Zero Time

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Zero Time Page 25

by M. P. Swinnerton


  “You are wondering how I know so much about your private life, you poor sap, Zon. Do you really think I would forgive Planet Zero for blowing up our space ship with those delicious gifts of women, which you had provided us with, aboard? I have been eavesdropping on you for some time now, so I know of all your weaknesses. It is no good, you see, I hold the power in my hands now. I shall be master of the Zelites and eventually of all the Universe and there is nothing you can do to stop me!” Ottovio mouthed sarcastically to Zon.

  Then it started teasing Zon again, telling him that Zenith had taken so much pleasure in having Stef that he would not ever desire Zon again, and was Zon so stupid to believe that the woman, Stef, was his exclusively. It laughed derisively, confirming that Zenith had enjoyed Stef more than Zon would ever enjoy her.

  This apparition—this combination of Zenith and the evil Ottovio—hissed once more at Zon saying, “She will be mine now. What do you expect? Join me and you can have her back, plus any other female you desire.” Zon recoiled at the thought of what the evil Ottovio was trying to make him believe and once more he yelled at it to go away. But now, before his very eyes, the apparition transformed itself into a manifestation of his darling Uvarna.

  In appearance it was exactly the same as his Uvarna. He gasped in amazement and delight. “My darling, sweetest, Uvarna, what are you doing? How did you manage to get here?” He could hear her voice calling out to him, but it sounded far off. “Darling, come back to us. Try your hardest. Come back, please.”

  Then with great anguish he pushed the sight and thought of Uvarna from his mind, for Zon knew that the evil Ottovio was playing games with his mind. With a blood-curdling howl, Zon began to run. He ran for his life. He knew there was only one thing he could do that could save his sanity and Planet Zero now. He carried on running until he reached the safety of his own Air Rapid Transporter and swiftly flew back to Washington. Here he made his way to the Defense Department and quickly entered the hidden secret chamber where beat the very heart of Planet Zero's major power systems.

  No one, apart from Zon, his brothers, and a pair of the top scientists knew of the existence of this ‘smart room’. The power that existed deep in this chamber was unbelievably destructive, but Zon knew that the time had arrived for him to take advantage of this power and use it against the fearsome Ottos. Zon donned his protective clothing and sat at the computer desk in front of the machine that stored the power he was about to unleash. He started the instruments and beamed into the Outland area where he had last had contact with Ottovio and locked on the machine to follow Ottovio's trail. He stared in disbelief as the cursor on the computer moved quickly from the last point of contact until it came to rest behind him in the secret chamber. Zon swiveled his seat round in disbelief. “Oh no!” he cried in horror. There standing behind him, grinning, displaying his chiseled pointed yellow fangs, was the evil Ottovio.

  “You see, Zon, I told you I am now the Great Leader, you have lost your power, I am now in charge of the pathetic Zelites, so get on your knees and kiss my feet to show humiliation before I knock your head off your shoulders!” Ottovio roared.

  But Zon was not the Great Leader for nothing. In a flash of movement that was too quick for Ottovio to anticipate, Zon pushed the button to activate the Extinction Ray aimed at Ottovio. The disintegration of Ottovio was swift and amazing. He just shattered into minuscule pieces and disappeared into a shallow shadow of dust on the floor in front of Zon.

  Zon was back in control. He sent the other Otto warriors, who were in their spaceship awaiting instructions from General Ottovio, back to their own Planet with a promise that he would not pursue them as long as they, in turn, gave an assurance not to maraud any other planets.

  It was now time for Zon to get a grip on his personal affairs. He had been acting like a lovesick fool, but now had come to see clearly that his function in life was to govern and lead Planet Zero. He had to keep his head clear and ensure that in future there would be no repeat invasion from aliens or suchlike. He had neglected his responsibilities and had lapsed into such a careless way of life that he was badly shaken by the unexpected invasion by Ottovio and his followers.

