes her head and presses a hand over Matt’s mouth. “Bad karma.”
The food is delicious.
Matt looks up from a bite of filet mignon. “I picked all this up earlier this afternoon from The Unicorn, a restaurant in New York City. I’ve never had it before, so I couldn’t really imagine it.” He puts a forkful in his mouth and closes his eyes as it slowly melts into his tongue.
“So you have gone to New York. How could you do something so dangerous? You’re either crazy or stupid.” Jessica takes a sip of raspberry vanilla soda out of a fluted glass, shaking her head.
“And reckless. Guilty as charged, on all counts.”
“How do you know Ryzaard hasn’t been tracking you?”
“He can’t, not with my cloaking box. See.” He flips the lid open and shows it to Jessica.
His Stone is inside.
“You went to Ryzaard’s office. To a store in New York City. To my house. And your house. You went to your old house, didn’t you?” Jessica takes another sip of soda.
“I had to.”
“But why? Ryzaard might have been monitoring it. He could have caught you, and it would all have been over.” Jessica lays down her fork. “You have to stop risking your life like that. It’s not just you anymore. We have a family.”
Matt nods. “You’re right. I am reckless. Always have been. I needed to pay a visit to my house to pick up some equipment.” He pats the backpack on the floor near his feet. “You never know what you’ll need.” He slips his hand into a pocket of the backpack and comes out with the exquisite green jewel in the shape of a miniature Stone encased in the center of the glass cube, bringing it up to his eyes.
“It’s beautiful.” Jessica takes it out of his hands. “What sort of an implant is it?”
“From what Leo and Yarah said, Ryzaard must plan to use it for mind control. Nasty stuff.”
Jessica takes a bite of bread. “Ryzaard just had it sitting out on his desk?”
“No, it was hidden.” Matt’s eyes rest on the German chocolate cake. “I found it in a locked compartment in the floor under his desk.”
Jessica cocks her head to one side. “Really? How did you know it was there?”
Matt sets his knife and fork down and leans forward. “I told you about my visit to the Allehonen world, after Ryzaard tried to kill me with a black hole.”
“Yes, I remember. And I’ve always had the suspicion that there’s a lot you didn’t tell me.”
“There’s a lot I saw and heard that I have no words for, no way of explaining.” Matt cuts a long section of asparagus into three pieces and skewers one with his fork. “But that’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“Dreams.” Matt looks up and shakes his head. “Maybe visions. It’s hard to tell the difference. Ever since I spent time in the Allehonen world, things come to me, especially at night. I saw Ryzaard hide this jewel in the floor under his desk. I saw where he put the key to the lock. At least a dozen times. I got tired of having the same dream over and over, so finally I decided to have a look.”
“And you found it?”
“Yep.” Matt munches on the asparagus as his eyes drift up to the ceiling. “Exactly as in my dream. Everything.”
Jessica takes another bite of mashed potatoes. “And you’ve had other dreams, other visions?”
“Lots.”
She lays her fork on the table. “Why haven’t you told me this until now?”
“Yarah.” Matt swallows a mouthful of potatoes. “She’s gotten too good at reading minds. I know when she’s probing me, like a swarm of ants inside my head. I’ve learned how to protect certain thoughts from her gaze, to build a porous shield with the Stone. There’s been plenty of time to work on it. Some thoughts she can read. Others are hidden away. It gets easier once you get the hang of it. If you have a Stone, that is.” He takes a long drink of the raspberry vanilla soda.
“But if you told me, I’d just be an open book. She’d see it all.” The hint of anger is gone from Jessica’s voice.
Matt pushes his plate to the side. “And she’d get scared. Like me.”
“About what?”
“Ryzaard,” Matt says. “His reach is growing stronger. I’ve seen bits and pieces in my dreams.”
Jessica’s hand slides across the table. “Tell me what you’ve seen.”
“Shinto shrines everywhere. Worldwide crisis. The old ways die. A brave new world begins, with Ryzaard in control.” Matt shakes his head. “None of it makes sense.”
“So that’s why you’re so anxious to go back to Earth.” Jessica pushes her plate to the side and picks up a knife.
Matt takes the cloaking box with the Stone out of his pocket. “I have to try. I can’t just do nothing. But there’s just one problem.”
“Only one?”
“I know I sound like I know what I’d doing, but you know the truth, don’t you?”
“That you have no idea where to start?”
“Everything I do is One Big Experiment. I never know how it’s going to turn out. Pretty pathetic, isn’t it?” Matt drops his fork on the table. “I’m a Stone Holder. I’m supposed to have all the answers.”
Jessica’s hand slides across the table to Matt’s.
“The Allehonen
haven’t given you any specific instructions?” she says.
