The Aurora Conspiracies- Volume One

by Sam Nash

  “I do. Let’s get on with it.”

  Her trip across the Atlantic was speedy, as was the journey across land; ethereal journeys annihilating distance and time zones. She reached Luca’s ranch a little after sunset. Centring herself and calming her nerves, she entered his lounge via the terrace and followed the raised voices back to his study.

  Luca was yelling at Viktor. “Well something’s got to have happened, neither Judith or that two faced little Trotskyite are answering messages. Can’t get them on Skype either. This is your fault.”

  “I am not to blame. You wanted her here. I said she would be a liability. You should have let me kill her when I had the chance.”

  “You let her run. Out foxed by a little woman. For shame.” Luca sat at his desk, opened his laptop and typed in a password. “We will need to coordinate things from here.”

  “If you hadn’t got stupid idea in head about her giving you son with immense power, none of this would have happened.” Viktor stepped forward, indicating to Luca that he should pass control to him. “Here, let me. I can do that if you give me the codes.”

  “You’ve done enough. Go and stow the last of the equipment down in the sanctuary. Did you arrange the flights from Moscow? I want our family around me when all this is over.”

  “Yes, yes… It is done.” Viktor stormed off muttering, what Mary assumed from the vehemence of his snarling, a string of Russian invectives. Pushing her nebulous form through the open door, she hovered above Luca’s head, trying to locate files containing go codes on his screen. She watched him click a few more icons until she saw a file which looked promising. He was going to initiate the attacks, now was the time to act.

  Shifting herself to face him, Mary directed her energies towards his eyes, trying to detect his frequencies. A steady high alpha wave emanated from his brain. With no time to reflect on her actions, Mary surged forwards to forge a link into his mind.

  “Mary.” Luca smirked, “I can feel you trying to burrow your way into my head.”

  Shocked, she took a moment to equilibrate before trying again. A second approach was met with laughter.

  “You are wasting your time. I am far stronger than you will ever be. You should have stayed here and together we could have started a new dynasty of telepathic people.” He continued to type furiously on the keyboard, decrypting files and pasting codes ready to send to the teams scattered across the western world.

  She had no other option but to try brute force. With every ounce of concentration, she forced her cluster of energy through the lens of his right eye, across the viscose liquid and into the centre point of his optic nerve. With this tenuous connection to his nervous system, he stopped typing.

  “Get out of my head.” He barked.

  Now she could make herself heard, but he fought against her binding with every fibre of his being. “Please don’t do this, Luca. The destruction will kill hundreds of thousands of people.”

  “That is true, but I will not be among them, and those who do survive will be the fittest and strongest society has to offer. Mother Earth has too many parasitic humans to support as it is. This solution is both elegant and environmentally sustainable.” His little speech made him relax a fraction. Mary used the lull in activity to advance along his optic nerves towards the seat of his consciousness. “It’s a shame that you had to run away like that. What tipped you off?”

  “I saw the Kandinsky from the charity heist, and then an invoice for Alexi’s weather balloons. Not to mention your staff at the winery churning out cylinders of Hydrogen as if their life depended upon it.”

  “Their lives do depend upon it. All must pull their weight in the new world.”

  “You need help, Luca. I know that you are still upset over losing Ava to Leukaemia, but you cannot seek revenge on every country in the west, just because politicians have sanctioned more powerful cell phone technology.”

  “I tried political methods and was outnumbered by capitalists. They will never stop developing their networks until our airwaves are completely saturated and cancer becomes a certainty. No, this is the only way.” His hands moved over the keys again, sending Mary into a frenzy. It was clear that Luca could not be reasoned with. She had exhausted her options.

  Inching ever closer, Mary could feel the full force of his resistance. His gift was incredibly strong. She could feel the pounding of his heart, the adrenalin coursing through his vessels, his extreme excitement of beating her back. Exuding waves of gamma frequencies, he radiated his energy in every direction from his head, cancelling out her own meagre bursts of power. At one point in the furious onslaught, Mary felt her consciousness disperse, and with it her mental agility. It took a few moments to coalesce her mind into one united entity.

  “Mary, this is not working. You cannot withstand much more of this. Your body is starting to break down.” She noted the anxiety in Dan’s voice. His concern for her wellbeing was acute. “I’m serious, can you hear me? It is damaging your body. You have already burst capillaries in your eyes. You cannot do battle with him and maintain sub-conscious control over your organs.”

  “I don’t have a choice. He has to be stopped.” She collected her wits and forged ahead, clamping onto his brain stem and attempting to harmonise with his waveforms.

  “Forget it, Mary. This is a done deal. You cannot stop me.” Luca gloated.

  He had a point. The more she strained, the greater damaged she incurred on her physical body. Dan screamed at her to stop trying. He ran into the Tactical Room and explained the situation to Yelena, but without the minister’s support, she did not have the authority to sanction a hit.

  Mary was all but spent. Her strength ebbed and waned.

  “Captain…if you can hear me, I could really use your help right about now.” She sent her distress signal out into the atmosphere, daring to hope for assistance. His response was almost instantaneous.

