Passage

by Thorby Rudbek

  She sighed. So much to do, and only me left to do it. The magnitude of her task was truly daunting, but Kirrina supposed that it might seem less so in the morning light. She returned to their penthouse suite and collapsed onto the soft pillows. Several hours later she awoke, aware suddenly of nature’s call, and took a few minutes in the pool to finish off the day more conventionally before returning to a deep sleep.

  The next morning, Kirrina awoke to pangs of extreme hunger. She realised with distaste how long it had been since she had last eaten, and she moved quickly to rectify the situation, immediately after she had completed her morning dip. Checking on Richard a few minutes later, she found no evidence of change, and the alien seemed to have reached a plateau in his previously rapid recovery. The day went very quickly as she familiarised herself with the functions of the equipment in the Scout Craft maintenance facility, and she was disappointed to find that she had not started any actual work on Citadel, when the sun sank once more below the horizon.

  For two nights in a row she slept the deep sleep of the dedicated, hard-worker that she was, and found herself rising automatically with the sun for another day. On the morning of the fourth day after Richard’s almost fatal confrontation with the partially completed Patrol Ship’s automatic security system, she got up, still tired after a long night’s sleep. This puzzled her until she remembered that the length of a day on the Outpost was almost six hours longer than the day she had grown up with on Earth. Her morning check of her fiancé’s condition gave no real indication of progress, but when she walked over to the alien’s console, she was in for a surprise. Several monitors were flashing red, and the screen indicated that some of the wounds had reopened and were bleeding slightly. Kirrina was unsure what action, if any, she could take, but then her attention was drawn to the coffin-like life support box by a faint, dull sound.

  She opened the lid slowly, to find the cat-like eyes staring up at her. The alien’s irises adjusted quickly, revealing more of the yellow surrounding them, and he started to push himself up once he realised he was no longer trapped. Kirrina reached out automatically and placed her hand against the alien’s hairless, greyish upper torso. Immediately their minds were linked. She caught the full force of his emotions, and felt real fear at the immense hatred pouring into her. Desperate for a way out, Kirrina attempted to initiate a sharing of thoughts before the awesome hands were raised and found her neck once more. She flooded his mind with information, unconcerned with the effect it might have, hoping that somehow it would equip him with the means of understanding which he did not possess, and induce him to listen to her.

  “You must rest,” she gasped, as his thoughts started to crystallise in her head. Words started to echo around; she heard some only once, but ‘Narlav’ came back again and again, until Kirrina realised she knew what the creature called its kind. Then several other words made sense, and she found herself gripping the edge of the life support unit with her other hand as the room seemed to rotate around her head. “Your wounds are opening up again; if you get up you will… die.”

  The Narlav stared intensely at her and then he settled back into the container, and Kirrina thought she saw a glimmer of understanding before the eyes glazed and the lids slid diagonally to cover them once more. She slipped to the floor and shut her own eyes to stop the nauseating effect of the mind link. Several minutes passed before the room appeared stationary to her drained consciousness and super-saturated memory. She got up and closed the lid with profound relief, then walked a little unsteadily the couple of paces to his console. Sure enough, several organs were registering as losing fluids once more, and the blood pressure readings, which she had previously noticed as being less than half of the range of typical human parameters, were lower still.

  Kirrina took a deep breath before walking to her Seagull and setting off for the labour she had planned for the day. She was almost there before she discovered that the Narlav’s name had also been deposited in her mind during the gruelling merger.

  Paranak!

  I guess from his viewpoint I must also seem utterly repulsive, just as he does to me. I’ll have to find a way to imprison him before he is completely recovered. She shuddered at the thought of the Narlav’s great strength, and promised herself that she would secure the ‘coffin lid’, or, if that did not prove possible, the entire Spaceways medic room, that very night.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Anticipated ‘breaks’ bring unforeseen loss; loss borne well, will strengthen – Karkydon

  “Don’t worry, Ed,” Isaac assured him with confidence as they crossed the huge hangar, “I have four really bright postgraduates from my University who have been working in food stores and the like for a year or two because they couldn’t find work. They will really help this work to pick up speed. Terry suggested we offer to pay them a little less than they are worth, once we’ve explained what we are doing. He’s sure that approach will get us only the most dedicated.”

