Crow - The Awakening (86 page)

The board of directors was less than understanding, however. They preferred to maintain their arrogance and assume that it was mistakes that allowed the attack to succeed rather than insufficient capabilities. Jacob shook his head, bemused. They didn't see what he saw. They had been assuming human-like creatures with superior technology. But the aliens were stronger and faster by far without their technology. He remembered the drone catastrophe. They emptied their weapon on the alien but didn't scratch him, and the drone was handily destroyed with no chance of evasion or survival. But the board members ignored that.

He got through unscathed, however. Jacob was tasked to continue advancing their technical capabilities. Steven's phone was a big part of that. It was the first thing they had acquired that allowed them to access a network they knew was there but had until now been completely excluded from. Accessing their neural network was key to accessing their technology, of course. And accessing their technology was crucial to leveling the playing field. Once they do that they'll be in a position to assert their control over global resources and implement a functioning global defense system.

Jacob put his hand on the scanner lock at his office. It verified the chip in his palm and opened the door. He limped in, putting the phone on his desk.

"Thanks. I've been looking for that," Steven said out of the darkness.

Jacob jumped and almost fell over as his cast slipped. Steven turned on a desk light and sat back in Jacob's chair, holding his phone. Jacob smiled amicably. "Well, I see you survived. I can't tell you how relieved I am."

"Hmm, so relieved that you left instructions to terminate my parents and friends after we left?" Steven looked at his phone. "Something about... loose ends?"

Jacob was silent. Steven smiled and looked up at him. "I'm seeing a loose end, Jacob."

In a flash, Jacob pulled his pistol and fired three rounds into the chair. But it was empty. A voice whispered in his ear so close he could feel the hot breath, "Did you miss me?" Jacob spun around but saw no one. Rubbing his eyes, he leaned against the desk. Was he seeing things?

"I think you might be going crazy, Jacob," Steven said from behind him. Jacob whirled around and aimed at Steven. Steven smiled and stepped forward and put his forehead against the barrel of the pistol. "Is this close enough?

Jacob pulled the trigger and a vase on a shelf behind Steven shattered.

"Jacob, I think I would ask for a refund for that gun," Steven said. He touched the gun and it disappeared in a puff of vapor.

Jacob's eyes went wide and Steven grinned. "I think it's time for me to set some boundaries for our relationship. You see, thanks largely to you, I've learned a few things about myself. I really have to thank you, Jacob. It turns out that I really am quite special."

The ground below Jacob's feet started rumbling and the collection of quartz crystals on their glass shelf started rattling. "You see, I did that. And I did your base. And it would seem I've done several earthquakes before that. I'm not entirely sure how but it has to do with releasing pockets of fast time that conflict with slow time that causes stresses on the fabric of space. Some sort of scientific mumbo jumbo that I really don't care about. What I do care about are my friends and family. So let me show you what could happen to not just your Washington base, but all of the other hundred and thirty five bases you have scattered around the world." Steven stopped for a second, "I've been to every one too, by the way." He pulled a map out of his pocket and dropped it on Jacob's desk.

Steven stepped up to Jacob and touched him. Suddenly the roof vaporized and the walls and floor fell away and Jacob found himself standing with Steven on a small stony ledge overlooking a seething fountain of lava erupting from a large fissure. They were nearly half way down the wall of the fissure and pieces of molten lava were splattering on the walls all around them. The smell of hydrogen sulfide was overpowering and the heat was intense. The rocks shuddered and shook and the sound was deafening as the lava roiled and shot up violently. "Can you feel that?" Steven yelled over the din of the eruption. "I did this!" Steven held Jacob and found a steaming rock and put it in his hand. "My friends, my family, aliens or not. Off limits. Or your bases all look like this!" Jacob's eyes were wide as he looked around. Steven shoved him hard over the edge of the ledge and Jacob screamed as he fell face forward onto the floor of his office.

