Agent of Chaos (The X-Files: Origins #1)(40)

The last part got Mulder’s attention. “How do you do that exactly?” he asked.

“One way is through reaching an altered state of consciousness called gnosis,” Rain said. “We’ve been discussing it at the last few meetings. It’s a practice that involves focusing all your energy on a single thought or desire.”

Mulder was good at that.

“By believing something is possible, you can make it happen,” a girl with a feathered roach clip in her hair added.

“Hmm … okay.” Gimble nodded at her, but his expression made clear that he had no clue what she was talking about.

“Did anyone practice gnosis at home?” Rain asked the rest of the group.

Several hands flew up. The Illuminates took turns sharing the altered states they had—or hadn’t—reached, which involved lots of sitting on the floor and repeating stupid mantras to “manifest their desires.”

This is total crap, Mulder thought. Except for the chaos symbol. That means something.

“If you haven’t achieved gnosis, don’t give up,” Rain told everyone.

“It’s not really happening for me. What if I can’t find a way to get to that place?” asked a woman wearing a clear pointed crystal around her neck.

“Belief has power,” Rain assured her. “You can’t achieve gnosis unless you believe it’s within your reach. Chaos magick requires us to abandon logic and the limitations society has imposed on us. The power comes from taking the leap—giving in to chaos and trusting that it will reveal itself to you.”

“So power comes from believing?” Phoebe asked.

“Not from it,” Sam said. “Belief is the power.”

The rest of the long meeting dragged on. Mulder caught bits and pieces of the discussion about crap like mind-clearing techniques and creating an optimal environment for gnosis. Phoebe took notes and Gimble asked a question every ten minutes, as if he was actually thinking about joining up.

Mulder couldn’t get past the chaos symbol.

The Symbol of Eight.

Why would the killer re-create that symbol with the magpie and the arrows? Did he practice chaos magick, too? Nothing the Illuminates had talked about sounded dark or evil. Were they holding back because of the newcomers?

When the meeting ended, the Illuminates headed for the doughnuts on a folding table. Gimble started to go for a snack, but Mulder stopped him. “Don’t let Sam leave yet. See what else you can get out of him.”

“I’m on it.” Gimble still stopped to grab a doughnut before he caught up to the biker.

“So what did you think?” Sam asked, brushing powdered sugar off his jacket.

“Chaos magick seems pretty deep, you know?” Gimble said. “I’m interested in learning more about it.”

“Tell Rain you want to sign up for the mailing list,” Sam said. “We send out a zine every other month. It has lots of info for beginners.”

“That sounds great,” Phoebe said. “We’ll all sign up.”

Sam cupped his hands and shouted, “Rain? We’ve got three more people for the mailing list. That makes sixteen.”

She waved her clipboard at him. “Just send them to me before they leave.”

Mulder wasn’t giving the Illuminates his name and address. Maybe he’d write down his dad’s office address at the State Department.

Mulder cleared his throat. “So, Sam? I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“I like the concept that belief is a tool. But what if the beliefs of the person practicing chaos magick are on the darker side of the spectrum?”

Sam frowned. “Chaos magick is about transcendence. We don’t allow people like that in our organization.”

Rain overheard them. “We kicked someone out a few months ago because he was into that kind of thing. He was always talking about the Eternal Champion and the war between Chaos and Law.”

Gimble perked up. “The Eternal Champion from Michael Moorcock’s books?”

Were they talking about Stormbringer? Mulder was beginning to feel like he was the only person who hadn’t heard of the book until the Major gave him a copy.

“Have you read them? They were part of the foundation for the idea behind what we do here,” Rain explained.

“I just read Stormbringer,” Mulder admitted.

“Then imagine how annoying it would be to listen to some guy talk about the Eternal Champion like he was a real person.” Roach Clip Girl rolled her eyes. “A hero fighting to restore the balance between Chaos and Law. The guy thought all the stuff in the Moorcock books was real. What was his name again?” Roach Clip Girl snapped her fingers. “Burt? Merle? No, Earl something … It’s on the tip of my tongue.”

Mulder doubted it. The roach clip in her hair seemed like more than a fashion statement.

“What was his name, Rain? Look it up.” Roach Clip Girl gestured at Rain’s clipboard. “Anyway, this Earl guy was a total creep, and he was obsessed with Rain. He kept telling her about his critical role in restoring the balance. Why can’t I remember his name? Was it Ray? He worked at a nursery that sold exotic plants, and he kept bringing her weird gifts. Didn’t he give you a Venus flytrap?” The girl grabbed the clipboard out of Rain’s hand and flipped through the pages, scanning the names.