by West, Shay
“I am speaking the truth. Observe.” Forka reached up and touched one of the symbols to activate the portal.
He passed his arm slowly into the now liquid wall, clenching his jaw to keep from screaming in agony as the atoms of his arms were ripped apart. The liquid surface shimmered in gold lines radiating out from where his arm disappeared. He slowly withdrew his arm, the gold lines shrinking. In a moment, the portal resembled the cave wall again.
Ted turned to look at his Chosen. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. The pain was almost unbearable and it had taken all of his willpower not to show any evidence of the agony that pulsed through his arm while it had been in the portal. No need to frighten them more.
Martha's blue eyes widened with shock. Robert and Brad had their hands over their hearts, having just received the shock of a lifetime. Mark stared at the portal as if it were some monstrous beast, ready to devour him. Brent crouched in a corner, retching.
“How can you be sure we are the ones? What did you call us? The Chosen?” Martha asked as she helped Brent to stand.
“You all bear a mark.” He pointed to a pentagonal shape with three wavy lines sitting side by side. “This is the symbol for Earth. When on another planet, this symbol activates the portal and brings the person here to this planet. Here is the symbol for my world.” He pointed to a triangle with a circle inside.
“The Masters must be told of what has transpired here. The death of Tess Golden, who was also Chosen, could threaten the very survival of the inhabitants of this galaxy.”
Martha, Robert, Brad, Mark, and Brent turned as one and stared at Sloan.
Sloan did not say a word. His face might as well have been made out of stone.
His betrayal was worse than anything Valery had done. He had been living among them, eating and fighting with them. And all the while, he was playing them for fools, harboring a terrible, dark secret.
“What is the nature of the threat? And what do we do to stop it?” Robert asked.
“A race of mechanical beings called the Mekans are moving closer and closer to this galaxy. They are the most massive things you have ever seen.
“They mine for ore and minerals and the damage they do is devastating. In a matter of a few months to as long as a decade, the Mekans completely destroy all life on the planet.
“The prophecies say nothing of what you are to do. Only that you, along with the Chosen from three other worlds, have the power to stop the threat.”
“How many others are there?” Robert asked.
Ted shook his head. “I don't know their exact numbers, only that they are on three other planets. Each planet has a Guardian, protecting the Chosen of that world.” Ted swallowed hard. Something I have failed to do.
“Why didn't we come here sooner? If we had come while Tess was alive….” Martha bit her lip and let the sentence hang there in the dusty air of the cave.
“We shouldn't be here at all. When the night sky was awash with curtains of brilliant color, that was the moment to bring you to the portal and tell you of your destiny.” He pointed to Sloan. “His actions prompted the early arrival. The Masters must be told of Tess' untimely death.” Forka gazed at Sloan without pity. He did not know what the Masters would do when they found out the part Sloan had played in the death of one of the Chosen.
“You said we will be going to your world.” Mark Vincent did not look happy. “What about the Jhinn? We can't just leave them.”
Ted held up his hands. “I have taken steps. Tori Mathers is now in charge. The Jhinn will be safe under her leadership.
The Chosen looked to each other for comfort and guidance, each wanting to hear what the others would say before saying anything themselves.
Sloan made the first move. He climbed clumsily to his feet, wrists still tied in front. His jaw was set and he met the eyes of the others in the room with his chin held high.
“I will go.” He sighed. “I will not ask for forgiveness for what I have done. He—” he pointed his chin in Ted's direction “—killed my family. Any of you would have done the same thing I did.” He turned to the others, and met their eyes, though it was the hardest thing he had ever done. “But it looks as though we have a job to do. We are Protectors, and we are being asked to protect an entire…galaxy…of people who need us.” The word galaxy sounded strange to his ears.
He turned back to the General and swallowed hard before meeting his eyes. For so many years he longed to spill this man's blood. In all the time he had spent with the Jhinn, his dreams of revenge had waned as he had gotten to know the General and the other Protectors. There were even times when he forgot his bitterness, anger, and hatred. But seeing a family with two young girls would fill him with rage. He would make a new vow to kill the man responsible for his grief.
Will I ever be free of the hate?
* * *
When Valery had come to him after Amber's death and told him the plan was to be carried out that very night, he tried to argue, telling her he wasn't ready. She unleashed her wrath, calling him a coward. She threatened to tell the General of Sloan's connection to her and Amber, of his being a traitor. Finally, she brought up the deaths of his family in every grisly detail. Then she told him of how Amber had died, scared and crying out for her mother.
“I imagine your sisters screamed for their mother to save them as your precious General slit their throats.”
The words she spoke, and a tea made from black horehound, had both fueled his feelings of revenge like an ember rekindled in a stiff breeze, and calmed his whirling thoughts, enabling him to focus.
* * *
As he stood in the cave facing those he once called friends, the fist that had held his heart captive for so many years lessened its grip somewhat, allowing the first tendrils of guilt to worm their way through the black hatred. The thought of his family now filled him with sadness. He had lived among another, larger family. And I have betrayed them. Sloan stood in silence, waiting for what the others would say.
