Authors: K H Lemoyne
“Sera, guard.” Kamau stroked the panther’s head before she stalked back to the grotto’s entrance and lowered to her haunches to watch the path along the stream.
“I have new information.” Ansgar had mulled over how to deliver the details in the last several hours since he’d spoken with Briet. He’d waited for her to leave the lighthouse and allowed her plenty of time to make it back to Turen’s. When the caller ID had signaled from the disposable cell phone she’d purchased, their signal she was safe, he initiated contact with Kamau’s feline to summon his brethren to this place.
The grotto wasn’t on the Sanctum grounds but embedded in the mountains surrounding Eden’s far perimeter. A location remote from Salvatore’s surveillance. Xavier’s sister, Sagari, had formed the rocks and fissures centuries ago while practicing her art of demolecularization. No one else knew of this location except for himself, Tsu, Kamau, Grimm, Turen, Briet and of course, Sagari. Ansgar counted on the secrecy. “Turen wants to come in to the council.”
“Why now?” Tsu leaned back against the rock wall and stared at the opaque sheet of water covering the entrance.
“He and his mate want to elicit sanction. They plan to bring their infant son.”
Tsu turned in astonishment at the same time Kamau’s head whipped up. “No shit,” said Kamau as Sera gave a low growl from her position.
Ansgar smiled. “No shit.”
“The woman from the park?” Tsu asked. “The one with the minimal skill set?” A bit of humor rang in the question. Tsu had trained Turen and most of the warriors at the Sanctum. While the method of skill and battle preferences differed from warrior to warrior, Tsu was intimately aware of every fine distinction that defined each warrior’s technique, a master to rival all, with the exception, perhaps, of Xavier. Tsu was the only warrior Ansgar couldn’t best in a challenge. Few would be foolish enough to try.
“Mia. She’s human—was human.”
“The layers of lies continue.” Kamau’s brow rose, but he seemed to shrug off another comment. “Mia and the child, they’re both safe?”
“Healthy,” Ansgar answered. “They had a hard time when Turen was restrained. Between hiding from Salvatore’s death knell, Xavier’s threats, and Isa’s death—it’s hard for them to feel safe.”
“If this is the good news, you’d best get on with the bad.”
Ansgar winced at Tsu’s insight; the man was too observant. “There were pictures with the emails which lured us to the park.”
“Emails sent by Mia.”
“Yeah, as well as photos she didn’t send until now, the medical examiner’s shots of Isabella.” Ansgar sat on a rock and linked his hands. “The cop, Marco Valencia, had Isa’s mark on him. They were mates.”
Kamau fingered his hawk’s leather jesses. Ansgar had seen the bird perch, stationed within sight of the grotto’s entry outside. “You didn’t mention the pictures to the council.”
Ansgar passed a hand over his mouth. “I took blood samples from Isa. I put her in cryo.” He closed his eyes, not quite able to hold back a shudder. “I took samples from Maitea’s frozen cord.” He glanced up at Tsu. “Took samples from Turen, too, while he was out cold.”
“Explains many things.” Sadness laced Tsu’s voice but not reproach as he moved to sit on a rock near Kamau. “So has Briet determined anything from these samples?”
Ansgar felt the rush of sudden fear and tried to shrug it off. With the revelation of secrets so close, he was terrified for Briet’s safety. “Who else knows?”
Tsu looked at Kamau and raised his brows in question.
Kamau shook his head. “I guessed, but I didn’t know for certain. I would only have suspected she was out because I grew up at your side, Ansgar, and hers.” The last was more of a growl.
“You never said anything.”
“It’s your business. I know Briet. I understand how hard this would have been for her. She was strongly opposed to the dictate. Many of them were. Many of us were. I respect her choice.” Kamau glanced back at Tsu, who took a deep breath.
“I would have supported Quan if she’d chosen the same. Given her powers, she conjectured Salvatore would feel less threatened if she willingly went into cryo. She’d no proof, and she couldn’t read anything from him.” Tsu leaned forward.
