by T. R. Harris
But now, seeing the pain and desperation in Summer’s blue eyes, Adam’s heart was breaking. And what made it so much worse was the fact that J’nae was the cause of all that pain. The damn Sol-Kor mutant queen may have had an epiphany at one point which led her to help the Aris, but to Adam, she was still the same evil bitch who nearly killed him and all the people he loved and cared for. Forgiveness did not come easy to Adam Cain.
“And J’nae says she can’t be removed…or won’t?” Adam asked, pointedly.
“She says she doesn’t know.”
“And if she did, would she tell you?”
Summer shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Can she hear us now?”
“Yes, since I’m talking. But she says she can’t read my thoughts.”
His frustration and anger grew, although he held it back. He didn’t want to start ranting and raving, especially since it would be directed at Summer… or another part of Summer.
“I told her you would get Panur and Lila to help,” said Monty, his tone full of sorrow and desperation.
Adam leaned back against the food processor counter, his mind racing. The Arya was currently on a course back to the Behemoth, where he would drop the trio off before heading out to meet up with Panur and the others. They were never part of the original mission. But how could he do that now? Summer desperately needed help, and the mutants were the only ones who could.
“I’ll change course,” he said finally. “I’ll get Panur and Lila to do all they can. After all, this whole mutant essence stuff is Panur’s specialty. If anyone can get to the bottom of this, he can.” He looked back at Summer. “Hang in there. It should be a smooth ride from here on out. There’s no way the Cartel can tell where we’re going. And they certainly can’t match our speed, not with the TD-drive. We should meet up with the rest of the team in about five days, so just relax. And do me a favor, Summer. If you can, keep J’nae away from me. We don’t have a very friendly history together.”
22
Trans-dimensional travel consisted of opening tiny holes in the space-time continuum and entering another universe. The ship then reenters the Milky Way at a different angle, reappearing hundreds of light-years from the original entry point. However, there was a process to follow before a ship could create another portal, so it wasn’t a constant series of hopping motions, but more like cruise along for a while, make a jump, and then cruise along some more. Even still, a TD ship cut the transit time between points by a factor of five or more, turning a twenty-five-day transit out to the fringe of the Kidis Frontier to only five.
The star around which the planet orbited containing the ancient Aris Technician base had never been given a name. But it did have a designation, assigned to it by early surveyors who then passed the label on to the Juireans who then gave it to the Formilians for inclusion in their galactic Library. It was called AD-14c—after the Human translation—and the team had taken to calling it Addie, which was better than the star around which the Aris planet orbits.
After capturing Kracion, Panur and Lila planned on disposing of the immortal creature by casting him into Addie, where he would forever burn in Hell, his body in an endless cycle of instant regeneration over billions of years. However, just as the pod carrying him was about to impact the star, the team’s sensors went down, losing all data on whether or not the vessel crashed into the star. Afterward, Panur detected the tell-tale signs of TD travel in a line intersecting the path of the pod. Not too many races possessed trans-dimensional technology, so suspicion immediately fell upon the Aris and the fifteen surviving members of that ancient race.
The prospects were devastating to the team. After the Herculean effort spent ridding the galaxy of the menace that was Kracion, there was a very good possibility he was still alive. Of course, that phrase did not apply in the normal sense to an immortal being such as Kracion. What it meant, however, was that he hadn’t been condemned to billions of years of imprisonment within Addie’s fiery interior. He was still out there, somewhere, and doing something. That’s what scared the hell out of everyone.
Being one of their own, did the Aris rescue Kracion and then let him go, free to create even more havoc in this universe or others? Or did they intend to punish him in a way only they could envision?
Since the mutants could track the path of the Aris vessel, they had a means of finding out which option applied. Now the Sansa, with a crew comprised of Panur, Lila, Sherri, Riyad and Copernicus sat three million kilometers from Addie’s roiling yellow surface, tweaking the sensors and preparing to make the jump into another universe.
The Arya slid up beside her sister ship and a pressurized umbilical tunnel was placed between them. After a brief reunion—it had only been eight days since Adam left the Behemoth and his friends—the subject of Summer and J’nae came up.
Adam was a little disappointed when he saw the softness on Panur’s face when he learned a version of J’nae lived on within the young woman. He was anxious to speak with his creation again, as a father would a long-estranged daughter.
“What do you remember?” asked the grey mutant. “I mean about the procedure.”
“There was no pain, of course, since we cannot feel pain.” The voice coming from Summer laughed. “There was no awareness, either. I was whole one moment, the next it was as if I was in a fog, fighting to see. I could sense a presence, a phantom of some kind. I fought for understanding. When the truth became known, I was devastated.”
“You were devastated?” Sherri snapped with sarcasm. “Why? It was Summer’s body you were invading.”
The team was huddled together in the lounge of the Sansa, each anxious to learn more, as they took time off from the preparations for the main mission.
“I did not know that at first. To me, it was as if my body had been possessed. The feeling was understandable from my point of view.”
“But you volunteered to be cut into pieces and fed to the Aris. You should have expected this.”
