THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "Jennie, Liliana, come with me please," said Max, as he walked out of the protective canopy of vegetation.

  Bagatelle, Krynos, Gabriel, Jessica and Michael and walked out also, but split off in the opposite directions as they prepared to go to the other side of the galaxy. Socrates appeared in order to assist Max, as Draagh could easily navigate within the same time-sphere on his own (in fact, he could have done it in his sleep, after smoking copious amounts of herb).

  "Excellent navigational efforts, Master Max," said the computerized assistant. "Query: Would you permit me to guide you to your home world?"

  "Absolutely, Socrates, absolutely," said Max, displaying a bit of relief in his voice. He was sure that he was going to use Socrates for virtually every slip he would make for the next few months.

  Max put his hand on Liliana's shoulder as Jennie wrapped her arms around his waist. Socrates already had precise coordinates prepared, leading the group to the very doorstep of his childhood home, so when Max pulled out his katana and pointed it downwards it was a matter of seconds before their scenery changed.

  Chapter 26 - Hi, Mrs. Wong

  Vera

  Draagh's team, comprising of not only the seraphim, but also his sons, the two most powerful archangels in the universe - Michael and Gabriel, as well as Luigi Bagatelle, Jessica - a lycan from an alternate Earth - and Krynos, the king of the Rhönen Dominion in the 43rd century, arrived in a remote location on Vera.

  One of the four moons moon orbiting Vesuvius - a gas giant in Azul's binary system - Vera was a rocky, cold world. It held a breathable atmosphere - not good enough for running marathons by any means, but enough to walk around without respiratory assistance. Miners, who comprised the majority of the moon's population, wore rebreathers while working, especially when performing duties underground. A rebreather was a device that captured good atmosphere from exhaled breath and made it available to the wearer of the device. Extreme skiers generally wore oxygen-assist units while flying down snow-covered slopes at dangerous velocities. Vera was a desired destination for skiers not only because it had numerous snow-covered peaks, but also due to the fact that its gravity was slightly higher than Azul standard (1.125g), which in itself facilitated higher velocities. Max's world had a higher base gravity than Old-Earth, resulting in the higher strength of Azulians, as well as their slightly shorter stature (Max being taller than average height on his world, at 180 centimeters).

  The group stood in the middle of a heavily populated mining operation, looking in all directions, with the three humans (Bagatelle, Jessica and Krynos) initially unaware that they were invisible to everyone around them. Jessica grabbed Gabriel's arm and looked at him with a slightly panicked expression, but he responded via the comms that all of the team possessed.

  "Do not worry, young one. We are unseen by the locals here. My father has made sure of that."

  "It's obvious no one sees us, but we need to get into that mine over there," Bagatelle audibly whispered, "because it's the only location that will let us get to the military access corridor."

  "Then let us navigate there, my good Bagatelle. You are leader of this expedition now," Draagh said jovially, causing a miner to look around for a voice that seemingly came out of nowhere.

  "Ah, the good Bagaduchi shall show us his superior leadership skills, and take us into the formidable depths of this desolate moon?" inquired Krynos, while making a feeble attempt at keeping his volume low. He had great knowledge in leading a kingdom, but was accustomed to being heard. Recon was not his strong suit.

  "I'll show you were we can start. From there it's up to you guys with your digging skills or whatever it is that you do," said Bagatelle via the comm.

  "Ah! But lycans are excellent tunnelers!" Krynos exclaimed over the comm, and he was correct. Lycans could dig like no one's business. In fact, three phase 2 lycans working together could excavate a tunnel two meters high by two wide and one hundred meters in length in a matter of minutes.

  "There will be no need for that, old friend," Draagh said to his friend of centuries. "My sons and I shall use a bit of nature to hasten the process of creating a base of operations."

  Bagatelle nodded in the direction of the mine entrance, and the entire group followed him. He felt good. He was finally in command of something again, able to lead a group, and was sure of the outcome. He would take his motley crew of travellers down into the caverns and let them perform the heavy lifting - he was in charge - on a world where he was probably known as a traitor.

