Pillars of light and fir.., p.117
PILLARS OF LIGHT AND FIRE: THE COMPLETE SERIES, page 117
Juno was here as the teenage version of Anora, and Oracle.
“This is the Round Table,” Anora announced. “I suspect you know everyone here.”
Morgan looked around the table itself. “This supposed to be a metaphor? Or just literal?”
“Just as I’ve told you, everyone here has a say,” Arthur said.
“A pseudo-democracy?”
“We don’t abdicate what affects us directly.”
Anora waved it away. She was always impatient in dealing with things she thought were trivial.
There were also two curiously empty spots at the table. Paladins on mission, she guessed. “Kai MacGabran” and “Indiana Beckham” were engraved on the digital surface with no adornment. They were the fallen Paladins. They’d have to amend that last one. Hell, Morgan wouldn’t be surprised if Kai was alive. Self-righteous bitch, Morgan thought.
“I’d like to request additions to the table,” Morgan said. “Holt and Doc, my Citadel and UN commanders. After we’re done.”
“Let’s focus,” Anora said to the group. “Morgan is no longer a Sister of the Mare de Scientia, and with their consent, I’ve asked her to become a member of the Round.”
The faces around the table were hard. Morgan felt this was a formality and that Arthur and Anora had spoken to everyone. None looked happy, and could Morgan blame them? She’d taken from them and chased their technology for years. Was this how far she would go?
Jeri smiled at her, and Morgan recalled their talk almost a month ago. Her own determination to bribe her cousin sounded so foolish, so pointless now. Arthur and Anora needed her. She . . . needed them. It hurt to admit that now.
“We’re all under threat. It’s time we realize that before we’re all destroyed,” Arthur replied. “We don’t have a lot of time. Anora and Morgan are en route to rendezvous with me at checkpoint alpha. The rest of you have your assignments. Anora?”
“I’ve determined on some airport footage I’ve recovered from the Citadel that NEMESIS is using bolas that appear to remove access to the grid, similar to the focal magnifiers in our suits,” Anora reported.
“So, they based it on the dampener design,” Arthur said.
“Indiana’s dampener?” Percy asked. “Didn’t that get destroyed at Tintagel?”
Anora gave him a sharp look. “If it was, the design wasn’t,” Anora said, her gaze shifting to Morgan. “The Chevaliers never received data or blueprints on the rings or magnifiers, so they haven’t been able to replicate them.”
“How do you know?” Morgan said.
“I’ve crawled your data structures periodically,” Juno said.
“So you know we have made poor progress in developing our own focal magnifiers. We received the remains of Kai’s suit after the NSA, the FBI, and HSI completed their investigations and released it to us. The focal tech was only nine percent recoverable.” Morgan looked at the surrounding group. Each had taken turns teaching her as much about the Avallach technology as they could manage in such a short time. She realized that had been purposefully done, and she hadn’t noticed it until now. Was that Arthur’s doing? Still, there were moments where they felt more than a little antagonistic, but Morgan deserved it all. She wanted her son, and she’d be a Paladin if that was the trade.
“So, bola dampeners made from our own tech. This sounds familiar. Any other surprises?” Arthur asked.
“They have no augments, but their EMP is powerful. Heph and the suit teams have been working overtime to harden our gear. Morgan’s Chevaliers and all Paladins are hardened, though they can only take one pulse each until the G-3 suits are in production.”
“Yes, that’s why the Chevalier teams, Leto and Domino included, were captured,” Anora said, turning to Morgan. “You activated your fail-safe?”
“I . . . did not activate them,” Morgan admitted. “Though the enzyme coding should incapacitate them. They may be dead.”
“Why would you do that?” Percy said.
Arthur held up a hand. “She didn’t kill them, and she doesn’t have the retrovirus. Let’s work to prevent the rest of her Chevaliers from succumbing to the same fate.”
“I agree. The Chevaliers are thousands strong—not us. Morgan has built a cadre we could use in the coming days. They captured Domino, so both her and Leto’s lives are at stake now,” Anora said.
