Mobius

by Vincent Vale

A knock at the medical bay door startled me awake. My arms were empty of Allienora’s slight figure. It saddened me. I wanted to hold her forever. She had apparently left while I slept. Another knock brought me to my feet. I opened the door and found Rozlyn.

  “We’re nearing the alien vessel,” she said. “You should eat before we try to enter.”

  “I am kind of hungry.”

  I went to the galley and sat beside Allienora. “You were gone when I woke up.”

  She smiled. “I enjoyed our talk.”

  “So did I.”

  “Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes. I feel... lighter—now that there aren’t any secrets.”

  Rozlyn approached and handed me a small, unidentifiable loaf. “Despite its blandness, it’s highly nutritious.”

  “Mm... delicious,” I mumbled during my first bite. It tasted like shit.

  Morion was the only person in the company not eating scantily. Despite his expression of utter revolt, he ate like a pig. “It’s a mistake to dine on such flavorless food before a dangerous mission. What if it’s our last meal? One shouldn’t depart for the afterlife with a stomach full of sludge.”

  “Enough!” said Orsteen. “Do you want to curse us?”

  “I agree with Morion,” said Thirm Bastile. “A more adequate meal should’ve been considered.”

  The group began talking about the perfect final meal.

  I looked to Allienora and we exchanged secret glances. What is she doing to me? Can I truly feel such feelings again?

  I suddenly became aware of the infinity spiral pressing against my chest. In a moment of confusion, I withdrew my gaze from Allienora and continued eating.

  One of Rozlyn’s colleagues entered the galley. “The weapon’s assembly is complete.”

  I choked down my last bland bite. “Are you confident it works?”

  “I am,” said Rozlyn’s colleague. “Yet it wouldn’t hurt to say a prayer to your gods.”

  “Then there’s no reason to delay,” said Rozlyn. “Follow me to the control cabin.”

  Rozlyn escorted us to the forward cabin of the ship, where she discharged the current pilot from a control chair and took his place. On a massive view-panel, we saw the alien vessel. The image of the planet-sized vessel was crystal clear. The surface was constructed like a complex machine of black and gray composite. Great conduits of light ran along the surface of the sphere, possibly the method for channeling power. But it was the orb of blue energy, a quarter of the alien vessel’s diameter, that truly took our breaths away. It was like a glowing moon of energy hovering just above the surface of the planet-sized vessel. Rozyln had theorized it to be a massive dimensional gateway engine like the Brahman Station’s.

  “What kind of readings are you getting from the smaller orb?” I took a step closer to Rozlyn. “At this distance you should be able to determine if it’s a dimensional gateway engine.”

  “Give me a minute,” said Rozlyn, interlinking with the ship’s sensor matrix. The view-panel indicated the ship’s sensors were analyzing the orb of blue energy. The structures of subatomic particles popped-up on the screen until at least a hundred were displayed. “Subatomic particle decay indicates the presence of a negative Higgs field. Dimensional symmetry is distorted.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s one big, fucking beautiful dimensional gateway engine.”

  “Beautiful but terrifying,” said Allienora.

  My smile subsided. “These aliens are giants compared to us.”

  “I don’t think we should go inside,” said Thirm. “Couldn’t we detonate the weapon at the surface? This would be less dangerous.”

  “It must be detonated inside,” said Rozlyn. “We only have one chance with the weapon.”

  “Where do you plan to enter?” asked Orsteen.

  Rozlyn zoomed-in on the alien vessel. “There are thirteen openings on the visible side. There’s little difference between each. I’ll choose randomly.”

  The opening was no more than a pore on the face of the gargantuan craft. All in the group were silent as the Fractal Skylark entered the planet-sized vessel’s gravity field and neared the opening. At last we entered, but were soon confronted by a barrier. It was the color of quicksilver and undulated in a gentle, fluidic fashion.

  “What is it?” asked Orsteen.

  “Whatever it is, it blocks our way,” I said. “Rozlyn, what does the sensor data show? Is there a way around it?”

  My question went unanswered. Rozlyn was in a catatonic state, her eyes wide in an empty gaze.

