Journey Into the Flame (44 page)

“Abandon?” Sebastian leaned forward in his chair with a determined look on his face. “Our force may be unseen, but our force is the one that taps man on the shoulder and whispers, ‘Look over there.’ No, we will never abandon people, lest we abandon ourselves.”

•  •  •

The soft, soothing music of the Arcis Chamber was replaced by a call to battle. The sounds of the violin and the strumming harps were replaced by the thunderous beat of a thousand drums. It was like the sound heard in times of old when great warriors were summoned to take up their arms and march against a seemingly unconquerable foe. Sebastian once again sat at the center of his great tabernacle, his eyes closed and his mind enveloping the imminent battle. Anita joined him this evening, sitting to his right, while Lawrence sat to his left. They, too, sat with their eyes closed, endeavoring to whisper to the world.

The manifesto of the lineage to which Sebastian belonged prohibited him from taking direct action in the affairs of mankind. For eons, the members of his order had watched the comings and goings of the
world, hoping for a day when their continued vigilance would no longer be needed. A day when an entire civilization would come forward and ask humbly for the great knowledge. The years after the Great Disruption and the era of the
Chronicles
had provided such a promise. But alas, mankind had slipped back, as it had always done. The task of the silent ones would continue until the fabled dawn of enlightenment illuminated the dark corners of the world.

The drums beat on as all of Peel Castle quaked with the sound of war. Sebastian’s compassion and love for the world alone would not be enough. His oath of ascension out of the ranks of the brotherhood of humanity bound him to a simple covenant.

The cycles of man cannot be tampered with,

What is to be and what is to come,

Must be and must come

For that is the free will of all.

As it had been since the beginning, the liberation of
all
must include the liberation of
each
. Those who play the chess game of life and death are the
only
ones allowed to move the pieces. Sebastian could not fight this battle with a sword that he possessed. Someone else would have to put aside their fear, their uncertainty, and their doubts. Sebastian focused on the face of Logan Ford, the artist who would have to become a warrior.

The drums went quiet for Sebastian, and a scene at a great river unfolded before him.

54

Who ensures that the falling leaves in autumn land safely upon the good earth? Who watches each one to ensure its seemingly wayward path?

That “who” is the inspiration of us all.

—THE CHRONICLES OF SATRAYA

DHARAN, NEPAL, 1:45 A.M. LOCAL TIME,

3 HOURS UNTIL LIBERTY MOMENT

As planned, the WCF transport plane landed at the Akasha Vault’s airport just east of the facility. Logan, Valerie, and Sylvia walked quickly across the bridge and toward the main entrance.

“Long way down,” Logan said, as he peeked over the railing at the river flowing twenty meters below them. The images he had viewed on the HoloPad during the flight did not prepare him for the sheer magnificence of the Akasha Vault complex. Twelve massive inward-leaning columns rose almost thirty meters into the sky, supporting a colossal dome. About fifty acres of land beneath the canopy boasted thirteen glass-domed buildings, the largest of which sat at the center and served as the main entrance to the Vault. An immense translucent column connected this central building to the dome high above. “What’s that colored light coming from the column?” he asked.

“That’s the photon relay that connects the quantum computer underground with the communication array contained in the dome,”
Sylvia explained. “Rumor has it that if they ever pushed the communication column to full capacity, the glare coming from the column would light up the entire mountainside and the valley below.”

“That would be an impressive sight,” Logan said, hurrying to keep up with Valerie, who had quickened her pace as they drew closer to the entrance. “This place is incredible. The architecture alone ought to be worshipped.”

“This is only part of the Akasha Vault,” Sylvia replied. “The stuff belowground—now,
that
ought to be worshipped.”

Valerie pressed the intercom button and pounded on the large glass entrance doors to the central building. There was no one at the reception desk, even though the lights in the lobby were on. “Where the hell is everyone?” Valerie asked.

Logan looked at his PCD and saw that it was close to two in the morning. “It’s pretty early. Or late, depending on your point of view.”

