Chapter Sixteen
It was cold tonight, the old drunk thought as he leaned against the warm brick of the alleyway. In the slice of sky between the buildings, the moon was full, and all the crazies were out. There seemed to be more of them than usual. He didn’t like it one bit. This was his world and they didn’t belong here. He inhaled the last draw of his cigarette and flicked it into a puddle beside him. It sizzled and died.
The alley behind the bar was quiet except for people exiting out the back. They were mostly drunk and happy, so getting a few bucks out of them was easy. He needed a drink soon himself; he was nearly out.
Damn booze. It would kill him, but it was the best company he could find. Life was funny that way, when a bottle beat living. The door from the bar swung open and a young couple came out, laughing. He was momentarily blinded by the bright light, but gave his patent beggar line. “Spare a buck?”
The man said, “F*ck off.” And they were gone.
A*sholes, he thought. He used to be like them. Had a job, a wife, and kids. Then the job went south and so did the family. Nothing left to do but drink. It wasn’t a bad life, ’cept for the cold. He hated the cold. He took a hit off his bottle and waited.
The door opened again, and a single man exited. He was tall and wore a long coat.
“Got any extra change, sir?” he asked.
The man stopped long enough to hand him a ten and say, “Get something to eat, buddy.”
He was a good-looking guy. Kind face. “Bless you.”
“Right,” the man said and headed down the alley.
It was enough for a bottle, and he started to gather up his stuff for a trip to the liquor store. Suddenly, he heard voices. Screeches, actually.
He felt wings fly by him, like a flock of birds, and saw a black cloud descend on the man who’d just given him the ten bucks. The man yelled as they tackled and knocked him to the ground. His yells were muffled as his body flailed.
The ten-dollar bill was clenched in the old man’s fist as he watched in horror. He’d seen some bad things, but this was wrong. He should do something to help. He looked around, but there was no one else there. No one came out of the bar.
Run, a voice whispered in his ear.
“No,” he mumbled. “He needs help.”
You can’t help him. You could get hurt, the voice said.
He shook his head to clear the voice.
They will kill you, it said.
Then he felt a fear grip him like nothing before. It nearly buckled him over. He braced his hand against the building and backed away from the scene.
Run, the voice told him.
And he did.
* * *
Reya and Thane drove to Chu’s place. She wanted to show him the crystal. He might be able to tell them what it was for besides saving their collective asses.
Thane was silent the entire way, deep in his own thoughts. She knew exactly what he was thinking: how he was going to kill Surt now that he was here and Martin was tracking him down.
He still needed her to do it, and he knew that. He hadn’t discussed it with her, but sooner or later, he would broach the subject. She had until then to decide what she would do. A year ago, she would have jumped at the chance to take Surt down. Two years ago, she would have fought to save his life. Today, she was somewhere in between, not because she cared about him. Because she knew how things worked.
It was complicated.
They got to Chu’s and one of his friends let them in. They went to the studio and took a seat next to each other on the red sofa facing the band. Thane draped his arm over her, and she welcomed his casual claim. The gray-haired band was hot, pumping out some old-time blues with the energy of much younger musicians. They loved it, too. Each strum, beat, blow, and belt was heartfelt and soulful. These guys knew their time here was short, and they were cherishing every minute of it.
She glanced over and was surprised to see Thane smiling. He wasn’t thinking about revenge. He was lost in the music, showing his true self for once. What would it take for him to be like this all the time? It wouldn’t be revenge. She knew that firsthand. It only made you feel worse afterward, and then it was too late to do anything to fix it except start over.
After a long jam session, the boys wrapped it up and took a break. Chu set down his trumpet and came over to shake their hands.
“You’re back,” he said. “Must have found something.”
“Oh yes,” Reya told him. “We found something.”
He led them to his office. The door swung shut behind them and the lights went on. It was a bizarre room full of bizarre things, but for some reason, Reya liked it.
Chu pulled his chair up to the desk and turned on his desk lamp. “Whatcha got?”
She retrieved the crystal and placed it on the desk in front of him. Then she sat down and waited for his reaction. He picked it up, and she watched his hands tremble. When he held it up to the light, a spray of colors lit the ceiling and walls.
After a few minutes, he set it back down, and then looked up at her and Thane in turn. “Where did you get this?”
“In my father’s coffin,” Thane said.
Chu’s eyebrows went up.
“Don’t ask,” Thane added.
“I won’t,” Chu replied.
“Do you know what it is? Aside from a very large, very clear crystal?” Reya said.
“We think it has something to do with the grid,” Thane added.
Chu nodded, got up, and started going through his volumes.
Reya looked at Thane, who was watching Chu, and whispered, “That’s a good sign.”
He leaned over to her. “Has he really memorized all these books?”
“Yes, I have,” he said over his shoulder.
Thane gave her a quick smile.
“He’s been here a long time,” she whispered.
“And you should be glad for that,” Chu replied. He heaved a three-inch-thick book onto the desk. He stood, muttering to himself and turning the pages. “No, no, no…Ah, here.”
He opened the book and turned it to face them. “Atlantis power crystal.”
