The Seraphim Sequence: The Fifth Column 2 (10 page)

‘Uh, you guys have some catching up to do,’ Freeman said.

He stood and reached for a small black satchel hanging off a nearby chair. From it he produced a slender notebook computer. He opened it and loaded a video, then turned the laptop around so everyone could see.

‘Denton’s changed teams,’ he said.

‘He likes dudes?’ Jay asked.

‘He likes Sophia.’ Freeman pressed play.

The video, downloaded from YouTube, had been recorded on a steady professional camera during a protest. The camera was just high enough to look over the sea of people who wielded smartphones, signs and the occasional boom microphone. Judging by the words on the building in the background, the video had been shot at Liberty Plaza in New York. Standing before them: Denton. Sophia almost didn’t recognize him in a simple gray hoodie and black leather jacket. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

‘When was this—’

‘Shh,’ Freeman said. ‘Listen.’

Denton held the microphone close to his lips and spoke in a deep and measured tone. ‘I used to work for the government.’

The crowd erupted in a chorus of boos.

‘I was in charge of a team, part of a larger structure that has sustained a level of obscurity not even the CIA can manage,’ he said. ‘We have our own intelligence agency. We have our own air force. We have our own navy. We even have our own dedicated space program and satellites.’ He shrugged. ‘Not as many as I would’ve liked, but enough.’

The crowd was deathly silent. The only sound came from the traffic behind Denton. The sea of people before him was probably trying to figure out whether he was insane or actually telling the truth.

‘The operatives under my command wore no uniforms, bore no rank. They didn’t exist,’ he said. ‘One of these operatives was a person you may already be familiar with. The person we blamed for the deaths of four hundred million innocent women. The person we blamed for the greatest act of bioterrorism known to mankind. That person is Sophia.’

Denton paused. Sophia could tell he was reading the crowd. Not a single person shouted a word. They waited in silence, wanting to know more. Sophia wanted to know more.

‘Sophia turned against me, against our government, in an act of treason,’ he said. ‘She realized, just as you have, that she was not fighting for the freedom of our people.’

The crowd began to swell with whistles and cheers.

‘She committed this genocide because we ordered her to,’ Denton said. ‘We deceived her. By the time she realized what she had actually done, it was too late.’

The crowd was deathly silent now. Probably in disbelief, Sophia thought.

‘Under my command, she was not fighting for our liberty, or anyone else’s,’ he said. ‘She was fighting to pull the wool over our eyes. She was fighting to help feed the greed of our government. And one day she decided: no more. It was my job to stop her. And when I found her, I made a decision that I will never regret. I let her go free.’

Denton handed the microphone to someone and stepped out of frame. The crowd erupted into applause so loud that it crackled the video camera’s microphone. The video ended.

‘That was it?’ Jay said.

Freeman nodded. ‘That’s all he said. This happened two days ago.’

‘Do you think he’s for real?’ Benito asked.

‘I doubt it,’ Freeman said. ‘A psychopath can’t exactly grow a conscience.’

‘It’s genetically impossible,’ Sophia added. ‘But he said that for a reason.’

‘So Sophia’s all over the news now?’ Damien asked.

Freeman shook his head. ‘Surprisingly, no. Or unsurprisingly, depending on how you look at it.’

‘No one’s mentioning her at all?’ Big Dog said.

‘Complete media blackout,’ Freeman said. ‘Nothing on the news. But she’s trending on Twitter.’

‘What’s that?’ Damien said.

‘It’s a dating site,’ Jay said knowingly.

‘They tried to pull the video off YouTube a few times but people kept re-uploading it. Different versions from different cameras. I saved this one because it was the best quality.’

Sara tapped her fingernails on the table. ‘Two million hits in two days. You are famous now.’

‘Shit.’ Sophia pushed away from the table. ‘Do they have a photo of me? Do they know my face?’

Freeman shook his head. ‘Nothing yet. And I hope it stays that way. Otherwise you’ll be stuck here for a very long time.’

Sophia sighed. ‘Better than being trapped in a subway under New York when a hurricane’s about to hit.’

‘Another reason I’m glad we got out when we did,’ Freeman said. ‘Three states are already in a state of emergency because of the riots and protests.’

‘I thought they loved their new President,’ Sophia said.

