Chapter 30: 29: OFFERING

The CDPD officers escorted Adam and Talitha to a rugged cruiser that sat near-invisible within the darkness of a side street, at least until a quick flash of light from an opening hatch door revealed the vessel from its cunning stealth. Stouter than the sleek Silatem designs that Adam had seen during his few visits to company HQ and with sharper angles, he guessed that the length of it must have taken up almost half of that Westmont street.

His head swerved to the side when a discordant shriek reverberated from one of the empty, dilapidated storefronts along the abandoned plaza. A pair of the officers advanced past the vessel to fire into the shadows while the sergeant and the others pushed him inside the vessel. Adam’s gaze darted over the interior as he and Talitha were guided to a rear cabin, where hundreds of indicators on various terminal projections displayed field readings and radars.

They passed into an enclosed space with two rows of chairs facing each other and Adam grimaced as he was strapped into a seat, his arms still restrained tightly behind him. Talitha was placed two seats away and Adam’s view of her was blocked when a pair of officers moved between them, one to tend to him while another stooped in front of Talitha.

“We’ve got to keep you restrained,” said the man before him. “For now. Protocol, as you said. So…we’re sorry it’s like this if the pair of you really are students caught up in the mayhem. But once we’re back at base and you’ve been cleared we can let you go.” The officer removed a thin needle from his kit and loaded it with clear liquid from a vial. “This is a sedative. It’ll help with the pain. Should calm you down.”

“I don’t want it.”

“It’s necessary. You look like you’re about to pop.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not, kid. You’re not.”

A cascade of stalled sensations flooded Adam without pause as the officer completed the injection in his shoulder before preparing to patch his wounds. Adam collapsed into his first opportunity to rest since the start of the nightmare, his body screaming exhaustion through every fiber and nerve despite his efforts to remain steady. The sedative took slow effect as he felt the tightness in his face, swollen from Ivan’s blow. When he adjusted his jaw he heard an audible pop at the hinge.

“What are you doing to her?” Adam grunted as a sharp sting pierced his cheek when the officer swabbed it with a damp cloth. Pain—and his senses—were already dulling from the sedative. He met the eye of the sergeant, who settled into the seat opposite Adam.

“What we’re ordered to do,” replied the sergeant calmly, observing the tending. The vessel hummed as it sprang to life, rolling forward on armored tires with its land function. “She was bit. She’s got to be tranquilized before we bring her back to camp. Something stronger than what we gave you. Can’t have her infecting anyone else if she starts losing her shit.”

“She’s not going to lose her shit,” replied Adam, trying again to peer in Talitha’s direction but finding his view of her still blocked. “Don’t act like she’s nobody, like she’s some animal. She’s important to me and she’s fine. She needs PHS to take a look at her and for Silatem to help her. I…I want to talk to my brother.”

“Listen up,” said the sergeant, peering at Adam. “You might be related to the captain. I accept that could be true. But I also sincerely don’t care. My activity log for your transfer will state you were found in enemy territory wearing stolen gear with a stolen weapon. As far as I know…you might still be one of them, even if you are a Pendergast. Until I’m absolutely sure you’re not a filthy rebel you’ll get no special treatment and be regarded as a potential threat. No cozy COM links to catch up with the family.” He shrugged. “But, if I’m wrong, please accept my apologies for your treatment.”

Adam shook his head as the officer beside him aimed a beam from a small device at his wound, pinching the gashes closed with heat. “How many times do I have to tell you that we’re not rebels? Or dangerous?”

“So there’s nothing you want to say about the big guy in there,” said the sergeant. “Nothing you think we should know before we go after him.”

“I have no fucking clue. He’s a fucking killer. He’s killed others and he’ll kill you too if you give him the chance. Please.” Adam sighed. “Is Silatem out here with you? Are you under hunter command?”

“No.”

“At least transfer us to their custody.”

“You’ll be dealing with me. With CDPD. Union Defense.” The sergeant shook his head. “Not Silatem. You’re residents here, right? Not with that company.”

