Hero Born: Project Solaris (15 page)

"That is correct," Ka said, giving a tight nod. The gesture was more human than I would have expected.

"How do we stop them?" Kali asked, taking her first step into the room.
 

"First, you must break the shackles they have placed on you," Ka replied. The holograms disappeared and were replaced with a giant hologram of the human skeleton. It zoomed in on the neck. "Each of you bear a sliver of imbued stone, which contains very complex circuitry. This device taps into your central nervous system, and allows the controller of the sliver to issue commands to the body regardless of the wishes of the host consciousness."

"That's how they control us," Jillian said, reaching up to rub at the back of her neck. "Can they be safely removed?"

"No," Ka said, shaking its head. "Doing so risks permanent damage to your spinal column, which could cause paralysis. The sliver is programmed to prevent removal, and will burrow deeper into the spine if threatened. However, I can render the control circuitry inert."

The aliens could control every abductee, and every surviving abductee had powers, which meant the human race was in some serious shit. They were building a potent army, one that could do catastrophic damage in a world where the lights had just gone off.

"Do it," I said, clenching a fist.

Chapter 23- Revelations

"Please, hold still," Ka said. I felt something feather-light brush my neck. There was a tingle and something at the edge of pain, but not quite. Sudden warmth suffused my neck, then faded.

"That's it?" I asked, sensing something different from the sliver. It was still putting off some sort of low level signal, but the activity was radically diminished.

"Yes. The receiver has been rendered inert, however the broadcast circuitry has been left intact," Ka explained, gesturing a four-fingered hand at a hologram showing an enlarged image of a sliver. "If the Progeny of the Builders perform a cursory examination my modification should go undetected."

I turned to Jillian, who looked a damned sight better than she had a few minutes ago. She still cradled her shoulder, but her face looked relaxed, without a hint of pain.

"Do either of you have any other questions?" I asked, shifting my gaze to encompass Kali. The pair finally approached, joining me near Ka's golden platform.

"I do." Jillian looked up at Ka. "Quite a few actually. How long have the grey men been here?"

"Indeterminate," Ka said, cocking its head. "I cannot establish with certainty the date of their arrival, but a cursory examination of your internet suggests they have been here for at least several millennia.
 

"Their communications suggest they arrived before the change of the cycle to measure climate and monitor the development of your species," Ka continued. "More than that, they have conducted a systematic program of genetic manipulation to breed desired traits into your species."

"What traits are they breeding us for?" Kali asked. She dropped her arms to her sides, and darted occasional glances at the ceiling keeping the entire weight of the ocean at bay.

"There is both a primary and secondary objective to their breeding, which are necessitated by my direct intervention in your species' early development," Ka replied. A map of the globe popped up with numbers superimposed over every continent. "Your species is vast, far too large to wage any sort of conventional warfare against. The Builders kept their numbers small, and I cannot imagine their progeny are all that numerous. It makes sense that they would force you to kill off your own species, rather than risk themselves."

"So, they're going to start a war." I said.

"Indeed," Ka said, nodding. "They will wait until the sun vents its fury on your world. Once your power grid has been destroyed, they can unleash their soldiers upon your leaders. They will systematically eradicate all organized resistance, gradually creating more soldiers until all surviving members of your species have been enslaved."

"Is that their primary objective?" Jillian asked.

"No," Ka said, shaking its head. Those large black eyes settled on me. "Their primary objective is communication. They seek to alert the Builders, to inform them that the conditions of this world are ideal, so that re-colonization can begin."

"That much we knew. They want Initech's faster-than-light transmission tech so they can broadcast a message home. My question is
why
? Why can't they do it themselves?"

"Their primary means of communication is blocked," Ka said, with the first smile I'd seen it give. It was rather creepy. "Their original goal was access to the Arks, which would allow far faster communication than the rudimentary technology you have created. I have prevented access, forcing them to find alternative means."

"If their ancestors built the Arks, why can't they get access?" Kali asked, adjusting her glasses. She'd taken several steps closer to Ka, and was staring at the hologram curiously.