“That is not how the process works, Sherri Valentine; however, I understand you are taking poetic license with your metaphors.”
Adam found it strange how easily he came to accept this persona to be that of J’nae, even as he was looking at Summer’s young face. He could also tell when it was Summer who was in control. Her features went through subtle changes, along with the way she carried herself. During the trip to Addie, he had several conversations with both entities, and he could tell they were frustrated. Summer was adamant about wanting the essence out of her, while J’nae sought acceptance from Summer, knowing that the situation was probably irreversible.
Adam was still confused how simply drinking a green liquid could cause all this….
“For all I know, this could be how my counterparts feel within the Aris,” J’nae continued. “It was how I envisioned it, a sharing of a body and a richness of experiences.”
“I don’t believe that’s the case,” Panur said. “We’ve had interactions with Kracion after the transition, as well as a few of the other Aris. I sensed no sharing of bodies taking place, no accommodation for another presence. That could have something to do with the infusion process. Perhaps when your other elements merged with the Aris, it was a deeper, more absorbing process. However, with Summer you have retained much of your identity and ability to control—”
“To control her!” Monty shouted. There was a nervous silence for a moment. “My daughter is possessed by a demon. Isn’t there anything you can do about it?”
Panur’s mind operated on a different level than other creatures, so when he hesitated answering, Adam sensed something wasn’t right, something he wasn’t saying. But then Adam probed deeper into his own memory. There was something there, something having to do with this very subject that was an itch in the back of his mind. It was vague; he also knew it was real.
“Have you ever told me about a way to reverse this infusion process?” he asked Panur. “I seem to remember something about it.”
Panu
r shook his head. “I have never spoken of such a thing… because it is not possible.”
Having heard the blunt statement, Summer forced her way back into the forefront of her mind, taking over the conversation. “That can’t be true!” she cried out. “If you can put it in, then you can get it out. There has to be a way.”
“I’m sorry, Summer,” Panur said. “I can’t. It is not within my power to do so.”
Summer looked to Lila, her pretty form sitting straight-backed and proper next to Panur. “Can you think of something? You’re a genius, too; you’re both fucking geniuses. If you don’t know how to do this, then dammit…think of something!”
Watching the sudden change in personalities within Summer gave Adam concern. What if Summer lost it and went crazy? At that point, she would be unable to hold back J’nae, losing herself completely. From what he’d seen and heard over the past few days, she was trending in that direction.
“Stay strong, Summer,” he said, reaching over from his chair and taking her hand in his. “Don’t let her win. Hold her back and only let her out when you want her out. It could just be a matter of practice—”
“That’s easy for you to say!”
Panur leaned forward, nearer to the sobbing Summer Rains. “We—Lila and I—will think on this. You know we can compartmentalize our minds so multiple problems can be worked on simultaneously. Even though we may be otherwise engaged, have confidence that we are working on your behalf.” The mutant smiled. “And although a solution is not known at this time, imagine all the things that did not exist until we thought of them. There is still hope.”
He stood up, followed by Lila.
“Our calibrations are nearly complete. Later today, we will begin launching probes into several of the target universes in search of the Aris TD track. Once it’s located, we will make our jump.”
“You still haven’t told us what will happen if and when we find the Aris,” Copernicus stated. “It seems to me that if the Aris wanted to be found they wouldn’t be hiding so well.”
Exasperation filled Panur’s grey face. “Again, your constant refrain, Mr. Smith.” He then looked at Summer. “Yet it is no different than Summer’s situation. There are unknowns which only await knowing. So to answer your question, and in your Human vernacular, we will play it by ear.”
23
Six days after arriving on station at AD-14c, a dozen probes were sent through tiny portals into various universes Panur had determined as the likely targets of the Aris location.
The drones returned after a couple of hours, revealing their secrets. Half had appeared in the vast void between galaxies and showed no trace of TD transit. The rest arrived within galaxies, which were more likely targets for a species as intelligent and curious as the Aris.
And one of the probes returned having picked up a faint trail of weak points within the fabric of space, indicating a perforation by trans-dimensional portals.
The two-ship task force jumped only minutes after confirmation of the signal.
TD travel was always a disappointment to Adam. It seemed every universe, in the universe of universes, contained the same basic elements. There was nothing exotic or freaky about anywhere he went. Granted, he’d only been to a couple of other universes, which he had to admit was more than most people. But from what he’d learned from the more experienced and universe-traveled Panur, that was pretty much the case. Same ole, same ole, over and over again.
To Adam, that begged the question that if everything was the same, why have so many universes? Why not just one great big universe that contained, well…everything?
As he stood at the viewport on the bridge of the Sansa, looking out at a cluster of brilliant stars dead ahead, he figured such questions were above his paygrade. It didn’t matter anyway. Existence was the way it was and would always be. Who was he to concern himself with such philosophical inquiries?
“Holy crap, I’m picking up something…something big!” said Copernicus from a monitoring station along the portside bulkhead. Most of the fancy sensors were aboard the Sansa, while the Arya served mainly as a backup—a life raft in a way—in case something happened to the lead ship. It was never a good idea to go hiking alone, especially if you were hiking in a foreign universe.
