Box Set #5: Nemesis: [The 4 book 5th adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  The poor girl had to take a step back when she was assaulted by a chorus of “What’s”?

  “It’s not like that. Po loves him. Like Tee’ka, she never had a boyfriend. After spending time with mine, she fell in love. And he loves her back.” She held up her hand to stop a barrage of questions which were about to be fired at her. “They both love me and neither would do anything to cause me pain. I trust them explicitly.”

  “It doesn’t bother you?” asked an amazed Bree.

  “Well, to be honest . . . and you all must promise not to say anything to Po . . . it does a little. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been befriending the new Divine One that guards me. He’s pleasing to the eye, intelligent and just a nice person. I think he and Po will like each other.”

  “Have you told her?” asked Egg.

  “Not yet. I only saw her for the first time this evening.”

  “What? She escaped from her room?”

  “No, Egg. Apparently after being given a token punishment, she was released. Her Absolute even gave her permission to visit me every day. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  Five girls nodded yes.

  The sixth got goose bumps.

  “I smell a rat.”

  “I hate rats,” cried the usually fearless Serenity as she scanned the floor for the ugly little critters. Even Bree and Spirit made faces of disgust – or was it fright?

  “Stop, already. It’s just an Earth saying,” but she involuntarily looked around just to make sure. Satisfied, she explained, “It means that something isn’t what it appears to be . . . it’s something more sinister.”

  “Goose Bumps?” asked Bree.

  “Yeah, goose bumps.”

  “You said something about that before,” commented Jax’x. “I actually thought you were teasing me.”

  “Oh, it’s real enough,” said Bree. “As far as I can remember, Egg’s goose bumps always foretell something bad. Uncanny, really.”

  “I, for one, would like to dissect her brain to see where this supernatural power comes from,” suggested Serenity unhelpfully. “All those in favor?”

  Jax’x’s eyes went wide before she realized it was a joke. “Wow, you ladies are something else. Do you take anything seriously?”

  “Just the bad guys,” offered Egg. “We really don’t like mean people.”

  “This conversation is meandering all over the galaxy,” complained Spirit. “This time I’m not asking . . . follow me to the lounge. Then, let’s try and keep the conversation to the problem at hand.”

  “What a grump”.

  “Who said that?”

  “It was Jynx,” answered Tee in mock seriousness.

  “Grrrrrrr. Burp,” then the Shamie morphed into Egg.

  The girl feigned annoyance. “Nice, you flea infested purple people eater”.

  “Grrrrrrr. Burp”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  “ENOUGH,” screeched the telepath . . . which nearly scrambled the brains of the other six who somewhat stupidly put their hands over their ears.

  “Come on, let’s move to the lounge before she screams again,” and Egg led them to the other room. Everyone found a place to sit . . . putting Jax’x in the center. When they were settled, Egg said “Okay, Jax’x, talk to us.”

  “There is so much to tell that it’s hard to know where to start. So forgive me if I jump all over the place. Anyway, when I left here, I spent the day researching what the Tree said. And, I found something. I already told you that I’m what’s called an Amber Heart . . . very probably the last of my kind. What that means I’ll get to later. Po on the other hand, like every other Divine One, is a Hex. Everyone else are just X’s . . . that’s the people with no gift. I had never heard of someone born without one of those three. So, I leafed through a couple of hundred books and I finally found a reference to it. Apparently once in a generation a child is born without any mark. Strangely enough, they are born with a telltale trait – wandering eyes.”

  “What the heck is that?”

  “They can’t keep eye contact with another person. Their eyes begin to . . . I guess you could say meander. Because it makes them look shifty, like they’re dishonest or lying, they became outcasts . . . sent away to live on their own. At least, that’s the way it was until the Great War. After that, the population was so diminished that if someone was born with this trait, it was either not noticed or disregarded.”

  “So how does that help us? How do you find a shifty-eyed person?” asked our fearless leader.

