Normally, I would concede and roll out of the bed–it wasn't mine, after all–but I had been through a lot. Between a broken back, running for my life, and throwing up my own body weight of onyx waste, I was feeling pretty beat up on. So instead, I slipped under the covers and scooted over to the edge of the bed. “That should be enough.” I said, feeling my eyelids get heavy.
“Wait, really?”
I nodded. “Honestly, I could use a little cuddling right now. If you don't mind, of course.”
“Not at all.” He crossed over to the sensor at the end of the room and dimmed the lights. Kicking off his shoes, he slid under the covers beside me, radiating warmth like a furnace.
“Hey, losers, is this an open invitation?”
I looked up to see Viys'k perched on what I guessed was a nightstand, her face carefully arranged into a blank expression.
“Of course. Hop on in.”
She bounded over and dove right under the edge of the covers. Her head rested on my thigh, fur soft against my skin, and Janix's arm draped over my waist. I could feel his breath on my neck and hers on my knee, and contentment washed over me in that moment.
Yes, I was facing impossible odds with impossible and unpredictable abilities, but at least I was not facing them alone. I didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring, but at least I wasn't going to have to face it alone.
Chapter Nine: Revelations Revealing Relationship Riddles
I looked down at the island our ship was rapidly descending to. After my theory about the cloud being able to track me, Angel had acquired the fastest ship she could for our little trip. The moment she had it, we jumped in, then went zooming down to the coordinates Jyra had left for us in her little show. The sheer force of the takeoff had been stronger than any of our previous frantic escapes. The face on my head had pulled back, and I wasn't even able to close my eyes. And now, as we were practically in a nosedive toward the ground, I felt it happening again.
Finally, we pulled up at the last second, and Angel cut into a parallel line with the earth. I felt us slow down much more quickly than was probably advised, and I jerked hard in my harness as inertia did its thing.
“We're here,” she announced. “Now get out and go. We're trying to keep this to ten minutes or less.”
“You're really taking this tracking thing to heart, huh?”
“I've been alive for centuries. You don't get to be my age without learning some tricks about survival. Rule number one: if someone's following you, do what you gotta do as fast as you can before you can be found.”
“I'm pretty sure that's the fourth rule number one you've had.”
“Out. Now.”
We all piled out of the ship, and I was surprised to see we were on the most normal looking chunk of land I had seen since my arrival in this universe. It was a small island. It had to be less than a football field from side to side, and in the center stood a simple cabin.
It wasn't made of wood as it might have been on my home planet, but it was some sort of rock, or other naturally occurring material. Shrugging a bit, I walked forward and went right to the front door.
I was not surprised to see a heavy-duty door that did not blend in with the rest of the landscape. Before anyone else could provide any suggestions, I cleared my throat. “Jyra, I'm here.”
“Welcome, Andi,” the house answered, the door sliding down into the earth.
“Good guess,” Angel murmured appreciatively as we all headed in.
The door closed behind us, and we were treated to what looked like a fairly standard living space. Or at least standard compared to what I had seen on the few ships I had been on so far. There were no high-fluting displays or fancy holo-anythings.
“Well this can't be it.”
Janix opened his mouth, no doubt to say something pithy, when a rumble filled the room. Before any of us could voice our concern, the floor began to slowly lower itself below the ground.
“Of course,” I said flatly. “Of course, she built a whole secret base. Why not?”
“Now this is just straight up impressive. It would take me a month to case a joint, and here this Jyra chick can run her own high clearance science research division and build a top notch hidey hole?” Janix whistled in awe. “Did she ever sleep?”
“Rarely.”
I jumped at the intrusion of the new voice. “Zik, I didn't know that you were still going to be on the comms.”
“She's not supposed to be,” Bajol said mildly. “She's supposed to be back on bed rest. Are you in my office right now?”
“Yes.”
“Are you touching anything?”
“Of course not! I'm a scientist. I know better than to interfere with another scientist's experimentation. It could ruin weeks, or even months of work.”
“Fine. You can stay.”
“I believe that's my call,” Angel snapped. “And I do not recall giving you permission to tune into our channel. It's a security liability.”
“Please, I'll be good! I promise. It's just...I miss her, okay? And I'm worried. You guys don't know her like I do; what if you miss something?”
“Fine,” Angel sighed with resignation. “But if this happens again, I'll shave your back in a way that your new fur grows in differently than all the rest of the fur.”
“Unnecessary, but thank you.”
I looked around at the sparkling equipment. I recognized some of it from the battery of tests Bajol had put me through, but just as much of it was foreign. “The kind of dedication it must have taken to order all of this and bring it here….”
“We could all learn a thing or two from her, I'm sure.”
“I can't believe this is where she was squirreling away the overflow supplies,” Zik murmured. “I knew she was up to something, but I never imagined.”
