THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "Very well, then. Let's go out to your toolshed. However, I would appreciate it if you could include me in your invisibility thing, whatever it might be," said Mrs. Wong.

  "No problem, let's go."

  As the small group walked outside to the basement under Max's camouflage, he contacted his grandfather via comm, wanting to convey his current information and get a bit from Vera.

  "Draagh, can I get a status update on conditions where you are at?"

  "Yes, my son. We have bypassed all security and are now safely in the deepest parts of the mine shafts here. We shall soon begin to carve out our base of operations. How goes it for you?"

  "Pretty good. Hey Michael, Dad, whatever - um, you could have told me about Mrs. Wong," Max said with a bit of disdain.

  "Oh my, I forgot about her, Max. I am really sorry. Yes, she is lycan and I adjusted her frequency to that of your world so she could care for you properly," responded the archangel.

  "I located her, by the way. I personally thought she would be an excellent caretaker," said Gabriel.

  "You did not! You didn't even know he was born. I found her working in a Peruvian restaurant and I-"

  "Shut up both of you! It's ok! Now, in case you are interested, things have gone to hell over here. Johnson took over as some sort of chairman and there's a ton of propaganda showing the Vrol as angelic awesomesauce. It's not good. Plus, my mom's been abducted by the military, so we are going to my basement."

  "And what would be there, my son?" asked Draagh.

  "My stuff. All my stuff," said Max, with a certain amount of pride in his mind.

  The group of four walked into a small shed, where Max put his palm up against a seemingly innocuous aluminum wall. The area where his hand touched suddenly lit up, creating an outline of a red glow around Max's hand, and a portal in the ground started to slide open. A small stairway was exposed before them, which Max used to descend to below the ground level.

  Max snapped his fingers, silently creating a light source that helped to display a massive room full of displays and electronics. He walked over and flipped a switch on the wall, providing light to the entire underground installation. Liliana let out an oooo at seeing all of the equipment light up, computers quickly starting and fans running and circulating air.

  "This is where I did most of my work from home," said Max as he went to a vid display, touching it and activating some systems. Then looking over at a seemingly blank wall, everyone saw it basically disappear, displaying a large cache of weapons - all charge-style.

  "Papi, what are these?" asked Liliana inquisitively.

  "My weapons stash, sweetie."

  "Max, I'm so used to seeing all swords and maces and stuff that this also looks weird to me," said Jennie as she went to examine some of the more advanced, and expensive, firearms.

  "Master Max always liked to collect his pistols. I remember his first pellet rifle. Master Max, one of the trees on the property still has small holes burned into the bark from your target practice when you were a child," Mrs. Wong reminisced.

  "Lili, do not touch anything on this wall. They are dangerous. We'll get you training with firearms later on," said Jennie cautiously.

  "They should all be unloaded, hun," said Max, "but still, Liliana, please leave them be. I promise I'll show you some of them later on."

  Max and Jennie only had stingers and swords, and he felt that they needed at least one heavy weapon, plus more charge rounds for their stingers. Examining his arsenal closely, he pulled a tornado blast rifle from the wall and eyed it appraisingly.

  "Tornado - nice, but they have a lot of bloom. Charge rounds are basically all over the place. More of a chaos tool, and definitely not a sniper rifle," Jennie commented as Max handed her the impressive rifle.

  "We have no idea what type of security my mom is under, so we might as well be loaded for bear," said Max.

  "Bear? Why would you want to shoot a bear?" asked Jennie.

  "It's a figure of speech from Old-Earth. It means bringing heavy weaponry."

  "I don't get it," said Jennie, who had never seen a bear in her life, outside of a genetically-replicated one at the zoo. She didn't make the connection between one in the wild being incredibly dangerous, hence creating the need for high-powered weapons.

  "You don't have to, but we just need to be prepared. First, we need to find mom," Max said while appearing to concentrate on another vid display.

  "Master Max, I have absolutely no idea where they took your mother, and even if I did when they left with her they could have moved her multiple times since then," Mrs. Wong said with a tone of despair.

