Soteria- The Crisis Forge

by Roberto Arcoleo

  “No…” She smiled replying as the doors closed. “Just waiting for a boy or two to drop by.”

  The elevator started down. God, I hope there are no more stops.

  The doors opened onto the marble-walled lobby. The doorman sat behind a large mahogany desk, a conclave of letterboxes lining the wall behind him, envelops haphazardly poking out like an awkward array of birds. The postman stood in front of the desk appearing bored. Then his eyes rested upon Helena as she sashayed down the hall.

  “Is this my letter?” Helena asked abruptly.

  The postman, lost for words, just gave an affirming nod.

  Helena snatched it from his hand. “So… where do I sign?”

  The postman, in an almost spastic gesture, held out a board with the return receipt clipped upon it. “Just here.” He spoke with a quiver in his voice.

  Helena took a pen from the desk and scribbled an illegible signature. “Thanks,” she said. She swirled away, turning like a peacock, and walked back to the elevator, fully conscious of the sway in her hips and the arrogance in her strut.

  Helena made it back up to her apartment without further encounters. When she got to her door, she opened it with a sigh of relief. Ah. It is still unlocked… she thought. What would I have done if she had locked it? I don’t even want to think about it.

  She walked through the living room and found Gabriela staring into her closet. “Look at all these designer things,” she said by way of greeting. “You’re even worse than me when it comes to clothing. Say, do you have a robe I can slip on or something?”

  “Sure,” she answered. “Just to the left, next to the Dior, there is one almost like the one I’m wearing in blue.”

  “Oh… this really nice. Is it silk?”

  “Yes,” Helena replied. “It’s Chanel, so be nice to it.”

  “You have such lovely things. Everything is beautiful.”

  “Yeah, clothing and cocaine are my major weaknesses. I guess now I should add an alien to the list.”

  “Do you ever watch ‘Star Trek’?” asked Gabriela. “I’ve only seen it a few times myself; my husband loves it. Oh, I hope we can become good friends. Who else is ever going to believe me? And who could I even tell?”

  “So he’s gone. Really gone. I hope he is okay. I would die if I never got to see him again. My God, Gabriela, what a night: I’ve never. I mean never.”

  “Welcome to the club of the awed and infatuated, darling. I’ve been nuts for Mark for almost forever now – and I’m married – and, for God’s sake, he’s my husband’s student. Beat that if you can.”

  “How about a drink?” Helena responded. “My buddy Jack Daniels is always understanding. We can go out and get something to eat, if you want. I’m not into cooking, I’m afraid, but I know a great place. Later, you could come down to the club. I’m sure Jason will have a new song for me tonight. We can hang out all night again, if you like.”

  Gabriela looked at Helena puzzled. “I think Jason went too.”

  “What!” she cried. “Jason never said anything about leaving. Hey. This is really crazy. What about our band, our record deals, the West Coast and all that? No, no, no. That’s not happening.”

  “Well… I never spoke to Jason about it directly, but Mark just said he is leaving with him.”

  “What? What are you saying? We are going to the club, and I am going to sing… Let’s get ready to go out…” Helena began to remember the activities and blurred conversations from earlier that day. She started to walk around the room without direction. “We always have a new song at The Dom, and I need to get there…” She was starting to wave her arms and grow frantic, mumbling unintelligible words. “What… but… I… Well…”

  “This is why we really need each other, Helena. They are both going.” She started to cry.

  “But… I didn’t even know Jason was an alien. Are you even sure he is? How can…?”

  “They are both aliens. They are brothers, I already told you, Helena. They are twins.”

  “No, no. I’m going to call Gary. No, BoBo. He will know where he is. You’ll see. He’s not gone… BoBo will know.”

  Helena walked across the room and picked up the phone. She called BoBo. “Hi, BoBo, it’s Helena… Say, have you seen Jason? I want to know if we are having any new music tonight, any new words for me…” Dismay began to show on Helena’s face as she heard the response. “What do you mean no one can find him? No one knows where he is? Okay then… Call me later, will you? I mean, if you hear anything.” She hung up the phone, clearly frustrated.

