Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) (18 page)

Chapter 29

Jesca

It doesn’t take us long to pack up the car and get on the road. Nate is really quiet in the car. I put my hand on his shoulder once to see if he is alright. He doesn’t turn to look at me. He just places his hand on mine and squeezes.

I know Xander sees our interaction. I look at him, hoping he’ll understand that I care about Nate as my partner and as my friend. Xander smiles softly at me, and then he looks out the window into the darkness.

We get to the airport, and Sebastian and Balthazar pull up next to us. Ezra begins to help Balthazar unload their truck while Xander and Nate unpack ours.

Sebastian leads me toward the jet. It’s the same one we took here.

I ask, “Is this your jet?”

He answers, “Yes and no.”

I scoff, remembering Ezra’s similar way of dodging a question. “Can anyone give me straight answers anymore?”

Sebastian smiles. “Yes, it is mine now. It was given to me.”

I shake my head at the use of his ability to get this plane. “Ushering, huh?”

Sebastian doesn’t say a word. He just nods.

* * *

The plane ride is very rocky. The arc lightning has intensified. It’s more blinding and constant than it was at the cabin. I shut the window covering and try to distract myself with the conversation in the plane.

Sebastian and Balthazar are talking to Ezra. They say that they have already informed guardian leaders worldwide to be prepared sooner rather than later for the intersection.

Every guardian is part of a team, a cell. Globally, the Dobrian guardian cells are already in place and ready for instructions to move in on the Sondian cells. Balthazar says that the Dobrian cells have been successfully acquiring intelligence from the Sondian cells within their territories for weeks now. They’ve gathered intelligence regarding safe house locations and potential wormhole sites. The plan for those Dobrian cells is to systematically take out the Sondian cells before the intersection to prevent a global invasion on Earth.

Our plan is not as systematic. Too many variables make our plan much more volatile than any other. I think about all of the variables—saving Corinna, shutting the wormhole, eliminating Sam before he can get to me. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Underlying variables include the vendetta Sam has against my father, stemming back to my mother; the worry of failing to close the wormhole; and the premonition that something might happen to my father, Nate, Xander, or all of us.

Ezra unbuckles his seat belt and walks back to the chair next to mine. “Can I sit here?”

I look at him oddly, and then I realize he’s not going to go back to his seat. “Sure.”

He sits down, buckles his seat belt, and puts his hands in his lap.

I keep staring at him, thinking he’s going to say something, but he doesn’t. He closes his eyes and leans his head back. I also lean back, closing my eyes.

As soon as I do, Ezra whispers, “You did the right thing, Jes.”

I open my eyes and glance at him, feeling deflated from my thoughts. “What did I do?”

I hear Ezra think now, Not telling Xander and Nate how you feel. His brown eyes are full of sadness as he continues thinking, I wasn’t strong enough to do that with your mother. He looks down and away from me.

I feel a lump threatening to develop in my throat, so I quickly put my hand on my father’s and squeeze it gently before I lose myself. I think, I love you, Dad.

He gazes back at me and thinks, Whatever happens, Jes, I will always be with you.

Still holding his hand, I quickly turn away from him, hiding my tears. I pull open the cover to the window and let the amber glow of the lightning cover me.

* * *

A couple of hours later, we land at JFK International Airport in New York City.

When the hatch of the plane opens, the air feels warm and muggy. I quickly shed my heavy jacket. The fierceness of the lightning is synonymous with what I witnessed on the plane.

We all exit the plane quickly and hustle to the waiting SUV. Halfway to the car, I feel the humming and the vibration start within me.

I hear sirens, and I turn in the direction of the sound. I see four police cars barreling down toward us. Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar tell Nate, Xander, and me to get in the car.

We get inside the car just as the police cars screech to a halt, yards away from us. The policemen hop out of their vehicles and pull out their guns. They shout, “Put your hands where we can see them!”

Xander tries to open the door, but it doesn’t budge. He yells, “What the hell?”

Nate and I try our door handles, but they don’t open either. I pull up on the lock, and nothing happens.

Nate screams, “Shit! Let us out! Ezra!”

I hear a whisper, but I can’t make it out because Nate and Xander are still yelling.

I holler, “Quiet! I hear someone!”

It’s Ezra. He thinks, They are Sondians. Quick, send us your energy.

I yell at Nate and Xander, “They are Sondians. We need to send our energy to Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar.”

I focus on the three of them and imagine my energy leaving my body to fill Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar.

The gunshots that come startle me, but I quickly look to see that Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar are still standing, unscathed. I lean over the front seat, trying to see what just transpired.

Panicking, I yell at Xander who has a better view of them, “Where are the bullets?”

Xander mumbles, staring ahead at the three of them, “They stopped every single bullet.”

A few feet in front of Ezra, I see at least two handfuls of torpedo-shaped metal hovering midair. As soon as my eye catches them, I hear a zinging noise. Multiple bullets are ricocheting around. Like dominoes, the police officers drop to the ground. They’ve each been hit in the forehead by the bullets.

I can’t pull my eyes away from them.

They were just human officers. Then, they were taken, implanted with Sondian Copulas, and turned into warped, corrupted, and twisted beings—not quite alien, but not completely inhuman.

Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar run back to the truck. Balthazar gets into the driver’s seat and puts it in reverse.

My voice cracks with disgust as I yell, “They had lives, relatives, mothers, and fathers before they were taken and turned into that.”

The car remains silent. The faintest sounds are our fast breaths, caused by the adrenaline coursing through each of us.

