Eternity Gate

by Traci Harding

  ‘What are you talking about, sweetness?’ Avery had no idea, nor did Rhun or Telmo.

  Dan was the only one with a memory that harked back far enough to remember the events of the timeline of which she spoke. ‘Hudan, or rather Taren Lennox, was also entrusted with those specs and schematics, and combined the two to create the weapon we brought back to Kila with us,’ Dan explained.

  ‘I think she had a little help,’ Telmo jogged Dan’s memory.

  ‘My apologies,’ Dan corrected. ‘And Telmo built the prototypes.’

  ‘That’s the weapon that restored my immortality,’ Rhun realised.

  ‘The very one.’ Dan nodded to confirm.

  ‘I knew I’d never remember the complex scientific data, and as I could not take anything of the physical realm, like a map or an outline, deep into the Otherworld with me, I trained some of my denizens to retain the information.’

  ‘How do you mean?’ Telmo was curious.

  ‘One moment,’ Fallon entreated their patience, ‘we will demonstrate.’

  The Lady of the Otherworld left their circle and walked into the field of grass and flowers that carpeted the clearing around where the rest of them were seated. As she walked, the flowers in the field opened wide and twisted about to follow her, as they would to track the sun’s path across the sky. When Fallon began to speak, the still atmosphere stirred, and a breeze rose from nowhere to swirl around her, causing her long sheer gown and dark hair to billow.

  ‘Denizens of air and earth

  who have harboured me here

  to protect this birth,

  I entrusted to you vital information.

  Come to me now and

  assume the formation.’

  From the open flowers in the field sprang thousands of tiny light beings, bright green in colour, which took to the air. After some buzzing about, the sprites split into three groups. One group of lights formed into a math equation of a scientific formula that was suspended in the air; another group arranged themselves into a flat vertical formation of a detailed schematic, and the third formed a three dimensional representation of the weapon draft.

  ‘Good grief.’ Avery was stunned by his wife’s disclosure. ‘You’ve been studying quantum mechanics?’

  ‘No.’ Fallon was amused by her husband’s awe. ‘I assure you, I am just the messenger.’

  ‘And what a helpful message it is.’ Telmo, the most technically minded among them, moved to inspect the specifications. ‘These appear to be perfectly intact.’ He looked back to his captain, the governor and his host, a broad smile upon his face.

  Song was not taking the delay in the proceedings very well — it gave him too much time to sit around and think about their recent losses, and his lack of involvement in planning a strategy to deal with the creature responsible for the deaths of two of his dearest friends.

  It was, however, a relief to be outdoors. Song had wandered along the long jetty that connected the submersible lake house to the shore, and was casting stones from the edge across the lake’s still surface in the hope of diluting his frustration.

  ‘What are you doing out here by yourself?’ Wu Geng asked, startling Song from his impassioned game.

  ‘Being pissed off,’ he replied, retrieving another stone from the ground and pitching it into the lake. ‘Nobody tells me anything!’

  ‘Ha, ha, ha … and welcome to my world,’ Wu Geng replied sympathetically, leaning on the rail at the jetty’s end, and placing a foot on the lower rung.

  Song’s fury sobered a little; he’d never thought to empathise with his old nemesis, but in this instance he did. ‘We’ve given you a rough time over the years.’ Song felt grateful for Wu Geng’s part in saving his life, yet he could not bring himself to say so. ‘But you really did ask for it.’ He reverted to his hostile mood, and pitched another stone in the lake.

  Wu Geng smiled, amused. ‘I know Khalid did,’ he freely admitted. ‘But I am not the one complaining about being left out of the loop in this instance.’

  ‘Why, man?’ Song wanted to know. ‘Why am I so easily dispensed with? When I’ve been on this journey with Taren longer than any of them!’ He cast another stone across the water.

  Wu Geng shrugged. ‘I’m sure I don’t know. You certainly got in my way more than any of your AMIE counterparts, save maybe our fearless leader herself.’

  ‘That’s exactly right!’ Song frowned, having never thought to be agreeing with his enemy.

  ‘There must be something useful we can do?’ Wu Geng suggested they get a bit proactive.

