Aliomenti Saga 6: Stark Cataclysm Read online

  She made as if to leave, but Sarah held her arm. Angel turned back to face her, allowing the fake smile to vanish. “What?” She pulled her arm from Sarah’s grasp.

  Sarah took a deep breath. “I’m about to marry your brother, Angel. You’ve never liked me. You’ve never shown any type of affection for me. And it’s been that way since we first met two years ago. I don’t think I ever did anything to make you hate me, but if I did, please tell me what it was so I can apologize. I don’t want to marry Fil knowing his own sister doesn’t want to be here.”

  Angel stayed silent.

  “Did I say something? Do something? Do you think I’m not good enough for him?”

  Angel made as if to say something, but couldn’t make the words come.

  Sarah nodded slowly. “That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t think I’m good enough for Fil. But it’s deeper than that, isn’t it? It’s not just a little sister’s adoration of her big brother. That could be overcome by recognizing that while nobody’s good enough in your mind, at least Fil is happy with his choice. But his happiness doesn’t outweigh your own misgivings, does it?”

  Angel said nothing. Her gaze burned into Sarah.

  Sarah nodded. “Well, I guess that’s all I can ask from you on your brother’s wedding day. Partial honesty.” She made as if to stand, but Angel pulled her back down.

  “Partial honesty? What is that supposed to mean?”

  Sarah didn’t flinch. “Exactly what I said. You admitted that you don’t think I’m good enough for Fil only after I voiced your belief aloud for you. Fair enough. But it’s only a partial truth, because you aren’t being honest with yourself about why, or about why you think Fil isn’t capable of making a decision like this without your permission.”

  Angel’s jaw fell open.

  Sarah gave a faint smile. “It’s that simple for you, isn’t it? I’m not good enough for you, and therefore I’m not good enough for Fil. His thoughts, his experience, his decision? Wrong, because he doesn’t agree with you. He doesn’t agree with you, Angel, nor is he required to do so. Unless you have specific evidence to explain why I’m such an awful match for the man I love more than life itself, or information as to why he’s not capable of reading and understanding me and making his own decisions, then you can go on lying to yourself.”

  “It is not that simple!” Angel snapped. Heads in the room turned. Sarah waved everyone away before returning her attention to Angel. “Your decision to eschew Energy is denying the very essence of what we are, of who we are. In choosing you, in affirming that choice, Fil has turned his back on our parents and heritage. Those skills are the reason we’re still here, the reason we exist, the reason that there’s a chance for him to make that decision. Perhaps he doesn’t feel that way. Perhaps I’m crazy. But his choice of you, someone offered a chance not available to the other women in this room, and who refused? It’s like he’s denying his identity.” Her face felt hot, as if the anger had burned through her face as she spoke her words.

  Sarah let the words sink in for a moment, breathing deeply. “That’s what you think?” She seized Angel’s hand. “No one but Fil has ever seen this. I shouldn’t have to show you. But there’s no other way. Watch. And learn.”

  She held Angel’s hand to her temple.

  Angel opened her mouth to protest before the images rocked her.

  ~~~~~

  “—really cute boy at school, Mom! He’s got this amazing smile, and he’s so kind, so sweet, and—”

  The slap stunned her. She felt her skin bruising, raised a hand to her cheek as if to heal the physical wound. “You foolish child! Haven’t you learned anything? Stay away from him. He’s a boy. He’ll crush you and break your heart. They’re all alike.”

  Sarah’s face tightened. “Not him, Mom. He’s different. You’re right, there are a lot of them like that, maybe even most of them. But not him.”

  Her mother’s face purpled. “Your father was different, too. And where is he?” She motioned around the simple kitchen. “Nowhere to be found, is he? Mark my words. He’ll use you and abuse you and walk away, leaving you all alone in the world.”

  “No.” Sarah’s tone was stubborn. “You’re wrong.”

  She didn’t try to avoid the second slap.

