It was inevitable that the astonishing occurrences of December 4th would completely overshadow the televised release of the captive test subjects from their prisons around the world only a few days before.
Of course, folks everywhere remained incensed that men, women and children had been abused in such a disgusting way. But these new events had exposed inconsistencies that polarized opinion into two opposing camps. And really, in hindsight, such a thing could only be expected.
Human nature tended to be capricious at the best of times. When good things happened, most were only too ready to wait for the bubble to burst; to stew in negativity when it did; and, to look for someone to blame. Such propensities were a natural expression for a species that not only knew they were their own worst enemy, but were too lazy to do anything about it.
And the opportunity to vent their spleens had been as golden as it was irresistible.
The revelation that the Guardians’ Supreme Commander was an angellike superbeing with seemingly limitless might had caused pandemonium. It went without saying that what he had done was, undeniably, astonishing.
However, that led to bout of rather pointed sniping.
If the Overlord possessed all that power, why hadn’t he been able to prevent the deaths of the total of one thousand, three hundred and twenty-three souls who lost their lives when the missiles exploded?
How were the Guardians so easily caught off guard by that attack?
Why had they been unable to prevent the destruction of so much property, especially at those venues where trade, industry and tourism would now be severely affected?
Was it really so necessary to keep the seven hundred and fifty-eight survivors waiting for proper treatment before moving them to hospitals?
In contrast, once televised footage of the tornado incident was aired, the female Guardian commander who had hopelessly sacrificed herself to save others became a hero, and one the public clamored to immortalize.
Viewers had recoiled in horror to see her incinerated in such a poignantly terrifying way; held their breaths when she’d been unexpectedly reprieved at the moment of death; openly wept when her “resurrection” was revealed.
But that miraculous act raised all sorts of questions.
Was mankind being watched over by genuine guardian angels or not?
Were they really there to help everyone or just the ones they wanted?
Why was nobody else raised from the dead that day?
Did the Guardians display a natural bias toward their own or those who were gifted? And were mundanes not important enough?
To some – especially the rumormongers and conspiracy theorists – it didn’t add up, and the overly critical were quick to make their feelings heard via social media, causing a backlash between those who thought the Guardians could do no wrong, and others eager to condemn.
Only in one area were the opposing camps united. Why oh why did the Overlord reveal himself in such a way, because now that humanity knew his kind existed, expectations would only get higher.
And sure enough, the avalanche of inquiries into the Lord Conciliator’s Office following the Texas shocker was as predictable as it was relentless.
*
December 6th
Two days after the terrorist attack and monster storm that had ruined the lives of thousands of people and caused trillions of dollars worth of damage, a certain young lady had been called into the private study of her supposedly stricken superior, Henry Gould, at the BBC offices in Washington.
Gould was still in poor health with pneumonia and should have been at home in bed. Even so, he had been keen to support his protégé and – as he had been delighted to explain – personally witness the shock on her face when the oversight directors gave her some startling news.
And he hadn’t been disappointed by her reaction!
Although a rising star within the BBC, Cathy West had been relatively unknown to the public at large, until circumstances had thrust her into the limelight as the live correspondent reporting the liberation of those hostages held beneath CIA headquarters at Langley.
To say that she held her own on such an important debut performance was an understatement. She had absolutely nailed it, remaining calm and professional in the thick of the action, understanding and sympathetic to those who had been rescued, and most important of all, totally at ease with the Guardians themselves.
Unbeknown to Cathy, representatives from the Lord Conciliator’s Office of the Guardians had approached the Editor in Chief of the BBC in the United States, Harold Bennett, offering an exclusive interview that would fully expound the circumstances behind the events forty-eight hours previously in Texas, the Canaries, Egypt and elsewhere. That conversation made it clear the BBC would be favored with similar interviews in the future and that the cooperation of other international news agencies at the scene of each of the parallel disasters would be facilitated to ensure as thorough an account as possible.
As such, Harold Bennett had contacted Broadcasting House in London earlier that morning, and been given the go-ahead by “the powers that be” to draw up papers, formally recognizing a new post of “Guardian Correspondent” to cover this and future assignments. And Bennett knew exactly who he wanted to fill that position.
Both the Overseas Director, Rupert Manning, and Henry – Cathy’s immediate boss – had readily signed off on the appointment, and not fifteen minutes ago, Cathy had been duly notified of the endorsement by the jubilant trio.
After a celebratory glass of champagne – hot tea for Henry – and complimentary handshakes and back-slapping all round, Cathy had been left alone to prepare and let the news sink in.
And sink in it had.
