Chapter 1
A Healer's Shell, that was the closest comparison Steffor could muster to describe the chamber he now occupied. Like a Healer's Shell, the room had a round base with walls that tapered inward as they elevated. He estimated the walls rose several hundred feet before canting over. However, the strange material from which the walls were constructed made it impossible to decipher. Also like a Healer's Shell, a kinetic light pulsed throughout the walls and floors.
But that was where the comparison ended.
Where, with ease, he could identify the fibrous sapwood of a Healer's Shell, the material used to construct the room- and the sparse collection of objects that filled it- was foreign. In addition, when not illuminated by rhythmic waves of light, the walls and floors swirled with a dark material accented by a subtle mixture of gold and silver glitter.
"Bioplaster," said the woman standing before him.
Steffor shifted his eyes from the walls to the woman. He addressed her with a blank stare, content to stay motionless in the upright bed that he "awoke”.
"The material flowing within the walls and floor, it is called bioplaster," she explained, canvassing the room with her eyes before flashing a knowing smile back to Steffor.
None had spoken to Steffor since the tall one addressed him as "Muzar" a few moments prior. "Give him a moment to process," Janison, the man with black and gray hair, had said. Stalling, the tall one and Antone, the stout warrior, after observing Steffor's confused state, had reluctantly agreed. They then moved several yards away to huddle close together and speak in hushed voices.
"Run a diagnostic," Stalling had ordered Jennifer, giving Steffor a concerned look as he moved away. Jennifer then promptly placed a metallic band across her brow. A second later, an apparition materialized before her, a collection of symbols floating in the air composed and organized into strings and sets. Up to his moment, she had given her undivided attention to these symbols.
"Bioplaster?" Steffor asked in a hoarse whisper. The three men halted their intense conversation at the sound of his voice.
"Yes, an organic gel infused with metallic interfaces- the gold and silver flecks. It surrounds the neural fibers webbed throughout the hollow walls and flooring that form the mainframe. It is the foundation for the entire bio-neural circuitry...our organic computer system. Without it, we could never have collected or processed all the data."
The tears that swelled the women's hazel eyes earlier had since abated. Steffor sensed discussing bioplaster had a calming effect on her but it required little effort to see the tempest of emotion still churning beneath the surface.
"What data?" Steffor asked.
"Data generated from the farm," she said with a backward nod toward an archway cut into the wall behind her. Steffor peered over her shoulder, noticing the entrance for the first time, discernable from the rest of the walls by its black tinted glass and lack of bioplaster. "Data from the mainframe," she continued, looking toward the three cylindrical towers to his left, right and behind, "...all the data produced by you." She said, probing Steffor's face for some type of response.
"We need more time!" Stalling shouted. He too, along with the other two, wore a link visor across his brow. It appeared he communicated with another outside the room, having partially turned away from the other two as he spoke. Stalling’s face contorted into an angry snarl, discouraged by the reply to his outburst. A moment later, all three removed their link visors and turned to look at Steffor.
Stalling studied Steffor, calculating his next move. Steffor sensed the decisions made by this stranger in the following moments dictated his fate, accentuating his despair. So far, his ascension to the afterlife was nothing like he anticipated.
"What do you remember?" Stalling asked Steffor as he stepped forward with Janison a step behind. Antone stayed put, placing his link visor back across his brow. A second later, he turned his back to them and began to speak to another in a terse tone.
"I remember everything," Steffor replied.
"Good, that at least gives us a starting point. Listen, we have one shot at bringing you up to speed before we have to release you to Thortizan."
"What? Who?"
"Names will come back soon. The important thing to do right now is to listen," Janison said with an assuring nod.
"Exactly," Stalling said. "Here's what you need to know, the rest will come back to you in due time. Your mission is completed, though a few minutes ahead of schedule. We are still trying to figure out what went wrong but believe the mission to be a success. You are still processing but all should be revealed in a few moments. Unfortunately, we will have to delay the final step until we can devise a plan to...rescue you from the Church."
