Force of Gravity

by T. R. Harris

  Even then, the signal did not terminate on the planet. Instead it was routed back into space to track down the recipient, who was currently aboard a six-mile-long starship with a black hull.

  “Ashton, my friend,” said Robert McCarthy through the link. His face appeared cherry and in good spirits. “I assume this has to do with Cosnin’s recent communique with your illustrious Advisory Council?”

  “Of course it does,” snapped the diplomat. “What the hell are you doing sending VN-91s to the Core Worlds? No one is going to trust the Klin to keep their word. And peace…what is that all about?”

  “Relax, this is just a little change of plans, thanks in part to our blood-brother Adam Cain and his mutant friends.”

  “Do you really think they can make a difference, this far into our plans?”

  “It’s not me, it’s the Pleabaen. He was ready to launch a preemptive strike on all the Core Worlds. This way we move the units into place without resistance, even to Earth, without having to use them.”

  “The only way we can assume control of the planet is if the Klin rule the galaxy. If they take only what they have so far and leave the rest to the Expansion and the Union, we’re screwed.”

  “If Cosnin got his way, Earth would be destroyed. Then what would we have?”

  “Is he going to attack after Cain and the mutants are turned over to him?”

  “I will have him spare Earth; I have that much control over him. And just think, we’ll be rid of Cain and his team. It’s actually a win-win for us.”

  “So they’ll be no peace?”

  “Eventually…when the Klin rule the galaxy.”

  “And we rule Earth.”

  “As it has always been planned, my friend. Have faith.”

  12

  With Lila’s help, Sherri was able to tap into what was essentially the local internet and locate a variety of medical facilities in the nearby town. The place was called Anoon and had a population of around twenty-five hundred, comprised mainly of miners working the local impact craters. There were a dozen other settlements like this lining the jagged mountains of the craters. Each had emergency medical facilities catering to a myriad of aliens and their individual physiologies.

  It was turning dark when Sherri found her hospital, and the next day she and Copernicus took the five-mile hike into town to check it out.

  They returned in the early afternoon with both good and bad news.

  “It’s not really a hospital, but more a clinic. There do have an OR and what looks to be the proper monitoring equipment. Since it serves a variety of aliens, most of the signs and other message boards use automatic functions that connect directly to our translation bugs.”

  “Is that the good news or the bad news?” Jym asked.

  “That was the good news. The place should work for what we need it to do. The bad news is the cost. Unless we storm the place and take it over by force, we’ll need to pay for the services.”

  “How much?” Adam asked.

  “Twenty thousand JCs, and that includes recovery time, which Lila says is a toss-up. It could be a few hours up to a few days.”

  “We just need to get to a point where we can be brought back to the ship,” Adam said.

  “We’ll see,” said Sherri. “We don’t want to risk either of you.” Then she smiled. “Particularly Panur.”

  “Thanks,” said Adam.

  Sherri shrugged.

  “We have the credits,” Riyad reported, “but not too many more. And we won’t have enough to buy the power mods afterwards.”

  “The unfortunate thing is that if we don’t spend the credits, Panur could die,” said Adam. “And without him, our chances of stopping the Klin are virtually nil. We’ll just have to find a way to get more money. But first things first. How soon can we do the procedure?”

  Sherri looked at Lila. “We could do it tomorrow, if you’re ready?”

  “That will be fine. I have spoken with Panur. He understands what’s happening, to a degree. He agrees something must be done. It is instinctive at this point. He knows something is wrong, yet he doesn’t have the ability to comprehend what.”

  All eyes were on Adam. “Don’t look at me. I’m all for a little three-way, especially when we’re talking about me and two immortal mutants.”

  “That’s just gross,” Sherri said. “Funny, but gross.”

  Lila and Adam took turns carrying Panur the five miles to the town. He was beyond the ability to walk, and his eyes bounced around in their sockets like he was drunk.

  As was normal, Kaylor and Jym stayed at the Defiant, even though there was nothing they could do help if something went wrong.

  Adam had asked Lila about Panur’s ship, and whether it could be used to affect a rescue, or to get them off the planet if it came to that? She said it was impossible for mortal beings to ride in the ship. It bled energy constantly into the interior. The mutants liked that way, but others would be cooked from the inside out, like microwaving your brain. Even the energy source for the tiny ship was incompatible with the Defiant’s. They were trapped on the surface until if—and when—they could find a couple of fully-charged power modules.

  The people working the medical clinic panicked when the four Humans walked in, one carrying a semi-conscious grey creature under its arm and looking menacing and mean. There was also a pair of Formilian females—nearly everyone in the galaxy recognized Arieel’s race. They gave off a powerful mix of pheromones that appealed to just about every Prime, even if their bodies weren’t sexually compatible. This was a survival trait engineered by the ancient Aris race as they set out to create the Super Being. Their goal was achieved three billion years later with the birth of Lila, the product of the interspecies mating of Arieel and Adam.

  Before the two mutants had showed up on the sandy shores of Adam’s island base on Pyrum-3, it had been over two years since he last saw his daughter. That was when she and Panur were speeding away from the Aris base at the edge of the galaxy in a donated alien starship.

