“Meimi says, follow me,” I continue.
“Accepted.” The bot has a cute, chirpy voice.
“Access data feeds,” I command.
“Download in process,” says the bot. With that command, the inside of the bot’s hood lights up, becoming an activated screen that displays results. That’s just what I need. It’s like hacker Christmas.
I exhale. The bot is now downloading a full and official feed from the Authority. The complete data set will take time, but I’ll get a little info soon. Nothing confidential, but you never know what could be useful. And once we’re back in the Underground, who knows what this little guy can do?
“You’re my arachnid now.” After closing the hood, I tap my bot’s “head.” “I’m calling you Rakkie.”
Knock … knock …
Surprise jolts through my nervous system. “Yes?”
Thorne’s voice sounds through the door. “If you’re showering, you may want to change into different clothes. I picked up some stuff in the gift shop.”
Dropping Rakkie, I open the door a crack. Steam flows out the opening. “What kind of clothes?”
Thorne steps closer to the door. His huge brown eyes lock with mine. Unlike the first time I met him, there’s nothing but warmth in his gaze. My skin prickles over with awareness.
Gulp.
Thorne reaches forward, wrapping a strand of my hair around his finger. “Your hair isn’t wet.”
“I’m having a sauna moment before the shower.”
“Ah.” Thorne half smiles and whoa, there are those dimples again. “Sauna moment.”
All of a sudden, I realize that I’m talking about showering. With Thorne. Well, not with Thorne as in we’re both under the water, but close enough to be really uncomfortable.
“You have clothes for me?” In my mind, the question is really smooth. In reality, my words come out about two octaves too high. I sound like a chipmunk.
Thorne holds out a pile of garments topped with a black dress. “I make no claims about the fit. I described you to the woman in the gift shop and she did the rest.”
I grasp the pile of stuff. The dress is simple and classic. There’s a nice wrap, too. And the underthings are both cute and my size. My eyes get all stingy. I have the sneaking suspicion this is the nicest outfit I’ve ever owned. I sniff.
Thorne drops his hand. “Are you all right?”
“Oh, fine. Just ready to get dressed. Thanks.” In a move of supreme smoothness, I slam the door right in his face. After the door is closed, I realize this is a let’s go out kind of outfit.
Maybe it’s even a let’s seduce Meimi outfit.
I hold the dress against me. It’s got a sweet and swishy bottom. Who cares what Thorne thinks he’s going to do? I’ll get dressed up and have a massive meal that’s charged to Godwin. In fact, the more I think about it, the more it would be a crime NOT to wear this dress and have some fun.
An update light blinks atop Rakkie’s head, interrupting my thoughts.
Huh, my little guy already downloaded something useful.
Using my tweezers again, I pop open the bot’s hood. This time, inside of the bot’s cap, the screen’s lit up with data. The good news is that I’m getting an info stream specifically for Godwin and his staff entitled Liberation Celebration. I scan the names.
* * *
Eleanor Gertz – tagged for cleansing – cancer
Zachary Legion – tagged for cleansing – no employment
Miss Edith Smalltown – tagged for cleansing – over 70 years old
* * *
The last name makes my stomach lurch. Didn’t Chloe and Zoe mention a Miss Edith before? I shake my head. What am I thinking? There are tons of names on the master list. Chances are, I know lots of folks who’ve been tagged. I glance at my wrist cuff once more.
* * *
Star Council Level Access: Godwin
Humboldt-Merciless Undesirables Tagged: 1,938,142
Godwin-Horde Undesirables Tagged: 481,003
Total To Be Announced At Liberation Celebration: 2,419,145
* * *
Last time, the total was just over two million. Now the number is closing on two and a half. My body feels numb. This can’t be real. How can I be all that stands between so many people and death?
Rising, I turn to the mirror and wipe off the layer of steam with my forearm. Looking up, I catch my own reflection. I look like I always have, save for one difference.
My skin is blue.
In the mirror, Blue Me speaks. “Remember what I said. You’re free from your past now—embrace that. Focus on your plan. You’re already missing stuff.”
“What do you mean?” My data pad is in perfect order, and absolutely hidden from Thorne.
“It’s what we talked about before. You need Chloe, Zoe, Fritz, and the Hollow. You forgot about her.”
“The Hollow, right.”
Some small part of me knows I should be shocked by all this. For whatever reason, I’m not. By this point, chatting up a blue version of myself feels natural. A moment later, the illusion is gone. In the mirror, my skin is back to its regular shade.
As I step into the shower, I repeat the name in my mind.
The Hollow.
Somehow, I must recruit her as well. And fast.
16 Thorne
“Every world has its own beauty. If you’re fortunate, you’ll find time to uncover it.” – Beauregard the Great, Instructions for Visiting Parallel Worlds
I pace the plush carpet of the suite’s living room, excitement zinging through my veins. Plans for tonight keep spinning through my mind.
The resort has a romantic place for dinner. Everything is oak tables and candlelight. Afterward, they have a laid-back dance club that plays classic jazz. I already changed my sentient into a dark suit for the occasion. Now I’m waiting for Meimi.
“Ready!” she calls from her chamber.
