| |
Sleeper cell? Inner Society? My team should be passing through the same portal I’d come through within the next few minutes. But then, so too would the evil chasing them, if the passage worked like the last one. I watched as the man strode further away. Mary Ann or the team?
“Hey,” I called. “What’s your name, anyway?” I could track him down later. There was no reply, as the man kept walking. “Damn it,” I said under my breath, knowing I’d have to follow. Kevin had said he would find me. I jogged a few paces to catch up with the man. Just as I was about to ask him about the “Inner Society”, the sound of thunder rolling across the sky held my words at bay. I stopped in my tracks and turned back to see several people fall a few feet from the ground out of thin air and tumble like laundry across the grass. One, two, Juno, Kevin, flaming red hair – Aria, Topetine, and the rest of them. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now you’ve done it,” a voice said behind me. I shifted my attention to see the man that had been walking away was mere inches behind me.
Done what?
“You should have come with me when I told you to. We can’t stay hidden with that many of you walking about in a world mostly consumed by the shadows.” The man reached into his coat and pulled out a radio. “No go. Expect near thirty. Assistance at the gate.”
I glanced back at the patch of grass that held not only my team but Jade’s small group, and considered how it might attract attention. My gaze locked on to Kevin. His head turned and our eyes met. Behind him, in the space they had fallen through, a window formed of the electricity that had opened the portal and in that window was a light similar to the glow of white I’d seen in the wormhole. Was it a signal that more people were coming? What if they were the shadows?
“Hurry,” I called. “The portal is still open.” From where I stood I could see the answer to my question filling the light, turning it black to match the night sky. Jade’s men and my team jumped up and headed toward me and the man at my back. A single crack was all I heard before the electricity fell to one scorching seam in the sky, pressing the window closed, and with it whatever was inside the portal.
“Someone’s got our back,” Aria said. “That was too close.”
“Who’s this?” Juno asked, referring to the man behind me.
I turned to him. “Now you’ve got to give up a name.”
“Later, “ he said. “You can’t be out here. Follow me. And hurry. Spread out a little so as not to draw too much attention.”
“He belongs to a group known as the Inner Society,” I said.
“Is that true?” Kevin asked the man.
“Yeah, it’s true. Now can we get going?”
“He’s got something we need, Sara,” Kevin said, “to help us in accessing the next key.”
“Follow me,” the man said. He led us past a few store windows, one of which I noted to be a sushi shop and next to it a bakery, reminding me that I’d stuffed my need for nourishment somewhere between a cave opening and an old ruin. At the glimpse of food in the lit windows, I realized I was famished. Diverting the current path for a bite of anything edible was not on option, unless I planned to draw attention to all of us.
We passed the shops and turned into an alley. The man stopped at a dumpster, flattened both palms and pushed it a short distance to reveal a cut-out in the shape of a five by five square in the pavement. He bent down and placed a thumb in the corner, causing a thin glass box to extend a few inches upward, transforming the space into an elevator.
“Get in,” he said to me.
“Take Jade with you,” Kevin said. “He can trace the others to the location faster than this can move, if he knows where he’s going.”
“You go, too,” the man said waving a finger between Kevin and Topetine. “Someone else is on their way up to meet the others and carry them down behind us.” And with that, the five of us piled into the small compartment. With the push of a button, the glass shield lifted to its full extension just before it descended below ground.
“Can you tell us your name yet?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Carl,” he replied. “But it’s not important. I’m only the delivery man, assigned to find you and get you to safety. The people you need to meet with have the piece you’re in need of.”
“What piece?” I asked.
“The piece that unlocks the codes I’m carrying from the J-man,” Kevin said.
“Ah,” I replied. “And is it still 2016?”
“Current year, yes.”
Which means cell phones, Internet, TV, assuming I can get TV, or a connection this far below ground, and food.
“Do you know where we might be able to scrounge up some food?”
“Arrangements have been made.”