“A whole lot of something, apparently.”
The floor finished moving, and we settled among the glittering example of a pristine scientific playground.
There was more grinding as a ceiling slid into being above us, replacing the floor that we had inadvertently stolen. Once all movements ceased, we scattered, looking over the impressive display of experimentation and research prowess.
“No dust,” Viys'k remarked. “She must have one hell of an air purification system in place.”
“If I know Jyra,” I said, “which I guess I don't really, she probably thought of every outcome possible and planned a recourse for it. Isn't that right, Jyra?”
“Affirmative, Andi.”
Just like before, lights began to shine from the floor, and a hologram of the half-kin sprung into being.
She looked so much less stressed in this prerecorded version of herself. Was it before she had known she was hunted? Of how close they were to her? I couldn't say. But I did know that I wanted her to look that way again. Happy, hopeful, and with an excited glint to those eyes that would never quite meet the gaze of others.
“To what do I owe this visit, Andi?”
“There's no way she has a specific audio file for this situation,” Janix said dubiously. “The chances are astronomical. Impossible even.”
“This wouldn't be the first time we've done the impossible. Might as well try, right?” I answered with a shrug. “Jyra, you've been captured. I've been infected with the Rabid Kodadt Virus, but I'm definitely not dying. We're trying to find you, and we know Maven was the one who hauled you off, so we're not sure where to go from here.”
“Key words: find, employee name, hauled, from here. Conclusion: I have been taken as hostage by a scientist inhabited by our enemy, and you need help on how to find me to repair the dimensional machine and take the right path in the Great Choice.”
“You skipped right over the infected part, but sure, sounds good.”
“Running scenario twenty-six.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Janix grumbled.
“This interface has not been programmed with an entertainment package. Might I suggest a sim from the
cabin database to meet your needs?”
“Nah. I'm good. By all means, scenario twenty-six me.”
“Thank you, unnamed companion.”
“Janix,” I supplemented quickly before we could get derailed, as we tended to do.
“Thank you, Janix. I will proceed.” Another hologram burst to life, and this one looked like a molecule chain similar to what I had seen in AP chemistry, except far more complex.
“To understand what is going on, first you must understand the road we took to get here.”
“Catchy.”
“Shhh!”
“The first thing you must understand is that the Rabid Kodadt is a completely manufactured plague. It's not some sort of foreign virus brought on by a celestial body carrying centuries old contagions. Not an adverse reaction to radiation that caused rapid mutagenic symptoms. Not a genetic weakness, and certainly not a naturally occurring pathogen.
She was not painting in subtle tones with this exposition. Shock jolted through me, and I'm sure that went double for my companions around me. While I had only learned of the plague on my arrival, they had been living with it for most–if not all–of their lives.
“If you are hypothesizing why someone could possibly want to wreak so much violence and death on our civilization, I can point you to the driving force behind it all. Greed….” The hologram paused for dramatic emphasis, and I wondered if she had recorded this all in one take or had spliced together bits that went well. With at least twenty-six scenarios, I was guessing there was at least a little plug n' play action going on.
“When that dark cloud came to our universe, it was still small, having only just recently awakened. But he watched, he learned, and he waited. Society had changed much since his last journey. People were leaving planets, sailing through space, and landing on worlds they never had dreamed of before. Knowledge was shared and equally accessible, and violence was generally abhorred. It spent several generations in this timeline until a great enough event inspired it to action: the birth of the first half-kin. From there, it spun its wheels and wove its machinations, until a new species–which should have been celebrated–was made into a self-renewing energy source. Perpetual free labor born on our mix-breed backs.
“It was in this suffering that our enemy grew. It fed off of the violence, and pain, and loss of life. And when it was finally strong enough, it pushed our reality to the brink. Until one day, a stranger awoke in our system. I still do not know what causes the awakening of whatever it is that we are, we who can see these Great Choices and meet in that strange place.
“Interesting,” Bajol muttered under his breath. “I had hoped she might have more data on whether it was genetic or something else.”
“Shhh! She's talking about me,” Angel hissed. “It's not often I get to hear myself talked about in the correct context. I didn't even know I was a Stranger this early on in the fight. That was certainly a wild ride, let me tell you.”
But the hologram continued, not caring to stop and let Angel get lost in her reminiscing of the glory days.
“This Stranger led us to the correct path, and our enemy moved on. Centuries passed. More and more of the other realities began to experience their own Great Choices. Many passed. But then the second Great Choice came. Then the third. And more began to fall. It's like gambling. Theoretically the odds are always fifty-fifty. However, no matter how good you are, eventually you'll misstep. You will take the wrong path, and your world, everyone you've ever loved, will be devoured. And so, the dark entity returned to us, this time ready to deliver what it was sure was a lethal sting. It infiltrated the dreams of those who had money and power and prestige, but with a gnawing hunger for more. Always more. It promised these souls dominion over others and ultimate control. Whispered their desires to them in the honeyed tones of fantasy. Many bit into the brightly-lauded bait, but only one rose above the others. A human. One named Nathaniel Serkasis. He was a trust fund child, born to rich parents, who, themselves, were born to rich parents. He owned two stations, but still he always craved more.