  ~~~~~

  The equations on the old-style chalkboard were difficult to see through the hair she used to mask her face. Understanding the equations and arcs and shapes presented its own special challenge. She didn’t care. Fil sat in front of her, his presence larger and more confusing than any sequence of variables and exponents.

  The knuckles rapped against her wooden desk, startling her out of reverie. She jumped, listened to the snickering around her, and felt her face turn warm. She looked up into the unhappy face of the math teacher.

  “Miss Swann, if I can beg you to interrupt your ogling of Mr. Trask for just a moment?”

  She swallowed.

  “Well?”

  “Um…” She glanced up at the chalkboard, wishing she knew what question she was supposed to answer.

  “Am I to understand, Miss Swann, that you did not glean the formula for the area of a trapezoid from the back of Mr. Trask’s head?”

  Her eyes fluttered rapidly, the hair tickling her lids. “I… um… area of a… trap…”

  Fil turned around, his hand slapping the back of his head. “Mr. Lackey, it’s my fault. There’s a scar on the back of my head from a cut I got a couple of weeks ago. Sarah was trying to tell me that the cut had reopened and was bleeding. She was trying to help me; that’s why she didn’t hear your question.” To her shock, he pulled his hand away, revealing slight trickle of fresh blood. She managed to cool her face and calm her emotions in what she hoped was a convincing display of the fact that this story wasn’t news to her as well.

  Lackey glanced at the blood, startled, and deflated. “Mr. Trask, please head to the nurse’s office to get that checked. Miss Swann, in the future, if one of my students is bleeding, you have my permission to speak up and alert them rather than ignoring my instruction and questions. Am I clear?”

  “Of course,” Sarah replied, nodding curtly.

  In front of her, Fil gathered his books before departing the classroom for the nurse’s office. As he stooped to grab his pack, he looked up at her, grinned, and winked.

  Sarah felt her cheeks burn.

  ~~~~~

  “Energy is the underlying key to our success, an ability you are able to develop as part of our group,” Samantha explained. She held out her palm, and a glowing ball of Energy erupted from her hand, floated toward the ceiling, and disintegrated. The sparks fell toward the floor, illuminating Samantha’s strawberry blond hair.

  “That’s… amazing,” Sarah admitted. She looked out the door as she contemplated everything Samantha told her. Samantha had been a quiet, introverted girl from high school… or so Sarah believed. Samantha had befriended Sarah when few others would, told her there was more to life than she believed. Sarah agreed. Her mother’s pessimism had never taken root, for she had others to observe as they lived life, people who remained positive and cheerful and confident. People like Fil Trask.

  She was startled to see Fil himself walk by the open door.

  Sarah sucked in her breath. Fil was part of this group?

  “What’s wrong?” Samantha’s voice oozed concern.

  “I… I know him.” She felt like a fool, stumbling over a simple sentence. “That boy. Fil Trask. I didn’t know he’d been recruited as well.”

  Samantha chuckled. “Fil wasn’t recruited. He was born into this group, the oldest child of our most powerful Energy users ever. He’s a case study in focus and self-control. If he became angry, lost control… it’s not a stretch to say that this entire underground city would disintegrate.”

  Her breathing accelerated. Fil had been born with Energy skills?

  She’d never seen him lose control, never once seen him threaten anyone. He’d allowed himself to be bullied, accepting t
he childish demonstrations of self-appointed superiority of others. He’d ignored them, but had always stood up for others. People like her. She thought back, thinking of all the times he’d offered her a kind word, stood up for her when no one else would, and how he’d never asked for anything in return.

  He was one of them. Not just one of them. He was the most powerful of them all.

  She felt frightened and unworthy. She had no such self-control or compassion. With the type of power she might one day possess, with the temper ingrained in her by her hotheaded parents, she knew she’d hurt someone—unintentionally—before long.

  Her decision was clear. “I… I can’t.”

  “Can’t… what?” Samantha’s confusion had only escalated.

  “I can’t do Energy. I… I just… I don’t think I’m the right kind of person for that.”

  Samantha studied her before nodding. “It is of course your decision alone. If you prefer not to develop Energy skills, that is your choice. If you should ever change your mind, you always have the option to go through the development process, and you’ll receive the training needed to use your new abilities responsibly.”

  She nodded. “So… what’s this I hear about living forever?”

