by Sahara Foley
CHAPTER TWELVE
Karrin stood frozen in shock, heart hammering in her chest at the scene before her. What she beheld went beyond anything she imagined. “My God, Grandmother, what is this place?”
“Just call me Pam, honey.” She patted Karrin’s arm. “This is the Srell’s Universe. Pretty weird, isn’t it? Over there is where Cal and Lurga were standing when they disappeared.”
Weird isn’t the word I’d use to describe this place, Karrin thought to herself. Since arriving, her body felt bloated and overweight, with the sensation of something continually tugging at her skin. Not to mention a swirling orange mist around her feet, obscuring the spongy ground.
Karrin kept waiting for wet, slimy hands to grab her ankles and suck her under. She shivered. “Well, it’s creeping me out.” Movement in the distance caught her attention. “And, what the hell is that?”
Pam chuckled. “That, my dear, is a Srell. Handsome, isn’t it? It’s one of the shapes they take here.” Frowning, the older woman searched around. “Something's not right. There were thousands of Srells wandering around before. The only ones left, now, are the ones that don’t move. Where did they all go?” Hand shielding her eyes, she squinted, staring over Karrin’s shoulder. “Oh, oh. Here comes one of the active ones, and it appears to be mad. Watch yourself.”
The young woman spun around, but she didn’t see anything. Although it was difficult to make out anything at all in the gray lighting any way. It reminded her of the first light of day before the sun rose.
Karrin stared harder and finally caught the movement of a vague form that was a darker bluish-gray. It shifted again, causing her to take a step back as it sped right up to her and did an abrupt stop a foot away.
The curious young woman studied the cloud shape. So, these are the almighty Srells, who will destroy my people to keep the Universes in balance. It didn’t appear like much of a threat to her. She cocked her head. The energy signature was very familiar to a life form she’d previously crossed paths with.
Karrin grinned and clapped her hands together hard, like shooing a pesky dog away. Bright silver sparks flew from her fingers as the dark blue cloud began to glow and shrink. Within seconds, the glowing, gray ball shot forward and ended up clasped between the young woman’s palms.
Pam’s mouth fell open. “What the bloody hell did you do?”
Shrugging, Karrin held up the silver, gray ball. “It reminded me of the Others, and I wanted to find out if I could contain it in silver, like them. It worked. The Srell is trapped inside.” She tossed the baseball-sized orb at her grandmother.
Pam grabbed it in midair and turned it over. “Your powers are amazing. That Srell would've eaten me alive.”
“Not true, Grand, er, Pam.” The teenager cleared her throat. “Focus on it. The Srells are actually another form of a Shalit or Other. Even though we’re in their Universe, where they’re the strongest, it couldn’t harm you. You have silver powers, too, you know? Somehow, they manipulated you and Cal into believing you were weaker than them. They wanted you to fear them.”
Pam stared at the silver ball and shook her head. “I’m not sure. If they tricked us, they did a damn fine job.”
“Ask it,” the teenager suggested. “Demand it tells you the truth or you’ll kill it.”
Staring intently at the orb, Pam telepathically asked, *Am I able to kill you, here, in your homeworld?*
The ball began vibrating as a black spot appeared in the center. Pure hatred emanated from the orb. *Yes, Human. Destroy me if you will, but it matters not because our Birthers are in your Universe. And, more of the Srellooks are coming for you.*
*Where are the two males you captured?* Karrin asked.
*Where you cannot get them, even with your immense abilities, Human.*
*Have you hurt them?* Karrin asked.
*No. We tried eliminating them, but the silver protects them.*
Pam sighed with relief. *How many Srellooks does it take to maintain the balance in your world?*
Laughter, like heavy chains sliding across concrete, echoed in Karrin’s mind. *Fools. Our Universe is perfect as is. We simply need your worlds to birth and feed our young.*
*Wait a minute,* demanded Karrin, her mental voice rising in intensity. *What about what the Pleatis told us?*
Again, chains on concrete. *The Pleatis is, also, a fool. We only allow it to survive to reseed your planets for our next batch of young. We used your males as bait to lure you here so our birthers could invade your Universe. Our ploy has worked, and we have won. By now, our young are swarming your planets, feeding.*
Teeth gritted in anger, Pam held the ball closer and glared into the silver surface. *Why, you sanctimonious bastard . .*
A mass of Srells in different shapes and sizes suddenly swarmed around the women, almost undetectable from the dull gray sky.
