“Lock and load Hongo. Let’s do this.” Hunter said.

Hunter seemed to be in high spirits. He thrived on adventure.

“Alright. I’m making the call.” Hongo said.

Tiyana was able to get a helicopter. A local banker owned one that he rarely used. He was more than happy to let the hanger authority rent it out for a few hours for the right price. It was not in great condition, but Tiyana thought the important parts looked reliable. She waited for her phone to go off with her fingers on the throttle.

Hunter waited at the front door of a warehouse. Virgil waited on the roof of an adjacent building. He watched and waited. Hongo stood with Hunter. He made the call.

“Yes. Please tell Mister Chivambo that Doctor Sudbø is running late today. He would like to meet you by the warehouses at the docks. He understood that he was going to inspect cargo today. He will be there soon.”

The secretary asked him to wait. He said, “Okay.”

“That will not work for Mister Chivambo,” the secretary said. “He will wait for the doctor. Tell him that he can go ahead and arrive late.”

“Okay. Will do.” Hongo hung up the phone.

After a few minutes, Hongo called back.

“I cannot reach him.” Hongo said. “His phone must be either turned off or out of service or he does not have it on him. If Chivambo can meet today, it seems that he must go to the docks. Doctor Sudbø believed that he would inspect contaminated fruit in containers there today. Actually, he was very excited about it. I am sure that if Chivambo could find the time to drop by that the good doctor would show gratitude. Please tell Chivambo that.”

The secretary let out an audible sigh of exasperation.

“Please stay by your phone.” She said as she hung up.

A few minutes later, Hongo got the call. Chivambo was coming.

“Alright, so we’re in business?” Hunter said with his excitement bubbling visibly beneath the surface.

“It seems so.” Hongo replied.

“Hongo, I don’t know if I have ever told you this. I probably should have. You are a good friend. I honestly do not know what we would have done without you. I just want you to know that, whatever happens, I appreciate everything that have done and are doing for us. I know Tiyana feels the same way.” Hunter’s adrenaline pumped through his veins, his inhibitions relaxed, and he opened up with his emotions.

Hongo, for once, laughed. “I know. What would you do without me?”

As Chivambo’s truck approached, Hunter and Hongo heard Virgil’s voice over the earpieces that they wore.

“I see two vehicles. Both look full. Wait. Ok, I see another truck. It is coming from the other side. It is parking behind the warehouse. They may come in the back entrance. They do not want you to know about the third vehicle. I cannot make out the faces yet. I will tell you if I see Ghaelvord or Malacoda. If all that they sent are soldiers, then you can handle them. If I see Dahjaat, we will pull the plug.”

“Agreed.” Hunter said over the microphone.

“I should get into position now.” Said Hongo.

Hongo ran toward a large crane. He climbed up it and hid behind a beam. He carried an AWC G2 bullpup sniper rifle. As usual, finding a black market arms dealer had not been difficult. Hongo’s position was about halfway between the warehouse door and the edge of the port. Over the edge of the port, a one thousand horsepower pickle-fork speedboat was moored.

Virgil used a pair of Opticon Edge binoculars with powerful lead-glass lenses.

As the cars drew closer, Virgil said, “The trucks coming your way are full of men dressed in working garb, no uniforms, except for Chivambo who is in the front car. The car out back has three men and one woman.”

“One woman? That’s interesting.” Hunter replied.

The trucks pulled up near Hunter and parked. Chivambo stepped out, followed by seven men dressed in dockworker’s clothing. Hongo did not like the looks on their faces or their sheer numbers.

As they exited the vehicle, they all realized that no one had brought an interpreter. Fortunately, Chivambo spoke some broken English.

“Hello. Come here.” The large man said as he gestured toward the warehouse door.

All nine men entered the warehouse. Hunter looked around and saw row after row of steel intermodal freight containers. There were green ones as well as red, white, yellow, brown, blue, and others. Keeping track of them all must be a nightmare, Hunter thought to himself. Chivambo silently led them down aisle after aisle of freight containers making a left turn here and a right turn there. Hunter quickly became lost in the maze. Eventually, they came to a clearing where workbenches and tools were strewn about. A desk covered with shipping logs and identification information for the various containers sat in one corner. A forklift sat in another.

