Shade of Darkness

by D. N. Leo

  “I sure did. That’s what a boyfriend does. Especially when you’re taking me home to meet the parents and all. You can’t handle a lame peck on the cheek? Are you twelve?”

  “I’m not twelve. I don’t just kiss any man—or let any man kiss me–for no reason.”

  “You didn’t need to give me an answer—it was a rhetorical question. Here you are.” He opened his palm, showing her an empty container.

  “Where’s the bug?”

  “I planted it at your workstation when everyone was busy watching me kiss you. Isn’t that what you wanted? Not the kiss, but planting the bug?”

  “I had intended to put it in Zin. But what you did was better. Thank you. I misunderstood you.”

  “Come on, do you always have to be so formal?”

  She shrugged.

  Ryan scurried toward them from the corner of the building. “Cayson’s missing.”

  “He went to find Fifi,” Michael said.

  “How do you know?” Lyla asked.

  “That’s what guys do. They’re idiots. We should have tied him up.”

  “I’m sorry, Lyla. I explained to him that you would check his application status and discuss things with the people at the Daimon Gate. He said he understands. But I don’t know why he took off in the middle of the night.”

  “Do you know where Fifi’s family is exactly?” Lyla asked.

  “I have the location, but I’ve never been to their place. Cayson wouldn’t be stupid enough to go there again, would he?” Ryan paced the floor. “Is there anything we can do to stop the brotherhood in that village from hurting him? I tried calling. Nothing works.”

  “Let me have a word with them.”

  “Lyla, I can’t let you go to Xiilok without being escorted by a galactic army,” Michael said.

  “He’s right, Lyla. You can’t go. But I can. I’ll go.”

  “And do what, Ryan?”

  “Have a word with the in-laws.”

  “Are you sure that the message actually came from the in-laws? Why didn’t they talk to Cayson in person?” Michael asked.

  “I don’t know. I should have beaten the information out of him,” Ryan said and continued to pace.

  “I have a friend in Xiilok. He can help,” Michael said.

  “Do you trust him?” Lyla asked.

  “I don’t trust anyone. I learned that from Ciaran. Come on, let’s go,” Michael said and strode ahead.

  “May I please go with you?” Ryan asked.

  Lyla turned to look at him. It seemed like he had aged ten years since last night. She hadn’t realized before now that he had spent more time taking care of her than her father had. “Yes, Ryan. Of course, you can come with us.”

  As they walked to the teleport, she glanced back at her control station in the distance and saw semi-transparent shadows covering the building like a net. They lifted up then, flying into the sky, and dissolved into thin air, leaving nothing behind. She shook her head. She must be tired. She felt that tingling sensation on her fingertips again and looked down at her shaky hands.

  “What’s up, Lyla?” Michael asked.

  She looked up and saw concern flash across his face. For a brief moment, he looked serious, but then he smiled again.

  “Nothing,” she said and walked toward the teleport.

  Chapter 6

  Lyla didn’t know how long the Daimon Gate had been here. She had read somewhere that it was as old as time. But then, time was only a dimension. There were countless dimensions in the multiverse, and it would take her a lifetime to learn all of them.

  The Daimon Gate was a universe, famous for its elusive properties. It operated on the principle of righteousness. Cheating in the Daimon Gate was a grave offense. If an individual committed a crime there, no authority in the multiverse would be able to save him. That was because the Daimon Gate was the neutral ground of all things. It had no wars and no enemies. It was unbreakable. Well, in theory, it was.

  Lyla sighed. She visited it now because she had predicted a slim chance that the system may be weakened. And on top of that was the matter with Cayson.

  The Daimon Gate was the connected gateway to and from all member universes. All citizens of the member universes traveled inter-universe via the Daimon Gate. Citizens from non-member universes had no way to enter and exit alive, let alone trespass into another universe.

  Because of the strict connection between members, member universes didn’t invade one another. There was no crime. There was no smuggling. No grievances. Just happiness. Her mother had always referred to the connected network of member universes as a perfect world of happiness. But her mother was an idealist. She chuckled inside. She had always taken her father’s side regarding this. Nothing was perfect.