Freeman nodded. ‘They thought so too.’

Sophia shook her head. This made no sense. ‘So, wait, why is Denton saying this? Why is he even there?’

‘Is he even in the Fifth Column any more?’ Jay said.

‘As much as I hate to admit it,’ Nasira said, ‘Jay has a point. This sounds just like a another psy-op.’

Freeman stubbed his cigarette in an ashtray. ‘Under any other circumstance, I would agree. But this time we think not.’

‘He could totally be leading a double life,’ Nasira said. ‘You can’t rule that shit out.’

‘But the question is,’ Freeman said, ‘if he is out, truly out, was he cast out or did he walk out?’

‘Is there a difference?’ Jay asked.

‘There’s a big difference,’ Freeman said.

Sophia shook her head. ‘The last thing he said to me at the UN headquarters was that he was going to clean this mess up. He meant Cecilia McLoughlin’s mess.’

‘Can someone please explain to me what the fuck’s going on?’ Jay said. ‘What the hell is this Seraphim shit?’

‘Project Seraphim predates Project GATE,’ Freeman said. ‘These Seraphim arrays,’ he pointed to the question marks on the US map, ‘shoot extremely low frequencies into the natural plasma of Earth’s ionosphere. They bounce back to Earth. They can be used to communicate with submarines submerged deep in the ocean, for mineral and water exploration, and modification of weather patterns.’

Sophia shook her head. ‘No, it’s for modifying brain-wave patterns.’

Freeman licked his lips. ‘The other Akhana elders seem to think otherwise.’

‘Well, they’re wrong,’ Sophia said. She sounded more defensive than she would’ve liked.

Freeman shifted his gaze to DC. ‘You seem to agree,’ he said.

DC nodded. ‘She makes a persuasive argument.’

He’d just backed her up again. A girl could get used to that.

Freeman smiled. ‘She’s a persuasive arguer; it’s one of her finer qualities. Sophia, if you have evidence of this, it’s important that I see it.’

Jay was squinting at the map and scratching his head. ‘So, can I have this in English?’

‘Sophia’s saying the Seraphim transmitters—these marks on the map—can influence your emotions,’ DC said.

‘Mind-controlled violence, anyone?’ Sophia said.

‘Maybe that’s why Denton’s acting crazy,’ Jay said.

Damien looked like he’d seen a ghost. ‘The riots,’ he said. ‘They just spring up out of nowhere. Large groups go crazy for no reason.’

‘So how do you explain the weather?’ Freeman folded his arms. ‘The world didn’t end in 2012 so it can’t be the Mayans.’

‘Maybe the world is ending,’ Jay said. ‘Maybe we fucked it.’

‘Maybe it fucked us,’ Damien said.

Nasira pulled the map toward her and glared at Sophia. ‘How long have you known about Seraphim?’

‘A few days,’ Sophia said.

‘And you didn’t tell us?’ Nasira said.

Before she could reply, Chickenhead jumped in.

‘Hold up a second, you think they’re expanding this globally?’ Chickenhead said. ‘Mind control or weather or whatever it is they’re doing?’

‘We can’t confirm that,’ Freeman said. ‘But whatever it is, it isn’t looking good.’

‘These are the construction sites you wanted us to check out, right?’ Jay asked Sophia.

She nodded. ‘That’s what I had in mind.’

Jay took another look at the map and collapsed into his seat. ‘I think I’ll need a drink first.’

Sophia caught Freeman’s gaze.

‘I need to speak with you,’ he said.

She stood. ‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ she told Nasira.

Freeman walked down the cobblestoned street with long strides, pausing only to sidestep a wandering dog. Sophia had trouble keeping up. Freeman crossed a walkway to a café lit by orange-red paper lanterns and a smear of moonlight from outside. The doors were open. She noticed a small infrared camera nestled in the corner. Standing inside the café, a young woman. She had straight black hair, a razor-sharp fringe and chalk-white skin.

Sophia’s hand moved for the pistol in her jeans, which she’d remembered to grab from the rucksack on the ride up.

‘Sophia!’ Freeman put his hand out.

Sophia let her hand rest on the pistol grip. She didn’t draw, but she was ready.

‘Hello stranger,’ Grace said.

It was her. There was no mistaking it. She hadn’t moved; she was unarmed.