Ansgar nodded. “Briet’s stubborn, but she’s smart. She earned the right to make her own decision. Almost went to shit when Salvatore barged into the lab with Turen.” He took a deep breath. “At any rate, she requested the samples. She’s run a million tests.” He glanced up at his brethren. “Maitea’s and Isa’s samples both confirmed infection of an artificial compound tailored for each of them. I couldn’t give the council the photos and risk Briet, so I chose to keep all the information quiet.”
“Xavier was right.” Kamau frowned at the floor. “And Turen’s tests?”
“His sample came out clean.” Ansgar watched Kamau’s shoulders sink with relief. “Mine and Grimm’s didn’t.”
Both men stared at him, and he shook his head. “It’s not the same compound used on the women. Briet can explain it all better than I can. The contaminant’s out of my system. I can’t speak for Grimm.”
“You took Grimm’s blood?” Kamau’s voice rose, his look incredulous. Even Tsu raised a brow in surprise.
“Hell no, I’m not stupid. Briet went to him. He gave her a sample.” Ansgar rubbed his hands together. “Mia and her child would have died if Grimm hadn’t arrived in time to help them. He’s been covering for them.”
“So how do we proceed?” Tsu skipped straight to the chase. “The concern isn’t the council. It’s what Salvatore will do before and during Turen and Mia’s presentation.”
“Briet and Turen want the women brought out of cryo. It will at least provide the women a position of defense and add to the objectivity of a ruling on the presentation. They deserve to be involved.”
The corner of Tsu’s mouth rose in a smile. “A good start.”
“She and I will help you bring them out,” Ansgar said. “It needs to happen on a very tight timeline so Salvatore doesn’t realize what’s happened. I don’t want her on site until the last minute either.”
“We need to shut down Salvatore’s options for retaliation.” Ansgar looked at Kamau. “Those damned robots need to be decommissioned, but it needs to happen in synch, and we’ll need an alternate alarm and lockout mechanism.”
Kamau smiled as he flipped the leather around his finger. “Done. I suppose there’s a possibility Salvatore won’t react.”
Tsu shook his head. “No. He’s been escalating. If he is behind the attack on Maitea and Isa and drugging the warriors, then his outburst against Turen is only the tip of the iceberg. He has one of the most deadly powers to leverage. There are council members who won’t openly confront him, but none are behind him. With Turen, Mia and their child as irrefutable proof against all Salvatore has preached, he’ll have no recourse but to retaliate. Confronting him with his lies and murder will make him very dangerous.”
Ansgar nodded. “Grimm has a matrix of Salvatore’s DNA on file buried under Xavier’s name. Can you lock him out of cryo and provide a way to contain him in the council room?”
“I have handled the security system since Xavier’s expulsion and managed the security of the cryo, despite your intrusion. If the matrix is there, I’ll process what we need. I’ll need a few minutes and coordination before the guards are taken off-line. He has a nasty way of having them interface with our systems without my knowing.”
“There’s so much that could go wrong.” Ansgar rubbed his face.
“We detail each step one piece at a time until we have everything covered.” Kamau leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. “Turen and Mia are the ones at risk. After all they’ve been through, what has made them decide to do this?”
“They feel it’s worth the risk to bring the truth forward.”
“Then we make sure they don’t suffer for us.”
***
“We need to have everyone out of the pods and stable. Targeting thirty-five minutes total from system shutdown until everyone is positioned and ready to leave. Once done, we will have two minutes after I deactivate the security system before the machines show up. You and the rest of the women will register on the main system for twenty seconds until I can void the alarm,” said Tsu.
Briet nodded to him but kept working on the hypodermic needles she was filling.
“I can take care of the machines in the sub levels and everywhere but the council chamber. It won’t negate Salvatore’s ability to pull them in from somewhere else outside the Sanctum’s main building,” said Kamau.
“We go in well armed.” Tsu frowned but nodded for confirmation to her and Ansgar. “I can lock them out of the building and cause brief interference for the ones in the council room, long enough for Mia and Turen to get from Leonis’s chamber to the council.”
