Genesis

by Tej Pratap Singh

  At a distance, KC could see a light approaching them. The roof of the building they were on was one of the highest in the neighborhood which had an enormous number of skyscrapers. For as far as KC could see, he could only see jampacked roofs of skyscrapers. He figured they were on a building with no less than 800 floors. They were standing way over the clouds and he could see about 200 floors of adjoining buildings protruding over the clouds just like the one they were standing on. Soon, the single light at a distance turned into four, the four into eight and soon enough, eight lights into 16!

  “Multiple bogies inbound on our location Commander,” reported Zaul.

  “Hold your stations,” ordered KC. “Keep relaying for as long as possible, don’t let anyone get to the dish,” added KC as the lights disappeared under the clouds.

  “Are they going to go all out?” asked Zaul.

  “Not a chance,” replied KC confidently. “Garmin has quite a goodwill here. He will not risk it by exposing an all-out attack on us here. He would have only sent a probing unit first.”

  Jenny, in the meantime, was in a dilemma not knowing which way to sway. Should she be a good citizen and immediately report what was happening or should she just go by her gut and help KC!

  The bell to her apartment rang!

  “This is Interplanetary Security,” came a voice from outside the apartment. “Ma’am, you are requested to open your door and grant us access to your apartment.”

  Jenny skipped a heartbeat; she didn’t know what to do or say. She stood dumbstruck.

  “Madam, you are requested to grant us access to your apartment for an emergency security check. Now,” came the call again. This time in a heavy tone. Jenny took a step back as she looked up towards the window and then took a step back further.

  “Citizen, you are breaking all security protocols. We will initiate a forced entry,” declared the Interplanetary Police. There was still no response from Jenny.

  Almost immediately, the whole apartment turned transparent; every product lying inside and even the walls of the apartment. The police could now look inside. They raised their guns. One of the policemen opened a briefcase and out of it came eight nano-bugs which flew right through the now transparent walls of Jenny’s apartment. Within seconds, these nano-bugs scanned Jenny’s apartment inside out.

  “Clear.” Came the voice of the policeman as six policemen entered the apartment very carefully. They crossed Jenny’s apartment wall as if it were a watery film and walked right through it. As soon as they entered, the outer walls of the apartment got opaque again changing texture instantaneously. They straightaway headed towards Jenny with their guns pointing towards her.

  “Where are they?” Asked one of the policemen bluntly as he threw a small spherical ball in the air. The ball suspended itself in the air and projected an image of KC and all of his men one by one. “Lady, we are looking for these men. We know they are here. You need to cooperate and tell us their location… immediately.”

  “I…I… have not…” said Jenny reluctantly.

  “This is a matter of Intergalactic Security. It is imperative you tell us where these men are, immediately,” repeated the man losing his patience.

  “Why…are you using force?” implored Jenny. “The galaxy is demilitarised. Why are you doing this?”

  “She is not going to cooperate this way,” said one of the policemen as he came forward and caught Jenny by her neck and started to lift her up till her feet left the ground.

  “One Last Time… where are they?” asked the man furiously. “I…can’t…B…breath,” replied Jenny desperately.

  “You won’t need to anymore,” said the policeman mocking her. “You are a traitor, siding with rebels.”

  Just then out of nowhere, KC gave a knockout punch to the man holding Jenny as he plummeted back smashing a table or two on his way down. The men couldn’t believe that KC was standing right in front of them. Before the policemen could even react, KC landed two punches on the jaws of two men and the third one got a mother of a kick snapping his ribs as he crashed on the wall behind. The last two men dived for cover, but they were too slow for KC.

  KC swiftly picked up a table knife and skillfully hurled it at the shoulder of one of the men. The knife accurately made its way to the man’s axillary nerve temporarily paralysing him. The sixth and the last man now found KC standing directly over him. He crawled back facing KC for the ultimate.

  “We are just… following orders Commander!” said the man as his head hit a cupboard as he crawled backwards and a glass-vase fell on his head, knocking him out!