“We are, but—”

“Justice and law applies to everyone. Even a Pendergast. Even friends of the Pendergasts.” A humorless smile flashed on the sergeant’s face. “Be glad you stopped running when you did. Another second like that and neither one of you would be here. Your conduct—your presence out here illegally—warrants an investigation on its own.”

Adam’s mouth snapped shut as he watched the sergeant opposite him—a stony figure with hands resting on the weapon lain across his knees. The officer tending to Adam completed the patching and stood. The sergeant glanced at his COM band as the officer who’d tended to Talitha returned.

“Don’t want to repair the wound on that girl,” said the officer to the squad commander. “Something’s wrong with it. Festering. It’s active on its own, like it’s alive.”

“Festering?” The sergeant spat in disgust. “For fuck’s sake that’s a visible parasite load. She’s done for. We’re bringing a live infection back to the camp. Ridiculous.”

“Maybe. But she’s got a heartbeat, she’s breathing, some kind of circulation’s happening internally—brain activity too, even if she can’t talk. Responds nonverbally like she understands what I’m asking her. Pupils contracting normally. PHS needs to take a look—run some tests. I gave her a patch to stop the bleeding and pinned her with a stabilizer for the constant shaking but it won’t be enough. Didn’t want to knock her out completely like you requested…she might not come back from that. In my opinion.”

“Fine. But if she gets worse—”

“Don’t say it,” interjected Adam with a hiss. “It’s not an option. See what happens if you fucking try.”

“If she gets worse,” continued the sergeant, maintaining Adam’s stare without emotion. “Follow protocol—on all accounts. We’re taking zero risks tonight.”

“Yes sir,” replied the officer.

“Li,” called Adam, trying to catch her attention. A slow gaze rolled over in his direction, half-lidded as if she were going to fall asleep. The makeshift bandage he’d made for her had been replaced by clean gauze strips. “Li—it’s going to be okay,” he said. “We’re almost out of here.”

A small smile crept to her lips but Adam couldn’t tell if she was looking at him or something else. He frowned as his view of her was cut off again by the officers.

The vessel continued ambling at a slow pace and a ping from a panel display caught the attention of the officers. Another armored man entered through the cabin’s partition, cutting through the two men to address the sergeant directly.

“Sir—still experiencing broad COM connectivity issues,” said the officer. “None of the rabids we’ve eliminated showed up on the radar prior to disabling. Can’t reach command within three kilometers of the camp. That last disruptor appears to have had no affect on the jammers. Only slowed the parasites down for a little while.”

“We’ll overload them,” replied the sergeant, peering at his device again. “We’ve got plenty of disruptors and we’ll keep launching ‘til we’ve upset their power supply.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Contact. Stern-side.” The pilot transmitted an alert over the cruiser’s intercom and it emanated within the cabin. Adam’s attention turned toward the panel beside the sergeant. “Rabids look like they’re…running and crashing into the cruiser. On purpose. Makes no sense. Looks like they’re swarming us even though we have stealth. How can they sense—?”

“Must be picking up some kind of favorable energy surge from our activity, even with limited land function. We’ll have to report the findings to Home Base—make sure to recalibrate our shields for this strain of the infection.” The sergeant settled into his seat, hands on his weapon. “Until we find those frequencies, Deputy, I’ll remind you we're in an armored assault vessel. These things are made of flesh and bone no matter the state they’re in. Cut through what’s in the way.”

“Yes, sir,” replied the pilot over the intercom.

“Why’d you call my brother a spook?” asked Adam, turning back to the sergeant. “I know he…kills people. That’s what they say about him. Not just parasites. Humans…too. For work.”

The sergeant’s steely glare focused on Adam once more. “You’re asking me?”

“Yeah. Does he—?”

“You don’t have clearance,” said the sergeant, cutting him off.

“I don’t have clearance to ask about my own brother?”

“No. Not even for the rumors.” The sergeant chuckled. “Judging by how little you know about the captain—or your own company, Mr. Heir—I’d say the captain follows protocol too.”

