The man slammed his fist down on the table with a bang. The girls jerked back, frightened.
“
You lie!
” Dr. Nate screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. He pulled his glasses off and his bulging eyes became bloodshot almost instantly. His face twisted into a hideous snarl that was as disturbing as it was terrifying.
“We’re not lying!” Tegan hated how small her voice sounded.
“Then you’re not telling the ’ole truth! I want the
entire
story! We know you were involved in the attack on our mining operation! What were your roles? You were kept by the Elders for a reason—you were in Dema-Ki for many weeks!”
The room was dead silent save for the quiet humming of the holographic projectors. Tegan was flustered.
How does he know so much?
“I will ask you one more time,” Dr. Nate said. His eyes seemed to get redder by the minute. “What were you doing in the village?”
“I told you,” Tegan answered. Again, her voice sounded so small. “We were being treated. The Elders and the villagers were kind enough to take care of us.”
“Why were you involved in the attack, then?”
“They felt like . . . like family. We wanted to help them because whatever you were doing in your operation, it made the people so sick they died. It was the least we could do to show our appreciation.”
“What in ’ell made you think that five kids could fend off grown men with weapons in an all-out fight?”
The room went quiet again. Dr. Nate leaned farther over the table. Rancid breath reeked out of his mouth as he bellowed, “
Enough stalling! Tell me now!
”
He picked up his coffee mug and flung it across the table. The mug flew through the narrow gap between the girls and hit the wall behind them, shattering, its pieces spraying everywhere. Mariah shrieked as the pair flinched out of the way.
The holographic figure watched the proceedings, unfazed.
Tegan’s heart was beating fast against her chest.
That could have hit us!
she screamed silently.
Fatheaded freak!
Dr. Nate put his glasses back on, took a long, deep breath, and then smiled gently. He called for water and Elvis came through the door almost immediately with three bottles. Dr. Nate uncapped two bottles and inserted drinking straws then placed them in front of the girls as Elvis left the room. Neither Tegan nor Mariah made a move.
Folding his hands over the table, Dr. Nate spoke in a calmer tone. “Something ’uge is ’appening, dears. The world is on the verge of collapse. The people in that valley, the Elders, know this, but they do not understand the extent of this cataclysm. Those of us ’ere—what we’re doing, everything we’re building—is for the future of mankind.”
The girls listened guardedly while willing their heart rates to return to normal.
“You may think the people of Dema-Ki are nice—and you know, they probably are in their own way—but the problem lies in the fact that they are archaic in their solutions. We agree, them and us, that the world is in a very precarious situation. The solution
we
are creating is for the benefit of ’umanity and the Earth. We’re out ’ere. We know what’s going on. They are the ones who are hidden away from the rest of the world, so they are comparatively ignorant to what’s happening. ’Owever, they are very capable of causing problems for us.”
Tegan and Mariah continued to sit in silence, still ignoring the drinks in front of them.
Dr. Nate sighed. “This is why we need your ’elp. We need to know what the Elders are up to.”
Ignoring the discomfort, Tegan leaned back against the chair.
How do they know about the valley and the Elders?
“Your memories were lost,” Dr. Nate said gently, “and then they returned. Why? The Elders are up to something and we need to figure out what.”
Tegan and Mariah exchanged glances but neither spoke.
Dr. Nate took a drink from his bottle. “Look, there’s a reason your memories were taken. And honestly speaking, would good people do such a thing, especially to kids? We’re glad your memories ’ave returned. You really can ’elp us figure out what they’re doing.”
“If you’re the good guys,” Tegan said, “then why abduct us? Why tie our hands behind our backs like this?”
“We weren’t sure ’ow cooperative you’d be to strangers digging into your memories. We couldn’t chance it. Plus, the information that you ’ave locked away is too important. We will get our answers one way or another. There’s just too much at stake. This is bigger than either you or me.”
The gears in Tegan’s head kicked into overdrive. She had an idea, and hoped Mariah would catch on quickly
“Alright,” she said. “I just need to stress that our memories aren’t fully back yet. A little bit returns each day.”
Dr. Nate’s eyes lit up. “Of course, of course, but tell me everything you know.” Taking a voice recorder out from his briefcase, he turned it on and waited attentively for Tegan to continue.