  “I already met him. It’s Jay’gar’s neighbor, Kr’eep.”

  “Hey, that’s the guy who loves me.”

  Jax’x looked at the dragon with bewilderment. “He loves you? He loves a dragon . . . no offense.”

  “What’s not to love?” and she smiled - again revealing a mouthful of teeth.

  “That’s still a lot of teeth.”

  “She puts the Big Bad Wolf to shame, doesn’t she?” Everyone looked at Egg who shook her head in frustration. “Forget it.”

  “Bl’azzz, when did you meet him?”

  “Technically, he only met me in a human avatar body. But there was definitely an attraction.”

  Egg agreed. “There was. And that, my dear Jax’x, is our famous stroke of luck in action. What were the odds that we would meet him and that he would find her avatar appealing?”

  “Obviously one hundred percent since it happened,” chimed Serenity.

  Egg gave the girl an exasperated shrug and smirk. “You know what I mean.”

  “Well, that’s got to be something we can use to our advantage,” offered Bree.

  “I agree in principle . . . but until I can figure out what ‘directed thru he born with none’ means, I’m not sure how.”

  “Well, I think we’re making progress,” suggested Serenity. “On the other hand, we need to figure out why Po is allowed to visit with you. Anybody have an idea?”

  “If it wasn’t for your goose bumps, I’d say it could be as innocent as it sounds,” offered the girl with wings.

  “Oh my gosh.”

  Everyone turned to look at Egg.

  “Sassi”.

  “I don’t understand what that means?” replied Jax’x who then added, “Sorry I keep saying that.”

  Ignoring her apology, Egg explained, “Sassi is one of our sisters. On our very first mission, the bad guy gave her a necklace that let him spy on us. Maybe that’s what they did to Po.”

  Jax’x was horrified at the thought. “Po would never do such a thing.”

  “Of course she wouldn’t. Neither would Sassi. But because of me – which is yet another long story for later – I made her forget that was why she had the necklace. Maybe Po doesn’t know either.”

  “Jax’x, what exactly was her punishment?” asked Serenity.

  “Something silly. There was a blinding flash of light and an ear splitting sound. It lasted all of two or three seconds.”

  The girl in the wheelchair smiled. “As Egg would say . . . bingo.”

  “Bing what?”

  “It means I think I have the answer. When they did the light and sound thing, it was probably to distract Po so they could plant a spying device on her. All we need to do is find out what it is then we can deactivate it.”

  “No”.

  Again, everyone turned to Egg.

  “If we did that, they’d know we were on to them. A better idea is to let them spy on stuff that will mislead them.”

  “That’s all well and good but does it mean we have to lie to Po? I couldn’t condone that.”

  “Actually, it would be much better if she knew. We need to figure out a way to get her a message that only she would understand. I’m open to ideas.”

  Jax’x smiled. “How about a recipe for scrambled eggs?”

  Chapter 8 – Plans Within Plans

  “Take two eggs, crack them open and spill their guts into a bowl. I’d add a little salt, a pinch of pepper then I’d whip the suckers till they cried.”


  “What could you possibly be talking about,” asked a bemused Serenity.

  “She wanted a recipe for scrambled eggs; so I gave her one.”

  “Egg, the only thing scrambled is your mind. Once again, let’s vote on me dissecting her brain. All in favor?”

  Only Jynx raised her hand . . . I mean her paw.

  “Hey, you freaky walking rug, be nice or I’ll pluck your eyebrows when you fall asleep.”

  “Grrrrrrr. Burp.”

  “Shut up.”

  “If you two would stop your . . . your hijinks for a minute, maybe Jax’x could explain herself. I’m assuming she doesn’t really want a recipe for eggs.”

  “Yes and no, Spirit,” and she went on to explain the secret code developed by Hay’gar and his grandson and used by Po.

  “Serendipity,” beamed Flying Girl.

  “Actually, it’s Serenity,” replied Serenity. “See, scrambled. So far we have two in favor of a dissection. All we need is two more. How about you Bl’azzz?”