  Zon decided to bring Zarn and Natasha back to stay for a while in Santa Barbara, where he could try and sort out their unruly lives and he could keep a watchful eye on their future. Ston quite happily took over the responsibility of the whole of the Liteland territory for the time being until Zon could sort out Zarn's problems.

  He had decided to forgive Stef and Zenith. Zenith was completely mortified by his own unforgivable behavior and requested a transfer to another planet, to which Zon reluctantly, but sensibly, agreed.

  It was decided that Zenith would be transferred to rule Planet Uno, which had now been vacated by the plundering Ottos. This planet had been a thorn in the side of Zon as he had lost many of his dearest friends there, and he had had half a mind to leave the planet vacant and use it as a memorial site for his loved ones who had been slaughtered on Planet Emmett and for a burial ground for the rare loss of any Zelites in the future.

  However, common sense eventually prevailed and Zon decided that Planet Uno was too valuable to leave to the dead. Zon knew that so far all extraterrestrial exploration to find another planet suitable for the Zelites to inhabit had proved negative, and it looked pretty obvious that very soon the Outlanders would have to be transferred to Planet Uno. As soon as Zon was sure that it was safe and adequate enough for the Outlanders to live on, then he would make a definite decision to evacuate and move all the Zelites and Litelanders as well to that planet.

  Finally when Zenith was packed and ready to leave, Zon called him to his office.

  As Zon awaited the arrival of Zenith, Zon experienced a very strange apparition. He saw this man enter the room and, although he was expecting Zenith, the person he saw looked like Zenith but was dressed in a white surgeon's gown and had various medical accoutrements attached to his gown. This strange hallucination soon disappeared and Zon, rubbing his eyes, quickly dismissed the anomaly as a figment of his imagination.

  When the real Zenith arrived, Zon explained that Planet Uno was to be reinstated as the planet next in line to Planet Zero with regard to universal power sharing, and he had chosen Zenith to rule that planet.

  “Now Zenith, for the time being I have chosen you to rule Planet Uno. I'm afraid that due to what you did, I cannot consider you as my brother or a citizen of Planet Zero any longer. Your new name from now on will be Uhlan, citizen of Planet Uno.”

  Zon explained that he required Uhlan to move the remaining Outlanders, who had decided not to join the Litelander project in South America, from Planet Zero to Planet Uno to enable the continuation of that race. “However, apart from carrying out that task, there is a more serious situation that I want you to take charge of. You are quite well aware Uhlan that Planet Zero's surface is shrinking slowly but surely. Our planet's shell is wrinkling as it becomes older and older, just like an ancient person's skin used to in times gone by. We have already suffered major problems with the Tectonic Plates. I do not need to explain to you, my learned friend, what the eventual consequence of this shriveling up of the planet will result in. Suffice to say we will all need to re-locate to another world or planet sooner or later. Now my plan is that you should prepare Planet Uno for the not too distant future habitation by the Zelites. I will give you a free hand to do whatever you think necessary. You need not rush into anything. The situation is not desperate yet, but I want you to work on plans for the eventual outcome, and when you think you have come up with the ideal solution, then call me and I will go over your ideas and see if I agree with them. You see, Uhlan, whatever mistakes you have made in the past, I still regard you with the utmost respect as a clever and knowledgeable GM and as far as solving this predicament is concerned, I am convinced you will come up with a positive resolution to this problem.”

  Uhlan winced visibly at the hidden snub he had received from Zon in the fact that he was not go
ing to be considered as Zon's best friend any more, or even be considered as the top GM man any more, but rather was to be considered as a somewhat inferior person from now on, just to be used for his installed intelligence and nothing else.

  Zon and Uhlan said their formal farewells by shaking hands and even though Uhlan made a move to hug him, Zon, having explained to Uhlan that though he would remain always supportive of Uhlan, their own particular relationship was over and done with for good, repelled this embrace. He assured Uhlan that he would always consider him to be a good colleague, but they could never get back on the same footing as before.