  Helena sat on the bed and looked at Gabriela in tears. “No one from the band has seen him since yesterday. He just vanished. He never does that, I mean disappear… He is always checking in on us, taking care of us. Where will Gary get his drugs, for God’s sake?”

  “I told you,” Gabriela replied, barely able to speak, “Mark said that whatever it is they are doing, they are doing it together, and he does not know when or even if they will be back.”

  “I know – I’ll call that chick Angela. You know, the waitress he hangs with. He must be with her. Yeah, that’s it. He’s with her… That bitch... I have her number in my book. Damn. Where is it? Oh, there on my coffee table.”

  Helena picked up the book and found the number, but no one picked up on the other end.

  “Shit. Oh, I am so bummed out. How could he just go? I mean how could he just…?”

  “Mark said it had something to do with saving the earth, that if they didn’t do something, the world would end.”

  “What?” exclaimed Helena. “The end of the world? Are you fucking kidding?”

  “No,” responded Gabriela. “And Mark was dead serious about it.”

  Helena lay down on the bed, prostrate and depressed. “Oh… everything was so beautiful, and now it’s all mud.”

  Gabriela lay down next to her. “I know, just mud…”

  “Hold me, please, just hold me.” They embraced each other in tears, finding solace in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 48: Mananken’s Aid

  Mark could not believe what he was seeing. In a tone halfway between surprise and shock, he asked, “What… I mean… who are you?”

  “My name is Mananken. I am the Grand Ambassador of New Tripton and a friend of your mother. I’ve come to help you.”

  Looking upon Mananken, Mark thought to himself, he looks like a freaking teddy bear. This is the help my mother is sending? “That’s very nice of you, and I appreciate the thought, but do you see the size of this thing?”

  Sensing Mark’s skepticism, Mananken developed a disapproving frown. “Werba, Werba, Werba,” said Mananken, bouncing up and down within his bubble. “Not to worry, I am more powerful than you can perceive. And besides, my young friend, the asteroid is not the problem.”

  “Huh?” said Mark. “But we were told to stop it, and my brother is down in the earth’s core directing the whole planet’s magnetic energy up at that thing.”

  “Yes, I know, but trust me: that thing is not the problem,” Mananken replied.

  “Well,” said Mark, “if you are going to help, great. But I don’t have time for chatter. My brother is suffering down there.”

  Mananken grumbled and, as his anger grew, he scowled. “Zerba, Zerba, Zerba. Listen, I know you are Allaceia’s child, but I am a Triptonian of the highest rank, and I am four thousand earth years old. I do not speak idly: the asteroid is not your problem. Did your mother not tell you to heed my words?” His fur turned bright red and vibrated with agitation. “Now, child, your doubts are starting to annoy me.” He began to shine brightly. “There, my friend…” He gestured. “Out there is your problem.”

  Mark looked out into space towards the moon. He saw a group of what looked like small objects in the distance. As they came closer, he could make out missiles attached to dark drone-like machines. There was a fleet of maybe thirty of them bearing down directly upon them, and another ten or so flanking them on both sides.

&n
bsp; “That is the problem. War drones are coming to destroy you, and without my help, they will. For even with your power, their numbers are too great for you to overcome them alone.”

  As they grew closer, Mark could see that they were immense in size. One dove down from the left. With a gesture of his hand, Mark unleashed a beam and set it to flames. But then, another and another descended towards him. This time, Mananken attacked, sending out a ray and shattering it into pieces. As it burst, it sent out a missile directly into Mark, knocking him backwards. For the first time in his life, Mark felt pain. “What are these things?” he cried out loud.

  “They are from your home world,” answered Mananken. “And that, my friend… that was a nodular nuclear missile.”

  “From my home world? But why?”