Steven was sitting in his chair again. Jacob looked around then up at Steven. Steven smiled. "Jacob. you can play cowboys and aliens all you want. But not with us. We're not interested in your games. You don't hold a candle to the real bad guys and are nothing more than a distraction to us. So stay out of our way." Steven slammed the rock down on his desk so hard that Jacob flinched. When he looked again, Steven was gone but the smoking rock remained.

"This is pretty cool," Sarah said as she brought another handful of canvases from her living room into the room she was using at the homestead. "I don't understand it, but this is way cool."

Steven grinned, looking up from his laptop. He was busy organizing his data to distribute to Penipe's systems. Sirel looked over his shoulder helping him sort through the junk and useful stuff.

"I'm still getting used to it too," Steven said. The ability to gate was liberating, but at the same time very disconcerting to Steven. "When does your sublet move in?"

Sarah grabbed the last painting and leaned it against the wall. "Next week."

Charley came out of their old bedroom with a small box. "That's it. I think we're moved out."

Sarah sighed and looked at the room Steven used. "I'll miss him." Charley put his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Your brother is with you. Not in a room." He guided her out of the apartment and Steven let the gate fade so the homestead's wall dominated again.

"Thanks, dear." Sarah kissed Steven on the cheek as she walked by. He nodded and finished up the data transfer.

Steven pulled up the video of his parents. He remembered what Jacob had done and split the stream into two videos. Sirel giggled. "You're seeing through their eyes."

Steven nodded, "Jacob divulged that to me." Sirel looked at him then back at the video.

"Your father is my best friend. Did you know that?" Sirel looked at Steven. He shook his head. Sirel looked at the video. "I miss them," the Faerie said, wistful.

"I used to. Now, it's strange." Steven looked at Sirel. "I used to be desperate to find my parents. But I have my family here. Sally and Jonah are my parents, Asherah my... life-mate and you my extended family." He looked back at the video. "I see them and know they're my biological parents and I do want to find them. But the consuming obsession isn't there anymore."

"Aw, that's sweet. I'm part of your extended family." Sirel kissed him on the cheek and giggled. Steven rubbed his cheek, feeling a little nick from her kiss. Faeries apparently nibbled when they kissed.

"Second cousin three times removed," Steven said, keeping a serious face.

Sirel grinned and poked the back of his head, giving him a tiny charge that made his hair stand up straight. He patted it down and looked around at her, amused. She got serious, however. "But they're still alive. That means the Sadari have a use for them." She looked at the video. "We really do need to find them."

The meadow was off limits thanks to the buildup of the Cooperative Defense Forces. Steven sighed. He would have liked to return there and let the other world dominate again. Lay back in lush foliage and smell the flowers, even in the late summer. There on Endard the flowers were always blooming. And Steven loved to watch Asherah dance around singing. He felt her giggle as he remembered that.

Looking up, Steven saw her still sitting face to face with him in their pasture, but falling over. A bear had come over and was trying to nuzzle her, pushing her over. She giggled again and scratched behind the bear's ears.

"Hey, I'm drawing here!" Steven waved the bear off. "Codependent bear," Steven grumbled, then looked at Asherah and grinned. She straightened her top and sat up straight again, looking at him. Her eyes still stirred up excitement in him as he looked at her. It was like she didn't have to say a word. Just look at him.

He picked up his pencil again and resumed drawing Asherah. Steven hadn't picked up a sketchbook seriously in years. Since the time he was convinced Asherah didn't exist. After that, drawing just hurt too much. But she was back now and real and one of her favorite things to do was to sit there while Steven drew her. He felt her delight in his attention and smiled. Sharing each others emotions and thoughts took a fair bit of adjustment. But he couldn't imagine it any other way. It was completely alien to him but at the same time so perfectly natural. For some, the mystery held great appeal. For him, it was the intimacy.

Steven looked back at her and she smiled sweetly, playing with the flower petals in her hair. He put his sketch pad down and leaned forward, kissing her passionately. He had no idea what the future held for them. But he knew they would face it together.

