“No. This is provisional.”
We didn’t have time for much more. The MPs took us into a larger room with several tables and chairs. There were drinks and snacks on the tables. I chose a salad, adding condiments and salad dressing. I was just finishing mine as several people entered.
I raised my eyebrows, glancing at Jenna. She stood and saluted the older man.
“Please, at ease,” he said.
The old man was bald, wore a rumpled black suit and a cowboy tie with rhinestones on it. He wore black cowboy boots and had the blackest eyebrows I’d ever seen on anyone. He was short and could have afforded to lose a few pounds. There was a decisive air about him, though.
The other two men were younger. They wore black suits and black sunglasses, and seemed ready to draw pistols hidden in shoulder rigs. Each of them wore an earpiece.
“You’re the head of CAU?” I asked.
The older man pursed his lips as he put his hands on his table. We each had our own. I was keeping Rax in a coat pocket for now. I’m sure the man knew about the crystal, but why go and advertise the fact?
“Mr. Logan,” the older man began.
“It’s just Logan,” I said.
He nodded curtly.
“You can call me Director,” he said.
“Really?” I asked. “You want to go with that?”
He shook his head. “I realize you delight in verbal abuse, but that will not help you today. This is deadly serious.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” I said.
He laid his hands flat on the table. “Let’s get down to business. I would appreciate it if you could put your crystal entity on the table.”
I thought of a few snappy replies and finally slid Rax onto my table.
“You are a Galactic Guard advisor unit?” the Director asked.
Rax said nothing.
“I know you are a crystal entity from Rax Prime,” the Director said. “We are thoroughly briefed, myself better than any of my field agents. We have watched this present situation avidly. It seems the—” He turned to Jenna. “What did you call the electrical entity?”
“An Eshom,” she said.
“Eshom,” the Director said, as if to get the hang of the name. “This Eshom was incarcerated in the Arctic Ocean station?”
“For thousands of years,” Jenna said.
The Director bared his teeth as his lips skinned back. He seemed like an eccentric man, but his eyes were sharp. He seemed like the kind of person you only had to tell something once.
“We are aware of the Eshom, of Kazz and Philemon, of the Galactic Guard ship, Logan, Hap and the strange reappearances of Sergei Gromyko,” the Director said.
I turned to Jenna. “Did you really speak through the sergeant?”
“I told you I did,” she said.
“Yes, but did you?”
She nodded.
“The Eshom knew all about it, though,” I said.
“Clearly,” Rax said, “the Eshom was using the situation. The entities are known for their devious ploys.”
“You know about the Eshom?” the Director asked.
“I do,” Rax said. “The Galactic Guard has never run up against them personally. They are a legend, like the Polarions.”
“Yet these Polarions existed,” the Director said.
“That is highly interesting, is it not?” Rax said.
“Perhaps we can cut through all this clutter,” the Director said. “What is the Eshom’s next move?”
“Are you addressing me?” Rax asked.
“Yes.”
“In this instance,” Rax said, “I don’t know.”
The Director focused on me.
“They’re going to use the chronowarp to fix the portal,” I said. “I saw the portal in a vision from the Polarion teaching machine on the Arctic Ocean station.”
“Can you describe this to me?” the Director asked.
I did so, to the best of my ability.
“That is little enough to go on,” the Director said after I was finished. “There are tens of thousands of beaches on Earth. Where could this stone monolith possibly have been standing for thousands of years? Do you think the stone is presently visible?” he asked Rax.
“That seems the most logical idea,” Rax said.
“I’m baffled,” the Director said. “Do you have any idea of the location of this beach, field agent?”
Jenna shook her head.
“The chronowarp can bend time,” I said. “It can also accelerate time.”
“Interesting,” the Director said. “How does that help us?”
“If we can figure out enough facts,” I said, “maybe that will help us figure out the possible beach sites.”
“There are no known records of such a monolith,” the Director said. “It would be famous if anyone knew about it.”
“Okay,” I said. “That tells us something, too. That means the portal is in a well-hidden location.”
“That is logical reasoning,” Rax said.
“A hidden beach with an ancient stone monolith,” the Director said. “I still come up empty-handed.”
“Maybe this place is out of sequence,” I said. “Maybe it’s like Far Butte in Nevada.”
“How would the Eshom and the Guard ship get there then?” the Director asked.
“Good question,” I said.
We fell silent. They had the chronowarp. Now—
“Maybe we have to go down to the precursor site,” I suggested. “Maybe there’s a clue down there in the Persian Gulf.”
“A chronowarp,” the Director said. “A portal to another place in space. It seems—”
I slapped my table, making the others jump. “I just had an idea.”
They stared at me as I waited.
“What? What?” the Director said impatiently.
“Are there any places on Earth with strange…legends?” I asked. “I mean places where things appear out of time or disappear.”
“Oh, indeed,” the Director said, smiling. “That is a clever thought, Logan. Yes. There is such a place. We call it the Bermuda Triangle. It is noted for strange disappearances. Part of the triangle contains the Saragossa Sea. Yet, in the stretch of territory that is the Bermuda Triangle, there would indeed be many beaches. If there was any place on Earth that should hold a real portal to another place in time and space, it would be the Bermuda Triangle.”
