by Frank Carey
She walked out from behind a statue and into the open. "Hurt how?"
He said nothing. Instead, he pressed the glyph on the back of the tablet corresponding to the first symbol in the message list. The symbol glowed red. Smiling, he pressed the next seven. When he pressed the last one, all eight flashed yellow, then remained bright green.
The space above the platform exploded in white light.
"That's how." He walked over to the edge of the platform and stared a moment before aiming his scanner at it. "Oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. Pressure, ninety-five percent League-standard. Gravity, eighty percent League-standard. Temperature, 21 degrees Celsius. Since none of them matches what's in this room, I would opine that there is a planet on the other side of that light. We've found our gate."
Sheila aimed her scanner at the light and switched it to life sign detection. She watched for a moment, then drew her pistol and shot Kel.
"Sorry," she said as she watched him crumple to a heap on the ground.
###
"We've found our gate," Kel said while continuing to stare at his scanner
Sheila looked at her scanner and saw life signs from both Sokuhl and two other life forms, one of which looked just like Kel's She took out her pistol, thumbed it to level five and shot Kel, knocking him to the ground in a crumbled heap. "Sorry," she said as she holstered her weapon before walking toward the light.
"He might forgive you, bitch, but I'm not," an angry voice yelled after her. Sheila turned and saw a human-looking woman with anger in her eyes, bending over to check Kel's vitals. "Pray he isn't dead," she yelled.
"Clio! You really do exist!"
"Sheila, do not enter that gate!" the angry muse yelled as objects around her shook with her anger.
Without further word, Sheila ran through the gate, leaving Clio to deal with the aftermath.
###
Sheila emerged inside a dark space filled with even darker shapes. Quietly, she activated her hand torch and aimed it around the area, illuminating statues similar to the ones she had left back in Dawn. She shifted her aim further out and saw scaffolding, ladders, and tools. A sign leaning against a chair declared in ancient Sokuhl, "Under Construction."
"Typical," she said as she ran a fingertip through a thick layer of dust collected on a drop cloth. "They must have run out of funding. Scanner, activate program Minty-zero-one."
"Working..." The scanner downloaded the program Sage had sent from the communications device and ran it. "Signal sent," the scanner informed her, referring to the program Sage had downloaded into the unit’s memory. When activated, the scanner would emit a coded RF pulse, which when received by the realmoria, would cause the artifact to begin sending out a beacon. "Imagine if all ancient civilizations made it this easy," she noted.
"Mistress, I am receiving a beacon pulse at two-three-eight degrees magnetic, distance three kilometers. A diagnostic data packet is included."
"Decode and display," she ordered.
"Working... Artifact is intact. Seal is intact. Payload is present and intact."
"Stop. Display vector to realmoria."
"Working..."
An arrow appeared on her scanner. Beneath it the distance in miles. She walked out of the building and into a night illuminated by a large moon. She walked in the direction the arrow indicated.
Sheila looked around and saw she was inside a large city. Above her, skyscrapers rose into the sky while modern amenities such as street lights went about their normal routines for this time of night, whatever that was. Sheila spied what looked like a neon clock in a window front. "Scanner, can you tell what time it is by that clock over there in the display window?"
"Scanning... Scanning sky... Scanning radio frequencies... Connecting to data network... Working... Yes, Mistress. The rotational period of this planet is approximately twenty-six hours. Current local time is 0300 hours."
"Damn, I think I'm going to keep you when all this is over."
"Yes, mistress. Thank you, mistress. Warning! Life forms approaching."
Sheila ducked into a doorway. "Which way?"
"Four individuals entering intersection ahead from the left. They are escorting a large armored vehicle."
As if on cue, two armed individuals entered the intersection followed by a small tank. Behind it, two more armed individuals followed. All four wore light-weight body armor and helmets which obscured their forms. The group stopped in the center. "Control, patrol six," one of the troopers said into something on his wrist. "Sector eight is clear. Moving to sector nine. False alarm on that transmission."
"Copy that, patrol six. Continue with mission."