  ‘We should bloody well question that lizard b—’ Song was about to say ‘bitch’, when he spotted a beautiful woman striding down the jetty towards them, dressed exactly as Aysel had been. So either some princess from ancient Zhou had shown up wearing the same attire, or Aysel had shapeshifted into a human form.

  ‘Wow!’ Wu Geng uttered under his breath, as he noted her approaching. ‘You were saying?’ He looked back to Song, who’d been rendered speechless.

  ‘She’s a lizard, she’s a lizard,’ he repeated to himself to drag his fixated gaze away from the vision.

  Again Wu Geng had a chuckle. ‘Not to worry, I’ll protect you.’

  ‘We should question her,’ Song whispered to Wu Geng, as he pushed off the railing.

  ‘We’ll catch more flies with honey,’ Wu Geng advised and Song figured Wu Geng most likely did. He may not have had Song’s muscular physique, but he was devilishly good-looking in a very well-groomed, princely way and could pour on the noble charm at will.

  ‘You’ve changed.’ Wu Geng awarded Aysel his full attention, holding wide his arms in approval, his palms upwards in question.

  ‘Well, as the governor is trying to hide me, I thought I may as well go all the way,’ she explained. ‘Spending time with not-your-friend?’

  Wu Geng smiled at her humour. ‘The captain said we were to keep an eye on one another.’

  ‘Good of you to care for someone who cares so little for you,’ she stated rather more loudly to be sure and catch Song’s ear, but he was reading her loud and clear.

  ‘Hey, I am friends with Wu Geng.’ Song considered all they’d been through together.

  ‘Really?’ Wu Geng was cynical. ‘Since when?’

  ‘Since always,’ Song insisted. ‘It’s Khalid I have a problem with.’

  ‘Khalid?’ Aysel queried, looking to Wu Geng. ‘Who is he, your alter ego?

  Song was amused by her guess.

  ‘No one of concern at this present point in time and space.’ Wu Geng gave Song a look of warning against mentioning anything of their universe of origin in the Draconian’s presence.

  When Aysel turned her inquisitive look Song’s way, he waved off the comment. ‘It’s just a private joke.’

  ‘Between friends,’ she emphasised curiously.

  ‘But enough about us!’ Song joined them on the jetty to change the subject. ‘Let’s talk about you.’

  ‘So, you are to interrogate me?’ She smiled, folding her arms, seemingly amused by the premise.

  ‘Not at all,’ Wu Geng assured her in an endearing and charming manner. ‘Song was just curious about your reference to the old universe earlier.’

  Aysel looked to Song, who immediately dropped his defensive stance to play along with Wu Geng’s more subtle approach.

  ‘Yeah, and what’s a mind-eater and an Eternity Gate?’

  The Draconian smiled, pleasantly disposed towards their line of questioning. ‘Are these concepts really unknown to you?’

  Both men nodded in accord. ‘We’d be most grateful if you would fill us in,’ Wu Geng appealed with a grin and Song was quietly impressed by his new friend’s approach.

  ‘Well,’ she said, her brow furrowed, seemingly overwhelmed by the request. ‘The truth is, no one really knows the truth about these things … like I said, most of it is just legends and hearsay.’

  ‘I love a good yarn,’ Song hoisted himself up to sit on the jetty rail, r
esting his heels on the lower rung. ‘And it’s not like we have anything better to do.’

  ‘Unless you have other plans?’ Wu Geng allowed that she was not required to comply with their wish — her choice would be telling either way.

  ‘No one can say for sure where the Eternity Gate leads,’ she began. ‘Some say it is a gateway to the realm of the creator, others say it is a crossroads between several universes. The most enlightened souls being culled from one universe, in order to populate the next universe that is closer to perfection in the evolutionary scheme of things.’

  ‘That makes sense.’ Song looked to Wu Geng, considering their current situation; they already knew there was more than one universe in which they had incarnated.

  ‘Is this gate a physical construction?’ Wu Geng queried.

  ‘It is.’ She anticipated his next question. ‘It is located at the heart of the Orion nebula.’

  ‘How do you know our name for that part of the sky? How do you know our languages for that matter?’ Song was very curious about that.

  ‘It is you who have learned our names for that part of the galaxy, not the other way around,’ she advised. ‘You don’t think our caste ended up on your planet by accident, do you? Someone introduced our genetic strain there.’

