Sibylla of Earth Read online

  Sibylla of Earth

  Book One of the Anunnakiverse

  A.D. Baldwin

  A.D. Baldwin

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. The Hive

  2. Run Sib Run

  3. The Enigma Sphere

  4. A Reason

  5. The Sandman

  6. The Drop

  7. A Wind from the Forest

  8. The Stream

  9. The Tracker

  10. The Interrogation

  11. The Barracks

  12. The Armory

  13. The Challenge

  14. Dinner

  15. The Duelist

  16. Triumvirate

  17. No

  18. One Long Note

  19. The Deal

  20. A Rich History

  21. The First Lesson

  22. Empty

  23. The Gorge

  24. The Great Hall

  25. Sibylla and Atra

  26. The Fog

  27. The Sting

  28. Dallas

  29. The Codes

  30. Circles

  31. First There are Kisses

  32. Redemption

  33. The Final Battle

  34. A Tiny Speck

  35. Decisions

  36. Return from the Grave

  37. The Fall of Remembrance

  38. A Farewell to Arms

  39. A Red Dawn

  40. Battle Above

  41. A Hole in the Ground

  42. Defender

  For Holly, who told me the truth, and for that, I am forever grateful.

  Prologue

  Secretary of State Kate Bell studied the young woman’s file in silence, finally arching a brow as she found something interesting. “She’s in love. We can use it against her.”

  The general shifted in his chair to meet the woman’s gaze. “Is that really necessary?”

  “In my line of work, you have to be willing to go all the way. People are hard to motivate. Fear usually works best. Look at us.”

  The general considered the secretary’s argument. He could see why the President had chosen her to run the Ark Project. She was cold, calculating, a person who could keep a secret, which was vital when facing the end of the world.

  “Look,” Bell said, “either she plays ball, or she goes to jail. You choose.”

  “I understand,” the general said, adding it to the hundreds of other things he needed to do over the next couple of weeks. Time was running out. And resources were running thin. “How long do we have before they reach the solar system?”

  The secretary sighed as she laid the data scroll on her desk and took a sip from her Scotch. “Who knows. Days. Months. A year. The projections are always changing.”

  The general nodded, as he rose to his feet. “We should bring her in as soon as possible. I’ll visit her tomorrow.”

  “Today.”

  He stopped as he felt a sudden coldness along his skin. “What are you talking about?”

  “The young woman.” The secretary grinned over the rim of her glass at him. “We’re picking her up today.”

  “Why wasn’t I made aware of this?”

  “Relax, Richard. One of our satellites barely picked her up an hour ago. She’s breaking into the G.P.T.O.’s main complex as we speak.”

  The general stiffened. “The Hive? Kate, she’s a Goddamn peace activist. She’ll get killed in a place like that.”

  The secretary shrugged. “She knew the risks. Besides, if she’s going to survive what’s coming, she’s going to have to face a hell of a lot worse than a security system. Just think of it as a first test.”

  1

  The Hive

  The Hive’s security system was the most advanced Sibylla had ever faced. Anything above a whisper and in seconds, a pack of Hive drones would swarm the hallways, ready to fry anything with a pulse. She had to be careful. Even more than usual.

  Tying her long blond hair in a ponytail, she slipped on a black ski mask and poked her head through the opened vent, studying the darkened hallway below. It was empty, silent, perfect. Okay, here we go.

  The Hive was the central data bank for the Global Protectorate of Technological Organization, the most powerful arms company in the world. It supplied the U.S. Government with every type of weapon possible, everything from Spider Tanks to the newest generation of Atlas robots. And it was for this very reason that Sibylla had to destroy it.

  As she lowered into the hallway, she felt as if she was sinking into a bath of freezing water. It was the cooling systems, she realized—the thousands of gel hoses running through the walls of the facility used to cool down the overclocked servers. I should’ve worn thicker socks, she thought with a shiver.

  The darkness was blinding. She reached out to one of the walls and felt the cold surface of a metal wall. After a while, her vision adjusted, and she saw a beam of light sweeping across the floor ahead her. What is that? As fast as she could, she scurried for the nearest corner and hid.

  It was a Hive Drone, she realized, her heart pounding in sudden fear. No matter how many times she saw those flying, metal bastards, she could never get used to them. Their clustered green eyes. Their flapping metal wings. They were like artificial insects with none of the limitations of the natural world, only a programmed urge to find and kill. Holding her position, she watched as it hovered past her.

  “I’m picking up readings,” Dillon said, his voice crackling through the com.

  “Really?” Sibylla whispered. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  Dillon was monitoring her progress from miles away. A computer genius, who’d hacked some of the highest security systems in the U.S., he’d been able to hack the system of satellites overhead, giving him full access to the Hive’s schematics.

  “You’re gonna need to be careful,” he said. “I’m seeing a lot of activity. More than usual.”

