System Seven (40 page)

Without warning, Johan
faded away.

The rain subsided, the
blood gone. The moon glowed brightly again, textured by the rolling mists. The
bird had fallen quiet. The peace of the place married itself to his soul, a
sudden joining. The universe settled in, an intelligence spanning all before
and all to come. What mattered was the preservation of good, of that natural
rightness due all righteous beings. Threats against good had no right to exist,
were to be eliminated by the strongest in nature. That it was his job now
struck a chord of awe and fear reverberating at levels he’d never felt.

As if waking from
another dream, vivid realization sank in. A wrong move, a wrong
thought
, and failure could descend,
taking so much with him. The same was true for Johan... Johan, who was going to
seek out Ryota, right now. On his own. With no backup. No help.

The nukes
....

He believed in Johan’s
abilities, but the risk was still far too high.

He turned and ran for
the castle.

“Anki, wake up!”

Anki started. “What?
What’s wrong?”

He pointed at the
sleeping form at her side. “He’s going after Ryota and Kaiya.”

“
No!
Why? How do you know?”

After hearing the
story, she turned to Johan and punched him in the face and then again,
splitting his lip. “Wake up, you bastard!” She pummeled his chest with both
fists. “Damn you!” she shouted. “We must wake him. He’ll get us all killed.”

Sean arrived at a run
with pistol in hand. “What is it?”

“He’s gone after
Ryota,” Anki said. “I should’ve known. Damn, I should have
known
.”

• • •

Dawn’s song played to
the quiet of night, signaling her eventual arrival. Cathbad sat in the study in
his bed clothes, gazing at the fire. The familiar pressure of substantial fate
ground against the silence, threatening. Things were in motion beyond his
reach, altering everything.

Footsteps sounded in
the hall and Sean appeared in the doorway.

“Selfish and
short-sighted. The son of a bitch! It’s like a stab in the back. I would kill
him given any other circumstance.”

Cathbad spoke low, to
the fire. “ ‘Once found, the Change will divert the stream, coursing through
harsh lands unseen by man, until choice and chance become one in the first Acts
of Conflict. Be them sturdy of character and true of soul, and be thou also,
for survival of Good relies on such.’ The last of the
welets’
Words. I fear they come true tonight.”

“Should we try to stop
him?”

“No. He’ll find Ryota
where Kaiya dreams and then the korjé will strike. That is the natural way of
things – he will succeed or he will fail. This is his choice.... and our
chance.” He closed his eyes. “Move him to Belfast. And raise our bràthair.
Raise them all.”

Would you learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave
its dangers, comprehend its mystery.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American Poet (1819 - 1892)

Of course the old
druids had good reason for caution. They’d played the game for centuries,
learning hard lessons of survival along the way. They’d operated within the
limits of their situation, preserving the secrets, their family, and worked
towards a more certain future.

That was respectable
but didn’t mean his way would be the same or that it should be.

No druid had ever
moved through Saoghal with such power as he, nor had any Comannda. The ultimate
reason was not lost – opportunity to enact balance was greater now than ever
before. A reason to wait wasn’t forthcoming and in fact appeared unwise. Time
was short, the enemy still in control. The people behind the manipulation
deserved nothing less than justice for their treasons against humanity. To impart
such justice and save mankind required a better understanding of the playing
field. What better way to learn than by settling a debt to Sakuma and making
good on Edward’s promise to Austin?

At the doorway of his
dream, the shimmering blackness of Saoghal stretched out without end, a
universe of consciousness where souls lived, dreamt, evolved, and departed. It
was here that he would impact destiny, starting with his promise.

To seek Ryota required
a sense of the boy’s soul, his meta imprint. Johan drew upon the oyabun’s
memories from their shared dream. Visions formed – a happy child, filled with
wonder and joy, safe with his loving grandfather. The soft voice, calling ‘
Sofu! Sofu!
’ Ryota... little Ryota.

He cast off into
Saoghal’s night to find him.

Darkness soon gave way
to green fronds rustling in the wind, shading the boy from the sun. His mother
sat on a bench nearby talking on a cell phone. Ryota rolled a truck over the
warm brick patio and made his motoring sounds soft so he wouldn’t disturb her.
This was home, a memory of Sakuma’s. He pulled away from it.

He tried again and
focused on Ryota’s essence.

Darkness again gave
way, this time to swirling textures of black. He’d arrived somewhere with a
great many minds nearby. Rather, he was
among
them, as yet unseen. Concepts mingled, distant and strange. Involvement.
Disruption. Mutiny.

A yellow face emerged
from the ebony. Simple black eyes, a slit for a nose, and thin lips, all framed
in a narrow, pale, sun-colored face.

