Aliomenti Saga 6: Stark Cataclysm Read online

  “Follow me, please.” He turned on his heel and left the room. Gena rose from her chair, glanced around at the concerned faces of her coworkers, and followed. The gossip about her fate would start as soon as the door closed behind her. That wasn’t her prime concern. Porthos was going to question her; the instant he thought she was holding back, he’d invade her mind. Or try to, anyway. The instant that happened, the Tracking Hunter would know “Marjorie” was no human. She needed to answer his questions directly.

  Porthos opened the door to an office across the hall and motioned her inside, letting the door close with a melodic click behind them. “Have a seat.”

  She sat.

  “Do you know why I pulled you aside?”

  Gena shook her head. “No, sir.”

  “Are you aware of the investment fund blacklist?”

  “Should I be, sir?”

  Porthos considered. “You’re an entry level analyst, aren’t you? Your supervisors haven’t explained that part of our process yet?” He shook his head. “They’re trying to avoid responsibility for failing to check the recommendation and research against the list.” He glanced at her. “Allow me to explain. The blacklist shows the names of companies and individuals that the Leadership team has determined to be incompatible with our investment goals. No money is to be invested with such companies, in any amount, ever. Do you understand?”

  Gena allowed her eyes to widen. “Yes. You mean… oh no… a company I recommended for investment was on the list, wasn’t it?” She scrunched up her face, as if trying to remember, before snapping her fingers. “Was it the one that makes the electrical generators?”

  Porthos nodded. “Indeed.” He sighed. “It’s not a large amount of money, but the technology is… dangerous. We can’t have our funds be responsible for helping that technology come to the marketplace.”

  Gena put a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Sebastian!” She paused. “Sir, if I may ask a question? What about the technology is concerning? If I understand, I can make better decisions in the future, and at least flag something for review by management before providing an investment recommendation.”

  Porthos considered her question. Gena did her best to look interested in the answer only as it related to doing her—Marjorie’s—job. This was the moment when the Hunter might become suspicious and she might need to leave the building in an unnatural hurry.

  After what seemed an eternity, he shook his head. “There’s no need to know the explanation. It’s sufficient that you know that the Leadership team has made the decision and altered your processes accordingly. I do believe this episode highlights the need for tighter review processes by those with access to the list.”

  Gena nodded, and bowed her head. “I’m… sorry, sir. For the problems this may cause.” She looked up. “Is there anything I can do to help fix the problem?”

  Porthos gave her an appraising glance, one that seemed to imply a degree of positive interpretation of her character. Would he want to start recruiting her—no, recruiting Marjorie—following this conversation? “I don’t believe so, Marjorie. We have others responsible for… undoing poor decisions. With the level of danger the Trask technology poses, we’ll need to mobilize those individuals to take action.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. “I was going to ask what those teams do, but you’re going to tell me I don’t need to know, aren’t you?” She smiled.

  He gave a faint smile back, his eyes glinting. “You’re a quick study, aren’t you?”

  “I do try, sir.”

  “Continue trying. Make no mention of this conversation to your colleagues. They have no need to know about any of this, least of all anything related to the question you had the sense not to ask.” He stood, she followed his lead, and both headed for the door.

  She returned to her desk and to a barrage of questions. She told everyone Mr. Sebastian wanted to understand her rationale for a recommendation she’d made. No more, no less. After several minutes of answering the same question with the same answer, they left her alone.

  She needed to think. Undoing a decision? Action teams? She knew them well enough to know what that meant. She needed to get away, warn Fil as soon as possible, and help prepare him for any possible threat.

  Gena went to her supervisor and explained that she’d not felt well that morning, that she’d completed her assigned workload for the day, and asked if she might head home to recuperate in time for work the next day. Her supervisor glared at her, but checked her work and found that she had indeed finished her work. With a look of extreme discomfort, he agreed to her request.

  She wondered if Marjorie would get more work than usual the next day after proving she could handle far more today.

  She rode the monorail back to the station near the village. The trip went by in a blur; she didn’t look at the opulent entertainment districts for the Aliomenti, the lesser options for the humans, or the eventual transition to fields and human villages. She disembarked at the station near Marjorie’s home and walked to the house, moved around back, and let herself in once more. She modified the sleeping woman’s memories to give her recollection of the events of the day, save for Porthos’ admission that they would mobilize teams to undo the investment she’d recommended for Trask Energy. The less Marjorie knew about that, the better. Gena didn’t know if the woman would have the self-restraint not to mention that part of the conversation if given the chance.

  She slipped out of the house, locked the door behind her, and returned to the thick grove of trees behind the human village. Once she was safely hidden within the forest, she summoned her ship with the remote, unlocked the vehicle, and stepped inside. She locked the craft and set a direct course for Fil’s home in Minnesota. After sending Fil an encrypted, coded email that she needed to see him immediately, she spent the duration of the trip to reclaim her normal appearance. She told herself that she’d meet anyone in person to deliver news of this sort, that she wouldn’t normally just email the details, that she wasn’t making a special trip because Fil was her nephew, the only son of the twin brother who didn’t know she existed.

  It was a lie.