  They finally shook hands again and Uhlan sadly started to depart, waving to Zon, and as he took his leave, he called out, “Zon, whatever you think of me, I will always consider myself to be your dearest and truest friend. I will never ever let you down again and I just long for the day when you can bring yourself to call me your friend and brother again, for I am sure that this will happen one day. Perhaps when you come to live on Planet Uno you will begin to see things differently and will once again accept me as your true blood brother, so farewell for now, but not goodbye forever.”

  However, Zon still remained adamant that Stef could not revert to her previous state of life so that she could age gracefully at her will. He insisted that he needed her to carry out the functions required of his official lady. Stef was quite content with this arrangement, as she had already come to terms with the fact that she was going to live an extended life as a Zelite and could never now revert to her old lifestyle. Stef had always been truly in love with Zon and felt quite content with their present situation, and knew she might eventually gain Zon's trust again.

  Stef grew to accept her situation as a fully-fledged Zelite woman and gradually carried out her dutiful tasks with more and more enjoyment, falling once more utterly under the spell of this handsome man, but Zon himself knew he could never allow himself to fall into a love trap again. His vocation in life was to be a leader—not a lover! He still fancied Stef madly, but he would not fall into the ambush of being so much in love with anyone to let it blur his judgment. Zon and Stef continued to have a fantastic sexual relationship, but Zon also started to fancy other males, and gradually his attention was sometimes diverted from Stef to seeking out gratification from other virile, handsome Zelite males. Stef was shocked to find Zon in bed with another man one afternoon and threw one of her noisy and spectacular tantrums, throwing whatever was near at hand at Zon and his lover.

  Naturally, Zon could not let her get away with this and, grabbing her by the arm he threw her onto the bed and made love to her in front of his male lover. Turning to the other male, he laughingly asked, “Do you want some of this just for a change? Believe me, she is good!” The other man rejected the offer and reluctantly dressed and left Zon and Stef to their own devices.

  As Zon turned back to face Stef, he was surprised to see that she was dressed in a nurse's uniform, and although he rubbed his eyes, it was a few seconds before Zon could clearly see that he had experienced another strange apparition and in fact Stef was dressed quite normally in her regular daytime clothes. After dismissing the image from his mind, Zon told Stef to stop being a child and to grow up. He threatened to send her back to the Alps, and when she screamed at him that she would prefer that to having a man who wanted other lovers, he became slightly subdued and accepted that he had been rather cruel in offending Stef in such a manner. He put his arms around her and told her that the other man was just a fling and no one could ever come up to her standard, but she must understand that even Zon had desires and longings that were beyond his control. “Stef, honey, I will try and control my urges, but you must appreciate that I cannot always be faithful to you. My needs are greater than you can provide sometimes and there will be those occasions when I will seek out someone other than you, but I will make you one promise, which I hope will satisfy your feelings: I promise I will not bring any other lover into our bed here again. If I ever feel the need to be with someone else, I will take him or her elsewhere, not here. I cannot promise you more than that. Just try and remember who I am and respect my power.”

  “Well, lover boy, what if I fancy somebody else. Does the same go for me? Am I also at liberty to take other lovers?”

  “You know the answer to that Stef, you must never take another lover, ever again, otherwise I will ostracize you forever. After all, you have the honor of being the Great Leader's woman and that should be enough for you. I think I satisfy you sufficiently for you not to require the services of anyone else, don't I?”

  With that, Zon turned over and fell fast asleep, leaving Stef to lick her mental wounds alone, but Stef too, soon fell fast asleep and when they both awoke feeling completely revitalized and refreshed, Zon once more proved to her that she had no reason to seek out anyone else, and this time she completely and utterly agreed with him.

  His sons, under Zon's guidance, gradually settled into their roles in bringing the old South American Continent in line with the new Liteland community project, and both brothers helped one another to preside over this new young territory.

  As soon as she was old enough, Zarn and Natasha's first daughter decided to go and live with them in Liteland, and eventually she was able to become part of a proper happy family together with her younger brothers and sisters, who had not been compelled to live with Zon.

