Free Iona Portal by Robert David MacNeil

FREAK.”
    The three did not knock.  They simply walked through the closed door.
    The only light in the room came from a small window opening.  The glass was broken out, leaving an open hole overlooking the trash-filled alley far below and the shell of the burnt-out tenement next door.
    The room reeked of vomit and the floor was strewn with piles of garbage and scattered remnants of soiled clothing.  In one corner sat a grimy, lidless ice chest where roaches skittered around scraps of moldy food. 
    In the center of the room Sylvia Romano was sprawled, naked, across a filthy mattress.  At the sound of intruders, Syl stirred slightly.  Empty eyes peered through a tangle of matted hair, struggling to focus on the figures standing over her.  Finding it too much of an effort, she sank back into unconsciousness.
    Botis gave her a leering grin and took a step in her direction.  A hard slap in the face from Kareina stopped him in mid-stride.  “That’s NOT what you’re here for this time.”
    Like her companions, Kareina was a killer, and one of the best.  She was sent to do only one thing… to destroy human life, and she had a long history of success.  But Kareina had grown weary of just killing.  Like a cat with a mouse, she liked to play games with her prey.  When the assignment allowed, she would get to know her victims, befriend them, earn their trust… and then look into their eyes in their final moments to see their helpless terror.
    But she couldn’t do that on this assignment.  This assignment required a human instrument.  She needed a body she could possess.  And Botis had offered Sylvia.
    Kareina eyed Syl for several minutes. 
    It was obvious that Sylvia had once been attractive, but long months of neglect and abuse had taken their toll.  She was emaciated, almost anorexic, with track marks up and down both arms.  From the bruises on her limbs and face, it was clear that she’d been severely beaten many times… and recently. 
    Kareina twirled a wisp of her long black hair around a slender finger and smiled.  She found it amusing that her easiest recruits were always found among self-righteous religious fanatics… or among the burned-out husks of humanity in a crack house.
    Approaching Sylvia, Kareina leaned down and gently touched her forehead.  If a casual observer had been present, they would have been shocked at what happened next.  For Kareina suddenly faded from sight and disappeared, slipping effortlessly into the concealment of the shadow realm. 
    A moment later, the body on the mattress contorted in a violent spasm.  Sylvia’s head rolled back and thrashed from side to side.  Her eyes rolled up, exposing only the whites.  Another spasm, and then her body sat up. 
    Botis had almost done his job too well, Kareina thought with disgust.  There was barely any humanity left in this body.  She preferred at least a moderate amount of resistance when she took possession, but this ruined creature offered none.  It was hardly worth the effort to destroy her.   Still, she’ll be a useful tool for our purposes.
    Under Kareina’s control, Syl stood shakily to her feet.  The drugs coursing through her veins made her body sluggish and unresponsive.  Sylvia’s lips opened, and in the gravelly voice of one possessed, she barked, “Quick, help me dress.”   
    From the parcel he’d been carrying Turell unwrapped a loose-fitting garment. 
    “No, first the bomb,” Kareina directed.
    Botis and Turell hastily fastened a harness around Sylvia’s torso, then lifted the explosive device into place.  Sylvia’s frail body could barely support the weight of the 30 pound suicide belt, but Kareina would provide all the strength she needed.  Kareina quickly pulled on the rest of the clothing.
      Her eyes fixed on Botis and Turell.  “Quickly, now… we must be in Manhattan by four o’clock.”
     
     
     
     
     

 

Chapter Eight:  The Island of Iona
     
     
    THE ISLE OF IONA,