Eyes of the World (Gray Spear Society Book 10) Read online

  "Your death if you keep wasting my time. I'm not a patient woman."

  "I don't know where he is! He went off with his friends early this morning. He didn't tell me where he was going. I don't know when he'll be back."

  "Are you referring to the Fraternal Order of Honor and Pride?" Ethel said. "Describe them."

  "Tough guys. They like hunting. They're always talking about guns. What do you want with Nathan? What did he do this time?"

  "This time?" Ethel raised her eyebrows.

  "He's always getting into trouble," Chevette said. "He likes drinking and fighting. His father has to bail him out of jail at least once a month."

  "Senator Forrest?"

  Chevette nodded timidly. "Old and rich."

  "Nathan is in an enormous amount of trouble," Ethel said. "Even his old, rich father won't be able to help him this time. Some of that trouble will spill onto you if you aren't more helpful. Perhaps you feel some loyalty to him. That's admirable in a way. A woman should be loyal to her man, even if he is a degenerate piece of shit like Nathan. You have to decide what that loyalty is worth to you. Do you want to be maimed and crippled for the rest of your life because of him? Are you ready to die for him?"

  "I don't know where he is!" Chevette squealed. "I tried to call him, but his phone is off. He's probably out hunting again. All he cares about is sex and killing."

  Ethel dragged the tip of her machete across the woman's cheek, and drops of blood emerged. "Where does he like to hunt?"

  "I don't know. I never go up into the mountains with him. I hate the outdoors."

  "You live with the man. You must know something. Think hard."

  The poor girl looked like she might throw up. Ethel imagined she was regretting her decision to live a life of decadent luxury and leisure with Nathan.

  "There is a bar in Harrisburg," Chevette said. "He and his buddies drink there a lot. A whole crowd gets together almost every night. I don't go because the guys won't stop grabbing my butt. I bet somebody there knows where Nathan is."

  Ethel checked her watch. "It's ten o'clock."

  "The party will keep going for a few more hours. Somebody will be there. The bar is called the Lame Duck. It's right near the highway."

  Ethel nodded. She now had to decide what to do with Chevette. Killing her was the quickest and safest option. She might warn Nathan that Ethel was coming.

  "What are your feelings about the Fraternal Order?"

  Chevette swallowed. "I don't care for it. It's a bunch of hillbillies who hate anything they don't understand."

  "That's a surprisingly enlightened response for a tramp." Ethel raised her eyebrows. "Why are you staying with Nathan?"

  "I like the big house and the fancy cars. He buys nice things for me." Chevette paused and furrowed her brow. "It's not as much fun when he ties me up."

  "I'm going to offer you a singular opportunity for salvation. Gather your belongings and get out of here. Never come back. Never talk to your ex-boyfriend again. Do something useful with your life. Make your parents proud. Will you promise to do that?"

  She nodded eagerly.

  "Good." Ethel patted Chevette on the arm. "If you break that promise, I'll kill you. We won't even have a conversation about it. You'll suddenly be a headless corpse. Understand? Say 'yes, ma'am.'"

  "Yes, ma'am." Tears were on Chevette's cheeks. "Thank you."

  Ethel stood up. "Let's go."

  She and her team left the house.

  Chapter Eleven

  Aaron had to push to get through the lobby of his hotel. It was so packed with legionnaires, there was hardly room left to stand. When they saw the Lord of the Society trying to get by, they squeezed out of the way as best they could. He could smell the stress in the dense crowd.

  Aaron was disappointed to see how few of God's warriors were properly equipped. Good quality weapons and armor were in short supply. Many had settled for just a vest and a pistol. They would have to scavenge the dead bodies of enemy soldiers if they wanted better.

  Aaron finally reached the front of the lobby. Leonardo and his bodyguard, Débora, were there. Both wore full bodysuits made of tough, fibrous material which looked like stiff yarn. Triangular ceramic plates covered critical areas. Aaron wasn't surprised to see the legate of South America wearing the "good armor." He had travelled in his private jet and had brought everything he could possibly need.

