by Jedi Reach
“Jace.” she greeted him, her glowing eyes shimmering through the blindfold.
“You came.” Jace said with a smile.
Xenia reached into her coat and handed him a small apparatus. Jace pressed a button on it and a holographic interface of a contractual agreement popped up.
“I’ve been transferred.” Xenia said while he read the document.
“I see that.” Jace gave her back the device after he was finished. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Xenia either. She had prepared herself for meeting him again, but even when they did, neither of the two were willing to admit how they really felt.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?” she asked.
“I have to wonder, what’s the catch?” he replied.
Xenia looked around at their new base.
“It’s all in the contract. I won’t be authorized to leave these grounds without permission. My sentence is to serve Nova for the duration of this mission.”
“You’re going to be locked up here like it was in Arizona?”
“I don’t know,” Xenia looked at him, her glowing eyes shimmering through her blindfold. “That’s up to you.”
“I told Stone full freedom,” Jace shook his head. “Are they going to ship you back when they’re done with you again?”
“Jace…” Xenia moved close to him.
Jace could feel her presence, the care, the love.
“…there’s one person I trust, and that’s you. That’s the reason I made this deal to be here.”
Jace thought about the position they were in. Xenia could burst free and run off if she wanted, and probably be hunted for the rest of her life, yet in the past, she made the decision to be restrained, and now, to be there with him. The way she acted gave off a sense of urgency. There was something she needed to get off her chest.
“You know something. Something about more about this whole mission.” Jace discerned.
Xenia looked around to see who was listening.
“That thing that came through the portal… you have no idea what you’re going up against. I couldn’t let you walk into this alone.”
“Xenia?” Aiden butted into the conversation. “I don’t believe it, is that you?”
“Aiden.” Xenia greeted him with a smile.
The Viking extended his hand for a shake.
“It’s been a long time, I thought you would’ve left this world already.”
“Don’t think so.” Xenia shook his hand and the Viking felt lightheaded. He had to let go. Aiden looked at Jace, then back at Xenia.
Am I interrupting? He thought.
“Well it’s a good thing you didn’t. You been briefed on the situation about the doorway?” he continued.
“I have.” Xenia noticed Scott walking over.
Jace and Aiden looked at Scott with her.
“Ahh,” Jace looked back at her. “Xenia, you remember Scott, right?”
The Engineer, the thought coursed through Jace’s head.
“The Engineer?” Xenia picked up on his thought aloud.
“Scott,” Jace said as he arrived. “This is Xenia. Xenia, Scott. Scott was the behind-the-scenes guy for Nova tech. He’ll be a bit more in the front this time.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Scott offered a handshake.
The ET immediately sensed his energy.
“You created the gateway?” she stuttered.
Scott held his tongue.
How did she know?
Did Jace tell her?
“Don’t be surprised, Xenia is highly psionic. She can pick up on energies and thoughts.” Jace comforted Scott.
“Hmm, makes sense.” Scott said, worried.
“What do you mean he created the gateway?” a fire raced through Aiden’s chest. Scott had no idea if he should respond.
“He created the technology to be harnessed. They didn’t tell him how it was going to be used.” Jace defended.
“I think there’s some things all of us should catch up on.” Aiden folded his arms.
“Agreed,” Jace looked at Xenia, then the rest of the crew. “Let’s get unpacked and meet in mission control in an hour. I think we should get familiar with the new base.”
“Fair enough.” Aiden walked off, eager to investigate their new surroundings.
“It was good to meet you.” Scott waved at Xenia before leaving. The ET flashed him a smile, the same smile she showed Aiden. To the rest of the world, Xenia’s smile would be easily recognized as everything being fine, but to Jace, he knew it meant something else.
“Hey.” Jace called to her after she grabbed her backpack and started walking off.
Xenia spun around.
“Don’t get it wrong, I am glad you’re here.” he said.
Xenia smiled, this time, a real smile, before she walked off.
Jace’s phone started ringing.
He reached into his coat and answered. “Yeah?”
“How do you like Site X?” Stone said on the other line.
Jace looked around at his surroundings. He wondered if he should confront Stone about the contract.
“Not bad.” the Nova Leader replied.
“I’ve sent a blueprint of the base to you and the rest of your crew. Take a look and meet me in mission control in an hour – I’ll be on comms.” Stone said.
“How did you know about that?” Jace asked rhetorically.
Stone paused for a moment.
“I’m always listening Jace. See you in an hour.” Stone hanged up.
**************
The main Nova crew took time to investigate various parts of the base individually. Scott’s team of scientists, who flew in earlier, busied themselves checking out their new lab equipment and facilities stationed underground. That gave Scott the opportunity to connect with his team and update them on their duties for Nova.
Site X’s general structural integrity was sleek, modernized and for the most part, minimal. The ground level sections contained hangars, runways and entry points for cargo and supplies. The inner base ran underground, containing multiple tunnels for transport trains, connected to other parts of the complex.
