She knew that she got herself into a terrible situation. Where were these Tolarions taking them, what were their plans for this weapon, and how could the six of them possibly stop them?” They were bigger, stronger and more adapted to this environment than humans. She did have one ace up her sleeve, however, and that was the other Beretta M9 she concealed in her suit near her waist. She turned back to what was left of the complex staring at the debris, as they boarded onto the craft. Whatever her father was working on obviously died with him, and her hopes of carrying on any kind of testing here would be futile. She began to wish that all of this was just a dream, and she was still asleep in the comfort of her cryo chamber.
CHAPTER THREE
Angelica knew she was good in arm to arm combat. She won two medals in the academy presentation, defeating the two top opponents in her class. She was just as deadly with her Beretta M9, hitting ten out of ten targets dead on. At this particular moment, she was counting on that for her salvation. Just before she was boarded, she drew it quick with her right hand, and killed the guard on her left. The guard on her right grabbed her arm just as quick, and as they struggled, she shot two more guards.
In the commotion, Rollings and the others reacted, disarming their guards as well. In the confusing melee, they were able to kill three more guards, leaving only five left. Tamar went to grab one of them, another pulled out a knife from his belt, and fatally stabbed him in his side. "Tamar!" Rollings yelled, as he shot his aggressor.
Balta ran to Angelica, who just threw the guard she was fighting with to the ground. With her back turned towards him, he grabbed her around the neck and pointed the laser at her head, making her drop her pistol. She found herself unable to break his tightened grip.
“Drop your guns!” he yelled to her other companions. They complied reluctantly, and dropped the stolen lasers on the floor. He gripped harder as she tried to fight him off. “Maybe you’re more trouble than your worth! Maybe I should just kill you now!”
The four guards that were left collected the weapons, and directed them inside the ship. Balta released Angelica and faced her, his hideous blue eye staring into hers.
“You will help me,” he said. “You have no choice. You have no world left to go back to. Earth has been destroyed for over one hundred years as well as the Martian base two years ago. I saw to the Martian base invasion personally. And you can’t stay on this ice ball of a planet without living underground.”
“You are so optimistic!” Angelica jested. “What makes you think I’m just going to let you kidnap me and use me for whatever without a fight? Just give me an opportunity, and I’ll kill you personally!”
“Now who’s being optimistic, Ms. Avery?” Balta responded. “You’re forgetting who’s holding the laser. Now get on board, before I change my mind!”
She boarded, reluctant to leave this world for who knows where. She wouldn't have helped her father in his experiments if she knew it involved her in this kind of mess; Angelica began to wonder what other terrible facts he hid from her knowledge? She was a little nervous about helping him in the first place, knowing she violated orders from her superiors. It was a crime punishable by dismissal from the academy, and thirty years in the penal division.
When he left the mental institution, she could sense things weren’t exactly right, but she refused to believe what the government said about him. She loved him, and would do whatever he asked because he was all she ever knew. His reclusive and peculiar behavior got worse the more they got involved with the project, and he almost locked her out completely emotionally, other than their plan to steal the special spaceships. She became more of a subordinate than his own daughter.
That, at the moment, was inconsequential, and escape was the only thing in her mind. It would have to wait, however, until they were firmly back on the ground at their destination, wherever that may be. The doors closed, and they were directed towards the back of the ship, where they were placed in a brig of some kind. The guard turned on a force field, and they could hear the sound of the antimatter engines begin their operation to leave the cold, barren world. The prisoners each looked at each other in disbelief as they began to take off. They were sure they could have overpowered the creatures.
“Cely, is there anyway to disrupt this force field?” Angelica asked.
“No,” he stated. “It’s emitting some form of electromagnetism that’s interfering with my system.”
“What do you know about the Tolarions?” Angelica asked Rollings, feeling that she could trust him the most. Malone was repeatedly hostile towards her, and the gray alien and reptilian were just too strange and frightening for her to trust.
“They are a hostile, murderous race,” he said. “They’ve been raiding planets for years, stealing their beings and resources. If it wasn’t for Jeff Walker, we wouldn’t be talking here today. He saved us from their destruction.”
“Come on!” Malone belted out. “If it wasn’t for Walker, we wouldn’t have been left here to die! Him and that damn Republic!”
“Instead of being spiteful and unproductive,” Angelica responded. “Why don’t you help us come up with a plan of escape? Rollings, I need to know more about what this death ray is. You say it runs on fusion?”
“Yes,” Rollings said. “But like I said, he doesn’t have enough power to complete such a weapon.”
“Can he use them to power a ray within this ship?”
“Yes,” Rollings answered. “But he doesn’t have the ability to achieve such as device. The Belorions have that knowledge.”
“Who are the Belorions?” Angelica asked.
“They were a race of intelligent, telepathic arthropods,” Rollings answered. “They were originally from a planet called Zacharas. They colonized on Belor several years ago. They invented the weapon as a deterrent, until Balta's friend Riona used it against them.”
