“Brutran tells me the Cradle updates this game every day,” I say.
“Maybe they’re trying to brainwash every teen in the world,” Seymour says. “But the fact they keep changing it might mean they’re experimenting with the technology.”
“I wonder why John keeps playing it,” Matt muses.
“He told me he does it to let them know he’s around,” I say.
“Does that mean John’s taunting them?” Seymour asks.
“Let’s hope it’s not brainwashing him,” Matt says.
“John can take care of himself,” I say. “I’m more worried about another program Brutran told me about. The Cradle’s somehow integrating it into the Internet. Her best hackers can’t break into it. But the kids devote a lot of time to it. Until I came along and promised to help kill the Telar, it was their main focus.”
“You said it’s an Internet program,” Matt says. “Has it been activated yet?”
“Yes and no,” I say. “Brutran’s people have noticed that it can slip in and out of other companies’ systems. But as far as she knows, it hasn’t done any damage.”
“The program might be spying on other companies,” Matt says.
“I thought of that,” I say. “Or on individuals.”
“Find out where it’s located online,” Matt says. “I’ll look at it.”
“Will do,” I say.
“Now that we have the vaccine,” Seymour says. “I wonder if we’re going about this backwards. Maybe we should have the Telar take out the IIC first.”
“No,” I say. “Haru will just invent another way to wipe out humanity. The Source has to go.”
Matt is concerned. “You don’t sound so good. Do you need help?”
“That’s one of the reasons I called. How long would it take for you and your mother to get here?”
“We can charter a plane or helicopter and be there in two hours.”
I hesitate. “Come in four hours, no earlier.”
“Why the delay?”
“I have my reasons.” I want to complete the next attack on the Telar before I bring Umara into the Cradle. She’s my ace in the hole. I suspect I can only use her once. I add, “May I speak to your mother?”
“I’ll get her,” Matt says.
“Wait,” Seymour protests. “What about me and Shanti?”
“Things are going to heat up here pretty fast. You’ll be safer where you are.”
“To hell with that! You know Shanti gives you natural protection from the Cradle. You need her and she wants to come. And you need me because, well, I’m the smartest one in the group.”
I have to smile. “Let me speak to Umara. I’ll think about it.”
Umara comes on the line a minute later. I ask if she is alone. She says she is getting there. Finally she’s ready to talk.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
“This is harder than I imagined it would be. I’m not in control, I think the Familiars are. I worry that they’re playing me.”
“They use whoever comes in contact with them, that’s their nature. It’s time I helped protect you from them.”
“You’ve kept out of sight for ages. I hate exposing you like this.”
“I know you. You’re proud. You wouldn’t have called for help unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“It’s hard for me to admit I need help.” I pause. “One more thing. I’ve asked Matt to come. For reasons of security, I’m going to need his speed and strength.”
“And?”
“I’m going to ask him to perform a task only he can.”
“Then we’ll come together.”
“What about Shanti?”
Umara sounds uncertain. “She’s young to take to such a dangerous place. But you know her better than I do. You took her with you to Arosa when you faced the Telar.”
“She has a natural ability to block the Cradle.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure. I just know she rescued me in London when I was in bad shape.”
Umara considers. “I’d bring her then. But that means Seymour will insist on coming.”
“He already has.”
“What about Paula and John?”
“No. I don’t want John near these people.”
“From what I’ve seen, he has more power than all of us put together.”
“His mother won’t let him come. She doesn’t trust me. She says people have a habit of dying around me. And she’s right.”
Umara hesitates. “We’ll see you soon, Sita.”
“In four hours,” I repeat. “No sooner.”
TWENTY
I sit in the circular room with the Lens.
The more I get used to it, the more I hate it.
We have already called on the dark gods to help. In our hands we hold the blood of four highly placed Telar that Umara has said often work together in the United States. On a hunch, I have placed all of their blood samples together in the same vials. I feel they will be together. Word will have reached them from Switzerland. I’m sure the Telar are on red alert.
We are not long in our trance when I see the four in my head. My intuition is proving to be accurate. The four Telar, two men and two women, are together in the same suite. My internal vision of the room is so clear it is like I’m standing in the corner. I scan for clues of where they might be and see the name of a hotel on the phone. The Century Plaza in Century City.
The Telar are only twenty miles away from where I am!
The four sit on the floor of the suite, holding hands like we do. They have sensed our approach and have immediately gathered to form a Link. The mental fusion surrounds them like a fiery bubble and I see the faint images of the Familiars that support them.
These creatures don’t resemble the ones that stand behind the kids. They are taller, more humanoid than the Cradle’s, and they have broad wings and fearsome faces, from which radiates a haunting red glow. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they looked like fallen angels. Whatever, their power is ancient and strong and I know we’re in for a difficult fight.
Mentally, I warn Lark not to attack without my okay.
He ignores me and launches an angry mental bolt toward the bubble. I have to admit it’s powerful. It contains not only the energy of the Cradle and the Lens, it has the strength of every member of the Array behind it. Brutran has brought in all her troops to help with the attack, although the scattered kids in the Array are not aware of what we are fighting.
