King of the Dark Mountain (18 page)

“They may not let you talk to him alone, but maybe that won’t matter. I think your brother /sister telepathy might have gotten a boost from the event.”

“Maybe, I haven’t tested it, but for now, I need to get ready to go head to head with Aleister and crew.”

“Okay, let’s go over some of the information again.” They spent the next forty-five minutes reviewing the situation as it now appeared to them. At the end of the conversation, Ted said, “Sounds like we’re on the same page. I’ll go round us up some breakfast, while you rest.” He left her with a little kiss on the forehead. The gesture touched her deeply. She was used to brushing off emotional signs, due to an unremitting need to keep moving. Now even a small compassionate gesture seemed unbearably precious.

The thought crossed her mind that maybe she would be able to go out and find someone to care for her now that this whole thing was coming to some kind of conclusion. Of course that depended very much on what happened in the next several days. She thought of the men gathered in the room where she had been an unseen witness. Whatever future they had come together to envision for humanity would be short on gestures small or large that required any tenderness, she had no doubt.

What an unlovely sight they were, despite their expensive suits and immaculate haircuts. What forces had brought them to see the world as nothing more than a potential playground for some monstrous offspring of their own? Why was most of the human race to them a mere impediment to that end? Pondering these issues, she felt as alienated from them, as though they actually were some other species.

Yet there was no doubt, they were human beings and their dream of some perfected form of man was not so unique. The only difference was they had the means to pursue the goal, which earlier dreamers had not. If they were defeated, wouldn’t the same fantasy take shape again at some future time? That thought left her feeling overwhelmed and helpless. She laid her head on the pillow and wished ardently that Hez would come. She dozed a little while and then Ted returned with food. She refused it at first.

“You have to eat and get your strength back. One of the fellows around here makes a wonderful zucchini bread. I brought you some with cream cheese. And best of all, café au lait to go with it.”

She picked up the bread and nibbled at it. “It is pretty good,” she admitted.

“Yes, he’s quite the chef. I mean to pry the recipe out of him, before he leaves us or this whole thing gets dismantled or some such finality occurs.”

She smiled. “Let’s hope for a swift resolution.”

“Amen to that,” he said picking up a piece of the bread.

When they were almost finished with their breakfast, Ian buzzed them. He barged into the room. “Good, good you found some food. And you look very well Ms. McCane,” he added.

“Yes, she’s doing very well indeed; considering all that has she’s been through,” Ted said. “Would you care to join us, Ian?”

“No, thank you, I’ve eaten already.” He paced back and forth. Aleister informed me about your misgivings and we’ve consulted about them with some of the higher ups. They’re generally of the opinion to wait and see.”

“What do you mean, wait and see? Wait until they take over the world and destroy us all?” Ellie demanded.

“We’ve had some additional information since I spoke with Aleister,” Ted said. “Of a particularly ominous nature, I might add.”

“What kind of information and from whom?” Ian asked, frowning.

“Ellie’s already advanced telepathic skills are much improved since yesterday; she was able to perceive a private meeting amongst those men,”

“What do you mean, ‘perceive,’ as in clairaudience or some such thing?” Ian demanded.

Ted sighed and wondered why such men as this always regarded the world in such simplistic terms. “In a way, but it was more than hearing the words, it was also seeing, in fact, it was like she was there.”

“How do you know this wasn’t just some side effect of yesterday’s activities, an hallucination?”

“She saw Edsell amongst them, and I hadn’t mentioned him as a partner in all of this. From what she described, it seems evident to me that she was in fact present in some sense at an actual recent meeting.”

Ian nodded, “So then, what did she find out?”

“They discussed their disappointment that they didn’t get their share of the energy, but they intend to remedy that by bringing their project over here.”

“Yes, that’s right, they contacted us, and we’re supposed to be ready to meet with them within a day or so. They said they had some packages that they were bringing over to be placed at the site of greatest immersion. I suppose they mean that hollowed out mountain you put the light down into. We said we would accommodate them as much as possible.”

“Did they give you any specific information as to the nature of the packages?” Ted asked.

“No, they made a point of insisting that this was no concern of ours and that we needed simply to grant them access to the energy that we had failed to provide yesterday. They implied that they considered us in breach of contract and that if we didn’t cooperate we would be liable to legal trouble.”

“How quaint, they’re threatening to sue when the world as we know it will soon be transformed.”

“Are you sure? We don’t really know that the infusion of the energy has really amounted to very much. If you look at satellite pictures of the mountains, there’s no discernible difference.”

“Do you mean on a physical level?” Ted asked. “Of course it might not show yet. It’s not merely a matter of physical energy.”

“Well what kind is it then?” Ian demanded. “You know sometimes this whole thing begins to feel like ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.”

