by T. R. Harris
Te’moc realized this, and he didn’t care. This was the lifecycle of universes, although this event had been exacerbated by the artificial influence of trans-dimensional interference. Again, it made no difference to him. All he wanted was the remnants of J’nae’s essence and then a confrontation with Panur. If greater minds could then save the universes, so be it. He would be long gone by then.
There were four Aris at the base, with another eight locked away in the sentry stations. Undoubtedly, Panur and Lila Bol would be here as well. He would have to be cautious.
He landed the Arya out beyond the huge expanse of the assembly zone rather than bring it in over the command complex. He’d receive no challenges on the way in. Could the Aris and the mutants feel that secure that they would not be aware of an approaching starship? He had to admit, since his entry into this universe, he’d detected nothing with regards to alien technology capable of star travel, at least not in the general vicinity. He would take his chances and hike overland to the main facility.
The atmosphere of the planet was compatible with his system, and he made good time transiting the vast fields of construction equipment, cranes and launch pads. The assembly area was quiet at this time, with only a few maintenance robots keeping the grounds clear of overgrowth and insects that could degrade the equipment. They ignored his presence.
Although corrupted, he still felt more powerful with the two doses of essence within him from the now-dead Aris. With each new portion, he would only grow stronger. His objective was to extract as much essence as he could before encountering Panur.
One of the welcome consequences of the essence he now carried in his body was that he could detect the presence of J’nae in the local Aris. He had to be right upon them for this to happen—within a kilometer—but this ability came in handy. Because of it, he knew where the Aris were within the facility.
There was no barrier between the assembly grounds and the command complex, so he simply walked up to the main building and scanned inside with his senses. The Aris were distributed evenly throughout, and none appeared to be moving very fast, as would be expected if they were aware of his arrival. This was good. He could now plan his assault more carefully.
The closest Aris was several meters away within the building. Te’moc moved along the concrete wall until he found an entrance. As expected, there was no lock on the door, just a latch. He stepped inside, and after finding no surveillance cameras, calculated his approach to the unsuspecting Aris.
They met at an intersection of corridors. He had to act fast to prevent a warning from being sent mentally. He came from behind, wrapping his already vibrating flesh around the Aris before he knew he was there. He started at the head, overwhelming the mental capability of the ancient alien. This suppressed his ability to send a signal to his companions. A moment later, the creature lay exhausted on the floor, attempting to crawl away on feeble limbs.
Although extremely old at the time of their transition to immortality, the Aris were still mobile and healthy. The extraction process took most of that away, leaving them withered and disabled. Te’moc considered killing the Aris, rather than let him expire naturally. He checked the location of the remaining three. They were far away, and the chance of the dying creature raising the alarm was virtually nil. Te’moc decided to let him suffer. He had no reason to do so except out of some strange sense of revenge. But the Aris had never done anything to Te’moc or the Sol-Kor, and from his understanding, J’nae volunteered to be their means to attaining immortality. They hadn’t forced themselves upon her.
Then he realized it had more to do with his hatred of Panur than anything else. The Aris were recipients of his greatest creation—of Te’moc’s J’nae. And for that reason alone they must suffer.
Te’moc left the Aris alone on the floor to die as he continued his hunt.
He couldn’t detect the mutants, so he moved through the building with extreme caution. Two of the Aris he was tracking met at a location and were now stationary. He would save them for last; he’d never assimilated two beings at a time. He didn’t know how that would happen. He may have to wait until they separated.
The third Aris was nearby. Te’moc entered a room that appeared to be an observatory, with a huge electronic telescope aimed through an opening in the ceiling. It was daylight outside, but he reasoned the instrument was focused on the anomaly. An Aris was seated at a station, manipulating controls.
This Aris was quicker than the others. He noticed Te’moc’s reflection in the monitor and fell to his side just as Te’moc closed on him. But with three doses of J’nae within him, Te’moc was much quicker than the elderly immortal.
A single hand placed on the Aris was all it took. Te’moc merged with the creature, becoming one with the body. Even so, he detected a mental warning being sent out to the others. Te’moc grimaced. This would surely alert the mutants as well.
Te’moc pulled the helpless Aris to him. Another hand melded into the alien, but Te’moc held back from a complete fusing. He needed information and didn’t have time to scan the billions of years of memories to find it.
“Where are the mutants?”
Te’moc could sense the alien trying to resist, but he couldn’t, not now. Instead, truth poured from his chapped and wrinkled lips.
“They are not here.”
Te’moc’s spirits both rose and fell with the answer. He did not have to fear a chance encounter with Panur or Lila Bol, but neither could he have his ultimate engagement.
“Where are they?”
“Unknown. They have moved to other universes.”
Te’moc found the statement even more confusing than the first.
“Have they abandoned the project?”
“No. They will return, although I have no timetable.”
Te’moc nodded. This will give him time for more extractions, to grow more powerful. Even so, it would not be enough, not with the spoiled essence from the Aris. He would need more.