I hope the arrangements include... Oh, who could care? I’d settle for a hand full of peanut M&Ms. After what we’d been through and how so much of the bright, busy world of New York had been sucked dry of most of the energy of life in it, my expectations were pretty low. But that didn’t stop a fantasy of delectable food from forcing its way through my head, whether in the shop windows, or a vending machine.
“This is quite far beneath the surface, isn’t it?” I asked, seeking to avoid the awkwardness of silence in a tight space and a distraction from the nagging pangs of hunger. The elevator passed quickly through a channel that was as transparent as the glass that held us. I could see the layers of rock change at varying levels. Within the tunnel that carried the elevator were tubes, I assumed to be some sort of air filtration. It felt very much as though I were looking into an oversized ant farm, minus the ants.
“Yes. We’ll be close enough to the outer core but safe from the heat. The energy that increases in intensity the further down we get, or the closer to the core, disperses all other energy, even yours, making it as safe a haven as possible from someone hunting you or your team. This city has been under construction for many years in preparation for the quest.”
City? I paused. How did the people Carl was leading us to know about me? Were they connected to the Alliance? Could they be trusted?
“Who belongs to this Inner Society?” I asked.
“The Inner Society is made up of what you would call introverts, the silent type, meditators, spiritualists and the like.”
Which might explain how they lured Mary Ann to follow them. She was the type to gravitate toward peace and a bit of the supernatural to escape the desperation often found in the faces that presented to the shelter she volunteered with.
“Here we are,” he said.
The walls of the elevator retracted into the base of the floor. We stepped off the asphalt platform to shiny marble floors and a large open room crafted in modern décor. Any sign of dirt and rock was neatly tucked away behind white textured panels, with varying shades of grey and blue accents. Several sconces of clean burning flame floated within glass cylinders attached to the walls.
“Wait here,” Carl said.
Jade’s eyes had not stopped searching every corner of the immaculate room in an effort to justify such a place underground or a potential surprise that might jump out from a corner.
“Ten seconds and I’m going on my own to search for Mary Ann,” I said.
Kevin stopped his casual gaze across the room and stared at me. “Mary Ann?”
“The guy said he had her. He wanted me to follow him before you came through the portal.”
“I’m going back up to get the rest of my men, your team, whoever is left,” Jade said. “If we were being set-up, I’d have to believe someone would have approached us by now.”
“If being this close to the outer core disperses all energy, how will you trace back to us?” I asked.
“I can follow the path of that,” he gestured to the remaining square, where the elevator had disappeared into the floor. “Its energy can be tracked.” I watched as his image gradually faded from view.
“Sara, Kevin, and of course, Topetine. So pleased to finally meet you,” a woman said, stepping forward with her hand extended. She was dressed in a long, loose-fitting, multi-colored dress. Her eyes said more than the words flowing from her lips. Within them beamed such depth, understanding. They held a kind of all-knowing wisdom. “My name is Leahnan. I head the operation to keep what light is left on earth protected from the dark forces. But we can talk about that later. I’m sure you’d like to see Mary Ann.”
“I would. Thank you. Is she hurt at all? From the activity I saw above, it looked like very few people were functioning with their own mindset.” But what I really wanted to know, too, was if Leahnan and the others in this secluded place had tricked or possibly threatened Mary Ann.
“My goodness, no.” We stepped in beside the woman, who turned and started heading down a hallway. “She’s here on her own accord, unharmed, I assure you. Your adoptive father, Robert, however, was not able to be persuaded.”
No surprise there. Never had there been a time when Robert wasn’t more concerned with work and the resulting money that came from multi-million dollar deals. The last I’d heard he was on business in England ensuring the acquisition of a company. Who knew if London looked anything like New York did with the shadows and shells of bodies walking about, but I was certain it would take a catastrophic event to get him to come home. He wasn’t one to leave a deal on the table under mere persuasion.
I cast my gaze through a window opposite from where we were and saw daylight. How is that possible?
