Crow: The Destroyer

Chapter 2

Jorgis hefted his heavy backpack as he walked casually across the stony plain under the pyramids. A massive Cooperative destroyer hovering overhead kept the crowds of tourists subdued and the popular destination was nearly devoid of visitors. Every once and awhile a brilliant flash would erupt from under the destroyer and Jorgis would see a cloud of smoke waft up from within Cairo. Moments later he would hear a loud crack, then rolling thunder.

Sighing, he continued his lonely trek, approaching the tomb of Queen Khentkawes. Without hesitation, he ducked inside and walked down the sloped passageway. As he entered the burial chamber, he pulled something that looked like brass knuckles from his pocket.

The walls in the chamber were comprised of solid granite. He approached one of the walls as he put the brass knuckle device on, then placed his hand on the wall. A whine abruptly filled the air, causing dust to fall from the ceiling, then in an instant, Jorgis found himself in another chamber in complete blackness.

He closed his eyes as he sensed the room around him. Nodding, he felt satisfied that the room had not been breached. Taking a deep breath, he began walking, stepping out of the room into a long passage. Even in the blackness, the way was apparent to him. The sounds of his footsteps reverberating from the walls seemed to light the way for him.

After another long trek, Jorgis entered into another chamber. This one was vast. As he walked in, parts of the room glowed dim red, exposing an alien interior. Jorgis smiled and ran his hand along the walls. The walls quivered under his touch, with some sending out exploratory tentacles that briefly touched him, then retracted.

Within the expansive chamber was his destination. A collection of large transports that had been sequestered there for three thousand years. Jorgis adjusted his backpack and approached the nearest transport. When he touched the hull, part of it seemed to melt away, revealing an entrance. He entered the transport and looked at the occupants.

All the passengers were ensconced in pods. He looked through the viewport of one of the pods to inspect it. Within, a humanoid creature rested, its bony plates and scales glistening in the illumination. In spite of the thousands of years it had rested in the pod, it appeared to have not aged in the slightest.

Jorgis smiled and walked to a wall and pulled a small cylinder out of the backpack. It was no larger than a small battery and served the same purpose, but on an infinitely grander scale. Part of the wall seemed to open like a mouth, and he placed the cylinder in it, then stepped back.

The ship around him shuddered, and the lighting within became much brighter. The seams on the pods hissed with steam as the seals broke. Jorgis placed his hand on one of the lids, feeling the energy that was returning to the pods. The lid abruptly retracted, uncovering the creature within.

Jorgis stepped back, then sensed a presence. He looked over his shoulder then immediately dropped to the ground, prostrate. A powerful-looking man knelt down beside him and placed a hand on the back of his neck. Without warning, Jorgis found himself hanging in the air, then set back onto his feet.

“My lord…” Jorgis looked down at the floor. “The Cooperative has not left yet.”

The man cocked his head as he played with Jorgis’s hair. “They are of no consequence.”

Jorgis nodded. He looked around and watched the creatures stirring. “They all made it.”

“Naturally.” The man pulled Jorgis’s backpack off. “Your mission here is complete. Your brethren will finish the wakening.”

“The Blessed One has not returned.”

“He will. You must return to Seattle.”

“Lord.” Jorgis nodded. Without a word he turned and left the transport. Several of the creatures exited with him, each carrying several of the batteries. They split up and went to the rest of the transports. One followed Jorgis.

They silently entered the passage and retraced Jorgis’s footsteps back to the dark chamber. Jorgis put his hand on the wall again, and the two of them found themselves in the burial chamber.

Jorgis turned and faced the creature, examining its armor. He adjusted part of it, then sighed as he ran his hand down the creature’s arm. “I miss my old body.”

“You got to meet the Blessed One,” the creature replied. He put a clawed hand on Jorgis’s arm and squeezed its tender, human flesh. “This is a worthy sacrifice.”

Jorgis smiled sadly. “Yes. Yes it is.” He put his hand on a device attached to the creature’s armor. The creature seemed to shimmer, then it vanished from view. Jorgis grinned, then stepped casually out of the tomb, not paying attention to the extra set of footsteps that followed him.

~ ~ ~

Aradia appeared out of thin air within the sealed bunker far below the White House. She stood patiently as the Secret Service’s weapons abruptly vanished. The agents converged on her, attempting to tackle, punch, and kick her. With every contact, one by one they slumped, stunned. She bent over and carefully laid the last one onto the carpeted floor, then looked up at the last person standing.

President Seibert stood behind the desk, frozen. Aradia smiled, keeping her canines hidden, as she absentmindedly picked at her black robe. She held her arms out and the robe wafted away into a vapor that seemed to pull back into her glistening, white skin. Stepping over the guards, she casually sauntered over to a chair in front of the President’s desk and sat down.

Seibert fidgeted, then sat down too. “You’re going to tell me that resistance is futile?”

“It would be counterproductive,” Aradia responded matter-of-factly.

“You promised that you would not invade.”

“We have not,” Aradia said shortly.

“Your…giant spaceships are hovering over every major city around the globe!” Seibert waved a hand angrily at a computer display. “Shooting at the cities even. I’ve been stuck down here for a week!”

“The only targets for those ships are golems. No Terran casualties have occurred.”

Seibert sat back. “Our nuclear missiles…”

“Launched by the Sadari. Some by a puppet of the Sadari.” Aradia leaned forward. “We intercepted and destroyed all the missiles that threatened large population areas, in case you did not notice.”

“I did.” Seibert frowned, crossing his arms. “This is the most peculiar invasion…ever.”

“When our task is complete, we will depart. We are not interested in you beyond eliminating a threat to both you and us.” Aradia sat back.

“You disabled our military.” Seibert wagged a finger at her. “None of it works. We’re utterly vulnerable.”

“That was for your safety. We have done likewise to all the militaries on this planet.”

Seibert gaped.

“Your ability to kill each other and demolish each other’s cities will be returned to you once our mission is complete,” Aradia smirked.

“We sustained damage from the meteors…”

“That is regrettable. We intercepted as many as possible.” Aradia sighed. “Near-Earth orbit will be problematic as the ring develops.”

“Ring?” Seibert leaned forward.

“From the dust and debris of the asteroids.” Aradia shook her head. “You’re not aware of this?”

“It’s been a bit hectic these past few days.” Seibert frowned. “Our communications…”

“Your infrastructure will need to be restored. The battle destroyed most of your satellites.”

“How convenient,” Seibert said dryly.

Aradia sat back. “Not by design. As I said, we have no occupation interests with regards to this planet.”

“You keep saying that but somehow I feel quite…occupied.” Seibert rubbed his brow. “We have craters.”

“The Sadari had several subterranean chambers that had to be destroyed. We tried to ensure that innocents did not perish.”

“Innocents. Half a dozen large cities were…” Seibert nodded. “Innocents did perish.”

Aradia looked at him grimly. “There were no other choices, and no time. The alternative could have been utter devastation of your planet.” She leaned forward. “I trust your dignitaries brought back images and samples from Rholling?”

Seibert fidgeted again. Rholling was a dead world thanks to the golems Aradia was claiming to be mopping up here.

Aradia took that as confirmation. “We lost a world populated by several million…my mother included. Your world has several billion occupants. Please keep that in mind.”

Seibert looked at his guards as they started sitting up, looking dazed. “You didn’t hurt them.”

“Why would I do that?” Aradia looked shocked.

The President shook his head, then waved his hands, trying to not get distracted. “Listen. Okay. We understand you have a beef with these Sadari guys. But…do you really have to…invade us?”

“We…”

“It’s over, right? You beat the bad guys. But you still disabled our military, you’re hovering over big cities and shooting…golems, you say. Our airlines are all grounded. From what I know, worldwide. Our ships and subs are just floating out there. From our perspective, that’s an invasion.”

“There is a cleanup operation underway to remove stragglers.” Aradia looked at Seibert coolly.

“And what, we’re supposed to just…sit at home and wait for you to finish?”

“We are coordinating with your air traffic controllers to get your aerial mass transit working around our mission. Travel may resume within a couple of days even.”

“But…”

“How long was air travel grounded after a major terrorist attack a few years ago?” Aradia raised her eyebrows.

