LOST AND FORGOTTEN: BOOK THREE - ENIGMA

by Maurice Barkley

  “And now,” he continued, “that silver door on the back wall is an elevator pod that will transport us to your meeting. Your behavior is admirable. I would hope that, although unlikely, one day we may become in some way associates.” Harry just frowned. “I know, Mr. Bismarck. The wounds are deep and may take many generations to heal, but this is in the best interests of the planet. Once your population is kept in check the planet will recover and a new golden age for all life will follow. One day you will come to thank us for what we are about to do.”

  Alice was biting her lip to keep from giving him a tongue lashing. She spun around and marched to the pod. It was a tight fit, but not uncomfortable. Our conveyance was fast and capable of lateral as well as vertical movement. A couple of minutes later the pod came to a stop.

  CHAPTER 37

  The doors opened to a circular chamber done entirely in mother of pearl.

  “We’re inside a giant oyster,” M2 said.

  “Looks like a stage setting,” Harry said. “Not impressed.”

  What did impress us was the Other, standing under a crystal chandelier that looked to be a miniature version of the giant ship. Abraham stood to one side while we and the alien studied each other. Its squat, powerful shape looked to me as though it was from a high gravity planet. It had a basic human form—a trunk, two legs and arms, a neck and a head. There were ears, eyes, nose and mouth in the proper places, but the similarities ended there. All that I saw was wrong—not just different, wrong. More than the reptilian red skin, all of the proportions were foreign to anything on Earth.

  Directly behind him/her was one of the egg-shaped portals, but the surface color was wrong. It was a crinkled gray instead of shimmering green. Six repair modules were on the right side, hard at work on a small area near the floor. This then must be a major cause of the big delay.

  Our mutual inspections didn’t last longer than sixty seconds before our meeting began. It was not a meeting. A powerful force froze me in place. The Other no longer looked at us. It studied a small device in its hand. The other hand was busy tapping away at it like your average cell phone user. Its gaze lifted from its hand and shifted to Abraham. I’m not sure it was it speaking directly or through our radios, but we did not like what we heard.

  “Human,” it said, “you did well by bringing them to me. You thought their value to me was due to their remarkable success, but I find on examination that you were mistaken. I will overlook this error because one of the group is a sentinel. I have been looking for such a one for many years. She does not know it, but her eyes betray her mission. Her mind contains a record of events that occurred before I arrived here and possibly valuable information about the true rulers of the Primes as they are now known.”

  I tried unsuccessfully to move in front of Bebe, but my muscles were still locked solid. I didn’t know what was happening, but I was sure she was in trouble.

  “I will take her now,” the Other said to Abraham. “Dispose of the others.”

  “May I take them to the surface?” Abraham said.

  “No. Place them into the pod and I will send them to the void.”

  “But they represent no threat.” Abraham said.

  “Far too many occurrences have disrupted the master plan. Do as I say now or you will join them in the void.”

  We were really sunk. I could see slight muscle movements as M1 and M2 struggled to reach their guns. Harry swayed back and forth as he fought to regain movement. Whatever force the Other was using against us was too powerful. Still held in that steel grip, and beyond my control, I started to turn toward the elevator.

  In one swift movement I saw Jo lean forward, grab M2’s shotgun and fire at the Other from her hip. The Other was not bullet proof. The deer slug ripped through its middle and it collapsed without a sound. We were released, but it happened so fast that we didn’t react until Jo spoke. “Obviously,” she said, “it did not know that I am an android and unaffected by the control it maintained over you.”

  “Whatever works,” Harry said, “but what do we do now?”

  “Abraham,” M1 said, “it looks like the show is over. Can you get us out of here?”

  Abraham stood aghast—his entire world lay shattered under the chandelier, bleeding a dull red blood.

  M2 walked over to him and slapped his face hard. “Wake up, man,” he shouted, “It’s live or die time for all of us. Get us out of here.”

  Abraham’s eyes came back into focus and in seconds he regained control.

  “I see no other course of action,” the old man said, “I do not know how to revive my comrades.” He paused and scratched his chin. “Above all I am a practical man. I suggest we depart as soon as possible and return to the surface. Also, I am now in your custody.”

  “Okay,” M1 said, “M2, get some pictures. Alice, get a sample of that thing’s blood. Everyone else, help me turn off those repair modules. If they’re not too heavy, we’ll take them with us. Jo, there’s an elaborate control console on that far wall. It might be the thing that is causing the bad weather and maybe the portal shutdown. Can you rig a time delay explosive—say thirty minutes?”

