As he slid the gun into his belt, he noticed he had brought his modified Taser. It had just been a reflex. He hadn’t even noticed it was there in the special holster all this time. He shrugged again, thinking, if nothing else, it would also work on humans without a problem.
Decker slid his into his belt as well and tossed Terry an extra clip. He still didn’t know what was going on, but he was sure that there was nothing there that he couldn’t handle.
At least, he did until the voice exploded in his mind.
“Welcome, Mr. Bridger. We have been expecting you.”
* * * *
Terry heard the voice as well. Unlike Decker, though, he recognized it for what it was. The hard part was believing what it was.
The voice in his head was a Chrliti.
Inside his mind, he asked in a calm panic.
“Charlie, what the hell is that?”
“I am as lost as you, Terry! You and I have the only example of this kind of connection in my memory. Whatever is going on is unprecedented.”
All Terry could say was,
“Apparently not.”
Almost at once, the disembodied voice answered.
“Oh no, Mr. Bridger. The type of connection you and Tanoak have is quite unique. The one we are using is, for lack of a better word, a mechanical one. We are using frequencies of energy to duplicate the wavelengths of the human mind. As such, we can communicate with humans on a personal and complete level, rather than being relegated to merely being able to make suggestions that may or may not be ignored.”
Suddenly, another voice shouted. Through the concentration Terry was exerting to hear every detail of the conversation that he was having, he barely recognized Decker, his voice hoarse with confusion. Terry realized, to his horror, that Decker had heard every word from their new... friend, foe...ally? What?
“Who the hell is this? And how the hell are you talking? I hear you but not with my ears. Bridger, what the hell is going on?”
Terry was frozen in place. He had never even considered this. Even with Traci, he hadn’t considered how this would play out if it came down to it. It got worse a second later as Decker added, “And how come they know you?”
Terry stared hard at the big man for a few seconds, then, already sure of the result, mentally said, “
Charlie, call Decker! Now!”
Charlie simply said,
“Decker!”
in a tone that signaled a challenge. He knew what Terry wanted, and he was curious himself. Both watched as Decker spun around, gun drawn, eyes wide and every muscle tensed and ready for action. Clearly, whatever had happened, Decker could hear not only the voice of this new party, but Charlie as well.
Decker again fixed his eyes on Terry. In them, Terry could see terror, mistrust and anger burn in equal parts. He definitely didn’t like whatever it was that was going on.
In his mind, Terry asked Charlie,
“Can you hit him with a data burst?”
“I believe I can, but I can’t be sure of his susceptibility. He hears because of this new factor, so I could just be a side effect of that, and as such, he may not be able to absorb the information that quickly.”
Decker heard the entire conversation and was frankly unsure of how to react. In the time he had known him, he had learned to trust Terry. This new development was eroding that trust quickly.
Charlie quickly sent a compressed set of thoughts directly to Decker’s mind. Like a zip file, it unfolded once there in a readable form that literally read itself to him in a microsecond.
In that time, Decker learned not only of Terry’s and Charlie’s unique connection, but of the work they had done, the others of Charlie’s race they had faced and the story of the arrival of the Chrliti. It was almost too much for the big man, who seemed to waver for a few seconds. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Terry in a whole new light, fearfully contemplating what the things now in his mind meant.
He lowered the gun, still staring at Terry. Whatever else there was happening, he knew that they, at least, were on the same side. And that meant that this Charlie was as well. That said, none of them knew whom the other entity was that they heard. Or what they wanted. And to both of them, it seemed that that was their enemy.
“Come in, gentlemen. As we said, we have been waiting for you for some time.
Especially you, Mr. Bridger.
”
Terry was more than a little astonished. He was even angrier than that.
“Who the hell are you?” he settled on finally as a retort. The answer did nothing to improve the mood of the moment.
The voice oozed a syrupy tone that made both Terry and Decker want to retch as it said,
“Given your particularly unique and close relationship to Tanoak, I suspect you know what we are if not who we are individually. I will correct the later now. My name is—”
Charlie suddenly came alive with the memory of their host. And it was not a good one.
“Your name is Abshrd, murderer extraordinaire! How many of our people did you kill in the name of what you and those demented followers of yours called a New Order of Adjudication?”
The voice seemed to draw back as it fought with itself to maintain control. Clearly, Charlie hit a nerve. But when it began, it allowed no trace of it to show through, even though Terry could feel the tension between the pair of them.
“We made some mistakes in our quest to repair the damage done by the...”
the creature lapsed into its own language for a second to imply his hatred of the ones in question, but the feeling Terry got inundated with was morons or fools,
“of the government. Our people were dying by decree, and too many, like you, wanted to do nothing but shout platitudes and hope for the best. We at least did something. Mistakes were made and many died as a result, but at least, they died for something rather than from something like they had been.”
The feeling of wanting to sneer hit Terry so hard; he almost did before he realized it was Charlie’s emotion coming through. And right behind that, a wave of hatred so intense, it scared him. Seemed this Abshrd knew how to push buttons as well.
Charlie spat back from Terry’s mind.
“Mistakes you call them? Four thousand Chrliti in the Prime Hall attack? Two thousand at Gar leone. I can continue if you wish.”
Abshrd seemed to draw back again, this time even longer. He seemed to be debating something.
Terry and Decker both stood mute while they waited to see what came next.
Terry finally decided it was time to try and find some answers.
“How the hell do you talk to us? How the hell did you figure out what frequencies to use to reach into the human mind?”
The voice of Abshrd cut through again.
“I will be happy to explain if you will permit me. This is one of the things we have developed in the last few months.”
He seemed to be extremely proud of his accomplishment.
