Chapter 16
Shock had Circe gaping at Demetrius and the trio of men flanking him. “What are you doing here?” Even as she asked, it hit her that he must have been working with Andreas. Why else would he have followed her and Taurus to the Labyrinth?
Still wearing a smirk, Demetrius glanced around. “Where is your companion, the star warrior?”
Wait? How did Demetrius know about the Zodiac Warriors? Their existence was supposed to be secret. “He’s gone.”
“And left you behind? Doubtful. Search the room,” Demetrius barked. “Watch for hidden doorways.”
The men he’d brought began scrounging through the clutter, tossing things left and right. As if Taurus would be hiding under the knee-high pile of discarded armor.
“He’s not here,” she reiterated, hugging her upper body.
A pinch-lipped Demetrius glared at her. “Does he have the plans?”
She tried playing dumb. “What plans?”
“The ones to rebuild what you call the Antikythera mechanism. I know they’re the reason you came here. Hand them over.”
“I don’t have them.” The truth. “And you’ll never get them now, because they’re somewhere you can’t reach.
” Or so she hoped. While Tower’s powers of camouflage foiled human eyes, she had to wonder about Demetrius and his companions.
If they’d been infected like Andreas, then who knew what they were capable of?
“Your star warrior abandoned you once he found them. How chivalrous.” A sneer tugged his lips.
“He’s coming back for me.” She hoped. The problem being, he’d likely arrive too late to save her from Demetrius.
“Pity you won’t be here. Secure her,” Demetrius barked.
As the stony-faced men approached, Circe brandished the knife Taurus gave her. “Stay away.”
Demetrius flicked a hand, and an invisible force smacked into her grip, sending the blade flying and leaving her drop jawed. “Do not vex me. I am only leaving you alive because you might still be useful.”
“Useful doing what?” she exclaimed as her arms got yanked roughly behind her back and her wrists bound.
“As a bargaining chip. Your life for the plans.”
Save one inconsequential woman versus billions? “Taurus will never agree.”
“We’ll see. You’d better hope you’re wrong,” the ominous reply. “Let’s go. I want to be in Athens before the storm rolls in.”
Circe had no choice but to leave with them, doing her best to not stumble at the pace they set going through the winding maze. While she huffed for breath—and from fear—she did still manage to ask, “How did you find this place?”
“By tracking the star warrior.”
Surprise almost made her trip. “You followed Taurus?”
“In a sense. Once he emerged from his hidden lair, we picked up the signal from the scout attached to him.”
“What scout? What are you talking about? What do you mean, attached to him?” A sickening feeling hit Circe as she remembered Taurus suggesting that Andreas had been infected by some sort of extraterrestrial parasite. Could this be the scout they referred to?
“Enough chatter. Move.” A shove to her back sent her reeling and pondering. Could this scout-parasite have attached itself to Taurus? Surely, he’d have noticed.
The big bronze doorway into the maze remained wide open, and as they spilled into the area beyond, the mouth of the cave, awash in daylight, let her see a pair of ropes dangling.
“Nolan, go up first and stand watch for the star warrior. Lenny, you’ll go next with the woman.”
The one named Nolan immediately clipped himself to a rope and disappeared from sight.
Since she lacked a harness, Lenny lashed her to him—a much less pleasant experience than when she’d been tied to Taurus.
Once he’d secured them to a rope, they ascended.
A glance above showed a metal arm stretching over the edge of the gorge.
As they neared it, she heard the hum of the winch doing the work of pulling.
A woman waited at the top, just as grim-faced as the men. She said nothing as she grabbed and hauled them toward the solid ground. Nolan stood guard, gun cradled, scanning the area around.
“Sit and don’t move,” the woman snapped, her order reinforced by a shove that sent Circe to the ground.
Once Demetrius and the last man arrived, they yanked Circe to her feet and prodded her toward a waiting helicopter, which explained how they’d managed to follow so quickly.
They must have rushed to the gorge the moment they knew of Taurus’ location.
It took under two hours to fly from Crete to Athens.
The flight proved slightly rough, as strong winds buffeted the craft, and she swallowed hard more than once as they wobbled over rough-looking waters.
No one spoke during the journey. Then again, the noise of the blades would have required shouting.
