by Frank Carey
He got up and hugged her before retrieving the bottle and placing it on the table. "Careful. I hear a normal human can get drunk just from the fumes."
"Can you get drunk?"
"No. The bots in my bloodstream use the ethanol to refuel my power cells. I make it easy on them by giving them the pure stuff. What brings you to Jakes?"
"Definitely not the decor."
Gabe waved to the Alturan bartender who returned moments later with a glass of white wine which he sat in front of Marta. "Don't worry, most of this is holograms. The Director would never allow a real place like this to exist on the Cube. The clientele come here for the ambiance, not the ptomaine."
She sipped her wine and was surprised at its quality. "How's the food?"
"They got their fourth star last month. Like I said, ambiance."
"Doc ran some tests, stuff that's not part of the normal human work-up."
"Let me guess, I'm a cyborg."
"Yes, she confirmed that," Marta replied deadpan. "She also found traces of Olympian immortal in your DNA. They checked mine and found the same traces."
"OK. What does that mean?"
"One of our ancestors is, or was, a demigod."
"How far back?"
She took his hand and squeezed it. "Your parents, more specifically, your birth mother."
He picked up the bottle and drained half of what remained in it. "Then how did I die?"
"Your body died, but not your brain. We think your genetic heritage kept your brain alive just long enough for you to get frozen. Once in cryostasis, it began the long, arduous journey to healing. Given another couple of centuries, you wouldn't have needed the bots."
"Whereas you ladies are manifesting the immortality gene."
She nodded. "Think of us as being less demigod, but more enhanced."
"So, you and I and the rest of my extended bloodline, are related to a god that knocked-up my birth mother's mother."
"Yeah. That sounds about right. Immortal DNA runs on a slightly different set of rules. Genetics section is having a field day."
"Not to make light of this, but who's our daddy?"
"We're not sure..."
"Adonis, right? The Don Juan of the immortal set? The guy with the long perfect hair featured on every romance novel ever written?"
"It's possible."
"How about we ask Bob and Aphrodite?"
She sipped her wine. "I talked to Bob. He's convinced that you carry part of Adonis in you, which could explain his daughter's reaction to you. The problem is that things don't work that way. Immortality and a few other abilities are carried in the DNA, but not identity. You seem to be carrying an echo of Adonis and no one seems to know how or why."
"Perhaps we could ask Lover Boy."
"That's not going to happen."
"Let me guess: disgruntled boyfriend?"
"Our legends have him dying long before he could have met your grandmother. He has not been seen since the Immortals came out of hiding." She looked up and saw him watching her. "What?"
"This is the first time you and I have actually talked. It's nice..." Gabe's comm beeped. He blinked, then whispered, "Bluetooth," then said aloud, "Go for Adon... Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Ok. Approved. Bye." He then banged his head against the bar top.
"What's wrong?"
"Pris has formally requested time-off. OK. What the hell have I done now?"
"You want me to answer that as a general or a woman."
He banged his head again. "I did two things wrong?"
"No, fool, you haven't done anything wrong. Look, how many missions have you three been on?"
His arms grew armor with several gold glyphs embedded in them. "Five." The armor disappeared.
"You need a datapad. Is Pris married or mated to anyone?"
"No. Siv's got a husband, but Pris is unattached. Why is that important?"
Marta stared at him.
His head snapped upward "NO! That is not it. NO!"
"Katalans and humans both harbor Logash genetics, which means they can and do have offspring together just like humans and elves. I saw her reaction when Aphrodite put the moves on you. Pris is smitten by you which makes her confused, a state of mind you are all too familiar with, being a guy and all. Now, do you have feelings for her?"
Gabe said nothing.
"Come on, you can tell the granddaughter."
"I once fell in love with a partner and it led to a world of hurt that has haunted me for over two centuries. I am not going to put Pris through that."
"So, you are in love with her. Have you told her?"
"Have you had your hearing checked? I just told you I will not hurt her."
