Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2)

by Robert Storey

  Sarah nodded, while her mind seethed in turmoil.

  ‘If you stop taking them, you’ll die.’

  She stared at him as the implication of what he’d just said sank in. She felt for the drugs in her pocket, making sure they were still there, and then slumped down onto a chair. ‘What about other people’s lives?’ she said. ‘If I’m dangerous ...’

  ‘We don’t know it was definitely you,’ Avery said.

  ‘But it’s highly likely,’ Zinetti said, following them inside.

  Avery gave his fellow cardinal a ferocious look and the Italian held up his hands and retreated back outside.

  ‘Sarah,’ Avery said. ‘I won’t lie to you, it’s not looking good. But we’ll look after you, I promise.’

  Sarah looked up at Ruben, who’d come to stand inside the tent. He’s probably trying to keep Avery safe from me, she thought. She picked at her hand and shook her head. ‘I’m not possessed, I couldn’t do,’ – she searched for the right word – ‘that ... to someone. It’s impossible.’

  Ruben stepped forward and handed Avery a computer tablet. ‘You need to show her.’

  Sarah looked at Ruben. ‘Show me what?’

  Avery turned on the computer and tapped at its screen, before handing it to her. ‘This footage was taken from the GMRC’s laboratory complex.’

  Sarah took a deep breath and realised the brain damage must have been the reason for the seizures. It made sense, apart from the part where she’d killed and mutilated someone.

  She watched the screen without seeing and Avery paused the video. ‘Did you see it?’

  She shook her head and tried to focus on what she was looking at, anything to take her mind off what she’d just learnt. ‘A video of my cell?’ She stared at an image of herself when she’d been confined to a padded room in Dagmar Sorensen’s laboratory. She looked at her gaunt features and recalled the despair and terror she’d experienced during those tortuous days.

  ‘No.’ He came to stand next to her chair. He played the footage again and pointed to a section of Sarah’s old prison cell. ‘There, do you see it?’

  Sarah squinted at the image and then felt her stomach clench in fear. A faint shadow hovered in the air close to her sleeping form. Her thoughts returned again to the shadow she’d seen in Costa Rica.

  Avery pressed another button and the footage altered to a scene outside the Vatican’s secret vaults. ‘We didn’t think anything of it until we saw the same thing on our closed-circuit cameras.’

  Sarah watched herself walk up to the entrance of the vaults, alongside Zinetti, Avery and Ruben. Once again, there was a disturbance in the image following behind her as she walked. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck and she swung round to search the tent.

  Avery touched her shoulder, making her jump.

  ‘What is it?’ she said, failing to keep the horror from her voice.

  ‘We don’t know, but its presence seems to be exposed by these cameras.’

  She touched the screen and the strange shadow that dogged her steps. It almost looked like a figure. She shuddered and handed the tablet back to Avery.

  He studied her for a moment. ‘You’ve seen it before, haven’t you?’

  She closed her eyes and nodded. She looked at him. ‘Once, I saw ... felt … something.’ She gave a shake of her head. ‘I don’t know what it was.’

  ‘She’s possessed by the Devil,’ Ruben said.

  Sarah looked at him, as he stared out from beneath his hooded cowl. Does he hate me now? she thought and lowered her gaze as a deep sense of shame settled upon her. How quickly things change.

  Avery held up a hand. ‘Let’s not jump to any conclusions, but it does seem to confirm our fears that there is something going on here beyond our understanding.’

  Sarah suddenly had a thought. ‘You’re a churchman. Can’t you exorcise it?’ The notion might have seemed funny if she hadn’t seen the body of the dead explorer. She tried to get the image of it out of her head, but try as she might she couldn’t stop seeing the man’s crushed skull, and the blood. ‘So much blood,’ she murmured.

  ‘It has been suggested,’ Avery said, as Zinetti re-entered the tent. ‘But this is not the place in which to do it, trust me. Although if you wish to pursue this course when we return to the Vatican, I can have someone speak to you about it.’

