Convergence Page 26

  They never went to the human villages, did they?

  Will shook his head slightly at Adam’s question. No. And we just sent the bulk of our healthy fighters to the other side of the Island.

  Adam grunted. Arthur’s sickly little mind continues to torture us even from the grave.

  Will snorted. Why do you think we had Hope plan this whole operation? She’s the only one devious enough to anticipate most every move Arthur would make.

  Adam’s face froze. Then he nodded, once. Exactly. He paused. Given our current predicament and the fact our hosts aren’t likely to be friendly, I’m going to try something. Play along and follow my lead, okay?

  He didn’t wait for Will’s response before opening the top of his car and leaping out to the ground below. A huge smile covered his face, and he waved his arms, trying to gather the attention of the crowd. “Hey, everybody! Great news! Look!” He pointed at Will’s car. “We’ve captured Will Stark!”

  The Aliomenti looked at each other, confused.

  Will immediately scowled and stared daggers at Adam. He had a hunch where Adam was going with this. His face and thoughts suggested capture by betrayal and treachery.

  “What? No applause? No cheers? All of you do know who Will Stark is, right?” Adam shook his head. “Okay, perhaps this isn’t quite how you expected things to unfold. There’d be a massive Energy battle with the Hunters, right?” He got a few nods and returned the gesture. “Exactly. That’s what I thought would happen as well. But this sneaky, Oath-breaking traitor wouldn’t allow for something like that, right? Not the man who goes into hiding for centuries at a time, who hides and lets others do the fighting for him.”

  Though he knew Adam was playing to the crowd, Will couldn’t help but feel stung at the words. He realized the emotion helped in playing his part, though. He wagged his finger at Adam, mouthing choice words in the direction of the man describing his alleged capture.

  “Why is Will Stark sitting in one of our ground cars? That’s a great question, and it’s one I’m sure our esteemed guest”—he paused as the sneering laughter rose in a crescendo—“wished he’d asked before he stole this car a short time ago.” He waved his hands up in the air, encouraging the crowd as the laughter increased, encouraging them to gather around. “I’ll show you why he’s in the ground car… and why he’ll stay.”

  He pulled out a vial of the medicine.

  Will blinked. What was he doing?

  “You’re all quite aware of our impressive prison cell system in the lower levels at Headquarters, correct?” Heads nodded. “And you’re aware that those prison cells use technology to crush the Energy of our enemies, correct?” More nodding. Adam waved the vial around. “Our scientists have turned that technology into a liquid form. My colleagues and I have stocked up on this liquid dampering solution. A short time ago, we coated the exterior of most of the ground cars waiting outside Headquarters, for we’d gotten word that Will Stark had managed to visit our fair Island once more, and might look to use a ground car to move close to the building.” He bowed his head. “This man, this dangerous man… he… he planned to get close to the building and then unleash a massive swarm of Energy at the building.”

  Gasps erupted all around. “But… wouldn’t that kill many of the people inside?” one woman asked.

  Adam raised his eyes in sympathy. “You’re probably thinking that people like Will Stark care about the lives of innocents. Sadly, though…” He shook his head. “That was exactly his intent.”

  The murmurs turned angry, and more than few looked quite ready to crush the ground car with Will still inside. Adam’s speech thus far was so impressive that Will was nearly ready to repeat Athos’ plunge.

  Adam’s head snapped up, and he raised his hand. “However, the crisis was averted. When Will Stark moved inside this ground car and closed the lid, the dampering liquid began its noble work. Within seconds, he was weakened, and before he could try teleporting out of the car, his Energy was crushed to the levels of a neophyte.”

  Cheers erupted. Condescending faces leered in at Will, letting him know in no uncertain words and gestures that he’d gotten what he deserved. Will shook his fist weakly at Adam, mouthing the words “I trusted you!” at this master teller of tales. Adam saw the words and rolled his eyes.

