The Psychonaut - Book 1 Page 30

  “Now, hold on. You’re recovering from a serious injury.”

  “Destain’s treatment is working wonders. I’m ready,” she replied.

  In the end, they compromised and agreed to breach the gateway the following day. They each had much to do and left Celestia to get more rest.

  Merrick made a bee-line for Mike’s room and found him busy at his laptop.

  “Ah, there you are,” Mike said.

  Merrick reached for a bottle of water from a dresser on the side. “I see you’ve been busy.”

  “Yeah. The wireless network in this place is phenomenal, and the internet connection is faster than shit off a greased shovel.”

  “I think it’s more than cutting edge technology contributing towards that,” Merrick said. “Unfortunately, it also means the Hierophants can monitor any data that comes in or goes out of this place.” He took a swig of water. “So, what have you got for me?”

  “Good news and bad news. The good news is that I was able to get a score of hired help to respond on my hotline. The bad tidings? Only nine of them agreed to meet. I had to withhold so much detail that I came across dodgier than a used car salesman. I can’t be certain those that come will sign up for anything you’re going to offer. Some will only turn up because I offered them an attendance fee.”

  “As long as they can meet me face to face, that’s all I need.”

  “Mystical powers of persuasion?”

  “I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve.”

  “Well let’s hope you can pull it off. I’ve set up the meet for five o’ clock. One of the guys suggested the local nature reserve. It’s usually deserted at this time of year.”

  “Sounds good.” Merrick filled Mike in on the latest meetings and the good news about Arun, then returned to his room.

  It wasn’t long before the time for paying last respects to Rovach came round. They all made their way to the Great Hall and stood in rows before a podium. A congregation of over two thousand must have been packed together under the hall’s decorative ceiling.

  “You know,” Merrick said to Albany. “I keep wondering how many people this place provides a home for; and how far it extends.”

  “I’ve known Paraganet house for over ten years,” Albany replied. “I’ve explored more of its nooks and crannies than most, but I kept finding new rooms, corridors and alcoves on a daily basis right up to the time I was let go. I imagine it extends miles underground. And of course, there’s certain quarters that are off-limits to plebs like me.”

  “You occultists have a thing about being underground, don’t you?”

  “It’s the best way to hide what should be hidden. Can you imagine a facility like this operating on the surface?”

  The point was well made. As Merrick stood beside Celestia, to give support as necessary, a fanfare of music announced the start of the memorial. In the end it was an emotional buttress Merrick provided for Celestia. She had known him more than most and her sadness was palpable. Karapetian gave a heart-felt eulogy, followed by two musicians who played a moving piece on their peculiar instruments. Karapetian finished by bolstering the throng with inspirational words about the conflict ahead, and his confidence that they would prevail.

  The service, if it could be called that, was brief, apt and fitting. Merrick gave Celestia a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, and even Mike appeared to have a lump in his throat.

  Afterwards, they had a drink to Rovach’s memory at Arun’s bedside. The reunion of the companions was bitter-sweet. Merrick had forgotten how much he missed Arun’s wry sense of humour. They all agreed to toast Rovach with alcohol-free wine so as not to add to Arun’s torture.

  “So, you’ve lost your drinking arm,” Mike said.

  “Yes, that is the greatest burden I have to bear,” Arun replied.

  Merrick looked round the room and noted the unlikely juxtaposition of drips and monitors, alongside potions and vials. Arun owed his life to this curious amalgamation.

  The Vietnamese was hungry for detail on the rapidly moving campaign. After they had brought him up to speed he became animated, asking questions and making suggestions. He was particularly eager to rekindle the community of Outcasts he’d been nurturing during their time in Turkmenistan.

  Mike agreed to work with him while the others focused their efforts on preparing for the trans-dimensional mission.