“We wanted to create a world with all the comforts we’d found above ground but without the noise and irritation,” Leahnan replied. “Holograms, enhanced lighting features, and other images are used to simulate those tranquilities people tend to enjoy, in place of the real thing.”
“You’re telepathic?” I asked.
“We all are. The difference between this little city, if you will, and the one above us,” her eyes lifted upward, “is that we’ve honed the ability, made a conscious choice to utilize it.”
Leahnan opened a door and invited us to step through. I spotted Mary Ann and wasted no time closing the distance and throwing my arms around her. “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” she said, pulling back. “Can you believe what has happened?”
I shook my head. I didn’t have much more than a glimpse of Central Park, but if everything looked at all like what I’d seen, then no, I couldn’t believe Tarsamon would have infiltrated humanity so quickly. His plan had seemed to be moving at a relatively slow pace when I’d left to find the first key, but indeed he hadn’t let his chase after me interfere with his mission. In the span of a month and a half he’d made good on his promise to end the “suffering”, as he had once described to me, of the humans and his intent on consuming that energy for the purpose of growing his forces.
“We’ll let you two catch up for a few minutes, but then we must move on,” Leahnan said. “There are light refreshments to tide you over until dinner this evening. Kevin, if you’ll follow me, I believe we have a matter to attend to while Sara and Mary Ann reconnect.”
After Leahnan left with Kevin, I pulled Mary Ann to one of three plush sofas angled in a U pattern.
“How did they find you?” I asked, eyeing her. She appeared healthy, well-rested.
“Who, Leahnan?”
“Yes,” I said with a tinge of impatience in my tone.
“She and her assistant showed up at the center where I was doing some work. They knew you were on a trip, but didn’t say how they knew, only that they had important information and that I should come with them.” She paused and reached for my free hand. “What happened to your wrists?”
“Just a few scratches on a hike.” From a few tight bindings. The previous red bands left from the vines C-05 had wrapped around my wrists had lightened into a dark pink, but hadn’t faded fast enough to go unnoticed. She eyed me speculatively. “I didn’t tell anyone about my trip with Kevin, the trip I told you we were taking when I last saw you.”
“How did they know?”
“I’m not quite certain.” Was Leahnan’s telepathy focused enough to know such detail? “But I assure you I aim to find out. How long have you been here?”
“Only a few days.”
“And they’ve been treating you well?”
“Yes, Sara. They even let me bring your dogs with me. They’re in a nice area. I don’t think you have to worry.”
For Mary Ann, I always worried. No one had cared for me like she did, and it was my minimum responsibility to be sure she remained safe, happy if possible. I patted her knee. “You’re probably right.” I stood up and wandered over to the table of refreshments, unable to deny my hunger any longer and wanting not to worry Mary Ann about my doubts. I downed a bottle of water, and eyed the finger food, mini pizzas with a fresh basil leaf on top of each, slightly wilted from the heat, avocado bruschetta, mini Italian grinder sandwiches and a host of other carefully prepared items. I selected a few pieces, while my stomach signaled it wanted much more than the small collection on my plate.
“What information did your hosts say they had?” I asked casually, eyeing a salad. Wait until Jade and his men get here. There won’t be a crumb left to be found.
“A mission of some sort. They said you were responsible for helping to stop the chaos.”
“They said that?” It surprised me that anyone tied to this mission would provide that much information to someone not involved. I sat beside Mary Ann.
“Yes, but they wouldn’t say how you are supposed to do this or why you were asked to do it. Is it true?”
I paused, considering whether I should tell her all that I knew or just what she asked. I’d never lied to her before and I wasn’t going to start now. Mary Ann was a tough woman. She’d stared into the eyes of battered wives and their children and handled it with all the strength and finesse required.
“Yes, it’s true. Kevin is part of this mission too, as are a few other friends. But I think I mentioned some of this when we last had dinner together.”
