by Adair Hart
Jells extended a hand out. “Filling my storage tanks will be all we need. Just next time, if you’re gonna do something crazy, please let me know. Anyways … are you headed to Earth now?”
“Yes. However, U4 is going to upgrade your ship before we go.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Jells. “Hopefully when Greecho comes back, he won’t do it again.”
“Greecho is never coming back here.”
Jake perked his head up. “What do you mean?”
“I have decided to interfere, and Greecho is one of my priorities now.”
Jake circled a hand. “And that means …”
“He will never threaten you or Jells again.”
Jells glanced at Jake, then at Evaran. “I have a request then.”
Evaran tilted his head toward Jells.
Jells walked out of the inner bar and looked at Jake. He swallowed hard and turned his head toward Evaran. “Take Jake with you to Earth.”
Jake parted his lips as he stared at Jells. “What?”
Jells shook a hand at Jake as his voice cracked. “Hear me out. You’re human, and your home world is Earth. That’s where you belong. Not out here with a bitter old Crustican. If Greecho is no longer a threat, you can live out your life there and reunite with your biological father.”
Jake shook his head as his eyes misted. “This is my home. You’re my dad. I can’t leave you. If I left, I’d never see you again.” He ran up to Jells and hugged him.
Jells hugged Jake back while shooting a look at Evaran.
Evaran nodded.
Jells stepped back with both arms on Jake’s shoulders. “Look. You’re an adult human and have been for a while. Even with Greecho gone, there would be issues. On Earth, you would be safe.”
Jake wiped a tear from his eye and sniffled. “I can’t just leave you.”
Evaran raised a hand. “If I may.”
Jells nodded.
“Jake, I can bring you back to visit from time to time as long as I am on Earth.”
Jake cleared his throat. “That’s a lot of traveling.”
“Not with my ship,” said Evaran. “U4 will make the cargo ship repairs. We will then fill the storage tanks and go.”
Jake’s mind spun at the rapid pace of events. While he fantasized about going to Earth and escaping all of this, he did not want to leave Jells behind. If he could come back and see him again, it might not be too bad. He had a new goal: find his real dad before Greecho did.
It did not take Jake long to pack, and after U4 upgraded the ship and Evaran filled Jells’s storage tank, he approached Evaran’s ship. He did not pack much, just some clothes and items he had picked up from various worlds during his cargo runs. Saying good-bye to Jells was hard. He knew that he could come back after this was all over to visit, but Jells had been good to him and a big part of his life.
Approaching Evaran’s ship, he noticed that the black panels appeared to be almost pure black. A fiberglass-like black mesh ran around the middle of the ship, and it looked like a disc sitting on an upside-down squashed cone only a few feet high. Given its size, he wondered how it could sustain long-distance travel. He walked to the light-blue ramp that led up to a hexagonal semitransparent shield and paused. With a look back at Jells, who was standing outside the dining room and waving at him, he waved back and then stepped into Evaran’s ship.
Evaran stood just inside the entrance with U4 by his side. “Welcome to my ship, the Torvatta. U4 will take your things.”
Jake handed U4 his backpack and the container he carried and then looked around. The area he was in had three doors along curved walls to his left and right. In front of him was a table and, behind that, a door that looked like a lift of some type. He noticed that one-third of the ceiling above him was standard ship panels, but the other two-thirds were that glass-like substance he saw when the Torvatta initially came in. His eyes popped when he saw U4 walk into the door on his immediate left and enter a room that should not be the size it was. He ran over to the edge of the door and peered in. “Whoa … a dimensional room.” He looked at Evaran. “Right?”
Evaran half grinned. “Yes. Have you seen them before?”
“Nah. Just theoretical from what I heard. No one has actually been able to do it, but it looks like you have,” said Jake. It was apparent that the Torvatta was far more advanced than he had originally thought. If a cargo ship had that, it would revolutionize shipping.
Evaran gestured to a ramp on his left that led up the side of the curved walls.