"As I stated, this was caused by my intervention," Ka said, shifting its gaze to Kali. "Once the Progeny of the Builders learned that I had sealed the Arks, they began to study that seal. They realized that I had genetically locked them, and that only
your
species could gain access. This is why they began their experimentation. Their goal was to create a member of your species capable of accessing the Arks, one that they could control. If they achieve this end, they will be able to communicate with the Builders, and the eradication of your species will begin."

We were all silent for a moment. How could we not be? The plan was audacious, brilliant, and terrifying.
 

"What about these Arks you mentioned? You said they were occupied by things that used to be human," I said, forging ahead with my idea. "Surely these things don't want to be enslaved or eradicated. They can help us, right?"

"Can, yes," Ka said, giving a slow shake of its head. "Will they? I do not know. They are willful, independent beings who spent millennia warring upon each other. If the threat is made clear they may aid you, but you will need to convince them."

"And their Arks return after the sun goes through some sort of change?" I asked.

"All save one," Ka replied, gesturing as another hologram appeared. It showed a mountain range, then zoomed into orbit to show South America. "This one, the Ark belonging to the Ka-Ken known as Isis, will return before the sun changes. It was set to awaken earlier than the others, a ploy by its Ark Lord to steal a march on her opponents."

"So this would be the first person we'd want to recruit then," I said, turning to Jillian and Kali. Both nodded.

"When exactly will her Ark return?" Jillian asked. She'd stopped holding her shoulder, and was now clenching and unclenching her right hand as if trying to work feeling back into it.
 

"It will return when the sun enters the cycle preceding the final change," Ka said. Several graphs appeared showing what I assumed was solar data. "I can transmit this information into your minds, if you wish."

"Do that," I said. This information sounded critical. We were going to need all the help we could get.

I felt a tingle in the base of my skull as images began appearing in my mind. The feeling lasted only moments, and when it passed the lights in the room had dimmed considerably.
 

Ka began to flicker wildly. "Bzzt- stable. Must go. The power requirem-zzzznts. Extreme."

I glanced at the ceiling above; the thought of what might happen if the power failed turned my bowels to water. A single crack spiderwebbed across a small section of the dome.

"Time to move." Jillian beckoned me, then sprinted back into the teleportation room. We moved up the path between the fluted columns and back onto the platform.
 

"This thing is going to take us back to San Francisco, right?" Jillian leaned against me, and I wrapped an arm around her. It was totally for support, and not because she felt amazing there. I wished I had the time to enjoy it, but I focused on my job: getting us the hell out of there.

Chapter 24- Reconciliations

The sea of white light faded; vertigo washed over us. I blinked rapidly, taking in the room we'd arrived in. The same room where we'd narrowly escaped Summers and Marcus.

The soldiers were arrayed in a semi-circle, each far enough away from each other that Kali's flame, even if she had time to summon it, was unlikely to catch them all. They wore Kevlar like the others, but had also donned what appeared to be fire-retardant suits cut from some sort of white nylon.
 

Maybe we could have dealt with them, but it was the pair behind that I was more concerned with. Summers and Marcus stood with arms folded, both livid.

"There's two ways we can do this, kids," Summers called, shouldering aside a soldier and approaching the platform. "Me? I'd prefer the hard way given that you torched four of my people, and knocked out two more. Please tell me you want to do this the hard way. I promise it will hurt.
 
A lot."

A cool wave pulsed from Jillian. The familiar tingle passed over my body as I began to fade from sight, but before the process was complete Summers thrust a hand in our direction. Jillian was hurled into the wall with bone-crushing force. She fell limply to the ground and didn't rise.

"No!" I shouted, spinning to face Summers. All the rage and anger that had been building for the last few weeks came to the fore. My hands rose of their own accord, and waves of lightning burst forth.

