by Gerry Hart
Crisis Master Mender Terrain and his Dahlia, Doc, descended into the expanse by hovercraft, the only way to reach the opened land. The brown grass made an unusual crunch sound as the hovercar landed near the professor’s house.
The trio exited the car and stared at the house.
“How do we get in? “ Terrain asked trying to find the top of the house.
“A secret door? “ A voice in the darkness wondered aloud.
Terrain put made a salute in order to shield his eyes from the glare of the hovercar, allowing him to see into the darkness. There was a tree just beyond the projected light. Terrain could see a dark shape descend from the tree. The Crisis Master drew his pistol.
“Don’t shoot, Terrain. It’s me.” Solvent spoke in a loud voice, hands raised, as he approached Terrain.
“Do you know how to get in?” Terrain asked.
“I would think it’s a concealed door activated by a light frequency.”
“Where?”
“Is it not said that, sometimes, one can find what they want in plain sight? “ Doc the Dahlia posited.
Mender was taken aback. It took the man called Solvent a few seconds to realize what had occurred.
“Doc, that’s the closest thing to a straight answer that I’ve ever gotten from you. “ Mender congratulated the Dahlia. Doc shrugged.
Solvent pressed a gloved palm against Ibdidgor’s house. The surface was smooth, but did not feel like metal.
“This metal feels weird.” Solvent observed.
“Like?” Terrain asked.
Solvent kept running his palm against the metal. “Its not metal. Terrain, have you ever felt a woman’s fingernails after she polished them?”
Solvent’s question triggered a beautiful memory in Terrain, a memory where he actually painted his wife’s toenails.”
The answer crept up on him,
“Acryllic?“ Terrain said.
Mender touched the side of the house and grimaced. “Feels like it.”
Solvent started to move counter-clockwise along the dome structure. His palm slid across the structure’s surface. It seemed they almost covered half the diameter of the house when Solvent stopped. His fingers traced a vertical crack.
“Here.“ Solvent motioned to Terrain. “Place your hand here. “
Terrain complied. Solvent continued in his counter-clockwise direction with his palm once again sliding along the dome’s surface.
“Doc, run your hands over this area.“ Terrain pointed his Dahlia to the left side of the vertical crack while keeping his other hand on the crack to serve as marker. “Try to find a button or some sort of locking mechanism. “
After a few more feet, Solvent’s palm slid over another crack.
“I think I found the other side. “ He acknowledged.
“Doc’s looking for an opener on this side, but no luck so far. “ Mender replied.
Solvent looked at his side of the crack. He followed its upward path. It seemed to go out of sight.
“What if this is an entrance for a hovercar? “ He asked.
“Doc, you mind firing up the hovercar?“ Mender asked the Dahlia.
A few minutes later, landed the hovercar in front of Terrain and Solvent. The pair entered the hovercar.
“Activate infra red sensors on the door… or whatever it is. “ Solvent ordered Mender.
Mender gave him a questionable look.
“Well, you’re the one in the shotgun position. “ Solvent responded to Mender’s unspoken disgust.
Mender reluctantly complied.
“Take ’er up, Doc.“ Terrain told his Dahlia.
Doc complied without complaint. The hovercar rose.
“Activating sensors. “ Terrain announced.
They ascended ten… fifteen…. Twenty, then, just over twenty, the sensors spoke up.
“We got something. “ Terrain said. “It’s a light lock. “
“We’ll never get in. “ Solvent said. “ We could never hope to input the right frequency. “
“We can’t, but the computer can.“ Terrain contradicted then addressed his Dahlia. “Hit the normal lights, Doc. “
Terrain popped opens a keypad from the dashboard and punched in some commands. One of the hovercar’s headlights turned off while the other narrowed its light beam onto the lens compromising the lock. After forty-two minutes of the light beam adjusting its brightness, the door to Professor Ibdidgor’s house opened. A landing bay beckoned the trio to land.