An extensive rendering of Atlantis covered both pages. It depicted the center of a sprawling city. A ring of roads circled the center with spokes of streets stretching out and intersecting concentric waterways. In the middle of it all was a stone pyramid, its corners reaching to the edge of the innermost circle. Atop the pinnacle, a crystal wand was positioned. Glowing energy spread out from the pyramid, feeding the spokes. Around the pyramid were tall statues that stood like guardians overlooking the land.
“Atlantis sank,” Thane said. “How would a crystal have escaped that?”
Reya felt her eyes widen. He was talking like he actually believed it. A true miracle.
Chu put his hands on his hips. “His father must have been a Gridworker. That’s why he had the crystal.”
Thane narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying all the other Gridworkers have crystals, too?”
“No,” Chu said. “Only the strongest ones. It’s a high honor to be selected.”
“An honor that got him killed,” Thane replied, his voice turning hard.
“It would have been his choice,” Reya told him.
Thane turned to her. “Did he really understand the dangers?”
“Yes,” she said. She was sure of it. Just as Orson gave her a choice with every mission, his father would have had a choice. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”
He didn’t look like he believed her. “So how many Atlantean crystals are there?”
Chu shrugged. “We don’t really know. This is a very powerful one. The energy is tangible.”
“Orson seems to think it’s a key to the grid. It might be why Surt wants it.”
Chu sucked in a breath. “I hoped I’d never hear that name again. He’s here?”
Reya nodded. “He’s here. And he wants this badly.”
“That’s not good,” Chu said with a little shudder. He was old enough and wise enough to know what Surt was capable of.
“Is this crystal powering the grid right now?” Thane asked.
Chu replied, “It’s already linked to it. All the grid crystals are. The pyramids anchor the grid and the crystals are intended to link all the anchors.”
Thane asked, “What happens if crystals are cut off from the grid?”
Chu pressed his lips together and turned the page. It showed Atlantis being swallowed by the ocean. People were clinging to boats and debris. The crystals were sending rays into the sky as they sank into the depths.
“Okay then,” Thane said.
* * *
They got back to the hotel after 2 a.m., and Thane realized that he hadn’t slept in more than twenty-four hours. He didn’t even feel tired, but he knew his body needed the recovery time.
He turned on the news while they polished off a few boxes of take-out Chinese food. He was going to miss all the free food when Reya was gone. It was the first time he’d thought about the fact that this could be over in the next few days. Either Surt would win, or they would stop him. But it would end.
“I’m sorry if I offended Orson,” he said as she sat down next to him on the bed with the last box of Chinese.
Reya had fried rice halfway to her mouth and stopped. “He’ll be back, don’t worry. He doesn’t give up that easily, believe me.”
“That’s good.” He felt better. He might be willing to throw his soul away, but he didn’t want to take her down with him. If Surt died, it would be by his hand, not hers. His fault. His responsibility.
Smith’s face appeared on the news, and Thane unmuted the volume. The reporter was saying that he had been credited with stopping two more deaths, and no new ones had been reported. People were hailing him as a savior.
“Social media must be all over this,” he muttered.
Reya was watching with rapt attention as Smith was interviewed in person, standing outside a church.
“Bastard,” she muttered, tossing the empty box in the trash. “He’s so good at being bad.”
Thane asked, “I thought he couldn’t go near churches.”
“He can. He just can’t see into them.”
The reporter interviewed him. He told her how the people would be safe as long as they stayed away from holy places like churches and synagogues. He said he didn’t know why God had forsaken the people, but they needed to handle this situation themselves. Prayer would not save them.
“Why would he say that?” Thane wondered aloud.
“To stop people from sending prayers and positive energy out,” she said. “Screw with their faith.”
Then she squinted at the TV. “What is that around his neck?”
Thane looked closer. Surt was holding a kind of medallion with his fingers while he talked. It was a round intricate design made of gold wire. He looked directly at the camera and said, “This won’t end until I find the answers.”
It was an odd thing to say, but the interviewer didn’t seem to notice. The medallion seemed vaguely familiar. Thane heard a rustle of paper and turned to see Reya pull out her drawings. She looked at them, and then up at the TV.
“Don’t tell me,” he said.
“It’s this one,” she said, pointing to the last symbol. “He knows about the map.” She sat back on the bed next to him, looking genuinely upset. “He’s playing with us. He knows exactly what we’re doing.”
“He’s watching us,” Thane said, surprised by her dejected expression.
She didn’t seem to hear him, lost in her own thoughts. Then she said, “Thane, what if we can’t stop him? What if he wins?”
Her tone was low and hopeless. It worried Thane. He put his fingers under her chin and turned her face toward him. Her eyes were full of tears.
It was the first time he’d seen her lose hope, lose her fight. It made him angry and sad at the same time. She was so strong, so driven, a force. If she broke, what hope was there for anyone else? One tear spilled out and down her face. He wiped it away with his thumb.
“He won’t,” Thane said. “It’s not his destiny.”
Reya laughed a little then. “And how would you know that?”
“Because it’s our destiny to stop him. They wouldn’t have put us together for any other reason.”
She blinked slowly, the pain in her eyes easing. “I want to believe that.”
