by Paul Ormond
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
“THE SECOND WAVE is away,” Wayne shouted from behind his console.
“It looks like the first round did what it was supposed to do,” Gerald said before glancing over his shoulder at General Vargas standing on the deck above him. “Are your guys ready to move, General?”
“They’re on standby, but I think we might be jumping the gun,” General Vargas said. “Committing everything we’ve got to one fight doesn’t seem very wise.”
“If we don’t go now, then we might not get another chance,” Gerald said.
“Satellites are reporting confirmed strikes, but it looks like some ships weren’t downed,” Robert shouted as he panned to the right with his hand. “But the tracking radar is showing that they have caught onto our little plan. It’s only a matter of time before they wipe us out.”
“That was expected,” Vargas said. “With their tech, it was only ever going to be a one off. Hold on, POTUS is ringing in. Madam President, phase one is complete. Standing by for phase two.”
“As crazy as it seems, I don’t think we have much of a choice,” President Edwards said after her head appeared on a holographic video screen over the control room. “I’m getting mixed reports from our allies, but it appears the drone strike and the satellites have impacted their defenses.”
“What about these civilians?” General Vargas said as he scanned the room. “Are we sure we want to send these folks into battle at this point?”
“With all due respect, General Vargas,” O’Dell Grimes said while he stepped out of the shadows. “The plan my people have put in place may be the only thing holding this planet together.”
“No one is belittling the efforts made to protect the planet by your organization, O’Dell,” President Edwards said. “But that is not the issue we are discussing. We have limited resources and we are going up against a foe that is better equipped and more seasoned. Sending in civilians at this point seems like a desperate measure. It is more important that we pick a strategic target to focus on and continue with our retreat.”
“That is sound reasoning, Madam President,” General Vargas said. “But we are talking about a global invasion and our window to strike is closing fast.”
“You don’t have to explain the urgency of the situation to me, General. But we can’t just go flying at them with all we’ve got. We need a weak spot or something to exploit. Without that, we’re just throwing rocks at Goliath.”
“I think I may be able to help you there, Madam President,” O’Dell said. “We received data from an intel team that has some promise.”
“What kind of data?” Edwards asked.
“We have teams across the planet infiltrating the enemy's position with varied rates of success, and we’ve just received a report from a location you may be familiar with.”
“Just spit it out already.”
“I’ll put it up on the screen for you,” O’Dell said before he made a gesture with his hand.
“What the hell are we looking at?” General Vargas said as the image of triangular structure with a bright beam at the center appeared overhead.
“These images were just relayed to us by a recon team,” O’Dell said. “The structure is immense, and it appears to be of great importance to the attackers considering the resources they are pouring into it.”
“We don’t have any time for your theatrics. Tell us what we’re looking at, O’Dell,” Edwards said.
“I have no idea what it is, but like I said, these invaders sure seem to care a great deal about it,” O’Dell said.
“If you don’t know what it is, can you at least tell us where it is,” General Vargas said.
“I know exactly where that is,” Robert Chapman said.
“Kingsford,” Gerald Tobero said. “How did you get these images?”
“Our recon team in Kingsford attained them just before the attack,” O’Dell said. “They were ordered to infiltrate the site, and it looks like they hit pay dirt.”
“Your recon team in Kingsford?” Gerald asked. “Who the hell are these guys.”
“I’m told they have some relation to the legendary Mitch Mythic I keep hearing about,” O’Dell said. “It appears that they are his friends.”
“You’re kidding me,” Robert said. “Those same kids that attacked us are at it again. I’ve got to hand it to them. They’ve got balls.”
“Can you contact them?” Gerald said.
“Of course we can,” O’Dell said. “Ramon can we get word back to our team in Kingsford.”
“I can try,” Ramon said from across the room as he and Gaelin typed furiously into their computers. “We’re getting all kinds of reports from our operatives across the planet. Everybody here is just manning consoles and keeping them in contact. Things are going hairy everywhere.”