  Adam held up the vial once more. “However…” He rummaged in his sack and found an additional three vials of medicine. “I’m sad to say that this solution is far from permanent. The Energy absorbed and crushed destroys the liquid in the process. With someone powerful like Will Stark, it doesn’t take much time for the liquid to disappear. And when it wears down, when it disappears? Will Stark will be back at full strength. And I don’t suspect he’ll wait long to go after our friends.” Adam turned, a wistful look on his face, and gazed upon the black marble monolith on the horizon.

  “We should kill him now!” one of the Aliomenti shouted. Will noted with some concern that it was one of the converted. Was the man playing along, or were Adam’s words convincing the man to return to his Aliomenti roots?

  Adam shook his head. “Not an option. The prison cells are full—the Hunters have been quite busy lately—and the Leader has explicitly stated that he’ll interview Stark personally in two hours. He can’t do that if Will Stark is dead.” Adam paused. “I’m not certain that restriction applies after the interview, though.”

  “So what should we do?”

  “We need to keep this car coated in this liquid. It’s already starting to wear off. I need help from anyone who wants to say they had a hand in suppressing Will Stark’s Energy until his final interview with the Leader and his permanent imprisonment. Any volunteers?”

  Every hand went up. Adam nodded. “I’ll ask my friends to distribute the liquid. We’ve found it’s best to spread the liquid on both hands and rub the hands over the surface of the ground car. The liquid seems to adhere better when it mixes with the oils found on the skin.”

  Adam opened a vial, poured the medicine on his hands, and approached Will’s ground car. Will glared at Adam. Adam sneered back, rubbing both hands over the surface of the car. He punched the glass once, and then his face tightened with concentration for just a moment.

  He turned to the crowds. “There’s plenty for everyone. Line up, folks. We need to keep a constant supply of the liquid on the car, so please get some on your hands and coat the car quickly before you step aside to let the next person in. We need your help to keep Will Stark restrained for the next two hours.”

  The lines formed quickly, with plenty of pushing and shoving. Those who’d arrived with Adam poured the medicine on the hands of the unconverted Aliomenti present. Each person in line moved up and smeared the liquid over the surface of the car. Will scowled at each of them, and noticed a few faces grimace in pain as they applied the “dampering liquid.”

  Will didn’t question it. He’d ask Adam later. He didn’t think the medicine was topical; that’s why they hadn’t simply sprayed the medicine on unsuspecting Aliomenti, or pumped it in through the ventilation system. They’d cut the skin with their swords to let the medicine seep in, and…

  Will’s eyes widened, and he had to fight the urge to laugh.

  He knew why Adam had paused after rubbing the liquid on the ground car.

  He watched and counted. Five, then ten, then twenty of the Aliomenti did their part to keep the evil, dangerous Will Stark suppressed inside the car. In mere minutes, he estimated that thirty percent of the Aliomenti present had been through the line, and the converted had to encourage them to let everyone have a turn before getting back in line once more.

  As the next group moved forward, sneering triumphantly as they coated the car, Will felt the powerful surge of Energy flow through all of them.

  XLII

  THE ENERGY SWARMING OVER HIM was familiar and friendly.

  It was the first time in Will’s long life he remembered sensing such Energy with dread.

  Adam’s presentation had been maste
rful. In feeding upon fears and rumors about Will and the Alliance, mixing in the intrigue of a secret new technology from the Aliomenti labs, he’d gotten the unconverted Aliomenti to do something they’d later think foolish. None of them had recognized Adam, none of them recognized any of the strangers except Will, and yet they’d readily believed a stranger’s tale without confirmation of his identity, without communicating with Headquarters to verify the Leader’s command to keep Will alive and restrained until fully prepared to receive him for questioning.

  Foolish as they’d find the story later, the unconverted Aliomenti here now found the story believable and compelling, and were pushing through lines to get their chance to Damper Will Stark.

  And then the cavalry arrived.

