Questor

by L. S. Gibson

  They’d formed an outline plan for implementation if they found Jon, and there were not too many Mideans with him. Triena nodded to confirm she still felt strong enough to continue maintaining her shield, and Lector nodded confirmation of his strength also.

  They approached the door and Manny raised his hand as if to knock on it. However, before he could complete the movement, they heard a sharp exclamation from inside and a fraction of a second later Triena breathed the name. “Jon!”

  “Can you carry on?” Manny asked her.

  “Yes,” she said through gritted teeth, “I must.” She wasn’t going to pull back now, no matter how difficult the situation. They had to get to Jon, and to do so they needed her shield. “Quick,” she added.

  Manny raised his hand again and knocked. A cut-off curse was heard from inside. The door swung inwards as the one in a different uniform opened it, and he barked out. “You know the standing orders when the machine is—” His voice halted when he saw no one there.

  Before the Midean could react further Manny fired his weapon and stunned him. It took a lot of willpower for Manny not to change the setting on his weapon before he fired.

  They rushed inside and Triena dropped her shield. The console operator was faced with two Rhiava and an alien aiming a strange weapon at him. The Midean must’ve known how the weapon worked because he seemed terrified and kept quite still, soon slipping in silence to the ground as Lector rendered him unconscious.

  Manny was looking over the console controls. “Damn, we could’ve used him!” he declared to Lector, eyeing the unconscious Midean.

  “I’m sorry, I was just so angry. I acted without thinking.”

  Manny nodded. “Okay, I understand all too well. Trouble is we don’t know what the hell’s happening in there.”

  The light appeared quite innocent, but they had evidence it wasn’t. Jon’s back was arched and he was mumbling to himself. Triena, watching through the glass wall, saw the tears squeezing out of the corners of Jon’s eyes. What was this thing doing to him?

  Manny was still talking. “We have to disable that light before we can go in, we can’t risk being incapacitated.”

  Even so, Triena found herself walking toward the doorway, stopping when Lector pulled her back, saying, “No, we can’t go in yet.” He led her back to the console.

  “Can you decipher all this?” Lector asked Manny as he stared at the large console.

  “I’m not sure. I think so, given time. I’m a science officer, but this isn’t my science. However, most consoles have a logical base, I’ll find it.”

  Triena stared at Jon through the glass. She understood now why none of her people had a mark on them. Neither did Jon. The strange light somehow caused agonizing pain, without any physical damage whatever. Triena could still feel the contact from Jon. She’d managed to block it a little so she could carry on helping the others, but being so close now was difficult. Even as she watched, it became even harder. Jon was calling to her again, but it was different this time. There was no underlying desperation now, just regret. She gasped in horror.

  “You must hurry, he’s saying good-bye. He’s accepting his death.” She was breathless and Lector and Manny just managed to understand her words.

  “That could be it,” Manny retorted. “They suffer under this damn thing for so long, that in the end death is a relief. If they accept the end has come, that they will die here in this room, perhaps in the end that’s enough.” He glanced at Lector, feeling frustrated. “It’s too soon, I don’t know what all...” His voice faded. Lector saw the desperation as Manny’s eyes darted across the dials and screens. Then Manny approached Triena.

  “Triena, Triena!” Manny called, but she was no longer with them. “Get through to her, Lector. She’s got to get through to Jon somehow, let him know we’re here. It’ll take me a little time to find how to switch this off. I can’t risk turning the wrong dial. If Jon knows we’re here, he might be able to keep fighting.”

  Lector stepped closer to Triena. He couldn’t get through to her with the spoken word. He should’ve realized such close proximity would make the contact even more intense. There was but one way now to get through to her. It was intrusive, taboo, but he’d already done so once with her consent, now he’d take one more step and merge without her consent. He knew if she was aware she would agree willingly, so he acted without any guilt.