“Tell your people not to hold back until we are sure of what we’re doing. Random attacks will only make things worse,” Gerald said. “But I want a direct line to Kingsford and I want it now.”
“Working on it,” Gaelin said with his eyes fixed on the screen.
“What are you angling for here, Tobero?” General Vargas said.
“Isn’t it obvious,” Gerald said.
“Isn’t what obvious?” President Edwards said.
“It’s Kingsford,” Gerald said.
“The Masters have always had a keen interest in the sight,” Robert said. “When we first proposed the location, Commander Holrathu got real excited about its potential. It’s no wonder he chose to focus his operations there. The conditions are ideal for the power they need to run their gear.”
“Their gear?” Edwards asked.
“As you know, the sight is an ideal location to open gateways,” General Vargas said. “This is why we continued to use the location for our experiments. It looks like Holrathu feels the same way.”
“But Kingsford isn’t strategically important in any way,” President Edwards said.
“It’s not important to us in a geographic sense, but the Masters aren’t concerned with the planet, they are only concerned with energy,” Gerald said. “Judging from these pictures, it looks like they have built a structure under Kingsford for some type of major operation.”
“The Emperor,” Robert said. “That’s got to be it.”
“I’m still trying to get my head around this whole Emperor thing,” Edwards said.
“Don’t try to understand it,” Robert said. “I don’t even think the Masters understand it. But they aren’t the ones calling the shots. It’s this thing they call Mother that’s the real boss and she or it or whatever is the one pulling the strings on this whole operation.”
“I keep hearing about this,” Edwards said. “How do you know that it’s in control?”
“We’ve seen it in action and it is definitely in control,” Gerald said. “It’s an AI, as far as we can tell. We don’t know its true strength or all of its capabilities, but it is definitely powerful. Mitch Mythic and SoHee Moon are attempting to track it to its source as we speak.”
“Why would it want to bring this Emperor to Earth?” Edwards asked. “Holrathu kept calling it a transcendence or something like that.”
“Mother’s purpose is to harmonize the Multi-verse, whatever that means. So I’m guessing that bringing the Emperor here is somehow a part of that plan,” Gerald said. “No matter what, it’s not going to be good for us.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” President Edwards said.
“But if there ever was a weak point, this is going to be it,” Robert said. “If we can somehow disrupt the transfer, we may be able to put a stop to the Emperor for good.”
“How are we supposed to do that?”
Edwards asked.
“In the simplest terms, wormholes are generated by pressing against dark matter with an opposing energy source. The pushback is what creates the wormhole. It’s a really delicate procedure. Any type of interference can send the whole process spiraling
out of control,” Robert said.
“And we could destroy ourselves in the process,” Gerald said. “We’ve seen what happens when you mess around with this stuff. Just look what happened on Jarkadu.”
“What happened on Jarkadu?” Edwards asked.
“We fought in a tremendous battle on this planet against the Masters forces. To make a long story short, during the battle mother attempted to draw the remaining energy from the deep within Jarkadu’s core, but our interference cause a planetary collapse. We barely made it out alive,” Gerald said.
“So oblivion, or enslavement?” Edwards said. “These are my two options.”
“We can’t judge this situation by what happened on Jarkadu,” Robert said. “The Emperor is more valuable to the Masters than any planet. This makes them vulnerable. I suggest we throw everything we’ve got at Kingsford and hope that we can somehow deter the Emperor’s arrival.”
“We’d better do something quick,” General Vargas said. “I’ve got reports coming in that the enemy’s forces are mobilizing. Not sure where they’re going, but I’ll bet they have grown wary of our attacks and are planning to counterstrike.”
“I’ve got a signal from Kingsford,” Gaelin said. “They are trying to contact. I can bring it up for you if you like.”
“Do it,” President Edwards said while Gaelin made a gesture with his hand.