  Sarah didn’t know what was scarier, that she was considering it as a possible course of action, or that Avery agreed with her.

  ‘There’s nothing we can do about it now,’ Zinetti said. ‘But it’s high time she saw what we’ve found, don’t you think?’

  Avery nodded and Sarah looked at them. She was still trying to process what she’d just seen; everything was too much. There was too much. ‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘I need … I need some time to think.’

  Avery took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Of course.’ He motioned for the others to leave. ‘We’ll be just outside, take however long you need.’

  Everyone filed out of the tent, leaving her alone with her thoughts. And what thoughts they were. I’m a murderer. I tore out someone’s insides and don’t even remember doing it.

  You don’t know that, she told herself. This could be Zinetti trying to shift the blame onto you.

  He might still have your friends, said another voice. Trish and Jason are still out there and they need you.

  She touched her temple. Brain damage. Tears welled in her eyes. It can’t be. But it was, and what was more, there was something shadowing her every move – literally. She searched the tent for signs of the thing that lurked at the periphery of human sight. Nothing moved, at least, nothing that she could see.

  She touched her chest; not the wound from her recent brush with death, but the place where the metal cross given her by Trish had tattooed her skin with its golden hue – tattooed by the immense heat created by the Anakim device which had reawakened Sanctuary’s long dormant ceiling. Thoughts of those tumultuous days wormed their way to the fore, unbidden. How she wished Riley was by her side. She bowed her head as she thought of him. ‘I need you, Ri,’ she whispered, ‘I need you. Give me the strength to go on.’ She slowed her breathing and closed her eyes. ‘Please, God, help me. Help me find my friends. I’ll do anything you want.’ A tear trickled down her cheek as she let go of control. ‘I’ll do anything you want,’ she whispered. ‘Just give me the strength, that’s all I ask.’

  A faint burning sensation in her chest made her fear she was about to have a cardiac event, but it faded away and she relaxed.

  It was almost pleasant, like a release.

  She still felt numb, but just having said those words made her feel better, made her feel less scared. If there was something dogging her steps, she wasn’t going to let it control her; she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She didn’t care what Ruben thought. I’m a good person, she told herself. I’m a good person. She repeated the phrase over and over in her head, but despite the mantra her eyes were inexorably drawn back to her bloody fingernails, and her thoughts returned once more to the look of horror on Avery’s face when he’d told her they thought she was to blame for the death of Chen’s friend. The bloody image of the dead body once more filled her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to erase it from reality, but try as she might, the horrific vision failed to leave. And the harder she tried, the worse it got, and the worse it got, the harder she tried, until the image warped and changed and she didn’t just see one body anymore, but three. Chen’s dead friend lay next to two other mutilated corpses, the bodies of Trish and Jason, their mouths agape in terrified accusation as their dead eyes filled her mind and broke her heart. Her worst nightmares had become reality and she had nowhere left to go. Sarah put her face in her hands as the tears came, and cried. But her pitiful sobs went unheard and unanswered, for she was in the wilderness and far from home, and, worst of all, her friends were still missing, possibly dead, and she remained all alone.

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Seven
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  Washington D.C., the United States.

  ‘It’s time, then,’ Steiner said. He looked at Captain Radcliffe. ‘Do you have the box?’

  The Darklight man nodded and gestured to one of his men, who passed him a plastic crate, which he, in turn, gave to Steiner.

  The professor opened it and inspected the prosthetics within. Aside from the GMRC, the people in the Darklight vehicle represented four of the most wanted criminals in America; five, if you included Bic’s digitised presence. They couldn’t just go wandering around waiting for someone to recognise them, which meant they had to change their appearance. And, somehow, during one of his many disappearances, Bic had conjured up another one of his miracles, sourcing tailor-made disguises that would fool even the closest of inspections.

  Eric plucked a plastic tub with his name on it from the crate and opened it up to reveal a realistic-looking nose. ‘It’s a bit big,’ he said, holding it up to his face.

  ‘We can’t make your nose smaller than it already is, Eric,’ Bic said.