“Like the nuclear weapons in the late 20th and early 21st century."
“They never intended it to go into enemy hands. It was given to the Tolarions by Riona, a traitor and former president of the Republic's council. He too was killed in the explosion on Tolaria.”
“He must have given him the plans.”
“It’s a possibility,” Cely said. “If the weapon runs on fusion, however, it must draw its source from a nearby star, or some other form of energy such as a black hole.”
“A smaller based weapon wouldn’t need that much power,” Angelica stated.
“No,” Cely said. “Just a couple of compact fusion reactors would be sufficient enough to make a powerful fusion ray weapon. Its range would be limited though.”
“Tell me more about this Jeff Walker,” Angelica said. “Just who is he?”
“He is a Martian, like us,” Malone said. “He started this whole war! The Tolarions were abiding by most of the treaties until he got involved with them! He destroyed one of their bases!”
“They would have eventually attacked us anyway,” Rollings stated.
“Why do you defend that traitor?” Malone questioned.
“He was not a traitor!” Rolling yelled.
“He was a traitor to his own people!” Malone recanted. “He left us to die on Mars, and then he left us to die here!”
“The Republic did that, not Walker,” Rollings reminded him.
“What’s the difference?” Malone asked. “If I ever get away from this mess, I want to go somewhere where there aren’t Tolarions or a Republic!”
“It’s obviously not in this universe,” Cely stated.
“Shut up!” Malone told the android. “If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it.”
“We’re not going to get anywhere if we don’t work together!” Angelica said. “Rollings, where do you think they’re taking us?”
“I have no idea. Their main base used to be on Tolaria. They must have found another planet or moon to build on.”
“Well it would probably have to be nearby for them to get to us this fast,” Malone said
. “Within a couple billion miles."
“Well I hope that it’s a planet with Oxygen, or we’re doomed,” Rollings said. “However, I have heard that they accommodate their prisoners as well as their guests with the luxury of oxygen. No human can stand laughing gas too long.”
“Laughing gas?” Angelica asked.
“Yes,” Malone said. “Nitrous Oxide.”
“I know what it is!” she said, annoyed. “I just don’t understand why my father would create a hybrid race that survived on Nitrous Oxide.”
“Perhaps he wanted them to die happy,” Malone joked.
“That is highly unlikely,” Cely added. Malone rolled his eyes. “It was probably a catalyst agent that he used in the cloning process. Something could have gone wrong, and mutated their lung organs in some manner.”
“Makes sense to me,” Rollings said.
“Did this Jeff Walker know my father personally?”
“Not that I know of,” Rollings answered. “As far as I know, he only met him once, just before Akros was killed.”
“I’m having a hard time gripping this whole situation,” Angelica stated. “I knew coming here would be risky, I just figured my father might still be alive. I realize now that he is dead, but I don’t understand why he would be part of such an evil plot. And I don’t understand what this Balta wants with me.”
“It probably has something to do with the cloning process,” Rollings suggested.
Balta, who was just outside the door, overheard everything they said.
“You are so right, Mr. Rollings!” he said. “But as to why I need her will be discussed with her only. And she will do it, or the rest of you will die. I have arranged a demonstration of my power. In exactly ten hours, we will reach the Republic's territory. When we do, you will observe my wrath upon those who dared to defy me! I will give you all one chance to join me, and I will spare your pitiful lives.”
The group stared at each other in wonder as to what he intended to do with the reactors. They knew he was going to put together some form of portable weapon, but didn’t know what he was going to attack with it. Rollings guessed that it might be the closest base, which was on the planet Darmo, in the Vortar I system. There were other humans there, and they were rather vulnerable to attack, being on the edge of Republic territory. Malone seemed disinterested in the whole affair, still having bitter feelings about being left on Tolaria by them.
“I owe them nothing,” he stated. “If Balta wants to attack them, who cares? I say take his offer. At least we’ll still be alive.”
“Look!” Angelica said to the roughneck. “I don’t have any more to do with this than any of you. But we can't just let him kill hundreds of people!”
“Why not?” Malone responded. “They let all those people on Mars die! They let the people on Zeloria die!”
“It has to stop at some point,” Rollings added. “Or there won’t be anything left.”
“If I may interrupt,” the reptilian said, as he reached his leathery green hand out to Angelica. “With all the commotion, we’ve been improperly introduced. My name is Garlona, and the gray being over here is Varloo.”
She shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you,” she responded, really shocked that a reptilian creature spoke English as well. “Does everybody speak English around here?”
“I also speak Tarlonese, Belorian, and Alokian,” he answered. “But you would not understand any of those languages.”
“Whatever,” she quipped, not interested in the degree of his linguistics.
“I do not believe that the Republic or Mr. Walker has been truthful with us,” Garlona stated. “I feel they have known about this association that Balta and Riona had with Mr. Akros for a long time, and refused to acknowledge it. Varloo and I would tend to agree with Mr. Malone on this matter.”
