The Place Beyond

by Ryan Lohner

  Mary interjected, “We don’t even remember them anymore. They could be a way for us to be found, and we didn’t trust ourselves to be careful enough, so we had those memories removed.”

  Matt said, “Wait, they can do that in Krell? We heard of memories being added, but not the other way.”

  Tom nodded. “It was still an experimental procedure at the time, and given all the problems it caused, I doubt much progress has been made since. The types of people you spent most of your time dealing with probably didn’t even know the possibility existed. But we should keep going with the story.

  “We were fortunate enough to be born to the elite of the world. We had everything we could have wished for, and we didn’t think at all of the people who were less fortunate.”

  Mary cut in. “You have to understand, people from our class hardly even heard about the existence of any other kinds of people. They only made the news when one of them did something to hurt people. It didn’t make for the best impression.”

  Matt nodded. “I do understand. I’ve dealt with people like that for quite a while. The better ones are the people who are able to get over it, which you obviously did.”

  Tom nodded. “We certainly did. We were scientists, prodigies in fact. That’s how we met, when we impressed our superiors enough to be assigned to General Spencer’s most top secret project – a corridor to another world.”

  Mary picked it up. “I was the one who saw the truth first. The method of all scientific progress is testing various hypotheses until you find one that works. And this project was so dangerous, I started wondering how that testing was done. We never heard anything about it, and we never asked. It just wasn’t something we needed to know. But then, one night, shortly after we’d got married, I forgot an important file I wanted to spend extra time working on, and returned to the office. And on my way out, I saw …” she paused and stared at the ground again.

  Tom put his arm around her and she regained her composure, giving him a thankful look. “On the lower floor, I heard someone coming. There were strict rules about being in the building after hours, so I hid around a corner and I saw a pair of soldiers open a door. And suddenly I heard screaming. It was people from the lower levels, chained up in one room together until there was barely any space. Some were obviously criminals, but others just had this defeated look to them and I suspected they were randomly grabbed off the street. Then the soldiers pulled one of the people out of the room and got in the teleporter, where one of them told it to send them to the corridor itself. That was enough for me to put the pieces together.”

  Now Tom took over. “She told me as soon as she got home, and … well, I’m ashamed to say it, but I refused to believe her. A lifetime of accepting the status quo isn’t done away with so easily. But then she made me come with her the next night and I saw it for myself.”

  Mary continued, “Suddenly we started wondering how much else was going on that we’d just accepted, tossing any concern away as someone else’s problem. And we came to the conclusion that there was no way the society we’d grown up in could exist without a lot of people paying for it that none of us knew about. And we were both disgusted, and didn’t want at all to keep living that way, no matter how impossible it seemed to stop. That’s when we discovered that I was pregnant.”

  Tom took up the story again. “We couldn’t bear the thought of raising our child with the same lies we were fed. But then, what would happen if he grew up knowing the truth? We were terrified that he’d draw attention to himself, and we’d all be dealt with somehow. And then we thought of the corridor. It was nearing completion, at least regarding small groups, and I shudder to think of how many suffered to reach that point. Using it felt a bit like stepping on their graves. But what else was there for us to do? Once we knew the truth, it was hard enough for us to keep living in that world, and with a child, it would be impossible.”

  Mary went on, “But first we had to wait for the corridor to be safe, and in that time, Jim was born. We were actually planning to wait for it anyway; there had been no testing on pregnant women, not that we’d heard of anyway, and we had no idea what would happen if I tried to go through earlier. So we broke in and took enough Neserene for the three of us, and went through.”

  Jane said, “Wait a minute. We heard this story. A couple and their baby came to this world, and the couple was killed, with the baby left behind.”

  Tom snorted. “No doubt that’s what the official story was. Our escape must have caused a big enough stir in the government that they couldn’t just cover it up, and they wouldn’t want to look like the two of us had outsmarted them. But the truth is, the state of the corridor at the time gave us all the advantages. Not only could just a few people go through at once, but they had only an hour or so until their signal would be lost and they wouldn’t be able to get back. Perfect for us, since we didn’t care about that, but a nasty threat for anyone sent after us.” He allowed himself a smile.

  Mary said, “And the memory removal provided the perfect way to ensure we wouldn’t be found. Memory is stored in all kinds of different places in the brain, unique to each person. So a mass production of a device to remove it is impossible. But when all you want gone is the specific memories of a specific person … well, it’s still incredibly difficult, but like we said, we were prodigies.”

  “But not anymore,” finished Tom. “All we wanted was to settle into this place like regular, mundane people, so that’s what we’ve done for the last sixteen years. It’s a good life, and we’re happy with it. And now you’re the only other people in this world who know the story. We never told Jim – what would be the point? As far as he knows, he’s just a regular person from this world, and we hoped he’d never even know about Krell.”

  Matt had been enraptured by the story, but now the full implications sank in. “And now he’s stuck there, and there’s no way to get him back. Oh God, I’m so sorry.”