  “He’s quite the man, your Mr. Stadt.” Baynes shook his head in amazement, then ran one hand through his straight black hair to push it back into place. “I can’t believe what he is willing to put into this. But I think you’d better give me the details on these guys, so I can have a full security check done on them before you proceed with the offer. Keeping this thing sealed tighter than biological weapons is the most important aspect, past actually getting prepared for the big event.”

  Isaac looked at the damaged Hercules as he thought out his response. “As for what Terry is willing to put into this, he’s already put his arm…” He smiled a little grimly at the Chief of NUIT. “What is the scenario for security leaks, anyway? I guess I’ve been too busy with the theory of those Gravity Inducers to give that problem much brain time.”

  Ed took him by the arm and led him into an unused corner of the building, a little distance from the transport plane. “Here we are, in a small portion of the world.” He drew a small square with the tip of his boot in the thick concrete dust on the floor. “Already we have key people in two nations who know the problem.” He drew a large circle around the square and put a bunch of dots within the box. “But, beyond all this we have the alien threat.” Here a big question mark showed up several feet away. “What is more predictable, in this crazy world of ours, is that there are many other governments, corporations and individuals who would stop at nothing to steal away our secret, if they knew about it.” Here Ed put several arrows around the small square, within the circle. “Until the aliens actually get here, and even possibly to a lesser extent after their arrival, I have to do all I can to ensure that this technology doesn’t get into the wrong hands. If news of this ever leaks out, all work will likely grind to a stand-still under the pressure of the increased security. Even worse, if it went public, we would spend years in committees and commissions dissecting the impact of our options in infinite detail. They’d probably want the Narlavs to be represented in all discussions, too!”

  “Thanks,” Isaac said sincerely. “Sometimes the human element gets lost when you are up to your eyebrows in the esoteric mathematics of Multi-Dimensional Distortion Mechanics and the Unified Field Theory. I’ll remind all my people to watch what they say and where.”

  “All those ‘in the know’ so far have been checked, as well as immediate family members and close friends,” Ed assured him. “But let’s not spread this any further than is absolutely necessary. It only takes one slip, and before you know it we could be raided by someone’s private army. You might end up being held hostage again!”

  Isaac followed the slightly taller Baynes back to the now-gutted railcar, or Wonderloaf, as it had come to be known since its arrival in the airspace above Cold Lake. “Very messy,” he commented as he passed through the airlock double doors, referring to the possibility of another kidnapping, not the littered insides of the one-time spacecraft. “And there would be little likelihood of convincing the power-hungry of the need to build a fleet to defend Earth.”

&nb
sp; “S’right. They’d just cover their own interests.”

  Professor Hardy started picking through the odds and ends left on the flooring, fortunately still well-illuminated by the pyramid-shaped light/heat-fixtures – only a couple of these had been removed for research purposes. He looked along the length of the one-time spaceship, trying to spot the missing item.

  “Come down to Edmonton tonight.” Isaac stopped his search for whatever had taken him to the Wonderloaf and turned to look directly at the chief of NUIT. “You can see the Gravity Inducer Latt has built with conventional components; he’ll be demonstrating it tomorrow afternoon. I don’t know what kind of efficiency he’s got it to now, but the fact that it works at all is enormously encouraging.”

  “I’ll do that,” Ed agreed easily. “I’ve some other matters that need taking care of down there, too.” He looked around, aware now of the emptiness of the facility. “Where’s Leroy, anyway? I thought he was due in this morning.”

