by Adair Hart
Dr. Snowden paused as he closed his eyes and exhaled sharply from his nose.
Jake tapped Dr. Snowden on the arm. “You okay?”
Emily and Evaran pivoted to face Dr. Snowden.
Dr. Snowden gulped and opened his eyes. “I’m fine. It’s nothing. Let’s … go.”
Jake shrugged as they continued.
When they reached the end of the tunnel before a sliding set of doors, Javos interacted with a panel that lit up on the glass strip on the side wall. A beam shot out and scanned them. The doors slid back.
Jake’s eyebrows rose when he saw the room they were about to enter. Several large devices stood on the side, and a few of them reminded him of turrets. As they proceeded through the room, beams shot out and scanned them.
“Don’t be alarmed,” said Javos. “They’re just an additional check prior to entering the base.”
“Understandable,” said Evaran.
“This is pretty cool,” said Jake.
“Cool would be an understatement,” said Javos. “We have the highest tech on Earth here.”
Although Javos’s comment had a smack of superiority complex, Jake knew Helians were just like that. It had taken him a bit to adjust to Lord Noskov’s assessment of humans in general as well, but Jake got used to it. It did not take long to be accepted by Lord Noskov, though. Having Evaran set everything up helped.
They reached the end of the room, and another set of doors opened up.
“This is as far as I go,” said Javos. He gestured at the dark-skinned older man in a business suit on the other side of the door. “This is Manager Lee. He will take it from here.”
“We appreciate you bringing us in,” said Evaran.
Javos bent his arms so that his hands were touching in front of his chest. The left hand was palm up, and the right hand was a fist.
Everyone returned the Helian salute, and Javos took off back the way they had come.
“Come in,” said Lee.
Jake observed that Lee had a somewhat artificial feel about him. Maybe an android of some sort. His hair was short and trimmed all around, and his skin looked like it was painted on. His suit was black and looked expensive, and his black sunglasses seemed out of place. When he talked, his lips appeared to be restrained, giving off a forced sound.
They followed Lee into the next hallway.
“As Javos mentioned, I am … Manager Lee. Are you … familiar with managers?”
“I am,” said Evaran. “However, the others may not be.”
“In that case … let me explain,” said Lee. “We are the enforcers … of Helian law. Usually one or two are assigned to a region. Those not assigned are on standby at bases … such as this one.”
Dr. Snowden tilted his head. “You remind me of the Men in Black, kinda. Not only that, I don’t sense your heartbeat or breathing.”
Lee smiled. “This form is a suit. Our true form is … corporeal … in nature.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened. “Oh. We … uhh … met a species that used suits to get around recently.”
“Hopefully it was a good encounter.”
“Not really … we destroyed them and tossed them out of the timeline.”
Lee paused and then spun around. “I assure you … we are not hostile. Our world was dying, and the Helians came through a rift door that we had acquired. They rescued us, gave us these customizable robotic bodies to survive on this planet, and now … the remainder of my species resides here … on Earth. We are grateful for the chance to continue living … even at the cost of service to the Helians.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Dr. Snowden sighed. “I was just being silly.”
Emily shook her head.
“It’s okay,” said Lee. “We know that the denizens of this planet find us … unusual … and we have been called robotic in our interactions. However … you’re humans with nanobots, and you travel with Evaran.” He pointed at Jake. “You reside with Lord Noskov, according to the scan earlier. I suspect humans would find you all … unusual too.”
“At least we have something in common,” said Jake with a smile. He noticed that Lee would begin a sentence, pause, and then tilt his head to finish it. The unusual cadence made it seem as if Lee was carefully choosing his words.
“Yes … we do.” Lee motioned at V. “Although we typically do not allow sentient flying AIs in the base … you’re an exception because of who you travel with.”
“Acknowledged,” said V.
“Javos indicated your Torvatta is missing … and you wanted to access our system. You can do that,” said Lee, gesturing forward, “from one of our control centers.”
“Lead on,” said Evaran.
As Lee continued to walk, he tossed a hand out to the side. “Many things have changed in the last few months. We’re aware of the … Evaran Protocol, so we’ll need to brief so that we may calibrate our answers accordingly.”
“It is appreciated,” said Evaran.
Jake had heard of the managers but never interacted with one. He knew them to be some of the toughest nonhumans around. Lord Noskov classified them as Outsiders but did not know much about them. Yet within the last few minutes, Jake had learned their true identity. He doubted they would so casually reveal that to anyone, but Evaran was not just anyone. Jake was not sure how much of the manager was robot or how the species was merged to their suits, but he did notice that Lee was capable of showing facial expressions.
Lee wrinkled his eyebrows. “Evaran, while you’re here … we could use some assistance with the rift doors.”
“They were to be shut down and not used. It appears that is not the case,” said Evaran.
“You’re correct,” said Lee. “Although it saved my species, I understand that it has … consequences. Whatever help you could provide … it would be appreciated.”
“You will have it,” said Evaran.
“Good. The control center is just ahead,” said Lee.