"Then you two need to talk. You know, communicate on a verbal level. Unlike us humans, Katalans evolved from predators. Though a spacefaring race, they are still apex predators at heart. She's reacting to something she doesn't understand. You have to help her understand. You're also going to have to straighten out Aphrodite. Oh, and forget about that past shit. It died two centuries ago in a car wreck."
He leaned back and mulled over her advice. He blinked. "This is DCI Adon. Your office called me with a leave request for DS Priscilla Kitra. I approved it, but I want to add a 48-hour delay. is that possible? Good. Thanks." He blinked twice more. "Siv... Siv, calm down; everything's fine. How are you two doing? Right. OK, I'm going to dinner tonight with Aphrodite, and I'm going to set her straight. When I'm finished, I'm coming back to the ship to talk with Pris. Can you find something to do when I arrive? Excellent. Bye."
"Now, don't you feel better?" Marta asked.
"No. The word I would use is terrified."
She shook her head, then sipped her drink.
"By the way, what would the general say?"
"Fix it!" she replied.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gabe checked his tie one last time, before venturing out onto the dock. Pris was out shopping in an attempt at avoiding him and Siv was with her, so he was alone. He walked to the bottom of the ramp to wait for Aphrodite.
"My, you do clean up well," she said after suddenly appearing out of thin air.
"How do you do that?" he asked, startled.
"Network. Like the Alue, we can take non-corporeal form and travel any computer network. How do I look?" she asked while spinning around. She was wearing a diaphanous gown that left little to the imagination.
"Absolutely beautiful," he said as he took her arm and led her into the interior of the station. They got to know each other as they walked. She was amazed at the number of different species who were either visitors to the Cube or residents. Finally, they arrived at their destination where they were seated and served cocktails while they waited for their food.
"Gabe, are you married?" Aphrodite asked as people from the far reaches of the League ate around them.
"I was. We were divorced over two centuries ago. She died from natural causes after a normal life with a normal man."
"But your daughter is alive?"
"Yes, she lives as do her children, grandchildren, and even great-great-granddaughters."
"Then you must be my Adonis! You look like him, you sound like him, you even carry part of his name."
He looked at her for a second before deciding to let her down gently, but firmly. "I talked to my great-something-granddaughter, Marta. She looked into it. It seems that Adonis and some human woman gave birth to a daughter--my birth mother, at least that's what the DNA shows."
"Your mother is a demigoddess? That is rare. Can we speak to her?"
"I never met her. She dropped me off at an orphanage when I was an infant. I am sorry, but the best I can do is be related to the man you love."
She leaned over and kissed him. Oddly, he found himself thinking about Priscilla. He pulled away. "Excuse me?"
"You're not him."
"Other than me saying that all day, what's convinced you?"
"I felt nothing when I kissed you. Kissing Adonis is like kissing the Sun."
"He should write a book. What did happen between you two?"
"Father didn't approve of Adonis or our relationship. My love was headstrong, he wanted to rule mortals instead of teaching them. Father banished him and his followers to a faraway place where he was to stay and contemplate the error of his ways before returning. No one ever returned, and father won't say where he sent them."
"I thought he died because he killed you."
"Cover story we told the mortal Olympians. They preferred sad endings."
"Look, there's a Storen finder named Gustav who can find anything. Pris told me all about him. If anyone can find out what happened to your boyfriend, Gus can..." Gabe's comm bleeped. He took it out of his pocket and read the screen. "Shit! Forgive me, but I need to take this," he said to Aphrodite as he activated the unit. "Go for Adon... Right... I'm on my way..." He disconnected and waved to the waiter. "I've got to go."
"What's wrong?"
"A team of three infiltrator strykers just kidnapped Pris, but left behind a spokesman who'll only talk to me."
###
Gabe and Aphrodite hurried past a number of heavily armed guards, all Katalan and all pregnant. "You allow females with child to act as guards?" Aphrodite asked in shock.