  “Can you tell me the plan now? I’m a bit uneasy dealing with the Daimon Gate without a plan,” Michael said as they walked down the dock from their transport ship to the giant iron door of the Daimon Gate. Eudaiz connected directly with the Daimon Gate, and they could land right in the central area. Lyla’s contact, however, was based in a station closer to the border of the transitional zone, so they had landed here, right at the border of the Daimon Gate.

  “I don’t have a plan.”

  “What?”

  Ryan approached and said, “I’ll wait here.”

  “Lyla, in what capacity am I going in there with you?” Michael asked.

  “As a friend.”

  Lyla looked Michael in the eye and hoped he would understand. No one lied in the Daimon Gate unless they had a burning desire to die. At the moment, being a friend was the only way she could tell the truth with confidence.

  Confident in her reasoning, she proceeded to a steel gate and allowed the computer to scan her as she walked through.

  “Valid Pass required,” the computer spat out in a monotone voice and pinged at Michael.

  “Damn it. I have a Pass.”

  “Your Pass isn’t valid here, Michael,” she said and pressed her palm to a control panel. “Request a guest Pass. I need to speak to Gale.”

  On the screen at the door, the face of a young man with dark hair and striking green eyes appeared. He grinned at her.

  “Lyla, long time no see. You look awesome.”

  “Gale, this is Michael, citizen of Iilos—”

  “Commander in Chief of Border Security,” Michael cut in. “I can get a Pass myself, but we’re in a hurry here, Gale.”

  Gale smiled. “Being Commander in Chief of the Iilos border security wouldn’t make a difference here. But I’ll take Lyla’s word that you’re trustworthy. A Pass has been granted.” He winked at Lyla.

  “Dickhead,” Michael muttered.

  “That’s on the record, Michael Fraser.”

  “As well as this.” Michael stuck his middle finger up at the screen.

  “That’s Iilos etiquette for you,” Gale muttered.

  The door slid open. Lyla walked in, and Michael followed.

  “I won’t be long, Ryan,” Lyla said, glancing up at the giant polished steel staircase leading to a landing fifty feet above them.

  “Take your time, Lyla,” Ryan said as the door closed.

  The ground floor buzzed with activity. People and computers were everywhere. Michael almost walked into a floating screen. The screen yelped and leaped out of the way. As Michael jumped, mumbling profanity, Lyla smiled.

  A smaller floating screen floated down with Gale’s smiling face in the center.

  “I know you have a lot of resources, but you don’t have to show off, Gale,” Lyla said.

  Gale chuckled and said nothing. The screen floated in front of them, leading the way.

  “Don’t tell me he owns this stuff,” Michael said.

  “No, this is a Central-funded project. But Gale has made the most of the machines here.”

  Michael shrugged.

  The screen with Gale’s face led them into a conference room, where Gale himself sat at a round table. Lights and screens floated and came ali
ve as they walked in. The door closed behind them.

  “What brings you here?” Gale asked as he stood and greeted Lyla with an embrace. Then he nodded at Michael.

  Lyla noticed the smile had vanished from Gale’s face. “Should I ask what’s going on here first?”

  Gale shrugged. “You know the deal. No, you can’t ask what’s happening in the Daimon Gate. Normally, the conversation here is recorded, but this conference room is having some issues with the hardware, so the recording mechanism has temporarily stopped working.”

  Lyla nodded, acknowledging they weren’t on the record. “I suspect my system is compromised,” she said. “I don’t know how, and I don’t know how widespread the problem is.”

  Gale leaned back deeply into his chair. His green eyes gazed into the distance for a long moment. “You saw a shadow.”

  “Then you know. So the problem has spread already,” Michael said.

  “It’s unconfirmed. I have no proof,” Lyla said.

  Gale nodded. “Neither do I. But I’m tracking what I’ve got.”

  “Does Central know?” Lyla asked.

  Gale shook his head.

  “But you do have help from high places? In case things go wrong?” Michael asked.