I felt absurdly delighted that I’d thought of the idea.
“The Bermuda Triangle is also a large area,” the Director said. “If the particular location is out of phase, as Logan suggested, how are we going to find it?”
I looked at Jenna. Jenna looked at the Director, while the bald man stared at Rax.
“I might detect such a warp if I’m close enough,” Rax said. “That could take time, though. Suppose I fly back and forth in a CAU helicopter—by the time we reached the beach, the Eshom may have already opened the portal.”
“Could you operate in this out of phase place?” I asked Rax.
“Presumably, yes,” Rax said. “The Far Butte out of phase area had different properties due to the Starcore’s presence.”
“Perhaps I can speak to the President,” the Director said. “If we find the beach, a nuclear warhead could take it out.”
“How would you make sure the missile entered the out of phase place?” I asked.
“Is it hard getting into such a phase?” the Director asked Rax.
“There are various kinds of out of phase places,” Rax said. “Some are hard to enter. Some are easy, as they’re traps. In each case, advanced equipment can solve many problems.”
“Do you mean advanced alien equipment?” the Director asked.
“I do,” Rax said.
“Other than you,” the Director said, “we don’t have that kind of equipment.”
“What about Hap?” I asked.
“The Ukrainian connection?” the Director asked.
“Hap is a
n alien mercenary,” I said. “If you can offer him the right price—”
“No,” Rax said. “By Hap, I suppose you mean the Ulaacon alien that escaped justice six months ago.”
“You know about Hap?” the Director asked.
“I know the Min Ve privateer had several Ulaacons on his starship,” Rax said. “It doesn’t surprise me that one smuggled himself off the privateer in an attempt at some private enterprise on a restricted planet. Ulaacons are vicious predators, always looking for an angle. I’m unsurprised this Hap has infiltrated and taken over the Ukrainian Mafia. Given enough time, the Ulaacon will suborn the Ukrainian Government. My suggestion is to apprehend or assassinate Hap the first chance you have.”
“Is that your suggestion as well, Logan?” the Director asked me.
I glanced at Rax, wondering at his bloodthirstiness directed at Hap.
“No,” I said. “I suggest we make a deal with Hap. We could use his space plane. Remember, the Ukrainians had two of them. I suspect we could use his detection equipment, too.”
“You’re making a mistake if you think to outwit a Ulaacon,” Rax said. “They’re a plague to the Galactic Guard. Like any Guard officer, I say, ‘A plague on the Ulaacons.’”
The Director rubbed the top of his head, as his forehead furrowed. “What do you think, Field Agent?”
“Hap is cunning,” Jenna said. “And his use of Sergei Gromyko is foul.”
“And quite illegal by Galactic Law,” Rax added.
“But a hundred Eshom let loose on Earth is a thousand time worse,” Jenna said. “If Hap can help us find this beach and find the portal before the others figure how to use it, I say we do that.”
“Sheer recklessness,” Rax said.
“Perhaps the best bet is to slip a nuclear warhead onto the space plane,” the Director said. “Once the pilot spots the portal, he dive bombs against it and—”
“Forget about your nuclear holocausts,” I said, interrupting.
“You seem to forget about the Eshom’s invulnerability to most weapons,” the Director said. “How do you expect to kill him? I imagine a nuclear blast would do it. If the blast doesn’t kill the Eshom, the accompanying EMP should do it”
“Possibly,” Rax said. “I would not say it is a one hundred percent certainty.”
“A possibility staked against human genocide sounds like a good bet to me,” the Director said.
“Great,” I said. “Are you going to pilot the space plane?”
The Director blinked at me in shock. “That is not my area of expertise.”
“It sure isn’t mine, either,” I said.
“You must consider the stakes,” the Director told me.
“You consider them,” I shot back. “I’ll help. I’ll gladly go in, but I’m not signing up for a kamikaze mission.”
The bigger of the two bodyguards glowered at me. “Keep it respectful,” he warned.
“You want to fly the one-way mission?” I asked him.
The bodyguard didn’t answer that.
“I didn’t think so,” I said. “So, how about you keep your yap shut, too.”
The Director sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. “Logan,” he began. “There are serious allegations against you—”
“I dislike interrupting on seemingly personal matters,” Rax said. “But perhaps you’ve forgotten whom you’re dealing with.”
“Him,” the Director said, pointing at me.
“He is a Galactic Guard representative,” Rax said. “While you may not recognize his jurisdiction, it would be wise for you to reconsider that.”
“Are you threating me?” the Director asked.
“This is hardly a threat,” Rax said. “When other Galactic Guard members arrive, they will demand an accounting from you. If you knowingly murder a Galactic Guard representative…”
“What would happen?” the Director asked.
“You will be taken off planet to a rehabilitation colony,” Rax said. “I doubt you will enjoy your stay there.”
The Director grew pale. The two bodyguards glanced at each other.
I wanted to pat Rax. I didn’t know if he was being serious or not, but I appreciated his speaking up for me. I’d missed Rax and his cleverness.
“Are you claiming jurisdiction of this case?” the Director asked Rax.
