Infernal

Light surrounded and washed through him, penetrating his very being. A sensation of peace, a cold fire of contentment, enveloped him and held him in arms of pure ecstasy.

The Source, Richard thought. He felt it in his every fiber. This is what it feels like to be a Keeper of the Throne. An angel. To bask in the glorious light of the All.

Brother, he heard—felt—Eliana sing to him. Something is wrong.

Then they were out of the Rip and Richard found himself standing on soil, the barn he’d left Sophia in a few yards to his right. Eliana was tugging on his arm, the appendage now singing out with pain. He looked at it in surprise—Christ that hurts!—noted the fire-like lance of what felt like a dozen pissed off wasps stinging him repeatedly, but no blood welling from the sealed, curlicue shaped wound. He gave a silent cheer for the inventor of super glue.

Eliana pulled again, sending another wave of pain up his bicep. Richard noticed the cool blue intelligence that had been in her eyes since he’d first met her fading away and then, all too quickly, it was gone. She still grasped at his hand—what is she trying to tell me?—but her autism descended like a shroud, sealing away whatever she wanted so desperately to say behind the cloak of her disorder.

Richard placed his hand on her head and she stilled, burying her face against his side.

“It’s okay,” he soothed, “We’re just going to get our friend and leave this place.”

Eliana clung to Richard’s side, her arms wrapped around his waist and face hidden near his back as he crossed to the barn with her and quietly opened the small side door he had exited what felt like days, but had been little more than a few hours ago.

As he entered a gun barrel slid up under his chin and pressed deep into the flesh there before pulling away.

“Jesus Christ, Richard,” Sophia said, “I almost shot you. Where the hell have you been?”

She looked tired. There were dark circles under her eyes and lines of both worry and exhaustion crossing her face. She stowed the Beretta she’d nearly blown his head off with at the small of her back and turned her back to him. Their gear was piled on the floor inside the door and she knelt before it, pulling the bindings of her tactical Reaper closed.

“Just out for a little walk,” he said, stepping fully into the barn, Eliana still half hidden behind his back. “I met up with a friend.”

“How nice for you,” she said angrily, “Meanwhile I’ve been worried sick thinking you ran off and left me to…what friend?” She turned her head, her eyes widening at the sight of the child clinging to Richard’s side.

“Is that…” she stammered, “how did you ever…My God, Richard, that’s the Key!”

“Her name is Eliana,” he said, not liking the way Sophia had referred to the child as an object.

Nor did he like the way Sophia stood and approached them. Her stance and body posture had changed almost imperceptibly from that of a concerned but angry friend to the avaricious bearing of a hunter closing in on its prey. Eliana shrank back, clutching painfully at Richard with her fingers. She emitted a mewling sound that might have been no but could have been anything.

Then Sophia stopped, wrapped her arms around herself, and laughed a cry of pure delight. This was the Sophia he knew and trusted. Not the momentary illusion of a stalker he’d thought, but was now certain he had not, seen. He chalked the false impression up to fatigue and the over stimulating events of the morning.

“How on God’s green Earth did you ever find her?” Sophia asked, now grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s an infinite Multi-verse,” Richard replied cryptically, “with infinite possibilities.”

“I suppose I deserve that,” Sophia said with a half frown, “given the inexplicable things I’ve told you. And those that I haven’t. There’s no need to be so mysterious now.”

“Agreed,” Richard said, “and I will tell you how I found Eliana when there is more time. But for now, we have to go. I have it on good authority that Jefferson and his troops are close by.”

He turned in Eliana’s grasp, gently prying her arms from his side and kneeling in front of her. She looked shyly into his eyes for a moment, then away. It must take an enormous act of will for her to look at someone directly, to let someone else into her world, Richard thought.

“Hey,” he said softly, “Eliana. Can you look at me?”

She did, her eyes fluttering away twice before finding his and maintaining contact.

“This is Sophia,” he said. “She’s a friend. You can trust her.”

