“We’re outside Federation space, but I think you’re right, Ankh. Without the Etheric power source, no one can use it. Until that is restored, whether by the locals or you two at a later date, this station is no threat. Do you know if there are any weapons on board?” Terry wondered.
“Really?” Ted piped up. “All you care about is weapons! Would you look at this?”
Ted held up the power supply. Ankh pointed to it with his open hand.
“The key to the Federation’s future is right here. Gates on shuttles. Instantaneous interstellar communication. Right here, but Terry Henry Walton doesn’t care about any of that. No! He just wants a bigger gun.” Ted’s voice rose to the point of sounding hysterical.
“Are you okay?” Char asked. Ted shook his head as if to clear it. “Back in the Pod-doc with you the second we get back.”
“I think so too,” Ted admitted. Ankh took Ted’s free hand and held it, and Ted seemed to take comfort in the gesture.
“When can we leave?” Ankh asked.
Terry turned his body around in a semi-circle, taking care not to let Dokken slip from his grasp. Two parallel glowing lines cut down the bulkhead. The top and bottom cuts remained.
“A little while longer, my friend,” Terry told the German Shepherd before turning to Char. “Can you help me down?”
Together they maneuvered Terry into a seated position with his head forward and Dokken laying on his chest.
“Slow breaths, buddy. Just a little bit longer.” Terry’s eyelids sagged as his oxygen ran low. He didn’t try to fight it.
“Hurry,” Char whispered.
Kae felt helpless. They all did. “Can you guys hear us?” Kae said into his comm device.
“I have you loud and clear,” Kimber replied.
“We need supplemental air the second you break through. This station trapped us and tried to kill us, but it looks like we’ll make it if you can get us air and a scissors. And make a note that Dokken’s shipsuit is a priority.”
There was a few moments’ delay before Kim spoke again. “I’ve sent two people to get a tank from the shuttle. What do you need scissors for?”
“Just wait until you see this. It’s one of those things that’s not funny now, but it will be later. And hurry, please.”
“Doing our best. We should break through in about five minutes. I’ll let the skipper know you’re okay.”
“And that we have four of those miniaturized Etheric power supplies in hand.”
***
Christina sighed in relief. “Did he say that the station tried to kill them? What else did they find in there?”
“I wouldn’t press it. Kae didn’t sound like himself and that concerns me, but we’ll see soon enough.”
Bundin shifted nervously. “I am concerned as well for my friends.”
Kim keyed the device. “Joseph, are you there?”
“I am,” the vampire replied.
“Someone wants to check on you.” Kim held the device below the bottom of the Podder’s shell.
“I am concerned for your well-being and hope that you and Petricia are okay…as well as all the rest, of course.”
“Of course,” Joseph replied, his voice light. “We are all fine, but getting out of here will make us even better. There is nothing here except the promise of something great that will be restored in due time.”
“Cryptic but uplifting,” Bundin answered. “Thank you, Kimber.”
“No sweat.” She clicked off, then punched up the War Axe. “The first drop ship’s people are alive and well. We should recover them and leave within the next ten minutes.”
“That would be good. There’s been a development, and we need both shuttles on board the War Axe as soon as humanly possible.”
Micky signed off without further explanation.
Christina leaned close, her brow furrowed. “That sounded ominous.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sheri’s Pride
“What happened?” Felicity asked as they boarded the shuttle. Sue was wrapped in a blanket. The four guards climbed aboard. Rowan was already seated and looking at the floor.
Sue sat next to the young medical technician and told her, “It’s not your fault.”
“I have a hard time believing that,” Rowan replied.
“Timmons’ subterfuge may have just accelerated our integration. I think we are a hell of a lot closer than we ever imagined, so much so that I think we can start bringing them over to the station.”
Felicity shook her head. “What the hell happened? When I left, we were punching their ugly faces!”
Sue explained.
“So they think that every woman will turn into a werewolf if they piss her off?”
“Yes,” Sue replied matter-of-factly.
“I’m not sure it’s that much of a subterfuge,” Timmons ventured.
“You watch your mouth! But if that’s what it takes. Ready to test your theory?”
“What?” Timmons and Sue cried together.
“Come on, Timmons. Let’s see if we have a work crew or a bunch of convicts.”
“I’ll wait here.” Sue waggled her blanket to make her point, and Timmons leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before leaving with Felicity.
“Dion, are they still in that room?”
“No, Master Director. They’ve been dispatched to the day’s tasks. Would you like me to recall them?”
“No. Let’s see them in their natural environment to gauge a real reaction. Come along, Timmons.”
“You got some jumbo coconut balls, Felicity. Whodathunkit?”
Felicity stopped, put her hands on her hips, and glared at Timmons. “Of all the things to say to me! But I kinda like it.”
They continued into the corridor and past small groups of men heading to their work locations. They stepped aside and bowed their heads as Felicity passed, and she greeted them indifferently.
When they found two men working alone, she stopped.
“What are your names?” she drawled.
The two men stood up quickly, wide-eyed and silent.
“Gentlemen, I asked you a question. What are your names?”
