by Sahara Foley
“Why do you let them kill us?”
“They must birth. All life depends on them.*
“All our lives, you mean,” Karrin said with a cruel smile.
*No. ALL LIFE.*
“Enough, you fucking rock. Explain to me in simple, plain English, or I’ll start blasting every one of your units, right now.”
*Do Not,* screamed the voice in her head, causing Karrin to flinch. *I will explain. The Srellooks hold their Universe together by their combined energy. As they grow old and disabled, they must birth to replace weakened ones. With your wide variety of life forms and energy, your Universe is the perfect place for them to birth. There are no other systems that offer the same type of energy levels. They must birth here.*
Karrin rolled her eyes. “So, what if they die off? Who cares? We call it extinction.”
*Their Universe IS the time-slip. It is the buffer zone between all other Galaxies and inter-dimensional systems. If they are unable to maintain the balance in their system, ALL systems will fold and die.*
“Are you lying?” Karrin asked. “ Are you simply trying to save yourself?”
*Nature does not lie.*
Karrin heard the sincerity in its words. Her shoulders slumped as the ramifications sank home and she slowly made her way back to the ship. “Did you overhear what it told me?”
*Yes,* responded Arthur. “So, we’re damned if we do, and damned if we don’t.*
Soul weighed down with a decision no one should face, the teenager strode toward the vessel. “Oh, my God. If I save us, I’m condemning everyone else to death. How many worlds and life forms are we talking about?”
*From our time watching at the inter-dimensional slip, billions,* Daisy answered. *Many of them overlap or run parallel to each other.*
Karrin entered the ship and sank into the nearest chair and leaned her arms and head against the silver console. “So, by saving ourselves, we’re killing billions of other people,” she whispered. “And, we’d still end up dead.” She straightened and rubbed her eyes. “What happens when a Universe folds?”
“Something of this magnitude has never happened before. My best guess would be a huge hole in the time-space continuum, which will last forever.” Daisy shrugged. “This whole concept boggles our brains and databases. The end of every living thing is just too unfathomable.”
Karrin leaned her head against the back of the chair, staring up at the domed ceiling. We’re doomed. It’s us or everyone. I might survive, but what’s the point if the ones I love aren’t here with me? I don’t think I can handle the loneliness again. I’ll end up going crazy. She sniffed a few times, tears sliding down her face.
The food unit next to Karrin’s chair beeped. She opened it and removed a big glass full of silver liquid. Taking a sip, she made a face, then took her time drinking it down.
*Was that Brandy?* Arthur asked his companions in their mental network. *Why did Weesa give her so much?*
*Weesa didn’t,* said Daisy. *She operated the food unit herself.*
“Oh,* Arthur replied, surprised. *I thought Weesa didn’t allow anyone to use her system. I couldn’t, and neither can Pam or Cal.*
*Well, it seems your granddaughter can,* Weesa responded in an indignant voice.
Karrin finished her Brandy and pushed a button on the chair until it reclined into a bed. Closing her eyes with a weary sigh, she fell asleep.
*Poor, kid,* Arthur said softly. *I thought my life was terrible on Earth, but she’s been handed a plate full of shit. Several of them. What she needs is a hug, and I can’t give her one.*
*Me, either,* said Daisy. *At least, she can sleep for a while.*
*Not for long,* interjected Weesa. *Someone is coming from the slip.*
Before anyone could ask ‘who’, there was a flash of silver-white light and Pam stood next to Karrin. Tears streaming down her face, she reached out and shook her granddaughter's shoulder.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Karrin jerked awake and bolted upright in the chair. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her head. A nightmare of wandering a vast, black void while searching for someone – anyone – faded.
Pam ’s pale face peered down at her. “Karrin, I need your help. Cal and Lurga are gone.” She broke into wracking sobs and buried her face in her hands.
The groggy teenager swung her legs over the side of the chair as she glanced around the round room, her heart racing. “What do you mean they're gone? What happened?”
Pam took a shuddering breath and wiped her red-rimmed eyes. “The Srells captured them. I don’t know what to do.” She sank to her knees and placed her head in Karrin’s lap as she cried.
The befuddled girl gently stroked her grandmother’s glossy black hair. None of this makes any sense. The Srells didn’t bother Pam and Cal before. Why now?
“They're going to be okay, grandmother. Tell me what happened.”
Pam straightened up and sat back on her heels, sniffling loudly. A tissue appeared in her hand, and she blew her nose. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to break down.” With a flick of her wrist, the soiled kleenex disappeared. “I’m better, now. I’m okay.”
Pam took a deep breath and continued. “We had no trouble crossing over, and we were just observing the Srells when Lurga noticed something and moved off. He wanted to get a closer look. Suddenly, these really ugly Srells showed up. They were huge, oily black with lots of arms and legs.” She shuddered.
“Before we knew what was happening, these new Srells had him surrounded, but they couldn’t touch him because of his silver force field. Cal ran over, waving his arms to shoo them away when there was a loud pop, and they disappeared. I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find them.” Pam turned pleading eyes toward Arthur’s stunned face. “Father, how do we find them? What do we do?”