Despite not understanding anything the other said, Steffor could tell by the way he stumbled at 'rescue you from the Church' that the task would not be simple. "I understand we are pressed for time but I fear I have misspoken. When I said I remembered everything, you see-"
"Look Muzar," Stalling interrupted, "you are going to have to trust us when we tell you memories of people, places and events will return. The key now is to understand that we will get you back, we will complete the mission!"
"That's just it, I am not Muzar! I have no idea who Muzar is but he is definitely not me." Every moment spent in this purgatory was time away from Calivera and his friends, time for Raistan to wreak havoc on his world. Steffor could not tolerate the thought a moment longer. He must act now.
"It is time to go," Antone stated as he moved over to join the rest of them. "Eitemor reports they are moving in position to strike. Our two minutes are up."
"Look, I understand your situation at the moment is dire but so is mine. I need to go back. Now! The Provider told me you were our allies, if you care at all about us, you must help me return!"
Stalling and Janison exchanged a quick glance before Janison placed his link visor back on his brow. A holographic image of a rectangular tablet appeared. Janison’s hands were a flurry of motion as he manipulated the "tablet" to create over a dozen more and form an organized panel. With a deft touch, he caused a stream of symbols and graphics to scroll up, down and across each tablet. The room went silent as all watched Janison in anticipation.
The symbols and images procured by the hologram mesmerized Steffor. The process was akin to how his staff had projected a three dimensional map of the Provider. Though foreign and communicating nothing pragmatic, the orchestrated formulas soothed his soul. It provided his first palpable connection to these people.
"Hold up..." Janison said, stopping on a specific tablet. Unlike the others, the formulas and symbols on this one were chaotic and repulsive. He touched the right top corner and bottom left with his index fingers, then stretched the tablet to increase its size three-fold. "What in the...why did he...what purpose does this serve?" He said to the room, rubbing thumbs to his temples.
"This is not Muzar, at least not all of him. This is an untainted portion, while the rest remained behind," Stalling assessed as he studied the strange code. "He could not create a solution; only place a temporary stop to the problem."
"He couldn't even do that," Janison said, "the infection has spread throughout the entire system. Its pace has slowed since infiltrating the second quadrant, but it will eventually take over everything."
"What is that there, in the first quadrant? Was that there before?" Stalling asked, pointing to an indistinguishable group of symbols on a separate tablet, displaying the same corruption.
Janison amplified the view. "No, it was not," he said matter-of-factly. "The entire quadrant was infected prior to bringing him back, this I am certain, just as I am certain it is no coincidence. It's as if a piece of code from quadrant 2 was pasted in quadrant 1 to..."
"Counter measure the invasion of quadrant 1," Jennifer concluded.
"Yes, something like that but it can't work, not the way it is currently written."
"It's a means to buy time," Stalling surmised
.
"We are out of time!" Antone exclaimed. "We must deliver Muzar-"
A seismic rumble from above the chamber interrupted his statement. Without pause, he removed his link visor, tapped the side with his index finger and held it out before the group. A life sized, three-dimensional projection appeared above it an instant later.
Similar to how the Mysticnet broadcasted the Guardian Games, the live video and audio stream projected before them conveyed a scene viewed from a first-person perspective. Steffor hazarded the point of view was somehow being captured and sent by the same metallic band the Antone now held before them.
At first, the moonless night showed only vague outlines of objects in the distance along with featureless movement. Antone tapped the link visor again, the action enhancing the spectral range to see details as if daytime.
Their view shifted left to right with militant purpose, scanning the length of pristine lawn seen in every viewable direction framed by a row of trees a few hundred yards away. The long, low hanging, curved branches edged the field to form a quad. Captured by the backdrop of squat structures lined behind the airy tapestry of trunks and branches, one could see a flurry of movement between and around the trees ahead.