"Roger, control. Patrol six out." Instead of moving on, the troopers removed their helmets and drank from their canteens while the top of the tank opened followed by too more troopers emerging into the night air. Sheila stared in wonder at four Sokuhl and two Basili taking a break. "No wings or tail," she whispered.
Finished with their break, the two tank operators returned inside their vehicle while the four troopers donned their helmets. When everyone was situated, the patrol moved on to their next destination. Once they were out of sight, Sheila continued on her way. "Scanner, any other patrols present between current location and destination."
"Two, but they are moving away from our route. We have a solid window of one hour to make it to the destination and return to the gate."
Sheila quickened her pace.
Twenty minutes later found the good doctor peering around a corner at a large, fortress-like building. Guarding the front door were two guards garbed in similar6 fashion as the ones she saw on patrol. "Physiology scan of guards. Minimum blaster setting to render unconscious?"
"Level four."
"Wow, that's a change from Kel," she said, then stopped and thought about what she had done. Shaking her head, she removed her blaster from its holster, set the power level, then the beam to wide. Taking a breath, she aimed at the guards and pulled the trigger, bathing both in energy. They crumpled to the ground. "Scanner, how are they?"
"They'll live, mistress."
"Running past them, she entered the building, and following the signal, ran up two flights of stairs and down a corridor to a group of featureless doors. "Where?"
"Signal is emanating from behind the door directly to your right. I am getting odd..."
Sheila blasted the lock off, then kicked the door in. She stopped when she came face to face with a reptilian woman who looked vaguely familiar. Before she could fire her weapon, the woman was upon her, knocking the weapon from her grasp while pinning her against the wall with a pistol muzzle against her head. "Nice try, sweetie, but he's not here."
"Who's not here?"
"Jorgan. Don't play innocent with me. You insurrectionists should know by now that I'm not one to trifle with."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Right. Everyone knows Red, leader of this city." She handed off Sheila to one of the dozen guards who suddenly filled the hallway. Once free of her prisoner, Red picked up Sheila's weapon and examined it. She gave Sheila a sharp look. "A nucleonic blaster! Where the hell did you come from?"
"How..." Shirley decided silence was the best course of action.
"No matter. LT, take our friend to interrogation and get Jobba and Frill in there ASAP. I don't want little missy to get lonely."
"Yes, mistress," he said as he dragged a squirming Sheila away, leaving Red to examine the weapon.
"A nucleonic blaster, mistress?" an older male Basili asked as he joined her from the hall.
"Yes, Chukka. An advanced weapon that can blast a lock off a door as easily as it can stun a guard. This tech is about fifty years ahead of yours."
"But, mistress, she is Sokuhl! Where did she come by this weapon?" her assistant asked.
"I don't know, Chukka. Call the garrison and have the Fortress put on full lockdown. Meanwhile, give this to the interrogation team," she said, handing the weapon to the Basili. "See if they can pry somethi
ng out of our friend."
"Yes, mistress. As you command."
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Warning, life signs monitor malfunction. Subject Kellen Hardy," the ship's computer announced.
Felicity ran checks to make sure something hadn't fritzed. That's when she saw odd activity on the comm system. "Dr. Hardy, please respond, over."
Silence.
Concerned, Felicity tried Sheila. "Dr. Minty, please respond, over."
More silence.
"Warning, life signs monitor malfunction. Subject Sheila Minty," the ship's computer announced.
"Shit." Felicity hit the panic button. Three orbiting ships immediately dropped everything to head to the asteroid to render aid.
"Felicity, this is Alex. Sitrep!"
"Alex, Felicity. The two doctors are down. I'm going in."
"Belay that, young lady. Wait for backup. Our ETA is ten minutes. Do you copy? Over."
"Plark that shit. They could be dead in ten minutes. I'll leave the starboard airlock unlocked. Felicity out."