“Uh, well, as I said, we were taken in by the villagers after our crash. They tended to us and used some herbs and poultices for healing. Their village is . . . advanced, I guess you could say, seeing as they don’t really have the tools that we do for construction and all that. They had these, like, greenhouses and stables and stuff. They had a beautiful temple as well, with a jar of crystals or something. Not sure what they were for, though. But all the villagers each had one on them, so maybe it’s like some rite of passage thing. I dunno.”
At that, Mariah caught on; the girls knew full well what the purpose of the crystals were. “Right,” she jumped in. “And the villagers were really amazing. They had all these skills, like learning a language really quick, super hearing, telekinesis—pretty cool abilities.”
“What else?” Dr. Nate prompted, checking the recorder to ensure it was capturing the conversation.
Tegan thought fast. She feared that either she or Mariah would let slip more than what should be revealed, but they needed to give a little more to convince the short man that they weren’t hiding anything. “There was also something about a prophecy, but I can’t seem to remember it right now. Do you recall anything about a prophecy, ’Riah?”
Mariah puckered her face as she pretended to think. “No, not really. But I remember they taught us some of their self-defense techniques.”
Tegan shrugged at Dr. Nate. “That’s pretty much all we’ve got, I think. I’d tell you about the battle, but I don’t remember very much about it.” She looked up at the hologram again. It didn’t seem to have moved at all since Dr. Nate had conjured it. Logically, its presence shouldn’t have bothered Tegan, but there was something unnerving about the way the figure stood immobile, staring at them from under its hood in complete silence. It was ludicrous, but Tegan could have sworn she felt cold air reaching toward them from the hologram’s direction.
She faced Dr. Nate again. “I’m sorry, that’s really all I remember right now.”
Mariah nodded. “Me too.”
Tegan braced herself as her next words left her mouth. “What we’ve noticed recently is that every time we get a good night’s rest, we recover more memories the next day.”
Dr. Nate looked over at the hologram and raised a brow. At least, that’s what it looked like to Tegan; it was difficult to say as the man had no eyebrows to begin with.
The holographic figure remained statue-like for some moments. Then it dipped its head slightly.
Dr. Nate turned back to the girls. “Very well, we’ll let you rest for tonight. But”—his words were sharp as a whip—“we will be back tomorrow to continue this. We are far from done.” As he stood up, he added, “By the way, I ’ope you won’t be foolish enough to try to escape again. If you do, the consequences will be severe.”
Sausalito.
O
f all the places they could have had dinner in the Bay Area, Adrian Black had been invited to dine at The Spinnaker in Sausalito by Jerry Li and Luigi Dattalo, the head of Phoenix Corporation’s Quest Defense division. Dr. Albert Bertram, the company’s Chief Scientific Officer, was supposed to join them but had asked for a rain check at the last minute to take care of private matters.
Dattalo held the door for the other two and a hostess escorted the men to their table. A well-dressed, olive-skinned man in his early forties, Dattalo was the son of Italian immigrants. Despite his heritage, he harbored none of the stereotypical tendencies except for his taste in fashion. Life as the head of Quest Defense, however, often deprived him the opportunity to flaunt his extravagant sartorial preferences.
The three men grabbed their seats by the large windows and ordered a round of drinks. “Thank you, gentlemen, for dragging me out to this artsy-fartsy town,” Black grumbled the moment their server had left.
“Hey,” Dattalo said defensively, “it takes an open-minded person to be appreciative of the arts.”
“Maybe so, but if your mind is too wide open, take care that what’s in your head doesn’t spill out.”
The men ordered their meals, then leaned back to take in the view. Perched on wooden stilts over the water, the cozy restaurant provided a great view of the bay. Though it was dark outside, they could just make out Alcatraz Island in the distance against the backdrop of San Francisco’s skyline.
Black and Li had stayed late at the office to go through some details regarding a couple of projects and as a result both were now starving. Dattalo had called them and asked to meet over dinner, to which they’d readily agreed. The head of Quest Defense had been out of state for a while and needed to speak with the men, though regarding what, neither Black nor Li knew.
