“That will be revealed in time.”
I started to ask it another question, but it cut me off. “The Theos await you. Only then will we stop the Unwinding.”
“What’s the Unwinding?” The shadow form started to dissipate, changing from a wispy cloud in a thin humanoid shape to the symbol for the Theos. It was a vertical line, with three horizontal lines cutting across it. With a gush, it rushed toward me, entering me, and when I looked up, I was back in the room with Mary and Sarlun.
“Dean. Dean!” Mary was shaking my arm, a look of panic in her beautiful eyes.
“I’m fine,” I coughed. “But I really need some water.”
Sarlun rushed to the doorway and opened a cabinet in the wall, bringing three bottles of crystal-blue liquid with him. I didn’t wait for him to come back; I met him halfway, grabbing a bottle and guzzling back the contents. What I actually tasted was smooth and slightly sweet on my tongue.
When I was done with the entire bottle, I set it down on the table beside the artifacts, which were no longer glowing. They were as still as a stone.
“What the hell just happened?” Mary asked, her no-nonsense tone thick.
“What did it look like?” I asked, genuinely curious if my body had left, or just my mind.
“You were standing there like a possessed zombie. The thing just shot into you, and you wouldn’t respond.” Mary’s words rushed out of her like a waterfall. Water…why was I so thirsty all of a sudden? Maybe it had something to do with a thousand-year-old ghost of a god invading my personal bubble.
“How long was I gone?”
Sarlun took a sip of his drink, his proboscis protruding into the opening and sucking the cool beverage back. “Not long, but long enough to worry Mary.” He looked me in the eyes. “To worry us.”
I was really beginning to like this guy.
“Dean, get with it. What happened?” This from Mary.
“I was somewhere else. At first, I didn’t remember where I was even supposed to be. I was on an island the size of this room, only thousands of feet above sea level, a soft yellow star shining down on me. I wasn’t worried or confused, just present. It arrived shortly after.”
“It?” Sarlun asked.
“The figure from the cube. It didn’t take another form, just the lanky shadow. I don’t think it was ever really here. I believe it was a recording, an imprint from a long-dead race.”
Sarlun chirped at that. “The Ancients survive. They are hiding. They’re not dead.”
“You say tomato, and I say dead. Semantics.” He didn’t understand the reference; before he could inquire, I kept going. “Anyway, here’s what I know: I’ve been given permission to search for the Theos.”
Mary clapped her hands together, smiling widely. “Yes!”
“This is good news,” Sarlun said, his thin lips parting for a smile of his own.
“The Gatekeepers will be happy?” I asked.
His smile vanished in an instant. “They must not know.”
This caught me off-guard. “Why? Aren’t we a team? A union? Or a guild, or whatever?”
“There are things I wouldn’t even trust to each of them. Something like details of the Theos would be worth more than you could imagine. Worth more than your lives…more than whole worlds. If word got out that we had these” – he motioned to the two green stone pieces – “we might already be dead.”
“I didn’t know how serious all of this was. You sure you’re still excited about the search?” I asked Mary, who now wore a frown instead of a grin.
“You think some of the Keepers would hurt one of their own?” she asked Sarlun.
“I don’t know, but lips are loose at times, especially in the confines of a home, or among friends and loved ones. I can’t risk it,” Sarlun answered.
“What else did it say, Dean?” Mary asked.
“To follow the path and to use the map.”
“What map?” she asked.
I grabbed the stone cube, feeling its weight in my palm. I’d sealed my fate once again in something bigger than myself. My gut felt the same twist as it had when I was racing down to Peru a few years ago.
I traced my fingertip across the largest shape, the same one the shadow had transformed into only minutes ago in my mental journey. “We’ve already established each of these is a world; some of the symbols match the icons on the portal tables. I’ll research the others, but I have a clue.”
They were both leaning toward me, eager to hear what it was.
I flipped the cube upside down and pointed at the underside. “We start at the bottom.”