“You know about that?” Seibert blinked.

“To facilitate a smooth mission with minimal disruptions we have taken pains to learn as much about your cultures, history, and infrastructure as possible.” Aradia played with the armrest. “It has not been a pleasant endeavor.”

“Yeah, well you pulled our dirty laundry out. Not us.” Seibert scowled.

“We require nothing from you but non-interference.” Aradia leaned forward again. “And I mean, nothing.”

“So our sovereignty means nothing…”

“Your ignorance of the situation and inability to comprehend the magnitude of the threat that you face makes your sovereignty a moot issue.” Aradia stood up. “However, be comforted in knowing that we have no extended interests in your planet.”

“Comforted.” Seibert rolled his eyes.

“We will leave a liaison officer here to keep a line of communications open so there are no…misunderstandings. And for your peace of mind, we will keep you apprised of our operations and progress.” Aradia looked over her shoulder.

Seibert followed her gaze and visibly flinched when he saw a very pale man standing silently in a dark corner of the room, returning his look without expression.

“Well that’s just dandy. And a little creepy. You could have left one of your furry cat fellas, or a human.”

“Mer’lan is more resistant to…bad decisions.” Aradia grinned at him, revealing her canines this time. “Just in case.” She glanced back at Mer’lan. “He’s also a Gatekeeper.”

Seibert looked at her for a long moment, then stood up. “I want people with you.”

“You are hardly in a position to make demands, President.” Aradia leveled a chilly glare at him.

Seibert crossed his arms, indignant.

Aradia pursed her lips. “You are the one who insisted we leave because we refused to enter into trade agreements. And you see the result of that bad decision all around you.”

“Don’t put this on my shoulders. It’s not my war.”

“You were a pawn in this war. And we are trying to extract you from that entrapment.”

“I want people on your ships.”

Aradia looked at the guards who now stood at a more cautious distance from her. “There is an international coalition that came together to represent Terra to us and tour our worlds. Your dignitaries. We shall pull observers from their ranks.”

Seibert opened his mouth but Aradia gave him a stern look. “This is not a national issue, President Seibert. It is a global one. Therefore we will concede to observers from a global pool of representatives.”

“And if things go sideways?”

Aradia grinned. “Steven Crow would recommend that you put a paper sack on your head and lay down.”

Seibert gaped. “Seriously? You guys are quoting…seriously?”

Aradia shrugged. “I still do not get the reference.” She got serious. “I would recommend a press release to calm your people. Our ships have temporary communications up for you.” She looked at Mer’lan and nodded.

“Who’s going to calm me?” Seibert mumbled as Aradia vanished.

~ ~ ~

“What?” Steven grumbled as he kept his attention on his plate.

The other Elves at the table looked at each other, confused.

“We need your…assistance.”

Everyone but Steven turned to look at a brilliantly white woman who casually strolled into the common room. The last wisps of her black cloak were vaporizing and pulling into her skin as she plucked at her spartan under-garments.

Steven sighed as he poked his food. “Why me? I’m nobody.”

“You have command of a sizable army of golems.”

Steven shrugged. “They’re not doing anything. Just keeping their cover and being people.”

“What they’re doing or not doing is not what we need help with, Steven.”

“It’s not my fault. Aliya put them on me.” Steven rubbed his eyes. “A distraction. That’s all they were.”

Silence.

Steven sat up straight and turned around. “Aradia, how can I possibly be of any help? I was going to destroy them but you told me not to. I was going to stick them all on the Moon, but you said leave them where they are. So…apparently I don’t have your wisdom and I really don’t care anymore.”

Aradia glanced at Penipe as she walked in carrying a bucket of fruit. “Did I arrive at a bad time?”

“His dreamscapes are getting to him.”

“My inability to do anything about them is getting to me,” Steven grumbled, turning back around and staring at his plate. He really wasn’t hungry. “Why are you so concerned about my golems? Tomorrow this all could just go poof.”

“Life does not stop, even with the expectation of doom,” Aradia said calmly.

Steven gave her a sideways look.

“Were we to give in to this threat of imminent demise, and it not happen, how much worse off would we be?” Aradia sat down next to Steven. “We cannot just give up.”

“I don’t have anything. Nothing at all.” Steven said sullenly.

Aradia grabbed his chin and turned his head to face her. “You look awful.”

“He’s not sleeping. He dreamscapes every night and wakes up…badly.” Penipe said quietly.

“You’re not getting rest either.” Aradia scowled at Penipe. “Steven, this has got to stop.”

“I can’t help it,” Steven said glumly. “It’s always the same. I can’t talk to her like I need to because she’s hiding.” He rubbed his face. “I can’t taste space through her. I have no idea where she is. What sort of…how she’s being kept.”

“Making yourself ill is not going to help her,” Aradia said. She looked at Penipe. “Or you.”

Steven sighed, pushing Aradia’s hand away. “They are hoping she tells me something useful.”

“As are you.”

“What, you’re the Elf now?” Steven snapped. Aradia sat back and gave him a stern look. Steven slumped. “She’s retreated to her youth for a reason. Perhaps it’s the only way she can resist Aliya.”

“Her sleep pattern matches yours. Perhaps to get rest you need to change…”

“Doesn’t matter. No matter when I sleep, she is there.” Steven said, waving a hand. “It’s like she’s waiting for me. I get drawn in every time.” He rubbed his nose. “And I can’t do a thing to help her.”

“Then she is trying to tell you something.”

“Or just reaching out to me.” Steven took in a shuddering breath. “What if she simply does not know?” He wiped his eyes. “Heck, she may not even know she’s pulling me in like this.”

“Then she must know you are never giving up,” Aradia said. She leaned forward. “We certainly are not giving up.”

“What are you even doing? Playing on Terra as if that even matters?” Steven poked at his food.

“It does matter.” Aradia put a piece of fruit on Steven’s plate. “That’s why I came to discuss your golems with you.”

“They don’t know anything.” Steven shrugged. “Trust me, I’ve looked through their memories.” He sighed. “It’s like…”

“Aliya cleansed them before giving them to you.” Aradia finished his sentence. Steven looked at her. Aradia shook her head. “She may have intended them to be a distraction to you. But I don’t think she can comprehend just how adaptable you are.”

“Sure. That’s helping a lot,” Steven mumbled.

“It is. I want you to assign your golems to our task force.” Aradia smiled. “Golems hunting golems.”

“And that helps, how?”

“Once again, doing nothing in the face of doom is worse, especially if that doom never comes,” Aradia said. “But more importantly, the golems that are not on your network may not have been so thoroughly cleansed.”

Steven sat up a little straighter. “They might have information. About Axis.”

Aradia smiled. “There’s the old Steven.”

“If I could force my way onto their network, perhaps I can get them to divulge where Asherah is. Where my parents are.” Steven looked at Penipe. “I can see them.  The other golems. I can see them through my golems.”

“I know,” Penipe said quietly. “I see them too. It’s just…they’re golems.”

Steven nodded. “Mine are as much me as this.” He poked his arms. “You can depend on that.” He looked at Aradia. “When do we start?”

Aradia looked at his plate. “When you empty that.”

Crow: The Destroyer

Chapter 3

“They’re not attacking,” Jacob said, looking up nervously at the alien behemoth hovering not far from their new base. “Just floating there.”

Laurence followed his gaze. “At the moment, we’re not a threat.” He sighed as he looked around at the scattering of damaged drones. “I’m doubtful our current squadron could pose more than an annoyance. And they have much bigger back where they came from. Much bigger.”

“Our factories are back up and running.” Jacob scowled. “With upgrades.”

“Would those upgrades include a squadron of ships that are, what…ten miles or bigger each?” Laurence pointed at the massive alien ship that hovered silently overhead. “They have complete aerial domination all over the globe. Nothing gets through.”

Jacob pursed his lips, looking at Laurence. “Then we’ll just have to build something that does. This is what we’ve been bred for.”

“We will. We just need to be pragmatic. Currently, they have the upper hand. But we are still here. If we had what Steven has…”

“But we don’t, do we? We cannot seem to keep him even when we catch him.” Jacob retorted angrily. “Our obsession with him has been futility.”