Jake walked onto the ramp and up to a middle walkway. He ran his hand along the guardrail, feeling the cool metal. The middle walkway he was on separated the ship into two parts: the entrance he was just at and a command area. He recognized the command chair immediately, as well as the front console and U-shaped seating areas. U4 hustled past him to the front console as he walked up to the command chair. He took a seat in the right U-shaped area.
“Analysis. We are ready for departure.”
Evaran sat in his command chair. “Excellent. Take us out.”
“Affirmative.”
Jake watched as the Torvatta pulled away from the space station.
Evaran tapped at the console on his chair. The space station appeared on the front right screen.
Jake’s throat tightened as he thought about Jells. He hoped Jells would be okay, but Jells was probably hurting as much as he was.
Evaran tilted his head at Jake. “Do not worry. You will see Jells again. You have my word.”
Jake exhaled slowly while nodding. He looked around and then focused on Evaran. “Where’s Kathy?”
“Statement. Kathy is recharging.”
“Gotcha.”
“We will need to wake her to figure out where we are going, however,” said Evaran.
“Affirmative,” said U4. She spun around and headed off to the first door on the right from the entrance.
After a few minutes, U4 returned with Kathy at her side. Kathy had on jeans, a shirt, and a pair of boots. She wiped her eyes and yawned as she took a seat next to Jake.
“Hey. You okay?” asked Jake.
Kathy nodded. “Yeah. U4 said I was asleep for less than an hour, but I feel awake.” She looked around and then outside through the front semitransparent window. “Is Greecho …”
“He is headed to Earth,” said Evaran. “It will take him three months, but we will be there in a few moments. Once we arrive at Earth, I will need you to point out where we need to go. I do not know Earth’s geography, but you can interact with that screen when Earth appears on it. Circling your finger clockwise on an area zooms in, counterclockwise zooms out. We should be able to narrow it down from there.”
Kathy sat up straight and looked at the front screen. “No problem.”
Jake noticed the subtle black bags under Kathy’s eyes. He was surprised Kathy was so calm, considering just a few hours ago, she was with Greecho. Maybe she was still in shock somehow, or maybe whatever she slept in did something to her mind. Hearing her talk was also unusual.
Evaran tapped at his chair console. “U4, take us to Earth.”
“Affirmative.”
The Torvatta shot out a gold beam, forming a silver-lined portal with a light-blue surface that rippled. Jake’s and Kathy’s eyes widened and their lips parted as they watched the Torvatta fly through the portal and exit above Earth. The front right screen showed Earth, with the continents outlined in red.
Evaran gestured at Kathy. “Proceed.”
Jake was not sure what just happened, but they did a three-month trip in just a few seconds. He thought the dimensional rooms were advanced, but this, this was on another level. It had been theorized by the Seceltor scientific community that portal traveling was possible, maybe through wormholes, but he never expected to see what he just saw. He could see Kathy was trying to figure out what just happened as well. His eyes followed her as she walked up to the front right screen.
“Analysis,” said U4, looki
ng at Jake. “Are you scanning Kathy?”
Jake’s face turned red as he looked down. “What? No …”
Kathy raised her eyebrows and then interacted with the map. She zoomed into North America, then the state of Nebraska. She searched it for a moment, then pressed on the city of Lincoln. After a few more moments of dragging the map around, and several zooms in and out, she had located a house. She pointed at it. “That’s it.”
“What’s that?” asked Jake.
“My parents’ house.”
Jake nodded.
Evaran scrutinized the display. “U4, take us down in stealth mode.”
“Affirmative,” said U4. She interacted with the front console. “Torvatta stealth mode engaged.”
The Torvatta descended toward Kathy’s parents’ rural house. After a few moments, it landed in their large backyard. The front right screen faded, and the full screen showed the back of the house. A dog barked and jumped around behind glass doors.
“Sally!” said Kathy. She wheeled around with a big grin and then pivoted back and stared at the screen.