To be presented with the opportunity to deliver such an expose is a dream come true…and a nightmare. Yes, I’ll have the benefits of a support crew and the wealth of details, facts and figures the internet can offer. But they’ll all be up in the control booth. It’ll be just me out there on the floor, all alone with whomever it is the Guardian’s send.
Talk about being thrown in at the deep end.
Cathy’s gaze sank through the strawberry blush of her drink and into the bottom of the glass. Suddenly, the bubbles didn’t seem so friendly and inviting any more.
Always one to rise to a challenge, Cathy was still keenly aware of her lack of experience in this area, and a certain thought had been running through her mind since she’d accepted her promotion.
What the hell was I thinking?
*
The main conference room within the grounds of the Guardian Headquarters and Training Academy had been unusually full that morning.
All Lords and their deputies had been required to attend, along with the academy’s department heads and chief instructors. The agenda: events of the past week.
The recent jailbreaks, as they jokingly referred to them, were still a topic of much deliberation, albeit initial elation over the success of that venture had been tempered by the “Land Buster” incident.
Although they had never boasted about their vocation, it had been gratifying to receive some recognition for their efforts at last. It validated the sacrifices they had made in choosing to devote their lives to a higher calling. So, to think that someone had set out to deliberately expose their flaws and weaknesses, was both deeply upsetting and frustrating, and all the more so since lives had been lost.
It had also been an important wakeup call for some of the younger and less experienced Guardians who now realized they were imperfect and could easily make mistakes.
The world was waking up to this fact, and the reputation of their service was tarnished. In response, academy instructors were reminded to emphasize to their students that now they were operating in the public eye, their every act and their every omission would be open to scrutiny. Such hurdles would be part of the job. This was the first time a large-scale loss of life had occurred and sadly, it wouldn’t be the last. All they could do was buckle down, learn from what had happened, make adjustments and move on – business as usual.
To raise everyone’s spirits, the Council of Lords announced that inquiries currently underway to hunt down those responsible for the despicable acts of sabotage had already produced results. The new Lord Inquisitor would now be taking charge of the investigation and ensure justice was served.
Thankfully, it seemed that most governments were still open to the idea of the Guardians working closely with their emergency services and legal institutions, despite the social network generated witch-hunt. As such, the Lord Marshal gave the go-ahead for the Lord Conciliator’s department to tender proposals for the new legislation that would be required to lawfully recognize psychic abilities.
The second half of the meeting went on to address the implications of the Overlord’s manifestation, live on-air. Those in positions of responsibility all wanted to know – what had he been thinking. Thanks to him, mankind was now aware of the existence of transcended individuals and there was little doubt in anyone’s mind that they would be expecting miracles on each and every occasion the Guardians appeared.
Earl Foster had gone to great lengths to reassure his staff that there would be no foreseeable problems in that regard. A media package was already being prepared to highlight how few of them were capable of such a transformation, and he had personally seen to it that the new charter contained specific clauses to protect the rights and privacy of all Guardians, no matter their status.
The conference room was clearing now, leaving the Lords to conclude the session in private. As the last officers left, Earl erected a privacy screen around the chamber, and then phased in a temporal scrambler to ensure the utmost confidentiality without possibility of interruption.
“Expecting eavesdroppers?” probed the Lord Procurator, Jade Heung.
“Just being careful, Jade,” he replied. “Some of our wilder talents seem to be ingeniously creative when it comes to fishing for news and turning it into gossip. I don’t want what we’re about to discus bandied about in the corridors or in the dining hall.”
Jade smiled in appreciation. “So what’s first on the schedule?”
Earl looked across to Corrine Jackson, the Lord Healer, and inclined his head toward her. “Would you like to start us off, Corrine? How are our new guests settling in?”
A rosy flash of excitement blossomed around her.
As was her habit, she stood up to pace. “They’re settling in very well, Earl, and display a wide range of talent. Our only real problem seems to be the candidates from China and Russia. They’re used to an institutionalized way of doing things, you see, so we have to constantly remind them to relax a little.
“To help facilitate this, we’ve shown them a variety of classes from each of the modules and emphasized that although the training will be tough, it’s still something they can enjoy. Hopefully that will sink in the longer they’re with us.
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“Even the aggressive ex con, Jose Calderon, has amazed us, as his aptitude would make him a first class Inquisitor if he manages to adopt the disciplined mindset the syllabus will demand of him.”
Earl felt somewhat dubious about that remark and wasn’t afraid to let his skepticism show. “Are you kidding? We’ll have to –?”
Jade surprised him by jumping in to support her colleague. “She’s right! We’ve given him something he’s always craved: a healthy sense of pride and self worth. He’s just the kind of person we’re after! If we can channel his energies in the right direction, well, it makes all this worthwhile.”
