Convergence (2 page)

Will—no, the
Mechanic—
shrugged. “It’s part of the Mechanic’s identity at this point.” He summoned the clothing nanos, which were coded to display a steady orange color to mask “the Mechanic’s” Energy strength, and brushed the sleeves smooth. “Somewhat like Fil and those sunglasses.”

Hope’s eyes flickered in despair, and he instantly regretted mentioning their son’s name. Hope hadn’t trusted herself to maintain the charade of a different identity near their children, electing to remain in hiding and away from the children lest she slip up and reveal their location or intentions too soon. She
had
created an identity she’d use on Headquarters Island soon after the newly minted “Mechanic” departed for the temporary Alliance camp in South America. Though she knew it was their final separation before “young Will” went back to the distant past; it didn’t make the ongoing pain of separation from her children any easier. “Sorry,” he muttered.

She plastered a fake smile on her face, but he didn’t need his empathy skills to sense her pain or see the sadness in her eyes. “It’s okay. We won’t be apart much longer. We’ll be reunited with the children. No more disguises. Ever.”

Will nodded with a grim smile, brushing his newly graying hair from his face. In a few days he’d tell Adam his deepest desire: enjoying a quiet meal with his entire family. Hope wanted that reunion as much as he did, perhaps more given that he’d spent far more time with the children in recent centuries, albeit in disguise. “We’ll execute your plan, and then… everything will be as it should.”

“Do you think it will work?” Hope’s doubt never faded. “I’m not sure we’ve covered every scenario, and—”

Will put a finger across her lips to silence her expressions of self-doubt. “You’ve had better military strategy training than anyone in history, Hope.” He brushed a strand of golden hair from her face, and raised her chin so she had to look him in the eye. “You’ve studied with the greatest generals of the past millennium, in many cases watching them create battle plans and react to the unexpected in real time. You’ve honed your own fighting skills through study with the greatest warriors of every fighting discipline.” He smiled as he moved his hand aside. “If the Aliomenti knew the truth of the woman preparing our attack plan? They’d surrender now and spare themselves the humiliation of what’s to come.”

She rolled her eyes, but he detected the faint smile. “None of those strategists and warriors had to deal with the Aliomenti,” she countered. “I can deal with unsavory tactics thanks to those masterminds. But none of them dealt with Energy users.”

Will glanced at the ground, dipping his altered, wrinkled toes in the ocean water lapping against the shore. Every plan was doomed to failure the instant one engaged the enemy. You could only anticipate certain scenarios and prepare to deal with each. Success came to those who best reacted as the unexpected occurred in discordance with those plans. Her studies prepared her better than most, as she tapped the collective wisdom of those great tutors. But none of them could tell her how to deal with people who could teleport out of traps and turn any object into a projectile with telekinetic powers after being disarmed. “We’ll adapt.”

She sighed. “You’re right. What else can we do?”

They’d talked about it for decades during his trips to Eden, where she’d lived since he’d transported her and helped her recover from ambrosia withdrawal. The two sides would inevitably clash. The Aliomenti would never cease the Hunts until the last member of the Alliance was captured, converted, or dead. The Alliance was tired of running, tired of hiding, and tired of limiting the positive change they exerted on the world. No one wanted to end up Energy-less in an Aliomenti prison. They’d run and hide no more. But peace would come only with the end of the Aliomenti reign of terror.

Will moved to the shade of a tree, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. He’d developed a profound rage over the centuries, a feeling intensified with each Hunt, with each capture, with each death, all pointing back to one man: Arthur Lowell. Taking the fight to the Aliomenti now wasn’t a difficult decision. Ending the threat was the goal, whether through a change of heart, surrender… or outright destruction. He glanced at Hope, who’d tried to thaw the man’s heart in the past. Even her warmth failed to turn him, and her efforts earned her a beating that nearly killed her.

It was that prior experience that drove their belief—laced with regret—that this battle could be nothing but a fight to the death.

