Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14) (24 page)

She looked up at the warm, red orb in the sky. God clearly approved.
Thank you,
she thought.

"Why us?" Aaron said. "There are many others with more experience."

"You have the necessary qualities. It will make sense in time."

"And I'm a little confused by terminology. You used words like 'forever' and 'permanent.' Marriage vows normally include an exit clause like 'until death do us part.'"

Wesley just looked at him.

"We have another surprise coming, don't we?" Aaron said. "Getting married and promoted at the same time wasn't enough. You're saving the whopper for last."

That statement chipped away a bit of Marina's happiness. Life with Wesley was one shocking surprise after another, but in this case, she couldn't imagine what else he could throw at her.

Wesley patted him on the arm. "Don't worry about that now. We go to war tonight, and God's army is waiting for your orders. You need to come up with a plan. You don't have much time. The Society is gathering at sunset, and they'll expect you to have the answers. You're their leaders now. Both of you."

Aaron had a terrified expression. The bottom dropped out of Marina's stomach as she realized the promotion wasn't ceremonial. The two of them were about to face enormous challenges of all kinds, and the stakes couldn't be higher. She gave him a hug to comfort herself as much as him.

Wesley walked off. Norbert, Yvonne, Guthrum, and the twins followed him downstairs.

Charles remained behind. The old man walked over and shook Aaron and Marina's hands.

"Congratulations," Charles said. "That seems like a very small word for what just happened. The 'Lord and Lady of the Society.' I never imagined such a thing was possible. In retrospect, it makes sense though. It was clearly necessary. You can't run a war by committee."

"We're a committee of two," Aaron said.

"Two people who love each other and will always find a way to work out their differences. Male and female wisdom wedded together. It's perfect." Charles smiled. "God is a really smart Guy."

"If He's so smart, why am I having bowel control issues? This is the craziest thing that ever happened to me! I have two hours to come up with a complete battle plan for the whole damn Society!"

"Wait," Marina said. "I came in late to this movie. What is this war about? Who are we fighting?"

Aaron turned to her with a grim expression. "The cannibal mess was just an opening gambit. The true purpose was to bring me and my team to a bedding factory out in the wilderness. The enemy was using bed bugs to spread the genetically engineered disease that causes cannibalism. They were growing the bugs and feeding them infected blood in a lab in the factory."

"Yuck."

"That's an understatement. We destroyed the factory and killed the bad guys. We thought the mission was done, but the true enemy followed us back here. It was all a trick. The twins were the target from the beginning."

"Oh." She grimaced.

From their position on top of the roof, she could see the suburbs of Chicago all around. Rows of homes stretched out until the snow prevented her from seeing any further. O'Hare Airport was to the west. The view was familiar but now it seemed full of danger.

"Our hidden adversary controls the United States Army," Aaron said. "Several divisions of heavily armed soldiers are coming to attack this hotel. It will happen tonight or tomorrow. The President was kidnapped to prevent him from interfering. We're dealing with a massive, far-reaching conspiracy."

"And what's the point?" Marina said. "Specifically, what are the twins doing?"

"They're building something called the 'aperture.' It's a portal that allows people to leave the universe and meet God without the annoyance of dying first. The twins will use the portal, and once they're outside, they'll reengineer reality. After they're done, God's enemies will have a much harder time getting past security."

The warm light was starting to fade. The clouds closed in, and the temperature fell rapidly. A cold wind kicked up.

"Let's get below," Aaron said.

He, Marina, and Charles hurried downstairs. They went to Aaron's office, and he sat behind his massive, gray desk. Marina could tell from his sullen expression that he was thinking hard. She and Charles didn't disturb him. Aaron had many talents, but his ability to plot and plan his way out of trouble was his most valuable.

Marina was still wrapping her head around what had just happened. She was actually married. She and Aaron would never be separated again, and together, they would rule the entire Society. She wondered if she were having a hallucination. Maybe she had been gassed back at the Golden Gate Bridge and was still asleep.