  They all followed the former rear admiral down into a tunnel, taking care not to bump into any of the workers who were completely unaware of their presence.

  Córdoba, Nueva Argentina

  "Papi, is this where you grew up?" asked Liliana, as she looked around at the modest ranch style home on a decently large patch of lush, green land.

  "Yeah, Lili. This is the place. Look over there, at that tree. I fell out of it when I was about your age and broke my arm."

  He pointed to a large, indigenous tree that resembled the walnut, but had a deep, orange hue to its bark. It possessed expansive branches that created a lot of shade, and reminded Liliana of a tree that she liked back at her own home.

  Max looked back at the house - particularly at the front door. He forged ahead towards it; unsure of his mother's potential reaction, but certain she would be pleased to see him. Going to knock on the door, which was still a custom in the 29th century, he hesitated momentarily and looked back, silently beckoning his wife and daughter to stand by his side. Then, with a bit of trepidation, he rapped lightly on the portal three times. Relieved after having knocked on the door, he looked over to Jennie and Liliana and smiled - until someone who was most definitely not his mother answered.

  "Oh, hello Mrs. Wong. Where is my mother?" asked Max, seeming completely normal to his wife and daughter.

  "Master Max. It is good to see you! We have been worried for the past months. Please, come in," the elderly china (chee-na) said as she opened the door wide.

  "Master Max, I believe I should tell you that-"

  "Mrs. Wong," Max said excitedly, " I would like for you to meet my wife Jennie, and our daughter Liliana."

  Mrs. Wong looked at the two with a visage of combined pleasure and dismay. She was the Gunnarssons' longtime caretaker, had practically raised Max since his birth, and had probably been as worried about him as anyone else since his disappearance. Max gazed at her lovingly, noting she hadn't changed throughout the years, even the year he had been offworld. She still had the same short bob haircut, her black hair framing her round face. Those of Asian descent were not very numerous on Azul, as no Asian corporations participated in the exodus that occurred centuries prior. However, they were represented via their population percentages in the countries that did participate.

  "Young ladies, it is my pleasure. Master Max, where have you been? The last your mother told me you were going off to conduct an experiment," she said, as she directed them to sit on the plush leather couches in the reception room.

  "Mrs. Wong, I have plenty of time to tell you my story, but first - where's my mom?" Max said with tons of haste in his voice.

  "She was taken away nearly six months ago and has yet to return."

  "What? Who did that?" demanded Max, his blood pressure rising.

  "They were high government officials - in military uniforms. Master Max, things have become really scary here. They've totally changed - for the worse."

  Mrs. Wong had massive stress in her voice, and Max could smell it, being as he had retained his full symphony of lycan abilities. He was concerned, but as he had encountered so many stressful situations over the last few months he was better able to address it.

  "Max, do this in order," commanded Jennie. "Your mother is missing, but we not only need to find her, we need to figure out what is happening on this world."

  "This… world? What do you mean by this world?" asked Mrs. Wong. Common thought grouped the three moons with Azul, so the
system was always considered a world, hence Mrs. Wong's unusual response.

  "I can make this quick. Mrs. Wong - my experiment was faster-than-light travel, and I got back to Old-Earth in seven days."

  Mrs. Wong gasped in amazement and had her clasped hands at her heart before Max could finish his sentence, but Jennie put her arm around the aged caretaker and calmed her so Max could continue.

  "The military and the federal government didn't like me going back, so they sent a ship after me. That's where I met Jennie. We were actually in Machu Picchu, Peru! Can you believe it?"

  Mrs. Wong smiled in delight. Even though her genetic background was Chinese, her last ancestors during the Exodus were living in Peru - one of the countries that participated in the Exodus - and her family carried a rich, verbal history of their lineage. The Adventures of Juan Carlos Wong in Machu Picchu was a series of tales told to every child in the Wong family ever since they had arrived at Azul centuries earlier.