  "Oh, no worries, Mrs. Wong. I can find her. In fact, it'll only take a minute," responded the former Azul Military commander.

  "How can you do that?" asked Jennie.

  "Are you going to use magic, Papi?" Liliana asked innocently.

  "Nope. It's something I invented a few years ago, but always kept secret. I can locate someone via their DNA signature."

  "How can you do that? That's crazy! Why did you keep it a secret? Missing persons, tracing criminals - there would be so many great uses!" Jennie complained.

  "Jenn, imagine a world where the military - or the government - could track anyone at any time. While finding someone could be a noble effort, I have never had a great deal of trust in the bureaucracy. Somehow they always find a way to pervert the intended purpose of new technology. Look what happened to the leadership now - they've apparently dissolved the Constitution, and a chairman and his cronies now rule this system, not a popularly elected government. Can you imagine what they would do with this device?"

  Max's explanation caused Jennie to pause momentarily. She had been raised in a very protected environment, and from there went directly to the university, the military academy and then to active duty, so she never really gave personal freedoms a great deal of thought.

  "Ok, I can see your point, especially now. But how does the machine work?" she asked.

  "It would take too long to explain fully, but it basically tracks someone who is registered in the database. I co-opted low-orbit satellites to maintain contact with designated individuals. It's always on and has always tracked… hmm, Mrs. Wong, you went to the Plaza de Armas in Córdoba yesterday, didn't you?"

  "Yes, I did. How did you know that? This machine tells you this?"

  "Yeah, I left it on, tracking you and mom. Ah, here she is," he said with a sigh of relief as he brought up a complex three-dimensional map on his vid display. "She's in New Sydney, in what appears to be an apartment complex outside the main detention center. We can slip right into her location, though I want to get close by and examine the place first. Wait here," Max commanded as he simply popped out of view.

  "He was always an impressive boy. Now, I am completely without words," stammered Mrs. Wong, as she stood in the basement with Jennie and Liliana.

  Chapter 27 - Get Outta Town

  New Sydney, Oz, Azul

  Max slipped into a courtyard, an invisibility cantus hiding him from the view of anyone or anything. Even though Liliana insisted on accompanying him, he went alone, as it would be much easier to do solitary recon. Walking towards to main complex, he stopped outside, and while still invisible, brought up an infoscreen which turned into what basically amounted to an X-ray device, enabling him to see inside the building. It took him about fifteen seconds to locate his mother, who was in her bed in a small apartment. It had a little living area and a kitchenette, and all of the windows were unbreakable security glass. Max zoomed in, seeing that she was breathing normally and her vital signs seemed good. Preparing to go in, he figured that there would be surveillance, so he detected the devices and created a playback loop, effectively disguising his entrance into her room.

  "Jennie, I found Mom, but I'm just going to grab her and return to you guys. You have twenty minutes to pack up Mrs. Wong's stuff, and have her pack a bag for my mother too, please," Max called out to Jennie via their comm.

  Je
nnie looked at the Gunnarsson's longtime servant and smiled.

  "Max found his mother. He wants you to pack bags for yourself and for her. We leave in twenty minutes," Jennie stated with authority.

  "Where are we going? I cannot leave this home - I need to care for the grounds! Why can we not stay here?" Mrs. Wong cried out.

  "Mrs. Wong, I think things are really bad around here, and Max has a good reason, usually, for what he does. If he rescues his mother where do you think the military will go first? Here, of course. We're taking you both somewhere where they can't ever touch you, and once we've defeated whatever it is that's coming here and restored order of course you can return home. But please, go pack your bags. We leave in eighteen minutes. Don't waste any more time. We'll wait here."

  Mrs. Wong nodded and rushed out of the basement, scrambling up the stairs much more rapidly than her older-looking frame would appear capable. Her aged appearance was all contrived anyway, as she really had the physical constitution of a thirty year-old.

