“This latest technician refuses to work.” He gave the cadet a look of contempt.
The Selkans’ constant crying and wailing were causing the assistant to shake with emotion. Victus was disgusted by his display of weakness. He looked down at Sadi and was surprised to see the look of pleasure on her face. She seemed to be enjoying their suffering. He smiled and thought, This is why I chose you.
The doctor grabbed his assistant by the shoulders and shook him. “You are a servant to the galaxy.” He gestured at the Selkans. “These are only cattle. Do not let emotions cloud your judgment.”
“I have a solution to your dilemma.” Victus put a hand on Sadi’s back and led her forward. “Our newest cadet will not balk at performing the tasks you require.”
“Really?” Doctor Abrams looked at Sadi. “And what is your name?”
“Cassadi Stevens,” she said through the collar of the uniform.
“Are you trained?”
“I possess a comprehensive knowledge of medical and technical disciplines.”
Victus turned to Sadi. “And what is your ability?”
“I can increase or decrease pain.”
One of Doctor Abrams’s large white eyebrows lifted. “That is useful, quite useful. If I’m correct, you can read pain as well.”
“Yes, pain and pleasure.”
“And do you know what we do here?”
“No.” Sadi studied the Selkans. Some stared at the wall with dead eyes. Frightened children and teenagers clutched at their parents. But a group of three Selkans near the back wall caught her attention. There was a big one in blue coveralls and an old tattooed male. They held a little girl between them.
Doctor Abrams pointed at the cage. “These new Selkans need their plugs installed. This involves shaving their amygdalae.”
Sadi’s eyebrows knit together. “What for?”
“It allows us to initiate a fight-or-flight response at will.” The doctor picked a circular piece of metal off a nearby cart with his gloved hands. “By presenting them with a fear-based scenario, we activate their ability to teleport.”
“They can teleport?” Sadi leaned back against the operating table.
“Yes,” Victus said. “You didn’t know?”
Sadi shook her head. “But how does one Selkan transporting do you any good?’
“Ah, that is the real trick.” The doctor set the part down and motioned for them to follow him. They entered a room where the air was clean and cool. Red lights lit twelve pods that lined the walls. A cluster of cables sprouted from the head of each pod and joined the others at the center of the ceiling. A Selkan lay inside each one like they were sleeping in a bed. “They are each taking part in group hypnosis.”
“Like a shared dream?” Sadi asked.
“Yes, exactly,” the doctor said as he caressed one of the pods.“That way, when we trigger their ability, they all transport together, and amplify it to affect the entire ship.”
“That’s incredible,” Sadi said. “Can you amplify other abilities?”
“Yes,” Victus said. “It’s how we maintain gravity on this section of the ship and provide an exterior view inside the bridge.”
“Could you enhance my ability?” Sadi asked.
“Perhaps,” The doctor rubbed his chin. “If you allow me to study you.”
“Okay,” Sadi said.
“For now, we should let them sleep.” Doctor Abrams led them out of the room and quietly closed the door behind them.
“Sadi, are you willing to assist Doctor Abrams in his operation?”
“I still don’t know what this is exactly, but I’m eager to try.”
“Excellent.” Victus turned to the assistant. “You are dismissed. Report to the psych ward.”
“Yes, sir.” The assistant rushed from the room without looking back.
The doctor sighed. “That’s the second assistant this month. I hope this one works out better.”
“I have no doubt that she will.” Victus turned to Sadi. “Can you start right away?”
“Yes.” Sadi looked at the Selkans. “As long as he can be first.” She pointed at the big Selkan in blue mechanics coveralls.
Victus studied the alien and felt a pressure in his mind. He forced himself into stillness and reached out toward the big Selkan. No. He took a step back. This alien is an Æon. Such a thing should not be possible. He looked around and wondered if anyone else knew. “Yes, perform the procedure immediately. Miss Stevens shall assist.”