“You endanger more
than yourself, dreamer.” An eerie voice, neutral of gender. Images of fiery
holocaust flickered, unwelcomed. “Impulsive and dangerous. Very dangerous.”

The face faded despite
efforts to hold it there. Darkness swirled, the place stranger still. Faint
bells rang, water splashed, and distant voices intoned, layers of them. He
found himself free and withdrew to the safe house in Oostendorp, to the living
room.

The encounter spawned
questions – questions that shook foundations, stealing focus from his mission.
The Mu? Had he found them or had they sought him? He forced them all aside. Kaiya
and Ryota had to be found first.

A sense of Cathbad
permeated the room – necessity and synchronicity drove the dream. He softened,
allowing it.

The doorbell rang.

He descended the stairs
and checked the glass. Sean stood on the porch with a woman. He opened the
door, ready to act.

“You’ve made up your
mind about this ill-planned treasure hunt, so I’ll spare you what I’d like to
say. Instead, you’re going to need to know where to put Kaiya’s core. Get a
sense of this woman, right now. She’s your lighthouse. Hand Kaiya off to her,
she will be the container.”

Johan ignored the
druid’s terseness. “Container? You don’t have a body for her?”

“No, I haven’t had
time to get out and shop for one. Maybe I’ll look online tonight, find
something with one hour delivery.”

“Fuck you, Sean.” He
looked to the stranger. “What’s your name?”

“Amanda.”

He explored the
woman’s presence, a finger dip into her pond to sample energy and map her
patterns. A Spaniard. “You know Marco and Rachel?”

“I know of them.”

Johan looked to Sean.
“And Ryota?”

“You jumped the gun.
You wanted shit to fly, you have it. But we’re looking for him, as fast as we
can.” He turned to go then stopped. “We’ll talk about this breach of trust if
we all live through its effects.”

The two vanished.

• • •

Williams stood amidst
the candles, waiting. Cathbad sat by the fire, alone in thought.

Sean came through the
door. “Soldado is done. The prototype is being field readied. They’ll make the
attempt at Ichigaya in three hours’ time. And we’ve located the boy. A clinic
in west Tokyo, all knit up with threes and twos. There’s no time for anything
near graceful or safe enough by our local teams and I doubt Johan will take
very long finding Ryota’s core.”

It was a nine hour
flight. Cathbad acknowledged the dilemma. “But you have something in mind.”

“Actually, it’s
something Austin has in mind though he doesn’t know I know.”

“What’s that?”

“Since before Tokyo
he’s been levitating himself in private. From what I see it’s become almost
effortless compared to lifting objects.”

Cathbad looked up in
alarm.

“No, I didn’t see him
do it, but it’s legit, solid. He’s been doing it. There’s a link between his
thoughts and his body that we need to explore. Whatever it is, he can
manipulate his body far more easily than anything else.”

“Why hasn’t he told
us?”

“The same fear. Of
doing things he doesn’t want to. Of becoming a weapon for anybody.”

“Yet you’re about to
propose he fling himself across the globe and confront them at the clinic? I
don’t like it and I’m sure he won’t either. It’s madness.”

“It’s only madness if
you compare it to the past. What he can do now is what matters. He’s already
thought about long distances and speed. He wants to try.” Sean shrugged. “You
said it, the Change will direct things. If he doesn’t get there, how else will
we retrieve Ryota’s body? They aren’t going to just give him up.”

“Yes, but good Lord,
it’s a trap. So much coverage for the boy? They know his value. Things are unraveling
too fast.”

“It’s either that or
you pull Johan back.”

Cathbad stared in the
fire. “Risking both at the same time. It’s madness...”

“Yet the trackways
lead there.”

The old druid slowly
nodded. “Indeed, they seem to.” He looked up. “Confirm it. Measure his effort
while levitating. Increase the dose if need be. Prove to me that he can sustain
it, Sean, through the rescue. And show me a bulletproof exit plan. Meanwhile
I’ll see what the Confrere can do to help.”

• • •

“I didn’t fucking tell
you because I didn’t want you to know, get it?” Austin paced the kitchen at
Cullstone. Sean leaned against the counter. Anki sat at the breakfast bar.
“There’s got to be a part of me that is private, that exists away from the Runa
Korda. Just because I’m not as advanced as you doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able
to keep certain things private. You have your privacy, right Sean?”

“Relax,” Anki advised.
“You’re going to pop a heart valve.”

“No, I’m not gonna
relax. This is serious shit.”

“Yes and no, Austin.
I’m able to fully protect myself. You’re still new and so you need monitoring.
Skimming keeps us in the loop and helps keep you safe. That’s the reality for
now.”

“Okay, but you know
it’s something I wanted private. That doesn’t count for anything?”

