Stones: Experiment (Stones #3) (69 page)

Something only Ryzaard can give them.

Paradise.

Time to check in with the children. His finger slides along the surface of the jax in front of him.

A holo image of Jing-wei hops out of it. “I assume you would like a preliminary report,” she says.

“Go,” Ryzaard says.

“Here’s the bottom line. Mesh traffic is off the charts.” A relaxed look takes over her face, perhaps even the hint of a smile, like a weight has lifted from her shoulders. “Governments, corporations, the rich and famous. Europe is on fire. Everyone has suddenly discovered an urgent need for Shinto. Miyazawa’s going to be a busy man.”

“Good work.” A weight slides off Ryzaard’s back. “I’ve got a pressing matter of business of my own to take care of right now. It won’t take long.” As he stands up, his body is a black silhouette against the white screen. “I’ll meet with you all when I get back.”

The holo fades to nothing.

Ryzaard’s eyelids drop down as he imagines an open courtyard in a sea of white pebbles at the base of a mountain of in Northern Japan. When he opens his eyes, he is standing under the shade of a cherry tree. The white blossoms are gone, replaced by oval-shaped green leaves, jagged-edged, as sharp as daggers and as thin as rice paper. The afternoon buzz of cicadas is in full swing.

The dark branches hold only leaves with no hint of the sweet crimson fruit on the tree.

“This kind of tree bears only flowers in a single explosion of beauty.” Miyazawa approaches from behind, staring up into the foliage. “Then the blossoms suddenly die. Leaves are all that remain. Rather deceptive, wouldn’t you say?”

Ryzaard smiles and turns. “Deception can be a powerful tool if used correctly.” He moves out from under the tree into the open sun. “Will you join me for a walk?”

Nodding, Miyazawa walks to the side of Ryzaard. They move in silence across the courtyard, each with hands behind their backs, as if waiting for the other to speak.

Miyazawa makes the first move. “Forgive me, but I hardly recognized you, looking so young and healthy. Have you been taking cytopropyl treatments?”

“If only it were something as pleasant as that. An accident at the lab caused massive burns on my face and arms. I had no alternative but to get extensive surgical reconstruction.” Ryzaard lifts his own hands, turning them over. “I’m grateful for the advances in technology.”

Miyazawa dips his head in a short bow. “I’m sorry for the pain you suffered.”

“Your performance of the speech was brilliant. Truly impressive.” Ryzaard flicks a rock with the toe of his shoe. “We estimate the audience at over 12 billion. From all accounts, the impact has been huge, exactly as we had hoped. A turning point in the history of the world. The demand for Shinto is going to make you very busy. It’s not every day that one witnesses the birth of a new world religion.”

Betraying no emotion, Miyazawa stares ahead. “I am deeply grateful for your help. The
torii
gates of our shrines now grace the centers of more than 100,000 villages and cities outside of Japan. We have MX Global to thank for the many doors that have been opened.”

“You are the head of a great organization. It is our honor to assist in your noble cause.”

Miyazawa stops. “Then I hope you’ll forgive me if I ask a simple question.”

“I welcome it.”

“The nuclear detonations.” Miyazawa casts his gaze on the lines of mountain ranges to the east, one following after another until the view is lost in floating mist. “How is it that MX Global knew of them in advance?” His voice falters slightly as the words leave his mouth.

Ryzaard pauses to gather his thoughts. “We have a vast information network, including close ties to the military in multiple countries.” He reaches down and picks up a wilted cherry blossom. “High-level communications passing through our surveillance net caught our attention. With some difficulty, we intercepted and de-encrypted them. After a lengthy and painstaking internal effort, the pieces came together. Like everyone, we were devastated by the implications.”

“But you saw an opportunity.” A slight smile flashes across Miyazawa’s lips, and his head drops down into a shallow bow. “MX Global found a way to advance the cause of Shinto.”

Nodding gravely, Ryzaard runs his fingertips across the seven Stones floating above his chest. “By the time we grasped the reality of the situation, it was too far along to stop. Prematurely revealing it to the world or any government would have resulted in even more damage and chaos. The best we could do was shorten it, saving millions of lives in the process and opening the way for the peaceful spread of Shinto.”