  For her part, Arieel was uncertain what to expect when she saw her daughter next. The girl was only eighteen Formilian years old—equivalent to eight Human years—yet from birth she had grown at an accelerated pace. Arieel was expecting her to appear much older when next they met, but she didn’t.

  As Lila explained, her body advanced to its optimum physical age. That was forty-eight Formilian, and twenty-two Human. She was now an absolutely gorgeous female with silky black hair, bronze skin and eyes as unfathomable as blackholes.

  Arieel was proud of her only daughter, even if Lila was the end-product of an unimaginably long and complex experiment meant for selfish needs, and not as any advancement benefiting the galaxy. Lila would live forever, never growing old, and always the ravishing beauty she’d become.

  Unless immortals weren’t immortal after all….

  To the team, Panur’s condition made sense, after Lila explained it to them. It also meant that there were conditions placed on immortality, and that Lila had to be careful, or else she could suffer the same fate as Panur.

  The team finally convinced the medical workers that they were not there to eat them, or anything along those lines. All they needed was a surgical room and equipment, and then a post-op facility after the procedure. They explained how they would be doing their own operation, so a doctor and nurses weren’t necessary. They might need some post-op care, as far as nourishment and clean-up, but other than that they just needed the use of the clinic’s facilities. When Adam produced the stack of Juirean credits, the worker’s attitude changed instantly. No one lived on Siron because they wanted to. They were here for the money, even the medical staff, who could charge outrageous fees to a constant and needy clientele.

  Eventually, Lila cleared everyone from the operating room except Sherri and her patients. She then placed three hospital beds in a spoke arrangement with the heads of each touching at the center. Adam lay down on his stomach, placing his head in the void between two pil
lows. Panur lay on his back as Lila huddled over him and whispered in his ear. Sherri couldn’t hear what she said, but Panur reacted by nodding. He rested his head on a pillow and closed his eyes.

  Sherri assisted as Lila shaved a section of Adam’s head near the base of his skull. She applied a local anesthetic provided by the clinic.

  “You said you wish to be the one who drills the hole into Adam’s head,” said Lila, handing a small pneumatic drill to Sherri.

  Sherri refused to take it. “I know what I said, but I have a lot more confidence in your abilities than mine.”

  Lila smiled and turned to her patient. The drill whirled. Sherri dabbed a small amount of blood from the entry point and then placed a tiny rubber plug in the hole.

  “Are you okay?” Lila asked Adam.

  “Couldn’t be better. Sure beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.”

  Lila stood up straight, her forehead furrowed. “That was never intended as a point of entry,” she said, confused.

  “Good, since that’s just an old Human expression.”

  Lila pursed her lips in frustration. “Please father, keep your remarks succinct and to the point. I do not wish inaccurate reporting to jeopardize the procedure.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Now relax. I must work on Panur before the two of us link through your interface device.”

  Sherri noticed that the skin on Panur’s hairless scalp had taken on a glassy sheen—and appeared to be moving. Lila set about working the viscous grey material into a thin thread, pulling slightly as she did. The strand grew longer as she drew it out, which she place close to Adam’s shaved scalp and the plug in his skull.

  The hole in his head was only an eighth of an inch in diameter. Lila directed Sherri to remove the plug and then placed the thread into the hole. The moving flesh instantly filled the hole and then solidified to form a cord linking the two.

  When this was done, Lila took her place on the third bed, placing her head at the very top. An unnaturally long arm snaked out from the mutant and took Adam by his left hand. Sherri gasped when the hands melted together to form one continuous arm between the two.

  Sensing Sherri’s concern, Lila said, “The melding of our hands cannot cause a repeat of what happened between Panur and my father. This is only a surface melding and does not involve brain cells. I need to do this to gain access his brain-interface device.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Please monitor Adam’s respiration and heartrate. As his body begins to lose the stronger brain cells, he may experience a level of shock. This should pass.”

  “Should?” Sherri said. “But you’re not sure?”

  “No, I am sure…he will experience shock. However, it should not cause any permanent damage. I am now beginning the procedure.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Unknown. It will depend on whether or not Panur’s cells have clustered or if they are spread randomly within the brain.”

  “Adam always felt like it was a tumor.”

  “It would be best if that were so. Now please, let me concentrate.”

  Sherri backed away. She sat in chair that allowed her to look over Adam’s gently breathing body at the monitor on the other side. She didn’t want to be stuck staring at a screen, and not the person. The device was tracking brainwave activity, respiration, blood oxygen and more. It was of alien design, but in another life Sherri had trained with similar equipment. After a few minutes of orientation by the clinic staff, she felt she could decipher the readouts with confidence.

  And for the moment that was all she had to do—or could do. The three bodies on the hospital beds were lying peacefully with their eyes closed, with Adam’s showing the only signs of breathing. The mutants didn’t need to breath, and Sherri had to have faith they were still alive.

  She laughed softly. Of course they’re alive, she thought. They’re damn immortal mutants. What do they have to worry about? It was Adam she was most concerned about. He had a splinter of mutant flesh connected to his brain and another’s mind probing around inside his body. What could go wrong?

