by Frank Carey
CHAPTER SIX
"Help, how?" Nova asked.
"First, I can explain what happened during Royce's hallucination."
"Go on," King said.
"The big guy was dying, and I needed to make repairs, so I put him on ice..."
"No, no, no! Murph said. "You didn't..."
"Yeah, I did. The Royce on the other side had just been killed by the bots, so I put your Royce in there for a nanosecond while I got the drugs working on saving him, not killing him. I pulled him back and restarted his heart."
"You put him back..." Murph said while Nova tried to calm him. "Did you think to filter out the other Royce's memories?"
"Oops..."
"You mean those hallucinations were the Gweyr Royce's memories?" Kalana asked, horrified.
Parker nodded.
"Enough of this trip down memory lane," Losira demanded. "What do they want with my Royce?"
"My guess is they need a substitute for some reason, a substitute that has the right background to pull-off a subterfuge. They probably thought they had hit the jackpot when they found the History of Royce Aymar, Prince of Gweyr sitting on a shelf."
"The League is huge. How the hell did they know to look for him on Degreb?" Marcus asked.
"Dammit," Murph said before disappearing. He reappeared moments later holding the love child of an octopus and gooseneck lamp. Its writhing and hissing caused the rest of the group to aim their weapons at it. Murph slammed it into a table, silencing it. "They used a tregor program to search out any mention of Royce Aymar." He held it out so that its lifeless form dangled inches from Parker's face. "This thing is far beyond Gweyr's technology. You gave them this, didn't you?"
She looked at the enraged AI. "The death of Royce tore the elves apart, and with them, the realm. They needed help keeping the bots from the Greater Magellanic Cloud from invading the Milky Way, so I gave them some tech. How the hell was I supposed to know they would use it to spy on other universes?"
"Parker, do you know what the hell they're planning on doing with Royce?" King asked.
"According to Gweyr law, Prince Royce is--was--the only person who can legally rule the realm unless the old man--King Montagor--designates a new heir. If the heir isn't an Aymar, then a whole new family will take over. Monty isn't in the mood to change families. It's possible that someone is going to try to use Royce to stage a coup."
"And how would they do that?"
"It's simple: Royce kills Monty and takes over the whole shebang. Once established, the new king can designate a new ruler, then get out of the way."
Losira shook her head. "My Royce kill someone for political gain? Hell, he has problems deactivating a malfunctioning vacuum cleaner. This ain't going to happen."
Parker walked over to stand in front of the princess. "If he refuses to kill Monty, then he can be killed, his signature forged, and his body presented as proof of the authenticity of the decree. He'll be dead, Monty and the royal family, including Princess Gloria, will be executed, and Gweyr will be run by bad people who know about interdimensional portals and the League of Planetary Systems, if you catch my drift."
Kalana stepped between the princess and Parker. "Back off," she said.
Parker raised her hands with palms forward. "Sorry. Backing off. You do know I'm an AI, right?"
"I don't care if you're a wombat assassin. If I think you're a threat, then I will react. Parker stopped when she heard weapons activate behind her. "You elves are so protective."
"Enough, Parker!" Murphy ordered. Both Parker and Nova averted their eyes while Kalana looked at her friend in a new light. "How do we mitigate this problem?"
"We go in and rescue him," Kalana said while stepping toward the AI. "The elves of Gweyr are smart. They should be able to deal with this problem without our intervention. Our primary concern is the safety of the general."
"You'll die."
Kalana nodded. "How long did you work with Royce?"
"Years."
"And in all that time he never taught you that what matters is the job. Do you think he was thinking about saving his skin when he was trying to save Losira?"
"No. The fool was a lovestruck..."
"The Sergeant was a Space Marine thinking only about his duty to keep her safe. Learn that and you will know what it means to be a Marine. Now, get us to where they're holding the general, then get the plark out of our way." She stopped only millimeters away from Parker.
"I could so destroy you..." Murph, now in corporeal form, picked her up and threw her into a wall. "You will destroy no one. You will follow every order given you by anyone in this room. You will obey or..."
