The red hatch clicked. The Polarion picked up his gun, opened the hatch and jumped through.
As I entered with Debby, the Polarion made clicks and whistles in an obvious imitation of the Neanderthals earlier. Lights snapped on and machines hummed into life. This was a huge chamber with a high oval ceiling. The floor shone with a metallic sheen and proved slippery to walk on.
The Polarion moved carefully to a bank of machines on a wall. He manipulated panels, pulled levers and tapped his fingers on screens.
On the far wall, an archway glowed with light. I heard machines roar into life from somewhere nearby. They were loud and powerful-seeming. The mechanical sounds increased. A sense of foreboding grew.
The Polarion ran to another set of controls. He worked feverishly, glancing at the glowing archway from time to time.
The archway started pulsating with many colors. Instinctively, I stepped away from it, drawing Debby with me.
The Polarion barked a savage laugh. I glanced at him sharply. His eyes seemed to shine as he studied the archway. Then he went back to madly tapping controls.
The nearby machines thrummed with even more power. It sounded as if they might be going into overdrive. Was the Polarion destroying the spaceship? I wished I knew the man’s game plan.
Debby squeezed my hand before pointing at the archway. It showed a frozen hell with snow and hard-blowing wind. It made me cold just looking at it.
The Polarion moved across the floor. He gripped his gun, grabbed me by my right bicep and pulled me with him toward the bitter archway.
I’d already guessed it was a portal of some kind. Maybe this was how the Starcore had been collecting his Neanderthals and hominids.
The machine noises had become thunderous. The room began to shake. An explosion from a panel caused smoke to billow.
The Polarion looked at me. I had no idea what he was trying to impart with his look. Then he moved the final distance to the portal and dragged me with him. I was still holding Debby’s hand.
The three of us moved through the portal together. I felt a momentary stretching. It felt as if my lungs were on fire. Then, I staggered into a snow bank as frigid wind blew against me.
The Polarion still gripped my bicep, dragging me. I looked back and could see into the gleaming room we’d left. Everything still seemed to be vibrating in there.
The Polarion dragged us to the side, away from the portal opening. A distant, muted explosion sounded. A gout of flame burst past me from the portal, warming my skin. Then, both the flame and portal disappeared. Fortunately, the Polarion had dragged us far enough to the side that we’d been out of the blast’s line-of-fire.
That told me he’d done this deliberately. Had he killed the rest of the people aboard the spaceship?
I began shivering from the intense cold. It felt as if he’d transported us to the North Pole. The wind howled in this place, and the sky was darkly menacing. That didn’t seem right for Greenland. It was summer, meaning it should be light almost all the time in Greenland. Maybe this was the mother of all storms.
My teeth started chattering. Debby’s face had already turned bright red.
The Polarion dragged us through the wind and snow. He seemed indomitable. How could he even tell our position? He hurried as if he had a destination in mind. The snow blew harder, and icy particles struck my face. I wasn’t going to last much longer.
Soon, I couldn’t feel my hands, and it was nearly impossible to think. He brought us to a cliff or a wall of stone. That cut down on some of the windy blast, but it wasn’t going to save us from the freezing weather.
He released me, bent low, scraped away snow as if looking for something and seemed to touch an area in a certain sequence. I could hardly think at this point. But it looked like the upper portion of an entrance slid open near the ground. It was like an elevator that had only reached a floor with the upper quarter of its door. He lowered himself to his stomach, shoved his feet through the tiny opening and squeezed out of sight like a gopher.
I barely had enough sense left to shout at Debby to do likewise. I had to push her into the hidden place. Finally, I followed their example, sliding into a cold, bleak chamber the size of a principal’s office.
“W-What is this place?” I asked, shivering.
The Polarion motioned to us. He led us through a door into a small hall, entered another room and manipulated yet another hatch that soon opened.
The next cold room had a central machine with controls along two walls. Heaters glowed on the ceiling. They smelled of ancient dust, as if this place had remained empty for centuries. Could that be true? It gave me the willies just thinking about it.
The heat was a blessed relief just the same. Debby and I stood under one heater, shivering uncontrollably.
As we tried to soak up a modicum of the heat, the Polarion went to the machine and pressed a switch. A panel slid out of it. He manipulated the panel fast, his fingers blurring over controls.
Finally, he pointed at me, and then pointed to an area with a painted outline. He seemed to want me to stand over there.
I didn’t want to move, as the heat had increased. Reluctantly, I left Debby and stood inside the painted outline on the floor.
He put a headset over his ears with a small microphone before his mouth. Then he tapped the panel, waited and tapped more.
Intense red lights snapped on over my head. That bothered me, and I started to move away.
“No,” he said.
I saw him move his lips, but the words came from a speaker to my left.
I pointed up at the red lights. “Does this translate my words?”
“In a manner of speaking,” he said. He tapped the controls again.
Abruptly, the red overhead lights snapped off. He removed the headphones and microphone.
That didn’t make sense. Didn’t he need the machine to translate? Maybe the machine had already absorbed my speech patterns, though. If he was a Polarion, surely he had incredibly advanced technology.
