2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) (33 page)

Goodwin ran over to an oblong megalith wreathed in symbols and pointed at a circle indented in its surface. ‘Your Anakim device.’

Jason rushed to examine it, but his elation was short lived as he looked around, frantic. ‘Where’s the platform?!’

‘What?’ Goodwin said.

‘This isn’t a transport device, there’s no platform!’

‘There must be!’ Trish said and ran round the bowl-shaped depression, searching.

♦

With care, Hilt lay Sarah down on the ground while Goodwin looked around in confusion. Hilt’s back ached and his soul was weary. He’d lost too many people, far too many; Major Offiah, Rebecca, Joseph, hundreds of operatives under his command. He wondered if Darklight had ever witnessed a darker hour.

While the earth shook around them and Sarah’s friends dug for God knows what in the dirt, something touched his hand. He looked down to see Sarah’s arm drop back to the ground and he crouched down beside her.

She said something and he lent closer.

‘Ri – ley?’ she whispered.

He held her hand and shook his head.

‘I’m sorry … about Rebecca, I—’ Sarah fought for breath. ‘I wasn’t able … to … save her.’

‘I know,’ he said as her eyes fluttered closed, ‘try to rest.’ He looked round as the crystal stairs fractured and collapsed. ‘It’ll all be over soon.’

Chapter Fifty Nine

Jason stared at Goodwin in despair. ‘You said it was here, you said there was a transportation device!’ He lashed out with a foot, sending a clump of earth flying.

‘I thought there was,’ Goodwin said, looking equally dismayed.

The ground’s shuddering intensified and a nearby mound of sediment vibrated down to reveal more of a large, bronze globe positioned in the centre of the basin.

‘What’s that?’ Trish said, pointing at it.

Jason saw something glinting beneath the sediment at its base and he scrambled forward to dig away at the dirt with his hands. Trish joined him and they’d soon revealed Goodwin’s promise: a large, ceramic platform.

Jason gestured for Hilt to bring Sarah over. ‘Put her here,’ he said as the Darklight leader picked her up.

The earth lurched again and giant standing stones crashed down into the basin. Crystal exploded and blue shrapnel lanced out.

Jason snatched up a glowing shard and moved towards the circle device before looking at Trish. ‘Get on the platform.’

‘I’m not leaving you!’

‘Get on the damn platform!’

‘No!’ Trish picked up another piece of crystal and lunged for the megalith.

Jason leapt forward and dragged her kicking and screaming to Sarah’s side.

The whole world shook and Trish kept fighting.

‘Let me go,’ he said, ‘or we’ll all die!’

Breaking her hold, he turned to see Goodwin standing by the Anakim device.

The Steadfast director picked up a large chunk of crystal. ‘Tell Sarah … tell her goodbye.’

Dumbfounded, Jason nodded as Trish pulled him back to the platform.

‘Sir,’ Hilt said, ‘what are you doing?’

‘Get Susan on the device, Commander,’ Goodwin said. ‘You as well, that’s an order.’

Hilt guided Susan over to Trish before moving back to his director’s side.

Goodwin held the Darklight leader’s gaze. The man’s loyalty knew no bounds. He gave Hilt a nod before muttering, ‘I hope this works.’

Goodwin placed his hand on the stone circle and a swirl of energy swept around his arm. Strange visions flashed before his eyes of Anakim worlds shifting through time. Pain throbbed through his head and white radiance flared. The globe shuddered and inched into rotation with a shriek of metal on metal. Eon’s worth of compacted earth tumbled to the ground and the transportation platform rose up half a foot.

Four more platforms emerged from the dirt floor around the globe as soil vibrated from their long hidden surfaces, but the slab beneath their feet stayed dull.

‘It’s not working!’ Trish said.

The bronze globe spun faster and turned translucent, and Jason saw a static circle shimmering beneath its rippling surface. His grip tightened on the crystal still in his possession and he reached out his other hand through liquid metal.

♦

Goodwin’s hand released from the megalith as the transport device continued its activation. A shining blue light lit up around the platform’s edge, growing brighter and stronger as the globe whizzed round.

One side of the crystal basin sagged down into seething lava and a crack opened up in the ground. Susan slipped from Trish’s grasp and leapt over the widening fissure to return to Goodwin’s side. The split in the earth grew bigger, cutting off any route back to the platform.