  As the minutes passed—and nothing could be seen happening—Sherri grew sleepy. Adam’s breathing, heartrate and more remained constant, and the hypnotic bleep of the monitor soon made Sherri’s eyelids turn heavy. Her head dipped a couple of times, waking her after a moment of sleep. But eventually she drifted off completely….

  Sherri awoke, startled, as Lila was climbing off the bed. There were no clocks in the room and she’d failed to check her wristwatch when she sat down, so she had no idea how long she was out.

  “Is it over?” she asked Lila, trying to sound alert and attentive.

  “Yes.”

  “And…was it successful?”

  “The procedure was successful.”

  Sherri wanted to feel more ecstatic, but Lila’s unemotional and cryptic responses gave her pause. “Why do you sound so worried?”

  “I have moved onto the recovery stage. This is a time of uncertainty. Once they regain consciousness, I can gauge the overall success of the procedure. I was able to locate all the cells in Adam’s brain and manipulate them back into Panur’s. However, I could not place them in their proper position because that is beyond even my capabilities. They must migrate on their own, after which connections must be reestablished.”

  “How long will that take? It took Panur a couple of years to get to this point. Hopefully it won’t take that long.”

  “It shouldn’t, but it could.”

  “It could? You never said anything about that. By then the Klin will have conquered half the galaxy. And if they go directly at the Core Worlds, it could be over sooner than that.”

  “I’m sorry if I cannot give you a better estimate. Once I speak with Panur and monitor his abilities, I will have a better idea.”

  “And Adam; how is he?”

  There was a moment’s hesitation before Lila spoke. Sherri noticed. Her heart went racing.

  “Panur’s cells had engrained themselves deeper into his living process than I expected, causing Adam’s body to rely on them more. He has entered a state of brain shock. He needs rest. Time will tell.”

  “Tell what, how long it will take for him to recover?”

  “No…time to tell if he recovers at all.”

  Sherri jumped up out of her chair, facing the mutant, her face red. “You never said anything about that either! You never said he could die from the transfer.”

  “I did not say he would die, just that he may not recover from the removal of the brain cells.”

  “So he lives…as a vegetable?”

  “Please be calm, Sherri,” Lila pleaded. “That is a remote possibility. Again, once he regains consciousness I will be able to make a more informed assessment.”

  Lila made a move toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” Sherri asked in a panic.

  “I have other tasks to perform, tasks which only I can do with certainty. Please remain with Panur and my father and let me know when they regain consciousness.”

  “How?”

  “Through your ATD. I will be monitoring.”

  And then she was gone, leaving Sherri to gaze impotently at the two sleeping bodies. She had no idea how long she’d have to wait, or what would happen when they came to. She sat back down in the chair. The room was silent except for the rhythmic pulsing of the monitor. Her stress and anger had exhausted her. Within minutes, she was asleep again.

  Outside in the hallway, Lila briefed Copernicus, Riyad and Arieel on the results of the procedure. They weren’t overjoyed, but neither were they disappointed. Time would tell.

  Then she turned to Riyad. “Mr. Tarazi, please take my mother back to the Defiant and kept her safe.”

  “What are you going to do?” Arieel asked.

  “I am going to do what we should have done from the beginning. I am going to get a pair of power modules.”

  “But we have no money,” Copernicus pro
tested.

  “Our mission is too vital to let credits deter us. We have had the capacity to simply take what we need from the beginning. The need has now become critical. I will have Mr. Smith accompany me.”

  “Back to Boraxx?” Coop asked.

  “That is correct.”

  “But we have no way to get…oh yeah, right.”

  Lila smiled.

  “No money, no transportation…so we simply take what we need. I like it!”

  “So you approve of the strategy?”

  “Of course. That’s been my primary way of operating for years. And you’re right. We should have done it from the beginning, but we tried to be nice.”

  “And you want me to return to the ship?” Riyad asked. “Don’t you think I could come in handy? Sounds like there could be a little fighting along the way.”

  Lila smiled. “Do you not have faith in my abilities, Mr. Tarazi?”

  “That’s not it,” he stammered. “It’s just…I feel left out of the action.”

  “You are being tasked with protecting my mother. What greater duty could I ask of anyone?”

  “Yeah, I see your point. Okay then. Good luck.”

  “Let us proceed, Mr. Smith.”

  13

  There was a single road connecting the mining town of Anoon with Boraxx, which was subject to periodic landslides and often covered in inches of gritty meteorite dust. The towns were also three hundred miles apart and Lila didn’t want to take the time to drive there and back. The primary mode of cross-country travel on Siron was by way of electric quad-copter. These tiny helicopters were too small to carry gravity generators, and using chemical propellant—read rocket power—was too impractical to maintain and supply. So the ubiquitous quads were it. They could also make the hop over to Boraxx in a little over thirty minutes.

  All they had to do now was find one.

  As Riyad and Arieel left the hospital in one direction, Coop and Lila headed into town. Most dwellings and commercial buildings had quad-designated landing areas, often with maintenance hangars nearby. It didn’t take the pair long to find one of the squat flying machines sitting outside a hangar.