Rise of the Beast (51 page)

It was late July, and New York languished in the midst of one of the most intense heat waves in its history. It was on this hazy, hot morning that Lusan’s minions met in his conference room. What he was hearing from them only added to his foul mood.

“It would seem that the Father has placed a shield of protection around Detective William Strom and his family,” said a heavily tattooed man. “We have tried to hinder his investigation, but have been only partially successful.”

“If you’d just killed him and his family when you had the chance, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now!” Lusan yelled.

“You insisted that their deaths be both terrifying and painful,” replied the man in an uncharacteristically defiant tone. “A bullet to the head or a blade to the throat would not have accomplished that. I did as I was asked.”

A sudden silence fell over the group. No one present could remember when anyone had spoken to the master in such a tone. They were even more surprised at his response.

“Yes you did,” replied Lusan, his anger ebbing a bit. “Next time we will dispense with the melodrama, and I shall simply ask for a clean, quick kill.”

The bald man bowed slightly. “Yes, my lord.”

Lusan turned to another of his minions. “What of the island?”

The dark-skinned young woman stepped forward. “Our recruitment is ahead of schedule, my lord. Many humans have been subjected to the union and are now fully under our control. They spread your words on every continent, in every nation of the world.”

“And what of the ring?” asked Lusan.

The woman hesitated. “The fusion power generator for the ring has lived up to and beyond our expectations. However, the scientists are still having problems with the ring itself. They are progressing, but it is slow.”

“Give me a timetable!” Lusan snarled. “When will it be ready?”

“I’m sorry, my lord, I don’t know,” replied the woman. “There could be a breakthrough any day, or it could take years.”

“Make it your top priority,” Lusan ordered. “Within the week I will begin my Latin American Crusade, and after that I will return to Europe. We are going to make great strides in the next few months. I don’t want any unexpected surprises surfacing, ruining my day. I need to be at my best. This audience is concluded.”

The crowd bowed before their master. It looked like they had their work cut out for them. They began to file out of the conference room.

Lusan turned to Duras, who still stood at his side. “I would have a word with you, in private.”

“Of course, my lord,” confirmed Duras.

Lusan held his peace until the last of his minions had departed from the conference room. “I am concerned about Leland James. Ever since he had the visit from Serena Davis, he seems troubled and indecisive. He knows much about us. He bears watching.”

“My lord, I do not think he would betray us,” replied Duras. “I have come to know him well. He is completely devoted to you. And that sexy thing he’s married to—well, she does your bidding as well. She is rather attractive, in her own human way.”

“She is indeed endowed with certain gifts from the Creator,” Lusan replied. “Still, Leland James bears watching—and who could watch him more closely than his own wife?”

Duras seemed confused. “Yes, she is most loyal to you, but is that loyalty greater than that she feels to Leland?”

Lusan smiled. “You do not understand, my friend. I might not have full control over her now, but that could be changed. If we were to invite her to the island, properly indoctrinate her, and subject her to the union, I believe that she could be made to serve us as a spy. The union would give us a far greater control over her than we would have through a simple possession. Her soul would be totally neutralized, yet we would still have access to all of her memories, all of her talents.”

Duras seemed shocked by the suggestion. “Sir, she is, perhaps the most talented advocate of our cause. I cannot believe that she would be nearly so gifted following the procedure. My lord, your word is law, but I advise against this course of action.”

It was incredible. For the second time in a single day, one of his minions had sought to oppose him. Duras was far more careful in the way he chose his words—still, it was an audacious move.

Lusan smiled. “I suspect that you have another reason for advising me as you just have.”

“My lord, I don’t believe I understand,” asked Duras.

“You want the woman,” said Lusan.

Duras hesitated. “Perhaps. I am sorry, my lord.”

Lusan placed his hand on his minion’s shoulder. “I understand, my friend. But there are times when we must make decisions that we are uncomfortable with. You might like her better once she has undergone the union.”

Duras looked toward his master, regret in his eyes. “Yes, I am sure you are right, my lord.”

Lusan smiled a final time. “You are dismissed, my friend. See to your duties.”

Duras bowed low and then departed. Lusan walked to the window and drew the blinds back to view the hazy skyline. “Yes, Krissie, you were so frightened about going to Hell. Now your fears will become reality. You are about to walk into the eternal darkness.”

Kristie practically ran into Leland’s office. Leland looked up to see his excitable wife beaming like a searchlight. “I get to go to the island!” she said excitedly.

“The island,” asked Leland. “You mean Katafanga?”

“What other island do you think I’d be talking about?” said Krissie.

“I don’t know,” admitted Leland, “maybe Staten.”

“Cute,” said Krissie. “Oh, I’ve been wanting to see it so badly, and now finally Lusan is letting me go.”

“You’re leaving
again?
When?” asked Leland.

“The week after next,” replied Krissie. “I’d
think
you’d be proud. Lusan said that he’s not too happy with the progress they’re making there. He wants me to go there, see everything, the whole operation, and give him a full report. He called it a tour of inspection. He said I’d be gone for about ten days.”

