Absolute Power (Book 1): Origins

by Queen, Grayson

  “Holding for entry,” Robert said into his cellphone. He was on the side of the building watching the two guards out front. From his position, he could just make out Henry on the roof of the building across the street. Angie should have made it to the roof of the target building by now.

  “Tango down,” Angie said into their conference call. “Tossing smoke.”

  A smoke grenade dropped from the roof, bouncing in front of the two guards. The smoke obscured Robert’s approach.

  “Breaching,” Robert said, then built up a low yield explosion that knocked the men down. He followed it up with another blast to the front door. Quickly, Robert secured their weapons and zip tied their hands and feet.

  “Three down, two to go,” Henry’s voice came over the phone. “Primary target is on the second floor, northern room. Secondary is on the stairs.”

  Robert silently made his way to the staircase. It was in the center of the building with an open banister. He could see the feet of the man.

  “Hold,” Henry said.

  Robert stopped in his tracks and crouched down.

  “I’m seeing multiple armed tangos,” Henry told them. “I think we woke the neighbors.”

  Gunshots began to fill the night air.

  “Taking fire,” Angie reported.

  “Henry, flank them,” Robert ordered. “I’ll clear the building.”

  It sounded like a war had started outside, but Robert trusted that Angie and Henry could take care of themselves. He had his objective, and he needed to focus on that. Robert moved to get a better angle, hoping to take the man’s legs out from under him. As he crossed the hallway, he saw down into the kitchen. A young girl was standing there watching him. She couldn’t have been more than fourteen, with delicate white skin and raven hair. It was obvious she wasn’t a local. Robert tried to signal her to leave. The girl stared back at him then came closer. She peered around the corner and up the stairs. Becoming more desperate to get the girl to leave, Robert got ready to make a move. But then she stepped back, disappearing into the shadows. In the dark, he struggled to see where she went.

  Suddenly from behind him there was a small voice, “Come.”

  Robert turned to see the girl. She reached out and took him by the hand. He let her lead him away hoping he could get the girl out of the building. Instead, he found himself walking blindly into the shadows. A second later he was looking at the back of a man’s head. Robert had somehow arrived at the top of the stairs. He didn’t hesitate though, using the edge of his hand to strike. The blow hit the man at the base of the skull, knocking him unconscious. His body crumpled and rolled down the stairs.

  “Marcos?” Someone called out. A figure appeared in the doorway and when it saw them started shooting.

  Robert grabbed the girl around the waist and pulled her into the nearest room. He tumbled to the ground narrowly escaping the bullets. Still the shooting continued blasting through the wall and kicking plaster everywhere. Robert held the girl down covering her head. It went quiet for a second then Robert heard the telltale sound of a grenade as it bounced into the room. There wasn’t much he could do but cover the girl with his body.

  10:06 PM

  His ears were ringing making it hard to keep his balance. First he checked the girl, who stared at him blinking the dust from her eyes. She looked unscathed. Robert didn’t expect much for himself, but when he felt his body, there was nothing. A few bruises, but no blood. Then he noticed he was downstairs again. The gunfire outside became more apparent as his ears adjusted. Getting to his feet, he went to the staircase and made his ascent, checking the rooms as he went. In the last room, he found Jess leaning over a large furry creature with massive claws. Fugen was bleeding from several bullet wounds.

  “Jess,” he said, “Where’s Alison?”

  “Batista took her,” she answered. Jess looked back at Robert with tears in her eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Robert asked.

  Jess nodded. “Fugen saved the day. He’s in pain, but it’ll heal. Go. Go get them, he has a forty-five second lead.”

  Robert turned to go and ran into the girl.

  “I can help,” she said simply.

  She had already, so there was no reason to doubt her. Robert took her hand and once again let her lead him. They slipped into darkness and came out on the street behind the building. Batista was only a dozen yards away and headed towards a car. He had Alison at gun point.

  “Destroy the vehicle,” the girl said to Robert.

  It was the most obvious and basic of ideas. Robert raised his hand to blast it then thought better. The explosion could endanger Alison or any civilians nearby. He couldn’t risk that, no matter how much he wanted to. Robert started to run, and the girl followed. They were too far behind; Batista got in the car and sped off.

  The girl grabbed Robert’s hand and said, “Keep running.” She veered them off into an alley and a second later they were on the roof of a building.

  Below and to their left, Robert spotted Batista’s car as it took a turn. The girl led them into the shadows, and they reappeared on another building. The car was still below them, and they were still too far behind.

  “Be ready,” the girl said as they disappeared into a dark corner.

  Robert emerged alone and in the street. Batista’s car was charging straight at him. He couldn’t fire and risk killing both Alison and Batista. But it was too late, Batista had panicked and tried to swerve. The car fishtailed almost hitting Robert. Its momentum caught up with it and the car flipped. The first time it seemed to move in slow motion, rolling onto its roof. Then it bounced up into the air and rolled a second time. The car came to a sudden stop as it wrapped itself around a light pole.