Though they were outnumbered, Karrin didn’t fear them. Her heart was too filled with anger and revenge. All my worrying was for nothing. I hope Weesa and her crew are killing as many of them as they can.
Looking up at the sky filled with Srellooks, Karrin said, “We mean you no harm. We're only here for the two males you kidnapped. If you return them unharmed, we’ll leave you alone.”
A deeper voice boomed into their minds. *Meaningless life forms, you have no power over us in our domain.*
“Bet me, Buckwheat,” exclaimed Karrin as she threw out her hands.
Pam ducked her head, barely having time to close her eyes before a bright silver flash lit up the gloomy sky. Tiny silver sparkles glowed through the orange mist which covered the ground.
When raindrops pattered on her head and shoulders, Karrin peered up at the sky. The drops of water sizzled on the dark ground. “No more rain,” she ordered. Silver sparks flew, and the acid rain stopped.
Pam stared at the young woman, mouth hanging open. “How the hell did you do that?”
Karrin shrugged and grinned. “I don’t know. Maybe because I’m pissed. They have my Lurga, and I want him back.”
Pam nodded. “I want my Cal, as well.” She turned her attention back to the orb sitting in the palm of her hand. *Where are they? If you don’t tell me, right now, I’ll turn you inside out, you bloody bastard. I’m not afraid of you any longer, but you better be afraid of me. I’m going to give you so much pain, you’ll beg me to kill you.*
Karrin laughed as she watched the older woman. “Woah, I didn't realize you could be so mean.”
Pam gave Karrin a lopsided grin. “Oh, I’ve had my moments. And, now, I’m totally pissed off, too.” She threw the silver ball into the air, where it remained suspended at eye level.
“For years, Cal and I lived a peaceful, idyllic life. First on Earth, until our grandkids grew as old as we looked. We left years before you were born. We just wandered around the galaxy, not using our powers ‘cause we didn’t need to’. Then, Weesa contacted us, and here we are.”
Pam exhaled and shook her head sadly. “I love Cal, and nothing will stop me from finding him, especially not these low-life scumbags. I’ll dissect them, one-by-one, inch-by-inch, until we find our men. Now, you slimy bastard, where are they?”
The globe started glowing a bright red.
“I don’t hear you, Srell,” Pam taunted. “Tell me where they are, or I’ll roast you alive. If that doesn’t scare you, I’ll freeze you solid and break you apart, piece by tiny piece.” The older woman had a feral gleam in her eyes.
Karrin pointed over her grandmother’s shoulder. “Here comes another one.”
Pam glanced behind her and shook her head. “No. He’s an Omar.”
So, that’s what an Omar looks like after it metamorphoses. The young woman cocked her head as she studied the small, swirling blackish-silver cloud.
It stopped in front of them. *You are Karrin?* a high-pitched mental voice inquired.
Karrin nodded. “Yes. Do you need help?”
*I am sent to find you by the Omar you called, Brownie.*
Karrin’s heart
lit up. He didn’t forget me. She turned around, searching the sky. “Where is he?”
*Destroyed by one of the Srellooks.* The voice sounded mournful. *He told us we would sense you crossing over and to lead you to your other pair. Brownie was trying to free them when he was killed.*
Shocked by the news, Karrin stood, unmoving. Her heart broken, again, over the loss of another loved one. Poor Brownie. He was my only friend and stayed by my side during my loneliest years. And, now, he’s dead. All because of the Srellooks. A rage of infernal proportions consumed her, and her body started shaking.
She scowled at the red-hot, glowing ball. “Die, you bastard.” The explosion knocked Pam off her feet, and Karrin snatched her arm to stop her from falling to the ground.