“I remember you were going with Kevin on a research mission. You told me if I ever felt scared to get somewhere safe like your house. But as I mentioned when we last spoke, that’s been torn apart.”
I frowned. The mansion had ancient artifacts I’d recovered over the last ten years. I’d just begun adding to the collection recently. And the cars. I hoped the garage full of exotics was untouched. What bothered me most, however, was that in her own way she’d just admitted she had been afraid and had no where to go. At Mary Ann’s touch, I looked at her and pressed a smile through the thought. “It’s all stuff, right?” I said, hoping to shift my discomfort aside.
“Sara, nothing appears to have been stolen, just broken.” I wasn’t sure which was worse. “Mainly the floors, walls. Looks like a wild cat used your interior as a scratching post.”
“Insurance will cover the damage,” I said, hoping such a thing still existed.
“Tell me,” I said, “Is everything, I mean are all the people stumbling around like those I saw when I arrived earlier this evening?”
“Evening? Good God, it’s nearly three in the afternoon,” she said, eyeing her watch. “From what I’ve been told, because the people here say it’s not safe to venture above, the clouds never part and the day shifts from light gray to dark gray, and yes, I’ve heard that people aren’t the same. But I only saw a few that made me wonder. I think a lot has changed in the last several days,” she added.
“It certainly seems so. Are you comfortable here for a little while longer?”
“I’d like to get back to helping the people that need the services the center offers and my gardening.” Her eyes drifted in another direction. “My life, you know?” she added, looking back at me. “But I understand if that’s not possible right now.”
I could feel her understanding. Her patience, however, was on its own ticking timer. It wouldn’t be long before she’d demand to get back to what life she thought she still had. Maybe it did exist. But from the little I saw, not likely, and certainly not in any manner she’d expect.
“Look,” she said, pulling me from my reflection on the matter. “If what you say is true, that you are responsible for resolving the conflict that is occurring, whatever that is exactly, I’ll stay if you say that’s best.”
So they hadn’t told her everything.
“I do, for the time being. What about Robert? Does he know where you are?”
She waved a hand to dismiss the subject. “The last I spoke with him, day before yesterday I believe it was, he was tying up the last few ends of that deal he’d been working on and was planning on coming back from London. I told him I was visiting with a few friends and to take his time. I mean, as nice a place as this is, there’s no way anyone is going to keep him here, even if you say so, Sara. You know that.”
I nodded. “That’s probably better, anyway.”
“I think so.”
“He didn’t mention the darker skies or strange behavior of people?”
“Nothing more than it’s been cloudy for days and there was no sign of it letting up. When his head is in a deal, he doesn’t notice much around him, has dinner with only the people he needs to, and the rest of the time keeps his nose in the news, reading. That may be the only way he does know what’s going on, but he didn’t mention anything to me.”
“Okay. I’m glad at least you spoke with him, and that I got to see that you are well.”
“What’s left for this mission of yours? How much longer?”
“I wish I knew exactly. I have to go to Egypt. That’s the last leg.”
She let out a heavy sigh.
“Try not to worry. I think you’re safest if you stay with the people that brought you here, and I’ll do what I can to finish this mission as quickly as possible. Maybe then we can look back on this adventure as nothing more than one realistic bad dream, over a few drinks and dinner.”
“I’d like that,” she said. “You look so tired.” She brushed a hand over my arm.
“I haven’t had time to think about it. But now that you mention it, yes. I believe I am. And I’m in desperate need of a shower. Do you think they have that way the hell and gone down here?”
She tossed out a small laugh, reminding me how I’d missed our chats over dinner, usually consisting of my favorite, her home cooked Italian. “They do. Let me show you. Your room is next to mine.”
I didn’t know anything about Leahnan or the other people of this city beneath the city, but one thing I was grateful for was that they had told Mary Ann the truth and had kept her safe. That wouldn’t grant them my full trust, not yet anyway, but it was a good start. Now, I thought, for a shower and some information from my new hosts.