Eliana’s eyes grew doubtful and she made that soft mewling sound again.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said. “We’re going to…”

Richard heard a buzzing from behind him that he recognized as the RLP’s proximity alarm. Then he heard Sophia mutter “That’s about enough of this shit.”

Then a pain bloomed at the base of his skull and the world fell away beneath him.

“Wake him up,” Richard heard a male voice say from far and away.

There was a small snap and crinkling sound, and then an acrid aroma invaded his nose like a slap in the face. Richard, on his side in the dirt, slapped at the source of the smell, batting a hand and the ammonium nitrate capsule it held away.

Richard rolled onto his back, his head throbbing with pain and opened his eyes.

Alex Jefferson loomed over him, crooked nose and all. He grinned his lunatic hyena grin and began clapping his hands together slowly.

“Bravo, Mr. Farris.” He stepped away, perhaps remembering the outcome the last time they’d been this close to one another. “Bravo. You played your part very nicely indeed. On behalf of the Elder and BanaTech, I applaud you.”

Harsh laughter erupted around him. Richard propped himself up on his elbows and looked around, gathering in the scene in the courtyard of the barn.

He’d been dragged outside and dropped unceremoniously in the dirt and was now surrounded by six—no, seven, including Alex Jefferson—of BanaTech’s security forces. Jefferson himself had withdrawn twenty feet or so but still remained inside the perimeter of armed men. All carried nasty looking automatic weapons that were pointed in Richard’s direction.

M4 carbine’s, Richard’s rattled mind uselessly informed him. And if they all fire at once, in a circle as they are, they’ll likely hit a few of themselves and Jefferson, as well as reducing me to hamburger.

Sophia stood outside the perimeter looking in. She wore a haughty expression. That of the wolf in sheep’s clothing finally revealing itself to its meal.

“Et tu, Sophia?” Richard asked. If not for the pain in his head he would have shook it and laughed.

Sophia’s nostrils flared in anger and she stepped inside the perimeter taking up a position at Jefferson’s side.

“You Primes,” she snarled. “You’re supposed to be so smart. So intuitive. So fucking heroic. But you couldn’t see through me, could you? You were so caught up being the hero that you missed what was staring you right in the face.”

“And what was that?” he asked.

“Me,” she answered. “The carrot. I led, and you, like a braying jackass, blindly followed. The Elder predicted you’d behave this way.”

Jefferson looked startled at this, and then his eyes narrowed as he turned to Sophia. Richard caught the brief look, but didn’t think anyone else had. There was something in her statement, something Jefferson didn’t like, but Richard couldn’t sort out just what the expression meant. He doubted he’d have the time to ponder its meaning, much less its significance.

“Show him a damsel in distress and he’ll move heaven and earth to save her. That’s what the Elder said,” Sophia continued. “So I showed you two damsels and threw in the entire Multi-verse for good measure. And you did exactly what he said you would. You followed me from Earth to Earth like a devoted puppy until the Monk found you and presented you with the Key.”

At the mention of Eliana Richard tried to rise from the ground only to be knocked back by the gunman who’d awakened him.

“Where is she?” he demanded. “If you hurt her…”

“You’ll what?” Sophia snarled, pulling Richard’s own Beretta 92FS from the small of her back and leveling it at his head.

Richard waited, wondering if he would feel the slug that tore through his skull and destroyed his brain. It couldn’t be any worse than the pounding he felt there already; the physical pain of the blow, the emotional pain of betrayal, and the pain of failing to keep his promise to protect Eliana.

Jefferson pushed the barrel of Sophia’s gun down with his arm but did not try to take it from her.

“Enough,” he said calmly. “You would do well to remember that despite your special relationship with the Elder, Ms. Bledell, I am still in charge here. And I have questions for Mr. Farris.” He moved closer to Richard, leaned down, and in a perfectly reasonable voice said: “The child is fine. We have no wish to harm her. She is, in fact, resting very comfortably in the back of our transport. She will be well cared for, cherished even. Because she is the Key and that makes her of the utmost importance to us.”