Five
“You guys are really going through with it?” Magnus puffed on a cigar while his son Dean ran in their back yard, kicking a ball around. A little boy and girl played with him; they were all shouting and laughing in the sunny afternoon. It was refreshing to hear sounds of children playing all the way out here in New Spero. Life had a way of prevailing against the odds.
“Hell yeah, we are,” Slate said, sipping on a pint of beer. The aroma of grilling beef carried through the air and into my nose, causing my stomach to grumble in hunger. Magnus and Natalia were hosting a baby shower; all the woman were on the back deck, cooing and trying to appease the ready-to-burst Russian woman. Mary had volunteered to have it at our place, but they didn’t care about the old custom this time. Nat didn’t seem happy with all the attention.
“Mag, I can’t believe you’re about to have another baby. You guys ready for it?” I asked, glancing to the deck, where I spotted Mary. She was wearing a floral green maxi dress; the wind caught it, sending ripples through the length of cloth, her hair cascading along with it. I wanted to go take her hand and lead her away from the party, to spend some time alone before we ventured to Atrron.
She saw me watching from the BBQ and firepit area, and waved a low and secret flick of her hand toward me. I think she had the same idea as I did.
“No, but I wasn’t ready to save the world from an evil race of aliens, so I think I can handle little Mary,” he said.
I spit out the beer I’d just drunk, spraying it in a comical fashion. “Mary? You can’t be serious. Naming your kids Dean and Mary? It’s not just weird, it’s demented! They’re brother and sister.” The words rattled off in rapid fire, and Magnus and Slate started laughing hysterically.
“You’re too easy.” Magnus was still chuckling, and Slate clapped him on the back. “We don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl yet.” He flipped some burgers, placing a few on a plate when he was satisfied they were ready. “Back to your secret mission. These Theos: do you really think you’ll find them?”
My finger rushed to my lips, telling him to be quiet about it. “I told you what Sarlun said. Don’t even say their name until it’s all over.”
“Who’s going to do anything about it? Billy, the Terran One podiatrist?” Magnus pointed to a man throwing a Frisbee with a friend. “Or maybe Tricia, the local hairdresser?” He nodded to the deck, where the ladies were still handing out gifts.
It seemed so normal, but in my gut, seeing a tradition from Earth like a baby shower felt out of place on New Spero. “Regardless of who you deem dangerous, gossip can be our worst enemy. Just keep it on the down-low. You should have seen Sarlun’s face when he said entire planets would be collateral if they got in the way of something as small as the artifacts he’s hiding. The last thing I want is for Suma and her planet to be in danger.”
Magnus nodded. “Sorry for being a jerk. Maybe I’m just a little jealous this pup’s going, and not me.” He gave Slate a light punch on the arm. As if on cue, the three dogs ran over, the younger ones in front of Carey, who was slowing down in his advancing age. It felt like yesterday that I’d scooped him up to take him on the journey of a lifetime, and now here he was, an old man.
I knelt down and scratched his head, then stroked his fuzzy back a few times. He rolled over and asked for a stomach rub; I, of course, obliged.
“You sure you don�
�t mind keeping Maggie for a few days? Hopefully less,” I said, not sure how long the trip would take, or if I’d be back to New Spero before we hit the second location on the cube map.
“We’re happy to. She’s probably missed being around these other chuckleheads anyway. Dinner is served.” With that, Magnus and Slate carried plates stacked high with meat. Everything from a tofu dog, to spicy chicken, to good old homemade burgers. I was drooling as much as Carey was, and we followed along – Carey probably hoped something would fall from a dish, and I wasn’t far off.
We ended up by the deck, where three picnic tables were butted up against each other. Pitchers of sangria and buckets with ice and beer sat in the middle of the tables, where Magnus and Slate set their dishes down. I made a few trips inside to grab the food in the fridge: potato and Caesar salads. And what barbecue would be complete without Jell-O loaded with fruit inside?
The ladies were finishing up and came to join us as we sat down.