Twenty bags rested on the ground near the workshop. The couple began piling hundreds of small disks inside. The disks were a critical part of Hope’s plan, and would ensure they’d complete at least one critical objective during the coming battle. They loaded the bags into the private flying sphere Will used to travel back and forth to Eden without detection. “I’ll alter the return coordinates on the time machine to make sure they get here,” Will said. “We must be certain they know the way to Eden.”

Hope nodded. “Everything will be gone by then. I’ll be on my way to the Island. And…” She glanced at the remaining machines, numbering in the thousands, all much larger than the disks they’d already stowed. “Those will be moved into position before I go.” She turned her eyes to a small building near the workshop, one far more modern than the simple wood shack and workshop they’d used for centuries. “Is the transport portal to the Cavern set up?”

Will nodded. “The Mechanic’s quarters there will serve as the doorway. It’s secure for now. Nobody visits me.” He grinned. “I suspect that will change when I go back the next time.” He sighed. “I just… I wish the plan allowed for you to return to the Cavern with me.”

“So do I. But the timing won’t allow it.” Hope located and opened her personal bag among the piles of bags holding the small disks, reviewing the contents. She found the collection of squeezable tubes inside, nodded, and closed the bag. “I think I’m ready.” She paused. “Are you?”

He nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

Will took a final look around at the tranquil paradise. They’d built it up in more recent decades and would add additional buildings in the weeks to come. He remembered the original purity and wondered if they’d ever see Eden returned to that state.

And he wondered if he’d ever make it back.

He turned and watched as their two guests helped Hope load the bags of disks into her own flying sphere. They were dressed head to toe in black, and their movements were smooth and graceful, masking the power both possessed to wreak immense violence in a short period of time when necessary. Will chatted amiably with them as Hope boarded her ship, and the three shared a faint laugh.

He watched Hope as he chatted with the others, knowing that her thoughts were focused on their children. They’d soon visit this strange island, learn of its importance, and have the images necessary for emergency teleportation at any time. They’d also know the way to help others here, for Eden, based upon its location, provided a far superior staging area for the pending invasion of Headquarters Island. He watched as Hope left her ship and moved to the ancient workshop, opened the door, and surveyed the interior. She pulled a single hair from her head and set it upon the desk near the door before sealing the room once more.

Will nodded. She’d left a clue, a part of herself that would help the children understand the significance of this place by providing evidence of those who’d lived here. It would also let them know the happy truth; that their mother—with her long, golden locks restored—was very much alive.

And they’d soon come to know that she would do everything she could to ensure that not a single hair on
their
heads suffered harm in the battle to come.

The two were invisible to the Starks and their black-clad Eden Island guests.

The woman watched the couple bustle about, loading bags and supplies into two ships that wouldn’t remain visible much longer. Her eyes lingered upon Hope with a hunger and sadness that defied explanation. “It’s her. It’s really her. Isn’t it?” Her voice was a whisper.

The man nodded, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It is. She’s fine. She’s healthy now.”

The woman exhaled a deep breath. “I’m so relieved. When I last saw her she… she wasn’t in very good condition.”

The man nodded his understanding. “Will’s been very good to her, and has helped her recover and return to full health.”

The woman nodded, her eyes never leaving Hope. “When will I get to see her directly? Talk to her? I… I really must talk to her. There are things she needs to know that—”

“As events stand right now… I’m sorry. This isn’t the best time.” His words were firm, but not cruel, laced with a concern that discouraged her tears. “Patience is of the essence. What will happen for the next several weeks needs to be as scripted and routinized as possible. She cannot deal with new and strange emotions and do what must be done. It is best for her. Can you do that?”

The woman set her jaw and nodded. “For her? I will do anything.”

Two weeks later
.

“I don’t like this plan,
Will.” Gena scowled. “Why am I being kept
here
? This is
not
a theater of operations. I do not intend to stand around while others do the hard work.” She folded her arms. “I expect to fight.”