Sarah’s friends gazed back at them through the haze of shimmering heat, knowing as well as Goodwin that his fate, like Susan’s and Hilt’s, was sealed.

Lava oozed from the ground and searing flames roared high. The ground shifted and rocked. A whoosh of steam forced Goodwin back, and Sarah and her friends momentarily disappeared from view.

Goodwin remembered something. ‘Wait!’ he called out, but it was too late, they couldn’t hear him.

He stared at them through raging fire. ‘The surface,’ Goodwin said, holding Susan close as the lava closed in, ‘it’s not safe.’ He looked round to see the entire front of the sphinx collapse in a pall of dust and flame. ‘The apocalypse is coming.’

Chapter Sixty

The giant globe continued to spin with light, but Sarah and her friends remained on the platform.

‘Why isn’t it working?’ Goodwin murmured.

More of the basin collapsed behind him to reveal a thin strip of land that disappeared into laval heat.

Hilt saw the opportunity and grabbed Goodwin’s arm. ‘Let’s go!’

The Darklight leader scooped up Susan and ran for it, and Goodwin gave one last despairing look at Sarah and followed Hilt into the inferno.

♦

Jason watched Goodwin go before looking down at the glowing shard in his hand. He could feel power rising up from the crystal, through his arm and into the spinning globe.

‘We don’t know where it’ll take us!’ Trish said.

Huge rents shattered the basin in all directions.

‘Anywhere’s better than here!’ Jason looked down to see the platform’s centre remained dull. ‘We need more power.’

Trish placed her hand on his, but nothing changed.

Sarah’s eyes fluttered open and she raised her hand to them.

‘It will kill you!’ Trish said.

The ground collapsed all around as the quake hit. Heat flooded over them and Sarah raised her hand higher.

Jason stared into her eyes, a tear rolled down his cheek and he dropped his crystal.

‘NO!’ Trish screamed.

Jason grasped Sarah’s hand. The platform they stood on swirled bright, as did the next, and the next, until all five shone like stars. The pendant in Sarah’s chest glowed white and a high-pitched whine built to a crescendo. The globe turned colour, spinning so fast it looked static. It was planet Earth. The power whined louder. Trish cried out. Energy surged and Jason felt himself propelled upwards through blazing light.

Chapter Sixty One

Sarah and her friends vanished in a flash of brilliance. Their platform’s glow faded, and an instant later two more platforms flashed, then dulled in quick succession. The earth gave a final groan and the Anakim device shattered and broke, consumed by the cataclysm.

♦

Goodwin ran after Hilt as the ground rocked and rolled beneath their feet. A sea of lava surrounded them and sweat poured down their foreheads as the unbearable heat increased. The escape route petered out and Hilt slowed his advance to a stop.

Goodwin glanced behind to see the Anakim Sphinx disappearing into the depths.

A hundred yards closer a dazzle of light shot skyward, leaving a glowing trail in its wake.

Goodwin gazed after it as it vanished into the flickering clouds. ‘Godspeed, Sarah,’ he whispered.

Fires roared on both sides and Hilt wrapped his arms around Susan to protect her from the heat. The Darklight leader withdrew his knife and looked at Goodwin with anguish in his eyes.

Goodwin knew what he intended, better for Susan to die quickly than to suffer the agony of being burnt alive. Goodwin’s eyes filled with the orange glow of flame and he braced himself for their final moments. His lungs burned and his clothing caught alight. Hilt placed his knife to the base of Susan’s skull ready to deliver the killing blow, but before he could do so the ground reared up beneath them. The lava fell away and a massive wall of water rushed in. Steam exploded upwards as cold met hot and the flames were extinguished. The lake was reclaiming its domain and flooded into the abyss at its centre.

The cascade of water roared loudly, and with the heat gone, so had the light. Hilt sheathed his knife and turned on his torches, enabling them to see their bridge of land continued into the lake. But it was far from safe. The ground beneath them dropped away and they leapt forward as gushing waves sought to sweep them away. Somehow they managed to stay upright and Goodwin blinked droplets from his eyes to see the lake’s waters rushing past on either side.

Hilt put Susan down and led the way over slick rock, his powerful frame acting like a human shield against the roaring flow. Goodwin grasped Susan’s hand and followed close behind as the earthquake continued unabated. He glanced back to see their narrow strip of land disappearing into the seething tide. ‘Hurry up!’ he said.