Adam remained quiet as he maintained the sergeant’s placid stare. Their silence was broken by a sudden jerk of the cruiser, one strong enough to force Adam to slam forward and then backwards in place. The sergeant grabbed the rifle, standing as the pilot’s voice returned over the intercom.

“Contact on stern and starboard,” said the pilot. “More coming in from the north. Confirmed swarm. Estimated one-to-two hundred heads and counting. ETA sixty seconds.”

“I told you to cut them through,” replied the sergeant, tapping on his COM device. “Shift to air if necessary—reduced power. Get it done.”

“I’m trying, sir, but something lodged itself in the land function. Now we’re reading critical flags whenever we attempt to move. Might be some bodies lodged up there, not sure how that happened to this extent. It’s like they tried crawling into the joints on purpose. I can activate the sub thrusters to vaporize the obstructions but we’ll be exposed to enemy sensors while we’re working it out.”

“Hold on those thrusters. We’ll get rid of that obstruction manually. Last thing we need is to have rebels cornering us in this alley with their own vessels along with the bloodsuckers. Once those critical warnings cease shift to air, minimal power, circle the grid. We’ll meet you on the opposite side.” The sergeant pulled a tactical mask over his face and pointed at the officers to action. “Mendoval—stay here, watch the kids. Keep an eye on the redhead, make sure she doesn’t start snapping for food. Patterson and Macoy—come with me. Fifty seconds and counting. Go.”

The sergeant and two of the officers left, the partition zipping closed behind their exit. Talitha stared ahead in a sedated daze and Adam surveyed her before settling his attention the remaining officer, who watched them both without comment.

They waited in silence for some time until the cruiser sparked to life, elevating before coasting forward at rapid speed. The cruiser made the first turn and then another, circling the grid of buildings before settling in an avenue further away from where they’d started. More time passed in silence, save for steady sounds from the cruiser’s system displays, as they anticipated the return of the sergeant.

After more minutes the hatch door of the vessel opened and a thundering crash sparked them to attention. Adam’s stare followed the officer that was keeping watch over them as the armed man hurried over to the partition with weapon raised. The officer streaked forward as the door zipped open and fired immediately at whatever he’d found outside.

Adam strained against the seat’s straps, trying to see something—anything—while listening to ammunition unload. Heavy thuds filled the vessel with the immediate noise of chaos. The din muffled when the partition closed, sealing them back into quiet, and he turned toward Talitha with new panic, understanding at once something had gone wrong. Even under the effect of a sedative Talitha understood too. Her eyes widened as she struggled against the restraints.

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“Shit,” he spat, blinking hard against his own medicated lethargy. “Something’s here. Fucking…hell. Something’s in here with us. Fuck—”

He froze when a tapping sound emanated from the intercom panel beside the sergeant’s seat. Crackling interference popped and singed onto the transmission, hissing with soft underlying static. Adam’s eyes remained unblinking on the device and steady pulses from indicator lights he couldn’t decipher signaled that the communications system was engaged. Chills raced through him when strangled sounds—sounds of a man screaming in desperation and pain—flooded the intercom. The anguish was wet—guttural—and choking with spluttering asphyxiation.

The intercom’s relay cut short, leaving Adam and Talitha in grim silence. Adam’s eyes raced toward Talitha—she was panting, mouth parted as she stared at the partition door, new alertness sparked in her as it was in him.

“Li,” he said, his words pattering as fast as his heart was bouncing in his chest. “Li. Something’s—someone’s here. Someone’s coming—”

Steady beeps from the control panel marked another endless passage of time. The partition door zipped open and a shriek from somewhere inside the cruiser howled into the rear, cutting short as a figure moved inside and shut the door right away. Adam exhaled heavy as he stared at the newcomer with them—a female, one wearing a CDPD uniform a pair of sizes too large, dark haired and dark eyed. She looked familiar—somewhat—although there was no friendliness in her features. Instead, she glanced at each of them with cold and sterile precision.

The door behind the woman zipped open again and she moved aside with haste, dropping to a knee and lowering her head as if praying. More figures entered the compartment—a cluster of armed men outfitted in the same terrible black gear Adam had seen the other killers wear, along with a dark and sinewy figure moving between them. A leaden weight plummeted inside him as he recognized who it was. The armed men saluted to the one they shielded.