He woke up in a meadow. Rolling over, he looked up and saw a tall dead snag towering overhead. The sun was just rising. Laurence tried to take a breath and winced at the sharp pain in his chest. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked around. He was back on Earth. He closed his eyes tight, trying to slow the spinning feeling he was getting. He was amazed to have actually made it back. For the longest time he thought he was going to be captured himself and he could only imagine what the aliens would have done to him.

It came back to Laurence slowly, the events that led to him being sent there. He was very surprised the meadow was where he was sent. Steven was furious. Deadly furious. He would have not blamed him if Steven sent him into a star or lake of lava. That he is alive told him a lot about Steven's character and what lines he won't cross.

He remembered the tremendous fight. Laurence had not had an extended bout of combat in a very long time, much less with an inexperienced boy. He was a whirlwind. He didn't hit hard, but he was next to impossible to hit and at the end his strikes did start carrying some force. His chest was testament to that. He recalled shooting the furry girl and Steven appearing to materialize over her, intercepting the dart. Laurence had never seen someone move so fast. The dart hit Steven and something weird happened. He got back up and attacked him. Not the usual reaction to the dart. The other furry guy died pretty quickly. The toxin was very fast acting. Steven's resistance to even the strongest sedatives should have been an indicator that darts would not be a good tool to use against him.

He coughed and winced again, both from the pain in his ribs and the burn on his neck. Did Steven do that? He felt his neck. It was blistered where Steven had grabbed him. He looked at his arm. More blisters and the hair was singed off. Laurence recalled the metal balls in Steven's shock collar melting. There was something very unexpectedly different with that kid, alien or not. Laurence really would have liked to have acquired that boy. Perhaps if he returns to Earth. Laurence will have to keep an eye out for him.

Standing up, Laurence took stock of the situation. He was beyond exhausted, beat up, and he had no idea where Steven was. It was safe to assume that he was still back on that planet. The planet. Laurence felt a thrill. He had to have been the first human to stand on an inhabited extraterrestrial planet ever. He really was there. Laurence closed his eyes remembering. He grabbed his phone and examined the photos he took. The images of the furry girl were still there, the cave and cliff and the jungle where Laurence had to drag and hide the body. He nearly filled the phone up to capacity. Between that and some rocks he had sequestered in various pockets and a few seeds he had grabbed as he rushed through the jungle, he had a good body of evidence to back up his claims. Proof. And now he was back.

Laurence had to find out how that worked. Traveling from one world to another instantly. Steven did not have any equipment. It was all him. Laurence was completely at a loss. No technology or big engines or fancy scientific toys. Just Steven. He arrived out of nowhere. Just appeared in front of him. He assumed the other furry woman appeared at the same time but was to the side and very quiet. Steven appeared with just the clothes he had on, then he made him appear here in this clearing the same way. Laurence would love to dissect that kid and see what made him tick. If one person could do it, Laurence was sure that others could be found that could do it as well.

He pulled out his baton. It still had caked blood on it and a few strands of hair from the furry woman. Laurence smiled. More proof he was there and a very good genetic sample. He didn't have Steven at the moment, but he wasn't completely empty handed. He may be in hot water with his boss for not coming in immediately, but Laurence figured that the samples, pictures, and genetic material he was bringing in would help make up for that. He grabbed his phone and hit his speed dial.

"I need extraction," Laurence said. He looked up at the sky and around him. It was a large meadow. However, he had no idea where he was. But the GPS in his phone would be good enough to pinpoint him.

"Laurence, we're down at the moment," the agent at the Washington base responded. "We don't have any helicopters to come pick you up."

His brows furrowed. "What? What happened?" The entire base being down was highly unusual. He would have said it would have been impossible. It was a tremendously vast complex with multiple levels, heavily armored, heavily armed, and equipped with an obnoxious level of redundancies.

"The base has been destroyed, sir. We were attacked. The aliens came to retrieve Steven," the agent said efficiently.

Laurence couldn't believe it and was too stunned to respond right away.

"Sir?" the agent said, making sure they didn't lose the connection.

"Let me speak to Jacob." Laurence rubbed his temples. This was not happening.