The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles (31 page)

CLEO
leaned over and put her arm around Shaw.

“You need to compose yourself. Fuller will be looking at you
to lead the assault.”

“Me?” Shaw said.

“As he says, you will have the best motivation and the will
for it to succeed, don’t you think?”

“He’s right there. I don’t get why they are trying to poison
everyone?”

“Because Akhenaten wants what he had when he ruled Egypt.
His faction is well placed throughout the world with the ear of many political,
religious and administrative allies. You might have heard of the New World
Order in all its guises, including a spinoff from the Masons. He feels the time
is right to cull the Earth’s population and to take control, before they deplete
valuable natural resources and destroy the environment completely.
Unfortunately, he does have a point.”

“No offence, but why don’t you just all go home and leave us
to our fate.”

Cleo laughed.

“There is no way home. All that talk of the afterlife with
the Pharaohs was to keep their allegiance. Only the gods carry the eternal
spirit. We don’t even know if our home still exists. We’ve tried our best to
give up our technologies, particularly this past two hundred years, but it will
take forever to get to the point of our returning home.”

“So why does the Pentagon want to blow you out of existence?”

“Because they think we have given them all we have to give. If
only they knew. And anyway, now they have new visitors to work with. We still
have our supporters for our faction. Fuller is an example. But our detractors
have the upper hand, and Akhenaten’s actions leave our kind tainted.”

Gyp sidled up to Shaw, tugging at his pants with his teeth.

“I think Gyp is trying to tell you something.”

“What? Oh, yeah.”

Shaw hauled his backside out of the chair. It was as if he’d
had the life drained out of him as he headed back to the lecture room.

“Forgive me if I don’t join you, but I have arrangements to
make to get to our bolt hole.”

He waved his acknowledgement without looking back, and
stepped back into the lecture hall.

“You look drained,” Cox said. “Did she have anything
interesting to say?”

“Nothing that wouldn’t get me locked up in a loony asylum if
I repeated what she said and showed me.”

Shaw looked at some blueprint plans spread out over the
operating table. They were stamped with a County Planning Department’s logo,
and headed, Brakes Silver Mine.

“How will these help us?” Shaw asked.

“Ventilation,” said Fuller, and dropped a dark aerial
photograph over the plans.

In one corner, he could see a white and green blurred cloud
on the image.

“What’s that?”

“That’s warm air escaping the workings outside the compound
and quarry area on the cliff face. People have to breathe. Where the air comes
out is where we can enter.”

“I have it covered,” said Cox. “The women here are going to
help us. We just need your posse to assist us to sweep all three levels to find
Amy and the rest. Fuller here will have transport ready to get all the
detainees away. I’ve contacted Frank, and he says no problem.”

“He would,” said Shaw.

Fuller ran over the details. They were scant at best.

“How do we know they won’t kill the women and children
before we can get to them?”

“We don’t,” said Fuller, “but if you don’t get in there and
get them out before Summers mounts the assault with his CONOP crew, they’re
dead anyway, Amy included.”

“So apart from how to get in and out, we’re blind?”

“Yeah, but at least you have the numbers to pull it off. And
I have the transport to get the women and kids out.”

“How long have we got to get over there and to get in and
out?”

“Two hours and ten minutes,” he said, then looked at his
watch. “Sorry, make it two hours and seven minutes.

SLEEP
deprivation had taken its toll. A night tossing
and turning had left Amy exhausted. She stared at the elevator button LED
glowing red at level two. Her body shivered, and her stomach knotted as she
waited for the light to go out. She waited for the elevator to descend. The
glowing light remained static.

“Don’t look so nervous. You’ll soon find out why you’re
here. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?” said Abi.

Amy’s head snapped in the direction of the sound of ringing.
It was coming from the speaker of a telephone, bracketed to the wall. Abi
stepped over and released the handset. She pressed the handset speaker to her
ear, then looked over at Amy.

“Yes, she’s here at the elevator. I’ll bring her up when the
cage arrives.”

Abi placed the handset back on its cradle.

“Does he or she have a name?”

“It’s not for me to speak our leader’s name. We’re to go to
the second floor, now.”

The red arrow facing downward glowed. The sound of the cage
scraping on its tracks could be heard from the shaft. Each screech of metal on
metal grated in Amy’s mind, like a bad toothache. She sucked in some air, her
chest heaving, and then she slowly exhaled. The cage landed with a bump and the
door retracted. Amy sighed that the cage was empty.

“So, is this leader a he or a she?”

“More of a presence, really. Nothing to be afraid of.”

Amy stepped into the cage behind Abi.

“Second floor you said?”

“Yes.”

Amy blindsided the button panel and pressed the letter G.
She turned to face Abi and crossed her fingers behind her back.

“So were you kidnapped and brought here like me?”

“It’s not to be spoken of.”

“There’s only you and me. You can tell me.”

“I was brought here by someone who turned out to be a good
friend.”

Amy detected a wistful look on Abi’s face. Moisture formed
in her eyes.

“So you weren’t friends then to start with?”

“No.”

“So couldn’t this friend have helped you to leave before you
got sucked in?”

“No. I want to be here.”

“Not much of a friend then.”

It seemed to be a sore subject, when she noticed Abi set her
first scowl in Amy’s direction. A flash of light briefly lit the cage. Abi
charged forward, pushing Amy to one side.

“What have you done? That was level two.”

Amy grabbed at Abi’s wrists as her fingers reached out for
the buttons. She wrapped her leg around Abi’s legs and brought her crashing to
the floor.

“You may not want to leave, but I damn well do.”

Amy knelt on her back.

“Get off me. You can’t leave. You’re special. You must know
that.”

