The Revelation Chronicles: Evolution Read online

  The crowd thickened near one performer in particular as I turned onto Royal Street. The captive audience hung onto his every word. I pushed through the crowd to get a closer look: fancy threads and a ridiculous bowler hat. Yep, I was in the right place.

  It was definitely The Great Standeval. He was the master painter and the crowd was his canvas. He spotted me almost immediately, but didn’t break character for a second. The crowd gasped and cheered as he awed them with one mind-bending performance after another.

  “Now,” he said, “I’d like to try something that may seem familiar and mundane to you, but I assure you it is not.”

  Standeval rubbed his hands together and produced a deck of cards seemingly from thin air. He shuffled them quickly while he talked.

  “Pick a card, my lady,” he said to a young, blonde beauty in the crowd, fanning the cards out in front of her with an enchanting smile. “Any card.”

  “This is a tired trick!” an overly robust man cackled. He clutched an enormous turkey leg which he ripped into like a caveman. “I’ve seen this a thousand times before. How’s your performance gunna be any different?” He spoke pretty quickly for a man with a mouthful of food.

  Standeval only regarded the man with a light-hearted laugh and a thin smile. If the remarks bothered him, he certainly didn’t show it.

  “I assure you, my friend, you haven’t seen this one before.”

  I looked on in amusement. At least I wasn’t the center of attention this time.

  “Not only do I want this beautiful young lady to pick a card, but you as well.”

  Standeval offered the deck of cards to the heckler.

  “Is this a joke?” he asked, taking a break from chomping on his turkey leg. “You’re going to remember her card and mine from a fifty-two card deck?” The man laughed and was joined by a few other skeptics in the crowd. “This I got to see.”

  Undeterred, Standeval said, “This is no joke. In fact, I will offer you… and you a card as well.” He presented the deck to two other onlookers. Strangely, he didn’t stop until at least ten people had selected a card and held it up for everyone to see.

  Now, even I was intrigued.

  Chapter 14

  Standeval replaced the cards in the deck without looking at them. Then he shuffled the deck quickly with nimble and expert fingers, never taking his eyes off the crowd. He spoke to the pretty blonde, almost as if she were the only one present.

  “Is this your card?”

  “Why—yes, it is!” she said, astonished. A smile lit up her face and I knew he’d won her over. She was basically groveling at his feet.

  “And you, sir, is this your card?” he asked the man next to her.

  “Yes! Yes, that’s my card!” the man exclaimed and clapped excitedly. Standeval proceeded to produce each card the crowd had selected.

  All except one.

  “And you, my doubtful friend,” he said, turning to the heckler. “I do believe this is your card. Am I right?”

  Standeval held the card up for all to see.

  “Well… I, uh… yeah, that’s it,” the man conceded finally, accepting the hearty dose of humble pie he was served to go along with his turkey leg.

  But Standeval wasn't done yet. Then Standeval did an unexpected thing. He brought the cards back together and simply flung the entire deck at the man. Out of pure instinct, he dropped the turkey leg and brought his hands up to his face to shield himself, but the cards simply turned into charred pieces of paper and ash that floated harmlessly to the ground around him.

  The crowd erupted in a thunderous ovation. Even the heckler, who’d regained his wits and forgotten all about his lost turkey leg, clapped feverishly. Standeval took a gracious bow and tipped his hat. Several people came forward to thank him for the performance and drop money into the leather pouch on the ground next to him.

  “I hope that I have entertained you and you have come to appreciate the wonder and mysteries of the art of illusion,” he said with genuine gratitude—as much as an alien with hidden special abilities could muster, I supposed.

  I waited until the crowd had fully dispersed to approach Standeval. The blonde beauty was the last to leave. She was giddy and toyed with her cell phone, smiling like a school girl who’d met her favorite singer for the first time. She sauntered off finally, looking back a few times with eager eyes full of lust.

  “Seems a bit young for you, doesn’t she?” I said as I walked up.