  “What’s wrong with her?” asked Morion.

  I tried to grab her, but my arm recoiled from the bite of electricity. “She’s guarded by a force field.”

  Allienora stared at the view-panel. “She’s not slowing our course. We’re going to hit the barrier.”

  “She’s being influence by them!” shouted Thirm.

  “I’ll stop her.” Orsteen flexed his muscles in anticipation of the electrical shock. His fists hit the force field and he crashed backward. “That bit the bone! I hope my sympathetic implants aren’t shorted.”

  Allienora helped him up. “If you remove her now, we’ll all die. Do you know how to fly this ship?”

  “You’re right,” responded Orsteen. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “We’re out of time, in any case,” I said. “Hold on!”

  Surprisingly, the Fractal Skylark didn’t crash into the quicksilver barrier with the force we were predicting. Rather, it sank into the fluid-like mass, moving through its depths with a sluggish speed.

  Everyone relaxed when Rozlyn became responsive. “Everything’s fine. We’re safe.”

  “Why didn’t you respond?” I asked. “And why were you shielded?”

  “My mind was busy in calculation. The shield’s a safety precaution while I’m in such a state. Without it, a saboteur could’ve slaughtered me.”

  “Your actions were reckless,” I said. “The next time you plan to put us in danger, I think we should talk about it first.”

  “While I was interlinked with the sensor matrix, I realized the barrier wasn’t dangerous. It appears to be a containment gate.” Rozlyn paused. “But if you insist, we’ll put our next course of action to a vote.”

  I looked to the view-panel just as the Fractal Skylark emerged from the quicksilver barrier and saw inside. “My God, it’s beautiful.”

  We were confronted by an unlikely inner landscape. A lush alien forest splayed out before us. Enormous plumes of pink, feathery umbrellas, reached high into the air, creating an amazing canopy. Below it, a spongy forest floor was overgrown with spiraling fronds and red prickly bushes. Green vines with amber pods grew unbridled, choking a variety of other strange plant life. Scattered among the wild vegetation were large pillars of technology. Rozlyn scanned the structures and the view-panel showed them to be gravity generators.

  Above it all hovered great spheres of artificial light, like a series of miniature suns. They floated in an ominous ashen haze which veiled whatever loomed beyond.

  Orsteen moved close to the view-panel. “Are we in a basin, or something of this nature? In the distance, the forest rises up into the mist above.”

  Rozlyn reviewed the sensor data. “We’re in some kind of tubular forest channel, nearly fifty kilometers in diameter. The gravity contours with the inner walls, so all surfaces are flat ground.”

  Morion’s eyes widened. “I didn’t think it would be so splendid. Maybe we shouldn’t destroy this amazing habitat.”

  I held up my fist. “Don’t forget Earth.”

  “I’m landing the ship,” said Rozlyn. “We should do an initial survey before we proceed.”

  Rozlyn submerged the ship under the forest canopy and landed.

  “Is the atmosphere breathable?” asked Allienora.

  “It is, but we should remain cautious and use breathers while remaining cloaked. We don’t want to be detected.” Rozlyn sat up from the control chair. “Come. Let’s
suit up.”

  I put on an environmental suit, which was also a cloak. “This looks like an amazing piece of technology, Rozlyn. Nothing like the old kind.”

  “The cloak will also negate the sound of your voice. You’ll need this communicator.” Rozlyn jammed something in my ear and then addressed Thirm. “You’ll be in charge of transporting the weapon.”

  Thirm’s face puckered as though he smelled something bad. “I’m not a mule.”

  “This isn’t the time to question,” replied Rozlyn. “The weapon’s been equipped with an anti-gravity lift for easy movement and a cloak for concealment.”

  “Fine,” said Thirm.

  With the black hole weapon, packs of provisions, plasma guns, and anti-gravity belts, the company of six departed the Fractal Skylark. We walked out into an atmosphere full of murk and shadows. The occasional shaft of light filtered down through the forest canopy.

  “Unsettling,” said Allienora, grabbing my hand.