The three of them exchanged small talk as they waited for their meals to arrive. Black took a sip from his drink. “It’s good to see you again, Luigi. You’re gone for months at a time now. It’s so hard to catch a meal or drink with you once in a while.”
Dattalo smiled and scratched his dark stubble. “That’s a laugh and a half—even when I
was
here we barely had any downtime to enjoy something like this. But that’s what the job requires.” He lowered his voice. “Speaking of which, how are the Arcane Ventures coming along?” he asked, using the code name for the corporation’s undisclosed operations.
“Fairly well,” Black replied. “It’s good to have them all running smoothly. Helps keep the stress level down, especially with what we have at stake.”
Black thought he saw Dattalo suppress an uncomfortable look, but it was gone so quickly that the notion left him. “The rate at which our plans are progressing, gives me confidence,” he added, “but more importantly it means the boss is assured and might be more willing to extend a hand with regards to favors that we have requested.”
Li nodded. “I got a confirmation email from the boss a day ago assuring me that my parents in Hong Kong will be looked after once the next phases of the plan are in play.”
Both Black and Dattalo lit up. “That’s great news!” Dattalo exclaimed.
“Sure is.” Li gulped down his drink. “My ex can freeze in the Arctic for all I care, though; she and that actor boyfriend that she dumped me for. If she hadn’t left me, I could have made arrangements for her to be safe as well.”
Dattalo chuckled. “Ah, women. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.”
Li grumbled as he ordered another drink for himself, then gave Black a grin that was as crooked as his candy cane-striped bowtie. “This fella can live without ’em though, can’t you, Adrian? This man is stuck in the office for ten to twelve hours a day. He hasn’t got the time for socializing. Good thing you called, Luigi, or else he’d still be pounding away at his desk and have me slaving alongside.”
“I beg your pardon,” Black said, eyeing them both strictly. “I’ll have you know that I’m in a very committed relationship. At times she is very demanding, but I love her nonetheless.” After a theatrical pause, he said, “I am married to my job, gentlemen.”
That earned a roar of laughter from his companions. “You nearly had me there for a second,” Li said, taking his thick-rimmed glasses off to wipe them.
“I know.” Black looked back out of the window. “I suspect that the transition may not be too hard for me as it may be for you guys, mainly because I have no family to deal with.”
“Parents? Siblings?” Dattalo asked.
“Mom and Dad have both passed, and I’m the only kid they had.” Black was contemplative. “I have to admit, the boss gave me a reason to look past what I’m doing as just a job. Especially with the changes that will be happening soon, it really does feel as if I’m part of a family. Sure, a family with some members that maybe we can’t stand, but a family nonetheless. And we’re working together to create a better, brighter future. I couldn’t be more blessed.”
“Amen,” Dattalo murmured.
“I think that should have been a toast,” Li said wistfully.
Their meals arrived a few minutes later, much to Black and Li’s elation. The men ate ravenously and continued chatting about trivial matters. Once they had finished their dinner, they sat back and enjoyed their drinks.
“So, Luigi,” Black said, looking over at Dattalo, “how is the REAPR project doing?”
“The fenixium we mined last year in Canada and Siberia is working like a charm,” Dattalo answered. “The components that our facility in Redding is producing are top-notch.”
Li fixed his glasses higher up on his nose. “Glad to hear that. I hope there haven’t been any more security breaches like the one a few months ago with the delivery guy. That was a horrible slip.”
“Of course not. And you know we took care of that situation. The facility’s guards are good at handling any problem thrown their way.” Dattalo tapped his glass against his lips, his eyes crinkling around the corners as he smiled—or forced a smile, rather, as that was what it seemed like to Black.
The CEO of Phoenix Corporation studied Dattalo closely. “Is that all there is to report, Luigi?”
The Italian’s glass-to-lip tapping stopped, then he slowly lowered his drink to the table. “Everything is running pretty much without a hitch. There are some limitations, as you know; the REAPRs can only operate at night due to the molecular structure of the nano-processors. That is, of course, something we have known and factored into the plan, as well as the fact that there are a few nanomites lost each night. Negligible, really. But . . . ” He looked from Black to Li, then back again. “But there’s something else. After going through some numbers last night and checking and re-checking them, I have come to the conclusion that we will need more resources for the global distribution of the REAPR pods.”