Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Eight
Sarah stared up into the night sky at the light that shimmered like a diamond. It did look a little like AG5 had when it neared its final destination, although it wasn’t as bright and it looked flatter, somehow.
‘You think it’s another asteroid?’ she said.
‘I don’t think,’ Konstantin said, ‘I know.’
‘It could be a comet, or a planet.’
‘All the visible planets are behind us.’
‘A comet, then.’
‘Perhaps,’ he said, ‘albeit one headed for Earth.’
Still trying to gain time for someone – anyone – to come to her rescue, she remembered what had tugged at her memory previously. ‘I also had a vision,’ she said.
He looked at her, his face alight with curiosity. ‘What did you see?’
Sarah recalled holding the Anakim orb back in Sanctuary and the images that had filled her mind. ‘I saw an Anakim frieze; it glittered like stars in the night. It showed the heavens and the Earth, and constellations decorated its width. Five objects shone like diamonds within it. Each was too large to be a distant star, but far too small to be the moon.’
Konstantin glanced behind at the distant planets and said, ‘Heaven’s Vault.’
‘Or gate,’ she said, putting two and two together. She wondered if the frieze she’d glimpsed in her vision was the one located somewhere close by, in the Anakim city.
‘It was Zinetti who convinced the Holy Father that Heaven’s Gate could prevent an apocalypse,’ Konstantin said, ‘but he is a deceiver. Only God has that power.’ He looked at her. ‘You saw the planets aligned, it’s a sign.’
‘How can there be another asteroid? Someone would have seen it.’
Konstantin chuckled and then sobered, his change in mood disturbingly rapid. ‘Do you really think the GMRC created all those underground bases for one asteroid?’
Sarah didn’t know what to think. She knew there wasn’t another asteroid, but the light in the sky was an unnerving sight. Even if it was just a comet, its similarity to AG5, still fresh in the memory, would make anyone wonder, what if …? What if it was another rock headed for Earth?
When Sarah didn’t reply, Konstantin spoke again. ‘Do you know what this is?’
She looked down at a scroll clasped in his hand and gave a shake of the head.
‘It contains prophecy.’ He unfurled the document and read a passage aloud. ‘And lo, the chosen will bear the marks of Christ, who returns to redeem us, for we are the proof they seek ...’
‘And he is found in name,’ Sarah whispered, the strangely familiar words dredged up from the recesses of her mind.
‘It was as I suspected,’ Konstantin said, ‘you know more than you think!’ He grasped her arm and hauled her towards the campfires.
The men stood up around her in the dark as she stumbled forward, the hooded robes of the Knights of the Apocalypse casting their faces in shadow, like the grim reaper himself.
Konstantin let go of her arm and gestured to two of his men. Sarah took her chance and ran from them, her hands still tied behind her back. Another man blocked her path and she was grasped from behind and dragged back to be held before their leader.
‘You are a wise woman, Sarah Morgan,’ Konstantin said. ‘I can see why our enemies value your presence.’ He held out his hand and someone threw him a sword, which he caught deftly by the hilt. ‘Which is why you cannot be allowed to live.’
Sarah opened her mouth in shock and Konstantin thrust the blade at her chest.
The sword thudded home, pain lanced through her body and she staggered backwards and fell to the ground, looking in disbelief at her bloody chest.
‘May God light your way, my sister,’ Konstantin said, pointing the blade at her. ‘For your time has come!’
Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine
Sarah gazed at her murderer through the darkness, his face cast in orange shadows by the flickering flames of the nearby campfires. As far as Konstantin was concerned he’d just vanquished a deadly foe and he turned away to hold his sword aloft in victory.
Sarah watched as blood from her chest dripped down onto the snow like black elixir. She’d always thought death would be more painful, but the thought of dying alone without her friends close by filled her heart with dread. She still had too much to live for. So much to say – to see – to do. She didn’t want to die, not yet. Not out here in the cold. She looked around at the grim reapers that surrounded her and realised the pain had subsided and the bleeding was less than it should be. She looked at the end of Konstantin’s sword and realised only its tip shone with blood.