Sections of light illuminated an unusual hallway as the hovercar landed. The hallway was of unusual architecture because the walls were honeycombed. The honeycombs were equally proportionate rooms. The hallway ran the height of the landing/launching pad and above.
The trio exited the hovercar.
“No alarms? “ Tork wondered. “No attack defenses? “
“A wizard’s workshop is considered to be a devil’s workshop. “ Doc the Dahlia speculated in his own way.
“Meaning whatever projects the professor is working on will be dangerous enough.“ Solvent acknowledged Doc.
“Another reason could be deactivating the light lock. “ Terrain added. “Defenses could have been deactivated at the same time. “
Solvent nodded in satisfaction. Despite either explanation, caution would still need to be exercised.
The trio found a set of stairs leading down from the hovercar pad to the main floor. The honeycombed rooms seemed to exist on two levels. Lights were activated upon entering a room. The first three rooms each contained a type of machinery. The machinery looked brand new but, at the same time, antique. None of the machines seemed similar to Techno-World’s current technology. It was an unspoken decision between Terrain and Solvent that, since they did not know exactly what they were looking for, the trio would not spend too long examining a room if they could not identify an object right away.
A sense of time running out pervaded the thoughts of the two men.
A fourth room exhibited more machinery and a spiral staircase.
Solvent looked at Terrain and motioned to the stairs. “I’ll go up? “
Terrain nodded and said: “I can deal. “
As Solvent ascended the stairs, Terrain motioned Doc out of the room. The hallway started to arc to the left. A green glow issued from around the corner. Terrain was curious about the glow but he realized there was still a room to check off to the right.
“Doc, check the room over there. “ Terrain ordered his Dahlia while pointing to a room to the right.
Terrain rounded the corner to find the green glow issued from another honeycombed room. He halted his steps at the room’s entranceway. He realized the room was a little larger than the previous ones. There was more machinery but these devices were hooked up to several large cylindrical containers. The containers held a bubbling, green, glowing liquid.
The containers held something else - bodies.
The constant bubbling of the green liquid made it difficult to discern the bodies.
Terrain inspected one of the machines next to the containers. Terrain was no scientist but he could tell a gauge, or a monitor, or a sensor. The machine he inspected consisted of several gauges and one large lever switch. Terrain was curious about the containers but couldn’t shake the voice reminding him about curiosity and the cat.
He looked at the switch, held his breath without thinking, and pulled the switch.
There was a loud whirling sound that slowly subsided. Terrain noticed that the bubbling in the containers subsided at the same time. He heard a sudden clunk sound from two of the cylinders. He moved in front of the nearest one. The body half floated/half sat on the bottom of the cylinder. Terrain noted the figure was male with no discerning features except two black eyes.
No corneas. No whites. Pure, black, bulging eyes.
Terrain moved to the next container. The figure appeared male, but had an unusual fish head. At least, Terrain assumed it was a fish head. Its eyes were as bulging and black as the fi
rst subject. Its mouth was a cross between human and fish. The trait that made the figure dissimilar to a fish was the protruding scales. The scales encompassed the subject’s whole head.
Suddenly, the subject swiveled its head to and fro, stirring up the fluid in its container, then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped and became motionless.
Terrain moved to the next container. The liquid in this container was very cloudy. Terrain could discern the subject’s legs, torso, and part of the chest. An arm and hand would fade in and out of view.
Terrain couldn’t help himself. He moved in closer.
The cloudy liquid settled.
Terrain tried to peer through the murkiness. His eyes strained.
BAM !
A human face and a pair of hands slammed against the container making Terrain step back. As he regained his composure, he looked at the human face pressed against the container as if straining to break its head through the barrier. The face wasn’t natural. The face looked like it was painted on or…..
Terrain’s curiosity dragged him closer to the container. The face continued to strain at the barrier.
Terrain realized the face wasn’t painted on.
It was part of the thing’s skin pigmentation.