"Talk to me Eitemor!" Antone commanded
"Bumper mortars," Eitemor replied, his breath rapid but controlled. "At least twelve coordinated rounds." Eitemor looked down to his immediate left to view of a fresh crater, a haze of milky smoke clinging to the disheveled earth. "Lost contact with Gliet, Romy and Trafe. Based off movement, and mortar targets, assault on the northeast eminent!"
Eitemor jerked his head back toward the line of trees in time to catch the enemy's coordinated advance begin. Dozens of dark figures spread across the field in quick, zigzagging leaps and bounds. Eitemor raised outstretch arms that gripped an elongated machine in both hands. He aimed the assault rifle towards the advancing figures, getting a bead on several as he studied their approach.
"Regroup to sectors 3, 4 and 5. Hold your positions!" Eitemor commanded.
A few more seconds passed, allowing the enemy to cover over half the distance between them. Then Eitemor finally gave the order: "Givem' hell boys!"
“Thumf-thumf-thumf-thumf!” With systematic precision, Eitemor pointed his rifle at one moving target after the other and unleashed a set of blue-flamed bursts. Sporadic cries of pain and anguish followed as smoke filled the air and diminished visibility to but a few yards.
Antone tapped the side of his band again, switching to a different first-person view with each tap. The rapid sequence showed similar combat and destruction, though on several the fighting was more savage.
One scene showed a similar rush of figures but the rifle could not target all of them. Tackled from both sides, a mash of primal grunts ensued as the tangle of bodies wrestled on the ground. The final view displayed patches of starlit sky beyond outstretched arms. One hand clawed at a face with thumb submerged into a bloody eye socket while the other clutched the throat of a second adversary. With purple face and pursed lips, the choking man raised his right arm to reveal a bladed weapon clenched in fist. A brief flash of starlight glinted off a burnished blade right before driving down the lethal strike.
The perspective vanished with the strike, switching back to Eitemor's point of view. A few yards from his feet lay two motionless bodies. Eitemor scanned left to right, searching for new targets as the sights and sounds of combat diminished. A minute later signs of combat halted all together.
"Assuming they continue with small arms and minor explosives, Eitemor can hold the entrance for another-"
A green light blinked on the side of the link visor, cutting Antone's report short. He tapped the spot where the light appeared, switching the view to a man standing before a large tree. "My patience wears thin," said the man. "We can take what we want by force but I desire to adhere to the commands of my superiors and keep the violence to a minimum. Deliver us Muzar Tarcones now or Dr. Alterian becomes the next casualty of this unfortunate affair."
The view then switched to a narrow hallway with two armed men holding an attractive middle-aged woman between them. On cue, the man on Lorissa’s left withdrew a blade sheathed to his leg, raised it above his shoulder and swung his arm down, stabbing the her in the thigh, hilt deep. A full second passed before Lorissa shrieked in pain and disbelief, at which point the man withdrew the blade, trailing a ribbon of crimson.
Before any of them could respond, the view switched back to the man standing before the tree. "By way of further penalty for your delay, we will be taking Dr. Alterian with us as collateral, assuming, of course, she survives." The man disappeared, returning them to the Eitemor's perspective.
Stalling went pale, his lips trembling as he swayed on weak knees. Antone stepped to him and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "We must act now Stalling," he said, his professional tone softened with compassion.
"What is your name," Janison asked Steffor. He had continued his study of the tablets during all the commotion and had since narrowed it down to one, now stretched tall.
"Steffor."
"Steffor, my name is Janison. This is Jennifer, Stalling and Antone. We are your allies and we intend to deliver you back to your world. Do you trust my words?"
"Yes," Steffor replied on instinct. In addition to the Provider telling him to trust these people, the intensity of the moment had evoked an undeniable bond.
"Good. To do so we need time. The only way we acquire time is for you to leave this place with the man you just saw. Right now, they perceive you as a great value. You must do what you can, with what you know, to keep that perception alive. Long enough for us to find a solution and return you to your home. We have friends within the Church that will assist us in your rescue. Be prepared for our signal."