With considerable effort, she mustered her strength and got back to her feet.
One of her captors gasped and pointed at her, and the rest stepped back in surprise.
Konstantin turned to see what had spooked his knights and gaped at the sight of Sarah standing before him. He looked down at his sword, as if there was something wrong with it, but Sarah knew the sword was fine. It was the metal in her chest that had saved her life, the metal from the smaller pendant that had fused to her bone. The metal Dagmar Sorensen had wanted to remove, and would have, if Konstantin hadn’t stopped the train that was transporting her. The man that had just tried to kill her had also inadvertently saved her life.
Konstantin let out a snarl and raised his sword to strike her down, but one of his men put himself between them.
‘It’s another sign, brother,’ said the knight. ‘She’s meant to live.’
Konstantin glared at Sarah and refused to drop his sword.
The man who’d intervened turned to her. ‘Run, if you value your life!’
Sarah didn’t need telling twice. She turned and ran, stumbling through the snow, away from Konstantin, who let out a wail of fury.
Snowfall clouded her vision as she ran down a steep incline, her breath loud in her ears.
She glanced back.
Darkness was all around.
She stumbled and fell, rolling over and over down the mountainside. Rocks and stone bruised her flesh until her motion slowed.
With her arms still tied behind her back, Sarah struggled to her feet and staggered forward out onto the dark plateau.
The snow continued to fall and she shivered and shook from the cold. There was no sign of the camp in the dark, but she kept moving forward, step by step into the black.
♦
Sarah didn’t know how long she’d been walking, but it felt like months.
Visions swam before her eyes. She looked up through a cloudy sky to where starlight glittered beyond and realised she could be heading in the wrong direction, or worse, towards the edge of a cliff. She collapsed to her knees in the snow, her energy gone and her hope with it. Ice crystals formed on her eyelashes, and around her nose and mouth. Her breath came in shallow gasps and she toppled sideways into a cold embrace.
Snow continued to drift down from above, covering her body in its icy mantle. A pleasant warmth flooded her system and her eyelids drifted shut. This isn’t so bad, she thought, I’ll just lie here and sleep a while.
The hushed stillness of falling snow continued to pitter-patter onto her Deep Reach jacket and she heard a voice whisper to her, at the very edge of her hearing. Riley, she thought, is that you?
A face coalesced from the depths of her mind and he smiled. ‘You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, Sarah.’
I love you, she thought, I miss you. She felt a sudden pain. I’m scared.
He touched her cheek and gazed at her with sadness. ‘Don’t worry, it’s only death.’ The light faded from his eyes and he grew still. ‘It’s not about the end,’ he whispered, as his image faded, ‘it’s about the journey. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one to save you, Sarah. Be strong, and remember,’ – his voice grew fainter – ‘there’s always light in the dark.’
A faint illumination shone through her eyelids and she opened her eyes and blinked against the ice t
o gaze into the coming dawn. The clouds cleared and the snowfall slowed to reveal the edge of the world.
An eagle’s mournful cry echoed high above and Sarah turned her head to look up.
A single star remained visible in the lightening sky and Sarah realised it was the so-called asteroid Konstantin had shown her.
‘Only in God’s light,’ she whispered, ‘is our path unbroken.’
Is it a sign from God? she wondered. What did Ruben say? She struggled to remember. God speaks to us every day, but we’ve forgotten how to listen.
She stared at the flickering light.
Whatever it was, it led away from the cliff edge, which shelved off a few feet from where she lay.
It was either stay here and freeze to death, or get up and keep walking. The vision above called out to her and she somehow managed to clamber back to her feet.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the light in the sky, Sarah trudged forward through the snow in search of the camp.
