Area 51: The Legend (29 page)

Still Aspasia’s Shadow did not leave the tube.

It could not be good news. That was a strange revelation that slowly seeped through Aspasia’s Shadow’s thoughts. An awareness he had been coming to for millennia. There was no positive outcome to all of this for him. At best, Aspasia, once he took the reins of this planet and these people, would allow his Shadow access to the Grail and a place on his council. At worst, Aspasia would dispatch him as a tool that had served its purpose and now was no longer needed.

Aspasia’s Shadow roused himself from these morbid thoughts and climbed out of the deep sleep tube. He slipped on a heavy wool robe and left the deep sleep chamber. He descended to the chamber that held the guardian computer that had been deposited there, like Aspasia’s Shadow, so many years ago.

As soon as he entered the chamber, Aspasia’s Shadow had a good idea what was wrong: The golden surface of the computer was glowing vibrantly. He walked to the alien machine and placed his hands on it.

The Master Guardian was active. Which meant that someone had unsheathed Excalibur—the sword that was so much more than simply a sword. Throughout the hundreds of thousands of years of war against the Swarm, the Airlia had, naturally, lost many worlds and ships to their enemy. Guardian computers, including system masters, had also been captured. Because of this the Airlia had learned to safeguard their computer systems. The sword transmitted an authorization code that allowed the Master Guardian to power up and link with all subordinate guardian computers. But the sheath blocked the transmission, allowing someone far away from the Master Guardian to keep it shut down. There was also a destruct built into Excalibur that could be triggered, resulting in the complete cleansing of all memory data in the Master Guardian and subordinate guardians and shuttingthem down forever. This destruct code was something that had
not
been transmitted to Aspasia’s Shadow from Aspasia.

There was something else built into Excalibur.

Aspasia’s Shadow had his guardian link with the Master Guardian and then routed his inquiry to the guardian on Mars and sensors built into the base there, which were oriented toward Earth. Aspasia’s Shadow could “see” the surface of Earth and a small red dot. He increased the image, zeroing in on it until he recognized the location.

Aspasia’s Shadow stepped back from the guardian computer, cutting the connection. He had a long journey ahead.

QIAN-LING
, CHINA

Ts’ang Chieh, once known to the outside world as adviser to the Great Emperor ShiHuangdi, ruler of China and all the known world, came out of the deep sleep with more vigor than Aspasia’s Shadow. He had been born of a slave girl in the royal court and been taught to obey without question his entire life. So great was his obsession with duty to ShiHuangdi that he had been brought into the elite inner circle of those who knew the true nature of the First Emperor. For ShiHuangdi was not a human, but rather Artad, consolidating his power in this part of the world so he could rest in peace as the Atlantis Truce wore on.

Ts’ang Chieh was delayed slightly after getting out of the tube by the necessary ritual of donning the full regalia of his office as the voice of the Emperor. Once all the accouterments were in place he paused and turned toward a shimmering black wall that bisected the large chamber in which his deep sleep tube was located. He bowed toward the wall, for he knew on the other side of the power field lay Artad and the rest of the Airlia, who were in the deep sleep.

Ts’ang Chieh then left the chamber and went to where Artad’s guardian computer was located. He immediately noticed the same thing that Aspasia’s Shadow had—that the computer was active. Placing both hands on the shimmering, golden surface, Ts’ang Chieh accessed the alien device.

Excalibur was unsheathed.

Ts’ang Chieh crossed the chamber to another control panel. He passed his hands over it and a series of hexagonals were backlit with High Runes written on them. Ts’ang Chieh tapped out a sequence on the hexagonals. A holographic image of Earth appeared in the air above the control panel. A small red dot flashed on the screen.

Ts’ang Chieh sighed. He had received a report from one of the Ones Who Wait that Excalibur, along with the Grail, had been removed from Giza long ago. The Human-Airlia clones that Artad had left on the planet’s surface to look after his interests had tried to keep track of both artifacts just as Aspasia’s Shadow had. And had lost track of both for a while, until they learned by torturing a Watcher that both were located at Watcher headquarters in Avalon, where the glowing red dot indicated Excalibur was still situated.