"How long? I fear too much time away..."
"Not long, at most a week."
"I will go with him," Jennifer said. "Swap me for Lorissa. They have wanted me from the beginning. They will extract the same information from me that they would Lorissa. None of us can hold out against the serum but my training will string them along for a week or so, valuable time to help Steffor transition."
They all turned to Stalling for approval. In response, he closed his eyes, placed his hands on his hips and took a deep, controlled breath. A long second later, he opened his eyes and gave Antone a succinct nod, who then promptly tapped his link visor and connected back to Thortizan.
"We understand your demands. Muzar is on route. His physical state remains compromised, give him ten minutes to arrive," Stalling said, all business.
"You have five minutes."
"One more request. An exchange of Dr. Muselleti for Dr. Alterian."
"Done." Thortizan said, deliberating on the decision for but a second. "Until we meet again," he said with a curt nod and smug wink, ending the transmission.
"Ready?" Jennifer said, extending her hand to Steffor. The gesture and question conjured a strange mix of emotion within Steffor, a parallel intuition telling him he somehow knew this woman.
"No," he replied honestly. Comforted by the strange and sudden connection to Jennifer as he was, his reluctance to leave remained. Ignorant to how he returned home, he knew this place was the key. To leave now meant risking never finding a way back. But without the aid of his new allies, it will all be for not.
Steffor looked away from Jennifer's hand to the waiting faces of Stalling, Antone and Janison. While not as acute, he felt a similar connection to the other three and knew at that moment he must rely on his intuition like never before. He grasped Jennifer's hand and allowed her to pull him forward.
Aware of his body submerged into the molded bed since awaking, Steffor had limited his movements, up this moment, to his neck and head. Now, standing for the first time, Steffor experienced a euphoric rush of power.
"How do you feel?" Jennifer asked, having moved to his side to place her hand on his back while the other held his arm.
"Like...new," he replied, curling his arms up with clenched fists to marvel at his physique.
"New and improved," Stalling said with an appraising eye.
Steffor lowered his arms and squared up to the man. A good two inches taller, Steffor looked down at him and forced the other to meet his gaze. Stalling returned the stare, confident and honest. Steffor sensed the other's want to offer full disclosure and frustration due to the circumstances.
"I trust the Provider; it would not have delivered me to you, this world, if you were not allies. But as I have recently charged those closest to me, I make the decision to leave on my own free will. I do this with little more than a sense of good in all of you and a connection beyond my understanding."
"I can honestly say, I am not sure I would do the same, under the same circumstances," Antone stated, addressing Steffor for the first time. "But I am grateful all the same. Those are my men above, fighting to buy us time. None know you but all believe in what you are, what you represent, and are willing to die to preserve it."
The thought of complete strangers, from an alien world, willing to sacrifice their life for his sake stupefied Steffor beyond measure. Out of necessity, he shoved the thought deep into the recesses of his unconscious, replacing it with the memory of Antone's deliberate honesty.
"Let's move," Stalling said, moving toward the entrance.
Single file, Steffor followed behind Jennifer while Antone and Janison trailed. As Stalling approached within a yard of the glass door entrance, it silently glided up and disappeared into the arched doorway. They filed into a short, rectangular hallway, quickly cleared the anteroom and exited into a large cavern.
The ceilings of the subterranean place soared high above, the details lost in darkness. Steffor stole a quick glance behind to see the tip of the stalagmite shaped mainframe blend into ceiling shadows, concluding the peak lingered near the top.
Bioplaster and pulsing light also flowed on the outside of the mainframe. Thousands of cables plugged into to bioplaster sockets that lined the outside of the mainframe in orderly rows. The cables, appearing vines the more he studied them, shared the same bioplaster qualities of the mainframe but contained more light. The cables pumped amber light back and forth from the mainframe to thousands of hexagonal pillars, the bio-neural servers. In turn, each man-size server, also constructed from bioplaster, connected to the other with the same organic cables.
