If they needed the war room’s resources, Benioko must have identified a target. Kuznetsov had claimed he’d sold one of theWanatesaweapons. Had Benioko located it? Plus, they still hadn’t identified the origins of the nano bomb. A failure that threatened them all. He held the questions back as they exited the building and claimed a four-passenger vehicle.
“What did the Old One tell you?” Wolf asked once they left the new section of base and left most of the traffic behind.
Aiden’s grunt sounded annoyed. “He told me your precious Shadow Warrior killed him.”
Wolf’s eyes widened. “Unlikely.”
“Yeah? Tell that to your formerTaounaha,who claims to be stuck in the Shadow Realm because your elder god decided to kill him and strand his soul in theTabenethaas an interpreter.”
Wolf digested that. Did Aiden realize what he’d just said? His word choice proved he had spoken to Benioko. Plus, the strategy Aiden outlined made sense. For the past year, Benioko had trouble crossing into theTabenetha. His spirit had been strong but leashed to a weak body. He had not had the strength to cross the veil. Aiden, on the other hand, crossed into the spirit world effortlessly, without even realizing it. Yet he refused to communicate with the elder gods.
Benioko, as the formerTaounaha,was able to communicate with the elder gods, as well as with Aiden, making him the perfect intermediary. Relief spread through him, easing the weight he’d been carrying. Benioko’s arrangement could work. Indeed, it could work well.
They had their mouthpiece back.
“Obviously, you don’t believe anything you’re saying.” O’Neill said from the back seat. He leaned forward, wrapping his handaround the edge of Wolf’s headrest. “So why come find us? Why pass this intel on?”
“Because of the information provided.” Aiden braced a hand against the dashboard as Wolf rounded a corner. “Hell, it must have come from my subconscious, but the intel ticks all the boxes. The motive. The means. And the insane, fanatical ideology. The kind of ideology that doesn’t give a shit about how much death it unleashes, as long as it furthers their agenda.”
O’Neill was quiet for a moment, before listing the possibilities. “ISIS? Al-Qaeda? Boko Haram?”
“None of the above.” Aiden drawled. “Try the Stone Agers.”
“Shit.” O’Neill ground out. “Those fuckers are pure anarchist. They’re willing to burn the entire world down and kill every person on it just to sendHokalitaback to its precivilization purity. They have no morality, no compassion, and no fear of the consequences.” He fell silent, before adding quietly, “While they must be jonesing to get their hands on a weapon that would ridHokalitaof her human parasites, far as I know they don’t have the finances in place. Word on the dark web is that Kuznetsov’s bot bomb sold for a hundred million.”
Where in shadow’s name had O’Neill landed after leaving theBrenahiilo? He was up to date on all the terrorist organizations out there, even the lesser-known ones like the Stone Agers. He obviously had killer contacts. Plus, he was one of Shadow Mountain’s top warriors. One didn’t collect those kinds of skills as a mercenary. He must have top-tier military or national intelligence service behind him.
Whatever his background, he was certainly proving useful.
Aiden shrugged. “According to your dead shaman, the Stoners are currently enjoying unlimited funds. They recruited a top ranked hacker who is stealing money left and right. The thefts are from illegal activities, so they were never reported.”
Wolf pulled into a parking space in front of headquarters and shut off the vehicle’s engine. They piled out and headed into the building. The front desk was vacant, which was for the best. He did not want rumors of this meeting to circulate. Not until he had something concrete to offer his warriors. Sadly, the absence of staff meant the coffee was his to make. Minds worked best when aided by the nectar of the elder gods.
Capland was already sitting at the war table, his gold frame glasses sliding down his aristocratic nose. Two laptops sat open before him, as well as the clicker to the overhead projector.
“Cap.” Wolf greeted the tech warrior with a chin thrust and got to work on the coffee. “Pull up everything we have on the Stone Agers.”
As Wolf got the coffee going, Cap’s fingers flew across his right laptop. A collection of photos and maps leapt onto the overhead screen.
“Doesn’t look like we have much intel on this group,” Cap said, his head bent over his laptop. His glasses slid down his nose; he pushed them back up and pinned them in place with a lean index finger. “They’re a fluid group, with no apparent hierarchy, leadership, or headquarters. They’ve claimed three terrorist attacks. The sinking of a Japanese whaling vessel, the bombing of a US Oceanic aquarium during its peak orca and dolphin exhibit, and the bombing of a gold mine in Ghana. They made no attempt to mitigate the fatalities. Instead, they released a statement blaming the victims for exploitingHokalitaand the creatures that call it home.”
Coffee cup in hand, Wolf sat at the war table and read the dossier on the overhead screen.
“Looks like they went to ground after the Ghana attack,” Aiden said after he returned with his steaming Styrofoam cup.
“Their MO has always been explosives,” O’Neill said as he pulled a Styrofoam cup from the stack beside the pot. “Their acquisition of the nanobot bomb is inconsistent with that.”
Wolf studied the lines on O’Neill and Aiden’s faces. Exhaustion clung to the two warriors. Capland was the only one at the table without lines on his face or nursing a cup of pick-me-up. No surprise. Capland didn’t drink coffee or energy drinks or any of the beverages so prevalent on base. Wolf had never even seen him with a can of soda or bottle ofkav’cha.
Wolf returned his attention to the screen. “They grew impatient. Strategically placed bombs will not ridHokalitaof humanity. The nanobots however, once released, would flash acrossHokalitaas quickly as the great fire and extinguish all human life.”
“And without impacting the vegetation or wildlife,” O’Neill agreed.
O’Neill’s comment niggled at Wolf. Did the bots affect creatures other than humans? He turned to Aiden. “In Karaveht, did you see any dead animals? Dogs? Cats? Even rodents or birds?”
Aiden frowned, then shook his head. “No, which now that you mention it, seems odd.”
“Maybe the little bastards were engineered to only attack people,” O’Neill said on a yawn.