Ted turned away from Sloan to collect himself. A portion of the blame for Tess's death lay with him. He had known something about Sloan, Valery, and Amber was not right, and yet he had ignored his instincts and allowed the surveillance on the girls to stop. He hadn't pushed hard enough for explanations, examined the story in all its minute detail.
Robert finally spoke up, breaking the silence about a topic that had been bothering him.
“General, I have had visions of a sort and feelings of impending doom. I didn't know what was happening.” He used his hands spread as wide as they could go, indicating the size of what he had seen.
“I have seen things too. They occurred so infrequently, I just assumed I was tired,” Mark said.
The others echoed that they had seen strange objects, though not to the degree that Robert had. They had all brushed off the phenomena and had not spoken of it till now.
“You have all been given a glimpse of the terror that is to come,” Ted said gravely. “I wish I could properly describe to you the power and size of the machines.
“As part of the training we Guardians received, we were taken to a dead planet which had been raided by the Mekans. The Masters thought we would not truly grasp the importance of our duty if we did not see firsthand what the Mekans are capable of.” His voice grew softer. The Chosen waited expectantly for him to speak.
“The world was completely dead. There was little to no vegetation, no living thing walking or swimming or flying. The surface of the planet was deeply scarred by the delving and digging of the great machines. It was a horrible sight.
“The fate of that world will be the fate of all worlds if the Mekans are not stopped.”
“Don't you think this is all a little too much to ask?” Martha stepped forward. “You are asking us to leave our homes and fight something we have never seen. I am a Protector, but I did not sign on to protect the whole damn galaxy!” She glanced at the others and was grateful to see Brent Fields nodding in agreement.
Brent was torn between his adoration for the girl and his desire to be a Protector. The two hid their love from everyone, meeting in secret, sharing whispered secrets and a kiss or two. Protectors could not marry. If he wanted to be with Melisa, he had to give up his duty as a Protector. Both desires tugged at his emotions, neither one being strong enough to cause him to sway one direction or the other.
Until now.
The thought of leaving and never running his fingers through her hair made him made him realize that perhaps there were more important things than being a Protector.
“I agree with Martha, sir. I cannot do this,” Brent said.
Ted whirled, his features twisted with disgust. “You think you are being asked to give up too much? Do you? Try being taken from your family as a child, never to see them again.” He glared at Sloan as he said this. “The training we Guardians endured was brutal and exhausting. We had very little time to learn what we needed to know in order to protect you.” He jabbed his finger at them violently.
“I always knew the men of Earth did not deserve Chosen status. You are the reason you live like this!” He gestured in the direction of the Jhinn encampment.
“You humans had plenty of time and opportunity to stop the climate changes threatening your existence. But did you do anything? No.” He paced back and forth, pouring out his anger and frustration.
“The people of this planet did nothing to combat the changes! You pointed fingers, blaming this group and that group, starting wars that did even more damage to your fragile world.
“You have a chance to redeem yourselves, to do something that will make a difference. Not only to the people here on this planet, but to those on planets scattered throughout the galaxy. Will you turn you backs…again?” He put all of the scorn he could muster into his voice. He had to convince them to take up the mantle of duty or all was lost. “Is the only one of you with any courage the one with a murderous heart?” He glared at Sloan.
“I will.” Robert moved to stand next to Sloan and at a nod from General Smith, took out a knife and cut his bonds.
“I will go,” Martha said. I owe it to Tess's memory. She would have been the first one to step forward.
Mark, Brad, and Brent voiced their agreement. Brent hung his head and tried to hide the tears, fixing the image of Melisa Masters in his brain.
Forka let out a sigh of relief. His plan had worked. He knew his Chosen. Bringing up the past had been a desperate gamble to invoke shame and a sense of duty, to force them to accept that only by taking up the heavy mantle of destiny could they have any hope of saving the people they loved.
“When we arrive on Gentra, you will be disoriented. I will do my best to ease your transition. You will also not be able to speak or understand the language.”
“How are we to communicate?” Robert asked.
“The Chosen from one of the other planets are telepaths. They are to be the links between everyone, at least until a basic understanding of each other's tongues can be learned. Once you have spent some time on Gentra, learning about your destiny, and other information the Masters deem fit to share, you will all be taking short excursions to each other's worlds, to gain a better understanding of one another.”
“What is it like, traveling through them?” Martha pointed to the wall, worrying her lip between her slightly crooked teeth. She had noticed the General's reaction as he stuck his arm in the portal.
Ted paused before answering. “It's painful. Very painful in fact.” The others winced visibly. “The portals rip you apart atom by atom and remake your form into a new one. You cannot do that without experiencing some pain.”
“What happened to your shirt sleeve?” Martha asked.
“They are able to discern organic material from inorganic.” The Chosen frowned in confusion. “Living from non-living. Only something that is alive is remade. I don't know what happens to the rest.” He shrugged.
“When you emerge you are naked?” Her cheeks reddened.