“Well, he must have great faith in your judgment,” noted Leland. “I
am
proud of you.” Leland rose from his chair and embraced Krissie. He sighed. “I just hate that you are gone so much. I love you. I don’t know what I’ll do without you while you’re gone.”

“Oh, you’ll manage,” Krissie chuckled. “I’m supposed to be interviewing a lot of people. I really don’t know what to ask the scientists and engineers. I don’t know the first thing about fusion power or nuclear energy.”

“Well, read up on it,” suggested Leland. “Really, Krissie, you’re super intelligent when you want to be. You’ve got two weeks to learn as much as you can.”

“I’ll start tonight,” vowed Krissie. “I’ll do this tour of inspection properly.”

As Krissie headed back to her office, Leland smiled. Never had he seen Krissie so happy. She loved her job here, sometimes too much. She didn’t seem to have the doubts that he had. That was good. He returned to his chair and turned to the figures on the computer monitor once more.

During the next two weeks, Krissie did her best to learn all that she could about atoms, nuclear power, and fusion. She also looked over the program description for the converts who would be brought up to speed on the fundamentals of their faith. She wanted so much to make Lusan proud of her.

It was just two days before departure when Krissie awoke, lying amidst a bed of dew-covered moss in the depths of a great forest. It was misty, but she could see the early morning sun trying to break through the fog.

“Where am I?” she said, rising to her feet.

Krissie was still barefoot and dressed in her nightgown. How did she get out here? In fact, where was here? Had she been sleep walking? If so, this sure didn’t look like Central Park. Maybe it was a dream. No, it was far too real for that.

“Krissie,” said a voice from out of the fog. It was a woman’s voice. It seemed so familiar.

Krissie debated if she should answer or not. She didn’t know who was out there. “I’m over here,” she finally said.

There was movement in the fog. A woman in a long white dress emerged from the mists. She had dark skin and was quite lovely. She looked to be in her late twenties, maybe 30, not much older than Krissie.

The woman smiled broadly. “Oh, there you are, dear. It’s so good to see you again.”

Krissie pondered her situation for a moment. There was something familiar about the voice, but the face was unfamiliar. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”

The woman laughed. “Oh my, yes, where are my manners? No, you probably wouldn’t recognize me like this, but we’ve met many times. But I looked a lot different then, a lot older. I’m Claire James, Leland’s grandma.”

Krissie felt suddenly very uncomfortable. No, she didn’t want to be here. She wanted to wake up. This was a dream, it had to be. “But you’re dead.”

Again Claire laughed. “Oh, my dear, death isn’t what you think it is at all. And please, don’t be frightened. I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, not for the whole world. I love you.”

Krissie closed her eyes; she was trembling. “Wake up, oh please wake up.”

“I’m not here to upset you, Krissie,” said Claire, stepping back. “No, I don’t want to do that. You’re going to wake up in just another minute, I promise you. But God sent me from Heaven to tell you something important. You mustn’t go to Lusan’s island. Bad things happen there, very bad things. If you go there, bad things will happen to you. Make up an excuse not to go.”

“You can’t be Claire; she’s dead,” said Krissie. “Please, leave me alone.”

Claire seemed sad. “OK, Krissie, I’ll go away. You’re going to wake up right now.”

The scenery seemed to fade around her. In an instant, Krissie found herself back home. The light of the early morning sun was shining through the window. Leland was still sound asleep. Krissie stumbled to her feet and headed for the kitchen. She just had to have a cup of coffee. She was still trembling as she poured the first cup. She thought about telling Leland about what had just happened. No, it would only upset him. She had been looking forward to this trip for almost two weeks. She’d spent so many hours preparing for it. What she’d just experienced was a dream; that was all. People didn’t come back from the dead in your dreams.

“I’ll be sure to call you when I get there,” promised Krissie, as Leland pulled up to the departures drop off point at JFK International. “You don’t need to stay with me; I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” asked Leland.

“I’m sure,” confirmed Krissie. “It’s going to be a while before my flight leaves. There is no point in your waiting around. Anyway, they don’t allow nonpassengers in the boarding area.”

A quick kiss saw Krissie out the door, bags in hand. Leland hesitated; he clearly hated to leave her. After a moment he pulled out, leaving Krissie to get her bags checked in and get on the plane to Los Angeles. She had over two hours, more than enough time. From there she’d be catching the international flight to Fiji via Auckland, New Zealand. It was going to be a long flight. Thank heavens that Lusan had insisted that she fly first class all of the way. The last leg of the journey would be made using one of the organization’s twin engine turboprops that transported supplies and personnel to and from the island. It promised to be an adventure and, since she’d be traveling westward all the way, the longest day of her life. From JFK to her destination would be better than 24 hours. Even with the amenities associated with the first-class passage, it was likely to be a grueling flight.