by Paul Ormond
“You heard her,” Drak said after he turned to face his companions. “Lay your weapons down and go quietly. All will be well.”
“I don’t like it, but I don’t see any options,” Gerald said. “What did she say about the Masters?”
“I heard something, but I don’t really get it,” Babcock said, joining the Colonel.
“She said this is the Masters’ territory and we’re all going to be executed,” Davis said from behind.
“I think we should keep quiet and see how this plays out,” TaeJun said, lacing his hands behind his head. “Drak seems to have this under control. Just get me out of this cave. The smell of those creatures is enough to make me puke.”
“I hear that,” Jamison said. “I’m still wiping their guts out of my eyes.”
“You sure are squeamish for a bunch of soldiers,” Kate said from nearby.
“Not everyone is a psychopath like you, Kate,” Gaelin said as the white-robed soldiers approached.
“Who says I’m a psychopath?” Kate asked before a soldier latched a device around her wrist and dragged her forward.
“Like everybody who ever met you,” Gaelin said while being cuffed by another soldier.
“I’d say you’ve got some empathy issues,” Babcock said as a white-robed soldier dragged her over the rocks.
“I’m empathetic,” Kate said while her escort led her away.
“Is this really the time to talk about this?” Mitch said as the soldiers gathered them into a line.
“Silence, all of you,” the woman said. “If I hear one more sound out of anyone, I’ll execute you myself. Let’s get these meatballs in the sled.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Drak glanced at Mitch as they were led over the rubble to the light at the end of the cavern. A grin crossed his lips, and he mouthed: “Welcome to Chalthantar.”
Mitch rolled his eyes and exhaled while he and SoHee stumbled over the rocks. The cube beneath her neck pulsed in sync with her movements. Choking back the urge to speak, he attempted to help her up after she fell over a rock, but one of the soldiers snarled at him as he approached.
“Keep moving,” the soldier said, grabbing SoHee by the arm and yanking her up. “We need to clear the cavern. This place isn’t safe.”
Nodding to Mitch, SoHee indicated that she was all right and pressed on before a soldier shoved him from behind. Mitch looked back in anger, but he fought the urge to retaliate and returned to SoHee’s side. After a few more difficult steps, they came to the top of a short rise and the source of the light came into view. Nestled into the rock wall, a bright bulb sat above a large hatch embedded into the stone.
As the robed woman approached the door, she sent out an orb from her hand that penetrated the metallic hatch, and it swung open revealing a dark passage.
“Hurry now, into the tunnel,” the woman said as she turned and faced her prisoners. “You can never get rid of a jushkoo infestation. Killing these will only bring another queen to take her place, and we don’t want to be here when that happens.”
Looking over his shoulder while he neared the hatch, Mitch thought he caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. He gulped and used his remaining strength to reach the entrance. The gnashing jaws of the jushkoo queen were still fresh in his mind, and he almost gagged as he remembered the stench of her breath pouring over him.
With the help of one of the soldiers, he stepped up onto a flat ledge and peered into the tunnel stretching into the darkness beyond the door.
“Get going,” a soldier guarding the hatch said before a hollow shriek echoed through the canyon.
Shoved forward by another guard, Mitch found himself stumbling down a narrow walkway behind SoHee. After a few steps, he heard the door clang shut before it bolted itself. The tunnel was plunged into darkness save for the auras emanating off the soldiers’ white cloaks. Marching forward in muted silence, their footsteps echoed off the walls of the rounded tunnel, locking together in offbeat sync. Mitch felt the ground slope down at a slight angle. Glancing ahead, he spotted another hatch appear in the distance. As the female leader strode forward through the blackness, she let go another orb, and the hatch swung open just as before. The passage was filled with an orange light emanating from the open door.
Streaming out of the tunnel, Mitch found himself squinting under a harsh light alongside his companions. After his eyes adjusted, he looked in awe at a sleek aerodynamic craft hovering a few feet away. Painted in the same luminescent white as the soldiers robes, a sloped nose rose at an elegant angle to a bulbous cockpit where the pilot of the craft sat.
Nodding her head as she approached the ship, the woman swung her hand across her torso in a gesture of welcome before the pilot opened a hatch on the side of the craft. Stark and barren, the inner chamber of the ship did not match its exterior. Bench like seats lined the walls of the dimly lit hold.
Shoved forward, Mitch stumbled into a chair-like receptacle with SoHee at his side. As he recovered his bearings, he watched a beam of light shoot out of the floor and connect with his cuffs, securing him in place. The same fate befell the rest of his companions and they exchanged glances with each other while a pair of guards looked on. The sound of the hatch shutting broke the silence, and the craft was filled with a soft hum and Mitch felt the vehicle lurch into motion.
CHAPTER TEN
AN ELECTRIC WHIR filled the air as the device came to life. Bursting out of the cooling vents that ran the length of the machine, an orange glow lit up the room. Beneath the holographic head of President Edwards, General Vargas watched the proceedings with his teeth clenched.
