Reformation (11 page)

Kuanti  knew it
was coming, but that did nothing to prepare him for the sensation.  Feeling the collective consciousness of several hundred thousand relics fade in and out of contact was like trying to watch a display monitor with a short in the power feed.  After a few minutes of intermittent contact, they were just gone.

“We are only in contact with Goron now,” Kuanti reported to the pilot who dutifully nodded his head in acknowledgement. 

Behind
the pilot and navigator sat ten Alpha warriors with shoulders overlapping as they squeezed into five rows of seats that ran two across.  Amplifying the claustrophobic ambiance was the ceiling resting mere inches above their heads.   Completing the cramped accommodations was a narrow shelf along the back bulkhead that housed the flowing liquid metal relics of Kuanti and Cora.  There were not many times Kuanti preferred existing as a relic rather than in a physical body, but this was definitely one of them.

Most
of the occupants were asleep trying to pass the three day journey from Mars to Earth with their eyes shut.  The rest did not budge due to the complete lack of space in the tiny craft. 

Everyone would have preferred more room to stretch their legs during the journey, but the required metals were
extremely difficult to mine and fabricate into durable alloys.  The ship’s limited size was out of necessity rather than the designer’s masochistic intent to inflict torture upon the occupants.  Lesser men would have lost their minds even before leaving Mars orbit; these Alpha were strong.  They would perform quite well at their tasks on the third planet.

“We should enter Earth orbit in about two hours,” the navigator reported.  “I need coordinates of the landing site from Captain Goron.”

“Give me a moment,” Kuanti replied and then turned all his thoughts and concentration to the now vastly diminished collective: just him, Cora and Goron.  “We are on final approach and need to know your exact location.”

A curt mental reply came firing back, “I am on the western end of the largest
continent in the northern hemisphere, but that is irrelevant for you.  I need you to land on the eastern end of this landmass.”

“Why?  Shouldn’t we come together and fight the Novi as one rather than divided
?  The plan is we land and help you locate the jamming signal while the second transport ship is completed.  Then, if needed, it will bring the remaining fifty thousand Alpha warriors from our colony so we can take over this planet and defeat the Novi.”

Goron’s mind let loose a chuckle that a parent reserves for when their young toddler asks a blatantly obvious question.  “These humans are extremely capable beings, Kuanti.  Fifty thousand of us, even with advanced weapons, would have a very hard time subjugating a billion of them.  I have seen them accomplish remarkable feats when they rally behind a common cause.  There is no need to provoke them.”

“What do you suggest then?”

“Use them, don’t fight them,” Goron responded.  “Humans in the west are quite
pious, and I have significant influence over their religion.  They will do as I command when the time comes.  People in the east are another matter.  They respond to strength.”

“If my informants are correct, the mountainous region in the far east is home to the Mongo
l tribe.  A great warrior named Genghis Khan united the tribes and conquered much of the west.  Now his grandson has his ambitions pointed east, but he lacks the strength to accomplish the conquest.  I think you should get to know this man and fuel his ambitions and capabilities.”

“You expect us to find one man,” Kuanti responded
with disappointment.  “You want us to hide in the shadows and help this one primitive conquer a territory rather than seek out the Novi directly and destroy them once and for all?”

“
Precisely, and take care not to draw attention to yourselves.  A pack of seven foot hound warriors is bound to draw rumors and stories that the Novi will get wind of eventually.  We need that time to be as delayed as possible so that when that all too clever Novi captain realizes what is going on it will be too late.  We will have him surrounded and outnumbered a million to one with our loyal followers.  No one, not even his keen mind, can withstand those odds.”

“Excellent plan, sir
.”

“So glad you approve,” Goron sighed to let his subordinate know his approval was the last thing on his mind.

“Who is this person we’ll so benevolently assist?”

“Kublai
Khan,” Goron answered.  “From what I hear you will have no difficulty locating him in that mountainous region.”

Kuanti liked this plan
very much, and he didn’t mind allowing his admiration to be detected by Goron.  “Navigator, I have our landing coordinates.”

The closer the ship came to the planet and the e
astern edge of its largest landmass, one specific spot was lighting up their sensors like a landing beacon.  Closer examination revealed a perfectly shaped pyramid rising over a hundred meters with all four sides of the base over a quarter mile in length.