  “No...no, this did not just happen!” stressed Jenny as she tried to take in everything that had just happened.

  “You just thrashed six men of the Interplanetary Police as if they were school kids. And these men were armed with weapons and…they tried to kill me…”

  KC put his arms around Jenny’s waist and pulled her towards him until they could feel each other’s heartbeat. Jenny’s heart was pounding away and now even KC’s was!

  A moment passed as she calmed down and their heart beats synced.

  “No one, in the three sectors of the known universe is ever going to harm you…as long as I am alive… Jenny,” said KC as he softly kissed her, feeling her lips for the first time. He closed his eyes. It felt…as if they were meant to be.

  “Commander… On the roof,” Zaul desperately called for help.

  “Jenny, just stay here, I’ll be back before you know it,” smiled KC not to startle Jenny as he clenched his fists.

  “Commander…they are all over us… this is not good,” said Zaul as KC reached the roof. He looked towards the sky to see four battle cruisers on top of them all locked on to their position.

  “Garmin’s personal fleet!” said KC. “Boys, Crona better be here soon... We don’t have much time.”

  “What’s our play Commander?” asked Zaul.

  “We fight till the end,” replied KC as his team gathered next to him forming a closed circle, all facing out with the relay unit in the center, ready with their fazer guns, come what may. Two fighter crafts detached from the first battle cruiser and slowly descended down towards KC and his men just inches over the roof as 20 men got off, armed with electron guns.

  “Commander Kenneth, surrender now or we will have to take you down,” said their Captain.

  “Captain, we both know how this is going to end,” replied KC. “Choose your next step wisely.”

  The Captain nevertheless attacked with his 20 men. 10 seconds later, they were all down with broken arms, ribs and legs. Two more fighter crafts detached from the second battle cruiser with 20 more men. 30 seconds later, 20 more men lay on the ground. Another three fighter crafts detached from the third battle cruiser with 30 more men. One minute later, 30 men were added to the blood-soaked roof top.

  “We could go on with this forever,” shouted a visibly exhausted but still resolute KC. “Garmin, show yourself.”

  This time five fighter crafts detached from the fourth cruiser with 50 more men. An agonizing three minutes later, all of them lay on the ground… with two of KC’s elite guard seriously injured taken out of battle. Now KC had just three men left as they comforted their fallen brothers. They had even run out of location modulator sticks to heal them.

  This time, two fighter crafts detached from the first cruiser as it landed right in front of KC. KC tried his best to stand up straight to take on the next wave of 20 men that were going to assault their position.

  They attacked. KC and his men cut through each one of them once again till all 20 of them were once more on the ground trying to crawl to safety. KC all alone now… even Zaul had fallen after taking a massive blow to his leg and shoulder. He couldn’t move a muscle! KC picked up two electron guns and fired at the battle cruisers hovering over them as they quickly went into stealth mode. KC dropped to the
ground conserving energy. He was losing too much blood. He tore his uniform and applied a bandage to himself to stop the bleeding. He was exhausted.

  “Commander,” said Zaul exhausted, “Go…leave this place, we will cover you.”

  “I am not going anywhere Zaul,” replied KC resolutely.

  “Commander… we are outnumbered. We can’t lose you. You must leave now,” pleaded Zaul to his Commander’s better judgment.

  “You can return with reinforcements later… and avenge us. But now you must leave.”

  “Never in a thousand years,” replied KC. “We have seen much worse Zaul. Don’t you remember the battle on Planet Trog? We were surrounded by six Gila monsters, they were huge! 40 feet tall. We were only four. But we came out of it alive, because we fought till the end…didn’t we?”

  “Yes…haha… I remember… Three Gila monsters fell of the cliff and huge boulders fell on the remaining three. They were more surprised than us!” laughed Zaul incessantly till his ribs hurt and he had to stop laughing.

  “We are in this together,” said KC looking up as a battle craft hovered directly over him.

  “Never give up, never surrender. For the Union,” said KC softly as he mustered strength to stand up.

