Lova put an arm around her shoulders. She smelled of herbs and fresh air. She put a finger under Jenny's chin, tilting her head up to look into her eyes. "You, my dear, are more than you know. I can see why Lizzie was so excited about you. Few more experienced people could do what you've already done for this group. You have organized them into teams that make sense, based on the tasks at hand and the skills represented. You are willing to take counsel and you aren’t afraid of hard work. You have acted even through your fear and you have done more than any of us originally expected of you.
It's true you weren't given much of a choice when The Gatekeeper passed her key to you, but you didn't flinch from the responsibility." She stepped back, her hands on Jenny's shoulders. "You will do well, as well as anyone could do under the circumstances and better than most."
Jenny embraced Lova in a grateful hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."
They pulled apart and stood there for a moment, looking into one another's eyes. Then her key warmed and they turned in unison toward the gate.
At that moment, Brendan emerged from the gate, followed by Gariel. The tall muscular Aussie greeted them with, "G'day" and Gariel nodded at them.
"We got the briefing," Gariel said. "That should make this move a lot faster. We have gotten a bit of intelligence from the one conscious prisoner and the healers expect the man Tidbit shredded to be well enough to interrogate by tomorrow. There have been no additional raids, as far as we know, since the last one reported. I get the feeling the Gorga are planning something on a larger scale and that we're not going to like it. The sooner we can get a working strategy and assemble the troopers, the better."
"It looks like the one who is still unconscious may have a bit worse concussion than originally thought. He will live, but they're not sure how functional he'll be. Amnesia isn't uncommon in that kind of skull damage. I hear our Jenny took that one out," Brendan said, clucking his tongue. "Give a woman a stick…" He grinned at her like a little kid.
Jenny didn't know what to say to that, so she shook her head.
"They've already separated into groups," Lova said as they entered the foyer of the lodge. "I believe Burt's group is out on the balcony."
Brendan and Gariel headed towards the windowed doors leading out to the balcony and Lova led Jenny to the workout room. There, Tarafau, the bandage still wrapped around his head, and Arvid were back to back, sparring with Lyra, Nona and Mynn, three on two. The Guards were holding their own, circling and getting in a tap here and there, but the two men's staffs whirled in a nearly impenetrable barrier.
"Time out!" hollered Lova in what her dad would have called her "drill sergeant" voice.
The staffs immediately stopped, except Lyra's who exacted one last "crack!" on Tarafau's backside. Tarafau growled at her, but she just laughed and ducked quickly behind her fellow Guards.
"I seem to recall the healers said no physical activity for you, old cat." Lova said, her hands on her hips.
Tarafau and Arvid had the grace to look embarrassed and Lyra jumped in with. "We were going easy on him," and then clamped her mouth shut at the quelling look Lova sent her way.
"Tarafau and Arvid, we need to visit Burt's group. Brendan and Gariel are about to brief them on the interrogation and I don't want to miss it."
Arvid and Tarafau nodded. Lyra, Nona and Mynn fell into step right behind them. By the time they got out there, Gariel had just stood, preparing to speak. Arvid grabbed some chairs and pulled them over as Gariel began.
"As I told Lova," he began, "we haven't gotten as much information as we would like, but it appears the Groga have teamed up with a group of rogue agents who were kicked out of the Alliance for one reason or another. They don't come from any one dimension. They're a rag tag lot and we could probably have mopped this whole thing up if it wasn't for the fact that they seem to have a sponsor from an unknown dimension besides the Groga and the Fleistians. It is this unknown element that has us worried.
The good news is that they don't seem to be using the Alliance network.
The fact that they attacked and killed a Gatekeeper and have raided in several dimensions already is bad enough, but knowing they have access to a way to sidestep the gate network is beyond terrifying. These preliminary raids were just to assess their strategy, I believe, and since they have been successful, the evidence suggests they are planning something much bigger.
This means your mission to capture the Groga in their lair here on Earth is vital, if we are going to stop this threat before it gets any bigger. The damage they could do to the multiverse could be irreparable if whatever they are planning succeeds, since there is no way to keep them from encroaching on many unsuspecting worlds when we have no idea how they're doing it. So much of the multiverse actually lives in relative peace and is therefore not prepared to defend themselves from this kind of threat.
This is why the Dimensional Alliance has sent me here. Your operation here is first priority and a large part of our forces are on standby. That being said, we have to be in readiness to move as we are needed. After we assess what you will need, we will deploy whatever resources you require."
Every face in the group was grim. It was Bob who broke the silence. "Well, us Earthlings won't lay down and let them run over the less prepared. First, let's get them off of our planet and figure out how to seal those gateways. Then, let's kick them out of the multiverse once and for all."
Chapter 28: Out of Small Things…
As they sat down that evening at the long dining room table, every jaw was set and every eye was determined. Each team had conferred, and, using their own specialties and skills, they had come up with a plan that surprised Jenny. It used an ingenious combination of high tech and no tech in a way Jenny would have never considered.