  “No time to explain now, but don’t worry, I have brought help.” Mananken gestured to his left, and out of the darkness of space, Mark saw something undulating. At first it looked like a wavering stream of energy, but then slowly the energy took shape. A haze filled their vision. A huge cloud began to accumulate. He could no longer see the earth or the stars in the distance. Then, something began to glow and vibrate. It glistened; it was a vessel, long and narrow, tapering at the ends; a ship, slick and enormous. Mark never imagined there could be a vessel of such size. It appeared to be made of pure metal, yet its surface looked wet. Mark sensed a vibration from within it, an energy announcing power.

  “What’s that?” asked Mark.

  “Cherba, cherba, cherba. That is my ship, Mark. Now, you had better come inside my bubble before one of those things gets another shot at you. I will relax the membrane. Please stop playing with that magnetic energy from Earth. It is irritating my fur.”

  “But…”

  “Please stop worrying about your little asteroid. I told you, that it is not the problem.”

  Without hesitation, Mark stopped directing energy from Earth and entered the bubble.

  It must be at least two hundred miles in length and twenty miles in diameter. How could one make such a thing? There were no windows or portals, no indentations or antenna, just shimmering elegance.

  “There. Nice and cozy in here, isn’t it? How is the temperature? I can adjust it, you know.”

  “It’s fine.”

  Mark was captivated as he watched liquid-like metallic forms emerging from the ship. Despite their large size, they appeared tiny next to the larger vessel. Bubbling out like water from a dripping faucet, they seemed to be made of glowing plasma wobbling forward, amoeboid soldiers marching in an orderly line.

  Mananken watched Mark’s fascination as the droplets moved with determination towards the Destructo-bots. The robots fired their weapons, but their efforts were absorbed within the softness of the large glowing blobs. One by one, they were engulfed and digested by the organic forms, liquefied within their softness.

  “Don’t worry,” said Mananken. “Quickly, though, I must talk to you about your brother’s situation.”

  “Yes, my brother. What are we to do?”

  “You must move quickly and follow my exact instructions if we are to save your brother, for this is dangerous work… When you descend into the earth towards the core, you must tell Jason to stop sending forth the magnetic energy and to wait within the sixth dimension until you arrive. You must enter the sixth dimension as you approach the core. You will have to leave now. The power of my ship is too strong, and it will pull you into its gravity and hurl you towards Jupiter. But do not fear. You will see the asteroid fly away as you travel down. It was never going to strike the earth.”

  “But if I’m in such a state, I can’t –”

  “Your normal mechanisms of passing through matter will not do down there, and it is only within this state that will you be protected from the core. When you reach Jason, grab hold of him and use all your strength to attach yourself to him. Use the calculations that I have just placed in your mind to turn the magnetic forces to your advantage; you will have the amulet to protect you. Jason has been there for a while now, and he’s growing weaker. If he cannot break free, your last resort will be to pull him into you. If this fails, there will be no choice but to leave him to his suicide belt. Now go, my young friend. Every second puts Jason more at risk. Go. Go now!”

  “But if you are so powerful, why don’t you just save Jason?”

  “No, my friend. I cannot, I am not supposed to be here at all. This is for you.”

  Mananken took the Purple Flower amulet from around his neck and placed it around Mark’s. The two amulets became one. “What I have given you was from your mother’s hand. She could not send it by teleportation. It will have the power to protect you.”

  Mark put his hands over the amulet. “Thank you, Mananken.”

  “Now go, my young friend. I have faith in you. Cherba, Cherba, Cherba, I know you will succeed.”

  As Mark started to travel back to Earth, he felt a gigantic vibration behind him. It sent him spinning aimlessly through space, and it took him the better part of a minute to regain his composure and start again towards the earth. He was just passing Mars when he turned to look back. He watched in wonder as the asteroid changed its direction, veering towards the gravitational field of Jupiter. He was telling me the truth. The ship was glowing blue and green. Mark felt the kinetic power as he sped towards Earth; he was flushed with excitement as he watched the asteroid change course. It’s true. The earth is safe; Gabriela is safe.

  “Jason. Our mother sent help, and it’s done. Just hang on, Jason: I’m coming for you. Just hang on.”

  Mark flew as fast as he could towards the earth and again called to Jason. “Do you hear me, Jason…? I’m coming. I’m coming.” Mark heard no response.