"Keep moving," Antone said from behind as he and Janison started into a brisk jog.
Steffor turned back around to see Jennifer and Stalling already running down their strait passage. They ran toward a thin rectangular window in the distance, elevated a few feet above the pillars. He picked up his pace, noting the ease in which his powerful stride closed the distance. To the left and right of their path, they passed one curving row after the other of servers. Steffor visualized more than saw the circular design of the dark cavern with the mainframe at the epicenter, surrounded by and connected to the symmetrical rings of servers.
Under a minute later, they reached the window that was much larger than he original estimated. The window consisted of three glass panels that jutted out from the cavern wall to form a half hexagon observation bay. Without pause, Stalling led them under the middle panel where they ascended an open stairway leading into the room beyond.
They rushed through the sterile room, scurrying past orderly rows of tables housing odd-looking tools and equipment. The transition from the cavern's cool temperatures to the room's moderate climate made Steffor aware of his partial nudity for the first time. On impulse, he glanced down at the snug shorts covering little more than his genitals, triggering a deep longing for his garments. Modesty had little to do with the impulse, finding he missed the touch of his garments that had seen him through adversity countless times. He could not recall a time prior where he desired his garments more.
Now running between jog and sprint, they exited the observation room and entered a lighted hallway that ascended for another fifty yards to a large metal door.
Halfway up the hall, Stalling stopped and replied, "Understood." He then removed his link visor and waited for Steffor, Antone and Janison to approach. "Thortizan commanded the two of you exit alone," Stalling said, addressing Jennifer and Steffor. Turning to Antone, he said, "Make sure Eitemor and crew clear the perimeter, the slightest sign of aggression could set things off again."
"They have already moved back and will take no further action without my order," Antone replied.
"Forgive us Muz- Steffor; this was not how your return was to be. We will fix this, I promise."
Steffor believed Stalling's intentions to be true. From the moment he met these strangers, each conveyed love and honesty equivalent to any Citizen. Actions over the past few intense minutes provided plenty of evidence to support this intuition.
Absent of the proper words to respond, Steffor exchanged affirming nods with Stalling, Janison and Antone before heading up the remainder of the hall with Jennifer at his side. Metal doors as thick as Steffor was tall parted with their approach.
They stepped onto the lawn, moved several yards away from the entrance and then stopped when no one met them. Steffor could tell by the line of trees in the distance and the fresh crater of earth to their right that they stood near where Eitemor had during the battle. Bodies no longer littered the ground but fresh signs of battle remained: large splotches of blood stained grass, lingering tendrils of smoke snaking a few feet off the ground and an acrid odor that clung to everything. A pang of disappointment struck Steffor's heart as his search for Eitemor came up short.
"Steffor," Jennifer said as she grabbed both his hands and turned him to face her. "They will keep us apart. Bargain, plead, beg...whatever you must do to get back to me. Word of your-Muzar's return will spread quickly, complicating our ability to get you back. The Church is not the only ones desperate for your presence, you must know who to trust," she said, casting a quick glance back toward the lab entrance.
"My instincts are all I have to guide me, telling me I must trust you, Jennifer," he said, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Earn my trust now: say what the others neglected or refused to tell me."
She hesitated, mesmerized by his insight, then replied as one at peace with their convictions. "Time flows slower here when compared to your home world." Reading the confused look on his face, she elaborated: "A week here, on Antium, equates to a much longer passage of time in your world."
"How much longer? A month, two-"
"Years, decades-" Jennifer stopped her sentence short as her hand shot up to her neck.
Steffor detected a clear needle protruding between her index and middle finger, right before Jennifer's eyes rolled back and her body dropped to the ground, limp and lifeless. Steffor kneeled down in concern, turning the women over to feel her pulse. Relief at feeling a strong beat lasted but a second before he felt a stinging prick at the base of his own neck, followed by a sterile darkness.
Known Afterlife (The Provider Trilogy: Volume I) Page 47
