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

by Robert Iannone

  That had a ring of plausibility.

  “Reasonable assumption. I’ll need to get Egg’s approval first.”

  “Of course.”

  *****

  Aboard the Gracie

  Egg and Jax’x were sitting in the control room . . . waiting impatiently.

  “I’m sorry you lost Spirit.”

  “Me, too. Thanks.”

  “Was she the most important member of the sisterhood?”

  “Why would you ask that?”

  “She can see the future and she is a healer . . . pretty useful talents to have on any team.”

  “Yeah they are. But, we’ve only had one MVP and that was an overweight, ditsy sea serpent.”

  “Sorry, I don’t understand.”

  “MVP is an earth term . . . means Most Valuable Player as on a sports team. When I recruited K’ssss, she was – and still is – overly plump. She also was as dumb as a sack of sea shells.”

  “Sea shells?”

  “Never mind. Think sack of rocks.”

  “Oh. Then why did you choose her for the Sisterhood?”

  “I had a dream.”

  “About a fat, dumb sea serpent?”

  Egg laughed. “Not exactly. Anyway, no one thought she should be going with us on that first mission. Turns out, that old Librarian saying is true – you can’t tell a book by its cover. She ended up saving us five or six times. Without K’ssss, we would have failed. Without her, we wouldn’t be here helping you.”

  “Well, next time you talk to her, say thank you.” Then she added, “Wasn’t she the one that sent the generator?”

  “Yup.”

  “What would she be doing with something so sophisticated?”

  “She outgrew her dumbness. She’s now as smart as Serenity . . . which is really ridiculously smart.”

  Before Jax’x could ask another question, the comm buzzed. “Egg, here.”

  “Egg, Peak wants us to change the plan.”

  “Does he? Do tell.”

  “He thinks I should beam down and affix the generator to MAGEK in the Library.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s afraid it’s attached in some way and that beaming it up would damage it.”

  “What do you think?”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  “Hang on a second,” and she turned off the comm channel. “What’s your opinion?” she asked Jax’x.

  “First impression – it’s plausible but I don’t like it.”

  “Why?”

  “Once the generator is attached, that MAGEK unit goes live. In the wrong hands, it could be dangerous.”

  “How so? After all, the Divine Ones can access the big unit. It can only help you since it probably wasn’t reprogrammed to exclude Amber Hearts.”

  Jax’x gave that some thought. “I guess you’re right. But we really don’t know what this thing does . . . it just seems like we’re taking an unnecessary risk.”

  Egg smiled. “I like the way you think.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Let’s see if we can make everybody happy.” She flicked a switch and the comm came alive. “Serenity?”

  “Here.”

  “I need to speak with you privately.”

  “Give me a second,” and the comm went dead again. A minute later, “They all stepped out. Tee is showing them the ship.”

  “Great. So, go ahead down to the Library.”

  “Really? Didn’t think you would agree.”

  “Well, I want you to do something first,” and she proceeded to give her sister some instructions. “Can you do it?”

  “I can. That’s pretty devilish of you.”

  “Ever hear of a Deviled Egg?”

  *****

  Kr’eep’s House

  If he was going to give up Soo, give up love, give up marriage . . . he darn well wanted something in return.

  There was only one way to get that something.

  This time he felt bad about it, but he had no choice.

  He opened the door and headed to the Crypt. He was sure that the Absolute he had dealt with before would reward him again.

  What should he ask for? He would have to give that some thought.

  *****

  The Library

  When they beamed down, Serenity was surprised to see someone waiting.

  “My name is Lightning Flash.”

  That was the name of Peak’s friend. “Serenity. You already know Tee’ka and Po.”

  “Do you have the power source?”

  “Right here,” and she pointed to the unit on the ground.

  “Seems small.”

  “Good things come in small packages.”

  “Is that a philosophical adage where you come from?”

  “No, it’s actually a stupid Earth saying. Anyway, let me take a look at the sphere.”

  She did just that . . . taking a good twenty minutes to analyze the device. Finally, she told the others, “No problem. I’ll have it up and going in ten minutes.”

  True to her word, she did. “Okay, let’s fire this puppy up.” She flipped a few switches, turned a dial or two and the unit came alive with a soft whirring sound.

  “That’s it?” asked a disappointed Tee’ka.

  “I can sense my abilities are stronger,” replied Po. “Definitely stronger.”

  “Agreed,” added Peak. “Let’s see just how strong.” He looked at Flash and nodded. They both closed their eyes, obviously concentrating on something.

  A moment later, something odd appeared in the center of the room. It took a moment for it to come into focus. It was a swirl of light.

  “What is that thing?” asked Serenity with more than a little alarm.

  “It’s a gateway,” replied Peak calmly.

  “A gateway to what?”

  “To a stasis chamber.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Watch,” was the cryptic reply.

  A moment later a woman emerged . . .