  ~~~~~

  “The Aeterni represent a unique faction in our community, one which the Aliomenti do not allow,” Gena explained. Her piercing green eyes flashed with Energy. “The Aliomenti require every new recruit develop Energy skills. Refuse, and you’re removed from the group with your memories erased. We find good people, and they identify their own path among many available options.”

  Sarah nodded. “I knew it wasn’t right for me. I find solving life’s challenges more invigoration knowing I can’t teleport away from trouble.”

  Gena chuckled. “Teleportation offers its own unique challenges, but I understand your point.” She paused. “I wanted to talk to you, because a number of the Aeterni have talked with me about using their unique characteristics as a means of subverting the Aliomenti. As an Aeterni, you won’t be able to erase the brainwashing the Leader places on each Aliomenti recruit, for example. You’re also invisible to the Hunters, which is a tremendous asset to our cause.”

  She nodded, understanding the implications. “We could infiltrate Aliomenti businesses, learn secrets, and use them to sabotage their efforts without Energy detection.”

  “Exactly,” Gena said, nodding. “We’re looking for people to take positions in human organizations with heavy Aliomenti investment and infiltration. There’s a small town in the upper Midwest portion of the United States where the Aliomenti have control of the local utility company. We need to get trained employees in place in the financial departments, on their security team, and place some working on the generators and distributions systems to ensure the Aliomenti can’t shut down utility power. That could harm humans during brutally hot or bitterly cold weather. There are some Alliance people living there, including a couple of the firsts, Fil Trask, and—”

  “I’ll do it.” The words came out before she realized she’d spoken. She felt the blood rushing to her face. Would she blush?

  Gena blinked. “OK. What do you prefer to do?”

  She fought to control her breathing. “I’ve been studying the self-defense and attack techniques in the videos produced by Hope Stark, and though my mother didn’t do much, she did teach me to shoot and handle weapons. I think I’d be best suited for the security role.”

  Gena nodded. “OK. You’ve been staying in the public eye, right? No need for a new identity?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been wandering from town to town, but I’ve not gone dark. I still have my Sarah Swann identification.”

  “Excellent. When you get the chance, head into town, find some lodging, and we’ll make sure you get an interview.” She held out her hand, and Sarah felt a surge of Energy as they shook. “Thank you for volunteering. Most people don’t want to go there. They don’t think there’s anything in that town worth getting excited about.”

