Chapter Thirty-Nine

  “Form up!” Jake yelled to Titus’ troops. “Get cover!” He pointed to the wall of vortexes between them and the Russians. “This is us, but it won’t hold them for long! Get behind it and be ready!”

  Soon after, his officers caught on and rallied their squads into position.

  Jake turned his attention to the new arrivals from the north. “Fall in!” he screamed over the sound of raging winds. Herr General Richter found him among the chaos.

  “What is it?” the German demanded. “This is madness! What haven’t you told me?”

  “I’ll explain later, just know it’s ours!”

  “No! Tell me now, what devilry we’re involved with!”

  Jake sighed deeply, then turned to face the man head on. He pointed to the children standing like conductors of a hellish orchestra. The time for negotiation and backroom dealings was over. It was time Michael’s allies knew his strength. “They,” he explained, “are our secret weapon. Those people with them?” He pointed to David, Stephanie, and Brooke still wearing lab coats. “They’re three of the most intelligent people left in this world and gave us a way to recreate society.... our society, the way we want it. You can get behind Esterling now, or get trampled under his feet later. Either way, this is no longer Germany. Hell, it’s no longer Europe!”

  “You hid this from us. You wanted the power all along!” General Richter seemed on the verge of murder, his eyes raging with unmasked fury.

  “In an hour or two, you’ll sing a different tune,” Jake said. “Now get your men to fall in line with ours, or we’ll shred the lot of you with the Russians!” It was a bluff. He had no way to know if Adam and Eve would even go along with that violence, but it worked. Richter’s eyes turned quickly from anger to fear. Soldiers always know when they’re beaten. He nodded and complied.

  Jake returned to Esterling’s side. “Everything’s in place, Mike.”

  “I couldn’t have done it by myself, could I, Jake?” The man was so broken, confused and finally questioning his fitness to lead. That meant he was finally ready.

  “We all have our strengths.” He pointed to David. “His is science. Mine’s leading soldiers and yours is leading politicians and people into a new world.”

  “I’m sorry about before. I should’ve listened to the children, and especially you.”

  “Forgiven.” Jake noticed a squad of soldiers leading a Russian officer up the hillside. “It’s time,” he called to Adam. “All pieces are in place!”

  Both children nodded silently, then whipped their arms, flinging their captive wind toward the enemy lines.

*****

  “All pieces are in place!” Jake yelled to Adam.

  David watched solemnly as the children snapped their arms as if casting fly reels. He had studied weather in college, though as an elective having nothing to do with his major. Always a biologist, even then, he questioned everything—from how phenomena would affect ecosystems down to how much wind a storm would need to carry someone away. Seventy miles per hour was the simple answer, as a sustained wind of that magnitude could theoretically overcome gravity.

  The power he witnessed on the battlefield was far greater, and his stomach wrenched as thousands of soldiers flew backward in a single blast. To be clear, they did not topple over. They also did not merely get knocked backward into one another. When the children unleashed their fury, the gales blew into both valleys and scattered grown men and women like dry leaves before the first winter blast. Not one survived that initial gust, and many ripped apart before David’s eyes. He made the mistake of watching one in particular, wincing as the man’s face and exposed skin peeled away. Thankfully they disappeared rapidly into the entanglement of bodies.

  As the roar subsided, the hill stood in stark silence. One by one the allied soldiers turned wide-eyed toward the tiny children standing together. The pair turned to face the enemy across the river.

  “General Petrov,” Michael finally said for all to hear. “That was a single example of our power. Please don’t make us destroy your entire army.”

  “I was a product of your cold war,” Ivan Petrov said arrogantly, holding his cuffed hands for all to see, “but I remember one lesson about America.” He chuckled, then smiled at everyone who watched. “When you bombed Japan at Nagasaki you had only one more weapon to drop.” He casually laughed as he strolled, moving toward Adam and Eve. “Your bluff then, as now, was to use both prematurely in hopes you wouldn’t need another.”