“It’s a god damned
breakthrough, Austin. It’s phenomenal. You can’t keep that shit in your pocket.
It’s the path we need to be on to understand not only telekinesis but maybe our
own placement in the universe. You are literally thinking yourself into a new
relationship with Raon. The implications are tremendous. You can’t be afraid to
learn more about it.”

“I can’t? What do you
know about my fear? Is it natural to do this?” He rose into the air and
hovered, causing Anki to gasp. “Let me tell you, this doesn’t feel natural, man.
It feels like I’m breaking the law, nature’s law, and somehow, some way, I’m
gonna get busted for it. And now you want to increase proteins so I can fly
myself around the world? That is nuts. You’re nuts. Really, really nuts.”

Anki gave Sean a
warning glance.

“Alright, I’m hearing
you. All I know is that Johan’s out there and will most likely find Ryota’s
core. If he’s successful, he’ll grab it and will need a place to land it and
quick. The best, safest place is the boy’s own body. I’ve told you the situation
at the clinic. Now you tell me a better way to get his body than you going in
and getting it. No one can do it as simply and as directly as you. No one.”

Austin lowered to the
ground, shaking his head. “Propelling myself thousands of miles over oceans and
desolate wilderness using only my mind is not simple, it’s
insane
. And supposing I make it, I’d have to bust in and fly the
boy out to safety, eliminating any threats along the way. For all I know they
have a TK waiting there to swat me like a fly.” He gave Sean a hard look. “What
I really want to know is, why even suggest something like this? If I’m so rare
and important, why risk my life?”

“It seems like a risk,
but there’s more to it. More than we understand. Situations arise. Options
appear. We’re led to the answers if only we listen. Cathbad knows how to
listen. And as crazy as it all may sound, Johan’s actions are the signals. Your
abilities are the exact fit for the situation and the only thing standing in
the way is growth on your part. Growth that is meant to happen.”

The two shared a long
glance.

“The trackways,” Austin
said. “Ancient trackways. What does that even mean?”

“It means destiny
leaves footprints. Each footprint is timeless and is connected in some way to
the ultimate outcome. Listening to the path leads to knowing.”

“It’s not exact.”

Sean shook his head.
“Nothing ever is. But it’s possible to sense a direction.”

“And you’re saying
this is the right direction?”

“Yes,” he said. “It
is.”

Austin paused,
reflecting on the very same feeling Sean spoke of. He had to admit the
direction was there, like a flow. Things were taking shape, the form already
familiar. Johan must’ve known what he could do.
Be ready to work with me.
He
could fly and there was a reason. Had to be. Helping Johan was part of it. He
felt it, almost knew it.

That didn’t mean he
had to like it.

Early dawn broke
outside the garage behind Cullstone where he stood with Sean and Anki. Wearing
doubled up thermals, jeans, three shirts, a Kevlar vest, electric socks and glove
inserts, and adorned in black riding leathers and boots, he was as bundled as
an astronaut and about as protected. On his back he wore a low-profile
parachute, on his wrist an altimeter from Sean’s jump equipment, and on the
other wrist a GPS device with his route programmed. He wore a holstered Glock
on his right hip.

His body was ready.
His mind understood what to do. His fear still felt like a fever, though.
Thousands of miles, at speeds better suited for metal-plated jets. What would a
bird strike feel like? “Stay above six thousand feet and that won’t be a
problem,” Sean said. “Stay below eight thousand and your breathing will be
fine.” And aircraft? “We’ll plot your flight on the GPS away from known
routes.”

Despite the fear,
successful testing made the journey seem possible. He’d shot north across the
Scottish highlands at seven thousand feet without a problem. The GPS calculated
a speed of nearly a thousand miles an hour and truth told it was easy. Too
easy. He’d formed a piercing dome to split the air and reduce drag. Almost no
effort. He could go faster. Hard-iron butterflies flittered in his chest still,
but he was confident enough. He would go for it – to earn a chance to save Kaiya
and to help the boy win his body back.

Sean was displeased with
Johan though he kept it to himself. He spoke over the hiss of spray paint as he
primered a motor cycle helmet black to match the outfit. “I need to fill you in
with a few details that you probably won’t like. The Comannda have a type of
aircraft they use a lot. Not your usual craft.” He stopped spraying and glanced
at Austin. “They are fast. Broken laws of physics fast and they’re tough. They
can split through an airliner like a pile of kindling.” He resumed spraying.
“There’s a few of them in their fleet–”

“Wait, wait.
UFOs?
”

“–and if they catch
wind of you out there playing superman, they’ll target you if they can. It’s
unlikely, of course, because they won’t know you’re up there. And no, not UFOs.
They made them.”

Williams entered the
garage carrying a dark duffle bag and a plate of food. “This ought to do. I’ve
lined it with Kevlar, thermal padding and fur–”