Chapter 183

  Alexander stepped down from the private jet onto Dubai’s tarmac, the desert heat washing over him immediately. Droney followed, hovering just over his shoulder. The rest of his drones waited in the storage ring, along with a few new, hastily prepared toys, but Droney itself couldn’t be placed inside for some reason.

  Four black luxury SUVs waited in formation across the private runway, their drivers standing at attention beside polished doors.

  He reached out with his senses, checking for anyone beyond the four he could see. Thousands of bioelectric signatures flickered across his awareness from the main airport buildings. Mostly normal humans, though one signature stood out immediately.

  Alexander’s gaze tracked to the source. A figure sat with legs dangling over the edge of a nearby air traffic control tower. He felt them rebuff his power, acknowledging the detection without hostility.

  He wasn’t surprised by their presence. Emirates Superhuman Authority security, monitoring their arrival as expected.

  Getting to Dubai had required some creativity. On the one hand, they could have slipped in via portal or doorway, but that meant remaining in hiding or in disguise the entire time they were in the country.

  However, he’d been fascinated when Talia explained the United Arab Emirates position on the global stage. So much so that he’d done some additional research of his own after the meeting, including several hours picking Jasmine’s brain on the matter.

  It turned out that neutral grounds for international arbitration were one of a long list of requirements for Galactic Council membership, specifically for any species without a genuinely unified government. And, despite the name, the United Earth Government was anything but unified. It represented the interests of 191 separate countries, all with different agendas, held together only by adherence to the legal demands set forth by the Galactic Council and its mandates.

  Given the complexity of galactic law and the ESA’s unique position, a second possibility opened up for Grimnir.

  Because they were now internationally wanted supervillains.

  The Dragon Lord had sounded amused when Alexander called and suggested their guilds might benefit from neutral arbitration, to open negotiations and set terms of engagement in an effort to reduce collateral damage amid their ongoing and super serious hostilities.

  Maximilian had agreed without questions, though his reasons remained unclear.

  Alexander suspected he’d find out soon.

  The Emirates Superhuman Authority had quickly approved the petition with a token AEGIS sign-off. Temporary travel visas issued, valid for the duration of arbitration proceedings.

  Which is how they found themselves legally visiting Dubai, despite technically being wanted by governments on all continents.

  The ESA security was merely ensuring their terms were honored, and that Alexander and the others behaved.

  He turned back toward the aircraft.

  Augustus descended first, followed by Annie. Talia had remained on the island, intending to support the operation remotely with her new hobby.

  Hacking.

  Everything.

  The moment Alexander had finished cobbling together a cooling system for the first quantum supercomputer, Talia had stolen it. Brazenly and with all the audacity of someone who could not be denied. Then spent a cool five-hundred thousand deploying a mesh network of obfuscated relay nodes around the world, each running layered anonymization protocols with randomized packet routing. The setup automatically cycled through disposable virtual machines, spinning up new instances while purging the old every hour.

  It almost offended Alexander’s gentle sensibilities to see such powerful hardware used for what she called her ‘global systems architecture expansion.’ He’d had plans to simulate miniaturization methods for the advanced shield technology.

  A much more sensible usage. But one that could wait until he had time to prepare the second supercomputer.

  Helena descended next, Frank’s hand at her elbow.

  That first evening after their arrival on the island had stretched into early the next morning, stories shared about the six months since they’d last seen each other.

  That included the guild’s plans. Prophecies and apocalyptic threats.

  The next day, Alexander had broached the subject of them joining Grimnir. He’d prepared every reason he could think of and even a few contingencies.

  Helena had simply smiled. Frank had said yes.

  The subsequent contract discussions with Jasmine had been more complex. In the end, they’d established a policy that the original four members of Grimnir remained contractless. Everyone else, now and future, would be required to sign on officially.

  Even old friends.

  Frank and Helena had agreed without hesitation.

  Today the married couple were dressed to impress, looking like wealthy retirees on an extended vacation. Which, according to their cover story, they were. They’d recently sold their business and were treating their loyal staff to superhuman serum injections. Security in these uncertain times, they’d explain.

  A generous employer’s investment in their people’s safety. And their own.

  It was even partly true. Frank really had sold Frank’s Kits & Fix-Its, the cybernetics repair chain with stores up and down the West Coast.

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  Alexander had felt a pang of heartache when they told him. It made sense though, given the couple’s new direction in life.

  Carmen and the crew emerged last, all dressed in assorted business outfits, with Felix in golden retriever form weaving between their legs, playing the part of excited travel companion perfectly.

  They looked professional, exactly what the cover story required. Even the Chief Engineer was presentable.

  The driver by the lead vehicle approached, tablet in hand. “Khalid, Emirates Superhuman Authority.” He gestured to the tablet. “I’ll need to verify your identities before we depart.”

  Alexander, Annie, and Augustus waited while he checked each of them against his records. When finished, he inclined his head slightly. “Welcome to Dubai, Mr. Rooke, Mr. Greaves, and Miss Sheridan. I’ll be escorting you to your hotel.” He glanced behind them. “No luggage, sir?”

  Alexander smiled. “We have our ways.”

  Annie snickered. “Yeah, suuuuper mysterious ways.”

  Khalid’s expression remained professionally neutral, though his eyes showed faint amusement. “Understood. And the other passengers?”

  Augustus gestured toward Frank and Helena. “Mr. and Mrs. Vitale were kind enough to let us share their flight, but they’re not with us.”

  “Very well.” Khalid glanced down at the golden retriever now wagging its tail beside Alexander, but said nothing. He turned toward the lead vehicle. “If you’re ready, we can depart.”