“Who are you exactly?” I asked.
He shook his head. “We both know who I am. The question is: who are you and how did you get aboard the Starcore’s spaceship?”
The words came directly from his mouth now. He no longer needed the translation speaker. Could the machine have “read” English speech patterns from my mind and transferred the knowledge to his mind?
“I’m Logan,” I said, “but I have no idea who you are.”
He stared at me and laughed, louder this time, shaking his head. “It would appear you are a natural.”
I was tired of innuendoes and hints. With a scowl, I said, “How about clueing me in as to what you’re freaking talking about, huh?”
He pressed another control—
I head a sharp, overhead sound. I clamped my hands over my ears, and tried to stagger away. That’s the last thing I remember.
-42-
When I awoke, I found myself in a small capsule, strapped into a bucket seat. A tiny screen was level with my eyes. I saw no way out of the capsule, no one in here with me and no means of changing my fate.
Why had the Polarion done this to me, especially after I’d helped him escape from the Starcore? Just what—
The screen made a slight hum, coming on. I saw the Polarion in his one-piece. He stood in a room surrounded by machinery. There was no sign of Debby.
“It is unfortunate I had to take such abrupt action with you,” the Polarion told me.
He had a rich voice and an even more regal bearing than before. I wondered how much time had passed since he’d rendered me unconscious.
“I could no longer afford the contamination of your presence,” he added.
“What contamination?”
“It is self-evident,” he said.
“Well, not to me, it isn’t.”
“That is because you haven’t allowed yourself time to think,” he said. “You react too quickly at times. Yes, you are a natural, and that is what the Ancien
t Book says naturals do. But taking time to think could dramatically change your life.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“You already know.”
“You’re a Polarion?”
“I do not answer rhetorical questions,” he said with a frown.
“Look. I saved your hide—”
“I am aware of that,” he said sharply, “and I am…grateful,” he added in a softer tone. “That is why I am lowering myself to speak with you.”
“What? Lowering yourself? Just who do you think you are?”
His eyes seemed to swirl with power. I imagined that was how Zeus might have looked when Hera had angered him.
Maybe I was taking the wrong approach with him. After all, I was the one trapped in a capsule. I couldn’t believe he’d done this to me.
“You have a sharp tongue,” he said, “a reckless tongue. To forestall any misunderstanding on your part, I will inform you that your companion has told me about Far Butte and the atomic testing that woke the Starcore.”
“What have you done to Debby?” I demanded.
“We have similar features, you and I,” he said. “Maybe your mistake lies there. Know that I am not human the way you are human. I can die, but I am also ancient. You might even think of me as an immortal. Perhaps, then, you can understand my…dislike at having a puppy like you question me. I am making allowances for your brutishness because you have done me a service. It is possible you saved my life. For that, I give thanks.”
I told myself to relax. He was a Polarion. He obviously thought highly of himself. Now, he claimed to be an immortal. He knew stuff. It was clear he was dangerous. Maybe it would be best to keep thinking of him as Zeus. I might be able to talk my way out of the capsule that way.
I cleared my throat. “You’re welcome for the help…sir,” I said. The sir was the right touch. I was sure of it.
“Ah,” he said. “You have a modicum of wit after all. It is clear you desire me to do you a favor in return for your service.”
“That would be nice…sir.”
He nodded. “Your companion says your Earth has alien intruders.”
“It does,” I said.
“I am unsure how to explain this to you in a manner you will understand.”
“Maybe it will help if you know that I’ve been to Greenland,” I said.
He stared at me.
“I’ve been to Thule,” I said. “It’s covered in ice these days. When you first came to our planet, I imagine Thule was like everyplace else on Earth. I’m also guessing that you’ve been asleep or in suspended animation for a really long time. Were you one of the Starcore’s prisoners, or one of its slaves?”
Color appeared on his cheeks. “I am no one’s slave.”
“So you must have been its captive,” I said. “Look. You’ve woken up in the middle of a crisis. I’m trying to save my planet from destruction, and I don’t know if you’re a help or a hindrance.”
His eyes narrowed. I had the feeling few people had ever spoken to him like that. Finally, he took a breath. “Explain your meaning,” he said.
I told him about Earth being a banned planet. I told him about Station 5, the Min Ve privateer, the Galactic Guard, Greenland, the stasis tubes, and finally, about the hell-burner.
“A moment,” he said. With a few manipulations, he brought a floating screen before him, studying it for a time. Growing decidedly more thoughtful, he made the screen disappear. Finally, he eyed me anew.
“You are a natural,” he declared.
“You said that before. What is that even supposed to mean?”
It looked as if he might tell me to mind my manners while speaking to him. In the end, he simply said:
“Some people are exceptionally athletic. Some are computational wizards. Others have an affinity for games, for any particular activity under the sun. There are a rare few who have exceptional…” He drummed his fingers on the console. “Some say naturals are unnaturally lucky. I do not believe it is luck, but it is a thing akin to luck. A natural makes an exceptional soldier or spy, the activities you have been engaging in the past few days.