“We have to get them back,” Sam said, his face dark and features hard. “Domino’s heart won’t be able to take that kind of strain.”
Arthur folded his arms. “She’s one of many. What we can do now is keep any more augments from being captured. Worst case, they are put down, or depowered.”
“I’ve asked this a hundred times—can they destroy or negate the matrix? The manifest field? Can the EMP affects our suits?” Percy asked.
“Not directly, but they have developed nonnuclear EMPs to take out our local grids, which have controls that function within the EM spectrum.” Anora sighed. “Previously, I believed our suits to be impervious to electromagnetic pulses, and that’s no longer true. That’s how they captured Domino.”
“What about the micro-drive?”
Jeri shook her head. “Different field. This is our KE field we’re talking about. But the suits are hardened now.”
Arthur shrugged his shoulders. “There will always be chinks in armor.”
Anora gave a small shake of her head. “If they pass the Augmented Human Weapons Convention, no amount of armor will protect us from what we’ll become.”
Morgan frowned. “A paper doesn’t make us tools of the state. And we should undo the controls we have in place. It’s a risk.”
“I have a plan to deactivate your scrambler system, but we have more pressing concerns now.”
Morgan held up a hand. “I want to remind everyone that removing Chevalier controls breaks the UN charter and protocols we’re under. We undo this, and what the Peace Enforcers have built will fall apart. Perilous will lose international support, though its perception as a technology mecca may mitigate that.”
“Noted,” Anora said.
“What’s changed?” Morgan asked. Something about my son?
“Three things,” Anora said. “First, Juno uncovered the writ issued by DHS and DOD for freezing all Chevalier Corps US assets. That leads to the second: your US Embed Team is being detained and Task Force Moirai is at the Citadel as we speak. We had hints that was in the works for some time, and we’re executing the contingency plans you’ve helped us create.”
Arthur nodded. “I’ve reached out to the Suns. They’ve staged a protest to slow Moirai down. With a several thousand people, that may hold them for two hours if they can get together in time.”
Morgan stared at the Citadel on the globe. “I need to get there, then. Do you have Paladins available?”
“I have someone working on it already,” Anora said.
“What’s the third?”
“I have the location of Leto and Domino,” Arthur said.
“Finally!” Lamar said, cracking his knuckles.
“How?”
Arthur looked to Anora and Oracle and then the group. “Domino knew they might capture her, so we gave her a new focal magnifier in the hopes she’d escape if she could.”
“Wouldn’t they find . . . ?” Lamar asked.
“We made it a part of her pacemaker. It’s inside her,” Anora said.
“Jesus.” Ed whistled. “I thought she was just getting good. Did she break out?”
Arthur shook her head. “Here’s the crazy part, Ed. She didn’t.” Arthur lowered his head to think.
Jeri spoke up. “We know Gal can communicate through the manifest energy. She’s not strong enough to use it, nor do we know the extent of her ability. But she has an affinity for certain people, and we believe it’s because of their closeness to Indiana Beckham—Arthur, myself, and . . . apparently Kai MacGabran.”
“Kai?” Ed asked. His jovial demeanor became serious. “How do you know this?”
“Kai used the focal magnifier to reach us.” Jeri closed her eyes.
Arthur cleared his throat. “We don’t know how.”
“Are you messing with me?” Ed snapped. His face was uncharacteristically lined with worry and anger.
“It’s her,” Arthur said. “Gal believes it, and I believe her.”
Ed vanished from the Round Table.
“He’s with me,” Sam said. “You’ve given him a shock, mate.”
“Oh my god,” Ellen said. “Kai . . .” Her shoulders were tense. “We should send someone. Get them both.”
Arthur shook his head. “I’m not sending Paladins there. I need you all to pair up with Morgan’s Chevaliers. Morgan, brief the teams on your plan. There are enough augments to send to various Embed Teams around the world. Perilous first, then outward from there. Forget the UNSC countries. They are already reporting to the Citadel, which is now offline and unable to assist.”