The bolt strikes like a laser and it seems for several seconds the protective shield of the Telar will fail and we can ravage their minds. During this time I get a useful glimpse of their security.
But then the bubble hardens and our laser fizzles. Not only that, as if in response to our attack, a globe of what could be burning silver forms above the Telar’s shield and launches itself in our direction. How it knows where to find us, I’m not sure. However, the Telar were able to obtain my blood while they held me captive in Arosa, and it’s very possible I’m the homing beacon they are using to lock onto.
The globe strikes us like a psychic torpedo. Half the kids below let out a scream and the ones beside me all groan in pain. We’re not dealing with the top level of the Source and already we’re in trouble. Again, I send Lark an order to back off, to let me have complete control. It hurts to send him the message. The back of my skull throbs. It feels like someone hit me with a baseball bat that had a stick of dynamite attached.
I give the kids time to settle back down. I notice that the Telar are not in a hurry to hit us with another torpedo. I suspect the attack took a lot out of them, too. According to Umara, they’re not accustomed to using the Link to harm others. Indeed, it was only with the appearance of the IIC and the Array that they began to revive the Link. For eons, the Telar believed they were invulnerable.
Staying deep in a trance state, I’m still able to open an audio line to the kids below us. I speak in a soft voice, it’s all I can manage.
r /> “This is Alisa, I’m taking command of the Cradle. There’s no need to fear. These four Telar are strong but moments ago I got a clear picture of who’s protecting them. Their guards are other Telar who have no form of psychic protection. They have guns and are stationed outside the door of those we’re attacking. One of these guards is the granddaughter of one of the top four. That means we can lock onto her mind using the blood we’re already holding. Give me a minute and I’ll pinpoint this individual. Then we’ll attack.”
It takes me only a few moments to regain my concentrated state and shift my focus from the corner of the suite into the hotel hallway. A dozen guards lounge on a row of chairs. It’s obvious the Telar have rented the entire floor to insure their protection.
I was being completely honest with the Cradle. I feel the blood we hold resonating with one of the female guards. She happens to be a slightly built woman who looks no more than twenty. She’s probably like Charlie, one of the younger Telar. She looks more worried than her partners. But her fear isn’t a bad thing, not from our perspective. Her fear can open the door wide for the Cradle to step inside.
Once again, I whisper to the entire Cradle.
“This is the plan. We want the woman at the end of the line to walk to the door where the principals are gathered. She’s to knock and if no one answers, or if another guard tries to stop her, she’s to start shooting. It doesn’t matter if she gets through the door and kills the four. She’ll disrupt their Link.”
For the first time, I feel the full power of the Cradle pour through me. I realize they trust me more than they do Lark. They know he disobeyed me, and they know his rash attack led to the slap we took. Now they’re anxious to put an end to these Telar.
The woman, her name is Darla, feels a sudden urge to walk down the hall and knock on the door of her superiors. She’s been told they’re not to be disturbed for any reason but at the moment she doesn’t care. The other guards pay her little heed. Half of them are dozing.
Darla knocks on the door. Hard.
Her commanding officer jumps to his feet.
“Darla! Get away from there!”
Darla lowers the tip of her M16 and opens fire. Her CO wears a protective vest but Darla shoots him in the face so it doesn’t do him much good. She rakes the line of guards, back and forth, and exhausts the clip in her weapon. Half the guards are dead, the others are wounded. While they try to gather themselves, I order Darla to toss a couple of grenades their way. She is young but she’s fast. The grenades are flash-bangers. They send out a deadly shock wave, not shrapnel. Darla hits the floor as they explode.
The rest of the guards die, at least all the ones in sight. But I hear running feet, more are on their way. I order Darla to stand and the entire Cradle pushes her back to her feet. Pulling out a fresh clip, she reloads her M16 and fires point-blank at the door’s deadbolt. The wood splinters and the door bursts open.
The fearsome four have broken their Link. They stand with their handguns drawn and shoot Darla the instant the door opens. It’s strange to be in Darla’s mind one instant and have it go blank an instant later. At the same time, I don’t care. The laser mind of the Cradle is on the move and I’m guiding it.
I steer the kids into the mind of one of the ancient women and force her to turn her gun on the others. They shoot her in the head before she can pull the trigger. Inside of me, another TV screen suddenly goes blank. Very well, I focus the Cradle on a bald man with a huge head. His name is Kram and he’s extremely old. His order is the same—to shoot his partners.
Yet he resists, for an instant, and manages to shout out a word.
“Tarana!”
The name has a strange effect on our group.
Our psychic laser suddenly flickers on and off.
Tarana? Isn’t that the name of the creature Brutran spoke about? The one that taught her a bunch of secret knowledge? I didn’t know it worked for the Telar as well.
Actually, for several confused seconds, I have no idea what’s gone wrong. My vision of the hotel suite phases in and out, and I feel a horrible ripping sensation at the base of my skull. Before I know it, I’m on my feet with my eyes wide open, the rest of the kids staring at me.
We broke the Telar’s Link . . .
Yet somehow they managed to break us.