Ts’ang Chieh pondered this for a while.

He was not concerned about the Watchers. Foolish humans meddling in things beyond their comprehension. But he knew that Aspasia’s Shadow would now also know the location of the key—something that heretofore had escaped him.

Action had to be taken.

Ts’ang Chieh briefly contemplated waking Artad, but decided he could handle this matter. He left the guardian chamber and went to another room inside the huge mountain lair. In the room was a deep sleep tube and inside of it a human body—a spectacular specimen, over six and a half feet tall with thick black hair. The red eyes, though, were nothuman, but Airlia, a defect that Artad had been working on but not quite fixed. They were vacant, showing no sign of intelligence. The body was that of a prototype warrior that Artad had been tinkering with on the voyage to the Sol System.

Ts’ang Chieh sat down at the command console and brought up Artad’s personality. He had been prepared for something like this by Artad himself, so he was able to run through the procedure quickly. Part, but not all, of Artad’s personality and knowledge base was transmitted by the computer to the body in the tube.

As the body stirred in the tube and became aware, Ts’ang Chieh turned to another console and tapped out a message.

THE
TWIN
SISTERS
MOUNTAINS
, AFRICA

The mountains were called the Twin Sisters by the people in the area around the two peaks because at a certain angle they resembled each other almost perfectly in form. They could be seen from far away, because they rose almost six thousand meters into the air, the highest peaks on the continent. They were over sixty kilometers apart and dominated the land all around. One of the peaks had a smaller peak attached to it by an eleven-kilometer ridge. However it was the other peak toward which Ts’ang Chieh has sent his message.

In a cavern hollowed out deep inside the peak, three creatures were alerted by their guardian computer that the key to the Master Guardian had been unsheathed. Unlike Ts’ang Chieh and Aspasia’s Shadow they took no immediate action and instead waited for further instruction. They were, after all, the Ones Who Wait. Technically that meant they were waiting for Artad to return and take his rightful place ascommander of this outpost, but in the meanwhile they were to do his bidding.

They were Airlia-Human clones. Outwardly they were mostly human, the most noticeable alien influence being their catlike red eyes, just like the creature Ts’ang Chieh was bringing to life in Qian-Ling. The leader of the three was female and named Lexina. Flanking her were Elek and Coridan.

They read the message from Ts’ang Chieh. There was no need for them to send an acknowledgment that they would comply—they had no choice. They had been programmed to obey.

AVALON

Merlin stood on top of the tor with the sword in his hands, turning it to and fro, letting the sun reflect off the metal of the blade. He had no clue as to the sequence of events he had just initiated. Indeed, he had not thought his actions through any further than removing the sword from the cavern.

But he did know two things—the right man with this sword could accomplish wonderful things. He was not to be that man. But, according to what he had read, that man would come soon.

STONEHENGE

Gwalcmai cursed as he put his feet onto the cold floor plating. “What now?” he demanded of Donnchadh, who was already in the copilot’s seat, checking the computer.

“Someone has unsheathed the key to the Master Guardian,” Donnchadh said.

“Someone took it from Avalon?”

“No,” Donnchadh said, reading the intercepted message traffic between the guardian computers. “It’s still at Avalon.”

“Damn Watchers,” Gwalcmai muttered as he reached for his garments and weapons.

Donnchadh ran her fingers over the hexagonals and frowned. “Someone in Qian-Ling has contacted the Ones Who Wait.”

“And?” Gwalcmai asked as he strapped his sword belt on.

“The message says:
The dragon comes
.”

Gwalcmai paused. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I have a bad feeling we’re going to find out very soon,” Donnchadh said as she got up from the chair and headed for her own gear.

QIAN-LING

He was Artad’s Shadow, but not as complete a Shadow of his master as Aspasia’s Shadow was of his. From the Ones Who Wait, Ts’ang Chieh had some information about the land called England, where the Watchers were headquartered. Using what he knew, he had fashioned a persona for the creature that kept within the template of Artad, yet was adapted for the land to which he would be traveling.