  Gale nodded. “But it might be bigger than what we can handle at our level,” Gale said. “We might have to call in the bosses.”

  “And what if the bosses are involved?” Michael asked.

  Gale shook his head. “They might be elsewhere, but not in the Daimon Gate.”

  “Not in Eudaiz, either,” Lyla said.

  “Is it just you two, or are people in Eudaiz and the Daimon Gate naive by default?” Michael asked.

  “We may have traitors, but they aren’t in high-ranking positions. Nobody can lie to the system,” Gale said.

  “You mean the EYE?” Michael asked.

  Gale narrowed his eyes. The EYE was the most comprehensive computer databank in the multiverse. It was handled exclusively by the Daimon Gate. The EYE saw everything that happened in the multiverse. It knew everything. Ordinary people didn’t know it existed, nor did they have access.

  “I have access to highly classified information—about those you have to protect, Gale,” Michael said.

  Lyla interrupted the tension between them. “He does have access to more information than you and I do, Gale. And he’s here to help. Can you tell me what to expect? I didn’t get much from my system. Your equipment is much more advanced here. The Daimon Gate has more at stake than Eudaiz. You’re connected with nine thousand universes. Imagine if the EYE were corrupted.”

  “You don’t want to know what I think, Lyla.”

  “Try me.”

  “I think it’s organic, and it’s a phantom.”

  Michael scoffed. “A ghost infiltrating a computer system?”

  “You might need to sharpen your imagination a bit, Michael,” Gale said, and he didn’t look as if he was attempting to make a sarcastic remark.

  Chapter 7

  Ryan stood at the entrance of the village in Xiilok where Fifi’s family lived. He hoped Lyla understood why he had left her and Michael in the Daimon Gate. This was a private matter, and he would never drag her into this mess. She had gotten him the Pass to the Daimon Gate, and that was good enough. There was no need for permission to enter Xiilok. All he needed was to survive and then get back to the Daimon Gate.

  He knew Cayson had done something wrong by the authorities of Eudaiz and the Daimon Gate. That was why he didn’t want to get Lyla involved. Ryan understood his son’s biggest problem—his love for Fifi. It was the same curse of love he himself had had when he’d fallen for Cayson’s mother—a human.

  The multiverse had changed so swiftly. Long-lasting relationships had become a challenge. And an inter-multiversal relationship was almost impossible. He understood where Cayson’s stubbornness came from, though. His mother had taken the risk, coming to Eudaiz to give birth to him. Her body hadn’t been able to adapt to the changes, and Cayson had lost his mother at a very young age.

  But they had bonded. Ryan knew Cayson’s bond with his mother had a great impact on Cayson’s love for Fifi. They had never spoken about it. But he just knew.

  From the far end of a dirt road flanked by black and blue wildflowers, a group of men approached Ryan.

  Ryan gave them a friendly smile. “I’m looking for the Antons,” he said.

  A tall man standing at the front looked at Ryan with clear purple eyes. There were no worms swimming in his irises, and that meant he wasn’t a multiversal outlaw. “We’re the protectors of this village,” he said.

  Ryan smiled again. “I know. You’re the brotherhood.”

  The man chuckled. “You got that right. Where are you from, and on what business is it that you want to see the Antons?”

  “I’m from Eudaiz. I’m a friend of the Antons. They told me to stop by when I had a chance. I’m en route to Earth on a business trip. I wanted to drop by to say hi.”

  “So this has nothing to do with Fifi?” a man standing at the back asked.

  “No, this has nothing to do with Fifi. I just wanted to have a chat with her parents. What’s up with Fifi?”

  “Nothing, but she’s a naughty girl and very cheeky. She might try to con a naive Eudaizian.”

  Ryan chuckled. “I’m Eudaizian, but I’m well-traveled and have had a lot of business dealings with Earth. I think I can handle Fifi.”

  “All right, if you say so.” The tall man who had spoken first said then gestured toward the far end of the flower-lined road. “They’re in the second to the last house at the end of this road. We’re stationed over there. Give us a yell if you need any help.” He pointed to a small straw hut next to a thin strip of bushland.