The chopper landed atop a building she didn’t recognize, and from there, they hustled her inside the top floor, which appeared unused.
The open space was practically bare, with only a few office chairs and a single desk with a computer taking up the space.
Circe managed only that brief glimpse before being shoved into a utility closet, unable to hear or see anything happening.
Every second that passed only increased her angst. It didn’t help her stomach rumbled with hunger and her bladder screamed for relief.
The woman who eventually released her grumbled when Circe insisted on using the washroom.
“Either you let me relieve myself or I’ll piss my pants,” Circe snapped.
“Make it quick.” The ties on her wrists were slashed, but free hands did Circe no good.
The bathroom had no window, and even if it did, she couldn’t exactly jump from this height.
As she squatted, she looked around for a weapon, not that it would do her much good.
She lacked any kind of fighting skill and would be hard-pressed to take down one person, let alone five.
When she emerged from the bathroom, the woman brought her to the far end of the open space, where recently discarded food containers lay scattered. Her stomach rumbled with hunger, but she refused to beg for any leftovers.
The short and tubby Nolan stood slack-jawed amidst the mess, eyes rolled back, muttering, “I’ve established a connection with the scout.”
“Where has it surfaced?” Demetrius asked.
“The signal is coming from the shop where the message was left.”
“Is the starman alone?”
A frown creased Nolan’s features. “The scout is unable to provide any additional info, as it has been unable to properly meld due to the being’s physiology.”
Sounded like whatever parasite infected Demetrius and the others couldn’t control Taurus. As to when it attached itself, she’d concluded while in the closet it most likely happened during Taurus’s encounter with Andreas.
“Has Lenny’s scout reported?” Demetrius asked next.
“No one has entered or exited the shop since he began watching.”
“And what of the rear entrance?”
It took Nolan a second before he murmured, “Also indicating no movement.”
They must be talking about the Zodiac Emporium. But of more interest, Taurus was in Athens. He must have agreed to the trade.
It warmed her heart but also chilled her blood. Surely, he wouldn’t hand over the world’s only chance at salvation to save her? Given his experience, she prayed he had a plan.
“They’re probably wasting time watching. Have those scouts relocate to the Agora site and tell them to be prepared for an ambush. Rebecca, you’ll join them.”
“At once.” The woman immediately departed, leaving Circe alone with Demetrius and the kind-of-freaky Nolan. No type of earpiece or any device at all on his person could only mean he somehow spoke to his companions telepathically.
The realization led to her blurting out, “What are you? What do you want?”
To her surprise, Demetrius answered. “We are tools, whose sole purpose is to ease the arrival of our masters.”
“And who are your masters?”
“The ones who will conquer and rule your Earth.” A declaration that could have used an ominous musical score.
“They’re on the asteroid.” Not a hard guess to make.
“The fleet has been travelling eons, waiting for a suitable planet to colonize. Soon their journey will end.”
“And in the process, kill all of humanity.”
“Not all.” A faint smile tugged Demetrius’ lips. “The masters will keep some for sustenance and sport.”
A blood-chilling statement. “Why do you need the plans for the Antikythera?”
“As a precaution. The device is actually useless without this.” Demetrius pulled a rock from his pocket, the egg-shaped object dull gray in appearance and dimpled.
It had to be the one Taurus had mentioned. “What is that?”
“A scout transport. Our masters launched hundreds of them in their search for a new home world. While the Earth was long ago deemed suitable, the first attempt to colonize this planet failed.”
“Because of the Antikythera device,” she hypothesized aloud.
Demetrius scowled. “Our enemies gave the humans a means to destroy the first colony ship and then no other dared travel here until we scouts could reassure them the threat had been eliminated.”
“Who’s your enemy?”
“Enough with the questions.” Demetrius suddenly went from talkative to dick. “Time for us to get moving.”
Rather than return to the rooftop and the helicopter, an elevator brought them to a sub-level parking garage, where she got shoved into the rear of a windowless panel van.
The hum of the engine, the motion, and fatigue lulled her to sleep.
She woke abruptly when the van doors opened and Demetrius barked, “Get out. It’s time.
” A declaration punctuated by a clap of thunder.
Time to see if she would be sacrificed or saved.