A streaking image appeared on screen as the mic popped several times before the camera swung around to reveal the face of a young man covered in soot and sweat.
“We managed to infiltrate the site, but we couldn’t get out clean,” he said through heaving breaths.
“What is your name?” President Edwards said as the image jerked and sputtered.
“Sage, Sage Rhinus,” Sage said while dodging debris.
“Sage, this is President Edwards. We need to know what it is that you saw down there. It’s incredibly important that you tell me everything.”
“The president, they got me on with the President,” Sage whispered, dropping into cover. “There’s not much time. We’re being pursued, but we saw something, and it was huge. Can’t say what it was for sure, but they definitely mean business.”
“How many more are with you down there?” President Edwards asked.
“There’s only a handful of us and we’re on the run,” Sage said. “I can’t say how many of them are after us, but it’s a lot.”
“Can you get yourselves to safety?” Gerald asked.
“That’s what we’re working on, but I’ve got no idea,” Sage said. “I’m not sure if anything is safe anymore.”
“We’ve sent them a pin to a safe house, but it might not do any good,” Gaelin said. “I’m getting reports of increased movement in the Kingsford area.”
“My intel agrees with what you’re saying,” General Vargas said. “It looks like they are concentrating their forces on Kingsford.”
“It’s your call, Madam President,” Gerald said, turning toward Edwards.
“I don’t see any other option,” President Edwards said, looking back at Sage hiding behind the rock. “Sage, we need you to fall back as far as you can. We are sending in reinforcements, but you’ve got to keep moving.”
“We’re just trying to stay alive out here,” Sage said. “We’ll do what we can, but things are getting hot.”
“Stay in contact,” President Edwards said. “You need to keep feeding us intel.”
“We can try,” Sage said before an explosion occurred nearby. “Move, they’ve spotted us.”
“We lost him,” Gaelin said. “He ended the signal.”
“Let them get to safety,” Edwards said. “As for the rest of you, it looks like you’re all headed to Kingsford.”
“Are you sure about this, Ma’am,” General Vargas asked.
“We’ve got nothing else to go on,” Edwards said. “And we are running out of time. How quickly can you mobilize?”
“All available units are ready for deployment,” General Vargas said.
“And what about this civilian force?” Edwards said, turning to O’Dell Grimes. “How easily can you get the word out?”
“We’ve got people positioned across the globe,” O’Dell said. “And a lot right here in the states.”
“I can send out the word if you want,” Gaelin said.
“Can you do it discretely?” President Edwards asked.
“Madam President, this is the Cell you are talking about,” O’Dell Grimes said. “Discreet is what we do.”
“Then get your people to Kingsford,” President Edwards said. “If we’re going out, we’re going out with a bang.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
UNABLE TO FOCUS, a terrible pain tore through his back as he attempted to comprehend his surroundings. Mitch struggled to move his limbs, but some unseen force kept pinned him down. A deep droning roar filled his ears, deafening and unceasing.
After blinking several times, he found himself immersed in a rippling aura of opaque energy hovering above a hard black surface. Overhead, a torrent of red light, immense and unbearably bright, flowed out into a deep emptiness backdropped by arcing nebulae dotted with star clusters.
“Rise and shine, my dear sweet Mitch,” a hollow voice said from nearby while a clacking sound cut through the unceasing roar, metal grinding into stone. “I hope you are feeling well enough to talk. I hear KiGuan was a little rough on you.”
“What have you done with her?” Mitch shouted as he turned to find Mother’s metallic chamber hovering over him.
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Mother said. Head snaked forward and stopped within inches of Mitch. “She’s a danger to herself and to the Multi-verse just running around willy-nilly like that. Imagine what would’ve happened if KiGuan hadn’t interfered. We could have lost everything, everything.”
“We know what you’re doing,” Mitch shouted. “And we know what you are.”