  Zon continued to have strange apparitions that became more and more frequent, but he was reluctant to visit a medical center, as they might insist that Zon was not a capable leader any more. He often had a strange sensation that his life on Planet Zero was coming to a close and that he was about to be forced to plummet into another existence. These thoughts became more and more prolific and he often pinched himself to bring himself out of these fantasies. Zon was now endeavoring to become a true High Leader to Planet Zero as his destiny dictated, but he still had a deep sadness in his heart that he had not been able to save his real true love, and would often sit alone looking at the night skies to hopefully catch the sight of a falling star to remind him of his sweet Uvarna.

  “Who knows, maybe my sweet Uvarna has managed to catch her falling star out there on her journey into space and will one day return for me,” Zon would wistfully think.

  CHAPTER 51

  The duty nurse was monitoring the coma patient's pulse when the sudden movement of the comatose man's arm reaching out to grab her hand startled her. “Stef,” he murmured. “Why are you dressed in those strange clothes and what have you done to your lovely long red hair?”

  The nurse smiled and rang for immediate attention. She realized that the patient was at last regaining consciousness. Very often it was the case that a sub-coma state patient became confused and believed that the nurse or intern was someone that they knew.

  “My name is Sister Stephanie O'Reilly. My hair is red, but it has to be tied back for hygiene's sake in the hospital ward,” she answered. “Please don't try and talk now. Just relax and the specialist will be along shortly to see you. You have been asleep for a very long time, you know!”

  Zon struggled to try and sit up and was shocked that he felt so weak. “What am I doing in hospital?” the patient kept asking.

  Very shortly an intern, named Kenneth, arrived, along with an entourage of nurses and equipment. Zon was convinced that this intern was his buddy Zenith, and it took some powerful persuasion to dissuade him. Zon began to realize that something very strange was happening to him. Everything was beginning to look vaguely familiar and yet bewilderingly odd.

  “Now, Mr. Johnson, I need to examine you and check your medical condition before sending you down for a brain scan. Please try and relax. I realize that it is going to be quite difficult for you as you have been out of this world, so as to speak, for quite a long time. Three months in fact!”

  After a general medical check, Mr. Johnson was taken for X-rays and scans, but kept insisting that he was Zon and not Mr. Johnson. Of course, the medical staff ignored his pleas and
gently reminded him that he was still suffering some delusions incurred by the effect of the blow to his head.

  The Duty Sister had called Mr. Johnson's wife as soon as the patient had regained consciousness and she was waiting nervously at his bedside when they wheeled him back from having his brain scans.

  She stood up by the side of the bed and smiled at her husband. “Hello, Ron. My goodness, you have had a long sleep!” She bent to kiss him and he gasped in amazement.

  “Uvarna, my darling.” He held his arms out to embrace her and she hugged him lovingly.

  “Ron, my name is Vanna, not Uvarna, but I am your wife and I am so glad to have you back.” She explained to Ron that there had been an earth tremor, which, although not very high on the Richter scale and not causing a lot of damage elsewhere, it had unfortunately affected the ceilings in Ron's office and he had been unlucky enough to have received a massive blow to the head when a piece of heavy plaster fell directly on to him.

  It took some little while before Ron Johnson could adjust to the fact that he was back in the real world and no longer in the fantasy world of Planet Zero, but gradually he was able to put the bits together, and his time in the world of Zon slipped slowly into near oblivion.

  His wife explained to him that they had become optimistic about his recovery when they had experimented by placing a sheet of paper and a pen in his hand and he had started slowly writing,“Thank you my Time Traveler friends” and also when he had started pinching himself.

  Vanna told him, “You used to call out ‘GOAL’ as though you were playing football. It was weird watching this phenomenon, but it was also a wonderful sign that you might be regaining consciousness. I prayed every day for some further sign. I kept watching for falling stars and eventually I saw one and made this wish that you would return to me, and my wish has finally come true.”

 

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