“Someone has to get my son,” Morgan said.
“That’ll be our job,” Arthur said to Morgan. “That’s why you’re coming to checkpoint alpha. I hope you learned enough to actually fight. If you want your son back, it will be on you. I’m getting my sisters.”
“How did you find out where NEMESIS was?” Morgan said, and realized she probably already knew the answer. The dream flickered in her mind. “I don’t like this.”
“And your Black Hounds?” Percy asked Anora.
“I’m sending all of my Hounds to Perilous except you and Ellen. You need to be the spearhead in that hemisphere.” When Percy’s expression didn’t change, Anora sighed. “Jeri needs to prep the Arc VI, then we’ll head out in the Ravens.”
“I’ll check over the steeds,” Percy agreed, and vanished.
“That’s it,” Arthur said.
“May the Force be with us?” Juno said.
“Oh, you’re a funny AI,” Lamar said.
“Really?”
“A little bit.”
Most of the Paladins vanished, leaving Arthur, Anora, Juno, and Morgan.
“Kai.” Morgan closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn’t really there. She was standing next to Anora, most likely. “Was it really her? I mean, this feels so suspect.”
“Oh, it’s her,” Arthur said. “And it’s not going to be easy to get into the Bunker.”
“That’s what it’s called? The Bunker?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t like this,” Morgan repeated. “We should send everyone we have there. Everything.”
“I don’t think you understand what the Bunker can do,” Anora replied.
“Tell me my son is there.”
“Yes, there’s a strong likelihood he is,” Arthur said.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty and risk,” Morgan said. “Let me get to work on our teams.”
40
Stirred, Not Shaken
THE BUNKER, SOUTHERN VA—
Domino rolled over and smiled at her sister, who lay beside her. For an instant it reminded her of her younger days, when Kai would let her sleep in her bed, back when Kai was just out of West Point. She was so iron hard back then and yet still her big sister.
“Are you awake?” Domino asked.
“I’m always awake,” Kai said. “Your feet are cold.”
“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
“Okay.” Kai rolled over, pulling her hair out of her face. “Can you tell me something?”
“Just don’t torture me.”
“If they wanted to torture you, they’d make you watch some terrible reality TV.” Kai smiled. “Who is Gal? She said she was Indiana’s daughter, but . . . Indiana’s dead.”
“No, she’s not,” Domino said. “It’s complicated.”
“We have lots of time.”
Domino reached out and touched Kai’s hand, then slid up to her wrist, since her fingers were bandaged and not as sensitive. She’s the Prophet, Domino’s fingers signed in code.
“How does she know me?” Kai asked, and messaged back, Really? So Arthur’s really the Herald, then?
Yes to both, Domino messaged back. “She only knows you from Indiana. Indiana has very strong memories and experiences of you when Gal was in the womb. It’s hard to explain how Gal’s mind was formed, but her powers came before she was born.”
“That’s funny. I remember having these weird compulsions years ago when I was . . . in charge.” When I was matron, she added.
“She’s learning to control her powers. She’s an amazing child. You’d like her.”
“I already do.” So Arthur knows we’re here?
Yes. He knew if you were alive, you could talk to Gal. If not, I could escape somehow, some way. “She’s special.”
“It’s weird, you know? How many kids does Arthur have? This is getting out of control.”
“Oh wait, he has two more,” Domino said, but realized perhaps that should not be common knowledge. You have a niece and a nephew named Athena and Apollo. Anora’s twins. “You should think about starting a family.”
Kai barked a laugh that turned into a coughed. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”
“I won’t tell you about all the pictures of you Ed has.”
“Ed . . .” Kai’s voice drifted off and she smiled at the thought of him. “He really feels I’m still alive?”
“He’s dedicated, you know. Oh, he will still be mad as hell about you, but mostly he will be happy.”
“He’s so loveably dumb.”