Slipping his jax out of his robes, Miyazawa resumes his walk, pulling Ryzaard along with him. “We mourn the loss of so much life. The will of the
Kami
is often difficult to comprehend. But if it results in Shinto blessing the lives of billions, perhaps the sacrifice of millions will, in the long run, have some meaning.”

“We are of one mind,” Ryzaard says. “And we look forward with anticipation to the day when your shrines dot the earth. It will be a great force for peace and unity.”

Miyazawa bows again. “That is our hope.”

“MX Global will increase its financial support to meet the demand for shrines.” Ryzaard flicks away a falling cherry blossom. “Build quickly while the doors are open. Start in Europe and Russia. Then move on to the Americas. Billions await your coming.”

“With gratitude.” Miyazawa stops again and turns to Ryzaard. “May I ask another question?”

“Of course.”

Miyazawa clears his throat. “When you offered to help in the worldwide spread of Shinto, you said that the time would come when you would request a favor in return. Is it too early to ask what that might be?”

“Yes,” Ryzaard says. “It is too early. But I assure you that you will not find the request distasteful in any way. It will only increase the appeal of what you offer to the world.” He moves to the large cedar trees at the edge of the courtyard. “And now I must go. A new world awaits.”

“
Sayonara,
” Miyazawa says. Silently standing, he follows Ryzaard’s movement through the trees and into the forest. The sound of a hawk soaring above him catches his attention, and for a split second, he looks away. When his eye returns to the spot, Ryzaard is gone.

M
att holds the cloaking box tightly in his fingers, sensing the two Stones inside. He stands with his back to the lapis cube in the center of downtown Vancouver.

Even after the Shinto priest stops speaking, everywhere in the intersection, the mass of humanity silently stares up at the towering white screens.

A woman’s voice penetrates the quiet. “You were the one that said this city would be destroyed. Looks like you were wrong. We escaped the holocaust. You did nothing.” She turns and raises her arm up at the white screen. “
Shinto
saved us.”

“It’s a lie!” Yarah jumps up and down on top of the lapis cube in the center of the intersection, pointing at the empty screen. “That man didn’t save you. Don’t listen to him.” She puts both her hands on Matt’s shoulders. “
This
is the man that saved you. I was there. I saw it.”

Scattered laughter erupts in the crowd. Yarah’s hands go on her hips in a display of indignation. The laughter turns into an avalanche.

“It’s OK.” Turning around, Matt pulls himself up to the top of the cube and stands next to Yarah. “They only believe what they can see.”

Jessica climbs up next to him.

Matt raises his hands in the air, and the laughter dies down. “You’re being set up, all of you and all of the people in the world. The nuclear detonations were planned so that the Shinto priest could give his speech and take credit. It’s all a lie.”

“You’re the liar!” A man’s voice rings out. “And a false prophet.” The crowd roars again with laughter, drowning out all attempts by Matt to reason with them.

Along the edges of the gathering, police move toward the center of the intersection.

Alexa sees them coming. “Looks like trouble. Let’s get out of here.”

Matt helps Jessica and Yarah down. The four of them slip away, leaving the wreckage of the transport smoking in the street.

LUCA
A computer chip embedded in ancient rock warns of an interstellar Cloud on its way to engulf Earth and destroy all life. Frank Mercer has the means to save a lucky few and restart civilization under his control. With Earth in chaos, fourteen-year-old Luca discovers she can hear the voice of the Cloud in her mind. It’s alive, hungry and searching.

STONES: DATA (STONES #1)
Matt Newmark finds a black rock in the shape of a claw and discovers it’s a Stone, a piece of cosmic technology that gives him power over time, matter and energy. Mikal Ryzaard has a Stone as well and plans to create his own hellish version of Paradise on Earth. Ryzaard finds Matt and makes him a proposition: join me or die.

STONES: HYPOTHESIS (STONES #2)
Matt finds peace on his own private world with Jessica. It ends when Ryzaard abducts her, forcing Matt to fight or lose everything. With two Stones, Ryzaard is exponentially more powerful, controlling minds and ruling world markets. When Matt discovers there are even more Stones, he engages Ryzaard in a desperate race to gather them.