  “Haven’t decided,” answered Hot Lips with a grin. “To be honest, I’m leaning ‘yes’.”

  “Now you know why I miss Syl; you’re all a bunch of dolts. Serendipity means lucky. What were the odds that they would have a secret code? A gazillion to one, maybe more?”

  And once again, the girl in the chair joked, “Actually the odds apparently were one hundred percent . . . since they did.”

  “Girl, you’re killing me.”

  “Technically the dissection would kill you. I’m just trying to prepare you mentally. You’re welcome.”

  Maybe because she was so tired, Jax’x broke into a fit of giggles. Before long, everyone else had joined in.

  When she calmed herself, the girl said, “I’ve known you guys for about a day. And, not to sound mushy, but I love all of you. The comradery in this room is beyond belief. Besides being smart and pretty . . . you’re also very amusing. Well, most of you are.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously when she said it.

  “Most?” asked Egg suspiciously.

  Jax’x smiled . . . but said nothing.

  “Well, it’s not me. I once made Mobius laugh.”

  “He was laughing at you, not with you,” said Bl’azzz.

  “Come on you guys, we need to focus. Jax’x, you must be exhausted. Let’s make sure she has a plan of action before we send her back.”

  “Ha, Grumpy. She was talking about you.”

  “She was not.”

  “Was, too.”

  “Was, not.”

  “Grrrrrrr. Burp.”

  “Jynx says it was definitely you. Now, for the love of all the nebula in the known universe, let’s concentrate on our mission.”

  Obliging by turning serious, Egg said to Jax’x, “Can you get her the coded message before she comes to see you again?”

  “No problem. I’ll send Ziz.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Egg?”

  “Just thinking. Can you remember what you and Po talked about when she came to see you? Don’t forget, the Divine Ones were eavesdroping.”

  “Let me think. Luckily, it was only a few seconds before Jagged Peak interrupted us.” She smiled at her own words. “There’s that serendipity again. Anyway, after she told me why she was there, she asked about the Sisters. I said I met you and how amazing you were and that I thought our little revolution just might work.”

  “Did you actually use the word revolution?”

  “Um, no. I don’t think so. In fact, I’m sure I didn’t.”

  “Okay, you guys . . . what do you think Grassy Hill got out of that?”

  “Grassy Knoll”.

  “Right. Thanks. Well, anybody?”

  Tee’ka offered the first suggestion. “Jax’x met with us. How could she do that unless she left the Library or we came to her? Grassy Grass wouldn’t think that was possible with the force field they put up.”

  “Grassy Knoll”.

  “Right. Sorry.”

  “Good thinking Tee. So they know about us . . . but only that we exist. There goes one of our elements of surprise.”

  BreeZee had a different take. “Wouldn’t she assume that we, the sisters, were Divine Ones? Only they could get through the force field.”

  “Nice, Bree. Element of surprise is back with us. Anything else?”

  “Well, she knows that Jax’x and Po are planning something behind their backs,” offered Bl’azzz. “Can’t imagine they think it’s going to be a surprise birthday party.”

  “Good job, Hot Lips. Anything else?”

  “Excuse me . . . hot lips?”

  “Jax’x, our dearest dragon sister used to have a gas problem . . .”

  “Ew.”

  “Not that kind of gas problem. She’s a self-proclaimed vegetarian, something not normal for her kind. Combined with the fact that she’s a F’yre Dragon, when she burps it ignites. So if you hear a whoosh, duck or she’ll burn off your eyebrows.”

  “I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

  “Good,” replied an embarrassed Bl’azzz.

  “Moving on, any suggestions on how we’re going to use our advantage with this spying stuff?”

  “Remove all doubt that the Sisters are Divine Ones,” replied Bree.

  “Very good. So what would you be conspiring with them about?”

  Seconds ticked off before Jax’x volunteered, “How about we let them think we’re trying to get Jay’gar back? They might believe that.”