Despair replaced the hope Adam managed to summon earlier with the appearance of CDPD. Dark, inhuman eyes settled on Adam and he understood where he was.

“Shit,” he said.

Jackal.

Fucking…Jackal.

His gaze moved to Talitha and found she’d sunk into her seat as low as she could manage with her restraints. She also understood they were somewhere new. Somewhere terrible.

The wildland frontman approached them, cradling something in the crook of his arm, and his stare remained unblinking as he knelt to place the item onto the empty seat next to Adam. Adam swallowed nausea as he glanced down at what it was—and processed who it had been a short time earlier.

There was a head there. A man’s head. The sergeant’s head. The sergeant’s eyeballs had been gouged out and in their place lay empty sockets pooling with red and grime, the mouth pried open to reveal that his tongue had been torn out as well. Adam stared at the head for a long while before turning to Jackal, who patiently waited for Adam to accept the truth.

“Clever child,” said Jackal, enjoying Adam’s discomfort. “You escaped this long. Ran about inside my inferno and managed to avoid a bullet in your back. But I see…you’re not so clever anymore. Are you?”

Jackal stood, moving to the seat where the sergeant had been before. Adam’s attention skirted to the side as the female in CDPD gear moved to settle in the spot beside the wildlander. She was familiar to Adam because he’d seen her before, though the first time he encountered her was that same night they came to Westmont. He’d seen the female laughing with the dealers—and with Spencer, though she had a different costume on then, dressed as one of Jackal’s winged angels for the party. She’d laughed over-loud during the fight—Adam remembered her sharp cackling when Gracie spilled her drink over Talitha. The angel wasn’t laughing now, instead turned as dead-serious as Jackal.

He watched her converse with Jackal in native speak before checking on Talitha again, finding her frozen in terror, staring at the sergeant’s head beside him. The nativespeak changed to unispeak and Adam heard a voice he despised fill the rear cabin with resonant volume.

“Adam.”

Adam met Jackal’s gaze and Jackal chuckled at the sight of his simmering anger.

“You look like John. You really do, especially in the profile. More than Elias. He takes after his mother. I knew John well and you’re every bit his boy.”

“What do you want?” spat Adam. Force rose in him despite lack of options. “What the fuck do you want? What is this? What is…all this? Why? Why did you do this?!”

“It’s Harvest,” replied Jackal. “That’s why. Happy Harvest.”

“Fuck you!”

“So much spirit left. Even now.” Jackal watched Adam calmly. “I’ll remove that from you before I parade your head on a pike in Capitol City.”

“Is that what you’re going to do?” Adam exhaled hard again, sudden heaviness weighing him down from within. “Cut my head off?”

“And broadcast it for your filthy government to see.”

“Because I’m a Pendergast.”

“Yes.” Jackal wagged a finger at Adam. “It’s a lesson to your brother too. I’ll make him suffer more than you. Take solace in that. Your mother—she won’t fare any better. I’ll enjoy ripping her to pieces on the altar.”

Adam laughed, but not because anything Jackal said was funny.

“Fuck…you.”

The cruiser resumed motion. Jackal returned to speaking in tongue and the woman responded with short assents. She rose from her seat and moved over to Talitha, reaching a gloved hand forward to seize Talitha’s chin. She withdrew a slim blade from her belt and Adam threw himself against his seat restraint, barking loud.

“Don’t touch her! Fucking cunt! I’m the target! Come get me!”

The woman’s head tilted to the side and her dark stare, pooling inhuman black, circled the features of Adam's face before meeting his gaze. Without emotion she dragged the blade across Talitha’s breast, tearing through the stained costume and baring Talitha’s flesh, spilling more blood from a long gash. Tears streamed from Talitha’s eyes as she cowered, unable to make sounds of pain, and the woman swiped up the blood with a finger, sniffing it before returning to Jackal.

Enraged, Adam dropped as low as he could manage in his seat restraint, the cuffs on his wrists cutting painfully into his flesh as he forced himself down. He shoved his foot against the woman’s knee just she passed by and made blunt contact with bone, knocking her off balance.