  Max waited ten minutes before slipping into his mother's room. Standing next to her bed he felt like a real angel, being invisible, watching over a sleeping person. He wondered how many times the angels had done this throughout history. He figured that it was more than he could count, so he pushed the out of his mind and reached out, brushing his mother's hair from her face. Slowly, Clarisa Gunnarsson woke up, moving her hand towards her face as she had felt Max's touch. Opening her eyes she looked around, seeing nothing. Max watched for another moment, and then gradually dissipated his invisibility cantus, slowly coming into view.

  "Max? Is that you? Honey, how did you get in? I… are you a prisoner?" she whispered.

  "Mom, shhh, relax. I snuck in here. Don't worry. I'm here to rescue you. Mrs. Wong is packing your bags right now," Max said quietly.

  "You are safe, my love. That alone makes me happy. But how are we going to escape this apartment?" she asked as she went to sit up.

  "Mom, I have a lot to tell you, but you just have to trust me. Get dressed - we're leaving in two minutes."

  Jennie and Liliana were packing a bag full of charge rounds, and the lycan woman grabbed a couple more heavy weapons. Even though Max simply went and slipped in to rescue his mother (much to Jennie's dismay, as she was itching for some action), she figured the arms could be of use later on, and stored in the soon-to-be constructed base on Vera.

  Mrs. Wong was packing her suitcase, after having finished with Max's mom's items. She was about ready to depart when she heard a voice behind her.

  "Good afternoon, Mrs. Wong. Planning a trip are we?"

  She turned around to see a female military officer training a stinger on her.

  Jennie detected some commotion outside and ran up to the stairwell, sniffing the air. Suddenly alarmed, she hit a button on the wall next to the stairs, causing the floor above them to close, hiding them from outside view.

  "Max, we've been compromised. There is activity up above, and I think the military is here," Jennie sent out from her comm. "Lili, stay by that back wall and be perfectly quiet - only use the comm."

  "I'll be there right away. Mom's almost dressed. What do you think happened… oh shit. We went to the basement under an invisibility cantus, and I sent Mrs. Wong back to the house in plain view. Surveillance probably noticed her suddenly appearing outside the shed. Did you close the entrance?"

  "Yes, as soon as I detected visitors."

  "Ok. We'll be there in a second."

  "Mom, we need to go now. Don't take anything with you. Just stand next to me," said Max, with a bit of authority in his voice.

  "But how are we leaving? I don't understand," she said.

  Before she could even say anything more she was in Max's basement looking at two strange, and very beautiful girls. One, a stunning adult dega, and the other a very cute girl, both with black hair pulled back into almost identical ponytails. They were wearing black leather clothing and seemed to have all sorts of sword and knives attached to holsters and scabbards.

  "Mom, meet Jennie and Liliana… Gunnarsson. My wife and daughter," Max said proudly.

  Both the girls smiled and waved innocently, noting that Max's mother, although older, still maintained her beauty throughout the years. Her medium-length near-black hair was thick and lustrous, while her green eyes were almost hypnotically penetrating. It was obvious that Max more resembled his mother, who was obviously also dega.

  "Wife? Daughter? Oh my! I am so happy for you, Max! But…" Clarisa looked confused, seeing an eleven-year-old Liliana standing next to her mother. Fortunately, Liliana greeted her grandmother with her typical curtsey.

  "Abuelita, it is my pleasure to meet you, and you are every bit as beautiful as Papi has described you. However, I can see your confusion. I am adopted, although I am a lycan just like my parents."

  "Lycan? What does that mean, my dear? I mean… oh, Max, what are we doing?" Clarisa was near passing out, so Jennie grabbed a chair and helped her to sit down.

  "Please, sit here for a moment. We need to see what is happening up top," said Jennie.

  Bringing up an infoscreen, he used the same manner of X-ray to see a small military group up top, surrounding Mrs. Wong.

  "Max, is that another one of your inventions? And where were you? You left and… oh my," she said as she nearly lost consciousness.

  "Mom, just relax and don't worry - please. I need to get Mrs. Wong really quick. Jen, wait here and be ready to go," he said right before he basically popped out of existence.