It was that damn word, “Tarana.” It has its own power.
I notice many of the kids have nosebleeds.
“Listen!” I shout. “The Telar aren’t far from here. I’m going after them with some of Cynthia Brutran’s men. While I’m gone, you’ll help keep track of their movements. Don’t try to psychically attack them unless I order it. Just stay alert and follow them. They won’t escape.”
I disconnect the line and kneel beside Lark. His nosebleed is bad, perhaps because he tried to lead the attack on the Telar’s Link. Blood soaks his expensive shirt and he’s lost his cocky grin. He’s as pale as a ghost, this eighteen-year-old punk who is accustomed to commanding evil spirits.
“Lark,” I say. “We need to stay in touch with each other. Can you talk and still stay connected to the Cradle?”
He nods weakly. “I can help you track them.”
“Good. No more heroics. Don’t try to take them down.”
The guy’s been humbled. “I hear you, Sita.”
I pat him on the back and turn toward the door. Jolie stops me by grabbing my pant leg. “Don’t go,” she pleads.
I crouch beside her. “It’s better I kill them with my hands than waste our mental powers trying to take them down.”
“Are there many more?”
“After this, we have only one more group to kill.”
Jolie nods to herself. “I want them to die.”
Upstairs, I alert Cynthia and Thomas Brutran to the situation. I portray the Telar’s close proximity as a major break, which I believe it is. They say they can scramble three helicopters in ten minutes.
“Make it five,” I say. “And I want Charlie to give each of the men who are coming with me a shot of the vaccine.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Tom says, and rushes off. His wife studies me critically.
“I watched your last session on remote,” she says. “It looks like half the Cradle is about to stroke out.”
“That’s not my fault. Lark disobeyed me.”
“Lark’s not the one who worries me. It’s the next round, when we go after Haru and his people. He won’t make the mistake these ones did. If he sets up a powerful Link, I don’t know how you’re going to punch through it.”
“Leave that to me. I have a secret weapon.”
“I don’t like secrets. Tell me.”
“Gimme a break, you live for secrets. Now get out of my way, I have work to do.”
Brutran tries to stop me. “Wait. I’m going with you.”
“That’s insane. These are Telar. Just one of them attacked my house in Missouri and I was lucky to escape alive.”
“I’ll take precautions but I’m going. I’m still the head of this firm.”
I shake my head. “It’s your life.”
Ten minutes later we’re airborne over Santa Monica with Century City only five miles in front of us. The latter is loaded with crowded but elegant skyscrapers. Its real estate is some of the most expensive on the planet. The Century Plaza Hotel stands a block away from the Fox building.
However, an intelligence update, from Lark and Brutran, tells us that our three prime Telar have already left the hotel and are heading toward one of the town’s original twin towers that were built back in the seventies. They are only forty-four stories tall, pale shadows of the World Trade Center towers that were lost on 9/11, and yet the other skyscrapers have quietly built up around them, almost as if they were the founding parents.
What’s unique about the two towers is their flat roofs. Helicopters can land and take off from them. The Telar must have sensed me behind the Cradle. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so anxious to get out of town.
It’s dark, after midnight, and the city lights are bright.
I sit up front with the pilot, with headphones on and six heavily armed men at my back. I’m in touch with Cindy and Lark via a cell plugged into my right ear. The boy sounds weak, his voice is faint. He’s following the Telar with his mind’s eye. Cindy’s in the helicopter off to my right.
“I wouldn’t get any closer than a mile,” I warn her. “If the Telar have a sharpshooter like the guy who visited me in Missouri, then we’ll be lucky to make it to the towers.”
“These copters are bulletproof,” Cindy says.
“The Telar have lasers.”
“We know. We have samples of them. They can’t take down these copters.”
“They have disruptors,” I add.
“What are those?”
“I don’t know. But they hit us with them in Colorado and I can assure you they are nasty weapons.”
The helicopter on my left suddenly lights up. A dozen lasers have focused on it. The pilot swears as if blinded but luckily he doesn’t bump into us. The black paint on the exterior of the copter begins to peel. The vehicle looks as if it’s caught in its own private ray of sunshine. It glows in the night sky like Santa’s sleigh. If I were aboard I’d be reaching for a parachute.
“Bravo One, this is Bravo Three. Our hull temperature is over four hundred degrees. Our fuel tank is rapidly heating. We might be forced to retreat. Over.”
“Bravo Three, this is Brutran. Under no circumstances are you to retreat. Over.”
“Cindy,” I say. “Let them go. Gasoline can only get so hot before it explodes. It doesn’t matter how fancy your shields are. Bravo Three can always return later.”
Brutran appears to consider my request, although I know she hates for me to question her orders in front of her people.
“Bravo Three,” she says. “You have my—”
The helicopter on our left explodes.
The shock wave is deafening, the fireball blinding. Our main rotor, tail rotor, and tail fin are pounded with debris. Swearing, our pilot fights to keep us aloft. But as he pulls up on the controls I caution him to keep low.
“Stay down until we’re ready to land on top of the building. Weave around the trees if you must. But keep those lasers off us.”