  "The buses will be here soon," Aaron said. "Are you ready to go?"

  "Yes, sir," Leonardo said. "I've organized my group into teams of ten, each with a commander. There will be two teams on each bus."

  "I put together a list of targets based on our latest intelligence. I suggest you hit them in this order."

  Aaron gave Leonardo a thick stack of papers. There were many copies of the list so he could hand them out.

  Leonardo examined the papers. "I'll do that, sir."

  "Our hackers are still getting a lot of good information out of the military. We can track troop movements in real time, but I'm not sure we're seeing everything. Be alert for surprise engagements."

  "Of course."

  Aaron's phone rang. The caller ID showed Yule's number, and Aaron answered it immediately. "Yes?"

  "We're about three minutes away, sir."

  "Got it."

  Aaron ended the call and dialed Jack. It felt strange to be calling a computer, but the phone was the most convenient form of communication. Besides, Jack was more like a person than a computer. The twins had programmed him to have a subtle wisdom which was very unlike a machine.

  "The buses are coming," Aaron said. "Kill the scouts."

  "Yes, sir," Jack said.

  Aaron stepped out the front door despite the bitter cold. He rubbed his arms to stay warm.

  He looked up at the side of the hotel. Concealed panels slid upwards, and automatic sniper rifles extended outwards. The black gun barrels were a full meter long. They swiveled into position on robotic turrets. No human could ever aim so quickly or smoothly.

  Rings of hidden sensors and cameras surrounded the hotel. These allowed Jack to determine the exact locations of all the Army scouts in the area. The sniper rifles began to fire, and they boomed like cannons in the quiet night.

  After a moment, Aaron's phone rang.

  He answered, "Is it done?"

  "Yes, sir," Jack said. "One hundred percent casualties."

  "Good. If more scouts show up, kill them too. We can't let the enemy see what we're up to. Until I say otherwise, you're authorized to fire at anybody who might be a threat."

  "Yes, sir."

  Aaron hung up.

  The convoy of buses began to enter the parking lot. Seeing twenty buses together was more impressive than he had imagined. They were painted white and blue, and most also had advertisements. The big engines rumbled and roared. They parked in a long line directly in front of the hotel.

  Aaron held open the front door. "Go!" he yelled at Leonardo.

  "Group C" began to stream out of the building. They moved swiftly and in good order. They filled up one bus after another without any delays. Aaron could see how the legionnaires were divided into teams, and everybody knew who to follow.

  After just a few minutes, fifteen buses were full. They backed up and drove away in a caravan.

  The original drivers returned to the hotel.

  Aaron smiled at Sheryl as she passed him. "How did it go?"

  "No problem, sir," she said. "Driving a bus was fun."

  "I'm glad." He was shivering, so he went back into the warm lobby.

  He dialed Marina on his phone.

  "Yes?" she said.

  "Your carriages have arrived, madam," Aaron said. He hung up.

  A moment later, Marina came out of a side corridor. She was wearing the same kind of advanced body armor as Leonardo. The black and gray camouflage pattern looked sexy on her. Five knives were strapped to her wrists, ankles, and waist. She also had an assortment of small to medium-size guns.

  Fifty
legionnaires followed her, about half of "Group A." These fighters had much better equipment than the previous group. All of Marina's people had real body armor, and many were wearing the advanced stuff. Weapons were plentiful. Because they were directly responsible for the twins' safety, they were getting their pick of the available equipment.

  It wasn't just hardware that distinguished them. Aaron had asked around to confirm his first impression. Wesley had chosen the rising stars and brightest lights in the Society for that group. He had skimmed off the cream at the top. Four legates and their bodyguards were included. Only Dragon, the legate of the Far East, and Leonardo, the legate of South America had been left out. Having dealt with those two personally, Aaron was starting to appreciate why.

  Marina came over and kissed him on the lips.

  He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and gave it to her. "Here is the latest intel about the supply convoy."