Perhaps they have a point, Earl conceded. Aloud, he asked, “What about Robin?”
“Robin represents a lot of work,” Corrine replied. “I estimate it will take about five to six months to undo the effects of years and years of loneliness and neglect, and of course his initial aversion to his gifts. But, after we’ve helped him overcome his personal demons, we should find him a welcome addition to the program.”
The Lord Marshal nodded his understanding. “Speaking of overcoming demons; how is little Becky coping? The loss of her mother can’t have sunk in yet.”
“It hasn’t.” Corrine stopped pacing and strangely, stifled another outburst of esoteric energy. “The psychological and metaphysical scarring is horrendous, so we’re trying to keep her distracted from all the emotional baggage that goes with it. That should give her the time she needs to heal properly. Even so, Becky’s remarkably resilient for a youngster...No doubt that’s been helped by the fact we found living relatives.”
Eh? Relatives?
Before Earl could respond to the news, Anil – who had been listening quietly until now – piped up. “I thought Uncle Corbin said she didn’t have any surviving family?”
“That was because his preliminary report was based on CIA records. It’s something we should have expected when US authorities deal with Canadian nationals,” Corrine explained. “Becky’s Grandma, on her mother’s side – Daisy – had a younger sister back in Canada. Although that sibling eventually died from cancer, she had a child in later life, Valerie, who’s alive and well. Valerie is only ten months older than Karen.”
“Where is Valerie now?” Anil inquired.
Jade, who was also finding it difficult to suppress her excitement, suddenly blurted out, “As of two days ago, here at the academy!”
WHAT! Exclaimed both Earl and Anil mentally.
Vladimir Arihkin, the Lord Conciliator, sat forward in his seat and chuckled, “Oh, this is priceless! At the academy you say?”
“Yes, Valerie’s here!” Corrine exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot and clapping her hands.
She rushed on, “As you know, Karen, Becky’s mother, was with us for a while about seven years ago. However, as she only rated a borderline C3 Adept, her role was restricted to a purely administrational capacity. A burgeoning relationship with a guy in the military – as it turns out, Becky’s dad – led to Karen leaving us, which is a shame as she was particularly good with infants and their in-vitro nurture.
“Well, it turns out psi abilities run in the family. Valerie arrived in the weeks following Karen’s departure, and we totally missed the connection. After graduating two years ago, Valerie served aboard GOS-1 for thirteen months, and since then she’s been on the Canadian Sector’s Delta Response Teams. She’s due to be inaugurated as a Master Class empathic farscanner and telekinetic in the New Year.”
“Why didn’t I know any of this?” demanded Earl.
Jade leveled the full weight of her coercive gaze, straight at him. “Probably because you still haven’t studied my report yet. Forgive me for being blunt, but had you read it, you would know that Valerie’s husband, Fletcher, will also be joining her here at the end of January. He’s a Guardian Master, specializing in combat training and self-defense, so it’s taking a little longer to work out a suitable replacement for him.
“But that’s not the icing on the cake. They have a baby girl, Emile. She’s six years old and an up and coming compulsive ultrasensor. Emile and Becky are already getting along famously. Even better—Valerie and Fletcher are soon to be appointed as Becky’s legal guardians. It would seem our illustrious Lord Conciliator hasn’t been afraid to pull a few strings...” she paused to grin at Vladimir, who made a point of looking sweet and innocent, “and the State authorities in the U.S and Canada have been keen to cooperate with us, especially as Becky’s a minor and a bit of a celebrity in her own right.”
Earl sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. “Guilty as charged. It’s been busy and I haven’t managed to catch up on everything yet. I stand corrected!”
Corrine took over. “Ah, but we’ve saved the cherry on top for last. We tested Becky’s psi range yesterday, and can confirm she’s an Ultra candidate. From what we can see, she possesses extremely high potential across the board, though not all of her abilities have manifested yet.
Not privy to this information, Earl was struck dumb.
Anil was uncharacteristically lost for words too. Eventually, he mumbled, “But she’s only five and completely naïve to our compressor methods.”
“This is where it gets interesting,” Corrine continued. “When her mother was with us, she assisted in the development of the fledgling preceptor program that accelerates the learning process for infants. Karen must have remembered enough about the new techniques to apply them to Becky while in the womb after she left. We can say that for a fact because Becky’s psyche shows all the indicators of the early stimulus that fostered synergetic growth along with her incredible potential.”
Jade interposed to mentally reveal the outcome of what Karen’s input had done to her daughter’s psidetic complexus.