  “Charles Reese!” Standeval said with a jovial smile. “Can’t say that I’m too happy to see you.” He extended a hand in greeting and I shook it.

  “And, to answer your question, she’s… how do I say? Perfect.” He said this in a way that made the word roll from his tongue and made me want to vomit.

  “So, what are you doing here in the Big Easy? Or, I guess the better question would be how did you find me?”

  “It wasn’t that hard,” I said matter-of-factly, with just a tinge of arrogance. I think it was the way Standeval made me feel when I was around him. Kind of like the big brother you’re always trying to one-up.

  “Is that right? Surely you can divulge your secrets with me.”

  “I don’t want to bore you with the details,” I said guardedly.

  “Guess I can’t get far enough away from you and your precious circle of friends, can I?” he finally conceded. “After that fiasco in Michigan I’ve stayed on the move constantly. Rarely do I ever lay my head on the same pillow more than two nights in a row. I thought about heading to sunny Mexico, but the standard of living there isn’t quite up to par with what I’m accustomed to.”

  I knew exactly what he meant. Only the finest things for his highness, that’s for sure.

  “I need your help.”

  Standeval studied me for a second and smiled.

  “We’ve been here before haven’t we? Look, I told you before: I’m not a fighter. I broke my own code when I decided to help you before. I won’t do that again.”

  “A lot of people are going to die if you don’t. I’m sorry to interrupt the important work you’re doing here on the street performer circuit, but have you watched the news lately? My best friend is threatening global annihilation and I need to stop him. I thought—I hoped you’d had enough of sitting on the sidelines.”

  “Ah, that’s right. I knew I recognized him!” Standeval said with unfettered amusement. “So your friend has gone and turned rogue, huh? How did that happen?”

  “Watch your mouth!” I warned. My breathing increased and I knew I was visibly shaken.

  “Easy kid,” Standeval said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “I’m only making light of a bad situation. Poor timing I suppose.”

  I sighed.

  “It’s OK. It’s been a rough week.”

  “I understand, and I’m sorry. So tell me, how exactly can I be of assistance?”

  “I need you to locate Robert and Arthur for me,” I said.

  Standeval frowned. He was clearly not on board with the idea.

  “And what makes you think I can do that?”

  “You’re joking right?” I asked, bothered by his obvious lack of concern. “I believe it was you who found me at Arthur’s mansion before vanishing into thin air. And, I’m willing to bet you can do it again. I’m certain of it. If I’m wrong, I’ll eat that monstrosity you call a hat sitting on your head.”

  “This is class,” he countered, removing his derby and admiring it before placing it back on his head. “You wouldn’t know class if it slapped you in the face, judging by the distasteful clothes your wearing.” He eyed my hooded sweatshirt up and down with an air of repulsion. “You can learn a thing or two from me, kid.”

  “I’ll pass. So, are you going to help me or not?”

  Standeval walked slowly in small circles with his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he mulled it over.

  “I guess I’ll bite. I must admit, I am a bit fascinated. But don’t expect me to get too involved this time around.”
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  “Fair enough.”

  Standeval bent down and reached into the small leather pouch, which wasn’t much bigger than the palm of his hand and, to my disbelief, removed his cane. A thirty-six-inch crystal-tipped cane that couldn’t have possibly fit into such a small pouch. He noticed my astonishment at the feat and smiled pompously. The man had an art for flair.

  “Now take my hand. We’ll go grab the rest of your motley crew first and be on our merry way!”

  Chapter 15

  Michael and the others piled into a green Ford Taurus he’d chosen just a few blocks from the peanut factory. He took a screwdriver, jammed it into the ignition and turned it over, feeling the engine roar to life. It was a technique he’d learned from Jason, his dearly departed friend who was a virtual jack-of-all-trades. He still missed him. Sometimes he felt like Jason was the only one who truly understood him.