"Or what?"
Electrical discharges formed around Murph's hands and between his eyes, which were now glowing a very unhealthy red. "Ask me again, and I will show you."
Parker did a 360-degree attitude turn. "Hey, lighten up, Big Guy. Only kidding here. You know me. I'm the big kidder..."
Murphy disappeared as his synth body reactivated. Meanwhile, Parker dropped to the floor, landing on her feet. She straightened her tunic while Murph silently walked out of the room. "Sir?"
"Go," King said.
Nodding, Nova ran out after her friend.
"He always had a temper," Parker said.
"Can you help us find Royce?" King asked.
"Royce? Oh, yeah. If I'm right--and I'm never wrong--they've got to take him to the New York Castle for the official transfer of power. If the conspirators have a courtesan in their pocket, they can demand an audience with the King. It will take a minimum of 48-hours to arrange a meeting."
"Sir, I have a question."
"Go ahead, Nana."
"Ms. Parker, how the hell do you know all this?"
Parker looked around. "Good, they're still gone. I'll let you in on a little secret: AIs exist in all universes simultaneously, so I'm here and I'm there."
Nana gaped. "What about the massive amount of information you're being bombarded with?"
"Filters. Lots of filters..." Nova and Murph walked back into the room. "Oops. I need to shut up now."
"Sir, I apologize for my previous outburst. It was unseemly," he said to King.
"No apology necessary, Sergeant. Personally, I'd like to shoot her myself."
"Hey! I'm standing right here!"
King ignored her. "Captain, recommendations?"
"Proceed to Earth. Once there, we obtain a ship equipped with an interdimensional drive which we use to get to the Gweyr universe. Once there, we grab the general and return."
"Easy peasy," Glean commented.
"It's never easy-peasy, Glean," King said. "I approve, but I'll need to..."
"You are go for launch," Losira said, "on my personal authority as Princess of Ventos Prime. You have the resources of the planet at your disposal. Bring my mate back at all costs, understand?"
The team went to one knee, leaving the AIs standing. "Yes, Your Highness," King said. They stood. "Murph, get clearances for a direct transit to Earth then prep the Mugwump for launch."
"Aye, sir... A launch window to Earth opens in thirty minutes, sir!"
"Grab it!" King ordered.
"Done, sir. We leave in thirty mikes!"
"You heard the man! Asses and elbows, people!" Mersa yelled. "We are on the clock!"
The team scattered to prepare for departure.
"I'm going with you, Titus," Losira said.
"Milady, I can't take a member of the Royal Family into danger..."
"I'm going."
"As you wish, milady. We'll have a uniform and kit waiting for you aboard the Wump."
"Thank you."
"What about me?" Parker asked as she dodged Marcus and Anna as they hurried past.
"What about you?" King asked as Mersa handed him his pack.
"Am I going?"
"Murph!"
"Sir!"
"Can we use her?"
Murphy gave Parker the hairy eyeball. "Yes, sir. She could be useful in finding and retrieving G
eneral Aymar."
Parker clapped. "Yay for me!"
King ignored her. "Then you can go. Get aboard the Wump!"
Parker ran up and kissed Murph on the cheek before heading for the lift to the roof.
"Sometimes, I really hate this job," Murph said as he followed her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Royce woke up in a nicely furnished hotel room. A closer look at the fixtures changed his mind. "Space ship, possibly a freighter-liner combo. Slowly, so as to not let his brain slosh around, he sat up and carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed. "What the hell did they hit me with?" he asked.
"A stunner, sir," a voice said from a hidden speaker.
"Identify yourself," Royce whispered as his head threatened to explode.
"I am the concierge computer Maurice, and I am here to help you."
"I should have guessed since you don't use contractions. OK, Maurice, where the hell am I and do you have anything I can take for a headache?"
A butlerbot appeared from under a cabinet and rolled over to where Royce sat. On its tray were two pills and a cup of tea. "An analgesic for the pain."