“I’ve asked and begged for guidance. Anything. Just an idea or two.” Matt squeezes Jessica’s hand. “But there’s been nothing. I don’t get it. The future of an entire civilization is at stake, and they give me nothing to go on.”
“I’ll give you something.” Jessica pulls herself around the table and sits next to Matt on his chair, shoulder to shoulder. “Actually, two things. First, my love.” Her hand slides up to the back of Matt’s head and pulls him down for a kiss.
“And the second thing?” he says.
Jessica reaches into her backpack, slips out the pieces of a pulse rifle, clicks them together and pumps it with one hand. “My life. I just appointed myself as your bodyguard.”
“Where did you get the gun?”
“Don’t you remember?” Jessica takes a sip of the vanilla soda. “From that battlefield in Thailand, before we jumped away from Earth. Soldiers were lying everywhere, and I helped myself to some of their weapons. I knew I’d eventually need them, since I don’t have a Stone.”
“You’re amazing, Jess. And a much better shot than I am.” Matt’s eyes drift back up to lock with Jessica’s. “There’s no turning back now, is there?”
“We can call the whole thing off. Go back to Yarah and Leo. Forget about Earth.”
Matt takes in a deep breath. “I wish we could go back. But I can’t. So many people have sacrificed their lives. My dad. Little John. His friend, Jake. Naganuma, the old Shinto priest. So many deaths. So much killing. When will it end?”
“I think it will end only when we end it.” Jessica’s hand goes up to Matt’s cheek. “The real question is, how will we end it?”
“That’s what we have to figure out. That’s why we have to go back to Earth.”
Jessica nods. “Let’s do it.”
CHAPTER 15
Miyazawa stands before a long table of elderly Shinto priests. Each of them wears the same starchy white vestments, and like him, each of them has a tall black hat riding on the top of their mostly bald heads like a ship sailing on the high seas.
Cedar incense burns on a raised wooden platform to the left of the table, thin ribbons of smoke climbing to the ceiling.
With effort, one of the elderly men stands, putting both palms on the table for support. His face rises until his eyes are focused squarely on Miyazawa. He speaks in a halting voice, pausing often.
“In my opinion, the course of action you are suggesting is not advisable. China is one thing. Much in our culture is shared with the Chinese. The close relations we have make it a natural extension of Shinto. You have been successful there, and each of us applauds your efforts.” General nods at the table. “But India, not to mention the rest of the world, is an entirely different matter. Under a calm exterior, India is on the brink of war with our allies. It is a foolish move.”
“I understand your concern. And that is exactly why we must do this. To bring peace to our planet.” Miyazawa keeps his arms stiff at his side and bows in the direction of the old man. “You had deep concerns before we embarked on our mission to China. But by the will of the Kami gods, the path was opened and the way of Shinto is firmly established in that country.” He takes a step forward. “And now a new path has opened before us. The path to world peace. Is it not the will of the Kami that we move forward?”
General nods of approval across the table. The old man’s body is stiff except for the slight tremble of his head. His eyelids droop at the corners, giving him a perpetual look of fatigue.
“It is far too easy for our own ambition to blind us to the true will of the Kami.” The old man stares directly at Miyazawa. “Do not forget what happened to Naganuma-san.”
Miyazawa’s back stiffens. “Naganuma-san never wavered in his commitment to the will of the Kami. I hold his memory in sacred regard.”
“As do we all.” The old man lifts a trembling finger from the table and points it at Miyazawa. “But do not forget he died while in the company of the man who now pushes so aggressively for the spread of Shinto. Is this not reason enough to move slowly?”
“If we move slowly, the moment of opportunity will be lost. Shinto will remain forever in obscurity. Is that what you choose?” Miyazawa spreads his legs apart in a stance of defiance.
The old man drops his hand to the table. “Have you considered that the one who provides you with unlimited resources may have a darker purpose? That he may not be doing it out of love for the way of the Kami? Where much is given now, much may be required at a later time.”
“You speak of Mr. Ryzaard and MX Global. What gives you reason to doubt his motives?” Miyazawa’s eyebrows form an arch. “We have had much discussion on this point. He has told me himself that he and I have similar goals.”
A painful smile appears on the old priest’s face. “What he says and what he thinks may not agree. I fear this will take us down a dangerous road.” He looks to his right and left at the other elderly priests at the table. “But I leave it to the voice of this council to choose.” The old man sits.
“As do I.” Miyazawa bows and turns to leave the room.
“Miyazawa-kun.”
It is the voice of an elderly priest at the far end of the table. Miyazawa knows it well. No one else would have addressed him in such an informal way. He stops, turns and faces the table.