A tall, thin, and very geeky man walked into the office. His skin was the pasty white of somebody who avoided sunlight. A mop of brown hair sat on top of his head. His oversized glasses looked like a stage prop, and she couldn't believe anybody would wear them on purpose.

"Hi!" He smiled. "I'm Perry. I don't think we've met."

Marina shook his hand. "I'm Marina."

She remembered Aaron mentioning Perry. He was the third computer hacker in Chicago. With Bethany and Leanna so busy with the project, Aaron had needed a spare, but it had required special permission from Ethel. Teams weren't supposed to have so many members.

"Oh!" Perry's eyes widened. "The Marina?"

She bowed her head. "In the flesh. You should address me as 'ma'am.' I'm now the Lady of the Society."

"The what, ma'am?"

Charles explained the situation to Perry. His eager friendliness evaporated and was replaced by nervousness.

"You disturbed us for a reason?" Marina said impatiently. Aaron needed peace and quiet so he could think.

"Yes, ma'am," Perry said. "I've been working on the Red Eye radio. I wanted to deliver my report to the, uh, Lord of the Society."

Aaron glared at him. "Go on."

"I found the cipher chip and analyzed the microcode. The radio uses algorithms I've never seen before. It certainly isn't standard military hardware. I'm afraid the math is way beyond me, sir. I can't hack these radios on my own. I need help from the twins."

"They're
very
busy."

"I know," Perry said, "but two minutes of their time might be enough. I just need them to solve some equations."

Aaron sighed. "I suppose two minutes is acceptable."

Everybody made their way out to the aperture assembly area. Marina now understood what the twins were doing and why it was so important. The aperture would allow them to perform a miracle on a universal scale. It would take them to the place where God lived.

The twins were working on the aperture using high-tech tools. Robotic arms were placing and soldering components faster than the eye could follow. Wesley stood nearby and seemed to be whispering words of encouragement.

"What is the Red Eye radio?" Marina said to Aaron softly.

"A gadget we captured from the enemy," he replied. "Untraceable, unbreakable communication."

"Bethany," Perry said, "I need a moment of your time. There is a file called Red Eye on my computer. It contains ciphers used by a secure radio. Can you please solve the equations?"

Bethany looked at him with her translucent black eyeballs. She was identical to her sister except she wore a diamond necklace with a giant pendant. It was the Eye of Satinia, an heirloom from the Satinian royal family. The girls had been born as princesses. What they were now didn't have a name.

"The equations have no solution in this universe," Bethany said. "An enemy of God devised them."

"The Army is using forbidden technology?" Perry said.

"Yes. It's very dangerous."

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "I guess that makes this a real mission, and the Army is our enemy. It's a little late in the game, but it's nice to know we were on the right track all along. Now we can fight without holding anything back. Still, it doesn't solve the essential problem. Our opposition has a means of communication that we can't intercept or hack. That's a huge advantage for them and a huge problem for us."

Perry was staring at the floor.

"What are you thinking?"

"Breaking the code isn't strictly necessary, sir," Perry said. "If we could plant secondary modulators..."

Aaron raised one eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Basically, bugs in the radios. They would transmit in the clear on a second channel. We could listen to the enemy's communication without them knowing."

"That sounds great, but how do we get the bugs in the radios?"

"Easy," Perry said. "We send out a couple of guys dressed like Army technicians. They drive from unit to unit and 'adjust' the radios. All they need is the right credentials."

Aaron nodded. "Brilliant. I'll send out Smythe. He was in the Army. He can talk the talk."

"And Hanley," Marina said. "He was a Navy Seal once. They'll be a good team."

"It's a plan. Perry, go off and do whatever you need to do to prepare."

"Yes, sir." Perry ran off.

Marina took out her phone. "I just realized. We should call Ethel and tell her the news."

She and Aaron moved away from the crowd. She called Ethel and held up her phone so he could overhear the conversation.

"Hello, Marina," Ethel said. "Are you in Chicago now?"