The radiance of the day grew brighter and the sparkling star continued to draw her onwards.
Another light moved across the ground towards her, a shimmering vision in the gloom – a flashlight.
‘Riley,’ she said, and smiled to herself. She stumbled and fell into the snow.
Hands grasped her shoulders and she felt herself being lifted up and carried.
‘Sarah, can you hear me?!’
Sarah could, but it was God who had spoken and she had listened. ‘Only in God’s light,’ she whispered, as her eyes drooped shut, her last vision of the star in the skies above, calling her home.
Chapter One Hundred Sixty
Washington D.C., USA.
A black armoured vehicle crept down a side road in a leafy suburb in the U.S. capital city, the blacked-out windows hiding the occupants within. A moment later the large truck slowed to a stop and the gasoline engine fell silent. Nothing else stirred in the street apart from a young man cycling past on an electric bike, his head turning to give the military transport the merest glance as he continued on his way.
Professor Steiner stared out of the window of the truck, as the Darklight soldier next to him left the cockpit to talk to his captain. A cloudy sky above mirrored Steiner’s gloomy expression; it had been a long journey through Mexico and back up into the United States. He’d lost count of the number of times they’d almost been caught by GMRC soldiers on the Central American side of the border. It was only because they were being transported in a Darklight vehicle that they’d avoided detection as, despite nearly being caught by the U.S. military back in California, the flow of information between the U.S. and the GMRC was negligible, at best. Bic had also claimed he’d saved their skins on more than one occasion, although Steiner couldn’t help but wonder if he was just saying that to maintain Steiner’s tenuous trust. He guessed it was the latter, but despite his doubts about the cyberterrorist, so far he had lived up to his side of the bargain.
The door to the cockpit opened and Brett Taylor entered, the former FBI agent shutting the door behind her and sitting down next to him, in the driver’s seat.
‘So,’ she said. ‘Capitol Hill.’
Steiner nodded. ‘Bic was confident D.C. would be the best alternative to Camp David. Although, I have to admit, I was worried it would be the Pentagon.’
Brett grunted. ‘And instead we only have to break into Congress.’
Steiner had got used to Brett’s dour demeanour by now, although he couldn’t help but see Colonel Samson’s mannerisms in everything she did: the pent-up aggression, the fierce determination and the bloody-minded obstinance. Despite that, he couldn’t fault her for it, and as much as she hated to admit it, she was her father’s daughter through and through. Although without the homicidal rage, he thought. He gave Brett a sidelong look and then turned to look back out of the window in contemplation. John Henry’s martial law was still very much in effect and the GMRC’s stringent curfews had been replaced by those imposed by the U.S. military. If they were to get close enough to reach the president at the secret conference that evening, they needed to prepare, and prepare thoroughly.
As if on cue, an Apache helicopter flew past overhead, the military gunship a poignant reminder of the challenges that lay ahead, challenges Steiner knew they were unlikely to be able to live through, let alone overcome.
‘Are you certain the meeting’s being held tonight?’ Brett said. ‘If you’re wrong—’
‘Bic was confident, and from what I heard when I hacked into the military’s communication channels, they’re gearing up for something big and protecting Capitol Hill is the number one priority. There are also two military transports scheduled to arrive at Dulles International Airport this afternoon. Considering they’re flying in from outside the U.S., it can only mean the Chinese and EU leaders have confirmed their attendance.’
‘We’re lucky John Henry’s still alive to host it,’ Brett said. ‘From what the hacker told us, he’s saved his life on three occasions.’
It was Steiner’s turn to make a noise of displeasure. ‘So he says.’
‘You don’t believe him?’
‘You do?’
‘Of course not, he’s a murderer and a terrorist.’
Then why say it? Steiner thought to himself in exasperation. He looked at her. ‘And do you still think the same of me?’
Brett held his gaze until the door to the truck’s cabin opened and Captain Radcliffe poked his head inside. ‘We’re getting an incoming transmission; shall I patch it through?’