“I show you something.” Chivambo said in his broken English.

With that, he gestured to the other side of the clearing. Through the clearing, flanked by three dockmen, was Shenouda. Hunter’s jaw dropped.

“Shenouda?” He cried out. “You are alive?”

“You know this man?” Chivambo asked her in Portuguese.

Sheresponded, “Perhaps.”

For a moment she just stood there stunned.

Then she said to Chivambo, “Leave us. We have business to discuss.”

Chivambo nodded his head and jerked his fingers toward the exit. The men followed him.

“Shenouda, thank God you are alright.” Hunter said as he ran to her. “We thought you were with Ghaelvord. We were coming to rescue you.”

“Rescue me?” She asked.

“Wait, did you speak English before?” Hunter asked.

“No. A lot about me has changed.” She replied.

“Right. I cannot imagine what you’ve been through. Listen, I’m so sorry that I got you into this. Tiyana wanted to wait. She thought we should run stress tests on the walls or something and I pushed her to go. I never thought any of this would happen. I never meant for you to be with us in there. I never meant for you to be taken.”

“Taken?” She asked.

“You know, by Ghaelvord.” Hunter said almost in a whisper.

“Ghaelvord.” She replied.

That name meant a lot to her. Despite everything, her relationship with Ghaelvord was the only stable part of her life. As she spoke with Hunter, the memories of the labyrinth and the fear that she felt down there came to the surface. She remembered her life before the virus, before the operation. She became emotional.

“He changed me.” She confessed. “I am not the girl that used to work for you.”

“I know. Like I said, I cannot imagine what you’ve been through. Look, Hongo is here with me. We can get you out of here. We can take you back to your family.”

Shenouda had felt relieved to see Hunter. She always respected and admired her boss. She even fancied him. He was an attractive man, and bold. She used to giggle with the other kitchen staff about him. When he mentioned her family, however, her sense of relief faded into darkness.

“I have no family.” She said. “Not in Egypt, not anywhere.”

“Oh, well, your people then. I can take you home. Shenouda, you’ve been with Ghaelvord haven’t you? I mean, he took you, right?”

“Oh Hunter.” She started crying.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She started shaking. Hunter looked into her eyes and wondered if they had always been so icy. Something had changed in those eyes.

Hunter wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He remained silent, waiting for her to calm down. She clutched at him and sobbed. She did not know who she belonged to. She could not go back. What did she have to return to? That door had closed forever. Seeing Hunter conjured up memories of her former life. She mourned the loss of that life.

“Everything is going to be alright.” Hunter said softly. “You are okay now.”

She wanted to believe that.

“You’re okay. You’re okay here with me. Just stay with me. We’ll get you through this.”

Shenouda remembered all of the times that she had felt lost and the way that Ghaelvord made her feel better. She remembered his touch. She let her cheek graze Hunter’s. Then she kissed him. She felt his neck stiffen. She wanted to feel alive. She continued kissing him. He pulled back, gradually at first, but then more forcefully. She held him in place with her unnaturally strong grip. Finally, he pushed away with all of his strength, but it was not enough. She dug her fingers deep into the flesh of his back. She felt his spine between her index and her middle finger. Hunter involuntarily yelped in pain, but Shenouda’s sultry lips muffled his cry. As her grip tightened, the pain intensified. Hunter thought his bones would crack. He could feel her fingers on his organs. He could not breathe. She had definitely changed. Her body felt cold. He panicked. His thoughts turned inward and he felt the vibrating strings tugging at him. He triggered the connection.

Meanwhile, Hongo watched Chivambo and the group of dockmen through the sights of his rifle. He prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.

“Ma Ang’o!” Hongo uttered an exclamation in his tribal tongue.

Hongo watched the sky open up. A beam of light, like a comet, hurtled toward the warehouse. The tiny particle of solar wind bursting with energy passed through the warehouse roof just as easily as it had passed through the Earth’s magnetic field. Hongo watched the group of dockmen, they talked and gestured wildly amongst themselves.

Chivambo saw the flash just like everyone else. He debated entering the warehouse. He decided to send a few men in. He ordered three of the dockmen to go inside and investigate. They refused. A shouting match ensued.