"Fiercest warriors in the League," Director Devlin said as she met the two. "No pregnant Katalan security force member has ever even been scratched while on duty. Now, as for the people that have tried to go up against them? Their bodies would fill one of the larger tombs, Right Mythilda?"
Mythilda's roar caused everyone in the room to flinch, including Aphrodite.
"Director, where's Siv?" Gabe asked.
"Over here," the Alue announced from a bench in the lingerie section of the store. Gabe ran over to check on his friend.
"Are you OK? What happened?"
"Pris and I were shopping for some nightwear when three women shoppers transformed into stryker infiltrator units and started shooting up the place. The next thing I know, I catch a stun blast. The last thing I saw was Pris being dragged out of the store while everyone was diving for cover."
"But you're OK? I didn't think Alue could get stunned."
"I couldn't shift and still protect Pris. In this form, I can be stunned."
"Or killed."
"She gave a weak smile and shrugged. "I'm OK, Boss." She could see the anger in his eyes.
"Where's this so-called spokesman?" he asked as he morphed into infiltrator form.
"Gabe!" Director Devlin yelled. "Stand down!"
Gabe returned to human form, but wasn't happy about it.
"Look, this guy is just a messenger boy. We need information from him, so behave."
"Fine. Where is our guest?"
"Over there, trying to put the make on Gloria."
Gabe walked over and watched as Gloria verbally eviscerated the moron. Unable to watch any longer, Gabe grabbed the perp by the collar and threw him into the wall. "I just saved your ass from an irritated elf. Now, you have a message for me from Mother?"
"Who the hell are you?"
Gabe changed into infiltrator form. "Stryker-1, but you can call me Inspector Adon."
The messenger boy's eyes went blank as he recited the prerecorded message. "This is Mother. I need you to retrieve an item from the center of the permanent storm called Hanson's Maelstrom on the planet Meltor. I have uploaded the details to your ship's data banks. Do this for me and no harm will come to your partner. Fail and she dies. Oh, and have a great day, son."
"Is that it?" Gabe asked while still holding the messenger off the ground.
"Yeah, that's it, so let me go."
"First, apologize to the lady. She's got more class in the tip of her tail then our kind will ever hope to see."
The messenger looked over at Gloria. "Sorry, ma'am, if I offended you. It's part of the persona I have to maintain."
Gloria tilted her head. "Apology accepted."
Gabe dropped the courier. Two security force members picked him up and carried him out the door. Gloria walked over to Gabe and put her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Gabe."
He smiled as he patted your hand. "No thanks needed, Doc. I only speak the truth."
"Gabe!" Ciara said as she joined them. "Did he say Meltor?"
"Yes, Director. My Knowledge on Demand system is unfamiliar with the name."
"It’s a planet on the edge of League space that is part of the Planetary Consortium. The Consortium just signed a treaty with the League, but we've only begun negotiating access to each other's worlds. You just can't go in there and take an artifact from one of their planets."
"Director, you heard the message. Pris dies if I don't retrieve this object. That is not going to happen, ever."
"Let me make a call. Just give me a minute."
Ciara hurried off, leaving him to cool his heels.
He hated cooling his heels, so he sauntered over to Siv and sat down next to her. "Siv," he whispered.
"Yes, Boss?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Great. Good as new."
"How much trouble will I be in if I go after Pris without permission?"
"You mean how much trouble would we be in?"
"Yeah, I guess I do."
"A lot, but it doesn't matter. We have to save Pris. The Delphi is preflighted and ready to go." She disappeared as she went non-corporeal and took up residence in his cybernetic systems.
"Thanks, Siv. LT?"
The security force leader looked in his direction. "Yes, sir?"
"Tell the director I had to step out for a minute."
The LT nodded. "Aye, sir."
Gabe calmly left the store, then headed off to the hangar deck before anyone else noticed he was gone.
CHAPTER SIX
Gabe silently watched the plasma streamers of other-space pass by the forward windows as Siv flew the ship.
"You're awfully quiet. What's up?" Siv asked.
Gabe frowned. "I'm worried about Pris." He rubbed his chin. "I don't trust Mother.