  “Alison,” Robert cried, he was already moving toward the car. “Alison,” he called again. The windows of the car had all been smashed out. Robert went around to the front and climbed inside. Batista was dangling from his seat belt unconscious. The man had changed into metal form before the crash, and it was the only reason he was still alive. But Alison wasn’t in the car. Robert circled around fearful that Alison had been thrown out during the crash.

  “Robert,” Alison said as she walked out of a nearby alley. There wasn’t a scratch on her.

  Without thinking, Robert ran to her grabbing her in his arms. He kissed her as though it was natural. Alison didn’t stop him. It wasn’t until they pulled away that it occurred to either of them what they had just done.

  Alison’s face turned red. “Sir…,” she tried to come up with something to say.

  The girl emerged from the shadows, giving them something to turn their attention to. “Hello,” he said. “Thank you for your help.”

  “You’re welcome,” the girl bowed. “I am, Of Levitas Comes the Eve of Terminus.”

  “She’s a Lost One,” Alison whispered to Robert. Then she said to the girl, “My name is Alison, and this is Robert. May we call you Eve?” The girl nodded her assent. “Thank you for saving my life, Eve.”

  “I had been watching this man for some time,” Eve said stoically. “His moral decision making was less than agreeable.”

  “Do you live around here?” Robert asked.

  “I’m not from this world,” Eve answered. “I live nowhere.”

  Robert’s cellphone vibrated, and he answered. It was Angie, so he stepped away to talk.

  “If you don’t have a home where do you sleep?” Alison asked Eve.

  “Where ever there is no one,” the girl replied. “I have been trying to assimilate.”

  “Where are your parents?” Alison continued her questions.

  “In my home dimension,” Eve answered frankly

  Robert returned to the conversation. “Angie and Henry have the buildings secured and contacted the authorities. Your friend here,” he gestured to the car, “appears to be the only Free Flight. We need to get him secured before he wakes.”

  “Why didn’t you kill him?” Eve asked. “That was the plan when I placed y
ou in his path.”

  “What?” Robert said startled. “Killing isn’t an option.”

  “Then what is the option?” Eve asked.

  “We take him to the Complex in Colorado,” Robert replied.

  “Then I will take you,” Eve said as a matter of fact and went to the car.

  “You can do that? Like you transported us earlier? You can travel that far?” Robert questioned her.

  “All I need is to see a map of where you would like to go,” Eve replied.

  Robert turned to Alison. “Hook up with the others,” he said. “Help clean up and I’ll send reinforcements.”

  “Yes, sir,” Alison said purposely.

  Robert frowned slightly but didn’t have time to address the situation. He pulled Batista from the car. Eve told him to get into the shadows, and they vanished.

  10:30 PM

  Alison walked back to the building where she had been tied up. She found Jess sitting on a stack of crates. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

  “Are you okay?” Alison asked as she approached.

  Jess wiped her face. “I just needed a moment,” she told her. “Everyone is out front, couldn’t get any peace.”

  Alison gave her a hug. “Did you thank Fugen for me?”

  The words sent Jess into another bout of sobs. “He got hurt bad, Alison,” she sniffled. “His pain is mine.”

  “I know,” Alison said. “But he did a good job and he’ll be alright.”

  Jess sighed heavily then worked to regain her composure. “What about you? What happened?” She asked.

  “We found a Lost One,” Alison replied.

  “Oh,” Jess said curious.

  “And Robert kissed me,” Alison added.

  “What?” Jess exclaimed.

  “I think it was an accident, you know,” Alison said, “because he thought I was dead. It was just a reaction.”

  “We’re not giving up that easily,” Jess said. “Our fancy dinner might have been a disaster, but I’ll come up with something.”

  July, Colorado

  Colonel Porter stood in the observation room at The One's North American Complex in Colorado. There were several scientists with him, and they all stood staring through the observation window. On the other side of the glass, there was a basic obstacle course. They watched as Eve disappeared on one side of the room and appeared on the other. A few of the scientists were mumbling about readouts and anomalies. Her portals had left some of their top physicists scratching their heads. Porter wasn't concerned about the science; he was thinking about strategy.

  “Dim the lights,” Porter said without taking his eyes off Eve.

  One of the scientists punched at a keyboard then said, “Going to seventeen hundred lumens.”

  The room became a little darker, and Eve kept on moving without breaking stride.

  There was something that Porter thought he saw, but couldn't be entirely sure. “How many decibels?” Porter asked no one in particular.

  “Uh,” a scientist stuttered. It was a weird question, and he had to pull up the correct monitor. “I have nothing. Just ambient noise.” Porter turned his head a fraction indicating with his face that it was an unacceptable answer. “Twenty decibels,” the scientist responded quickly.

  Porter looked back at the observation room watching the young girl disappear and reappear. There was no sign of strain or concentration. Eve moved around as easily as a person would walk.

  “Bring up the infrared and kill the lights,” Porter ordered suddenly.

  He stepped back to look at the overhead screens that would show him the infrared cameras. The inanimate objects appeared as dark blue while Eve looked like a rainbow of color. From this view, Porter could see Eve walk into what looked like a solid wall in space and then come out from another.

  “Decibels?” He asked again.