“That's always the story, isn't it? It took me a long time to understand that. Most people don't care about science, or art, or discovery. They don't even care about each other. Just more riches and more power. It's as disheartening as it is both boring and predictable.”
“Not that I don't agree with her, but what's with the story time? We're in somewhat of a deadline here. You know, giant black cloud possibly tracking you and all that.”
“I don't know, Janix, but I'm sure it's relevant.”
“If you say so.”
“And so that businessman went on to sponsor several scientists who were researching cures for various generational diseases. With a little manipulation and a few well-placed dreams, the formula was planted and the virus was born. Nathan wasted little time circulating it, and within days, our collective worlds were rocked with devastation. And fear. And blood.”
“But why would he want to do that?” Viys'k asked. “The kodadt had so little power in the Council of Six, and thousands of humans and every other species have died as well.”
“I know what you're asking. Why? Why so much needless death? Again, it all lies in power. Nathaniel lets the kodadt wipe out scores of the population on the outer planets, none of which are heavily populated by humans. Due to fear, greater power is given to the Council of Six, which has of late come to be dominated by humans. Then, once just enough damage has been done to cement the appropriate reaction, Nathaniel–and therefore, humanity–sweep in with the cure as the saviors of the universe. Serkasis will be lauded as a hero for all of history, and mankind will have a lion's share of the governmental, financial, and medical power in this entire system.”
“That's quite a plan,” was about the only thing I could think to say. In reality, it was a terrifyingly devious masterpiece.
“So, as you can see, our Great Choice is, we must find the cure that is currently being guarded under the highest security at the kodadt research station. Since you mentioned Maven, I am guessing that he is the current host or persona of the evil that trails us.”
“But what happened to Nathaniel?”
“My sensors are telling me that you are inquiring about the status of Mr. Serkasis. Is this correct?”
“Yes.”
“Nathaniel Serkasis died in one of the first kodadt attacks. He was not aware of the lethal after-effects of a simple scratch and died less than a day later.”
“So much for endless riches and power.”
“What the wealthy often forget is that we are all equal in death,” Zik added helpfully.
My head was reeling from the massive data dump, and while dozens of my questions had been asked, I still had more. “But Jyra, why did you bring me into this? I'm not even from this universe. Why go through years and years of trouble to pick a college girl from a world that's eons behind you in technology?”
The holograph sputtered for several moments, before flashing into a much different version of Jyra. There were dark circles under her large eyes, and what I thought might be the faintest of bruises along her cheek.
“You don't remember, do you?”
“Remember what?”
She sighed and gestured to something behind her translucent form. “There is a neural therapy device in the back of my lab. It's often used to help treat those suffering from memory loss. Put it on.”
“I think I see what she is speaking of,” Bajol said. “This way.”
“Oh, and Andi?”
“Yes, hologram Jyra?”
“I'm sorry. Some of the memories you're going to see are...less than pleasant. But know that I will be here for you when you're done. I mean, not physically, of course. But you get the idea, I'm sure. You were always good at abstract expression.”
My stomach was rolling and my heart was pounding as Bajol led me to the farthest point of the secret base. There was a chair there, sleek and silver, with a small but solid helmet in the center of it. Ther
e was one wire leading from the base of the contraption to a nearby computer, and I was shaking as Bajol booted it up.
“I haven't used one of these since my residency,” the alien remarked. “But it's just like riding a hover cycle, I imagine.”
“Really not helping my nerves here.”
“Sorry. Don't worry, it'll be fine. Here, sit.”
I followed his instructions, fidgeting as he set up the final bits and bobs. “Ready?”
“No, not at all. But do it anyway.”
“Don't worry, Fire Skull. You got this,” Janix encouraged, coming up beside me to hold my hand.
“Thanks. See you on the other side.”
And then Bajol flipped a switch, and I was gone.
Memories flashed through my mind, thick and blinding. Flashes of childhood, glimpses of new toys and celebrations, and then a streak of an open palm, the blur of a fist.
I flinched against the deluge, rocking from side to side frantically. It hurt, and my brain clamored for some sort of escape from the cacophony. My breath quickened, and my blood seemed to rush too quickly through my body.
“Is she supposed to be reacting like this?”
“No. Normally it's quite peaceful. I've never seen anything like this.”
“Well then, stop it.”
“No! Don't!” I screamed, unable to regulate my voice to polite conversation level.
The Riddle (Alternate Dimensions Book 2) Page 12