"Doesn't calling her 'Mother' bother you?"
"No, but she does. Mother's the worst kind of sociopath, so she could hurt Pris without batting an eyelash."
"Hmmmm. So, how long have you been in love with your partner?"
Gabe slowly swung his seat around so he could look at his other partner. "As you noted, she's my partner. Partners falling in love with partners can lead to death, destruction, and mayhem. I know, I fell in love with a partner once and she died."
"Ah, Saoirse. She played you. Pris would never play you."
"I never said she would."
"No would; can't. The Katalans never learned how to play anyone. If a Katalan says she likes you, she likes you. Something about being a descendant of a pinnacle predator species."
"Can Alue play people?"
"Us? Hell, we taught humans everything they know. We do try not to play friends, but strangers? Easy-peasy."
Gabe chuckled, then went back to solemn. "I'm not human."
"Yes, you are."
"I was human; I'm now a cyborg."
"So, you have a few bots running around your bloodstream..." She stopped when he went to infiltrator form. "Stop that! I'm trying to make a point."
"As am I. Pris is a normal Katalan who wants kids and eventually a normal life. Having a relationship with me precludes that."
"Why?"
Gabe remained silent.
"Spit it out."
"I think I die when this quest is all said and done." He returned to human form and stared at the ceiling.
"What?" Siv demanded. "Die? How?"
"I've been having the same dream every time I close my eyes. I'm standing on some kind of tower. In front of me is a massive stone ring filled with flames. Suddenly, something hits me from behind. Before I pass out, I get the same feeling I got when I died in the car wreck--completion. I had done my job and it was time for me to move on. That's when I wake up."
"Did Josiah's briefing mention anything about de
ath?"
"No, but Josiah and Mother strike me as people who have a habit of cutting corners. He may not even know how the hell I'm supposed to activate this 'Engine of Creation.'"
"Then, why do it? Why risk your life?"
He shrugged. “Because I believe him. He made a mistake and wiped out a universe. Now, he wants to make things right. As God is my witness, I believe him."
"Then you're a better person than I am. I knew the goofball back when he convinced the Alue to invade the League universe. He's as slippery as an eel, a smart eel, but an eel none the less." An alarm went off on the control panel. It was accompanied by a flashing light. "That's not good."
"What's wrong?"
"We're being pulled over," she said as the ship dropped to real-space. In the distance was a planet, but ahead were several ships matching their speed.
The comm signaled an incoming call. "League Scout Ship Delphi, this is Captain Blev of the Consortium Patrol Ship Nostrum. Heave too and prepare to be boarded," a gruff, gravelly voice ordered. There was no video, only audio.
Siv looked at Gabe. "Fire-up the coffee urn, for we have company," Gabe said.
"Roger that, Captain Blev. Please use the port-side airlock. Its design is universal. Delphi standing by," Siv replied while ignoring Gabe's levity.
Siv set the autopilot to station keeping before joining Gabe at the airlock.
"I wonder what assortment of God's creatures we are going to meet this time," Gabe said as the door opened and in walked a decidedly human woman. Gabe looked into the lock expecting someone from a World War II movie, but it was empty.
"Identify yourselves," the woman said in a gruff, gravelly voice.
"Captain Blev, my name is Detective Chief Inspector Gabriel Adon, and this is my second officer, Detective Sergeant Siv. We're here on a mission of utmost urgency...”
"Can the shit. Your Director Ciara Devlin has explained the matter. We have a problem, though."
"One that is solvable, I hope," Gabe said just before Siv elbowed him and whispered, "Behave!"
"I can't allow you to land on Meltor and enter the Maelstrom without an escort. It's too damn dangerous..."
Gabe shifted into infiltrator form. "I can deal."
She chuckled as she morphed into a winged dragon. "No, you can't. You see, I'm a Quassan, and like your Basili, I can spray fire and take a lot of abuse." She changed back into humanoid form. "Unlike them, I can go non-dragon at the drop of a hat."
