Don't Cross This Line (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 14)

by Michael Anderle

  —

  Ashur chuffed and then pranced around the stage, “Oh hush,” Bethany Anne told him as she waved to the crowd on both sides of the stage. “You love this, and you know it. The lights practically make your white coat shine.”

  Ashur barked at a child he saw in the audience and wagged his tail before turning towards the three humans and chuffed again.

  “Not my fault,” John said, “Bellatrix doesn’t like the limelight, and you know it. She’s happy to stay with the puppies and visit the kids over at the Acadamy.”

  It had been a little over two years since TOM and Bethany Anne finally figured out how Ashur was sending messages to her and how she was picking them up. A short, ten-minute modification in the Pod-doc allowed most of those around Ashur to understand him directly now, as well. There were a handful of devices that could be handed out to help Ashur communicate with those who did not have the modifications.

  Bethany Anne finally stopped waving and turned her palms face down, using the hand gestures to quiet the group.

  Ok ADAM, pipe me through the speakers.

  >> Understood.<<

  “Welcome to the QBBS Merideth Reynolds, humanity’s first base station and the home of the Etheric Empire.” Bethany Anne’s voice came out of the speakers, easily heard throughout the crowd as she walked back and forth on the forty-foot wide stage.

  “Let’s cut to the chase on one of the most confusing terms here, which is Empire.” She started. “As you know, my title right now is Queen Bethany Anne, not Empress. That is because we here are a group of people who understand our sense of identity is a shared purpose to protect those back on Earth. We aren’t ethnically similar as we have members from all over the world. We don’t all share the same language, although everyone is fitted with translation tools and an implant. Eventually, I’m told, we will all speak the same tongue. Our culture, such as it is, will grow with us as we engage in the mutually satisfying effort of making damn sure our families, friends and loved ones back on Earth get to do whatever it is they want to.”

  Bethany Anne stopped in the middle of the stage and looked back over the group, “Remember that. We are going out there,” her left arm pointed up and to her left. None in the group knew she was pointing toward the Annex Gate, “to give those on Earth,” her right arm pointed down and to the right, “options. It is not, and cannot, be our responsibility to make sure they do the right thing on Earth.”

  Her voice was a little somber, “Think about that. We might be going to save the Earth from aliens only to have Earth destroy itself,” her voice brightened, “Or, they might figure out their problems, and when we, or our children or children’s children, come back, Earth might be Utopia.”

  Bethany Anne opened her arms to encompass the crowd, “The only reason they have the opportunity to become Utopia? Is because of you. Your willingness to take chances. Your belief in fighting, or supporting those that fight, and the courage to challenge an unknown future.”

  She pivoted and started walking down the stage to her left, “Now I know that some of you, in fact, many of you are also fed up with what is going on with our world.” She turned around and started back the other way, “and frankly many on the world are completely upset that you chose to come up here, so don’t expect any accolades from Earth cheering you on as we go through the gate.” She haphazardly pointed back behind her, “It’s that way, if you are curious.”

  A bunch of heads turned in the direction of her hand, to stare at the far rock wall perhaps to imagine the Annex Gate hanging in space before returning their focus to her.

  Bethany Anne stopped at the far end of the stage, “No, they aren’t happy because, and I quote, ‘you are taking the best and the brightest with you!’” Bethany Anne shrugged, “That’s true, and you know why?”

  “I asked you,” she said a little louder, DO YOU KNOW WHY?”

  This time, she got the ‘NO, WHY?’ response shouted from the crowd along with cheering as she stood up there, grinning and proud, in front of her people.

  “Because you don’t take your fucking ‘B’ team when the future of EARTH is at stake! That’s why!”

  This time, there was bedlam in the cavern, the shouts of support and comradery helping draw those on the floor together. Realizing they shared a common goal, and all of them were ‘A’ team players pulled together to help make this goal happen.

  “Now, you can’t follow that which you don’t know, and I won’t, under any circumstances, leave you clueless. However, here is the gotcha. If you already know you want to go back to Earth, you need to make your way to the back of the cavern to any of the five people dressed in green. You will be returned to Earth within the next three days.”

  She clapped her hands, “Go on! We don’t have all the time in the World here, folks. There is no shame in realizing you want to be back with loved ones. None at all.” She put a hand on her forehead, acting like she needed to shelter her eyes from the glare, “I see a handful of people back there already and at least,” she looked over the crowd, “maybe three or four moving in that direction.”

  “Unfortunately,” she dropped her hand, “if you stay for the next part of this talk, you will be returned to Earth just hours from us jumping through the gate. Some family discussions just need to happen with family, ok?”

  Bethany Anne was surprised, only seven people seemed to be in the back. She nodded her head and those individuals were escorted out of the larger chamber.