  The man suddenly lunged, having produced a knife from somewhere hidden within his clothing.

  Brooke screamed, causing David to look away, but the horror on her face forced his eyes to return to the children. If they had seen it coming, neither moved aside. Both fell to the ground beneath his weight. The sight of blood pouring from Adam’s throat caused Dr. Andalon’s mouth to fill with bile. Before anyone could move to help, the knife plunged deep into Eve’s chest.

  A gunshot deafened everyone nearby. Jake strode forward as Petrov rolled over, then filled him with two more rounds.

  “Stop,” the tiny girl gasped. “Do not shoot him again!”

  Jake froze at her command, but held his pistol steadily trained on the dying Russian officer.

  “David!” Eve called meekly. “Come here.”

  He tried to move, but found his legs would not. He was frightened. Why didn’t they foresee their deaths?

  We did. Her voice spoke clearly in his mind.

  A great flapping of wings turned his attention to the sky, as the multitude of eagles flew as a single body. Together they glided on the air, beating a final heave with mighty wings before landing atop the hill. The humans stood or lay among them, but the great birds did not show fear. They stood majestically, each facing the dying children and watching with expectation.

  Heal us, doctor, Adam’s voice said faintly. His time was running out.

  “I don’t know how,” David said, finally able to move his feet. He knelt between them, placing a tender hand on each. Had he truly been their father, he would have shown the same mournful love as he did in this moment. Tears fell and his chest sobbed as he watched them dying before his eyes.

  Remember when I said you repaired your own genes, David? Eve’s voice asked. You did more than reconstruct your ability to reproduce. You repaired your entire body. You are different, Doctor Andalon. Entirely!

  Reach out to us with your mind, Adam pleaded weakly, not into ours, but into our bodies. Feel the power of this hill and the world around you. Find life.

  David closed his eyes and focused. At first the blackness overwhelmed him, but the lights slowly emerged. It felt just as when he traveled with them into the dream world, only vastly alone without the children. “I can’t,” he admitted in defeat.

  Yes, you can, Eve explained. You know us by more than our physical bodies, doctor. You’ve seen us on the basic level. You’ve charted our DNA and witnessed how our cells interact within our tissues. Try again, and hurry. Adam has already passed.

  “He’s gone? If he’s dead, then there’s truly nothing I can do.”

  Hurry, Eve’s voice urged, barely more than a whisper.

  He tried again, closing his eyes. The moment the lights emerged, he chose one, imagining its soft glow as an uncharted place he could visit. Reaching out, he pulled it toward his consciousness. No longer feeling lonesome, he stood in the vastness of the void.

  It’s a craft, David realized, and I work it like clay.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  He touched the ether beneath his knees, feeling its rhythmic thrum of life. This world we live in has not completely died, he realized. The valley materialized around him, filled with pulsing beauty. Buried beneath the ashy snow and destruction, he found life oddly reachable. Each blade of grass, though dormant, brown, and withered, promised a new spring would return. The pulsing within its roots thrummed a similar pattern as the people gathered around.

  Soon, every living thing emerged as a glowing essence of its physical form. He recognized right away the difference between animal and fauna.

  “I see it,” he shouted. “I know what to do!”

  “David?” Brooke placed a gentle hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Who are you talking to?” The lifeform within her womb pulsed out of rhythm, certainly different than her own. David found it oddly similar to Michael’s standing nearby. He shrugged off her hand.

  “Back away,” Andalon said. “All of you.”

  The eagles moved closer as the humans slowly retreated, eerily quiet as they marched toward the dying humans. The thrum of life within each bird was recognizable. He’d studied each of their interwoven patterns so intricately in the lab.

  You’re bonded with them? he asked Eve. You brought them here, but your lifeforce is shared as well?

  Yes, David. They hold enough to revive us naturally. Take from them what is ours and restore it to our bodies.