  Ian and those diverted to the human settlement arrived, swarming in via short-range teleportation and firing blasts of Energy at the sleep centers of the brain for the unfamiliar Aliomenti. Will realized how the scene would appear to one arriving at this moment. They’d see Will captured and suffering through some torment while the others from his group stood aside and allowed it to happen. Adam’s earlier erratic behavior would lessen resistance to the idea that he’d been in league with the Aliomenti all along. Exploding onto the scene with Energy firing made sense in that scenario.

  Adam glanced at Will, helpless. With the fighting underway, efforts to continue his scheme seemed ruined. The genius of the plan, the tiny, sharp ridges formed from Adam’s nanos, wouldn’t be nearly as effective in a general battle. The ridges acted like tiny razors, cutting small gashes in the hands of those rubbing the liquid medicine on Will’s car. The medicine would seep into the skin through the cuts and take effect.

  Now, though, they had to get the message to Ian and the others without confessing the trickery behind Adam’s story.

  Will thought quickly, then glanced at Adam, pantomiming a swallowing motion. Adam’s eyes registered confusion, but with a faint nod he showed he’d follow Will’s plan, just as Will had followed Adam’s.

  Will roared, using his Energy to amplify the sound, distracting the Aliomenti who’d drawn swords and prepared to fight the newcomers. Will lifted his hands slowly, dramatically, like a weightlifter straining to push through muscle fatigue. His hands broke through some unseen barrier as he roared a battle cry, and the car shattered, crumbling in pieces. He rose from a crouch and looked around, sneering at those nearby. He wheeled upon Adam. “You fool,” he stage-whispered, letting his voice carry. “Did you really think your silly liquid would restrain me long? How can a dampering agent be effective so far from the subject? Even the Hunter Aramis worked best when in contact with his victims. Trust me, I know.” Will turned and fixed Ian with a steady glance. “Be careful, friends! They’ll try to spread the evil liquid upon you and destroy your Energy! Whatever you do, don’t let them put the liquid on you! If they do… claw, bite, use whatever even tiny means at your disposal to get away!”

  He turned and ran.

  He could feel Ian thinking, trying to understand Will’s message. Ian was no fool; he’d seen the near-instant interaction between Will and Adam, and knew they’d been working together. He’d seen the Aliomenti wiping medicine on the car. That tactic wouldn’t work. Will spoke to Adam as he would an enemy. If Ian realized he’d been speaking lies as truth, he’d recognize that he meant them to do the opposite of what he said. They needed the unconverted in contact with the medicine and would do so by convincing them that it affected only the Alliance. The reference to biting meant they should resist but with less than maximum effort—no swords. But they also needed cuts to the skin to let the medicine penetrate. The clawing and biting reference meant they’d need to create those cuts themselves… using the tiny means at their disposal, the nanos.

  Will watched Ian.

  Recognition crossed the man’s face, and Will knew he need not wait further. He located a distant unconverted Aliomenti and ran straight at the man. The man, terrified, grabbed a vial of the medicine and held it like a weapon.

  “There are too many of them, friends!” Ian shouted. “Drop your weapons! We must flee! We cannot let them take our Energy with that liquid!”

  Ian dropped his sword and ran deeper into the District.

  Several of the combatants stared after him. Slowly, the faces of the Alliance members present began to show recognition, an understanding of the plan presented by Will and Ian.

  One man held his sword out in a hesitant manner. “I’ll fight you! Don’t put that stuff on me! I… I can’t lose my Energy!” He pointed the sword at the nearest Aliomenti. “You stay back!”

  The Aliomenti man turned to Adam, an evil grin on his face. “I need some of that liquid.”

  Adam had the man hold out his hands as he concentrated and poured the liquid. The man winced, as if receiving an antiseptic on an open wound. “Be careful,” Adam said. “He’s dangerous. Don’t spill the liquid until you get to him!”

  Will couldn’t believe it worked. Were the Aliomenti so crazed by the idea of his capture that they’d lost all sense of reason? Did they not realize, even now, that any liquid capable of suppressing another’s Energy on contact would also suppress their own?