"Yes, ma'am," Marina said. "Er, I mean, yes. I'm with Aaron, and we have good news. We're married."

It felt strange talking to her former superior. Marina had answered to Ethel for eleven years and had expected to do so until one of them died. Reversing that relationship was almost inconceivable.

"What?" Ethel sounded astonished.

"Wesley performed the ceremony while we stood in the Lord's divine light. It was a beautiful moment."

Ethel was silent for a time. "That's... extremely surprising."

"That's not all," Marina said. "You work for us now. We're the Lord and Lady of the Society." The words still felt strange in her mouth.

She promised herself she wouldn't be mean to Ethel as payback for all the times Marina had suffered under Ethel's command. Marina already knew it would be a hard promise to keep.

"I'm unfamiliar with those titles."

"It means all the legates report to us," Marina said.

"Wesley did this?" Ethel said in a tone of disbelief tinged with anger.

"With God's blessing."

There was another long silence. "I suppose I should be happy for you. Congratulations on your promotion and marriage. I'm certainly glad God chose you two. I wouldn't want to answer to anybody else." She took a breath. "This is fine. I just need a little time to digest the information. I'm an old woman and big changes upset me. It's been quite a day for all of us. Break the news to the other legates gently. They might not take it too well."

"Where are you now?" Marina said.

"Driving through the back country of Virginia on the way to Linville... ma'am. It's not a pleasant ride. If we hit another pothole, I might suffer permanent neck damage. But we'll get there."

"Good luck. Stay in touch. Bye." Marina closed her phone.

She wanted to hear more details about Ethel's adventures, but now wasn't the time. Marina had to focus on her own enormous problems.

She looked over at the aperture. It was a beautifully constructed device, as much art as science. Clearly, the twins would pass through the large opening in the center.

It was surrounded by lesser devices. There was a thing that looked like a coffin standing on end. It was made of polished, silvery metal and had a control panel. Numbers on the display were counting up like a gas pump at a filling station.

"I have a stupid question," Marina said. "Why are the twins still here?"

Aaron furrowed his brow. "Where else would they be? This fortress was built to protect them. I recently upgraded all the defensive systems at great expense. All the
legionnaires
are here."

"It just seems like they should be somewhere else, a safe place the enemy doesn't know about. We can have our little war here, but the twins don't need to be in harm's way. Unless I'm missing something."

He stared at her with his brooding eyes. She loved how the shadows made him appear dark and mysterious.

He abruptly walked over to the twins and announced, "You're moving tonight. Start packing. I'm sending you and the aperture to Chinatown."

Bethany faced him. Her robotic features didn't seem capable of expressing emotion, but somehow she managed to convey alarm. "That's impossible, sir! All of our equipment is here."

"And by tomorrow morning, it will be there."

"Packing and unpacking will take all night, sir! Some of the devices are very heavy and fragile."

"You'll have as much manpower as you need," Aaron said. "I have a lot of big, beefy
legionnaires
in this hotel who will haul elephants if I order them to. I understand this move is very inconvenient, and it will slow down the project, but it's necessary. After you're gone, I'll have a lot more strategic flexibility. I can use this hotel as a giant decoy. We can go on offense without worrying so much about protecting our base."

Bethany didn't appear enthusiastic.

"Move! Start packing!"

She and her sister hurried off.

Wesley raised his perfect, little eyebrows. "I'm confused. What's in Chinatown?"

"When we were hunting down Xavier," Aaron said, "I purchased a large building in Chinatown. I convinced him our headquarters was there. After he was killed, I kept the building and refurbished it. At first, it was going to be my backup headquarters, but now I'm planning to make it my primary headquarters. The basement will be the ideal place for the twins to work. It's big, safe, and well hidden."

Marina remembered seeing the place, but she hadn't gone inside. It had been a toxic waste site back then.

"A second stronghold?"

"Yes," Aaron said.

Wesley's eyes widened. "That's what I was missing! This is the great secret that God kept even from me. Of course! The twins must go there immediately."

"I'm glad you agree," Aaron said uneasily.