Virgil called Tiyana, “Tiyana, we have trouble. Hunter went into the warehouse alone. Later, Chivambo left with his men. I counted ten of them. They entered with a woman. I did not see her leave.”

“A woman?” Tiyana asked.

“Yes. She did not leave. I just saw the declopse.”

“He what?”

“The beam came down. He is Dahjaat. It probably means trouble. Be ready.”

“I’m on my way.” She practically shouted the words over the phone.

Tiyana pounded the starter button and wrenched the throttle. She took off so fast that she nearly cracked the engine. The blades of her helicopter began spinning, she rose into the air, and she took off toward the docks. She did not have far to go. The Nacala Airport was only a few miles northeast of the port.

Meanwhile, the beam hit Hunter and the vast energy solidified into mass. His body grew. His muscles bulged. He became taller. The iridescent green bulb appeared on his forehead between his eyes. His clothes hung in tatters around his waist. He came prepared with an expandable belt that stretched to cover his new girth. The force of the impact sent Shenouda careening into the side of a nearby container. She twisted her body in midair and sprung nimbly off of the steel side of the large intermodal box. She landed on her feet and looked up into the face of her former boss. His towering figure reminded her of Ghaelvord and Malacoda. He had the same powerful frame.

“You.” She said in shock. “You are one of them.” She was incredulous.

“There’s a war going on Shenouda. I do not want you caught in the middle of it. Come with me. I’ll keep you safe.” Hunter said with just a tad too much authority in his tone.

Shenouda balked, “Just like you kept me safe last time.” She spat the words at him with vituperation.

“Don’t do this.” Hunter said.

He watched as she leapt into the air. She had uncanny strength. Hunter could tell that Ghaelvord had done something to her. She did a backflip and landed on a nearby container. Hunter followed her movements with his eyes, wondering what her next move would be.

“I am in the middle of it.” Shenouda said. “I am in the center.”

With that, she sprinted to the end of the container and leapt off the edge, out of Hunter’s sight.

Hunter called out, “Shenouda! Whatever happened to you, we can deal with it. Come with us. We will help you.”

“There’s no help for me.” He heard her voice, but did not know where it came from.

All of a sudden, vice-like arms wrapped around Hunter’s neck. Shenouda had dropped down onto him from the warehouse rafters. Hunter reached back and grabbed her. He bent forward and threw her off of his back. She hit the ground rolling. She rolled for about ten feet, and then bounced up, spun around, and came back at him. She crossed the distance in a split second, but Hunter had time to activate the kebaac. He saw the trajectory of her attack. He anticipated the speed. For him, everything happened in slow motion. She leapt into the air with her right leg parallel to the ground. She planned on kicking him in the chest, but he caught her leg and spun around, throwing her toward another shipping crate. Again, she turned in the air and sprung off the side of the box.

“You are fast Hunter, but I am faster.” She said. “Ghaelvord saved me. He remade me. He did more for me than you ever could.”

She disappeared into the maze of containers. This time Hunter followed her. He leapt onto the nearest one and climbed to the top of a stack. He surveyed the area and could not see her. He activated his kebaac. A pulse of infrasonic sound reverberated throughout the room. He became aware of her shape leaping from a tall stack of containers into the roof’s rafters. He pulled out one of his Damascus Steel boomerangs and threw it. It flew in a wide arc and on its return path it clanged loudly off the side of one of the aluminum beams. It shook the beam just as Shenouda tried to grab hold of it. The reverberation caused her to lose her grip and fall towards the floor. Hunter leapt into action. He jumped from one container box to the next and dove headfirst off the edge of the last one. He caught her in his arms as she fell to the floor. As they landed, the impact took the wind out of him. Shenouda sprang to her feet and Hunter staggered to his.

“I don’t need you.” Shenouda said. “Don’t patronize me.”

She took a small step forward, turned around, ducked low and brought her leg around in a wide rotation. The kick swept Hunter off of his feet. In a flash, Shenouda was on top of him. She pinned his arms to the ground. Her mischievous side had come out in full force. Hunter tried to raise his limbs, but her thin, metal arms held them fast. Advanced Adlenduenum-based hydraulic power kept her limbs engaged.

