Montross gagged, choking for a breath. He never imagined such non-local sensations of agony could be experienced even without a body. Couldn’t even defend himself, couldn’t move his arms or else the procedure wouldn’t finish.
He was almost there. Interfacing with the machine had been surprisingly easy in this form. It was just as Calderon had expected. The Emerald Tablet was of both worlds and when he had ‘sat’ in the chair and reached through the slot, it fit like a glove. A glove that tightened and sent immediate sensations flooding through his consciousness. Numbers and equations, distances and measurements, a river of calculations. Weights and compositions of everything from massive stars to the smallest particle. It was too much, sifting through all the data. Took too long to focus, discard and graciously decline any more knowledge—things that he knew would be fleeting anyway, should he return to his body. Knowledge a physical brain just couldn’t retain and would only fade like the details of a complex dream.
So he focused. On Mars. On trajectories and lines of sight, traversing vast expanse of space, plotting a course, and then he focused on charging the power of this facility. Channeling it, building up the power levels.
It was taking too long. Taking all of his focus. He hadn’t even kept tabs on the players in the room, assuming no one could see him. Especially if they weren’t looking. His dying body was the perfect distraction.
And dying he was. He knew this here was a one way trip. Never imagined he’d be a martyr, but at the same time, he had also never seen a way to survive this day. Could he live with being the only one not to live through it?
So be it.
He thought fleetingly of Diana, and for a brief moment, he was back at the Grand Canyon, soaring over the sandstone monuments on a hang glider, with her clutching to his back in fear and excitement. And then he peeked in on her again, and there she was, piloting some unbelievable orb-like contraption, like something out of a Spielberg movie.
I’ll miss you.
He pulled his attention away momentarily, as the machine rumbled and throbbed and the arrays were charging. Glanced at his body. Alexander leaning over it, sobbing.
Then he focused again and his world turned green, blasted with more scrolling lines of data, binary codes and more formulaic text, symbols of every language, numbers and code, all whizzing past in a blur.
And the power multiplied exponentially.
And surged through the conduits and roared up through the thousands of arrays. Still building in intensity. Can’t release it all at once. Start small, then rising, each pulse a little stronger. Another minute, and the full strength will be reached. Full strength to pound the Cydonia surface. And goodbye escape route.
Sorry Calderon. Sorry—
But then the icy hands of the senator’s astral form locked around his throat, interrupting the sequence and jumbling the equations.
Montross struggled, resisting the option to remove the symbiotic connection to the Tablet. His viewpoint shifted from Calderon’s wild and crazed visage, to beyond: to see Isaac with a blade point an inch from Alexander’s skull; Nina on the floor, bleeding, and Caleb…
Caleb standing there, indecisive. In his hands, something glowing intensely bright. A long triangular object that shone like the sun emerging from an eclipse.
The Spear. The Lance. You’ve got it… Now use it!
Montross was fading, couldn’t hold it any longer.
The gambit’s failed. Cydonia will survive.
He wrenched his arm free, breaking the connection. Like ripping off a Band-Aid and losing your arm in the process.
But it doesn’t mean this son of a bitch gets to see it.
Montross swung his fist as hard as he could, sitting up at the same time for leverage.
Calderon rocked back and loosened his hold. Another punch came at him like a wrecking ball. He staggered, leaned forward and caught a blur of green descending from the chair just before an uppercut launched into his midriff and lifted him three feet in the air.
He’s stronger, more adept at using this form.
Wincing with another blow, he weakly raised his arms to defend himself as his crazed adversary continued the beating.
But I’ve succeeded. Broke the connection. Rejoicing inside, he saw an opening and shoved Montross backward. And I’ve still won. He glanced at the body lying on the ground.
Time to sever the cord, Montross. Set you free to linger in limbo forever.
Turning back to his own kneeling body, he was about to re-enter it when he saw the impossible: Caleb Crowe had a glowing weapon in hand, something that burned away all thought and reason.
No! The Lance!
Calderon rushed toward his body, driven by absolute rage. He willed himself back inside…
But at the moment of contact, something passed in front of him like a breath of cold air. He tried to enter, but was violently repelled, tossed across the room, spinning and floating uncontrollably. He spun and spun and finally righted himself. Rushed back toward his body, but froze.
There in front of him, Mason Calderon stood up and stretched, grinning from ear to ear.
Caleb had no choice.
“Drop the lance!” Isaac yelled, shifting the blade around and pressing it against Alexander’s throat. “Drop it, you better, or see your boy’s blood paint the floor.”
Alexander stiffened, chin up above the cold steel point as if trying to stay afloat. “Dad, don’t listen. You can’t give it up.”
“Do it, ‘Dad’.” Isaac sneered at him. “Prove you’re just as worthless as we’ve always believed.”
Caleb started to lower the weapon.
“There you go. Embarrassed, eh Jacob? Good thing we never saw daddy before now, righto? Got all we needed from mom, it seems.”
Alexander’s eyes flickered to Nina’s side, to Jacob, the boy standing now. Slowly. Deliberately. Nina’s arm was outstretched toward Jacob, but her hand was empty, as if she had just given him something. Then she laid her head down, eyes flickering with pain, exhaustion and blood loss overcoming her.
And then Alexander got it. What was missing…
But Jacob answered first. “Not righto, brother.” And he aimed Nina’s Beretta at his brother.
“Oh-ho!” Isaac chortled. “You’re kidding me?”
Jacob shook his head. “No. And Mom’s just showed me something.”
“You let her touch you? After what Mr. Calderon warned you about?”
“She showed me you can’t be strong without being vulnerable. And you can’t be superior if you have no compassion.”
Isaac made a face.
“A stupid trick.”
“No, I saw it. Her life, what happened as a child, what made her how she is now. And then, her feelings for our father.”
“Ridiculous.” Isaac tugged Alexander’s head back. “So after all we’ve done together, you’re dismissing our destiny? You’re taking their side?”
Jacob let out an exhausted sigh. “I was never on your side, brother.” He sighted and pulled the trigger.
Isaac tried to slash Alexander at the same time, but it was useless; the bullet caught him under the collarbone and spun him away. The cane dropped as Isaac fell onto his side, choking on the pain, unbelievable pain that washed over everything, every glorious fate he had nurtured his entire life. He slipped in his blood, staggered, then lay on his side, vision blurring.