“He is.” They are coming. Gal will tell them.
I believe you. “Maybe I’ll make time for him.”
“That sounds like a good plan. The world out there has changed, you know.”
“Has it really changed all that much?” Kai asked. After years being here, waiting is easy. It’s strange, sister.
“Not physically. Just the world has changed a bit because of the Chevaliers and what happened at Tripoli.” A little longer.
“Mm.” Kai nodded, her lips pressed together. I can’t watch them hurt you anymore. I can’t.
I know. Domino couldn’t think of anything to say. She held her sister’s hand.
I’m afraid. What if he comes? Arthur? Domino closed her eyes. She felt shapes on her skin. Arthur’s name was like the word for “bear,” and that amused Domino.
He will come for us, she reassured Kai.
That’s what I’m worried about. This is what they want, I bet. They will capture him. They have a device to capture him. I’ve been . . . testing it. It will be worse than what they’ve done to you. Kai was still for a moment. What did Avallach do to you?
My pacemaker is also a focal magnifier. It’s an implant. If we have it, we won’t need the suits or have to worry about our tech being taken from us. I’m glad you remembered what it was and could use it.
It’s been a long time. Not since the Bridges. Kai paused, thinking. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry nowadays,” Domino responded, but her mind, re-formed out of the thoughts that had been scattered by the testing, turned to Arthur. NEMESIS would know. They would be ready for him. They would capture him, and that might be where the augments ended. “I’m worried about Leto.”
“I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s like his mother.” Don’t trust him, Kai replied without hesitation. If he’s anything like his mother, he’ll betray you.
41
Fight On
MARYLAND CITY, MD—
“This is your shortcut?” Isolde said, staring up the elevator shaft. “I hate your ideas.”
Mara smiled. “I didn’t say it would be easy.”
“You could’ve said it was a fucking rainbow for all I care,” Isolde said.
“What about your suit?” T. S. said.
“I got shields, helmet subsystem, and part of the communication system, but the micro-drive won’t come online. This was a prototype, and I think it’s been permanently damaged by the radiation.”
“Micro-drive?” Mara said. “Flight?”
T. S. nodded. “Let’s rough it old-school, darlin’.” The smell of machine oil and grease was strong and the elevator shaft was pitch-black. Even if his senses were enhanced, T. S. would have trouble seeing. He tapped his terminal to give him a small square of light from its screen. A drone flitted up the shaft past him, released by Mara or one of her Chevaliers. Its tiny light flickered up the shaft.
Isolde smirked. “Like Yellowstone? I hated that camping trip.”
“Really?” T. S. said, going out into the elevator shaft and climbing. “I thought it was lovely.”
“You romanticize everything, dear.” Isolde motioned for the two Chevs to follow T. S.
“Am I going hear this the whole way up?” Mara said. “’Cause if so, I’m just going to jump to my death.”
“Oh, honey, I would love it if you did that,” Isolde said.
T. S. imagined Mara Holt staring icy daggers at Isolde. He focused on the task. “June bug, do you have a signal?”
“Still seeking. It looks like they’ve secured all cellular transmissions around this building. I’ve sent out some secure connections to low-bandwidth devices nearby, but I’m unable to establish a connection home,” Juno said.
“Keep trying,” T. S. said, though it was a useless remark. He estimated the distance to the Decom Center’s floor. It was a climb.
“I see lights,” said the Chevalier below him. T. S. glanced up. He’d noticed it too but had been focused on his handholds. It was damn grimy.
“Yes,” T. S. said, and he pulled manifest into himself. Just enough for his KE field, but not enough for his halo to be visible. There was a twang above and something struck his arm and hit him in the face. He took the full brunt of the hit and nearly lost his grip. He felt a sickening crunch as the metal ball struck. Where was his KE field? He couldn’t pull power and tasted blood. The thing was tangled around his arm. Was it a bola? Gunfire erupted above him. A bullet whizzed past his ear. He pressed himself against the shaft. “June bug, your light.”