“Cherished?” Richard scoffed. “I saw what happened to the last person you cherished. He’s still in that room, screaming in agony for all eternity.”

“Don’t be an ass, Mr. Farris,” Jefferson warned, leaning closer. “I have some questions for you and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Ask them quick then,” Richard said. “Apparently you haven’t brushed your teeth since last November because I can still smell dogshit on your breath.”

Jefferson recoiled as if slapped, drew back his leg and kicked Richard in the jaw. Agony raced through Richard’s head, around his neck, and settled at the base of his skull. His eyes watered and the world swam around him. As the pain subsided, he shook his head to clear it. Pain raced down his spine at the motion and he vowed not to do that again. He slowly worked his jaw back and forth. Despite his best efforts Jefferson hadn’t broken it. But it would swell and turn the entire side of his face bluish black if he lived long enough.

“Who is the Monk?” Jefferson roared. “Where is he? We know he gave you the Key. What are his plans?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Richard said, his teeth clenched together as his jaw swelled. “I found the girl wandering around a mile or so away from here.”

“How does he open the Rips?” Jefferson continued as if he hadn’t heard. This time he kicked Richard twice in the ribs. Richard felt as least one of them snap. He rolled onto his side, the pain there incredible. His vision was growing fuzzy around the edges and it became harder to breathe.

Shit, he thought, I think he punctured a lung with that one. He knew he was losing consciousness. If it hadn’t been for his concern for Eliana he’d have welcomed the coming darkness.

Jefferson knelt beside Richard and gently lifted his head from the ground. The anger was gone from his face, his expression mild again.

This guy’s a regular Jekyll and Hyde, Richard thought hysterically. Jefferson paled when Richard laughed at the thought.

“Who is the Monk, Mr. Farris?” he asked again. “How does he control the Rips?”

“He’s a leprechaun,” Richard said, and then coughed uncontrollably, tasting blood. Definitely punctured a lung, he thought, but fought through the pain before continuing with a smile, “He uses elfin magic, you sadistic piece of shit.”

Jefferson smiled ruefully and rose to his feet. He walked past Sophia casting a venomous look in her direction.

“We won’t get anything from him,” he told her, “we’re wasting our time.” He motioned to his men and they fell in behind him.

“Make it quick,” he called over his shoulder. “We have a Focal Point to open.”

Richard somehow found the strength to roll onto his back again. He propped himself up on his elbows and gazed at Sophia. She had moved closer, the Beretta once again leveled at his head. She wore a grin much like Jefferson’s, the grin of the hyena skulking around in the dark, seeking out easy prey in its cowardly manner.

“I should have seen it,” he said, blood and saliva flooding his mouth with a coppery taste. He spat on the ground at Sophia’s feet. “The way you handled yourself at the house and resisted leaving me to save Sammy Peterson. The way you dealt with that cop at the lake. You were going to kill him before all the shooting started, weren’t you?”

She remained silent so he continued.

“You know weapons and armament too well for a mere field researcher. You’re far too familiar with tactical gear and too well trained. You’re BanaTech security, aren’t you?”

“I’m what you might call a reserve agent. A special operative and the Elder’s right hand. I was trained directly by the Elder, in secret, for just this sort of situation. Even Jefferson didn’t know of my existence until a half hour ago when he and his men took up positions around this place.”

“The Elder must be pleased with his clever creation,” Richard said, coughing up more blood. Sophia missed the sarcastic note in his voice.

“He is,” she said. “It’s time for me to go Richard” She lowered the gun to his chest.

“One question,” Richard said, “Please.”

Sophia lowered the weapon and sighed.

“Who shot your Mirror? Who killed Eliana’s mother?”

Sophia smiled smugly: “I did, of course.”

Richard closed his eyes and expelled his breath. Opened them again and looked at Sophia with renewed anger. It was as he thought. Her betrayal was total. To him, the Key, and the Multi-verse as a whole.

“When I come back,” Richard said, “and I will. I’m going to kill you.”

“Sure you are,” Sophia replied. Then lifted the Beretta and shot him in the face.