My heart soars. When I reply, it takes all my warrior training to keep my voice level. “Good news.”
A door swings open, revealing the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
The black dress fits her in all the right places. Meimi has curves and I love it. The silk wrap hangs lightly around her shoulders. She isn’t wearing any make-up, but my girl doesn’t need it. She’s stunning with just her green eyes and long brown hair.
My transcendent.
This time when I speak, my voice comes out a little rough. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you.” A gentle blush colors her cheeks. “What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Are you certain you want to waste an evening with me?”
“Positive. I’ve decided I’ll seduce you and then lock you out in the hallway.”
“Really?” I can’t help but laugh. My girl and her plans. “I love that idea.” I can’t help myself. Crossing the room, I set my hands at her waist and begin swaying from side to side. “As long you’re near, that’s all I need.”
Meimi giggles. “What are we doing now?”
“A practice dance as I review our schedule for the evening.”
Meimi loops her arms around my neck and leans against me. Together, we slowly move from foot to foot. She nuzzles my neck. “About that schedule?”
“Right.” I tighten my grip on her waist. “We’ll begin with dinner.”
“Good.”
“And then go dancing.”
“Even better.”
Taking her hand in mine, I guide her into a twirl. There’s no need for us to speak; the movement is natural. As she spins around, the dress flares to show off more of her legs.
With that, it’s official. Every inch of Meimi is beautiful.
“This is the perfect dress for a twirl,” I add. “We’ll have to do that multiple times tonight.”
She leans in against me and we slow dance again. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s like a dream.”
“Do you want to stop?”
“No, I want to live t
his moment to its fullest.” She stops and pulls away. The loss of her body against mine is almost painful.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Before we go, there’s something I need to tell you about my plans for the Engine. We must recruit the Hollow. Maybe Fritz will know how.”
“That’s a tall order, even for him.” I guide her against me once more. “Yet when you look this lovely, I think anything is possible.”
Beep, beep.
“What’s that?” asks Meimi.
“My smart watch.” I guide her into another twirl. “No reason to stop dancing.”
Beep, beep.
“Is it Godwin?”
“No, I blocked Godwin.”
Meimi stops dancing and steps back. “Shouldn’t you check it?”
“Yes.” I glance down at my wrist. “It’s Fritz.”
Normally, I would simply have my sentient create an earpiece in order to take the call. That said, everything is going so nicely this evening. I’m not sure Meimi is ready for that kind of display of my alien powers.
And in all honesty, I’m not ready to review them either. We’re having another perfect moment, and I just want to enjoy it. No deep reveals of my alienness.
Which means there’s only one way left to take the call.
“Do you mind if I take this as a vid feed?” I ask.
“Not a problem.” I can’t help but notice that Meimi takes another step away from me, though. “After all, Fritz is our best bet to find the Hollow.”
I tap my smart watch. A tiny beam of light pours out from the edge of the device, creating a hologram on the other side of the room. The semi-transparent image shows a barrel-chested man in green denim overalls, the type popular with farmers: complete with a bib-style front and shoulder straps. He has heavy limbs and short, spiked-up hair.
Meimi walks up to the hologram-Fritz and steps around the simulation. She knew the guy before her memory was erased. In fact, Fritz was the part of the group who betrayed her to Godwin. Although technically, it was Fritz’s boss, the Scythe, who did most of the betraying. Fritz negotiated that she’d get wiped instead of killed.
“Hello,” I begin.
“Turn your vid on,” orders Fritz. “I want to see you.”
Every smart watch comes with a minicamera to project video to your caller. It would be easy enough to activate that for Fritz. But I won’t. If Meimi wants him to know she’s here, that will be her choice to speak up.
And, if I’m being honest, I’m angry that Fritz interrupted our dance. He doesn’t deserve to see Meimi.
“No video,” I declare. “Why are you calling?”
A muscle twitches on Fritz’s thick neck. “I am not meeting you.”
“That’s not what Godwin told me.”
“Tough. I’m heading out of town for an extended vacation. You want someone to help Godwin with another one of his schemes? Look someplace else.”
“No,” I counter. “Stay put. I’m on my way now.”
“Good luck with that. By the time you get here, I’ll be gone.”
A million calculations flash through my mind. Fritz is more than one of the last black market suppliers left standing. He’s also got a history with Meimi, and not all of it is bad. I checked into past dealings. Fritz may act tough, but he fights for Meimi. Getting her more credits for her jobs. Making sure she got her memory wiped instead of ending up dead. I want him on the team. He’ll help protect my girl.
“No,” I say solemnly. “When I mean now, it’s now.”
A pang of regret tightens my chest. Tonight was going to be special. I’d purposely avoided any displays of my powers, and it was working. Meimi and I were getting to know each other as people.
More than that.
As transcendents.
Now Fritz and his negative attitude are screwing everything up.
I stiffen my spine. In this moment, keeping Meimi safe is more important than her happiness.
Holding up my hand, I summon my sentient.
In my mind, I picture a drift void forming. At the same time, I envision my dark suit transforming into battle armor. A loop of black particles appears nearby. Within seconds, the swirl thickens into a dark plate that hangs in midair. My clothing changes as well.