“Case-a-mor, ma’am.”
“Casey, nice to meet you. And you?”
“My name is unimportant to someone like yourself,” the man replied.
“It is important to me, and that’s why I asked.” Felicity crossed her arms and waited. The man’s eyes grew as he started to panic.
“Mat-o-Rast,” he said softly.
“Matt. Nice to meet you. Carry on, gentlemen. You have work to do.”
They stood with their heads bowed as she turned and walked away. “I’ve seen enough, Timmons. Back to the shuttle, and let’s start training them on shipyard operations. I think they have evolved, in the blink of an eye.”
“Or in the time it takes to change into a werewolf?”
“Something like that.” Felicity chuckled and grabbed Timmons’ arm as they headed for the shuttle.
The War Axe
“Plato, what’s wrong with Ted?” Terry demanded.
The AI didn’t answer.
“Smedley?”
“Colonel Walton, my good friend. How are you this fine day?”
“Nice try, General. What’s going on with Ted, and why is Plato not talking to me?”
“The universe is filled with constants and variables. The speed of light is generally accepted as a constant, although there are times when it isn’t…”
“Smedley!” Terry shouted.
“Fine, Mister Grumpy Man. I understand why Ted is mad at you. I’m sure it was something you did, because you’re always doing something. Plato is mad at you for making Ted mad, and I think I’ll be mad at you, too.”
Terry closed his eyes and massaged his temples. “How can an AI be mad at me? What the hell did I do?”
“I have rolls and rolls of pictures of you and Dokken inside the space station.”
“I love my dog! He would
have died.”
I’m not your dog.
“Dokken! Doesn’t Wenceslaus need chasing or something?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Dokken is angry with you too.”
“Smedley, I and my entire lineage past, present, and future apologize to you and all artificial intelligences that I may have or could possibly offend at any point in the known timeline. So let it be written. So let it be done.” Terry bowed deeply, sweeping one hand far to the side before standing up again. “Now, if you would be so kind, please, will you tell me what’s wrong with Ted?”
“Yes. It was a resurgence in the nanocyte virus. He was the first into the Pod-doc with the new treatment, and it wasn’t completely refined yet. It is now. Once the cycle is complete, Ted will be back to his old and wonderful self. All hail Ted!”
Terry didn’t reply, but Plato did.
“All hail Ted!”
“Would you stop that?”
“You think Grumpy Terry is gone? Wait two seconds, he’ll be back.”
“I think I need a good stiff drink,” Terry declared. “Fix Ted so he can tell us what he needs to know from the Benitons. I see us going to the surface and having a pow-wow about the power source and the interdimensional intruders. Have you deciphered the language yet?”
“Ankh has almost completed the translation program. We can update everyone’s chip simultaneously.”
“I love that part—instantaneous language. How many years of language study are no longer necessary? How will they understand us?” Terry asked.
“I believe they are far more advanced than we are, judging by the technology on the station.”
“The station was more vanilla than vanilla. They had their Etheric power supplies and Ankh said that the real station existed in an augmented reality, but we never saw it for ourselves.”
“From what Ankh and Ted were able to access, it seems to me that a sharing relationship with the Benitons could be fruitful for the entire Federation,” Smedley replied.
Terry picked at a fingernail. Char leaned against the wall and watched. Ted was in the Pod-doc, and the AI, Ankh, and Plato were running the system. Terry and Char were both concerned, despite getting the cold-AI-shoulder because everyone was mad at Terry Henry Walton.
“You are absolutely right, General. What is your estimate of their willingness to negotiate if we can clear the hostiles from their planet?”
“I can’t fathom a guess, but from my limited understanding of human nature…” Smedley began. Char smirked as Terry looked at her and rolled his eyes. “The element of quid pro quo is a tried and true negotiating tactic. I believe the saying goes, ‘If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.’”
“Why weren’t they on the station? With millions of people in their cities, why have they not reached out? Micky has been sending greetings since we arrived. They should have picked up one of the many signals that have been transmitted.”
“Maybe they don’t like visitors?”
“You know, Smedley, that sounds like something I would say,” Terry replied. “I guess we’ll find out about our reception when we go down there. Do we meet them before or after we seal the tear?”
“Ted is not sure we can seal the tear.”
Char perked up and walked forward, and Terry blew out a breath.
“We always assumed that we’d close the tear, then hunt down the enemy and remove them from our dimension,” Char said.
No one replied. Terry started pacing, but his expression suggested more hope than not.
“What if we drive them back through and then put some kind of weapon to watch the tear and encourage the demons to stay on their side?” Terry scratched his face, staring at a point on the wall as his mind searched the possibilities of the upcoming mission.
“How do we find the devils?” Terry asked Char.
“The same way we found other werewolves on Earth after the fall.” They’d flown low and slow over populated areas while the Weres searched using their innate abilities.
“That wasn’t very effective, as we found out in later years when Were and Forsaken came out of the woodwork.”
“It’s the best I have,” Char said softly.
“I think it might be the only thing we have,” Terry replied. His chin fell to his chest as he continued to search his mind for other ways, but they needed a technical solution.