The sloped sides absorbed the
pulses of energy from the ship’s navigation equipment and channeled them to the tip which radiated back to the Alpha ship like a blinding beam originating from a lighthouse guiding vessels lost at sea into port.  This was as good a place as any to set down Kuanti concluded.  Plus, the potential uses in the future for this structure could not be ignored.

Kublai Khan threw
the entrance flap to his command tent aside and stormed in to deal with his generals.  What a catastrophe!

He removed his he
lmet and chain mail headdress and threw them into the corner.  “Three months we have been at this.  Three months of frontal assaults, sneak attacks by night and bribing local farmers for a way in has yielded nothing.  Nothing!”

“Mighty Khan, it is the terrain that defeats us, not our adversary,” a particularly fat general offered.  “The mountains to the west and the impassable river to the east make conquest of this valley nearly impossible.”

“Get out,” Kublai Khan ordered with an angry swat of his arm across the air.  “I do not accept impossibilities when it comes to my empire.  There is a way, and I shall pray for inspiration.  I suggest you all do the same or else incompetent heads will begin to roll.”

The six distinguished generals le
ft the tent in complete silence knowing their Khan’s words were not idle threats; they were statements of fact.  The man had ambitions, and if his current subordinates were unable to fulfill those ambitions then they would be replaced by those who could.

Now alone in the spacious tent that served as his home away from home
, Kublai paced toward the bedchamber divider and yanked the curtain aside in frustration.  He moved to light the three hanging oil lanterns when his mind suddenly realized the extra illumination was not required.  Resting atop the storage trunk at the foot of his bed hovered a robust flame whose inner glow illuminated the entire chamber, and it spoke to him.

“I have plans for you, Kublai Khan,” the divine flame calmly stated.  “You are better than these feeble attempts to conquer minor territories.  Far greater prizes
await if you will put your faith in me.”

Kublai felt his legs go weak at the realization that his god was speaking directly to him.  He instantly collapsed to his knees and bowed forward until his forehead touched the hard ground.  “I feel destined for great deeds
, yet I do not have the resources for more ambitious campaigns.  I cannot even subdue this simple valley kingdom of Dali with the men I have.”

“Men are drawn to success like moths to a flame,” the radiant flame instructed.  “Complete this conquest and the ranks under your banner will know no end.”

Kublai raised his head from the ground and sat back on his legs.  He shook his head and flailed his arms at his sides in bewilderment.  “How?”

At that moment three swords sliced through the exterior of his tent to make a
seven foot tall doorway where twelve enormous hounds ducked through to occupy the bedchamber.  The sudden sight of these titanic hellhounds nearly caused Kublai to lose control of his bowels.  Were they here to kill him or help him?

“My warriors will show you the way and win this war for you,” The divine spirit stated with all the certainty of a player declaring checkmate in chess.  “Prepare your men for an all out assault.  The walls will not be an obstacle for long.”

“Thy will be done,” Kublai said as he bowed to the ground once more and then rose to his feet to make ready his battle plans.

In the faint morning light, Kublai sat upon his horse in full dress armor at the head of his army.  The anxiety among the men was almost a tangible force pressing behind him.  His veteran soldiers knew warfare well enough to realize a full frontal assault on the stout barricade walls was suicide.  In fact, they had attempted it several weeks before with devastating results and no gain.  Would the men follow his lead again if he gave the order to charge?  Despite his divine consultation the night before, Kublai Khan quietly harbored doubts.

He
looked to the west and shook his head at the towering cliff face.  That impenetrable wall of stone ran along the valley’s border for hundreds of miles and was the single reason for his inability to conquer the territory.  He cursed its existence every day he spent encamped in its shadow.  Just then, subtle movements among the shadows of the sheer rock face caught his attention.  A closer inspection revealed a cluster of those seven foot hound warriors scaling the cliffs with admirable strength and agility. 

Kublai and his commanders
had, of course, looked at having a strike team climb the rock face to come over the forty foot high defensive wall and open the gate.  The action was dismissed as impossible due to the difficulty of the climb.  Even the best and most daring climbers among them said if they had all day and tools they could make it, but attempting the climb at night with no tools was suicide. 

