by Frank Carey
"This is Bob. What the hell happened..."
"Bob, Aphrodite stowed away on the Delphi. Now, she and Siv seem to have been kidnapped by a cloud of energy..."
Bob appeared in the seat behind Percy, almost causing the pilot to flip the vehicle. "She did what?" he demanded.
"Anna, Percy, this is Bob, king of the immortals. Bob, any idea what we're facing?"
"I think it's a prison for immortals and any other creature that can become incorporeal."
"Like Alue?"
"Yes, Alue. Where is the cloud now?"
"About a click dead ahead. We're barely keeping up," Percy replied.
"Has it slowed down since I arrived?"
"No," Anna replied. "It's running steady on course for the center of the Maelstrom... That's odd."
"What's odd?" Gabe asked.
I'm picking up an energy reading from the center... Let me check something." She typed commands into her terminal. "Sensor logs show we picked the signal up just as we arrived at the wreck. It has a signature almost identical to that of the cloud we're chasing."
"What wreck?" Bob asked.
"An APC just like this one. It was surrounded by the remains of twelve, very dead strykers," Gabe answered.
"That's bad. Very, very bad."
CHAPTER NINE
"Ok, I'll bite; why is it bad?"
"A very long time ago, long before the dinosaurs died out on your planet, there was a conflict between the immortals. One weapon that was the favorite of both side was what your kind would call a Burmese tiger trap. It consisted of an electromagnetic cloud which would hide in wait for any immortal to show up. When one came into range, the cloud would trap the hapless immortal and transport them to a microuniverse where they would wait until someone retrieved them for interrogation."
"What does this have to do with the dead strykers?"
"No one, mortal or immortal, was killed by the bear traps, which means something is out there hunting your kind. You were ignored by the cloud because it found you uninteresting."
"And Siv?"
"She is a curiosity due to her ability to become noncorporeal. The cloud detected this and incarcerated her for later study."
"So, contact these morons who set the trap and tell them to open the damn thing."
"Aphrodite is in there with Siv! Don't you think I would have called them the moment I found out she had been kidnapped?"
"These immortals are dead, aren't they?"
"Yeah. Things got out of control and they killed each other off. Unfortunately, they forgot to leave behind the prison's owner’s manual. The one's in the League were taken care of long ago, but we must have missed a few out here in the boon docks, no offense," Bob said to Percy and Anna.
"None taken," Anna replied. "Bob, how can we free your daughter and Siv from this prison?"
"Gabe, you're not going to like this," Bob replied
"Try me."
"Destroy the crystal. Luckily, the people who manufactured the trap put in a failsafe. The crystal maintains a containment field. Destroy the crystal and the field collapses, dragging the prisoners back to this universe. I led a decommissioning team. You would not believe what appeared when we shattered one of those babies."
"Why weren't you captured?"
"My team was all mortal. Your kind does have its uses."
"Hey, we're still sitting here," Anna noted.
"Sorry."
"So, what you're telling me is that I can save your daughter and Siv, but sacrifice Pris by destroying the crystal, or save Pris and leave Aphrodite and Siv to rot in a prison for all eternity."
"That about sums it up. By the way, I vote for destroying the crystal."
"Are you for real?" Anna demanded.
"Yes, very real. He can't have both..."
"Yes, I can, but I need your help."
"Excuse me?"
"You live in the networks, correct?"
"Yes...s...s..."
"Can you find where Zoe is keeping Pris?"
"I think so, but it will take time."
"You have until I take possession of the crystal. That will be your signal to get her to safety."
"What about Zoe."
"Leave her. She's unimportant."
"What about you, Gabe?" Percy asked. "What if that thing that destroyed the strykers shows up?"
"I'll deal with it..." An alarm went off.
"We've arrived," Anna reported.
Ahead of the Tenko were the ruins of several stone structures. At the center of the ruins was a brightly lit crystal on a pedestal. The crystal was spherical, about a foot in diameter. Around it was a ring of barren ground.