“This is supposed to be a twenty-four/seven facility,” Valerie said, pressing the buzzer a few more times.

Two guards emerged from a door behind the main desk. A buzzer sounded, and the lock on the doors disengaged.

Valerie rushed in and addressed the guards. “My name is Valerie Perrot, and I’m with the WCF.” She displayed her credentials. Logan and Sylvia stopped short and waited in a sitting area close by. “I need to speak with the head of security immediately.”

“It’s one fifty-five in the morning, madame,” one of the guards said. “Mr. Khan doesn’t arrive for another seven hours or so, usually around shift change at eight-thirty.”

“However, I suspect that he might be a bit tardy this morning,” the second guard added with a smile. “He will be enjoying the Freedom Day celebrations, which are about to start down in the city. Perhaps you can come back later this morning, even partake in the celebration yourself.”

“A security breach might be taking place here right now,” Valerie said firmly. “There is an urgent worldwide threat. If I can’t speak to Mr. Khan right away, then I need to go directly to the Satellite Control Center and speak to whoever is in charge there.”

“Yes, madame,” the second guard said. “We have been notified of the situation, and the facility is at SETCON Five, which is the highest level of security.”

“Then you’re probably also aware that the WCF is assisting with the matter. I would suggest that you either get Mr. Khan on the phone or let me go down to the SCC.”

“Please have a seat, madame,” the first guard said. “We will see what we can do.”

Valerie clearly didn’t care for the guards’ casual attitude, but she had no choice; she relented and took a seat with Sylvia and Logan.

“You’re WCF,” Logan said, having heard the conversation. “Who are they to stop us from going down to the Satellite Control Center?”

“This is a WSA facility. We don’t have any authority here.” Valerie stood and started to pace. She kept one eye on the guards to ensure that they were contacting Mr. Khan. “What are you reading?” she asked, turning to Sylvia, who was surveying a list of names on her PCD.

“I just received the list of Allegiance Pharmaceuticals’ customers from Alex,” Sylvia said.

Valerie took a seat next to Sylvia, and the two of them reviewed the list. The number of companies that deployed qMeds through the pods was staggering.

Katron Pharma LLC

Arcimeds International

Symtec

BioCon Inc.

AB Control Systems

Wise Pharmaceuticals

Foto-Syn Corp

BSA International

MedCo

. . . 

Valerie looked up and noticed one of the guards was waving at her. She got up and walked over. Logan and Sylvia followed her.

“Madame, we have spoken to Mr. Khan,” the guard said. “He wishes for you to know that he was indeed informed of a possible threat and that you should rest assured that the facility is secure and safe. He said that he spoke to Director Ramplet, and only WSA-authorized personnel are allowed into the lower levels of the Vault during the lockdown.”

“However,” the second guard added, “Mr. Khan also said that you are permitted to walk the surface grounds of the facility.”

“We need to take a look around down there, not up here,” Valerie insisted. “That’s where the security breach is going to take place.”

While Valerie argued with the guards, Logan noticed Sylvia stealing a glance at the electronic visitors log at the corner of the reception desk.

“Madame,” the second guard said to Valerie, “we are not authorized to let you do that. Mr. Khan suggested that if you return at eight-thirty, he will be more than happy to take you on a tour of the entire complex, including the lower levels.”

“Eight-thirty! Do you two realize what’s going on? At eight-thirty, it might be too late!”

Seemingly out of nowhere, three heavily armed guards wearing WSA uniforms came around a corner and took up positions behind the desk.

“I assure you, madame,” the second guard stated, “we have everything under control here.”

Valerie shook her head in disbelief. Logan adjusted the backpack on his shoulder and waited for Valerie’s next move. “You tell Mr. Khan that if anything happens, it’s on his head!” She turned to exit the building, Logan and Sylvia again following her.

“We’re leaving?” Logan asked when they were back outside the main entrance. “Just like that?”

“Only for the moment,” Valerie said.