“Come on, kids! Time to eat!” Magnus called across the yard, reciprocated with cheers from the little ones. Little Dean ran up, his knees covered in grass stains. “Go wash up. Your mom will kill me if she sees you eating with those grubby hands.” I heard him whisper this to his son, and the boy saluted him, running for the house.
“A salute? That’s a good kid,” Slate said.
“He sees people at the base do it to me and wants to be like them. They wear uniforms, and to a four-year-old, what’s cooler than that?” Magnus poured Nat a glass of water, tossing in some ice cubes from one of the buckets.
“Thanks, husband,” Natalia said, giving him a weary smile.
“Nat, you look beautiful,” I said as Mary sat down beside me.
“I don’t feel so pretty, and I’m always exhausted,” she said.
“Nat, I wish I looked as good as you, and I’m not pregnant,” Mary said, complimenting her friend as she threw her arms around her.
“But you should be. Why don’t you leave all this planet-hopping around to someone else and have a baby? We could spend the afternoons together while the little ones had a nap.” Nat smiled at Mary, who poured a glass of sangria and tapped a fingernail on the wooden table.
“We’ll consider that. Maybe when this adventure is done, we’ll seriously talk about it.” Now Mary was looking directly at me, her sunglasses reflecting my image back, so I was unable to tell if she was being serious or just appeasing Natalia.
Magnus smiled at Mary’s comment, nudging me with his elbow. I shrugged. “She’s the boss.”
Slate was across from us, and a young woman came and stood beside him. She gave the big man a shy smile and waved lightly at Mary and Natalia. “Thanks again for inviting me. It’s been so nice to do something like this.”
“Da, have a seat, Denise.” Nat pointed at the bench to the right of Slate.
“You don’t mind?” she asked Slate, and he glanced up at her, taking a longer look than was necessary.
“No, ma’am. Please do,” he said, getting a small laugh from Magnus.
“Shhhh,” I whispered at Magnus. I recalled Slate telling me his fear of dying before he met someone and had a family; how his short life had been filled with revenge and regret. I loved the guy like a little brother and only wanted happiness for him.
Slate and Denise didn’t seem to notice anyone else as they started to make small talk.
“Who’s got the ketchup?” Mary asked, and we carried on, having a wonderful evening with friends. The whole time, the shadow of a Theos was lingering on my mind. The Theos await you. Only then will we stop the Unwinding.
____________
“You have everything you need?” Magnus asked us for the third time. He was wearing aviator sunglasses indoors, and I knew he’d partaken in a few too many libations the night before. Most of us had, though Mary and I’d cut out early, leaving Slate and Denise enthusiastically talking by the solar lights on the deck.
“If we take anymore, we’re going to need a mule,” Mary said, folding another rope into her pack.
“Sarlun doesn’t know the Forest of Knowledge, but he’s heard of a religious sect living in a heavily wooded area, about an hour by scooter. We’re trying there first,” I said. The planet held many life forms, but we knew little about them. Sarlun’s information was sparse at best, but we had enough to get us started. He’d supplied the translator plug-in for that region’s dialect.
We were at the base at Terran Five, and Magnus had sent our hover scooters over to the portal caves already. I wished I’d been given a chance to stop in and see James and my sister Isabelle, but I promised myself I’d do it as soon as we were back.
Magnus led us to the landing pad. A transport vessel lowered to the ground, a blonde woman rushing out, followed by another familiar face. Nick was growing a beard, and it was filling out nicely. I ran a hand over my own chin, wondering if I could pull it off.
“I’m glad I found you,” Clare said, her voice dripping with excitement.
The red sun was rising in the morning sky; it would be a hot day on New Spero. It was the kind of day where you’d rather sit on your porch and play with your dog than head out into the unknown.
“Good to see you two. Sorry you couldn’t make it last night,” Mary said to them.
“She wouldn’t let us leave until she was done. I could have used a night of fun,” Nick said with a wink.
