The Shadow Connection

by Adair Hart

  Zed emerged through the smoke and chaos. “What the hell is going on?”

  Darius peeked around and then stood. “Caltorus is here. It looks like Psyotica has control of Council Member Ardorin, and judging from the robots, he’s reversed their defense protocols. He’s also shutting down the video feeds across the base.”

  “I am fixing that,” said Evaran. He paused. “V, scout mode. Find Caltorus, and keep us appraised of his movement.”

  “Acknowledged. Scout mode engaged,” said V as he shimmered and then flew off.

  “I have returned control of the security system to you and also locked out the rest of Ardorin’s access. However, we have another problem. It appears Count Boris, Bruno, and Red Lightning have been freed.”

  “What?” asked Zed, storming up to the Evaran. “Where are they?”

  Darius interacted with the console. “Checking. I also assessed the damage the BDRs did. Lot of casualties reporting in.”

  Dr. Snowden walked over and stood next to Evaran. “BDRs?”

  “Base-defense robots, the ones we just encountered,” said Evaran. “This base is well defended, unless the security system turns on you.”

  “Caltorus is cocky,” said Darius. He tapped at the console, causing a projection of the base layout to appear. Red, green, and blue dots were scattered around. “The red dots are Caltorus and his group, those without a base profile. The green is our side, and the blue are the BDRs. He’s split his group up. Some are headed to the rift door room. Checking the feeds.”

  The screens switched to show various rooms.

  Dr. Snowden swallowed hard as he saw the corpses of Helian guards everywhere. The BDRs probably caught them by surprise. Some of the guards were still shooting at the BDRs. In other screens, the Helians were fighting the Druuz.

  Darius pointed at a screen. “There. Decatron and Ares are headed to the rift door room.” He gestured at another. “And looks like Caltorus and Psyotica are headed to meet up with Count Boris and the others. I’m not sure how long these video feeds will stay up.”

  Evaran rubbed his chin. “If you can secure the rift door room, I will handle Caltorus and his group. V will be able to give us updates on Caltorus’s movement regardless of the video feed stability.”

  “I’ll send what I can to the rift door room. We have INRA inbound, but the majority of them are about an hour out. However, a rapid-response team should be outside the base in about thirty minutes.”

  “We will hold until then,” said Evaran. He swept his gaze across the others. “Let us capture Caltorus. Robert, you may want to wait here.”

  Robert shook his head. “After what happened on that other rift door world? No way.” He tapped at his sidearm. “I’m coming this time.”

  Dr. Snowden could see the anger in Robert’s eyes and understood that Jake’s beating at the hands of Caltorus and his group probably ignited a fire in Robert.

  “I understand,” said Evaran. “Get your shields out and be ready to fight. V has located Caltorus but has stopped responding.”

  Dr. Snowden’s stomach churned. “Oh, no … you don’t think …”

  “He is still alive, wherever he is.”

  “Then let’s go!” said Emily.

  Evaran waved forward. “According to their paths, they are headed to a hangar bay.”

  “They’re gonna fly out,” said Jake with wide eyes.

  “I suspect they know Helian protocol quite well and that their exit would be blocked.”

  “They better not have hurt V!” said Emily with fire in her eyes.

  “Go. I’ll coordinate from here. Zed, go with them,” said Darius.

  “No way I’m letting Count Boris escape,” said Zed.

  Dr. Snowden could see that Emily and Zed were pumped up and ready to fight. He knew they had to take Psyotica fast; otherwise it could be a repeat of the last fight. Hopefully V was okay, and it was just a communication issue. As they hustled down to the hangar bay, he took note of the BDRs moving around. In addition to the robots, he had to step around the Helian-guard corpses. The BDRs had done a number on them.

  After twenty minutes, they arrived at the large hangar bay. A firefight was in progress between a small group of Helian guards with BDRs on one side and a small group of Druuz on the other.

  Evaran looked around. “Caltorus has not arrived yet. This must be his vanguard. Let us help the others in this room.”

  Zed’s eyes flared as he charged toward the Druuz.

  As the Druuz turned to focus on Zed, Dr. Snowden hit them with a mist beam, and Emily followed up with a stun beam. A portion of the Druuz fell to the ground.

