“Human sacrifice?” Ella asked, horrified.
Ezra nodded. “As I’ve already briefed you, Occulta Manu descends from the ancient Mithras Cult and while there’s no modern evidence of blood sacrifices to Mithras, ancient writers like Socrates described how the mystery religions sacrificed people. I warned you that things were going to get a lot worse.”
“Never mind getting off this plane,” Zara said. “Stop the world, I want to get off.”
“I know how you feel,” said Milo. “Anyone else starting to feel a little sick?”
“What did Socrates say?” Mason asked.
“He described how the Greeks killed men during the observance of religious rites. Not only that, but during an excavation in the Saarburg mithraeum in 1895, a skeleton was found with its arms chained behind its back in a face-down position. This is how victims of Mithraic human sacrifice are usually found.”
“Mithraeum?” Zara asked.
“A Mithraic temple,” Virgil said casually.
“Thanks for telling me this, guys,” Zara said. “I feel I can sleep much more peacefully tonight.”
“Sorry, but this is nothing new. It’s well-documented that such things have gone on right back into antiquity. Wade was part of that, but he started to show signs of insanity and egomania and the Hidden Hand rejected him from their fold. That’s when he created his own death cult and started sacrificing humans in Mexico. It’s not evidence that his masters in OM are still practicing sacrifice, but it’s a possibility.”
“And you say some of the most powerful people in our world are in the Hidden Hand?” Milo said.
Ezra nodded. “Sorry, but yes. Some of the most high profile people are inside their ranks.”
“I refuse to believe this,” Ella said.
Ezra gave her a look of understanding. “I’m sorry but it’s true, and there’s more you need to know.”
The silence said everything.
“Go ahead,” Mason said finally.
Ezra sighed. “We think they’re on the cusp of being able to process specific algorithms to form one cybernetic hive mind,” he said grimly. The gravity of what he had just said was lost on no one, and now a grim, heavy silence filled the air.
“You’re joking, right? Mason said.
“No joke.”
“A hive mind?” Caleb said, dumbfounded. “I can’t believe it. I knew DARPA was working on stuff like that but last time I checked in it was pretty basic. You’re trying to tell me that this Hidden Hand society has already perfected the technology?”
“I wouldn’t say perfected it, no,” Ezra said. “But according to the small amount of information we’ve been able to get hold of, it looks like they’re ahead of the US in the field on this one.”
“How can that be?” Ella asked.
“I can put two and two together,” Caleb said. “And ethics is the four, right?”
Ezra nodded. “That’s about the size of it. Any US Government agency like DARPA has to work inside very specific ethical guidelines when it comes to testing technology like this out on people. I’m guessing the sort of people running Occulta Manu have no such problems, as such, they’ve gotten ahead of us.”
“But what does this even mean?” Zara said. “A hive mind?”
“It means anyone inside the hive mind will be able to share thoughts, to a certain degree,” Ezra said. “The science is in its infancy right now, and as I say, we have no idea what level OM has taken it to, but we can surmise that anyone inside the cybernetic hive mind will be able to communicate with anyone else inside that framework to a certain degree. It means they can communicate at the speed of thought. They blend ancient magic cult with high-tech hive mind — the ultimate enemy.”
“Well, shit in a paper bag and set it on fire,” Milo said.
“This is just great,” Caleb drawled. “Ancient human-sacrifice cults, insane billionaires, hive mind Matrix warriors and plots to take over the world; I liked life when it was simple — just the Raiders getting people their loved ones and precious things back.”
“If you’re going to work with me, then get used to it.”
Mason was not satisfied. “If we’re going to work with you, then the first thing I want to know is precisely why Eva Starling was kidnapped.”
Mat Wills poked his head around the door. “She’s fine, but pretty badly shaken up. I can do some more blood tests on her when we’re back on the plane.”
“Plane?” Zara said. “Going somewhere?”
Ezra looked at his watch and frowned. “We leave for London in less than an hour so we have to get to the airport.”
“London?” Ella asked. “Why London?”
“The rest of the reason you were hired,” Ezra said. “And the whole reason they kidnapped Dr Starling. The Hidden Hand wants something that’s in London, and we’re going to get it first — with your help.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
With the Titanfort Citation racing into the sky and leaving Frankfurt far behind, Mason peered out of the window. Seconds later the world below was nothing but a sea of black, and he pulled down the shade, took a deep breath and sighed. When all this was over he was going to take long break beside a very quiet lake.
Or maybe climb Kangchenjunga. He’d always wanted to do that.
He leaned back in the leather chair and allowed his thoughts to drift. The enigmatic Eva Starling had ridden with Ezra Haven in a separate vehicle on the way back to the airport, and now she was with Ezra and Wills at the rear of the plane undergoing further tests.
Zara sat beside him. “Has anyone spoken with the Sainted Doctor Starling yet?” she asked, peering toward the back of the jet. Ezra and Evangeline Starling were now deep in conversation.
“Not yet,” Mason said.
Ella took a look and said, “She’s apologizing to him.”
“How do you know that?” Caleb said.
“Body language, the way she’s moving.”
Mason was just beginning to wonder if he would ever get to talk to her when Ezra and Eva finally walked over and joined them in the main part of the aircraft’s cabin.
“Maybe it’s time you gave us the rest of the picture,” he said firmly. “We’re all here on your plane, after all.”
Ezra ignored him with a polite smile. “All right everyone — listen up. Mat Wills has declared Dr Starling here fit and ready to brief you on the rest of the mission.”
Eva was moving cautiously, but she looked better now, and calmer. Earlier, the medic had given her a mild sedative, and now she sat down among them all and gave a weak smile. “I never thanked you for getting me out of there.”
“Think nothing of it,” Mason said.
“Sorry if I’m out of it, but Dr Wills says it looks like they pumped me with oxytocin.”
“Oxy-what-now?” Zara said.
“Oxytocin,” Wills said. “It’s being used more and more as a kind of truth serum. I suspect they gave Eva a dose to check if she was making a truthful translation.”
Ella looked concerned. “Jesus, are you all right?”
“I think so…”
Then Ezra spoke. “Mat says she’ll be fine, so now to business. You know about the Spiders and you know about the darkness that is Occulta Manu, but what you don’t know is why Eva was kidnapped.”
“About bloody time,” Mason said.
Caleb passed a weary hand over his eyes. “You said something about this secret order wanting something translated?”
“We’ll get to that, but let’s start at the beginning. A few days ago the director of the Vatican Secret Archives was murdered.”