She killed the comm and grabbed a weapon and first aid kit on her way out of the ship. Once inside the enclosure, she ran to the elevators. "Come on, come on. I've seen faster molasses in the dead of winter," she muttered. The car stopped and the doors opened to a scene from a sci-fi movie. A raven haired woman wearing a striped tunic and military pants was kneeling over an unconscious dragon while a small sun burned at the center of a nearby, stained glass platform. Around her stood statues of dragons. "Man, this never gets old," she said as she aimed her weapon at the woman. "Step away from the dragon," she yelled.
The woman looked up and glared at Felicity with eyes so purple, they were painful to look at. "Is that a med kit?"
"What?"
"Is that a plarking med kit?"
"Yes."
Then bring it over, dammit."
"Who the hell are you?"
The woman let loose with a stream of Katalan that made Felicity blush. She ran over and knelt down next to the woman while opening the kit.
"So you're Clio, and you’re not an Alue or an AI like Jenna. Are you some non-corporeal we haven't encountered yet?"
"I'm a muse, the goddess of history to be exact. Humans knew us as did your people."
"Wait a damn minute! You're telling me that you're an immortal, daughter of Zeus on earth..."
"And daughter of Halstead on Katala, yes, go on."
"That's impossible! The poetesses, as we call them on my home world, are myth; stories of an ancient time."
"Yeah, right. You just keep telling yourself that until you believe it. Anyway, I'm hanging with Kel now. Is he going to make it?"
"Yes, he's just stunned." Felicity scanned his biomonitor with the kit's medscanner, downloading its readings into the unit's databanks. She was amazed at what she read. "Damn, Kel is one tough cookie. Whoever shot him had their pistol at force 5, a setting high enough to put most League residents into intensive care."
"She shot him," Clio growled.
"She who?"
"Sheila. She saw something on her scanner that freaked her out. She whipped out her pistol and shot Kel before running through that damn gate."
"Were you stunned as well by the blast?"
"Hell no. The damn bracelet went into protect mode. It wouldn't let me out. I finally convinced it to stand down. Thank the Creator I'm a muse."
"Why?"
"Special dispensation by my father allows us kids to take corporeal form."
"Wait; there are others out there like you who aren't allowed to take corporeal form?"
"Yep, except for the muse, everyone else is prohibited. Something about screwing with other's destinies. For now, the other immortals are limited to computer systems and suits."
"They sound like AIs,"
"Yeah, a little. They probably have dinner together. How is he?"
"He's coming around," Felicity said. "Why were you in a bracelet?"
"Long story. I will say that I was very lucky that Kel found me when he did. The exhibit I was in was scheduled for rotation into long-term storage."
"Ohhhh, my head. What the hell happened?" Kel said as he slowly sat up.
"Your girlfriend stunned you, then ran through that," Clio informed him.
Kel looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. "Clio?"
"Hey, Big Guy. How do I look?"
"Like a goddess. You really shouldn't hide all that in a bracelet."
"I knew there was a reason why I liked you."
Kel stood up, holding his head while Felicity scanned him. "You shouldn't be standing," she advised.
"Why the hell did Sheila stun me? All I did was ask her to be my bond mate. Am I that bad..." He stopped when Felicity showed him the results of Sheila's scan. "Oh. There are Basili on the other side, and Sokuhl, and something else reptilian. So why did she stun me?"
"Has she been talking to someone on the home world?"
"Zor. He's been checking on me."
"Yeah, no. Zor called me before the kerfuffle. He wanted to know how Kel's talk went since he hadn't heard from his grandson. Someone is playing games," Alex said as he walked out of the elevator followed by medical and security personnel. "We monitor comm traffic to and from your ship as a matter of protocol. We were surprised when someone opened a link with your home world after the interviews were finished. It was opened by Dr. Minty using an encrypted channel. Tayla recognized the code used in the transmission as being Sokuhl Intelligence Service in origin."
"Why the hell would Sheila be talking to the SIS? Sheila's a school teacher, for gods' sake," Kel said as a Med tech ran a scanner over him.
"I have people decrypting the message as well as looking into Dr. Minty's connection to the SIS." He looked at Clio. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Alex, Governor of Alyson, and you are?"
