System Seven (38 page)

If one has to jump a stream and knows how wide it is, he will
not jump.

If he doesn’t know how wide it is, he’ll jump and six times
out of ten, he’ll make it.
- Persian Proverb

Hard wood floors
reflected the flames dancing in the massive stone fireplace. A dozen candles
flickered to light the corners of the great study. Dawn’s gray filtered through
window slits cut into the stone wall. Cathbad stood by the fire lost in
thought.

Many times the
Comannda had managed ingress into their ranks, swatting with deathly effect.
Such encounters bore lessons, one of the most important being division. Later
interrogations would have meant the collapse of the Family if not for the
learned segmentation of the units and the ability to scatter and reform. Still,
any hierarchy had its binding roots, even if only visible from on high.
Bringing the Change to Cullstone might be frowned upon by others, just as
sending Austin to Tokyo had been. As leader of the Korda he was used to criticism
yet at this point he’d begun to have his own doubts. There was no guidance, no
definitive Words to use going forward. It was his own interpretation of the
trackways guiding his choices and the trackways were weak and numerous. No
matter how they prepared, the Conflict was going to be a chaotic affair whose
duration or outcome wasn’t even hinted at.

In one thing the Words
were clear: the Change would do things their way. Edward’s contingent had fled
Shamrock only to encounter a barricade staffed by four black ops G3. Johan’s
masterful application of Pons’ techniques on all four guards simultaneously
allowed them to drive around the blockade without the guards ever acknowledging
their presence.

Legends were born from
feats such as that, just as they were from Austin’s incredible work in Tokyo.
They signaled first dawn in the Conflict; perhaps the last clear signs that the
old Words were in alignment. The news had already spread hope and unification
throughout the Family. The enemy’s wireless communication network had been
compromised and their network would likely soon follow. These were the times
he’d dreamt of and worked towards. Surely the Lord of the Wood was watching
over them closely and influencing events. To lose faith now was to jeopardize hope
itself.

He turned from the
fire and cast about the room. For the hundredth time he missed Mug’s presence.
Still sallow with grief, he strayed to a window. The surrounding emerald hills
glistened in the muted light of morning. The single ribbon of road crested and
disappeared in a shroud of mist that held the valley.

He sighed, hoping to
expel the growing weakness from his bones and from his spirit. Creative DNA
sequencing extended the major systems but did little for a soul too long in the
world. A familiar division resounded, threatening resolve. Half of him yearned
for the songs of the Faerie, for release from his mortal shell. The other half
wanted to grind the face of every High Comannda to dust, to hear the hammer of
Truth ringing across the heavens, releasing humanity from its bindings. The
danger inherent in both desires permeated every thought. To flee was to abandon
the planet to peril and chance. To fight was to risk conveying the wrath of the
Comannda to the nations of Earth. If only the Mu could take a stand...

With a jerk of his
head he dismissed thoughts of abandoning the fight or being rescued.
Weakness of spirit, indeed
. The Change
was at hand. There was hope.

The sudden rising
drone of an engine preceded a biplane dropping into view from over the top of
the castle. The yellow-bodied relic soared down and over the field, banked
lazily and settled onto the green with practiced ease. Bradley O’Connell turned
the craft around and stopped it near the driveway. In the second seat, Johan
rubbed his chilled face before climbing down. Williams came out to welcome him
and to greet the old pilot again. The warmth of their exchange touched Cathbad.

A moment later, Anki
dashed into view and exploded into Johan’s arms. He smiled despite himself.

• • •

Beyond the village of
Killearn, the two-lane road stretched from Glasgow’s outer edge towards the
misty hills and lochs of the north. Acceleration welded Austin to his seat as
Sean engaged the Vauxhall’s 6.2 liter V8. The druid wore his mirrored shades
despite the gray morning.

“Don’t worry. The road
knows me,” Sean said.

He chuckled then grew
quiet. “No word on Kaiya then.”