Doctor Abrams opened a black case and withdrew a gun. He inserted a cartridge into the chamber and aimed it at the large Selkan. The little Selkan girl screamed as a dart sunk into his neck just above his coveralls. After a few seconds, the Selkan fell to the floor, unconscious.
The doctor opened the cage door, and the Selkans cowered against the back wall. Together, he and Victus dragged the large Selkan from the cage. All the while, the little Selkan girl screamed and held on to his limp body. Sadi had to hold the girl back just so they could get him out and close the door. Then they strapped the big Selkan to the operating table.
Victus wanted to stay and observe his new ward in action, but he had work to do elsewhere. “Report to me on her progress.”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, Admiral.”
“Sadi,” Victus said. “I will be on the bridge if you need me.”
Sadi nodded.
Victus turned on his heel and left the room. The sounds of wailing faded away as the door swung shut.
Inside the Tamarack’s bridge, Earth filled the view from below. Lights from hundreds of cities spotted the dark globe, and its single moon shone down from above them. The bridge staff’s faces were lit from below by the soft blue glow of displays. Victus walked to the base of the command deck and climbed the ladder. This simple task was made more difficult because of the Riftkey he clutched tightly in his hand.
“Welcome back, sir,” Carmen Jacquay, the wing commander, greeted him. “Your plan worked flawlessly. You must be relieved.”
“Not flawlessly. Jack Spriggan is missing.” Below them, a swirl of clouds floated above the Pacific. Victus leaned on the rail and looked out over the ocean as if he could see where Jack had gone.
“The pilot who verified that the Selkans’ were on Earth?” Carmen asked.
“Yes.”
Marcus, the captain of the Tamarack, said, “We should we send a team to locate him, and to wrap up any loose ends.”
“Not to kill him.” The wing commander cast a sideways glance at the captain.
Captain Marcus cleared his throat.
“No, Marcus.” Victus looked at the captain. “We cannot keep the Selkans’ presence a secret, but hopefully, with the aliens back in our possession, no one will believe Unity’s claims of their existence.”
“If you think that’s enough,” Marcus said.
“I do.”
Carmen nodded in agreement. “What are your plans for getting us home?”
Victus lifted the Riftkey.
“Is that what I think it is?” Marcus asked.
“It is.” Victus smiled.
Marcus grinned and clapped the admiral on the back.
“What is it?” Carmen asked.
“This is the Sol Riftkey.” Victus turned it so that it reflected the light of the projected moon. “With it, I can finally become a Terminal master.”
34
Virosuit
The drop of sweat landed on the Risi’s forehead. The giant reached up with a massive hand, touched his head, and examined his fingers. Then, he looked up the tree, and his eyes met Jenny’s. With a quick, fluid movement, the Risi nocked an arrow to his bow and pointed it at her.
Jenny pushed her back against the tree trunk and yanked her sidearm free of its holster. She wobbled for a moment on the tree branch but steadied herself with her injured arm. Suddenly, she was overcome by an intense wave of fear. In her mind’s eye, she saw Sadi looking down at her with curiosity. She was no longer in the forest
. Instead, she was lying on a cold metal table in a strange room that smelled like an animal pen.
Heavy straps bound her hands and feet, and her head couldn’t move at all. Jenny heard a whirring sound. There was a sharp pinch in the back of her cranium followed by heavy pressure. Pain lanced through her body. Sadi’s eyes twinkled, and a grin spread across her freckled face.
“Keep him still,” a man said. “Take away his pain.”
Sadi nodded, and the pain vanished.
Jenny slipped sideways on the branch, and her stomach lurched. She scrambled to catch herself and dropped the gun. She hung there with her uninjured arm wrapped around the limb. What just happened? Jenny thought. It’s like I was somewhere else for a second, but where? And why did I see Sadi?
Below her, the Risi nocked an arrow to his bow. As he lined up a shot through the tree’s branches, Jenny swung her leg over the limb. She felt a jolt, and a javelin-size arrow sprouted from her branch. Before the Risi let loose a second arrow, a roar erupted from the clearing. It was the wild-looking Risi. He clawed at an arrow in his neck. A moment later, the wild Risi fell to the blood-soaked grass with a wet gurgle.