Megan, the quiet, shy woman who had interned at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, home of the largest indoor swamp in the world, had come up with an idea to use the local wildlife against the interlopers. Brendan, who had hunted crocs in Australia, had teamed up with Megan and between them and Bob, they had concocted a somewhat bizarre plan that would more than just distract the Groga and soften them up for the Troopers, who would be there to keep the enemy from escaping and mop up when it was done.
Their plan for stage one would require a platoon of small drones, which, as it turns out, a number of the Guardians flew as a hobby. They had discovered a couple score of drones in the MDPs. So, it was totally doable, and this part of the plan wouldn't expose any of the Alliance troops to danger or expose the use of "dastardly alien tech.”
Jenny noticed that Megan seemed a lot more at ease with the other Guardians than she had at their first meeting.
Bob reported his part of the plan next. He couldn't resist employing some alien tech that had been discovered in the first MDP. It was amazing how quickly he fell back into his military training. He stood, his hands in his pockets, rocking excitedly on the balls of his feet, "Sometimes if you want to do big things, you have to think small. We found some flying nanobots that have some unique programming. It will make the overall plan work more effectively and it will minimize casualties, at least on our side."
As he continued to reveal the unique way he would be employing these little flying bots, Jenny realized that Bob had a mean streak she had never noticed before now. She made a mental note to never make him angry.
By the time they had each laid out their individual facets of the plan, Jenny and Lova had to remind them that they needed at least some of the Groga to survive the attack. "We won't be able to get any intelligence out of them if they're all dead." Lova commented wryly.
Tarafau stood up behind Jenny, his hand on her shoulder. "Gariel tells me that it's time for Tidbit to put in an appearance at headquarters to encourage a blind Groga to tell us his darkest secrets. Jenny, her Guards and I will go to Alliance Headquarters to interview the man that Tidbit attacked. I expect the results will be interesting." The satisfied look on his face said much more than his words.
"The Troopers assigned to the first stage of the operation will be here in the morning and Burt's team is going to the staging site to get set up for the attack. We've hired a number of different transports to get us there, hopefully without attracting any notice. There will be no uniforms. And the non-humanoid forces will be transported in closed vehicles. The idea is to filter in as quietly as possible," Gariel said. "Burt and his team have put together a solid plan, that's tactically sound. Assuming the plan is successful, no one outside of that swamp will be any the wiser."
"Does anyone have any questions?" Jenny asked. "While they are setting up the operation, the rest of us will set up a situation room. I'm assuming that the surveillance recordings can be made available here?" she asked, turning to Lova. Lova nodded.
"Good. The other teams will continue to work on their tasks. We especially need to finish the inventory of the MDPs. Tarafau and I will return as soon as we finish with the interrogation, hopefully with more information about where we stand," she paused, remembering the other point she needed to emphasize. "Please remember, that some of those Groga need to survive your attack. We need as much information as we can gather, if we're going to stop this."
They adjourned, each of the members of Burt's team bustling off to prepare. Jenny stood and Tarafau and her guards followed her and Lova into the dining room. Arvid had prepared a nice buffet complete with salad bar and desserts. They each grabbed a plate and, at Jenny's request, retired to the office Jenny had used before. "This should work just fine for a situation room," Jenny said to Lova. "Is there a floating screen here?" referring to the screen that had hung above the dining room table earlier.
"This office is fully equipped," said Lova. "I'll make arrangements to move some of the furniture and install an appropriate table and chairs. We'll have it all ready when you and Tarafau return."
Lova saw them off to the gate. Xao Ting had given them some special herbal tinctures that he claimed would produce agitation without reducing mental clarity. Jenny pocketed the vial.
When they stepped through, there was a contingent of Guards waiting for them. This was unusual. Generally, the gate was protected by the scanner and the Guards waited at the bottom of the pleasant walk down the hill.
When Jenny questioned them about it, they simply replied that security was being stepped up at all gateways and she would be getting instructions when she got to the Council room.
When Jenny and Tarafau walked into the Council room, all three Councilors were there, in addition to a couple of Guards.
"These two will be escorting you to the interrogation section. It is a highly secure area and this is standard procedure. Before you leave, do you have any questions?" Ingot said, getting right to the point.
"The Guards that escorted us from the Gate, said there would be instructions on the new security procedures?" Jenny countered.
"When you and Tarafau are finished with the interrogation. We thought it would be good for you to be in attendance as well as Tidbit. You may have some insights we may miss. We'll be viewing the interview from here."
As he said this, a new transparent screen popped into view directly in front of the dais.
Jenny and Tarafau followed the Guards down the elevator to the Guard Station without speaking. The two Guards looked so somber and official, Jenny admitted to herself that she felt somewhat intimidated, even though she knew they would not harm her.
When they filed through the security scanner, another official greeted them respectfully. "The subject will be shielded, but he will be able to hear you and to,” looking at Tarafau, "smell you."
Jenny thought she detected a slight smile on his lips that came and vanished before she was sure. "I've brought an herbal tincture, created by Xao Ting, one of the Earth Guardians. He seemed to think it would help increase the effectiveness of the interrogation. He said to put a drop on each wrist of the prisoner and wait about two minutes for the effects to set in. That is when Tidbit should make himself known."