  She took her time to look around and examined her surroundings . . . exuding arrogance and confidence. Finally she turned to the only man in the room and asked “why am I here?”

  “My name is Jagged Peak. We have freed you from the stasis chamber they imprisoned you in.”

  “How long?”

  “It has been almost three hundred years.”

  The woman showed only the slightest emotion by raising one eye brow.

  “Who is this” demanded Serenity.

  “This is Xara.”

  “Why did you bring her back now?”

  “Tomorrow is Chaos ‘mas. What better time for her to take revenge on the Divine Ones who betrayed her.”

  Xara smirked at that statement. “And what price do I pay for this generous opportunity?”

  “We, Lightning Flash and myself, intend to replace the council of Absolutes. With your help, of course.”

  “And why would I do that? Two Absolutes are still two too many.”

  “For your troubles, we will give you the means to leave this planet. I am sure there are many worlds that you would find (he searched for just the right word) . . . amusing . . . to visit.”

  Xara gave that some thought. “I presume if I decline your offer, I would be returned to there?” and she pointed in the direction of the swirl of light.

  “Indeed.”

  “Then, I accept your terms.”

  “Your word?”

  She smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “On my honor.”

  Peak laughed. “As we both know, you have no honor. However, for the sake of our newly formed alliance, I will pretend that you do.” He then raised a finger and Serenity, Tee’ka and Po disappeared before they could fully understand the treachery that was unfolding.

  Book 4 of Nemesis – Xara

  ©Copyright 2016, by Robert Iannone

  All rights reserved (Book & Cover Illustration)

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 – Rats

&nb
sp; Chapter 2 – That MAGEK Moment

  Chapter 3 – Into the Abyss

  Chapter 4 – War, What is it Good For?

  Chapter 5 – So What’s Next?

  Chapter 6 – Chaos ‘mas Eve

  Chapter 7 – Final Preparations

  Chapter 8 – Grim Fandango

  Chapter 9 – Utter Chaos

  Chapter 10 – Night of the Living Dead

  Epilogue 1 – The Carnage

  Epilogue 2 – Goodbye Girl

  Epilogue 3 – Knight in Shining Armor

  Chapter 1 – Rats

  On Board the Gracie

  “What just happened?”

  “Not sure.” BreeZee pressed a button on the communicator. “Serenity, please respond”.

  Static.

  “Rats and double rats.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Jax’x.

  “It means I screwed up royally.”

  “Egg?” asked Bree.

  “When I sent Peak down there . . . I got goosebumps but I ignored them.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I’m stupid. I just don’t understand why they always foretell trouble. So, I decided to ignore them this time.”

  “Shouldn’t you have at least warned then?” asked Jax’x.

  “Ya think?”

  “Yes, that would seem like a reasonable precaution.”

  “I was being ironic. Of course I should have said something. But, I didn’t want to worry the others needlessly. Sometimes they take the goose bump thing too seriously.” Once she said it, Egg realized how stupid that sounded. “I screwed up.”

  “We don’t know for sure that there’s a problem. It could be a malfunction in the communications equipment,” offered her sister without much conviction.

  Just then Bl’azzz entered the room. “We’ve got trouble.”

  “I know that.”

  “Have you been listening in?”

  “To what?”

  “Me and Kr’eep.”

  “No. We were monitoring the others.”

  “Then how do you know we have trouble?”

  “I ignored my goosebumps and now we can’t contact them.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What are you talking about?” responded an exasperated Egg.

  “Kr’eep, of course. He walked out on me when I asked for his help.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Why would I joke?”

  “It’s just an expression of . . . oh, never mind.”

  “What’s happening to the others? Why can’t you contact them?”

  “We’re trying to figure that out.”

  “What was that thing about your goosebumps?”

  Egg explained.

  “Egg-o, that was . . .”

  “DUMB, I know.”

  “So what now?”

  Egg didn’t answer. Instead she reached out and threw a switch allowing her to address the ship’s computer. “Execute Plan B, please.”

  The ship responded with “Plan B executed. Await further instructions.”

  *****

  On the Road to the Crypt

  When he left his house, Kr’eep began jogging towards the Crypt. The thought of the reward he was about to receive made him salivate. Then again, it seemed like anything he considered good produced an excess of spit. The poor guy really was a little gross . . . though it probably wasn’t totally his fault. Sometimes it’s in your DNA.

  It took him almost twenty minutes to reach the bridge that crossed the rift which protected the Crypt. He stopped to catch his breath . . . and to screw up his courage. Talking to a Divine One was nerve racking; talking to an Absolute was downright terrifying.

  A few deep breaths and he was ready. Well, almost ready. His heart was pounding from a combination of fear and regret. Soo was so beautiful and she liked him. Heck, she even kissed him . . . more than once. The feel of her lips on his was etched in his memory. What was he doing? He knew there would never be another like her. If he crossed that bridge he was condemning himself to a life alone.

  On the other hand, if he crossed that bridge he was insuring that he would have a life . . . alone or otherwise. There was a lot to be said for not being dead.