“He does represent a global threat that these guys don’t hold a candle to.” Laurence waved his hand at the ship. “The glass dunes of the Sahara have his signature radiation all over it. And the glacier that disappeared from the Antarctic, likewise.” He looked up. “These guys can shoot a few things. He can destroy it all.”

“But he hasn’t.” Jacob shook his head. “It’s not in his nature.”

“I’ve seen a darker side to him, Jacob. Everyone has a breaking point. We’ve taken him very close to it. You’ve taken him very close to it.”

Jacob looked at him.

“Torturing him and his alien friend?” Laurence raised an eyebrow. “We recorded the seismic tremors. And another change in the lunar orbit. Nasa detected changes in the orbits of the moons of Jupiter even.”

“But…Katy ordered that.” Jacob looked at his tablet, thinking. “And we did collect a tremendous amount of data.” A window opened on his tablet, displaying the geographical impact of their experiment. “I felt those tremors. Was going to hit up our research department when everything went nuts.” Jacob said, looking downcast.

Laurence sighed. “Something deeper is going on, Jacob. I can’t put my finger on it.” He glanced at his own tablet. “Hmm. They’re not doing just nothing. They are effectively disarming the Earth.” He showed the tablet to Jacob. “What few were left, anyway.”

“We had control of many of those.”

“It tells me they are afraid of our nuclear capabilities,” Laurence said thoughtfully. “That may be an edge to examine.”

“It tells me that our base reactors are under threat.” Jacob rubbed his brows. “Their self-destruct mechanism is nuclear.”

“None of the surviving bases have been hit,” Laurence said. “They’re going after deployable weapons.”

“For now,” Jacob said. “We need to dismantle the self destruct devices or we may end up with no power.”

Laurence winced as a bright flash seemed to fill the void between the ship and ground. A small mushroom cloud rose up in the distance. “What are they shooting?”

“Nothing of ours.” Jacob looked at his tablet. “Well look at that. They’re opening up commercial communications channels.”

Laurence looked at the tablet. “If it’s going through their systems, we may have a hard time piggy-backing in.”

“Never hurts to try,” Jacob smirked as he poked at something on his tablet. “My guys are on it now. Hopefully, we’ll have our network back up.”

The lights and tablets abruptly turned off. Jacob turned his over and hit the power button. “Or not.”

Laurence sighed. “Jacob…I’ve seen their technology. You’ll need new tablets and we’ll need to set up new routers.”

Jacob looked at him, stunned. “Our VPN is undetectable.”

“For Earthlings,” Laurence grumbled as he returned his attention to the ship hovering overhead. “Our worst fears are being realized, and we’re powerless.”

“That fast?” Jacob hit the power button on the wall for the lights. “What about the reactor?”

Laurence shrugged. “It’s impervious to power outages, but it’s also quite useless if they’ve gotten into that hardware too.”

Jacob scowled as he looked at his tablet. He flinched when it turned back on and lights in the hall behind them flickered back to life. He was about to comment when a technician ran up to him.

“Good. You’re back up.” He took Jacob’s tablet and tapped on a program then made some adjustments. Laurence handed him his tablet as well. “They cracked our security like our doors were wide open.”

Laurence smirked. “I could have told you…” He stopped and stared past the technician. A man was walking towards them, looking grim. His countenance was brilliantly white and his black robe seemed almost alive. Laurence’s heart sank. A Keratian.

Jacob turned to look then flinched. Another white man appeared in front of him and grabbed his neck.

“He smells of golem,” The Keratian said.

Laurence squinted at Jacob, then turned to face the other Keratian. “Our self destruct is already armed. You will not win.”

“Our intent is not to fight you.” He grabbed Laurence’s arm like a vice then waved a brass wand in front of him. “You’ve had recent contact with a golem.”

Laurence looked at him, perplexed.

“What are they saying?” Jacob said, grimacing under the grip of the other.

“I thought you studied my textbook?” Laurence looked sideways at Jacob.

“I can pick out words but that’s it.” Jacob patted the hand that gripped his neck. The Keratian released him and he slumped as he caught his breath. “That was not necessary.”

“You both have had contact with a golem. You will divulge what you know immediately.”

“You’re awfully cheerful for a Keratian,” Laurence smirked. He looked up then took a step back.

The Keratian turned to see what Laurence had looked at, then winced as a particle beam sliced across his chest. He glanced down the hall at what appeared to be a young teenage girl who had just appeared out of thin air, then returned his attention to Laurence, rubbing his scorched chest. “You’ve upgraded.”

“Always improving.” Laurence grinned. He looked up again, then frowned.

“That is not going to happen again.” The Keratian gave him a fierce grin. He took a step and grabbed Laurence’s shoulder before he could react. Laurence grit his teeth as the grip clamped down like an iron vice. The Keratian slammed him against the wall hard enough to daze him, then leaned close to him. “If you make yourselves a nuisance, we will end you all.”

“Threats like that will get you anywhere with me, sweetheart,” Laurence grunted, trying to laugh.

“We are here to hunt and destroy golems. One has been in this base.” He looked down the hall. A number of men were being herded down the hall. Most were injured and limping. “All of your personnel will be audited and we will locate this golem. You can resist if you want, but the end result will be the same.”

“She’s not here.”

The Keratian looked at the child who was waving at holograms hanging in the air around her. She shrugged. “She’s been here. But is not here now.”

The Keratian sighed and looked at Laurence. “The one you call Katy. Where is she located?”

Laurence grinned, then frowned as an armored Elf appeared in front of him. The Keratian smiled. “The question was not intended to elicit an answer, but to bring the memory to the surface.”

The Elf grabbed Laurence’s arm as he tried to evade her, and he grit his teeth, trying to think of anything but what they wanted.

“Your memories do not work that way.” The Elf cocked her head. “Obfuscation of thought is futile.” She touched the Keratian briefly, then vanished.

The Keratian smiled at Laurence, then released him. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

“That’s it?” Laurence asked, rubbing his arm.

“Yes. Our only interest is destroying golems. What you Terrans do to each other is irrelevant to us.” The Keratian looked down his nose at Laurence. “Please do not get underfoot. It would be unfortunate if you were to get trampled.”

In an instant, the intruders were gone, leaving Laurence, Jacob, and their soldiers looking at each other in stunned silence.

“What went wrong?” Jacob looked at the ceiling at a small bump. “It fired once then stopped. None of the others fired.”

“They stopped it.” Laurence sighed, rubbing his temples. “Why do they want Katy?”

Jacob looked at him blankly.

“Surely you heard her name.”

“Wasn’t sure if that was part of their…”

“Please go back over my textbook,” Laurence grumbled. “Everyone should know their core language by now.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been preoccupied.” Jacob scowled.

“And what good has that done? They just casually waltzed in here, turned off our defenses, and stole information from me like they were shopping for fruit.”

Jacob looked at him thoughtfully. “I think we may need to resort to unconventional warfare. Set up a meeting.”

~ ~ ~

“Is it alien?” Rick tapped on the glass. He glanced at the physician.

“No. We don’t know. Bloodwork is clean. The only thing that showed up was that virus that’s going around.” Anne glanced at the tablet.

“Summertime colds are brutal. But not that bad.” Rick grimaced. “It’s like real life zombification.”

Anne shook her head. “This isn’t fiction. Something is affecting them on a molecular level. It’s like their genetics are being rewritten.”

“Yeah. Zombification.”

Anne sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her palm. “They’re not dead. Just…” She looked at the subject in quarantine. He was constantly straining against the straps of the table as nurses gathered more tissue samples. “He licked one of us.”

Rick looked at her, alarmed. “And?”

“Evo’s appear to be immune. None of us have so much as caught that cold even.” Anne nodded.

“Was it trying to infect you?”

Anne shook her head. “I don’t think so. Maybe.” She sighed. “It’s like they suddenly acquire an autistic spectrum that makes them want to touch you and be close to you.” She looked at the subject. “He was a professor. Now he’s lucky to have a five-year-old mentality.”

“And we have him caged.” Rick nodded. “Brain scans?”

“No apparent damage or inflammation, but a ridiculous amount of activity, especially in the frontal lobe.”

“Activity?” Rick returned his attention to the patient. He uttered no vocalizations, no noise. Just persistent straining against the restraints.