Next to me, Kali unleashed a torrent of white flame, both of us pouring everything we had into the abilities. The twin elemental forces rushed towards Summers in a storm of death, but stopped just before touching her. Both fire and lightning were shunted away, leaving Summers and the soldiers unharmed.

Sweat beaded Marcus' forehead as he lowered his arms. I narrowed my eyes, considering. Whatever he'd done had clearly taken a lot out of him.

"Come on now, David. Some bad shit has gone down, but we can sort this out," Marcus stated. He seemed genuine.
 

"Last chance," Summers said, as if Marcus hadn't spoken. She raised her hand again. "Come quietly, or I'll snap your girlfriend's neck. It's you we're after, David. Usir won't care if I kill the others."

"I most certainly
do
care, my dear," came a cultured voice. Usir's cane clicked against the floor as he made his way through the gap where the golden iris leading into the room had been. He still looked old, but despite the cane he was far more able than a man his age should be.
 

I made a mental comparison with the image I'd seen in Mohn's files, the one from the early 70s when Usir appeared even older. How the hell did someone age in reverse, and what was his connection to the Egyptian god Osiris? I wished I'd had more time to question Ka.

"Hello, David. Why don't you put your hands down and go help Jillian?" Usir suggested. He continued forward until he was even with Summers. He gave her a level look, and she blanched as if she'd been struck. "Ms. Summers here won't bother you, as long as you cooperate. I assure you that we have your best interests in mind."

"They killed four of our men." Summers glared at Usir.

"A tragedy, but one precipitated by my own actions. Had I told David everything from the beginning, he'd have had no reason to break in," Usir countered, eyes hardening. "Nor am I prepared to deal with it at this precise moment. We are fast running out of time. Need I repeat your last lesson, Ms. Summers?" Usir asked. His tone suggested it was a mild rebuke, but Summers recoiled as if slapped. She gave a single tight nod of acquiescence.

I didn't wait for them to finish, instead rushing to Jillian's side. A thin trickle of blood threaded down her forehead, but the flow had already stopped. She was breathing, and I didn't see anything broken.
 

"Jillian?" I asked, cupping her chin. Her eyes fluttered open, but her gaze was unfocused. "Are you all right? Say something."

"Ouch," she said, pushing me gently away and rising slowly to her feet. She rolled her neck, and I winced at the sound of cracking vertebrae. "Did you get the number of that truck?"

I hugged her without thinking, relaxing my grip as I realized it might hurt her. She returned it just as fiercely, though, and seemed all right.

"Guys?" Kali called from the platform.

I turned to see the soldiers lowering their weapons. Usir had stepped atop the platform next to Kali, cane cradled absently in one hand like an unused prop. It was capped with a very Egyptian-looking Scarab, the kind I'd seen in books about King Tut.

"Now then, shall we head somewhere more comfortable to discuss all this?" Usir said, giving a grandfatherly smile. "There's no need for further bloodshed, and I promise that when you understand the entirety of the situation you'll realize we're all on the same side. I regret imposing on you, but please decide quickly. Your use of Object 3 has not gone unnoticed, and the grey men will arrive soon."

I considered our very limited options as I looked at Jillian, then Kali. If they had any ideas, they didn't communicate them. "Fine, we'll hear you out," I said, releasing a breath.

"Excellent. If you'll follow me please," Usir said, leading us back to the elevator. No one spoke--not the guards waiting outside the elevator, and certainly not us. Everyone eyed each other as we stepped inside, Usir first, and then me.

Jillian and Kali joined us, but Usir raised a hand when Summers moved to enter as well. "I think not, Ms. Summers. Even were tempers not flaring, I have other work for you. I need you and Marcus to secure the building and begin preparing for the coming assault."

"Assault?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're attacking someone?"

"No, my dear," Usir explained. "We are about to be attacked. Stand ready, Summers."

"Ahh--hell no," Marcus said, shaking his head and looking between Summers and Usir. "You want us to get ready for a grey men assault? Fuck that. We'll lose, and you know it. Those bastards can control us. Besides, I've seen enough action movies to know what happens to the black dude."