New Olympus Saga (Book 3): Apocalypse Dance by C.J. Carella

however, and every fiber of her being urgently felt she needed to be inside that facility the next day.
    Something major was at hand, and she had a role to play in it, even if that meant serving as a sacrificial pawn.
     
    Beijing, Republic of China, March 28, 2013
    “The Empire is finally mobilizing,” General Xu reported. “The First and Second Golden Horde Cavalry Corps are deploying to the Wall. Once the evolution is complete, they will be within striking distance of the capital. War is at hand.”
    Nobody was surprised. The Republic of China had been preparing for this very moment within hours of the attack on Freedom Island. Even if the Empire had been wholly innocent, the troop movements within the ROC demanded an equivalent response. The two Chinas had been drawn inexorably towards this moment.
    “The Empire still denies having any knowledge of or involvement in the attack on the Legion,” Artemis stated. She’d returned from Guangxi Province now that intelligence reports indicated the war was more likely to start near Beijing, as it had happened twice before.
    “At this point, does it matter?” Xu replied. The Chinese Legionnaire had switched from his earlier aversion to any conflict with the Empire to a shocking eagerness to fight. Olivia suspected that the reversal reflected a change of mood in the Republic’s government. “The Emperor was merely biding his time before striking again. Even if this conflict is not of his making, we have an opportunity to put an end to this cancer in my country, once and for all.”
    “Wars are chancy things, and their outcome is never certain,” Darkling said; the Korean Councilor’s face was hidden by her mask, but her eyes twinkled with anger. “The millions doomed to die in this war won’t thank you for the opportunity to perish in a conflict that is just as likely to end in yet another draw – or worse, in defeat – as in the victory you think is inevitable, General Xu.”
    “Things have changed,” Xu insisted. “The Republic’s Ten Thousand Immortals have never been stronger. President Lao has authorized me to reveal to you that the Immortals now include twelve individuals rated at Type Three in the Parahuman Ability Scale. They represent a concentration of power of unparalleled and unprecedented levels.”
    Artemis fought to hide her surprise. If Xu’s words were not an empty boast – the Republic of China had historically been given to exaggeration, if not outright fabrication – that was the largest grouping of Type Threes in history. The Legion itself had only seven of them; five, actually, now that John Clarke was on trial and Cassius Jones was a fleeing fugitive. There were perhaps another seven or eight in the US, and half a dozen in Europe. Her files on the Republic’s Immortals mentioned only four of its members were rated at that power level, which meant the other eight had to be recent additions. They would be young and inexperienced, unaccustomed to wielding power on those scales. The devastation they might inadvertently inflict was enormous.
    Her husband was the first to break the silence. “Are they out of their ever-loving minds, Xu? You have recruited eight new Type Threes, and they have to be brand-spanking new, or we’d have heard about this before now, and you want to send them out into a war?”
    “The heroic Immortals have all undergone basic training over the last year.”
    “So that’s the reason for all those seismic events that have been happening all throughout China, isn’t it?” Larry Graham continued, a sneer in his face. “You know what kind of damage a Type Three can do, Xu, even after years of experience learning to minimize collateral damage. Twelve of them – you could end up depopulating the Dragon Empire!”
    “I think the servants of the Republic will do their duty with as much diligence and restraint as we Legionnaires, actually,” General Xu said. “I understand the concerns with which the world will