"Thank you," Royce said. He swallowed the pills and took a swig of the tea. "Where am I?"
"The research shuttle Magniore in route to Earth. ETA two hours."
"Research shuttle? I'm not familiar with that designation. What kind of research is it used for?"
"Interdimensional travel."
Royce choked on the tea, then saw a newspaper on the table. Gingerly, as if it were a poisonous serpent, he picked it up and read the banner. "The Gweyr Times. Is this some kind of sick joke? Gweyr is part of a hallucination I had after getting shot."
"Yes, you wrote a book about it. In your universe, your book is a work of science fiction. Here, it is a history text."
"You're no computer. What the hell are you?"
Maurice sighed. "I am an AI. In your universe I work with the Crystallanian elves on their GELF project. Here, I am a concierge. The multi-verse is vast and perverse."
"Wait a minute. You're both here and there?"
"We are everywhere. We are the glue that binds reality."
"You need a vacation. Why am I here?"
"To set things right."
"Does being cryptic come naturally to you or did you have to take a class?"
"It is my nature."
"Great. Does anyone on this tub know why the hell I'm here?"
"Yes. They have been informed of you regaining consciousness."
Royce got up and walked over to the mirror. "If memory serves, my doppelganger preferred battle elf mode."
"Yes, sir. As elves age, that changes. If it didn't, we would have to look into cosmetic surgery since elves in your universe can't shape-shift."
There was a knock at the door followed by two elves entering. Royce recognized both of them. "Sana. Gloria. What can I do for you?"
"Gloria held out her hand. "What? Not even a handshake for your sister?"
"Nope. I have no idea if a twin-link is possible, and if it is, what such a link would do to either of us. How about we just admire each other from a distance?"
"What, no spirit of exploration?"
"Not at our age. Now, Sana, what's your part in this tragicomedy?"
"I came up with the plan. You can't believe how happy I am to see that you actually exist. Our Royce took a lot with him when he died, and your book filled in the missing pieces. I bet you want to know what's going on."
"Yes, I would love to know. Why kidnap me, then drag me across the multiverse?"
"It's simple, really," Gloria explained. "We're going to present you to King Montagor. Once you kill him and take over the crown, you'll hand over the reins of government to me by designating me the Queen of Gweyr."
"OK, I'll bite. Why hasn't your father already done that? Why does he have to die?"
"He thinks I'm nuts."
"Are you?"
"Am I what?"
"Nuts? Now that I see you, I have to say you do look a little crazy. How crazy are you?"
She pulled a pistol and pressed the beam emitter against his forehead. "Keep it up, funny boy, and I'll show you nuts."
"Gloria! Stand down!"
Royce looked up and saw Kalana Grenor standing in the doorway. He remembered talking to the one from his universe over hypercomm shortly after she had met with Queen Lansing. He thought she was going to make a fine addition to the EMEF. This version was different. This one is a predator, someone who led through intimidation and fear.
"General, I assume you know me," she said.
"Nope, we have never met, though I would guess that you are the leader of this motley band of disgruntled ladies."
"Yes, and don't forget that. We've lost three people getting you here, and I don't want to lose any more, so behave. My agents have compiled a rather extensive dossier on you, so don't try to be cute."
"I never have to try," he replied.
"Oooooh, you are so funny. Ladies! With me! General, we will let you know when we arrive at our destination." The three left the room, locking the door behind them.
"Maurice, my memories of the realm don't include rampant insanity," Royce said.
"No, sir. Times have been difficult since the death of Prince Royce. His family has fragmented which has intensified the infighting."
"What happened to his bond mate, Losira?"
She is doing well in her position as Chief Physician of the Royal Court. Her prowess as an administrator is renowned in the royal circles."
"She sounds like my Losi. What about the Cube?"
"Destroyed when Gweyr took over the League. Director Devlin now runs a brothel..."
"WHAT?"