Jenny caught a flash of metal from behind a tree trunk, and her heart lifted. It was Rygelus. She watched as he readied another arrow and took aim. A second Risi roared in anger as he yanked a feathered shaft from his shoulder. The giant turned and pointed at Rygelus.
Bushes and small trees exploded into splinters as the enraged giants charged the archer. Another arrow hit a Risi in the chest before Rygelus abandoned his position and fled farther into the forest. Once the giants were out of sight, Jenny climbed down from the tree and retrieved her gun.
Nearby, Kensei picked up his heavy bag from the base of his tree. “That was close. I thought we were goners.”
Jenny holstered her pistol and turned to Brock. “Will Rygelus be okay?”
He smiled. “Nothing on two legs can catch that man.”
“Do we wait for him here?” Adriana asked.
“No, we keep going. Rygelus will find us.” Brock shouldered his pack. “Heather, please show us the way.”
Heather led them out of the Esperanza forest to a rocky caldera that was nearly five kilometers in diameter. At its center, a mud lake belched sulfuric steam.
“What is that?” Adriana pointed toward the far end of the caldera. The edge of an enormous, shiny object glinted in the sun. It was half-buried under an earthen mound.
“That’s my crashed spaceship, the Tricaster,” Rygelus said.
Everyone but Brock jumped in surprise as Rygelus walked up behind them.
“This is the first time I have returned to the site of my daughter’s death.”
Jenny looked at the ghost of Nimue, who remained next to her father. “You haven’t been back here for hundreds of years?”
“Thousands.” Rygelus took a pull from his copper flask and returned it to his camouflage jacket.
“Why not?” Jenny asked.
“Being in this place reminds me of the crash, and my memory is perfect.”
“What do you mean by ‘perfect’?”
“I can recall every memory,” Rygelus said. Then he went on to describe every detail of his and Jenny’s first meeting. He remembered the exact position of the sun, the air temperature, and the humidity when he found her. He knew what Jenny was wearing, and which foot she’d tripped over in the stream. “And time has not dulled the pain of Nimue’s loss.” He reached into his jacket for the flask.
“How did she die?” Adriana asked.
“There was once a mountain here.” Rygelus held the copper flask out toward the caldera. “My partner, Ramus, and I were in the spaceship on our way to retrieve Nimue from her mission. We did not know that the mountain was a dormant supervolcano about to erupt.” He took another drink from his flask. “When the blast hit, our shields failed, and we crashed.”
“How did you survive something like that?” Kensei asked.
“We did not,” Rygelus said.
“Uh.” Kensei looked Rygelus up and down. “You’re standing here.”
“My mind entered a dormant state while nano-organisms repaired the damage to my body. When I woke, it seemed like the crash had just happened, but days had passed. I found my daughter’s charred remains in her room. I buried her along with the Riftkey. Not knowing how to live without her, I left the spaceship to live in the forest. Many years have passed since that day. I have watched the trees grow old and die.” He held the flask in trembling fingers. “But I still remember burying my daughter as if it was yesterday.”
“It’s okay.” Jenny gripped Rygelus’s arm, keeping him from lifting the flask to his lips again.
“The worst part is that I know part of her remains alive. Her consciousness was bound to both the Riftkey and the virosuit, so her spirit is forced to remain. She could even be here, right now, with us.” Rygelus looked around, his eyes passing over the ghost of Nimue, unable to see her.
“It’s okay to keep loving her,” Jenny said. “I know what it’s like to lose someone. I lost my mother to cancer, and I just saw Lin die.” Jenny gritted her teeth. “But you have to learn how to let go and move on.” She looked at the ghost of Nimue.
Rygelus followed her gaze. “I cannot forget her.”
“It’s not about forgetting. It’s…it’s about allowing yourself to change, to become a stronger person. She would want you to live.”