  He twisted her to face him, and took her chin again to bring her eyes to face his. This time he couldn’t even gain eye contact. It would be harder if he had to fight her first, but he had no choice. He just hoped he had the strength to fight any defenses she put up, after all she was the Spirit, and his Gift couldn’t compare to hers. He just hoped she was so stressed going through this contact with Jon she wasn’t sparing strength for defense.

  “Commence the session,” Charod said, raising his voice, he added, “The final session.”

  Jon heard Charod’s words without surprise. His time had come. In one respect he embraced the knowledge; he was sick of waiting, time to end this. He tried to prepare, but in the end it was useless. What he didn’t expect was that the session would start so viciously. The pain pounded through him, the cry ripped from him. His one wish now was they’d get it over with. It was then he thought he heard raised voices. He presumed Charod was berating one of his guards. Even as the thought passed through his mind, the light darkened yet again and he found it hard to concentrate on anything but the pain. He did the one thing he could then. On purpose he turned in on himself, drifting back to his memories of Triena to help fight the pain while he could. When the time came, he would say good-bye the one way he could now.

  So when she walked into the doorway he just thought he dreamed her image one last time. Could it be? No, he assumed they’ve taken the light beyond red. I’m dying. My dying wish.

  Jon was amazed at how powerful his image of Triena was; it was almost as if she were there with him. He could see her there just out of reach. He wondered if it was because he was so close to death now that everything that mattered to him became clearer. In the end the reason didn’t matter, he was just grateful he felt she was there with him this one last time. She was even calling to him now, asking him not to go; asking him to come back to her. Shame it was not possible. Then he saw the tears in her eyes, saw her arms open to hold him. Would it matter if he delayed the inevitable? If he could just hold her in his arms one last time, even if it was no more than in his imagination. He moved back to her, walked into her waiting arms. She held him so tight, as if she’d never let him go.

  He thought he must have returned to the memory of that dawn morning, but then he understood he hadn’t. Somehow, in some terrible twist of fate, he was still in that damn room. He panicked. Could Charod have somehow captured her after all? He pulled back from her in shock, looking deep into her eyes, looking for pain and fear, but it wasn’t there. All he saw was joy. He didn’t understand.

  Then, approaching from somewhere in the distance, he saw Lector. What was happening? He’d never reached for Lector; so why would he be here? Jon saw him hold out his hands. Jon understood Lector wanted him to return. For the first time Jon wondered if this was more than just his imagination. Unbidden he recalled the powerful Gifts of the Rhiava. Could it be they were trying to help him after all? But what if it was just his imagination, drawing on memories from his subconscious? If he were to return he’d be facing more terrible pain. It couldn’t be real. He backed away again. He had to let go.

  “No!” she screamed at him, pulling at him. He was shocked, he heard the word. Jon heard it with his ears, not with his mind. How did he know that? He didn’t know how, but it was true.

  Manny was shocked out of his concentration by Triena’s shout. He heard the panic in her voice. Was she losing, after all? We didn’t come this far to lose him now! Not now, he thought, not when he was so close.

  At last he found what he wanted. He brought up a diagrammatic chart showing a rising band of colors alon
gside which were symbols he didn’t understand. But understanding the symbols wasn’t necessary, the color bands were enough.

  When they first entered the building the light in the room was colored yellow and it had been darkening bit by bit ever since. It had now reached deep orange, and it was clear from Jon’s reactions that with the changing of shade came an increase in the pain it engendered. Manny also noticed there was a thick black line dividing the next color band, the red, about one third of the way in. Alongside the line was a different symbol, larger than the others. Manny surmised this must be the extreme tolerance level. Just what would happen when it reached the line he didn’t know, and he didn’t want to find out. The trouble was it was fast approaching the red section.