  "Thanks." She examined the paper.

  "Keep me up to date about where you are. Everything has to be ready when you get back. We need a quick turnaround."

  "I understand. Relax."

  She gave him a hug and another kiss. The rough surface of her armor scratched his bare arms.

  "Go," he said.

  Marina led her team out the front door. He watched through a window as they boarded two buses. A minute later, they were driving away.

  Aaron sighed.

  "So it begins," Charles said.

  Aaron turned to find his advisor standing there. Charles had the gift of "psychological invisibility," and even when he wasn't using it actively, it was easy to forget he was in the room. The old man was wearing a sharp, gray suit and carrying his usual silver cane. His gray hair was so perfect it looked molded.

  "Yes," Aaron said. "Let's go check on the twins."

  The two men made their way back up to headquarters. When the elevator doors opened on the top floor, Aaron found himself facing a wall of boxes in the entry chamber. He and Charles squeezed past the obstacle. The twins' project was still being packed up. The chamber had become a staging area, and it was almost full.

  The door between the entry chamber and the rest of headquarters was propped open. Aaron and Charles simply walked through. So much for security, Aaron thought.

  He almost ran into another man who was carrying more boxes. The legionnaire was flushed and sweating from hard labor. His brown hair was stuck to his scalp.

  "Hey," Aaron said, "watch out."

  "Sorry, sir," the legionnaire said.

  "The lobby is open now. Tell everybody to put all the boxes down there, near the front door, and do it quickly. Marina will be back with the trucks soon."

  "Yes, sir."

  Aaron and Charles continued to make their way through headquarters. It looked like a tornado had struck the place. Unneeded equipment had been shoved aside and left behind. Loose paper and other packing materials were scattered everywhere. Somebody had spilled blue liquid all over the hallway, and it smelled like turpentine.

  Aaron found Bethany and Leanna in the aperture assembly area, but the aperture itself was gone. After looking at it for weeks, its absence struck him as wrong. The twins were inspecting the contents of boxes and closing them up.

  "Almost done?" Aaron said.

  "Yes, sir," Bethany said.

  Her robotic head showed very little emotion, but her human body showed signs of exhaustion. She was slumped over and wobbling a little.

  "Good, because when Marina gets back, you're leaving. I won't hear any excuses about you not being ready."

  "What if we forgot something?" she said.

  "Then I'll have somebody pack it up and drive it out to you. Chinatown isn't that far away. It's not actually in China. One other thing, when it's time for you to go, I want a spectacular distraction of some kind. We can't let the enemy see you leave."

  "A cyber-attack, sir?"

  "We've already done that," Aaron said. "Something even worse. Think about it."

  Wesley walked up to them. The boy was smiling, and his blue eyes glittered in the light. Aaron wondered when his bedtime was. The kid was too young to stay up all night.

  "I have a question for you," Aaron said.

  "What?" Wesley said.

  "I noticed you picked the best people for Marina's group."

  Wesley nodded. "All the ones destined for true greatness."

  "Why? I assume it's because the twins need the best protection."

  The boy remained quiet.

  "That's not true?" Aaron said.

  "It has nothing to do with protection and everything to do with the aperture. You have to be there when the aperture opens. Don't forget."

  "Why? What's going to happen?"

  Wesley lowered his voice. "The Gray Spear Society will be transformed. The people in that room will become the new Society. It's a great honor. That's why I chose them."

  "What about the rest?" Aaron furrowed his brow. "There are seven hundred legionnaires and commanders who won't be there."

  Wesley looked down. "They have a different destiny." He walked off.

  After a moment, Charles said, "I don't like the sound of that. I think I'll stick with you, sir, if you don't mind. I'd like to be in that room."

  "Be my guest," Aaron said darkly.

  * * *

  Leonardo looked across a wide road at a single-story office building. It was made of red brick like so many other buildings in the area. The windows were tall, narrow, and deeply set into the walls. An impressive amount of snow covered a wide lawn in front.