The ship was on autopilot, tracking a course along the dotted signal that had grown stronger over the nine days they’d been following it.
“It’s probably just a planet,” said Sherri. She sat in a rear observation seat with her feet propped up on a nearby console. “You know, they’re those big round things you find in solar systems.”
Adam grimaced. Sherri had always been a smartass, but recently she’d been taking an inordinate number of nasty swipes at her lover, Copernicus Smith. Sure, he was pretty basic in his thinking, but he was also a genius when it came to starship repair. He’d also been a top covert agent for Earth’s government, able to extract intelligence out of some of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the galaxy. The man had skills, even if Sherri didn’t acknowledge them.
“I think I’d recognize a planet if I saw one,” Coop snapped back.
“Would you?”
Adam blew out a puff of air. This isn’t going to last, he thought. Although Sherri and Coop had been together for several years, Sherri had a bad habit of discarding men when she grew bored. To his credit, Copernicus was her longest affair, but that record was coming to an end. Everyone saw the writing on the wall—everyone except Coop.
Panur and Lila entered the bridge having heard the announcement.
“Is it a planet?” Panur asked.
Coop bit his bottom lip. “No, it’s not a planet. It’s something else, and it’s moving.” The last sentence was directed at Sherri.
“Moving…like around a star?”
“No. It’s actually on a collision course with us.”
This prompted Sherri to pull her feet from the console and take notice.
Lila was at a scanner scope. “It is a station, about one third the size of the Colony Ship, operating through multiple gravity signatures. It is on the exact path as the TD signal yet headed in this direction. It must be the Aris coming to greet us.”
“Or destroy us,” Copernicus whispered.
“They have no cause to destroy us, Mr. Smith,” said Panur. “The Aris are too intelligent, too curious…and they’re immortal. We are no threat to them. And if they did abscond with Kracion, our arrival here would have been predicted. Adam, contact the Arya and have them stop. We are doing the same. We will wait for their arrival.”
A glance at a stream of data on her screen and Lila reported: “At current course and speed, rendezvous in thirty-eight minutes.”
Although comm links were open, scanning millions of frequencies simultaneously, the Aris chose not to communicate until their huge, ball of a starship came within a few thousand kilometers of the Sansa and stopped. To no one’s surprise, the weathered face of Nunki, the lead Privileged Aris, appeared on the main screen of the Sansa. The same image was displayed in the Arya, where Summer, Monty and Tidus resided, having formed a mini-team of their own based on common experiences. Adam was okay with that. Although he adored Summer, he despised J’nae. The farther apart they stayed, the better. Besides, Summer was keeping busy—and her mind off of things—by learning how to pilot the TD starship, even as it was J’nae helping her.
On the screen, Nunki’s thin face was frowning. “I have been expecting you, Panur. And I am pleased to see that you have the Apex Being with you. Welcome. Your combined abilities will be helpful.”
“Helpful, for what?” Panur asked.
“For the assistance we need from you.”
“Are you saying you manipulated us into coming?”
“In the overall, yes. But specifically related to recent events, no.”
Adam grinned. He loved it when even the mutant genius Panur was confused.
Nunki continued. “The matter at hand will require some time to explain. I will direc
t you to a landing bay where you may place your vessels. Please hurry. There is not much time.”
Not much time? Adam repeated in his mind. For an immortal, how did that statement make sense? Now Adam was confused, but there was nothing unusual about that.
Nunki was waiting in the landing bay when the Sansa and Arya slid in and powered down. When the full team disembarked, Nunki raised his hand.
“Only Panur and the Apex Being will be allowed in. The rest will stay aboard your ships.”
Adam stepped up to the lead Aris. “We came here to find out what happened to Kracion. Did you rescue him?”
The slightly-built, emaciated alien looked the Human up and down, a stern look on his face.
“When last we met Adam Cain, you killed three of the Privileged. I see, even now you do not realize the significance of that event nor appreciate the absolute horror it evoked in the Aris.”
“It was self-defense. Besides, it doesn’t seem like the Aris have any reservations about killing, when they’re the ones doing the killing.”
“Kracion was an anomaly. And it was not self-defense in your case,” Nunki countered calmly. “At the time, the Aris were not a threat, to you or the galaxy.”
“You were to Lila. I wasn’t going to let you have my daughter to experiment with.”
“That was not your decision to make. The Apex Being did not belong to you; she belonged to the Aris.”
“Bullshit. That’s not how I saw it.”
“And so you took the lives of beings who had lived for three billion years, and you did it at the very moment when they were to achieve immortality. It was not only a tragedy but an insult.”
“You started it.”
Nunki laughed. “That statement is truer than you realize. Yes, we started it. We started everything. We started the Humans and Formilians races, which without us, there would have been no parents to create your daughter. Then we gave an unfathomable amount of time and effort to make your daughter possible. All we wanted was the Apex Being—your Lila. We did not want the galaxy, and we do not want it now. Do you not agree that we had a greater claim on Lila than you?”