  Instead on answering, she walked to the console, took an object from her backpack, twisted a dial and placed it on the console tray. Turning, she said, “The chandelier will not survive the blast.”

  Harry grinned and gave her an arm punch. It was a much needed bit of humor. As I was tucking one of the little balls into my backpack we felt the first tremors.

  “What is that?” Bob asked.

  “Bad news,” Harry said. “C’mon you guys—get in the elevator. Something other than Jo’s bomb is about to explode.”

  We piled in and held our collective breaths as the increasing tremors shook the pod. When the doors opened we dashed toward the front of the alcove. A very hard shock lifted some of us off of our feet. I saw Bebe and Bob fall just inside the alcove. Those of us in the front attempted to stop, but our momentum carried us out onto the main floor where we saw the Nazi bodies sprawled lifeless on the floor. Another more violent shock struck and a large piece of the floor in front of the alcove fell into a gaping pit. It was much too wide for those still in the alcove to jump.

  Bebe, Bob, Shan, and Blue were trapped. It was hopeless. Chunks of rock began falling from the distant cavern top. The shaking became more violent. Much more and the train would derail. Alice stood there, her hands stretched out like claws. We had to leave, but we could not leave. The countdown continued as our despair mounted.

  Over the growing rumble Jo called out in a much magnified voice, “Follow Carl. Use the Mobius strip.”

  She then fired M2’s shotgun a second time, hitting and shattering the glass tube that surrounded the stone pedestal. Bebe instantly took control and herded her charges back to the Mobius strip. There was no hesitation. Bob went first then Shan touched Blue’s paw to the symbol. As soon as he disappeared Shan did the same. Bebe looked back, blew me a kiss then vanished.”

  Still we hesitated—looking at the empty space—paralyzed with indecision and helpless frustration until M1 shouted, “Move! Get on the train—now!”

  Mindlessly we raced to the train. Abraham was already on board and we had to dive onto the moving car. We didn’t have the energy to talk. We just sat—stunned. By the time the train reached the tunnel the destruction was appalling. Like the waterfalls at Pinocchio, the Core collapsing was so vast that it looked like a slow motion movie.

  “Jesus,” Alice cried out, “where’s Jesus?

  “Here he is,” Abraham said, while handing him over. “He made it to the train before I did. This may say something about his loyalty.”

  It was a relief when the tunnel wrapped us in its darkness. The tremors decreased, but did not vanish. We gathered close in the lounge chairs and just looked at each other. There were no words for this disaster. Amy sat with clenched fists, a look of fury on her face.

  A while later, Harry reached to touch Jo’s shoulder and said, “You did g
ood, Jo. I’m sure glad we found you.”

  “Thank you, Harry,” she almost whispered, “That means a lot to me.”

  “Jesus,” Alice said, while stroking her cat, “I felt so damn helpless. It’s the most awful feeling.”

  “Hold on, Alice,” Harry said. “For years I thought Nora was lost forever. We don’t know where they went and it’s up to us to find out.”

  “What do we do with Abraham?” Amy asked. “He’s a scoundrel, but I’d hate to see him on the gallows.”

  “Thank you for that, my dear,” Abraham said, “but again, I am a practical man with few loyalties. Frankly, I feel relief at the demise of the Other. You must realize that I harbor many secrets. For example, I can name some of the agents on Earth. I believe I can negotiate a comfortable, if restricted retirement. Having taken the blue and yellow pill many years ago, I may not have much more time.”

  I need a stiff drink, Harry,” Alice said. “What we’ll do is feel miserable for one day. Then we will suck it up and begin the hunt—agreed?”

  The liquor helped. It also helped that our express outran the tremors and we arrived safely at the Peru station.

  CHAPTER 38

  We ran to the mouth of the cave where Jo could monitor the airwaves.

  “There is good news,” she said. “I understand that although there has been severe damage, the storms are rapidly abating. Emergency services are still functioning and broadcasts are optimistic.”

  “That’s a relief,” M1 said. “Alice, think you should try to call the director from here?”

  “He’s real busy right now,” she said, “but I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear from us—that is if his phone is working.”

  “Remember,” M2 said, “I’m wearing a body camera. It’s this little knobby thing right here. I can upload our entire trip.”