  ***

  Leroy ran up to the door and opened it without knocking. “Miyoko?” He stepped inside and slipped off his big boots before walking to the basement stairs. Funny how I woke up so late today; I would have already been at the base, otherwise.

  “Down here,” came the mouse-like reply.

  Leroy thumped down the stairs three at a time and burst into the family room. There was his good friend Miyoko, huddled together with three of her four children.

  Aaron, seven years old and the only boy, was lying on his back on the floor, his left arm clutched to his side by his right hand, his face covered with tears which had already started to dry in the low humidity of the December cold. The three girls were bunched around their mother, but they looked up and smiled with relief as they saw the big Negro approaching.

  “The ambulance is on its way?” Fraser asked as he knelt by Aaron and studied the slight bulge and the blue markings on his skin a little above the wrist.

  “Yes, I called it right after I called you,” Miyoko answered in a whisper. “I never imagined our little trampoline could be so dangerous.”

  Leroy looked over at the innocuous device, sitting as it had since his first visit to the Morton’s house, by the wall, several feet from the rowing machine, which Miyoko said had been the real villain, catching his arm as he fell sideways. He turned back and looked down at the unusually quiet boy.

  “So, Aaron, how does it feel?”

  “It hurts, Leeroy; it hurts an awful lot.” The boy turned his head slightly to look at his big friend, and Fraser could see how pale and frightened his little pal had become.

  “Don’t worry, the paramedics will be here soon, and they’ll whisk you off to the hospital, sirens blaring. Then you’ll probably get a big cast put on your arm. That might hurt a bit, but the pain won’t last too long. Then you’ll come home. Afterwards, your friends at school will be able to write neat things on the hard white stuff that will be all around your arm.”

  The sound of approaching sirens became audible, and the other children got up excitedly and ran upstairs to watch the ambulance arrive. Chelsey led the way, with Kristal struggling hard to keep up. Brittney, who took her duties as the oldest very seriously, went right behind her to make sure she didn’t fall backwards down the stairs.

  Leroy turned to Miyoko and took hold of her gently by both shoulders. He looked at her pale upturned face with great concern. “Is there school today?”

  “No, it’s Professional Development day. Otherwise I would already have left. We were going to go shopping; Brittney’s winter coat is getting too small for her, and Aaron was going to get some new runners.”

  “So you’d like me to go with Aaron, would you, or maybe just stay here with Brittney, Chelsey and Kristal?”

  “I’ll go with Aaron,” she nodded as she took a deep breath. “I’ll just keep telling myself not to faint.”

  “There may not be anything more to worry about. Those guys in the ambulance may set the bones right here.” Leroy grinned as Miyoko’s face went even paler, remembering the humorous anecdotes that Harold had told him about his wife and the ease with which she fainted. He looked around at the young boy lying quietly on the floor. “Aaron here will help you to be brave, won’t you?”

  Aaron managed a small, hesitant smile. “I’ll try.”

  “Then we can tell your Dad what a Brave Soldier you were.” Leroy let go of Miyoko’s shoulders and crouched down by the lad.

  Aaron nodded, and as he did so, the siren ceased its wail at a point where the volume had become almost unbearable.

  Heavy thumping on the stairs announced the imminent arrival of professional help, and all three looked with anticipation as the paramedics came into the room with the girls close behind. The first paramedic was a man, tall and slim; he bent down and knelt next to Aaron, talking to him in whispers. The second was a woman, slight enough to slip past the rowing machine and distract Aaron as the man shifted the bones back into alignment.

  Aaron yelped like a puppy whose paw had been trodden on, then started to shake in reaction. It took surprisingly little time for them to splint his arm and then secure him for the move to their vehicle. The woman took the front end of the stretcher and they rushed him smoothly out to the waiting ambulance with his mother tagging along closely behind them.

  Leroy stood in the driveway with the three girls, getting quickly chilled by the cold but still air. Leroy, Brittney and Chelsey waved as the vehicle pulled away. Kristal just stared, her breath coming out in little short puffs, like a baby dragon learning for the first time about its potential. All of them covered their ears as the siren came back on, blasting the sense of unreality away as the morning sun broke through the patchy cloud-cover.