The control center was not as advanced as ones Emily had seen before, but for the current time period, it was more advanced than anything she knew would be on Earth. Large screens were attached to the walls around a central area with a chair and surrounding workstations. Other workstations sat out in the rest of the room, all arranged in a circular pattern around the center area.
“Cool room,” said Jake. He looked around. “Is there some place I can contact my dad? He’s outside with the ship.”
“There is,” said Lee. “We have a landing port nearby. I’ll show you where you can contact him.” He gestured at one of the workstations in the central area. “For the others … these are available for whatever you need.” He put a hand down on one of them. “You can use your … card on them.”
Evaran nodded.
Jake flashed a thumbs-up at the others and then took off with Lee.
The remaining group swooped in on one of the workstations.
Evaran placed his UIC on it and then faced Dr. Snowden. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” said Dr. Snowden. “Why? What’s up?”
Evaran pointed at the hallway they had entered from. “Back there, your heartbeat increased, your breathing was shallow, and your body temperature rose. I also sensed enhanced nanobot activity.”
“Yeah, I sensed that too. Even Jake noticed,” said Emily.
Dr. Snowden sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment. “I can’t hide anything from either of you, can I?” He opened his eyes. “Look, I’m not claustrophobic, but the hallways … they reminded me of the Time Warden hallways some. Then I began thinking about dying and …”
“I understand,” said Evaran. “That memory triggered an anxiety attack.”
“Yeah. I’m not proud of that.”
“It is perfectly natural. You almost died. That is not something you just get over in a short period of time. It will take some effort, but it will pass.”
“I hope so. At least the nanobots can calm me down. I’m not used to those types of attacks.”
“Know this,” said Evaran, raising a finger. “We will help you in any way we can. Be assured of that.”
“I appreciate it,” said Dr. Snowden.
“Now, let us see what we can find,” said Evaran. He interacted with his ARI, causing one of the large screens to flicker on.
After ten minutes, Jake and Lee came back.
“Dad’s landing the ship. He’s gonna wait there, probably because they have a pretty enhanced lounge,” said Jake with smile.
“Very well,” said Evaran. He glanced at Lee. “We have been looking at this data. I have also talked with a representative of the ancient vampires and a Raskarian master. What do you know of the Helian split?”
“Before I answer that … I need to know when you last met with us,” said Lee.
“It was when we removed the Purifiers from Atlantis in BCE 2635.”
Lee cleared his throat. “In that case … I won’t mention any event involving you that has occurred. I will say that the Helian split … has been a long time coming. The council has been divided for a while now. A small group of council members disappeared … then reappeared … alongside someone we’ve never seen before. They declared they were no longer part of the Helian authority and did not … recognize … our claim to protect Earth. This occurred a month ago.”
“A month? Hmm,” said Evaran, rubbing his chin. “Who was this individual that appeared with them?”
Lee interacted with a station. The screen changed to show four council members seated behind a male humanoid with a dragon-like head.
Emily noted that the clothing of the council members had changed a bit since she had last seen them thousands of years ago. The robes were gone, and in their place were black-and-gold one-piece suits with various gadgets on them. The dragon humanoid had yellow reptilian eyes and stood a good foot taller than the council members. He wore black armor, and the skin that was exposed was covered in black scales. Two large horns jutted out from his head, and a gold cape flowed down his back.
The man spoke in a grizzled and authoritative voice. “My name is Caltorus, god of the Druuz. This world … is no longer under your control. I have arrived. Soon … you will see my strength. Soon … you will bow to me. Your claim as protectors of Earth is no longer recognized.”
The video ended.
“Well, that was short,” said Emily.
“And to the point,” said Lee. “We haven’t seen Caltorus anywhere … but the appearance of powerful Wildborn and others like him have not gone unnoticed. We suspect … they’re related.”
“I see,” said Evaran, placing his hands in front of him with his fingertips touching. “Caltorus is draconian in appearance. I have not heard of the Druuz but suspect it is a draconian race.” He tilted his head at Lee. “What has the Helian authority done to handle this situation?”
Lee raised his head a bit. “The managers are loyal to the Helian authority. None have gone to the other side. However … Raskarian vampire troops have appeared alongside the Wildborn and others. We suspect they are involved as well.”
“Count Boris,” said Jake.
Lee sighed. “That is who we … think it is as well. There is another potentially serious problem. They possess one of the rift doors.”
“That would be an issue,” said Evaran. “There were two, so I assume you still possess one.”
“We do, but we can no longer use it. Every time we put in coordinates … nothing happens.”
Evaran furrowed his eyebrows. “They are linked. It would seem this Caltorus is more powerful than expected if he can do that. Nonetheless, I have intimate knowledge of the rift doors.”
“We figured,” said Lee. “I know you’re not happy we used them … but there has been good that has come from it.”
“Once this is over, I believe it is time that they come under new management. One that I will choose.”
Lee looked down. “The council was aware that it might come … with a price.” He looked back up. “We believe the other Helian faction is using the rift door to bring in powerful individuals from other places. Have you seen anyone like Caltorus before?”
“I have,” said Evaran. “Draconians come in many varieties. I will need to sift through this data a bit more. Everyone, take a break. I will need Lee and V’s assistance.”