  Michael eased the car into the light flow of traffic and brought the speed up to just within the limit. He didn’t want to risk any unwanted attention.

  Allison and Kara made small talk in the back as Nick, intrusive as ever, stared intently at him.

  “What?”

  “You know full well what I’m going to ask.”

  “It’s not like I planned for this to happen. But what’s done is done. I don’t regret it for one second.”

  Michael gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were starting to turn red. He prayed the leather wouldn’t burst into flames as he tried to calm himself and breathe steady. He knew the day would come when he would have to explain himself; he just didn’t want it to be today. Or have to explain it to Nick of all people. In fact, he’d rather have his eyeballs removed. It would be less painful.

  “I know Allison’s attractive and has a smoking hot bod, but some lines you just don’t cross, man.”

  Michael groaned. Great, now Nick was giving him relationship advice.

  “You don’t eat another man’s leftovers,” Nick continued. “You get your own plate.”

  “Do you even hear the things that come out of your mouth at times?”

  “Do you?” Nick fired back. “This is a really jacked up situation.”

  He adjusted the rearview mirror and subtly called Michael’s attention to it.

  “Look at that,” he said in a low whisper, careful not to be overheard. “It’s like watching Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston share a cab and trying to make small talk. Sooner or later, all hell’s gonna break loose.”

  Michael glanced up at the mirror and honestly didn’t see what the fuss was all about. They were all adults and could make their own decisions. But, even if the situation was a powder keg waiting to blow, it was probably just as well. That way they could all go their separate ways, no matter how hard a pill that would be to swallow for some.

  “Make this next right, Michael,” Kara said from the back seat, her nose now buried in her laptop. She was oblivious to the conversation going on in the front seat. Michael felt sorry for her. Kara was a genuinely good person and he hated to see what she was going through. It was evident to anyone that knew her she was madly in love with Charlie. Whether he took notice was anybody’s guess though. He was still stuck on the one person he could no longer have, so there was no reason for Michael to feel guilty about that.

  He turned off the street they’d been traveling and onto a service road.

  “Where am I going?”

  “I found us a place to lay low until Charlie gets back. It’s about a mile further down this road on the left.

  “I know this is wishful thinking, but could it possibly be a Holiday Inn Express with a pool?” Nick asked. “I’d love a hot shower and a continental breakfast for a change.”

  “Yeah, me too, but you know we can’t do that. We barely got away this time. The last thing we should do now is go somewhere we can be easily found.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Nick said, sounding disappointed. “We have to lay low. But think about it. Wouldn’t that be a good idea? Going somewhere they’d least expect us to?”

  “Forget it, Nick,” Kara said flatly. “It’s out of the question.”

  “Yes, your majesty.” He slunk down into his seat and stared out the window with the look of a pouty three-year-old.

  “That’s it,” said Kara, pointing to an old white farmhouse with a barn that looked as though it could collapse at any moment. “It’s a foreclosed property that’s been on the market for eighteen months, so I think we’ll be safe here.”

  “Great,” Nick said spitefully. “Just great.”

  Chapter 16

  The man known only to his followers as Cain took off the thick hooded overcoat and draped the garment over a chair, easing into it with a sigh. His moves so far had been calculated, cold, and precise. The world had to know he meant business.

  He stared at his reflection in the mirror, studying the unfamiliar face that stared back with morbid curiosity. He couldn’t remember his real name or where he’d come from. Only that he possessed a burning desire to make mankind pay. To answer for their arrogance and destruction that had become so prevalent through centuries of greed and a struggle for dominance over each other. Now they would pay the ultimate price.

  A memory flashed into his consciousness and he stood abruptly, clutching at his temple. It was a brief vision of two young boys playing together. For a second, he thought he recognized them—he almost heard the black kid say the other kid’s name. But it was all too… distorted, too indiscernible to make out.

  Cain had been experiencing the flashes for a while, but he hadn’t revealed them to anyone. Besides, he didn’t trust his followers enough to divulge such intimate details. They were simply pawns, a means to an end. An end that would see him standing triumphant over humanity as their new leader. A leader far superior in every way.

