Phantoms

by T. R. Harris

  But now she fought against that reality, fearful that at the next occurrence J’nae may not relinquish control after the event. The fear was debilitating, causing her to suspect her every emotion, every action. The thing inside her was real that she was sure. She was no longer herself. It was as if there was someone constantly looking over her shoulder, watching. But it was more than that. This thing could also control her movements. How long would it last, she didn’t know, but she feared the truth. Was this to become her new existence?

  Are you there? she asked in her mind. Can you understand me?

  She was disappointed when silence was the answer. But there was something; a warmth, a vibration of sorts running along her spine. It could just be nerves, she thought. If the essence of J’nae was within her, then why does it not speak?

  She was suddenly jolted out of her thoughts by the arrival of a beat up topless transport cutting in front of them, blocking the street. Five aliens with red swatches on their foreheads crowded the vehicle, deadly Xan-fi flash rifles pointed at them.

  Another car appeared behind them, also filled with savage-looking and armed aliens.

  Monty had his MKs out, while Summer and Tidus drew their projection swords. There came a tense standoff.

  One of the aliens in the lead car then jumped down. His swatch was of a lighter color than the others, making it pink rather than red. He would be a paleface, a senior member of the Tribe. He wore an MK around his waist but didn’t bother pulling it. Instead, two other beings of different races jumped down from the car as well, flanking their leader with flash rifles leveled at the fugitives

  “Relinquish your energy weapons,” he demanded of Monty. He barely acknowledged the existence of the projection swords. There were eight flash rifles aimed at the trio.

  Monty dropped his weapons. Then the alien turned to another of his troops still in the car. “Contact the Council. Tell them we have the fugitives.”

  He then turned to Summer and Tidus. “And the swords, as well.”

  Summer was conflicted. Even if she could, should she call upon J’nae again? The numerical odds were no different than before, but the Reds were in a better offensive position. If she tried to resist, would it get them killed? And in such a dire need, would it be enough of a surrendering of her soul that J’nae would take over completely?

  I need you, but please, don’t take me away. Summer nearly cried the thought in her mind.

  She gasped a moment later when it appeared as if her awareness shrank and her body grew. She could still see, but it was like she was in a wide tunnel, looking out. This had not happened before, but she knew what it was. J’nae was here.

  The glowing edge of the projection blade moved in the blink of an eye, sheering off the barrels of the flash rifles to either side of the boss alien. Then Summer—J’nae—was behind the alien, an arm reaching up to encircle his neck and with the glowing blade only inches from his face. Large yellow eyes stared at the neon blue of the laser, filled with panic.

  “Tell the others to lower their weapons,” Summer heard herself saying. The tone was firm and unmistakable. She meant business. She squeezed harder when the alien hesitated.

  “Hold!” said the paleface. “Surrender your weapons.”

  There was a moment of uncertainty, while the rag-tag gang of Tribal members considered the consequences. They were not the most-disciplined soldiers. Would they follow orders when their welfare was at stake?

  Slowly, weapons began to hit the pavement. Soon, all were disarmed. Monty and Tidus rushed to gather up the rifles and handguns.

  “Put the weapons in the lead car,” Summer ordered. No one was questioning her at the moment.

  She released the alien and spun him around.

  “Why is the Cartel chasing us? What have they offered you?”

  “The Tribe will receive ten million Juirean credits for the return of your bodies. Twenty million if you are still alive. However, it is not the Cartel that offers the bounty.”

  “Not the Cartel? Then who?”

  “I do not know. That is Council business. All I know is the Gradis is also searching, along with the other Tribes. I know not why you are being sought.”

  Summer looked to Tidus and Monty. They were near the first car, looking as puzzled as she. Then with a wave of the still-glowing projection sword, Summer guided the Reds into a small cluster, after which she went to the second vehicle, and with a swipe of the blade, sliced off the front quarter panel, along with half the tire and rim.

  “You are free to go,” she heard her voice saying.

  “But without weapons or transportation, we will not make it back to the Red Sector alive.”

  “You should have thought of that before you came after us.”

  “We were only following orders.”

  “And that is why I don’t kill you here and now.”

  She turned to Monty and Tidus. “Let’s go.”

  They didn’t have to be told twice. Monty once again took the driver’s seat while Tidus navigated. Summer climbed into the back, which was now piled high with flash rifles and other assorted weapons. They drove off down the street.

  Summer suddenly realized her vision was back to normal, no longer as if she was in a tunnel. She caught a nervous glance from Tidus, who quickly turned away to look at his datapad.

  “We are fifteen minutes away, without any further interruptions,” he reported.

  Summer looked back at the cluster of Reds. Paleface was in the center of the crowd, his arms flailing as others around him were engaged in a heated argument. It only lasted a moment before the group suddenly turned and ran off into the darkness. They had a long way to go. Most wouldn’t make it out of the Blue Sector alive.

  12

  They could see Anoc’s neighborhood a few minutes before reaching it. It was a low-lying hill in the middle of the urban sprawl, made up of a series of tall, slender buildings which resembled porcupine needles in the distance. Most of the towers were lit better than the surrounding neighborhood, signifying a more affluent section of town. Summer stood up, feeling the stagnant air on her face. She scanned the area.