“Actually, everything is off the charts. Here’s a photo of him when we first picked him up.” Anne showed Rick the tablet.

“That’s him? He was…” Rick shook his head. “He’s so thin now.”

“His body has used up most of his fat stores. We have him on constant glucose. Otherwise, he’d die pretty quickly.”

“What would happen if he were loose?”

Anne made a face. “He would be starving. We found him at a fast-food restaurant eating from other people’s plates.”

Rick frowned. “How many?”

“Two dozen. Today,” Anne said. “The CDC is getting nervous. They think it may be related to that cold.”

Rick shook his head. “Has Melissa seen anything?”

Anne pursed her lips, looking down, hesitant to answer.

”She’s been boosted by the aliens. Surely she’s seen something.”

“It’s pretty apocalyptic. I mean, Earth becoming lava apocalyptic. We can’t tell if it’s because of this, or the aliens,” Anne said, glum.

“I may need another session with her.” Rick sighed. “She responds well to my calming.”

“She says it reminds her of the Crow kid,” Anne said, nodding.

Rick frowned. “Not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

“He saved Nate. Can’t be all bad.”

“Yeah. Jury is still out on that kid.” Rick shook his head. “What sort of treatment is the CDC using?”

“For this?” Anne waved her hand at the man, exasperated.

“No. That cold.”

“They have an anti-viral treatment they’ve been trying to get deployed. I think tonight they’re starting a big push.” Anne sighed as she gazed sadly at the man. “Supposed to be a global push. Medical records indicate it was used on him, but I think he was too far gone.”

Rick looked at her blankly.

Anne rolled her eyes. “N521. It’s new. Uses live viruses to counter the pathogen.”

“Oh.” Rick nodded. “Was not involved in that project.”

“I was. If the cold is a trigger of some sort, this treatment could save millions of lives. But we have to get it in early.” She looked at Rick. “That cold’s insanely infectious.”

“Why doesn’t it affect us?”

Anne pursed her lips. “Our protein receptors are wrong for it. Our immune system just mops them up and that’s that.”

Rick grinned. “Well that’s some good news.”

“What, that a hundred thousand of us may survive while the rest of the world dies?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Rick held his hands out.

“You guys call them monkeys.” Anne scowled as she looked back at the patient.

“Well, we can’t call them Muggles. That’s already taken.” Rick smirked.

Anne shook her head. “You know as well as I do that Evo is a misnomer. Our condition is a regression. Not an evolution. No new genetics are involved.”

“Yeah…not going to argue semantics with you. I just need to know if this thing is going to be a threat to us.”

“Yes. Your monkeys will die or suffer some animalistic breakdown leaving us with a catastrophe to deal with. So it is a threat to us,” Anne said sourly.

“Then I guess we need to find a way to heal my monkeys.” He looked at the patient. Alarms started going off. “What’s happening?”

Anne put her hand on the window. “He’s coding.”

“Already?”

“The disease progresses rapidly,” Anne said. She stood to the side as more nurses rushed into the room.

“Why are they even trying?”

“That’s what we’re trained to do. If there’s any possibility of pulling one out of this…”

Rick turned around as one of the nurses touched the patient’s chest with her hands and shocked him. “I hate this part.”

“Yeah. So do I.” Anne sighed. “They’ll be moving him to a quarantined storage.”

“You’re not burning the body?” Rick looked at her, surprised.

Anne shook her head. “They don’t decay. Or even mummify. So we keep them for research.”

Rick looked at her sideways. “They die, but they don’t rot?” He glanced over his shoulder to see the nurses packing the body into a hermetically sealed bag. “How long have you kept them?”

“The oldest is several days old.” Anne turned back around to look at the window. “The CDC assigned this to us thanks to Nate because of the possibility that it’s a national threat.”

“Like someone did this to us?” Rick waved at the body as it was wheeled past them. “The whole globe has cases like this.”

“It cuts through the red tape, so I’m not complaining. As long as we can find a solution for this before it’s too late.” Anne looked at the empty room thoughtfully. “I need to get back to the lab.”

“If this came from the aliens, we need to contact them.” Rick walked with her as she started down the hall.

“They’ve occupied us and are shooting at our cities. I don’t think there’s a lot of room for discussion.”

“Nate says they’re still hunting golems.” Rick looked down. “Their medicine is nothing short of miraculous.”

“There’s no such thing as miracles, Rick. Just technology and techniques. They just happen to be better at it for now.”

“You know what I meant.” Rick scowled. “I’m no fan of them either. But we may need them.”

“We’ll figure this out, Rick. Us. Not them.”

Rick fidgeted, looking down the hall. “I know you’re sore at them…”

“Don’t go there,” Anne warned.

“I don’t think they targeted your mother on purpose, Anne.”

“Over five thousand people died in New York, Rick. Not just my mother.” Anne glared at him. “Their fault. Not ours.”

Rick sighed, looking down. “I think you need to separate the issues. Or millions more may die.”

“We’ll figure this out. On our own.” Anne scowled and walked on ahead of Rick. He shook his head and slowed down, letting her walk off to the lab by herself. He recognized futility when he saw it.

~ ~ ~

The living weave of branches that made up the ceiling of the common-room seemed to undulate as if animated. The precise patterns of branches woven to a specific design almost had an illusory effect. Or perhaps it was sleep deprivation. Steven couldn’t tell which as he lay staring at the ceiling. Penipe had long since dozed off from her ever-vigilant watch.

Steven rolled on his side, then blinked. Someone was near him. Someone other than the Elves that were softly snoring around him. He tried to remain still as he looked around with his eyes. Even in the darkness of the night, it was still bright in there to him. But, all he saw were Elves.

Slight movement.

Steven blinked again and squinted. Then he saw him. It was not like the person appeared out of nowhere. More like he came to his attention. As if coming into focus. Steven sighed. A Big Feet. A member of the lost population of Rholling called the Nistar. They had a natural cloaking ability that stymied even detection of them through technology. They can be in pictures or on video and people would still not see them. Except for a scant few. Like Steven.

“Steven Crow must help us.”

Steven sat up quietly and looked around for others. There was usually more than one.

“I am alone.” The Nistar looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“A little far from home?”

“Terra is not our home.”

Steven shrugged. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the faked photographs of Big Foot when he saw the Nistar. Except, there were many of them on Terra. The whole species was surreptitiously relocated there before Rholling was killed. So he named them Big Feet.

“Take us away. Please. We must talk but I must remain…hidden.”

Steven furrowed his eyebrows. “You all can come home now. You know that, right? There’s a guy here who is working to bring life back to Rholling even. He’s talking to the Planet Builders to start planetary rehabilitation.”

“It’s still happening. Please…somewhere else.” The Nistar looked around nervously.

“You’re safe here.”

“There is nowhere that is safe, Steven Crow. Especially not here.”

Steven took in a breath and the setting melted away, revealing a tropical beach. His favorite lagoon on the Elder’s planet. He looked up at the little cluster of trees he had planted there for Asherah and the quaint treehouse grown from their branches. It hurt too much to go there just yet.

“Your planet.” The Nistar looked around, then noticed the tall trees Steven had grown. “You planned on moving here.”

“Things were getting a bit…hairy. When the Cooperative hated us.” Steven looked down. “They still hate us.”

“Hairy?” The Nistar looked at his own fur.

“Dangerous. Uncomfortable. Unwelcoming.”

The Nistar nodded, understanding. “It is happening again. But on Terra. It’s never happened there before.”

Steven looked at him blankly.

“They’re feeding deviants. On Terra.”

“But…”

“We can tell. We can sense when it happens. We…”

“Deviants? We blew up all the chambers. And the Sadari are gone. Just a few golems left.”

The Nistar shook his head. “We are never wrong, Steven Crow. That is why they tried to kill us off. Why we are still hiding.”

Steven sat down on the sand, stunned. “There are deviants on Terra.”

The Nistar nodded and sat down next to him. “It’s not over, Steven.”

“We destroyed the chambers. And the infants were never fed.” Steven played with the sand using his feet.

“That is true. How did you know?” The Nistar cocked his head.