“No.”

They passed ivy-draped
mills and clapboard houses surrounded in mist. Green fields rolled by,
occasionally split by creeks and wooden bridges. Sheep and goats grazed on
grass laden with dew. If England felt graceful, Scotland was timeless.

“Edward said she might
have broken free but wouldn’t know how to return. If she’s not being held, that
would make her sort of a ghost, wouldn’t it?” he asked. “Wandering?”

“Brave conclusion,
that. If Edward is right, she’s in danger of being led to Gwynvyd. What you
would call heaven. Wandering in Saoghal, dream to dream, she’ll eventually go
beyond, yes. They’ll come for her.”

“They?”

Sean shook his head,
downshifted into a curve, and pulled g-forces coming out of it. The druid
wouldn’t elaborate. Couldn’t? Goose bumps pricked his arms at the thought of Kaiya
wandering lost in a nether world of dreams.

“They who, Sean?
Angels?”

“Something like that.
She’d go the way of Mug.”

No
. Johan
had
to seek her out
now. It would be a condition going forward. A requisite.

The road grew more
winding and hugged the shores of a loch. Steep hills and patchwork forests
surrounded the deep lake. An occasional country home rested nearby in the
majesty of the land. They rode in silence, the pitched growl of the Vauxhall
the only sound.

He thought of Kaiya,
tried to reach out to her. Imagination or not, it seemed he could feel her. If
it really were her, she felt sad, deeply sad. He squelched the flow of guilt
that followed, knowing it was a wasted expression. If he had failed her, guilt
would have its day.

A crest in the road
revealed a quarter-mile expanse of green bowled in on three sides by tall,
forested hills. A sprawling brown stone castle sat nestled at the far end. Out
front, a yellow biplane dotted the lawn.

Sean looked over.
“Welcome to Cullstone.”

The morning mists
surrendered to a sun that shone around clouds. Lunch was taken in the nearby
hills reached by horseback. Cathbad insisted they enjoy the afternoon with no
concerns for other matters. The directive sat well with the group with only a
couple of indirect violations. When Anki’s horse became agitated, Austin
spooked it further when he tried to calm it from within.

“Practice later,” was
Cathbad’s response.

They returned to
Cullstone’s stables as long shadows fell over the meadow but before the mists
returned. They took dinner in the study and Cathbad used the time to tell
stories of the successes and setbacks in the last few centuries.

The breadth of
influence allowed by the meta arts was further detailed. Used on people at the
highest levels of conventional government, G2’s techniques swayed opinion by
subversion and coercion and made control of world events almost academic.
Crafting public opinion had always been their strength and priority, as was
keeping themselves untouchable and unknowable. The rise of humanity’s knowledge
and innovative thinking became the challenge. Curious minds always sought to
discover more. Technology allowed the injection of both violent and non-violent
controls and revealed that humankind was as easily programmed as any computer.
On the whole they were as predictable, too. The Korda’s efforts to alter the
paradigm posed severe risks – those who enjoyed control would not easily have
it taken away. Achieving balance between survival and progressive change was a
constant battle for the Family. Cathbad shared three particular stories of
daring counter-Comannda operations that left Austin feeling more obligated to
help them than ever, despite resentment for the delay in helping Kaiya. The
past could not be allowed to become the future, especially when there was so
much potential otherwise.

Williams traded Austin’s
empty plate for a full stein. Johan, Anki, and Sean sat on the next couch while
Cathbad sat at his desk. Conversation halted when a young man entered with a
violin and bow in hand. He took up position amidst the candles and with a nod
from Cathbad began a soulful, entreating solo. Williams returned with a mug of
his own to sit next to Austin.

Cathbad came around
the desk to stand in front of the fireplace. In each hand he held exquisitely
detailed pewter beer steins. Stone gray eyes regarded each in the room, as if
gathering their presence. His deep voice wove into the violin’s story, a
natural joining.

