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It’s difficult to look at the Malcolm on-screen, and it gets even worse when Anu starts asking him questions.
‘Good morning, Malcolm,’ Anu says, now in English, his tone the kind usually reserved for children. ‘Are you ready to resume our conversation?’
‘Yes, Doctor,’ the Malcolm on-screen answers, his mouth sagging through the words, a glimmer of drool appearing at the corner of his mouth.
‘Very good,’ Anu replies, and glances down at a clipboard on his lap. ‘I want you to think about your encounter with Pittacus Lore. I want to know what he was doing on Earth.’
‘He was preparing for what is to come,’ Malcolm replies, his voice distant and robotic.
‘Be specific, Malcolm,’ Anu insists.
‘He was preparing for the Mogadorian invasion and the rebirth of Lorien.’ On the screen, Malcolm looks suddenly alarmed. He jerks his arms against his bonds. ‘They’re already here. Hunting us.’
‘Indeed, but you’re safe now,’ Anu says, and waits for Malcolm to calm down. ‘How long have the Loric been visiting Earth?’
‘Centuries. Pittacus hoped that humanity would be ready when the time came.’
‘When the time came for what?’
‘To fight. To restart Lorien.’
Anu drums the clipboard with his pen, growing annoyed by Malcolm’s hypnotized vagueness. ‘How will they restart Lorien from here, Malcolm? The planet is light-years away. Are you lying to me?’
‘Not lying,’ Malcolm mumbles. ‘Lorien is not simply a planet. It is more than that. It can exist in any place where the people are worthy. Pittacus and the Elders have already made the preparations. Loralite runs beneath our feet even now, circulating through the Earth. Like blood coursing through veins, it only needs a heartbeat to give it purpose. All it needs is to be awoken.’
Anu leans forward, suddenly very interested. I find myself doing the same thing, bending towards the screen, my head tilted.
‘How will they accomplish this?’ Anu asks, clearly trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.
‘Each of the Garde possesses what Pittacus called Phoenix Stones,’ Malcolm replies. ‘When the Garde come of age, the Stones can be used to re-create the features of Lorien – the plant life, Loralite, the Chimærae.’
‘But what of the Legacies? What of Lorien’s true gifts?’
‘Those, too, will come once Lorien is awoken,’ Malcolm answers. ‘The Phoenix Stones, the pendants, everything has a purpose. When they are committed to the Earth in the Elders’ Sanctuary, Lorien will live once again.’
Anu glances back at the camera, his eyes wide. He composes himself and presses on.
‘Where is this Sanctuary, Malcolm?’
‘Calakmul. Only the Garde may enter.’
Here, Malcolm pauses the recording. He looks around the room; his lips are squeezed into a somber line, but there’s a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. Everyone’s stunned faces peer back at him, none of us quite done digesting what we’ve just seen.
Nine raises his hand, frowning. ‘I don’t get it. What the hell is Calakmul?’
‘It’s an ancient Mayan city located in southeast Mexico,’ Malcolm replies, a ripple of excitement stirring his voice.
‘Why didn’t we know any of this?’ Six asks, still staring at the paused screen. ‘Why didn’t the Elders tell us? Or our Cêpans? If this is all so important, why keep us in the dark?’
Malcolm pinches the bridge of his nose. ‘I don’t have a good answer for that, Six. The Mogadorian invasion caught the Elders off guard. You were rushed to Earth, your Cêpans completely unprepared as well. Your survival was top priority. I can only assume all this – the Phoenix Stones, your pendants, the Sanctuary – was meant to be revealed when you came of age, once you had Legacies and were ready to fight. To tell you before that would’ve made your secrets too vulnerable. Although’ – Malcolm looks forlornly at his image on the screen – ‘we can see how poorly secrecy served us.’
‘Maybe that’s why Henri came to Paradise looking for you, Dad,’ Sam suggests, glancing between his father and me. ‘Maybe it was time.’
My mind is racing. Without even realizing it, I’ve started to pace back and forth. It takes a look from Six to get me to stop.