‘You’re … she’s supposed to be … How are you alive?’

A million probabilities ran through Sophia’s mind. None of them added up.

‘Same way Nasira’s alive,’ Grace said.

Sophia kept her hand firmly on her pistol. She was going to keep it there until she figured out what the hell was going on. ‘That means … all of the shocktroopers that were there … how many were there?’

‘Three, including myself,’ Grace said.

‘They were all … jump-started by Jay?’

Grace nodded. ‘He walked out before he realized what he’d done. But only I had the side effect. My programming went a little … strange.’

Freeman stepped away slightly so he wasn’t in the line of fire. ‘She shot the other two. She was the only one who walked out.’

Sophia glanced between Freeman and Grace. ‘And you trust her?’

Freeman nodded. ‘Her programming’s been checked out. Completely scrambled. We followed
your
guidelines to deprogram her completely. It was actually pretty easy.’ He swallowed. ‘Well, because of your guidelines.’

Sophia let her hand relax, but she kept it over her pistol. ‘You got out,’ she said to Grace.

‘Stole a Speedhawk. Only two left and only one had fuel.’

‘I didn’t see that.’ Sophia frowned. ‘Although, I was trying not to die at the time.’

‘As was I,’ Grace said.

Sophia exhaled slowly and let her hand move slowly from her pistol. She kept the pistol accessible over her shirt. ‘So how did you find us?’

‘New York,’ Grace said.

‘She made contact with me right after you left, actually,’ Freeman said.

‘And you didn’t tell me this?’ Sophia yelled.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen you since then.’

‘Right,’ Sophia said.

Freeman reached for his cigarette pack. ‘Like I said, you have some catching up to do.’

‘No kidding,’ Sophia said. ‘This is … this is crazy.’ She turned to Grace. ‘We have your killer here, by the way. And your boyfriend.’

‘Ex,’ Grace said.

‘That’s even better,’ Sophia said.

‘This might be a little awkward,’ Grace said.

Jesus, Sophia thought. How am I going to explain this to the group?

Grace clasped her hands behind her back. ‘Freeman,’ she said.

‘Owen’s fine.’

‘I have good news and bad news.’

Freeman scratched his neck. ‘This should be good. You can tell me in front of Sophia.’

‘Good news: I’ve arranged for Dr Heino Schlosser to visit us,’ she said.

Who was Dr Schlosser, Sophia wondered.

Freeman lit a cigarette. ‘Bad news?’

‘He’s coming to Manila. We need to collect him.’

Freeman shrugged. ‘That’s not so bad.’

‘It’s likely he’ll be under surveillance. I’ll have to put together a team.’

‘Why is he under surveillance?’ Sophia asked. ‘Who is this guy?’

‘Sorry,’ Freeman said. ‘I’ll bring you up to speed. Schlosser is retired, but he worked in several Fifth Column projects, including Seraphim.’

Sophia felt a surge of excitement, which she promptly tried to hide. ‘That’s good. He should have plenty to share.’

‘If we can get him out alive,’ Grace said.

***

Damien woke to light pouring in the window. The room was simple, with two single beds and Hello Kitty bedsheets. Jay was curled up in the other bed, sleeping like a baby. Damien threw his pillow at him, then got up to stretch. Barefoot, he padded across the hardwood floor out into the living space they shared with the rest of the team. The washing basin was outside on the balcony, strangely enough. The air was crisp and smelled of pine. He splashed his face and admired the view. Two-story houses dotted the tropical mountainside below, their tin roofs painted in a variety of vivid colors: blue, orange, turquoise and green. Beyond them were more mountains, their peaks parting under the heavens and dipped in dark fog like a chocolate sundae. He’d already decided he liked this place more than the submarine.

He heard Jay grumble behind him. Turning, he saw him rub sleep from his eyes.

‘So what now?’ Damien said.

‘Food,’ Jay said, his voice still croaky. ‘Then we figure out which beach we’re going to lie on for the next month.’

Damien heard the stairs creak. Freeman emerged into the living area, the last person Damien had expected.

‘Breakfast in fifteen, everyone’s invited,’ Freeman said. ‘Chico Inn, same place as last night. Upstairs.’

Damien nodded. ‘Thanks.’