“The day I met Mug
Ruith I remember well. Hours old he was, a pudgy face latched onto Murdina’s
breast. Peering left and right, so curious. Quiet lad, but hard as hell to get
to sleep. Always wanted to know what was going on. He surely kept track,
growing up. That involved nature led him back to me and eventually to the
daring advances made in the sciences. His vision forced history to bend closer
to a day we all believe can come. That he was taken at the start of the
Conflict, at a time when vision is so desperately needed,” he shook his head.
“I won’t say I understand it, but I trust things are as they need to be, as
they’ve always been.”

He gazed beyond the
room. “Mug, I feel you at the edge of the world, looking back. You want to know
the ending but it’s not yet at hand. Rest easy friend, for the Creator has
provided. Go lad, explore like you know you want to. You’ve earned it. But keep
an eye out and when you see me, have fond Words ready on my behalf.”

The violinist finished
and silence fell upon the room. Cathbad raised both steins. “To Mug Ruith and
his journey through Gwynvyd!” They all stood and loudly echoed the toast.

Cathbad drank deeply
of both steins then whirled and threw one into the fire. It clanged and came to
rest against others lining the floor of the hearth. He dismissed the violinist
and took up a chair near the fire. He toasted again.

“To the Change. May
the bastards fall easy and harm not the children of the Land.”

The druid leader’s
expression sobered as he took them all in once more.

“The Comannda behave
like God because they control the system that allows them to. They’ve set up
humanity so the truth would only tear them apart. The combined truths of meta,
the Comannda’s system of control, and the history of repression would destroy
civilization as we know it. We must be mindful of that fact. The Conflict is
our responsibility. As long as there is a High Comannda Council, as long as
there are ranks vying for the control they wield, as long as the Comannda rule
Saoghal and Raon as they do, there is no real hope without our intervention.
Already we’ve crossed boundaries and they are preparing a response.” He nodded
in thanks as Williams refilled his stein. “They have much to lose and will
utilize extremes to protect all.”

The great fire
crackled and warmed the room. Destiny seeped from the rock of the castle walls
in the silence following Cathbad’s words.

Johan spoke. “They
have indeed prepared an extreme response.”

“What is it?” Austin
asked. “What did Sakuma tell you?”

“He confirmed
something we had suspected,” Sean said. “He spoke of a device installed in the
city of Tokyo. A device nuclear in nature.”

Austin nearly choked
on his ale. Anki looked from Johan to Sean.

Sean continued. “There
is reason to assume other cities are similarly laden, however, we have no
confirmation nor signs of immediate threat. This just means they have the
mechanism for great control over governments and over us, though they don’t
know we are aware of it yet. The devices have been kept from us, probably to
keep us from looking for them.”

Cathbad nodded.
“Knowing this makes our job that much more important. Soldado’s work with the
Bootstrap project yielded the first real success in penetrating their systems.
We’ve resolved at least one of their wireless encryption methods and have
achieved our first intercept.”

“Excellent,” Johan
said. “That means the network isn’t far off?”

“We’re encouraged.
Deployment of more wireless intercept devices in Tokyo has begun. The Booty
teams located a central carrier in the city. It’s the logical place to hard-tap
the network. Because it’s a military installation, the network will be more
dangerous to access and test from. With Soldado’s help we think we can do it.
If we can break the network, we’d be into voice and data intelligence.”

“Which is why we must
all be ready to act,” Sean added.

Ready to act.
Austin met Cathbad’s gaze. A flicker of recognition in the druid’s eyes
preceded the rise of tension.

“You’ve something to
say, Austin.”

Thoughts of Kaiya
steeled his resolve. “I’ve waited.”

“That you have.”

“I agreed to help as
long as I could help my family. Both my dad and Yuni are still missing. Kaiya
is at the edge of life and you’re asking me to ditch all and join in the fight.
I’m ready to act, yes, but first on her behalf. The Korda has ignored its
promise. You
get
this, I know you
do.”