“Next time,” I assured him.
“What do you have for us?” Slate asked, intrigued. He loved gadgets, and with all the alien technology we kept receiving, Clare was creating some amazing devices to help us out.
She reached into a bag and pulled out a silver object. “The cloaking suits have value, but they’re bulky and not a hundred percent reliable. Set this on the ground, and… It’s better if I just show you.”
Clare pressed a button on it and set the small rectangular device down by her feet. A beam of light shot up, and when it vanished, she was gone. We could see the lander behind her and Nick to her left.
We were all silent as we watched, the only noise from a nearby bird chirping. We’d brought an assortment of animals along with us to New Spero, a futuristic Noah’s Ark before Earth was destroyed for good.
“How’d you do that?” Mary asked, going around the beam to see if Clare was there. I followed, but she wasn’t visible, no matter what angle we looked from.
“Pretty cool, hey?” Clare’s voice asked.
I stuck my hand through and felt it hit something solid. “Whoa, watch where you’re grabbing!” With that, the illusion disappeared, and Clare was standing before us again.
“That could come in handy,” Mary said, picking up the device.
“I used some Shimmali interfaces and the idea behind our ship’s cloaking. It just reflects the image from behind your vantage point. Of course, as Dean just proved, you still hold your mass and can be touched,” Clare said, before showing Mary how to work it.
She spent the next few minutes revealing a few other inventions, each one getting tucked into our bags.
We hugged them goodbye and loaded the transport. I wished I wasn’t wearing a hoodie, as the heat made me sweat while we worked.
Slate got in first, taking the back bench. Mary took the pilot’s seat, and I plunked down beside her. The trip to the caves was a quick one and didn’t leave me a lot of time to worry as we lifted off, heading for the range a couple of miles away. The air conditioning helped ease my temperature as we moved toward the portal.
I looked at Terran Five out of the viewscreen. The city was twice the size it had been, with our new influx of people from Earth. New Spero wasn’t the same place it had been when we’d arrived a year and a half ago, but it was thriving.
The cities now had an energy to them, a positive flow that was easy to get caught up in. Some of the people here weren’t just getting a second chance; they were getting a third, and not many took that for granted. There were times we walked downtown Terran One and I forgot we were in a colony.
The first step to healing was being comfortable, and we’d taken huge strides to do just that as a people.
Almost as soon as we took off, we landed, the terrain not yet covered in snow for the season. We had cameras set up, and motion lights to keep the lizard creatures away from the portals. The guards at Terran Five hadn’t seen any sign of them here for a long time.
We moved efficiently, carrying our supplies into the cave entrance. For good measure, Slate sounded an air horn, just in case one of the animals had slipped past the video feeds.
We took the familiar route and ended at the portal room, from where we’d traveled many times. The hover scooters were sitting where Magnus had said they’d be, and we attached our bags to them.
The EVA suits were safely stowed in a package adjacent to the scooters. Sarlun had told us the air mixture and, though it was breathable, a lot could have changed in the thirty years since any of the Gatekeepers had set foot on Atrron.
“Can you help me with this?” Slate asked, and Mary clicked the latch on his helmet. He returned the favor, and we were as ready as we’d ever be.
The hieroglyphs on the walls were activated, and I stared at them, emblazing each of their unique patterns in my mind. Each one was special. Mary was already at the center table, scrolling through the screen of icons. “Found it,” she said.
I took a deep breath, still looking at the cave wall. What were we about to find, and what was the point of this wild goose chase for a long-gone race of beings? I briefly considered calling it off. Slate stood beside me, aware I was feeling trepidation.
“We have to,” he said, his soft words echoing in my earpiece.
“Come on, Dean. It’s time,” Mary said.
“Let’s go find us some gods,” I said, and Mary tapped the icon.
Six
“Sarlun really needs to give better directions,” Mary said, trying to recalculate her GPS while riding. We slowed down, the wind pressure decreasing in turn.
The Survivors Box Set Page 68