The cooperative Aris on the floor would be one more step in the right direction. A few moments later, Te’moc left the near-lifeless body to his fate as he set out after the two Aris who were warned of his presence. He could see their movements, and as long as they stayed within a kilometer or so, they could run, but they could not hide.
Two hours later, Te’moc was back at the Arya, having assimilated the last two Aris and learned the locations of the sentry stations. He wished he felt more confident with six portions of J’nae within him, but all these extractions did was confirm his suspicions. He would need the unfiltered essence from either Summer Rains or the missing vials Panur had hidden somewhere. He wrote off the vials; Panur would never let him have them, not until after the final encounter between the two, and only if Te’moc was victorious.
He would make his rounds of the sentry stations while he was in this universe, but then he would have to return to the Milky Way. He could detect J’nae within the Human; that was a bonus. But could he get near her? There were ways. In the meantime, he bolted his starship away from the base planet and made the short hop to the nearest sentry station.
He was curious to see these posts in operation, in awe of the tremendous cosmic forces channeled through them. He was also apprehensive about what the process was doing to the Aris standing the posts and how it was affecting the essence within them. Was it having a deleterious effect, or was it strengthening the essence? That was wishful thinking on his part, he acknowledged. He would know within a few minutes.
The hundred-kilometer-long station was a truly inspiring work of technology. The blindingly bright energy that flowed in one end and out the other was another wonder of natural forces. Te’moc marveled that this point was the confluence between universes, where the mass and energy from one was flowing into another. The station served to channel the inflow back to the source in a continuous stream, keeping one universe from overflowing into another. How this was possible was something Te’moc could not comprehend. Suffice it to say i
t worked, and the body of an immortal Aris was what made it possible.
Te’moc set the Arya directly on the surface of the gigantic construct, at a service lock that allowed him to step into an elevator that moved him to the interior.
Within the tube, the noise was incredible; the result of vibrating metal at a high-frequency harmonic. Te’moc didn’t know if this was part of the operation, where sound helped channel the forces through the tube. It was also very hot. The immortal Aris were not concerned with such inconveniences, but Te’moc had to be careful. If the environment grew more hostile, he would require a suit for protection. Even then, it could be too much.
Fortunately, the internal environment remained within tolerances, and soon Te’moc was at the central point within the long metal structure. He now gawked at what he saw.
The Aris was enclosed within an open spiral of copper-colored tubes, which themselves were radiating incredible heat. The creature was aglow with energy—on fire in fact—and Te’moc could see the flesh of the alien being burned away at the same moment it reconstructed. This was what Te’moc imagined an immortal would experience within the center of a star, never disintegrating completely before regenerating in the same instant.
Te’moc couldn’t approach the inferno without his body turning to ash. Out of desperation, he looked around the room. He couldn’t merge with the Aris in his current state. The station would have to be shut down.
But how was that possible? Surely, the mechanics were unbelievably complex. Te’moc set to work analyzing the station. He only had to figure out how to shut down this one sentry post to learn the secrets of all of them. He called up computer programs and began his study. The heat within the chamber was incredible. Even with his enhanced body, he wouldn’t last long enough to find his answers.
Precious time was lost as he returned to the Arya and donned an environment suit. Such adornments were foreign to him, but he found it necessary in this case. He returned to the control room and went back to his studies.
A day later, he had the shutdown procedure figured out.
The Aris hadn’t put too much thought into the sequence, knowing the station had to remain operational for a million years or more. If the station became unnecessary, the cosmic forces being channeled through it would simply evaporate, and the station shut down automatically. Premature termination wasn’t something the Aris considered.
But still, the facility could be closed down, even if Te’moc had to invent the procedure on his own. He began the sequence, and within two hours, the huge fires raging in space around the station began to fade. The energy being directed through the tube was never visible in the first place; it only became so from the excitement of surrounding matter. Now the light faded, along with the unbearable heat.
Te’moc removed his environment suit; he couldn’t merge with the Aris with it on. He entered the coil chamber just as the Aris regained awareness. He stared at his unexpected guest.
“Is the universe safe?” was his first question and only utterance.
“No,” Temoc answered in the Aris language. “It never will be.”
A moment later, the Aris was dead on the floor. He didn’t survive the extraction process, his immortality weakened by the ordeal his body had gone through.
J’nae’s essence, however, was just as it was from the other Aris, no better, no worse. This left Te’moc with no option other than to return to the Milky Way in search of Summer Rains.
He felt some degree of frustration, but it wasn’t debilitating. He was familiar with the Human and the J’nae within her. He also had the Gradis Cartel to assist him. They would do anything for credits. And if he reached his ultimate goal of assimilating Panur, he would have whole universes to offer the Cartel. Not the Human universe, of course, for that universe would be gone, but others.
He set the jump coordinates for the next Aris sentry post. He would make quick work of the remaining Aris and then stage his semi-triumphant return to the Milky Way galaxy.
