Dark Inheritance
Chapter 15
Warning: Mature themes discussed
"I heard he took out an entire facility by himself."
"I heard he sacked another with a whole army."
"Yeah, he wasted them with bolts of lightning from his eyes."
"Wasn't it balls of fire from his mouth?"
Judith smiled. The rumors were flying all over the place. It was only a matter of time before word of the outside events would reach them. Now the others couldn't help but gossip. And Judith knew whom they were speaking of. She had to give her brother credit: He knew how to stir things up.
…
In another part of the facility, others did not like what they heard.
Marcus and his father William sat at the conference table. Before them were several video screens, each with a stern-looking individual glowering at them. These people were important; the main financiers of the project. And they did not look happy.
"This is unacceptable." said a man with slicked-back hair in an expensive suit.
"And extremely disappointing." said an official-looking woman.
"I assure you, we have everything under control." William replied.
"Not from our perspective you don't." an Arab man cut in. "How could one person – a child no less – cause you so many problems?"
"It's a minor setback." Marcus said. "Our main operation is still running smoothly."
"But for how long?" an Asian man answered angrily. "You've already lost at least two facilities and even more operations have been halted thanks to this one person."
"A person from your own family no less." A British woman chimed in. "How can you be in control of an entire operation when you can't even control one of your own?"
"You misunderstand what this means." Marcus responded. "His capabilities are proof of our program's success. We've created people that rival the power of the original Inheritors."
"Yes." acknowledged the one from Nigeria. "Whose purpose is to serve our project and further our interests. Neither of which seems to be happening."
"Had you followed our recommendation four years ago…" started one of the others.
"Then we would have lost a promising candidate." William cut in. "Besides, we have one of them in custody already. We're working on bringing the other around. He'll be under control."
"See that he is. We'll be in touch." The monitors switched off.
William leaned back and massaged his forehead. "Well, that could have gone better."
"Relax, father." Marcus assured him. "They knew there would be pitfalls along the way. The fact that we have Judith has them placated for the time being."
William nodded. He checked his watch. "It's time for the meeting."
…
The lights dimmed in the conference room as the meeting began. At long tables on each side of the room sat the people in charge of the project. On one side were James and Sarah Reinhardt, Alan Howard, and Dr. Clay, the main scientists. On the other were the geneticist Yuri Chekov, Marcus's Secretary Gail Smith, and bodyguards Hasan Pagan and Kai Lung. Marcus and William stood at the front alongside a large projector screen.
"Our operations are starting to move forward." Marcus began. "We have gathered a number of inheritors and brought them into our sanctuary."
"Last count showed about eighty inheritors of various ages." Yuri confirmed. "Most had power levels within mid-range, which is expected due to their lack of experience. None exhibited the level of the Nephilim, which, again, was expected."
"How are they fitting in?" William asked.
"We've setup educational programs for the different age groups." Gail answered. "They're being instructed on the use of their abilities and how the world may benefit from them."
"What about the adults?" Sarah asked.
"Those of appropriate age and skill were given jobs suited to them." Dr. Clay said. "Most were very enthusiastic for the opportunity."
"Most?" Alan Howard inquired.
"Some were…hesitant…to accept our hospitality." Gail answered. "They were taken to the other facility for further processing."
"Sir," Alan continued. "How did you get some of these people in? I didn't see them on the list of vaccinations."
"Some were brought in from the after effects of the vector dispersed among the population. Others were brought through our usual acquisition lines." William said. "Those that displayed a positive reaction were gathered up and brought here. We received little objection from their families. Those that had them, that is."
Alan swallowed a little at that statement. William continued. "With such a crop of inheritor candidates in our custody, we can move forward with the next phases." He pressed a button and the screen changed, displaying a map of the world. Lines of arrows spread from different points in different countries spread out across the rest of the map. "As our new members grow and develop, they'll learn the truth about their heritage and the role they could play in the future. They'll help further our plans and goals as they teach later generations. In addition, we can send them out to assist groups and communities that share our views. As they help them and earn their favor, they will help push forward any agenda we have. Over time, our power and influence will expand throughout the world, allowing us to shape it to our benefit."
"You said phases." James said. "What are the others?"
Marcus took that one. "In addition, we will be continuing our group's original agenda for inheritors. Our main plan relies on keeping inheritor lines strong through the generations."
