Stones: Theory (Stones #4) (20 page)

One could say such a connection is the ultimate function of a Stone.

To be a universal connector.

But connection is the easy part. The problem is knowing what her mind will connect to.

Jhata prepares herself to enter and instantly jump away.

Gripping the Stone tightly in her mind’s eye with her right hand, she slowly stretches out her left hand and brushes the surface of the tube. It’s warm and soft. One by one, her fingers wrap around it. Tentatively, she begins to open her mind to the interior, letting it leak through slowly, and using the Stone to form a protective barrier so that she can instantly jump away if danger appears.

Her first impression is instant awareness of the billions of nodes connected to the planet’s surface, each one empty and waiting for prey to fall into its jaws. Little by little, she pushes into the network until she is fully inside. It pulls her along its pathways through one nexus after another. A sense of danger gives way to unfettered freedom of movement. Her rate of motion is instantaneous. Light speed is a snail’s pace in comparison.

As she travels through the network, random turns and branches pop into view.

She takes them all, making one complete circuit, and then does it again before ejecting from the system.

Jhata has to admit that this planet-sized computing device is an impressive achievement.

How did the Lethonen ever find it? Who built it? She may never know. And it doesn’t really matter.

The simple fact is that it now belongs to her.

Ryzaard won’t be able to stop her from taking it over. He must have known this. Only pure desperation would have forced him to reveal it to her.

Based on what she’s seen, Ryzaard’s plan for using the network is sound. The right kind of implant will connect the minds of an entire planetary population to the network.

Whoever controls the network will have complete control of the minds.

Jhata has seen all that she needs to see.

Her job is a simple one.

Create an implant that instantly links with the human mind and connects it to both the Earth’s Mesh and the planetary network she’s been exploring.

There is one more matter to be handled.

A hunch.

The Lethonen would never have introduced Ryzaard to the planetary network unless they themselves had found a master control node from which they could control everything connected to it, including Ryzaard.

All Jhata needs to do is find the control node.

And sever it.

R
yzaard peers over Diego’s shoulder.

The young man turns around. “While you were gone, we got some interesting readings on the location algorithm.” He moves his fingers across the bluescreen on the wall. “The two Stones at the YMCA just down the street look like they’ve been switching on and off. Take a look.”

“I’m not surprised,” Ryzaard says. “I paid them a visit a couple of hours ago just to have a look.”

“You did?” Diego stares up.

Ryzaard nods. “I’m sure it shook them up. They’re confused, not sure what to do. They’ve put the Stones back in the little box, and then taken them out again. Several times.” He yawns. “It’s Alexa’s problem, not mine. If she can’t deliver them to me, then it will come out of her hide. But keep tracking them. Let me know if the location changes.” Ryzaard yawns again. “I’ll be in my quarters getting some rest.”

“Did you hear the latest on Miyazawa?”

Ryzaard stops. “Tell me.”

“He’s accelerating the American campaign. He wants it done in less than a week. Making all sorts of unreasonable demands on his people.” Diego picks up a slate and starts looking at it. “Sounds like your plan is working. He’s gone off the deep end. Got a real god complex.”

“Glad to hear it,” Ryzaard says. “Exactly what we were planning for. Where is he right now?”

“From what Jing-wei told me, he spends most of his time in the air in his transport. I hear he sleeps there too, forcing the crew to refuel while flying. Hardly ever comes down. They say he thinks that
Kami
shouldn’t pollute themselves by letting their feet touch the ground.”

Ryzaard lets a smirk play on his lips. “See that I’m not disturbed. Now that everything is falling into place, I need a long sleep.”

He walks to the stairs and vanishes.

Diego stares at the location algorithm on the screen. The green light goes on again, showing the two Stones are on and functioning at the YMCA location. His eyes are glued to the screen for another five minutes until the light goes off.

Shall I call Ryzaard?

He decides against it. After all, it’s just more of the same. Besides, he’s feeling tired himself. The old man has a good idea.

Get some sleep.

“D
id you get it?” Matt comes back up to the surface and takes a deep breath as he emerges from the claustrophobic nightmare of opening himself to Yarah so she can access his Stone. It’s the third time tonight. No matter how many times he does it, it’s hard getting used to the feeling of being stuffed in a box and held under water.

Yarah opens her eyes. “Got it. It works so much better when I add your Stone to mine. Like a power boost.” She stands. “Alexa’s drug must have worn off. Her mind is an open book. I’ve been through it and found out where Ryzaard’s team is.”

Matt flips the lid on the cloaking box open. “They’re in the short building down the street without any windows, right?” The glowing Stones instantly go black. He turns to put some final items in a medium-sized backpack. “What about Ryzaard himself?”

“He lives on the top level, just below the roof. Sleeps in a small room on the northwest corner. The other levels of the building are for the other members of the team.” Yarah’s face drifts up to the ceiling and she closes her eyes, recalling the images she has just seen in Alexa’s mind. “A science lab is near the top. Lots of soldiers live in the bottom. The whole building is transparent on the inside. Walls and floors are made of glass.”