“It will be subtle at first, but as it works its ways into the consciousness of more and more people you will start to see its true power,” Ellie said quietly.

Ian studied her face for a moment, “That sounds lovely, but what practical importance does it have? We were under the impression that we would be able to provide energy in the ordinary sense. What you’re talking about sounds … esoteric at best.”

“Ian, there’s not such a huge difference between types of energy as you imagine,” Ted said.

“The people over there invested a lot of money in setting up their station, and we failed to provide them with their share of the power. It seems only fair to let them set up their packages wherever they see fit.”

“Doesn’t it worry you that they won’t explain to you what those packages contain?” Ellie asked.

“Is it a bomb?”

“What?”

“If it is a bomb then I’ll block their access, otherwise, I don’t see how I can stop them.”

“It is a bomb in a way. They’re planning on using the creation light to enhance their offspring to create a super form of human that will replace the current version.”

“You mean they’re bringing over their kids?”

“Not exactly. They’ve managed to concoct some type of embryonic form of human, using sperm only.”

“That’s ridiculous, how could that work?”

“I don’t know, but they think it’s going to give them the ability to create a superior form of human that will make every one alive now obsolete.” Ellie said.

“If they’re that far out in their research then I don’t see any reason to worry. Obviously, it’s not going to work.”

“What if it does?”

“If something that bizarre could work, then I say more power to them?”

“How can you say that?” Ted demanded.

“Look, I’ve been around the bend and back many times during this whole damn charade of a deal, working in this hole these past months. I’ve had about all the mumbo jumbo half-baked crap I intend to put up with. So if you tell me Edsell and his cohorts want to bake their genetically engineered offspring in the creation light I say let them.”

“I don’t think you realize how serious this is,” Ted said sternly.

“I don’t think you understand how fed up I’m getting with crazy crap that nobody in their right mind would give a second thought to.”

“I’m sorry that you feel that way about it, Mr. Haus, but regardless of how crazy it all sounds, if those people get their way, the human race will be doomed.”

“Yeh well maybe that wouldn’t be such a terrible thing. Does the world look like such a great place to you, Ms. McCane?.”

“It looks like a place I want to be a part of, despite all its problems. If those men replace us with their warped notions of a perfect human it will be a terrible end to everything good that people have struggled to create since the dawn of time.”

“And not only that, it’s just ridiculously obscene,” Ted exclaimed. “Surely, Haus you can see that or has your time on earth been totally wasted?”

“I’ll tell you what is being wasted is my time talking about this. I will convey what you’ve told me to my superiors and we will figure out the best course.” He looked from one of them to the other, and then stormed out.

“Well, that went really well,” Ellie said with a small smile.

Ted grimaced, “It’s going to be hard for him to convince them that a few embryos are any danger to the world.”

“I don’t think we managed to convince him.”

“Maybe not, but regardless, we’ll have to find a way to prevent those fools over there from continuing with their asinine biological experiment.” She nodded. They set in silence for a time, each of them pondering the best way to achieve that goal.

Chapter Seventeen

James Edsell stood leaning over a table glaring at Ellie. “You are going to tell me where in this mountain range you jammed the creation light.”

She stared back at him and said evenly, “I will tell you what you want to know when you let us go.”

He laughed, “You think I’d keep you here once I got the information? What purpose would that serve?”

“I don’t know, but if you want to know where the hot spot can really be found, that’s my price. I’ll pinpoint it on a map, once we’re on our way, at least across the state line.”

He gave her a long and searching look, “If I do that, and you double cross me, it won’t be hard to track you down.”

“I know that, so I won’t double cross you. I just want to get Ted, Hez, Mrs. Ewing and me out of this place as soon as possible,” Ellie said.

He put his hands on his hips and considered a moment. “Okay, I’ll let you go, but if there’s any sign of a double cross, naturally, I would have to bring you back to get it straightened out.”

“I don’t know why you pretend this is some ordinary business matter, when you’re holding us prisoner,” Ted said.

“I’m merely trying to re-negotiate a contract that was broken on your side. Of course I have no power to hold you against your will. I just want to detain you long enough to get this taken care of. Otherwise, there might be long and expensive legal ramifications, and I’m certain that none of us wants that,” Edsell said wearily.

“Good, then we’ll be on our way.” Hez said He had carefully avoided looking at Ellie during the meeting. He sensed that she was very weak, but doing better perhaps than he had dared hoped.

“What about Ewing?” Hez added.

Edsell threw him a bored look. “That’s being taken care of.”

“It’s just that Mrs. Ewing,” Ted began.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about Mrs. Ewing.” Edsell exploded. “We have a project to complete, which depends on your cooperation. Give me the location of where you harnessed the creation light and everybody wins.”

“She is very anxious about her husband’s well-being, naturally,” Ted continued patiently.

