Ascending the Veil (13 page)

Sebastian
explains, “But, Ezra and I knew that the ancient, Native American, mound-builders had created an entire city beneath those mounds. One that could be used by our fellowship. ”

Daniel
went on, “The pushing finally worked and the state agreed, with a hefty donation from the Onoch Estate, to allow Sebastian privatized ownership, of the historical site. The more involvement we had in the protection of the site, the easier it would be to utilize the infrastructure once we were the sole executives of maintaining the site.”

Xander
asks, “Why?”

I didn’t understand his question at first. Looking around the room at the others’ faces, they didn’t seem to understand it either. Xander shifts in his seat a little uncomfortably
, and then continues, “What made you chose that site, I mean other than the fact that it was a useable infrastructure? Something else drew you to that site.”

Sebastian looks at Balthazar an
d Caleb, then back at Xander. “Our family’s roots run deep in Georgia. We had to protect and guard this important part of our history for the sake of our fellowship.”

Okay, that was a little too vague for my liking. I wanted to probe and ask more questions, but Caleb continues speaking and I lose my chance. “After Sebastian and Daniel contacted me about you and Ezra, the Sondians trackin
g so close to the Etowah mounds, and the impending intersection of Andromeda and our galaxy, I knew I had to help.” Caleb looks at Sebastian briefly, then at his wife. “Eve wouldn’t think of staying in London without me, especially with her expecting. And with the knowledge Sebastian and Daniel had imparted to me about the coming intersection, I wasn’t about to leave my wife and child.” Caleb runs his palm along Eve’s cheek tenderly.

Daniel
says, “The facility was vacant and unstructured prior to Caleb and Eve’s taking residency in Marietta. Now, the facility beneath the mounds is fully functioning. Caleb staffed the facility months ago with a full time crew of workers to get it up to speed. Water access was easy with the Etowah river nearby.”

Caleb interjects, “It has been modeled after the facility in Nevada.”

I think about the tourists that have been visiting the mounds for the past year and wonder if any of them had seen any strange activities going on as our fellowship moved in and around the site. I guess it didn’t really matter anymore since something like that could be easily overlooked after the galactic event our world just encountered.

Caleb
continued, “The last call I got from Balthazar was two days ago.” Caleb looks at me. “He told me what happened to Ezra and your link, Nathaniel Sera. We came out as soon as we could.”

Balthazar puts his hand
on Caleb’s shoulder and smiles. “I know what my brother is capable of. He is a brilliant scientist, Jesca. If anyone can work quickly and efficiently to get us access to where Nate an Ezra are, it is Caleb.”

Caleb nods and smiles at Balthazar appreciatively, then looks at each of us. “I understand I have less than sixteen hours to get coordinates for the black hole in the Andromeda galaxy in order to code your Copula or you plan to attempt the traverse without it. I think that is completely doable if the devices we have contain the coordinates for the location in question. But, if I don’t
, you are leaving tomorrow morning on a leap of faith, am I right?”

His candid breakdown of the details makes me nervous. I don’t let it show though. I cross my arms over my chest and hold my gaze with his and shoot back, “Yeah, that’s right. Plus, I recently discovered that we have to find a way to seal this veil and we don’t know how the hell to do that.”

Caleb mouth twitches a hair, almost a smile, but then he stiffens his mouth and looks at Sebastian. “She’s a tough one.”

Sebastian pushes away from the table to stand and mumbles out of the
corner of his mouth, “Yeah, tell me about it.”

I’m about to smart off when Balthazar stands too and addresses everyone. “We need to get to work. Time is of the essence, not only where Ezra and Nate are concerned.”

Balthazar nods at Sebastian. “Based off of what Sebastian was briefing us on while you were gone, Jesca, our climate and environment is evolving quickly.”

That quickly?
I think.
“How has it changed so far?”

Sebastian pulls his reading glasses from his pocket and places them on the bridge of his nose as he reads from the stack. “Titanium and Helium are rising slowly now. But as the levels increase and accrue, both can cause changes in the way our lungs function along with other problems associated with our capacity to breathe the air. At high levels, Helium will silently suffocate us. Magnesium is decreasing. If the levels get to
o low, the synthesizing of our DNA will be compromised and the reproduction of cells will cease; death will be eminent.”

My mind flashes back to the moment we landed in Tokyo and headed toward the safe house. I could never forget the image. A child, a little girl, is pointing up at the sky. Her mother looks up and then she glances off into the sea of cars and others running haphazardly around them. The little girl is yanking her hand, but the mother does not respond right away. Her concerned expression and lost eyes say it all. She was lost and didn’t know what to say or do. That is when Balthazar told us about him and Sebastian offering the Copula implantation to civilians. Without hesitation, I supported it and wanted to know when they would begin. I was happy to know they already had, but had they had a chance to increase the implantation since the intersection?

I imagine average people outside of the facility not yet implanted suffocating, collapsing, and dying in their loved ones arms. Children, those that are ill, and the elderly would be the first to go. The image of the children filtering in the schools from earlier on the television alter in my mind now as images of suffocating, dying children in classrooms.

Still seeing the altered image in my head, I mumble, “Are we already implanting the civilians?”

Balthazar nods. “Our engineers are producing them as quickly as they can now. Guardians are being sent out on missions all over the globe with the intention of helping the civilians, bringing them into our facilities and safe houses for shelter, and offering them hope through implantation.”

Sebastian
adds, “With the modified Copula, we will be able to administer intravenously modified levels of trace elements directly into the new Copulas reservoir to counteract the changing elements in our world. The DNA will begin altering almost immediately within the body.”

I add, “If their
body accepts the alteration. If they adapt.”

