Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) (14 page)

Chapter 21

Sam

Tokyo, Japan

I pull my black Porsche 911 Turbo S through the garage door of a dark, vacant warehouse. It’s tucked away discreetly among other run-down warehouses.

My eyes move above the top corner of the garage roller bay door. I focus on a lens and camera. I pull my hand off of the steering wheel and wave. The garage door rises immediately. A soft amber glow crawls from the opening onto the dark, wet concrete outside of the building. I pull in and notice Corinna Cain’s metallic-red 2011 Lotus Elise.

The warehouse is a building with stacks upon stacks of large cardboard boxes. It’s the perfect cover for Sondians that need to remain hidden.

I walk into an office beyond the parked cars. An older man is sitting at the desk with two younger men flanking him on either side. All three men nod at me.

Hiro and his two sons, Katsuro and Koji, are the Sondian guardians that run the warehouse operation during the day. Importing and exporting cars is the cover business to keep the common public satisfied while the company’s inner workings remain private.

At night, Hiro, Katsuro, and Koji run the infamous club, Womb, which is the perfect breeding ground for new Sondians, especially the type that Michael Sanderson has been pushing for. He said that all new Sondians need to be people of influence—politicians, diplomats, and ambassadors.

Sanderson is smart and always thinking ahead. There needs to be as many Sondians in governing positions as soon as possible before the intersection, considering mundane human civilians create chaos among the masses. The Dobrians already have many guardians in high governing positions globally, so we’re playing a bit of catch up, if you ask me.

Hiro, Katsuro, and Koji are the only remaining Sondian guardians from the cell that survived the Dobrian attack three months ago.

The explosion took the lives of both Sondian and Dobrian units, but they escaped before it occurred. For the public’s sake, it was very easy to blame the explosion of their old warehouse on the earthquake that rocked Kyoto. The wormhole that the Sondians opened had been open for hours before the Dobrians shut it permanently. That was what caused the quake.

Hiro pushes a button under his desk. There’s an audible click, coming from the run-down rickety refrigerator in the room. I walk over to the refrigerator, and the unit swings away from the wall, revealing a metal door.

I open the door to a set of stairs in a dark passage. The only light is the floor lighting lining both sides of the small stairway that descends deeper into this converted multi-level basement.

I nod to all three men, and the door and unit slowly fall back into place behind me. I turn to head deeper into the basement and stop when I hear the thumping of music. It sounds like it’s coming from the lower-level basement.

I snicker to myself, thinking about the fiery redhead that is probably playing it, and then I descend the stairs. At the bottom of the stairwell, I open another door, revealing the apartment. It encompasses all of the luxuries that I have been accustomed to—lush leather furnishings, a mixture of slate and wood flooring, and modern eccentric accessories throughout.

I head to the kitchen and open the glass double doors of the refrigerator. I pull out a bottle of water, open it, and take a sip.

The loud music suddenly stops, causing my heart to jump a little because I sense that she knows I’m here. I close the refrigerator door slowly, keeping my hand on the handle. I set the water down on the counter, fold my arms over my chest, and listen closely. I hear a door open and shut softly. My eyes quickly scan the open living area, darting methodically to try and catch her.

I chuckle softly. “So, you want to play, huh? Alright, I’m game.”

My movements through the kitchen change from the slow and cautious actions of prey to quick-as-lightning predator as I scan for Corinna. Ever since the first day she arrived, my senses have been heightened when it comes to Corinna.

* * *

I remembered arriving at the warehouse a week before Corinna arrived. The last contact with Balthazar occurred during a lucid dream. He said it was very urgent and that I needed to get out of Miami immediately. There was a breach in the chain of command within our fellowship, and I was in danger. I had questions, but Balthazar refused to answer any of them. He told me the questions would be answered when I was safe and well hidden in Tokyo.

I was greeted by four men at the warehouse. Three men I did not recognize, and the other, Michael Sanderson, I had met in Miami once.

Michael had come to Miami to discuss Ezra Kahn and Jesca Gershon-Sera. He said he needed the two of them to be watched. They’d become a threat to Balthazar and the fellowship.

I remembered Balthazar telling me on numerous occasions that Michael was the backbone of the fellowship and to always trust him.

I shook each of their hands firmly, and without a word, all of us entered the warehouse.

Michael looked distraught. “Sam, I know you were probably expecting Balthazar. The fellowship has been compromised.”

I asked, “Has something happened to Balthazar?”

Michael said, “He has turned on the fellowship, Sam. He’s been assisting the Dobrians. Before the implantation of Corinna Cain, Balthazar attacked us. He held the surgeons hostage. He was babbling on and on about Sebastian and him working together against the Sondians to take control of the invasion on Earth after the intersection. At first, I couldn’t believe what he was saying. Then, he shot one of the surgeons to get our attention. I couldn’t stand down and watch this happen. He was trying to destroy everything we had built. Too much of our fellowship was at stake. I attacked and subdued him. We stripped him of his implant and returned him here to Earth. We have been watching him, Sam, and he is working with Sebastian. We are getting intelligence, which has proven that his loyalty has shifted to the Dobrian fellowship.”

All I could think about were the many times Balthazar came to me in dreams, telling me what needed to be done. I tried to make logical sense out of all the decisions Balthazar had made about things during the past few months.

“But, why would he want me to send Alexander to track Ezra Kahn and Jesca Gershon-Sera?”

Michael answered, “You were made to think that you were tracking them, but in Balthazar’s mind, you were warning them, alerting them that it was time Ezra took Jesca underground and into hiding until she was ready to be a guardian. Balthazar used you and Alexander to warn them.”

My mind was still working. I tried to justify the loyalty I had held for Balthazar throughout the years and wondered when the illusion had begun.

“What about the abduction of Corinna Cain? He praised me for her capture.”