  “Stop you darn fool.”

  Kr’eep spun around. It was Hay’gar . . . red faced and wheezing from running. “What?” he barked, more from being startled than anything else.

  “What are you doing? There’s a very fine woman back there that likes you. Most men would die for a chance to be with her.” Hay’gar’s choice of words was meant to challenge the young man to . . . well, to man up. The unfortunate phrasing only served to reinforce his fears.

  “I don’t want to die for her . . . or for anyone.”

  “She needs your help. Sometimes a person has to put the needs of others above his own safety.”

  “Then you do it, you stupid old man.”

  Surprisingly, Hay’gar wasn’t offended. He knew that Kr’eep had been brought up with a negligent mother and an abusive father. There had been no love in that family. And there most certainly wasn’t any role model for a young man to emulate. Without guidance and left to his own devices, the misbegotten Kr’eep had settled into the lowest level of human existence – selfish, self-indulgent and void of any moral compass.

  “Come back with me and we’ll talk,” offered the older man.

  “About what?”

  “About why you left Soo.” The old man had followed his neighbor after Bl’azzz told him Kr’eep stormed out of the house. Knowing the young man all too well, he suspected that he might do something impulsive. The fact that the guy was willing to give up a woman who had shown interest in him spoke volumes.

  “What’s to talk about? I don’t want her to get me killed. And if I can’t have her, I want to get something out of it.”

  Time for a different tack. “Are you sure they’ll believe you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe they’ll think you were involved and got scared.”

  “Even if that was true, so what?”

  “So they might choose to eliminate a person that seems to be unsure whose side he’s on. Why waste a reward on someone that might find a reason to change his mind yet again. If it were me, I’d simply do away with you.”

  The colorful Kr’eep turned deathly white . . . a shade that was becoming all too familiar on him. “You’re just saying that to scare me.”

  Hay’gar wasn’t sure if that was a statement or a question. “I’m just trying to show you that you’re acting in haste. Let’s talk about it.”

  “Just go away.” After a few seconds, he added a very soft, almost pleading “please.”

  “If that’s what you want. But Kr’eep . . . if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” The old man patted his companion on the shoulder – a gesture a father might make to his son. Without another word, Hay’gar turned and left.

  *****

  Room of Doom

  Xara watched the three girls disappear with only the tiniest of smirks playing with the corners of her mouth. Turning towards Jagged Peak she asked, “Are they dead?”

  “Of course not.”

  Xara shook her head in disapproval. “You’re not nasty or ruthless enough to be an Absolute.”

  “I would disagree that either of those are a prerequisite to being a good Absolute . . . but quite frankly I have no interest in your opinion on the matter.”

  The smirk turned to a wolfish grin. “That’s better. I like my men with a stiff . . . backbone.” She raised her eyebrows for emphasis.

  “If we didn’t need your help, I would put you in a Vanishing Veil in a heartbeat. You are a vile creature.”

  “Tsk, tsk. You don’t want to hurt my feelings, do you?”

  Peak stared at the woman . . . eyes locked on eyes. “Perish the thought.”

  “If you two will stop this childish posturing, we have work to do. Need I remind both of you that tomo
rrow is Chaos ‘mas”?

  “You’re little girlfriend is right . . . something that probably doesn’t happen often.” Xara looked at Lightning Flash and winked. Before the girl could respond, the former Amber Heart said, “Bring me up to speed. I want to know everything.”

  “The only thing that’s relevant is for you to show us how to get to MAGEK and reprogram it to ignore all other Divine Ones except us.”

  “Divine Ones? You call yourselves Divine Ones?” and she startled the other two when she broke out in gales of laughter.

  “What do you find so amusing?”

  It took Xara a few seconds to regain her composure. She wiped away a few tears of laughter from her eyes then explained, “In my time, you people were known as Hex Weavers . . . and your ruling counsel Absolute Hexes. When did you become holy rollers? Did God ordain it?”

  “What god? Are you referring to MAGEK?”

  Once again, the now familiar eyebrow arch. “Interesting. When I roamed this world, the population was deeply religious. It was one of the reasons that the whole MAGEK project took so long to build. A large segment of the population felt it was sacrilegious. It gave us . . . at least some of us . . . godlike powers. They found that offensive.”

  “Sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about. We know of no deity.”

  “Of course you don’t. How sad.”

  Peak was getting annoyed. “What difference does it make to our present situation? No, save your condescending answer . . . that was a rhetorical question. Tell me what you need to accomplish our goal?”

  “First, I need to understand what has happened since I was put in hibernation.”

  “That’s three hundred years of history. Even if I knew, which I don’t, it would take weeks and weeks just to give you a summary. We don’t have that much time.”

  “What do you mean – ‘even if I knew’?”

  He was about to respond with a rude comment but stopped. A sudden realization hit him. “As far as I know, about the time you were removed, the world was destroyed.”