  He did all he could to increase his speed. The gravity of the earth was beginning to help. He did not take time to calculate an angle of entry; he dove with complete abandon as he neared the surface. He was not even sure if he would first meet water or land. All he could see, all he could think of was Jason, his brother.

  Just as he passed into the earth, Mark heard Jason’s plea within his mind. “Mark, are you coming? Hurry, the core is crushing me. Please, be careful if you’re coming.”

  “I am coming, Jason. I am coming.”

  Mark could only imagine the suffering and immolation Jason was experiencing. For a moment, he felt a sense of bitterness: all this for the sake of the earthlings?

  Mark entered another dimension so he could pass through the earth with ease. He flew past the molten crust, into the mantle’s bubbling heat without a flinch. As he approached the outer core, and the pressure grew, nothing affected him, but Mark knew this would all soon change. For if he were to save Jason, he would have to expose himself to the violence of the core.

  He saw Jason, stagnant, frozen, and motionless, as if he had stared into the eyes of Medusa.

  “Jason! Jason!” Mark called to him. “It’s Mark – I’m here, I’m here…”

  Jason opened his eyes. “Mark, what are you doing here?” Jason seemed not fully aware of his thoughts.

  “Jason, I am here to get you out. I told you I was coming. Come. It’s time to go now.”

  Jason responded, “Mark, you must go. It’s too violent, too strong to survive here. Go… You must go.”

  Mark replied, “We are both going to go, both of us. Come. Come with me.”

  Mark grabbed hold of Jason. “We must leave the sixth dimension. Part of you is embedded, but part of you is not… You must gather yourself and come with me.”

  They both began to leave the protection of their state, and Mark activated the power of his mother’s amulet to shield them both. He sensed some form of anti-matter was being used to shield him, but he did not understand how this was possible.

  “Now, Jason,” Mark spoke. “We jump now.” Mark pulled on Jason and attempted to leap out of the core. He felt the amulet surrounding them with cooling forms of superfluids for protection, but Jason remained paralyzed. “Jason. Jason, wher
e is your amulet? I need you to move!”

  The core had fused him to its nature. His essence had become locked in the magnetic grasp of its metal. “You must try harder, Jason, now, now, Jason. Try again. Use all your might. We must leap free.”

  Mark could see Jason could not move, and the only hope to free him would be to absorb him.

  “Jason… You must enter my essence. Within me, I can protect you. I will break free from the core and save us both.”

  Jason whispered, “I will try.”

  He slowly started to meld into Mark’s nature, but the transition left them both exposed. They were being torn apart by the competing forces within the core. Jason began to feel his being flow into Mark, but much of him was being destroyed in the process. Mark also was starting to feel Jason’s pain. It was crushing agony. Jason watched as Mark began to suffer.

  “Mark,” said Jason solemnly. “This is no good. You must go before we both die.”

  “No. No, Jason. You’re doing fine. Just keep coming, keep coming; I am gathering you. I will save you.”

  Jason sensed that a complete transition was hopeless. He sent forth a final burst of himself into Mark, activated the suicide belt, and expelled Mark out of the core.

  Chapter 49: Back in the Apartment

  Mark found himself on the floor of his apartment, disoriented and listless. He was exhausted. Vague notions of what had just occurred echoed within him as he slowly regained consciousness.

  The Spartan room had never been a welcoming place. It had never been a room that a human would describe as homey. Yet it was their place. He surveyed the walls and furniture. He knew that all was the same, but everything was different.

  He stood up, thinking to himself, these walls. I know them. “Walls,” he said aloud. His mind was rattling, and his thoughts were jumbled.

  “Walls, walls, and walls, pressure and walls. I feel pressure and heat, and pressure. There is pressure. No, it’s stopped. I am back. Am I back? Where am I? Where was I? There was never a limit or edge, or obstacle for me. But there was such heat, such pressure…” He rambled on, “Limits, limits, limits… Are there limits? What are limits? What does that mean? What do I mean? I have something to overcome, but what? What… could not be overcome? What, what...? I’m separated…?”