"Clio, muse of history, and daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. I'm what you call a goddess."
"Clio is my companion and has been for many years," Kel explained.
"Sir, I swear she wasn't aboard the ship when I dropped the two doctors off," Felicity explained.
"I usually ride along in this," Clio said as she held up Kel's wrist, the one with the bracelet.
"Amazing. You must meet Kylie and Jenna, the other non-corporeal members of our staff. They, though, are AIs. Now, as for the good doctor..."
Kel held out his hand. "Ms. Zarn, do you have a weapon and belt for my friend?"
Felicity looked at Alex. He nodded back, so she gave Clio her own gear.
"I'm going to go get my friend. Since the scanners work, I assume the comms will as well. You may want to set up a quarantine area for when we return."
"Already on its way. Are you sure you're ready for what you find on the other side of that gate?"
Kel looked at him. "I'll find Sheila and bring her home. Anything else is inconsequential."
"I understand. Oh, one more thing. There are two Sokuhl warships on their way here. I've been ordered to prevent you from entering that gate."
Kel looked at the elf as his ears went straight up in rage. "Really? And what did you tell them?"
"I hung up. Good luck, Doctor. You have forty-eight hours before I send in a rescue team."
"Understood," Kel said as he shook the elf's hand. "Clio. I want you to stay..."
He turned and saw the muse standing there in full combat gear. "You were saying?"
"Your father would be proud. Let's go." Together, they walked into the light.
CHAPTER NINE
Alex walked into his shuttle and sat down at the comm board. After taking a moment to compose himself, he made a call. "Computer, open a call to Kylie Gray on Alyson. Priority one and scrambled."
"Working..."
"This is Kylie." Kylie was one of two artificial intelligences who resided on Alyson. She was also the adopted mother of Dr. Joshua Gray and mother-in-law to Tayla Hardy, Kel's cousin.
"Kylie, Alex. Have you been monitoring what's been happening up here
at Dawn?"
"Tayla filled me in. Has Kel figured out what all those statues were about?"
Alex briefed her on events of the last few hours.
"Shit. What did you say his companion's name was?"
"Clio. Supposedly she's a muse, one of the goddesses the Olympians worship."
"And impersonated when they stayed on Earth. What do you need from me?"
"Kylie, you are on the fringe of Sokuhl society, but few know you. I need something nefarious done which involves the Sokuhl, specifically the Hardy family."
"Hmmm. Does it involve Tayla and Jacob specifically?"
"No, only peripherally. This has to do with the Sokuhl elders, the Parliament, the Patriarch, and his staff."
"Not a problem, then. What do you need?"
"I'm sending you the access code and name of a folder containing an encrypted communications log. I was hoping you could decrypt it."
"Let me guess. It's Sokuhl."
"Yes. We think Dr. Hardy's companion, Dr. Sheila Minty, was in communication with someone on Sokuhl before she traveled to the other side of the gate. I need to know who she was communicating with and what they were communicating about."
"Sure. I'll get started immediately. I hear Dr. Hardy isn't fully Sokuhl. What's he like?"
"He's a two-meter dragon who's lost in a sea of Sokuhl, yet he finds time to study history and bake scones. He calls himself a Basili."
"The legendary basilisk, king of the serpents whose single glance can kill. Imagine that beast wearing an apron while baking scones in an old fashioned, wood-fired oven."
"Are you OK?" Alex asked.
"What? Yes, I'm fine. Just remembering. "Give me an hour. Can I call you at this number?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you."
"Not a problem. Kylie out."
"Excellent," Alex said as he killed the connection. "Computer, open a call to Ambassador Irithyl. Priority one and scrambled.
"Working..."
###
After ending the call, Kylie walked over to a large picture window and looked out over the countryside as it appeared centuries ago when she and the others lived on the first Olympian home world. Below her sheep grazed as Olympians tended vines laden with grapes ready for harvest. She held out her hand and a pewter goblet filled with red wine appeared. She sipped it, trying to gather strength from the dark vintage.