  Sibylla sighed. Just my luck. The day I decide to break into the Hive is the day they add more security. “Remind me again, why I’m doing this?” Sibylla asked.

  “Because you’re crazy.”

  “Oh yea, that’s right.”

  “And because you’re the bravest person I know.”

  Sibylla smiled. He always knew what to say. It was infuriating. But she guessed that was just one of the many reasons she loved him. That and for the way his green eyes brightened whenever he saw her.

  Sibylla stiffened as the drone returned. “It’s coming back.”

  Dillon rushed to examine the plans. “There should be an alcove to your right!”

  Sibylla’s gaze shifted. “I see it.” Darting as fast as she could, she slid into the recessed compartment and pressed her back up against the wall, hoping that it hadn’t seen her.

  Terrified, her heart began to race, and she felt a drop of sweat sliding down the side of her face. Out of everything, this was the part of the mission that she’d feared the most, the moment when she’d have to face one of those flying metal bastards and survive. Taking a deep breath, she tried to stay calm. But it was tough. If the drone found her, she’d be dead.

  Luckily, Dillon had equipped her with a miniature E.M.P. device. As small as a finger, it was powerful enough to burn out a drone’s power core. But it was only good for one use. She’d have to use it well. Holding her breath, she remained still as the drone returned.

  Every part of her body tensed as the drone’s light passed by her feet. Just relax, she told herself, keeping her breaths even. It’ll be okay. Finally, after a few seconds, the light pulled away, and the drone sped up the hallway where the sound of its wings quickly faded.

  Sibylla sighed in relief.

  “You okay?” Dillon asked.

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

&nbs
p; Sibylla listened to the taps of his fingers as they rattled against a keyboard in the background. He was old school, a renaissance man. Holographic technology had never appealed to him. He preferred the touch and feel of a real keyboard; not some lighted display that wasn’t there. “Beginning phase one,” he said.

  Sibylla pictured the satellites rotating in orbit; the internal systems shutting down, the computer processing units rebooting to recalculate the new frequencies and signal changes. Dillon didn’t like to use just one. It was dangerous. The signal could be traced back to the user, who would unexpectedly find themselves surrounded by Division guards. But there was also a bit of ego involved, Sibylla knew, an artistry he took pride in.

  “We’re good,” Dillon said. “Now, set up Winky, and we’ll move to the next step.”

  Sibylla shook her head as she looked for a good spot to set up. “Why do you always have to give your creations such dumb names?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Winky? Really?”

  “What’s wrong with Winky?”

  “Nothing, it just sounds like you’re talking about your junk.”

  “And?”

  “Well, you make it sound so tiny.”

  “Ouch,” Dillon replied. “Gonna take a while to get over that one.”

  Sibylla fought back a giggle. “Oh, come on, you know you don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “Promise?”

  “Well, sometimes,” she whispered to herself.

  “I heard that!”

  Sibylla dropped to her haunches as she removed the high-powered access point from her backpack and positioned it gently in the corner of the hallway. Like a blender from the eighties, it was a crude contraption, but what it lacked for in appearance it more than made up for in power. “Okay, it’s in position.”

  “Good,” Dillon said. “Go ahead and turn it on.”

  Sibylla activated the device, and an invisible electromagnetic pulse blasted the circuitry of the nearby processors, blocking its connections to any nearby networks. Dillon called it a leash—a systematic strangling of any artificial intelligence programs surveying the facility. And it worked…beautifully.

  “Great!” Dillon said, proud of the results he was receiving on his computer.

  Sibylla smiled. It was incredible how well Dillon’s inventions worked. He was barely eighteen, and already he’d already hacked into every G.P.T.O. facility in the U.S. His genius was unparalleled, and his creativity was like that of a child’s. He was the perfect architect.

  But as good as Dillon was on the outside, Sibylla was even better on the inside. Her slim body and long limbs allowed her to bend into places others couldn’t, and she also had the uncanny ability to know where she was at all times. Dillon had once described it as having an enhanced spatial ability. But to her, it was like breathing.

  “Now what?” Sibylla whispered.

  “Studying schematics. Hold on.” A few seconds passed as he worked at his keyboard and Sibylla took the opportunity to explore the black walls and long passages surrounding her. It was like a maze, a deep labyrinth with no signs and no directions. This was not a place for humans. “Okay,” Dillon said, “according to this, the server should be to your left.”

  Sibylla frowned as she stared at the solid black wall to her left. “It’s not here.”

  “What do you mean, it’s not there?”

  “It’s not here.” Sibylla slowed her breathing as she gazed down the long hallways around her. They were so dark, so endless, as if there was no way out.

  “But that doesn’t make sense. It has to be there.”

  “Maybe they moved it?”

  “Or maybe you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Dillon.”

  “Sib, I’m only the youngest recipient to ever receive a full-paid scholarship to M.I.T., a two-time winner of the Hacker’s Ball, a….”