“Yes, Father.”
“Are you sure you will accept the decision of the council?”
As Miyazawa looks up, his eyes move from left to right, following the two massive beams supporting the rafters. They come together at the apex of a triangle directly above the table. At that point, they pass through each other and continue out through the roof, each pointing in an opposite direction.
“If the council chooses to proceed, I will be grateful to move forward with your support and blessing.” Miyazawa forms a deep and respectful bow.
“And what if the council chooses not to proceed?”
Miyazawa betrays no hint of emotion. “If that is the decision of the council, I will obey the will of the Kami and move forward on my own.” He turns without bowing and leaves the room.
CHAPTER 16
“Did he take anything else?” Alexa walks behind Ryzaard.
“Just the one implant.” Ryzaard sits at the desk and stares at the floor. “I have other prototypes, so it’s no great loss. Without the technology that backs it up, it will be of no use to him. But the fact that he found it is a worry. I wonder what else he knows about our plans.”
Alexa sets her hands on Ryzaard’s bare shoulders. “Not much, I’d say. I got the distinct impression that he had no idea what to do next, that he was simply winging it, as they say.”
“A man without a plan is as good as dead.”
“Let’s hope so.” Alexa’s fingers begin to knead Ryzaard’s back, spreading out from his spine.
Ryzaard eyes the holo globe floating in mid-air like an exquisite blue marble above the jax in his hand. The familiar brown-green shapes of North America and South America, Africa and Eurasia stand out against a background of blue water. For an instant, he sees a world at war. A world begging for what only he can offer it. Peace. Freedom from suffering. Wisps and streaks of clouds float in the thin atmosphere. His gaze glosses over the clouds, oceans and geographic features, focusing instead on five crisp red dots scattered among the continents.
“So you’ve decided to go after the Stones? I thought you were going to wait for the kid to make a move.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I’m tired of waiting. Jerek just finished his new killing machine. I’m going to try it out.”
“Which one of the Stones will be first?” Alexa stands behind and above him, working the muscles under his shoulder blades.
“Good question,” Ryzaard says. “Except for the one in Greece, I know each of them so well. They’re almost like in-laws.”
Alexa’s thumbs dig into the muscle at the top of Ryzaard’s spine. “We should know them pr
etty well by now. Our spies have been watching them for months.” She pushes hard on either side of the vertebra beneath her fingers, slowing working her way down the bare back. “We know their names, where they live, where they work, their habits, what they like to eat, what they do in their free time.”
Turning to the side, Ryzaard lays his jax on the desk and picks up a slate, touching its surface with a finger. A name appears across the top.
Sergi Yolapilonav: Druzhba, Peoples Republic of Russia.
Below the name, Ryzaard stares at a video of a walrus-sized man sitting in an overstuffed chair, his left hand inserting a steady stream of potato chips between a set of thin pasty lips. Like a machine, the lips part, revealing two perfect rows of ultra-white teeth. The tip of a purple tongue moves out like a slug, receiving the offered chips and disappears back into the mouth. The lips hang open while the jaw moves up and down with slow mechanical motion.
A grey Stone lies on a small table to the man’s right, next to a tall bottle of Velikopol Vodka and an open tin of Beluga Caviar.
First a smile, and then a wide grin spreads across the broad face. The eyes dart from side to side. The eyebrows lift. Then the man bursts into a loud laugh.
“And this is all he does all day, every day?” Ryzaard shakes his head in disgust. “A worthless human being.”
“We’ve got three dozen micro-cams plastered throughout his house and on his clothes, with just as many observers watching.” Alexa pauses. “He’s the laziest of the lot. Can’t really blame him. Ever since the Great Shenyang War twenty years ago, Russia has practically been a Chinese colony. Wealth and jobs are syphoned away. A dismal existence.”
“Go on,” Ryzaard says. “Tell me more about Sergi.”
Alexa works her way up the muscles wrapping the spine below her fingertips. “He has a fairly steady routine. Wakes in the late afternoon and spends the next eight hours eating, drinking and watching Meshvids. That’s what he’s doing right now. Then he uses his Stone to jump into stores at night and steal expensive food and gadgets, some of which he sells to a reliable black market source for money. Doesn’t even need to get out of his chair.” Alexa spreads the palms of her hands and presses fingertips into the flesh of Ryzaard’s back above the scapula. “We’ve taken bio samples, and he’s healthy. And at least a hundred and twenty years old. If anyone starts to get curious, he gives them stage IV metastatic cancer. Every week or so, he’ll find a random victim, man or woman, bring them to his apartment and have some fun. The results aren’t pretty.” Her fingers reach the base of Ryzaard’s neck and spread out along his shoulders and arms.