  Eric touched the interior of the prosthetic and the tiny machine-like gadgetry that would mould it to his face. The flaps of the fake nose attempted to attach to his finger and he prised it off in fascination.

  ♦

  Jessica Klein watched Eric as he tried out his new nose. The effect was startling. It was amazing how altering one feature could completely change how someone looked.

  ‘The edges will blend in with your skin,’ Bic said, ‘rendering your disguises undetectable to the human eye.’

  Jessica inspected her own nose and a section of fake skin that would alter her chin. ‘What about the scanners? Won’t they pick them up?’

  ‘It’s been taken care of,’ the professor said, and then drew Jessica aside. ‘Do you want to make that call, before you get ready?’

  Butterflies sent tingles through Jessica’s stomach and she glanced at Bic’s image on screen. ‘Is it safe?’

  Steiner nodded. ‘It should be. Just press the button on the central console and you’ll be connected. I’ll make sure no one enters until you come out.’

  Jessica thanked him, entered the truck’s cockpit and closed the door behind her. With the noise of everyone else shut off, the hum of the vehicle’s consoles filled her ears, the clusters of dials and switches filling the interior with a blue glow. She sat down in the driver’s seat and suddenly felt anxious. It was so long since she’d seen them. She licked her fingers and brushed back her hair. She wondered if they’d recognise her without make-up on. The thought scared her that they wouldn’t. Do they even miss me? she wondered, the idea terrifying. Do they even care?

  She hesitated, then reached out to press the button that flashed red with the word, ‘Connect’.

  The curved windshield remained jet black, blocking out any light from the day outside, and then a fuzzy image appeared at its centre.

  ‘Jessica?’ a familiar voice said. Someone reached out to adjust the camera and the image cleared.

  ‘Evan?’ Jessica sat forward and reached out to the screen as if her husband was within reach. She clenched her hand in frustration and withdrew it.

  ‘Sweetheart, yes, it’s me. Are you okay? Where are you? Your friend told us you were still in North America, but he said it would be too dangerous to say where.’

  Jessica knew Evan was referring to Bic, and she also knew he knew nothing of what was happening and why. She wanted to tell him everything, to say she’d be home soon, but she couldn’t. He was back in England, thousands of miles away, and she was facing the greatest challenge of her life, and one that might well end it. ‘I miss you,’ she said, struggling to keep her voice from breaking. ‘I miss you all so much.’

  ‘Then why don’t you come home? They say it’s martial law in the States. And not the watered-down version, but a full on military crackdown. They’re saying there could be a war.’ He glanced away from the camera, perhaps seeing if their daughters where within earshot. ‘They say you’re a terrorist. Jesus, Jess, there’s a reward for your capture, for God’s sake!’

  ‘I know, it’s scary, but I’m doing this for us, for our future.’

  Evan’s face hardened. ‘Or your career.’

  ‘How could you think that?’ Jessica said, shocked. ‘You think I want to be here? Do you think I have a choice? You know the GMRC hung me out to dry. If I come home before I clear my name, they’ll have me up on terrorist charges, you know that.’

  ‘And you think running away forever will solve the problem?’ Evan glared into the camera and she noticed his unshaven stubble and dishevelled hair. ‘It’s chaos over here,’ he said, dropping his voice to a whisper. ‘Water rationing is driving people crazy. The government crackdown is beyond belief, and it’s like they’re preparing for war, as if it’s a foregone conclusion. Nothing’s making sense.’

  She wanted to tell him what was happening and why, but she knew it would be too dangerous. He couldn’t know the truth until Bic had gained them access to an underground base – preferably EUSB Great Britain, considering its proximity to her family’s location. ‘When you’re relocated things will become clear,’ Jessica said. ‘Just trust me, okay?’

  Evan gave a growl of frustration and hung his head. He gave a nod and then looked up at the camera again. ‘Your friend says he’ll get someone to come for us soon. He doesn’t say where we’re going, though, or why. Are you sure we can trust him?’

  ‘He’s all we’ve got,’ Jessica said.