“You are wise for being so young.” He screwed the cap onto his flask and looked at Brock. “I will try.”
Brock squeezed his shoulder. “That’s all I ever wanted.”
“Hurry, hurry.” Heather scuttled behind a rock. “Friends this way.”
Heather led them on a secret route around the caldera. There was a strange beauty in this place on the edge of a forest filled with life, next to the harsh environment of the sulfuric lake. Pools of yellow, red, and blue dotted the landscape below while birds of the same colors flew among the trees’ branches. Their path ended at a cave whose opening resembled a wolf’s head in a permanent howl to the sky.
Heather stopped in front of the entrance. “This way to Alfur home.”
Jenny turned on her flashlight and entered the cave. The tunnel walls were dark and smooth as if hollowed out by a humongous drill. It was even tall enough for Brock to walk without ducking. Springs of water trickled down the surface of the walls and raced down the sloping path. The only trouble they encountered was that their path ended at the intersection of a more massive tunnel.
Heather pointed in the upslope direction of the new tunnel. “That way lead back outside.” Then, he pointed downslope. “Alfur home this way.”
They followed the stream downward, and the passage grew more complicated. The path meandered, and the walls became jagged. There were stalactites to bump your head on, and stalagmites to stub your toe. At one point, the rescuers had to squeeze and scrape through a narrow cleft in the rock.
Once they were through, the air changed. It grew warmer and carried a smell that reminded Jenny of chemistry class. Ahead of them, a couple of blocky rock formations stood in front of an enormous cavern. As they approached, the rock formations moved. They weren’t rocks at all, but Alfur in some type of stony armor. Each stood a foot taller than Heather and carried an obsidian-tipped spear. Their heads were different too. With their small ears and massive skulls, they resembled pit bulls. One of the guards turned and shouted. His deep voice echoed through the chamber.
Heather ran forward and took a passive posture before them. After conversing with the guards for a minute, Heather returned to the rescuers. “Alfur not happy with Heather.”
“Big surprise there,” Kensei said.
“Strangers not welcome here.”
The guards lowered their spears at them. Brock gripped the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back.
“No fight,” Heather pleaded, and his body shook. “Alfur guards use poison weapons. Alfur never have visitors. No trust.”
Heather relayed the message to the guards and returned to Jenny. “Alfur let friends go. Must leave weapons here.”
There were some words of protest, but Brock finally unstrapped his sword, and Rygelus removed his bow. The rest of them removed their guns and knives. Jenny was allowed to keep her burstepi.
Once they were disarmed, the guards led them inside the cavern. A few centimeters of warm water covered the entire floor, and each step in the shallow lake stirred up a cloud of bioluminescence. Above them, the ceiling glowed like a perpetual lava fireplace. Hundreds of holes pockmarked the wall to their right. Small glowing heads peered through to watch them. To their left, a pyramid—cut out of solid, dark rock—stretched from floor to ceiling.
The sight of the structure nagged at Jenny’s memory. It looked familiar, but where had she seen this pyramid before? As Jenny focused, the air grew as dense as water. Circular waves moved languidly out from the face of the pyramid. She had felt this calling before. First with the Riftkey in the ruins of the fort, then with Astrea’s Waypoint key in the basement of the Department of Transportation. That’s it, she realized. She had seen this pyramid at the climax of her vision. Jenny grabbed Heather’s hand and pointed at the pyramid. “What is that?”
“Alfur worship there.”
“It’s a temple?”
Heather nodded. Two smaller, more delicate Alfur stepped in front of the guards. They were children who wanted to see the visitors. More Alfur climbed down from their homes in the wall and crowded around them.
Like Heather, these newcomers had fox-like faces and glowing fur. A rattling sound caught Jenny’s attention. Five warriors escorted a bent and ancient Alfur. His thin gray fur glowed dimly beneath an outfit of bleached bones. He leaned on a staff adorned with beads and studied them through the empty eye sockets of a subterranean predator that he wore as a mask.
The Key of Astrea Page 39