Meimi stands there, her lips parted in shock.
In the hologram, Fritz frowns. “There’s a dark circle in my office. Did you put this here? What’s going on?”
Fritz can wait for his answers. All I can do in this moment is focus on Meimi. There are a million things I want to explain. That I wasn’t lying; I’m really an alien. How I crossed multiple universes to protect her. And the fact that she’s my transcendent.
Sadly, there isn’t time for any of that.
I just stick to the basics. “This is a mini drift void that connects to Fritz’s office. Do you want to come with me? I understand if you don’t.”
“No.” Meimi hugs her elbows. “I’ll stay here.”
I nod. “Be back as soon as I can.”
There isn’t time for a long transition to Fritz, so I punch my fist through the center of the void. Broken shards of the dark plate tumble to the floor, revealing an opening directly into Fritz’s small office. I step through the new portal, leaving behind the fancy hotel.
A moment later, I stand inside a small concrete room that’s decorated with a table, a few chairs, and not much else. Fritz stands before me. As my portal vanishes, every muscle in Fritz’s face falls slack with shock.
“What the hell?” he asks.
I fold my arms over my chest. “Let’s just say I have access to tech you don’t.”
“I told you I didn’t want to meet.”
“Why aren’t you helping Meimi?”
Fritz huffs out a breath. “Look, it’s not my call. My boss, the Scythe, has to approve any help for her. He thinks we’ve done enough already.”
Tilting my head, I scan Fritz carefully. The guy’s ice-blue eyes are wide with worry. Fritz wants to help my girl.
He just needs some extra motivation.
“Fine.” I plunk myself down into a nearby chair. “I’ll wait until the Scythe can talk to me.”
“I’ve already sent him six comms, asking for an exception. The Scythe is dead set against this. He won’t even open a chat.” Fritz steps around his desk and takes a seat as well. “Getting him to call me back may take a while, if ever.”
I send out my sentient to scan the room. They shoot me images of the tech wired into Fritz’s desk. It’s a flat-top panel that’s sending out a live data feed to the Scythe.
Fritz’s boss is already here and listening to every word.
“That’s fine.” I kick my legs out and get comfortable. “For Meimi, I’ve got the time.”
Hours pass. Fritz keeps buzzing the Scythe from the data panel embedded into his desk. His boss keeps not answering.
It’s all a show, of course.
A lie.
As Fritz and I wait in his office, the Scythe is already listening to everything we do. Research is one of my top priorities. I already looked into Fritz and his boss, just in case they could be helpful to Meimi. The Scythe loves mind games. In this case, he wants to see who’ll give in and speak first.
It won’t be me.
There’s one major downside to waiting, beyond the obvious fact that I’m missing my date with Meimi. Sitting around gives me way too much time to think about what I’ve just done. My family is in charge of guarding and gardening the omniverse. Sentient send us to planets. We fix things that could cause inter-dimensional problems. That’s it. We’re not supposed to go around flashing our powers, and for good reason. To begin with, it could throw off a planet’s development to know that so-called aliens exist. Also, seeing our tech can give bad people worse ideas.
When I visit a planet, the sentient will mark an item as red, and that’s all I’m supposed touch or change. Sometimes it’s as small as moving a butterfly around. Other times, I must save someone’s life.
Bottom line: what I’m doing now for Meimi could get me in deep trouble. Little stuff like surveillance is one thing; opening drift voids is another. And since I first met Meimi, I’ve been doing a lot of both. Even we royals have to answer to Umbra’s security tribunal. That could get ugly.
In this moment, I don’t care. Meimi’s safety is all that matters.
Finally, a refined voice echoes through the room. “Hello, Thorne.”
I don’t bother hiding my smile. That was a competition of wills, and I just won. “Scythe.”
“Tell me why I should help you.”
“You’re not helping me. This is for Meimi.”
“Either way,” comes the Scythe’s smooth reply. “Give me a reason. Godwin already shared his scheme with me. When built, his Engine will precision-kill anyone in the world. Meimi is the only one who can create it. Helping her means painting a target on my own back. Why would I do this?”
“Because it doesn’t change the power Godwin has, only the speed with which it can take place. I’m sure you’ve noticed you’re of the few … what do you call yourselves again?”
“Black market entrepreneurs,” offers Fritz.
“One of those left standing,” I continue. “Your days are numbered.”
“Still not convinced,” intones the Scythe.
I rub my hands over my face. It’s a risk to share Meimi’s true plans, but I don’t have much choice. There’s no reason for him to help us otherwise. Sure, I could micromanage him with my powers, but I’m not outside the dome that often. And even if I could get outside the dome more, I’ve already broken too many rules in how I’ve been using my abilities on this planet.
Taking in a deep breath, I drop the verbal bomb. “Meimi plans to do more than build the Engine.”
When the Scythe next speaks, there’s no missing the smile in his voice. “I do so love Meimi’s scheming.”
“I know,” I add. “Her science projects made you rich.”
“This could be good for us, boss,” adds Fritz.
Alien Minds: Dimension Drift, Book 1 Page 9