  “No, don’t go, Jon,” Triena continued, calmer, coaxing. “You don’t have to leave. Listen to me. We’re here, we’re all here, Manny, Lector, and I’m here. We’ve come for you, to take you out of here. Come back to me,” she said, her tone soft, beseeching. “Jon, listen, open your eyes. We’re all here. If you look you can see us. Lector and I are standing in the doorway. Manny is at the console, Jon, trying to turn off the light. Open your eyes, Jon, please. Look. Open your eyes.”

  Jon knew he couldn’t have imagined that. Never could he have imagined that. He’d given up on the possibility of rescue long since. He came back then; he came back to the pain. He heard someone moaning and knew it was his own voice. But he continued to return. They were there, they’d come. He fought his way up through his pain and was careful as he opened his eyes. He couldn’t turn his head, but he shifted his eyes to the doorway.

  The last time he’d done so Supervisor Charod was standing there, smiling his damn smile. This time he saw Lector, with his arm around Triena. The tears came again, but this time they weren’t caused by pain.

  “Manny, please hurry,” Jon heard Lector call to the booth behind him. Manny! Jon felt a relief he didn’t expect. The fact Manny had come back for him meant far more than he could ever have expected.

  Then he heard Manny reply, and it was so good to hear his voice. “I think I’ve found it, but I can’t be one hundred percent certain which way the system operates.” As he spoke his voice came nearer. He appeared in the doorway next to the others and met Jon’s eyes. “Jon, I’m going to have to try something, now. It’s on some sort of automatic program and it’s climbing too fast. I’ll turn the dial bit by bit and hope it will be in the right direction. Please forgive me if I make a mistake.”

  “Just...being here...is the...right direction,” Jon said with difficulty.

  Manny nodded, he couldn’t find words to say, and moved back to the console. He reached for the dial he believed would decrease, or increase, the light level. His hand shook a little as he moved it a fraction to the right. He chose right because everything on the console was on the right of the screens, the markings were on the right of the dials, and though it had to be an arbitrary decision he needed something logical to base it on. He prayed it wasn’t a mistake.

  However, it was.

  Jon screamed; a chilling scream, but just for a split second, cutting off abruptly as his body went rigid. Manny was quick to rotate the dial back. However, the light didn’t reduce from red as quick as the dial suggested it would.

  Triena, still under Lector’s arm, moaned and then stiffened.

  Manny continued to turn the dial to the left and the light was growing paler and paler, till it was white. Manny sagged in the chair. But when he peered through the glass again, Jon was still rigid. Rigid, silent and staring. What have I done? Dear God, what have I done?

  Peter considered Sara had done a brilliant job. The shuttle trip through the atmosphere was quite smooth. Nunez had a couple of difficult minutes, but overall the shuttle handled well. He brought it around to land at the prescribed site on the north side of the mountain, not too far from the destroyed village of Haven, as near to the foothills as he could put down the craft. It was rough terrain in that area, but it was the closest location to the best route for climbing the mountain according to Lector. Peter thought Nunez managed a rather reasonable landing considering the situation.

  Peter led the team out of the shuttle and ensured it was sealed afterward. Everyone was armed, including Dr. Mannion who, though she’d never fired the weapon except on the practice range, was still proficient in its use, though she claimed she could never use it except on stun.

  Lector had supplied a detailed description of the route they must follow to the rendezvous point halfway up the mountainside. However, they all knew it was possible they might run into a Midean patrol. The Rhiava didn’t have any clear information about the technological level the Mideans might employ. It was known they used a handheld device to scan, but it had a limited range. Whether they had a larger device with a longer range was unknown.

  Peter was going under the assumption they did and he prepared for that. He wished he could’ve brought more people down, but the large shuttle just carried eight and he needed two empty places to bring back Manny and Jon. They began the long climb.

  “Triena,” Manny repeated out loud, “what’ve I done? Triena?”

  “Just a moment, Manny.” It was Lector who replied. “She’s coming back.”