“Damn,” Pam muttered, rubbing her arm. “That was one hell of a blast. Sure glad you’re on our side.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry, Pam,” Karrin said contritely. “Brownie was a trusted friend, and I guess I lost my temper.” In truth, she scared herself shitless. Man, I didn’t realize I could get that angry.
*We must hurry,* the Omar interjected. *The silver protects your pair, but they are in grave danger.*
“Where are they?” Karrin asked.
*Hold onto each other, and I will take you there,* the cloud mentally instructed them.
The two women embraced and, abruptly, the scene changed from a dull gray to bright white and hot. Karrin blinked several times to adjust to the glare while sweat popped out on her forehead.
*Do not move,* the Omar warned as Karrin adjusted her arm to wipe her brow. *If you do, they will notice and attack.*
“Who will?” Karrin shifted her gaze, but not her head. The sweat trickling into her eyes made them sting, and she needed to wipe them.
In front of them, the dull, blue ground stretched out endlessly with nothing to break up the flatness, except a pillar in the distance. The post pointed upward at the red and black streaked sky, which looked like a wiring panel from Lurga’s ship.
*The Taks. They live in this time plane,* explained the Omar. *Even the Srellooks do not provoke them, because Taks attack anything that moves in their space.*
“Where are these Taks?” Pam resembled a robot with her arms out at her sides.
*They are everywhere. Like the air. You cannot see them until they move, and they only move when they attack. You stand on some, now.*
“What?” Karrin yelled as she stopped herself from jumping backward. She peered down her nose, trying to see the ground. Then, darted her gaze toward Pam and downward. She saw nothing, but dark blue dirt and black rocks.
“Honey, close your eyes and use your mind to focus on them,” Pam instructed.
The young woman closed her eyes and let her mind expand out until she felt millions of entities. Her eyes flew open. “There are millions of them, all around us.”
“They resemble blood cells, but act like antibodies that attack germs,” Pam observed.
*If you move, they will swarm all over you until you have been nullified,* agreed the Omar.
“Why haven’t they bothered you?” wondered Pam.
*Because, I am still in my own Universe, Human. I projected you here, and, now, I must go.* Before any further questions could be asked, he disappeared.
“Wait,” Karrin hollered. “Where are Lurga and Cal?”
A frail, mental voice came to them. *Hi, kid. We’re up here. On this damn pillar.*
“That was Cal,” Pam said with excitement, her eyes lighting up. “Cal, can you hear me?”
*Yes, my love. We seem to be in a pickle. The Srells put us up here, and when we tried climbing down, these ‘bugs’ globbed all over us. Now, we’re encased in them. And, babe, these nasty things are eating our force fields. The silver hasn't stopped them at all.* His voice sounded desperate.
“Lurga! Is Lurga alright?” asked Karrin.
*Yes, he is. But, like me, he doesn’t dare move again. The Srells dropped us in a place that is nowhere. It’s between time planes. I have no powers here, do you?*
“Let’s find out.” Karrin threw her arms out, silver bolts lancing from her hands. Her arms and hands were immediately engulfed in small, white, squirming bugs.
The Taks disappeared in a flash of silver as Karrin fried them off her skin. She shuddered. “They look like fat maggots, and it itches where they were. Look at my arms, Pam.” Her skin was covered with hundreds of small, red dots.
“Oh, this is just great,” Pam said with a worried frown. “If we move, they attack and eat off our skin. How can we get to you, Cal?”
*I don’t know, honey. In all my travels, I have never run across anything like them. I think the Taks are meant to prevent anything crossing from one space to another.*
“Wait a minute. We can teleport, Pam. These nasty bugs won’t detect us.”
*Think it over, girls,* Cal said with agitation. *We’re in a warped place in time. Nothing is what it appears. You might NOT end up where you intend.*
“Cal, concentrate on me. I’m coming to you, now. Karrin, wait here.” The young woman opened her mouth to protest, but Pam was gone.
Eyes stinging, nose itching, Karrin stood there, impatiently waiting for some type of confirmation from Pam.
Cal’s mental voice spoke, *Okay, honey. I’m waiting*
“She already left. She should be there by now.” Karrin’s stomach fluttered in fear. Where did Pam go?
Cal groaned. *She never made it. This is what I was afraid of.*
“I'll go find her.”