"Incoming call for Gabe," Percy said "She says she's Zoe."
Gabe glanced at Bob who immediately disappeared into the Tenko's network. "Put her on."
"Gabe, I see you've finally arrived at your destination. I thought you'd forgotten about us."
"Zoe, where are you? I'd love to come visit, perhaps have tea."
"Yeah, no. Now, be a good little cyborg and fetch my crystal."
"Zoe, go to visual, then put Pris on."
"I'm giving the orders, mister..."
"Go to visual and put Pris on, or I'll just turn this truck around and head back to the barn, then you can send another team of your freaks to fetch your crystal, as you put it. Maybe they'll find a way to survive."
A screen on the control panel lit up with Zoe's image. She was not at all happy. She stepped aside and was replaced by Pris. "Hey, Boss, fancy meeting you here."
"Hey, we must move in similar circles. Have they been treating you well?"
"Yes, surprisingly. I think they're scared of you..." Pris was pulled away by a pair of armored hands as Zoe came back into view. "Now, go get my crystal!"
"Zoe, you will continue treating Pris with respect. You won't like me if I find out you or your horde has harmed her in any way. I think we both know what I'm capable of when I get pissed off."
"Bring me my crystal, and I will return your friend unharmed. You have my word. Now, get your ass moving..." Gabe reached down and hit the disconnect switch. "Eat silence," he muttered. He looked to the ceiling. "Bob, did you get a fix on that transmission?"
Silence.
"He's gone," Anna reported. "Our network is clear, and no one else is present in the Tenko. The three of us are alone."
Gabe got up and headed to the hatch. "You two have been of immense help, and I thank you. I suggest you get the hell out of here once I step out. I have no idea what is waiting for me out there."
"I think we'll stick around," Percy said as he reached over and flicked a switch. Gabe could hear servos whine as weapons went active.
"Yeah, we hate to miss all the fun," Anna added as she brought offensive and defensive systems online.
"You're both good people. One thing: I'm expendable. Pris, Siv, Aphrodite, and Bob are not."
"We all go home today," Anna said. "That's the way we roll."
"Roger that," Percy said.
Gabe nodded, then headed to the airlock, changing to infiltrator mode before stepping inside to cycle the lock.
CHAPTER TEN
Siv and Aphrodite found themselves amongst the massive ruins of some long-forgotten civilization. Above them was an angry black sky broken by periodic flashes of lightning. In the distance, they could see things flying between them and a white band of daylight as if the two of them were standing under a large storm. "Strange," Siv said as she panned her scanner around the area.
"What's strange?" Aphrodite asked, seemingly unaware of the storm above or the creatures flying near the horizon.
"That storm overhead looks to be a gully washer, yet the scanner suggests the ground hasn't seen a drop of rain in years."
"It hasn't."
Siv looked up and saw a familiar face approaching. "Gabe? Where the hell are we?" she asked. Then she noticed the tunic he was wearing. "And what's with the getup?"
"Adonis!" Aphrodite screamed as she ran ove
r and jumped into his arms. "You're alive!"
"Yes, I am and so is my crew," he said before waving his hand. In moments, they were joined by a dozen men and women, all dressed in tunics and sandals.
"Who is your friend, my love," Adonis asked. Siv was amazed at how the immortal and Gabe sounded so much alike.
"Her name is Siv, and she is an Alue. Where are we?"
"A prison planet. Did you encounter an energy cloud?"
"Yes," Siv replied. "I think it may be linked to the crystal we were heading toward."
"Yes, that infernal crystal," he said. "We are in a microuniverse maintained by that damned thing. Vit!"
The love child of a wolf and a dragon ran up. "Yes, my liege!"
"Explain your creation to the ladies!"
"Yes, my liege." The creature turned to Siv and Aphrodite. "I am Vit of the Sikat. Long ago, the Sikat built prisons for two warring factions of immortals. I oversaw the team that built and maintained the one that brought you here. One of the team members was a member of a group of dissidents who were against the idea of both the immortals and the Sikat building things for them. She sabotaged the crystal, causing it to lock into capture and detain mode and trapping me inside."