He smirked. He would welcome the end of the troublesome galaxy, not only for the death of its insolent Human population but also because he thought the name of the galaxy was stupid. What exactly did Milky Way mean? He would be glad to see it go.
Seven days later, the tiny lightship returned to Terminus base.
Immediately, the mutants knew something was wrong; the giant loop of yellow flame was gone from the sky; the implications of such were devastating.
They landed the ship at the base and quickly made a quick search of the main building. All the Aris were dead, except one, each having their immortality ripped from them. Only Nunki survived, and that wouldn’t be for long. They found him in the observatory, his body having aged decades in only the past few days.
“It was Te’moc, as you have surmised,” he strained to say.
“We are so sorry,” Lila said, holding his head in her lap.
“The others?” Nunki asked.
“The flame is gone from the local sentry post,” Panur informed him. “I assume the others are gone as well.”
This was the last straw for the dying Aris. He let out a long sigh.
“Don’t go yet, Nunki,” Panur said. “Our efforts have been successful. The pressure has stabilized between the universes.”
“But it will not remain so,” Nunki whispered.
Panur shook his head. “No, it won’t. But the tear can be repaired in the meantime.”
“Not without an Aris?”
Panur knew he was right. They had a narrow window of opportunity, but it would still require an immortal Aris to make it happen. Even Panur’s body wasn’t compatible with the Aris method, not without an entire reworking of the technology. There wasn’t time for that. And Lila’s body was also different. Only an Aris could repair the damage in the time they had.
“Kracion. You must employ Kracion.” Nunki stated.
“He is mad,” Lila said. “He would never agree to help.”
Nunki’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment before reopening. “He may surprise you. But at the moment, he is your only hope. I will tell you where to find him.”
Panur looked at Lila. “There is nothing to lose.”
“Except … everything,” Lila disagreed.
“We have to try.” Panur turned back to Nunki. “Where can we find Kracion?”
“He is in the Milky Way galaxy.” Then with his last dying words, Nunki told them where.
14 Years Ago
…aboard the Sol-Kor flagship
“The pulse will be deactivated momentarily,” said one of the Sol-Kor guards. He and the others still wore the black shielding uniforms, protecting them from the effects of the suppressor beam. “Do you wish us to remain for the time they recover?”
“Not necessary. I see the prisoners are well-restrained. I will be safe; you may go.”
Panur’s three test subjects stood blank-faced in a small cluster at the center of the work area. When the beam faded, they reacted with blinking eyes and audible sighs. The act was over, whether they wanted it to be or not. They looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. Panur admired their devotion to the charade. They were very good actors.
“Where are we; what happened?” one of the males asked, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He was tall and slender with light-colored, short-cropped hair atop his head and bright blue eyes.
Panur looked at him and smiled.
“Excellent!” said the mutant. “I am impressed. You did a fine job pretending to be under the influence of the pulse. I commend you.”
“I don’t understand,” said the other male, this one with thick, black hair on his head and covering most of his face. “Who are you? What did you do to us?”
“Please, Humans, I know better.” Panur had learned the name of the species from the Sol-Kor Noslead, a pretentious creature named Vosmin. “And be calm; this room is shielded from monitoring. We are alone.”
Panur didn’t react when the first male jumped
close to him and yelled, “What the hell are you doing to our people? You’re eating us as if we were cattle.” Panur stood his ground, even in light of the threat from the much taller—and highly agitated—alien.
“I do not know what a cattle is, but I assure you, I am not the one doing the eating. That would be the Sol-Kor.”
Panur was amused as the alien began to work the metal of his cuffs. Did he honestly believe—
To Panur’s surprise, the metal began to bend. This creature is stronger than most. Interesting.
Muscles strained as the defiant alien stared at the mutant with anger-filled eyes. Panur calmly watched the exercise, raising no alarm or taking precautions. The metal twisted back and forth until it suddenly snapped. In the same motion, the Human leaned forward, clamping his powerful hands around Panur’s thin neck.
The mutant was pressed back against the edge of an exam table, again offering no defense. Instead, he produced a thin grin, which only infuriated the red-faced alien more, causing him to squeeze even tighter, hoping to elicit some reaction from the mutant. Panur remained upright, alive, and impervious to the attack.
Panur tried to speak, but his throat had become so deformed by the choking that only mumbles came out.
The exasperated Human released him; Panur’s neck remained scrunched in knots for a few moments before returning to normal, at which point he was able to speak clearly again.
“I asked if you were through? I must say the pressure you exerted was quite impressive. I’m afraid my Sol-Kor partners will be in for a surprise if ever they engage you in a contest of strength.”
“What the hell are you?” the blue-eyed Human gasped.
“I wish I knew.” The reaction from his attacker spoke volumes. It was obvious the emotional Human had no experience with pliant flesh or other leaps in technology one would expect from a race with the intellect Panur suspected these creatures possessed. He began to doubt these were the builders of the portal array. And if not, then who?
