Souris inclined her head briefly in greeting to those gathered around the table. "Gentlemen. You want to know what Aura is." A thin hand fluttered briefly from out of the robe's sleeve. "It is all around you. It is everywhere. And nowhere. It is where we want it to be."
Alarico shifted in his seat impatiently but said nothing as Souris continued.
"Using Aura, I was able to find and see the Americans last night. But not with my eyes. And I was able to direct Valika and her men to capture them. All without moving from my seat in a Land Rover a half-mile away. I traveled through Aura. And I saw them from my place in Aura.
"The best way to think of Aura is that it is a virtual field like a radio transmission that we can generate that is practically on the same frequency and amplitude as that of our thoughts. Thus we can travel outside of our heads into an Aura field."
"What is she talking about?" Alarico couldn't hold back any longer. "She babbles like a loco woman. And what is with her head? Those marks?"
Cesar spoke up. "Think of a machine that allows you to be able to travel anywhere and see and hear what is happening without ever leaving where you physically are. Start imagining the potential. And it goes well beyond that. It can also be used as a weapon, as we did three days ago to wipe out the crew of an American Coast Guard cutter, allowing us to land one of the largest shipments we have ever sent."
"A computer that kills?" Naldo was leaning forward.
"Yes," Cesar said.
Naldo ran a finger across his upper lip as he considered that. "Interesting."
"The computer is only one part of it," Souris corrected. "What killed was the Aura field projected by the computer through a specially designed antenna system that I have developed."
Alarico shook his head. "This is nonsense. You bring this loco scientist and your Russian whore here and you waste our time. Just as you have wasted millions of our dollars. I am tired of paying the Ring and getting nothing out. I can protect my own."
Cesar ignored him. "Using Aura, Professor Souris was able to discover who gave up the time and location of Senor Naldo's shipment and thus we were able to ambush the ambushers who sought to kidnap his son."
"This is ridiculous!" Alarico was on his feet.
Valika had spent thousands of hours on live fire ranges and negotiating close-quarter combat courses. Alarico's hand was still reaching under his jacket when she had her pistol free of the holster. By the time his cleared leather, she was in a classic shooter's stance, a bead drawn directly between his eyes. Her finger was a millimeter from the hair trigger as Alarico froze, his gun still pointing down, his eyes fixed on the muzzle of her weapon, his face flushed bright red.
"Drop the pistol." Cesar had not flinched during the encounter and his voice was calm.
It fell to the ground with a clatter.
Valika edged around so she had a better field of fire. "Move back two steps," she ordered, staying far enough away from him so he couldn't reach her with a surprise move.
"If you do not do as she says," Cesar added, "I will have her shoot you in your testicles."
Alarico shuffled back veins in his face bulging from anger. He was now about two feet from one of the atrium pillars.
"Turn around." Valika waited until he complied. "Now grab that pillar without moving your feet. Lean forward and press your forehead against it. Now, remove your hands and place them behind your back."
Alarico's weight was now distributed between his feet and his forehead. He couldn't move without falling unless he put his hands back on the pillar. She pulled a pair of cuffs from her belt and quickly snapped them around his wrists.
"Cesar, why are you doing this to me?" Alarico asked, his voice slightly muffled as it bounced off the pillar. Unnoticed by everyone but Valika, Souris made her way out of the courtyard, through a dark doorway, and into a descending staircase.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid," Cesar said. "You made a deal with the Americans. You gave up the route of Naldo's shipment as a sign of good faith on your end. You wanted his son dead or kidnapped. You were planning to give up all of us eventually and be the only one left standing. You should have had more patience. That was your father's problem, which is why I had him killed. He died like the dog he was."
"You bastard." Alarico started to move and his forehead slid.
"Fall to the ground and you die," Cesar said.
"You're going to kill me anyway."
"No, I'm not. If you admit what Professor Souris learned through Aura in front of the others, I will let you go. You are part of one of the tests of the system. I care more about that than I do about you." He turned to the others at the table. "Professor Souris was in Bogota two weeks ago. I had her follow Senor Alarico using Aura. She 'saw' him meeting with an American intelligence officer. He told them of the shipment and that Naldo's son would be with the shipment."