“Arthur,” Ts’ang Chieh said.

The creature turned to look at him with bloodred cat eyes. “Yes?”

Ts’ang Chieh held up two pieces of glittering blue. “You must use these.”

Arthur remained still as Ts’ang Chieh placed the Airlia version of contact lenses over his eyes. When he was done, Arthur’s eyes appeared human, although they were a remarkably deep blue.

“Come with me,” Ts’ang Chieh said.

Arthur followed him without a word. They went past the room where the guardian computer rested and entered a massive open space. Large metal struts swept overhead, supporting the rock ceiling. The floor was filled with numerous containers of various sizes. Ts’ang Chieh led Arthur up to one of them and he tapped on the small panel on the front. With a hiss, the end began to slowly fold down.

Nestled inside the container was a glittering, metal dragon. Ten meters long, by five wide, it had short, stubby wings and a long, arced neck leading up to a facsimile of a serpent’s face, including a jawful of black teeth. Dark red unblinking eyes completed the fearful visage.

“This is Chi Yu,” Ts’ang Chieh said.

Arthur turned to Ts’ang Chieh in confusion.

“This is how you will get to England,” Ts’ang Chieh continued. “In the belly of the beast, so to speak.” He smiled, remembering. “It is what ShiHuangdi used to defeat his enemies a long time ago. You will use it to defeat our enemies now.”

MOUNT
SINIA

Aspasia’s Shadow had gathered his fifty best Guides to provide him an escort for his journey to England and to form the core of a fighting force if it came to that. He had made the journey to England a long time ago and knew the difficulties involved in covering such a distance given the primitive state of technology and transportation capabilities of Earth. He’d considered taking the bouncer he had secreted in Mount Sinai but decided against it. It was for emergency use only and this was not yet an emergency.

As dawn came to the desert, the small caravan started out from the base of Mount Sinai, heading to the north and west, toward Alexandria, where they would find passage on a ship across the Mediterranean.

STONEHENGE

As Donnchadh stepped out of the stone doorway into the midst of the complex known as Stonehenge, she immediately knew she was in trouble. It was night, but the area was lit by the flame of hundreds of torches and several surrounding bonfires. The stones were surrounded by a circle of people garbed in robes, chanting, which came to a stuttering halt as the apparition of Donnchadh and Gwalcmai coming out of the rock itself became noticed.

“Not good,” Gwalcmai muttered, his hand drifting to the pommel of his sword.

Donnchadh ignored him. She lifted both hands, arms spread wide, and cried out in her own tongue. “I know you cannot understand what I’m saying. Which is why I’m using this language.”

Gwalcmai glanced at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“Just follow my lead,” she shouted, the message obviously for the only person who could understand her. “We have to make them believe we’re part of whatever it is they’re worshipping here.”

It didn’t work exactly the way Donnchadh planned. A woman screamed and panic spread through the crowd. Those closest to the stones turned and pressed up against the people behind them. Within two minutes, there wasn’t a person within two hundred meters of the stones and the circle was growing wider by the second.

“That went well,” Gwalcmai noted.

“We gave them something to talk about,” Donnchadh said as she shouldered her pack. “Let’s go.”

AVALON

Merlin looked across the water to the tor that had been his home for his entire adult life.

A thick fog covered the water and hid the island’s base, giving the appearance that it was floating in air. Excalibur was wrapped in a blanket and tucked inside his cloak, tight against his body.

He was not content to wait for whoever was to wield the sword to come to him. There had been too much sitting around and waiting over the centuries. He had no idea where to go, but he had an overwhelming sense that anything would be better than doing nothing.

Merlin looked away from the island. He could go in any direction. He knew that there were pockets of Saxon invaders to the east and south. And to the north were the fierce barbarians who painted their faces blue and were known to kill all interlopers.

West.

Merlin had heard of a king named Uther who ruled in Cornwall. Apparently a powerful man who had banded together several neighboring kingdoms into a loose confederation that was able to hold the Saxons and other invaders at bay. Such a man could use the sword.