Demonhome

by Michael G. Manning

  Matthew had been listening the entire time, and while he had understood most of the conversation, he didn’t really comprehend all the particulars. He could tell Karen was upset, and he also got the sense that her surrogate father now had a lot more power than he had had before. He took the opportunity to break in, “Do you know anything about my father? He may have been brought here before I came, or if not, do you know anything about them sending agents to my world?”

  Gary frowned, “Sadly, no. To the best of my knowledge we don’t have the capability yet to send people to other dimensions, and I haven’t come across any information about other travelers like yourself, but I will keep my ears open.”

  ***

  Director Aiseman stared at the incoming status reports, but they didn’t tell him anything new. There was no sign of their mysterious invader, or Dr. Miller’s daughter. The problem was, that simply wasn’t possible, not unless they had vanished from the face of the earth, and if that had happened the ANSIS detection system should have noted another anomalous event.

  Steepling his fingers in front of him, Donald wondered how long it would be before Tanya Miller called him for another update. She was an infuriatingly impatient woman, and he didn’t look forward to reporting a lack of results yet again.

  With a thought, he opened a channel to John Wang, his deputy. “John,” he began simply.

  The face displayed before him looked just as tired and frustrated as he himself felt. “You already know the answer, Donald. You’re getting the reports as soon as I am.”

  “Are we certain she only has one living relative in England?” asked Aiseman.

  John sighed, “Yeah, and we’ve still got her under round the clock surveillance. I’ve been staring at the feeds myself.”

  “What if they’re tampering with the video?” suggested Aiseman.

  “You know as well as I do that that’s impossible,” returned the Deputy Director. “And even if it were possible I’ve had either my own eyes or someone else’s glued to those screens. They would have to do it in real time.”

  “What about looping the video?”

  “Again, tampering with quantum encryption is impossible without alerting us, not to mention the video intelligence algorithms are smart enough to notice something that blatant. Besides which, we’ve seen Mrs. Plant coming and going from her residence and place of work several times, always alone.”

  An alert sounded, and seconds later Dr. Tanya Miller’s face appeared beside the Deputy Director’s. “Report,” she ordered.

  Aiseman could feel a headache building, although he knew it should be impossible. Once uploaded, people didn’t get headaches, unless they deliberately requested to experience such symptoms. He forced his attention to the unpleasant woman staring at him, “No change.”

  Dr. Miller frowned, “Unlikely.”

  He repeated the salient points of his ongoing discussion with the Deputy Director.

  “The She’Har were capable of significant camouflage using their special abilities. That may be the case here,” she told him.

  Fucking civilians, he swore internally. “Doctor, I am aware of that, but they never managed to fool our thermal imaging. Not only that, we have been using three-dimensional radio frequency imaging as well, making use of the wireless network within Mrs. Plant’s home and office. If there were any extra individuals in either place we would see them.”

  Tanya Miller paused, briefly taken aback, “I wasn’t aware the military had those capabilities.”

  Aiseman felt a momentary victory at having surprised her, “Well, you’ve been retired for a while, haven’t you?”

  “Don’t get snippy with me, Director,” she reprimanded him. “If we’ve advanced, it’s possible the She’Har have done so as well, though I suppose it is unlikely in this regard. What about the AGI my husband left her, have you cracked it yet?”

  Aiseman had forgotten about that detail, he directed the question to his deputy, “Well, John?”

  “No luck,” reported the Deputy Director. “It was deleted before we could lock it down.”

  Dr. Miller broke in, “I don’t believe it. Karen was emotionally attached to it. She would never delete it, she’s far too sentimental.”

  “Well someone did,” said Wang dryly.

  Tanya Miller sat quietly for a few seconds, thinking deeply before she spoke again, “You gentleman know my late-husband was heavily involved in the ANSIS project, correct?”

  They both nodded.

  “He was also a very emotional man. He had strong feelings about Karen, even regarding her as his real daughter, no matter how much I tried to talk sense into him. I wouldn’t put it past him to have built substantial extra capabilities into the AGI he left behind,” she stated.

  Aiseman leaned forward, “What are you suggesting?”

  “It may have hidden itself,” she continued. “He was intimately familiar with government and military information systems.”

  “Dr. Miller, I really doubt…,” began Aiseman.

  “Shut up,” she ordered abruptly. “You may hold whatever opinions you want, but I won’t make the mistake of underestimating my late husband. Get whoever passes as an expert in these things nowadays to working on the problem. In the meantime, I want you to get eyes on the ground observing Mrs. Plant.”

  Aiseman fought to rein in his temper, “Organics?”

  “Of course not,” she snapped. “They’re too vulnerable to the She’Har’s special abilities. Just get some cybernetic agents in the area, but don’t use telepresence. I want those soldiers locally present in their machines. I won’t risk leaving anything open to interference from that AGI if it is still running loose.”

  She cut the link after that, leaving Aiseman and Wang staring at one another over their connection. The Deputy Director shrugged and after a nod from his boss he vanished as well. Donald Aiseman sat quietly, staring at the wall and wondering why he hadn’t retired yet. His job had always given him a sense of purpose, but lately he wasn’t sure it was worth it.