  Tom put a hand on his shoulder. “We understand. You were swept up into something you had no control over. But that’s also not quite accurate. We actually do have a way back.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The Serris home was quite breathtakingly ordinary. After the story he’d heard, Matt found it kind of a let-down. But of course, that’s exactly the effect they would have wanted. They’d built a life here and had done everything they could to forget that they’d ever lived anywhere else. He and Jane had both called their parents and explained that they would be staying out a little longer, and they weren’t sure what Mr. and Mrs. Serris wanted with them, but it was bound to be important, and they wanted to do whatever they could to help. This had the advantage of being completely true.

  Now they were conducted into the master bedroom, where Tom opened one of the floorboards that a second before had seemed just as flush as the boards around it. “Special bonding to our skin. This won’t work if anyone else tries it, but we tuned it to both of us so we can open it any time. It’s also set to respond to specific pressure, so walking around in bare feet isn’t an issue.”

  Under the board was a thin safe, similar to the ones Matt had seen in hotels when his parents were taken out of town on assignments. There was no dial or keypad, however. Instead, Tom and Mary simultaneously pressed their thumbs to either side of the door.

  Mary smiled. “It took us a while to get used to these not being around. Having to memorize combinations was something we hadn’t been prepared for.”

  Matt grinned a bit himself; this view of his world from the other side had him thinking in a whole new way.

  Inside the safe was a black sphere, about an inch and a half across. Tom pulled at it and it turned out to be made of different pieces that slid around each other, like a Rubik’s Cube. His movements were too quick to fully comprehend, and Matt’s head spun at how complex the insignificant-looking device must really be.

  “This access pattern is the one thing we left ourselves of our former intelligence. And it’s certainly come
in handy lately.”

  At last the sphere shot out a projection into the middle of the room which Matt recognized as the spot in the woods where they’d found the soldiers. It was seen from high up, with fully natural-looking image quality, color and sound, like a high definition television set in midair. “What is this?” he asked.

  Tom said, “The one thing we brought with us. There’s a camera completely undetectable by this world’s technology hovering over that spot, where the corridor opens. And every time it does, we get notified by an implant in the brain. If the need ever arose, we were planning to explain them as being from an old accident. So whenever we get a signal, we fire this up and watch what happens. Luckily, so far it’s just been a bit of recon. Dave and his ‘father’ were the ones on deep cover, with a rotating team set up at the entrance in case they sent for any help.”

  Jane said, “Wait a minute. If you check this thing every time it opens, why didn’t you see us leaving?”

  Mary said, “Oh, we were watching last night. Except from what you’ve told us, you were sent through first. By the time we got it ready, all that was left to see was the soldiers going home, so we didn’t think anything of it. The less of them here, the better.”

  Matt entered the conversation. “I think I’ve figured it out. The next time a corridor opens, you call us, and we all head for it. Just one problem – what do we do once we get there?”

  Tom got that smile again. “The camera was the one tool we brought, but we kept one other, less tangible thing, just in case.” Without any further words, he executed a flurry of fighting moves that Matt recognized as the same ones now in his head.

  Matt looked at Mary and said, as well as he could with a jaw struggling not to drop, “You, too?”

  “I don’t like to show off as much,” she cast a side-eye at her husband, “but yes. Our being discovered was always a risk, and the basic moves that scientists get in their packages weren’t going to be enough. So we broke into the warehouse where they’re manufactured and gave ourselves an upgrade. Rather more elegant than taking on a police station, but then, you were pressed for time.” Jane said, “Well, that’s great and all, but what is our actual plan? And I hope it doesn’t depend on me joining in, because you might recall I didn’t get anything.”

  Tom replied, “No, don’t worry about that. We should be able to take care of everything. Now, here’s what we do …”

  * * *

  After returning home, Matt was able to get away with a bit of the truth again. All he had to say was, “They think they might be on to something, and they’re going to call me to make sure,” and his parents bought it. Everyone thinking he was deep in grief was starting to become very handy, at least where having to explain himself was concerned.

  And it turned out they didn’t have to wait long, as that very night he got a call. Tom only said, “We got one,” and hung up, the better to avoid any searches the police might be making regarding the recent disappearances.

  Matt then simply said to his parents that the Serrises would be picking him and Jane up, and it was important they act as fast as possible, and it worked like a charm. When they arrived, he was able to get right in the car with just a brief, “I hope it works,” from his parents to send him off. Jane had had a bit more trouble, as her brothers insisted on coming too at first, but then her parents had taken control and she was able to join them.

  On the way there, Mary said, “Now remember, if this works, we won’t know how much time has passed when we get there. Jim may have not seen us for months.” She wiped away a tear. “But whatever happens, we have one simple goal – get him out.”

  Matt and Jane just nodded. They’d gone over the plan several times and everyone knew their role. Now they arrived at the woods and headed in, flashlights at the ready. For the first part of the plan it was important to look like they weren’t sneaking around. Instead, they had to give the impression of being just a random group of thrill seekers out to get a look at any of the supposed supernatural things the town’s economy was based on. And that meant shining their lights around at random, though Matt couldn’t help but feel a flutter in his stomach every time he made a new sweep.