  The crew, along with Frank and Helena, headed for the other vehicles. Annie and Augustus followed Khalid toward the lead SUV.

  Alexander caught Frank’s eye and winked.

  Frank gave him a subtle nod.

  Then Alexander climbed into the back with the others. Droney took off, rising into the sky to scout ahead.

  The SUV’s hovertech hummed to life. It rose gently from the tarmac, then glided smoothly toward the airport exit.

  Khalid turned slightly in the front passenger seat. “Your first arbitration meeting with the Throne of Scales is scheduled for tomorrow at ten a.m.”

  Alexander nodded, settling back into the comfortable seat. One part of his mind watched the city pass by, taking in the beauty and the sheer amount of activity blending normalcy with casual displays of power. The other managed his powered senses, spread as far as he could reach, tracking thousands of superhumans and forged alike. Not to mention the many normal humans with ascended attributes despite a lack of powers.

  They’d only just arrived, and already he was fascinated. Dubai lived up to its reputation as a place that embraced the superhuman.

  He wanted nothing more than to head out into the city and explore. See the sights.

  Unfortunately, he’d promised to be on his best behavior.

  And that meant no borrowing.

  ***

  The underground facility’s central chamber stretched forty meters across, its domed walls lined with display screens. Archaic technology, but practical given the limitations of the work. The project.

  Two wide tunnels extended from opposite ends of the chamber, disappearing into darkness.

  Zephyr-Nine sat in a leather chair near the center of the room. Surprisingly comfortable, given it was of human design. One of his staff had provided it years ago, back when the project was still in its infancy.

  Twenty-three figures worked at stations arranged around the chamber’s perimeter. Most belonged to younger Council species. Three were human. All had proven themselves capable of handling the work, though several had required replacement over the years. The mental strain of prolonged proximity to the project broke weaker minds eventually.

  Zephyr allowed the holographic display before him to resume its progression. Faces and information scrolled past, one after another. Thousands of potential candidates, each profile compiled from his network’s surveillance of Earth. Superhumans. Organizations. Guilds. Governments.

  The data packets his subordinates had prepared during his absence stretched on endlessly.

  The layered holograms wrapped around his form shifted as he adjusted position. They’d concealed his true appearance for millennia now, disguising what he’d become.

  His tertiary synthesis cortex engaged, processing and cataloging each profile against the perfectly recollected thousands he’d already examined. His presence on the Nexus had demanded too much of his time recently. Months of valuable research time wasted, forced to manage the Council’s endless debates while younger species squabbled over territory and resources.

  But it had been necessary. His presence was needed to soothe fear. His hand required to steer galactic events away from outcomes driven by the paranoia and cowardice of the younger races.

  The display paused.

  Two faces. Nearly identical. Asian features, though the distinctions between Earth’s ethnic populations meant little to him. The names required effort to parse illogical phonetics into something processable.

  Nakamura.

  The human languages remained so discordant even after years of observation. Thousands of distinct variations saying essentially the same things, just differently enough to cause endless confusion.

  Zephyr leaned forward. “Eighteen. Are these subjects’ abilities confirmed?”

  One of the humans stood, inclining his head. The gesture was deferential. “Yes, Master Zephyr. Both manifested identical powers through synchronized meditation before injection. They call it Sympathy, and have verified the capability to transfer physical objects, injuries, sensations, and thoughts between each other. The documentation suggests they can even transfer abstract concepts, though we haven’t independently confirmed that claim.”

  “Who provided this information?”

  “They published an academic paper on their own before they understood the implications of what they’d achieved or how their powers pushed the boundaries.”

  Zephyr’s eyes narrowed as he reviewed the data again. “Synchronized powers with perfect transference. How many other such documented cases exist?”

  “None, Master.”

  “Bring them in. I want them incorporated into the project immediately.”

  One of the other staff members turned from her station. A Councillor species with four manipulator limbs and compound eyes that reflected the display light. “They’re prominent researchers in their home nation, Master Zephyr. Their disappearance will draw attention.”

  “Then provide a distraction. I want them processed within a month.”

  Multiple heads inclined in acknowledgment.

  The holographic display resumed its progression. Face after face, ability after ability. Each one a potential component for the project’s expansion, each one another step toward the threshold.

  It stopped again.

  Spencer Elias Rooke. The Pathfinder. His profile carried notes spanning years. Initial power observations. Restraint orders. Escape notifications. Co-conspirators. Initial recapture attempts. Commands to use his family as bait. Then hundreds more failure reports.

  He was always at least one step ahead. Almost as if he could see a way through every carefully orchestrated attempt to bring him in.

  Because he could.

  “Perhaps it’s time to redouble efforts on the Pathfinder,” Zephyr said quietly. “His abilities remain too essential for the project to abandon, despite the failures.”

  Eighteen glanced at the profile hovering in the display. “Should we increase resource allocation, Master?”

  “Yes. And determine which technological advances would best serve his pursuers. Run simulations forward a century if necessary. Provide them through the usual channels with extra care. I will abide no failures at this stage.”

  “Of course, Master,” Eighteen said with a nod. “We can use Veritus Praxis. They still have ties with Goliath.”

  Zephyr leaned back in the chair, studying Spencer’s face intently. The Pathfinder thought himself clever, dancing between probabilities and nudging outcomes. But prescience had its limits. Boundaries that couldn’t be breached. Future sight could only extend so far before quantum uncertainty made predictions impossible.

  With enough attempts, they would find where his gifts ended.

  And then they would find him there, ready to be added to the project.

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