  Chapter 20

  Matthew gingerly eased open the rotting wooden door in front of him. He was in a long stone corridor and the lighting was almost nonexistent, but fortunately his sword glowed brilliantly, courtesy of the magic it was imbued with.

  As the door opened several brutish, and very ugly humanoids looked at him. They appeared to be playing cards and were seated around a table that had probably seen better days. With a chorus of inhuman shrieks, they leapt to their feet and quickly brandished the weapons that had been sitting beside them.

  He met the first one, catching a blow from its mace on his shield while stabbing down at its legs. When he cut into its thigh, it screamed and fell sideways, but another immediately took its place. A blow from the third caught him high on his shoulder, and he staggered to one side.

  “Don’t let them past you!” yelled Karen from behind him.

  Several bolts of greenish light flew over Matt’s shoulder, catching the one that had hit him in the face. It fell back, but the one he had wounded scrambled past him on his other side. Swinging horizontally, he caught it with a slash to the back of its neck. Green ichor spurted from the wound, and the creature’s body collapsed, falling into him.

  As he struggled to disentangle himself, the second one made it to Karen, thrusting a long knife through her belly as she struggled to finish another spell. She collapsed with a burbling sigh, then the monster turned to finish him off.

  The ensuing struggle was brief and brutal. He managed to kill the second before the lone survivor put an axe through his skull. The world grew dark.

  Moments later it lightened, and he found himself back in the village of Stremlin. Karen stood a few feet away, a disapproving look on her face.

  “What?!” he challenged.

  “You can’t charge into rooms like that,” she said in exasperation. “There are only two of us. When they come around you, it makes it impossible for me to cast. If you’d stayed in the hallway we c
ould have taken them.”

  Matthew shook his head, then glared at his armor and weapons, “This is stupid. Why am I the warrior anyway?”

  “Being a wizard is complicated,” she told him. “You barely understand the game yet.”

  “We should both play wizards,” he shot back. “Fighting like this is stupid, it’s like I’m asking them to hit me.”

  “Yes!” she said, nodding vigorously. “That’s the idea. You take the hits so I can finish them off.”

  He waved his sword in front of her, “Real wizards don’t need ‘meatshields’ or whatever you call them. If I was allowed to use my true abilities I could have taken all three of them with my back turned—while making breakfast.”

  Thinking back to their battle with the military in the mountains, she decided he was probably being honest, but it didn’t help their current situation. “This is a game, dumbass. We have to play with what we’re given. In this world, wizards can be powerful, but they aren’t gods.”

  He arched an eyebrow at her, “I killed a god once.”

  That stopped her in her tracks, “What? Really?!”

  He felt slightly self-conscious after bragging about it, but it was true. “Actually, yes, though truth be told, it nearly killed us.”

  “Us?”

  “Me and my friend Gram,” he explained.

  Karen’s eyes narrowed, “Is your friend Gram a wizard too?”

  “Well, no, but he’s a damn good warrior.”

  “So, he was your meatshield,” she accused, seizing on his admission.

  Matt gaped at her for a moment, before closing his mouth. She had a valid point there. “My father killed a whole slew of them, and he fought several on his own.”

  Karen found the direction the conversation had taken fascinating, but she wasn’t about to surrender her advantage, “But the other times, he had help, didn’t he?”

  His face took on a somber expression, “Gram’s dad, Dorian.”

  “Was he a warrior too?” she pressed.

  Matthew felt his anger draining away as he remembered the day his power had awakened, the day Dorian had died, in part due to his failure to save the man. Once more he saw the massive stone gate crashing downward, crushing Sir Dorian beneath its vast weight. He turned away, feeling his cheeks flush and his eyes grow damp. Logically, he knew his expression wouldn’t be visible on his avatar, but he was embarrassed nonetheless.

  She knew she had hit on a sensitive subject, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied.

  Moving closer she put a hand on his shoulder, “What happened?”

  He didn’t really want to talk about it, but she was insistent. Slowly, grudgingly, he told her the story of Dorian Thornbear’s death. It took most of an hour to explain the situation and partway through they logged out and sat down on the bed so they could talk face to face.

  After his tale wound down to its inevitable and tragic conclusion Karen reached out and touched his cheek with one hand. When he turned his head to look at her, he was surprised as she planted a soft kiss on his lips.

  He stiffened briefly, not sure how to respond. He had secretly hoped something like that might happen, but his more rational side had come to think perhaps she would forget about what had occurred between them a few days previously. He was still convinced nothing good would come of it for her, and he was loathe to hurt her.

  Sensing his mood, she interrupted his thoughts, “That one was free, alright? Don’t be so hard on yourself. Love isn’t as serious on this world as it is in yours. I’m a big girl.”

  “I’m leaving when this is over,” he said frankly.

  The words stung a little, but she had already expected them, “Women aren’t helpless here, or dependent. I don’t need any promises or protection. I certainly don’t need a husband, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Then why did you kiss me?” he asked.