“Acknowledged.”
Lee pointed off in the distance. “We have an entertainment center and cafeteria if you want to check those out.”
“I’m game,” said Jake.
“Count me in too. I’m up for a late lunch,” said Dr. Snowden.
Emily shook her head.
“I will contact you via PSD when we are done,” said Evaran.
Lee tapped at a device on his wrist.
A guard with tactical gear entered the room and extended a hand into a hallway. “This way.”
Emily smiled at Evaran and, with Dr. Snowden and Jake, followed the guard out of the room.
An hour later in the cafeteria, Dr. Snowden looked up from his lunch. He had gotten used to not having replicated food available all the time, and it was refreshing. This lunch, though, was replicated and had a distinct metallic taste to it. He wrinkled his nose as he pushed away the plate his sandwich was on.
Jake put his sandwich down. “I’m with ya. This tastes horrible, and they have a level-three replicator here.”
“My nanobots should handle any upset stomach from this. Hopefully they won’t need to,” said Dr. Snowden.
Emily drew her lips to the right. “I coulda had a pellet. At least it’s somewhat tasteless.”
Jake furrowed his eyebrows. “Pellet?”
She grabbed her PSD and expelled a food pellet from it. “It has one-third of your daily nutritional needs. You could survive on this, but it assumes you have nanobots to help distribute it.”
“Oh,” said Jake. “Maybe I’ll just stick to the sandwiches.”
“Good choice,” said Emily.
Dr. Snowden noticed the guard walk into the room. “Well, looks like it’s time to go see what they found.”
The guard waved for them to follow.
“About time,” said Jake. “I woulda preferred to mess with one of their workstations.”
“That’s probably why they had us come here,” said Dr. Snowden.
Jake nodded.
They all stood and followed the guard. Once back in the room, they assembled around Evaran, who stood with his hands behind his back.
“How was your lunch?” asked Evaran.
“It was okay,” said Dr. Snowden. “Didn’t quite … taste right.”
“There’s a reason for that,” said Lee. “The base has been having some … issues. We suspect cyber attacks are responsible … but we haven’t been able to narrow it down.”
Jake pointed at Evaran. “I bet he could find out.”
“I appreciate your vote of confidence,” said Evaran. “However, one problem at a time.”
“Right,” said Jake.
Evaran raised a finger. “We have found a potential location on two of the Wildborn group. The goal is to capture them and obtain information. They are frequenting a club called Safrica on the outskirts of nearby New York City. It is run by a powerful lion-shifter boss named James McKinney, nicknamed Claw. Safrica serves as neutral ground for contract killers but masquerades as a dance club. While there is officially only one known entry point, Lee knows of another way.”
“You found all that out in an hour?” asked Emily.
“Analysis. Forty-one minutes and ten seconds.”
Evaran eyed V. “Yes, what V said. However, there was raw information not processed by the Helians yet. I had V process it. Several Helian informants have pictures of Bruno and Red Lightning going to the club together on multiple occasions. It is a start.”
“So … what’s this other way?” asked Emily.
Lee tapped at the table console. The large screen changed to show a bird’s-eye view of the outskirts of Northwest New York City. A set of lines were drawn
between an open area and several locations in the city. “These are tunnels that lead to an abandoned subway that Claw still uses. Safrica has … back entrance on one of the subway platforms. It will be guarded … but we may be able to take them by surprise. If we can get inside the club unannounced … I can hold Claw’s attention as a Helian representative and then clear the club. We seal the doors … and then we can interrogate him. He would definitely know about Bruno and Red Lightning. He may even be able to summon them.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?” asked Emily.
“Yes, and if it’s not obvious … I’m coming with you,” said Lee, adjusting his suit. “I’ve been to that club before. Not through the back entrance, though. That was given by informants. I also have two devices that can deliver a paralyzing agent if we need them … as well as magnetic restraints. Standard manager equipment.”
“Your presence would be appreciated, as we could use a guide, and also that equipment if necessary,” said Evaran.
“Safrica is the crime scene where a manager was killed. Technically … the scene was just outside of it. I don’t have fond memories of the place.”
“I see,” said Evaran. “What type of resistance can we expect?”
“Claw’s crew are mostly feline shifters of various types. He occasionally has other Outsiders … what you would refer to as … ancient gods. Also a few Daedrould types, and … others we can’t classify. There may be some contract killers there too … but they will clear out at any sign of a Helian inspection. Also, once inside the tunnels, we enter the domain of Beezlo … the self-proclaimed wererat king.”
Dr. Snowden remembered seeing multiple exotic energy strands outside the universe. Per Evaran, they could interact with living matter, giving rise to Outsiders, Daedroulds, and other mixes not yet classified. He was betting that was what the others were that Lee was referring to. Meeting wererats seemed almost tame compared to what he had faced before. “Well, dangerous tunnels, vicious bosses and crew, and missing Torvatta. We’re definitely in the right place.”
Evaran gestured at V. “We also have our own scout, so we will not be taken by surprise.”
“Analysis. They will not sneak by me.”