And then it was gone, and the Custodian turned. “You have work to do.” He placed a finger on Orlando’s forehead and said: “Resume.”
Phoebe took in a huge gulp of air and returned just as Orlando finished telling the story to Temple.
“… blew him right up in front of me. And then touched my forehead and told me to get back to work. Like I was some slacker.”
“Knows you too well,” Phoebe said. “But apparently they have plans for you too.”
“For both of us.”
Phoebe and Orlando stared at each other in wonder, until a returning guard yelled: “Nothing there! Ends in a solid rock wall.”
“Of course,” Temple said. “So what now?”
Just then, a tiny form entered the room from the hallway.
“Aria?” Phoebe said, immediately turning at the sound.
“Glad you’re okay, Orlando,” the Hummingbird said. But she was pale, shaking. And Diana appeared behind her momentarily, pushing the wheelchair with her father.
“What’s up?” Temple asked, immediately concerned by Diana’s expression.
“She got a vision,” Diana said. “And it’s a doozy.”
“We have to get out,” Aria said quietly. “Now!”
“What?” Temple’s eyes widened.
“They know. The place in Alaska. They’re getting ready. The Dove, he told them about us. Told them to strike now.”
“Sir,” said one of the guards, a walkie-talkie to his ear. “Reports from the watch desk. The lights, the orbs—they’re leaving the mountain. All of them!”
Aria was shaking, her eyes white. “We have to go, have to go, have to—”
But Phoebe, Orlando and Temple were already running for the door.
6.
HAARP
Xavier Montross knew he only had one shot at this. What that one shot was, however, he had no idea.
He saw that Mason Calderon had entered the machine. A helmet, full of tube-like wires, sensors and goggles, was lowered over his face, and Calderon stretched out his arms to grip the hand rests. The Emerald Tablet flickered and pulsed, the chair vibrated like some expensive mall store novelty for the rich and lazy, and the senator’s dragon-head cane, which had been leaning against the chair, slid and fell, then rolled—
—only to be snatched up by Isaac, who raised it up to his face and locked eyes with the dragon.
Montross saw all this in a distracted, yet hyper-aware state. He noted the technicians in the room above, scrambling, entering coordinates. Saw Calderon’s lips moving, communicating with the techs, barking orders.
Then Montross saw—or more explicitly—saw outside. Through the walls, into the blinding snowstorm where the hulking shadows of the array devices turned, angled, pointed. Aimed.
Then, a thousand miles away: a lonely, majestic mountain enjoying its last few moments of peace; multi-colored orbs of light blasting out from invisible pockets in the snowy peaks, hurtling towards elsewhere.
Within: a young girl, asleep. This one, the Shield, and now it’s down, with none to take its place. But there, in the next room, a sandy-haired woman, staring at screens and astronomical information on the red planet. Diana! She stops momentarily, looking up, then around as if…
Do you sense me? I’m here, I’m here! But you have to go, have to run. Hear me! Little girl, hummingbird! Tell them, warn them!
She wakes. It’s done. And hopefully there’s time.
Surging back now, closer. On the ice-swept dunes, roads barely cleared, a black Jeep Cherokee rumbles at full speed, tearing ahead toward Gacona. Inside: two familiar faces. Nina, Caleb. Hurry—
—Montross urged as his mind returned. He glanced up.
There was Calderon, furiously concentrating, aiming, wielding the device as if it was a part of himself, a hideous grin on his face.
Can they stop it? Montross wondered. Those occupants of the lights? Could they make it here in time, stop the firing sequence? He doubted it. If they could, surely they would have intervened by now.
Perhaps they weren’t powerful enough.
Or perhaps they are, Montross thought. But they just won’t get involved. Instead acting the part of gods wholeheartedly, letting those they watch over truly live or die according to their free will.
A blur, and Alexander was in motion. But Montross knew his intent, saw it first. The boy, his nephew, was going to attempt to knock Isaac down, take the cane and charge Calderon. Only, it wouldn’t work.
An abrupt, shocking image:
Alexander on his back, choking on his own blood, hands over his chest. A look of complete confusion and loss on his face.
Montross wasn’t sure if Isaac killed him or if one of the guards intervened to protect the senator, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.
Montross might not be able to save the world, but he could at least save one person, someone he had come to care about more than he ever imagined.
He moved, stepping in Alexander’s path, then he rushed Calderon.
Three steps away, Montross was sure he’d do it, he’d get in there and twist Calderon’s head, snap his neck, rip the Emerald Tablet free and then—
But that was when he felt a sharp prick, and at first thought he got stung by something. With the next step, however, just as Calderon’s eyes flashed in surprise, Montross felt a warm splash of liquid. And his left side went numb.
“No!” It was Alexander’s voice.
Then a chuckle, and Isaac moved into focus. Holding the cane with a sword point dripping red from its tip. Isaac’s grinning face angled down on him as Montross slipped on his own blood, fell to his knees.
Calderon’s voice: “Damn fool kid! We need him alive. Alive!”
“He is, dear father. He is.”
“Pull through, he will,” said Jacob at his other side. But his voice wasn’t as confident.
Alexander moved into view, his eyes pleading. “Stay with me, uncle Xavier! Stay.”
But Montross could only shake his head. Leaned forward and whispered: “Don’t give up. Your father’s coming.”
And then, as the machine rumbled and sparkled with emerald energy, as Calderon roared uncontrollably with the power he sent out as a conduit, a power surging on a path of destruction toward Mt. Shasta, Montross collapsed.
7.
Outside of Gacona—Twilight
Caleb lowered the binoculars. He shifted on his belly, crept backwards and stood back up when he was out of sight of the HAARP facility. “Can’t see anything through the snowfall.”
“Not with those eyes,” Nina said, watching with amusement as he brushed the snow off his chest. “Try your other skills.”
“Try yours. You should be able to zero in on your kids.”
“Our kids. Plus one of yours.” She leaned back against the Jeep Cherokee. “You’ve got better odds.”
“And skill, apparently. Even with my drawbacks.”
“Guilt. Self-oppression.” Nina snickered. “Do you slap yourself for fun or just wallow in your own loathing?”
“Knock it off and try to help. We’ve got to get in there, and undetected long enough to use this spear and destroy the Emerald Table before it’s used.”
“Hopefully they haven’t already done it. Those arrays are in motion, from what I can see through the storm.”