  She arrived at the simple converted factory serving as Trask Energy headquarters. A receptionist led her past the production facility, and she caught glimpses of machines producing the “kegs” revolutionizing the process of generating electricity for individual homes. She knocked on the door, and Fil opened it, motioned her inside, and shut the door behind them.

  Fil frowned after hearing the story. “So… they invested money with us, realized that the technology would probably be beneficial to humanity at large—their code for what dangerous means—and now they plan to do something to eliminate the technology?”

  “I think they’re planning to do something to eliminate the inventor, which is the primary concern,” Gena replied. “I couldn’t do any type of Energy work with Porthos there. Everything I deduced came using the same skills the Aeterni use to read body language and hidden messages in word choices. It didn’t take special training to know what he meant. They’re planning to kill you, Fil.”

  Fil sat down on the edge of his desk, frowning. He sighed deeply. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. I’ve come to terms with the fact that, at some point, the Aliomenti will figure out what I am. They’ll figure out who I am. I’ll be judged a criminal in their eyes, and they’ll ask me to suffer their assigned punishment.” A smirk formed on his face. “I will, of course, politely decline their invitation.”

  Gena smiled. Fil rarely made mention of the depth of his power, keeping his Energy tightly Shielded and limiting its use outside scutarium-lined buildings. She found it comforting to know he’d use his power to defend himself against the Hunters. “I’m not worried about you. Well, I am worried about you, but I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself, regardless of who might come after you. However…”

  “You think they’ll go after Sarah instead.” Fil’s face pulled ti
ght; his tone was matter-of-fact, his expression told of his deep concern over his wife’s safety.

  Gena took a deep breath and nodded. “It’s an Aliomenti strategy not without precedent.”

  Fil drummed his fingers on the desk.

  A gentle knock at the door startled them. Fil’s face morphed from deep concern to joy in an instant as the office door opened.

  Sarah smiled at both of them. “Hello, Gena. What brings you here?”

  Fil took hold of the wriggling infant in Sarah’s arms as Gena shut the office door. “Sounds like the Hunters don’t like my energy keg and are planning to try to kill me and destroy the factory.” He nuzzled his nose in the baby’s belly. The little girl laughed, a melodic sound, her cheerful Energy enhancing the effect. The three adults in the room smiled.

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Like they could sneak up on you or hurt you.” She offered an evil grin. “I confess I’d like to see them try. Tell me, Fil, would you vaporize them, or just make them really, really warm?”

  Fil jerked his head in Gena’s direction. “Gena’s concerned they’ll target you instead.”

  Sarah’s face clouded. “You don’t think…?” Her eyes flicked to the little girl in Fil’s arms.

  Gena could feel the temperature in the room drop. She glanced at Fil, and the temperature returned to normal. “I don’t know that they’d target Anna specifically, but we have to consider the possibility. They were quite willing to target Fil thirty years ago when they learned about him. We need to get the two of you to a safe house so that—.”

  “No,” Sarah said. “I’m not going into hiding because a bunch of five-hundred-year-old men with a lousy sense of humor have decided I should die because my husband invented something the world needs.”

  “Perhaps we can leverage some new technology from the labs in the Cavern to both hide and protect you and Anna.” Fil’s voice had an edge to it, and Gena could understand his concern. Sarah had chosen not to develop Energy skills. Anna was too young and untrained to control the astonishing amount of Energy she’d inherited from her father. If the Hunters or an Assassin targeted the women he loved, they’d be unable to defend themselves or flee. “Or…” His look at his wife was one of deepest pleading. “Perhaps you might reconsider—?”

  “No,” Sarah repeated. “My decision was made years ago. I’ve survived thus far without morange and zirple. I’ll bloody well survive in the future as well.”

  “Circumstances change,” Fil noted. His arms tightened around the cooing child in his arms.

  “I know,” Sarah told him. “I’m fine with taking a trip to the Cavern to check for technology we can use in the event of an attack while you’re away. If you’re around, we’ll be fine.”

  “Right,” Fil said, bouncing Anna gently. The little girl squealed with delight, then teleported to her mother and wrapped her arms around her neck.

  Gena winced. “You can’t let her teleport in public. What if someone sees her, comments about it, and word gets to the Aliomenti? They’ll raise their efforts far more for an Energy user’s teleporting child than an invention improving the lives of all humanity.”

  “I’m familiar with their philosophy on that point,” Fil said, a wry smile on his face. “I think Sarah’s point bears repeating. What do we do if they came after them when I’m not around?” He glanced at Sarah. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” she replied.

  “If they’re able to figure out your skill level, they’ll wait until you’re not home before making a move.” Gena collapsed in one of the chairs and laid back, looking up at the ceiling for inspiration. “We could arrange for a scout team to remain nearby at all times when you’re not around. Perhaps the old Defense Force?”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” a new voice said. Gena looked up, startled, as Adam appeared in the room. “We did just that decades ago, monitoring the safety of the young Will Stark via the invisible flying spheres to avoid detection.”

  Gena glanced at Fil. “Please tell me this teleportation playground is coated in scutarium.”

  He laughed, a sound that failed to reach the icy blue eyes teeming with concern. “With me working here, it’s essential.”