"You mean through arranged marriages?" Sarah asked. She looked at her husband. "Like ours?"
"In some cases, yes." Marcus said. "However, I believe the usual method is…outdated. We can make the process much more efficient through in vitro fertilization. We can pair different inheritors with any DNA we have access to, especially within our own organization."
"Won't that limit the gene pool?" Alan asked.
"Not really." Yuri replied. "We have enough facilities in other countries that we can swap as necessary. Having a familial tie to the group will help cement their loyalty."
"Everyone," Marcus addressed the whole group. "I said before that the time has come for a blessing from the gods. Now, we have a chance to share that blessing with the rest of the world. Let this be the moment it began."
…
Life in the sanctuary was fairly structured. It mostly resembled life at a private school or college campus, with the difference that everything was indoors. The inheritors were divided into age groups and given certain routines. A majority of them were of school age and were given educational curriculums. They were taught the usual subjects: Math, Science, even Art. The adult recruits were given instructor or administrative jobs fitting with their capabilities.
Some of the programs were more esoteric in practice. History was taught with the addition of the background of the Progenitors, their children, and their effect on the planet's history. Religious education courses always turned the subject to the inheritors' legacies, obligations, the state of the world and how they could improve it.
Physical activities included standard gym exercises along with practice using their different abilities. Special training rooms and obstacle courses were used, and those adults that had similar abilities oversaw the practice. Those with an extra gift for magic, like Judith, had additional course work and practice sessions to hone their craft.
Food was provided by a dining service that operated at certain times in the morning and afternoon, offering simple yet well-made meals. Vending machines offered additional options.
Extracurricular activities included small, sanctioned rituals that revolved around old cultures and customs. Activities that paid respect to the sun, weather, and overall good fortune were practiced using updated versions of old customs. The company believed doing so would keep the inheritors connected to their roots and help them understand how important they were to them and the rest of the world.
Overall, life was fairly complacent and ordered. Things were moving smoothly, just as the company desired.
…
Judith sat at the table, staring at her reflection. The months of living in the "sanctuary" was taking their toll. Her life wasn't terrible. She had an education, her private quarters, anything she could possibly need. Except freedom. And JC.
She should have expected this. She knew it wouldn't be smooth sailing living under her family's control. But what else could she do? Despite her objections, they were adamant that she had to stay and weren't going to take no for an answer.
So here she was. Sitting at a make-up desk being prepped for yet another gathering. The third one this week. This time she would be leading homage to the sun. Which, being a Hidden Sun herself, seemed appropriate. The two women with her finished making up her face. She stood and straightened the long gold-colored gown they'd given her to wear. A golden tiara was placed on her head.
"You look wonderful dear!" squealed one of the ladies.
Judith looked again at her reflection. Yeah, nothing like a dressed-up doll at all. At least they let her keep the golden zodiac pendant her brother gave her. She gripped it tightly. JC would kill them for this she thought.
The ritual involved Judith and a few other people – employees of the company – dancing in a circle while waving their arms, occasionally chanting "praises to the sun and the light and life it brings". A few of the other inheritors – other Hidden Suns – assisted at some points. Judith couldn't help but notice how young some of them were, younger than her. It was all too clear what the real purpose of some of the rituals. After the "show", Judith went back to the dressing room and quickly changed back into her regular outfit and scrubbed the make-up off. She could never get it off fast enough.
She returned to her room and shut the door. It looked like a typical teenager's room: Along with her dressers, PC and full-length mirror, she had a small iPod with headphones, a flat screen TV, DVD player with a selection of shows and movies, even some posters of her favorite movies and bands. But it was all for show. The iPod, TV, and PC only connected to the internal network, and the posters covered blank, white-washed walls. She looked at her reflection again. Without the makeup, she looked much different. Her complexion was a little paler than usual, and she could swear she was developing small bags under her eyes. The stress was getting to her. She collapsed onto her bed – her old bed, brought from her old home – and buried her face in the pillow.
What was she supposed to do? Cry? Scream? Beg to be released? She wanted to do something, anything, other than just sit back and let this happen. But she knew she had to stay focused. Slowly, she calmed herself down. A beeping noise from her PC got her attention. She went over and answered. It was Gail Smith, Marcus's secretary. She opened up the video screen for the call. Gail smiled warmly at her.