“No. I will give what assistance I can. I’m sure Logan feels likewise.”
“I do,” I said, “Advisor Unit.”
The Director’s nostrils flared. He nodded shortly. “You’re against contacting Hap?” he asked Rax.
“Logan?” the crystal asked me.
“I think we should attempt it,” I said.
“Then, I will remove my objection,” Rax said.
“That is all well and good,” the Director said. “How can we contact Hap in a timely manner?”
“I believe I can help you there,” Rax said.
-51-
Rax was Rax. The little crystal used a wireless connection, linking to the CAU comm center in a special helicopter parked in the airport compound.
“Hap will have detection equipment,” Rax told the Director. “Thus, you cannot attempt to trace his whereabouts. If you do, he will cut the connection. You cannot listen in, or I will cut the connection.”
“Those are strict conditions,” the Director complained.
“I respect your jurisdiction,” Rax said. “Please be so good as to return me the courtesy.”
“I still don’t see how the Galactic Guard will know anyone did anything to you.”
“Have you never heard of a mind probe?” Rax asked. “I hear they are quite painful.”
The Director nodded. He understood the threat. I wasn’t sure if he believed it or not, but he decided to play along for now.
I sat before a screen, in the dark, aboard a compartment on the CAU helicopter. Jenna had not received permission to enter the compartment.
“Are they bugging us?” I whispered.
“They are attempting to,” Rax said. “But I am emitting a D-5 transmission. They will hear background noise, nothing more.”
I wanted to ask him if all those things he’d said were true or not, but I didn’t have full confidence regarding his jamming transmission. The Galactic Guard had good tech with Rax. That didn’t mean he was perfect.
I cracked my knuckles as Rax used Earth satellites, bouncing signals into the ether.
“I may have something,” Rax told me.
I heard beeps, sonic tones—the screen wavered before me. A second later, I looked at Hap’s fur-lined mug. He was as ugly as ever, a strange-looking human face on a big monkey’s body. I noticed the stars behind him, and a few controls on the bottom. I had the feeling he was still flying his escape pod in orbital space.
“Hey, Hap,” I said. “How’s it hanging?”
“Logan creature?” he said. “What you do to my plane?”
“I didn’t do a thing. A few people got nervous, though. They sent missiles. You must have seen that. You blew up Sergei’s head, remember?”
“You lie,” Hap said. “I no do that.”
“Hey, monkey-boy, I saw Sergei’s head explode with my own eyes. So don’t tell me—”
“Just a moment,” Rax said, interrupting. “Could you please explain what you saw?”
I told Rax about Sergei’s last seconds as Hap listened in.
“And you claim not to have sent the signal?” Rax asked Hap.
“I no have explosive in Sergei clone’s head. There is no reason for such thing.”
“What caused the explosion then?” Rax asked.
“I am bafflement,” Hap said.
“You’re baffled,” Rax corrected.
“That,” Hap said.
“Could the Eshom have done it?” I asked.
“Yes, yes,” Hap said. “That is answer. Eshom terrible foe. He is culprit.”
I closed my eyes, wondering if I’d given Hap his alibi.
“Regardless of how it ha
ppened,” Rax said, “Logan has a suggestion for you.”
“I listen,” Hap said, “but that no guarantee my cooperation.”
I was beginning to have second thoughts about using Hap. Listening to him and seeing him again—why did I have these problems with monkey-like aliens? Was I cursed or something? Kazz and Philemon were bad enough, and now I had to deal with a Ulaacon.
“Okay…” I said. I told Hap about our suspicion regarding the Bermuda Triangle. I asked if he could detect such an out of phase location.
“I can do,” Hap said.
“Great,” I said. “You have a second space plane—”
“I can do, but I won’t,” Hap said.
“That’s too bad,” I said. “I suppose the U.S. Air Force will have to hunt down—”
“Just a moment,” Rax said. “Hap, can you tell us why you won’t do this?”
“I detect lack of proper payment,” Hap said. “You want me to risk heavy. Second space plane is my great prize. If I lose it…where is Hap then?”
“What kind of payment is proper?” I asked.
“I want Galactic Guard ship.”
I brayed with laughter.
“That means no?” Hap asked.
“That means no,” I agreed.
“You are greedy man,” Hap declared.
“Listen, you little monkey—”
“Logan,” Rax said.
I closed my mouth, drummed my fingers on a console and said, “What else would you like?”
“I could use Advisor Unit,” Hap said.
“Here’s what I think,” I said. “You need to come to down to reality. You’re a little alien lost on a big restricted planet. So far, you’ve managed to use the Ukrainians. That’s not likely to last much longer. The CAU is coming into their own.”
“I beat them easy,” Hap said.
“Will you beat them once they have the Galactic Guard helping them?”
“No Guard here.”
I thumped my chest. “Wrong,” I said. “I’m the Guards’ representative on Earth.”
“This true, Advisor Unit?” Hap asked Rax.
“It’s true,” Rax said.
“This give different spin,” Hap said. His narrow shoulders sagged. “What is plan?”
“I doubt it’s a good idea we broadcast the plan on the open,” I said.
“Then…?”
Invaders: The Chronowarp Page 19