  It was good to be moving forward again. Merrick had a sense of agency in their actions, not the disorientation of being tossed to and fro on the waves of circumstance. There was just one final brick to be added to the wall of his plan, and curiously, it relied on acquiring conventional means rather than arcane.

  ~~~

  The mercenaries were already there waiting for Mike and Merrick when they pulled into the reserve’s car park. Night had fallen and they could only just make out the shadowy forms of nine vehicles—all SUV’s.

  “A bit stereotypical,” Merrick said as Mike switched off the ignition.

  “You mean the four by fours? It’s just convergent evolution. They’re the best tools for the job.”

  “They kind of stand out a bit. Anyone passing will think we’re dealing drugs or badger baiting.”

  “Quit worrying, this place is about as isolated as it gets.”

  The vehicles were parked in a horseshoe. As Merrick and Mike got out of the car, three of them blinked on their headlights.

  “Getting some light on the matter?” Merrick said, under his breath.

  “Partly,” Mike replied. “It’s also an old men in uniform trick; throws them into relief. They can see our faces, we can’t see theirs. Mind you, having met some of these characters before, I’m not sure you’d want to see their mugs anyway.”

  “Whatever. If it makes them happy.”

  The vehicle doors opened and Merrick saw the silhouettes of muscled frames looming before them. He also detected the almost pungent concentrations of testosterone in the air. A phenomenon that always left Merrick laughing to himself. The correlation between supercharged male sex hormones and baldness was well established, and as they got closer, Merrick could see that nature had started early on some of them.

  “Mike, is that you?” one of them called.

  “Yep. Is it Johnny?” he replied.

  “That it is,” came back the reply.

  Mike stepped forward and shook hands with the man. There followed some brief introductions amongst the ex-servicemen, but most appeared to know each other.

  Although, they didn’t know it, Merrick had them at a disadvantage. They were broadcasting their feelings and motivations like flares going up in the night. For the most part, Merrick detected defensive thoughts mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity. Two of them, he sensed, were on a knife edge of indecision. Half inclined to take Merrick’s money and run, balanced against the prospect of a high-paying gig.

  “So, you’re the client?” A skinhead giant called Biff addressed Merrick.

  “Yeah,” he replied. “But I’ll tell you what, it’s a bit hard to have a meaningful conversation when I’m talking to shadows. Do you mind if we adjourn to somewhere with a bit more light?”

  Biff scoffed. “Well I can’t see anywhere in the immediate area. What do you suggest?”

  Merrick smiled. “Well, what do you fancy? A sun-drenched tropical beach, or an oasis in the desert?”

  Johnny turn Mike. “Is your mate on the wacky-baccy or what?”

  To be fair, Mike looked like he was wondering himself when Merrick casually pointed to the sky and brought his hand down. Before the men’s startled eyes, what looked like a rip in the air opened in front of them. It leaked a dazzling light from between the folds of the incision. Every one of the mercenaries adopted an immediate defensive posture. Three of them drew knives.

  “What the f—“ Johnny was the first to respond.

  Merrick made an open-handed gesture. “Don’t be alarmed, gentlemen. Just a little display to help convin
ce you the mission I’m offering is both bona fide, and nothing like you’ve ever participated in before.”

  Chapter 34

  Letters from earth

  Lotus noticed it start as an itch in the small of her back, an uncomfortable irritation that spread up her spine, gathering momentum. Her bones vibrated as magickal oscillations radiated out, spreading across her scalp and behind her eyes. The irritation was almost unbearable now as it spread into her brain, setting her mind afire. Shamon said there would be a cost exacted on her, and measured in pain. She could hold it in no longer. With a cry, she released the magickal energy through her eyes and saw it traverse the room, entering the body of a Necrolyte. Slowly, the creature rose from the floor. It looked down, saw it was levitating and began to thrash about, its arms and legs dancing in the air.

  Then, abruptly, the magick dissipated. The Necrolyte fell to the floor and Lotus staggered forward, reaching out to a table for support.

  “Go,” she said to the creature. Obedient, it picked up its javelin and left. She didn’t want anyone seeing her in this state. The toll on her mind and body was immense, but as she fell onto the bed she knew this was only the first time. She had triumphed, and the thrill was indescribable.

  ~~~

  “It was mind-blowing,” Mike said. “Truly awesome.”

  They had gathered in Celestia’s room again. She was up and about, performing stretching exercises, back to her usual restless self. It wasn’t until Merrick recounted the night’s events that she placed herself in a chair and listened. Arun was the only one of the Outcasts not present, owing to the insecure nature of the ward in which he convalesced.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Albany said. “You tore a hole in this reality and stepped through into another?”

  “That’s about the size of it,” Merrick replied.

  “This is a game-changer,” Mike said. “If you can create wormholes at will, any body of personnel can outmaneuver their enemy over and over again.”

  “It’s not as simple as that,” Merrick said.

  Mike looked back at him. “What do you mean? The guys we recruited last night passed through your gateway no problem. You should have seen their faces, Albany. I’ve never seen anything that can leave Biff speechless. Once he’d stepped through into the prehistoric landscape Merrick revealed, his jaw dropped a mile.”

  “There’s a cost to these manipulations,” Merrick said. “The gateway I opened occupied a place where the wall between realities is thin. It didn’t need much energy to hold it open, but there are other locations where the barrier is dense. Some of them leave me exhausted.”

  “So there are limitations. However, you’ve got to admit this gives us the upper hand against Shamon.”

  “Potentially, yes.”

  “I don’t understand,” Celestia said. “How long have you known you could do this?”

  “Ever since our return here. The gateway down below doesn’t just announce its presence, it speaks to me. It urged me to experiment. To try expanding my ability.”

  “And you think you can seek out a way to reach Celebrai?” Destain asked.

  “I already know. First I must pass to the Şahşah gateway. Beyond that is the nexus. It’s a key junction in the gateway’s continuum. From there I reckon there’s one more transfer needed to access Celebrai.”

  Albany stood up and started pacing in front of the window. “Can you see beyond the gateways at will?”

  Merrick shook his head. “Only once a gateway is open can we see inside. I had to find the crossroads by trial and error, but once I’ve breached the wall between realities, I’ve found it’s easier to open next time.”

  “Then it’s time to make plans,” Albany said.

  Merrick took out his smartphone and opened a note-taking app. “Right. First of all, not a word about our new discovery to Karapetian.”

  “You’ve told him just about everything else,” Mike said. “Why the reticence?”