  Evaran hit the remaining Druuz with a repulsion beam, causing them to spill out from behind cover. Zed reached them and began to knock them around.

  Jake and Robert found cover and took potshots at the scattered Druuz that had spread out.

  With the aid of the small Helian group and in a short amount of time, they were able to defeat the Druuz.

  Evaran waved his finger while addressing the small Helian group. “Take them away. There are more powerful beings coming this way.”

  The Helian group buzzed around, clapping handcuffs on the Druuz and then beating a quick retreat out of the room.

  Fifteen minutes later, the room was mostly cleared.

  As one of the Helian guards was exiting the hangar bay, he fell to a barrage of red lightning from a side hallway. His body stopped moving.

  “Shields up!” said Evaran as he extended his baton toward the entrance where the guard had fallen.

  Count Boris and Red Lightning entered the room. They paused at seeing Evaran and crew, then ducked back into the hallway.

  Zed bolted after them.

  “Zed! Come back!” said Evaran. He sighed. “Emily, go after him. I need to be here for Caltorus.”

  Emily dipped her head, then took off.

  “I didn’t see Bruno,” said Dr. Snowden.

  “Yes. That was curious. However, we need to prepare for Caltorus and his group,” said Evaran.

  Dr. Snowden gulped when he took notice of the small group that would face Caltorus. Evaran had contacted Darius and was requesting backup. So far everything seemed to be going okay, but he knew how quickly that could change. Not having V was a handicap. He walked up to Jake and Robert. “You two ready for this?”

  “If we don’t make it, we tried,” said Jake.

  Robert smiled. “That’s my boy.”

  “Let’s hope we make it then,” said Dr. Snowden. He turned to watch Evaran scanning around the room. The arrival of several BDRs and Helian guards eased his mind some. His thoughts turned to Emily and Zed. They were pumped up and now chasing Count Boris and Red Lightning. Although he had wanted to go, he was not sure he would be able to keep up. He had been training some with Emily, but he needed to step up his game. Situations like this emphasized the necessity. He watched as the guards began to set up a defensive perimeter. With a sigh, he joined in helping them.

  Emily rushed down the hallway. Zed had a head start, and judging by how fast he could move, he would be a challenge to catch up to. Her nanobots were pulsating through her, and she could feel the enhanced strength and speed kick in. A small grin formed as she thought about Evaran trusting her to handle this. It made her feel important and needed. She was part of a team, and it was moments like this that she treasured. After ten minutes of sprinting, she approached a room.

  A buzzing sound echoed out ahead.

  She burst into the room where Red Lightning was tossing everything at Zed. Count Boris had already fled and left Red Lightning to fend for herself.

  “You!” said Red Lightning. “Bitch!” She extended her hand toward Emily and shot out a red arc of electricity.

  Emily raised her shield and extended her PSD into a staff.

  The lighting hit the shield and dissipated.

  Red Lightning aimed at the ground. “Dodge this!” As she began to lower her arm, Zed stepped forward and hit her in the chest.
She went flying back as a red arc shot out toward the ceiling.

  Emily took the opportunity to surge forward. When she got to Red Lightning, Emily shot a sticky globule on both of Red Lightning’s hands.

  Red Lightning gnashed her teeth as she tried to stand. Her hands stuck to the floor.

  Emily placed her staff against Red Lightning’s chest. “Zed! The paralyzing agent.”

  Zed pulled out one of his paralyzing devices. He quickly tapped it against Red Lightning’s neck.

  Red Lightning went limp.

  “I’m tracking Count Boris via the base’s visual feeds. He’s headed back to the detention center,” said Zed.

  “Go!” said Emily. “I’ll carry her back there.”

  Zed jumped up and then barreled out of the room.

  Emily observed Red Lightning and wondered what she got out of all this. Emily turned Red Lightning over and used the sticky globs to keep her hands together against her back. With some effort and careful lifting, Red Lightning was placed over Emily’s shoulder. She continued to the detention center. Although her pace was slowed, she hoped she could get Red Lightning back in her cell. Zed would probably need help fighting Count Boris. It took Emily ten minutes, but she finally arrived at the detention center.