  "What is going on, young lady? Where did Max go off to?" asked Clarisa breathlessly, completely confused.

  "Shhh, just relax. We'll be out of here really soon," said Jennie.

  Liliana went over and wrapped her arms around her grandmother's neck and comforted her as Jennie quietly moved their gear bags into a small circle. She was mildly surprised as two suitcases appeared off to the side, obviously sent by Max.

  Max was standing in the living room of his family home, watching as an unattractive female lieutenant with a bony, gaunt face from Military Intelligence was questioning Mrs. Wong. It appeared that his nanny was doing well and not revealing any information, but he would need to spirit her away without having himself detected. He figured that the military would probably bring in heavy construction equipment and dig out his previously undiscovered basement, so he would need to move quickly and also relocate his equipment. The last thing he wanted was for his inventions to be in the hands of a dictatorship.

  "Mrs. Wong - how is it that you suddenly appeared outside? You have been under satellite surveillance. We have detected no issues with our equipment," demanded the lieutenant.

  Performing a cantus that caused the military and her subordinates to lose consciousness, Max watched as they dropped to the ground, while mischievously moving an end table over in perfect position for the officer to soundly hit her face on the sharp, angled edge, before dropping to the floor. Before becoming visible, Max messed with the home's internal surveillance, much like he did in his mother's prison apartment. As he came into view Mrs. Wong grew a wide smile and jumped up and over to him. After he slipped them back to the basement, Mrs. Wong quickly ran over to Clarisa to care for her, while Max pulled out his infoscreen and typed in some data.

  "Draagh, do you have a secure location yet?" Max asked over the comm.

  "Yes we do, my son. We do. Why would you like to know?" responded the Primulus.

  "We are on our way. We have my mother and her caretaker, as well as what are basically the contents of my basement. How much room do you have?"

  "It is roughly the size of the training field at my castle," Krynos added.

  "Perfect. We are coming now," said Max as he finished typing his data into the infoscreen.

  Jennie, Mrs. Wong and Liliana watched in amazement as they all were surrounded in a minor sphere of influence. Max was using a more robust method of slipping for a couple of reasons - first, because they were going to another celestial body and no
t to a local destination, and second, because he was moving the entire contents of his basement.

  It was a matter of seconds before everyone found themselves in a well-lit, excavated cave, and looking at some very large individuals. Mrs. Wong immediately recognized Michael and Gabriel, which calmed her considerably. Clarisa, however, was a completely different story. Max found it necessary to calm her a bit by manipulating some local salubots into a sedative.

  "Greetings, Janice. It has been many years," said Michael, who was obviously pleased to see the woman he had selected to be his son's caretaker. He looked away from her momentarily to gaze upon the woman he had once loved. She had aged, like all mortals, especially on a world where there was no healing or regeneration, but had still had maintained her beauty. In any case, he was glad that she was sedated while he discussed particulars with Mrs. Wong, Max and Jennie.

  "So, she was being held captive, Max?" asked Michael.

  "Yeah, and we had to escape. I made a mistake and we were detected."

  "We can return and destroy those who discovered your presence, my boy," said Gabriel, causing Jessica to roll her eyes as she went over to Jennie's position and helped move bags of weapons and clothing off to the side.

  "Naw, that's ok. I knocked them out and fudged with the cameras, so it will look like they were standing one moment, and then all fell down. Mrs. Wong won't even be in the surveillance view."

  "Still, there will be many questions. The sudden disappearance of your mother and Janice will not easily be forgotten," said Michael. Max was unused to hearing Mrs. Wong being called Janice, as he had simply known her by her proper title all his life.

  "I am sorry if bringing me along caused problems, Max. Perhaps if you left me back - well, where exactly are we right now?" Mrs. Wong was confused, and rightly so.

  "We are in a cavern, deep below the surface of the moon Vera. This is the start of what is going to be our base of operations," replied Bagatelle. "If I may, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Luigi Bagatelle, former Rear Admiral and now part of the resistance."