Anil’s eyes had glazed over, a sure sign he was computing facts and figures in his mind. A few seconds later, he displayed the results of his calculations in the air before them. “My God, look at this!”
Earl’s eyes narrowed as he digested the data. “Am I reading this right?” He skimmed the bullet points for a second time, “If she continues to mature at her current rate, you predict she’s going to be stronger than any of us here?”
“Oh yes.” Anil’s voice was choked with a strange mixture of reverence and fear, “there’s no doubt about it.”
“And one of her strongest abilities is going to be healing!” Corrine added triumphantly.
“I wouldn’t be too smug about that if I were you, Corrine,” Vladimir mocked, gently. “Twenty or thirty years from now, that little girl will be after your job.”
“Then I’m sorry to burst your bubble, Vladimir, but I don’t foresee any problems with that,” Corrine countered, “in fact, I relish the –?”
Earl interrupted. “Don’t any of you think it strange we’re finding gems like this, now, when His Nibs suddenly upped the tempo?”
“You know we shouldn’t try to second-guess our illustrious leader,” Anil chided. “However, it would be shortsighted to think that absolutely nothing is going on.”
“Yes, if there’s one thing I’ve come to appreciate about Adam over the centuries, it’s that his plans do tend to be rather grandiose.” And so long-term they span millennia.
On that everyone agreed.
They chewed things over in silence for a while until Anil steered the conversation along a slightly different tangent. “Talking of Adam’s manipulations, how is Grand Master Yasin coming along, Corrine?”
Corrine shook her head. “I’ve been a doctor for nearly two hundred years, and the Lord Healer for a hundred and ten of them. I’ve never seen remedial therapy of this magnitude.”
As she spoke, an expectant hush predominated. The Lords shared an outgoing informality amongst themselves when alone; they also showed the deepest respect for each other’s strengths. When it came to matters of medicine, Corrine had forgotten more than the rest of them combined would ever know, so it made sense to listen.
She continued. “As you know, Anatt had time to spin a defensive cocoon around her brain before the antimatter bolt struck her. While that sheath couldn’t prevent her flesh and organs from being vaporized, it did limit the damage caused to her cerebrum to a total of ninety-seven percent.
“She’s very lucky. A full body reconstruction takes over six months to complete. On top of that, we’re looking at the rejuvenation of almost all of her subcortical structures, ganglia and olfactory bulb. Add to this the restoration of her personality, cognitive processes, autonomic nervous system, and neural linkage, and...Well, it’s an impossible task! Yet here she is, and her psi abilities are not only intact—they’ve been augmented in some way.”
“So, what are you implying, Corrine?” Earl asked.
“As you all know, part of our health regime includes yearly checkups, which includes the recalibration of our psidetic range and strength. We gave Anatt a full rundown as a matter of course. Not only are her elemental and ultrasense evaluations way stronger than they were before, but even her latencies – and I’m talking about the previously untapped well of healing and self-regenerative potential she had locked away inside her nexus – have been boosted into full operancy.
Earl sat bolt upright in his chair. “How on God’s good earth did she manage that?”
“She didn’t,” Jade interrupted. “But someone else did. Anatt is one of my staff, and she’s very good, Earl. She commands the respect of everyone we know and the loyalty of the sector units under High Grand Master Thaleton. She is, or should I say was, fully aware of her limitations and constantly pushed her boundaries in the pursuit of excellence. Well, now her boundaries have shifted. We’ve all studied the footage recorded by the CBS correspondents. Remember, when the Overlord saved her, he mentioned he was so impressed with her that he added a little something to her psi-well to ensure she didn’t have to go through all that again.
“Corrine and I have been checking her every hour since her arrival back here to see what that might mean.”
“So what is happening to her?” he inquired, thoroughly fascinated.
“It would seem she’s animating again,” Jade clarified. “Not only has her complexus begun to swell beyond its previous threshold, but it’s dragging her dormant attributes right along with it. The mental symbiosis is stunning.”
“As the Lord Healer I’m supposed to be top dog in this field,” Corrine chimed in. “I don’t have a clue how Adam did it, but it’s beautiful to behold. Compilator diagnostics reveal her psyche is unimpaired; her long established capabilities are reenergizing; and her psi-well has expanded to incorporate her latencies, which we think will mature at Ultra level.”
Suspicions Earl had been plagued with lately began to resurface.
“I’m sure I don’t need to ask this,” he growled, “but would I be right in assuming Anatt’s abilities will become potent enough to virtually guarantee her survival through the transcension process?”
He was already nodding, answering his own question.
“Bingo!” Corrine exclaimed. “Whatever the boss has done, it’s bigger than big. If you’ll excuse the language, it’s fucking huge!”