Sebastian’s face becomes solemn on that note. He adds, “We have not added the elements that have shifted dramatically within the last 48 hours.”

I ask urgently, “Why, what are you waiting for?”

Sebastian, “We are waiting for a slowing of the changes. If we tried to modify the elements, inject them, then they shift dramatically again, we would be wasting time on a select few rather than spending time on implanting more and trying to head off the casualties. We need to try and save the masses rather than just a few.”

I nod realizing that I was being hasty with my response. “I know you are doing what you can Sebastian. I didn’t mean to make you feel like your efforts were pointless.”

Sebastian reaches across the table and puts his arm on mine. “We are implanting them as fast as we can, but there is a chance that the changes to our environment will not slow, rather intensify. That paired with the veil being open...no one will survive.”

I lean my head back and run my hand over the back of my neck and nod. I know that death is a possibility. It doesn’t make it any easier knowing that I am sitting in here unable to do anything to help. I look up at the group. “Wait, why aren’t we out there bringing in the civilians to this facility?”

Balthazar runs his hand through his hair. “We are. Just yesterday, we sent the Kyoto facility guardians and our crew out to do a quick sweep within a mile radius of the facility. Each time we send them o
ut, we will broaden the radius.”

Caleb
asks, “How many times have they been out?”

Balthazar
replies, “Just twice. Each time collecting about four or five citizens; families right now. They are being housed in the west wing of the facility.”

I feel a desire to be out there with our team
, helping them bring in the civilians.

Xander groans,
and then voices my sentiment, “We should be out there rounding up civilians.”

Balthazar
responds, “No, we need to get you both ready for tomorrow.”

Wait a minute, he just said “you both”.
I look over at Xander accusingly. His eyes move to mine cautiously as he gauges my reaction. A sure giveaway that this was discussed while I was in the make-shift media room. I huff angrily, “Who decided you were coming, Xander?”

Standing his ground, Xander narrows his eyes and clenches his jaw. “I did.”

I shake my head and snap. “I don’t want you going with me.”

Xander bolts up and comes to stand in front of me, eyes blazing. “Are you serious? If you th
ink you are going anywhere without me you are dead wrong!”

I rise out of my chair, ready to argue, nose to nose. “The hell you are!”

Sebastian interrupts, “Jesca, he is linked to Nate as well. The more help you have there, the quicker we can get them out and back here safely.”

He glances at the back of his son
’s heads, then back at me. “I am going also. Ezra has been like a son to me since I took him under my wing. I started all of this, I wouldn’t think of not going with you to help.”

Both Caleb and Balthazar’s heads rear
up in their father’s direction, shocked by his decision. Sebastian raises his hand at them. Just that gesture silences any argument from them before it begins.

Xander hasn’t moved, his eyes still holding me in his sights. “Jesca, look at me.”

I shift my eyes from Sebastian to him for a second. Long enough to see the redness around the rims. I look away quickly, focusing on an empty chair nearby. His cracking voice tears at me.

“Jes, I told you that we would get them back together and that is what we are going to do. I’m going.”
Xander roars, “Damn it, Jesca! Look at me!”

Startled and slightly pissed, my eyes snap up to meet his. The redness around his eyes is no l
onger threatening, the tears have fallen.

“I made a promise and I’m not about to break it!” He thinks,
“It is etched in my soul, Jes.”
Xander drops his gaze and whispers huskily, “I need to get out of here.”

I want to reach for his hand,
keep him here with me, but before I can, he turns away and stalks from me. By the time I find the courage to look at the double doors, he is gone. I want to go after him, find out what the hell is going on with him. Why the tension has becomes so thick between us. For now, I accept the fact Xander needs to be alone.

Jesca

Caleb, Ezra, Balthazar and Daniel are talking about the world above us. Which Dobrian guardians are being targeted by the Sondians and how Gabriel Griffin has taken over the Sondian fellowship flawlessly since Michael Sanderson’s disappearance.

What about my parents? Were they being targeted?
“Roan, Delilah, Bethany, are they okay?”

Caleb looks at me. “Yes, when the intersection was days away from its apex, we opened the Georgia facility up to the guardians in the area. Your adoptive sister, Bethany, came in with the family she was staying with. She was panicked, wanting to know if you were safe and if we could track down her parents. At that point, Balthazar and Sebastian had been in contact and told me that you were among the other guardians preparing to stop Sam Crest and the other Sondians from opening the wormhole. I told her you were safe, leaving out all of the details, and tracked your parents down in Boulder, Colorado. They made their way back to Marietta knowing that they would be safer within the facility with Bethany.”

Thank God they are safe.
Part of me wishes I could see them, just to make sure for myself they are okay. Yeah, the dynamics of my relationship has changed a little, but they will always be a part of me.
If anything was to happen to them...
I can’t think about that. They are safe and together and that is all I need to know.

Caleb continues, “When I got the call from Balthazar about Nate and Ezra, your parents had just arrived. Roan and Delilah volunteered to come in my place to save Emelie the trip and be with you. Bethany was ready to come as well. They didn’t realize that I was the only one that could help with what needed to be done here, until I told them what I was anticipating…sending our guardians after Nate, Ezra, and Sam.

I look from Sebastian to Balthazar to Caleb, and finally to Daniel. I ask hastily, “Did you tell them that I was going?”

Dani
el runs his hand over his mouth. “It would only panic them.”

The conversation takes a detour. Sebastian asks Balthazar how far the team working on the devices found in the Sondian safe house have gotten on acquiring the coding and what other resources are needed, other than Caleb, to extract the coding and transmit it to our Copulas to traverse.