‘I always thought we’d win this war and return to Lorien,’ I say slowly, trying to catch hold of my thoughts. ‘I thought that’s what Henri meant about restarting it.’
‘Maybe he meant here,’ Six suggests. ‘Maybe we’re supposed to restart Lorien here.’
‘What would that even mean?’ Sam asks. ‘What would happen to Earth?’
‘Can’t be worse than what’ll happen when the Mogs get here,’ Nine replies. ‘I mean, I remember Lorien being pretty sweet. We’d be doing Earth a favor.’
‘On the tape you made it sound like an entity of some kind,’ Marina says, looking at Malcolm.
‘I –’ Malcolm shakes his head. ‘I wish I could remember more, Marina. I don’t have the answers.’
‘It could be like a god,’ Marina says, a hushed reverence in her voice.
‘It could be like a weapon that comes busting out of the Earth to kill all the Mogs,’ Nine suggests.
Adam clears his throat uncomfortably.
‘Whatever it is, Malcolm said we need the Phoenix Stones to wake it,’ I say, trying not to let the group get sidetracked.
‘And the pendants,’ Six says, then tilts her head as something occurs to her. ‘Maybe that’s why Setrákus Ra keeps them. They could be more than trophies to him.’
‘We went through our Chests back in Chicago,’ Nine groans, probably remembering how bored he was cataloging our Inheritance. ‘I’ve got more rocks and shit than I know what to do with.’
‘We should bring it all,’ Marina says, certainty in her voice. ‘Our Inheritances. Our pendants. Bring it to the Sanctuary and commit it to the Earth, like Malcolm said.’
Malcolm nods. ‘I know it’s vague, but it’s something.’
‘It could be the advantage we’re looking for,’ I say, thinking it over. ‘Hell, it could be what we were sent here to do in the first place.’
Nine crosses his arms, looking skeptical. ‘Yesterday I was staring at the biggest goddamn Mogadorian ship I’ve ever seen. Burying our stuff in some dusty-ass temple might’ve been a cool idea like months ago, but we’re this close to full-on war and I’m pretty sure we’ve got some bad guys to kill.’
Before I can reply, Malcolm steps forward. ‘The Sanctuary might be our best hope,’ he says. ‘But it’s best not to put all our eggs in one basket.’
‘Nine’s sort of right. As much as I hate the idea of splitting up again,’ Six says, ‘some of us should stick with Walker’s plan to take the fight to the Mogs and their people.’
Nine pumps a fist. ‘This guy.’
‘And some of us should head to Mexico,’ I say, finishing Six’s thought.
‘I want to go,’ Marina says immediately. ‘I want to see this Sanctuary. If it’s a place for Loric, a place where we lived, maybe that’s where we should bury Eight’s body.’
I nod and look over at Six, waiting for her decision. ‘Well? New York or Mexico?’
‘Mexico,’ she says, after a moment. ‘You’re better at dealing with these government types than I am. And if we need a Loric representative at the UN, you’re the obvious choice.’
‘Thanks. I think.’
‘She’s saying that because you’re such a boy scout,’ Nine adds in a loud whisper.
I glance over at Sam, who seems like he’s about to speak, his mouth half open. He’s cut off by Six, who subtly shakes her head at him.
‘I’ll stay here, too, I guess,’ Sam says after an awkward moment, sounding more than a little deflated. He forces a smile for me. ‘Someone has to keep you and Nine in line.’
That leaves only Adam. Our Mogadorian ally has maintained a respectful silence this whole time, probably trying not to step on any toes as the secrets of our race are revealed. When I turn to
him, he’s still gazing at the screen. He looks lost in memory, maybe remembering Dr Anu and his machine. He frowns when he notices the rest of us watching him.
‘They’ll be waiting for you in Mexico,’ Adam says. ‘If there’s a source of Loric power there, you know my people will have spent the last few years trying to access it.’
‘Only the Garde can get in, though, right?’ Sam asks, looking from Adam to his dad.
‘It’s what I said,’ Malcolm replies, lips pursed in uncertainty.