  ‘Who?’ Song wondered.

  ‘The Nefilim.’

  The trio turned to find Noah had joined them on the jetty.

  ‘Your last incarnation here on Kila,’ Noah pointed to Song, ‘saw the last of the Nefilim back to their maker.’

  ‘Really?’ Song was impressed with himself. ‘I really do need to pay a visit to your library of immortal history, Noah.’

  The governor’s chief advisor nodded to concede it was a good suggestion and then looked back to their female visitor. ‘Please continue, I am most curious to hear this tale also.’

  ‘Yes,’ Wu Geng was eager to get back on topic too. ‘If this gate actually exists, how come no one knows where it goes?’

  ‘Many have made futile attempts to enter the Eternity Gate,’ Aysel told them. ‘Most who have tried to enter it have been destroyed, and the few who made it through never returned to tell of their journey.’

  ‘When you say many, do you refer to your people, Draconians?’ Wu Geng wondered.

  ‘There are sub-species of reptoid who reside in the Orion galaxy,’ she explained, ‘known as Reticulan Greys, a different caste altogether from my people. I am from the royal strain of reptilians of Alpha Dranconis, and only our upper echelons carry the title of Draconian. My caste chose enlightenment, our caste in Orion have not.’

  ‘So you are a princess,’ Wu Geng noted winningly, as her mood had soured a little. She was obviously not impressed with her distant relatives in Orion.

  ‘A hive must have a queen,’ she replied, clearly forcing herself back into better spirits.

  ‘Then surely you should be better protected?’ Song was sceptical of her boast. ‘Shouldn’t you have sent one of your subordinates on this quest to capture your rogue leader?’

  Aysel glared at Song.

  ‘Just asking.’ Song turned both palms up. ‘Please, humour my ignorance.’

  ‘You are led by a female,’ she pointed out. ‘Would she send one of her subordinates forth to correct her error?’

  ‘What makes you think we are led by a female?’ Song had to wonder. Hudan had barely said a word during their questioning of Aysel, and the Draconian had not been present at Fen’s funeral so she could not have picked up on anything that happened there.

  ‘You deny the woman with child is your leader?’ Aysel turned the inquisition around, and was a little discomforted by the men’s stunned reaction.

  ‘Hudan is pregnant?’ Song’s jaw dropped.

  ‘Dear heavens!’ Wu Geng was concerned also — as was Noah.

  ‘That would explain the need for a healer,’ the advisor commented to himself.

  ‘Apologies.’ Aysel forced a grin, realising she had spoken out of turn. ‘Was that not common knowledge?’

  ‘I don’t know if Hudan knows.’ Song could see how a pregnancy would cause all sorts of problems right now. ‘How do you know she is with child?’

  ‘I can see the new life forming in her auric womb,’ she enlightened them. ‘Just as easily as I can see how all your light-bodies gravitate towards Hudan. Clearly she is where all allegiances lay.’

  ‘What? Wait!’ Song felt her comment could have further significance. ‘Even Wu Geng’s aura?’ He cast Wu Geng an apologetic look, and looked back to Aysel.

  ‘Even Wu Geng,’ she was pleased to confirm.

  Song looked to the man in question and smiled, relieved to know he had good cause for liking Wu Geng.

  ‘I’ve been trying to tell you that for some time now.’ Wu Geng rolled his eyes, and moved to knock Song from the railing he was sitting on, but aborted the attempt after making him flinch. ‘You know I’ve wanted to hit you so many times over the years —’ he grinned ‘— and you’ve really asked for it.’

  ‘In answer to your original query,’ Aysel interrupted their bonding moment, and clearly neither man could recall the query to which she referred. ‘There are many inhabited planets in the Orion system, but only a few play host to reptoid. There are many other races who have attempted to enter the Eternity Gate, and all within my lifetime were unsuccessful.’

  ‘So where do mind-eaters figure in this?’ Song queried.

  ‘Mind-eaters stem from the universal crossroads theory about the Eternity Gate,’ Aysel clued him in. ‘One of the other universes to which the gate gives access is known as the Old Universe, as it was the universe before this one in the ascending timeline of evolution within the Eternity Gate. That entire universe fell under the rule of an evil emperor who created mind-eaters as a means to pacify the minds of the people who inhabited the planets they conquered.’