Valika had seen many face death, whether at her hands or others. Any opening was like placing a meal in front of a starving man. Brave men could resist so long but eventually they all gave in and grasped for the opening, even if it was an obvious illusion.
"You're old," Alarico said. "Your time is past"
"So it's true," Cesar pressed.
"Yes."
"He's yours," Cesar said to Valika.
"You said you would let me go!" Alarico protested.
"I am," Cesar said. He laughed. "All you have to do is get past my Russian whore and my loco American scientist and you are free to leave."
"In handcuffs and with her having a gun?"
"You whine like a baby," Cesar said. "Are you afraid of a woman?"
Valika stepped forward and uncuffed Alarico and quickly backed away. She put the gun on the table in front of Cesar.
Alarico pushed away from the wall, face flushed. He ripped off his suit jacket, then his shirt. Muscles bulged as he smacked one fist into the other hand. Valika knew he took steroids to supplement his weight lifting.
"I will break her, and then you," he said to Cesar.
"Again, you have no patience," Cesar said. "I suggest you concentrate on the immediate task."
Alarico growled and dashed forward, arms outstretched, but Valika was already moving, dancing lightly to the left and snapping a waist-high turn-kick that caught the man in the midsection. As Alarico doubled over, she backed off and waited.
Alarico straightened up and glared at her. Valika smiled and raised her eyebrows in invitation. He came forward slower this time, like a wrestler looking for an opening. Valika gave ground easily. This wasn't a fight about terrain. She knew men had a basic instinct that they had to move forward, never retreat, but it made no sense in a situation like this.
She stumbled on an uneven tile, right leg appearing to buckle, and Alarico pounced. Right into the toe of her left boot as she snap-kicked, completely airborne. He fell backwards. Blood blossomed out of his broken nose as Valika kept the momentum of her foot swinging, up over her head, and did a somersault, landing to the rear, on her feet, up on her toes, ready.
Like a wounded bull, Alarico shook his head, blood spraying. Valika could see the rage taking over and knew he was now both more dangerous and more vulnerable.
He charged, arms outstretched. Valika snap-kicked toward his groin, but he turned at the last second and the toe of her boot connected with his thigh muscle instead. As she darted back the tips of his fingers caught her shirt, ripping material, as he scrambled to get hold of her. She jammed her right hand downward, fingers locked straight, into his inner elbow on the hand that had hold of her shirt. The pain caused him to lose his grip and she moved back several steps. Alarico spit blood, moving his injured arm, regaining control.
Suddenly a look of surprise spread across Alarico's face and he jerked backwards, as if hit in the chest. Valika started to move forward to take advantage, but she caught the gesture from Cesar out of the corner of her eye, indicating for her to halt and back away.
Alarico saw it also. He turned to Cesar, breathing hard, in more pain than what Valika had inflicted. "What are you doing to me?"
"I told you that you must get past both my women," Cesar said. "You have not done well against my dear Valika, so I will give you a chance and see how you do against the American."
Alarico suddenly gasped in agony and his hands clutched at his head. "Where is she?"
Cesar pointed at Alarico. "Right there in front of you. Don't you see her? She's in Aura. Using her computer. Her body is below us in the Aura center, but her essence is right here, doing this to you."
More blood was now coming out of Alarico's eyes and ears, turning his head into a grotesque mask of red and white. He shrieked, dropping to his knees in agony, rocking back and forth. The other Ring members were watching in shock, which is exactly what Cesar had hoped for with this demonstration.
"If you had had more patience," Cesar continued, "you would have learned more about Aura and its potential as a weapon. But I believe this is a most effective demonstration."
"Please!" The word was torn from Alarico's very soul and all present knew it wasn't asking for freedom, but for a quick ending. His hands were scrambling at his head as if he could rip out the pain that was resounding inside of it. His fingers came away with clumps of hair, yet still he kept at it tearing at the skin.