  Once the group had left, she continued her speech. “Now, you will be offered one more opportunity to leave this chamber and return to Earth after my next speech. But unfortunately, your return will have to be right before we go through the gate as what I’m about to share is private, for our group only. Is this understood?”

  She saw many heads’s nodding to her, “Good. The first is that we,” she pointed to those on the stage with her, “and others of my team are modified humans. Meaning,” she put her arms up to quiet the people, “we have advanced technology allowing us to do some amazing stuff. One of them,” she turned to her left and took a step, to suddenly appear at the other side of the stage to the silence of the crowd, “is to walk through another dimension.” She pointed from where she had been and then to where she stood, “This ability is pretty unique, as are other abilities.” She put out her hand, focused on creating an etheric ball of energy, It was similar to the one that she and TOM had worked out when she first melted those damned pins the guys had been wearing years ago.

  Two or three children in the crowd started clapping, and Bethany Anne smiled. It was nice to create something that brought joy to her people, not always death.

  Light them up, guys. She sent out.

  Both John and Eric smiled and held out their hands, each creating purple globes as well. It wasn’t much more than a light source at this moment, but these balls could be quite destructive. The teams were still experimenting to see if the ability could be refined.

  “What you see here, are examples of Etheric energy. Hence, the reason for the name Etheric Empire.” Bethany Anne pushed her globe up and reached out with her right hand as if commanding John and Eric’s little balls, no bigger than a small snowball to join hers as they floated up about twenty feet and out over the crowd before finally disappearing.

  She started walking back to the center of the stage, “We use the Etheric as an energy source, a conduit, and for other nifty abilities.”

  “What you think of as Vampires, the folklore, are actually modified humans who had messed up nanocytes. They needed blood as a conduit to acquire the Etheric energy their nanocytes need to live. Fortunately, we have fixed this issue.”

  Bethany Anne stood in the middle of the stage and looked out over the crowd. Each person feeling as if she spoke personally to them alone. “You need to know the measure of the woman you would follow into space, to other solar systems, taking peace or war with me as we track a group of aliens who have tried already to use Earthlings in their schemes.
And they will be coming back.”

  Her voice deepened.

  “Hear me, all of you who are in this cavern,” she continued, “my name is Bethany Anne Nacht, I am the Queen of the Etheric Empire. But, before that, I was the Queen of the UnknownWorld, and I am The Queen Bitch!”

  By her last words, Bethany Anne’s eyes were glowing red, her hair was floating due to the energy she was processing, but not using. The speakers had been turned off because her voice needed no support.

  She spoke slowly, clearly, so no one would misunderstand, “There is no other rule but my rule. There are no other options but mine. We will either win the fight, or we will die trying, Ad Aeternitatem!” She called out, “Forever! Fight with me, beside me, before me and support me, or choose to go back to Earth. I will not buckle, I will not bow, and I will not give up or give in ... EVER!”

  Now, a few people had started to take a knee out in the crowd.

  “We will move forward, we will cross that line,” she pointed to the area of the Annex Gate. “We will win our battles, and we will be peaceful to those aliens who would be peaceful towards us. Or we will do what is necessary to those who wish for war.”

  More and more people took a knee, the action was never requested or required. It had happened at the first allegiance event and every one since.

  Bethany Anne moderated her voice, “I will seek to be fair, to be just, to be a good Queen for you. We as a people will seek to be a good ally to those who would ally with us.”

  This time, a little of her emotions leaked. Her sheer determination emboldened those in the front nearest her as she finished her speech.

  “But we will always be a strong people, people who are willing to talk peace, but always back it up with strength. We are the Etheric Empire, and we will never, EVER, run.”

  Now, every person in the cavern was on one knee.

  “What say you? Are you with me?”

  The guys all adjusted their ear implants to reduce the roaring from the crowd as Bethany Anne stood and accepted their allegiance.

  The Etheric Empire grew another three thousand souls that day.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  New York City, NY - USA

  With the Tontos checking out the house, Tabitha walked around the large mansion, wondering what it must have been like when Michael was here.

  She knew he had an area that was underground. Bethany Anne had chosen to not visit there, and frankly, no one was sure if it was possible to get into or if it was safe.

  A large metal door had been installed to cover the access. Bethany Anne had told them she wanted it solid, but not airtight. If Michael should ever need to get past the door, there needed to be a way in.

  Tabitha walked down the stairs that would lead to the suite of rooms or whatever Michael had built for himself under the house and sat down on the last two steps staring at the metal door for an hour, wondering what her Father had in there. Wondering what he was like before he knew Bethany Anne before he had started to soften some, being around so many women in his life and she grinned.