In pure frustration, I yell, “How did they know we were coming?”

Still breathless, Ezra responds, “Someone is always watching.” Then, he yells at Balthazar, “Get us out of here!”

Balthazar whips the steering wheel and guns the engine, jolting me back against the seat. I turn my head briefly and see at least a half dozen more police cars hauling down from around a hangar.

I warn Balthazar, “More are coming!”

Balthazar floors it. We pull off the tarmac and onto a frontage road. I’m still eyeing the six police cars that are barreling up on us.

Nate shouts out, “They are gaining on us!”

Balthazar yells at his father, “Sebastian, they are Sondians. They are going to kill us. Do it!”

I look to the front seat at the two of them. Their hands are tightly clasped. Just about then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright, blinding light. I turn back around, and the six cars are bursting into flames.

Sebastian has Pyro kinesis, the ability to control fire with his mind. Balthazar and Sebastian combine their abilities. They intensely stare at each other.

I see just how much Balthazar and Sebastian trust in one another now, and it makes me feel that Balthazar is completely dedicated to our fellowship. I look at Ezra. He witnesses their exchange before he gazes back out through his side window.

I can only partially wrap my mind around the fact that, in a matter of minutes, over a dozen beings were just killed. They were once average human officers of the law, but they were turned into something possessed with warped evil. Yes, they were trying to kill us because of what the Sondian fellowship had done to them, but when they were killed, their human part was killed also. It’s almost too much for me to bear. I begin quietly crying for their souls.

* * *

We quickly get into the city, hitting heavy traffic. I feel safe in traffic though. At least in traffic, we aren’t as easily detected.

I watch the people on the sidewalks. Most of them are moving quickly and turning their worried eyes to the lightning flashes in the sky. One woman stops with her child in the middle of the sidewalk. I see the little girl, who appears to be about six years old, look up at the sky. She is pointing, telling her mother something. Her mother looks up, and then she glances off into the sea of cars in traffic. The little girl is yanking on her hand, but the mother does not respond right away. Her concerned expression and lost eyes say it all. She doesn’t have an explanation for her daughter. She doesn’t have the answers to the questions.

I suck in a deep breath and wipe my eyes. “They don’t have a clue.”

Sebastian says, “For them, it is better that way. They would only be afraid.”

I turn to Sebastian, becoming defensive all of a sudden. “I was unknowing, just like them, not too long ago, Sebastian. Now, look at me. Why are they not expected to react the same way I did, if given the opportunity?” I run my hand along the nape of my neck where my opportunity exists. “Why can’t we offer them the same purpose for their protection?”

Sebastian looks ahead, moving along in traffic. He glances at Balthazar, and then he turns back to watch the road.

Balthazar shifts to face me, and he smiles. “That is why this is your legacy now, Jesca. You see in others what they cannot see in themselves. You see their strength when all they see is weakness. You are starting to realize how the human race can evolve to overcome this invasion.”

Xander interrupts Balthazar, “Do you mean offering the implantation of the Dobrian Copula to every human being on Earth?”

Ezra chimes in, “At least they would have a shot at surviving. They would be given the choice. It would be their decisions to choose implantation or not. It would not be like raping their minds like Michael Sanderson did when he forced the implantation on them.”

Sebastian and Balthazar exchange a brief look.

Balthazar says, “When he introduced the altered Copula, Michael Sanderson was on to something—orthomolecular therapy.”

Ezra asks, “Linus Pauling’s orthomolecular therapy?”

Balthazar nods. “Yes. Sanderson experimented with adding certain elements in excess to the body to achieve the conditions that he wanted within the implanted human beings. He wanted them physically stronger, but mentally pliable.

“Adjusting trace elements in the body through the Copula was like shooting up these humans intravenously with instant physiological and biological alterations. Trace elements of copper and titanium were increased to achieve the physical capabilities that Michael was seeking. The lack of the necessary amount of zinc within the bodies increased the weakened mental state.

“Unfortunately, Michael’s ideal vision to increase the physical state and decrease the mental state turned bad when the vessels started showing mental instability. They were going insane. After adjustments were made to the orthomolecular therapy within the altered Sondian Copula, Sanderson achieved the optimum combination.”

I ask, “Does Corinna have this optimum combination?”

Balthazar looks at me and nods. “Yes.”

Ezra asks, “How long until we have a model of an altered Copula?”

I am taken aback by Ezra’s question. What is he talking about? How could he expect our fellowship to already have a model in the works?

Sebastian answers, “We acquired a Sondian Copula through our MIT team about a month ago. They have been dissecting the Copula and the Sondians’ alterations. Just in that short time, we have made modifications to our Copula, using orthomolecular therapy to strengthen the humans that are implanted with it.

“Monica Leal, Joan Leal’s daughter, is heading the team. For those that are already implanted, modifications are in the trial phase right now. Monica took it upon herself to be the first to experiment with the trial. So far, she has shown no signs of rejecting the trace elements introduced into her body. She’s only improved in her strength, abilities, and overall health. The next voluntary modification will be performed after the intersection.”

Nate asks, “Trace elements of what? I mean, I know the Copula already has trace elements of copper. What other elements have been introduced and how?”

Balthazar answers, “Under the team’s guidance, the modifications have been made slowly. It’s much like being immunized. All that is required is an injection directly into the device attached to the Copula. The device performs the extended release of the trace elements. Under the team’s guidance, Monica received an increased level of copper and has been introduced to three trace elements intravenously—titanium, boron, and zinc.”

We all must look stunned because Sebastian steps in to the conversation.