Some of these areas contained research facilities, physical activity, engineering, medical rooms, containment areas and diverse testing rooms for various scientific purposes. Further into the complex, the tunnels moved upwards, closer to the mountain where the living quarters were stationed. Though most workers had living quarters stationed in the lower levels on the mountain, the main Nova personnel – Jace, Xenia, Aiden and Scott were each given a room on the upper levels.
Xenia entered her designated room and placed her backpack on the bed. There was a remote on the counter. Curious, she grabbed the device and studied it, tinkering with the buttons. The window slid from left to right, revealing a scenic view of the sea from the mountainside.
Lovely, she thought to herself.
Outside, Aiden was interested in the nature surrounding the area. He drifted from the base, past the edge of the compound. He wanted to get a better idea of where they were. A large waterfall flowed overhead, showing the Scion how long of a drop the way down was.
“Whoa.” he blurted, mesmerized by nature.
Jace arrived at the mission control room early. He was inquisitive of not only the base’s sights, but also, the people operating there. Stone had his people closely monitoring the base, but they answered to Jace’s orders. It seemed like an alliance Jace would have to work on. Nevertheless, he greeted everyone he could – from soldier to scientist, engineer to pilot, all to solidify his presence and the Nova team’s vital role.
“Royce? Is that you?” Jace saw a familiar soldier with short hair and a stocky figure during his rounds greeting everyone.
“Commander Wills!” Royce extended his arm for a handshake.
Jace shook his hand and beamed with a fat smile.
“It’s good to see you. You were transferred here?” Jace asked.
“Yes sir. It’s also good to see yo
u operating again, and especially taking command of Nova. It was an honor serving under you when we captured those rogues.”
“Likewise. This won’t be anything like that though. We’re dealing with a creature from another dimension. You ready for this?”
Royce saluted Jace.
“Yes sir!”
CHAPTER 7
“Ladies and gentlemen, hope you find your new accommodation welcoming.” Stone announced over the holographic feed in mission control to the Nova team, eyeing each of them sitting in four seats around a central table; behind them, scientists, guards and other officials.
“It’ll do.” Jace replied.
“Good. Now, Xenia?” Stone glanced her direction. “We had an agreement.”
Xenia got out of her chair and placed her hands on the table. She slid her fingers on it, operating the touch screen technology to maneuver a location on the overhead map, the same area where The Doorway incident occurred.
“This is where the wormhole accident happened, underground where a Scion was used to complete the experiment…” Stone seemed uneasy about the alien sharing the location. He hadn’t given that intel to everyone present. Xenia knew more than the Doctor and his colleagues liked. It made them feel dependent, something men in those positions hated.
“…However, unexpected circumstances occurred,” another hologram appeared next to Stone, replaying the incident while Xenia continued. “The portal opened a bridge to another dimension, allowing this creature into your world. Entry points to other dimensions isn’t necessarily abnormal, albeit, rare. The Bermuda Triangle, as you call it, was once a natural entry point to another dimension. However, in this case with Lea it was forcibly opened.”
“What do you know of the creature? Is there anything you can tell us about it?” Scott asked.
Stone paid close attention.
Xenia looked at Jace and wondered how much she should say.
“It’s difficult to describe in terrestrial terms,” she addressed the room, the events of her previous encounter replaying in her head. “When I projected my consciousness to investigate the other side, it was there, waiting. It talked-”
“Talked? What did it say?” Stone interrupted her.
Xenia squared Stone in the eyes. “He knew I belonged to the Syraise federation and he knew why I was here on earth.”
The room grew silent.
“How?” Stone pushed for more.
“I don’t know.” Xenia replied.
“It’s a he now?” Aiden asked.
“As I said, it’s difficult to describe. It feels like a man, yet, something more. It feels like it shouldn’t be alive. Hard to describe. I think he was trapped there. He had the ability to project his consciousness and interact with my projection, something only a being with massive consciousness power could do.”
“Interact? What did he do?” Jace inquired.
Xenia looked at him. “Attacked me.”
A protective instinct surged through Jace’s gut.
‘What the hell do you mean he attacked you?!’ Jace pushed the thought at Xenia.
‘I’m fine, don’t worry.’ she telepathically sent back to him.
“What about this ‘other side’, what can you tell us about it?” Scott asked.
The electrical storms flashed in Xenia’s mind.
“It seems like an abandoned world, perhaps an old prison colony. It’s not abnormal for space faring federations to drop prisoners on these types of worlds. Your own planet was once used as a prison colony a very long time ago.”
“That’s great, we have an interdimensional prisoner on the loose. Sounds fun.” Aiden sneered.
“You have any clues at all what it might want?” Stone asked.
“He spoke cryptically to me, it’s unwise to say prematurely.” Xenia replied.
“And Lea, did you see Lea?”
“No.”
“Could that mean he killed her?”
“Not necessarily, I simply couldn’t see her.”
“Did you try to see her?” Jace asked.
Xenia paused and meditated for a moment.
“Several times, including now. There’s some sort of interference.”
“Interference?” Scott inquired.