  "Oh my, that does sound amazing, Master Max, but what was it like? Was it beautiful, like in the stories I would tell you as a child?"

  "I believe I can answer that, milady," Liliana interrupted. "I have been to this Machu Picchu and it is quite beautiful. There is lush vegetation everywhere, and rare birds sing in the trees. I hope to return with my parents one day soon so that we may fly in my father's space craft and explore the galaxy." Liliana then got a slightly more concentrated and devious look on her face as she pointed a finger in the air and continued, "This will enable us to ferret out our enemies and destroy them with our mighty swords. The streets will be stained with the blood of the enemies of freedom!"

  The three adults stared at the little girl, amazed with her demeanor, while being more than slightly scared by her follow-up statement.

  "My, what a fine young lady you are. And your name is Liliana?" Mrs. Wong asked nervously.

  "Yes, ma'am. That is my name. Liliana Gunnarsson. I am a lycan and a mage… at your service."

  "Um, yaaaaah, that's great Lili! Woohoo! Oh boy. Ok, so we need to find mom, right away," interrupted Max, trying to quickly change the subject from lycan and mage.

  "Oh, Master Max, she's so adorable. But… how did you two… um, I mean," stammered the caretaker, trying to ask the difficult question regarding Liliana's advanced age for a couple that had been together for such a short time.

  "I am adopted, milady. Mami and Papi saw fit to include me in their family."

  "No, sweetie. We were blessed with your decision to choose us," Jennie said lovingly.

  "Yup, that's true," said Max. "So tell me now, Mrs. Wong - what has happened here? What has gone wrong?"

  "Well, things are very odd. There have been abductions - disappearances, and now that the Artusians are nearing our system there's a lot of propaganda. I mean, I can understand the excitement - our first contact with an alien species, but it seems… unreal."

  "What sort of propaganda is being pushed?" asked Jennie.

  "Billboards and holo-verts, showing pictures of them. They look like angels, really. But many believe something is wrong. Why would the military be standing down and pulling back forces? Plus, the ruling class has changed. There is no longer a president - there is a chairman," the old woman said with an ominous tone.

  "Let me guess - Len Johnson?" asked Max rhetorically.

  Mrs. Wong nodded her head knowingly, affirming Max's greatest fear - Azul was now a system-wide dictatorship, run by those with recessive vampire genes.

  "Here, let me show you, dear," the caretaker said kindly, as she activated the wall screen.

  Jennie and Max watched in near-horror as newscasters plastically regurgitated obviously contrived propaganda. They were talking heads, spitting out the latest approved notifications for the general populace to absorb. In fact, their broadcasts were so unreal that it was obvious they were trying to convey a sense of distress, as if charge weapons were pointed at their faces while they spoke. Terms like Enormously Popular Chairman Johnson, and Overwhelmingly Elected and Beloved Governmental Leaders were frequently repeated during the newscast, with the reporters stressing titles in comical fashion. Only a narcissistic, sociopathic leadership would fail to notice the obvious undertone of rebellion.

  Max had no sympathy for the broadcast media, as they had nearly always supported measures that would have resulted in the stripping away of freedoms from the citizenry of the planet and the three moons. He could never understand why they would subscribe to such beliefs, but simply chalked it up to success guilt - there were those who had succeeded in achieving their goals (either by hard work or by luck), but felt guilty that they were doing so well, so they agreed that making everyone the same would be most fair (except for their class, of course - they needed to lead the masses, or los desdentados [the toothless ones], as they were called). Unfortunately, making everyone the same meant making everyone poor and destitute, relatively speaking. There were no true poor on Azul, except by choice, because, in public institutions, education was free all the way up to a Ph.D. Work was plentiful and it simply depended on the individual's will and desire to succeed, so Max Gunnarsson felt no such guilt. He had studied and worked very hard for a number of years, and so had his wife. It was merely that the newscasters were now receiving their just desserts. He would have snickered, or even laughed out loud, had his mother not been abducted, or his planet not in jeopardy of invasion by a death machine race of bipedal praying mantises. He was there to help save them, and fully expected to be berated for it afterwards.