"Judith, good to see you. I have a message from your parents. They would like to have dinner with you tonight."
"Look, Miss Smith…"
"Please, call me Gail."
"Miss Smith, I'm sorry, but I just don't feel up for it. Can you tell them I'm not well?"
"I'm sorry, dear, they were very insistent. They're worried about you."
Like Hell. "Okay. Do I need to dress up?"
"Not at all. Someone will be by to bring you over around six."
…
Judith was lead to the dining area in the second building. James and Sarah were waiting for her. They greeted their daughter warmly and hugged her upon her arrival. Judith tensed a little as they did.
"Judith, honey, welcome. It's good to see you." her mom said.
"Same here." She answered half-heartedly.
The first course was a light chicken soup. "We haven't done this in a while." James mentioned.
"Yeah." Judith said, picking at her food. "Not since my sixteenth birthday. I remember that day." Her parents were silent at that statement. Judith almost smirked as she tentatively tasted her food. After a few moments of eating in silence their salads arrived.
"So," her father said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, just great." Judith answered. "A little lonely though."
"Judith, we're sorry we don't see you much but our work keeps us busy." said her mother. "Have you tried talking to the other inheritors? Many are your age."
"A little." She lied as she munched her food. "I'm still not clear on how they got here. Were they brought here like me?"
"Some." Her dad answered. "Others were already with the program by their parents. They donated them to us to help with their heritage."
Judith thought for a second. "The families gave up their children?"
"Sweetie, they weren't 'given up'." said Sarah between bites. "When they started to come into their abilities they were sent here for assistance. Like being sent to a boarding school."
"Except we can't leave." Judith pointed out.
Sarah and James were silent for a moment. The main course – chicken and rice – was put before the group. Judith started eating when James spoke up.
"Judith, we admit your living conditions aren't ideal. But the directors believe it's the best way to raise people like you."
"You mean Marcus and William? They call the shots?"
"Well, yes." Sarah answered.
"But I'm your child. Why are you letting them decide what happens to me?"
"Even they answer to other people." James picked up. "Powerful people who have invested a lot into this program. They feel it's best if people like you are protected from the outside."
"Why?" Judith pressed.
"It isn't safe." Sarah said. "They don't want anything to happen to you. It could derail the program."
"Why?" Judith protested. "What do they want from me? What's this 'program' I'm stuck in?"
James and Sarah regarded each other. "For now, all we need is for you and the others to develop your abilities." James said. "In time, you'll understand what is expected of you."
"All of the inheritors?" Judith asked. "Even the missing ones?"
James and Sarah were stunned.
"There were at least eighty people brought in around the time I was." Judith continued. "But some haven't been seen lately. About fifteen I believe." She smugly chewed her food. "Are they getting 'extra protection'?"
James and Sarah tensed. Finally James spoke up. "Judith, I know you're worried. The tension's getting to you. You must feel like you're in Purgatory —"
"What your father's trying to say is that we're only doing what's best for you. I know you don't believe us, but we're trying to help you. Please, just bear with us."
"If you say so." Judith said. Wiping her mouth she stood and politely smiled. "Thank you so much for dinner. I should get back to my studies now. Let's do it again sometime!" she said overly brightly. She turned and exited without another word. When she was gone Sarah smacked her husband's arm.
"Why did you say that? It's too risky!"
"She deserves to know." James replied. "How can we help her if she stays ignorant?"
"If she knows too much, it'll put her in danger." Sarah said. "I hate this as much as you, but it's too risky."
"You saw her." James said. "She's stressed and getting a little scared. She's hoping that any minute now JC will bust the door open and rescue her."
"He can't do that." Sarah pointed out. "Security's too tight in this area. They'd grab him before he got within fifty feet of this place."
James took his wife's hand in his own. "I know. Judith's strong. She'll be okay."
…
Judith headed back through the building. While she hadn't enjoyed the dinner, it had proved meaningful. If nothing else, she'd made it clear how she felt about her situation. Still, something ate at her: What was it her father had said? Purgatory? A strange choice of words. If her mom hadn't cut him off…
She stopped. Something occurred to her. She headed for the office of the scientist who seemed to sympathize with her, Alan Howard. Careful so to avoid being noticed, she quietly knocked on his door. He answered and looked surprised to see her.