  A vaporous mist formed around him. My own lifeforce? he wondered. He somehow knew that it was. He molded it like clay into a whisp of pulsing light, reaching it out with his mind and stretching the tendrils into each bird. Carefully, he unraveled the bit of the children remaining in each, and pulled it closer and placed it into their physical forms.

  Careful, Eve warned, not to place too much of yourself in ours. There’s enough within the flock you won’t need to join. The result won’t be what you desire.

  Adam’s heart began beating and the severed flesh across his neck melded together.

  The girl had been correct. He knew them on the cellular level and fixing their bodies proved easy. Soon Eve’s pulse regained strength and both children smiled up at the doctor.

  The gathered onlookers gasped with realization as the pair rose to stand beside their doctor.

  “And now him,” Adam said aloud. “Heal the dying messenger and restore what’s left of his life.”

  David turned to the dying man on the ground. The thrum within had weakened with his pulse. “There’s not enough,” he said.

  “Use some of your own,” Eve urged. “But not too much.”

  Two of the bullets had passed clean through, and those wounds were easier to repair. The third remained lodged near the heart. David repaired the tissue closest to the foreign object, pushing it slowly upward until a twisted piece of lead emerged. The general would live but, like the bullet, had changed forms—though still Ivan Petrov, the guiding lifeforce would only be usable once reforged. As a final temper, he drew energy from one of those gathered around.

*****

  Michael Esterling watched as first the children reanimated, and then the body of the Russian General stirred.

  Jake Braston again raised his weapon.

  “No,” Eve said. “He’s no longer a threat in his new form.”

  “What just happened?” demanded Michael. “What did David just do?”

  “He healed us and restored our life, senator... Or should I say Chancellor? Astia is yours now, just as you wanted.”

  “No... I didn’t claim anything today. You defeated the army, and everyone witnessed your strength, not mine.”

  Adam spoke so all would hear. “General Petrov was correct that you only possessed two weapons in this battle. But he underestimated Doctor Andalon and his love and respect for you. Sam Nakala and Mi-Jung have a gift waiting when you return to Ramstein.”

  “A gift?”

  “You wanted our abilities but never our minds. David tasked them with extracting a usable form of our craft which you can use as your own. You have our power, and it is yours personally to use and give as you choose.”

  “What will keep others from using it?” Michael demanded. He stole a glance at Herr General Richter. The man surely had ambitions as well as an army.

  “The key to unlocking its usefulness was chosen carefully,” David said sleepily. “The radiation vaccine modified your genetic code, and only those with resequencing can use it.”

  “And when the vaccine is gone? When we’ve exhausted our supplies? What then?” Esterling demanded.

  “You’ll have it forever. The people of Astia will pass the code to their offspring, and your descendants will continue to harness the essence originally formed in Adam and Eve.”

  “And what of them?” Stephanie Yurik asked. “Will you allow them freedom, Michael?”

  “I cannot, no. They’re too powerful.”

  “Then send us away,” Eve said. “You have our code and the ability to use our craft. Send us to Andalon.”

  “Andalon?” Michael stared at his friend, wondering what ambitions the scientist had for himself.

  “That’s what they’re calling North America, Mike, not me.” David replied. “I’m taking the children there. We’ll find the population center in the Ohio River valley and blend into their society. It’s what the children and I want.”

  “That sounds fair,” Michael lied. With them far away and across the water, neither could challenge his claim to Astia, but they would always be a threat—and so would any offspring they produced. He exchanged a look with Jake and the general nodded his understanding. He’d help dispose of them as promised.

  “David,” Brooke said with alarm. “You kept this part of the plan from me. Why didn’t you tell me you were returning to North America? I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here.”

  “That’s not all I kept from you, Brooke.”

  Brooke suddenly grew fearful. Thinking of the injections, her hands went to her belly. “What did you do, David?”

