The Quantum Prophecy - Ryan Matthew Harker (best management books of all time TXT) 📗

rolled into one. It was designed to be powered by the unique signature of Harmony’s magic and would be able to lock on and fire upon targets well over five hundred miles away, utilizing an accuracy of within centimeters. It would also be able to have its main storage cylinder disengaged from the gun body. This battery of arcane energy was only about the size of a large beach ball and weighed in at about ninety-two pounds. With separation implemented the storage cylinder could then be armed and would produce an estimated detonation roughly equivalent to fifty fifty-megaton nuclear devices. Perhaps a little overkill to some but to Harmony the word was meaningless.
Thinking about the upcoming death and destruction brought an instant smile of gratification to the warlock’s thin, bloodless lips and the inarticulate howl that was his laughter would have froze the blood in any man’s veins, if there had been any men around.

*****

After Jeshux departure McAriicoys kept busy by seeing to the construction of the new perimeter defenses. The ones that had been put in place by the scientist Kimbal were serviceable but hardly competent when dealing with forces outside of the physical. However they were kept in place as adequate protection against the intrusion of any ordinary visitors and they would make for an excellent start as the groundwork for the new, wider spectrum of sensory detection that Jeshux had specified.
McAriicoys first stop after he left the wormhole was the quarters in which the security teams were stationed. He was looking for one person in particular and she was a woman by the name of Pentooli Adamschild.
Jeshux mercenary force did not have many women in it for two reasons, 1- there just were not many woman who were immortal, and 2- the ones who were of enlistment age did not necessarily wish to spend their lives in combat. Despite these factors there were a few and of the ones under Jeshux command Pentooli- or Pen, as she was known- was one of the best. She had a knack for electronics, talent with magic and she tended to concentrate on employing her skills inventing new and improved forms of security devices, both passive/aggressive and personal/impersonal. This made her a very valuable asset in Jeshux modest little army and also the most qualified person to upgrade the Complex’s defense system.
When McAriicoys made it to the security barracks he was informed that Pen had gone to the mess hall for breakfast. He changed directions and made his way to the main dining hall where he had had coffee with Jeshux and Max the night before. As he made his way to the mess hall the hairs on the back of his head kept standing on end and he had the sensation of being watched or of being followed. Every time this would happen he would turn around to see who was there and the halls would be empty. McAriicoys even went so far as to duck into an empty supply closet in an attempt to catch his pursuers off guard but to no avail, the halls remained clear. Infuriated with himself for his paranoia he stepped from the closet. It was not very often that his well-honed warrior’s instinct led him so completely astray. He shook his head and continued on to the dining hall where he came upon the esteemed personage of Pentooli Adamschild.
There was no mistaking who McAriicoys had come to see. He went straight to her table. Seeing him coming Pentooli stood up and snapped her superior a sharp salute which McAriicoys returned.
“At ease, Pen,” McAriicoys barked as he sat down across from her.
He took a moment to formulate his thoughts and did an automatic assessment of the woman in front of him. Being five feet, eleven inches tall Pen was not exactly short. Stunning bright green eyes peered at him curiously from under light sandy brown hair. A perfect figure was hidden under the bagginess of her uniform which made her appear somewhat dumpy. McAriicoys knew better though as this woman could glide, when she walked it was with the lithe grace of a jungle wildcat. Every man stopped to watch although it was rumored that none touched. Pentooli had a reputation for displaying the ferocity of a feline predator if approached in any manner other than the professional.
“What’s on your mind Mac?” she asked, all business as usual.
McAriicoys allowed himself a tight smile before speaking. “I’ve got a job for you Pen.”
For some reason this ice queen had the power to melt the ice of his own personality and McAriicoys found himself not being as formal around her as he was in any other situation. “I’m sure you heard about the infiltration of the goblins early this morning.”
“Of course,” Pentooli grimaced. “How could I not have? Those damned alarms woke the entire complex.”
“Well, I need you to help me ensure nothing like that happens again,” McAriicoys continued slightly amused at her displeasure.
“Alright Mac, what do you have in mind?”
“Are you familiar with the existing array of sensors?” he asked.
“Are you kidding?” she scoffed. “Those aren’t sensors! I went over them and they’re the most archaic, amateur bit of cobbled electronics I’ve ever seen.”
“Good,” McAriicoys allowed himself a smile. “Then you are familiar with them.”
“Yeah,” Pentooli shoved a fork load of slop into her mouth and spoke around it. “I'm familiar with them.”
“Ok. What I think is that we can use them to lay the groundwork for something a little more sophisticated.”
“I’m following. What do you need?”
“Well, the goblins came in using either tech or spell to induce a state of full cloak, both visual and audio. We’ve got to make sure that we’ve detection against this. We don’t want a repeat of last night. The boss was pissed and made it clear it wasn’t to happen again.”