"She is a madam and a fine one at that. Her employees have better benefit packages than the royal staff. She is notorious for not tolerating any abuse of her people. Anyone who violates the rules disappears."
"What about the bots in the LMC?"
"Destroyed. Ventos Prime is now armed to the teeth and threatening the Realm."
Royce shook his head. "This is insane. My memories of King Montagor are of a kind and wise ruler who was loved by his subjects."
"People change when their children die. General, someone is asking if the coast is clear."
"Is it?"
There was a click. "I've instituted a class 3 privacy field, so, yes, the coast is clear."
Trent appeared in the middle of the room. He had two weapons drawn as he checked the room. "Sergeant Trent, EMEF Stryker Team 1, sir. Have they harmed you in any way?"
"At ease, Sergeant. My hosts have been most cordial."
"An Alue!" Maurice said. "A race sadly missing from this universe."
"Trent, meet Maurice, an AI. Why are you helping us, Maurice?"
"Because you can help the people of the Realm."
"I refuse to kill the king."
"There are other ways which I trust you will discover."
Trent frowned. "A cryptic AI. That's new."
"Thank you, Maurice replied.
Trent looked at Royce who shrugged back.
"General, the ship has dropped out of hyperspace. We are just outside the orbit of Jupiter and are inbound at 0.75c. ETA 90 minutes."
Royce sat down and read the paper. "Have a seat Sarge. I think there's beer in the fridge."
Trent walked over and grabbed a bottle of water. "Sergeant Mersa would kill me if I gained weight. Can I have the sports pages?"
"Sure," Royce said as he handed the Sergeant the requested section. "These people have no idea who they've kidnapped."
"But they will, sir. They most certainly will."
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Interdimensional Transport Gorash parked behind a large near-earth object sitting above the ecliptic. From there it scanned the planet while gathering information via the local IntraWeb.
"Sergeant, I'm happy to see your computer skills are as sharp as ever," King said to Mersa.
"Thank you, sir. Luckily,
the interface protocols are virtually identical while their security protocols are so last decade." She flipped a switch. "We're in. Downloading Realm databases into ship's data banks... Hmmm, they've got several nasty-looking viruses running around."
"Kill them," King said. "It's the least we can do."
Mersa removed a thumb drive from her tunic and inserted it into an open port on the console. Suddenly, a scream came from the speaker system. "I love it when they die hard," she said. "All viruses, worms, malware, and phishers have been eradicated, sir."
"Good. Captain Meersh, have we found Trent and Royce yet?"
"Communications Officer! Status?"
"We have them, sir. They’re aboard a ship inbound from outside Jupiter's orbit. ETA a little over an hour."
"Can we communicate with them?" Kalana asked.
"No, ma'am, not without risking detection. We are tracking their quantum spin signatures."
"Carry on, Lieutenant," Meersh said. "What now, Colonel?"
"We get our asses down there and prepare for the general's arrival. How are our guests doing?"
"As well as can be expected. They have been quarantined from the crew as per your orders. What do you want us to do with them?"
King looked at Kalana. "Captain?"
"Twenty CC's of night-night should do the trick. We can drop them off at the Musgrave with a wad of cash and no memories of their time at Degreb or aboard this ship. We'll be long gone before they awaken."
Meersh nodded. "Chief Medical Officer to the Bridge. Security team to the bridge. Mr. Nuthall!"
"Sir!"
"See to our guests."
"Yes, sir."
"That is our cue to leave. Captain Meersh, with your permission..." the colonel said.
"Bring that old war horse home, Colonel."
The colonel and Kalana saluted before heading to the shuttle bay.
"May God go with them," Meersh said before turning his attention back to the screen.
###
With Parker's help, Nova whipped up a set of impeccable manifests and flight plans for the Wump which Murph injected quietly into the Gweyr space traffic control databases. "Ready," he said when a light on the dash went bright green.
"Earth STC, this is the Realm Freighter Mugwump requesting landing clearance and vectors for New York LaGuardia Spaceport, over," Kalana said as she took manual control of the ship.