She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “I’m not the girl you used to know.”

At that moment, three of Chivambo’s dockmen came in. They had Kalashnikov assault rifles drawn. Their knees shook. They were scared. They had very little experience with their weapons. They only entered the warehouse after Chivambo threatened to bar them indefinitely from working at the port. They saw Hunter in his Dahjaat form lying on his back, with Shenouda on top of him. Shenouda and Hunter turned their heads to face the newcomers. Shenouda smiled; this made things more interesting. Hunter raised his knees toward his chest and shot his legs outward. He bucked Shenouda off of himself. He leapt to his feet. The dockmen all watched him in awe. All three of them had fingers on the triggers of their weapons. One of them had a finger that shook with fear. He half-consciously pulled the trigger and a shot rang out. At the sound, the other two pulled hard on their triggers. A staccato of gunfire echoed throughout the building.

As Hunter stood up, he tapped his forehead. The dormant portions of his brain came alive. He calculated the trajectories of the bullets based on the aim of the barrels. He guessed at the effects of the recoil on shots subsequent to the first ones. He could not tell exactly how the men would handle the recoil, but he got a sense of the range of areas that the shots would fall into. He contorted his body and watched as the bullets flew past him. They hit the steel wall of the container behind him and bounced harmlessly off into the maze of containers. Hunter tapped his forehead again as he reached for his throwing knives. He grabbed three with his right hand and maneuvered them into position in his palm. He threw them with the handle end facing forward. He did not want them killing anyone. The dull end of the knives struck the rifles and knocked them out of the hands of the dockmen. With their weapons clattering to the floor, the dockmen panicked and ran toward the exit.

“Shenouda! I can’t do this all day. Ghaelvord is the enemy. You don’t know what he is doing. He’s a threat to the world, to everyone. Come with us now! I can explain it all.” Hunter pleaded.

She walked out from behind a container into the center of the clearing.

“And what if I do come with you? What can you do with me? I’m different. I’ve been with him. I think I love him.” She said.

“Don’t say that. You are confused.” Hunter responded.

“Am I?” She asked.

At that moment an burst of smoke appeared in the clearing and a tall, noble figure stood there. Virgil had entered.

“What is going on here?” He asked.

“Who are you?” Shenouda asked as she slowly backed away.

“Shenouda, don’t go. It’s okay. He’s here to help.” Hunter said.

She kept backing up. “We’ll meet again. I’m sure of it.” She said.

With that, she ran. She climbed the containers with leaps and bounds.

“Wait!” Hunter cried out.

He chased her, but she found an open window and dove through it. Hunter could not fit his bulky frame through.

“Let her go.” Virgil called out to him. “She’s not lost forever.”

Hunter clambered back to the clearing.

“She took his side. I can’t believe it.” He said.

“Believe it. He can be charming, persuasive, endearing, charismatic, duplicitous, and manipulative. I learned a long time ago not to underestimate his ability to inspire devotion. It goes well beyond his kebaac. He can foster a cult of personality around himself.” Virgil responded.

“Now we’ve lost her.” Hunter said dejectedly.

Virgil smiled, “I doubt that. Ghaelvord is not the only one who has devices left by the Aldenduenum.”

“What?” Hunter asked, confused.

“I will explain later, let the declopse end, and let us escape. Tiyana will have the helicopter ready any minute now. I think that we should get out of the country as soon as possible. We can consider our cover blown. The government will be out for us in force now if they have had any contact with Ghaelvord, which they almost certainly have.”

Hunter closed his eyes and let his mind sink into the depths of his consciousness. He felt the connection and let it go. He felt the release of the tension. Virgil saw a flash of light. He saw the layers of flesh disintegrate and slough off in a burst of mist and powder. The excess organic material evaporated into the air and dispersed throughout the room. It rose up and curled out the windows and vanished into the atmosphere. Hunter became himself again.

“Ok, let’s go.” He said.

They ran to the door and Virgil called Hongo.

Hongo heard him through his earpiece, “Hongo, we’re at the door, can you get us out of here?”

“Sure thing boss.” Hongo said.