“What proof do you have of this?” Rollings asked.
Angelica could hear the Grey’s voice, but didn't see his small slit of a mouth move. “None, only speculation,” he said in a high voice in her mind through a form of telepathy.
“Well your speculation is wrong!” Rollings barked. “I for one will not succumb to vengeance of the Republic by joining forces with Balta! It’s like dealing with the devil!”
“Who?” Garlona asked.
Angelica was pleased that even in the future there was still some form of religion left. The same metaphor entered her mind about Balta a short time earlier.
“He’s an evil figure from Earth’s folklore,” Valoo said. “In their form of religion, he is supposed to be responsible for all the famine, pestilence and disease on their home planet Earth. We have known the real truth about this subject for ten millennia.”
“Silly humans!” Garlona laughed, as he shook his head.
“And what is the real truth, Mr. Valoo?” Angelica asked, a bit offended by his remark.
“I would not profess to tell you the real truth because you would never believe me, even if it is true. That is the power of human suggestion. Your kind has been susceptible to it for as long as our kind has visited you.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” she answered. “I have to agree with Rollings however. I also believe that we have to at least try to find a way to stop him from his plan. After we take control of the ship, you guys can do whatever you want. Just drop me off at the nearest human colony and I'll be fine.”
“What do you suggest?” Rollings asked.
“There are five of them, and six of us,” she stated. “Once they get us up front for the demonstration, we make our move.”
“If we fire any lasers in the ship,” Malone said. “The ship will be damaged, and we’ll all be killed.”
“Then we’ll have to figure a way to overpower them without firing lasers,” the determined woman said.
“That will be next to impossible!” Malone said.
“What do you think, Cely?” Angelica asked.
“The probability of executing such an act is not promising,” he stated. “You will do better to try to persuade him not to attack.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Garlona asked.
“Bargain with him,” Cely answered. “Agree to help him if he breaks of the attack.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Rollings said. “And we really don’t have any other choice.”
“I guess you’re right,” Angelica said. There was an interruption from the intercom by Balta’s voice.
“Ms Avery, may I see you up front, please?” he said. Two guards were at the door, and one of them turned the force field off. Malone stepped forward, as one of the guards pushed the gun at his face.
Angelica complied, walked through a long hallway, which led to the main bridge of the ship. She was extremely impressed at the interior of their vessel. It was unlike anything she ever saw before. She thought her ship was advanced by her own current technology, but this ship was far beyond her expectations. There were thousands of red, green, and blue computer buttons in the main bridge. There was a huge viewing screen at the front, and it seemed to her that it ran on a form of advanced propulsion other than ion or fusion. She wouldn’t even know how to pilot it if she did take over the helm. Balta rose from his seat, and turned to face her.
“Ms. Avery,” he said. “Or do you prefer, Angelica?”
“Avery’s fine. I prefer not to know you on a first name basis.”
“Well with me you have no choice. Balta is my only name.”
“How convenient. It’s too bad you only have one eye as well?”
“I did not bring you up here to comment about my appearance. I brought you up here to discuss an arrangement.” She wasn’t overjoyed to have any negotiations with this ugly beast.
“What kind of arrangement?”
“I will let your friends live, if you help me in my research. I will release them to a colony nearby and they can go in freedom.”
Angelica was about fed up with this whole situation. She felt she wasn’t getting any cooperation from the o
thers, except for Rollings. She was beginning to not really care what happened to the rest of them, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to see innocent humans die either.
“First of all,” she stated. “They're not my friends! I was looking for my father, whom Rollings said, died in the explosion two years ago. He was working on experiments involving chimps, but I’m sure you know all about that!”
“Yes I do,” Balta said. “At one point I trusted your father. We both had the same vision- at least I thought we did. It turns out that all he wanted was to be human again, like you. That’s when I felt I could no longer trust him.”
“He was trying to cure his disease!”
“And he was successful, but it cost him a fair price; mainly his life.”
“You killed him?”
“No, you said yourself he died in the explosion.”
“I don’t believe you!” Angelica said, her eyes narrowed in anger.
“You’re evading the subject, Ms. Avery. What about it, are you willing to help us in our research?”
“If you know how to clone your own kind, what do you need me for?”
“Your genes, Ms. Avery, your genes. Akros’ genetic makeup consisted of three species. Chimpanzee, an alien gene, and one other distinct gene-your father's. So you see, without your gene, our DNA makeup is incomplete. I also need you to assist with the cloning process your father created. He left notes, but we have been unable to decipher his codes.”
“As far as I know cross mutation of animal genes with humans is impossible. My father knew that. Why would he do such a thing if he knew it wouldn't work?”
“Maybe your father was more intelligent and diligent than you think?”
“It’s against his ethics. He came to Tolaria to prove his theory about wormholes, and to find life near Tolaria. He was looking for a cure for his disease as well. He thought the answer could be found there.”
Dimension Lapse II: Return to Doomsday (Dimension Lapse Series Book 2) Page 4