“Alright,” Pentooli agreed. “It’s doable. And I think using the pre-existing system will work out fine. Full spectrum enforcement, I imagine?” At McAriicoys nod she went on, “What’s the deadline?”
“What can you have done tonight,” McAriicoys asked.
Pentooli popped another bit of food into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “I can have a basic perimeter set up with a start on the rest but that’s it. I’m going to have to spend most of the day getting the equipment together and training some techs to install it. I’ve some spells that I’ll have to take care of personally, also. That’ll take time. By tomorrow things will be rolling smoothly though and you can figure on a completion by,” she ticked off a few fingers on one hand. “Let’s say Tuesday.”
Pleased McAriicoys nodded his head. “Excellent. Then I’ll leave you to your breakfast so that you can get to it. I’ve a few things that require my attention or I’d join you.”
He got up and started to walk away, then turned around and said, “Thank you Pentooli.”
“Any time Mac.”
Certainly there was a glow that he felt around that woman but it was already fading as McAriicoys reached the door and stepped into the hallway. Oh well, he had other things to worry about than women, even beautiful, dangerous ones. Now was time to get a team together to send on the New York mission. McAriicoys already had the team chosen. All that remained was to get them together, brief them, and send them on their way. To do this he needed the intercom so he made his way to the main control room, or ‘Whiskey Control’ as the men were coming to call it. The place definitely had an aroma of booze about it, acquired no doubt through years of Kimbal’s incessant alcohol abuse.
McAriicoys made it from the dining hall to Whiskey Control in less than ten minutes. Upon entering he found Horace Hannible, Max’s replacement, sitting at the console in Max’s tattered swivel chair sipping coffee. Not bothering to stand the little man threw McAriicoys a salute.
“At ease,” McAriicoys returned the salute. “Not that you aren’t already.”
“Morning to you too, sir,” Horace greeted. “There’s coffee if you want it.”
“No, thank you. Put out a bulletin. I need these six men rounded up in no less than five minutes and assembled in the conference room.” McAriicoys handed Horace a piece of paper with the names on it.
Horace raised a questioning eyebrow. “Special Ops huh?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just do it.”
“Yes sir.”
McAriicoys strode out of Whiskey Control and made his way to the conference room as Horace’s voice crackled over the loud speakers, calling the names of the men he had been given. A good man Horace, a bit insubordinate but not so much it could not slide in light of his performance.
When he had reached the conference room he was not surprised to find that one of the men had arrived ahead of him. He returned the salute he was given but remained silent as he waited for the arrival of the other five men. One by one they made their way to the meeting, coming from all over the Complex in response to the summons. Once they were all assembled McAriicoys bade them take a seat and proceeded to look them over. McIntovov, Hardim, Donin, Stanfvorf, Stick, and Tol were six of the oldest and most loyal men in Jeshux army. They were also the six most highly trained spies in the outfit and the most likely to make it through the city, pick up the intel that Jeshux was after, and make it home again.
Before he could speak the tall skinny man called Stick cleared his throat. “I take it this isn’t a social call.”
“Shut up, Stick!” Hardim retorted. “Of course this isn’t social.” Hardim was short, squat, and built like a ton of bricks. A complete contrast in almost every way except for their personalities, they were both total smart asses.
Stanfvorf was an analytical man who it seemed was always weighing the facts and considering every factor in a situation. For him there were not any possibilities only certainties and he never spoke hastily. “I would say this has something to do with our guests last night. Perhaps we’re going to repay the visit?” Stanfvorf’s eyebrow arched at the question but he already knew the answer.
“Yes. On both counts,” McAriicoys suppressed a smile. “Jeshux is a little worried about our guests, as you put it Stanfvorf, and I can’t say as I blame him. We’ve been too caught up in our werewolf hunt lately. We’ve lost sight of our primary target and that’s Harmony. We need to find out what he’s up to.”
“You need information and you want us to get it for you,” McIntovov spoke with the same sense of duty that McAriicoys did. This was not surprising as both men came from the same part of AnEerth and were from neighboring tribes. McIntovov, however, was McAriicoys senior by more than a couple of centuries and his trade had supplied him more than an ample amount of wisdom.
“Yes. Exactly,” McAriicoys answered. “I want you men to get your gear together and be prepared to depart for NYC within the hour. We need to know exactly what it is Harmony’s doing, what his plans are as far out as possible, and just what the hell the purpose of the team that got through the Harashna is. Any information that might be deemed pertinent, you know the sort we’re looking for. You’ve all been doing this kind of work for a long time. I trust your judgment.”
“All right,” McIntovov stood up. “Let’s get going.”
McAriicoys raised a hand. “Hold on a second. There’s one more thing.”
“There always is,” Hardim snickered.
McAriicoys gave the short man a hard look and then turned his attention to the two men who had yet