  She dug out her direct line phone and put it on speaker for us. It rang six times before we heard someone pick up. There was a lot of background noise. “This is a restricted line,” a female voice said, “please identify yourself.”

  “This is Alice Dance, sweetie, is the director available.”

  First we heard a scream and the sound of the receiver being dropped. The background noise stopped. “Sir,” she screeched, “it’s her. It’s Alice. She’s on the phone. It’s really her, I know it.”

  “Well for God’s sake,” we heard the director shout, “give me the damn phone.”

  We heard fumbling noises and then, “Alice, is that you?”

  “It’s me, sir. We just got back from a very interesting place. We’re sure the immediate danger is past and you can concentrate on disaster relief.”

  “Fantastic,” he said. “Please keep talking.”

  “Sir, M2 was wearing a body camera and will upload our entire adventure. There is good news and bad, but you should first view the video. This is a low point for us, sir. We’ve lost some of the Band and we need some time alone. We’re going on to Manheim right now. You can reach us at HQ. Is that okay?”

  “Of course, Alice, of course. Call me after you’ve had time to rest.”

  “Very good, sir. I’ll hand the phone to M2 now.”

  “James,” Amy said, “Isn’t your wife in Egypt? Maybe the director could check on her.”

  “I want to know if she’s okay, but he’s incredibly busy right now and me knowing would make no difference.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “you’re right as usual.”

  The upload took about three minutes. Two more and we were in Manheim.

  CHAPTER 39

  There was no one in the area when we exited the portal. Colonel Brockway’s office was nearby and that’s where we went. We walked into turmoil created by people celebrating the newly established contacts with Earth and the other planets.

  “Alice,” the Colonel shouted and moved to embrace her. The look on her face froze him in place. He looked at the rest of us in turn then took two more steps to complete his embrace, but it was consolation, not celebration. Our woman of steel shook with sobs. Amy turned to M1 and the rest of us just looked at the floor.

  We left Abraham and M2’s body camera with the Colonel who in turn gave us the use of his private apartment. Just inside the door we dropped our baggage and flopped on the comfortable lounge furniture. Harry served us drinks which helped some, but the conversation lagged now that we had down time. At last we could let go and feel the impact of our loss. I thought of Bebe’s last gesture. The memory was a stabbing pain. I know I reacted because my comrades all glanced at me, but they knew what was happening.

  “God almighty,” Amy cried, “this hurts too much.” she covered her face with her hands and leaned into M1.

  Good old Harry took over. “Here’s what we’ll do to get through this day—and don’t argue. I’ve done this before.” He held up a full bottle of clear liquid. “We get mildly drunk and stay that way until bedtime. In the morning we give the necessary reports and then turn our attention one hundred percent to the hunt for...” Harry choked up a bit and took a calming sip of his drink. “You all found my sister, so I’m confident we can do the same for our family.”

  “Harry,” Alice said, “I’ve cried enough for one day. Let us simply enjoy your booze and each other’s company. We have a lot of new stuff to digest and new possibilities about the past, but that will begin tomorrow.”

  It was late when we crawled into our sleep sacks on the veranda. We didn’t care to watch the snewels. I knew I couldn’t sleep, but there was nothing else to do. All was still for a minute or two, then I felt the flap of my sack being tossed aside. Alice slid in to half lie on top of me. We wrapped our arms around each other and lay quietly, cheek to cheek.

  “You need a shave, James,” she murmured.

  “First thing in the morning,” I said. “I promise.”

  “And a bath.” she added.

  “You too,” I replied.

  “I see a long road ahead, James. I’m so glad we are together.”

  We slept.

  THE END

  COMING IN 2018

  BOOK 4 – Toward the Unknown Region.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Maurice Barkley lives with his wife Marie in a suburb of Rochester, New York. Retired from a career as a commercial artist and builder of tree houses, he is writing and busy reinforcing the stereotype of a pesky househusband.

  Available from Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, and other retail outlets.

  BUILD YOUR OWN TREEHOUSE. Published by Sterling Publishing. It is out of print.

  THE BEST TREEHOUSE EVER. Published by Skyhorse Publishing. Published in 2013.

  LOST AND FORGOTTEN. (Book 1 – Discovery)

  LOST AND FORGOTTEN (Book 2 - The Secret Path)

  LOST AND FORGOTTEN (Book 3 – Enigma)

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  The Train From Plymouth

  The Whitehall Papers

  The Legacy of Doctor Carus

  The Grosvenor Square Furniture Van