  “We are at your command, Mary.” Captain Thirty-Four and his Hive Operatives merged with her amorphous mass, quadrupling her amplitude and restoring her weakened faculties.

  “Bless you, Captain. Bless all of you.” Bolstered, determined, and with renewed vigour, Mary drove a pathway right through Luca’s brain and took complete control of his entire body. “You are not the only one with friends in high places.” She batted Luca’s consciousness into the reptilian section of his brain stem, overpowering his ability to move or speak. With his computer screen already unlocked and the files open in front of her, she stared through Luca’s eyes at the strange symbols on the screen. “I have no idea what any of this says… what shall I do?”

  The captain stifled a snort. “It is written in Russian, Mary. It is not even in code. We can guide you.”

  It took a few minutes for the Hive Mind to stand down Alexi’s troops, and for Dan to relay a message to Yelena regarding the location of each team. Mary found a series of files denoting the exact coordinates for the strikes on Luca’s hard drive. She emailed directly from Luca’s account to Yelena and carbon copied it to the minister as a backup. “That should be enough proof for the CIA.” Mary exclaimed. One last thought passed through her mind as she was preparing to leave Luca’s body. The captain heard her concerns the second they were formed.

  What if Luca tries again? His mind is so powerful, he could easily manipulate key people in the senate. One failed attempt could spur him onto greater things.

  “You know what we have to do, Mary, as gruesome as that may be.” The captain did not want to spell it out for her, but she seemed reluctant to act. “He has to die. It’s the only way we can be sure of no further related attacks.”

  Why was she so hesitant, when Alexi’s death was achieved with barely a thought? Had he made such an emotional impact on her that she could not face his death? She searched his office. There were more photographs of his daughter, Ava, staring back at her. She let the muscles in his eyes relax, his focus shifted to a muted reflection. Luca was so handsome, so full of life. How could she simply sn
uff it out as though he never existed at all?

  “Mary. It must be done now, before that other brute returns.” The captains voice was insistent, the longer she pondered his demise, the harder it would be.

  “That’s a point. What shall we do with Viktor?”

  “Leave him to the authorities. Log out of Luca’s account, and he can do no more damage.”

  “I suppose so.” Mary did as the captain suggested, shutting the lid of the computer to delay the inevitable. As she retreated from his motor functions back to the centre of his brain, Mary noticed a thinning of a blood vessel wall. She hovered stationary inside his mind, watching the vessel bulge, and finally tear in a longitudinal rip. Blood gushed in spurts into the fragile tissues, his arm spasmed, one side of his face drooped until drool spilled out of the side of his mouth.

  “Mary, you must leave now!”

  This she did, and within a second, found herself witnessing his downfall. “Looks like the pressure was too great for even Luca to handle.”

  Mary could not stay to watch his final moments, for her the anguish was too near. She let the Hive transport her psyche back across the globe, to merge with her beaten body in the laboratory.

  With Dan in tow, they sauntered into the Tactical Room, and stared down the sniffing Defence Secretary.

  “It’s done. Luca is dead, or soon will be. He ruptured a vessel in his brain.” Mary announced. She could not in all honesty explain what she was feeling. Her connection with Luca was too intense not to lament the loss, but she did not think anyone would understand. She would have to tame her emotions if this was to be her new path in life.

  A role which would see her mould and shape the lives of other fresh-faced telepaths and sensitives. To lead and manipulate them into protecting the ignorant masses from groups and individuals who would see our countries burn.

  How could she explain to Lachie and his friends, that sometimes you must become the villain, to ensure continued stability of a nation. There are no clear-cut boundaries between good and evil.

  Luca was sure he was protecting the vulnerable from the barrage of harmful frequencies at the hands of greedy communications empires. Alexi remained wholly convinced that the destruction of bee colonies would lead to global crop failures and the downfall of mankind. Who could tell if they were ultimately right?

  Mary had acted to protect the immediate future, even if that might lead to a more agonising and protracted end to civilisation. She had become judge and jury, her subjectivity ruling her heart and her actions. She was reminded of a school production, in which she watched from the wings in awe, as Shakespeare’s Richard the Third played out;

  “And thus I clothe my naked villainy

  With odd old ends stol’n out of holy writ;

  And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.”

  In which of those guises would Lachie now view her? How was she to win him over, having forced him to commit so grievous an act? When first she met the group, each of them had the innocent spirit of childhood about them. Their weeks at the Summerfield compound had rent that veil wide open. Would they consent to working with her and MI6 to secure a better future?

  Mary looked at Yelena. Had she trodden the same tightrope of terror between the changing guard of the Defence Department and loyalty to her kin? Was losing your moral compass the cost of protecting those whom you love?

  The Midlands, England.

  Dan knocked on the windows of Mary’s laboratory at the University’s Genetics Department, and stood outside waiting for her to unlock the door. His teeth rattled together as he hopped on the spot, his hands in his coat pockets, his breath misting up the air about him. Chuckling to herself, Mary replaced the lid on the bottle of ether and removed her latex gloves.