Evaran stood and extended a hand toward the Torvatta’s entrance. “Let us go.”
Kathy turned and bounded up the middle walkway. She hustled down the side ramps and exited the Torvatta, with Evaran and Jake in tow.
Jake took a deep breath. The green grass attracted his gaze. He knelt down and ran his hands along the grass blades. The warm temperature, sounds of insects buzzing around, and other noises he could not identify massaged his ears. Memories triggered by the experience infiltrated his mind. He looked up at Evaran. “This is …”
Evaran put a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Steady.”
Jake’s eyes misted as he licked his lips and nodded.
Kathy pointed to the glass doors as an older man tried to calm Sally down. “Dad!”
Kathy’s dad looked out the glass door with wide eyes and an open mouth. He slammed the door open and rushed out, with Sally taking off in front of him. “Kathy!”
Evaran gestured toward Kathy’s dad. “Go. We will be there momentarily.”
It did not take long for Kathy to reach her dad. She hugged him tightly as they cried together. Kathy’s mom stood in the doorway with a hand on her mouth. She ran out the door toward Kathy, and when she got to her, she wrapped her arms around both Kathy and Kathy’s dad. Sally was jumping around them and barking.
Sally tilted her head and walked cautiously up to Evaran and Jake. She sniffed the air in front of Evaran. With an excited wag of her tail, she barked at him.
Evaran scanned Sally with his ring. “You are welcome.”
Sally barked again.
Evaran half smiled. “You are correct. However, I am no threat.”
Jake wrinkled his eyebrows. Was Evaran able to talk to Sally?
Sally whimpered happily while walking up to Evaran. She nuzzled his left hand, then walked over to Jake.
Jake hesitated before reaching down and patting Sally on the head. It was a natural reaction to him. He remembered having a dog before he was abducted, but did not recall too much about it.
Sally barked at Evaran again.
“Yes, very far. She is back now, though.”
Sally whimpered.
Evaran reached down with his right hand and patted Sally. He looked up to see Kathy and her parents staring at him.
“Other than me, Sally doesn’t like guys, especially strange ones she’s never met,” said Kathy’s dad with narrowed eyes.
Evaran nodded. “So she said. However, it would appear we have passed her judgment.”
Kathy’s dad stepped forward. “Who are you two?”
“He’s Evaran,” said Kathy, pointing at Evaran. She then pointed at Jake. “And he’s Jake. They saved me.”
Kathy’s dad scrutinized Evaran for a moment. He glanced at Kathy, who smiled. He focused on Evaran. “Where exactly was our Kathy?”
Evaran pointed up. “Very far away. What she will tell you is true. Do not dismiss it because it sounds unusual.”
Kathy’s dad looked up, then back at a nodding Kathy. He faced Evaran with drawn-down lips and through gritted teeth asked, “Who took her?”
“Someone who will be dealt with.”
Kathy’s mom walked up to Evaran and extended her hand. “I’m Cassy. Thank you for bringing our daughter back.”
Evaran studied Cassy’s extended hand and then shook it. “Not a problem.”
Cassy extended her hand toward Jake.
Jake hesitated, as his instinct was to avoid all contact with other humans. He exhaled slowly, and with furrowed eyebrows, he shook Cassy’s hand.
Kathy’s dad walked up and stood next to Cassy. “I’m John.” He licked his lips and slowly extended his hand. “I’d like to shake the hand of the men that found our Kathy.”
Evaran and Jake shook hands with John.
“I … don’t know how to thank you two,” said John.
Evaran raised a finger. “Do you have a computer in your house?”
Jake chuckled as he thought about how unusual that must have sounded to Kathy and her parents.
John wrinkled his eyebrows. “Yeah … you … need to use it?”
“I would, if it is not too much trouble.”
Kathy ran up to Evaran and gave him a bear hug. She stepped back and glanced at her dad. “Anything you need.”
“Let’s get inside,” said John, gesturing toward the house.
Jake noticed that Evaran did not give John any information that would lead to John taking action. Probably for the better. Greecho would be too much.