“Yeah, I’m special alright. To my dad and my boyfriend. Oh,
and my dog, Gyp.” The cage stopped with a judder and the door slid open. “Sorry
about this.” Amy punched Abi with her fist on the side of her head. Abi
groaned, then her body collapsed, leaving her limp on the floor. Amy pressed
the button for the third floor, then stepped out as the door closed.

“So much for befriending her. What now?”

She looked to see a clear blue sky. Amy took a deep breath
and then sniggered at the thought she would soon be free. She looked around,
seeing nothing of her surroundings, only Ted walking toward her. He was wearing
a suit, laughing, and he looked to be joking with two armed guards flanking
him.

“What the... !”

Their eyes met and Ted set a frown. Her vision blurred, then
started to spin. Amy’s legs weakened, unable to hold her weight. A sudden blow
to her head, and she fell to her knees.

Amy opened her eyes. Her head throbbed. She touched the
source of the pain to find a swelling on her temple.

“What goes around, comes around,” Abi’s voice said.

She turned to see Abi sitting next to her, rubbing the side
of her own head.

“Sorry about thumping you. Where are we?”

“Level two, outside the court chamber. They’ll call us
soon.”

Amy looked right and then left. Armed guards stood either
side of the bench. She had a flashback to the image of Ted outside the
elevator. It bugged her that he frowned at her and didn’t call out. Why was he
here? Amy wondered.

“I told you there was no way out for mere mortals. Now I
might be in trouble for you trying to escape.”

“What? —Oh yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll accept whatever punishment they give me for
the sake of my children.”

She noticed a stone slab mounted on the wall opposite,
engraved with hieroglyphs and she studied the symbols. More than anything it
was a distraction to keep her mind occupied in the absence of any magazines.
Next to it was a depiction of an Egyptian Pharaoh and his entourage.

“Why all the Egyptian symbols and images on the walls?”

“It’s not for me to enlighten you.”

“Suit yourself.”

Her eyes were drawn to the hieroglyphs. First one, and then
another symbol stood out. A shiver passed through her body as if a ghost had
walked right through her. She recognized them right away. They were the symbols
from her dreams.

“Those symbols on the stone. The one opposite.”

“What of them?”

“Do you understand them?”

“Yes. Why?”

“The fifth one on the first line. What is it?”

“It’s a zero.”

“What about the one on the third line? The first one.”

“It’s the number one, why?”

“Nothing. It just looked interesting.”

“You’ll learn them all soon.”

“Will you be teaching me?”

“Not unless I’m ordered to after your naming.”

Amy shuddered at the mystery of the naming.

“So I guess you don’t want to be friends after what
happened?”

“I can’t ever be your friend, but it has nothing to do with
you hitting me, or me striking you.”

“There ya go. You’re talking in riddles again. Why can’t we
ever be friends? Ever is a long time?”

“Exactly. An eternity.”

Abi turned away. Subject closed.

The sound of boots clomping along the corridor caught her
attention. They were faint at first, growing louder. The figures appeared
around the corner in the corridor. The middle one was Ted. He glanced at her
and looked away. Her jaw gaped, open mouthed. Words stuck in her throat.

Hello—I’m here. Your girlfriend, remember me?

Ted ignoring her had left her confused and speechless. It
felt to her as though she was dreaming his presence and that he wasn’t actually
there. He offered no recognition—nothing. Not even the blink of an eye. The
only emotion he showed was reddened cheeks, and clenched fists. They marched
past and around the bend at the other end of the corridor. Amy could feel the
emotion building inside. A tear ran down her cheek.

“You’re to enter now,” said one of the guards, and bowed in
front of her. His words acted as a counter to her emotion. She knew this wasn’t
the time to break down, but the time to garner some strength.

“Right, let’s see who this jerk is then that’s holding me,”
she said, and wiped the tear from her face with her finger.

Amy held her head high and straightened her shoulders. The
guard opened the door and she walked into the chamber. She heard a gasp behind
her, and looked over her shoulder. Abi was standing with her hand over her
mouth, her eyes popping. She followed her vision. In the center of the room was
a metal post, set it a circular mosaic. The naked body of a man was lying
motionless, curled up in the fetal position. He was in shackles and fastened to
the post with a chain. To the side of the mosaic was a bubbling cauldron of
thick black liquid over flames. The cauldron had a wheel and gears attached to
the side. Next to that was a hollowed out stone, the size of a coffin. Around
the mosaic were poles pegged into holes, and evenly spaced. They were topped
with what could only be described as having scimitars attached, making them
dangerous weapons.

“What the hell is all this?” Amy said, and turned to Abi.

“He’s here for judgment. He escaped. But then his fate was
sealed anyway.”

Abi was clearly distressed. A look of panic danced in her
moist eyes.

“Please, take your seat,” said the guard, and swept his arm
in the direction of what could only be described as a gold ornate throne, with
bird’s wings fashioned for the back rest.

“Go on, sit,” said Abi. “It’s no use doing other than their
bidding, or they’ll force you.”

Amy stepped over to the chair and settled onto the seat. The
arms where like the legs and claws of an eagle. Amy rested her arms, and spaced
her fingers over the claws that grasped two orbs. She flinched, but it was too
late. Amulets clasped her wrists and ankles, fastening her to the chair.
Struggling was a waste of effort. After a few wriggles, she relaxed to the
situation.

Abi walked in front of her and squatted at her feet.

“Ya, could have warned me.”

“It’s for your own safety. You’re not ready yet to be
unfettered in his presence.”

“So this leader is a male. Where is he?”

“He’ll appear behind the lace curtain between the two stone
columns opposite.”

“So will I actually see him if he’s behind the curtain?”

“No, it’s forbidden until after your naming, and your
wedding ceremony.”

“What!”