by Grant Fausey
"Neither am I," said the real Reta Jordan, addressing the three trained killers standing before her. She backed away. "If the girls are this closely connected," continued the replicant as the real doctor searched for a quick means of escape. She wasn't sure, but odds had it that the terminators would turn against her too.
"DNA regeneration has begun," continued the replicant's image. "I'm not sure how long we'll be able to keep Lisa sedated." The doppelganger looked at her watch. "At least, there's more certainty to the parameters we're dealing with now. We'd better cross dimensions as quickly as possible."
Reuben nodded, so did the real Reta Jordan. She approved. Anything to get out of the office and back across time to her own universe!
The mission was on the verge of failure. How she explain was confusing: Too many universes; too many futures; too many everything. "I think it's important to summon a gateway," said the replicant.
"Me too," announce Reta Jordan as she eyed the machines face to face. She was worried. But like Reuben and the replicant, she too was trapped in the scheme. It was better to fail on the other side of the universe, then to be executed as a spy on this side of the fence. Trithen Kellnar was ruthless and, if this was his attempt at rationing their existence, she knew she was dead already. There was only one chance.
The DNA transfer had worked. It was an intricate plan; her doppelganger set into motion. One filled with chances. Anything could go wrong, but then on the other hand, any part of it could go right. That was what her replicant was obviously counting on. The image of her replicant looked deep into Lisa's eyes. The green pools of light glistened in her viewing instrument. "It seems the rift is larger than I first imagined. It may be harder to control than we anticipated. We're not going to be able to just step through and have the girls find themselves home in bed. Our universes are in jeopardy if we can't maintain the integrity during the singularity within the portal." That was it. That was what had started the inter-dimensional eruption across time and space. The result of the changes in the past had expanded the Nexus, not created it.
"Something has happened to Laura that we don't know about,” she said to Reuben. "It's affecting Lisa in this time and in this dimension."
The real Reta Jordan knew what she was talking about, but it was unlikely she was ever going to be able to tell about it. The image of Reuben pulled a small device from his suit coat. He opened it like a communicator, and held it in the palm of his hand. The top of the device lit up and Reuben keyed in a couple of numbers. He looked up at Lisa, then over to the real Reta Jordan. The two women stood in exactly the same place. "I've locked in a gateway and assigned the portal, but it's not available for about forty-five minutes. Any suggestions?"
"Just one," said the replicant at the same time the real Reta Jordan screamed for her life. "Cumos," said the replicant. But the rest of the conversation was inaudible. The thrashing that followed destroyed any integrity the Industries had. They were ruthless, systematic killers that stood in the room after the event. "I could use some good Cumos about now," continued the replicant cuddling up to Reuben."
"Don't look at me," answered the image with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not Trinosian." The doctor ran her hands over his shoulders, crossing his back.
"Too bad. You've the build for it." Reuben stared at her, shocked.
"Relax," shouldered the image of the replicant. "I'm just kidding.
“We'll wait it out. I don't see what else we can do."
Reuben breathed easy. He was safe for the moment. Making love with a woman capable of morphing into anything scared him. He could feel the room spinning, as if he was caught in the wake of a transit field with no way out. The terminators morphed, merging into one another until only one of them stood in the center of the blood soaked room.
"Apology accepted," said the Hound terminator as he morphed into the image of Trithen Kellnar, founder of the Industries and ruler of the universe. "Now that we've tied up these loose ends, maybe we can get on with stopping Samuel Nomad, before he destroys everything we helped to create."
– 35 –
A HERO'S RETURN
• • •
THE THIRD UNIVERSE
THIRD DIMENSION
“I have to go back!" said Samuel Nomad to Krydal Starr as he left her at the airport in Denver. "I'll catch up to you..." But he never did. Krydal went on her way to meet her father, the Senator, Clarion Starr. Samuel on the other hand, had hitched a ride back on the next available Skybus. In less than a couple of hours he was winging his way back to the Los Angeles islands. His mind raced on ahead of him. Was he doing the right thing? Jake Stern would be waiting for him at the city's Skyport. He had made sure of that. As soon as he docked with the terminal, Samuel would be on the telephone to his companions, if they weren't. All he had to do now was arrive: Night on the LA islands were beautiful. Salt air breezes, high rise lights glimmering on the ocean, neon signs flashing a multitude of colors in a variety of directions. And of course, there was the setting sun. Sunset was spectacular. Glistening rays of sunshine rising from the edge of the ocean, highlighting were the sky met the curve of the earth, the windswept clouds on the horizon, and the shimmering reflections in the waves. Samuel could hardly wait. He was pacing the floor of the airliner with anticipation.