Lips pressed in determination, Karrin jumped to her feet. “I know exactly what to do.” Tiny silver sparks flew from her fingertips as she stomped out the doorway.
Pam stared after her granddaughter as Karrin headed toward a stand of trees and turned back to her father. “Where is Karrin going? What’s she going to do?”
*While you were gone,* explained Weesa, *your granddaughter learned all about the Rock People, who are the Pleatis. And, the sorry, sordid affair regarding the Srellooks and the fate of our Universe.* After Weesa went into further details, Pam buried her face in her hands and sobbed some more.
This time, Karrin didn’t hesitate. As soon as she found one of the rock units, she blasted it with a silver bolt of lightning. She smiled in satisfaction when It blew apart into hundreds of small silver pieces. As did the next one, and the next.
When she turned away from the smoking hole to focus on a fourth boulder, an expected voice popped into Karrin’s mind, *Human, why are you destroying my units?*
Smirking, Karrin never answered. Instead, she zapped it, then a fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth. She searched around, only finding one of the dull, black rocks left. She strode over and placed her hand on the warm, rough surface. “Prepare to die, Pleatis,” she said telepathically.
*Why do you do this? * came the hollow-sounding voice.
Karrin raised her arm up, preparing to slap the boulder with a death blow. *Because, your friends, the Srells, have kidnapped two of my friends, and I want them back. We may be insignificant life forms in this insignificant little Universe, but before I’m done, this insignificant life form will destroy every one of your units she can find.*
*I do not have your friends, the Srellooks do.*
Karrin’s hand slapped the rock, causing it to explode. She spied another group of black boulders in the distance, and with revenge in her heart, moved off in their direction. Before she took more than a few steps, a red cloud formed in front of her, blocking the way. The mist swirled and expanded until it solidified into a giant reptile with long, sharp fangs.
The angry woman stopped in shock at the unexpected sight of a dinosa
ur-looking creature standing in her way. The manifestation snapped its razor-sharp teeth at her as drool flew from its mouth.
Karrin laughed. “You have to do better than that. I grew up with an Ispepyein. Your teeth don’t scare me.”
From behind Karrin came a blast of silver power. The fearsome reptile turned into a silver mist that fell like a gentle rain to the ground. Surprised, Karrin turned to see her grandmother standing under a tree.
Pam smiled, though her eyes were red and swollen. “You might not have been scared of it, but I was. Keep going. I’ll take care of anything that tries to stop you,”
The hollow mental voice came again. *If you do not stop, more of my Guardians will come.*
“So?” Karrin said out loud. “Send your entire army. We’ll kill every fucking one of them.”
*No. You must not.” The Pleatis sounded frantic.
“And, why not?”
*Because, our Guardians ARE the Srellooks. They are vulnerable to your powers in your Universe. Each Srellook you destroy here is weakening their own worlds. You must not continue,* the Pleatis pleaded.
“Wait a minute. I’m the one who killed it, not Karrin, and I don’t have her PSI abilities.” Pam glanced at her granddaughter with a raised brow. Karrin still had her right hand on the rock.
*Human emotion enhanced by Husken silver is the most dangerous and strongest combination discovered,* explained the Pleatis.
*Ah-ha,* Weesa commented telepathically. *Another reason why the Srells chose this Universe to birth their young.*
“Of course. They fear our emotions, plus the effects of the silver. Isn’t that right, Pleatis?” asked Karrin.
*You are correct. However, what I said is still true; this is the only Universe the Srellooks can birth in. Nothing can change that, Human.*
Pam gave Karrin a sly smile and a wink. “Well, in that case, I would rather go out with a bang than a whimper. You keep blasting the bloody rocks, and I’ll take care of the Guardians.”
Karrin grinned back. “You’re right about that. If we die, everyone dies.” She pointed her finger at the boulder and said, “Bye, rock.” It shattered into small, shiny, silver pieces.
“I am not the one harming you. Why are you attacking me?* The voice was filled with fear and uncertainty.
“Because, I can,” Karrin said with a smirk. “Besides, you’re here, and they aren’t. Now, I want you to bring my friends back.”
*I cannot bring them back from the Srellook’s galaxy.*
Karrin pulverized another rock. “Tell the Srells to send them back.”
*The Srellooks can only move themselves from one universe to another. They cannot comply.*
*So, that’s what the sneaky bastards want,* exclaimed Arthur’s mental voice. *They’re using Cal and Lurga as bait. The big question is, why?*
“Is that true?” Karrin asked. “They took my grandfather and my boyfriend as bait?” She waited to hear the answer, but none came. Spying a group of three rocks, she obliterated them as one.
*Please, stop.* The Pleaties’ voice vibrated with fear. *The Srellooks are the strongest in their own world. They wish to lure you there, where they can detain you in another time plane, while they give birth here. They must begin the birthing process as their universe is on the brink of collapse. If Srellooks cannot birth, all is lost.*
“Shit,” Karrin muttered and peered at her grandmother. “What can we do? How do we beat them?” Seeing the hopeless, defeated look in Pam’s eyes, she sighed and began pacing the small clearing, filled with pieces of Rock People.