  “Agreed.” I momentarily removed my breather and sampled the air. I smelled many rich and complex odors from the surrounding forest life.

  “Activate your cloaks,” said Rozlyn.

  I did so and immediately felt a dry static on my face. “I don’t think they’re working. You all look like gray shadows.”

  “They have interactive fields,” said Rozlyn, “allowing you to see your fellow travelers.”

  Allienora hadn’t activated her cloak. “They’re working fine. I can’t see any of you, though I can hear the crunching of forest detritus below your footsteps.”

  I found a sensor device in my pack and pointed it upward. “Beyond the mist, the forest splits into two great channels. As far as these readings show, one channel moves toward the center of the alien vessel, while the other heads somewhere along its outer fringe.”

  “Let’s get a closer look at this gravity generator,” said Allienora.

  I could see her perfect figure, like a gray silhouette, moving toward it. The rest of us followed her.

  The gravity generator was twenty meters high. As we approached, it again became clear that we were out of our element. The surface of the structure seemed to contain a tremendous level of complexity, as if every square centimeter held a microcosm of technology. I scanned the surface and was blown away.

  “The micro-structure of the material is like a living organism. Arteries run throughout the material transporting a super-dense plasma filled with an array of base elements. The elements are being used as building blocks. I can detect the atomic reorganization of the elements on the surface of the structure.”

  “How are the elements being reorganized?” asked Allienora.

  “By a force that can’t be detected by this scan pad.” I looked upward. “This gravity generator is literally being grown. The nano-intelegent matter of our Similacra is nothing compared to this. These aliens can grow a complex and functional machine without lifting a finger.”

  “This is priceless technology,” said Morion, removing a scan pad from his pack. “It’s possible this entire planet-sized vessel was grown with this technology.”

  Rozlyn commanded silence with a hiss. “There’s movement in the distance. Be still.”

  Three figures like tailless monkeys bounded through the forest toward us.

  At first, I thought they were foraging wildlife, but as they came closer, I noticed they were covered in protective armor, obviously forged by unnatural means.

  “Fascinating,” whispered Rozlyn. “Although strangely proportioned, they have two arms, two legs, and a head. Quite similar to us.”

  The large bulge that Rozlyn called a head was also covered with armor. We had no way of knowing what was inside. In the center of the so-called head was a single golden crystal, inlaid into the armor. It stared forth like a fiery eye.

  Morion made a small laugh. “Our solar system has been invaded by a race of Cyclops monkeys.”

  “Shall I give them a stomp?” grumbled Orsteen. “They’ll squish below my boots.”

  “We’d be revealed,” I said. “It’s too soon to risk the mission. Stay still.”

  One of the aliens perched itself on a branch and swept its golden eye across the forest landscape. The other two stood nearby, also giving attention to their surroundings. Far-off squawks and howls of unseen beasts heightened the situation. I was getting anxious and began to sweat. My hands thoughtlessly reached for my plasma gun. If the aliens came closer, they’d stumble upon the cloaked ship, which would stop them dead in their tracks.

  With my plasma gun in hand, I nervously waited for the aliens’ next move.

  During the stillness, brown and jade centipede creatures stirred from the underbrush. With long, grasping mouthparts they munched on fallen fruits and forest debris. A specimen the size of a human arm approached my cloaked leg. With two rows of sticky feet, it climbed upward.

  I suppressed the urge to kick it away, for fear the creature would cause a commotion as it tumbled on the ground. The aliens continued inspecting their surroundings. I wondered if they had noticed the centipede’s disappearance as it crawled up the length of my leg and into my cloaking field.

  The giant centipede became still, clinging to the length of my leg with its mouthparts at my hip. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, the centipede began chewing on my environmental suit.

  Holy shit!

  The centipede spit bile on me. The acidic fluid dissolved one of my pockets and worked its way through my suit. The control node for my cloak was only inches from where the centipede feasted. I prepared to strike it with the butt of my plasma gun—but, before I could act, the centipede fell from my leg and out of the cloaking field. It twisted and writhed, causing a commotion that captured the attention of the three aliens.