  Michael was challenged, for sure, by both her and Bethany Anne. She figured out his temperament and fought back so much he had secretly asked to have her replaced. Bethany Anne had stopped that effort. Tabitha had almost wet her panties from laughing when she found out that Bethany Anne had told Michael the only replacement available was a gay man. End result, Michael had retained her and for that alone Tabitha would be forever grateful.

  If there was one thing that Michael gave her, it was a man she could believe in. A man, who she knew from the bottom of her heart and her head, would have supported her for the rest of what had become a very long life. He taught her to believe in herself because that was the only way she could do what he demanded.

  And when she produced miracles, he made her feel good from what she accomplished. He told her, many times, that his ability to help clean up the mess in South America would not have been as successful without her efforts.

  She smiled, there was never any smoke blown by Michael. If he said you did well? Then you absolutely had done well. Not just by the measure of today, but by the measure of people working with him over centuries.

  It was a hell of a team to be a part of, and she felt special that she was. The most recent member of Michael’s technical team, perhaps, and for sure not the last.

  Bethany Anne promised they would have him back.

  —

  “You know,” Hirotoshi spoke softly from the top of the stairs behind Tabitha, “We always have a bolt hole, there is likely another way in.”

  Tabitha shrugged. This time, she had heard him at the top, “Probably? I’ve no idea if anyone but Michael would be able to use it, though. And, it seems a little voyeuristic to me to look inside his bedroom.”

  Tabitha turned to look up the stairs and put up her fingers in a small pinch movement, keeping them an inch apart, “Even if part of me desperately wants to have something personal of his, you know?”

  Hirotoshi came down the stairs and stopped, dropping down to sit a couple of steps above her, “Yes, I understand, Tabitha.”

  “We going to find them, Honcho Tonto?” She asked.

  “Them which?” he replied.

  “The bastards that blocked me so many times already.”

  “Yes, we are close. Who knows, maybe your effort to track them to New York is right, and they are here within only a few miles of us right now.”

  Tabitha laughed, “Damn, you do know how to turn me on, HT,” she made wringing motions with her hands, “Just let me have a few minutes with each of their necks, you know?”

  “Get in line behind the Queen, ok?”

  “Yeah,” her shoulders fell, “Like I would have a lot left over after she was done.”

  “It isn’t your station to replace her justice, should she choose to implement it.”

  “I know, but she does this kick them into the Etheric, and they disappear shit. I want them penalized.”

  “How so?”

  Tabitha thought about that a few moments, “Give me a minute…or ten. I’ll come up with something suitable, I’m sure.”

  “Well,” Hirotoshi added as he stood up, “you might wait until you find out who they are before you select a punishment.” He started back up the stairs, his feet barely making a whisper, “I’m checking on the group, Kimosabe.”

  Tabitha stood up and started following him, working on her foot placement to minimize the sound. “I’m with you, and learning, Number One.”

  —

  “It was hidden,” Katsu commented as he, Tabitha and Hirotoshi looked at the laptop sitting on the large wooden desk, “False bottom in one of the drawers,” he pointed to the lower left bottom drawer

  “Well, scoot your butt over, and let momma give this a try.” Katsu stood up, and Tabitha slipped into the chair. It was an old IBM Touchpad. Katsu already had the power supply plugged in, and she hit the power button. The old floppy disk drive made its chucking noise as it checked for a boot disc, then the fan could be heard as it started to spin.

  “Damn, the old IBM’s last forever,” she murmured as they waited for the memory count and then the first screen came up.

  “Windows WHAT?” Tabitha choked out. “Wow, who the fuck was old enough to use this antique OS?”

  “Michael,” Hirotoshi suggested.

  Tabitha looked down at the chair, then around the small library-looking office they were in and considered where he would have come up from his rooms and breathed out, “Holy shit.” She rubbed her hands on the leather armrests and looked up at Hirotoshi, “I’m sitting where Michael would sit?”

  Hirotoshi nodded, “Most likely.”

  She pointed to the laptop, “This is coming with me.”

  The final boot screen and password came up, and she held out her hand, “Katsu?” He placed a USB device in it, and she looked on both sides of the laptop and found the USB input. She pulled out her tablet and set it on the table and went through her own
security to bring it up, “Achronyx?”

  “I’m here and listening, Tabitha.” the tablet replied.

  Tabitha looked up to both men, a question on her face as she spoke so softly even the Vampires could barely hear her, “Who changed his programming to be nice?” she asked them and they both shrugged.

  “Do you want something, or are you just wasting my time?” the tablet spoke again.

  “Oh, neverfuckingmind.” She told the two guys, voice normal again.

  “Glad to have the normal Achronyx back,” she said to the tablet. “I’ve got a small task for you. Old IBM laptop, running Windows software and I need you to hack in past the password. Be careful, the OS is old, but the guy that was running the security at that time was top notch.”

  “I’m always careful,” Achronyx replied.