Before she could respond Jackal was up and Adam could only catch a flash of the wildlander moving before a force cracked him hard across the face. His head whipped to the side and blood erupted, this time spilling freely from his nose and mouth. Skull wobbling, Adam’s eyes rolled wild within their sockets. He tried to focus on something—anything—to regain control. Through blurred, wet vision he spotted Jackal tasting Talitha’s blood from the dark-eyed woman’s finger.

“Ugh.”

Adam heard Jackal’s voice somewhere within his blinding confusion, tinged with audible disappointment.

“They…poisoned her, Saiha. She tastes sour. Unpleasant. A disgusting palate for what should be the sweetest of nectars.”

Feedback whined in Adam’s ears, like the one he’d heard in the temple except that this ringing was only in his head. His mouth fell open, already swelling, and he felt more sharp shards of his teeth rolling over his tongue. He dropped his head back against the rear of the seat and winced as he spluttered metallic fluid. Pain was evident and shocking even with the sedative.

Talitha.

He tried to look back in her direction but his vision turned black during the movement. After a moment some vision faded into view, although a bordering darkness threatened to swallow Adam into shadows again. He heard low, hissing foreign tongue as Jackal stopped in front of Talitha to address her, smiling up at her bowed form as he spoke. Another weak protest escaped Adam as Jackal stroked Talitha’s cheek with tender affection.

“I remember the taste of your mother,” said Jackal, staring at Talitha. “One of my favorite wives. Pure in blood, pure in spirit, chosen for that delightful clarity. Produced children for our brotherhood as ordered but…the master’s child—my perfect child—she stole. A terrible mistake for everyone involved. But here, my child’s returned to me.”

Jackal’s caress moved to the rest of Talitha’s trembling face and lower still, tracing the wound on her bare chest. Adam groaned as he tried to keep upright—Jackal’s words barely made sense—although he knew they made too much sense. Terrible sense.

“I watched Talitha as she grew in the public eye, thanks to promotion from your family, Adam. I sensed she was mine from the moment I spotted her. Brilliant hair the color of our dying sun, as beautiful as her mother’s precious mane. Undoubtedly, the girl’s as divinely blessed as her father. As…I am.” His voice quieted in the stark silence. “Despite Union’s poison in her system I can taste her innocence. Not a virgin—someone claimed her—but she’s fresh. Young. More than satisfying.”

“F-fuck—” Consciousness was hard to hold onto. “F-f—y-you—”

“I want her. She’ll bear more pure bloods for me as I desire, deliver more loyal generals for my armies. You, on the other hand—I’ll spill your blood. I have no use for you besides revenge as another offering for the roots of our divine tree.” Jackal nodded, surveying Adam. “Your death—your mortal pain and your mortal sorrow—all your anguish will ignite holy forces on the eve of our sacred night. Ascension will favor us with victory. The plague of humanity will be destroyed. Galusu ina bet giru.”

The armed men—the woman too—repeated the phrase after Jackal, bowing their heads in deference.

Galusu ina bet giru.

“You'll all burn this Harvest.”

Jackal erupted into another hymn, shifting back to his hissing dialect, a sound that pricked Adam with disgust even as his senses faded. He struggled to remain alert and his vision came and went in uncontrolled waves. Glimpses of the sergeant’s head shocked him whenever his peripheral vision drifted too far. Jackal’s singing stopped when the wildlander spoke to the woman beside him in Unispeak.

“My lioness,” he said. “Dearest Labat. Cover his head for transport. Prepare him for the ritual. Zero hour approaches and with it…the harvest of these damned souls. We’ll commence with the final phase of our sacrifice.”

Adam’s vision clouded in black, this time from fabric being wrenched over his head. No slits were present to allow him to see although different kinds of lights, all of them behind his eyes, flashed when he tried to focus.

The cruiser rumbled as it ran over more obstacles—maybe rubble, maybe bodies. Maybe everything. Splitting pain forced Adam to close his eyes and soon, his mind was dark too.

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