Aegis Incursion (53 page)

Kody was the one who caught sight of the football hovering out of the open back door of the truck and rocketing toward them. It was just a fleeting view through a minuscule window in the swarm. But that was all he needed.

“Football!” he cried.

Jag, with the layer of nanomites glued on him and weighing him down, pushed forward as a pulsing red humanoid to grab the football as it flew toward him. As if sensing the threat, the swarm furiously converged on the teenager, blocking his vision altogether.

Kody heard Jag let out a sickening scream. With no realization of what he was doing, he dove—with his new layer of skin consuming him—into the path of the approaching football. It zoomed over his head but with quick reflexes he brought his hand back and caught it. As the nanomites swarmed over his eyes, he activated the football and released it. A loud bang was instantly followed by a thick cloud of blue dust that blanketed the friends.

Twenty seconds later, Kody found himself with his cheek pressed against rough gravel, looking down the road toward the truck.
Did I do it?
he thought groggily, slowly lifting his head. When his eyes readjusted to the headlights from the vehicle, he realized that he was not, in fact, looking at the road surface itself but a carpet of inert nanomites that were no longer glowing red.

Someone helped him up; he had a vague sense that it was Mariah and her voice, hoarse from screaming, confirmed his impression. “They’re dead.”

Kody searched sluggishly for something comical to say but all he could manage was, “No, just doped.”

“You know what I mean.” She made sure Kody was able to stand without swaying, then went to Jag’s aid but he was already halfway up. The trio scanned their surroundings. Kody turned to the others and saw for the first time that his friends were covered head to toe in red dots and streams of blood. He thought he’d gotten numb from the pain, but looking at their innumerable minute incisions, he felt the agony kick in tenfold.

“We’re done here,” Jag said hoarsely. He was stone-faced for a few moments, then cracked a smile. “We did it.” He turned to Mariah. “
You
did it.”

Mariah started kicking the nanomite dust onto the side of the road. “Powers are growing is all,” she muttered modestly. “Kody was the one who set the football off anyway.”

Jag and Kody swapped amused grins and joined in, then the three headed toward the truck, walking stiffly from the cuts and pain. When they reached the vehicle, they worked on cleaning themselves as best they could. Once they were done, they slammed the truck doors shut with a sense of triumph. Jag pulled away from the deserted road and sighed. “Well, hey. Could have gone a lot worse, right?”

Kody and Mariah couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of his question.

T
egan listened while Aari and Marshall caught up with Jag, Mariah and Kody over the phone. Her head lolled tiredly against her shoulder where she was slouched rather unladylike in the backseat. They’d abandoned the truck Marshall had hijacked after letting Josh’s contact know where to pick up the inactive pods and were now back in the rented car. Exhausted as she was, Tegan forced herself to stay awake and be a part of the conversation. They’d already reported on the success of their mission, and Jag and the others had just finished recounting what had happened with the Texas pod.

“It was
nothing
like the one in Ransom,” Jag said. “But yeah, we got it anyway.”

Marshall shook his head. “That’s crazy. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to enlist a Sentry in time to help you in Texas.”

“You guys can’t be everywhere,” Mariah’s voice came consolingly over the speakerphone. “At least it’s over. Are you and Aari gonna find a hospital and get your injuries looked at?”

“They’re a stubborn pair,” Tegan said, scowling. “When Marshall mentioned that he had more of his healing dust back in the farmhouse, Aari decided he’d bandage it and tough it out till we get back. Idiots.”

When Mariah replied, Tegan was certain she could hear her friend’s shrug over the phone. “Men! Gotta be macho.”

Both Aari and Marshall snorted. Tegan smiled briefly.

“What’s up with the other pod locations?” Kody asked. “Any news?”

“I’ll reach out to Nageau in a bit,” Marshall answered, then hissed when he missed the turn they were supposed to take. “He sounded jubilant when I told him we’d completed our mission, so hopefully everything’s going smoothly.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, guys, I gotta put you on hold,” Jag said. “My granddad’s calling.”

The line went silent for a couple of minutes before his voice returned. Tegan picked up a cold edge in it when he said, “Hi again.”

“Everything alright, man?” Aari asked.