Steven shrugged. “I saw them through my aunt when she was setting the explosives. Their pods were sealed. From what it looks, they were gestated in the pods, then disposed of to be replaced.”

“The blockade. That is how the Sadari flooded the fracture. Kept the Gatekeepers out.”

“Yeah. It was just little ol’ me until we destroyed the caves. Now all the Gatekeepers can visit.” Steven scratched his fur as he looked at the Nistar. He glanced away and it looked like the creature vanished from his peripheral vision. He had to consciously look at him to actually see him.

“It would appear you have missed some. Or perhaps one.”

“Wait. What are they feeding them?” Steven looked at the Nistar, alarmed. “Deviants feed on Gatekeepers.”

Crow: The Destroyer

Chapter 4

“This isn’t what we discussed.” Shawn waved his hands at the massive alien destroyer that hung in the air in the distance. “We were supposed to take over this part of the job.”

Aradia followed his gaze. “Contingencies required us to have a more exhaustive presence, Shawn. Steven did not inherit all the golems like we initially thought. We must be certain all golems are accounted for, and there were many more than we estimated.”

“That’s what we’ve trained for.” Shawn scowled.

“No. You trained to fight us. Keratians.” Aradia regarded Shawn coolly. “We have been hunting and killing golems for thousands of years. I beg that you rest on our experience and tolerate our presence for just a little while more.”

“Sure. Be sarcastic. Like you need my patience.” Shawn turned and walked back into the compound. “We’re part of this. You brought us in.”

“Technically…”

“Yeah. The Crow kid brought us in. Well, you completed the job and here we are. All armed up and no one to shoot at. We need to be given the opportunity to finish our job here.”

“You are involved in your continued work to rehabilitate the rest of your organization. Their cooperation could prove beneficial.”

Shawn looked at her for a moment. “Just how long do you think this will take?”

Aradia frowned. “It took the better part of a century to clear the Cooperative core worlds.” She glanced at Shawn. “After Rholling, of course.”

“We’re not going there. Rholling will not happen here.” Shawn said resolutely. “But a hundred years?”

Aradia nodded. “We do have the benefit of Steven’s network of golems here. They have proven helpful in tracking down those not on his network. For as long as he can maintain control of them, anyway.”

“You think he’ll lose control? There are thousands of them.” Shawn fidgeted, looking back at a figure that stood silent and still in a corner of the room. One of Steven’s golems, now parked. He looked like a young adult, but stood unreactive and unblinking.

Aradia followed his gaze. “That is an area with which we simply do not have experience. Steven has so far not suffered any undue stress from his network. But we must be prepared for contingencies.”

“You’re going to kill them when you are done, aren’t you?” Shawn walked over to the golem and squinted at it. “Steven could be listening, you know.”

“He most certainly is. And he is aware of the endgame for this mission.” Aradia nodded.

He poked the golem. Warm. Soft even. But he knew better. They could not be destroyed by Terran weapons, and when they desired, they were as hard as steel, and as fast as a Keratian soldier. “I still can’t comprehend how he does it. How he controls these…things.”

“Do you control every aspect of taking a drink of water?” the golem asked, making Shawn jump back.

“Steven?”

The golem smiled and looked at Aradia. “We have a problem. A big problem.”

Aradia cocked her head as she regarded the golem. “Worse than…?”

“Much worse. Deviant worse.”

Aradia gaped. “Gate me to you.”

“Not necessary.”

Shawn and Aradia spun around.

Steven was sitting on Shawn’s desk, looking somber. “This involves him too.”

“You’re not supposed to be here, Steven. Nate…”

“Admiral Nate can stuff it.” Steven scowled. He looked at the golem and sighed.

The golem walked over to the window and looked out at the massive Cooperative warship hovering in the distance. “I often wondered what it was like for them. To have their unified awareness.”

Aradia looked at the golem curiously.

Steven looked down. “One of them visited me. Usually, there’s about a dozen all talking the same sentence. I almost missed that.”

“Who?” Aradia turned to face Steven.

“The Nistar,” the golem answered.

“Stop that,” Shawn said. “It’s freaky.”

“Exactly.” Steven grinned sadly. “They did that to me all the time.”

“A sentence would often be split up among three or four of them. To talk to one is to talk to all of them.” The golem turned to face them. It returned to the corner and quite abruptly became inanimate.

Shawn rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. “That’s just wrong.”

“We have yet to find any here,” Aradia said carefully.

“You think I’m lying?” Steven scowled. He leaned forward. “You’ve seen the Archives. My memories are there. All of them.”

“Perhaps that is what Aliya wanted you to know.”

Steven nodded, looking at the golem thoughtfully. “Oh, I don’t doubt that.” He walked over and looked at it nose to nose. “This whole thing was a setup from the beginning.” He took in a breath and looked down, then turned to face them. “The Malakim were involved. They are why Asherah and I met in the first place.”

“Steven…”

“How could you know?” Steven threw his hands out. “Something dark is happening, Aradia. Very dark. I don’t think it’s about any sort of land-grab. Aliya doesn’t want the Coopera…” He glanced at the golem. “I don’t think Aliya has any interest in the Cooperative.” He looked sadly at Aradia. “Orin might have been right all along.”

“Then what is she planning?” Aradia said.

Steven shrugged. “That is… a good question.” He crossed his arms.

“Um, the topic?” Shawn said.

Steven looked at him blankly.

“You said something about deviant?”

Steven nodded. “Oh, I’m still on topic.” He looked at Aradia. “Do you know why Aliya was so interested in the Nistar?”

Aradia didn’t answer. Steven was certain she had exhaustively perused his deposit into the Archive, however. The total quantity of his memories was now backed up for anyone to experience. “They know, they can sense when a deviant is feeding.”

“They perished on Rholling…” Aradia started.

“Why is it so important to you that they be extinct?” Steven snapped. He walked over to face her. “Their survival does not make your mother’s death any less tragic.”

Aradia fidgeted.

“Lo’rel saved them,” Steven said quietly. “I don’t know the specifics or the reasons. But from what I’ve heard, the Younger was involved. Perhaps even the Malakim. That’s why I…”

“Your obsession with legends is unsettling you, Steven.” Aradia interrupted him. “You need rest.”

“You doubt the Younger?” Steven cocked his head. “Maran has met her. She has shown herself to a number of us.”

Aradia pursed her lips.

“Whatever is happening, it’s bigger than anything we have thought of,” Steven continued. He leaned close to Aradia who nervously held her ground. “They are feeding a deviant, Aradia. Here. On Terra. A deviant. Maybe more than one even.”

“That’s impossible, Steven,” Aradia said quietly.

Steven reached out and grabbed her by the face and lifted her off her feet. “My memories. See it for yourself.”

Aradia didn’t try to resist him, and just hung there as she saw for herself the Nistar, and the memory shared with him. Steven nodded. “It’s awful, what they have to endure. They feel the feeding very… deeply.”

“Steven.”

Shawn spun around at the new voice. An Elf woman stood beside the golem.

“Put her down.”

Steven glanced at the Elf. “I don’t have time for skepticism, Lorei. Asherah is…”

“We’ll find her. Together.”

Steven sighed and set Aradia back on her feet.

Aradia rubbed her jaw. “The impossible I was referring to was the feeding, Steven.”

Steven squinted at her, confused.

“Golems feed on Gatekeepers. Terra has none.”

Steven looked out the window. “We have latents here.”

“Latents must survive Awakening in order to be… consumed. Terrans do not have the ability to survive a proper Awakening, much less one from a deviant.” Aradia said.

Steven took in a breath. “The Nistar…I trust them, Aradia. There’s a deviant here, and it’s being fed.”

“Um…” Shawn interjected. “That means what?”

Steven looked at Shawn sadly. “That means the stray golems and a Terran Rholling are the least of your worries.”

~ ~ ~

The guards escorted him into a mine chamber off the main corridor. He rubbed his pants as he nodded to them. They curtly turned on their heels and left the room, closing the heavy door behind them.

“Branson?”

Branson turned around and watched as an agent stepped out of the shadows of the room and stopped beside a metal chair.

“Yes, sir.”

“My name is Jorgis. I’ll be conducting your culling today.”

“Nice to meet you.” Branson grinned. “That’s where I sit?”