  “There’s no place for Adam to land, not on gravity or chemical drive.”

  “And the buildings themselves are too narrow to hold sizeable landing fields,” Tidus added.

  “I thought you said he had a compound?” Monty barked. “Ain’t no compounds around here.”

  “We will deal with Adam Cain when the time comes,” Tidus said. “Let us first identify which of the towers belongs to Anoc.”

  The Juirean held the datapad up to the distant hill. The address was still programmed in the device, and instantly one of the towers lit up. It was on the right side of the hill and about halfway down.

  The car had a pair of dim lights on the front, protected by wire grills. Monty turned them off, allowing the vehicle to blend with the darkness. They reached the base of the hill a minute later.

  The road was clearer here without the requisite broken down vehicles or hovels, even though they didn’t pass through any security to reach the hill. Instead, they noticed each of the buildings had high perimeter catwalks where guards patrolled. Anoc’s property was no different. Dim lights showed the distant figures, dark lines at their sides signifying they were armed with flash rifles.

  Monty parked the car across the street from the gate leading to the base of Anoc’s tower. Through the thick bars, they could see a small parking area beyond the barrier. A security box was on the wall to the left of the gate.

  “Anoc’s ID should activate the gate, yet the guards will surely notice, after which inquiries will be made and protocols engaged,” Tidus whispered. The guards were easily a hundred meters away, almost directly above them. Summer didn’t think he had to whisper.

  Monty looked in the backseat. “We do have plenty of flash rifles. They have the range.”

  “That would be too dangerous. Their flash will light up the night and alert guards in the other towers
. Surely there must be a relationship between the security personnel. Besides, we do not know what security there is inside the building.”

  “I supposed we could climb over the wall, or even up the tower to get to the guards.”

  Tidus shook his head. What followed was a pregnant silence as each of them pondered the problem.

  “I could try to take them out with arrows,” Summer offered.

  Monty looked at her, then back to the guard station. “That’s got to be a hundred meters or more. Is that possible?”

  Summer gave him an awkward smile. “We’ll never know unless I try.”

  “I know some strange things have been happening to you, but damn. That would be a miracle shot. And it’s not just one target.”

  “I think I can do it. I can’t tell you why—not now—but I think it’s possible.”

  “I say let her try,” Tidus offered. “The weapon is silent. And even if she misses, there may be minimal exposure.”

  Monty shrugged.

  Summer had the bow slung across her back, along with the quiver. She didn’t carry bladed arrows, but the ones she had would do the trick if she could even get them to reach that distance. She hadn’t had an opportunity to practice in the varying gravities of the worlds she’d visited, but this should be one of her simpler shots. It was essentially straight up so she wouldn’t have to factor in the drop as much. And the lighter gravity meant the arrows would fly farther.

  The issue would be targeting. It was night, and the catwalk was barely lit. Fortunately, the guards weren’t very mobile. They stood a few meters from each other, their stance displaying boredom.

  “I can hardly see the targets from this distance,” Tidus commented. “Under these conditions, I hope Human eyesight is better than Juirean.”

  Summer prepared her bow. She had balancing rods clipped to the quiver. She removed them and screwed them into the bow. For these shots, she would need her full arsenal of accessories. She attached the D-loop to the primary drawcord and the trigger device to the loop. She had experienced with competition speed shooting, but this was ridiculous. If she pulled this off, she deserved two gold medals.

  Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes, feeling for the dark presence in her mind. If you’re there, I could sure use your help about now.

  She felt the strange vibration again. It gave her confidence.

  Summer brought the bow up and aimed through the peep sight and the main targeting circle. Unlike before, her vision remained at the forefront. She didn’t know if this was good or bad. Was J’nae guiding her actions or not? She notched an arrow, while a second one dangled from her trigger hand, ready to be placed in position the moment she released the first.

  She leaned back, lining up on the target far above.

  That’s when her vision suddenly cleared, and it was as if she saw in the light of midday. Not only that, but the targets appeared closer and more defined. She could make out their figures, seeing the detail of their weapons and uniforms. She brought the targeting dot onto the first guard, aiming for center mass.

  Normally, she would move the bow in a small spiral motion, circling the aiming dot until it fell upon the target. But now the dot remained rock steady as if the bow was held in an immovable vice. She was locked on and with nothing else to do but press the trigger.

  The arrow was away, and a moment later, the second one was notched, lined up and released, even before the first reached its target.

  To Monty and Tidus, it was as if both arrows reached their targets at the same time. The guards fell where they stood. There was a tense moment as the trio watched for any movement through the open grate of the catwalk floor. All was still and quiet.

  “Great shot, Sum!” Monty said, reaching back to pat her shoulder. Tidus was out of the car a breath later, sprinting gangly across the road to the security box at the gate. He swept Anoc’s ID card, and the gate slid sideways. Monty had the car through the opening before the gate fully opened. The Juirean rushed to the other side of the wall and activated another control, closing the gate.