"Can I get you something to calm you, Mr. Nomad?" asked the flight attendant. Samuel shook his head
"No!" He didn't want to be calm, especially now. He knew he was going to need all the strength and direction he could muster.
"Flight attendants take your positions for landing," announced the voice of the pilot over the intercom. "Were beginning our descent into the Los Angeles area."
Samuel walked back along the isle, looking out through the passenger windows along the way. He was trying to get a good look at his destination from the air. Another flight attendant rushed up behind him. This stewardess was somewhat smaller than the first, but rather feisty.
"Mr. Nomad," she said with a friendly, but stern voice. "We've been cleared for landing. You can be on the ground and off this plane in just a few minutes, if you would please take your seat!"
Samuel smiled and sat down. She was a demanding woman, but one he figured was worth listening to. The plane banked for the northern most islands, then headed southward to the Los Angeles Skyport. The plane shook hard. The plane's hover jet slots opened in the bottom of the airframe and the exhaust of turbo driven thrust exited in a forceful downward punch. The beacons snapped on and the landing struts extended into position. The ship was closing on its destination. The HOLLYWOOD sign came into view, then immediately disappeared as the craft approached the Skyport from the other side of the island.
What was once the Griffith Park Zoo came into view. The lights of the transport scanned across the cliff banks as the craft rotated slightly to the left, coming over the hills for a perfect three point landing at the Skyport terminal. Exhaust curled around the ship. The sealed beams of landing light pointed down, illuminating the pad immediately under the vehicle. A moment later they were down. Samuel was immediately up and out of his seat, dashing for the door. He exited the plane rather hastily and was down the ramp and into the rumbling crowd of loved ones and family and friends in a flash. He stepped past a line of individuals waiting for other passengers and into the waiting arms of his companions.
Jake, Jennifer and Trinod all stood at the foot of the ramp awaiting his arrival. "Hey," shouted Jennifer. "I knew you'd miss us..."
"Yeah. Yeah... I know!" answered Samuel as he put his arm around her to draw her near to his heart.
Jake pulled him close too. "Don't look now," he said in a whisper just loud enough for Samuel to hear over the level of noise in the room. "But there's someone keeping an eye on us behind me to the left."
"Over by the candy machines?" asked Samuel cordially.
"That would be the one. He's been here most of the evening. I wouldn't count on it, but he could be trouble. Never can tell."
Samuel agre
ed.
"Come on," snapped Jennifer. "Let's get out of these wet cloths and into bed! Its getting late young man, tomorrow's another day!"
Jake cringed. Samuel smiled and Trinod just shook his head and laughed. "Out of the mouth of babes," he said as they walked out of the terminal together in twos.
Jennifer led the way then Samuel and Jake. Trinod brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for unwanted individuals. They weren't taking any chances. Everything was now systematically and only one-step at a time. The watcher revealed him self. Once in the shadows, he morphed back into a cleverly disguised terminator hound. He was definitely one of Trithen Kellnar deadly assailant machines. The beast scrutinized the situation, assessing the avenues of attack. He stood as a silhouette near the side of the curb. He lingered there waiting, watching as the taxi with Jake, Jennifer, Trinod and Samuel sped away into the night. The beast sniffed the air then ran off. Time was running out.
Morning came fast and Samuel was up at the crack of dawn. He managed to gather together some of the things he considered important for a fine breakfast: An apple, a pear, a peach and a small utility knife from the kitchen drawer of Jennifer's friend's house. He had seen her on the beach, so nothing else mattered for the moment. The kitchen wasn't anything elaborate, just an average size, average height, average volume, square shaped box. Perfect for what he needed.