  Zed was a maelstrom of blows as he knocked Count Boris around.

  Emily ran over to the side and laid Red Lightning down. As powerful as Count Boris was, Zed was fueled by fury. Her eyes wrinkled when she saw Bruno standing in the corner near the area where the cells slid up. “Bruno?”

  Bruno raised his hands. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m … cooperating. I just didn’t want to be in that damn cell anymore.”

  “Help me!” said Count Boris as he deflected Zed’s anger-filled attacks.

  “As I said before … No … I’m sorry.”

  “Coward!”

  Count Boris flew into the side wall as Zed landed a big hit. Count Boris sat up against the wall. “I’ve lived for over a thousand years. I’m not going to die here.” He raised his hands and smiled. “I surrender.”

  Zed grabbed Count Boris’s legs and pulled him out so that Count Boris was on his back. Zed then straddled him. “You killed my father!”

  Count Boris licked his lips, exposing his fangs.

  “You have nothing to say?”

  “What can I say? It’s done. You won’t kill me, because I’m Evaran’s prisoner.”

  Zed seethed for a moment. “Evaran’s not here.”

  Emily gulped as she remembered Lee dying. Although she had only known him for a short time, she knew he was a good person. And now here was his son, seeking vengeance. If someone had killed Dan, her father, and she had them in her sights, would she do the same? A pit formed in her stomach. “Don’t kill him. Evaran wouldn’t want that.”

  “Then stop me,” said Zed, giving her a defiant look.

  This was not what she expected, but fighting an angry manager, Count Boris, and possibly Bruno did not seem like a wise decision. “I …” She sighed, and then looked away.

  “No … it’s not right … you can’t leave justice to him!” said Count Boris.

  “She’s got balls,” said Bruno, chuckling.

  Emily’s eyes searched the ground.

  Zed smiled. “Looks like you’re going to get what you deserve.” He punched straight down through Count Boris’s chest.

  Count Boris screamed in agony, then went silent.

  Zed used both hands to split Count Boris’s chest apart. With a mighty two-handed punch, Zed smashed in Count Boris’s face. Zed sat for a minute and then stood. “Now, it’s done. My father has been avenged.” He looked at Bruno. “You stayed out of it. Are you going to be a problem now?”

  Bruno shook his head. “Like I said, I’m cooperating.”

  Emily turned back around and saw Count Boris’s mangled body. Her stomach churned at the sight of blood and guts. “That was wrong.”

  “You had your chance to stop me.”

  Her eyes flared. “I should have. Let’s just get Red Lightning in her cell. We need to get back.”

  Zed walked over to the console and pulled up a cell.

  Once it appeared, the force field dissipated and Emily laid Red Lightning inside.

  “What do we do with you?” asked Zed, facing Bruno.

  “I’m staying here. I’ll wait until Evaran comes.”

  “Why the change of heart?”

  “I’ve had time to study in that damn cell. The Helians here have a lot of information on Evaran that Caltorus didn’t. It’s foolish to fight Evaran. I understand that now, and I’m not risking his wrath for a dumb contract. From what I understand, though … we were Evaran’s prisoners, and you just killed one. I don’t think he’s gonna like that.” He crooked a thumb at Emily. “Or that princess here allowed it.”

  “I didn’t allow it!” said Emily.

  “You didn’t stop it,” said Bruno. “Same thing.”

  Zed sighed. “One problem at a time.”

  Emily closed her eyes for a moment as she frowned. Bruno was right. Evaran would not be happy with her. He had sent her because he trusted her. Her throat constricted. She opened her eyes and gritted her teeth as her eyes shot fire at Zed. “You couldn’t restrain yourself?”

  “It was my right! This asshole killed my father! In my culture, this is expected.”

  Emily shook her head. “You don’t just toss out the law because your culture says so. Your species was invited to Earth. No … I think your father would be disappointed.”

  “This is getting good,” said Bruno.

  “Shut up!” said Emily.

  Bruno harrumphed as he lay back against the wall with crossed arms.

  Zed shook a hand out at Emily. “You didn’t know my father like I did.”

  “You’re right, but I knew him long enough to know his character. He wouldn’t have wanted this.”