The face started to break apart before Terrain’s eyes. Terrain froze while looking at the horror before him.
Multi-colored tentacles unfolded revealing an encircled maw. Something stirred over the maw.
A pair of eyes opened. Human eyes.
“Jesus!“ Terrain backed away from the container, then stumbled. He half rose/half crawled to what he thought (hoped) was the entranceway, but his hands pressed against a wall. His legs were shaking but he managed to rise to a standing position.
Terrain slid along the wall until he came to the entranceway. He fell out the entranceway into Doc’s arms.
“Humans cannot see God because it is fatal to look at His face? “ Doc said with concern, the Dahlia’s closest attempt at asking about Terrain’s well being.
“What I saw wasn’t divine, Doc.“ Terrain shuddered against his Dahlia. “ It was an abomination. “
“It doesn’t stop there. “ Solvent’s voice came from above. “There’s a set of stairs below me. Join me. “
Terrain and Doc climbed the staircase. As they entered the room from below, they saw Solvent standing next to an examining table. Terrain could make out a body on the table.
Terrain examined the body. It used to belong to an elderly man, weak and decrepit. The deceased figure wore a headband with electrodes attached to it and running to a small diode which in turn ran to another headband with no occupant.
“What does it all mean? “ Terrain asked Solvent.
“Next room“ was all Solvent said.
Terrain followed Solvent into another room. It housed a disassembled android attached to a rack. Its legs were gone. Its head sprouted an artificial brain. Clippers attached cables to its brain, creating an obscene hair style. Its chest regurgitated wires and chemically dripping ganglia.
“It’s the missing automaton, Shane!“ Terrain realized. “They tore open his head and chest. “
The unfortunate automaton sprang to life, jerking its head back.
“ Cruzzzzified…. DizzzzZZZZected.“ Shane cried. “ Criziz Mazer-er-er Terrain ? Izzz that you? I can’t seee - ee-ee!“ Shane’s voice indicated grief amidst the crackling, popping, echoing distortion.
“Shane, it’s me, Terrain. “ Terrain tried to find words of comfort but all he could come up with was: “Why? “
“What we Stooges have, feelings. “ Shane writhed during his statement. “Ibdidgor needed to ZZZZzzztudy one of uzzzzz. He felt there wazzzZZZZZzzzz ….. A CONNEC…. Tion.“ The very act of speaking was bringing him pain.
Solvent noticed a puddle under Shane. The ganglia dripping chemicals was Shane’s lifeblood. Solvent nudged Terrain to bring it to his attention.
Terrain looked back to Shane. “Don’t talk any more, Shane. We have to get you back to CM HQ. Fix you up. “
“No! “ Shane shook his head, then spasmed. His lifeblood gushed and splattered to the floor. “Must finizzzzz… what I have to zzzZZZay !
“Ibdidgor found the CONnectION to my emotions and the huMAn-n-n-n Brain-brain-brain. With that knowledge, he was able to transfer a HUMan mind into the body of…. AN AUTOMATON ! “
Shane involuntarily stretched his body outward as his lifeblood burst from different areas of his disassembled body, then he slumped forward.
“Dead. “ Tork stated simply. “Or equivalent thereof. “
“I need to get out of here. “ Terrain said, walking out into the hall and in the direction of the hovercar, leaving no further room for talk.
7
September 9, 4072, 1:48 AM.
Doc the Dahlia steered the hovercar. Solvent had requested to be deposited at the location of the Basement where he, Terrain, and Terrain’s officers battled Hadaver and the false Torks. Doc had to ascend above the Spires, input the Basement’s coordinates, and then descend again.
Terrain was silent until the hovercar ascended past the Spires.
“He’s building an army of independent thinking automatons. “ Terrain said.
“I’ll agree with that, “Solvent agreed, “and raise you the obvious question: Why? “
“A military action?”
“Military forces are used for defense and offense. What’s another word for offense in a military context?”