  Sarah turned slightly, preventing Gena from seeing her smile.

  ~~~~~

  “The inventor’s name is…” The man paused to look at the card. “Fil Trask. He’s created a device that, if produced in quantity, would jeopardize all who work here. Our board of directors believes this device would result in massive layoffs, and are unwilling to accept that outcome. This is the seedy part of our job, people, but in many ways it’s the most important thing we might ever do. Petty theft, vandalism, even minor leaks of intellectual property? All of those pale in comparison to what will happen if this man succeeds.”

  Heads nodded, faces grim. She kept her eyes focused on a point past the speaker’s head. She didn’t trust herself to look at anyone.

  “Our target sits in a conference room on the eleventh floor, northwest corner. I’ve dispatched members of our team experienced in explosives to rig the target’s vehicle. Remote detonation will ensure the target’s silence. The materials will be untraceable, the crash judged an accident, and no one else will be hurt. We’ll encourage the target to use the service staircase, and force him down to his car.”

  “Why not just let him leave?” Sarah couldn’t determine who spoke, but thought it sounded like Webb, a newer recruit who hadn’t learned to avoid questions. “He’d take the elevator and get in his car without our involvement.”

  “We’d prefer to limit those who see the man inside our building just before he suffers a fatal automobile accident. The service staircase is never used and exits directly into the parking garage. The elevators are heavily used, and he’d need to exit through the lobby.” She didn’t look, but guessed that Webb nodded. The response, like the original question, were both reasonable and plausible.

  “Brilliant plan, sir!” Troy’s voice was crisp and oily all at once. She tried without success to avoiding wincing. “I’d like to volunteer to push our target to his fate.” He glanced around the room; as the senior member of the team, no one would deny him his request or his choice of partner.

  Troy’s eyes fell on her. “I’ll take Swann. The two of us will approach from above.”

  “Very good. The rest of you should congregate on the third floor. Troy, Sarah… head up to thirteen and be prepared to move. We’ll raise the alert when the meeting ends.” Their leader assigned other roles… those who’d discourage him from using the elevator by forming long lines, those who’d come at him from below to assure he knew he was being watched, to force him to panic, and to help him realize his best chance to escape was down.

  The meeting adjourned. Sarah kept her face stony, all business, and she checked the working condition of her weapon before joining Troy on the elevator trip to the thirteenth floor.

  “Nervous, Swann?”

  “Against one unarmed man?” She snorted. “Should I be?”

  Troy shrugged. “Most of our work to date has been rather dull. This should spice things up.”

  Sarah nodded. “It will be a day we won’t soon forget, that’s for sure.”

  She focused on her mental shield. Troy was a member of the Aliomenti, and she suspected he’d been watching and assessing her for recruitment to the group. That would be disastrous. She let a few random thoughts through—Troy was convinced she was desperately in love with him by now—but held tight to her knowledge of his secret. She didn’t know how she could help Fil, but suspected that going with Troy was her best bet. He was the biggest threat to Fil. She didn’t move her hand, but focused her attention on the small disk taped to the inside of her calf. She needed to get that disk on Troy. When in contact with the skin of an Energy user, the disk would dissolve, seep into the skin, and Damper the Energy of the target. She had to be careful, both to shield her thoughts and to mask her actions.

  The others carried guns. That was a distinct concern as well. Fil could be shot and killed. His abilities made it unlikely. He could sense the intent to fire, hear the trigger pulled, smell the gunpowder. And he could teleport away or phase
to immateriality. But there were no guarantees he’d notice in a stressful situation, no guarantee he’d move in time. Nor was there any guarantee that the pain of being shot wouldn’t trigger an explosion of his own.

  She’d stop any efforts to shoot him. Even if it meant being shot herself.

  Should she activate the earpiece and implanted microphone that would connect her to other Aeterni, including Gena Adams? She decided against it. Having a telepathic member of the Aliomenti next to her couldn’t be conducive to whispered updates and lapses in focus as she received messages. She’d go it alone.

  The signal came moments later. The suspect was in the stairwell. They opened the door, letting it slam closed behind them, and started slowly down the stairs, making no effort to silence their footfalls. Troy cocked his weapon, the sound echoing down the stairwell. That should alert the suspect to their presence and nefarious intent. He’d not want to move toward them, would instead move toward the lower levels and parking garage.

  But the suspect understood his predicament and their intent. The surprise on Troy’s face was evident. One of the guards below continued heading up the stairwell, intending to overtake the suspect, get above him, chase him down the stairs until the inventor emerged in the apparent safety of the garage. But the inventor used his device, a heavy metal container shaped like a beer keg, to disarm the guard.

  Troy glanced at her. “Stay here. I’m going to subdue the suspect. He’s caught on and won’t attempt to flee down the stairs.” He spoke in a whisper.

  Sarah plastered her face with every look of concern for her “dream man,” Troy. “But he just took out Sullivan! What if he’s able to hurt you as well?” She spoke in a whisper as well, then sat down on the stairs, grasping her legs toward her, a seated fetal position. She glanced up at him. “I’m worried about you.”

  He looked away from her, down the steps, trying to appear the mighty warrior focused upon his foe. As he glanced away, she shifted slightly, enough to grab the small disk hidden under her pant leg. She slipped it between her fingers.