  Jon lay still on the bench, sweat beading his brow, his skin too pale. His back was no longer arched, his eyes were open, but they were still staring straight up at the light overhead. Manny hadn’t switched it off, noting another black line between the white and the colors and assumed it was another threshold, before any pain was created. He hoped he was right about that.

  Triena swiveled to look at Manny who had one hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, Triena, I made a mistake. Look at him.” Manny moved to walk into the room.

  “Wait,” Lector said, “the white light is part of the system.”

  “I know. It appears to be the base threshold.” With care Manny put his arm into the light. It felt strange, leaden, tingling. “It does feel odd, but I’ll manage, I have to get him out of there,” he said, and continued to move forward. At least that had been his intention. As he entered his legs became heavy. It was difficult to walk.

  “Wait here, Mistress,” Lector said. “Manny needs help to get him out.” He followed Manny in and together they reached the bench. They positioned themselves, one at the head and the other one at the foot. They picked up Jon, again it was much more difficult than it should’ve been, and they made their slow way back to the control booth. They laid him on the floor not far from the still unconscious console operator. Jon’s eyes were still staring.

  “What on earth did that red light do to him?” Manny queried.

  “I think as soon as it hit, the pain became so unbearable his mind just shut down. Escaped, if you will,” Triena said, not taking her eyes off Jon. “Even I lost contact at once. I felt this tremendous shock, then nothing. I think, I hope, when his subconscious accepts there’s no more pain, he’ll recover.”

  Almost as if on cue, Jon’s eyes came back into focus again, and the first thing he saw was Triena looking at him with shining eyes. For a long second he just stared at her. Then, he pivoted his head a little, taking in Manny and Lector, and the fact he was no longer on that bench.

  Manny grinned in relief. “Sorry about that, I chose the wrong direction.”

  “Not the...first time...you’ve done that,” Jon replied, his throat raw and his voice hoarse.

  Lector reached for his pack having flung it on the floor when he’d first entered. He rummaged about inside and brought out a water bottle from which Jon drank. It helped soothe his parched throat. He’d had neither food nor water since he’d been captured. It was amazing how much better that simple drink of water made him feel.

  Then all of a sudden Jon began to tremble, searing cold seeping through him. Sweat peppered his brow again and the trembling increased. Triena gathered him in her arms as he continued to shake uncontrollably.

  “Cold again, so cold,” he mumbled.

  “I think it
’s some kind of reaction,” she said. “He doesn’t feel cold, but his skin is clammy.”

  “He’s going into shock,” Manny said. “Damn, I should’ve expected something like this. There’s not much we can do for him now except keep him warm.” Manny found Jon’s clothing in a corner and, with Lector’s help, got him dressed again. Manny added his own jacket for extra warmth. It helped a little and it wasn't long before the trembling stopped.

  “Is that better?” Manny asked.

  “A little, but I still feel cold,” Jon replied in a shaky voice.

  “Can you stand?” Lector asked with concern.

  “I’m not sure. I’ve been trapped on that bench for...” He gave a grim smile. “To tell the truth I don’t know how long for. But far too long. Help me up, and we’ll see.”

  Manny and Lector pulled him to his feet, but it was clear he was going to have difficulty walking, at least to begin with.

  Triena moved forward and spoke for the first time. “Here, lean on me,” she said.

  “I’ve been doing that for quite some time now,” Jon replied, his voice soft, perhaps more for his ears than hers, as he placed an arm across her slender shoulders.

  It seemed as if Lector was going to speak, perhaps to suggest it would be better if he assisted Jon, but then he must’ve changed his mind because he kept silent. He glanced at Manny with a raised eyebrow and Manny smirked, winking at him.

  “Let us know if you need one of us to step in and help you,” Lector said.

  “Thank you,” Jon said solemnly. “Thank you all. I didn’t expect you’d be able to come back for me. I heard about Haven, you see. Supervisor Charod took pleasure in telling me I couldn’t expect any help because they’d destroyed the village and taken everyone prisoner. I never thought you’d try on your own.”