“You’re not serious?”
“Conquer.”
“Ibdidgor’s assembling an army to conquer?”
“Or he’s working for someone?”
“Who?”
“Your administrator is still missing.”
“Administrator Obee?”
“What if he’s off planet?”
“What makes you think Obee’s behind all this?”
“Do you have any Torks unaccounted for?” Solvent asked.
“There were some indicated to be on the Continents and Hometown. I haven’t dispatched anyone to investigate the sightings. In hindsight, I believed they were a diversion sending the Crisis Masters on a wild goose chase.”
“You should investigate the sightings. They might have some meaning.”
“What makes you so sure?” Terrain was getting frustrated.
“Think about it. Where were the Torks sighted on The Continents?”
“The Medieval era, the Old West, two sightings in the Forest Nation –“
“Near the Native American Indians?”
“Yeah.”
“I had to rescue Crisis Master Berenger from Hadaver and a group of Indians before I rounded the rest of you up.”
“Native American Indians in the Basement?”
“I need to round them up and turn them over to you. They’re not far. I would have turned them over to you earlier, but we needed to check out Ibdidgor’s lab.”
Doc landed the hovercar at the Basement coordinates given to him. Terrain ordered Doc to stay with the hovercar then he and Solvent disembarked, their destination – the location of the Indians.
Solvent’s friend, Jessup, and “his crew” were still watching over their captives.
“You’ll have to bear with me, Terrain.” Solvent implied. “Do not interfere no matter what happens next.”
“Who is the leader amongst you?” Solvent demanded forcefully.
“You!” Solvent grabbed an Indian who was shifting his eyes about nervously. “Why do you trespass in my kingdom? Do you not know to commit violence in my kingdom is akin to violating one of your sacred burial sites? The punishment means torture and death!”
Another Indian stood up. “I am responsible for these men. Punish me if you must punish someone.”
Solvent shoved the Indian he was holding down to the ground. The masked man approached the Indians’ leader.
“What is your name?” Solvent growled.
“Otwauk.” The Indian leader stated.
“I will spare you and your men if you answer my questions.” Solvent growled. “Refuse me and you watch your men die before you do.”
“My chief has an accord with your leader!” Otwauk cried.
“We don’t have a leader. We have a …council of elders.” Terrain said playing along.
“Your leader sent us someone who speaks for him. His word is a bond like your leader said the words himself.”
“Who is this man? Who does he speak for?”
“The man calls himself Tork. Our chief is the only one who knows his master.”
“What does this ‘master’ want with the Native American Indian?”
“Tork’s master wishes us to go into battle on the fourth moon, the forbidden planet.”
Solvent turned to Terrain.
“Legend.” He said simply.
“Are there any more servants of this ‘master’ on your world?” Terrain asked.
“I know of only Tork, but it is rumored amongst my people that Tork is a mighty shaman. He can exist as many people, in many places. He has been dispatched them throughout my planet gathering armor, weapons, even guns.”
Solvent turned to Terrain again. “That’s where you start.”
Terrain called for the 41st century equivalent of a paddy-wagon. Solvent and Terrain herded the compliant Indians back to the hovercar site. Minutes later, a prisoner craft descended. The Indians were loaded into the craft, and then the craft ascended on its way to Crisis Master Headquarters 001.
Terrain shook Solvent’s hand and got into the hovercar. He activated his window down as an afterthought.
“Thanks. You were a big help.” Terrain said.
“What’s your next step?” Solvent asked.
“The Indians will be processed when they reach HQ, so I’m not needed there. It’s all good because it’s very late and I need some sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll arrange to meet with Oman and Galveston to get permission to travel to the Continents.”
“Oman? He knows me.”
“I think he would have mentioned knowing a masked figure lurking in the Basement.”
“Any Torks on Hometown?” Solvent changed the subject.
“Surprisingly, only one, but I have a feeling I’ll wind up there too.”