  That statement implied things that would ordinarily have been insulting, but Karen could see the genuine honesty in his question. “It’s rather sad that you have to ask that,” she told him. “In this world love and affection are mostly matters of the heart. We don’t have to worry about survival or security. Is that what you have to look forward to when you get home, a wife that desires you only for what you can provide?”

  “Marriage isn’t that cold-blooded in my world,” he protested. “I think most marry for love, but for people in my position it isn’t that simple.”

  “Because you’re a wizard?”

  “Because I’m a nobleman,” he corrected. “I sometimes envy the commoners their freedom. I’m not even sure I want to be married, but I know it’s expected of me, and when I do, it will most likely involve significant political and financial considerations.”

  “Well, in this world, you’re just a homeless vagabond,” she said with a wink. “Forget about your marital doom for a while. I’ll be fine when it’s over.”

  He gave her a wary look, “What does that mean, exactly?”

  “It means ‘kiss me’, idiot.”

  Matthew hesitated for a moment, and then obliged her. After a few minutes he pulled away, “What about children?”

  “I don’t have any,” she answered. “Do you?” When he responded by glaring at her she laughed and answered more seriously, “We have this thing called birth control. You don’t have to worry.”

  “How does it work?”

  She explained the basics of birth control pills to him before admitting that she wasn’t actually on them herself. “But I have a short-term solution,” she finished. “My aunt was thoughtful enough to give me these.” She dug a box out of the dresser that contained a collection of small plastic packages.

  When she unwrapped one and showed it to him, he was dubious, “Have you ever used one of those things before?”

  Karen flushed with embarrassment, “Almost, once.”

  “Almost?”

  “I had a boyfriend, briefly, when I was younger,” she admitted. “We got close, but when he saw my blue skin—he kinda freaked out.”

  “How rude!” said Matthew in mock indignation. “I think blue’s a lovely color.”

  Karen smiled, her cheeks flushing a shade of lavender.

  “Perhaps you can instruct me in the use of this thing?” he suggested slyly.

  “I can try,” she replied, though in truth, she was almost as much a novice as he was. The next hour was tender, sweet, and occasionally humorous, but the two of them persisted with an open air of equal parts adventure and passion.

  ***

  They passed a week that way, exploring virtual gaming worlds and each other. Desacus grew bored, but they heeded Roberta’s warnings and stayed indoors, never setting foot outside for fear of discovery.

  Roberta said nothing to her niece about their obviously carnal relationship, preferring to keep her opinions to herself, whatever they might be.

  Karen woke in the middle of the night and rolled over. The room was dark, but she could see the faint glow of an active visor nestled over Matthew’s face. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Studying toilets,” he answered immediately.

  “Toilets?” she said in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yep,” he replied.

  “You can’t even read,” she stated, before doubting herself. “Can you?”

  He chuckled softly, “A little, but it’s much harder than learning to speak. I’m mainly relying on old videos, as long as they explain things verbally I can get by just fine.”

  “Why toilets?”

  Matthew grimaced, “I spent most of my life wiping my ass with a smooth wooden dowel. I don’t think you appreciate what a revelation your world’s toilets have been.”

  She smirked, “You haven’t even encountered a bidet yet, you’re going to lose your mind.”

  “Actually, I was just watching a video on them. They seem a lot more practical to try to recreate when I get back home.”

  That got her curio
sity going, “How so?”

  “Paper is a precious commodity on my world,” he explained. “More so than gold in some regards. The only reason it isn’t as valuable as gold is because it is only in demand by a select few. I can’t imagine what would happen to the price if I tried to introduce toilet paper.”

  They sat quietly for a while after that, until Karen started laughing to herself.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I was just imagining how famous you’ll be when you get back. Your dad saved the world from some vicious alien gods, but you’ll go down in history as the fellow who invented the crapper. They might even name it after you. People will forever be saying, ‘Excuse me, I need to go to the Matthew’,” she explained.

  “That isn’t funny,” he replied sourly.

  “You’re too serious,” she complained.

  With a sigh he removed the visor, “It’s hard not to be. Every day I see more evidence of the amazing knowledge my people lost. I’ve come across so many mind-boggling revelations that your people just take for granted. Bacteria, for example…”

  “What do you mean, lost?” she interrupted.

  “I told you before, that I thought your world is probably analogous to my world’s past, several thousand years ago, except in yours, the She’Har lost. In mine, they won. Mankind was enslaved, and our science all but forgotten. Who knows what your people will achieve in the coming years, while mine are still wiping their asses with sticks.” There was an obvious note of bitterness in his voice.

  “At least you have magic.”

  “A tiny handful of people have magic,” he corrected.

  She started to joke, “Then you just need to make lots of magic b…” She stopped herself before the word ‘babies’ came out. Stupid, she cursed herself. He’s leaving soon, don’t make this worse than it is.

  “Lots of what?”

  A flashing red light from her visor saved her from having to answer. “Someone’s trying to contact me.”