The guard nodded and accepted the little vial from Jenny. They followed him into a room that wasn't much different from the small rooms in the infirmary, except that, instead of a bed, there was a large, heavy metal chair with a big burly man, restrained by what appeared to be leather straps on his arms, feet and his neck and fastened to the chair.
He scowled at the sound of footsteps, but said nothing.
Jenny was shocked at the all too apparent damage to his face, neck and arms. Tarafau hadn't exaggerated when he had said he had "shredded" him. His eyelids were tatters and the eyeballs that showed between strips of skin were no longer white, but dark red, as if filled with blood. His entire nose was scabbed over and his lips were as ragged as a torn cloth. Jenny wondered how he would be able to speak until she realized that this interrogation would probably be conducted entirely with mindspeech.
The guard turned his hands over to add the drops of tincture on his wrists. Jenny was not surprised to see the amount of damage to his hands and wrists, most likely inflicted as he had tried to pry Tidbit from his face.
The guard sent to the group, "We have a few questions."
The man spat in his direction through ragged lips.
The satisfied smile on that ravaged face changed to pure terror when Tidbit, now transformed, let out that eerie "mrrrreeeeowww!" The man looked fearfully around, although unable to see, and struggled in his bonds. "Get that THING away from me!" The thought was a piercing shout that hurt Jenny's mental ears.
"We have some questions," the Guard began again. The man shook his head frantically, his body arched in the chair. The Guard simply stood there, saying nothing while the man struggled.
Tidbit growled deep in this throat and then stropped the man's ankles. As the cat touched him, Jenny thought the man was going to strangle himself trying to get away. Tidbit hissed and spit.
The guard continued to stand there quietly, and Jenny suddenly remembered something from her mom's favorite cop show. "Good cop, bad cop," she thought with a grin.
"Please, Mr. Guard, can't you take the cat away? The man is terrified!" she sent with a note of sympathy thrown in for good measure. "Please! I can't stand to watch this."
The guard replied sternly, "I can do nothing if the man chooses not to talk. The cat has a right to be here to witness the interrogation as much as you do." He nodded with understanding at Jenny, encouraging her to continue.
"But if he talks can you take the cat away?" she pled with the guard. "If he answers your questions?"
"This sort don't answer questions, Miss," he replied gruffly. "I guess I'll just have to turn him over to the cat. Come with me. You won't want to watch this…"
"NO!!!" the man wailed in their minds. "Please, don't leave me alone with him!"
"I can do nothing if you won't cooperate."
The man was becoming more and more agitated as Tarafau "mrrrrreeeowed" once more, his cat voice starting low and rising to the screech of an animal about to attack.
"I'll talk! Please! I'll talk!"
The guard nodded, and Tidbit walked back to Jenny, purring loudly. He waved Jenny and Tidbit out the door with a finger to his lips and turned to the man.
The Guard who had been standing outside the door smiled broadly as she and Tarafau followed him back to the Council room. When they got there, the Councilors were engrossed in the screen before them. They motioned for Jenny and Tarafau to take seats on the dais next to them.
"So far, he has only confirmed what we already know, but he is getting more and more willing to answer questions as he goes. The other man chewed his tongue off between sessions and bled to death. The unconscious one has revived, but as we feared, remembers nothing. So you see how important this one has become." Myla told them once they were seated.
As they sat there, Jenny was surprised to find that instead of speakers, the audio feed was direct mind contact. She heard both the Guard's questions and the answers of the scarred and frightened prisoner, very clearly.
He was recruited from a merchant's guard on his planet. His commander's name was Morgent. His mission was to find The Gatekeeper's gate and to pillage the storage shed of any items that might be useful. But when the Guard finally asked him what dimension he came from and how they had come to Earth, he suddenly stiffened, his bloody eyes wide, his ragged mouth in an "o" of surprise. He coughed once, blood spewing from his mouth and went limp.
The Guard turned away from the lifeless, shattered thing still suspended in his bonds. He looked up at what was probably the camera and shook his head morosely. "I was afraid of that," was all he said.
"Trapped!" Ingot fumed as he terminated the screen, "trapped to implode when a certain question was asked."
"I don't know how to get around a mind trap like that," said Liliath. "We're going to need as many prisoners from the Earth raid as we can get. It may take some time to figure this out. In the meantime, we aren't much ahead of where we were before."
Jenny put her head in her hands. As grisly as it had been, she felt no compassion for the man who had died, only disappointment that they still didn’t have the information they needed. The life and survival of her planet depended on it.
"What do we do now?" she asked, hoping she had kept the plaintive note out of her mental voice. This was no time to appear to be weak. People were depending on her.
For a moment, no one spoke. Finally, Liliath raised her head. At this moment she reminded Jenny of every scary dragon painting she had ever seen. She seemed to grow as she sat before them, tendrils of smoke leaking from her nose and mouth, her eyes narrowed and the end of her tail twitching like Tidbit when he was agitated or angry. Then Jenny realized that her colors were shifting from blue and green to red and purple.
For one startling moment she thought that Liliath was responding to her whine, then she realized that Liliath wasn't looking at her.
The House on Infinity Loop Page 25