Freeman hesitated. ‘I’ll need you two … earlier,’ he said. ‘There’s someone you need to meet.’

***

There were a few locals already in the restaurant, but they didn’t look up as Damien and Jay entered. In daylight, it was easy to see the building was stonework and brick on the first level, with dark stained wooden doors and French windows. The second floor was made of logs, with a protruding balcony and wrought iron railing. Damien walked inside and climbed the steep wooden stairwell two steps at a time. It opened out into a spacious room with only two people there: Freeman and—

Damien stopped. ‘Grace.’

She and Freeman were drinking tea. They both stood to greet him.

Damien shook his head. ‘What the hell?‘

Jay pushed past. ‘Next time I lead the charge—’

He froze when he saw Grace, then immediately tensed. Damien saw his hand move for his waist. He clamped his hand over Jay’s. ‘Hold it.’

Grace arched an eyebrow. ‘I see you’ve found other ways to fulfill your needs in my absence.’

‘You’re—’ Damien began.

‘Alive,’ she said. ‘It appears that way.’

‘Is this what it looks like?’ Jay said.

‘Is
this
what it looks like?’ Grace said, staring at Damien and Jay’s hands, currently grasped over Jay’s crotch.

Jay found his tongue. ‘How the fuck are you alive?’ he yelled. ‘I killed you!’ He turned to Damien. ‘I killed her, right?’

Damien didn’t know what he was feeling. Or what he should say.

‘You didn’t do a very good job,’ he said.

Nailed it.

‘When you revived Nasira, you revived all of us,’ Grace said. ‘Only without my programming.’

‘And before you ask,’ Freeman said, ‘we’ve deprogrammed her completely.’

‘Oh,’ Jay said. ‘Well, that makes me feel better then. Fucking hell, where’s the coffee?’

‘Downstairs,’ Freeman said. ‘I’ll show you.’

Jay gave Grace another fierce glare, then pushed past Damien, down the stairs. Freeman followed. Damien’s mind raced to think of something to say.

‘It’s … nice up here,’ he managed.

‘Please don’t stand there like that. It’s painfully awkward to watch,’ Grace said. ‘Sitting down is an option, if you weren’t aware.’

‘Yeah, right.’ Damien jerked his legs into motion and picked a seat opposite her. ‘Where have you been all this time?’

Grace squeezed some lemon into her tea. Her fingernails were as short as his.

‘Here,’ she said. ‘And before here, New York.’

‘I was in New York.’

‘You checked out, I checked in,’ she said. ‘The Shadow Akhana elders have a meeting tonight. To figure out what to do.’

‘So we’re done? We’re onto another topic now?’ Damien leaned forward in his chair. ‘Wait, about what?’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Where have you been the last week?’

‘Under the ocean.’

‘Oh, in that case, you’re a little behind the eight ball.’ She sipped her tea.

‘Please.’ Damien folded his arms. ‘Bring me up to speed.’

‘I wasn’t expecting to have this conversation with you,’ she said.

‘I wasn’t expecting to have any conversation with you. I thought you were dead.’

‘I get that a lot,’ she said.

‘So why are you here exactly?’

He could feel old emotions stirring inside, which surprised him. Until he’d seen her, he’d had no idea he missed her.

‘Just following a lead,’ she said. ‘Same lead as Freeman, as it turns out. Mutual interests and all that.’

‘Mutual interests are scrapbooking, baseball, Clone Wars.’

Grace gave him a dubious stare. ‘Clone Wars?’

 ‘Those are mutual interests,’ he went on. ‘Not starting a war with a clandestine government.’

‘Really?’ she said, suddenly serious. ‘That’s what I put on my dating profile.’

‘You’re not … That was a joke, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes, Damien, it was a joke. And I suppose you came here for the mountain air? Honeymoon perhaps?’

A hint of jealousy, he thought. Well, he hoped.

‘I’m helping Sophia,’ he said.

Grace didn’t blink. ‘Why?’

‘She’s my friend.’

‘Sophia doesn’t have friends, she has followers.’

Damien kept his composure. She was testing him, but he wasn’t going to bite.

‘Then I followed her here,’ he said.

‘If you’re helping Sophia, then you’re helping Freeman,’ Grace said. ‘Which means we have something in common. Other than Clone Wars.’