Samuel smiled as Jennifer's friend entered the kitchen. "It's gonna be a hot one today," she said casually. "Mind if I turn on the radio?"
"No." answered Samuel. "Not at all."
He heard some of the tunes on the radio the day before and liked some of them. Music wasn't his purpose in life, but a little now and then seemed okay. "Just none of that country western stuff okay, Sarah?" he asked with a cringe on his face.
Sarah smiled. "Okay," she replied. "None of that country western stuff. So––what's on the agenda for today?"
Samuel considered the question, the possibilities rampant in his mind. How to answer her, he thought. "I think a little sight seeing is in order," he told her. "I'd like to see USC!"
"USC? Well––USC it is then," she answered him with a half smile. Samuel grinned back at her just as the radio "popped" on.
"Good morning Los Angeles," spouted the voice on the radio. "It's 6:00 A.M. and it's going to be a hot one on the islands today. Hey, this is your rock and roll'n D.J., Reuben Matthew Taylor––The Doc to all you saps out there in never, never land."
Samuel's head snapped around as he looked at the radio. He was overwhelmed by the voice on the radio. Reuben Taylor, aka: Reil Ben Tolar was supposed to be dead. "All right," continued the masculine voice of the Disc Jockey. "We're going to start your day off with a blast from the past. Here's a little tune from just before the big one!"
The music faded from Samuel's thoughts. He was so baffled by the sudden appearance of someone he thought dead, that he was missing the obvious point that was being made. What had happened in his universes was just now, this moment, happening in this universe. The events of the past hadn't happened here yet. Suddenly, out of the blue, Samuel received the same message. It was like clockwork. His mind was clicking. Time was incoherent on this world. It was like settling outside the realms of reality. What had occurred long ago on his own world, in his own universe, was just beginning here. But it was different somehow. Similar events didn't always happen exactly the same way. Each and every universe had its own set of rules and its own alternatives. This universe was no different. Except perhaps for the fact that everyone was fighting over it. Samuel wondered why, figuring it was about time he found out!
– 36 –
SHORT COMINGS
• • •
THE THIRD UNIVERSE
THIRD DIMENSION
The ferry trip to the islands took an incessant amount of time and, although the trip was picturesque and the island view spectacular, Sarah made up for the inconveniences. She was a good tour guide. Versed in all the right places, both mentally and physically. For some unknown reason, California girls were outstandingly beautiful...in any universe. University Island was magnificent. The campus hugged the top of the mountain overlooking the smaller, dotted islands to the south. USC glistened in the morning light like an ancient temple, while cool ocean winds blew across the bow of the ship. Sarah cuddled up to the young Alpha Renettean staying close in the morning breeze. She put her arms around him for both comfort and closeness. Samuel didn't reject the move either; instead, he put his arm around her. He thought she was quite lovely and welcomed the feel of her body's warmth next to his. Her firm rounded breast pressed against his chest as she kissed him gently. It was a delightful experience, but one not destined to survive. The wind grew cold. Samuel could feel the pressure of scrutinize eyes staring at the back of his head. He turned to face his assailant; his eyes closing to the world as everything changed. The universe altered in front of him. His existence expanded beyond the peripheral, encompassing the boundaries of time and space. He heard Sarah's scream and, as he felt her drop from his arms, he realized the moment of her death. The scent of smoldering fumes touched his lungs. The essence of love was lost, and hatred had found its fortune to be gained. He did not know his assailant. Samuel's eyes opened on a different world, one filled with pain and agony, deceit and rage. Sarah rolled out of his arms, her lifeless body striking the deck plates of the ferry.
Samuel felt something move past him in the wind, but he couldn't see anything. The darkness...he said scrambling across the deck, putting his back to the ocean breeze. He could see Sarah's body on the floor before him. Her corpse laid not more than five feet from where he stood. His eyes widened as he stood there and watched her vanish. The unseen assailant pulled her from his existence, charting her an unknown course into oblivion. Samuel didn't consider it a proper burial. Nonetheless, as far as he could see, the sea had claimed her. The Alpha Renettean turned swiftly into the wind. Again, something brushed against him. But this time the beast sent him sailing on his own. Samuel had hit a bulkhead straight on. His mind snapped like a rubber band from the impact: His blood flowing in a dozen directions.