  “For the Union,” said his men in sync.

  The battle craft appeared in front of him as the nose of the ship partially came out of stealth mode and the outer deck opened. Garmin walked out of it!

  “That’s how I have always wanted to see you… Commander Kenneth. On your knees,” said Garmin proudly.

  “You will not have this pleasure,” said KC. With a lightning reflex he got up and suddenly rallied his electron gun at Garmin and got his jaw! Blood dripped off Garmin’s mouth as he placed his hand covering his mouth falling to his knees. KC smiled as he stood straight. “so, who is on his knees now?”

  “You are weak Commander,” said Garmin as he wiped the blood off his mouth. “I see all my men fallen down, all 150 odd of them. Not a single one of them dead. You only injured them!” added Garmin, “because you are weak!”

  “Garmin, don’t take my righteousness, as my weakness,” replied KC as he looked at Garmin in the eye. “If I wanted you dead. You would be dead long ago.”

  “Commander… die now,” declared Garmin as he pointed his fazer gun towards KC, “You will go dow….” Just then Garmin got a blow on his head as he dropped his fazer. Garmin turned around in disbelief to find Jenny holding a water pipe with which she had just struck Garmin. Garmin’s men didn’t know how to react as Jenny ran and caught KC as he struggled to stand straight. KC couldn’t stop smiling but he had to stop. His ribs hurt. He hugged Jenny and looked into her eyes. Suddenly… he felt no pain. No sorrow.

  “Commander, you will go down,” said Garmin again as he once more pointed his fazer gun towards KC, and looked in all directions once to ensure no more interruptions, before finally pulling the trigger.

  The fazer launched as it crossed the space between Garmin and KC at light speed. Zaul and the other elite guards couldn’t do anything about it. They had already done much more than what was humanly possible. Along with KC they had fought almost 200 of Garmin’s men. The fazer beam now inches away from KC…got deflected! And it hit one of Garmin’s battle cruisers as it came crashing down.

  “What the..! What in the universe just happened?” said Garmin shocked. He was mighty sure he had pointed the fazer at KC before firing and not at his own ship. Just then the second ship got hit and then his third and then his fourth battle cruiser got hit as it plunged into the clouds below, exploding. All vaporised out of existence. KC could feel his strength back. Their personal location modulators got activated and his men started to heal. Garmin fired at KC again in desperation, but all in vain. The fazers simply got deflected. KC had got his wall back!

  Crona had received their distress call, just in time. A second too late and it would have been all but over. KC dashed towards Garmin and took the fazer out of his hand and twisted his arm trying his best not to rip it off. He planted Garmin’s face into the ground and pressed it hard.

  “Garmin, you are coming with me. I am arresting you for all you have done and for what you were going to do,” declared KC.

  “Hahaha…” laughed Garmin. “You have no idea, do you Commander? Hahaha.” Garmin continued to laugh.

  “What do you mean?” asked KC as he continued to press his palm against Garmin’s face, which was now sandwiched between KC’s hand and the ground. Garmin closed his eyes and counted, “6..5..4..3..2..1.. hahaahahah.” He laughed and then coughed as mud entered his mouth due to his incessant laughing as KC continued to press Garmin’s mouth against the ground. The location modulators stopped working! Though most of KC’s men were almost healed by now. KC could feel… he had again lost his wall. He left Garmin and quickly checked the dish! What in the universe had gone wrong!

  “Crona, Crona,” said KC. There was no reply!

  “Hahaha… you still don’t get it, do you?” said Garmin as he got up keeping his hands on his knees. He was exhausted… “Commander of all the known universe, Commander Kenneth. This is not your universe! You can’t arrest me here. This is not your AMU. Your tech will not work here for long. You can’t stop me. Hahaha,” added Garmin as his fighter craft appeared. Two of his men got off the ship and supported Garmin back into the ship. The ship hovered over the roof and instantaneously vanished.

  “What just happened Commander?” asked Zaul as he looked at KC and tried to get up. His wounds had healed but the weakness was still there.