  “I disagree,” said Zed.

  Emily rubbed her temples. “I saw your dad die. His last act was to offer himself for the lives of others. He was true to his character as I knew it until the very end.”

  Zed looked down for a moment, and then sighed. “Well … we need to get back to Evaran.”

  Emily felt lava running in her blood. To be made a part of such a heinous act due to inaction raged a battle inside her. With a final look at Count Boris and Zed, she spun around and stormed out of the room.

  Dr. Snowden gulped as Caltorus and the Druuz barged into the hangar bay. Psyotica was beside Caltorus and had her hand extended toward Council Member Ardorin, who shuffled along with blank eyes. Decatron carried a box while flanked by Ares and a small group of Druuz. Emily had sent confirmation that she and Zed were on their way back. Dr. Snowden sensed something off in the way she spoke. Maybe it was just jitters from having to deal with Count Boris and Red Lightning. The fact that she was communicating at all probably meant they had dealt with the situation, and Count Boris and Red Lightning were back in their cells.

  Caltorus stepped forward as more Druuz filled the room behind him. “Well … here we all are again.” He wagged a finger at Evaran. “You … surprise me. You weren’t supposed to be here. You’re more devious than I expected. I’m going to guess … that the robots turning on us was you. I suspect you’re also responsible for shutting off our rift door access to the world we first met on. Count Boris being in a cell was also a surprise.”

  “You are correct,” said Evaran, taking a step forward with his shield active. “There has been a lot of death.”

  “Oh … I know,” said Caltorus. “But there doesn’t need to be any more.” He eyed Evaran. “Let’s make a deal. God to god.”

  “I am not a god, but I am listening.”

  Caltorus smiled at Psyotica.

  She lowered her head and closed her eyes.

  Dr. Snowden jumped as Jake and Robert leaped forward and rushed over to stand next to Psyotica. They drew their pistols and pointed them at their heads.

  “What are you doing?
” asked Evaran.

  “Insurance,” said Caltorus. He gestured at the box that Decatron was carrying. “Your precious V is in that box. He is very much alive, but can’t communicate. He does fly fast … for a machine, but he is not faster than a god. I admit … he possesses something truly unique, something … new that I don’t understand. I sense that about you as well.”

  “I can sense him.”

  “Of course you can. You’re beyond what was described to me. I know that now. You somehow escaped,” said Caltorus, casting a sidelong glance at Ares, “from restraints that would supposedly hold you, but enough of that. Here’s the deal. You give me Bruno, Red Lightning, and Count Boris and allow us safe passage out via one of those ships behind you, and in return, I give V, Council Member Ardorin, and your two,” said Caltorus, gesturing at Jake and Robert, “weaknesses back to you.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “Then we fight. I know Darius and his guards are closing in, and the INRA are beginning to arrive in numbers. You may very well win, but there will be casualties.” He gestured at the box V was in. “Ones you … probably wouldn’t like.”

  Evaran’s gaze bored a hole through Caltorus.

  Emily and Zed burst into the room.

  Caltorus stepped back a bit as the Druuz took aim.

  “They are with me,” said Evaran.

  Caltorus extended an arm out, causing the Druuz to lower their staff weapons.

  Zed and Emily hustled over to Evaran.

  “More weaknesses,” said Caltorus. “So … do we have a deal?”

  Evaran sighed as he looked around. “We have a deal.”

  “Excellent. Now … Count Boris, Bruno, and Red Lightning were on their way here, yet I don’t see them,” said Caltorus

  Zed raised his head. “I don’t know what deal was reached, but I have avenged my father. Count Boris is no more. Bruno is outside his cell, and Red Lightning is in hers.”

  Evaran snapped his head toward Zed. “Count Boris was not yours to kill.” His gaze settled on Emily, then back at Zed. “I am disappointed.”

  Dr. Snowden could see Emily’s eyes dull. He knew that look. It was the same one he had seen when she found out that her virtual-simulation girlfriend did not match up with reality when they were brought back to Earth. She was inconsolable, and he suspected this hit her hard, especially since she looked up to Evaran as a father figure. Dr. Snowden figured it was just a misunderstanding, and would be cleared up, but not right at the moment.