“Alright I tell you what, turn over the information right now and I make a call and he’s out, how’s that for a deal?”

Ellie and Ted exchanged looks. “Will you have him flown over?” Ted asked.

Edsell nodded. “Alright, give me a map,” Ellie said. Edsell made a gesture to a man on his right. Soon a map appeared on the wall behind him. “Make the call.” Edsell opened his hand and the man placed a cell phone in it. He spoke some words and hung up and handed the gadget back to his underling.

“He’ll be delivered to Griffin’s house this evening, now where did you harness the energy?” Ellie stood up and approached the map. She pointed to an area, which they zoomed in on more closely. “That’s handy; our company has done some work near there.”

“It’s called Harrow Mountain, does that ring a bell? It should, one of your subsidiaries laid open the whole thing last year.”

“Why would you pick an area like that?” Edsell asked. “And why in the hell couldn’t I locate it using any tools known to man.”

“It picked me. It rose up during the event in my mind’s eye and I drove the power into it. Maybe it also veiled itself from you and your instruments,” she said.

He shook his head and said, “Mountains are just lumps of dead matter so how could …” he stopped and shook his head. After a moment, he added, “It’s been interesting doing business with you.” He and his crew exited the room and they were left, stunned.

“Can that be all there is to it? He’s gone. We’re free. It’s over?” Ellie asked.

“I hope he makes good on his promise to release Richard Ewing,” Ted said. “I’m going to go get Mrs. Ewing. Ellie you might want to collect your things. We’re leaving as soon as I find her.” He left the room. Ellie ran to Hez and hugged him tightly.

“Oh my God, you look ten years older,” she laughed.

“Thanks, it’s been a hell of a few days” he said. “You look great.”

“Yeh right, I’ve probably aged twenty. I ‘m just glad it’s over.”

“Do you know why they’re so anxious to get to Harrow Mountain?”

“I have some idea, but it doesn’t matter. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what they do, I just want to go home.”

He held her back with both arms and gave her a worried look. “I don’t think we can just forget about those people.”

She nodded, “I know it’s rough, but what can we do? They’re going to do whatever and we can’t stop them.” She worked her way free of him and sighed. “I just have no fight left, Hez, it’s taken its toll,” she threw up her hands.

He nodded, “I know, but if we let them get on with their schemes, we lose everything.”

She shook her head, “I guess we lose then, because I’m used up, I have no more energy to fight them or anyone else.”

“Okay, I know how you feel, but there might be some way that we’ve overlooked to thwart them, if we put our heads together.”

“Get with Ted, or even Samantha Ewing, they might be up for another round. I’m just not,” she said, suddenly feeling the truth of her words. She hated the sound of them, but she had to be honest. He came and gave her another hug.

“You did good, kid, better than we could have expected. Let’s go sit for a little while together and pretend that we’re back home on our old front porch swing.” He led her over to the sofa and she slumped against him and almost dozed off while they waited.

Ted returned with a frazzled looking Samantha. “Is she alright?” she asked in a low voice of Ted. He nodded and helped Hez get Ellie to her feet. 

“Can you walk hon?” he asked. She moaned something and the four of them went to the elevator.

“She doesn’t have her jacket, but I really want to get out of here,” Ted said.

“I’ll run and get it,” Hez said. He left them and went to the little room. He grabbed her jacket and shoved some clothes he found on the closet floor into a backpack. He scanned the room quickly and saw nothing else that seemed to belong to her and left. As he turned to leave, he noticed the picture of the waterfall. It looked almost identical to the one in his room in Kadistan.

He caught up with the others and they got on the elevator in silence. There was an eerie quiet that had settled over the facility. Somehow it seemed everyone had been cleared out. When they got off on the top floor, the sun was setting in a glorious burst of color.

Ted’s SUV was waiting for them. Ted fished the keys out of his pocket while the others got inside. Samantha sat in the back with Ellie who seemed a little more alert.

“We’ll go back to my house for the evening. Maybe we’ll get word about Richard soon.”

There was a buzzing sound. Samantha opened her phone, then let out a scream. In reply to their startled expressions, she explained, “They’ve sent a text. It says that Richard will be dropped off at your house around 2:00 a.m.”

“Edsell has many flaws, but he’s known to keep his word.” Ted remarked.

“They got this number. It’s just one of a dozen throwaways, how could they do that?”

“I don’t know. I’m just glad Richard will be freed,” Ted said, smiling.

“I don’t mean to put a damper on things, but we still are not out of the woods on this thing. Those people plan to use the energy Ellie brought down to create something that will destroy everything we hold dear. I just can’t see how we can walk away from that fact,” Hez said.

“What else can we do? “ Samantha asked. “I’ve seen how powerful they are. Edsell is one of the richest men on the planet. People like that always get their way.”