Cesar impassively watched as Alarico collapsed face first onto the tiles, body twitching for several seconds before becoming still.
Cesar stood. "Do I have any more disagreements with my course of action or questions about the effectiveness of Aura?"
*****
Raisor saw the antenna dish on the wall of the atrium pointed at the dead man as the bright ray disappeared. He had homed in on it using a series of jumps in the virtual plane. Willing himself through each leg, drawing closer and closer to the power of the beam.
He felt more substance, or what might be called substance if there was such a thing on the virtual plane. He could also see clearly into the real plane when he wanted.
He had no idea who these people were, but he did know they were working with technology that pierced into the virtual plane. That they were using it as a weapon didn't bother him; it intrigued him. He would need a weapon to make those responsible for his sister's death and his betrayal pay.
Like an invisible vulture, he hovered over the atrium and listened and watched.
*****
After the fourth buzz, Dalton knew something was wrong. His hand tightened around the SATPhone. After the sixth, there was a clicking noise, then the phone went dead. Reluctantly, Dalton hit number one. It was answered immediately.
A voice-- not Eichen's-- answered. "Yes?"
"General Eichen, please."
"Who is this?"
"Who am I speaking to?" Dalton asked in turn.
"We can play this game forever," the voice said, "but I have to assume since you have one of these phones and are asking for Eichen that he recruited you. And you have to assume that since your call to him got forwarded to me, I'm legitimate. I know Eichen told you to tell no one other than him anything—even showed you a note from the President correct?"
Dalton hesitated, then answered. "Yes."
"Let me guess. You're Sergeant Major Jimmy Dalton?"
"I don't think you're guessing," Dalton said. "Where's General Eichen?"
"General Eichen's dead. So I don't think you're going to be able to report to him"
"How?"
"Helicopter crash in Alaska."
"Accident?"
"I doubt it."
Dalton had doubted it also as soon as he'd heard it. "What did he discover about HAARP?"
"You don't need to know that."
"And now?"
"Now you report to me. There are only a few of us left. Eichen would have disseminated information you sent him to the rest of the group. Now I’ll have to."
"And what do I call you?" Dalton asked
"Are you familiar with the Greek classics?"
"Not particularly."
"Too bad, Sergeant Major. You can call me Mentor."
"Well, Mentor, do you have anything further for me on who exactly it is I'm supposed to be watching out for?"
"No."
"So this is a one-way conversation?"
"Yes."
Dalton was tempted to just hang up, ditch the special phone, and forget about the entire thing. The only problem was that he knew that wouldn't end it. That wasn't the only issue. Like Sullivan Balue, he'd sworn an oath to defend his country from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
"So what’s next?" Dalton asked.
"Keep an eye on Kirtley. Let me know what he has planned."
"Is Dr. Hammond one of General Eichen's contacts?" He knew what Eichen had told him, but it never hurt to ask again.
There was a pause. "Not that I'm aware of."
"Is Jonathan Raisor one of your people?"
Again the pause, and again the same answer. "Not that I'm aware of. And shouldn't that be phrased in past tense?"
"I'm not sure about that," Dalton said.
"Interesting."
"When you have something to share with me," Dalton said, "perhaps we can talk again." He flipped the phone shut.
*****
"They'll come for us."
Sergeant Lambier stopped tending Granger's wound to look up at Captain Scott. "Sir, we're in Colombia illegally. If they come for us, they're compounding the problem. As it is, they might have some deniability. Not much but some. We all knew that when we signed on for this."
Scott was seated with his back against a stone wall. The cell they were locked in was lit by a single naked light bulb. The captain shook his head and repeated for the twentieth time in the past hour: "They'll come for us."
Sergeant Pinello walked across the dirt floor and squatted next to the dazed captain, who had dried blood from Master Sergeant Garrison encrusted on his fatigue shirt. "Sir, no one knows where we are. We have to make a plan to get out of here on our own."
Scott shook his head. "No. We stay in place. They'll come for us. We try to break out, they'll kill us."