Now, these seven foot hounds of his god made the impossible climb look effortless.  They clung to handholds barely visible to the naked eye.  If no adequate hold was there, the beasts simply used their claws to dig into the solid rock.  Even twenty foot wide gaps were easily leap
t across with all the effort a man might use to step across a tiny stream. 

These warriors were magnificent, but there were only twelve of them. 
Their meager numbers were hardly enough to mount a competent attack on the wall and gate house protected by several hundred soldiers.  Still, Kublai Khan had faith in his god’s plan as he watched the warriors descend from the cliff face onto the wall.

Seconds later
he saw the body of a soldier launched ten feet into the air come flailing over the wall and crash to the ground with a wet thud.  In rapid succession three more bodies plummeted to their death from on top as the hounds made their way towards the first gate house at a frightening pace.

All across the wall Kublai heard warning bells begin t
o ring along with loud shouts calling men to arms.  Now would be the true test.  It was one thing to surprise a few guards, it was quite another to overtake an organized defense that was well aware of an intrusion.

From his vantage point Kublai Khan could not see much, but he did observe a cluster of spears forming a phalanx against the hound warriors.  When the two forces met, six hounds
suddenly used the backs of their fellow warriors to leap fifteen feet into the air and land at the rear of the prickly spear formation.  From both directions the warriors savaged the defenders in a chorus of growls and howls mixed in with the death wails of men. 

The cr
uel scene ran a cold shudder up the spine of Kublai as he watched dismembered body parts rain down from on high.  Nothing the defenders did seemed to matter: spears, shields, swords, bows.  Nothing did much to even slow down, let alone stop, the onslaught from these magnificent warriors of his god.

Shrieks
of terror and death rolled all the way across the wall until the gatehouse was reached.  A few short minutes later the doors were in the process of opening.

Kublai Khan felt his entire body come alive with aggression.  He drew his sword
, pointed it toward the now porous defenses of the enemy and yelled, “Charge!” with the utmost confidence his order would be followed by even his most doubtful veteran.  The Kingdom of Dali was his this day, and greater prizes would follow, perhaps even the great Song Dynasty of China.  Who could stop him now that he had the backing of his god and his hounds of war?

Professor Russell awoke
to find himself lying comfortably on his side atop a firm cot.  He opened his eyes for a horizontal view of a cinder block room painted floor to ceiling in brilliant white that amplified the light from a bare bulb fixture hanging down from the middle of the ceiling.  The only notable feature of the room was a metal table with four chairs around it dominating the center.  He drew a deep breath before sitting up straight and leaning his back against the wall.

Brian looked over to where his head used to face and saw Alex also sitting upright on a
separate cot and staring back at him.  “Funny, I remember recently getting out of captivity.”

Alex nodded with a silent laugh, “The door is locked, I already checked. 
Like you said back in the tunnel, out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

“Any idea who the cooks are tending the flames thi
s time around?” the Professor asked hoping he had slept through some profound revelation that Alex could recount for his benefit.  A sideways frown and a shake of her head dashed those hopes.

“All I remember is gunfire and waking up here about a half hour ago with you snoring next to me.”

“I don’t snore,” Brian said feigning great offense.

Alex glanced to the upper right corner near the door
with her eyes where a security camera surveyed the room.  “I’ll bet they have it on tape if you don’t believe me.”

Professor Russell accepted the mood lightening humor with a gracious smile.  “I can’t say it will be the first thing I ask our captors, or abductors, or rescuers
perhaps?  After the week we’ve had I could see just about anything and not be surprised.”

He then looked
straight at the camera and waved his arms from side to side over his head to draw the attention of anyone monitoring the video feed.  He then repeatedly rolled his arms toward his chest inviting whoever controlled the room to come talk to them.  “Come on, you have us here.  Let’s talk.”

A few minutes later the offer was accepted.  A frenzy of footsteps and a teeth rattling squeak of wheels needing oil came to a stop immediately
outside the room’s single locked door.  The knob gently turned and the door opened into the room with a gentle nudge, and then the squeaky wheels belonging to a metal cart entered the room.

Pushing the cart along was an oriental man dressed in pure white clothes that someone working in a hotel room service kitchen might wear.  The diminutive individual placed two trays full of sandwich meat, cheese and bread along with four bottles of water on the table
.  With his duties complete, the man wheeled his cart out of the room without a word spoken.