There was a long pause, then Jag said flatly, “Gran’s passed. She’s gone.”

Tegan covered her mouth and met Aari’s eyes as he whipped around in the front seat to stare at her in shock. They both struggled to find words for so long that Marshall had to step in. “I’m so sorry, Jag,” he said softly.

“You’re not the one who should be sorry. Tony and whoever the hell he works for—they’re the ones. They’re going to pay for this. I give you my word, they’re going to pay.”

Tegan realized that Tony and his men were locked up in the shipping container at the Sanchez farm and that Jag would reach them first. He’d successfully kept his temper at bay since returning from Dema-Ki—and surprised all who knew him in school—but there was nothing to keep him in check now.

“Don’t say that,” she mumbled nervously, biting her thumbnail. “Please. Don’t do anything you’ll regret later.”

His voice was bitter and cold. “I hardly think I’ll regret this.”

“Jag—” Marshall began.

“I’ll see you guys when you get back.” Jag ended the call.

Tegan broke the silence. “Marshall . . . ”

“I can’t do much,” the Sentry said grimly. “I’ll get ahold of Nageau; maybe he can talk to Jag and calm him down.”

Tegan curled up in the backseat, arms wrapped around her knees. Aari patted her foot as if to comfort her but in his blue eyes, she saw her own fear reflected. Jag’s powers had grown and, in the state of mind he was in, would be devastatingly lethal. Even if she reached out to him with her mind, she knew he would shut her off. There was nothing they could do but pray that their friend wouldn’t act impulsively.

* * *

Nageau’s eyes snapped open. “The last Sentry team has reported in,” he announced. “Their mission was successful.”

There were indulgent cheers and the Elders felt the tension melt away almost instantly. They shared elated smiles, the glow from the flames in the pit of their assembly
neyra
radiating warmly on their tired but triumphant faces. Tayoka sighed. “Wonderful.”

“Except for the pod in Texas and one at another location, everything went smoothly and all the entities inside the pods were destroyed,” Nageau said.

Elder Nageau?
a voice entered his mind.

“Ah, do excuse me. I think one of our Sentries is trying to reach me.”

The other Elders nodded as Nageau closed his eyes and responded.
I am here, Marshall.

I wanted to let you know that the inactivated pods are on their way to my contact’s lab.

Splendid!

What’s the update on the overall mission?

The incursion is a complete success—we have ended the scourge in North America. Well done, lad.

The Sentry’s thanks sounded distracted. He didn’t speak for a moment, then hesitated before saying,
Jag received bad news, Elder Nageau. His grandmother has passed and I’m worried he’ll do something reckless. There are four men confined at his grandparents’ farm and Jag said that he would make them pay. With his capabilities, there’s no saying what he may unleash on them. Could you reach out to him? He’s shut us out.

Good heavens . . . One moment, please, Marshall.
Nageau returned his attention to the Elders and quickly informed them of the situation, then reconnected with the Sentry to get specific details about the men at the farm.
We will do our best to take care of it. Once we set things in motion, I will reach out to Jag personally.

Marshall sounded relieved.
I appreciate that. Thank you.

They severed their connection and Nageau nodded at the others, indicating he was with them once again. Tikina studiously patted down a wrinkle in her blouse with her thumb before heaving a quiet exhale. “My heart goes out to Jag.”

“Mine as well,” Tayoka said sorrowfully. Nageau felt a pang; Jag had, of course, been Tayoka’s pupil during the five’s training the previous summer and the flame-haired Elder loved the boy as if Jag was the son he’d never had.

“It will not be proper to pull Jag away from his family after such a loss,” Ashack said slowly, “but that is something that we will not have control of with the five in the near future. This is far from over.”

Saiyu looked miserable. “No. We are not pulling them away from their loved ones, especially not Jag. I will not accept it . . . I cannot accept it.”

Nageau pursed his lips tightly, brow furrowed, and stared into the fire. “Perhaps it is time their families learned the truth about their children’s true destiny. The Saplings of Aegis, our bearers of light, will soon become young trees with verdant branches. Their powers grow day by day, as will their responsibilities. We cannot keep this a secret any longer.”