  After a few minutes it paid off, as a voice shouted, “Hold up there!”

  Matt and Jane promptly lowered their eyes, acting the part of scared kids, while conveniently hiding their faces in case these were people who would recognize them. Though with his fleeting glimpses, Matt was able to tell that their armor was turned off. Just as expected, these men were assigned to get anyone who wandered into the area away without inciting any suspicions. One of them said, “I’m sorry, but we’re conducting a scientific survey nearby, very hush hush for the moment, you understand. So if you could just stick to an area over in that direction,” he waved vaguely behind them, “we’d really appreciate it.”

  Tom pulled out a map borrowed from the town library, showing various oddities of the area. “Oh, we’re really sorry. It’s just that we were told this was a good area for Jersey Devil sightings. If you don’t mind, could you point out someplace else that’s good for us?”

  Matt let himself feel some amusement at the soldiers’ obvious discomfort. Attacking enemies they could deal with, but confront them with nice, polite people who simply wouldn’t go away when they were told, and suddenly all the training in the world wouldn’t help, whether it came from a cartridge or not. But after a few seconds they did come closer and Matt actually found himself a bit curious about what exactly they would have said. But that would remain a mystery, as once they were within range, the Serrises let loose with a lightning-quick attack that targeted shins, stomachs, throats, anything that would put a man down quickly and keep him there. He was suddenly very glad these two were on his side.

  After the men were down, the Serrises took their pulsers and Tom said to Matt and Jane, “So far, so good.” They continued forward, Matt having a quite bizarre sense of déjà vu through the whole trip. Every hanging branch or loose patch of ground that had been an obstacle before was familiar from his previous two trips along this route, but the circumstances were now so different that it didn’t seem right somehow.

  The Serrises stopped suddenly, and Tom whispered, “We’re at the limit of their sensors’ range.” He took the projector out of his pocket, did the same impossible to follow fiddling with it, and the image popped up. By the light of another floating sphere within it, they saw five soldiers lounging around, looking at their instruments. “They’ll be expecting their men back soon. And if we take a few more steps, they’ll see us. This is where things get a bit trickier.” He stooped and picked up a rock. “Never underestimate the simple stuff. It can always come in handy.”

  Mary said, “The training we took ourselves will let us handle two at a time for a bit, but that still leaves one more. Matt, are you up for it?”

  Matt nodded. “There’s no way I’m backing out now.”

  Jane said, “And I’ll just be sitting off to the sides.” She shrugged at them all. “Oh, I absolutely get it. I can’t fight as well as any of you, and it’s my own fault. It’s just frustrating, though.”

  Matt looked her in the eye. “You were a valuable member of the team while we were getting out of there. More impressive than me or Jim, even, since you did it on your own. You may not have much to do right now, but we couldn’t do this without you. Just focus on that.”

  Jane smiled at him. “When did you get so inspirational?”

  The truth was that he was the son of people who wrote rhetoric for a living. But that probably wouldn’t help her, so instead he said, “Maybe it snuck in along with the fighting.”

  “Well, whatever it is, it works.” She turned back to the Serrises. “Okay, let’s go.” But as they closed the projector, Matt noticed they were looking at him with a rather knowing gaze.

  He waved them off. “Ah, that’s not something I’m thinking about now. Maybe when we’re done.” Actually, he had never felt any kind of romantic feelings t
owards Jane, and even now that he was directly confronted with the idea, he found he still thought of her simply as a good friend. He hoped that wouldn’t get awkward.

  * * *

  Jane was quite surprised by what she’d just gone through with Matt. Ever since this whole thing started, she’d been far too busy to focus on any kind of romantic stuff. And since they’d got back, she’d been focused on Jim, wondering if there was any hope for him. But then, that wasn’t quite true, was it? She’d gone to all that trouble to try and talk some sense into Matt after he snapped in the cafeteria, and she now realized that she’d been thinking of him quite a lot since then. But Matt was also right: now was not the time to think about this. So she simply followed the others, stepping across the invisible line, knowing it would make the soldiers’ instruments light up like crazy.

  A minute later, a voice came from ahead. “I’m sure our partners told you folks to stay away from this area. This is your last warning. I don’t want to do it, but we will be arresting you if you don’t leave right now.”

  Tom laughed, again playing up the clueless tourist act. “Well, we’d certainly like to, but there’s just one problem …” with no warning the persona suddenly vanished, replaced with cold concentration as he threw the rock to where the voice had come from. He was rewarded with a soft thunk and a groan of pain. Instantly the other soldiers sprang out around them.

  Jane wondered if she should feel flattered that they merited the whole group. Just like she was told, and which was now easy to accept as the smart thing, Jane stayed out of this fight. Her head whipped right and left, struggling to keep an eye on all three of her allies at once. Matt had clearly benefitted by the rest since his last fight, as he was once again blocking every strike and expertly slipping in his own blows with what seemed absurd ease. But far more impressive were the Serrises. They worked together like a ballet duo, timing their moves perfectly so that each capitalized on an opening the other set up.