"Wait, is she an immortal?"
"Yes, all Sikat are immortal, which is why I'm here."
"Hold out your claws," Siv demanded.
Vit looked at Adonis, who nodded, so he did as requested and held out one of his clawed hands. Siv scanned it. "Your friend have similar equipment?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because she's on the other side killing people."
"It's possible she is somehow tied to the crystal, possibly drawing power from it. We Sikat are formidable warriors, but with energy drawn from the crystal, she would be almost unstoppable."
"Almost?"
"Yes, we have one flaw. We must drop our shielding before we can deliver the final death blow. Our tactics involve tiring the opponent until they are exhausted, whence we pounce and kill our prey. She will be at her most vulnerable at that moment."
"Can't we just talk to her?" Aphrodite asked.
Vit shook his head. "We are social beings. Prolonged periods of isolation lead to madness and death, but she is being maintained by the crystal's power field. Her mind was destroyed thousands of years ago. She is nothing more than a wild animal by now."
"Great," Siv said. "I've got to warn Gabe..."
"Who is this Gabe?" Adonis asked.
"It's possible he's your grandson." Siv replied. "Not only is he the spitting image of you, all of his female descendants are very long-lived. It's even possible they're demigoddesses. "
Adonis stared off into space for a moment. "She had a daughter..." He shook his head. "We have more pressing issues to deal with."
"Father is helping him," Aphrodite said. "He has taken a shine to him."
"Zeus is on that accursed planet? He will stop at nothing to save you. Perhaps there is hope."
"Vit, does the crystal span both universes, or are there two crystals--one in each universe that connect in some way?"
"A single crystal which spans the gulf."
"Good, we can use that. I think we can cause the crystal to resonate, then send a message by overlaying a comm signal on the resonance wave."
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that?"
"You're too close to the problem. Anyway, who would have heard you? Come on, you can give me a hand modifying this blaster."
"I remember the Alue," Adonis said as the two mortals walked off. "This one seems different."
"She is, sire, and she's my friend."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Detective Sergeant Priscilla Kitra paced the room and muttered curses in the dialect of her clan. She had been cooped up in this room for what seemed like days with only the occasional delivery of food to break the boredom. Finally, the door opened and Zoe walked in. "Detective, I hope your stay has been pleasurable."
"How dare you kidnap an officer of Earth Security! I will see you spend the rest of your miserable existence in some deep hole in Australia for this and your other crimes."
"Spare me. I raise my hand and you're dead, so be silent and listen, and before you ask, we're on a planet called Meltor which is part of the Consortium of Planets..."
"The Consortium! You are mad. The ink is barely dry on the treaty the League signed with the Consortium. This will be considered a violation of their sovereign space."
"We're hidden by a stealth field, so no one knows we're here, no one that is, except Gabe. He's on his way here to retrieve something for us. When he does, I'll exchange you for it."
"What is it?"
"That's none of your concern. You just behave and no harm will come to you."
"Lady, you're going to have to deal with one very pissed off Katalan if anything happens to Gabe or Siv. You catch my drift?"
"Easy there, Sweety, or I'll have to let Melvin have his way with you."
"Bring it, Bitch."
"Melvin!"
A very large merc of mixed heritage--Pris guessed equal parts human troglodyte and a Martok cave cricket--walked into the room and dropped his rifle while a smile grew across his grotesque face. Before Zoe could step out to give the couple some privacy, the merc was a crumpled heap in the corridor with a broken wrist and four deep gashes running from his chest and abdomen from left shoulder to right hip.
"Interesting," Zoe noted. "I didn't know Katalan tails were prehensile.
"To paraphrase the elves, it's all about the tail." Pris replied while checking her manicure for damage.
Zoe carefully backed out of the room. Pris noticed how quickly the door locked after it closed.
