Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening by DCS (some good books to read TXT) 📕

this late hour a lone Lear jet sat patiently on the black pavement, two armed guards standing at the bottom of the metal staircase attached to it. Both men dressed in white short sleeved collared shirts and sharply pressed khakis. Wireless earpieces were hardly visible. The men’s gloved hands (weather not conducive) were comfortably wrapped around automatic rifles, a sidearm holstered to each of their hips. The words DION CORP were proudly displayed on the plane, and on the front of their shirts in tiny lettering on the right hand side. Once the sun set, any Military Police assigned to the airport were sent in full force around the Island to keep the peace. Consequently, Alcyone Island had been named one of the safest tourist spots for the last fifty years. Flights that were not meant for the public eye arrived during twilight hours and airport security was tasked to the Alcyone Island Omega Cadre, an elite special operations force, or the Private Security personnel of the Dion Corporation.
No one from the Terenzio bloodline went anywhere without an armed escort, or was given a random pilot for their frequent globetrotting trips. That was the reason Alcyone AF lieutenant General Richard "Richie" Archer was present at such an hour. Archer either flew the Terenzio’s himself or hand picked the pilot to complete the assignment, a real honor. At 6'2, 225 pounds, the dark skinned man was easily identifiable by the all black uniform. A blood red and ice blue stripe crisscrossed as it ran down the arms of the coat and pant legs. Instead of wings sitting on the shoulders of his uniformed coat, three small emblems of a Phoenix announced his rank.
Seven years ago Archer, like a lot of the per-sonnel on the island, had been a U.S. military man. He'd never asked how he'd been so thoroughly scoued but clearly remembered the day current Governor Isabella Terenzio showed up in his office. It had taken two short weeks to lure him away from duty to country.
Archer arrived two hours before the scheduled departure to go over the flight plan. He was a meticulous man, nearly to the point of obsessive compulsive disorder with a steel demeanor, quick temper and zero tolerance for carelessness from anyone on the flight staff. By the time the limo pulled up he had inspected the plane twice, fired a mechanic and called in two fighter jets to escort them over international airspace. Ten minutes after the arrival of the three heirs the jet was slicing through warm blue Central American skies and headed straight across the Atlantic.

§

Simone curled up into a semi ball on one corner of the leather sofa. A tissue was squeezed to tatters in her hand, her bent knuckles set against her mouth as she struggled to control her emotions. It was a losing battle. The farther they got from their grandfather the more she realized his death was inevitable. A small tear fell from the corner of her eye, unhidden by the long black waves that stretched down to her shoulders.
"How long did you expect him to live, Simone?" Vasco dropped his slightly taller 6'1 form down into one of the executive leather chairs, stretching both legs out in front of him. He pushed his short locks back from his forehead that wrinkled with a displeased expression. Even though he didn't laugh nearly as often as his brother, they both shared laugh lines around the mouth.
"Fuck you, Vasco." Simone said it quietly but sharply without looking at him. Instead she continued to stare at the mp3 player that had been waiting for them when they stepped onto the plane. Richie had told them it was from Grandfather.
"We can't all be as cold as you are, V." Lucien sat next to his sister, loosening the knot in his tie and shifting lighter gray eyes between his siblings. They had looked so much alike as children; it was interesting how time and this business of life wore on facial characteristics. Now you could easily tell them apart, even the brothers. Vasco had taken on more of his grandfather and great-grandfather's traits: a slightly pudgy Italian nose and aristocratic facial features. Lucien and Simone took on the more exotic genes, with a deeper hue to their skin tone and smoother lines around their faces.
A wealth of emotion was hidden behind the darker gray eyes of the eldest as they settled on his sister. Sighing, perhaps in wordless apology, he tipped his head in the direction of the player. "Let's hear it."
Drawing in a deep breath, steeling herself for the voice that would come to haunt them, she pressed the play button.