  The alien on the branch jumped toward me and landed on the centipede. It was only a meter away. I squeezed the grip of my plasma gun. The alien snapped up the centipede with an armored hand and inspected it with its golden eye. In an instant, the armor surrounding the alien’s head shifted into an unseen dimension, revealing its weird alien face. It inspected the centipede with two bulging, emerald eyes, below which dangled a tan snout. Like a tiny elephant trunk, it extended outward, probing and smelling the centipede.

  I breathed faster. It still hadn’t seen me. I held up my plasma gun, ready to fire. Everyone else aimed at the other two, which remained nearly ten meters away.

  “Don’t fire,” whispered Rozlyn. “We’re not in danger yet. Our cloaks also mask our smell. Their long snouts shouldn’t detect us.”

  With its two armored hands, the alien cracked open the centipede, exposing its frothy innards. It continued its examination and then immersed its hand into one of the gory ends, pulling from it my vial of amber narcotic. My heart raced. The centipede had eaten it along with the fabric of my pocket. It was now empty—the lid had apparently dissolved from the centipede’s corrosive bile.

  As the alien held up the empty vial, I grew angry. I needed my drug and this alien made me lose it. It would pay. I was ready to gouge out its bulging, emerald eyes and tear its slippery snout from its head.

  “I’m going to kill it,” I growled. “It found my vial. Take aim at the other two monkeys.”

  “Control yourself, Theron!” cried Allienora. “It’s obvious their armor will protect them. You may be able to kill yours with a shot to the head, but the other two may be impervious to our plasma guns.”

  “They’re aware of us,” I said, studying the alien’s reaction to the vial. “They have evidence.”

  The alien smelled the vial and then extended its snout toward the forest. It was apparently searching for a similar scent. At one point, I swore its bulging, emerald eyes met my own.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about my amber narcotic. Without it, he’ll torment me. Without it, he’ll twist me to his will. Without it, the Fume will take my sanity.

  The alien suddenly stopped its search, relaxed its long snout, and shifted its head armor back from an
unseen dimension. Its fiery, crystal eye again gazed forth. Without further investigation of the vial’s origin, all three aliens vanished into a puff of blue light, which I suspected only Rozlyn and I could see with our synthetic eyes. They seemed to command an advanced form of dimensional travel.

  I trembled with rage, fear, and madness. “I can’t believe they didn’t find us. We might not be so lucky next time. Let’s deliver the weapon as quick as possible.”

  “They must have detected the Fractal Skylark,” said Rozlyn. “We better travel by anti-gravity belts from here on out.”

  “We’ll be more productive if we divide into two groups,” I said. “The forest splits into two channels. One group can move to the center of this inner-world with the black hole weapon, while the other group takes the channel along the outer fringe to perform reconnaissance.”

  “Sounds good,” said Rozlyn, inspecting everyone. “Since I’m the only one familiar with the black hole weapon, I’ll take it to the center. Thirm Bastile can help me.”

  “Very well,” I said. “Our paths split here. Assuming it’s a straight course to the center of the alien vessel, twenty-four hours should be sufficient to rendezvous back at this point. Set the black hole weapon to detonate with enough time to allow our escape. Good luck. The future of humankind rests in your hands.”

  With the black hole weapon in their possession and their anti-gravity belts engaged, Rozlyn and Thirm took flight through the feathery canopy and into the mist above.

  I looked to Allienora, Orsteen, and Morion. “Shall we be off as well?”

  “Wait!” called Orsteen. “I’ll stay here and protect the ship. The three aliens may return for a second look.”

  “The crew of the Fractal Skylark can handle such a task,” I said. “Don’t you want to discover the mysteries before us?”

  “I can’t fly,” admitted Orsteen. “I’m a Mercury Miner. We don’t have a propensity for such flight. Would you put wings on a rhinoceros?”

  Morion laughed. “You know your limits, Mr. Hunn. However, don’t worry. It’s not that hard. When you become airborne, don’t struggle. Let your legs go limp and have faith in the anti-gravity belt around your waist.”