“Yes, it is like I am being blocked. Perhaps my signal is not strong enough to penetrate.” Xenia said.
“If that’s the case,” Scott scratched his chin. “Can we develop a stronger source to enhance your signal?”
“This is possible, an isolation tank will do.”
“Excellent, I can have a high-grade variant developed within the day.” Scott beamed.
“Finding Lea is more important than finding the creature,” Stone announced. “We need her alive.”
“One more question, is the portal still active?” Scott asked the room.
“No.” Stone replied and looked at Xenia, expecting her to take over.
“I closed it when I exploded my projection. It’s not safe. This creature isn’t the only thing there. Hordes of other atrocities await.” Xenia said.
Everyone grew silent again.
What was this other dimension?
“Alright, we have work to do,” Jace rose to his feet and looked over the room. “There’s a Scion to find.”
**************
Sometime after the meeting, the main Nova team and their scientists headed to one of the research facilities to create blueprints for an isolation tank capable of tremendously amplifying psionic effects. On route there, Jace pulled Xenia aside.
“Is there something I should know that the rest of the crew shouldn’t?” he asked.
Xenia looked around to see who might’ve been listening.
“I saw something most peculiar when I projected my consciousness. Ancient pyramids. It didn’t make sense to me why they would be there, so I investigated and discovered technology used by my federation thousands of years ago.”
“Your federation?” Jace looked her straight in the eyes.
“Yes, and when I connected with the residue fluidal energies, I saw visions of all this death and loss. I tried sending a telepathic message to my federation. I have not heard a response yet.”
“That’s great, only gets better by the minute, doesn’t it?”” Jace looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“We cannot let Stone, or any government or military know of this. They may attempt to weaponize the old technology and I may be caught in the storm.”
“They won’t. Tell me though, is that the real reason why you closed the portal?” Jace asked.
“Yes.” Xenia eyed her surroundings, paranoid.
Jace thought on everything for a moment, contemplating the possibilities.
“I suppose your role here as a Herald to earth hasn’t been for waste. It’s hard to think I’m actually saying this but It’s a good thing you chose to be arrested and stay here on earth.”
“What do you mean?” Xenia tilted her head curiously.
“You said you saw your federation’s fingerprints on those structures. I don’t believe in coincidence, Xenia.”
Xenia connected his logic and nodded thoughtfully.
“I see what you’re saying. You may be right. Everything moves according to cause and effect, even me being here.”
“Is that why you negotiated the transfer?” Jace asked.
“The mission at hand is of dire importance but it is not the only reason I transferred here.” Xenia replied.
Jace wondered about that statement.
What was the other reason?
Xenia moved to his side and touched his arm, her piercing eyes staring into his.
‘You know why.’ she said telepathically before walking away to the research facility alongside other personnel on route. Jace was pleased she was there. Xenia’s abilities were already proving exceptional, but above that, he was simply glad she was around.
**************
Scott had his team whipped into action, working nonstop hour
s after the meeting. Xenia participated in the various tests Scott requested, and, combined with her expertise of otherworldly forces, they were able to create an isolation tank that harnessed electromagnetic vibrations to stimulate swinging waves on higher frequencies.
“Do you think she’ll find Lea?” Aiden asked Jace with his arms folded while he glared at Scott, Xenia, and the rest of scientists inside the research quarters.
“I hope so.” Jace replied, his arms folded behind his lower back.
“I got a bad feeling about this.” Aiden said.
“Come on, I think they’re about to get started.” Jace replied.
Jace and Aiden moved to the engineers and scientists who were looking at Xenia walk down a ramp connected to the entry of the isolation chamber. The scientists and engineers silently whispered among themselves, curious if their experiment would work or kill her. It’s one thing to rely on the help of an extraterrestrial and a totally different thing to kill them by accident.
Scott followed Xenia, carrying a strange helmet fixed with demon-like horns that curled backwards. Although the appearance seemed fantastical, the helmet was a psionic amplifier, and the horns were simply antennae. Xenia untied her blindfold and kept her eyes closed when Scott came near her.
“You ready?” Scott asked, placing the helmet over her head.
“Yes.” Xenia replied, slipping out of her coat as the helmet slid over her face, covering her eyes. She offered Scott her hand so that he could guide her into the chamber. It was interesting she did that because Xenia could see through blindfolds via energy perception.
Scott held her hand and felt an overwhelming current surge through his body. The energy Xenia naturally vibrated was enough to soothe an entire room or drive them mad, depending on the individual’s perceived notion of extraterrestrials.
‘You are a good man past your armor.’ Xenia’s voice entered Scott’s head.
“Thank you.” Scott whispered, spellbound and dazed.
‘Scott?’ Xenia’s voice shot in his mind again, Guide me to the chamber?’
“Oh! Of course, right away!” Scott snapped out of his daze and led her to the chamber. Although he tried his best, Scott was losing sanity by the moment, overwhelmed with feelings of universal love so great it made him saddened to let go. He did his best to push through it.