Innocent bystanders screamed with fear, running, leaping and jumping out of harm's way. But that didn't stop the deaths; unseen death surrounded him in the faces of hundreds of passengers. A hand with long talons swiped through the air, cutting deep into the metal of the ship to strike out at Samuel. He spiraled out of the way only to hear the angry growl that followed immediately. His companion came sailing out across the deck plates toward him. Samuel reached out to help her and nearly lost an arm. He retrieved it only in the nick of time. "What the hell are you?" he shouted. But there wasn't an answer. Just the relentless squeal of something in the wind.
"How the hell do I fight the wind?" he shouted, spinning and spinning again, in a desperate attempt at keep his back clear of his unseen enemy. A wall of water came up from the ocean and crossed the bow of the ship, smashing against Samuel.
"You have to fight him in his world, not yours," whimpered a voice from the sea. "Haven't you ever heard of the Phoenix?"
Samuel screamed at the top of his lungs. The light shattered around him and his eyes opened to darkness. He was surrounded in a cloak of reflections. Sweat ran down his brow to where his bed cloths pressed against the ringing wet perspiration of hours of continuous nightmares. He breathed, but it was not a sigh of relief. He brushed the sweat from his brow and bare chest with a corner of the sheet and looked up as the bedroom door burst open.
"Are you okay?" asked the inquisitive voice. Samuel's eyes widened. The soft subtle eyes of the woman standing silhouetted in the doorway deepened, darkening into a fiery inset red. The glow of orange surrounded them, then the image transformed, molding into a deadly darkening grey, laden with gold as it morphed into the head of an Egyptian. The hound glared at Samuel; it's eyes sparkling then, as Samuel trembled, the beast took on a new, deadly shape. Samuel's eyes widened further. His memories tangled with the fear that surfaced again and again.
He was reliving something not experiencing it. This wasn't the first time he had experienced what he was experiencing. Had he endured these hardships before, but when? There was no memory to his query, only the eternal static of the Nexus.
"Awe," he thought aloud, experiencing more than one lifetime at a time. His soul had been revealed. He had had all these experiences, and more, at the same time, but how? Had he lived in all these places simultaneously? Was he all these people at the same time; in so many universes?
Samuel cleared his mind. The brilliance of the Nexus filled him, surrounding him in a bath of illustrious light. Samuel thought back across time to the event. He had remembered something about an event that changed the universe forever. The sisters Lisa and Laura Keri filled his mind with visions. The accident, he thought. In each and every universe the same event had occurred to rupture it, but where?
When?
He had to know! A part of him had seen the eruption before. But in which incarnation did he experience the original event. Samuel stopped. The life force within his own soul pondered the existence taxing him. If he was truly more than he thought, more than a single being; more than an individual, then the universe itself was his to command. Somehow the strain had separated the universe, breaking the unseen bond in such a way that it altered everything. The universe itself had been consciously manipulated, but by whom, and for what purpose?
Kellnar?
The Industries?
The universe itself?
Samuel didn't understand. He couldn't. The facts were all so overwhelming. The Alpha Renetta came to mind. They too were a product of this new universe, artificially created beings, living machines too, perhaps? The thought was a cumbersome. Mankind had evolved long before he had been born. Long before life in the universe he was a part of had been created. Was he one of the founding souls to inhabit the universe of universes? Samuel thought long and hard. There had only ever been one creation to his knowledge. But that was not to say there wasn't more. How could he know! How could he remember! Samuel's mind raced, searching for an inkling of who or what he was. Then, he stopped. A silence covered him like a wet blanket in a forest fire. His thoughts became those of another. His memories the realities experienced by a billion lifetimes. The energy of the source surrounded him, bathed him, and cuddled him. The gambit of his newly found companions and accomplices filtered through his mind. Not from just this universe, but from all existences, all universes. From every course and future he had traveled. The past and the future became the present until Samuel was the past, until he was the future. He was everything he had experienced throughout infinite time, infinite space. Samuel had experienced it all. The illumination of light and darkness stared at him, covered his face in the brilliance of knowledge and lack of awareness.