  The scientist read his screen and hesitated, “Uh, nothing. Absolutely no sound. Like something is muting it.”

  Porter didn't acknowledge the answer. He was busy counting seconds in his head as Eve moved faster and faster.

  “Full light, now.”

  The observation room was bathed in blinding white light. All at once everything stopped. The scientists fell silent as they stared. Every readout indicated that Eve hadn't reappeared.

  “I would have explained this if you had asked,” Eve's voice came from the back of the room.

  Porter and the scientists turned to see her standing in the shadows of the super-computers.

  “If the lights had come on when you were in our dimension you would have been stuck here?” Porter asked.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  Porter nodded thoughtfully then strode out of the room.

  “Sir,” a scientist called after him. “We still have to test various light frequencies.”

  “Have fun,” Porter replied. He already knew what they would find.

  Porter headed straight for Administration. Director Kelley was expecting a report on the girl, and he had delayed it as long as possible.

  Administration was made up of two high-security buildings set at the back of the Complex. Neither of the two buildings had any windows but were lit by internal UV lights.

  When he reached the door to the second building, he swiped his ID card through the reader. It took a second for the computer to process the facial recognition data and then the doors released. In the foyer, two guards stood on either side of a receptionist.

  “Good afternoon, Colonel Porter,” she said with a smile. “How can I help you?”

  “I have a report for Kelley,” Porter told her.

  Typically, Director Kelley required people to make appointments, and in the back of his mind, Porter hoped he wouldn't see him. The receptionist picked up her phone and called Kelley's office using an overly polite voice.

  The animosity between Porter and Kelley was well-known. As in most cases of office politics there were those who supported Porter and those who supported Kelley. Usually, the administrators sided with Kelley, so Porter never expected much courtesy when he was in the building.

  “Director Kelley can see you,” the receptionist informed him as she hung up the phone. “Good luck,” she added when he passed.

  The top floor was reserved for executives. The offices were decorated in dark wood and expensive furniture. General Carter, in charge of The One US forces, and his four Lieutenant Generals all had offices on this floor. But their plush lounges paled in comparison to Kelley's.

  At the end of the hall was a double door made of solid oak. Porter didn't bother knocking; he just pushed the doors open and entered. Director Kelley glared up at him from his paperwork. To one side of the room there were several couches placed in a semi-circled around a wall of televisions. On the other side, there was a bar and kitchenette. Kelley's desk was in the center of the room with two chairs set in front. Porter had no intention of staying long, so he stood.

  “That is why you're still a Colonel,” Kelley said.

  There was no point in replying. Kelley would never understand any reason for not taking a promotion.

  “I asked for that report on the girl two days ago,” Kelley went on.

  Since Super-Humans emerged, every military force feared the existence of a functional teleporter. Even a rumor was enough to send governments into a panic. Not only was it an enormous security risk, but a huge strategic advantage.

  “We hadn't finished the tests,” Porter told him.

  “And are you done now?” He asked sardonically.

  “No,” Porter replied, “I haven't typed it up yet.”

  Kelley scowled at him then reached into a drawer. He took out a recorder and said, “I'll take your verbal report now.”

  Porter started, “Subject, known as Eve, is friendly and willingly complies with our requests. She has an above average intelligence that may be classified as genius. On several occasions, she has easily discerned the intentions of our tests and offered suggestions.”

&
nbsp; “I was told she was an alien,” Kelley interrupted, “but she speaks English?”

  “An alternate-dimensional. I suspect she is self-taught, but I have no evidence to support that theory,” Porter answered. “Her history is vague at best; our initial understanding is that she's an orphan. Because of this I suggest the girl be paired with a partner during training. Her need for companionship will play heavily in her integration here.”

  “How thoughtful of you. What about her ability?” Kelley demanded.

  “Her powers are scientifically extraordinary. Unlike standard teleportation, where matter is destroyed then instantly created elsewhere, she uses portals. These portals can only be manifested in shadows, but exert little effect in our dimension. She uses a technique of creating a portal to pass into her dimension then creating a second portal across from the first to move to any other location she wishes. The passing has been proven safe for inanimate and animate objects.”

  “So none of those messy explosions like other teleporters?” Kelley questioned.

  “No. Before I had to come here, I was in R&D running tests. I noted that Eve's ability mutes a certain amount of sound, making her near silent. Her ease of travel is altered by the amount of light, or in her words, ambient darkness.”

  Director Kelley sat back in his chair smiling to himself. “So am I to understand that the weakness of her power is light? That she's effectively blocked from her portals without shadows?”

  “Yes,” Porter answered.

  “Have some training sessions drawn up. I want her tracked for Observation and Espionage.”

  The Following Day

  Eve sat in a large two story library flipping through the pages of an encyclopedia. They didn’t have written language where she came from, so the task of learning to read was trying. Mostly she focused on the images, something else they didn't have. The various colors and pictures were like nothing she could have imagined. All her life Eve had lived in a world of darkness. It was a place where information was conveyed through words and ideas. All things had happened and had yet to happen. Thoughts were as real as something you could hold in your hand. There was no reason to have pictures when your thoughts existed as tangible objects.