Steiner nodded and the Darklight captain disappeared from view again to do as requested.
A moment later the vehicle’s windshield darkened and an image of Bic materialised at its centre.
‘Professor Steiner, are you all prepared?’
‘We’re getting there,’ Steiner said, and motioned for Brett to shut the door to the rear compartment.
The FBI agent did so, and then turned the lock to prevent anyone else from entering before settling back down in her seat.
‘You have some news?’ Steiner said, when Bic failed to continue. ‘You said you wouldn’t be back in touch until it was time.’
‘There’s been a development,’ the hacker said, his expression unusually excited.
Steiner raised an eyebrow.
‘I’ve been contacted,’ Bic said.
‘By whom?’
Bic smiled. ‘By the very people who seek to kill us.’
Steiner recalled the video footage of the woman known as Selene Dubois and her message to the man called Ophion, tasked with Steiner’s, John Henry’s and Bic’s assassinations. ‘They reached out to you?’
‘It seems they want to discuss terms, on neutral ground within the dark web.’
‘It’s a trap,’ Brett said.
Bic made a face. ‘Of course it’s a trap, they want to know where we are and what we’re planning. It means we have them worried.’
‘Why should we give them what they want?’ Steiner said. ‘We’ll be playing right into their hands.’
‘Because I can protect us from their trace and if they think to outsmart you and me, Professor, they are in for a shock.’
Steiner ignored the unsubtle stroking of his ego and considered the proposal. ‘We’ll need to darken the lights. They can’t know we’re in a Darklight transport.’
Bic nodded. ‘I can manipulate the feed. They’ll see what I want them to see.’
Steiner looked at Brett. ‘What do you think?’
She shrugged. ‘You’re the boss, it’s up to you.’
Steiner knew it was a risk, despite what Bic claimed. These people, whoever they were, were responsible for subverting the GMRC to their own agenda, although what that was, he could only guess. But it was a chance to look into the faces of the people who’d forced him out of his position on the GMRC Directorate, and who sought to put him in an early grave. He felt his anger rising and looked back at Bic. ‘Do it.’
Bic suppressed a smile. ‘It’s already
done.’
Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One
The image of the hacker faded from view to be replaced by the same woman Steiner had seen in the footage Bic had shown him previously.
Steiner muttered a curse at his adversary’s sudden appearance and knew Bic was playing games with him, as usual. Is he trying to keep me sharp? Steiner thought, as he calmed himself. If he is, it’s not working.
The woman known as Selene Dubois looked from Brett to Steiner, her expression showing no signs of surprise or humility.
No one spoke and Steiner found himself studying this woman who wanted him dead. Dressed in a crisp white suit, her austere features unmoving and devoid of warmth, her cold eyes stared into his.
‘Professor Steiner,’ she said, her accent hinting at a French heritage. ‘It seems this meeting has been too long in the coming.’
‘I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,’ Steiner said.
Selene smiled a false smile, the effect reminding Steiner of Malcolm Joiner. ‘Forgive me. My name is Selene Dubois. I work for a group of wealthy individuals who have an interest in this little planet we call Earth. They are also very interested in your whereabouts, Professor.’
I bet they are, Steiner thought.
‘It seems you’ve proven quite elusive this past year.’
‘I’ve been told you have terms,’ Steiner said.
‘Ah, yes, by our mutual friend.’
‘I’m no friend of yours, Selene Dubois,’ Bic said from the ether.
Selene’s expression hardened. ‘Of that there is no doubt.’
‘Shall we cut to the chase,’ Steiner said. ‘You destroyed the GMRC’s Space Programme. Why?’
‘Why do we do anything? To further our cause.’
‘You don’t deny it, then?’ Steiner said, trying to hide his fury. ‘You killed all those people and endangered billions more, for what? What could you possibly hope to gain by such action?’
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 87