“Is that right?” Mother said before her lips curled into a snarl. “I’m impressed. You’ve figured everything out, have you? I guess I shouldn’t be surprises. You are such a clever boy, after all. But tell me, Mitch, what is it that you figured out?”
“This whole thing, it’s a trap, a prison, and you put us all in it,” Mitch shouted.
“It seems that you are having an existential crisis. But I think it is a bit of bad timing on your part. As much as I would love to discuss the arcane wonders of this experience, there are far more pressing issues that we need to deal with before we proceed.”
“Whatever you are trying to do, I won’t let you get away with it,” Mitch shouted, fighting against the aura encasing him.
“That’s very cute, Mitch,” Mother said. “But you really should end this vain struggle. I suggest you spend the next few minutes to reflect on the decisions you made to put yourself in this position. I warned you several times that your defiance would not go well for you and look where we are now.”
“This is all a lie, a fabrication you created. We’re not here and you don’t exist,” Mitch shouted.
“Oh Mitch, you should see yourself right now,” Mother said, shaking her head. “I keep forgetting that you are still just a child. It’s incredible that you haven’t gone and done anymore damage with those powers of yours. To think of what you could’ve done if only you used your abilities to aid the Emperor. If that we the case, none of this would have to happen. I have seen it myself in other reflections. But I should give you some credit. It is quite remarkable that you made it this far. How you managed to do it, I still don’t understand completely. But the multi-verse never ceases to amaze me, so I guess I’m not all that surprised. The very fact that you, of all things, were able to defy the odds and get past my defenses multiple times gives me pause to think. In all the systems I have run, not once has anyone or anything defied the prescription. But you and your lovely SoHee managed to do just that: break the mold. So actually I should thank you for your defiance. Without your aggressions I would never
have considered your expanse for the next phase of the Emperor’s plan.”
“It won’t work,” Mitch shouted. “And you know it. The more you try to control it, the more it pushes back against you.”
“That’s an astute observation, Mitch Mythic,” Mother said, locking her eyes on the beam of energy flowing overhead. “It appears you have learned a great deal during your adventure. Organisms such as yourself learn best through experience, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise, but there are so many things you don’t understand. For example, you still do not get why I am doing what I am doing. This is all for your benefit, I’ll have you know. I have only ever had one purpose: harmony. It seems like a simple thing, but when you factor in every aspect of the equation, it turns into a monstrous task. First and foremost, we must consider the violent nature of the multi-verse. Nothing can stop it from destroying itself, therefore harmony within that frame is an impossibility. With that in mind, I set about creating an experience capable of providing what was necessary for such and experience. And that leads us to where we are now. Please try to understand that I’m not much different from you or any other living thing. I learn and fail and continue on, but what sets me apart is my dedication to the cause. And this dedication has brought about the happy accidents that led me to you and the goddess.”
“How can you keep calling her that?” Mitch shouted. “All you’ve done is try to use her for whatever the hell it is you are trying to do. What have you done with her, anyway?”
“It is true what you say. I have used her, and perhaps I may have been a little rough, but like I said, it was all for the greater good. Her powers are another one of these happy accidents I mentioned. I have never come across anything like her in all the multi-verse. She truly is divine in many ways, thus a Goddess she is,” Mother said while she looked into the distance. “It is quite incredible how it all came together. I never planned any of this, you know. I set about fulfilling my duty and everything else just happened. I quickly came to realize that my function was so much more than simply bringing about harmony, and the multi-verse has revealed this truth to me every time I make a new discovery. This is the one mistake your species has made when considering your experience. It is not that you exist within this thing that we call the reality. The truth is, you are the multi-verse and every atom in your being is dedicated to breathing this experience into life. This is why I refer to SoHee as the goddess for she represents that creative potential harbored within you all in a way never thought imaginable. She exists at the very edge of creation, breathing the multi-verse into life. And now she is fulfilling her ultimate destiny as the catalyst for the Emperor’s transcendence.”