“I am tempted to have you assist me,” he said. “But…” He shook his head. “I have an ancient score to settle with the Starcore. I cannot worry about your planet. It is possible you would try to thwart me if I was forced to take extreme measures.”
“I saved your life,” I said. “You can’t destroy my planet in return.”
“You lack the proper respect while addressing me,” he said. “I find my desire to chastise you growing by the moment. Thus, I am correct in my assessment regarding your nearness.” He pondered his next words. “It is difficult to know the best procedure for dealing with the situation. The orbital privateer hesitates because lust for gain causes the commanding Min Ve to believe he can acquire the Starcore for his own use. My own era as well as the last several thousand years shows me the folly of that kind of thinking. The Starcore is incredibly dangerous. I cannot allow it to survive, not under any circumstances.”
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked.
“You have the Guard-ship. I’m granting you your life. Use the ship and flee this planet while you can.”
“What about Debby?” I asked. “Why are you keeping her?”
“Your impertinence at questioning me brings you dangerously near to destruction. This once, I will answer you. Debby is linked to the Starcore, but she still possesses some free will. Both the crystal and the girl find you interesting. It is why you still breathe. Because I can use this linkage, she will assist me in destroying the crystal.”
“I want to destroy it, too.”
“That is no doubt true. But you lack my resolve and sense of purpose, to say nothing of my power. I will bring down the entire solar system if I must to kill the perverted crystal creature.”
“May I ask, sir, if Parker is linked to the crystal?” That would explain how the biker had managed to survive Walt.
“Parker and Debby are the Starcore’s prime creatures,” he said.
“The crystal toyed with me, then?”
“Of course,” he said. “It has always been curious and always too arrogant. This time, I will use those qualities against it. I will not fail. I dare not.”
I started to ask him another question.
He waved his hand and my screen went blank. At the same time, my capsule began to buzz with power.
I struggled against the restraints. If he thought I would leave Debby behind, he was crazy.
“Hey!” I shouted. “I’m not done talking to you.”
Instead of receiving any answers, the capsule hummed louder than ever, shaking until I could no longer see straight.
***
I’d never been angrier in my life. I’d saved the Polarion, and he’d taken Debby from me. To add insult to injury, the capsule whined down as a hatch lifted in front of me. My straps burst off and the chair catapulted me from the capsule. I flew through the air and landed with a jolt, sprawling across sand. I looked back and saw my transportation shimmer and disappear.
I couldn’t believe it. It felt as if the Polarion had picked me up and pitched me out of his saloon. I climbed to my feet shaking with indignation. I’d saved his butt and this was his thanks?
I didn’t know who to hate more, the Starcore or the Polarion.
Finally, I took a communicator out of my pocket and clicked it on. “Rax?” I asked. “Can you hear me?”
“I hear you, Logan. Where have you been? I need your help. The Organizer—”
“Rax,” I said, interrupting him. “Get me out of here. Bring me back to the ship.”
“Yes,” the crystal said. “That is an excellent suggestion. I will begin the procedure.”
-43-
“I feared you were dead,” Rax told me as I entered the piloting chamber. “I would have been stranded in here until the Guard-ship lost power and sank to the bottom of the ocean. I might have spent the rest of my life down th
ere. You have no idea how frightful a fate that would be.”
I was still nursing my grudge against the Polarion. Of all the black-handed—
“You seem upset,” Rax said. “What happened to you? How did you come to be in the middle of the desert?”
I told him about my adventure in the ancient ship, the escape and my subsequent conversation with the arrogant Polarion.
“That is fascinating,” Rax said. “You spoke with a living, breathing Polarion. Do you know how many beings have desired to do that? Millions, I’m sure. It is possible the number runs into the billions or even trillions. They are real, then.”
“What do you mean, they’re real? They were in the stasis tubes in Greenland.”
“It appeared that was true. Finding out for certain is a different matter altogether. This will change many planetary histories. It might well change Earth’s history and the original causations to many—”
“Rax,” I said, “forget about Galactic history. The Polarion changes the dynamics of the present situation. He’s royally angry and wants to get even with the Starcore. He’s talking about destroying the solar system if he has to in order to take down the crystal.”
“That makes sense,” Rax said.
“No, it doesn’t,” I said. “That’s like using a hammer to crush the fly on your face. The cure is worse than the problem.”
“For you, that is true,” Rax said. “The same does not hold for the Polarion. Likely, his home is a wasteland, obliterated by the Starcore during the prehistoric Galactic conflict.”
“Well, it’s true for me,” I said. “We have to stop the Polarion.”
“Better to try to stop the tide.”
“That could be done, too,” I said. “All you’d have to do is blow up the moon.”
“Granted,” Rax said. “But the magnitude of the task would be daunting in the extreme.”
“Which is why we have to get started immediately,” I said. “Thus, this fancy theorizing is finished as of now. We have to take action.”
“What kind of action do you have in mind?” Rax asked.
That stopped me. I didn’t know. Maybe a little theorizing wouldn’t hurt, after all. The least I could do was to find out what had happened while I’d been unconscious. I was still so angry at losing Debby that I could hardly think straight.
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