  “Men, you were all glorious today,” hailed KC as he went on lifting each one of them to their feet. “You are every bit worthy of being in the elite guard. Your actions today will go down in the annals of history - as one of the greatest stands in recorded history ever taken which helped alter a major event. Today, very well could have been the beginning of the end of the AMU if it was not for the raw courage which each one of you displayed.”

  “Thank you, Supreme Commander,” said one and all. “Your appreciation is all we need…”

  Just then, there was a faint flicker and the frequency of flickering kept increasing and in the next moment, they all were in Jenny’s apartment.

  “What’s going on?” said Zaul. “Did we just location-jump?” he added. “Commander…” said Zaul again. “Two men are missing. They are not here!” he added in concern.

  The flickering happened again, and the remaining two men appeared there. Noticeably foxed.

  “Where were you all?” said one of the two men.

  “Where were we?” replied Zaul. “We were right here.

  Where were you two?”

  We were in some desert… nearly got eaten by a huge worm like thing!” said one of them. “And then in the next moment… thankfully we are here!” he concluded with much relief.

  “Commander, this is Crona,” came a voice as his wall, though fluctuating opened up.

  “Oh! Thank the universe,” said KC. “Crona, what just happened!”

  “Commander… this is huge. Way beyond what we could have imagined,” said Crona.

  “I need to park myself first,” said KC exhausted as he sat down on Jenny’s couch and Jenny sat beside him disoriented. “Two yogurts with extra carbs and protein,” said KC as the half-destroyed and tilted food unit, which was down in smoke instantaneously spitted out two yogurt units in a sealed container which KC quickly intercepted in the air and offered one to Jenny.

  “Commander, as soon as we received your distress signal, I alerted Cdr Akil, Rul and Amin and also the council. I immediately initiated a recce signal to search and map the source of your signal…”

  “What did you find?” interrupted KC eagerly.

  “Are we in the 1st sector.?”

  “You are not in sector one,” replied Crona.

  “How is that possible?” said KC alarm
ed. “We left Xz-01 for the coordinates which are in the destroyed Earth’s asteroid belt. Then, when we looked back at Xz-01 from the spacecraft we saw Earth! Which was in the first sector, wasn’t it? And we never location-jumped to another sector!”

  “That Cdr is the exact anomaly that occurred,” replied Crona. You did not location-jump to any sector in the AMU nor did you time-jump. Then how could you have reached Earth! That doesn’t even exist..!” said Crona.

  “So where are we then?” said Zaul not able to control himself.

  “You are in a different space… you are neither in the AMU nor in the past or the future,” replied Crona.

  “Then where are we? This place is as real as any other place,” asked KC.

  “Commander, it seems you are in another universe!” replied Crona.

  “Different from our universe?” asked KC. “But isn’t that contradictory to the word ‘universe’. If there are two universes, then how could there be a universe. In this case, we are in a multiverse!” said KC astounded.

  “That is true Commander. But at a time, we can exist in only one universe. What is happening, is an anomaly,” explained Crona. “When I sent the recce signal to explore your location, my signal left our universe at the coordinates - C- 333.84.1984.253 and entered a different universe at the same coordinates. As if it was a window connecting the two universes. The current universe - let’s call it U2 is an exact replica of our universe, but the events in U2 are completely different from our universe. E.g. In U2 the Earth exists. Also in U2, science and exploration are not as developed. The alien beings here in U2 are similar to the aliens and beings found in our universe but they have not traveled as far as we have. Currently, only the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies have liaised and networked.”

  “And far away locations corresponding to sectors 2 and 3 in our universe have also liaised into small localities of intergalactic communities but the various sectors have not liaised amongst each other yet. In that respect, they are still primitive. There could be a lag of a couple of million years before they too develop the technology to expand and explore beyond their galaxies and sectors. That will ensue an era of great exploration and war until they stabilise and find order in the form of one single gigantic authority with acceptable laws for all if possible, as are existing in our universe under the AMU.”