§

June 7th, 2012
Alcyone Island
Holt Air Force Base 12:15 AM

Four military jeeps sped down a narrow two lane road. The soft thickness of the jungle surrounded them in whispering shadows, natures’ nocturnal hum carelessly interrupted by the roar of the vehicles and the angry glare of headlights.
Five emblem General of Alcyone Islands Military, Amadeo Terenzio sat in the front seat, the musty air whipping around the officer’s hat, one hand raised and wrapped around the exposed metal bar above him. He always rode second in the entourage, always traveled with one. It didn't matter they were heading for one of the most secure points on the island, Holt AFB, named after Colonel Jack Holt, war hero of the late nineteen twenties.
Well, not exactly war hero.
Holt allegedly had an affair with Liliana Terenzio, the Lieutenant Governor’s wife. Holt was killed during the volcanic eruption of 1927 but not by lava. A traitor had slipped in and began murdering those that evacuated with Terenzio. Despite Holt's alleged affair, he was given a hero's funeral and no one asked why. Right after, the Lieutenant Governor, then husband to Liliana abandoned his position, his wife and their two children. Liliana was given her husband’s job, and anyone who knew that unspoken history agreed she should have been given the spot from the start. S.V.T. had never put a limit on how far the women in his life could advance despite what society, tradition, even the Cosa Nostra deemed as appropriate female behavior.
But that was then.
Now, five feet before the fog lamps could be seen the base could see you. At three feet the con-trol tower knew how many were in each vehicle and what they were armed with. One foot before the fog lamps became visible fingerprints had been lifted by remote scan off the dashboard, inside door handles and the steering wheel. By the time the vehicles came to a stop at the security gate, the base had a ninety-three percent success rate at identifying who was in the car. Those with no record found in the allotted time had their personal information subjected to a different process that would dig deeper. At that point visitors were held at the gate and security was put on high alert until they were identified and cleared.
When their entourage pulled up, the tower was giving the signal for the fence to slide open. The base Sergeant met Amadeo at the jeep with a sharp salute. Behind him, two mechanical robots were unloading supply crates from a landed plane.
"What time are they expected to be here?" Amadeo asked without preamble.
"We have just been informed that they are not coming here, sir."
Amadeo blinked, the surprised expression on his face as unhidden as the sure sudden spark of his temper. "Come again, Sergeant? Where the fuck are they?"
Unconsciously the Sergeant took a step backward as he answered the question. "We were told, sir, that the information is above our security clearance."
Fury darkened the steel of his eyes, a familiar trait. "Get Olivia Terenzio on the phone. Now."


 
Chapter 4
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “universe”… he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
-Albert Einstein


June 7th, 2012
Dion Corp Executive Lear Jet
Somewhere across the Atlantic 12:22 AM

For the longest time I wondered how many moves ahead my father really saw. Wondered how many things that I thought I’d done on my own, was really his doing. And then I realized the blatant truth in his infamous statement, “I make you do nothing, the choices are your own.”
My father started the game for ego and control. Typical Stefano. I didn’t change it because I’ve gone soft, though my silence over those motives has left a lot of mistrust and doubt floating through the family that you now have control over. But taming that rift is not your goal.
I changed the game for checkmate at first for nothing more than vengeance. The why of that, you will learn soon enough. There was nothing noble in my actions, merely a personal score that had to be settled. It was only after that, in the loving arms of a wife who forgave me for a year’s absence that I realized we would never win if it became a matter of tit for tat. It was at this point that I began to research in depth what we, now you, are up against, and what needed to be done to heed the words of a friend who wisely informed me of my soul’s purpose. It was here that I uncovered the truth about this world we thought was ours for the taking, and it solidified my choice to turn this family from one that rides the fence milking both sides for all they are worth and pick one.
That is why I am sending you to the Vault, a place where you will remember who you are. There is also something I wish to impart to you of extreme importance.
You will not win this battle without complete acceptance of a single emotion, and that is love. Through that emotion you will be able to forsake all else and ironically, do what is necessary. Love, yes don’t roll your eyes. Love of yourselves and of the souls in this world you are tasked with helping. It is time for them to make their choice, time for you to decide whether or not you will give it to them. The Ascension will not happen without Terenzio support, sooth your ego’s with that.
Once you’re done at your destination you’ll find the rest is simply a game of chess. And I can say with certainty that while pieces have been lost no Terenzio has ever walked away from a chessboard without uttering the word, checkmate.
Finish it. In light and love, good luck my grandchildren.

§

June 7th, 2012
Undisclosed location
Alcyone Island 4:44 AM

The clock on the nightstand ticked away mockingly. Every snap of the second hand was a cruel reminder for Demetrius that another whom he loved he would lose. As a family they controlled so much, or at least they thought they did. They were powerful creatures; they moved like it, they spoke like it. You could see it glinting like the fine edge of a razor in the back of their eyes. But there were things, so many things, no one could control. He had not been able to save his sister, only carry the scar of a bullet. He could not save his wife, only sob soundlessly as his children