“Yes, you exit the portal naked. Though in the case of Gentra, it does not matter. We don't wear clothing.”
“So everyone just goes around, with everything exposed…” She was growing increasingly uncomfortable.
Ted sighed. This is going to be harder than I thought. “Things are different on Gentra, Martha. I can't explain. You will just have to trust me.”
“Do you have to enter the portals clothed?”
Ted gave Martha a sideways glance. “Well, no, I suppose you don't have to. Why do you ask?”
“If we ever return,” she looked back to the entrance to the cave and the world outside. “It might be nice to have clothes waiting for us.” She crossed her arms over her chest, daring anyone to laugh at her.
“How long does it take to travel?” asked Brad.
“Time has no meaning inside the portal. It seems to speed up and at the same time slow to an interminable crawl.” Ted shook his head. “The sensation is difficult to explain.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Brad asked, lighting a cigarette—my last one most likely—and smiling his crooked sideways grin. “The sooner we get to our destination, the sooner we can defeat the enemy and get back to our lives.”
Ted did not shatter his hopes. The chances of any of the Chosen ever setting foot on their home worlds again were slim at best. There is always a chance.
Ted was excited and apprehensive. I am going home. The Guardians were told that upon their arrival on Gentra, they would be reunited with their families. He hoped his parents were still alive. Time did not pass the same from one planet to another. He could go home to find only a few seasons has passed, or several hundred. It was this uncertainty that kept him from getting his hopes up too high. His parents and all of his littermates might well be gone. Hopefully time has passed slowly and the Masters are still alive. He knew that it didn't really matter if the Masters that had sent him off still lived; their replacements would have been appraised of the situation and would know what to do.
“I will go through first. The rest of you must come after, allowing a few moments in between. Right before you enter the portal, you must activate it by touching this symbol.” He showed them the Gentran symbol again. “Each of you needs to touch the symbol before entering. Understood?” He met their eyes. “Much of what I have told you is incomprehensible. I know you are tired and hungry. I wish I had the time to explain things further.
“Unfortunately, time is a luxury we do not have. Every day brings the Mekans closer to Earth and all of the other worlds in the galaxy. We must act fast if we are to stand a chance at stopping the enemy.”
Forka had said all he needed to say. He turned and faced the portal and reached up with a trembling hand to activate the symbol for home. He took a deep breath and stepped into the portal.
GENTRA
Forka burst into a large chamber. The room was dark; the glow rods hanging from the ceiling were not lit. He took a deep breath, trying to ease the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. The exhaled breath coming out of his siphon that hung down his back rippled the water behind him.
I am home. Forka flexed his bell-like gelatinous body, which was yellow with light green patches. He shot forward. His large, violet eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. He delighted at being back in his natural form, reveling in the quick way he moved. The warm water felt like a lover's caress, flowing over his body and arms sensuously. He made his way to the wall opposite the portal and activated the glow rods. Their pale, white light chased away the shadows.
Forka spun quickly as he heard one of the Chosen emerge. He swam over, grabbing it by the face with two of his four hands, forcing the newly formed Gentran to meet his eyes. The newly arrived Chosen's eyes were wide, filled with panic. On Earth, breathing water meant certain death. Forka signaled opening his m
outh and inhaling. The Chosen shook its head—his head, Forka noticed—too frightened to breathe, every instinct telling him to hold his breath.
Forka held the Chosen's head in a firm grip. He inhaled again and turned slightly, so that the frightened Chosen could see the water rippling out of the siphon. A small flicker of understanding flashed in his violet eyes. He took a deep breath and in a few short minutes figured out how to pass the water over his gills and out through the siphon.
A second Chosen emerged from the portal and began thrashing so violently that Forka feared he would injure himself. Forka and the first Chosen to appear grabbed the new Chosen and prompted him to take in the water.
Forka stared hard at the second Chosen. His body was bright yellow, slashed with bright green. His facial features were chiseled, more so compared to any other Gentran Forka had seen.
I wonder if this is Sloan. Forka gazed at the first Chosen, trying to decide who he was by the features. His body was aqua with streaks of blue. Besides being male, he had no idea who he was. It could be Robert, Brent, or Brad, or Mark; there was no way to tell.
Perhaps when we are all together, I can figure out who is who. He and the two Chosen aided the others as they emerged, demonstrating how to breathe.
Forka motioned them all closer. He gazed at the six Chosen suspended in the water before him. They had a difficult time maintaining their positions in the water; some crept higher or lower, both sets of arms flailing as they began to fall forward or backward. It was quite comical. The Chosen had to learn how to use the currents to move and stay afloat, rather than fight against them. Forka moved among the new Gentrans, indicating with demonstrations and actual moving of the Chosen's bodies and arms, how to float and swim. It was very difficult to do without the ability to speak to one another. The Chosen would let out a squawk or a squeak or several other trills and bleats as they practiced their swimming. The sounds were meaningless, though every now and again, one would come out with an actual word, quite by accident. He had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. He imagined that he had looked no less ridiculous when he had first emerged from the portal and onto dry ground on Earth.