  Monty pulled the car to the side of the building, out of sight of the entrance. They still had the question of security inside the building. Were the two guards the only ones on the premises? At least from the inside flash bolts would be masked from the outside.

  “That was incredible,” Monty repeated, still in shock.

  She was pretty impressed herself. She wondered how much of it was her and how much was J’nae? At the moment, she was back in control of her body, even though she hadn’t experienced the same degree of possession as before. Perhaps firing the bow required more skill than even J’nae could master in such a short span? This time, it was more of a cooperative effort on the part of host and phantom. Still… that was some awesome shooting!

  Monty and Tidus geared up with MKs and Xan-fis, ready to enter the building. There was a main entrance, also with a security box. Nothing was taken for granted on Sasin. Merely getting through the gate wasn’t enough.

  Summer took one of the Xan-fi rifles. She was okay with the MK handguns, but felt more comfortable wielding a rifle, even if it was of alien design. She and Monty flanked the doorway while Tidus triggered the controls.

  Relieved at not having been met by a barrage of flash bolts coming from inside, the trio moved past the door and into the interior of the building. There was a foyer area, appearing more like a maze than an entryway, designed to thwart any frontal assault. They moved past the barriers and entered a larger living area. There was furniture, flat screen monitors and a small food processing center along the far wall. The room wasn’t exceptionally large, and the team could see wide stairways leading to other levels, both up and down. The tower was narrow and comprised of several floors. Considering the height of the building and what they could see here, Summer figured there had to be ten or more floors.

  “I will move up and check on the guards,” said Tidus. “Because of Monty’s condition, he should survey the middle floors with fewer stairs. Summer, please check below.”

  “Bring back my arrows, if you can,” she said to the Juirean. “I don’t have too many to spare.”

  The team split up. Summer took a series of short stairs to the lower levels, finding a variety of rooms filled with technical equipment along the way. There was also a small armory. At the bottom, she came upon a command center, with active monitoring screens aglow. She watched on one of them as Tidus cautiously made his way onto the catwalk, crouching as he neared the fallen bodies of the guards, aware of the overlooking security stations in the nearby buildings. He dragged the bodies to a doorway, hiding them from view of any curious onlookers. She didn’t see if he recovered her arrows.

  Next to the command center was a heavy metal door with another security box on the wall. Probably a secondary escape route, she imagined. It was good to know it was here. With no additional guards on the lower levels, she returned to the central floor.

  Monty was at the food processor, already chowing down on a serving of brown mush.

  “You do know that stuff is probably made from those white-skinned aliens we saw at the processing center?”

  “I don’t care. They taste like chicken… and I’m famished.”

  Tidus arrived a moment later, carrying two bloody arrows. He handed them to Summer. “Each shot was dead center,” he said. “Amazing. I could barely make out the figures from where we stood, and yet you….” He let his sentence trail off. Then changing the subject: “I also found a small landing pad on top of the building. But do not elevate your hopes. It is not rated for a spaceship landing, not even a shuttle. It is merely for atmospheric vehicles.”

  “So, all is quiet?” Summer asked the alien. She sat down on one of the long sofas and sprawled out, placing her dirty shoes on Anoc’s off-white cushions. She felt a strange sense of satisfaction from doing so.

  “It would appear we are alone. No other guards on duty.”

  “Good. There’s a central command station
on the bottom floor. We can monitor the entire building from there, including the street outside.”

  “Eight hours until Adam’s arrival,” Tidus said, before looking hard at Summer, causing her to lock eyes with his. “If you do not mind, Summer Rains, I would like to take this opportunity for an inquiry.”

  Summer grimaced. She knew this moment was coming; there just hadn’t been time until now to explain. Even then, she wasn’t sure what she would say. But then Monty brought his meal over to a neighboring chair and sat down, looking expectantly at her. He wanted to know, as well.

  Summer sat up, facing Monty and Tidus. “You know when Adam fed me that essence of J’nae stuff back at the Aris station? Well, there seems to have been some side effects.”

  “I thought Panur and Lila said it was just a stimulant, that it didn’t work on people like you and me?” Monty said.

  “Not for immortality, apparently. But for other things.”

  Suddenly, all the fear and apprehension of the past three days came crashing down on her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her emotions took over. “I’m scared, daddy,” she blurted out, catching Monty and Tidus by surprise. Monty dropped his food and came to his daughter, wrapping her in his thick arms. “I don’t know what’s happening, but she’s inside me,” she continued.

  “Who is inside you?” Tidus asked.

  “That Sol-Kor bitch, J’nae! I can feel her, and at times, she takes over my body. You’ve seen it.” Summer pulled away and stared with manic eyes at her father. “I’m afraid she’s going to take all of me.”

  “It’s all right, sweetie,” her father said. “When we get back to the Behemoth we’ll get Panur and Lila on it. I’m sure they’ll have the answers. They always do.”

  “But they don’t! They said this has never happened with a biologic before. They don’t have a clue what’s happening to me. Besides, they’re getting ready to chase the Aris, and if you remember, they’re not taking us along. What am I supposed to do?”

  “Are you in control of your faculties at this moment?” Tidus asked.