Charlie, meanwhile, was trying to decipher a strangeness that he was perceiving from the Chrliti broadcasting to him from somewhere close by. It was a strange feeling. It was an unfamiliar feeling but still recognizable. Charlie held his piece though. There was more going on here than what they knew. After a few seconds, he suddenly knew what it was that he was feeling. It was the presence of another Chrliti with Abshrd.
Charlie cut through the ether again with the same vehemence he had before.
“You have formed a conglomerate! I could not tell before, but now, I recognize it! How have you done this?”
Again, the satisfied feeling came bursting through.
“It was simply a matter of finding the correct human to inhabit. This one is an almost perfect omni field. Her only flaw is that her fields do not have the power to support all the Chrliti she hosts. Fortunately, we have found a way to augment her fields electronically. If you would be so good as to follow the aides, they will lead you to us and we can have, as you people are so fond of saying, a face-to-face talk.”
Yeah
, Terry thought
if you can find something to call a face
. He was still trying to wrap his head around the moment when Decker suddenly pointed to a corner of one of the buildings.
“Heads up, Bridger! Looks like we got—”
Even in the semi-darkness, Terry could see the color drain out of his companion’s face.
“My God!” he shouted then paused to look at Terry, finally adding, “Chans’ zombies! These fuckers all look like Chans’ zombies! Look at their fucking eyes!”
Terry looked at them critically. They were an eclectic group. The first two looked like college students, dressed in t-shirts emblazoned with the Chicago University Phoenix. Another looked as if she had just stepped out of Goldman Sachs. The others could be any point in between, each a different version. Their only similarity was the eyes. Blank and empty, they all looked like sharks circling prey. Unfocused yet attentive. Dull yet burning with intensity.
The voice rang out again.
“Do not be alarmed. They are only guides. Our position is relatively static due to our need for mechanical augmentation. Regrettably, our meeting will have to be on our turf, as it were.”
Decker looked at the crowd forming around them. Several of them were carrying weapons of one sort or another, ranging from machetes to several AK-47s. How well they could use any of them was anybody’s guess, but the fact they were there gave both men pause.
One of the students waved a medieval-looking sword at them, beckoning them to follow.
Decker’s gun switched from one to the other vaguely, as though trying to decide which one was the least problem. The knives and swords were fearsome looking, but they required skill to be real trouble and none of those that had them looked as if they had any. In contrast, none of the ones carrying the assault rifles looked even remotely interested, but both men knew that was easily a front. And since they were the biggest threat, both men watched them closely, all the while trying not to appear to do so.
Abshrd spoke again.
“If you wish, you may keep your weapons. We have no fear of them. And I am also quite sure, you will find no target.”
Decker and Terry looked at each other, unsure of what he meant. Still, Decker slid his gun into his belt and Terry simply left his alone, but he made sure that the Taser was primed and ready, just in case.
Terry slipped in behind Decker as the pair of them followed the student with the blade into the largest building on the lot, a three-story farmhouse. Once it had been the nerve center of the operation that had flourished here, as well as the home away from home for any that spent the night. He could see the barn to one side and several smaller buildings off in the distance, but this was the one their guide led them to unerringly. As they entered, Decker caught Terry’s eye and nodded upward. Terry followed his gaze to the wiring that led from the next largest building to the one they were entering. It was easy to see the wires were designed to carry far more than the standard current.
Alerted, Terry noted that if he concentrated, he could hear a motor running in the distance. Knowing the wires to the area had been knocked down, he could only surmise their power needs were being met by generators. And from the look of the wiring they used, those needs were formidable.
Decker stopped behind the kid, who motioned toward the door and then simply turned and walked away. Terry watched him go and wondered how he had wound up here. He looked like any of a thousand other kids on any of a hundred different campuses around the country. How he ended up as a part of this was beyond him.
Charlie, meanwhile, had tried to penetrate the door to examine the room beyond. He had had no luck.
Decker could sense the puzzlement emanating from him as he pushed his senses only to be repelled by whatever was behind the door.
“Bridger, what’s wrong with your friend? He seems like he’s...lost.”
Charlie spoke up for himself.
“Not lost, confused. I can normally detect much of what is going on in a room, up to a certain range, without having to have Terry enter it. This one, though, is a blank. I can detect nothing substantial beyond that door. It’s like I am being blocked. And whatever it is, it is deliberate.”
Terry stared at the door.
“You think this guy Abshrd is blocking you? How?”
Charlie seemed to think about that for a moment.
“The only thing I can think of is that he may have some advantage thanks to his conglomeration he has formed with others of our kind. Together, they may be able to block my probing. Or it could be a mechanical device of some kind. I cannot tell.”
Decker looked at Terry and shrugged. “Okay, so we dance blind. Ain’t the first time.”
Terry nodded, adding, “Yeah, let’s just hope this ain’t the last.”
The words turned out to be prophetic as they stepped through the door and instantly doubled over as their heads pounded with what they could only imagine was a stroke like agony. Through the fog of pain, they could hear Charlie shouting at their attacker in their language. The words were lost, but the tone was unmistakable. Betrayal!
Abshrd replied in English, as if to taunt his victims.
“Fool! Did you think we would allow you in our presence unrestrained? With your host hobbled, we will absorb you and use your knowledge as we have others like you, then we will take these primitives to a new level. Under our control!”
Charlie wanted to answer, but he was too busy trying to keep both of his charges from losing their minds to the pain, running up and down frequencies to find some way to neutralize the attack from Abshrd. It was slow, but it was all he could do. Decker and Terry had fallen to their knees and held their heads as the assault continued for what seemed a small eternity.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the barrage on their minds faltered, giving them time to shore themselves up against a second wave. In its stead, though, came a voice.
Not as strong as Abshrd’s but from a similar vein. This one though, was at once familiar to both Terry and Charlie. Terry was the most surprised and the quickest to answer as he queried through gritted teeth, “Mir?”