PILLARS OF LIGHT AND FIRE: THE COMPLETE SERIES, page 141
“What’s keeping it from activating now?” Howell asked.
“The canister is lined to keep the system inert. Once it’s in the air and receiving oxygen and solar activity, it will activate. It takes about ten to fifteen hours for the nanites to assemble and transmit. The transmission burst is detectable, but by then it’s too late, and unless they wash them off, the nanites aren’t going anywhere until they burn out, which they do after forty-eight hours.”
“How much is in the canister?” Horsa said.
“Enough for a test and one good dusting, so make it count.”
“Great. Can you give us more?”
Viktorov shook his head. “Not enough time to manufacture more.”
Leto nodded. “It has potential. MacGabran has a cadre of old Avallach Kin with him. If we douse one of them, that’ll be enough. I have other ideas, but I’ll leave it for the Cosmos to deploy at the right time.”
Oxana patted two larger canisters. “Here’s the good stuff. The dangerous stuff.” She picked up the large canister and tossed it to Esclabor. To his credit, he caught it, though Howell winced slightly. “More nanite technology. This took six years to invent and a year to make just this much.”
“What is it? An explosive?”
“Grid disruptor nanotech. Burst this in something the size of a ten-by-ten-meter room and any augment within that room will be unable to manifest. This includes Kin, who carry their own grid systems. It creates a type of interference pattern that disrupts the ability of an augment to draw manifest energy from the grid.”
“That’s dangerous. You could spray a Kinsman with this, then shoot him like anyone you see on the street,” Esclabor said.
“We’ll probably use it on the target. There’s enough for two bursts. We’ll send this to the capture site as well,” Leto said.
“Doesn’t that make us vulnerable? It doesn’t discriminate.”
“It’s more of a last-ditch offense,” Leto said. “The key is to level the playing field. What if Omega gets involved? Or more Kin than we anticipate? The goal isn’t to fight everyone. It’s to capture what we want.” Leto patted the other canister. “It’s dangerous, but its flaw is that it doesn’t last very long, am I right?”
Viktorov frowned.
“Don’t be so transparent,” Leto said. “I read all the analysis reports from Star City. The nanite cloud dissipates, so it’s affected by air currents, and the interference pattern consumes energy. Six minutes?”
“Twelve,” Viktorov said. Oxana nodded in agreement.
“We can do a lot in twelve minutes. The Kin aren’t stupid. Their suits are armored even without their KE fields. But not bulletproof.” Leto faced the group. “We have some testing to do. The biggest variable and problem, as I see it, is our tech, not Cosmo technology. My first job will be to see if the gravity well will work. If it does, we’ll be in business.”
“If it doesn’t?” Viktorov said.
“I have lesser plans that might work,” Leto admitted. “Let Oxana review the data. If she thinks it will work—and I believe it will—we’ll proceed with the first test.” Leto glanced at his watch. “Any questions for me? Esclabor, you’ll brief them but not demonstrate the Lancer power. Petya, you’ll test the tracker dust tonight and demonstrate the fantom.”
Leto glanced around the room. The team was eager. “After you’re done, Viktorov and Esclabor will take the field effect well and the disruptor dust to the capture site for installation. I have a meeting, but afterward I’ll outline my entire plan, parts of which you should already have an idea of in your minds.” Leto left the room. His head buzzed. So much to do. He’d wasted half a day being the other…
“Leto.” Oxana grabbed his arm.
“Yes?” He turned back. He was halfway down the hall.
“What do we do with the first prototype?”
“Bury it in the greenhouse. We won’t need that yet.”
“Bury?”
“Yes, bury. I’ll explain later. I don’t want to be late.”
* * *
“You’re lucky I’m here for a conference,” the secretary said as Leto entered the room. Atherton sat frowning next to the secretary. The secretary, for his part, was engrossed in some paperwork. He pulled off his glasses. “A lot of trouble going on across the pond. Anything we should know about?”
Leto was prepared for this question. “I was in the vicinity to observe the Augmenté attack, but I’ve confirmed that was done by the Templars. And since there were Kin, it was relatively minimal damage.”
“Tells me they are working together.”
“It would appear so.”
“Got the damn Brits nervous, too, with that stunt over the Thames. If they hadn’t blown up their own augment facility in downtown London…” The secretary trailed off. Leto saw his anger. The British must have been putting pressure on the Americans to solve a problem they’d decided they wanted no part of. “Nonetheless, I’m in the business of settling matters.”
Atherton cleared his throat. “What do you have to report, Lee?”
“I have a capture site identified and I’m making preparations. My team is assembled and I’ve made contact with the Templars.”
“The Templars? Christ, now we are in trouble,” Atherton said.
The secretary made a staying motion and Atherton quieted. “You reported on this before. How trustworthy are the Templars?”
“I wouldn’t trust them at all,” Leto said. “They are looking for alternatives to Arthur and would be happy to offer him up as a martyr of sorts.”
“We need to be careful not to give them that option. We want the target off the table by whatever means, but martyrdom is not one of them.”
Leto nodded. By the time anyone figures out what’s happened, the dust will have settled, and MacGabran will be finished.