  She glanced back at Adam and offered a shy smile. “I didn’t know you lived in the area.”

  “I don’t, actually,” he admitted, returning the smile. “Several people in the Cavern have been watching Aliomenti business practices over the past decade or so, and they’ve noticed both angel and devil investing. Funding businesses poised for explosive growth, destroying those they believe might better humanity regardless of profit potential. Trask Energy meets the pattern of a devil investment. Sarah and Anna are in jeopardy. We can’t let anything happen to them.”

  Sarah handed Anna back to Fil, and the little girl giggled, unconcerned about the thick emotion of worry in the room. Fil put his arm around Sarah, and the couple smiled at each other.

  Fil looked around the room. “What can we do?”

  “The safety of Sarah and Anna is my top priority at the moment,” Adam replied. “We need to ensure that the Aliomenti don’t learn of their existence, and in particular that they learn nothing of Anna’s secret.”

  Gena nodded. “It’s my top priority as well,” she added, glancing at Sarah and Fil in turn. “Adam’s been through this type of trouble before, and the only casualty came from one who chose not to accept help.” She felt a lump in her throat. Mark’s decision still troubled her, decades later. “He can coordinate efforts to ensure secrets remain secret.” She glanced at Adam, and the flick of her eye toward Fil went unnoticed by the others in the room.

  Adam recognized the message. “Secrets often need keeping. There are times when revealing a secret can prove dangerous to those we care about.”

  She momentarily forgot the Trasks were in the room. “Those… we care about?”

  He looked startled, then uncomfortable. “Well… yes.”

  Gena looked away, trying to suppress the disappointment. She glanced at Fil and Sarah, who both wore knowing glances on their faces. “What?” she snapped.

  Fil and Sarah exchanged a glance. “We just wanted to thank both of you for your upcoming help. We don’t want anything to happen to… to Anna.” Sarah glanced at her daughter.

  Fil’s face bore a mixture of emotions. His concern about his wife and daughter was evident. But there was something else there. Something primal. Something Gena hadn’t seen before. It was a pent up rage, an emotion he’d been forced to suppress his entire life.

  She shivered.

  If Fil lost control, if he let that pent up rage loose… with his Energy, the results would be cataclysmic.

  And she knew exactly what might let loose that pent up emotion.

  ~~~~~

  The little girl sat on her bike, using her feet to roll along the driveway. She hadn’t learned to balance on two wheels yet. But she’d keep trying. She pushed off again, daring to lift her feet off the ground. She shifted her handlebars wildly, trying to maintain her balance. She started to find her balance, started to stabilize her handlebars… and rolled into the man walking by.

  She got her foot on the ground before she fell, then looked up. “Sorry, mister. I didn’t see you there.”

  The man was wearing dark sunglasses. His face had scars, and she shivered. She felt bad. Her parents said she shouldn’t do anything to make fun of how people looked. She forced a smile to her face.

  “That’s okay,” the man said. “I wasn’t paying attention.” He paused for a moment. “Wait a minute. I recognize you! Are you Cassandra?” He sounded excited.

  She nodded slowly. She wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers. Should she walk away?

  He pulled out a piece of paper. “I knew it! Can I get your autograph? I read your story online. What imagination you have! You’re going to be a famous writer, Cassandra!”

  “What story?” she asked, her face wrinkling.

  “The one about the little girl flying around her
backyard. Turning invisible. It was very realistic.” The man smiled. “You’re an amazing storyteller.”

  She shook her head. “That was no story, mister. I saw it. She really did fly around her backyard and all that stuff.”

  The man cocked his head. “Really? You actually saw it?” He looked doubtful.

  She nodded, suddenly wanting him to believe her. “I did see it.” She pointed at the house next door, with the tall fence surrounding a backyard flanked with tall trees. “She lives there. She’s, like, two years old, maybe. I saw her flying, mister. Really.”

  He frowned again. “Flying? Maybe her daddy just tossed her in the air and caught her.”

  “I swear it!” she said. “He can’t throw her and have her move around the yard, and disappear and reappear somewhere else!”

  The man sighed. Then he smiled. “I believe you, Cassandra. But I’m going to pretend it’s a story and that you’re a great writer. Okay?”

  She nodded. “O…okay.”

  The man turned and walked away. The little girl watched him for a moment, and then went back to riding her bike.

  She didn’t see him take off his sunglasses three houses away.

  She didn’t see the streaks of red in his wild eyes.

  IX

  Abaddon

  2070 A.D.

  The rows of numbers began to run together, and Fil closed his eyes to block them from his mind. The story told was positive; Trask Energy had grown explosively since its founding, and Fil and Sarah Trask enjoyed a net worth that made them the envy of millions. The energy revolution had proved every bit as transformative as he’d hoped. Tens of millions powered their homes for a one-time purchase price. Power outages became minor events, because public utilities provided electricity for a fraction of the population.

  He opened his eyes and looked at the report. Automobile manufacturers sought licenses for his technology, looking to replace internal combustion engines with electric engines. Without expensive, heavy batteries that required frequent charging, personal transportation would be revolutionized in a way not seen since the horse and buggy became the horseless carriage.