"Miss Judith? What are you doing here?" Judith held up her hand.
"I was just wondering if you I could help you with anything." She said obviously.
Alan stood for a second. Then a look of understanding crossed his face. "Of course, I've been meaning to ask for your assistance. Please come in." He ushered her in and had her sit down. "Now, I need to prep some equipment before we get started. It should take several minutes to get ready. Please be mindful of my equipment. Especially that." He pointed to his personal PC. "I'll be back shortly." He left and locked the door. Now was her chance. Judith quickly sat down at his PC and brought up the search engine. Her inquiry: Purgatory.
Several files and applications came up on the window. Many contained numbers and statistics that made little sense to her. One icon looked like a building, so she clicked on it. A large, 3D map of a set of two buildings connected by a skywalk appeared. That's the facility she thought. A large area on one of the lower floors was blinking. Clicking on it spun the image around so she was looking at it from above. The area was the size of a hospital wing. Several notes were listed off to the side, flashing red in color:
RESTRICTED ACCESS
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
OMEGA LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED
That didn't look good. Whatever this place was, it was a guarded secret. If it had anything to do with the missing people…
Judith realized she shouldn't look too further right now. They might be monitoring Alan's search history. To throw them off she exited the main search and quickly looked through his other search engines. The results were surprising: Anime and video games were the main listings. JC would like this guy she thought. Just as quickly she exited out of everything and sat back in her original seat. Minutes later Alan walked back in carrying some strange device.
"Okay, now we can proceed. Judith, please concentrate your power on this sensor if you would…"
…
JC stood in the living room, sword in his hand. Carefully, he swung it about him, testing its weight and balance. It glided like it was nothing. Like it was an extension of himself.
"Looking good." Diana said, watching him. "When did you get good at swordplay?"
"It was part of my martial training growing up." JC said. "It was a way channel my youthful energy, or so my family said." He stopped at that thought.
"Well, you've put it to good use." Kayslee said, entering the room. "It's like you were made to oppose these guys."
"You've certainly helped us." Chelsea said. "You've given them a bloody nose on more than one occasion."
JC smiled at their encouragement. Still, something gnawed at him. It had been a week since the last mission. If he wasn't doing anything he felt like they were getting away with something.
"Excuse me." A servant came in the room. "There's a call for you Mr. Reinhardt."
"Who is it?" JC asked.
"The 'Hawk Lady'. She'd said you'd understand."
He did. He went into the next room and picked up the phone.
"Keeping busy, kid?" The woman's voice was unmistakable.
"When I need to." He said slyly. "How may I help you?"
"Remember when you did me that favor? I'm returning it. My team has some info you might like."
"Keep talking."
"After some careful consideration, my associates have decided to cancel our contract with your family. We'll be pulling out before the day is over."
"Good to know." JC said. "Is that your favor?"
"Partly. The real favor is that there's a facility we were supposed to be looking over but won't anymore."
JC felt some excitement. "What facility?"
"A main one that has limited access. Going through the front is out of the question, too much security. But there's a back way through the sewers you might find useful."
A main facility. Limited access Judith. "How would I get there?"
"We've sent the relevant info to your friend Miss Diana." JC felt a little disturbed at that statement. "She's quite remarkable."
"How'd you know?"
"Kid, you're family's well aware of your situation. If was up to me, we'd have just grabbed you by now." The woman let that sink in. "Orders are orders, however."
"Well, thanks for that." JC said. "You know, you never told me your name, 'Hawk Lady'."
"That's right, I haven't." The line was silent for a moment.
"One last thing, kid." The woman said in a serious tone. "This squares us. If we see each other again, do not ask for any favors. I will give you one last piece of advice: Watch your back. These people are serious about their plans and you've seriously pissed them off."
"I'll keep that in mind." JC replied. He moved to hang up.
"Miranda." He heard her say.
"What?" he asked.
"My name." The line went dead.
JC hung up the receiver. He turned and saw Diana. "We've got work to do."
"I'll let the others know." She said.
"No, this is my job."
"It's our job." Andre said. He, Chelsea and Kayslee had entered the room. "We do this together."
JC nodded. "Let's finish this."
~To be continued