  “Why would they help you do that? What’s in it for them?”

  “Well, how about it is information I discovered in one of those ancient books. They get the knowledge and I get back my love.” She didn’t mean to, but she teared up as she said it.

  “I like it. At least for now.” Egg glanced at the wall clock and complained “Rats, look at the time. Jax’x needs to get back and we still don’t know her story.”

  “This time tomorrow we’ll be swapping out our girl with her avatar,” reminded Serenity. “Then we should have as much time as we need.”

  “I guess,” agreed Egg reluctantly. “Anyway, Jax’x, get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

  “Okay. But what about Po? Won’t you need to get her up here so you can duplicate her?”

  “We can’t get her from her room as we said before. So, she’ll have to find a couple of hours when she’s not there . . . and no one will miss her,” said Serenity.

  “That’s going to be difficult, but I’ll include that in my message to her.”

  “I think you’re going to need a bigger recipe than scrambled eggs,” suggested our scrambled Egg.

  “How about Egg’s Ben’Edikk?” teased the former computer program.

  “Cute, Tee. Really cute.”

  And like before, the last thing Jax’x heard as she teleported away was the sound of the Sisters’ laughter.

  *****

  The Next Day

  On the Gracie

  “Egg.”

  “Yo,” answered the sleepy girl into the intercom.

  “I found something. Get the others and meet me in the control room.”

  Five minutes later, the half-dressed, half-awake sisters joined Serenity.

  “Don’t you ever sleep?” complained BreeZee.

  “I get by on about four hours a night. Sometimes less”.

  “Four hours? That’s like half a nap for us dragons.”

  “No wonder you walk around in a daze all the time.”

  “Hey, I resemble that remark.”

  “Way too early for jibber-jabber. Show us what you’ve got,” grumbled Egg.

  “Well, did you ever wonder why there’s only one city?”

  “I actually wonder about everything,” answered Tee’ka. “For instance, why do boys have . . .?”

  “Stop,” commanded Spirit. “Focus on our mission. You and I can talk about boys later.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes. But fair warning, I probably know less than yo
u. I was never a computer program and I’ve never been on a date.”

  “Then what would we talk about?”

  “Come on, you guys,” pleaded Egg. “Enough. Serenity, start talking . . . and just answer your own questions.”

  “Can do. So, why is there only one city? Answer, because the Divine Ones aren’t divine once they leave Amber Heart.”

  “Why not?”

  “Remember those towers that you passed . . . the ones that were fallen and mangled? They are the source of their power.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Well, technically, these towers are transmitters and receivers. Their existence confirms what we heard from Jax’x, the actual source is most likely this M.A.G.E.K. machine.”

  “Sorry, I’m not following,” apologized Bl’azzz.

  “The Divine Ones aren’t born with magical powers. For some reason, they are able to communicate with this machine using their minds. The machine takes their thoughts and converts them into reality. But, apparently, the mind can only transmit so far. These towers were built to pick up their thoughts, amplify them then send them on to the machine. I’m guessing that the machine transmits instructions back to the Obelisks to create whatever is required.”

  “So those towers outside the city were destroyed in their big war. No towers, no way to communicate with the machine. No communication, no power to undo the destruction outside the city limits. Right?”

  “Yup.”

  “But the Divine Ones don’t know that, do they?”

  “Just guessing . . . but no. I’m sure over the centuries they came up with some story or superstition as to why everyone must stay within the city limits.”

  “Do you know where this machine is? I’m guessing in Amber Heart,” suggested Bree.

  “Actually, it’s under the city. Based on the power readings I’ve measured, it’s probably about five miles below the surface.”

  “Since you said the force field around The Crypt was super strong, then it’s probably right under their noses.”

  “Egg-o, that’s a bing-o”.

  “Cute.”

  “I know.”

  “Ah ha. Got it,” cried Bree.

  “Got what? Milk?”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”