***

Freeman made coffee in the tiny kitchen behind the counter. The space clearly wasn’t built for a towering six foot six man, but he made it work. Jay watched him add the grounds to the kettle and let it simmer, cowboy style.

‘Won’t that burn the coffee?’ he said.

‘Jesus, one trip to Melbourne and you’re a connoisseur now?’ Freeman said. ‘We’re five thousand feet above sea level. Water boils at a lower temperature.’

He poured some coffee into a ceramic mug and handed it over. Jay brought it carefully to his lips. It was too hot to drink, but he sipped anyway. It had some punch to it but it was smooth.

‘Nice. Not bitter,’ he said.

Freeman didn’t look surprised. ‘My magic at work,’ he said, pouring himself a cup. He leaned against the kitchen bench and nursed his coffee. ‘I’m curious, Jay, what are your plans?’

Jay wasn’t expecting that. ‘Well, we kinda got pulled into this.’

Freeman nodded. ‘That’s why I’m asking.’

‘We’ll … we’ll be moving on soon,’ Jay said. ‘I’m with you guys on this whole resistance thing. But, you know.’

Freeman raised an eyebrow. ‘No, I don’t.’

‘Fifth Column is just so big, they control everything,’ Jay said. ‘It’s just …’

‘Just what?’

‘I think you’re wasting your time,’ Jay said.

He felt bad saying it, but it was true. That’s honestly what he thought.

Freeman nodded. ‘Fair enough. We have a team going to Manila next week to pick someone up. You can ride with them if you’re keen to move on.’

‘That would work,’ Jay said. ‘Thanks.’

‘No thanks necessary.’

Nasira walked in. ‘For what?’ she said.

‘For being awesome,’ Jay said.

She laughed, slapped him on the shoulder a little too hard and greeted Freeman. He directed her up the stairs.

Jay held up a finger in anticipation. ‘Wait for it,’ he said, listening.

Nasira reached the top of the stairs. ‘Motherfucker!’ she yelled.

Freeman chuckled. Jay snorted coffee through his nose.

‘Ain’t you meant to be dead?’ Nasira yelled.

‘I think that went well,’ Freeman said. ‘Anyway, I’ll get some breakfast going if you want to wait upstairs. How many of you are there again?’

Jay counted in his head. ‘Eight. Nine if you count the resurrected.’

He took his coffee and headed for the stairs. His head was pounding after all that drinking in the submarine.

‘It’s easier not to think about it, isn’t it?’ Freeman said.

Jay stopped. ‘What are you talking about?’

Freeman wasn’t smiling any more. ‘You know exactly what I’m talking about.’

Jay put his mug down. ‘They took everything from me, OK? Not just one little thing, not just someone I care about or a part of my childhood.’

Freeman pointed at Jay’s chest. ‘You still have that.’

Jay looked down at the gold chain around his neck, the outline of the cross visible under his T-shirt.

‘My father’s,’ he said. ‘They took everything else. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life trying to get payback. It’s a big goddamn waste of time.’ He could feel the anger in his words and it surprised him.

Freeman nodded with what seemed like understanding, but said nothing.

‘Life is short, you know,’ Jay said. ‘I’m going to enjoy what I have left. YOLO or whatever.’

Freeman fished around in a crumpled cigarette pack for the last cigarette. His silence was starting to piss Jay off.

‘I’m here because I helped Sophia,’ he said. ‘She needed our help, she was in danger.’

‘She
was
in danger,’ Freeman said.

‘Yeah. And now I’m here. In the mountains.’ Jay held up his hands in admission. ‘Hey, I’m just trying to work with the cards I was dealt.’

‘The kind of people I’m looking for aren’t happy with the cards they were dealt,’ Freeman said. ‘They know the dealer’s cheating and they’ll do everything it takes to get better cards.’

Jay shrugged. ‘I’d rather just not play the game.’

‘Let me ask you a question.’ Freeman snapped open his zippo and held the flame close. ‘How long do you think you have?’

Jay didn’t quite know what he meant by that. ‘Until when? Apocalypse was last year and we’re still here.’

‘Until you can’t ignore it any more. Until you can’t run any more.’ Freeman wedged his cigarette between cracked lips and lit it. ‘With the Fifth Column at the helm, there really is no security in this world.’