Cassy held on tight to Kathy on the way to the house. As they walked, she looked around, then at Evaran. “Is whoever did this still around?”
“No, but they will be in a few months, and they will be punished.”
Cassy’s eyebrows raised as she looked at John.
After a few minutes, they reached the house and entered it. John led Evaran over to a desk with a monitor sitting on it. A tower sat next to it, with wires linking them. Kathy and her mom stood to the side of Evaran.
John pointed at the tower. “That’s it. I’ll need to log in.”
Evaran extended a hand. “No need.” He stood next to the tower and placed his UIC on it.
The UIC glowed for a bit, then emitted a stable blue light.
Jake wondered how it would work on this ancient technology.
“What the hell is that?” asked John, recoiling.
“Something to help me access your system. It will only take a moment,” said Evaran. He looked around at his ARI, and after a few minutes of interacting with it, he grabbed his UIC and placed it back on his belt. “I have what I need. There is more information to download, but this is not the node to do it from.”
“What were you trying to download?” asked John.
“Information. There are other hidden networks I will need to access. I will download it from elsewhere. I just needed the basics,” said Evaran. He gestured toward Kathy. “I will be back to check on you in three months’ time. Make sure that what you tell your parents stays between you and them. The less others know, the better.”
John glanced at Kathy, who had sidled up to him and slipped under his right arm. In a cracked voice, he said, “Thank you again for bringing us back our Kathy. I’m not sure I fully understand what’s going on, but we’ll get through this.”
“I have no doubt you will,” said Evaran. He glanced at Kathy. “You have a lot to catch up on.” He nodded and then headed to the glass doors he had come in initially.
Sally barked at him.
Evaran turned and tilted his head. “Yes, I will be back.”
Sally barked again several times.
Evaran paused as he studied Sally. “Very well.” He faced Kathy and her parents. “Sally wanted to say thank you for rescuing her.”
“What?” said John. “You can … talk to Sally?”
Evaran half grinned and then looked at Sally. “It is a rough translati
on, but yes.”
Sally walked over to Kathy, who knelt and put her arms around her.
“You’re … not human, are you?” said John with widened eyes.
Evaran pursed his lips. “I am a traveler who decided to help Kathy.”
John looked at Cassy, who shrugged, then nodded at Evaran. “Well, we’ll be here when you return. If you’re going to go after whoever did this to Kathy, I’d like to help.”
“It is too dangerous for that. Kathy can explain more in detail.”
John glanced at Kathy, who nodded. “Well, where you going now?”
Evaran gestured at Jake. “To find his father.”
“Were you taken too?” asked John.
Jake grimaced. “Yeah, when I was six. My mom was killed, and my dad was left behind.”
John pulled his head back and drew his lips flat. “I’m sorry to hear that, son. I hope you find him.”
Jake’s throat constricted. “Thank you.”
Evaran gestured at Jake and then to the glass doors. They exited the house and headed toward the Torvatta.
As they walked, Jake looked back to see Kathy and her parents step outside the door to watch him and Evaran leave.
Once inside the Torvatta, Evaran sat in his command chair and tapped at its console. “U4, decloak and take us up, and then cloak.”
“Affirmative. Torvatta stealth mode disengaged.”
The Torvatta decloaked and took off. The front right screen showed Kathy and her parents outside, with John pointing at the Torvatta and looking between Kathy and it.
Jake figured if John did not believe in aliens before, he would now. It would definitely help Kathy’s explanation to them on where she had been. His mind drifted to his own dad. They were going to look for him now. He was excited at first, imagining it would be like Kathy and her parents, but he realized it would probably be more like meeting a stranger.
After ten minutes, the stealthed Torvatta entered low Earth orbit.
“Query. Destination?” asked U4 as she interacted with the front console.
Evaran perused his ARI. He tapped at it and, with a flick of his finger, said, “Take us to these coordinates. We need a more comprehensive access point to Earth’s data network.”