“Yes.” Jorgis glanced up at him. “Put your arms in the… yeah. There.”

Branson sighed and looked at the ceiling as Jorgis placed sensors on his forehead. “How long will this take?”

“Not long.”

“I’m between seizures. But one may come soon.” Branson looked at Jorgis. “It’s brutal.”

“I’m aware of your condition. Hopefully, you will not have to endure another seizure.”

Branson nodded. “Good. Is it by injection?”

Jorgis tapped on a needle he had inserted into Branson’s arm. Blood started filling a tube. “We collect samples during the process to help us identify what went wrong.”

“Of course.” Branson nodded again. “I was half expecting a bullet.”

“We have only resorted to that sort of culling in the field.” Jorgis injected Branson’s other arm with a syringe and emptied its contents.

“Will it hurt?”

“There is no such thing as a painless death,” Jorgis said casually. “The trick is duration of consciousness and awareness of the pain.”

Branson pursed his lips. “I knew that.”

“Small talk, then?”

“Yeah. Something like that.” Branson looked at the ceiling. “I think a seizure is imminent.”

“That may be the drugs,” Jorgis said as he pulled the syringe out of his arm. He looked at a tablet and nodded. “The culling process has begun. I need to go to the observation room.”

“We die alone?” Branson looked at Jorgis, surprised.

“You’ll never be alone, Branson. Never again.” Jorgis smiled and patted his arm.

Branson relaxed. “Thanks. Hope you get this flaw figured out. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this.”

Jorgis looked at him for a moment, then left the room.

“Um,” Branson blinked and shuddered. “I think a seizure is coming on. Is there a way you can just…knock me out?”

No response.

Branson grimaced as a wave of pain washed over him. He closed his eyes, but even that could not quell the blinding brightness that filled his vision. It was all in his head, he had been told. But it didn’t matter to him. He tried to calm his breathing and relax, but his muscles kept cramping.

Then he felt the most terrifying part of the experience. The paralysis. His body stiffened and his breath was reduced to little gasps. The pain seemed to ramp up, but he was losing his ability to even squirm in anguish.

Darkness filled his vision again and he opened his eyes. What he saw didn’t change, however. Stars and planets seemed to fly past him, as he rode the bazaar river of his hallucination. He felt like he could see the entire universe around him, and experienced it trying to press in on him.

Amidst the visions his seizure was feeding him, Branson heard a grunting and huffing sound. He quelled his gasps, thinking it was him, but the sound didn’t change. Blinking hard, he attempted to return his attention to the room.

The river of the universe seemed to split and he could just make out his surroundings. A lone, young figure was staring at him. Branson grunted as he tried to come out of his seizure. He felt like he was drowning, like the surface of the river was just an arm’s length away, but he was stuck.

He thrashed as he tried to break the seizure’s hold on him. But his arms and legs only barely responded. He blinked and looked at the room again. The child was suddenly only inches away. Branson flinched, surprised, but was unable to do anything about it.

The child grabbed his face and suddenly the torrent turned into turbulent rapids. He saw the universe again, but unfettered from the river that seemed to wash around him. He saw every detail, every speck of dust, every rock and planet, every star.

Then he saw people. Some he recognized. He thought they had been culled too. But there they were, in his raging universe. He saw their memories and experiences and reached out, trying to connect with them.

Someone was screaming and Branson tried to look around, seeking to figure out who it was.

Then silence. And utter blackness.

~ ~ ~

Jorgis dabbed a moist cloth on the child’s face. “How do you get so messy so fast?”

The child did not respond to or even acknowledge him. Jorgis smiled and stood up. He adjusted a metallic mesh that encapsulated the child’s head, then grabbed his hand. “We’re going back to the pod now. But you are getting so big, so fast. I’m very proud of you.”

The child numbly followed behind as Jorgis led him out of the culling chamber through a hidden door. He glanced back at the smoking remains of Branson and nodded. “He was a good candidate. I hope the others prove as good. Don’t you?”

No response. But Jorgis didn’t expect any. He carefully lifted the child and placed him in a gel-filled pod. Metallic tentacles whipped around him and embedded themselves into receptacles placed in the child’s chest. The child went limp and Jorgis carefully lowered his head down and caressed his hair that poked out through the mesh. “Now you rest and grow. You’ll need your strength soon.”

He looked over his shoulder. “They’re looking for you. Twenty of our bases have been raided.”

Katy sauntered over to him and put her hand on the child. “Yes. They are persistent.”

“Are you going back into circulation?”

“The risk is high. But so is the reward.” Katy smiled at Jorgis.

Jorgis nodded. “This one is almost ready.”

“You have performed admirably, Jorgis. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

Jorgis looked at his hands. So soft and pink. “Thank you. The risk was high.” He glanced at Katy, smiling. “But so is the reward.”

Katy grinned. “The rest of my children?”

“Being deployed as we speak.”

 ~ ~ ~

“He visited Earth again, sir.”

Nate looked up from his tablet and sat back in his chair. “Where?”

“Shawn’s,” the lieutenant looked at his notes, “AG93 base?”

“Are you asking me?” Nate folded his hands on the desk.

“Sir, their naming convention makes no sense. The Dallas base.”

“I told them under no circumstances was he allowed back here.” Nate rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Who saw him?”

“Jessica. She was the viewer on duty.” The lieutenant flipped a page in his notebook.

“Why don’t you use the tablet you were issued?”

“I keep breaking them, sir.”

“Figures. Procure one with a case, then.” Nate shook his head. “I think it’s time we set up a meeting with Mr. Crow personally.”

“Are you sure that is wise?”

Nate looked at his tablet. “He is not an antagonistic threat. Just an existential one.”

The lieutenant nodded. “I’ll place a request through Ambassador Ashley.”

“Remotely.”

“Sir?”

“We’re still limiting travel to Endard until this occupation is sorted out.” Nate looked up from his tablet. He could tell the lieutenant was disappointed. “Remotely.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I need you to compile a list of viewers. We may have to assign a liaison to him.” Nate leaned back in his hair.

“There are a few telepaths I’ve been training, sir. I’ll choose one of them.”

Nate sighed. “Someone not too intimidating. A wallflower.”

The Lieutenant grinned. “All my trainees have been heavily schooled on espionage, sir. He’ll think our candidate is his new best friend.”

“He’s an Elf. He’ll know the instant he touches her.” Nate frowned. “Transparency would be best. But he does need to feel like your candidate is his friend.”

“Sir.”

“I don’t like putting another of ours at risk again. Melissa, Roland, and Lynda were nearly killed under his watch.”

“Sir. Speaking of them…they returned amped up. We’re told it’s the alien acclimatization treatment.”

“I’ve already got samples of that sent to research.” Nate nodded.

“Have we developed something ready for general deployment yet?”

“You want to get amped up?” Nate smirked. He shook his head. “We need original material. Not what we can glean from blood samples. That…will take some convincing.”

“Make it a job requirement.”

Nate gave the lieutenant a look. The officer held his hands out. “Our liaison can hardly do her job without it. Especially if you clear her to travel abroad.” He looked down and nodded. “I have the perfect candidate. She’s super-sensitive already.”

“They’ll administer it to her directly. We need our own deployables.” Nate looked thoughtful. “It would crack the ice.” He grinned. “Maybe Steven will be useful after all.”

“Would love to see you burn stuff from a distance. Like Steven did.” The lieutenant smirked.

Nate shook his head. “We need to tread carefully. More power isn’t necessarily a good thing.” He looked sideways at the lieutenant. “After all, we’re already having to buy more tablets for you. What if you break bigger stuff?”

Crow: The Destroyer

Chapter 5

“Lynda?”

“Bob, she won’t stop. There, in Roland’s old room. Between the dresser and the wall.”

“What is she doing?”

“Just keeps saying the same thing over and over again.”

“Melissa?” Bob kneeled down by the chest-of-drawers. “Can you see me?”

“Time is broken,” Melissa said. “Steven.”

“Steven? The Crow kid?” Bob asked.

“Time is broken.” Melissa rocked back and forth, wiping her eyes. “Steven.”