  Opening the door, she said; “What’s up buttercup?” and moving back to her stool, let him shut the door after entering. Dan plucked a folded newspaper from his armpit and waved it at her.

  “Have you read this?”

  Mary nodded slowly, tidying the Perspex containers which had earlier housed her mating fruit flies. “Lots of congratulatory pats on the back for foiled terror plots, and isn’t it a good job that their all-pervading surveillance network caught it in time.”

  “Hmm, indeed. Doesn’t say anything about Luca’s involvement I notice.” He unfolded the sheets and poked his nose into the middle section of the story.

  “Well that wouldn’t look too good at the White House, would it? Besides, there is little honour in pointing the finger of blame at a rich philanthropist who lost his daughter, got struck by lightning and then suffered a major stroke forcing him to retire from political office. In some respects, I think he would have been better off dead.” She gazed at her anaesthetised flies, lying on their backs with their tiny feet in the air. “Is that why you came to find me?”

  “No, I wanted to speak with you in person.” He put the paper down on the benching and looked at his sister. “I got a call from the solicitors dealing with Pip’s legacy. They want us to go down to London and meet with them. Apparently, the old boy who looked after the estate on Pip’s behalf is too infirm to travel, but didn’t want to pass it off to some underling.”

  “Did he say why he was being so cloak and dagger about everything?”

  “Kind of. When I joked about Pip’s diary and the mention of the Eighth Earl of Sedgewell, he went silent for ages. You could have heard a pin drop. Then he said that there was an element of truth to it, and that we shouldn’t discuss it over the phone.” Dan raised a brow at Mary.

  “You’re suggesting that our family is titled? That’s ridiculous.”

  “Is it? Think about it. Your passport, the agents who ransacked Pip’s place in Brighton, all of it fits. Besides, we will find out soon enough.” He shoved his nose back into the newspaper, leaning back to turn the large pages and whacking them into place with a swift back-hander. “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Connie is cooking, so you won’t get poisoned.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m going down to Heathrow to meet Harvey from the plane. He had some holiday owed to him so I invited him to stay. He’s bringing the satchel that Grampy bought for me.”

  “Aw, that’s nice of him. Do you want to borrow my car?” He fished in his trouser pocket and prised out the keys, chucking them across the work surface.

  “That’s so nice of you, thanks. It’ll save me having to catch the train and then battling across London again.”

  “You never know, Harvey might have Shrimant Shinde’s contact details. Didn’t you say that his secretary arranged a private annuity for Harvey to look after you while you stayed at The Plaza?” He beamed up at her, goading her in his usual cheeky way.

  “I did, but I doubt Karan would want anything to do with me after the way I treated him.” A cerise glow surged across her cheeks. She didn’t mention the fact that she also had Karan’s numbers printed on a business card tucked into her satchel. More than anything, she wanted a chance to put right the mistakes she had made. To explain why she had behaved so shamefully towards him and beg his forgiveness. But that was for another day. She stacked the boxes next to the sink in the sluice room and stretched fresh gloves over her hands.

  “Hey, didn’t you say that you had a jeweller friend from the North Laines in Brighton?”

  “I did, I have…why?”

  “It says here that police are investigating the suspicious death of a jeweller from Brighton, who had attended a precious gem symposium. He met with the guest speaker for a drink after the conference and was later found with his head smashed in, on the canal towpath in Camden Town.”

  “Holy shit. You don’t think it has anything to do with me showing him Phebe’s brooch, do you?”

  Dan shrugged. “Somehow, I just knew that this would not be the end...”

  ***

  If you have enjoyed the first volume of The Aurora Conspiracies, and can spare a moment of your time, a revi
ew would be greatly appreciated.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CWDFX79

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  If you would like to hear news about upcoming releases, promotions and exclusive materials, you can find me at my website:

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  The next book in The Aurora Conspiracies series is entitled, The Aurora Prophecy.

  Also by this author:

  The conspiracy thriller prequel novella series,

  The Aurora Journals

  Can Pip save his son’s life, or will powerful international groups seek retribution for his decisions?

  Doctor Pip Lawrence discovers the astounding truth behind his family’s heritage, placing himself and those he loves in imminent danger.

  This four-part novella compilation uncovers the secrets behind their lineage and how they became entangled in government controversy and intrigue.

  Pip is forced to comply with the dubious commands of more than one ruthless international group, taking him on a journey through some of Europe's most beautiful cities.

  Can he devise a plan to circumvent their hold over him?

  This thrilling prequel conspiracy, cuts at the roots of democracy, religion, wealth and power.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZ1XCR1

  Grab a copy now and discover the truth for yourself.

  If you follow me on Amazon, they will inform you of the next release:

  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00LN6Y222

  About the Author

  Sam Nash taught science and technology for twenty years in British schools, before turning her hand to writing science fiction thrillers full time. She lives in a small market town in Leicestershire, in the U.K, and dreams of one day owning a woodland on the Cornish coast.

  Acknowledgements