“Yes, but it’s not the same as it was before,” Ellie said softly.

“What do you mean, Ellie?” Ted asked.

She didn’t answer right away, finally she said, “I’m so tired, I can’t explain exactly but their power isn’t what it was.” They rode in silence until they reached Ted’s house. When they got there, he had Hez show Ellie to the upstairs guest room right away. She crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep. Hez came down and joined Ted and Samantha in the kitchen.

“She’s really weak. I’ve never seen her like that,” he said, looking grim. 

Ted said, “It’s been quite an ordeal. I think we’ll have to get along without her to finish this thing. I believe she will need to rest in bed for the next few days. I’ll arrange for someone to come and stay with her. But the rest of us, including your husband when he gets here will have to keep working, I’m afraid.”

“What do you have in mind?” Hez asked.

“I’m not sure, but what Ellie said in the car is important. She said their power isn’t the same as it was before.”

“The last I checked, money is still the driving force of the world,” Samantha said.

“It may be, but there’s something else now.”

“You mean the creation light?” Hez asked.

“Yes, it’s exactly what I mean. Edsell and his people think it’s powerful enough to fulfill their wildest fantasy. If that’s true, it might also be powerful enough to thwart their plans.”

“But how can we get it to work against them?” Samantha asked.

“That’s the part I don’t know yet, but give me some time to think about it and in the meantime, you look like you could use some rest.”

“No, I’m going to wait up until Richard gets here.”

“Alright well Hez you can get some rest if you like. I’m going to do a little research that might help us figure out our next move.”

“Is there anything I can do to help with that? I slept on the plane, so I’m feeling alright.” Hez said.

“You might need your strength for later on. And no I don’t think there’s anything you can do right now. There are two bedrooms upstairs; you can keep an ear open in case Ellie needs something. I can’t help worrying about her.”

“And there’s also your wife. Don’t you need to find out about her?” Samantha asked.

“Yes, I’m going to call my sister-in-law in a few minutes. Please help yourself to anything you need. Mi casa. you know,” he said and wandered out of the room. Hez gave Samantha a nod and went upstairs to check on Ellie. Samantha gave him a tired smile in reply, sat down on the sofa and began the long vigil for Richard’s return.

At around half past 2:00 a.m. there was a loud banging at the front door. Samantha ran to open it and her husband was flung against her as she opened the door. Two black clad men followed him into the room. Hez came bounding down the stairs.

“We want to speak to Theodore Griffin,” one of the men said.

“He’s probably sleeping,” Hez said, as Samantha and Richard moved out of the room, holding onto each other.

“We must speak with him,” the man insisted.

Ted came into the room and gave the two of them a dubious look, “I’m Griffin, what do you want?”

“We have orders to tell you that you must not give out any information regarding Mr. Edsell. All of your interactions with him must be kept strictly confidential. Do you understand?”

Ted nodded, “Yes, I understand, is there anything else?”

The man nodded in the direction of Hez who stood at the foot of the stairs, “This goes for all of your associates as well.”

“Fine, good evening, gentlemen,” Ted said and went to the door and held it open for them. The man paused for a moment then departed. The other man followed close behind. Ted slammed the door after them. “Damned Nazis,” he snarled. “Can you join me in the study? “He said in a tired voice to Hez and returned to that room, with Hez close behind. He went to the sofa and sat down in front of his laptop. “I’ve been calculating how long it would take us to drive to Harrow Mountain. If we leave fairly quickly we can probably make it by late tomorrow afternoon.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought and I think we have to move against them as quickly as we can.”

“We would have the advantage of surprise. I’m sure they don’t expect any trouble out of us. They apparently paid off the entire White Mountain operation, so they’re probably feeling pretty much free to act as they please.”

“What do you mean paid them off? I thought they just folded up their tents and shut down?”

“I have a pretty good notion that Edsell or some of his cronies took it over. It got emptied out awfully quick and although they kept telling me they were going to get with higher ups and discuss the threat they posed, I think now that was just stalling for time. They couldn’t have shut down an operation that size overnight, so it must have been arranged months in advance. They might even have built the facility with the understanding that Edsell and crew would take it over.”

“I don’t know, it looked pretty abandoned when we were leaving it.”

“The part we were in was only a fraction of the entire set up. It may have looked abandoned on our end, but that doesn’t mean it was. I never could get them to tell me how many of the nearby mountains were part of it. I mean more than just to receive the creation light, but to do other things. That’s what’s bothering me in all of this, the nagging sense that I’ve missed something important.”

“We ought to talk to Richard. He got pretty close to this guy over there named Melton. He might be able to fill out the picture for us. I agree with you that something’s not right in the way this whole thing has played out.”