“Melissa, you’re at the Sanctuary. You’re safe here.” Bob caressed her hair as she seemed lost in her vision. “How long has she been like this?” Bob looked back at Lynda.

“This morning.” Lynda wrung her hands anxiously. “Please. Get Steven.”

“He’s not allowed here. You know that.”

“It wasn’t his fault!” Lynda yelled. “Look at her!”

“We have a Calmer coming to treat her.”

“Then find Steve. He used to do that. He was really good at it.” Lynda looked at Melissa.

“Steve… is not here anymore.” Bob reached out and grabbed Melissa’s hand.

“He wasn’t a bad person,” Lynda said, subdued.

“He wasn’t human either. And he lied to us all.” Bob glanced at Lynda.

“Neither is Steven. Call him.”

“Lynda, it is just too dangerous.”

“He saved us. We were safe with Steven. And he healed her.” Lynda pointed. “He’d do it again. Make her well.”

Bob scowled. “He unsettled her when you were abandoned in the Cooperative.”

“We weren’t abandoned,” Lynda said quietly. “They were hunting him. It wasn’t his fault.”

“He promised you would be okay.”

“And we are.”

“There was a war going on right where you were.” Bob stood up. “An alien war. I’ve seen the devastation.”

“It was just a couple of…”

“That’s all it takes.” Bob interrupted her. “With them. Just a couple of them and now miles of black ash. Lynda, they are so far beyond us, imagination cannot comprehend it. It’s just way too dangerous. I’m surprised we still have the embassy on Endard.”

“She needs him.” Lynda pointed at Melissa. “Your Calmer won’t fix her. She’ll just… quiet her.”

“Melissa needs a chance to collect herself. Without Steven.”

“But she’s seeing something. Something bad.”

“Yeah. And she’s blaming Steven.” Bob crossed his arms.

“No, she’s not!” Lynda shook her head.

Bob opened his mouth to respond, then glanced back past Lynda. “Good. Sheila’s here.”

She fumed as a timid young black woman scooted between them and kneeled down in front of Melissa. “It’s not going to fix anything,” Lynda grumbled.

“Melissa will have to do the fixing. Sheila just takes the edge off.” Bob nodded.

“I’m not strong enough,” Sheila said quietly as she held Melissa’s hands. “Not for her.”

Bob scowled. “I’m not sending you to the Cooperative.”

Sheila looked back at him, pleading. “Just the embassy. Lynda told me about Enos’rel. Their treatments have made them so potent. It would do the same for me.”

“Why won’t you let her…”

“No one else is going to the Cooperative,” Bob said resolutely. “Not after what happened.”

Lynda squinted at him, then closed her eyes. She shook her head. “You’re jealous.”

Bob shook a finger at her. “Do not read me, Lynda. That’s beside the point.”

“You wanted to go!” Lynda waved her hands. “That’s what this is about.”

“Just do your best,” Bob said to Sheila. He gave Lynda an angry glance, then stormed out of the room.

“He wanted to go,” Lynda told Sheila quietly.

“He doesn’t understand.” Sheila sat down on the floor as she caressed Melissa’s hand. “I’m not strong enough for Melissa. Her visions are way too powerful. She’ll never get better.”

“What can we do?” Lynda knelt down beside them. “He won’t contact Steven.”

“Can’t you?”

“He doesn’t have…” Lynda started, then stopped. She sighed as she shook her head. “It’s not like that with us. Not like Asherah. I have to touch him.” She rubbed her face and moved a red lock of hair out of her eyes. “We’d have to find one of them. Someone who can contact him.”

Sheila looked at Melissa who still rocked back and forth with her eyes clamped shut. “The future is terrifying her. It’s not going to get better.”

“We can’t leave.” Lynda sat on the bed, dejected.

“Sure you can.”

Both of the girls spun around, then gaped.

“Steve?” Lynda half stood up, keeping a hand on the bed. “I thought… they said…”

Steve smiled as he walked past her and kneeled before Melissa. Sheila cringed when he winked at her. With a touch, Melissa calmed down, almost falling asleep. “I’m sorry I deceived you.” He glanced at Lynda. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t know either. It’s the only way we can operate around Elves.”

“But, you’re alien,” Lynda said quietly.

“So is Steven.” Steve mimicked her tone, then grinned.

“Bob is here. He’s looking for you.”

“He left. A meeting with Nate about your alien friends.” Steve stood up. He sighed as he gazed at Melissa. “You two were my favorite.”

“Were?”

Steve shrugged. “Back when I didn’t remember.” He looked around. “It was all so innocent. But… reality intrudes.”

“What are you going to do?” Sheila backed up against the wall nervously.

Steve reached down, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet. “Well, Melissa needs help. And I would like to see Steven again.”

“You’re not going to hurt us?” Sheila rubbed her arm.

Steve gave her a perplexed look and shook his head. “I’m not your enemy. They are.” He pointed out the window. The girls looked and saw a massive Cooperative cruiser hovering on the horizon over Phoenix.

“But, they’re… the war. People died,” Lynda stammered.

“Because of them. They blew up our homes, which blew up your homes.” Steve crossed his arms, fuming. He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Steven is what matters.”

Lynda just stared at him.

“Have I ever been cross with you? Ever? Or Steven?” Steve held his arms out.

“No.” Lynda slumped. “But, we could get in trouble. They’re looking for you.”

“I’m not important.” Steve shook his head. “Steven is.” He looked at Melissa. “And his friends.”

“But…”

“Who has done him the most harm? Done you the most harm?” Steve looked around the room. “Destroyed this room even? Nice job getting Roland’s books back, by the way.”

“Well…”

“My boss has done nothing but try to help him. His biggest problem came from those who wish to use him. From them.” He pointed out the window again.

Lynda looked down, playing with the carpet with her toes. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “What do you want with him?”

“I want to help him get Asherah back.”

~ ~ ~

The agents kneeled, taking aim into the garage. The commanding agent signaled to flank right. Three of them silently broke from the group and entered the garage, hugging the far right wall behind a line of SUV’s as they stalked the intruder.

Laurence arrived and knelt down beside the commander. “How many?”

“Just one. Behind that.” He pointed. “We’re working to encircle him.”

“Not Terran?”

The commander looked at him.

“Human?”

“No, sir. And cloaked.”

Laurence nodded. He closed his eyes and brought up a holographic display. The commander backed up a little to give him room as Laurence manipulated the display. “There. He’s moved two vehicles closer.”

The commander caught the eyes of the flanking agents and made a sign.

“The creature knows they’re there.”

“That’s the objective. I want it to feel boxed in.”

“It’s not Terran. They don’t react the same way.” Laurence stood up. “Weapons?”

“None were deployed.”

Laurence grinned. “Great. I’ll keep it busy. You complete the encirclement.”

“Sir?”

Laurence strolled out into the garage, whistling as he walked. He stopped near where the intruder had hidden and stretched, yawning a little. He looked at the empty space between the vehicles and grinned. “I see you.”

“You know Common.”

Laurence shrugged. “Meh. It’s a hobby.” He looked back at his men. “You know you won’t get out of this alive, right?”

“Neither will you.” The creature lunged towards Laurence.

At the last moment, Laurence dropped straight down, kicking a foot up into its midsection. The creature flew over him and rolled, landing on its feet. Laurence laughed. “You know, sweet talk like that will get you anywhere with me.”

The creature walked towards Laurence and Laurence met it halfway, kicking out at its knees while parrying a devastating strike to his head. As he spun out of the strike he grappled the next attack and swung the creature around into a concrete column.

For a moment they locked. Laurence laughed. “Now I know why they say we smell like Venda. You really do stink.”

The Venda smirked at Laurence then twisted. Laurence found himself flying through the air and slamming into the grill of an SUV. He fell to his knees then dropped flat as the Venda smashed into the grill where he had been. He wrapped his leg around the Venda’s and sat up quickly, pulling the Venda to the ground. It rolled out of his grip and regained its feet as Laurence jumped and delivered a solid kick to its head from above.

As Laurence attempted to follow through with his attack he found himself thrown into another vehicle. He laughed as he shook it off and prepared for another attack. As the Venda descended on him he locked up its arms in another grapple and both of them landed in an ignoble heap on the ground.

“I like you.” the Venda said. “You know how to take a beating.”