His suggestion was met with silence. None of the Elders were stunned by his proposal. Each knew this day would come. They didn’t have answers regarding what was the right move, but if none of them were arguing against Nageau, it was a unanimous, though weary, agreement.

“If we are all in accord,” Nageau murmured, “then I will volunteer to resolve this.”

Saiyu tried to smile at him. “This will be unorthodox.”

“Our traditions are in place to maintain accord and to safeguard our community and humanity at large, not to blindly cling to in the face of an impending cataclysm,” Nageau said. “It is a means to an end and not an end in itself. However, we will continue to cherish them because to discard
all
time-tested customs is not only foolish, it is dangerous.”

“This is no small task to undertake,” Ashack intoned, gruff as always. “The reactions of the five’s parents are not likely to be positive.”

“And they have the right to react as such,” Nageau told him calmly. “Either way, it must be done. May the universe open the doors to their hearts and minds.”

* * *

Concordia welcomed Jag, Mariah and Kody with a spectacular sunrise but the mood in the truck might have been better complemented by a moonless, arctic night. Fury seemed to seep from Jag’s pores throughout the ride back to his grandfather’s house. He’d long since shut out Mariah’s and Kody’s pleas for self-restraint; the hurt and rage that had started within his heart had spread through every inch of his body, leaving him almost begging in a twistedly gleeful way for the chance to seek retribution for his grandmother’s death.

Tony was the closest he could get to those who’d unleashed the nanomites upon the crops, pushing Julia Sanchez to the heart attack that ended her life. Her loss left Hugo without her sweet, loving presence and deprived the rest of the Sanchez family of a caring and uplifting soul. The pain of it all was unyielding for Jag. He kept hearing her voice singing softly somewhere in his mind.

Jag turned the wheel sharply and the truck skidded onto the gravel driveway to the farmhouse. He parked and, not bothering to remove the keys, stepped down from the vehicle. Two doors slammed shut behind him, followed by feet hitting ground. Kody and Mariah shouted at him to stop but he pointedly ignored them. A few jagged lengths of scrap metal rested beside the barn. He scooped one up and walked with long, steady strides to the back of the edifice. As the shipping container came into sight, heat rose up his body and his eyes grew dark with hatred.

Before either Kody or Mariah could catch up to him, he was in front of the container, waving the metal piece above his head. With a roar, he brought it down on the latch, smashing it open. Jag threw open the container doors, wielding the piece of metal like an axe.

The snarl he wore evaporated and he lowered his weapon. Kody and Mariah quietly stepped up on either side of him and gaped. Weak-kneed, Jag walked into the empty container and looked around. “Where are they?”

His friends kept silent and watched as he paced in circles, his agitation amplified. “What’s going on? The door was still secured when we got here—there’s no way they could have gotten out!
Where are they?
”

Using a two-handed grip, he dashed his weapon against the side of the container, gouging it and evoking a loud, piercing clang that stunned his eardrums. Mariah and Kody exited the container, wincing and covering their heads. Jag nailed the side of the container with the metal again and again. He didn’t care if his ears bled.

“How did they get out?” he bellowed. He spun around, the container a dark blur from the motion and frenzy. Before he was able to register his thoughts, he bellowed again. “I’ll find you, Tony! I’ll find you and if you don’t take me to your boss, I’ll just kill you! I’ll kill you, I swear it!”

In the midst of the storm in his head, a man’s voice entered his mind.
Jag.

Clang!
Jag hit the side panel again, trying to drown out the voice.

Jag
, the man repeated.

Clang!

Jag, please.

Clang!

Respond to me, youngling, I implore you.

CLANG!

Jag! Please!

“What!” he exploded. “What do you want?” Then, remembering that he hadn’t been thinking the words, shot them out mentally to Nageau with just as much intensity.

The Elder sighed.
I heard the news, youngling. I am so—

You’re sorry. Yeah, everyone’s sorry. Thanks.
Jag swung at the container wall again but when he felt warmth trickle from his hands down to his elbows, he slowly walked over to the door and, in the light, he saw that the metal scrap he held was stained red. Still gripping the improvised weapon, he rolled his hands slightly so they were wrist-up. Streaks of blood trailed down his forearms. He dropped the metal and stared at the crimson color on his skin.