Hilt upped the pace and Goodwin feared the worst as he found himself waist deep before the Darklight leader helped Susan, and then Goodwin, up onto more solid ground. The shaking subsided to tremors as the water continued to speed past. A hundred yards on the natural causeway of rock ended short of the beach, but as Goodwin watched that same shoreline drew closer and closer as the lake’s level fell. Soon the waters had receded far enough for them to drop down to the newly exposed bedrock.

With Susan by his side, Goodwin waded through pools of weed and mud before reaching what had been the lake’s edge. The roar of the water faded behind and he collapsed to the ground in exhausted relief.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply while Susan sat down cross-legged beside him.

But hardly a moment had passed before Hilt redrew his sword and activated its blade. ‘Someone’s coming.’

Can’t I ever get any rest?
Goodwin wondered. With a groan, he sat up to see a host of torch lights approaching from the south. ‘Are they friendlies?

Hilt pressed some buttons on his helmet. ‘I don’t know my system’s down.’

‘We could make a run for it.’

Hilt shook his head. ‘If they’re Terra Force they’ll have long range weapons.’

‘Then we wait.’ Goodwin squinted at the torches before transferring his gaze to the distant city, which shone like a colossal beacon of light.

The Anakim towers pulsed with power, and energy crackled up their soaring spires to arc across wide avenues like electrified coils. Susan seemed equally captivated by the scene and Goodwin knew the power released by Sarah inside the sphinx must have been responsible.
Where else could such a power go?
He frowned.
But
was I wrong about Genesis?
he thought.
Everything had made sense at the time, but now …

Storm clouds built over the city and the winds that had died down picked up again as the torch lights drew ever closer.

A short while later Captain Winter came jogging out of the dark with a unit of Darklight mercenaries at his back. ‘Director, thank God, I’d feared the worst.’

‘Captain,’ Goodwin said, getting to his feet.

Captain Winter drew to halt and saluted his commanding officer. ‘Sir!’

‘At ease, soldier.’ Hilt deactivated his sword. ‘Report.’

‘The Terra Force commandos are in full retreat,’ Winter said. ‘Once their leader abandoned them they lost cohesion.’

‘And what
of
Colonel Samson?’ Goodwin said.

Winter looked at him. ‘No sign, if he didn’t follow you out, then he didn’t make it.’

Goodwin nodded, his face grim.

‘S.I.L.V.E.R.?’ Hilt said.

‘The assassins haven’t been seen since we engaged them at the standing stones,’ Winter said. ‘When we fell back to shore, we held the causeway. No one came back out.’

Hilt removed his helmet and ran his hand over his head. ‘The lights?’

The captain shook his head. ‘Nothing, yet. We’re still on full alert, if they return, we’ll be ready.’

Hilt appeared satisfied with the news. He turned to Goodwin. ‘I’m sorry, sir … about Rebecca and Joseph. If I’d had more time—’

Goodwin waved away his apology. ‘You lived up to half your promise, Commander.’ He placed his hand on Susan’s shoulder and she looked up at him with innocent eyes. ‘You brought Susan home.’

‘You’re right,’ Hilt said, ‘but not in the way you think.’

Goodwin gave him an odd look. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I did live up to half my promise.’ Hilt held up his malfunctioning headgear. ‘When I first encountered Sarah Morgan, we were able to download the files from her Deep Reach helmet. We have their maps and a route through to the USSB.’

Goodwin gave a sigh. ‘That’s good news, but after recent events any entry into the base would be met with fierce resistance.’

‘For Darklight, maybe,’ Hilt said, ‘but the civilians—’

‘Not an option,’ Goodwin said, ‘I’m not leaving you down here to rot. Darklight are as much under my care as everyone else.’

Captain Winter gave a nervous cough. ‘Don’t you mean Dr. Vandervoort’s care, Director?’

Hilt frowned and looked at Goodwin.

‘It seems my actions led them to believe I was unfit for command,’ Goodwin said. ‘Kara runs the camp now.’

The Darklight leader arched a brow, his expression questioning.

‘The director has been … troubled,’ Captain Winter told Hilt.

‘Troubled, how?’

‘They thought me insane,’ Goodwin said, ‘my actions a danger to others.’