Michael looked at Hiro and then back at me. “Sam, Corinna was the bait to draw Jesca and Ezra to you and Alexander.”

I looked down briefly, remembering Jesca coming after Corinna and me at Club Helion, which was known as Club Meridian back then. I recalled hearing Ezra, Jesca, and Nate coming down the hall toward my office with Alexander just before I escaped out the back door with Corinna. She was the bait. I shook my head in disbelief at how easily I had been played by Balthazar.

Hiro spoke. “We have all been misled, Sam, but now we know the truth. Michael has taken over as leader of our fellowship.”

Michael nodded. “Sam, Balthazar has disclosed your location to Sebastian and the Dobrian guardians. Do you know what team will be coming for you? Ezra Kahn, Jesca Gershon-Sera, Nathaniel Sera, and the other guardians they have trained with. They might go after Alexander as well.”

I shook my head, denying that Alexander could be manipulated by them. “I have been checking in on Alexander. He is staying in a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. I visited him just to make sure he’s coming around.”

Michael cocked his head. “Is he coming around, Sam?”

Irritated by Michael’s tone, I snapped back at him. “Yes! He will come around.”

Michael let the discussion go, knowing that it was a touchy subject for me.

“Sam, they will try to close the opening of the wormhole between the two sites, Mt. Fuji and Aokigahara Forest. I need to know that you’ll do everything in your power to take them down when they come to stop you, Corinna, and the rest of our fellowship.”

It pissed me off that Michael was questioning my ability. “My loyalty is to the Sondian fellowship, not to Balthazar. I will take them down without hesitation.”

* * *

I see a streak of red hair from the corner of my right eye. I astral project to the fireplace and grab hold of a metal poker leaning against the hearth. Before I grab it, I happen to notice that one is already missing.

Damn, she’s getting faster.

I stalk around the living room, watching for her. I can feel the vibration of her heart within my chest, so I know she is close.

* * *

When she arrived, I was reviewing files on three Dobrian guardians—Siobhan Cronin, Angela Turner, and Isabel Cain. I was looking over the files when a cool, electric feeling grazed the skin on my arms and briefly touched my face. It had been a while since I traveled via wormhole, but it wasn’t long enough to forget the telltale sign of a wormhole piercing through our world.

My eyes scanned the room to search for the premature symptoms of a wormhole. The most typical signs were when a corner of the room looked dull or colorless where the vortex was forming or when the distortion or curve appeared on a physical object, such as a sofa or television. The distortion and curve were not appearing on a physical object. Rather, they were in the thin air, preceding the object.

I found it easier to spy the premature symptoms with an animate object during the wake of the vortex. Sitting on the sofa, I focused on the wall directly across from me. The distortion was slight at first as a grainy appearance prefaced the brick wall. The graininess intensified, and then the convex distortion began spreading from a single brick to the entire surface of the wall.

Within seconds, Michael, another man, and Corinna materialized, transforming from vaporous apparitions to substantial material life forms. Corinna was in Sanderson’s arms. Her head lolled against his chest. A cloud of thick red curls shielded her face.

I don’t remember her hair being that curly.

Sanderson quietly introduced the other man as Reid Patterson, a physician and trusted Sondian board member. Michael and Reid eyed the stairwell to the other level of the apartment. I led them down to the nearest bedroom on the lower level of the apartment.

Michael quickly laid Corinna on the bed, and Reid opened his duffle bag, pulling out medication for Corinna.

Her hair fell over the pillow. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was relaxed and slacked open slightly. I couldn’t help but look at her closely. All of her features seemed to be more intense for some reason. Her cheeks were flushed. Her hair was a fiery bright red, and her lashes brushed against her cheekbones. Her lips were full and natural with a hint of pink. Her skin was fair before, but now, it was like exquisite porcelain. Everything about her seemed to appear more intense and appealing to me.

What the hell was I saying?

I folded my arms across my chest and began to pace, keeping my eyes on her the entire time. “What’s wrong with her?”

Reid pulled up Corinna’s sleeve and wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her arm. “We gave her a small sedative for travel. She was a little agitated.” Reid looked to Michael for help on the description.

Michael snickered, jerking the collar of his shirt open to reveal a bloody scratch. “She’s a feisty one.”

I laughed a little, raising my eyebrows. “Well, at least she didn’t lose that feisty attitude I love so much.”

Corinna started to stir. Her eyes lazily opened.

Reid quickly put restraints on her.

I thought, They’re using restraints. Are they planning on leaving her with me to train? No way!

Reid sensed my apprehension. “Sam, she has been through a week of evaluations, both mentally and physically. She is completely sane. It’s just a precaution due to her fiery nature.” Reid pointed to Michael’s neck as justification.

As soon as Michael saw her eyes flicker with life, he moved away from Corinna sheepishly. I couldn’t help but wonder what Michael might have done to provoke her. My possessive nature took over as I eyed Michael’s exchange and reaction to Corinna. He wouldn’t meet my heavy gaze, so I moved toward Corinna.

I couldn’t explain it, but I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. Like, she was mine to protect and train. I sat softly on the bed next to her. I was still on alert just in case she lunged at me, but I moved closer to her. When she felt the shift of the bed, Corinna’s heavy eyelids opened, her steel-blue eyes darting from Reid to Michael to me.

Instinctively, I tried to hush her and calm her anxiety. I asked both men, “Does she remember me?”

Reid whispered, “She should. We have spent the last week conditioning her to know that you were the one who saved her from Jesca, Ezra, and the other Dobrians. The conditioning went much deeper with this one. There was a lot of Dobrian baggage to unload and eliminate.”

Michael continued, “We implanted the altered Copula that I mentioned to you. The Copula has also been configured and coded so that she will have the ability to link with a fellow Sondian.”