  Yet they continued to line up, begging for and often demanding their share of the snake oil Adam had described in such vivid detail. When doubts took hold, they’d remind them of Will’s impending plans to level Headquarters, crushing all those inside. The chase would begin on foot, move to Hunt-like tracking and teleportation, and end as both parties exhausted themselves.

  An astute observer would make note of the fact that as the teleportation efforts ceased, the hunter would often look upon the hunted, glance down at his hands, and wonder aloud why he’d bothered with such a chase. Dialogue followed. Confusion turned to anger, not at the person presenting historical fact, but at the man who’d made the “medicine” a necessity.

  Will did his part to keep up the ruse as the battle of attrition continued. He’d spot a strong Aliomenti teleporter reaching a victim too quickly, teleport to the group, and knock the Aliomenti away, allowing their target a chance to escape. Adam chased Will, holding a vial of medicine in his hand, shouting at the “traitorous Oath-breaker” and demanded he cease his escape efforts. Will laughed at the claims and moved on.

  Over the course of the next hour, the hundreds of miniature Hunts dropped to dozens, and then to single digits. The last of the hunters finally looked around at his colleagues, all sitting and chatting with their former enemies, and recognized that he, too, wondered why they’d been fighting.

  Will and Adam stood side by side, looking around, trying to find any remaining unconverted.

  They found no one. They sensed no antipathy, just confusion trending toward realization and quiet anger. They sensed resistance to truths too difficult to accept initially, but they felt the patience of those sitting with the newly freed. There were no harsh words of blame, but words of calm support in the effort to meet the new reality head on.

  Adam titled his head toward Will as he watched the conversations unfold. “Is it over, Will?” he asked, his voice a murmur of stunned surprise. “Is it really over?”

  Will felt the same sense of surprise. “I think s—”

  He never finished his sentence.

  The profound, fear-based burst of Energy from Headquarters swarmed over them.

  Something was very, very wrong. Both men instantly teleported back to the Headquarters Plaza.

  Those remaining had converged on this spot with malice and the willingness to shed blood. But all now lived under the peaceful sky, focused instead on building upon their new, nascent friendships.

  XLIII

  THEY ARRIVED AT HEADQUARTERS PLAZA, fully expecting to find those working here embroiled in renewed fighting with the unconverted. Or the body of yet another loved one lying on the ground, joining Eva and Charlie as victims of the fighting.

  But the Plaza was devoid of life.

  Will and Adam exchanged puzzled glances. “You
did sense the Energy surge from the Plaza, right?” Adam asked.

  Will nodded, frowning. “I did. I thought we’d find them right here. Perhaps they moved?”

  A second Energy-fueled wave of despair and anguish engulfed them.

  “They’re on the opposite side of Headquarters,” Adam stated.

  They split up without speaking, each sprinting with full Energy-enhanced speed around opposite sides of the building, ensuring they’d miss nothing. They reunited on the opposite side of Headquarters, as they’d surmised, and stared at the strange scene before them, unable at first glance to discern the source of the emotion.

  They found a large screen mounted flush against the black marble walls of the building. Hope, Angel, and Fil were there, staring in horror at the screen. Fil, the source of the powerful wave of empathic despair Energy, lay on the ground, curled up in a fetal position. They heard him whimpering. Hope sensed the approach of Will and Adam, and her face reflected the powerful emotion that summoned the men to this spot.

  Will wondered if the screen displayed a list of the dead, and they were only now allowing themselves to grieve openly at the staggering losses they’d suffered.

  He looked at the screen and wished he’d been correct.

  They’d found Porthos.

  And Porthos had found Gena.

  His twin sister was wrapped in netting of the sort he’d seen sap the strength and Energy of his wife and son earlier that day. Gena’s struggles were obvious from the strain on her face, her pale complexion, and the fear evident in her eyes.

  Porthos, the stump of his right hand now bound and bandaged, held his own sword in his left hand. Will recognized the sword. He’d seen the weapon pointed at him on many occasions, but in those circumstances he’d had the opportunity to fight back or flee.

  Gena had no similar options.

  Porthos ran the flat edge of the blade across her neck, and she stiffened.