  “Sure, thank you.” Ryan nodded a goodbye and headed toward the end of the road.

  It was a small cottage with white walls and a straw roof, as charming as those he had seen in the small villages of England. But the vision of a cottage like this in Xiilok, the land of multiversal outlaws, just seemed plain wrong.

  Reluctantly, Ryan knocked, and the door opened at his touch. The stench of blood assaulted his nose. His instincts told him not to set one foot in the house.

  But it was too late.

  Alarm bells and gongs and strange noises echoed everywhere. It was as if he were being ambushed. The quiet village shook with footsteps and the weight of people storming toward him, led by the brotherhood.

  The tall man with purple eyes pointed at Ryan. “That’s him,” he said.

  Ryan raised his arms, seeking peace. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even set foot in the house. You won’t find a trace of me in there.”

  People stormed into the hut. A woman’s voice cried out, “He killed them! I can’t find Linx! Ask him if he killed the toddler, too!”

  “I didn’t kill anyone. I’m here for the Antons!” Ryan shouted, but the men from the brotherhood shoved some cloths into his mouth and tied him up.

  The group of men who called themselves the brotherhood then dragged him away. The angry crowd from the village followed.

  Someone shouted, “I can’t find the Antons. He just said he’s here for the Antons. He killed them!”

  Ryan wriggled hard but couldn’t get out of the men’s tight grips. Then he saw people carrying two dead bodies out of the little cottage. He had seen pictures of Fifi’s parents, and those dead bodies weren’t them. The brotherhood continued to drag him away with the angry crowd in tow.

  “Let him go!” said an authoritative voice from the forest.

  The crowd cringed. The men carrying him turned around, swiveling Ryan at the same time. In front of them was a ten-foot-tall man with long white hair and a wizened face. He held a long staff.

  “The Guardian,” someone in the crowd said.

  Ryan could feel the hands of the men holding him captive shaking.

  “Untie him,” the Guardian said.

  “But he killed—” The man standing behind R
yan hadn’t yet finished his sentence when the Guardian swung his staff. The man’s head rolled across the ground.

  The crowd rumbled.

  Someone untied Ryan and pushed him toward the Guardian.

  “Go back to your village,” the Guardian said.

  People scrambled away, not waiting for a second command.

  “Where are you from, visitor?” the Guardian asked.

  “Eudaiz.”

  “Well, I can’t take you back home. Eudaiz won’t accept people like me.”

  “Who are you?”

  “As they have called me, I’m the Guardian.”

  “That’s a position. It’s not who you are.”

  The old man smiled. “You don’t need to know who I am. I live in the forest here, and I protect the people and creatures around me—if they need me. I can take you back to the transitional zone.”

  “I am here to see the Antons.”

  The Guardian sighed. “I know where they are, but I can’t take you to them without their permission.”

  “Permission? The village nearly beheaded me because they thought I killed them. I think I’m at least entitled to a conversation.”

  “I will pass your words on to them. Would you like to wait here or go with me?”

  Ryan glanced back at the village and said, “I’m going with you.”

  Chapter 8

  “Calm down, Lyla.”

  She felt Michael grabbing her elbow to stop her from rushing through the teleport terminal to try to find Ryan. She hoped he was just wandering around and hadn’t left for Xiilok.

  Fear consumed her heart. If Ryan went to Xiilok by himself, he would be captured. She couldn’t even imagine what would happen after that. Xiilok was beyond her jurisdiction. It was not only the place where the outlaws of the multiverse lived, but it was also the complete opposite of the Daimon Gate. Both universes were known for their elusiveness, but in the Daimon Gate, the elusive tests were designed to destroy evil. In Xiilok, it was only evil that survived. And there wasn’t an ounce of evil in Ryan.

  Xiilok did have a normal residential area. But given a choice, no one would choose to live there. Fifi’s family must live in that area, and it was better than most, but still, there was no protection and no authority of any kind in Xiilok, no matter where you lived.