Implicational eddies vied for dominance against countercurrents of consequence. The Lords stared at each other, their expressions ebbing and flowing between excitement and horror. Earl was markedly taken aback: I’ve been Adam’s confederate for thousands of years, far longer than anyone else present, even Anil. To suddenly find out I don’t know him as well as I thought is a little unsettling.
He wondered how Anatt might be feeling at this moment. “Does Anatt know yet? Does she even suspect?”
Corrine shook her head. “No, she’s been through enough as it is without us compounding the issue. The dampening sequence the Overlord implemented to gradually ramp up her capacity is one of the most the most breathtaking pieces of work I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s exceedingly diaphanous; you’d hardly suspect it was there, and yet it’s siphoning her potential through so gradually, so precisely, it’s keeping pace with the rate of her recovery. At the moment, Anatt is totally unaware of the extent of the changes taking place within her...”
She projected an image into their minds of the mental program working its magic on their colleague. A majestic construct stood revealed, a paradigm of such immense intricacy that the more you looked at it, the deeper and more profound were its levels of complexity. “I’m not certain at this stage, but it also looks as if this process will allow her to achieve Ultra status without actually triggering the change. She’ll have time to adapt and master her new level of awareness before shedding her corporeal form.”
“Ha, the answer’s right in front of us!” Vladimir exclaimed. “Now we know the Overlord is capable of such illuminating marvels, why don’t we simply ask him to use an adaptation of this template on Robin? The boy would be back on his feet in no time.”
“Ah, but who would approach him for us?” Jade reflected. “It could be a little difficult at the moment, seeing as how he’s skipped off world again following his grand reveal, no doubt to let the heat die down –?”
NO NEED TO ASK. A monstrously loud telepathic voice boomed out of nowhere, causing them all to jump in surprise.
My apologies, the Overlord added: I was listening-in and didn’t realize I would cut through the shielding so easily. Earl, we really need to re-calibrate them to guarantee a more secure environment.
More secure? The temporal scramblers are supposed to be impregnable, Earl thought to himself. How the hell am I supposed to make them more secure?
Publicly, the Lord Marshal replied, “Of course, Sir, I’ll be sure to get our brightest and best right on it.”
The Overlord continued: I’ll be taking a break from this assignment in a couple of days, after which I intend to brief Andrew on what needs to be done so he can take over. Corrine? That will leave me free to spend some time with you and your department heads. I think it time I educated your staff in the use of some of the new regenerative techniques I’ve been saving for a rainy day.
Thank you, Sir. She beamed, her eyes flaring in delight.
Earl, have you made the new appointments yet? The Overlord inquired.
We’re just about to. Andrew and Victoria are waiting for us outside... Earl hesitated and judged the timing appropriate to test his suspicions: I take it there’ll be a brand new position available in the not too far distant future to cater to Anatt’s elevation?
Everyone else seemed shocked by the Lord Marshal’s forwardness. A deep echoing laughter throbbed in the ether, revealing they needn’t be worried: It’s about time you started anticipating my ways, old friend. Yes, she’s perfect for something I have in mind...tailor made you might say. And she’ll be a solid addition to your team.
Tailor made? Arcane procedures saved for a rainy day? A tingle zinged up and down Earl’s spine at the insinuation revealed within that statement: I thought that might be the case. Any clues as to what you’re up to now?
Andrew will fill you in after the inauguration ceremony. Oh, and Earl—don’t give him a hard time, he’s acting on my specific instructions, okay?
Waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, the Lord Marshal replied: No problems from me, Sir, I assure you.
And suddenly the elusive presence was gone, leaving them all totally flummoxed, apart from Corrine, who was still visibly in raptures at the prospect of being able to witness the Overlord at work in her hospital wing.
Earl caught Anil staring at him, obviously weighing something in his mind. “Anil?”
Smiling, the Lord Evaluator replied. “My friends, earlier on, many of us were wondering what the Overlord was thinking, revealing himself like that in front of the public. We were so sure there couldn’t possibly be a rational explanation for his actions, but as we’re seeing, none of the things he does are without reason. We may not understand them, but I think we’re getting a glimpse of what’s to come.
“We’ve been discussing growth a lot in recent years, and have forgotten to look inside ourselves. An increase of range, ability, and power appears to be occurring amongst us, right here and now. I think we’ll all find this was exactly the appropriate time for mankind to find out that Guardian Angels are literally walking among them.”
The Lord Marshal couldn’t argue with Anil’s logic. “Let’s hope they want us around long enough to find out then!”
And with that, he cut power to the shields, and extended a mental invitation to the new Lords to enter and officially receive their commissions.