He did, too. He desperately wanted to. Because it occurred to him that he didn’t want to live this life without her in it. He leaned in and kissed her lips. They were soft and firm. He captured them again, feeling the rush of desire to his core. Reya’s hands went to his face, holding him so she could kiss him back. Heat ignited between them with a near tangible roar as their bodies pressed closer. He ran his hands over her waist, up her rib cage to her breasts. He cupped them, splaying his fingers around them. They fit perfectly in his hands. Destiny.
She tugged at his shirt and he let her pull it over his head. His reward was her hot hands on his chest and arms. She explored him with curiosity and urgency. He kissed her mouth, then her jawline and the soft spot below her ear. He planned to kiss every square inch of her body.
He traced her neck and shoulders. Soft, smooth skin welcomed him. He could do this all night.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Reya asked suddenly, her voice raw.
Was she kidding? “Positive.”
He felt her hands on his jeans, felt the button unsnap, the zipper slide down. Then her hands on his erection. It was like electricity through his body.
“Good.” Reya sighed then, a sound that nearly put him over the edge. He laid her back on the bed and covered her with his body. She rubbed her thigh against his groin, drawing a heartfelt groan from deep inside him.
He kissed her neck and throat, feeling her strong pulse against his lips. Her body beneath him was so right, a perfect fit. It was as though they were made for each other. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had known it would be like this. He slid his hand under her tank top and pushed it up. She arched under him and slipped it off over her head.
He looked into her eyes. They were dark, full of heat and hunger. And something else—a knowing. A sudden flash of another time and place distracted him for a second. They were different then and yet the same. He shook off the intrusion. Now was not the time. The world could wait. Fire filled his belly as he kissed her lips hard.
He closed his eyes at the potent combination of Reya and desire. Time shifted and slowed. His surroundings faded, leaving only the two of them. All he could feel was her skin against his, the friction of their bodies as they shed the rest of their clothes, and moved against each other.
His senses became acutely focused and keen. The slick smoothness of her skin under his exploring hands. The breathless sounds she made when she climaxed. The smell of her hair. The relentless need coursing through his body. And a connection he’d never felt before, a bond that shook him to his core.
When he finally sank into her, a powerful feeling of completion swept over him. He felt more than complete. Stronger somehow, and greater than what he could ever be by himself. A better man.
Reya gazed back at him, her eyes heavy and his alone. Her fingers gripped him tightly, binding them together. It was all he wanted, all he needed. He pressed his forehead against hers and moved in her, and from there he was lost to destiny.
* * *
Reya was a ball of light. This time though, she was on a mission to find answers. She buzzed around, with, and through the other millions of lights, knowing each of them somehow. The Universe spread out around her like eternity. There were planets, stars, and galaxies. She could put herself wherever she wanted to at any point in time.
She bounced from place to place, leaving when she realized they didn’t have the answers. She searched the tunnels and empty places. She delved deep into the earth and soared through blue skies. She crept into homes and secret spaces. Finally, far in the distance, she saw a glow of light, a crystal city beckoned to her, and she was there.
As she stood on the stone sidewalk of a city, she became human. Other humans formed out of thin air and walked past her as if busy fulfilling their own missions. They spoke in a language that was familiar but not understandable.
As she looked around, she realized it was the city in Chu’s picture. She was in the time and place of Atlantis.
Above the low buildings, she saw the faces of the statues and headed toward them. Her bare feet felt the smoothness of the stone. She was wearing a white dress, draped around her shoulders and cinched at her waist. She caught her reflection in a glass window. It was her, but not her.
Her hair was blond, silky, and wrapped around her head like a wreath. Gold pins held her hair in place. Her eyes were green and almond-shaped. Her skin tan and smooth. Her body lean and petite.
The center of the city was dead ahead, and she hurried toward it, afraid she might wake up before finding what she came for. The statues rose above her ten stories, chiseled from white marble and brilliant in the sunlight.
In the center of the circle was the pyramid, and atop it, the crystal. She navigated through pedestrians, carts, and vehicles until she was standing in the inner circle in front of the pyramid.
The crystal hummed with energy, she could feel it in her bones and through her feet. The vibrations sounded and felt like a tuning fork.
Then she heard a bell ringing loudly. The crystal reacted suddenly, giving a shudder before changing frequency. The new sound it emitted was a lower frequency.
Reya stepped back, knowing something was about to happen. A moment later, a ray of light shot out from the crystal into the sky. The statues began to vibrate and a new sound emerged, a harmonic frequency that sent wonder and awe through her.
Then the crystal pivoted slightly and the sound pitch increased. It lasted for a few minutes before the crystal light shut off. The statues hummed with residual energy. Reya looked down and noticed the river of pulsing energy flowing from the statue’s feet out through the spokes of the city.
For a moment, she tried to make sense of it.
A man walked by her and smiled. “It never gets old, does it?”
“What just happened?” she asked him.
He hesitated and looked at her like she must be new. “A transmission.”
She wanted to ask him more, but he disappeared into the crowd and into his life. Before she could flag down someone else, the ground shook violently.
And then she woke up.