  ‘But what are they?’ Song frowned.

  ‘An energetic geo-plasma,’ Aysel outlined. ‘It attaches itself to the brain and inhibits the aura of its victim, removing its free will and reprogramming it with the Empiric agenda.’

  ‘Come again?’ Song still didn’t understand.

  ‘It’s an earthbound gaseous entity that brainwashes you into submission,’ Noah simplified.

  ‘Gotcha,’ Song confirmed. ‘How do you control such an animal?’

  ‘Well, that’s really the crux of the tale … as it turned out, you can’t,’ she was sorry to say. ‘What the imperial scientists failed to realise was that these entities could multiply by themselves. Once a mind-eater had absorbed enough energy from one person, it would split in two and seek another host to prey upon. Before long that entire universe was overrun with mind-eaters and they began to attack their creators. It is said that only a handful of the imperial elite survived, and they accessed the Eternity Gate to escape the mind-eaters. After the breach, the interior gates of the universal crossroads were closed in the hope of preventing any of the mind-eaters escaping.’

  ‘But one or more of the escapees may have been infected?’ Wu Geng considered. ‘And I suppose legend has it that the survivors landed in this universe.’

  Aysel nodded. ‘The story goes that they were not quarantined, and thus this universe became infected.’ She forced a smile. ‘What I once thought a creepy tale for gullible children could have a basis in reality.’

  ‘Obviously no one figured out a way to destroy the menace,’ Song considered. ‘But if the entities were programmed to follow the Empiric programming, and then turned on the Empire, what agenda would they be instilling in their victims now I wonder?’

  ‘The Empiric agenda was to serve the one, the emperor, and through serving him it was believed that all were served,’ Aysel explained.

  ‘Is that not the creed your people live by?’ Song suggested, and again could see by Aysel’s face that he had caused offence.

  ‘When the mind-eaters broke that programming, their agenda became to serve the self,’ she replied, coolly, ‘the creed yo
ur people live by.’

  Now it was Song who was offended. ‘We serve the cosmic agenda,’ he clarified. ‘Or the creator, as you termed it. Through service to others the self is served, which is exactly the opposite of the old Empiric creed.’

  Aysel appeared sceptical. ‘Well, for souls who are so virtuous, Vugar’s pet shifter did not seem very well disposed towards you.’

  ‘Nor to you,’ Song shot back at her.

  ‘She was not trying to kill me,’ Aysel pointed out.

  ‘I think we can safely assume we are all on the same side,’ Wu Geng intervened as Song jumped down off the rail to confront the tall beauty.

  ‘Well, I don’t trust her,’ Song stated for the record.

  ‘You don’t trust anyone.’ Wu Geng knew that well enough.

  ‘If not for me, you would not be alive to have an opinion.’ Aysel placed hands on hips, insulted again.

  ‘How convenient,’ Song noted tersely. ‘How do we know that attack wasn’t staged just to get you in with us?’

  Aysel’s cool glare intensified to livid. ‘I wonder, if I had been able to identify him sooner, whether your healer might have shown more gratitude for my assistance?’

  With the thought of his dearly departed friend, Song’s anger turned to sorrow and he backed down. ‘I doubt, after what happened, Fen would be glad to be alive.’

  ‘For all those who truly serve the divine, life is always a treasured gift, for without it we cannot execute the plan on the creator’s behalf,’ Aysel stated in a holier-than-thou tone.

  Song was irked that she was implying that Fen was not so devoted. ‘The primary weapon of any spiritual warrior is love,’ Song replied, a large lump forming in his throat. ‘Something you obviously know nothing about.’

  ‘I always thought it was wisdom?’ Aysel argued, and Song’s sights darkened once more.

  ‘Let us not forget compassion,’ Noah interjected, ‘without which wisdom is only ego-based intellect and love is but a lust to possess.’ The sage turned his attention to the Draconian. ‘What Song means to say is that sometimes it is our virtues that kill us in the end. That is the risk the righteous run … the same risk that we are all taking for the privilege of having such a vital role in the evolution of this universal scheme.’