  Michael had been looking at his friend when he spoke, but his eyes darted to Brooke’s belly as she grabbed it. The child... His child... grew within that womb.

  “Michael Esterling would never allow us to leave,” Adam said. “Right now, he and your brother are scheming, and each is wondering how to kill us again. But now, they must include your husband.”

  “And they will also kill you, Brooke,” Eve added, “because you carry in your womb an emotant.”

  “They want to, but they won’t,” David revealed. He pointed at the Russian general now standing quietly by with slumped shoulders.

  Petrov lifted his head and began to speak. But as the words came out, it was David’s voice. “General Petrov is no longer in control of his mind. Though he will believe himself so, he was not reanimated as purely as the children. He’s under my control if I choose, and the treaty you make with him only exists if I and the children remain unharmed. I offer him as a gift, Michael. I added your lifeforce to him as well. You may control him, but only if I allow it. As an added bonus, you and I can parley through our connection in his mind if our own treaty requires adjusting.”

  Michael blinked with disbelief. Of course he had to let them go now. David had played him perfectly. He needed the treaty with the Russians more than he needed those children dead—not if they told the truth and he had access to their powers.

  “David,” Brooke demanded. “What have you done to my child?”

  “Michael’s child is resequenced. Adam and Eve promised an Esterling would always rule the world, but did not reveal how. The child in your womb is an emotant, like them. He’ll be able to wield power, making him a direct threat to his father. You are coming with us, and bringing our final bargaining chip against Michael.”

  “Not your final chip,” Michael said, placing an arm around Stephanie Yurik, “I’m expecting another.”

  “No, Michael,” Stephanie said, pulling away. She walked toward Benjamin Roark, grabbing his hand and locking fingers. “This child is not yours, and David also injected me.” She looked toward the doctor and he nodded.

  “All emotants will return to Andalon with the doctor except for the son of Esterling,” Adam explained. “That is the grounds for our treaty and the only assurance Astia remains yours.”

  Michael could not believe his ears. He was beaten, despite his victory on the field. He had a society to build, and that far exceeded the threat he would allow to leave. He could, after all, deal with the emotant problem later.

  “Go,” he said. “Now, before I change my mind.”

  David nodded to the children and Eve waved her hands in the air. Wisps of air wove and converged as she once more created the Estowen.

  “You’ll need supplies,” Jake said, and helped Sergeant Roark to load rations and water for their voyage.

  “I’m not going,” Brooke said to her husband.

  “You have no choice, dear. Not anymore. Not like you did before, when you chose his shortcut over trusting my science. Michael will kill your child if you stay.”

  “I wouldn’t do that, Brooke.” Esterling promised. “You don’t have to go.”

  “And I wouldn’t allow him to,” Jake added.

  She looked to David. “Isn’t there another way?” she asked.

  The doctor looked away. “I’m sorry, Brooke. That’s the price of the forgiveness you asked from me. Return home with me as my wife, or stay here.”

  “I won’t go,” she said.

  “Then this is goodbye,” David said, boarding the Estowen.

  “What about Mi-Jung?” Michael suddenly asked. “You’ve been injecting her, as well!”

  Adam answered. “She carries a special child who will father a line of the strongest resequenced,” he explained. “Though not an emotant himself, his ability to harness all powers will be extraordinary. His progeny will have access to all crafts Dr. Andalon has created, but can never claim them as their own.”

  Michael watched as the last of the supplies were loaded. Jake drew his pistol and handed it grip first toward David. “Take this,” he said. “You’ll need it over there.”

  “No,” Michael said. “Don’t give him any weapons. They don’t need them.”

  “Michael,” David said, turning with a smile, “at least in that regard we’re agreed.” He then boarded the vessel with Doctor Yurik and the children.

  Everyone gathered watched it depart, gliding across the land on its way to the ocean and beyond. The doctor and his children had finally embarked on their prophesied journey. They traveled to Andalon.