  According to the sign, lawyers and accountants occupied the building, but the sign was wrong. The military was using it as a command post. Soldiers wearing green coats with a pixilated camouflage pattern guarded the front door. Army trucks, armored transports, and Humvees filled the parking lots on the sides. A large satellite dish had been installed on the roof.

  Leonardo detected movement all around the building as his large group prepared to attack. His gift was a subtle one. He simply knew the location of every person within two hundred feet of himself. It didn't matter whether he could actually see or hear them. Walls were irrelevant. It was as if a radar dish in his head could detect human souls from a distance. When he closed his eyes, he could see the flickering pulses of divine light.

  The three hundred members of his group had formed a loose ring around the building. They were waiting for the signal to attack. Leonardo counted fifty-one souls inside the building. It was going to be a quick fight.

  "Go, my dear," he told Débora.

  His bodyguard started across the road. A helmet covered her beautiful, brown hair, but plenty flowed over her shoulders. She was wearing advanced body armor. She had left all her weapons behind because she didn't need any.

  The guards at the door gave her curious stares. She certainly looked odd in her black and gray camouflage, not like a regular soldier at all. She wasn't particularly big. Without weapons, she didn't appear to be much of a threat.

  Débora opened her mouth and began to sing. Leonardo immediately recognized a famous aria by Verdi. She had been a great opera singer once. Her voice was still very beautiful when heard from far away. He covered his ears tightly.

  She became louder as the song built in intensity. She was getting into the spirit of the music. The soldiers fell to the ground, grabbed their ears, and writhed in pain. She walked past them and entered the building. Once she was safely inside, she hit a high note that sounded like it had come from an angel, a very loud angel.

  Every window in the building shattered.

  The song ended.

  The Gray Spear Society rushed in. The legionnaires swarmed through the broken windows on all sides of the building at once. Leonardo went forward a little more cautiously. His gift allowed him to follow the progress of the battle easily. He watched the souls of the enemy turn dark one after another like light bulbs burning out. He could tell the difference from his own people by the color. The souls of members of the
Society were gray.

  He reached the front door. Somebody else had already shot the guards. Leonardo went inside and found Débora standing there, waiting for him.

  He kissed her on the forehead and said, "That was lovely."

  "Thank you," she whispered. "It felt good to finally clear my throat."

  The scene inside the office building was chaotic. Four dead Army officers were in the small lobby, and their blood was leaking into the carpet. Legionnaires were running through the hallways and searching the rooms. There were a lot of people in a relatively small building. Leonardo heard gunshots, but the volume of fire was dropping off rapidly.

  He counted off as the last enemies died. "Three... two... one... we win."

  * * *

  "General Walker," an officer said, "we have a problem."

  Walker stood up from his desk. He had been reviewing the plan of attack. Even though the scope was much less than he had originally intended, it was still a major operation which required meticulous attention to detail. Inclement weather and lingering chaos wasn't helping.

  He looked down on rows of officers and technicians working at their stations. Diffuse light prevented glare on the many computer screens. Walker was hungry, and his eyes gravitated towards a buffet table loaded with sandwiches, fruit, and soups.

  "What kind of problem?" he said.

  "We lost contact with the battalion headquarters in Elmhurst. There was a garbled message about a sonic weapon, then silence. We can't reach any of the officers there."

  Walker furrowed his brow. That command post wasn't far from the Rosemont Tower Hotel.

  "Did the scouts report seeing any activity around the hotel?"

  "The scouts haven't made any reports at all for a half-hour, sir," the officer said.

  Walker's eyes widened. "Contact them immediately!"

  He watched the console operators press buttons and talk on their headsets.

  "Well?" he yelled.

  "They're not responding, sir," a technician replied.

  Walker pounded his desk with his fist hard enough to make his coffee cup jump. His lack of access to aerial reconnaissance was painful. Without those scouts, he had no idea what was happening at the hotel. The Gray Spear Society could be up to all kinds of mischief.