“How is your team?”
“The Cosmos work well. On that front, they are much better than their technology. Their intel is surprisingly good. My Centurion members are new, but I’m impressed.”
“Impressed?” Atherton said. “They’re the best Lancers we’ve tested.”
“Sir, they may be excellent Lancers, but they haven’t been in the field. I checked their dockets. Two field assignments, each for less than a month?”
“Look who’s talking, kid. You’re barely eighteen.”
Leto’s eyes narrowed and he pushed down his anger. Was Atherton baiting him or playing with him?
“Can you work with them?” the secretary said.
“I can. Things are moving into place. If I can’t get new Lancers, I’ll have to risk it. They can do their jobs, if it comes down to it. What I had in mind for them will have to change, though. It’ll be enough.” He didn’t have to mention that the Lancers were probably there to watch him as much as help him. Everyone was watching Leto these days. If he weren’t so accustomed to such scrutiny, he’d probably have made large mistakes. It wasn’t paranoia but a high degree of self-awareness. He thought of the first time he’d attempted anything complex under scrutiny. It had been while he was at the Citadel, removing the Degrade sample from the lab. It was so simple compared to the work he was doing now. He wanted to tell these two old fools that he knew the game better than they did.
“I doubt we’ll be able to release any more Centurions without attracting external notice. That we have enough people on your team to account for the WMD equivalent of a developing country is sufficient concern.” The secretary glanced at Atherton, who had a sour expression but said nothing. He pulled off his glasses. “You’re talking about a timeline. Does this have something to do with this Grail?”
“Yes, it does. I got word that Gal Brand has disappeared from Qabr and Perilous, whereabouts unknown, even to the Kin. She’s in pursuit of whatever this Grail is. I’m certain of it.”
“What makes you certain?”
“Brand is the person who spoke of the Grail publicly. The idea of some sort of means of ‘saving’ Arthur resides in this Grail construct. It stands to reason that either she’s looking for it—”
“Or it doesn’t exist. Now that Arthur is free, what’s the point?” Atherton said.
Leto shook his head. That was simplistic thinking. Brand was a kid, but she was also the Prophet, and if he’d learned anything from his mother, it was that prescience was control. That was why the Centurions and most of the world powers had been unable to press their advantage against the Kin. “Either she’s looking for it, or she has it. I have data that says the latter is unlikely.”
“Is this some more of that superstitious prescience mumbo-jumbo?” Atherton said.
“John, please.” The words were quiet, but the secretary closed the folder he’d been working on. “Go ahead.”
“I have a solid lead, but we already have her in custody in the detention center.” Leto paused. Plans could shift fluidly if things changed, but he should hedge his bets. “When the time is right, I’d like custody of this lead. We don’t necessarily need the information she has, but the Kin do.”
“You’re aware of this, John?”
“She’s one of the Suns we captured in the attack on the compound. She’s no one of consequence.”
“That’s not what your protégé here says. Remand her to Mr. Lafayette’s purview when he requests it.”
“Sir, that’s unwise.”
“What’s unwise, John? He has a micro bomb installed in his skull and a device that can control his power. What more can we do to ensure he’s trustworthy? I’d prefer to remove the controls, but we’ve already seen the repercussions of uncontrolled WMDs within our borders. If we can’t trust his judgment at this point, we might as well throw in the towel and give up the whole operation.”
Atherton looked apoplectic but let out a long breath. “What do we need?”
“If we could move her to the planned location within a week or so, that would be ideal,” Leto said. “If you can’t move her before then, I’ll need expedited travel.” He pulled out a requisition form. “This should be sufficient.” He placed it in front of Atherton.
“A week, you say?” The secretary chewed on the stem of his glasses, his mind far away. Leto studied him. “That might work well for us… I heard the Chinese are waiting for the right moment…” He refocused on Leto. “Anything else?”
“No, sir.”
“I don’t have to tell you to keep arm’s length from the Templars and the Suns. If word gets out you’re playing so much as footsie with them, we’ll be on worse than thin ice. Other than that, proceed. I’ll check with John periodically to see how things are going. You have the lead on Cosmo operations. John will manage the Chinese, if it comes down to it.”
Leto relaxed as the two men gathered their papers. Use of the Cosmos will be very good. The secretary was ushered out with his aide. Atherton lingered. “And your plans for Brand?”
Leto stood. “I can make it work. I’m sure I can.” Hopefully. Leto held the reins on Atherton. He wanted Gal Brand out of the way, and if Leto could do that, he’d be free to pursue the real objective. MacGabran.
14
The Second Truth
Gal was on the bank of a wide, shallow river, gazing at her own reflection. She was a man with the worn features of a warrior and wearing a cuirass. Her countenance was dark, but her eyes flashed blue in the glinting sunlight from the water. There was a sense of calm to this dream, and Gal breathed deeply. “I’ve missed these dreams,” Gal said to her mother as he approached on a beautiful white horse. “I’ve always wondered if they were your way of telling me a story as a baby. These aren’t stories, but they are pieces of human history. Pieces you’ve played a role in at some point.”