*No, Wait,* Cal screamed. *We’re dealing with different times here. You might not end up in the same place.*
Only silence met his plea. He darted his gaze toward Lurga. The warrior was covered from head to feet with the wiggly maggots. “Damn, Lurga. They’re both gone,” Cal said aloud.
The Ispepyien blinked several times, trying to shake the bugs off his eyelids, but they clung tighter. “Do not fear, Shalit. Karrin is an Ispepyein Warrior Woman. And, Pamela is almost as powerful as her. They will be back.”
“The problem is, this space appears to be a buffer between the known Universes and the unknown ones. If the girls ended up in the wrong place, they might not be the strongest beings there. They could end up as helpless as newborn babies.”
Lurga growled in frustration. “I do not think I can wait until their return. They are eating my silver shield.”
The Shalit slowly tipped his head down to look at his right leg. The last part of his body he moved. It was covered with hundreds of bugs as they feasted on his rapidly disappearing force field. “Once they make an opening to get in, we won’t last long. I hate being powerless here.”
“I have experienced many things in my life, Cal,” the big, gray Ispepyein said. “Some never imagined by my people, like learning to love and hate, as well as to care about someone more than yourself. Declining Leadership after winning it. Befriending a Shalit. I have never lost a battle, yet, and I do not intend on losing this one, either.”
“Good.” Cal sighed in relief. “For a moment, I thought you were giving up. You sounded like you were saying your farewell speech. Just hang on. The girls should be back any minute.”
“I am. Unfortunately, one of the nasty worms has eaten through my shield and is trying to eat the flesh on my hand.”
“It’s a good thing you’re so thick-skinned.” Cal gave a reassuring smile, but his silver eyes were filled with terror.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After being feasted on by invisible assailants in the last realm she left, Karrin didn’t move. She didn’t want to provoke another attack. She stared out across a vast body of water and swallowed the bile rising in her throat. The other place creeped her out, but this world made her sick to her stomach.
Lettuce-colored water washed up on lemon-colored sand, and she glanced up at the orange sky. The color combinations made her nauseous. In the air, way above her head, hung a gold wire grid, which resembled a wire rack from an oven.
The you
ng woman jumped a foot off the ground when a voice whispered from behind her, “You shouldn’t have followed me, but I knew you would.”
Unthinking, Karrin twirled around. Gray rocks of all shapes and sizes littered the beach.
Pam’s pale, blood-covered face peered up at her from among the jumble of boulders.
Heart racing with fear, the young woman scampered over the rocks and knelt next to her grandmother. “What happened?”
Pam raised an arm covered in blood and pointed. “That thing shot me with a golden beam. I quit bleeding as soon as it stopped. But, bad news, kid, I have no powers. What about you?”
Karrin swallowed the fear at the thought of losing her powers again. She just got them back. Spying a smaller rock, a short distance away, she mentally focused on it.
Nothing happened.
She flung her hand out, trying to throw a silver spark.
Still nothing.
She gritted her teeth and grunted with frustration. No, this can’t be happening.
“Yeah. That’s what I figured.” Pam groaned in pain as she pushed herself up on a larger rock. “Without our powers to teleport, we’re stuck here. Wherever ‘here’ is. Welcome home, Karrin.” The older woman gave a mirthless chuckle. Tears slid down her grandmother’s face and hopelessness reflected in her eyes.
Hand on hips, Karrin searched around some more. There’s no way I’m getting stuck on another alien planet. There has to be a way out of here.
Movement from above drew her attention. The oven rack appeared closer.
Pam groaned again.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Karrin asked with concern.
The older woman gave a dismissive wave. “I’m fine. I just ache all over, and I’m really weak. That thing has one hell of a kick.” She glanced up, biting her lip. “Is it getting ready to attack again?”
Karrin nodded. “I think so. Is that a space ship? I’ve never seen one like that.”
“No, honey. That is a life form.”
They watched in silence as the strange alien moved closer and closer until it stopped over them. It was up high and, at least, a mile across. It started drifting down, lower and lower, making Karrin feel like a bug about to be smashed underfoot.