  Sibylla zoned out as he continued with the long list of accolades he’d earned over his short life. She’d heard them all before, and she didn’t have the time to listen to them again, regardless of how impressive they were. She needed to figure this out.

  Closing her eyes, she pressed a hand against one of the black walls and felt for the subtle vibration resonating throughout the entire facility. She could always feel it, always sense it, like the crunch of sand beneath her feet as she walked across a desert, or the splash of water as she lay in the bathtub. Nothing got past her. Or so it seemed.

  Sibylla walked along the hallway as she trailed the low hum of energy reverberating through the wall. Like a soft voice, it whispered to her where she needed to go. Finally, as she came upon a hollow rumble a few feet ahead, her eyes opened and she smiled. “It’s up ahead.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Refresh the schematics,” Sibylla told him.

  He took a moment as he rechecked his plans. “I’m telling you, it’s…wait a minute…ah, crap.”

  “You were saying?”

  “Whatever,” he grumbled.

  Sibylla grinned as she continued on her way, her hand grazing the cold metal walls as they guided her on her path.

  “Wait a minute,” Dillon said. “If the server’s where it appears to be, then that would mean—”

  “That the server’s in the hangar.” Sibylla paused as the thought suddenly frightened her, and she quickly began to reassess the situation. Why would they store the main server in the hangar? It was like keeping a refrigerator in the center of a backyard. It didn’t make any sense.

  “They knew you were coming,” Dillon warned.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “We shouldn’t take the chance.”

  “Dillon, we’ve worked too hard for this.”

  “There’ll be other chances.”

  “Not like this. Look, if they knew I was coming, do you really think they would’ve played this out? Of course not. They would’ve met me the second I dropped into the hallway with loaded weapons aimed at my face.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Dillon.” Sibylla planted her feet into the floor. “I’ve worked too hard for this. We’ve worked too hard for this. We can’t turn back now. So tell me, are you in or are you out?”

  Dillon paused. “Of course, I’m in. Forever, remember?”

  The word brought a smile to her lips and she remembered the promise they’d made after her father’s funeral.

  “You ready then?” Dillon asked.

  “Always.”

  The plan was simple: access the central server, upload the information into one of the satellites, then broadcast the information across the world. Finally, everyone would see the truth about what the G.P.T.O. was doing.

  “Do you see it?” Dillon asked.

  Sibylla squinted at the end of the hallway, catching sight of a wide entrance. “Yes!”

  Her boots clanked onto the metal scaffold as she ran into the vast hangar, racing toward the main server that was towering up ahead. Glancing over the rails at the bottom level, she saw a fleet of Warhawk jets parked below.

  Sibylla stopped as she reached the server. It was warm, and a bright red light was beeping at the front of it. Pressing the activation button along the side, a tiny light flickered from its belly, and a holographic keyboard and monitor took shape before her.

  Sibylla hurried as she began to type. Her skills as a hacker were basic at best; simple coding, a few tricks that Dillon had been patient enough to show her. But besides that, she was clueless.

  To hack a system like this, she needed the skills of a genius, a top-level hacker with laser focus. Someone who could stand toe-to-toe with a machine and beat it. And that man, of course, was hers. “Okay babe, you’re up.”

  “Huh?” Dillon replied, seeming lost in thought. “Oh yeah, right, hold on.”

  Sibylla cupped her face in embarrassment as she heard the sound of his chair straightening. “Dillon, what the hell are you doing?”

  “Uh, nothing
.”

  Sibylla sighed. “Tell me you weren’t just watching porn right now.”

  “No. Of course not. I was just….”

  “Dillon.”

  “Alright, kind of.”

  “What do you mean, kind of?”

  “Well, remember that picture I took of you in those black shorts? Well, it kind of just popped up on my screen, and I got distracted.”

  “Dillon!” Sibylla growled. “Focus!”

  “Yeah. Okay. On it.” Dillon began reading off a list of commands, and Sibylla typed them in. Files opened. Pages went. Things were moving smoothly. Until she finally came to the file named, “Defender.”

  For some reason, the file wouldn’t transfer. Typing in the command again, Sibylla waited for a response. Still, nothing. “Hmm.”

  “What’s wrong?” Dillon asked. “Why’s the upload stalling?”

  “There’s a file here. It won’t respond to the code.”

  “Well, try it again.”

  “I did. It still won’t work.”

  Suddenly, the screen went black, and a line of green script started to fill the page, flooding the screen like an avalanche.

  “Are you seeing this?” Sibylla asked. She leaned into the monitor as she struggled to make out the information passing before her. She saw titles like, “Guardian Suit,” “Ark Project,” something about a… “Messenger?” She blinked, marveling at the flood of information. “What is all of this?”

  “I don’t know,” Dillon answered. “But whatever it is, I think you should get out now.”