“In a way,” Indiana said. She wore a general’s uniform but no helmet; laurels wreathed her hair. She slid down from the white stallion. She was short and her gait bowed from long years in the saddle. “They are echoes of past lives, but they didn’t teach me anything. Perhaps they will teach you something. Why else are they here?”
“I don’t have any of these memories or echoes of the past,” Gal replied. She smelled of sweat and horse.
“I don’t think these exist for all of humanity. At least not until we began to record history and see the rhymes in what happens.” Indiana knelt and washed her hands in the river. “With your ability to see into the future, why be clouded with thoughts of the past? It’s very distracting—at least for someone who wants to get a good night’s sleep.” Dream Indiana was just as precise as the real one.
“Have you achieved your dreams?”
Indiana drank water from cupped hands and wiped her mouth. “Who knows. I die often in these dreams, but are you asking of dreams within dreams? This is your place now, not mine.”
Gal smiled. Dream Indiana knew she was inside her Dream Palace. It was strange and comforting at the same time. What are these dreams to me? she wondered, though she knew the answer to that. Gal had foreseen that her power would wane and constructed a means to find the Grail if she chose to pursue it.
“I’m just a figment of your imagination, Gal,” Indiana said.
“How do you know you’re not dead?”
“You’re happy and relieved to see me, not sad and wistful. That tells me I’m alive. For now.” Indiana ambled along the bank, and Gal fell into step. Gal found it easy to keep up this time, being slightly taller than her companion and general.
“You’re here to ease my mind.”
Indiana touched the gladius at her hip. “No. I’m here to prepare you.”
“For battle.”
Indiana grinned. “I’ve learned a battle can be won in the mind’s eye before it happens.”
“Or lost,” Gal added.
“Or lost,” Indiana agreed. “Take this river, for example. If I don’t cross it, there ends the battle for Rome’s future. If I do cross it, so ends the battle for Rome’s future. It is the same end, but the meaning of the end is different. For me, crossing means putting Rome upon the path of greater glory that also leads to my greater glory. To not cross it is to admit that I serve Rome, and she does not serve me. What is lost?”
“The meaning of what you intend, I suppose.” Gal kicked a rock. “There are many paths to the Grail.”
Indiana shrugged, picking at a wildflower. “There’s only one path to the Grail.”
“The Illuminated Path.”
“No. You’re on the path to the Grail. The Illuminated Path understands the Grail. It’s vision.”
Gal sighed. “I’m blind. The first Truth is in Leto’s hands. This is an impossible task.”
“Unveiled, the Truths all show the path from beginning to end,” Indiana said, as if by way of explanation.
Gal had learned how esoteric prescience felt. This seemed familiar. It was strange, being told how to find the Path by a prior self. She had seen it once, she knew. It was why the Dream Palace was here, but she knew she couldn’t just point to the Grail. Messages in the Dream Palace didn’t always come unbidden, though unlike her life in VR space, the palace could not be hacked or cracked open. It was for Gal and Gal alone to find the Path.
“Are you ready to cross the river?” Gal eyed the far bank.
Indiana twirled the flower in his fingertips. “I’m waiting for the right moment. Sometimes, it’s not about the moment when you strike. It’s about the moment that everyone will believe is preordained.” He sniffed the flower.
Gal listened. This place had a familiarity to it, as though she or Indiana had crossed thousands of rivers like this before. Birds flitted over the water.
“My other self told me to expect the ‘loss of a father,’” Gal said, the cold water lapping at her toes.
“You did. It’s too late, though. He’s already passed beyond the veil. His way lies elsewhere. Beyond the future and beyond care. The first Truth awaits you now, though… she lies in the hands of your brother.”
“Leto?”
Indiana turned and Gal saw the face of her former self. “Do you see now? It is not your father, but the father of another. It is not his passing that precipitates this, but if you speak to her of it, she must know his passing was quiet and he loved her as any true father should.”
“How do I get to her?”
“How do you?” her other self said. “She is beyond you, but there are other Truths.”
“I must find the first one, though.”
“The Illuminated Path isn’t a series of challenges but a path itself. Once you see all of its parts, the Path is clear. The first is just the beginning. The second the middle, and so on.” Gal dropped the flower into the water, and it drifted away with the current, flowing to the east and north, toward the awaiting Adriatic.
“You could just tell them all to me.”
“I don’t know what the Illuminated Path is. If I did, you’d know it. Do you see the paradox?”
“I do,” Gal said, stepping farther into the river. She wished to just be carried along. It would be easy to just be carried along.
“Remember, just having a Truth is not knowing a truth. It’s like a door. You must open and understand before you can illuminate the path. We’ll make it together, you and I.”
“If I can’t get to the first Truth, how do I get to the second?”
“The second Truth is where your father is now, though he doesn’t know it.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“I see who it could be. The Truth is a son, a brother, and someone who was there when God’s light struck.”
“I liked this better when I was the one who could see the future. I would see that the Grail could save my father.”
Gal turned, but she saw only Indiana again, studying her face. “Perhaps you aren’t ready for the task,” Indiana replied. “I don’t like fate, and it’s a conundrum to know that your daughter and in-laws are all future-seeing witches. I’m a simple girl.”