A moment later t
wo Asian men, who also lacked height, but made up for it with muscle mass, stepped into the room.  These men both wore dark suits with pristine white shirts and solid black ties; they definitely did not work in the food service industry. 

One of them
, whose hair was beginning to turn salt and pepper on top, stepped around the table and extended his right hand in greeting.  “Professor Brian Russell, it is an absolute pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

Brian did not know which was more surprising to him, the fact that the man knew his name or how well he spoke English.  His speech patterns were overly formal and mechanical, but the words themselves were flawlessly pronounced.

The professor and Alex exchanged a look that seemed to say, ‘what do we have to lose?’  With that decided between them, Brian accepted the handshake on the way to his feet.  “I would like to say the same, but I don’t know who you are or the circumstances of our captivity.”

The blunt statement did not faze the man in the least.  He graciously opened his formal stance backwards and gestured toward the table full of food.  “You are our honored guests.  Please join me for lunch so that we may get to know one another.”

“You expect us to eat food from the people who just drugged and abducted us at gunpoint?” Alex defiantly snapped.

Again
, the man’s calm composure did not falter.  He stepped around the table, took a seat and began assembling his own sandwich from the ingredients provided. “Alex, I believe it is?  No guns were ever pointed at the two of you.  Besides, if the intent was to keep the two of you sedated, then you would be so right now rather than awake and in these accommodating surroundings.  Now please, join me.”

Brian accepted the logic and took a seat across from the stranger and Alex soon joined them.  The other suited man stayed back and silently stood sentry by the door.

“So...who are you?” Professor Russell finally asked after stacking together a sandwich of his own and taking a few greedy drinks of water.

“You may call me Chin,” the man began.  “That is of course not my real name, but Chin is the Chinese equivalent to Smith in the United States
and therefore works well for me.  For the moment I work with the Chinese ambassador to Egypt, at least I have for the last few months since your research project arrived in this country.”

“Chinese?” Professor Russell repeated.  “Why in the world is China interested in my research into Egyptian landmarks
, let alone enough to murder US service men to kidnap us?”

Chin looked ready to respond
, but politely held back until he finished chewing his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin.  “Rescued is the word you should be using, not abducted or kidnapped or any other synonym.  Those service men and operative of the United States government were en route to lock you away for the rest of your lives in some unmarked safe house, were they not?”

Professor Russell was ne
ver any good at playing poker. He thoroughly failed to mask his surprise at how well informed Chin was about their circumstance.  “I did hear the word ‘indefinitely’ mentioned when the agent in charge had us loaded into the vehicle.  How did you know that, and why was it any of your concern?”

Chin held up a finger as he finished taking a drink from his
water bottle.  When he spoke again it was with a matter of fact tone.  “Where to begin?” 

Chin paused for a moment
, but seemed to quickly find his place.  “The potential application of your sonic density triangulation technology in my country has had my eye for quite some time.  While I patiently waited to see how effective your mapping of the monuments in the Giza plateau turned out, I became quite concerned when the two of you turned up missing.  You simply vanished without a trace leaving all of your expensive equipment out and about for anyone to take.”

Chin,
having noticed a furrow cross Brian’s brow at the implied theft of his research equipment, addressed the issue up front.  “Yes, your ground sensors and helicopter mounted emitter are in my possession.  It would have been a shame to lose such valuable equipment to commoners who knew nothing of its uncommon potential.”

“Thank you for safeguarding my property, I’d like to have them back now please,” Professor Russell jumped in before Chin could move the conversation away from the topic.

“Of course, in due time of course you will have your property back,” Chin backpedaled.  “In the meantime, my concern for your safety grew even more pronounced when an NSA agent turned up at the location accompanied by a Special Forces team under ‘strict’ supervision by the Egyptian military.  Somehow they managed to reproduce your experiment; probably stole your designs from the patent office.  Your country’s National Security Agency is quite powerful and would certainly have no difficulty accomplishing that espionage.”

“Since they used it to find us I can’t say I’m that offended,” Alex
responded in defense of her beloved government.

“Me either,” Brian added, “
and I find your accusation quite ironic considering how loosely your government treats intellectual property laws.”