  ‘That’s not filling me with confidence,’ he said, angrily.

  ‘Yes, you can trust him,’ she said, knowing it wasn’t true, but having to say it anyway so he’d do as she wanted. If they didn’t get into an underground base soon, she dreaded to think what would happen when the next asteroid hit, be that the one destined for the States in two weeks’ time, or the ones following in its wake. ‘I wouldn’t ask you to do as he says unless I thought your lives were in danger, and you must believe me when I say they are.’

  ‘And you still can’t tell us why?’

  ‘It’s too risky, if the GMRC finds you ...’ The thought made her voice break. She regained her composure and continued. ‘It’s far better if you don’t know.’

  The stress in her voice made Evan see reason, or at least, that’s how it seemed when he said, ‘Do you want to speak to the girls?’

  She nodded and moved closer to the screen in expectation.

  Her husband called out and soon after Victoria and Daniela moved into shot. The six and eight-year-old girls were wide-eyed when they saw their mother on screen.

  Jessica put her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh, my darlings, it’s so good to see you.’

  ‘Mummy, when are you coming home?’ Daniela said.

  Jessica reached out to her eldest. ‘Soon, sweet thing, soon. Are you taking good care of your sister?’

  Daniela nodded and Victoria snuggled into her father, as Jessica looked to her youngest daughter. ‘Victoria, my darling, I’m sorry I missed your birthday. I promise I’ll make it up to up you, up to you all.’

  Victoria hid her face.

  ‘Say something to your mother,’ Evan said, stroking his daughter’s hair.

  Victoria shook her head and Jessica felt a pang of loss, the feeling of wanting to hug her daughter overwhelming.

  ‘It’s okay if she doesn’t want to. Mummy loves you, Victoria, and you Daniela. I’ll be with you soon, I promise.’

  The image of her family fluctuated and Jessica stood up in alarm. ‘Can you still hear me?’

  ‘Yes – you’re – breaking—’ Evan said, his mouth out of sync with the audio.

  ‘I love you! I love you all so much!’

  Victoria looked up at the sound of her mother’s distress. ‘Mummy, don’t go! Don’t leave me!’

  ‘Victoria!’

  The screen flickered and the image disappeared, and Jessica was left alone in the darkness, bereft. She slumped down into the seat and wiped away another tear with a shaky hand. ‘I love you a
ll,’ she whispered, not knowing if that was the last time she’d ever speak to them again.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Bic said through the speakers. ‘I wasn’t able to maintain the connection. The GMRC are blocking signals coming out of the U.S., it’s all I could do to get you that long.’

  ‘Tell me you’ll look after them,’ she said. ‘Tell me I can trust you.’

  ‘I’ll make sure they’re safe.’

  She looked up at the camera with tear-streaked eyes. ‘And can I trust you?’

  ‘Of course you can, but there is something you need to know. There is someone you cannot trust.’

  She sniffed and wiped at her nose with a sleeve. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Professor Steiner. He will not help your family. I asked him for information on the UK underground base and he refused to provide it.’

  ‘He told me the opposite,’ Jessica said. ‘He told me he would give you the information when you needed it.’

  ‘He’s lying, Jessica Klein, and without his help your family is doomed.’

  ‘No. Why would you say that? He will help, I know he will.’

  ‘He says that now, but I know he means to renege on our plan.’

  Jessica frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean, he may not want to stop the asteroid impact if it means risking his Subterranean Programme. It’s his life’s work and he believes any information he provides about it will compromise its integrity.’

  Jessica thought back to the conversation she’d overheard between the hacker and the professor and knew he was telling the truth. She also knew Bic and Steiner were hiding something from them, something big. What that was, she still didn’t know, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. ‘What can we do?’

  ‘Nothing. We wait, and when the time is right I will act.’

  ‘And you will save my family? Even if I don’t make it?’

  Bic’s image appeared on the screen before her. ‘I promise you,’ – he placed his hand over his heart – ‘I will do everything in my power to get your family below ground,’ – his expression grew grim – ‘whether you make it or not.’