  After watching the news for about ten minutes, Max looked at Mrs. Wong and asked if his room had been disturbed by the military when they took his mother. Of course it had.

  "The room is empty, Master Max. There was nothing I could do, as they removed everything in it. Even your bed is gone. I simply hold out hope that your mother will return soon."

  "What about my basement? Did they find it?" he asked hopefully.

  "No. They did not find it, even though they searched the entire property."

  Max then decided to share some of his new life with Mrs. Wong, as it would be necessary to display a bit of his new skillsets before her.

  "Mrs. Wong, um, I really want to tell you everything that happened, and I promise I will, but first, I need you to not freak out if you see anything… different, ok?"

  "Different? What do you mean, Master Max?"

  "Oh sweetie, just show her already, I know you're dying to," Jennie busted out, as she stood while pulling her husband up by the hand.

  Mrs. Wong watched as Max looked at her, winked and then shot his arms out, with his obsidian-black, feathered wings following full-spread.

  The china gave Max the same look she had always given him whenever he had shown her a new invention, or his top-level grades from a project - it was a knowing look, devoid of surprise, as he was always such an amazing young man. But this time she also laughed out loud, her already-small eyes closing completely with her jovial laughter.

  "So, you met your father, I assume," she said, not even bothering to make it sound like a question.

  "Huh? You know… huh? What? How did you?" stammered Max, as Jennie crossed her arms and grinned. Apparently she understood female intuition much more than Max did. Liliana merely smiled as she watched her father flap his wings lightly.

  "Master Max, how do you think I got the job as majordoma of this household? Did you believe I answered an ad on the data net?"

  "Well, I never really thought about it, to be honest," Max stuttered comically.

  "Mija-El contracted me to care for you," she said as she gave them all a devious grin and wildly shook her head from side to side. As she did so her face changed and became younger looking, astonishing her houseguests. Then standing there looking at them, she appeared to be a woman in her twenties, suddenly smelling like a lycan.

  "Your father enabled me to care for you by activating my recessive genes, young Max. I could smell you the moment you appeared on the doorstep. And you, Mrs. Gunnarsson
- you are also lycan, as well as your lovely young daughter. But it appears that you have full control of your senses, which should not be possible here, unless your father shifted you - is that what he did?"

  Max took a moment to gather himself. His nanny, Mrs. Wong, was a lycan, and she had maintained her abilities all her life in order to protect him.

  "Oh, now I get it! That explains why you were on vacation for a couple of days every three weeks! It was always during a full moon!"

  Azul had two moons and each one had a full phase every three weeks, Luna within one day of Sienna.

  "No dear," she said laughingly, "I do not suffer the change - your father made sure of that."

  "Then what were you doing?" he asked.

  "I had a boyfriend and we partied a lot. You were quite a handful, and I needed a break every now and then."

  "I can go with that!" exclaimed Jennie, reaching out and giving the now young-looking Mrs. Wong a high-five.

  "Everyone! Can we please get to the business of finding grandmother? I would very much like to meet her," demanded Liliana, scolding the adults for getting off-track.

  "Sorry, sweetie," said Max, as he retracted his wings gracefully. One of the things about archangel wings was that they would appear and disappear on demand. Contrary to popular belief, angels did not walk around with wings 24/7. Nor did an archangel need to have special clothing with slits in the back of the shirt and/or jacket - the wings developed on-demand by a combination of some very powerful innate cantuses, capitalizing on salubots and mutatebots. They formed through and outside the clothing and retracted/disappeared in much the same way.

  "Mrs. Wong, would you like to accompany us to the basement? I promise that once we have found mother I will show you how you can retain your lycan skills on any world," said Max.

  "Of course, but you do realize that there is surveillance outside, right Master Max?" asked the nanny.

  "Oh yeah. Part of the thing about the new me is that I'm also a mage, so I made us invisible upon arrival."