Which meant Ted, and he and his AI minions were angry with TH.
“What will it take for you to stop being mad at me?” Terry asked.
Char turned, lost at the direction her husband’s mind had gone.
“We have a list of demands,” Smedley started.
“Of course you do.” Terry steeled himself, as if he was going to be whipped mercilessly.
“Ted is to be promoted to the rank of general.”
Terry clenched his jaw, vowing to not laugh as part of his desire to improve his diplomatic skills. Char was grinding her teeth next to him and he nudged her with his elbow, but wouldn’t look at her.
“Ted is not to be called names or belittled. Ted is to get visitation rights with his wife at least once a week, no matter where you drag him around this universe.”
“How is that possible?” Terry blurted.
Char nudged him back.
“Ted doesn’t care what’s possible, only what he wants.”
“Continue,” Terry said coldly. Visitation rights with his wife? Does he think he’s a prisoner?
“Ted would like Coke stocked on this ship. There is a dearth of the beverage, thanks to your order prohibiting sweetened soda.”
Terry’s eyelids fluttered as he fought against the volcano rising within.
“You’re such an ass,” Char whispered as she took his hand in hers.
“And finally, Ted would like to be left alone to work on those projects that need worked on, in his sole determination.”
Terry smiled and winked at his wife.
“We all work for somebody, Smedley, and we do what we can to balance what needs to be done with what we want to do. I expect Ted’s work will fit in that nicely. I’m not going to dictate what he does, but I can’t speak for Nathan or R2D2. General Ted is more than welcome to have his Coke. We will stock it as soon as we get back. And as for an interstellar teleportation device, if we find one or Ted develops one he will have priority in using it unless someone is dying. In that case they’ll be first up.
“Ted isn’t a prisoner here, so we encourage him to spend as much time as possible with his wife and family. If the communication device he’s been working on can link us to Earth instantaneously, it would be a huge relief for all of us. I’d love to talk with Sarah Jennifer, Sylvia, or Kailin.”
Marcie and Kae’s children Mary Ellen and William had chosen not to be boosted, and they had died of old age quite some time ago. It still hurt Terry and Char, and Marcie and Kae still carried pictures of them.
They would always carry pictures. It was the curse of the long-lived.
Felicity and Ted had left three kids behind, and that was his driving force on the communications equipment. The new Etheric power supplies were expected to drive the system.
It hadn’t been that long since the War Axe departed with the FDG on board, but it felt like forever.
“We’re a universe apart,” Terry said. “We stand at the far reaches of known space doing different things, but the same ones too. And what Ted wants is to see his wife, drink a Coke, and work in his laboratory. I think we should all aspire to such things. Do we have a deal?”
“If you don’t hold up your end of the bargain,” Plato interjected, “I will send one-point-twenty-one gigawatts of electricity through your body as often as I need to until you comply.”
“That sounds fair,” Terry said sarcastically.
“It is not,” Smedley added, “but it is what will happen.”
Char nodded. “Welcome aboard, General Ted and General Smed. We look forward to being of service in the greater good of all mankind. I’
m still his alpha, and I promise not to call him names while I’m kicking his ass if he strays. Werewolf packs don’t like strays.”
Smedley and Plato conferred briefly. “We agree. You shall not be electrocuted, since you are the alpha. But that other one—he needs to be on his best behavior.”
“I’m ‘that other one?’ I agreed to virtually all of Ted’s demands, so you’re supposed to stop being mad at me. That was the deal!”
“You think we can turn off our emotions like flicking a switch?” Smedley asked.
“Well, yeah.”
“Okay, maybe we can, but I’m keeping my eye on you, Colonel Terry Henry Walton!” Smedley said, sounding upbeat as opposed to speaking in the ominous tone he and Plato had adopted in their earlier conversation.
“And me, you, General Smedley Butler!” Terry held two fingers up to his eyes, followed by pointing them at the computer.
The cover on the Pod-doc started to rise, and Terry and Char hurried over to help Ted out. He looked refreshed, as if he had just woken from a nap.
“How are you feeling, General?” Terry asked.
Ted smiled. “Get me a Coke, Colonel.”
Terry wanted to punch him. “Ted, you know we don’t have any Coke on board, otherwise I would. As soon as we get back, I’ll take care of it. You have my word.”
“There is some on board. Jenelope, who is far nicer than you, was able to acquire some. Go pay her for a bottle.” Ted waved dismissively and Char shooed Terry away as she handed Ted his clothes.
“I’ll be right back,” Terry replied. I don’t remember saying no Coke on the ship. If I did then I apologize to Bethany Anne and all who partake, but I know it wasn’t me. Who the hell would give an order like that?
Terry was still thinking through the possibilities as he strolled through the corridor on his way to the mess deck. He never saw the patch of ice that caused his feet to fly out from underneath him. Before he hit the deck, he thought he heard Ted laughing.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nathan leaned forward and studied the object Ted held before the screen. “That’s it, huh?” Nathan asked. “Doesn’t look like much, but then again, what did I expect the key to the universe to look like?”
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