“Be that as it may,” Chin continued.  “Clearly they found something since the strike team immediately got into their
vehicles and headed for that warehouse district to raid a tiny building of seemingly no importance.  Then a few hours later they come back out with the two of you.  A rather curious chain of events don’t you think?  Would you mind telling me what is inside that little building, and what you found on those sonic density readings to lead you there?”

“In fact I would mind,” Professor Russell declared by tossing the remnants of his sandwich down, pushing the plate away and defiantly crossing his arms over his chest.  “Now I will ask you again, how did you know where we were being taken, and why did you murder the men transporting us there?”

“I knew because this is not my first run in with my NSA counterparts,” Chin quickly responded.  “The moment I saw the Egyptian military observer being pushed around at gunpoint, I knew the two of you would be taken to their holding facility out in the suburbs.  The place exists outside your government’s knowledge or laws so you could be detained there...‘indefinitely’ I believe was the word you recited earlier.”

“Okay, that covers
how you knew, now why is it your business?” Brian insisted.

“Other than the satisfaction of
helping my fellow man, the self-serving answer is I need your help,” Chin admitted.  “As an archeologist, I am sure you are already aware that hundreds of man-made earthen pyramids dot my nation’s countryside.  It is of great importance that you help our team of archeologists use your techniques to see what lies beneath the surface of these magnificent structures.  Some, I hear, are significantly larger than even the great pyramids of Giza.”

“You could have simply asked me for help,” Brian began
, but was cut short by Alex springing to her feet.

“No.  No, oh hell no,” Alex declared while looking at Professor Russell and then focused her menacing glare
back on Chin who remained casually seated.  “Piss off.  You murdered four of my countrymen, you get no help from us.  Now hand over our equipment and let us out of here.”

“I can do that,” Chin said quietly. “I can release you to fend for yourselves against a team of Navy SEALs with a mind to aveng
e their fallen brothers in arms or the NSA and their vast resources.  I must say though, you did not fare very well against them the first time around.  I see it ending no better in round two without my assistance.”

“What is the alternative, betray my country and work for you?” Alex fired back.

Chin looked toward Brian to be the voice of reason, but the professor simply glowered back with his arms still crossed.  “She has a point.”

“
Telling me what your readings found in the Giza plateau or what happened inside that tiny building might be considered betraying your country,” Chin stated.  “I am simply asking you to lead an archeological research team to map the inside of these ancient Chinese pyramids.  What happened here to cause the NSA to try and detain you indefinitely is really not my concern.  I am certainly curious about that whole affair, but it has nothing to do with my request.”

For the first time in the conversation, Chin actually became animated.  He snapped his arm forward and pushed his index finger into the table
right in front of Professor Russell to accentuate his point.  “This is your profession and quite possibly the opportunity of a lifetime.  It is here, right now, being offered to you with no strings attached.  How long did you have to wait to be allowed onto the Giza plateau with your equipment? Five years?”

“Six,” Professor Russell correct
ed while mentally picturing himself and Alex mapping the pyramids across the countryside of China.  It was an almost irresistible offer.

“If I let you walk out the front door of this embassy, not only does this opportunity slip away, but you will be taken by the NSA.  Then you will likely never have the chance to do research, or even see the light of day again,” Chin added.  “You saw how easily they were able to operate in this country.  Believe me when I tell you, it is like that the world over because most countries are weak, but not China.  We have the resources and
the will to resist their overtures and repel their attempts at kidnapping and espionage.  You will be safe working with us doing archeological research that is your life’s pursuit.”

Alex took a few deep, calming breaths through her nose
and eventually sat down once more.  Her conflicted emotions showed through her eyes plain as day.  She was also tempted by the offer, but did not for a second trust the man extending it; Brian could certainly identify with the line of thinking.

Chin no doubt got the same read of the situation.  “
Let me step out of the room for a while and allow the two of you to discuss the merits of my offer in private.”

After the two Chinese officials took their leave, Alex was the first to speak her mind.  “I don’t care if they’ve fed us and now offer to let us go, I don’t trust them.  Not for a second.”

“Neither do I, but realistically what choice do we have?” Brian asked.  “The way I see it, the worst case scenario is our equipment finds something in those Chinese pyramids that makes these people hide us away just like the NSA is trying to do.”

“Or they will just sho
ot us in the head out in the Chinese countryside,” Alex objected.