  “Well, kids, I just need to phone in to explain my absence, then we can figure out what to do until your mother and brother get back.” He led the way back into the house, making sure that the two year-old, Kristal, came in first.

  “I want to go ‘bogganing,” Chelsey piped up shrilly.

  “Sorry, Pumpkin, your Mom said we should stay here until she got back. We could read a book about it, though,” Leroy suggested hopefully.

  Brittney looked at him wisely with her big, eight year-old eyes. “I think we should pray for Aaron; his arm looked awful bad.”

  Leroy nodded hastily in agreement, uncomfortable with the idea, but anxious to please his little friend. “Why don’t you say one for all of us, Britt?”

  Brittney nodded, her curly black hair bouncing around freely, and bowed her head. “Heavenly Father, my brother is hurt, please fix it for him to get better… we’d be awful lonely without him. Daddy said Jesus did lots of healing when He lived in a land far away; I guess I ‘spect He can mend my brother’s arm. Aaron Morton is his name. Thank you for our friend Leroy; we’d be real scared if Mom had to leave us here alone. In Jesus name, Amen.”

  Chelsey and Leroy said ‘amen’, while Kristal climbed around on the couch in the front room, apparently oblivious to her older sisters’ concerns.

  “Daddy’s out flying,” Brittney said abruptly. “Mommy said we’re lucky that he isn’t fighting in any war now. Daddy did very well when he had to fight in the Persian Gulf, but he was gone for so long. He said one time there was a big bang very near his pretty plane, but it didn’t hurt him any.” She looked up at Leroy, her dark brown eyes showing her fear clearly. “He won’t have to fight in any more wars, will he?”

  “I hope not, Britt.” Leroy thought rapidly. “He won’t today, that’s for sure. Just as soon as he gets back he’ll get your Mommy’s message about Aaron, and he’ll come right back to see him.”

  “And us?”

  “We’ll see. Now, let’s get that farm set up. Kristal!” He reached over and picked up the toddler before she pitched head-first off the back of the couch. “Let’s find your favourite hippo.”

  “‘Po. Kisstle’. ‘Po,” the brown-haired chubby child muttered in anticipation as she swung her legs from side to side in front of Leroy while he le
d the way to the toy cupboard.

  ***

  Hundreds of mile to the north, Harold Morton followed his ‘target’ down into another low valley, his new Hornet hugging the curves easily as he continued, totally absorbed in his work, unaware of the domestic drama which had just occurred back in his own home.

  The target plane pulled up unexpectedly, but Harold was too quick for the pilot of the old CF-116 jet; he locked on his ‘missiles’ moments later and the standard thirty seconds elapsed before the other pilot was informed of his demise.

  “You’d better get someone new for your stooge next time, Harry,” the vanquished pilot of the old ‘Freedom Fighter’ informed him. “I don’t have any more tricks to slow you down!”

  Harry smiled, recognising the voice he heard as one of his long-time associates and friends, but he did not break radio silence. Instead he scanned his electronic displays, searching for another target. Another Hornet was closing in on the nearest ‘enemy’; he wondered if it was his usual competition, but pushed the thought from his mind as he concentrated on maintaining his status as ‘Top Gun’ for the fourth straight month.

  Five minutes later, his equipment informed him of another plane, closing slowly from the rear. Flying Officer Morton had not been informed of any such planned action in his morning briefing, but he was unperturbed. This sort of thing was supposed to simulate the uncertainties of actual combat. Harold dropped lower, until he was flying only feet above the tree-tops, and slipped over the next ridge. Such a move was strictly against regulations, too many accidents had been caused in low-level flights, but Harold knew that his life might one day depend on his skill being at its highest possible level, so he always pushed his abilities to the limits, feeling justified in his little rebellion.