“Can you explain the process we’re witnessing, General?” the President asked.
“The machine is warming up, so to speak,” Vargas said before he turned to face the screen. “It takes a few minutes to draw in enough energy to initiate a push. That’s how all of this works. We’re working against an invisible energy field, dark matter they say. The right amount of push will have the effect we need and an opening will occur.”
“As much as I would like to know more, I don’t think it will be necessary. I have enough trouble wrapping my head around budget deficits. Dark matter sounds as frightening as tax reform.”
“I agree with you there. Luckily, we have some of the smartest scientists in the universe working away beneath us. If anyone can wrap their heads around all of this, it’s going to be these guys.”
“Dr. Nelson, do you have anything to add here?” Edwards asked her advisor off screen.
“Unfortunately, no,” Dr. Nelson said from off camera. “I’m terrified of the consequences, but I feel we have no other choice. We must open the portal, or risk running afoul of whatever lies beyond.”
“There is no going back now,” Edwards said while she looked around the room. “Unless anyone else has something to say, we will proceed with the operation. Are we ready to begin the process, General?”
“I’ve been informed that the machine has almost reached a full charge,” Vargas said, glancing over his shoulder. “We will begin on your orders, Madam President.”
“You have my approval,” Edwards said, leaning back in her chair. “Fire when ready.”
“As you wish, Ma’am.” Vargas said before turning to face his staff. “You heard the President. Let’s fire this thing up.”
“The machine is at capacity, sir,” a scientist in a lab coat shouted up to the General. “I’m going to begin the countdown on your mark.”
“You have my clearance, Dr. Browning. Count it down,” General Vargas said.
“Beginning the process now, sir,” Browning said, punching a command into a holographic screen. As he stepped back from the screen several pulses of energy surged down the length of the enormous device, and a pale beam shot out of the far end. Blasting into the shield at the center of the room, the energy of the beam pooled together, forming a translucent sphere.
“The beam has stabilized and we have a connection,” Browning said. “On y
our order, sir, I will bring the device to full function.”
“Proceed, Dr. Browning,” General Vargas said before he looked back to the President. “We have put in place a number of security measures to ensure the stability of the energy flow. Both meltdowns prior to this operation were the results of an overload. Learning from these mistakes, we have engineered several backstops into the mechanism that will prevent any excess from leaking through.”
“Once again, I appreciate your attention to detail, General,” Edwards said. “What is happening now?”
“As Dr. Browning increases the output of the beam, the dark matter present will pushback with an equal amount of force. This pushback will open what we call a wormhole,” Vargas said before donning a thick pair of goggles. “You might want to cover your eyes or put on some protective eye wear. This is going to be a little bright.”
“We have been briefed already, General,” the President said after she was a handed a pair of sunglasses.
On the General’s signal, Dr. Browning executed the next command in the sequence on the holographic screen and the whir present in the room increased in volume. The rush of noise was followed by a thick pulse of light that rippled down the mechanism and connected with the beam. Upon contact, the ray doubled in size, forcing the onlookers to cover their eyes for a moment.
After the light subsided, a noticeable change had overcome the sphere in front of the blast shield. A sliver of black sat at the center of the bulb while a ring of electromagnetic energy crackled and pulsed along its edge. With each pulse, the sliver expanded exponentially, and in a matter of moments, an oval opening was visible from the General’s vantage point.
“As you can see, the wormhole is dilating. Once it has opened fully, we will be able to decrease the influx of energy. Establishing the portal requires the most juice.”
“What about the signal? Is it still active?”
“I believe I would have been informed if the signal ceased, but we’ve been a little pre-occupied for the last few moments,” Vargas said. “Browning, what can you tell us about the signal?”
“We lost the signal the moment we began the process, sir,” Browning shouted over the hum of the machine.
“Why didn’t you inform me of that earlier?”
“I was a little busy opening a wormhole, General.”
“It’s ok, Dr. Browning,” President Edwards cut in. “Is there anything we can do to re-establish the signal?”
“We’re directing all of our available resources to locating the signal,” Dr. Browning said as he signaled his colleagues further down the line.
“Well, that’s just typical,” Vargas said, slamming the railing with his palm. “Spend a billion dollars making the goddamn thing and when they finally call we miss it.”
“Don’t lose hope, General Vargas,” Edwards said from above. “I’m sure we might just need a little patience.”
The moment the words left her mouth, a shrill hum filled the room and a burst of energy poured out of the portal. The soldiers positioned behind the blast shields raised their weapons and awaited instructions as orange light streamed out of the portal and formed a large sphere in the center of the room.
“What the hell are we looking at now, General?” President Edwards asked as the sphere’s rotation accelerated.
“This is not something we’ve encountered before, Madam President,” General Vargas said while he watched the sphere in awe and wonder. “Can you tell us what is going over there, Dr. Browning?”
“The readings we are receiving are off the charts,” Browning shouted, trying to contain his excitement. “Whatever it is, it appears to be the source of the signal and it is growing stronger.”