How do we defeat them? How do we save ourselves? When will they crossover and where? How can we stop them if they can come through at any point in our Universe? Karrin sighed in frustration at the unanswerable questions. However, one problem could be solved right here, right now.
The stressed teenager stopped pacing. “Pleatis, when the Srellooks crossover, do they show up everywhere at once, or do they cross in the same area?” She held her breath and waited for the answer. If all the Srells crossed at the same point, they might have a chance.
*They enter and exist by the time-slip only, then they disperse to the strongest areas for their needs. After a few of your weeks, there will be nothing left but newborn Srellooks and the Pleatis.*
Heart filled with hope, Karrin strode over to Pam and took one of her cold hands. “I’ve got a plan. I’m going to cross over into the Srell’s domain and bring our men back while you shoot the living shit out of any of them that tries crossing over.”
The same hope reflected in Pam’s eyes, and she nodded in agreement as the Pleatis’ voice screamed in their minds. *You must not. If ten more Srellooks are destroyed, their Universe will become unbalanced and collapse. ALL Universes will collapse.*
*If what you say is true, won’t their Universe fall apart when they crossover to birth?* Weesa asked.
*The birthers, who you term ‘mothers’, do not influence the balance. Only the Srellook fathers do. Each mother births thousands of young, which will be evenly split between future mothers and fathers. The young fathers will devour all the energy from this Universe and take it back to their worlds, where balance is, again, over-tipped. When the older fathers die off, and the balance becomes unstable, the instability will trigger a new birthing cycle.*
Hands on hips, Karrin stared up at the sky, deep in thought. “If I go over to them, they will shift me to another time and still crossover to destroy our worlds. But, if I don’t go, they can’t come to breed, which will save their worlds and everyone else's.” She turned toward Pam, wishing she were back in her little cave on Switch as the burden of making the right choice overwhelmed her. She held her arms out, defeated. “Grandmother, what do I do?”
Pam strode over and hugged her as Karrin laid her head on Pam’s shoulder and sobbed. “I don’t know, dear. Just trust yourself. Whatever choice you make, I’ll stand by you.”
*Well, that depends on whether we think our lives are more important than everyone else,* remarked Olso.
*It irks me to no end that everything we’ve gone through in our lives is meaningless. That it all comes down to feeding time for the Srells,* Arthur grumbled. *If I still had a body, I’d go after Cal and Lurga and say the hell to everyone else. There has to be alternative.*
*There is no other solution, Humans. This is the only Universe where the life forms are so varied, and the silver radiation exists.*
Karrin stepped away from Pam’s embrace and wiped her eyes. She was fed up with the arrogant tone of the Pleatis in her mind and the willy-nilly nature of her existence. For as long as I can remember, other people made the choices in my life. The Calens, who killed my parents and turned me into an orphan, where I ended up at the horrible Home. And, Mamma Claudia, who gave her life because she thought I was exceptional.
Karrin closed her eyes as pain crossed her features. What about my precious Lurga? He put his life in danger to save me from his own kind. Her eyes opened again. People sacrificed their lives for me for a reason. Was Mamma right? Am I special, and this is my destiny? To save the Universe?
Crossing her arms, Karrin addressed the Pleatis, “I’m going, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. I need to find my Lurga. I refuse to live the rest of my life without him. If I end up killing everyone, well, I’m sorry. But, we are real people here, not just worms or grass for the Srells to feed on.”
Pam grinned with pride at granddaughter. “I’m going with you. If the end is near, I want to be with Cal.”
Karrin smiled back with understanding.
*That’s my girls. Go blast the fuck out of ‘em,* Arthur said. *We’ll sit by the slip and obliterate any of the scumbags that crossover. Between Weesa and our brains, we have more than enough power to handle them. We’ll take the whole rotten mess of them with us.*
*Humans, you cannot destroy all life simply because you cannot save your own insignificant Universe.*
Karrin was looking at her grandmother as they said in unison,
“Bet me, Buckwheat,” and broke into laughter. After hugging again, they held hands and walked toward the silver ship. The two most powerful females in the known universes were going to rescue their men.
*I feel sorry for anything that gets in their way,* Arthur muttered.
Once the pair entered the ship, Weesa shut the door before opening them a few seconds later. *We have arrived at the time-rift. Please, be careful, girls.*
“Don’t worry,” Pam said. “I know right where we’re going.”
Karrin peered around at the concerned faces of Weesa’s interred crew. Tears prickled the back of her eyes. “No matter the outcome, I’m so glad to be a part of this family. Thank you for finding me.” Squeezing Pam’s hand, she smiled, and they vanished together.
The instant they disappeared, a bullet-shaped, gray cloud shot out of the slip. Weesa blasted it with her silver-powered Ultilear. Soon, dozens of bullet-shaped forms surrounded them, and the Ultilears fired away, leaving trails of silver sparks to drift to the ground.
“Well, the fat’s in the fire, gang. No matter what, we can’t turn back, now. Srell at 7 o’clock,* Arthur yelled.
With another thrum of Weesa’s mighty weapons, the gray cloud exploded in a shower of sparks as the Pleatis mentally screamed in terror.