###
Zoe lay on the room's cot and stared at the ceiling when a knock at the door broke her concentration. Frowning, she said, "Come in."
A young, female, elf merc stepped through the door. "Mistress Zoe requests your presence."
"Great, lead the way," she replied as she jumped out of the bed. The merc didn't react to the move, something Zoe stored away in case the two of them mixed it up later. Not being startled by a Katalan jumping out of bed was a sign of discipline, training, or both. This made the merc dangerous. She followed the young woman out of the room.
After a short walk, they entered the lounge which had been turned into a command and control center. Mercs manned consoles while strykers watched from their cubbies in the walls. "I see the paranoia is still running rampant," Pris said.
The elf merc led her over to a view screen. "As it should be," she said quietly.
"I thought you and the others worked for Zoe."
"We do. What part of 'merc' do you not understand? Zoe's going through strykers like I go through bullets in a fire fight. Pretty soon, she's going to switch over to feeding mercs to the grinder, and I'm not being paid enough for that gig. The Mistress will be here shortly." She walked off, leaving Pris to stand there and wait for Her Mad Highness. She looked up at the screen and saw a large, heavily armed and armored, personnel carrier appear from the dust.
"This is a recording by a stealth drone from just before my team took you from the Cube. You're watching an APC carrying a team of strykers to a location at the center of what is known as Hanson's Maelstrom, Meltor's only claim fame. Now watch..." The APC rolled over as something large emerged from the dust and slammed into its side. The creature tore into the vehicle as strykers exited through hatches. A firefight ensued, but the strykers were no match for the beast. Eventually, they were killed, then torn apart by the creature.
"Note how it forces them to drain their power reserves before delivering the coup de gras. I think it actually drains a stryker's power generator after it is removed from the body."
"You sick, twisted... Those are people that just died."
"They were, but I enhanced them. Though their lives were brief, I gave them significance. Let's hope Gabe has better luck..."
"You sent Gabe in without telling him about this... This... This thing
? Are you mad?"
"No. He is a prototype after all, and he still needs to finish his testing..."
Cats, regardless of planet of origin, have had the reputation of being able to move at relativistic speeds at the drop of a hat. Pris didn't wait for any hat. She leapt and screamed, her claws fully extended in anticipation of tearing out Zoe's heart. She never got the chance. The elf merc pushed the mad scientist out of the way and stood there as Pris landed. The young detective found the emitter of a blaster gently pressed into her forehead.
"Settle down, Detective. We wouldn't want to cause a ruckus, now would we?"
Pris growled, then slowly backed off. "This isn't over, Zoe, not by a longshot."
"Have a seat," Zoe commanded. "Gabe and the others will arrive shortly."
Pris sat down, but she was watching the screen too intently to notice how all the mercs and crew avoided getting anywhere near her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gabe stepped out into the dust and diffuse light and immediately ran a scan of the area around the Tenko. He found nothing except the glowing crystal globe--the cloud was nowhere to be found and there was no sign of any stryker-destroying monsters. There was also no sign of Zoe, her strykers, Pris, or the ship, so he set out to retrieve his prize.
He was half-way to the target when a call came through his comm system. "Siv to Gabe. Siv to Gabe. Do you copy? Over." According to the comm system, the call was coming from the crystal.
"Siv, this is Gabe. What's your condition and where the hell are you?"
"Thank the cave gods. Aphrodite and I are fine. We're near that damn crystal but in another universe. Boss, be careful. There's something out there that has a vested interest in stopping you from taking that crystal. It's..." Her explanation was interrupted by an unearthly scream. Gabe turned and saw a nightmare gearing up to pounce on him as if it was a giant, grotesque cat and he was a cybernetic mouse.
"Is it big, nasty, and armored?" he asked while backing away from the abomination.
"Boss, you need to get out of there. That thing feeds off the energy of the crystal. It's sapient and looking for a way off the planet, but it can't survive long without an energy source."