“The last time something like this happened we had a full meltdown on our hands,” the General shouted out. “Please tell me everything is under control.”
“Everything is stable, sir,” Browning said, monitoring the readouts on his display. “Surprisingly, this is the most stable we’ve ever been.”
“I hope that is a good thing,” the General said. “What else can you tell us about whatever that thing is?”
“I can tell you that it is drawing power from the same energy source as the portal and it is receiving radio waves from the opposite side of the portal,” Dr. Browning said. “But what it is doing I have no idea.”
“Well, you better start figuring it out,” General Vargas snapped as the sphere swelled before his eyes.
“We’re doing everything we can, sir,” Dr. Browning said. “Believe me, I want to know what that thing is more than anyone, but until we can analyze the data we won’t know for sure.”
“We better shut it down.”
“I would if I could, sir, but the machine isn’t responding to my commands.”
“What do you mean isn’t responding?”
“In just the past few moments I executed several commands in the shutdown sequence, but I’m not getting a response.”
“Are you telling me we’ve lost control again?”
“Not entirely, the system is stable. It’s just not responding.”
“Cut the power then. We can’t have that thing spinning around indefinitely.”
“What is the concern, General?” the President asked from above.
“The concern is I’m a little worried about this thing going off the rails, all things considered.”
“Isn’t there something we can learn from this? What relation does it have with the signal?”
“As Dr. Browning said, we’ll have to analyze the data and that could take weeks or months until we know for sure,” General Vargas said before an explosion of energy burst forth from the sphere.
Columns of electricity climbed into the air as the orb contorted its shape into an elongated torso. More flashes filled the room, and the soldiers retreated after a towering figure manifested itself before the open portal.
“Somebody better tell me what’s going on down there,” General Vargas shouted.
“Whatever it is, it’s connected to the signal somehow. My readings indicate that the radio waves have increased exponentially since that thing appeared and their velocity continues to grow,” Browning shouted back.
“Are you able to gather anything from the signal?” President Edwards shouted over the din. “Is there a message there we aren’t understanding?”
“If there is a message, I’m unable to decipher it,” Browning shouted.
“Take evasive action,” General Vargas shouted. “Place the facility on lockdown and get ready for Plan B protocols.”
“I think you are overreacting, General,” Edwards said from the holographic screen. “The apparition is humanoid, perhaps it is a special envoy sent to communicate with us.”
“As much as I would like to believe you, Madam President, I don’t mind having Plan B in my back pocket,” General Vargas said, watching the form take shape.
“We are well aware of your position, General,” Edwards said. “But nuking the first contact we receive from another dimension may not be a message we want to send to our brothers and sisters of the multi-verse.”
“I guess that is why the American people elected you President and not me,” Vargas shouted while more energy poured into the massive figure at the center of the room.
“And that is why I will be making the call about any of our options,” Edwards said before another pulse of light flooded the space. Contracting at an alarming rate, the portal released a final burst of energy, forcing the observers to take cover.
Recovering from the explosion, General Vargas rose to his feet and his jaw dropped in awe and terror as he beheld the sight in the center of the room.
A humanoid form stood before the open portal clutching a menacing ax. Adorned in black armor tinged with a glowing blue, the figure towered over the mechanism powering the portal. Two deep set black eyes looked out of a helmeted head and locked eyes on the President's image within the holographic screen.
As it took a step forwar
d, the soldiers leaped from their positions and readied themselves for action.
“Oh, that is cute,” the figure said before it pressed its arm forward and froze the soldiers in place.
“I understand the horror you must feel by my presence here, but there was no other way for me to make my arrival known,” the figure said as it walked forward unimpeded.
“And who exactly are we talking to?” President Edwards asked while glancing at her advisors.
“That is an excellent question, Madam president,” the figure said, striding past the pulsing mechanism and approaching the yellow guard rail where General Vargas stood. “In many ways you know me rather well, but I have not had the pleasure of introducing myself in person. In my line of work, it is best if I remain in the shadows. Some things are better left in the dark, so to speak.”
“And why do you feel the need to introduce yourself now under these conditions?” President Edwards asked, trying to remain firm as the figure continued to press forward.
“Allegiances are fragile even in the best of times,” the armored figure said after it came to the rail. “And forming an alliance is perhaps the most difficult task of a diplomat, especially when the situation is as tense as it is.”
“So you are an envoy?” President Edwards asked before she was handed a sheet of paper from one of her staff off screen. “You must represent a nation or a civilization of some kind.”
“You are correct,” the figure said, leaning its arms against the yellow rail. “I represent a council of governors who serve at the behest of our Emperor.”
“Your Emperor?”
“That is correct. As the Commander of his Supreme army, I have been sent here to this planet as an ambassador of the Divine Rulers of the Multiverse, our Glorious Emperor and Empress.”
“It is unusual for a military Commander to act as an ambassador if I’m not mistaken,” President Edwards asked.