As the three of them walked back toward the airport, Valerie made a call on her PCD to Director Burke. She pleaded for assistance in gaining entry to the Akasha Vault, but none was forthcoming. “I understand,”
Valerie said before she ended the call. “Dammit! Everyone thinks this place is secured.” She crossed her arms, gazing around the apparently serene complex. Other than the three of them and a few workers at the airport, there was not another soul in sight. “Maybe we got it wrong,” she conceded. “Maybe Andrea and Simon
aren’t
going to use the satellites here to deliver the pulse.”

“I don’t think so.” Sylvia brought up a picture that she had surreptitiously taken of the Akasha Vault’s visitors log. “Look at the third name down.”

“AB Control Systems,” Logan read. “What about them?”

“Where did we see that name before?” Valerie asked, thinking a moment. “Wasn’t that company also on the list we received from Allegiance Pharmaceuticals?”

“Yep,” Sylvia confirmed. “They arrived a few hours before we did, and look—they haven’t signed out yet.”

“Why would a pharmaceutical company visit the Vault? And in the middle of the night?” Logan asked. The three of them looked at one another. “So how are we going to get in there?”

“I have an idea,” Sylvia said. “I know someone who works in the quantum computing facility. Over the years, we’ve talked quite a bit, and I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. Maybe he can get us in.”

“Try it!” Valerie said. “We have nothing to lose.”

Sylvia took out her PCD and walked off to make the call.

Valerie took out her PCD, too. “Let’s see if we can find out what AB Control Systems does,” she said, scrolling through the information from the WCF database. “They’ve been around for twenty-seven years. Mainly a technology company. They supply large data systems and construct secure operation centers.”

“That explains why they’d be here,” Logan said. “But it doesn’t explain why they’re on Allegiance Pharmaceuticals’ list.”

Valerie nodded. Then she brought up a press announcement. “It says that AB Control Systems purchased a controlling interest in a flu vaccine company eighteen months ago.”

“Why would a computer company buy a vaccine manufacturer?”

Valerie shook her head. “It says that AB Control Systems was founded by Alfred Benson twenty years ago. He died a few years back of a drug overdose.”

“Alfred Benson,” Logan repeated, murmuring the name to himself and thinking. Suddenly it hit him. “Alfred Benson! Your father told me Andrea married a man named Alfred Benson.”

Valerie stopped searching for more information. She paused, closed her eyes, and let all the pieces fall into place.

Just then, Sylvia returned. “Good news! My friend Chetan has the graveyard shift tonight, and he can at least get us into the computer level.”

“How much did you tell him?” Valerie asked.

“I didn’t say much, but he knows you and I are WCF. Let’s just say that he’s not a big fan of Mr. Khan and WSA. He’ll meet us at the north entrance in a few minutes.”

“Let’s go, then.”

The north entrance to the complex looked close enough, but it was easy to underestimate distances under the massive dome of the Vault. As they approached their rendezvous point, they could see a pair of bright lights approaching.

“Slow down,” Valerie cautioned in a low voice.

It was a transport car speeding along a monorail track. When it stopped in front of them, the doors opened, and a young Nepalese man hopped out. “Hello, Sylvia. Welcome to the Vault. It is a pleasure to meet you in person!”

“Chetan, it’s nice to finally meet you face-to-face, too,” Sylvia said, giving Chetan a warm handshake. “This is my boss, Valerie, and our associate, Logan.”

“Yes, yes. Please step in.” Chetan swiped his ID card, and the doors to the transport opened. “This is one of the benefits of working at the Vault; we get unlimited use of the Maglev cars.” Chetan pressed a few buttons, and soon the car was on its way.

“Maglev cars?” asked Logan.

“It stands for ‘magnetic levitation’: Maglev,” Chetan explained. “Basically, we are floating on air by using electromagnets.”

Valerie seemed less interested. “We need to get to the SCC,” she said, getting down to business.

“That will pose a problem,” Chetan admitted. “We received a communication yesterday that only scheduled and mandatory personnel are allowed on the SCC level until further notice. They have revoked all other access, including mine.”