  “I need to test its potential first, and having been stung once too often by Karapetian, I’d rather hold something back.”

  “Despite insisting on total transparency?” Albany said.

  “Tell a little truth with many lies.”

  Albany raised an eyebrow. “It’s your call, I suppose.”

  Merrick narrowed his eyes. “Do you trust him? Completely, I mean?”

  “Point taken.”

  “So,” Merrick continued, “after this, the four of us will take our first foray through the established gateway here. Celebrai is cold, so dress for winter. We’ll be covert and travelling across country. We’re also going in armed.”

  “What with?” Albany asked.

  “Handguns for you guys and assault rifles for your escort,” Mike said.

  Celestia cocked her head. “Do any of you know how to use a pistol? And what’s this about an escort?”

  “The handguns are a last resort and for close quarters only,” Mike said. I’ll give you all a brief run-through before departure. Your escort will consist of three seasoned vets from the contingent we recruited.”

  Celestia looked skeptical. “Is that wise? You only met them last night. Can you rely on them?”

  “I chose Johnny, Biff and a guy called Hacker. I’ve known them since my army days—I’d give them my back any day.”

  “And the primary goal?” Albany asked.

  “Intelligence gathering,” Merrick replied. “Anything from the terrain, climate, the civilisation and, if we can get close enough, details of Ukurum forces and defences. Celebrai is a complete unknown. We’re not even sure if Shamon has gained dominion over further worlds and civilisations.”

  “I can help you there,” Destain said. “The reason I was so useful to Shamon lay in my ability to combine farseeing with telepathy and probability determination. After a while he took me into his confidence and I probed the extent of Celebrai. In short, he got lucky. The populations of Celebrai are primitive, like those that existed on Earth a couple of hundred thousand years ago. Easy, vulnerable fodder for his war machine. They were also the perfect template for his mutation chambers.”

  “The Amorphic?” Celestia asked.

  “Yes, and other experimental prototypes he was working on. Fortunately, he hasn’t found another gateway yet, despite many scouting expeditions”

  Merrick tapped his knee, deep in thought, then looked up. “That’s good news, Destain. Is there anything else we should know?”

  “Not a great deal. I was a prisoner for the first twelve months. It was only recently that Shamon gave me a few limited freedoms. One thing I am sure about, however, is that any of us would be immediately recognised as alien.”

  “I’d thought about that,” Merrick said. “Albany, we’re going to need your genetic manipulation abilities—all of us.”

  “I can do that,” Albany said. “But it’ll be intensive work over the next two hours, and I don’t have any template to work on, only your descriptions of the natives.”

  “Again, I can help,” Destain said. “Can you see the image I’m putting in your mind now?”

  Albany brought his hands up to his temples. “Hey, that’s creepy—feels like a cockroach is crawling around in my skull.”

  “But can you see the image?”

  “Yes ... yes. Just get out of my head.” A relieved look came over Albany’s face. He shook his head, as if trying to dislodge a last vestige of Destain’s presence. “Don’t do that again without my permission.”

  “I’m sorry, brother. I forget that you lack experience.”

  “Who’s the illusionist Karapetian’s lending you?” Mike asked.

  “He hasn’t told us yet.”

  “Why don’t you use them to provide the disguises—like Rovach did?”

  “It puts an illusionist out of action if we encounter a combat situation. Rovach couldn’t transfer his illusions while his mind was on a skirmish I don’t want to make that mistake again.�
��

  “Fair enough,” Mike said, looking at his watch. “Is there anything else you need me for? I’ve got to meet the guys from the mercenary squad.”

  “If anything occurs to me, I’ll cover it when we meet in the gateway chamber. Does anyone else have any questions?”

  “How long are we going to be out there?” Celestia asked, “and does Karapetian know what he’s going to do if we don’t make it back?”

  “I’ll talk to him now about a plan B. As for the time, it’s another unknown. I’m not sure if there’s time expansion or constriction beyond the gateway, but I think it wise to keep our first sortie brief, don’t you?”

  They all nodded or grunted.

  “Well, I guess we need to let Albany do his work, and suit up. We’ll meet in the chamber in two hour’s time.”

  “Better make it two and a half,” Mike said. “I need time to brief my guys and get them used to the weird setup here.”

  Merrick agreed the revised time and closed the meeting. Albany started his manipulation on Destain, reveling in the discomfort he was able to inflict as payment for his brother’s recent mind probe.

  The others waited their turn while Merrick left to speak with Karapetian. He had brief seconds to think on the way downstairs. Here he was, self-appointed chief of the Outcasts, his mind juggling with logistics while subduing the sense that he had few qualifications for the job. Against this, he balanced his gratitude for the Outcast’s unquestioning loyalty, and acceptance of the role he had taken on. He could only hope he could justify their willingness.

  ~~~

  The gateway chamber was as Merrick remembered it. Karapetian waited for them, his brow furrowed, demeanour pensive.

  “Are you sure this is a well-considered mission, Merrick? There’s a lot that could go wrong.”

  “We’ve got to get the upper hand on Shamon,” Merrick replied, “but if it makes you breathe easier, I’ve asked Destain to give a reading.”

  “And what have you predicted?” Karapetian asked.