“Yeah. I fought Steven. Everything else has been a buzz-kill after him.” Laurence grinned as he tried to shift his grip to his advantage.

“You fought the Blessed One and survived?” The Venda almost seemed in awe. “I hope you survive what is to come, then.”

“Um, you’re surrounded and I’ve got you,” Laurence said, shaking his head. He glanced at his men, then kneed the Venda’s cloaking unit, causing it to spark and fail.

Several bright flashes momentarily dazed Laurence as the agents released a volley from their new weapons. The Venda leaned closer to him. “Your upgrades don’t work on my armor.”

“Head-shots!” Laurence yelled.

The Venda yanked hard and Laurence found himself bouncing from the ceiling. As he barely landed on his feet, he looked around for the Venda. His men were already running towards the exit from the garage into the building, and Laurence followed. He ran past several agents at the entrance who were picking themselves off the floor to join the chase. “Really? He got by you?”

“Sir, all we saw was a quick blur.”

Laurence squinted at the displays that hung in the air in front of him. “This way. It’s headed towards the reactor.”

“We need that thing in your head.” The commander grumbled as he struggled to keep up with Laurence.

“Reverse engineering is a work in progress,” Laurence said. He slowed as they got to the lift. The doors had been ripped off. Looking down the shaft, he could see light from where another set of doors had been torn off their mounts. “Level B2,” Laurence said into his radio.

“We have the reactor contained, sir.”

Laurence nodded. “Be aware this creature is very strong and armored. Head-shots.”

“Sir.”

Laurence grabbed a rung on the service ladder and started sliding down at a barely controlled fall. His men followed. As they approached the opening below, he noticed something and signaled his men to stop. Squinting, he saw that the door to the level above the reactor had bare metal on its track. “B3. Get men to B3 immediately.” Laurence said quietly.

He reached to a control panel and keyed in the code to open the door, then winced as it scraped loudly on its damaged track.

“Can you detect it?”

“Only a faint heat trail. It’s been here.” Laurence quietly entered the dark service hallway. “Our environmentals are on this level.” He helped the commander into the hall and the rest of his men followed.

“The roof above the reactor is armored. There’s no way in, unless he has a weapon.”

“One he neglected to use against us?” Laurence glanced at the commander. He tapped his radio. “I want men inside the reactor chamber. He may come through the roof.”

“Sir.”

“I thought your friends were hunting these guys?” The commander said as they made their way quickly to the rooms that were above the reactor chamber.

“They apparently missed one. Venda are notoriously hard to track.” Laurence said quietly.

“I don’t sense it. I thought we could sense all life now.”

Laurence shook his head. “Most. Not all. These guys are heavily modified.” He looked at the commander. “Way more modified than us.”

“So, don’t destroy the carcass.”

“Yep. No disintegrations.” Laurence grinned.

“Sir?”

“That was a joke.” Laurence sighed. “I’ve been hanging around Steven too much.”

The commander gave him a strange look, then crossed a door to the office closest to the reactor below. Without any prompting, they both stormed into the office, flanked by their men, all taking well-planned positions and covering their sectors.

“Clear.”

Laurence looked around as the others checked in. “This is where I would go if I wanted to breach the reactor room below.” He looked at the floor, imagining the thick armor below the tiles.

“Could it have teleported?”

“No. It would have back in the garage or even sooner. It came here.” Laurence said quietly as he looked around. “Led us here.” He looked over his shoulder as more agents arrived. “B2 is secure?”

“Sir. Most of our defense is on that level.”

“What could it be distracting us from?” Laurence mused as he left the room and looked down the hall. The level they were on was only dimly lit and was full of pipes and ducting that served the rest of the building. “Below us is our reactor. This level is the utility level. Our most important levels are up higher.”

“Could he try to get into the reactor chamber from another office?”

“Not likely.” Laurence looked at a sub-commander and nodded. A number of agents broke from the group and started searching neighboring offices. “Possible. But it isn’t logical. Soft targets?”

“Our labs are upstairs, Training and living facilities. Our armory is by the garage.” The commander looked down, thinking. “Server room and communications are on the top levels.”

“Down here. What would attract it? It’s not hiding.” Laurence started walking down the hall again. The heat signature had long ago wafted away. He adjusted his displays, but the armored equipment on this level interfered with it. He smiled. A weakness in alien technology they would have to explore.

As he neared the corner in the hall, his displays lit up. Laurence signaled. His men flanked him while several others took positions further back. Laurence glanced back and nodded. The side-hall was a dead end. He pointed further down the hall, then casually walked around the corner as several of his men crossed over to the other side.

The Venda was effectively bottled in.

He was surprised to see the Venda on its knees, its back to him. There was a huge ventilation intake duct in front of him, and Laurence wondered if the creature was about to attempt an escape into that. It would be futility, however. The duct was armored against just such a thing.

As Laurence took aim at the creature’s head, it looked to the side slightly. “What is your purpose? You’re Laurence, right? The one who fought the Blessed One?”

Laurence cocked his head. The creature just sat still, waiting for an answer.

“I’m fulfilling my purpose now,” Laurence said simply. He took aim again.

“So am I.” The Venda looked forward. “I was born for a single purpose. Today I am faced with the fulfillment my entire life has revolved around.”

“Dissection?” Laurence quipped. “Surely you knew coming here was suicide.”

The Venda chuckled. “You do not fear death, do you?”

Laurence didn’t answer.

“It is a product of our breeding. Our conditioning. For us, there is no greater glory.” The Venda looked to the side again. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“We prefer to continue our mission as required,” Laurence said carefully, taking a step back. “After all, a dead agent is a useless agent.”

“Ah. But what if your death is a tool? A means to an end?”

Laurence looked over his shoulder and motioned with his head. His men backed up. The Venda’s absolute lack of fear and morbid obsession was starting to make him nervous. “So, you think that, what, blowing yourself up and killing a few of us is something to write home about?”

The Venda laughed. “If we wanted to destroy you, this building would be a crater now.” He sighed as he looked forward. “The process has begun. Soon your next stage of evolution will take place and my purpose of life will be realized.”

Laurence waved his men back as he took aim again. “That process is going to have to wait. We’re quite happy with our current stage of evolution, thank you very much.”

The Venda stood up and turned to face him as its armor fell to the floor. Laurence couldn’t help but admire his physiology. Bony plates covered his skin in an almost reptilian manner, but he was lithe and mobile. And as Laurence had discovered, extremely strong. “This is bigger than you and me, Laurence. I admire you. You are the pinnacle of your breeding. I sincerely hope you survive what is to come.”

Without hesitation, Laurence placed two bullets into the creature’s eyes. Without any drama, the Venda went stiff then simply dropped to the floor, as if it were a sack of grain. Laurence manipulated the displays in front of him as he walked closer to the body. “No explosives.”

His men stepped forward, keeping their weapons trained on the corpse.

Laurence tapped his radio. “Intruder neutralized. I need specimen collection on B3 by the ventilation intake…” He froze, looking at the intake, then ran over to the armored grate. “I need some light over here.”

One of the agents ran over and illuminated the chamber behind the grate. They could feel the air flowing past them. Laurence squinted, then shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Sir. The bio-filters have been shut off.”

Laurence looked at the control panel. “Turn it back on. Immediately!”

“We’re locked out.”

Laurence tapped his radio again. “Shut down ventilation now!”

“We’re not getting a response, sir.”

“Cut the power!” Laurence stepped back and looked up. The actual air pumps were on the floor above. “Chop the mains. Shut this whole building down!”

“Sir…”

There was suddenly a quiet explosion that filled the hall with black smoke. The smoke was sucked up through the ventilation as Laurence coughed and looked back. All that remained of the Venda was the armor it had worn. “Evacuate the building now!” He looked back at his men. “Decontamination trucks now.”

They all backed up then began running down the hall to the exits. Laurence sat down heavily, staring at the pile of armor. “Inform Jacob that I have been compromised.” He rubbed his eyes. “Activate decontamination trucks. I have men on the way.”

“Sir. What was that?”

Laurence looked at the agent who had helped illuminate the ventilation chamber. “I have a feeling we may survive to find out. That’s not a good thing.”