  The sound of heavy footfalls followed by the deep clearing of a throat interrupted his thoughts.

  It was Lucian, Evolution’s gargantuan enforcer. He’d proven loyal time and again through his actions and Cain held him in high regard. He’d found Lucian along with a group of aimless youngsters at an abandoned steel mill and quickly gave them purpose. They’d all been exposed to the Orion device, similar to Cain. Afterwards, it was as if something had drawn them all together. Some unexplained force. Each of them possessed a unique gift, but none rivaled Cain’s ability. His powers surpassed theirs exponentially.

  He rose to his feet and followed Lucian, whose massive frame barely fit through the corridor. He led Cain to the meeting hall where a group of outsiders awaited, surrounded by Evolution loyalists who appeared ready to strike at the first sign of trouble.

  “Two things: tell me how you found our hideout, and give me one good reason why I shouldn’t let these hungry hippos tear you to pieces. You have thirty seconds.”

  A scruffy-looking guy in his late twenties stepped forward and spoke up.

  “My name is Travian. We’re big fans of your work and want to offer our services. We’ve seen what you can do—hell, the whole world has. The U.S. government is crippled. We can help you deliver the decisive blow.”

  “How do you plan to do that?” Cain asked. He was clearly unconvinced.

  “We have certain abilities. Just like you. We are what you might call originals, or descendants from a planet called Etheus. We come about our abilities naturally through a process called ascending. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but basically it only happens to a select few of us on our twenty-first year here on earth. Not through exposure like you guys.”

  Travian could sense his words were the first Cain had heard on the subject. He was also amazed he didn’t recognize him from that night atop the Grand Tower Hotel not so long ago. Travian was aligned with Viktor back then, before it all went up in smoke—literally. He decided to play a hunch.

  “Do you remember anything about the night you were exposed?” He searched Cain’s face for a clue to the truth, but found only an empty slate. “Do any of you?”

&n
bsp; The question may as well have fallen on deaf ears because, to a man, they didn’t respond.

  “I ought to kill you where you stand,” said Cain finally. “I pride myself on being a man of my word and, as a rule, expect others to be as well. I gave you thirty seconds to answer two questions, and you have only managed to answer one. And piss-poorly at that, I might add.”

  Evolution members began to snicker and tighten the circle around Travian and the others.

  “I will ask you once more. How did you find us? And don’t lie. My man Dax here is a lie detector. An ACTUAL living, breathing lie detector who can extract the truth from anyone.”

  An older man with yellow-stained teeth, unkempt hair and clothes that hung limply from his frame laughed hysterically. He could have been Quasimodo’s brother by the way he was hunched over so unnaturally.

  Undeterred, Travian responded.

  “We too have someone with similar abilities. Only, he can track the aura of anyone he chooses. We simply went to the U.N. where he was able to catch faint traces of your aura and followed you here. We are NOT your enemy. We do not wish to hinder you, as others of our race surely will. They are the ones responsible for your transformation, not us.”

  “Well, maybe I should buy them a steak dinner,” Cain said to a bevy of laughter. “And take more frequent showers by the sound of things. Found by my aura, huh?”

  “The others are not to be taken lightly. Their leader, Charlie Reese, is the one who ruined our plan to conquer this planet before. We can make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

  Cain’s interest piqued at the mere mention of the name, almost like he’d heard it before. The name invoked an instant burning wave of anger that surprised him and he had to know why. He needed to know why.

  These originals may have some use after all, he thought to himself.

  “So, you want to join our cause, do you?”

  “We believe in what you are trying to do, yes.”

  “Then I have something you can do for me. A task that will go a long way in proving your dedication. A little side mission you might say.” Cain leaned in close so that his six foot-four-inch frame towered over Travian. “But first…you must tell me more about this Charlie Reese.”