“You
will
fight,” Will said. “Trust me, this
will
be a major theater of operations. You’re defending our home. We must expect the Aliomenti to locate the Cavern in the very near future. We’ve been far less reserved with Energy use, and at some point they’ll get one of their prisoners… talking. There are young children here who need protection—”

“Those children have enough Energy in them to wipe out a city, Will, and you know it!” Gena snapped. The air left the room, and Gena realized what she’d said. Her face fell and her eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, Fil. I… I just…”

Fil’s face was somber. His eyes, no longer masked by the ever-present sunglasses, were filled with pain. He forced a weak smile to his face “I know what you meant.” His voice was quiet, and there was no doubting the anguish created by the memories of the time he’d leveled three dozen cities in a few hours. “But I agree with Dad. The Aliomenti
will
find this place and they
will
make it their mission to destroy it and kill every living creature inside the Cavern walls.” He shook his head before glancing at his father. “This place is too dangerous. I think she’d be far safer on the island.”

“Exactly!” Gena said, folding her arms and sitting back triumphantly. She saw Fil wink at Will. She recognized the joke and smacked her nephew. “Not
that
island, you dolt!”

Angel snorted. “No need for you to be there. Charlie and I already have
that
island covered.” She offered a dramatic sigh. “It’s such a beautiful place, so perfectly named. Eden. I may never leave.”

Fil allowed a small smile on his face and patted her on the head. “Be sure to send us some postcards. We
might
miss you.”

Angel smacked his hand away, but she was smiling.

“I take it the two of you never, uh,
interacted
like that?” Charlie asked, glancing at Will and Gena.

Gena laughed. “Well, we were both at least a few centuries old before we knew we were twins and could acknowledge it to each other. So… no. We were
far
too mature to
ever
squabble like those two chuckleheads.”

Adam snorted and earned a smack on the arm as punishment.

Will nodded. He’d known for some time about his relationship to Gena, of course, having used his “death” as the opportunity to watch events unfold from a distance. He arrived at the scene of his own birth and ensconced himself invisibly in the delivery room, learning with Adam the shocking news that he’d been a twin to a sister his parents had never mentioned. He’d followed Adam out of the hospital to find the opportunity to pay his last respects to his sister. But Adam had resuscitated one thought stillborn, and his sister stood before him now, two centuries later, alive and well.

Fil faced Gena. “We have
three
theaters of operation. We need Energy strength at each spot, which means we need to separate the people in this room. The plan calls for our strongest concentration of Energy strength at Headquarters because a quick win there should mean an end to the war before it starts. That’s also where we expect the greatest concentration of Aliomenti, and we must be prepared to match strength to strength. But we also can’t ignore the other locales and put
everyone
at Headquarters.”

Gena glared at him, but relented. “I know, I know. And I know I agreed to the role when we had the Cavern-wide meeting. It’s just…”

Will glanced at her. “People have been talking.”

She nodded.

Will sighed.

His return had been far more an event than he’d wanted. Fil and Angel convinced him to revert to his Mechanic disguise before commencing their journey to the Cavern. Once there, they’d told everyone to gather for a major discovery key to their ongoing efforts to end the persecution by the Aliomenti. Will had performed the transformation once more, and the Cavern had erupted into a spontaneous celebration and party. Will had silently fumed. He’d undone the Mechanic disguise for his children because he’d wanted them to know, more than anyone else, that he’d been there with them during his entire “absence.” It wasn’t so critical, in his mind, to make the same demonstration to others. But the children had insisted, had sworn that the impact would be tremendously positive… and as it turned out, they’d been correct.

That is, they’d been correct until he’d started to explain the plan to invade Aliomenti Headquarters Island.

He’d shared those plans with the entire Cavern soon after his return, soon after the shock of his return and his secret identity had worn off. Hundreds of questions were raised, including some from those in the room now. With nearly two centuries to plan for every conceivable contingency, he’d been able to answer every concern and complaint until, at last, a majority of those present had voiced at least a grudging acceptance to the approach.