“The women will need to be given the serum immediately after they come out. They might need time for their internal temperature to stabilize. Grimm confirmed these doses will safely boost the metabolism and generate heat.” Briet handed a box of the booster shots to Tsu and Ansgar. “Grimm’s erecting a delayed program based on the DNA to lock Salvatore out of the remaining sections of the building and the grounds so he can’t
fold
to hide somewhere else from us. That leaves him only access to the council chamber or off Sanctum’s property. Grimm will also synch up with your path to cover the machines’ decommissioning.”
She gave a quick look for Kamau’s concurrence.
Tsu pointed back to the plasma screen. “Once I initiate the system shutdown, each pod will open in sequence with a delay between pods of forty-five seconds. Get the sister out, treat her, and move to the next. We start in five minutes, and each of us takes an aisle. If we stay on schedule, we should get them all out before Leonis heads for the council room. How long will they need to stabilize?”
Briet narrowed her eyes. “It’s not precise, but basic cognition should return immediately and motor skills should take several more minutes.” She removed several small boxes and packets of liquid-soluble capsules from her pocket and handed Ansgar and Tsu each a packet. “This will be like a B12 boost. It’s not ideal, but it will give them an edge.”
“I’ll plan to head in with Leonis and Turen.” Kamau glanced at Ansgar. “What was his take on this?”
Briet watched Ansgar stack several dozen cases of bottled water at the entrance of the first aisle. Given the contaminated food and water supply, they were taking no risks with their sisters coming out of cryo. He moved to the second aisle. “He was very disturbed about Salvatore, though he’s damn tickled at the thought of relinquishing his clerical scribe duties. He’s relieved someone else can handle the Archives. Maybe it’ll stop the gray hairs.”
He paused a minute to look up. “A large number of others have approached him with their concerns. No one had proof or a plan on how to change anything. We’ve never had one of our own turn.”
Tsu nodded but turned away to touch the plasma panel on the wall. “Grimm altered the security system to add Turen, Mia, and Marcus’s DNA sequence for the path from Leonis’s chamber to the council room. I requested it set to run in thirty minutes. It doesn’t give them much leeway. But I can’t risk the guards probing the system and finding them early.”
“We’re set. Meet you in the council chamber. Good luck.” Kamau
folded
from sight.
Ansgar grabbed his hypodermic box and waited for Briet.
She grabbed her set and glanced at Tsu. The man stood at the forefront of his aisle, facing away from them, silent. She looked back to Ansgar, and he motioned her forward. At her touch on his arm, Tsu lowered his head almost in prayer.
“It’ll be over soon. They’re going to be all right.” She hoped her words gave some comfort. She didn’t feel too steady herself.
He turned and looked at her over his shoulder, his dark brown eyes wide and bright. There was no smile, but somewhere in the depths of his expression, Briet saw an emotion she hadn’t witnessed in a very long time.
Hope.
Tsu gave her hand a quick squeeze and proceeded down his aisle.
CHAPTER 23
Turen brought Mia to a halt outside the council room. She cuddled Marcus, bundled in a sling across her chest, yet Turen could see the tension in her jaw as she mustered her courage for this confrontation. Leonis stopped ahead of them and glanced back, then bowed his head to give them a second of privacy.
“There’s still time. We can leave right now if you want.” He cupped her cheek in his palm, while his other hand covered hers over Marcus’ body. “I will go anywhere you want, keep us safe as long as there is a beat to my heart.”
She leaned into his touch and tried to smile, though her lips didn’t quite complete the upward motion. “I’m scared, but I don’t want to stop. We need to do this.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “You are my soul.”
She blinked at him, her eyes shining, and pressed her lips to his. “I haven’t had a dull moment since I met you.”
“God, Mia.” He turned his face to laugh into her hair. “Please let us try for some dullness, boredom even, just for the next hundred or two years.”
“We’re going to live that long?” she whispered in mock horror.
“I’m counting on it.” He pulled her into his side, kissed her hair and tucked her close but left his weapon arm free. He nodded their readiness to Leonis, who moved in front of Mia to shield her from Salvatore’s initial view as the council room doors swung open.