“Anything else?”

“Ryzaard looks different,” Yarah says. “He got younger. His shirt and pants can change colors. He has seven Stones and wears them in a weird necklace around his neck.”

“I knew he had a makeover. Younger. Stronger.” Matt closes the backpack and stood up. “What about Jessica? Any idea where he’s holding her?”

Yarah shakes her head slowly. “That’s what I was looking for, but Alexa hasn’t seen her and has no idea where she is. She doesn’t even know Ryzaard took her.”

“What is Alexa planning to do with us?”

“She promised Ryzaard to hand us over. He’s supposed to stop chasing her and killing her family in return.” Yarah picks up a small backpack and slips it on. “That’s her original plan, but she’s not sure what she’s really going to do.”

“What do you mean?” Matt throws on the backpack.

Yarah gets a puzzled look on her face. “She likes us, and she hates Ryzaard and what he’s doing. She hates herself for betraying us. I guess she’s just confused.”

Matt nods. “Anything else?” It’s hard to have sympathy for Alexa when she’s toying with the idea of handing them over to be killed.

“Yeah,” Yarah says. “Just before I pulled out, I left Alexa and wandered around the minds inside the new MX Global headquarters.”

Matt looks up, slightly alarmed. “But you stayed away from Ryzaard, right?”

“Yep. I could feel him there, but I kept far away. I found one of the men that work for him. I think his name is Kalani. His mind was the easiest to see. Wide open. It sort of sucked me in. I couldn’t help it.”

“Anything interesting?”

“He knows everything about the Mesh,” Yarah says. “And his mind is full of secret codes and stuff. He must be a computer expert. Just before I pulled out, he was working on a slate. I saw him reset the building entrance codes.”

Matt’s eyes grow large. “The entrance codes?” He goes on his knees in front of Yarah so he can look her in the eye. “Did you see them?”

The little girl’s gaze drops down and she nods her head. “He’s supposed to change them every few hours, but he’s only doing it once a day now. He’s kind of lazy.”

“Can you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“The codes.” Matt’s voice turns to a whisper. “The codes to get in the building.”

“Yeah,” Yarah says. “Once I see something, I never forget it.”

“You’re a genius.” Matt grabs a disposable jax and slips it in his pocket. Then he picks up the cloaking box and stuffs it in another pocket with the lid
open
. His eyes sweep the room to see if he’s missing anything. A small pulse rifle that Jessica brought from the mountains is standing up in the corner. He walks to it and picks it up. “We might need this.” He stuffs it in an outside loop on the backpack. “Let’s go. We won’t be coming back here.”

“Oh, yeah,” Yarah says. “There’s one more thing I forgot to tell you.”

Matt kneels down beside her. “You’re always full of good news. What’s up?”

“Ryzaard’s going to sleep for the next few hours.” Yarah yawns. “He doesn’t want anyone to disturb him while he’s resting.”

Matt stands and they both walk to the door. “Is that right?” His eyes swing past a clock on the wall. “Well, it might be past his bedtime, but I don’t think he’s going to sleep very well tonight.”

J
essica makes the last drop a meter to the bottom of the cliff face and lands on the balls of her sore feet. She instantly stoops down and cradles them in her hands while venturing a glance back up to the top. She is relieved when she sees that no one is staring down.

She thinks for a minute about Matt. By now, he will know she is missing. He will guess that Ryzaard has jumped into the room and taken her. She knows what will happen next, as surely as she feels the cuts on her toes. A tingle runs the length of her spine.

Matt will go after Ryzaard.

Surely, Ryzaard knows this. The more she thinks about it, the more it smells like a trap.

Don’t think about it.

Ripping cloth strips off her pants, she ties them around her feet, wincing at the pain but grateful that she hadn’t been wearing shorts when she went to sleep. Her only regret was that she hadn’t tied the strips to her feet
before
making the descent.

The sun is dropping near the horizon. It looks like mostly even ground between her and the village she saw from the top of the cliff. If she hurries, she might be able to make it there before dark. Then what?

That’s a question for later. Jessica jumps to her feet and takes off across the prairie landscape.

The sun drops below the horizon faster than she thinks. By the time she stumbles past the first low mud huts on the outskirts of the village, she can feel the throbbing rush of blood pushed by her pulse into her toes. In the dusk, she can see that her feet are swollen and red. Like it or not, she will have to find a place to rest.

She limps another hundred meters into the village and sits with her back to the wall of the nearest building. From the low lights visible through the openings of the huts, it appears that most of the villagers are inside. A few move between buildings with bulging skins or pots. Some look like they are carrying large flat disks, perhaps dried animal dung for burning. That might account for the brown smoke and the heavy smell of moss mixed with coal that hangs in the air.